Tag Archives: Mauricio Umansky

August 1, 2025 – GH Weekdays, Jason Confides To Anna, Soap Suds, This Week In Reality, Weekend Watching, Farewell Ozzy, Join the Con, Fashionable Return, In the Limelight, Nine Whole Quotes & Beach

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What I Watched Today

(Weekday bites, Friday’s whole GH enchilada & media minutiae)

General Hospital

🥢 Weekday Bites…

Monday:

Willow walked down the aisle, expressionless, handed her bouquet to Elizabeth, and Drew held out his hand.

Molly flashed back to what Kristina had said and told Cody that he wasn’t worried about sun exposure. He wanted her hands all over him.

At Alexis’s place, Michael asked Kristina why she was coming between Molly and Cody. She said Molly didn’t know who Cody really was and she’d hired him to seduce Ava.

On the phone, Jack tried to find out about the courier’s location, when Josslyn came in. He wanted her side of the story.

Wiley told Jason that his mommy was marrying Uncle Drew and wondered why she’d do that.

Willow took Drew’s hand, and the ceremony commenced. Lucy asked if there was anyone who knew why the wedding shouldn’t take place, but there were no takers, although there were a lot of soap looks.

Cody said he wasn’t hitting on Molly and wondered what her problem was. She said Ava had been drooling over him, and he asked if she’d been following him.

Kristina told Michael about cutting the brakes to Ava’s car. She’d tried to kill Ava, and instead Ric and Elizabeth almost died.

Carly explained that Wiley’s parents now loved each other in a different way now, but still adored their kids. Even though his mom didn’t want to break the judge’s rules by seeing him and Amelia, that didn’t mean she didn’t love them.

Lucy said today was about joining an entire family, and Drew and Willow had written their own vows. Drew said blah-blah-blah, a bunch of lies, while Willow smiled at him. He promised she’d get her kids back, and Nina told Obrecht that Willow thought Drew was the only path back to her children.

Josslyn said she’d planted the tracker on Greta (the courier who apparently now has a name), and Jack told her that something her mother said got his attention.

Alone with Jason, Carly said it was heartbreaking that Wiley had been confused since his parents broke up. Both Willow and Drew were heartless and selfish. Drew hadn’t wanted an equal, but a yes man, and that’s why she and Drew hadn’t worked out. Jason wondered if there were similarities in keeping AJ from Michael, and Carly wondered if Wiley and Amelia would understand that Michael just wanted to protect them. She was trusting the love they had would be enough, like it had for her and Michael.

Michael was understanding about what Kristina had done and told her that she was lucky that the cops didn’t know. She said Ric and Ava had figured it out and were extorting Alexis.

There was more nonsense from Drew, and he said their future was bright and beautiful. He’d do everything in his power to make her as happy as she’d made him. They’d build on the family they were creating and committing to, and their love. Now and forever. It was Willow’s turn and after slipping her hands out of his, she asked if Drew had slept with her mother. 🍿!

Michael said he wished he could have helped Kristina, but she took full responsibility. She felt lucky she hadn’t killed someone, but now Ric and Ava had power over her mom. Alexis was stealing from the Cassadine trust, so she didn’t go to prison, and she was trying to get Ava and Ric to turn on each other. Ric still had a thing for Elizabeth, so if Cody flirted with Ava, maybe she’d realize she could do better. Kristina wasn’t surprised Cody liked Molly, but was surprised Molly was interested in Cody.

Cody asked why Molly cared, and she said she thought it was inappropriate since Ava was dating her dad. Cody offered to move and picked up her book, finding a western romance hidden inside.

Jack said Carly was pleased to see Josslyn was moving on and dating again, and Josslyn said she thought that was what he wanted. Jack said he did, but understood she was new to this, and it could be confusing and easy to get caught up in feelings. She said there was nothing real going on, and he said Vaughn was playing a part, so it was vital she did the same.

Willow repeated herself and said it was a simple question. Drew tried to deflect, but it didn’t work. She asked if he’d slept with Nina while they were falling in love, and Alexis finally got Scout the hell out of there. Drew said, yes, and it had happened more than once, but he’d never developed feelings for Nina. He tried to turn it around, saying Willow had told him that they couldn’t be involved, but she wasn’t having it. He’d done worse than compromise her marriage. He’d destroyed it. 🍿!

Josslyn said she could handle it, when Jack’s phone rang. A man said they’d lost the courier.

Kristina told Michael that she didn’t think Molly and Cody were a good match and she’d told Molly that she didn’t know who Cody really was. Michael said it wasn’t a terrible plan, and Kristina said she’d told Cody that he’d be doing Molly a favor. Michael said Kristina had dug herself a big hole, but promised to help her get her out of it. She was his sister, and he’d always have her back. She said they could never let Alexis know he knew about the blackmail, when Alexis came in with Scout.

Carly reminisced about when she’d heard Jason had died and how she’d hung onto Drew because he was gone. Drew had accused her of using him as a substitute for Jason and she couldn’t deny it. Jason said he hadn’t been dead and was sure he’d seen Britt. He asked what happened to Britt’s body. He had to be sure. She said she had no idea. He’d have to ask someone in Britt’s family.

Drew wanted to go somewhere private, but Willow said right there was fine, and he said he’d fallen in love with her. She said she’d defended him and told people they were wrong, that they were open and honest with each other. She was such an idiot believing him. He’d said she could keep her children, and she’d never give them up for him, even though that’s what ended up happening. She’d given Michael ammunition and Drew had just wanted her to himself, promising her anything. She realized Michael was telling the truth about what Wiley heard, and Drew said, it was strategy. She said his lies hurt her son and he’d made it possible for her to lose her children. Don’t touch her ever again. She left and Drew tried to follow, but Nina intercepted him. 🍿!

Cody read from the romance novel, which was pretty funny. (I have a friend who writes erotic romances and those are pretty funny to read out loud too.)

Jack told Josslyn that they’d have to see if the tracker stayed when Greta left, but for now, they’d lost the tracker.

Michael asked how the wedding was, and Scout said, weird. Alexis suggested Kristina make Scout lunch, and Kristina took her to the kitchen. Alexis told Michael about what happened and that Nina and Drew had an affair.

Nina said at least now everyone knew Drew was a poor, pathetic excuse for a human being and he didn’t have to pretend anymore. He’d sniffed around a married woman while sleeping with her mother, and ruined Willow’s life. Drew said she’d waited to tell Willow, letting her plan the wedding, but Nina said she’d been clinging to the delusion he’d do the right thing. If he’d loved Willow, he would have let her go before she lost her children and everyone she loved. Drew said Nina had hired an escort to drug him, but she said she hadn’t been there. That was all on him. She didn’t force him to take body shots from an escort over a bar. He was done. The only thing that pleased her was that he’d lost Willow forever. She knew Willow would never forgive him. She left.

The cheese stood alone. 🍿!

Cody asked if Molly was a secret romantic, but she said she’d been obsessed with all things romantic since she was a kid. She’d written two books, Love in Maine and Maine Squeeze. He was impressed, and she said she thought it was time for a third book. It was just research. She gathered up her stuff and left.

Josslyn wondered if the tracker was out of range, and Jack said, otherwise, somebody found it.

Britt told Greta that she was late, and Greta gave her the backpack.

Obrecht ordered a triple schnapps at the bar and told the bartender that no one else would be coming. Jason joined her and said he had some questions about Britt.

Kristina came back, leaving Scout in the kitchen. Alexis told Kristina and Michael about Willow confronting Drew at the altar and Drew admitting it was true. Kristina said they’d tried to tell Willow who Drew was, and Michael said now she finally knew.

Martin said, maybe they dodged a bullet, and asked Lucy if a lot of weddings she officiated at ended up like this. She said he’d be surprised how many, but he said, no, he wouldn’t.

Kai offered Drew a ride, but Drew wanted to find Willow. He said told Martin that he had a job for him.

Nina said Willow was nowhere to be found, and Elizabeth said she wasn’t answering her phone. Nina said Willow needed her mother and wondered where she went.

Willow knocked at Carly’s door and said she needed to see her children.

Tuesday:

Alexis and Kristina discussed Scout, and Alexis said Drew called Scout to say goodnight. Alexis had no idea Nina and Drew were sleeping together. Molly came in and said Kristina was right about Cody; he was a hustler.

Obrecht laughed about Drew’s face when Willow asked if he’d slept with her mother, but added there was nothing funny about Willow and Nina being in pain. Jason said he thought he’d seen Britt.

Britt went to her hotel room and made herself a drink. She opened the backpack and took out a bunch of papers.

Curtis met Nina at the pool and Portia joined them. Nina thought they deserved to know Willow and Drew were finally over. Portia asked why Nina was upset, and Nina said she and Willow were over too. She’d lost her daughter forever.

Drew and Martin crawled over the wall to the Quartermaine mansion. Drew said Willow had to be there.

Cody had Tracy examine his back for errant moles, but she saw nothing except a freckle. Drew burst in and asked where Willow was. Tracy said, he’d misplaced his bride already? How careless of him.

Carly told Willow to keep her voice down, but Willow heard Wiley and yelled for him.

Jason told Obrecht about seeing Britt board the flight to Dubrovnik, and Obrecht said she saw Britt all the time.

Britt got on her laptop as she flipped through the papers, then slammed it shut.

Molly told Kristina and Alexis what happened with Cody. She wasn’t wasting any more time on that con man. He’d also gotten superior about her reading a romance novel, but thanks to her sister, she was on to him.

Nina said she’d realized how lost Willow was when Portia told her how Willow wasn’t fazed about altering Michael’s test results. But before she could tell willow anything, Willow asked if she’d slept with Drew. Curtis admitted he was the one who told Willow.

Drew said he needed to find Willow, but Tracy said Willow wasn’t there and he was trespassing. Martin pretended they were there to discuss Measure C, but Tracy laughed, and Cody said Willow had bailed on Drew. Drew said Nina had told Willow about their involvement, and Tracy was even more amused. Yuri came flying in to escort them out, but Drew said they weren’t leaving until he saw Willow.

Willow said she was Wiley’s mother, but Carly said Willow was in her wedding dress with mascara streaming down her face. She was a mess, and she was going to scare Wiley. Michael came out and Willow said she’d done what he wanted. She didn’t marry Drew and now he had to let her see her kids.

Obrecht told Jason that the sightings had faded. Her consciousness knew Britt was gone, but she continued to look for her. Jason said he’d never seen Britt since she died, but Obrecht said Britt died a hero. It comforted her that Jason’s subconscious looked for her too.

Alexis suggested a movie, but Molly said she wasn’t in the mood. Ava could have Cody. They were perfect for each other. She went upstairs, and Kristina said she’d told Molly the truth, mostly, but she felt crappy about it.

Curtis apologized for betraying Nina’s confidence, and Portia said she’d been about to go to the hospital board. Curtis said it was a last-ditch effort to save Portia’s medical career, and Portia said her confession had been the lesser of two evils. Curtis said he was glad Willow’s eyes had been opened, but he was sorry Nina got hurt. He’d never meant for Nina to lose her daughter.

Michael said Willow had to leave, but she said Drew wasn’t in the picture anymore. He said, right now, she was the problem, and their kids couldn’t see her. Wiley called, mommy! and Michael dragged her away. Wiley asked Carly why his mommy was crying. Willow told Michael that she’d never marry Drew. It was over and he was out of her life for good. Michael said she wasn’t thinking straight, and she cried, saying she couldn’t stand not seeing her kids. He said she wasn’t seeing them tonight and that was final.

Jason said Britt had no grave in Port Charles and asked Obrecht if she was buried elsewhere. Obrecht said something had changed when Britt met Jason. She’d accepted who she was and was at ease and happy. She’d never known Britt to trust anyone, but Britt had started to trust him, telling him about her Huntington’s diagnosis before she even told Obrecht.

Britt watched the Nurses Ball on her laptop and said it didn’t disappoint. A man knocked at her door, and she told him that she didn’t remember calling or texting him, but he said he was sent to relieve her tension.

Drew didn’t want to take Tracy’s word, and Martin went into the living room with Yuri. Tracy said Drew had been living on borrowed time after Cody outed his affair with Nina at the Brown Dog Bar. She knew that the longer it went on, the better the leverage, and now it blew up in his face. He said he and Willow had fallen in love and if not for Nina, they’d be married.

Nina told Curtis that he’d said the right thing and if he’d told her beforehand, she would have tried to talk him out of it. He said he was sorry he got in the way, but Nina thought maybe Willow would have accused her of making it up. Curtis had forced Willow to face reality. She didn’t think they’d come back from it, but as long as Willow was free from Drew, she believed it was worth it.

Willow told Michael that Drew was a liar and a fake. He’d been sleeping with Nina and her eyes were opened. She was wrong and Michael was right. Wasn’t that what he wanted to hear? He said he was glad she knew the truth, but that didn’t change the judge’s ruling, and it stood. She said she and Drew were finished and she’d come back to Michael, and he said there was a time he’d wanted to hear that, but it was too late now. She said she’d do anything he wanted, and he said they were following the ruling for now. That’s why she needed to leave, or he’d have her escorted off the property. He hustled her out the door and she cried. Carly comforted Wiley as Willow looked in through the window.

Nina said Willow accused her of standing by while she threw away her marriage and jeopardized her relationship with her kids, but Portia said that wasn’t true. Everyone had tried to tell Willow the truth. Nina said it wasn’t the truth Willow needed to hear. She’d had the one piece of information that would have turned Willow away from Drew, but she’d been selfish. She let her fear of losing her daughter paralyze her and did nothing. Now Willow was alone without her, Drew, or her children.

Elizabeth and Ric came along and found Willow sitting outside Carly’s door. Willow asked Elizabeth to talk to Michael, but Elizabeth didn’t think it was a good idea. Willow said she needed her children, and Elizabeth said Willow had to think about them. It would scare them to see her like this. She’d bring Willow back in the morning if she thought it was the right thing to do. They gathered Willow up, but Willow said she had nowhere to go. She didn’t have a home.

Michael said Willow wasn’t upset with Wiley, and Wiley asked why she was crying. Michael said she’d had a very bad no good day, but it would be okay. She and Uncle Drew were supposed to get married, but it didn’t happen, and mommy was sad, so she forgot the judge’s rule not to see them. Wiley asked if she was going to get in trouble.

Martin talked to Yuri about working for the Quartermaines, and Yuri said it was an honor and a privilege. Martin said the drama must be difficult, especially for Monica since she was in poor health. (😒When will we be ending this charade?) Yuri said it was hard on her, but better with Michael at home, and Martin said Wiley and Amelia must give her joy. He asked if Monica got a lot of visitors.

Jason said Britt struggled with her Huntington’s diagnosis and was scared, but refused to give up. Obrecht said Britt had opened herself up to new experiences and had enjoyed her first birthday party the night she died. He said he wished he could have been there to celebrate, and she said, perhaps knowing the worst was coming, Britt took chances with experiences and people she might not have otherwise. She thought Britt would have been happy with him if he hadn’t abandoned her for Carly, but Jason saved her life, so no hard feelings. He said, Britt died in the process of saving a life, and she said, Britt died in her arms. Britt knew she’d been poisoned, but didn’t tell her, and all she could do was hold Britt. We flashed back to that, and Jason said he was glad Obrecht was there. She wondered why they couldn’t have had more time.

Kristina explained what she’d told Molly about Cody, and Alexis said Kristina had conveniently left out that she’d asked him to do it. Kristina said he needed to stay on plan and on Ava, and Alexis said, an interesting thing happened at the church. Ava had asked her to meet without Ric. Maybe it was the beginning of her distancing herself from Ric, whose eyes were never off Elizabeth. Kristina said Elizabeth would be fine. What mattered was Ava and Ric calling it quits, and it sounded like it was happening.

Molly slammed her laptop shut and looked at her notes for her new book. She added something.

Jason said they didn’t have to talk about Britt, but Obrecht said she loved remembering Britt, no matter how painful. Jason said he hadn’t been able to talk to anyone about Britt, and Obrecht said Britt always managed to surprise her, even at the end. She’d assumed Britt would donate her body to research to help find a cure for Huntington’s, but she wanted to be cremated. Jason suggested he walk her to her room, and she said she was jealous that he got a glimpse of Britt at the airport. She wished she could see her daughter again. They left.

Britt lay on a massage table while the man worked on her. She thanked him for his service and said, that would be all. He said, too bad she was in a bad mood, and she told him to leave now or he’d find out how bad.

Michael told Wiley that Willow left so she wouldn’t get in trouble, but remember she loved him. Anytime he was sad or scared or missing his mom, Wiley could talk to him or grandma. He loved Wiley bigger than the biggest, bluest ocean. They hugged.

Drew said he was tired of the constant judgement and wanted to make Willow happy, but needed the chance to explain. Cody told him to leave Willow alone. He’d already cost her too much. Drew said he was heading upstairs to talk to his fiancé, and Tracy said, let him. She didn’t know where Willow was, but she wasn’t there.  

Elizabeth took Willow to her house and asked Ric to make tea. She said Willow would feel better after a hot shower and changing her clothes. Did she think she could eat? Willow said she wasn’t hungry. Wiley was there and she saw him and heard him call for her, but Michael wouldn’t let her go to him. Why was he keeping her from her son?

Britt gave herself an injection and got into bed. She said, goodnight, mutter, and closed her eyes.

Jason went back to the bar and picked up Obrecht’s bag. He flashed back to the airport and seeing a logo on Britt’s bag. He took out his phone, bringing up Spyder Finder, and searched for The Five Poppies Resort in Dubrovnik.

Kristina said she felt guilty and wondered why. Keeping Alexis out of prison was more important than a rebound relationship. Alexis said she didn’t want to discourage Molly about the first man she’d shown interest in since TJ, but Kristina said, give her a few days. She’d forget all about him.

Molly continued to make notes, crossing out hero and writing dumb sidekick. On the list of the hero’s qualities, she wrote HONEST and underlined it.

Drew said Willow wasn’t upstairs. Where was she? Tracy said, hopefully somewhere he couldn’t find her. If she had to guess, she thought Willow never wanted to lay eyes on him ever again.

Yuri told Martin that Monica was loved by many. She was a remarkable woman, and they bonded over their similarities. They’d both come far from their meager beginnings. Martin asked if Monica had told Yuri about her life before the Quartermaines, when Tracy called for Yuri. She said Yuri could throw them out now, but Drew said it wasn’t necessary. They were going. They left.

Outside, Martin said he was sorry, and Drew said he was all Willow had left. He had to get her back.

Portia told Nina that things were bleak now, but don’t assume it would last forever. Willow could still come around. Nina said she prayed Willow did. Her only consolation was that Willow finally broke free from Drew’s spell. Curtis said, unfortunately, that could also be temporary, and Nina asked if he thought Willow would go back to Drew. He said, Drew’s ego was so big, he wasn’t going to let Willow go without a fight. He saw himself as Willow’s champion. He used her to justify his actions and without her, he’d be forced to face the person he’d become. He wasn’t saying it would happen, but it could. Drew had manipulated Willow before and might be able to again.

Ric put a jacket on Willow’s shoulders and gave her the tea. Elizabeth gave her something to help her sleep and said Willow was safe there. She could stay as long as she needed, until she figured things out. Willow said she had figured things out. Drew lied and was a terrible person who should be near her or her children. Now that she left him, she and Michael were on the same side. That meant she’d be able to see her children again.

Carly told Michael that she was sorry. She hadn’t known what to do. He said she’d handled it perfectly, and she said, Wiley was sound asleep. What happened? He said, Willow found out that when she was falling in love with Drew, he was sleeping with Nina, and she said, that woman is unbelievable. She could have ended this whole nightmare by telling Willow the truth, but of course (🍷) she did what she always did. She kept her mouth shut to protect her own ass. Now look at the damage. Michael said he’d never seen Willow that desperate, and Carly asked where his head was at. He said he was following the judge’s ruling to the letter and letting nothing jeopardize his custody. In her desperation, Willow was scared and out of control. He didn’t know if he could ever let her near their kids again. He and Carly hugged.

Wednesday:

Isaiah found Portia in her office and said he hoped that meant she was staying.

Rocco went to Laura’s office, and she asked if everything was okay. He said he could use a favor. He was hoping she’d work her magic again and help him with his mom and dad.

At the pool, Temp Maxie (Nicole Paggi – see below) said Brook opened a can of worms, and Brook said she never meant for Rocco to see the file. Unfortunately, he did, so now maybe they could all move on. Maxie said she didn’t think it was helping that Obrecht was back in town because of Brook.

Trina went to Curtis’s office, and he told her that something happened yesterday. Something that could change things between her and Kai.

At the pool, Josslyn asked if Kai was planning on ignoring her all day, and Kai said he was hoping she would ignore him. She was mad at him, right? She said, of course (🍷). Trina told her what happened. He broke Trina’s heart, but considering what went down at the wedding, there may be some hope. Maybe he was finally see how a big mistake he’d made in choosing Drew over Trina.

At a nearby table, Ric said he was surprised that Nina requested a meeting, but Nina said she’d make a deal with the devil if it helped her daughter.

Willow came downstairs and Elizabeth asked if she was comfortable in Jake’s bed. Willow said she slept great and was seeing things more clearly, the good and the bad. She saw that going to Carly’s was a huge mistake and so was her entire relationship with Drew.

In the nook, Drew thanked Michael for seeing him, and Michael asked what he wanted. Drew said he came to tell Michael that everything with Willow, Wiley, and Amelia was over.

Portia told Isaiah that she wouldn’t be here for long. She was planning on leaving. He said, why resign when she didn’t know if the board would ask her to? Maybe it was time to trust him.

Trina said, Drew was having an affair with Nina? and Curtis said Willow found out before the wedding. When they came to the vows, she asked Drew if he’d slept with her mother in front of God and everyone. Trina said she felt sorry for Willow. She’d given up everything. Curtis said he felt bad for Nina too, and Trina asked what that had to do with her and Kai. He said, Willow finally wised up. Maybe Kai would too. Maybe he regretted how it ended with her. She said Kai needed to see Drew for who and what he was, but when it came to the two of them, it didn’t make a difference.

Kai said the situation was messed up, but he’d never said Drew was a saint, and Josslyn said he definitely wasn’t. She watched him ruin her brother’s marriage and her best friend’s relationship. Kai said Drew didn’t ruin his and Trina’s relationship. He did.  

Nina said Ric needed to stay on as Willow’s attorney and fight for custody, and he wondered if she wanted him to pave a path back to Willow for her. She said she thought that was feat beyond his abilities, but it wasn’t about getting into Willow’s good graces. She wanted to insure getting Willow back in Wiley and Amelia’s lives. Willow couldn’t know she’d hired him, because she’d refuse Nina’s help, and Willow couldn’t afford that when it involved her children. Ric wondered if her keeping her involvement a secret was smart, considering her keeping things from Willow landed her in this position in the first place, but Nina said, maybe. See if Willow was receptive, but if Willow didn’t accept Ric’s help, she wouldn’t have any choice.

Elizabeth was sure Willow was overwhelmed on every level and said Willow could stay as long as she needed. Her boys were scattered and hearing Willow upstairs was nice. The house had been too quiet. Willow said she knew that too well. She missed her kids so much and would do anything for them. What she didn’t understand was how Nina could do this to her. Elizabeth said she wasn’t excusing Nina, but maybe Nina thought she was somehow protecting her child, and Willow said Nina claimed she was going to come clean before the wedding, but why would she believe Nina? Thank God Curtis told her before she made that mistake. Elizabeth said, thank God Willow listened, and Willow said she couldn’t believe she’d let Drew control and shape her life like Shiloh and Harmony. She’d sworn she’d never let that happen again. Elizabeth said hindsight always came too late, and Willow said, it was all there. Drew pursued her when she’d begged him not to. She told him that she needed space to focus on her marriage, but he’d pop up everywhere. Elizabeth said he was love bombing, and Willow said he’d blown her life to hell. He promised to fix it, and instead, he ruined everything, and she let him.

Michael asked if Drew was giving up on Willow after he destroyed her family and everyone she’d loved, but Drew said he was just loving her the only way he could. Michael said he didn’t need to hear about Drew’s epic romance. It wasn’t noble or tragic. Drew said, bottom line, Willow left him, and Michael got what he wanted, but Michael said he didn’t want any of this. Drew said he was asking Michael to have grace in victory. Willow was alone and he was out of the picture. Let her be with Wiley and Amelia.

Rocco said Laura had told him it was healthy to ask questions about Britt. He’d emailed Britt’s mom, they connected, and she came to see him. Laura said, Obrecht was in Port Charles? and he said they met up. She was really cool. Kind of kooky, but he liked her. He ran into her at the MetroCourt pool and when his parents saw them talking, they freaked like he’d done something dangerous. Laura said they were shocked. Their relationship with Obrecht was complicated. He said his wasn’t. They thought he shouldn’t be around her, but he didn’t see it that way and wanted to see her again. He didn’t know how to tell them without making it worse.

Lulu said, Rocco went to Obrecht for answers, and Maxie said Obrecht didn’t mention seeing him. Lulu said, she lies like her daughter. Rocco was talking about spending time with her. She’d brought Brook’s son to her and Gio was a lovely young man anyone would be proud to have in their family. She thanked Brook for bringing a liar and criminal into her son’s life, but Brook said it wasn’t her fault Rocco didn’t know about Britt. It wasn’t Lulu’s either, since she’d been gone. Dante should have told him. Lulu told her not to lay that at Dante’s feet. Dante was a wonderful father, which Brook would have known had she let him be a father. Brook said she wasn’t the problem, and neither was Britt or Obrecht. The real problem was Lulu.

Laura said, for Rocco’s parents, Obrecht and Britt were upsetting topics. Britt stole their embryo, which was a crime. It led to the miracle of his birth, for which they were all grateful, but it was complicated. Obrecht had also done her fair share of questionable things. Rocco said he saw that online, and she said, of course (🍷). She did believe people had the ability to change, and during Obrecht’s last few years in Port Charles, she’d seemed to. His mom never saw Obrecht’s efforts or her growth. He said, when they met, Obrecht was nothing like he’d read about. She loved Britt and told him stories about when he was a baby, like how his first solid food was avocado. He wondered if that’s why he liked green so much. It was cool to hear stories about himself that his parents didn’t even know. There had to be other stuff Obrecht could tell him. Laura suggested he lay it out for his parents like he did for her. She thought they would understand, and he may not need her help. He said they didn’t get him the way she did, and they hugged.

Brook said Lulu was acting like Obrecht’s visit was a national crisis and was giving it more life than it needed. Maxie said they needed real facts and to stop the accusations. Rocco reached out because he was curious. It was natural and also natural for Obrecht to want to see Rocco. He was her last connection to Britt. Lulu said Britt was a thief who stole the first seven months of Rocco’s life from her and Dante. Lulu’s phone rang, and Laura said she needed to talk to Lulu as soon as possible. Could she stop by the office? Lulu left, and Maxie was shocked that she was walking out.  

Nina brought clothes to Elizabeth’s place for Willow, and Willow said, let her come in. Elizabeth left to give them privacy, and Willow told Nina that she needed clothes. Nina said she knew things were difficult… and Willow said, what Nina had done was disgusting. Nina said she wanted Willow to know she loved her and was there if Willow needed her. Willow said she didn’t need or want anything from Nina. Nina and Drew had been in her ear for too long and she was done with it. What happened next was for her to decide. Her life, her kids, her future. It was all up to her now.

Michael told Drew that Willow wasn’t allowed contact until the visitation hearing in October, and Drew said it had been scheduled for August, but Michael pushed it back. Talk to Diane. They could settle out of court. No more keeping the children from their mother. Michael said he didn’t feel he could take that risk, and Drew asked if Michael wanted him to beg. He had the power to end all this. Michael said Drew was right, but after what Willow did last night, he’d be a fool to use it.  

Kai said he did what he thought was right, and Josslyn asked how it was right to defend Drew. Kai said he’d stood by his values. Drew was being blamed for something he didn’t do. Whoever that someone was didn’t matter. His principles mattered. She said it was noble in theory, but in reality, he’d betrayed Trina for human garbage. If he lost Trina, her family, her friends, and everyone who cared about him in the process, he’d still have Drew and his principles. Maybe they’d rub off on Drew, but she wasn’t holding her breath. She walked away.  

Curtis said Trina’s loyalty was admirable, but don’t throw away her relationship to prove it. Trina said Kai made her a promise and broke it. Her trust was gone. Curtis said, context mattered. Kai made a call that she wouldn’t have, but in his mind, he did the right thing. He didn’t have all the facts, but he did now. She said the damage was done, and he asked her to please keep an open mind. If she burned a bridge, she might miss what was on the other side – forgiveness and another chance for a person or experience. If she made a decision based on emotions, fear, and anger, she might look back and wonder what could have been. God forbid one day she might need a second chance, but she had to choose wisely. There were no guarantees. She asked how she knew Kai was worth a second chance, but he said he had no right to answer that when it came to Kai. Look into his eyes and listen to what her heart was telling her.

Portia said Isaiah’s friendship and support meant more than he knew. It didn’t hurt that he was an excellent surgeon. She was proud that he was part of her legacy be her bringing him to GH. He said he’d worked at other hospitals and GH was special. He felt trusted and valued, due in large part to her leadership. She said she appreciated him saying that, and he said he’d miss working with her. She said she’d miss working with him too.

Willow said she and Nina had gotten close. She called Nina mom and told her that she loved her. She lived with Nina and Nina was her family. Nina said she still was, but Willow asked, how? She didn’t have her children, and her life was now stained with a lie. Nina said she’d tried to tell Willow, but Willow said she’d failed. Nina said she was so sorry, but Willow said she didn’t care. She’d lost Wiley and Amelia. If Nina had just told her at the beginning, none of this would have happened. Things with Michael wouldn’t have gotten so bad. Nina was just as much to blame as Drew for her losing her kids. Willow opened the door, and Nina left. Outside, she texted Ric: Tried to be upfront with Willow. It didn’t work. Wiring retainer now.  

Drew asked, what happened? and Michael said the kids were staying at Carly’s, when Willow showed up in her wedding dress. She was hysterical and out of control. Wiley was terrified and he had to physically remove Willow. It wasn’t the Willow he knew, and he couldn’t say he knew who Drew was anymore since he was here asking for a favor. Drew said he was asking Michael to give Willow a chance, and Michael wondered why he should listen to anything Drew had to say again.  

Kai was lying on a chaise lounge at the pool, when Trina walked in.  

Brook thanked Maxie for defending her, and Maxie said she told the truth. Neither of them had clean hands. Brook lit the match, but Lulu kept throwing gas on the fire. She was trying to stop it from spreading. Brook said she tried, but when she saw Lulu, she couldn’t think straight. She wished Rocco had never seen the file. She needed to put the fire out before someone else got burned.

Laura said she didn’t want to add to Lulu’s stress, but Rocco was just there and told her that Lulu and Dante had barred him from seeing Obrecht. Lulu said they did, and Laura said Lulu knew she loved her, but she thought Lulu was making a terrible mistake.

Ric asked how Willow was feeling, and Willow said, a good night’s sleep made a huge difference. He said he came to check on her, but was hoping she was up to talking business. He couldn’t shake how he saw her last night. He started out as her lawyer and planned to follow through to the end, pro bono. Willow said he was practically saving her life. What was the best way to get visitation or joint custody? He said, for now, they don’t.

Drew said never set out to hurt Michael, like Michael didn’t set out to hurt Chase when he was with Willow and she and Michael fell in love. Willow was special and magnetic. Michael asked if Drew was saying he never set out to manipulate things. He’d realized something Willow said that didn’t make sense before. Drew was the reason Willow didn’t get to see him in Germany. Don’t try to deny it. His poker face wasn’t as good as he thought.

Michael said he kept wondering why Willow insisted he’d turned her away. No one told him that she was there because Drew paid them not to. Uncle Drew was amazing. There was nothing he wouldn’t do. Drew said he didn’t want to drag up the past or argue. This was about Willow’s future with the kids. Michael said, which she might have had if they’d seen each other. They could have reached a compromise and spared the kids. None of this had to happen. How did Drew feel to have the truth sitting on his chest? (He feels nothing. He has no conscience.) Drew said he wasn’t doing this. Didn’t Michael want Wiley and Amelia to live their best life, including being with their mother? Imagine his life without his. Do the right thing for his kids. Drew left.

Willow asked if custody was off the table, and Ric said, yes, temporarily. Her credibility was damaged, but she’d have another chance in October. By then, she could prove her public meltdowns were the exception. She was under extreme mental stress and emotional trauma, and it wasn’t the rule. She said she didn’t know how she was going to get through months without her kids, but he told her to be grateful. If it was tomorrow, Michael would easily win. Time would give her the chance to build and the chance to convince the judge and Michael that she can play by the rules and manage her emotions. He knew she could do it and would check in from time to time. Stay the course. He left, and Elizabeth asked how Willow felt. Willow said, overwhelmed. She thought she needed to take a walk. She’d be back.

Maxie told Nina that she’d been stuck in New York and missed the wedding that nearly killed Spinelli to pull off. Nina said, he was incredibly helpful, and Maxie said she couldn’t believe she wasn’t there to offer emotional support. Curtis told Willow everything. Who thought that would happen? Nina said he beat her to it, and Maxie said she didn’t want to say I told you so, but if Nina had done it a year ago… She was saying it. Nina said Maxie encouraged her to come clean. Willow was out of control, and she had no idea the relationship would go as far as it did. Maxie asked why Nina decided to tell Willow on her wedding day. Something must have happened.

Kai said he’d seen Josslyn and was hoping Trina would show up, and Trina asked if he wanted to tell her that her parents were right and fighting about Drew wasn’t worth it. He said he didn’t regret warning Drew, but regretted not telling her, and she said, even after learning Drew slept with Willow’s mom, Kai was still defending him. Kai said he didn’t regret it and wouldn’t change anything, and she said, nice to know, but he did something she couldn’t get past. She’d gotten over a lot of things, but betraying her parents wasn’t one of them. He said he guessed nothing was going to change that, and she said she guessed not, and left.

Portia went to Curtis’s office, and he asked if everything was okay. She said, no. She couldn’t do this anymore, living in limbo, the constant threat of wondering when Drew would destroy her life. She knew Drew hurt Curtis and the family as much as her, but she got them into it and felt she should take responsibility for her actions. So she was submitting her resignation today.

At the pool, Rocco asked if he could get Brook anything, but she said, no thanks. He thanked her and said, if not for her, he wouldn’t have known he had another mother.

Lulu told Laura that she wasn’t making a mistake. Laura knew Obrecht was dangerous. Laura said she did know, but she also knew that Obrecht made an effort to change. She’d already met Rocco and nothing happened. He was fine. Her son was curious about a part of his life he’d known nothing about. The more she and Dante made it forbidden, the more Rocco would chase it and shut them out in the process.

Lulu said it was a time in her life that she didn’t want to revisit. She wasn’t there for her son’s birth. Britt was. Laura said she understood revisiting a painful time to satisfy her child’s curiosity. Lulu’s son was growing up, wanted to know more about his life, and was bringing up an uncomfortable conversation for them. Every kid got to the point where their parents were no longer their heroes. They didn’t see their parents as perfect and started to see they were flawed humans who made mistakes. They saw their parents as who they really were. Lulu said, or sometimes they saw their parents as who they really were and they were still heroes, and Laura said she got through it and Lulu would too. She believed Lulu had the opportunity to become closer to Rocco if she actively supported and encouraged him while he was searching for the answers he needed.

Brook said she never meant for Rocco to see the file, but Rocco said she was glad he did. His parents acted like he should forget that time existed, which made him think they were never going to tell him.

Josslyn and Trina hugged, as Kai watched.

Nina told Maxie that she knew it was her last chance to break the hold Drew had over Willow. If they’d gotten married, Willow would be tied to Drew forever and she couldn’t let that happen. Under Drew’s influence, Willow was becoming unrecognizable. She was worried Willow would become someone worse and suspected Willow had done something bad. If she had and it came out, Willow would never be able to see Wiley and Amelia again.

Willow thanked Michael for seeing her, and he said the kids weren’t at home, so he didn’t see a problem with it. What did she want? Willow apologized for her mistake and fully owned it, and Michael asked if she’d been talking to Drew. She said, God no. Last night changed everything. It’s like she was coming up for air after a year of being under water. He said he was sorry it had to happen the way it did, and she said her too. Her mind was now clear, and she was here with no tears, hysterics, or animosity. They were two people who used to love each other before she threw it all away. He asked if she and Drew were really over, and she said, they really were. She’d met his one condition. It wasn’t the way he’d wanted, but she had, so please, could she see Wiley and Amelia?

Curtis said Portia couldn’t preemptively resign. Their plan was close to working and Drew would move to DC. She told him that they’d been saying that for so long, but he said they’d never been this close. It was happening. As long as Drew never found out that he told Willow, they were in the clear.

Drew went to Elizabeth’s house, but Elizabeth said Willow wasn’t there right now. If she was, she’d recommend Drew give her some space. He said he was sorry Willow found out the truth on their wedding day, and Elizabeth said, he was just looking out for Willow because he was worried. Drew said, of course (🍷) he was. He just wished Curtis hadn’t done that.

Thursday:

During the morning chaos at Anna’s place, Outback came out holding her leash. Anna told Gio and Emma to stop what they were doing. They had a situation.

At the pool, Josslyn told Vaughn that she and Brennan followed the tracker, but then it literally fell off the radar. Three hours later, it reappeared. Vaughn wondered what happened during those three hours, when Carly came in.

Stella went to Curtis’s office and said she was going to play the auntie card. Tell her why Trina and Kai broke up.

Willow told Michael that she didn’t come to make demands, but came to apologize. He was right about Drew, their relationship, all of it, and she was completely wrong about Drew. Michael said he never thought he’d hear her say that. He knew her feelings for Drew had been sincere, but Drew hadn’t been sincere with her. She said she’d thought Drew was honest and believed him over everyone else. She took his advice and couldn’t believe how stupid she was. Michael said, Drew manipulated her in more ways than she knew.

Drew told Elizabeth that Curtis misunderstood, and he wished Curtis hadn’t told Willow. He wished a lot of people had acted differently, himself first and foremost, but his main priority was to reunite Willow with her children. Elizabeth said if he wanted to help Willow, leave her alone. Help meant taking a step back. Willow was past her limit. There was a knock at the door, and Elizabeth said Willow wasn’t in a place where she could deal with him. She opened the door to Jason.

Anna said Outback needed a walk. The building didn’t allow pets and if anyone heard her bark, they’d get kicked out. Emma said she was on it, and Anna said they needed to write a schedule, in pen, and put it on the fridge, so they would know when Outback was walked and fed. She was having a house meeting at 7. Emma said she couldn’t make it. She had to prep for Dalton’s special lecture. Anna said she thought Josslyn was his assistant, but Emma said it was good face time with him, and if she stayed on his good side, he’d be more likely to hire her when Josslyn screwed up and got fired. Gio said he had to get to work, and when he opened the door, Dante was there.

Josslyn suggested the tracker might have been in a shielded area, and Vaughn said, or it was found and disabled. She said, then purposely reactivated to lure out whoever was doing the tracking. Carly approached them and said it was nice to see Vaughn again, but could she speak to Josslyn privately right now in her office? Josslyn left with her.

Curtis told Stella that he was staying out of this one. It was up to Trina and Kai if they wanted to share details. Stella said they weren’t sharing anything, but they were perfect for each other. What happened? He said he was trying to respect their privacy, and she said, fine, but don’t tell her it wasn’t a huge mistake on both their parts.

Drew asked if Jason was following him to stop him from talking to Willow, but Jason said he was there to see Elizabeth. Elizabeth told Drew that she’d said all she had to say to him and it was time for him to go. Drew said, despite what they thought, all he wanted to do was help Willow. He suggested Jason talk to Michael about letting her see the kids. He knew she was a good mother. Jason said Drew had ripped Willow’s family apart and he was why she was being kept from her kids. She was picking up the pieces of the life he’d destroyed, and he hoped Willow finally saw it. Drew left.

Willow asked what Michael meant. Drew had slept with her mother. What more could there possible be? Michael said she’d testified that she came to see him at the clinic, but no one told him she was there. She said she spoke to the receptionist, who said he didn’t want to see her and to send her away, but he said, that never happened. He would have never said that. He was alone and in pain, missing his family. He would have loved to see her and hear about the kids. He swore he was telling the truth. He never instructed anyone not to let her visit. She said it made no sense. Someone told the receptionist to do that, but who would… Drew.

Emma introduced Outback to Dante, and Anna said Outback was running the apartment and their lives, the whole thing. He asked Gio how everything was going, and Gio said things were great. He liked being here and was grateful they were letting him stay. Dante said him too, and Gio said he had to get to work. He’d drop Emma off. They left, and Dante said, on a scale of from awkward to awful, how bad was that?

Josslyn asked Carly, what was so important? and Carly said, Vaughn. Josslyn said he was a nice guy and they were seeing each other. What was the problem? Carly asked how well Josslyn knew Vaughn.

Stella said she could see how good Trina and Kai’s relationship was for both of them, and Curtis agreed. She asked what led from them syncing to being apart, and he said, it didn’t involve cheating. They realized they had different points of view on an important subject. She said they were more than capable of finding common ground and adored each other. Trina was happier with Kai than without him. They could pool their resources as a family and do repair matchmaking. Curtis said he didn’t think that was a good idea, and she said, fine. She’d do it herself.  

Willow asked if Michael thought Drew stopped them from speaking to or seeing each other, and he said he did. It wasn’t him or his family. She said Jason had advised her to talk to him. He’d said if they could talk without anyone interfering, they could figure out what was best for the kids. Michael said he thought they would have if he’d seen her that day. Most of this could have been avoided. She said they were in the same room now and talking. So please, could they figure out what to do about the kids together? Right now. Just them.

Jason told Elizabeth that he was sorry. He didn’t know Drew would be there. She said he didn’t beat Drew up, so that was progress. If he was here to check on Willow, she’d stepped out. He said he didn’t know Willow was there, and she said, just until she put herself back together. He said it was a generous thing to do, and she asked why he wanted to see her. He said he needed her help.

He needed a favor. He needed to look at the GH records on the disposition of bodies that went through the GH morgue and where the bodies were sent. She said it was a big ask. She could lose her job. He said she had his word, no one would know, and it had nothing to do with Sonny or the business. It was personal and he wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important and it wouldn’t come back to hurt her in any way. She said she assumed it was someone specific and asked for a time frame. He said, whoever went through the morgue between 2022 and 2023, and she said she guessed she still trusted him. She brought up something on her laptop and said she had laundry to do. She left the room, and he looked on the laptop. He saw that Britt’s body had been sent to the Lawrence Mortuary.

Anna told Dante that it was awkward, but not bad. Gio wasn’t lying about getting to work. He took his job seriously. He and Dante had a lot in common. Dante said they’d never had a chance to talk. When he walked into a room, Gio ran out. He was letting Gio dictate the pace, but no pace had been set. With everything going on with Rocco, he was worried Gio was feeling even more neglected than he had been. Anna asked what was going on, and Dante said Rocco had stumbled on things about his birth and Britt’s role in it. How could he tell his son that the only reason he existed was because someone they trusted stole one of their embryos? She asked if they’d been planning on telling Rocco, and he said they were. But he was too young, then Lulu was in a coma, and it didn’t feel right telling him without her. Rocco decided to reach out to Obrecht, who was more than happy to answer his questions about Britt. She came to Port Charles to tell him in person. Rocco found out the whole truth, but not from him or Lulu, and now he was looking at them differently with a level of uncertainty that never existed. Between that and Gio, he had all the uncertainty he could handle.

Josslyn asked where this was coming from. Carly had never policed her dates. Carly said she had concerns and thought Vaughn was too old for her, but Josslyn said she wasn’t a kid. She was 21, and Carly had been fine with Dex, who worked for Sonny and then became a cop. She wasn’t being exposed to anything she hadn’t already seen. Carly usually trusted her judgement. Carly said she did, but she’d had a conversation with Anna, who wondered if she could trust Vaughn. Josslyn said Anna was upset because Emma was feeling hurt. Now Anna was whispering in Carly’s ear. Carly said she heard what happened in the bar and was in agreement. She doesn’t think it was okay for Vaughn to pit her and Emma against each other. If that’s what he was doing, he wasn’t worth Josslyn’s time.

Emma let Outback off her leash at the pool, and Outback ran to Vaughn’s chaise lounge, jumping on him. He picked her up, and Emma said, of course (🍷). Vaughn brought Outback over and said he believed the dog belonged to her. Did she know her dog’s head smelled like Fritos?  

Drew met Martin at the pool, and Martin said his best advice was to do nothing. Drew said he knew who told Willow about the affair, and Martin asked if it wasn’t Nina. Drew said, it was Curtis, when Curtis came in with Stella.

Curtis said he wasn’t playing matchmaker for Trina and Kai. He respected Trina’s decision. Stella told him not to cramp her style when she tried to do it, and looked over at Drew.

Michael said he wished he and Willow could figure it out between them, but it was too late. She said it was never too late, but he said, the court was involved now. He had full custody, and a visitation hearing was on the calendar. Whatever the ruling was, they’d abide by it. Willow said he was acting like he had to follow the rules, but he got everything he wanted. What about Wiley and Amelia? They missed her. She was their mom. He needed to tell the court that the kids wanted to see her. The two of them could come up with something and have the court sign off. He said he was sorry, but he didn’t want the kids to see her.  

Ellizabeth came back and asked if Jason found what he was looking for, but he said he had no idea what she was talking about. He thanked her and asked if she got a postcard from Jake. She said he was having a great time with Aiden and Lucky. She was glad they were being kept in the loop. She told him to be careful, he said he would, and he left.  

Anna said Dante was juggling a lot. He was a good dad. His instinct was to protect the boys while they figured out who they were. He said he just wanted them both to be okay. He had information on the woman Josslyn put the tracker on and had footage of her placing it. The woman was dropped off at the airport by a MetroCourt Hotel vehicle. He had her name too, but it was probably an alias. Anna said Dalton was also staying at the MetroCourt Hotel.

Josslyn told Carly that she wasn’t in a love triangle. Emma was upset because she got the position as Professor Dalton’s assistant. To get her back, Emma thought she’d make a pass at Vaughn. Carly said, it worked, and Vaughn took Emma on a date, and Josslyn said they weren’t exclusive, but Emma was transparent, so she put a stop to it. Carly asked if Josslyn was really okay with the non-exclusive situationship or was she looking for something more serious.

Gio said he had to get to work, and Emma apologized to Vaughn. Outback was a bit of a flirt. He said Outback was very cute. He’d been meaning to reach out. He was sorry about what happened with Josslyn and hoped Emma’s feelings weren’t hurt. Emma said, that was nice, but she was fine. She thought Josslyn and Vaughn were perfect for each other. She walked off with Outback.  

Martin asked if Drew was sure, and Drew said he’d gotten it from an unimpeachable source. He’d confided in Curtis when he’d thought they were friends. He knew there was nothing left of their friendship, but he never thought Curtis would destroy Willow to get back at him.

Stella watched Curtis looking at Drew and said, rumors were flying at GH about what happened at the wedding. She heard Willow gave it to him at the altar. She was happy Willow found her backbone. Drew approached their table and asked if Stella would mind giving him and Curtis a minute. They needed to discuss something.

Willow asked how Michael could not want the children to see their mother. He got what he wanted. She wasn’t with Drew. How much longer was he going to punish her? He said he wasn’t punishing her. He was doing what was best for the kids and right now, she wasn’t good for them.

Stella went over to talk to Martin, and Drew said Curtis may have heard the wedding didn’t happen. He’d been forced to think about some things, one being that they were once friends. He had no illusions of rebuilding the friendship, but he was sick of them hurting each other back and forth. He wanted to call a truce. They could stay in their respective corners and avoid each other when possible. Curtis asked if Drew was willing to hand over the blackmail material on Portia, and Drew said he’d consider it once he knew they weren’t at each other’s throats. Truce? Curtis said he wouldn’t be the one to break the peace, and Drew said neither would he.

Anna told Dante about Emma being expelled for breaking into a lab, and he said, she could have been prosecuted. Anna said, according to Emma, the university wanted to keep it out of the press and had her sign an NDA. She’d learned Dalton transferred from Emma’s former university, then Emma enrolled in his Environmental Physics class. Dante said it had to be connected, and Anna said she was sure. Emma was passionate about animal rights, and she believed broke into Dalton’s lab to find proof of animal testing. He asked if she thought he was doing the same thing at PCU, and she said, that’s why Emma was set on being his research assistant, but Josslyn got the position. He said, Josslyn, Vaughn, and Dalton must have a connection, and he thought the woman was connected to Dalton as well. Anna said so did she. She knew Dante had a lot on his plate, but she needed to find out what Dalton was up to. She was worried Emma was going to get herself in a situation she couldn’t get out of.

Josslyn told Carly that she didn’t want a serious relationship. She liked getting to know Vaughn and didn’t think it was a bad thing. Carly said it wasn’t, but she wanted Josslyn to be careful, and Josslyn said Anna was in Carly’s head. She and Emma were different people, and she was just having fun. Carly asked her to promise to tell her if it got serious, and Josslyn said she didn’t see that happening, but if it did, she’d tell Carly… after Trina. Carly asked if Josslyn knew she could come to her about anything at any time, and Josslyn said, of course (🍷). They hugged.

Willow asked who Michael was to decide if she should be in her children’s lives, and he said she showed up at his mother’s house in her wedding dress screaming for Wiley. She terrified Wiley. She was going through a lot and not thinking like a mom. He understood. She’d been betrayed by the person she loved and felt burned. He could tell her from experience that burns needed to be healed and it took time. She asked, how much time? and he said his injury was on the outside, but hers was on the inside. She wasn’t in a place to be a parent and proved it last night and right now. She said she’d never forget this. She came to him, begging for a chance to see her children and he turned her away. She grabbed her bag and walked out.  

Curtis went to get Stella and Martin thanked her again for helping him with the 1040. She left with Curtis, and Drew asked what the 1040 was about. Martin said it had to do with the hospital. He knew there was tension between Drew and Curtis, but Curtis’s aunt was a living, breathing angel. She helped him navigate a sticky insurance situation. They were going to deny him treatment and only a real insider could work that miracle.  

Stella asked what Drew wanted, and Curtis said it was possible he and Drew settled on a truce. They’d never be friends again, but at least they weren’t set on annihilating each other.

Martin told Drew that he’d been expecting fireworks, but it looked cordial. Did that mean Drew was evolving and letting bygones be bygones? Drew said not him. He was playing the long game.

Michael found Carly in her office and said Willow had come to the house, and Carly asked if she wanted to see the kids. He said, at first. Then she backtracked, saying they could work together so she could see Wiley and Amelia again. Carly asked if he said no, and he said he did. Right now, with the state Willow was in, she had no business seeing the kids. Carly agreed, and he said, for one moment, he saw the old Willow that he knew, but when it was clear he wasn’t giving her what she wanted, she reverted to the irrational person on Carly’s doorstep. He didn’t know if she’d ever be healthy enough to be around the kids again. They hugged.

Elizabeth asked Willow how her walk was, but Willow said she didn’t go for a walk. She went to see Michael. Elizabeth said, how’d it go? and Willow said, as well as she’d probably think. She was hoping they’d find common ground so she could see the kids, but no. Michael had full custody and didn’t think she should see them. He said she should heal before she saw them. Ric was right. She had to show the world that she was stable, strong, and a good mother. She had to make it so no one would ever take her children away again.

Dante said he’d get what Anna needed, and she thanked him. She said she knew it wasn’t official police business and his experience with the WSB was less than positive. He said, it was terrible, but she’d been incredible to Gio, so he’d do what he could for her granddaughter. She thanked him for not calling her overprotective, and he said he trusted her instincts. She said Emma was incredibly brave, and she was concerned Emma would stumble on a high-risk intelligence threat. She’d seen civilians do that before and they invariably wound up dead. She couldn’t let that happen to her granddaughter.

Josslyn went back to the pool and gave Vaughn a kiss. Gio asked Emma if that was hard to see, but Emma said, no. Not at all. Gio wondered what the tension was with Josslyn and why Emma couldn’t get away from Vaughn fast enough, and Emma said she wanted to steer clear of Vaughn. She stole his facilities master key. Now she could get in any building on campus, including Professor Dalton’s lab.

Vaughn asked if Josslyn’s mom had questions about him, and she said Anna was still digging. She could fend off her mom, but Anna was a problem. She didn’t know how long it would be before Anna exposed him. He said Brennan thought the same thing. He was pulling them from the investigation.

A woman at the mortuary looked through a folder and told Jason that Dr. Britt Westbourne had gotten the eternal peace urn. Her ashes had been picked up on January 12th, 2023… Huh. The form was incomplete. The date and time of the cremation was missing and there was no record of it actually happening. Jason asked if that was odd, and she said she’d never seen it before, but it was just an oversight. Mistakes happen, right?

🫔 Friday’s Enchilada…

On the phone at the pool, Kristina tells Cody that someone’s not there yet. Dante comes by and she asks if he’s playing hooky, but he says he had time to kill and thought he’d check out the pool. How is she? She says, the same, and he tells her, hang in.

Anna lets Jason in, and he asks if they’re alone. Is she expecting somebody? She says, Dante is chasing down some information for her, but they should have privacy for a while. What’s up? He says he saw something and needs her to tell him that it’s not just in his head.

At the hospital, Lucas says, just the woman he wants to see, and Felicia asks if he wants to point her in the direction of a particular patient. He says, no. This is personal. She says, intriguing, but he says, not exactly. He has a question about his mom. She says she loves an excuse to talk about Bobbie. What does he want to know? He wonders how his mother ever learned to co-exist with Sonny.

Suzanne tells Alexis that her 2 o’clock is here, but Alexis says, it’s currently 3 o’clock. She knows who it’s with. Send him in please. Sonny comes in and Suzanne says, it’s always a treat when he stops by the office. He says he always comes up with excuses to come see her, and she says, oh stop. She knows he’s just here for her carrot cake. He says, why he can’t have both? and she says she’ll get him a slice. She leaves, and Alexis says, none for her. Thanks for asking. Sonny says, she’s a terrific lady. He likes her. Alexis says, the feeling is mutual, and he asks what she wanted to see him about. She says she wants to know why he kidnapped Marco Rios.

In Jack’s office, Josslyn asks why she and Vaughn are being taken off the investigation at PCU. They’re so close to getting what they want. Jack says, it doesn’t matter, and Vaughn asks, why? Jack says, because Dalton is no longer the primary target.

Jason asks if Anna remembers when he came back to Port Charles and she told him that Britt was dead, and she says, of course (🍷). She remembers it was a very difficult conversation. Why is he asking? He says, something about Britt’s death is off. Something’s not adding up.  

There’s a knock at Britt’s door, and manager Pascal says, good evening. Is there something she needed? She says, yes. She’s done for the day and treating herself to a meal at Sonatas in town. Have her car brought around. Pascal says he’s afraid that’s not possible. She’s not going anywhere.

Anna says she’s not sure what Jason means. Britt’s death was terribly sad, but fairly straightforward. Heather Webber was terrorizing the city and had already attacked several individuals, Josslyn being one of them, and Britt intervened and was wounded. That was that, and she ultimately died from that. She died from Heather’s poison. Jason says, she saved Josslyn’s life, and Anna says, they also know that other victims died the same way. She can show him the file. He says, it’s clear how Britt died, just not clear what happened afterward.  

Jack tells Vaughn and Josslyn that it’s likely that Dalton is doing his work at PCU, then shipping the raw data elsewhere. Thanks to the tracker they planted, they tracked the courier to Dalmatia, and a resort and spa called The Five Poppies. However, the tracker stopped transmitting for three hours and resumed again and they don’t know why. Josslyn says she thought they talked about that. Couldn’t it have been a shielded area at the resort that blocked the transmission of signals? Vaughn says, yeah, or someone found the device and manually turned the signal off and on again, hoping to lure whoever planted it out in the open. In this case, them. Jack says, either way, he wants eyes on the resort, and Vaughn asks, whose eyes? Jack says he’s sending the two of them.

Felicia says, Bobbie tolerated Sonny at best, but she never got that vibe from Lucas. Did she miss something? Lucas says, in the past, his feelings about Sonny were ambivalent at best. He was going along to get along. She says, because of his sister, and he says, she loves Sonny, whether she’s married to him, divorced from him, or other. Felicia says, he wants her to be happy, and he says he does, but after what Sonny did to Marco, he can’t keep looking the other way. He was worried they’d broken Marco’s ribs, and they hadn’t, but it was still bad. She says, Mac told her about his allegations against Sonny. He also told her that Marco showed up at the police station and denied Sonny abducted him. Mac also said Marco’s story was a bit hard to believe. Lucas says, Marco wants to let it go, but he can’t, so he confronted Carly. She asks, how’d it go? and he says, Carly didn’t miss a beat. She switched to her default setting and defended Sonny. Felicia tells him that she wishes she could say she was surprised, and he says, Sonny should face charges, but instead, he gets away with stuff like this over and over again. How are his actions remotely okay? She says, they’re not, and he’s not the only one asking that question.

Kristina suggests asking Gio to join them on his next break, but Dante says he doesn’t want to bother Gio while he’s working. He saw Gio at Anna’s this morning, and it was awkward as usual, but there was no arguing this time. He’s calling it a win. She says, as he should. It sounds like progress. He says, speaking of which, it can’t be easy for her to be here after the accident. She says, no matter what, there’s always a moment when she first sees the pool and remembers how everything felt – the fall, the impact, the pain – but when she pushes through that moment, she feels strong. Ava didn’t win. He says he’s proud of her. She’s been able to let go and move on. He’s impressed. Marco comes in, and Kristina say she needs to talk to him, but Dante says he doesn’t know if that’s the best idea. The tension there is tight now. She says, the man saved her life, and she goes over to Marco. She tells him that she just wanted to say… Oh my God. What happened?

Suzanne says, for Sonny, her famous carrot cake and a double espresso. By the way, the new Corinthos blend is beyond delicious. Sonny says, she didn’t have to go to the trouble, but she says, it’s no trouble. She forgot his sugar. Alexis says, he doesn’t take sugar, and Sonny says he’s so sweet already. Alexis says, all right then. No more interruptions. Suzanne leaves, and Sonny says, she’s a hell of a baker. Alexis says, he knows their daughter would be dead if not for Marco. Yet he saw fit to drag Marco into his little war with Marco’s father. He tells her that he’s surprised she’s saying that. He thought she called him over because she was ready to apologize. She says, to whom? and he says, to him.

Jason tells Anna that Obrecht went to Willow and Drew’s wedding before it went sideways. He found her alone in the bar where the reception was supposed to take place. She’d had a couple, and he started talking to her, asking questions about Britt, and she opened up. Anna asks what Obrecht told him, and he says, she thought Britt was giving her body to science for Huntington’s research, but her will said she wanted to be cremated. Anna says they can’t know what Britt was thinking at the time she drew up her will, but he says he thinks he can. He checked with the funeral home responsible for her cremation. They had the date they gave the ashes to Obrecht, but didn’t have the records for the actual cremation. Anna asks if he thinks Britt staged her own death and is alive somewhere, and he says he not only thinks that, he saw her.

Britt says she’s afraid Pascal is mistaken. She’s processed all the data she has and until Greta comes back with a new batch, she’ll be twiddling her thumbs, and she’d like to be twiddling her thumbs at Sonatas. Pascal says, or why not dine at one of the many excellent restaurants here at the resort instead of going all the way to town? and she says, by now, she knows all their menus by heart. She’d like a change of pace. He says, why doesn’t she tell him what she’d like from Sonatas, he’ll place the order, and it will magically appear at her door like everything else she requires. She says she’s been working all day and all she wants is to drive into town, sip a negroni, dine on the catch of the day, and listen to the waves crash on shore. Bring her damn car. He says he didn’t want to mention it, but she’s forced his hand. It seems there have been some concerns about her driving.

Felicia tells Lucas that she, Mac, and Robert have always argued to anyone who will listen that Sonny is a criminal and deserves to be treated as such. It’s a lot more complicated when he’s close to your family. He was Bobbie’s son-in-law, so she couldn’t cut him off completely. Lucas says, why not? It’s what he deserved. she says, yes, but Bobbie couldn’t. She loved the people who loved Sonny, like him. He says, just because Carly loves Sonny and he’s a good dad to his kids, doesn’t change the fact he hurts people, and she says, no, it doesn’t, but Sonny has done good. They saw how devastated Sonny was when they lost Stone and also saw how humane and generous he can be over the years. That’s just as real as whatever he did or didn’t do to Marco. Lucas says, that doesn’t erase the bad. He can’t keep turning back and saying Sonny is a family man with shady business associates anymore. She says, he’s Donna’s father and they adore each other. Carly has to keep him in her life. Lucas says he knows, and he can’t ask his sister to cut ties with the father of her child… children. So maybe it’s best he just take a step back and let Carly live her life and he’ll do the same with his.

Jack says Josslyn and Vaughn are heading to the resort for surveillance and intelligence gathering only. He wants to know everything about the place – security, access points, vulnerabilities, guest and employee movement. If there are shift changes, he needs to know when and how many. Vaughn asks if there’s an individual or individuals that he wants them to key in on, and Jack says he wants to know where the courier brought the backpack and if that’s a shielded area, he needs to know about it. He also needs to know if the person it was delivered to is the end user of the data inside. Vaughn says they’ll definitely get that for him, and Jack says, they’d better. Now listen to him. They are not to attempt to steal data themselves or commit acts of sabotage or engage with any of the targets. There’s no reason to think they need to. Understood? Vaughn says, understood, and Josslyn repeats it. Jack says, good. Their timeline is two weeks. If they need more time, they can realign. They’re booked in the honeymoon suite. Josslyn says, sorry? and he says, it’s a resort and they’re posing as newlyweds. Congratulations on their recent nuptials. Josslyn says, why them? and Jack says, because this is a need-to-know operation. His superiors talked to him about keeping a list of people who are already knowledgeable and they’re already on it. They’ve already been briefed. Josslyn says, but she’s Dalton’s assistant, and Jack says, no. She’s a WSB agent. Josslyn says, right, but should she just quit? She’s worked hard to get close to Dalton. Jack says, she accomplished her mission. Thanks to them, they know what they’re looking for is not in Dalton’s lab. It’s at The Five Poppies, so that’s where they’re headed. Josslyn says, if she quits, won’t Dalton be suspicious? and Jack says, why? Because he’s never had an undergrad who didn’t honor their commitments before? Dalton will be annoyed for a few minutes, then he’ll replace her. She says, he’ll give the job to Emma, who has no idea how dangerous he is.  

Gio comes into the pool area with Emma and Outback. Emma says, Dalton is here. Now’s her chance. Gio says, that’s not a good idea, but she tells him, have a little faith in her, please. She knows what she’s doing. He says, does she? She’s not his assistant. She’s going to freak him out if she keeps up this stalker bit she’s got going on. She says she’s a naturally friendly person. There’s no way she’s stalkery. But just in case, she’s calling for backup. Outback barks.

Lucas tells Felicia that it would be easier if it was just about Sonny, but it’s about Carly too. She basically said that he was infatuated with Marco, and it made him overreact. Felicia says, ouch, and he says, there are so many things wrong with that sentence, he doesn’t know where to begin. But the bottom line is, he got upset, packed up, and moved out of Carly’s house. Felicia says, good for him. Carly doesn’t need to tell him how he feels about the new man in his life and needs to respect his relationship. That’s worth fighting over. Sonny, not so much. He says he’s not sure if he wants to bother anymore. For Carly to dismiss his relationship with Marco like that to justify defending Sonny is mind-blowing. She says she wonders if it made it easier for Carly to make the issue about him and Marco instead of focusing on Sonny, and he says, maybe, but it doesn’t change the fact that Carly will always defend Sonny, and he doesn’t know how to stop Sonny from driving a wedge between him and his sister. Felicia says she does. Follow his mother’s example and simply refuse to let him.

Marco tells Kristina, it serves him right for driving out in the middle of nowhere and going for a walk without telling anyone. He should know better, but that morning was his mother’s memorial and it all came crashing in on him. He was out of it. Kristina says she’s sorry. It was a terrible loss. He says, she’s kind to say that. He knows his mother was hard on her and disrespected her and his sister’s relationship. Kristina says, she also apologized and tried to make amends. That’s more than most people do. Marco says, true. He wishes they could have reached some kind of resolution before she passed, but she never got over her disappointment when he came out. That’s why she was so hard on Ally. He wasn’t around, so Kristina and Ally bore the brunt of her anger and frustration. Kristina says, she was hard on Ally, but his mom was a complicated person. She’ll always be grateful for what his mother did for her and her dad.

Sonny says, Alexis went off on him when Charlie’s burned and he let her because she was upset. Now that things are settled, he wants her to know that he didn’t set fire to Charlie’s, and he didn’t put their daughter in danger. That was Marco’s father who did that. Alexis tells him that he says he doesn’t want to hurt their daughter, but what did he think would happen to her if he’d killed Marco? He says, that didn’t happen, so they don’t have to talk about it, and she says, it traumatized Kristina. She idolizes him and worse than that, she models her behavior after him. He asks what behavior she’s talking about.

At the pool, Danny asks if get Dante something, but Dante says, no. It’s cool. He’s just wondering if he could ask Danny a few questions. If he’s got a minute. Danny asks what he needs. Is he on a case? Dante says, nothing official. An off the books sort of thing. Danny says, okay, cool. What does he need? Dante says maybe Danny can help him out with something. He shows Danny his phone and asks if he’s ever seen the woman before. Danny says, she came by the pool once. Dante asks if he’s sure it was her, and Danny says, definitely. She tipped him $50. Josslyn said she was a good tipper, and she was totally right. Dante says, Josslyn was here? and Danny says he thinks she was meeting her professor. See the guy over there with the dark hair at the bar? Dante says, yeah, and Danny says, he’s Professor Dalton. Dante asks Danny to tell him anything he remembers from that day. No detail is too small.

Britt says, Pascal means the crash? She thinks he’s referring to something that happened two years ago. The donkey survived. (Ha-ha-ha!) Pascal says, but he limped for the rest of his life (I’m dying), and she says, he shouldn’t have camped out in the middle of the road. Fine. She’d just gotten here and started her medication, and she was still learning how to drive manual.  Now she’s perfectly capable of driving herself into town without maiming any of the local fauna, even if they are milling around in the middle of the road. Pascal says, after a long day, is she sure she wants to risk navigating the cliffside roads in the dark, especially after imbibing in Sonata’s famously large negronis? She says, yes. She’s perfectly capable of driving. She flashes back to driving with Jason and calling him grandpa when he tells her to stick to the speed limit, and she says, fine. Have the doorman take her. The hot one. Tell him he can’t talk. Pascal says, that arrangement won’t work either, and she says, why not? He says, in light of her medical condition, he thinks it’s best she stay on the property.

Jason tells Anna that he was at the airport in Paris and Britt just… She was there. She was alone, carrying a purse and some kind of tote bag from the hotel. The Dalmatia or something. It had flowers on it and a logo. He saw her for a second, then she got on the plane. He tried to talk himself onto the flight, but they wouldn’t let him on. Anna asks if there’s a chance it was anyone else, and he says, anything is possible, but he’s almost positive it was Britt. He’s not saying she wasn’t poisoned, but he is saying her body seemed to disappear from the funeral home. Anna says, it doesn’t add up, and he says, it doesn’t. Maybe there was an antidote for the poison. Maybe somebody helped her. He knows it’s not a lot to go on, but it’s not nothing. She says she knew Britt and her family and knows him, and he’s not given to flights of fancy. If he says he saw her, then there’s every possibility Britt is still very much alive.

Kristina tells Marco that last summer she had a terrible accident right here. It was a fall. His mom and Ally saw it happen. She was pregnant at the time, and because of the accident, she lost the baby. Maco says he’s sorry to hear that. It must have been d… There aren’t any words, are there? She says, there aren’t. Afterward, she was in rough shape. She made mistakes, big ones, but his mom did something amazing for her when she didn’t really have to. He says he’s glad she got to see that side of his mom. She could be generous and kind when she wanted to be. She says, even though she said hurtful things about her and Ally, in the end, she was grateful to her. Now she’s grateful to him. She wouldn’t be here except for him. He risked his life to save hers. He says, it was the right thing to do, and she tells him, that’s a generous thing to say, given what happened to his mom that night. If she were in his shoes, she’d be asking if helping was the right thing to do. Does he regret it?

Alexis says she meant Kristina is impulsive and extremely protective of her family, and Sonny says, what’s wrong with being protective? She says, there’s nothing wrong with protecting your family, but she thinks both of them can agree they could use a little less impulsiveness from Kristina. She’s started to subscribe to his philosophy that the ends justify the means. He says, when it comes to family, he does what’s necessary to keep them safe, and she says, like kidnapping an innocent man? He says he’s always thinking of Kristina, and when it comes to protecting her, or any of his grandkids, he’ll do whatever he has to do.

Danny says he remembers the woman walking over to Professor Dalton’s chaise. He thought she was going to talk to him, but she went over to the bar instead. Dante asks if she talked to him, but Danny says, no. He thinks Josslyn was the only person to talk to him. Dalton went to his locker, and he was talking to Josslyn when he saw the woman leaving. Dante asks if she had anything with her, and Danny says, a tote bag and a backpack. Dante says, it’s very cool, him remembering that. Danny says, the woman was fancy, the type of person who wears heels at the pool. It didn’t look like something she’d carry. Dante says, good work. Thanks. Danny reminds him of… Danny says, mom? and Dante says, yeah. She always remembered the little things too. Danny says, she did. Nothing got by her. Dante says, it didn’t, but it would have been nice if they’d been able to get something by her. Maybe just once. Danny says, but it never would happen, and Dante says, no.

Emma goes over to Dalton, holding a flip-flop, and says, sorry. Her dog stole his flip-flop. She got it back, but it’s soggy and has teeth marks in it. What is it with footwear? Dalton says, no worries. It’s just a flip-flop. The dog is so cute, he could probably forgive just about everything. Emma says she has all the literature handled for his lecture tomorrow night. Is there anything else she can do?

Jason says Anna is the first person to believe he saw Britt. Carly obviously thought he was imagining things. She says, Carly didn’t know Britt well enough to understand what she’s capable of, and Obrecht’s daughter died in her arms. He says he gets why they’re skeptical, and if she’d shut him down, he would have understood, but he’d be surprised and disappointed. She says, but not deterred, and he says, no. She says she can’t help thinking Obrecht is involved, because Britt would need help faking her death. He says, from what he saw, Obrecht’s grieving wasn’t an act. If Britt is still alive, she doesn’t know. Anna says, maybe she didn’t need her mother’s help. Her father was a master at staging deaths and manipulating people, so she probably learned what she needed from him. It’s a hell of an education. Jason says, Anna knows these people. She knows how they work. She knows their world. They could work together to find Britt. Anna says, true, but she doesn’t think she wants to look for Britt and advises him not to.

Felicia says, how Lucas’s mom dealt with Sonny was masterful and it wasn’t just one but two ways. First, she bit her lip until it bled. Second, she never closed her door to her daughter. Lucas asks if she’s saying he should move back in, but she says, God no. Bobbie would throw him a party about moving out and be thrilled about him and Marco, but she wouldn’t want him to throw his relationship with his sister away either. He says he doesn’t want to, but he just can’t look the other way when it comes to Sonny. He has to say something. She says, do it. Speak up, but don’t make ultimatums. Don’t put Carly in a position to choose between him and Sonny. He says, because he’ll lose Carly? but Felicia says, because he and Carly will lose each other. One terrible lesson Bobbie learned after Barbara Jean died, that thing you can’t get back, that thing you should never sacrifice, is time with the people you love.

Alexis says, Sonny is taking a big gamble with their daughter’s well-being and frankly, she hates that, but he says he thinks she’s being overprotective (WOTD). Kristina’s come a long way since the accident. Alexis flashes back to telling Kristina that she knows Kristina tried to kill Ava, and Sonny says, have a little faith. Their daughter is stronger than Alexis gives her credit for. Alexis says she hopes to God he’s right.  

Dalton thanks Emma for the offer, but says, Josslyn is handling logistics. Emma says, right. Of course (🍷). Considering the subject matter, she thinks it’s going to be a huge turnout. If it gets to be too much for Josslyn to handle, she’ll be happy to help. He says he’ll keep it in mind. Good to know. Dante watches them, frowning.

Josslyn tells Jack, Emma is just trying to rescue lab animals, if there even are any. She’s in way over her head. Vaughn says, if Emma takes Josslyn’s place as Dalton’s assistant, they’re going to have more trouble with Devane than they already do. Jack says he’ll take care of Emma and her grandmother. Their concerns reflect a lack of understanding about the critical nature of their mission and for its operatives. This mission is deemed low risk, but that assessment belies its stakes. If they don’t get the info he needs, people could die. He tells Vaughn to quit his job at PCU. He doesn’t care what excuse Vaughn gives. Josslyn’s situation is a little more complex. Josslyn says she’ll think of a reason where she’s going and why, and Jack tells her to say she’s been called away to Australia to help with a distant relative, preferably someone her mother has heard of. She says, there’s a friend of her grandmother’s she can say needs help. She doesn’t think her mom will ask too many questions. She’ll just be happy Josslyn is getting distance from Vaughn. He says, good. Come up with backgrounds, deliver their excuses, and pack their bags. They leave in 24 hours.

Britt tells Pascal that forcing her to stay is ridiculous and has nothing to do with her health and safety. He’s just pissed that she took that trip to Paris. Pascal says he still thinks it’s in her best interest to stay on the property at this sensitive juncture. Perhaps another massage will help her embrace the change in her evening’s expectations. She says she does not want another massage. What she wants it to leave. He says, that’s impossible. The policy was clear. She asks what she’s supposed to do. Stay in her room until Greta brings her more data? He says he’ll be sure to relay her question to him, word for word. In the meantime, he’ll have a negroni and the evening special sent up immediately. Bon Soir.

Anna says, when Britt experienced the symptoms of Huntington’s she was determined not to appear diminished or pitied, and Jason says, it makes sense she disappeared when she did. She says, if he’s right, then Britt decided to let people think she was dead, rather than let them watch her decline, and that’s her call. So does he see what she’s saying? If he’s not honoring her wishes, he’s kind of betraying her. She can’t imagine that’s what Britt would want. He says he doesn’t, but she says, even if Britt is alive, she thinks he has to leave her alone.  

Alexis says she’s about to leave, so Suzanne can go home, but Suzanne says, actually, she can’t. Neither can Alexis. She has a 5 o clock. Alexis says, no, she doesn’t, but Suzanne says she has a meeting with Ava Jerome. Should she show her in?

Kristina says she read the coverage after Marco’s mother died. Aurora clearly pointed the finger at her father, insinuating he was responsible. Marco says he appreciates her defending her father, but it’s not something he wants to talk about. He’s still making up his mind and he’ll leave it at that. She says she swears her father had nothing to do with his mother’s death.

Sonny see Lucas at the pool and Lucas says, small world. Sonny says, Donna has a swim lesson and he’s picking her up, and Lucas asks if his other daughter has any idea that he abducted Marco and held him for 24 hours. Sonny says he doesn’t think Kristina heard of Lucas’s allegations against him, and Lucas says, maybe someone should tell her. Sonny says, do what he needs to do, and walks away.  

Dante tells Anna that he got solid info for her from Danny of all people. She has every right to be worried about Dalton. He and the courier were at the MetroCourt pool at the same time. They had no direct contact, but Josslyn was there. Anna says, running interference? and he says, her guess is as good as his. The woman had two bags, a bag and a backpack. She says, the same backpack that Josslyn planted the tracker in? and he says, probably. When they were talking, Danny said this backpack wasn’t something this woman would have. He said she was kind of like, too fancy. She says, so it was Dalton’s bag, and he says, probably. So they did the hand-off at the pool. One more thing she may want to know is when he was talking to Danny, he had his eyes on Dalton and her granddaughter seemed kind of glued to his side.

Emma tells Outback that they make a good team, and tells Gio that she thinks Outback knows she’s helping other rescue animals being tested by Dalton. Doesn’t he, or is she veering into crazy dog lady territory? He says, the better question is, could she have been more obvious? If she keeps hanging around Dalton and offering to help every time he turns around, he’s going suspect something. She says, no, he’s not. He’ll just think she’s the same overeager student she’s always been. She’s been helping with his summer lecture series, and when he’s up on the podium, they’re going to find out what’s going on in his lab. She shows Gio the keys, and he says, if she’s the overeager student, Dalton will expect to see her in the front row taking notes, right? She says, right, and he takes the keys from her and says, that’s why he’s going to search Dalton’s lab.

Jack hands rings to Vaughn and Josslyn, saying, wedding bands and an engagement ring. Do not lose them The WSB sprung for the real thing for authenticity’s sake. (Geez. Think they can spare it?) Make sure they fit. They put the rings on and they both say, it fits. Josslyn puts her rings in her front pocket (where no doubt Carly will find them), and Jack gives Vaughn a passport. He says, Christopher Nash. The two of them will leave Port Charles separately. They’ll meet in New York and travel to Europe using their new identities. Any questions? Josslyn says, does she get one? and he says, when he’s done briefing her. Safe travels. Vaughn says, copy that. He’ll see Josslyn at JFK. He leaves, and Jack says there’s something else he needs to discuss. He doesn’t know what she and Vaughn will be walking into at The Five Poppies, but it’s critical that they sell their cover. She says, it won’t be a problem, and he says, it can’t be a problem. The Five Poppies is the best lead they have to get what they need. Josslyn and Vaughn need everyone they come in contact with to believe they’re totally in love.

Pascal calls Jason asking if it’s John Moore. Jason says, it is, and Pascal introduces himself as the hotel manager at The Five Poppies. He’s following up on Jason’s inquiry on booking a stay. Jason thanks him for calling back, and Pascal says, his pleasure. No worries. As he may know, The Five Poppies is a high-end luxury hotel with cutting edge spa treatments, a private sand beach, and several five star restaurants. May he ask when John was hoping to stay with them? Britt barges in and tells Pascal if he doesn’t give her the keys to her car right now… Pascal apologizes and says, there’s a guest that requires his attention. He’ll call back as soon as possible. Thank you. He hangs up, and we can tell that Jason knows it’s Britt.

On Monday, Chase says Brook can’t adopt until she works things out with Gio; Gio asks Emma to promise to keep this between them; Ava wants to do Alexis a huge favor; and Kristina asks Cody, how about for an extra $10,000? and he says, done.

🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…

Temp Maxie returns.

https://www.primetimer.com/features/where-did-maxie-jones-go-on-general-hospital-all-you-need-to-know

It sounds like he’s having a fun career.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/who-is-pascal-on-general-hospital-kelly-thiebaud-dishes-about-the-new-man-in-britts-story-excl/

I just knew it would come to this. Hopefully, Drew will either turn out to have a brain tumor or he’s being controlled by Victor Cassadine from beyond the grave. There was that moment where they showed us the tarot card…

https://parade.com/news/general-hospital-actor-cameron-mathison-aggressive-backlash-fans

While I’m not a game show person, this might be a fun watch.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/sneak-peek-general-hospital-and-young-and-restless-stars-face-off-on-abcs-celebrity-family-feud/

💉 A Dose Of Reality…

Below Deck

After more boatmance stuff at the villa – now Barbara is involved – the new guests arrived, one of them already drunk. Whining that she hates food and just wants to drink at lunch, guest Kelly then decided she wanted to ride on the banana boat. She was advised against it, and when the deckhands tried to wrangle her into a lifejacket, she jumped into the water against Captain Kerry’s direct orders. After getting back on deck, she then struggled against the crew trying to get her inside. Once inside, she said she hated everyone and called them all a-holes and democrats. Her friends tried to calm her down, but the captain had enough after Kelly threatened him with her connections. It was time for her to go with the water police. The text said, to be continued, and it’s probably the first time I’ve said, I can’t wait, this season.

The Valley – Reunion Part 1

Jax said he was ready to go to war. When hasn’t he been ready to go to war? Both Kristen and Nia were 8 months pregnant, so bonding. Brittany said she wouldn’t touch Jax’s dirty d*ck with a 10-inch pole, and like the scum he is, he said that’s not what she’d told him four months ago when she’d wanted to hook up one last time. Unfazed, she said she knew better now. Michele and Jesse’s pending divorce was rehashed and no surprise, Jesse was the a-hole where that was concerned. Well, all the time, but this topic makes him extra. I don’t think weaponize means what he thinks it means. Jesse is representing himself in the divorce, but claimed he had a team of consultants, which no doubt includes his mom. Brittany gave us a blow-by-blow of Jax’s temper tantrum after she’d hooked up with Lala’s ex, Julian. It wasn’t pretty, but unfortunately no big shock coming from the most awful human being on the planet.

Also not surprising. This dude is a barnacle.

Real Housewives Of Miami

Marisol said she seemed to set off Adriana, and Adriana was an a-hole. You could take that to the bank. I’m not sure how I’d deposit that, but I’m quickly growing wearing of these women. It’s always the same pattern – fight, make up, have a party where the fight continues as though there was no reconciliation. This time, they began with Lisa’s suggestion that they all say something nice about each other. Like usual, this game degenerated into something else – Guerdy’s texts being rehashed. In the interviews, it sounded like no one had bothered reading them in the first place. In Adriana’s defense, getting that bottle of wine open would have been of the upmost importance to me too.

Real Housewives Of Orange County

You’d think Shannon might consider not having meltdowns in front of others at this point. It never seems to go well for her. Tamra brought Slade’s ex, Jo, to Fancy Pants Heather’s birthday party. In Tamra’s interview, she said, if Gretchen was threatened, that was her problem, but I think that was the goal. Tamra was foiled, however, as I think Jo and Gretchen were the only ones not fighting. Shannon said Katie was worse than Tamra Judge and Alexis Bellino combined, but at least she doesn’t abandon her toasted cheese. Emily literally reached for her popcorn and Terry was high because there was a weed bar. The Josh’s from Million Dollar Listing LA made an appearance as Heather’s realtors. They’d sold her the house and now they were selling it for her. Must be nice.

Random Reality Items

There’s not much substance here, but I miss Kathy.

No, Carl. Just no. Sometimes it’s best to move on.

I seriously doubt this will ever happen. They’re too entrenched in the tradition of sticking it out until death. Being second to the Obamas is not a bad thing either.

Next Gen NYC had a mini-Reunion on Watch What Happens Live with Gia, Emira, and Brooks. Meredith and Chloe were in the audience. It was nothing exciting, but I am hoping for a Season 2.

👀 Last Weekend’s Watch…

Trainwreck: P.I. Moms. Netflix. A reality show turns out to be a front for a criminal enterprise. I’d never heard about this before, so it was actually pretty interesting.

https://people.com/trainwreck-p-i-moms-true-story-explained-11770557

Amy Bradley is Missing. Netflix. This actually hadn’t been on my radar, but it was the next thing in the queue and I was multitasking, so I just let it go. An interesting real life mystery that’s never totally been solved, but my money’s on the bass player having coerced her off the boat. The saddest thing was Amy’s brother saying in an interview that he had no children because he’d seen his parents’ trauma and was afraid it might happen to him. I used to want to go on a cruise, but between this and Poop Cruise, not anymore. A captivating story.  

https://www.eonline.com/photos/37802/the-true-story-of-netflixs-amy-bradley-is-missing

Until Dawn. Netflix. At first, I thought, this is full of tropes. Then I went down a tributary, wondering if tropes were really homages. As the film went on, however, I became more intrigued. A group of friends must survive the night or become a part of it. Each time an hourglass is turned, it’s another round with a killer until everyone in the group is dead, only to rise and repeat. I thought they might have had better luck if they’d stuck together like they kept saying they were going to, but didn’t. Overall, I thought the horror was impressive and the story original enough, and I didn’t hate the ending. Clever ending credits too.

Just the basics.

https://www.cbr.com/until-dawn-instant-streaming-hit-netflix-debut/

https://movieweb.com/netflix-until-dawn-streaming-hit-horror-video-game/

All kinds of spoilers.

https://decider.com/2025/07/29/until-dawn-ending-explained-movie-dr-hill-wendigo

Jurassic Park Rebirth. At the cinema. No surprise, I loved this. Several critics felt it had a flimsy plot, but I say, who cares about the plot when you have dinosaurs? And this film has them. The only thing I found unbelievable (yeah, I know) was how people had gotten bored with dinosaurs, so they were creating new species by blending them together. I found it difficult to fathom people getting bored with everyday dinosaurs, and even if that happened, their kids would want to see them. Anyway, the genetically engineered dinos were apparently a hit or miss, some of them being beautiful and others the stuff of nightmares. The adventure stuff was good, the scenery exquisite, and we got aquatic beasts this time too. Even a baby dinosaur is present throughout the film. Aww! A favorite of mine since I was a child, dinosaurs are also on my list of top horror preferences, as follows: zombie apocalypse, zombies, any apocalypse, technology is evil, giant creatures such as Godzilla and dinosaurs. I was glad I decided to see this on the big screen. It was worth the overpriced ticket, and I brought my own snacks.

https://collider.com/jurassic-world-trilogy-missing-paleontologist/

https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/jurassic-world-rebirth-review

🦇 Saying Goodbye To the Prince…

While this was livestreamed, I’m sure you can still watch.

🐉 Cosplay This…

Photos and streaming from San Diego Comic Con 2025.

https://ew.com/comic-con-2025-portrait-studio-photos-exclusive-11778912

https://ew.com/how-to-watch-entertainment-weekly-2025-san-diego-comic-con-livestream-11778481

🧵 Here’s a Napkin, Make a Dress…

It’s been almost two years? What the… ? I’m glad to see this show is back. It was a surprise to me that I liked it. I can’t sew to save my life, but discovered I enjoy watching the contestants do it, along with seeing the various challenges thrown at them.

https://ew.com/project-runway-season-21-heidi-klum-return-cover-story-11779892

🐾 Trailblazing Tales…

🐕 Pilaf! Who couldn’t love that little nugget? Be sure to watch the video.

🐈‍⬛ The latest in InstaPets.

https://www.eonline.com/photos/19657/celebrity-pets-on-instagram

🦏 I don’t believe in reincarnation, but if I did, I’d have thoughts.

https://people.com/white-rhino-born-same-day-as-ozzy-osbourne-death-named-after-rocker-11781179

👑 Quotes of the Week

Our most significant opportunities will be found in times of greatest difficulty. – Thomas S. Monson

A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason. – JP Morgan

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. – John Lubbock

Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today. – Will Rogers

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. – Albert Einstein

My past has not defined me, destroyed me, deterred me, or defeated me; it has only strengthened me.Steve Maraboli

When I believe in something, I’m like a dog with a bone. – Melissa McCarthy

Motivation gets you going and habit gets you there. – Hilary “Zig” Ziglar

It’s like trying to talk Shakespeare to a Hershey bar. – Alan Harper (Jon Cryer), Two and a Half Men

🍦 Following the Ice Cream Truck…

Until next week, stay safe; stay dressing appropriately for summer events and leave the swimwear and flip-flops for the beach; and stay never sacrificing time with the people you love. It’s that thing you can’t get back.

June 6, 2025 – GH Weekdays, Anna Gives Sonny a Warning, Soap Suds, This Week In Reality, Weekend Watching, Watch Of the Future, Worth Barking About, Decuplet Of Quotes & Summer  

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What I Watched Today

(Weekday bites, Friday’s whole GH enchilada & media minutiae)

General Hospital

🥢 Weekday Bites…

Monday:

Elizabeth asked what Lucky knew about her accident, and he said he knew Kristina caused it.

Kristina went to see Michael and said she had so much to tell him.

Laura told Alexis, as Ace’s legal guardian, she got statements from the trust. It looked like 10 million dollars had been removed from the Cassadine estate in the past month and a half.

Rocco showed Lulu the video of Gio smashing his violin at the Nurses Ball and asked, what happened?

Gio showed up at Sonny’s and said he had a question. Did Sonny know?

Brook told Lois, two things would always be true. Gio would always know she gave him up and she would always know Lois lied to her. Gio didn’t want anything to do with her, and she didn’t want anything to do with Lois. Gloria walked in and told her not to talk to her mother like that. If Brook wanted to have it out with someone, have it out with her.

Brook asked if Lois was hiding behind Gloria, but Lois said she was trying to get Brook to understand. Brook said there was nothing to understand. Two people she’d loved and trusted lied to her. Gloria said that was enough.

Rocco asked if it was true that Brook and Dante were Gio’s parents, and Dante said, yeah. Gio was his son and Rocco’s brother.

Alexis told Laura that what she’d seen were investments and apologized for not telling her sooner. She’d thought it was best to diversify some of the trust portfolio and moved some of it to a mutual fund that was high rated. She wanted to make sure Ace’s inheritance remained strong. There was nothing more important than family.

Elizabeth wondered what Kristina had to do with her accident, and Lucky told her about Kristina cutting the brake line to what she thought was Ava’s car. Elizabeth said, it wasn’t Ava’s car though. It was Ric’s.

Michael asked how the family was, and Kristina said she and Molly were great. Her and her mom were… fine. Family was complicated. She couldn’t believe Michael was finally home and walking into a custody battle, but he said it needed to be settled once and for all. Kristina said she knew he wanted to do right by his kids. If he was telling himself that deep down Willow was a good mother and made compromises, it would be the wrong move.

Sonny said Gio had questions and so did he. Why didn’t he come in and get answers? Gio said Sonny didn’t tell him, no, so he must have known, but Sonny said he didn’t know. The first time he heard was when Gio announced it to the world. He hadn’t known Brook was pregnant, which was surprising since he was so close to Lois. Gio said, if he didn’t know, why had Sonny always been so nice to him? Sonny had paid for his lessons, music, and education. Why had he been so generous? Sonny said he knew Gio was special and that hadn’t changed.

Lulu told Rocco that his dad and a lot of people were trying to make sense out of it, and Rocco said, Gio’s mom was Camilla, and his dad was a soldier who died in the war. Dante said they were led to believe that. Gio was lied to and so was everyone else.

Gloria told Brook to calm down and cool off. Emotions were high. She knew it was a lot to process, but Brook’s mother was still her mother, and she was still Brook’s grandmother. She had to show some respect. Brook had been a pregnant teenager, and it didn’t just affect her. Imagine the position she’d put her mother in. Lois said Brook told her that she wasn’t ready to be a mother and she trusted Brook to know herself and respected her wishes. Brook said, by lying? and Lois said, by protecting Brook and doing the best she thought she could for Brook’s child. Gloria said Brook’s mother lied to spare her and it ate her alive, and Brook asked if that’s what Lois told herself, that she was sparing her. Lois said keeping Gio in the family was the only way to ensure he was going to be taken care of and happy. And he was. Gloria said Camilla was a godsend. Would Brook rather they gave him to strangers, and she never saw him again?

Kristina told Michael that she thought Willow would come to her senses and realize being with Drew was a mistake, but Willow was more consumed with Drew now than she ever was, like how it was with Shiloh. She’d been bouncing the kids around and they hardly saw them anymore. Michael said if Drew had his way, it would only get worse. Word had it that Drew bought property in DC.  

Elizabeth told Lucky that they had to tear the car apart to get them. They both had surgery. Ric almost died. How long had he known? Lucky said, since the night it happened. He’d been covering for Kristina ever since.

Gio said there had to be more to it. Did Lois ask for Sonny’s help? Sonny said, she did. She was his oldest friend and the Cerullos were family. He was more than happy to help. That’s what family does. Gio said, Lois lied, but Sonny said it was more complicated than that. Had Gio heard the story about Dante being his son? Gio said, bits and pieces, and Sonny said, when Lois found out, it was before Camilla died. Gio asked Olivia pulled a Lois and never told him about Dante, and Sonny said, she kept it from everybody. He thought she was worried about his affiliations. He wasn’t defending Lois, but she made her choices for a reason. He and Dante knew where Gio was coming from.

Dante said he didn’t know he had a child and definitely didn’t know it was Gio, and Rocco asked, when were he and Brook together? Dante said they’d been camp counselors one summer. They were kids not much older than Rocco. They were teenagers and got careless. They made a mistake. Brook didn’t tell him that she’d gotten pregnant, had a baby, and put it up for adoption. Rocco said, Brook never told him that he had a son? and Dante said he found out the same way everyone else did – when Gio announced it and smashed his violin.

Brook said, if it was up to Gloria and Lois, she wouldn’t have known Gio was hers. She’d continue hoping and praying her son was out there living a safe and happy life. Lois said, he was happy, and Gloria said Brook was acting like they didn’t make sure Gio was loved and well-protected. He was their priority. Brook said they were acting like they’d done nothing wrong and didn’t regret everything. She asked if Lois regretted giving Gio to Camilla, and Lois said, no. Brook asked if Lois didn’t regret lying to her for 22 years and letting her see Gio, never knowing he was her son. Gloria said they made the decision they thought was best, and Brook said, when Camilla died, Gio was an orphan, but they said nothing.

Laura told Alexis not to overextend herself. The Cassadine fortune carried a lot of baggage. Don’t allow it to add to her stress level. Alexis said she needed to follow her conscience, when Suzanne came in and gave Alexis the balance sheets for the Dolos fund, since Laura had been asking about it. Alexis asked if Laura wanted to go over them, but Laura said, in the future, just keep her more informed. Suzanne said she heard congratulations were in order. Laura’s extended family had a new addition. Laura said, excuse me?

Rocco wondered why Brook didn’t tell Dante that he had a kid. He was the best dad. Dante said he didn’t know how much Brook knew, and Rocco said, she knew she had a baby. Lulu said Dante couldn’t answer his questions yet. He was trying to make sense of it himself. Rocco said Gio was his brother, and he missed out on nearly everything with him, and Lulu said she was sorry. His dad would get answers and so would he. Rocco said it was a lot. If it was some big secret, how did Gio find out the truth?

Brook said, Gio was 12 when Camilla died. Didn’t they think he needed a mother? Lois said, it tore Gio apart. They were just getting him through it. Gloria said, the poor boy would have been traumatized all over again, and Brook said her son was alone at his lowest point, but Lois said he was loved and cared for. Brook said, not by her. She was an adult, and they kept her son away from her when he was all alone. She’d never forgive them for that.

Sonny said now that Gio knew Brook and Dante were his parents, circumstances were different, but he got it. Gio asked if it was easy with him and Dante, but Sonny said, not at all. It changed everything. Dante went from being an adversary to being his son. Gio asked if they were cool now, and Sonny said he was proud of that. It took years and it might take time to build a relationship with Dante. Gio said, what if he didn’t want that?

Kristina said taking Michael’s children away didn’t sound like the Willow she knew. She didn’t recognize Willow anymore. Michael said at first, he thought Drew was manipulating her, but she was responsible for her choices. She chose to prioritize Drew and chose to destroy her family.

Lucky told Elizabeth that Kristina showed up at Charlie’s, then ran out. He went after her. She called Ava to try and warn her. Elizabeth said, Ava wasn’t in the car, and Lucky said he found Kristina pulled over near the crash, totally freaked out. She was in shock when she saw Ric and said she’d thought it was Ava. That’s when he knew she’d caused the crash. Elizabeth asked why he hadn’t turned Kristina in to the police.

Lucky said, Kristina could get charged with three counts of attempted murder and go to prison for life, and Elizabeth said maybe that’s where she belonged. He said she didn’t see Kristina’s regret. It wasn’t premeditated, but a crime of passion, a lapse in judgement. When she realized what she’d done, she tried to stop it. Elizabeth said, but she couldn’t. She and Ric could have died. He said the only reason Kristina wasn’t behind bars was because she didn’t die. It was a miracle she survived, and she and Ric were okay. He didn’t see how it benefited anyone to send Kristina to prison. Elizabeth said, what if it kept Ava from being killed? (I don’t know if I’d consider that a benefit.)

Michael told Kristina that he wasn’t the perfect husband, but he loved Willow. He didn’t think they’d ever seen each other clearly and only showed the parts they wanted the other to see, not the dark parts. Kristina said, that would have been honest, and they’d have handled the dark parts, but Michael said Willow couldn’t have handled his.

Lulu told Rocco that Gio found out the truth because of her. She uncovered some information and thought his dad deserved to know the truth. She investigated and found out the baby was Gio. Rocco said Gio was living with them. He didn’t get why Brook kept it from them, and Lulu said she didn’t know what Brook knew. She’d struggled over the right thing to do, but he needed to understand that she respected adoption as well as Brook’s right to make her choice. She took issue with the lies. Gio was his half-brother, and his dad was an amazing father, so when she found out he was here in their lives, she couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

Sonny said he couldn’t tell Gio how to feel, but Dante was a good man and a great father. If Gio give him a chance, Dante would show him. Gio said Dante didn’t like him. He made that perfectly clear after Rocco’s alcohol poisoning. He wasn’t interested in having a relationship because of biology. Sonny said he understood Gio felt hurt, angry, and betrayed. It wasn’t the best state of mind to make decisions. Take his time and see how he felt. Figure it out then and make a decision to what he was open to or not. Gio said, Olivia lied. Did Sonny ever stop hating her for that? Sonny said he never hated her. He was angry and it took a long time to get past that, but loves her. At times he thought about how much time he missed with Dante, but he forgave her and didn’t regret it.

Gloria said she and Brook’s mother her did their best. Brook owed her beautiful life to Lois. Stop hating her and try thanking her. Brook said her child was in pain because they’d both misled him his entire life, but Gloria said they’d made a decision that wouldn’t destroy her life or Gio’s. Brook said they didn’t know what life she would have given Gio, or he would have given her.

Elizabeth asked, what would keep Kristina from trying to kill Ava again? and Lucky said it was a wake-up call, but Elizabeth wasn’t convinced. Why was it on him to cover for her? Her mother was a lawyer. Lucky said it was too late. He helped cover it up, which made him an accessory. She said, so if he went to the police, he’d be charged too, and Lucky said if she felt the need, he’d go, but she told him not to risk prison. It didn’t just affect them. They had to think of Aiden, Ric, Molly, and Alexis, who was still grieving the loss of Sam. She wasn’t sending one of Alexis’s remaining daughters to prison. Lucky said when he saw Lulu, he thought of how much he owed Sam. He thought that’s what drove him to protect Kristina in the first place and didn’t think she would try it again. Elizabeth said it would only harm more people who didn’t deserve to be hurt. She’d keep Kristina’s secret.

Suzanne told Alexis that she was sorry. She assumed Laura knew what happened at the Nurses Ball. Alexis said Suzanne’s knack of oversharing worked out this time. Mayor Collins had the right to know. There was a knock at the door and Marco said he needed to discuss the Dolos fund statement. Suzanne left and Alexis asked what they needed to address.

Michael said he made an error in judgement when it came to Willow. He’s sure she felt the same way. Kristina said it’s not like Drew would make her happy and Michael said he wouldn’t. She destroyed her life to be with him, so it had to seem worth it. He was more important than the children. Kristina said everyone tried to tell Willow and she claimed the children were happy, and he said, the truth was, Wiley and Amelia were no longer emotionally safe. He was going to take the children, no matter the cost to Willow.

Brook said she loved her Quartermaine family, but didn’t trust them. Not until now did she realize they were the family she wasn’t safe with. Gloria said that wasn’t fair or true. Brook’s mother loved her more than anything and every decision she made was to protect her and Gio. Gio wasn’t hurting because of them. That honor went to Lulu Spencer who was messing around in things that were none of her business. Brook said Lulu hated her, so she didn’t expect anything from Lulu. But if this is how they showed her love, she didn’t want any part of it. Lois said she knew Brook was angrier than she’d ever been, but please say she believed Lois loved her.  

Rocco asked if Lulu told Gio, but Lulu said, no. She thought Gio overheard a conversation between her and Lois. She was going to tell Rocco’s dad, but Gio went public before she could. Rocco asked if they wanted him to talk to Gio, and Dante said he appreciated that, but it was on him. He had to figure out where to start. He left.

Sonny told Gio that if he needed a place to stay, he was Gio’s grandfather, so his home was Gio’s home. Even if he wasn’t Gio’s grandfather, it would still be. If there was anything Gio needed, he was here. Gio thanked him, but said, whatever he did next, he’d do on his own for himself, and he left.

Michael said he put his kids in this situation, and it was his responsibility to get them out, and Kristina said she’d help any way she could. Michael said if there was no other option, he’d break Willow down to nothing to keep the kids away. She was going to see a Michael Corinthos she’d never seen before.  

Marco told Alexis that the company was brand new, incorporated in the Grand Keys and in existence less than a month. Their only asset was the 10 million dollars from the Cassadine estate. It had the makings of a shell company, and he wondered if they were dealing with a case of fraud. Alexis said there was no fraud and assured him that they’d been vetted, and he said he realized he was new, but he liked her and the firm. He’d seen set-ups like this before, and it looked like a set-up for money laundering. Was she sure it was good?

Lucky said he was sorry. He owed Elizabeth the truth. She said she was glad he was being honest, but why now? What changed? He said if they’re really doing this, he couldn’t lie to her. He wanted to be worth of her trust. she was the most important thing in the world to him. If she hadn’t survived the crash, he couldn’t have handled it. She said it would be nice when she got her cast off and could move on from all this, and he said that was all he wanted, kissing her cheek. She said, in some ways, they’d taken a horrible situation and made it surprisingly wonderful. Being under one roof was unexpected and part of her would miss this. He said they could still look forward to amazing things like the dinner he was making for her tonight. He went to the kitchen and Elizabeth moved her blanket, uncovering a ring box.

Rocco said he was sure Dante hated how hard it was on Gio, and Lulu said she thought he was right. She had some regrets too, but now she thought Gio needed to figure out how great it was to have Dante for a father. Rocco said he was a good guy. Gio had to see that. Lulu said she thought he would, and he’d see how great it was to have Rocco for a brother. They hugged, when Laura came to the door. She told Lulu that heard it was a very eventful Nurses Ball.

Dante showed up at Sonny’s, and Sonny said he just missed Gio. Dante said he didn’t just miss Gio. He missed 22 years with his kid. He guessed that was Brook’s fault.  

Brook said she believed Lois loved her and believed Lois thought she was doing the right thing, but it was wrong. Not at the Nurses Ball. Were they thinking about Gio, standing up on stage, all alone, smashing his violin? He left the room shattered with nowhere to go and no one to trust. Think about that and tell her that everything they did was for the best for Lois’s grandson. Lois cried and Gio walked in.

Tuesday:

The pool is open! Trina and Kai went to the pool and met Emma there. Emma said her AC went out coming back from Niagara Falls with Gio, and Trina asked where he was now. Emma said she dropped him off at Sonny’s.

Dante told Sonny that he had a hard time seeing Brook the same way and owed Sonny an apology. When he found out Sonny was his father, he didn’t welcome Sonny with open arms. Sonny said they’d gone past that and moved on, and Dante said his mother lied and he gave her the benefit of the doubt, but he was having a hard time doing the same with Brook. Sonny said Dante could be angry with who he wanted, but the important thing was he had a son who was hurting.

Gloria said, thank God Gio came home to his family, but Gio said he wasn’t home and none of them were family. He was grabbing his stuff and leaving.

Alexis wondered if Marco was asking if she was laundering money, but he said, no. He had experience in international banking law and if she found herself entangled or the investment not working out the way she planned or she got in trouble, he was here to help.

Diane gave Ric her witness list and said she’d offered Willow a generous settlement. Ric said he had a few tricks up his sleeve and saw Kristina on the witness list.

In the hallway, Michael told Kristina that he was ready for this to be over, and Jason told Carly to keep cool on the stand. Do what it took to get her grandchildren away from Willow, even if she had to be civil. Drew and Willow came in with Nina, and Willow said she was terrified. Drew said he was here for her and so was her mother, and Nina said, don’t worry. Everything would work out just fine.

Tracy arrived and told Drew, sorry. She was fresh out of ketamine. Willow and Drew went into the courtroom and Drew told Ric that he was counting on him to convince the judge that Michael was no altar boy.

Sasha worried that Ric knew about her and Michael, but Jason said, he didn’t. But if she was called to the stand, she was good under pressure.

Diane said they were about to start and everyone went in. Michael told Jason that they had a problem.

Nina said hi to Sasha, who barely looked at her.

Lois said Gio had every right to be angry, but Brook had nothing to do with this. Gio asked Brook if they’d made her give him up.  

Dante said Gio was reeling, and Sonny said Dante knew what it was like to meet his father as an adult and could relate. Dante said he had a lot of years to make up for, and Sonny said if he and Dante got past it, Dante and Gio could work their way to each other. Dante said he had to get to the courthouse. He was testifying on Michael’s behalf. Sonny told him to go help his brother for both of them, they hugged, and Dante left.

Diane said she wasn’t putting Jason on the stand. Ric would question him about the incendiary device and would say his proximity to Sonny posed a danger to Michael’s children. He wasn’t wrong. Jason said he still wanted to support Michael, but she told him to support Michael from a distance. She asked if Michael was okay, and Michael said, no, but she was right. She said, always, and Michael said he’d be right in. He thanked Jason for understanding. Even after what she’d done, he hated raking Willow over the coals. Jason said it wasn’t about Willow. It was about the kids, and he had to keep them away from Drew. Michael was a great father, and his kids needed him. Jason left and Michael went inside.

Alexis thanked Marco, but said there was nothing to be concerned about. Dolos wasn’t a shell company, and she was perfectly comfortable with the investment. He said if she changed her mind or the investment came under scrutiny, there were ways to mitigate her personal risk. She thanked him, when her phone rang, and he left. She asked what Ric wanted, and he told her to get to the courthouse now. She said she didn’t have a court date, but he said, Kristina did.

Ric said Diane had added Kristina to the witness list. If she testified, she’d most like tell the story about Willow using Michael’s torched body as a bargaining chip. Alexis said, if Willow was worried about that, she shouldn’t have done it in the first place, and he said, like if Kristina didn’t want to go to prison, she shouldn’t have cut his brake lines. Alexis wondered what Diane could ask Kristina that had to do with the divorce, and Ric said, maybe nothing, but she never knew what her daughter might say that would open up a line of questioning. They were starting, so whatever she wanted to do, do it fast.

Josslyn walked into the pool area and Emma glared at her.

Sidwell and Jordan came to the pool and met Dalton at a table. Sidwell introduced Jordan and told her that Dalton was doing cutting edge research at PCU. Jordan said Sidwell told her that he was about to change the world, and Dalton said that was the plan. Josslyn told Trina and Kai that she had to work, but would see them on her next day off. She went over to Dalton’s table and Emma said she was sashaying over like she owned the place and cozying up to Dalton. Trina said Josslyn was working for him, and Emma said Trina’s bestie sabotaged her and stole the job that was practically hers.

Brook told Gio that she had no idea she had a son, but no one made her give him up. She was a teenager and wanted him to have parents who could love and care for him without needing to grow up themselves. Gio thanked her for being honest and got that she didn’t want him, but she said knowing she couldn’t care for him wasn’t the same thing. Gio said she would have found a way, and Brook said it was the hardest thing she’d ever done and carried it with her every day. Lois said, Brook loved Gio enough to give him a better life, even if it meant never seeing him again.

Judge Haran came in and asked to hear from the plaintiff. Diane said her client was seeking full custody of his minor children. They were going to prove the children’s mother abdicated her parental responsibility, beginning with her actions during an extramarital affair with Michael’s uncle. They were offering a 5-million-dollar settlement. Ric said Willow couldn’t be bought. She was a devoted mother and was seeking full custody. The judge told Diane to call her first witness.

On the stand, Carly said she was present at the Quartermaine Christmas party where the video of Willow and Drew having sex in the children’s nursery played, and Diane asked, what happened after it was viewed? Carly said she realized Willow and Nina had left, so she went to the gatehouse where Michael and Willow were living. She found Willow and her mother attempting to remove the children without Michael’s knowledge. Michael showed up before they could sneak away. Diane asked if he stopped them from leaving, but Carly said, he did not. He wanted to avoid confrontation, and Willow was emotionally unaware of how her actions were impacting the children. They were upset, but Willow was only concerned about how the night’s events were affecting her. Diane asked if it was difficult for Michael to watch Willow leaving with the children, and Carly said, it was heartbreaking, but he understood their well-being came first. Diane asked about Willow accompanying Drew to his inauguration, and Carly said Wiley called her. They were spending the night in a hotel suite, and she didn’t think Willow was aware he’d called. He said she was in Uncle Drew’s room. Diane asked if Michael had authorized the children’s transport across state lines, and Carly said, absolutely not.

Josslyn told Dalton that she’d sent out his proposal, and he introduced her to Sidwell. Sidwell said she seemed familiar, and Jordan said she was Carly’s daughter. Dalton said Josslyn was his new assistant, and Sidwell invited her to join them. Josslyn sat down, and Sidwell asked how she enjoyed working with Dalton. She said she couldn’t wait to get into the lab, and Dalton said his screening process was rigorous. He had to find people he trusted. He’d learned that lesson the hard way.

Chase took the stand, and Diane asked if he’d collected Wiley and Amelia from their grandmother’s penthouse. He said they had a court order to do so, and Diane asked if the children were upset. Chase said, not at all. Wiley was especially eager to go home. Diane asked if he hadn’t once been married to Willow, and he said, yes. She asked if Willow had been faithful, and he said, it was complicated. Diane said, yes, or no? and he said, no, she wasn’t.

Jason went to Sonny’s and told him that Diane changed her mind about him taking the stand. Sonny said he hated that the only thing he could do for his son was stay away and the only thing he could do for his grandson was wait him out. Gio had come by earlier and was angry, but Sonny hoped he could make up with his family. Jason said Gio wanted nothing to do with the Quartermaines, and Sonny said, he was especially mad at Lois and Gloria. Jason said, so were the Quartermaines. They were furious and they weren’t the only ones.

Gio asked why he should believe anything they said, and Lois said maybe he shouldn’t. They’d lied to him for his entire life, and she was sorry for that. Gloria told her not to apologize and told Gio not to act like they did a terrible thing. He had a good home, and Camilla was a wonderful mother. She loved him with all her heart, and he loved her the same. He said, then why did she lie to him every day of his life? Even on her deathbed, she didn’t tell him. Lois said they’d spoken to her before she passed, and she’d agreed it would be too confusing to tell him the truth. Brook said, she agreed? Did they pressure a dying woman into keeping their secret?

Ric asked who Willow cheated with, and Chase said, Michael. Ric asked if Michael knew she was married to Chase, and Chase said, he did. Ric had nothing further, and Diane asked to redirect. Did Willow know she was married to him? Chase said, of course (🍷), but… Diane thanked him. The judge told him to step down, then called for a 10-minute recess.

Drew asked if Ric planned on fighting back or was he going to hand the children over to Michael. Ric said, so far, there had been a lot of pearl clutching, even from Michael’s own mother, about him letting Willow take the kids. There were no kidnapping charges filed, and Diane was retreading old territory while they had new and compelling evidence to offer.  

Alexis got to the courtroom and asked to borrow her daughter. In the hallway, she told Kristina that she was getting her out before Kristina got them both thrown in prison.

Dalton said Sidwell had been generous in his support, and Sidwell said Dalton’s research was going to benefit the whole world. Dalton said, if only everybody saw it that way.

Trina told Emma that Josslyn wouldn’t take a job she hadn’t earned, and Kai said Josslyn would be spending the summer in a lab while they hung out at the pool. He intended to make the most of his freedom before training. He asked if Trina wanted to join him and they went into the pool.  

Gloria said Brook should be ashamed to accuse them of such a thing. It was Camilla’s choice. Lois said she didn’t want to pass on and have Gio grieving and questioning his entire life. Camilla made her wishes clear. She didn’t want to die with Gio thinking she wasn’t his mother. Gloria said if Camilla had wanted to tell him, they would have worked things out, and Brook said she got why they didn’t tell him before Camilla died, but afterward, she could have helped him. They made sure she never got the chance.

Diane told Dante that he was up next. Then Kristina, Tracy, and Michael was last. Dante said, Kristina left with Alexis, and Diane said she was testifying that Willow kept Michael’s family from him while he was fighting for his life in the burn unit. Carly said Diane could put her back on the stand, but Diane said they needed to hear from someone close to Michael who could clearly convey what happened. Michael said he thought he knew who could do it.

Sidwell asked Dalton to tell Jordan about his research, and Dalton said he was devising a process to help generate clean energy. Josslyn’s phone rang, she said she had to take it, and left.  

Back at her office, Alexis told Kristina that she was sorry if her absence hurt the case, but there was no choice. Marco came in and said Diane was looking for Alexis. Why wasn’t Kristina in court? Kristina said she was going to tell Diane that it was too triggering, and she was getting flashbacks from the last time Ric shredded her. It was believable. She told Marco that she didn’t think they’d met and introduced herself as the family embarrassment.

Jason asked how much forgiveness Lois needed from Sonny, and Sonny said he didn’t condone what she’d done, but he stood by their friendship because it was Lois. Dante and Brook were spinning and Gio felt the people he trusted the most lied to him. When he was on stage and broke his violin, it broke Sonny’s heart. (Same.) That instrument was his life, and he destroyed it. Jason suggested Gio was taking out his anger out on himself, and Sonny said he knew what it was like and didn’t want it for his grandson.

Brook told Lois and Gloria that they kept saying they wanted to protect Gio, yet they left him without any parents at all. Get out. They weren’t welcome there anymore. Lois said she’d pack her stuff, but Brook said she’d have the staff do it and send it to Bensonhurst. She wanted them out of her sight right now. Lois and Gloria left, Lois giving Brook a long stare (that I couldn’t exactly read).

On the stand, Dante said Michael wasn’t the intended target of the incendiary device. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Diane said, nothing further, and Ric asked Dante to tell the court what this was, giving him a folder. Dante said it looked like Michael’s criminal record, and Ric asked him to read the flagged passage. Dante read that Michael was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and served time in Pentenville, and Ric said, nothing further. Diane asked for a redirect and asked Dante to please describe the surrounding circumstances. Dante said, Claudia Zacchara kidnapped Carly who was pregnant. By the time Michael found them, Carly had given birth to Josslyn. Claudia absconded with the baby and in stopping her, Michael accidentally killed her. So he went to prison for protecting his baby sister. Ric then asked, what was the weapon in question? and Dante said, an ax handle. Ric said, for the record, Michael was charged with involuntary manslaughter, not self-defense or justifiable homicide. He had nothing further.

Tracy was sworn in, and Carly got a text from Josslyn: Stay calm on the stand. Don’t lose your temper. Diane said Michael and Tracy had a publicly contentious relationship, yet she was a character witness. Why? Tracy said they had a contentious business relationship. Michael was the lynchpin of the Quartermaine family and was her late brother Alan and his wife Monica’s only biological grandson. He was the future of her family. Drew wanted everything Michael had, including his wife, who enthusiastically obliged. Ric objected and it was sustained.

Ric asked Tracy to explain her arrest, but Tracy asked, why? It was irrelevant. Judge Haran told her to answer the question, and Ric asked if Tracy was arrested for kidnapping Wiley and Amelia. Tracy said she was babysitting at Michael’s request. The children were restless, so she had her bodyguard Yuri take them for a drive. Ric asked if she was refusing to answer, and Tracy said it wasn’t about her. It was about Willow’s fitness as a parent. Willow professed to being the perfect mother, but she was so willing to let Drew use her children as a weapon against their family. Ric asked if she was charged with kidnapping, and the judge told her to answer. Tracy said, yes.  

Tracy left and Diane said she’d like to call Michael, when Josslyn walked in. Diane said, actually, she’d like to request a brief recess to confer with her witness, but Ric said she could prepare on her own time, not the court’s. Judge Haran said she was inclined to agree. Call her next witness or rest her case.

Sidwell said he had another engagement, but Jordan should stay and enjoy the sunshine. He left, and Jordan said she’d love to read more about Dalton’s work. He said he appreciated her interest, but his research was hush-hush, and she said that made her want to read it even more. Why the need for secrecy? He said, the simple answer was that he didn’t want his work subject to public scrutiny until it was complete.

Kai and Trina called for Emma to come in, and she got in the pool. Dalton looked at her and she looked back. (Again, hard to read. Is he a creeper? Is she annoyed?)

Marco said he was the new associate and had only heard good things about Kristina. He left and Alexis said they couldn’t risk Ric questioning her. Kristina wondered if this was how it was going to be. Ric would say jump and Alexis would ask, how high? Alexis said Kristina tried to kill someone and almost killed two people. She didn’t get to be picky about how Alexis covered it up.

Lois went to Sonny’s and said she and Gloria were heading back to Bensonhurst. Her daughter wanted nothing to do with her. Sonny said, she would, but Lois said they’d see about that. Sonny offered to talk to Brook on Lois’s behalf, but Lois said, don’t bother. She was worried about Gio. He had no one looking out for him. Sonny said he’d do everything he could for their grandson, and she said that was all she could ask. She thanked him and left.

Brook said she’d like it if Gio stayed. They could work through this. He said he got it. They were both lied to, but the fact was, none of them wanted him. The feeling was mutual. He walked out.

On the stand, Josslyn said, Willow used the status of Michael’s medical proxy to bar the family from him. He’d filed for divorce, so they were estranged. Michael needed to be surround by family, but it didn’t matter. Willow used Michael’s life-threatening medical condition to get what she wanted and ignored the impact on the family, putting her child’s father’s health in jeopardy. Diane asked where Drew was, and Josslyn said, next to Willow. Diane gave it over to Ric, who said, when Willow forbade the family from seeing Michael, was it after Josslyn’s mother ruthlessly stole the children from their home? Josslyn said, no, and Ric said she didn’t have her niece and nephew taken by her mother? Josslyn said she did, but they were staying with their grandmother. They weren’t removed from their home. Her mother had a court order, so a judge felt they shouldn’t be under Willow’s care. It was perfectly legal. Ric said Josslyn testified that Willow took drastic action after the family used the legal system to separate her from her children. Wouldn’t any mother do anything to fight for her children? Diane objected and said Josslyn wasn’t an expert in motherhood, and the judge said, sustained. Ric said Willow’s only desire was to be reunited with her children. Wasn’t that all she wanted? Carly whispered, don’t take the bait, and everyone waited.

Wednesday:

Anna thanked Jack for stopping by her office. It wasn’t about official police business, but entirely personal.

Emma got out of the pool and Gio gave her a towel. He said he’d been hired as a lifeguard, but was pitching in. He couldn’t stay with her and her grandmother forever. She asked if he’d gotten all the answers he needed.

Lucky directed Elizabeth, sans cast, to a gazebo where a beautiful table was set for dinner. She asked what the occasion was, and he said, her getting her cast off. He thought she’d appreciate a change of scenery and they had a lot to celebrate.

Sonny met Laura at a table by the pool, and she asked if it wasn’t the day of Michael’s hearing. He said he thought it was better if he stayed away. She congratulated him on his new grandson and said that’s why she wanted to meet. She was afraid it would have huge repercussions for the entire family.

Brook stormed into Lulu’s house and Lulu asked what she wanted. Brook said she wanted to know why Lulu blew her son’s life to hell.

Ric asked Josslyn if it wasn’t true that her sister-in-law only desired to be a good mother, but Josslyn said she didn’t know. They weren’t close. She did recall something Willow said at the Nurses Ball though. They were in the ladies’ room and Willow told her that nothing was more important than being with Drew.

Elizabeth said the cast kept her from doing the things she loved, like dancing with him, and Lucky took out his phone. She said, not here, but he said, why not? and put on music. They danced.

Gio told Emma that he’d gotten some answers from Sonny, who had no idea Gio was his grandson. He went back to the Quartermaines’ to get his stuff and ran into Brook, Lois, and Gloria. It was World War III. Lois confirmed that Brook didn’t know he was her son, but that didn’t change the fact that she didn’t want him. Emma said she was sorry, and he said he didn’t know what to believe. Aside from her, the only person he trusted was Sonny. He saw Sonny sitting with Laura and said, and now he wasn’t sure about that.

Laura said there was tension between Lulu and Dante, when Gio interrupted. He asked if Sonny was keeping tabs on him.

Brook said she’d had another ugly encounter with her son, and Lulu said she wasn’t the one who gave up Gio and lied to Dante. Brook said, but she was the one digging into things that were none of her business and was responsible for Gio finding out in the worst way possible. Lulu went at it with Lois backstage where anyone could overhear. Lulu said if she could change it, she would, but Gio was suffering because Brook’s mother perpetuated a huge lie. That wasn’t on her. Brook said she blamed her mother and grandmother, but Lulu couldn’t deny her part in it. She was no way off the hook.

Willow jumped up and said, that was out of context, and the judge told her to sit down and refrain from further outbursts. Ric asked if there was anything more, and Josslyn said it was fuzzy after that. Things escalated when Drew barged in the ladies’ room, threatened her, and told her to stay away from Willow. He said Michael would lose his kids. Ric had no further questions, and Diane called Michael Corinthos III to the stand.

Diane asked if Michael loved his wife and he said he did. She said he not only married her, but made her the adoptive mother to his biological son Wiley, so he must have held her in the highest esteem. He said he did, and she asked if that continued today. He said he was in love and thought it had blinded him to certain red flags. Willow grew up in a cult, Dawn of Day, and he thought she’d suffered from that upbringing more than he’d realized. Ric objected, saying it was speculation, but Diane said Michael had direct insight on his wife’s character. Judge Haran allowed it, and Diane asked him to elaborate. Michael said Willow was taught not to think for herself and to bend to the will of others. She did that with the cult leader Shiloh and was doing it now. She was willing to do whatever Drew wanted even to the detriment of her children. Diane asked for an example, and he said she was a very damaged person. Unless and until her issues were resolved, he didn’t believe she was capable of providing a safe and stable home for their children.

Dalton sat next to Emma and said it was nice to see her again.

Jack said he’d never heard of Dalton, and Anna said he was a world-renowned physicist working on a highly classified project in Port Charles. He was working at Northern Coastal in Berkeley up until a year ago in a secure restricted lab. A student group tried to break in and vandalize the lab, but security caught them before they did any damage. What he was working on was so classified, rather than risk exposure, they had the students sign an NDA and expelled them instead of pressing charges. Within the month, Dalton left Northern Coastal and wound up in Port Charles. Jack said, it could be innocuous, but Anna said it had the earmarks of someone avoiding scrutiny. Dalton specialized in cold fusion. He asked what she thought was going on, and she said her gut was telling her that he was working on something big and potentially dangerous.

Laura told Gio that she asked Sonny to meet her there. It was her idea. Gio apologized and said he was on overload. Sonny said everything was confusing and introduced Laura, saying she was Rocco’s grandmother. Laura said she’d been meaning to reach out and thank him for what he did for Rocco the night he had alcohol poisoning. He was a good friend. Gio said he wished he’d done more. Now he was Rocco’s half-brother. Laura said she was looking forward to getting to know him better, and Gio said he had to get back to work. He left, and Laura said, clearly, Gio was in pain. Sonny said he wished he could do more to help.

Brook said she’d asked Lulu to back off, but Lulu kept digging, even after she said it would hurt her son. Lulu said once she suspected Gio was Dante’s son, she couldn’t drop it, and Brook asked how she figured it out. Lulu said she got suspicious when Dante ripped into Gio after Rocco’s alcohol poisoning and Lois got over the top protective. Things fell into place, especially when she found out Camilla was never pregnant. Brook said she should have stayed out of it, and Lulu asked if Brook really didn’t want to know she was Gio’s mother.

Ric said Michael alleged that Willow was incapable of giving their children a safe and stable environment due to her upbringing, but they should look at Michael’s. He was raised by Sonny Corinthos, a well-known crime lord. Diane started to object, and Ric said, withdrawn. There was no denying that Michael grew up surrounded by violence. He was shot in the head as a child with a bullet meant for his father and Dante had testified that he was caught in a firebomb at the penthouse, which was why he’d been absent from his children’s lives. Even if he wasn’t the target, it didn’t seem like a safe and stable environment for children to grow up in.

Ric said it wasn’t the first time Michael had manipulated the legal system to exact revenge. He’d sued his own father for custody of his half-sister Avery. Ric wanted to revisit the topic of Claudia Zacchara. Involuntary manslaughter was a serious crime.

Elizabeth thanked Lucky for going to all this trouble, and he said he’d thought about this since they were kids. She said, a picnic in a gazebo? but he said it was just the setting for the main event. She asked, what main event? and he said, this, showing her the ring.

Jack asked how Anna knew about the break-in, and she said she did some digging. He said, because Emma was a student? and she said that’s why it was personal. She would involve herself, but he had more resources and latitude. She knew she was on to something. He said he thought it was more like she was being an overprotective grandmother and wondered if it was impairing her usually impeccable judgement.

Dalton said he knew Emma was upset at not getting the job and hoped she didn’t hold it against him, and she said she was sorry she took it badly. She’d been disappointed. He said he had no idea it meant so much to her, and she said she enjoyed his class. She was jealous that Josslyn got to work so closely with him. Vaughn watched them from a nearby table.

Sonny told Laura that he’d spoken to Gio, who wanted to know if he’d known the truth. He hadn’t and thought Gio believed him. He hoped they could keep building a solid relationship. Laura said she thought they could. Gio knew he could talk to Sonny. Sonny said Gio was upset with Dante and Brook, and Laura said she knew Dante had a terrible fight with Lulu. She expected there would be friction for a while. That’s why she thought it was important for both of them to keep an eye out for Rocco. She had the feeling he could use the extra support.

Brook asked if Lulu expected a thank you, and Lulu said she at least expected Brook to stop acting like it was the worst thing ever. Brook said it was up there, and Lulu wasn’t the heroine in the story. Lulu said she wasn’t the villain either, and Brook said, whatever she had to tell herself. Yes. She’d rather be in the dark and sparing Gio the pain. Lulu said Gio would have a family – a father, brother, and a mother again – but Brook said she didn’t know if that was true. Gio pushed them away, and based how furious he was, she didn’t think that was ever going to change.

Diane asked if Michael had contact with his children while he was recovering in Germany, and he said they spoke on the phone. She asked if Willow facilitated the calls, but he said his sister Kristina did. Diane asked if Willow made a concentrated effort to connect him with his children, but he said, no. She said, since the adultery was exposed, had Willow made every action to separate him from his children? and he said, yes. Diane said Willow transported them across state lines for a trip with Drew and he was not advised? and he said, yes, correct. She asked if he’d been advised that on April 14th, Willow signed and filed a document appointing Drew Cain as the children’s guardian in the event anything happened to her, and Michael said, no. She said, no further questions, and submitted photos of Congressman Drew Cain, the guardian of her client’s children, engaging in a frolic with a woman convicted multiple times for solicitation. She asked for the court’s attention on the monitor and showed proof of Willow’s adultery with her uncle-in-law in the children’s nursery playroom. The video played and she rested her case.

Ric said Nina had seen the footage before, and Nina said, at the Quartermaines’ Christmas party. He asked how it came about, and Nina said, Tracy accidentally played it from Michael’s phone. It was from an app. Michael had secretly installed a nanny-cam without her daughter’s knowledge. (Not sure how this applies, since it wasn’t like he would think that would happen.) Ric said it was odd that Michael knew and never said anything, and Nina said, at first, he kept it a secret from Willow. Ric asked if she agreed with what Carly said went down at the gatehouse, and Nina said they did want to leave, and Carly tried to stop them. But when Willow insisted the children needed be with their mother, Michael never put up a fight and gave her permission to take the children. He asked if the children were upset, but she said, not at all, and he asked if it was fair to say Willow loved her children and they loved her back. Nina said Willow was the best mother she’d ever seen. Her children adored her. In her opinion, Michael didn’t want custody. He was just angry and punishing Willow for falling out of love with him.

Diane asked when Nina last spoke with her son-in-law, and Nina said she tried to speak with him at the Nurses Ball, but he was too busy snatching her grandson. Diane said, just answer the question, and Nina said, not since before he went to the hospital. Diane said, the same night he filed for custody, so her opinion on his motives for wanting custody was just speculation, and Nina said, yes.

Felicia went to Anna’s office and asked if she was interested in a bite, but Anna said she’d lost her appetite. Jack was there and she asked him to investigate something she was suspicious of that involved Emma. He accused her of being over-protective. She asked Felicia to put on her P.I. hat. She’d give Felicia the facts and Felicia could tell her if that was the case.

On the phone, Vaughn said he was hanging by the pool… No problem. He’d come right over. He left.

Dalton asked what Emma’s plans for the summer were, but she said she hadn’t figured them out. She might take an internship with a cosmetics lab, but it wouldn’t be like working in his lab. Was there any chance they could meet met up sometime? She had so many questions about things they’d talked about in class. He said he’d be delighted. His door was always open.

Josslyn’s phone dinged and she told Carly that it was work. She left, and Ric asked Sasha her occupation. She said she’d been the cook at the Quartermaines’ for a little over a year. He asked if during that time she witnessed any interaction between Michael and Willow, and she said she had. She even babysat the kids. He asked her to describe their relationship, and she said there was nothing out of the ordinary until she saw Willow kiss Drew on the 4th of July last year. He asked how she felt, and she said she was stunned and felt bad for Michael. They were friends. He said they were once engaged. Was their romantic relationship sexual in nature? Diane said it was irrelevant, but Ric said it spoke of the nature of their relationship, and the judge told Ric to proceed with caution. Sasha said, during the course of their relationship, they had sex, and Ric asked when their relationship ended. She said, 2021, and he asked, when was the last time they had sex?

Vaughn said he had Dalton under surveillance, and Jack said they hit a major snag. As they suspected, Anna was on to Dalton and close to launching her own investigation. Vaughn said, that could spook Dalton and send him underground, and Jack said, or worse, he could halt his research. They didn’t want him selling it, but they did want the technology for themselves. Anna couldn’t get in their way.  

Felicia wondered how Emma would feel about Anna asking the WSB to look into her professor, and Anna said, Emma would tell her that she was overstepping. But she felt she was on to something. Felicia said, was she, or was she overcompensating because of Robin?

Dalton told Emma to let him know when she wanted to meet up, and she said she’d be in touch.

Laura said she was sure everything would be done to shield Rocco, and Sonny said he was a sensitive kid. He’d figure it out. Laura said she thought it was important that he knew he could talk to them. She thought they should present a united front to show the whole family wasn’t torn apart. Sonny said he thought Rocco had a wise grandma, when Boyle approached the table with his phone recording. He said it was their esteemed mayor with Public Enemy Number One. Smile for the camera. It was a livestream for the people of Port Charles.

Lulu said she was sure Gio would come around, but Brook said she wasn’t. It didn’t have to be this way and would have been different if Lulu had come to her and let her decide. Lulu said she thought Brook would keep lying, and Brook said Lulu made a huge life-changing decision for her and her kid. She should have respected Brook as a mother instead of trashing her entire life. Congratulations. Lulu always wanted to destroy her life and finally succeeded.

Ric asked, when was the last time Sasha and Michael had sex? and Sasha said she didn’t understand why he was asking. He said he thought she did, and Diane objected. Judge Haran told him to get to the point, and he asked if Sasha was at the Brown Dog Bar on October 30, 2024. She said, yes, and he asked what she did. She said, drink, and he asked, how many? She said she didn’t know. She was upset after finding out her boyfriend was her cousin. He said, when she left, was she alone? and she said it was none of his business. The judge told her to answer, and she said she left with someone. Ric asked who she left with and reminded her that she was under oath. She said she left with Michael.  

Vaughn suggested Josslyn get involved, but Jack said she was too green to go up against a former agent. Vaughn said he knew how to handle Devane.

Anna said she’d always regret not being there for Robin when Stone died and she was diagnosed with HIV, and Felicia said she didn’t have to be over-protective because of it. Anna said, what if both things were true? She over-compensated, but she also trusted her instincts and they were telling her Dalton was working on something illegal.

Gio asked, who was that guy? and Emma said her professor. Gio said, the physics guy, and she asked if he was still there. He said, yeah. Why? She took off her towel, revealing her bikini bottoms, and Dalton watched.

Lucky said he’d loved Elizabeth almost his entire life, since the first day they met. They had their had ups downs, and he knew they’d been through so much. It seemed like madness, but they’d also matured a lot – her more than him perhaps, but deep down, the connection was still there. He believed more than ever they could still have the life they’d envisioned since they were teenagers. He got down on one knee and said all he wanted was to spend the rest of his days with her and Aiden and her boys. So would she do him the honor of marrying him… again? She said she loved him so much, but the answer was no.

Sonny said he was in no mood, and Boyle said this was why when the people hit the polls, they should vote for Ezra Boyle for mayor and vote yes on Measure C. Laura asked if he was done, but Boyle said he had so much more. Gio walked by with a stack of towels and accidentally on purpose knocked him into the pool. Gio said he was so sorry. He hadn’t seen Boyle. Laura and Sonny laughed as Boyle flailed around in the pool, and Laura said she liked that grandson of Sonny’s. Sonny said, he’s a winner.

Lulu said it was unbelievable. She was just trying to do the right thing and Brook and Dante were thinking the worst of her. Brook said she was glad to hear Dante didn’t believe Lulu’s act, and Lulu said, at least they knew Gio was their son. How it played out was up to them. She was out. She started to walk away, but Brook asked if she thought it was going to be that easy. Lulu was going to blow up her life and walk away? If she did, she was in for a rude awakening. Brook walked out.

Ric said Sasha and Michael left the bar after consuming a lot of drinks. Did they have sexual relations that night? Unless she wanted her baby born in Spring Ridge, answer truthfully. Sasha said, yes. They left the bar and had sex, and he said, here they were, 9 months later. He understood she was claiming Jason Morgan was the father. Was that really true? Or is Michael Corinthos actually the father? Sasha said Ric was a disgusting creep. Yes. It was true. Michael was the father of her baby.

Thursday:

Lucky asked Elizabeth to marry him – again – and she said she loved him so much, but her answer was no. He asked if she meant no now or forever.

At the pool, Lucas met Marco with a Mai Tai, and they clinked glasses.

Maxie met Sonny at a poolside table and asked why he wanted to meet privately. He said he didn’t want Lucy’s spin on it and asked how badly Deception needed Sidwell. She said, right now, they needed Sidwell more than they needed him.

Curtis told Portia to relax, and she said they were sleeping in separate bedrooms. How was she supposed to relax? He said he didn’t want the family to figure out something was wrong and ask questions.

Kai and Trina arrived at her house, Kai bearing flowers.

Jason met Anna at the park, and she said she needed his help. He’d be helping Carly too.

Jack said, Josslyn saw Sidwell and Dalton together? and she said she’d seen on Dalton’s calendar that he had a meeting at the pool. It being Sidwell was just a lucky break, and she was asked to join them. Jack asked if she’d learned anything interesting, and she said Sidwell was sponsoring Dalton’s research.

Ric said, on October 30th, Sasha had sex with Michael which resulted in her pregnancy, and she said, yes. He said, on October 30th, the night before Willow and Drew made love (gag), but she said she wasn’t there. She had no idea. He said, to the best of her knowledge, as far as she knew, was Michael unfaithful first?

Elizabeth said told Lucky that she didn’t see a way of their lives fitting together, and Lucky said he’d disappeared before and didn’t blame her for thinking he wasn’t going to stick around for the long haul, but he knew he could, and he wanted to. She said she loved having him there, and he’d hold on to the ring and prove every day that he was in it for the long haul. She said she believed him, but he had to ask himself, would it really make him happy?

Trina said she hoped Drew would focus on someone else and get off Portia’s back for a while. The doorbell rang, and Trina opened the door to Marshall. He asked how his favorite granddaughter was, and they hugged.

Maxie said, Sonny’s investment kept Deception afloat at a crucial time, but they’d made the money back several times over. Their Youth Truth serum was going through the roof, and the more demand for the product, the more zincite they needed. Sonny asked if Sidwell was the only one who could access it, and she said if he knew someone else who was sitting on a pile of it, introduce her. She’d heard the stories, and wasn’t happy working with Sidwell, but right now they were making money because of him. Money she needed because her kids refused to stop growing and eating. So she was putting her misgivings aside until he gave her a reason not to. Natalia walked in, saw Marco, went to the bar, and ordered a vodka soda.

Jason asked what Carly had to do with it, and Anna said, the new professor at PCU, Henry Dalton, was doing extensive research. It looked above board, but she was concerned that it was more dangerous than he was letting on. She needed help to prove she was right. Jason said he didn’t see what that had to do with Carly, and she said, Dalton hired a new research assistant – Josslyn.

Josslyn asked if she should get close to Sidwell, but Jack said he’d take care of Sidwell. Concentrate on monitoring Dalton. What was inside this box would allow her to clone the contents of his phone. He also knew Anna was suspicious of Dalton. She said, because of Emma, and he said Anna was determined to go after him. She said they needed to find a way to discredit Emma so Anna would stop looking, and he said they couldn’t attract Anna’s attention to the Bureau and had to let it blow over.

Ric asked, how inebriated was Michael? but Sasha said he’d have to ask Michael. He asked if drugs were involved, and she said, absolutely not. He asked if Michael had cheated with other women, and Diane objected. He withdrew the question and said, her witness. Diane said, let’s talk timelines. Sasha testified that she’d witnessed Willow and Drew share a kiss on July 4th, 2024. In a subsequent conversation, did she tell Sasha about a second kiss in early September? Sasha said, yes, and Diane asked if Willow confessed the nature of her feelings. Sasha said Willow told her that she had feelings for Drew that she couldn’t control, and Diane said, let the record reflect both the kisses and Willow characterizing her feelings happened before October 30th. Judge Haran said, so noted, and Diane had nothing further. The judge told Sasha to step down, but Ric had a redirect and asked how much Michael paid her to hid the fact she was carrying his baby.

Natalia said she was glad she ran into Marco, and he introduced her to Lucas. She said, nice to meet him. She needed to talk to Marco alone. Lucas said he’d be at the bar, and left. Marco asked if she realized how incredibly rude she was, and she said she was sorry, but they had important family business to discuss. Allison still wasn’t returning her calls. Could he please ask her to return one text or call. She’d like to join Allison on tour, and they needed to discuss things. Marco said, despite his better judgement, he introduced her to Lucas, who was important to him. Instead of making an effort, she wanted him to convince his sister to bring her on tour. Natalia said stop making her the bad guy. Allison needed to stop her tantrum and realize she needed her.  

Maxie told Sonny that she needed to take care of something quick and went over to Lucas. She said, please tell her that complete snack wearing the hell out of that swimsuit was Marco. He said it was, and she said she needed details. He could start with what Marco and his mother were fighting about. They didn’t look happy. Natalia told Marco to let her explain, as Sonny watched them.

Marshall said it was good to see them, and Curtis said, Aunt Stella and TJ were sorry, but they had to work late. Marshall said he was sorry he wouldn’t be there long enough to them, but it was just a short stop over, then the tour was back on the road. Curtis said they loved him and were proud of him. He was touring with Wynton Marsalis. Trina introduced Kai to Marshall, and Kai said it was nice to finally meet him. Marshall said he’d enjoyed Kai’s games. He had impressive improv skills and Marshall was sorry his career got cut short. Kai said he was on his way back to playing. It was miraculous. He’d met some who made it their mission to get him on the field again.

Elizabeth said she fell in love so young. The feeling had never gone away, and she couldn’t imagine it ever would. Loving him meant she wanted his happiness as much as her own. He said, being with her made him happy, but she said it meant being in Port Charles, the same town, the same house, and the same routine. She knew it was too small of a place for him and the last thing she wanted was for him to live an unfulfilled life just to prove himself to her. Was Port Charles really where he wanted to be?

Sasha said, Michael didn’t pay… She doubled over and Ric asked if she was all right. She said she was fine, and he asked if Michael told her to keep their tryst a secret, but she said they both felt no one else needed to know. He asked, why? and she said because she worked for his family, loved her job, and didn’t want to jeopardize it. He asked what Michael’s reason was, and she said she couldn’t speak for him, but she knew he still loved Willow, even after he found out she’d kissed his uncle, so maybe that. He said, when she found out she was pregnant, did she tell Michael? and she said, yes. He asked if Michael instructed her to keep it secret, but she said, no. She was the one who insisted. Michael was willing to claim the child publicly, but she asked him not to. She knew what was coming for Michael and Willow and didn’t want her baby going through that. She wanted to protect her baby from a life where the people around them tear each other… She gasped in pain.

Lucky said he loved Elizabeth and wanted to be with her, but maybe she was right. Port Charles would always be important, but it wasn’t his home anymore. Being there full time wouldn’t fulfill him, at least right now. Elizabeth thanked him for being honest, and he said he’d give anything to be the kind of person who was content staying, but she said, if he was, he wouldn’t be the person she loved. He said it was unfair. They’d just found their way back to each other. She said it would be more unfair if she asked him to stay, and he suggested she leave with him instead. They could go see the world together.

Trina told Marshall about the day Josh came early and Kai was on his pain meds. He just kept petting her sweater and saying, fuzzy. They all laughed, and Kai said Josh was a great guy, but he couldn’t wait until he could play again and his part in the documentary was over. Trina said, or they could go out in public without someone following them asking questions. Marshall said it was both flattering and a chore, and Kai said, Congressman Cain was generous enough to arrange and pay for his surgery. He felt the documentary was the least he could do.  

Anna said Josslyn would be working closely with Dalton, and Jason said she needed to tell him everything she knew about the professor. Anna said she became suspicious when the Emma thing didn’t add up. Dalton taught at Emma’s previous university. She was arrested for protesting his research, but instead of charging the students, the university swept it under the rug. It was almost as if the school didn’t want to call attention to it. After that, Dalton turned up there at PCU. Jason said none of that told him that it was worth investigating, but she said, the fact that the WSB was looking into it should.

Marco said Ally had worked up the courage to tell Natalia who she really was, and Natalia pushed her aside, like she did him. Natalia said she was trying to be better, and she was better, but Marco said, not enough. In the years when he needed a mother, she wasn’t there. The best thing to do was leave Ally alone and stay away from him too.

Sasha said she thought she was in labor, and Rick suggested it was cheap theatrics. Michael yelled at him to back off and ran up to Sasha, and Judge Haran adjourned the court while the witness got medical attention. Michael promised Sasha that it would be okay, and she said it wasn’t supposed to happen for another month. She couldn’t lose the baby. It couldn’t be like Liam. He said it wouldn’t. They’d get her to the hospital on time. She said there was no time. The baby was coming now. Willow said, let her help.

Willow asked if Sasha was feeling pressure or the urge to push, and Michael asked if she thought she could make it to the hospital, but Sasha said she wasn’t going anywhere. The pain was too strong. He said the paramedics were on their way, but Willow said they wouldn’t be on time. Sasha’s water broke and her contractions were two minutes apart. The baby was coming any second.

Lucky said they could see the world together. Elizabeth was an amazing nurse. Think of the good they could do. Every day would be an adventure. (Packing now.) Elizabeth said, what about their son? and Lucky said he could come too. His parents bounced around. She said he was born into that life and didn’t know any different. Aiden had friends and family here. He had school and Tobias. He was graduating soon and would apply for college. She didn’t know if he wanted to be uprooted. He said, Aiden came first, but when he went to college, they were free and could go wherever they wanted. Elizabeth said it wasn’t just Aiden. She had a life here too, that she loved. She had friends and family and a career that she didn’t want to leave behind. It would make her as unhappy as he would be if he stayed.

Natalia said she knew she made a mistake and wanted to make it right if Marco would give her the chance, but Marco said he had. And she disappointed him every time. He was done thinking she was going to change and done with this conversation. Go get drunk somewhere else. She walked away and Sonny asked her to have a seat. She sat with him and said, when she tried to fix things with her kids, why did she make it worse? He said they were hurt. She needed to give them space. They’d come around when they were ready. She said Marco’s father was doing everything in his power to keep them apart, and Sonny said, Marco seemed like a smart guy. Sooner or later, he’d realize he needed his mommy. Natalia asked why Sonny was being so nice.

Jason asked how Anna knew the WSB was involved, and she said, Brennan. He said, Jack told her? and she said, he may as well have. When she told him her suspicions, he completely dismissed them out of hand. He said her judgement was clouded because of Emma. Jason asked if there was any chance he was right, and she said she was good at what she did. It didn’t behoove Jack to wave off her suspicions. He asked if she thought Jack was trying to throw her off, and she said she was certain of it. The fact that he said there was nothing there meant there was definitely something there. She had no idea about the WSB’s plan, but if it warranted their attention… He said, it’s got to be big, and she said, and therefore dangerous. Josslyn had no idea what she was being pulled into.

Jack said, in order to avoid Anna’s scrutiny, she needed to believe Josslyn was who she thought Josslyn was, and Josslyn said she was a hard-working college student with a job in a science lab. Josslyn said, if Anna asked any questions, she didn’t know what Anna was talking about. Jack said if Anna popped in the lab, Josslyn would be surprised. Under no circumstances was she to run interference. Was he clear?   

On the phone in the hallway, Carly said, what did they mean, the paramedics couldn’t get through?… There was a protest about Measure C? Tell them that a woman was having a baby and to come now.

Drew told Ric that he was nervous at first… Nina interrupted and said, what the hell was Ric doing? He said his job, and she said she gave him everything, even the contact information on the bartender who saw Sasha and Michael leave together. All he had to do was establish they’d had an affair. Carly stormed over and said, it was her. Nina was the reason Ric found out it was Michael’s baby.

Lucky said he fell in love with Elizabeth the moment he saw her sneaking a cigarette outside Kelly’s all those years ago, and he never stopped loving her. He’d always love her. She said she’d always love him. She wouldn’t be who she was today without him. They used to want the same things, but the people they grew into… He said, not so much.

Lucas asked what was with Marco’s mom, and Marco said, same as always. Lucas said he was sorry. If Marco wanted to talk, he was there. Natalia seemed upset. Marco asked if that was Lucas’s way of telling him that he was too hard on her.

Sonny said he’d been where Natalia was at with his son Michael. They were able to find their way back to each other and he thought her kids would do the same. She had to back off and let it happen. Maxie waved to him from the bar, and he said he had a meeting and asked her to think about what he said. She said, yeah, and thanked him. Sonny left, and she looked at Marco. She called Sidwell and said she was done letting him put her off. He owed her and she was coming over to collect. She drained her drink and left.

Portia said, Michael showed up? and Trina said she left out the part about Willow seeing Wiley running into Michael’s arms. It was quite an entrance and exit. He picked up Wiley and walked out. Portia said she was sorry she missed it, and Trina asked why they had to leave early. Portia said she told Trina. They both had work in the morning, plus her father had to phone some affiliates in Japan. But they were there for the most important part, Trina’s song.  

On the patio, Marshall said Kai seemed like a solid young man, and Curtis said he was and he treated Trina well. Marshall said that was all that mattered, but something Kai said had him worried, and Curtis said he thought positively about Drew. Marshall said they both new Drew Cain didn’t deserve his admiration, and Curtis said Drew had been good to Kai, but he hoped Drew didn’t turn on Kai the way Drew turned on him.

Willow said Sasha was doing great. She could do this. Sasha said she couldn’t lose another child, and Michael said the baby would be fine. From the information she’d sent him, he knew the baby was healthy and strong. She’d done everything right and she was going to come through the pregnancy. She was one of strongest people he’d met, and he knew she could do this one last thing. Willow said the baby was crowning. This was it. Take a deep breath and one last big push. Sasha pushed.

Carly said Sasha was Nina’s friend. How could Nina betray her like this? Drew said it happened because Carly insisted on a court date. Now Michael would know she betrayed him, and he’d lose custody of his children. Carly said he didn’t give a damn about Wiley and Amelia. He was helping Willow to hurt Michael. Nina said Carly was trying to take Willow’s children from her to hurt Willow, but Carly said she was protecting her grandchildren. Willow had lost all sense of decency and common sense to be with Drew. Drew said they loved each other and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. He didn’t know why she couldn’t accept that. Carly said she wasn’t the only one who had a problem with him. She knew for a fact Nina was the one who hired Jacinda and had him drugged.  

Sasha wondered why the baby wasn’t crying. Please tell her the baby was okay. The baby began to cry, and Willow picked up the biggest preemie in history. She said, it’s a girl.  

Elizabeth asked if Lucky planned on leaving Port Charles soon, and he said, yeah. He knew it was sudden, but being here and knowing they couldn’t be together hurt too much. He should find Aiden and talk to him. He had no clue how to tell Aiden that he was leaving again. Elizabeth said she might have a thought.

Josslyn told Jack that if she saw Anna, she was her friendly neighborhood student assistant, and he said he’d take care of Devane. She asked what he was going to do, and he said he was just informing her. It was her job to concentrate on the mission and not question outside her purview.

Anna said she couldn’t be 100% certain her suspicions were correct, but Jason said, the fact that the WSB was interested pointed to her being right. Anna said, now Emma was going after Dalton. Emma denied it, but she knew and couldn’t allow her to get involved where she might get hurt. She needed to find out what Dalton was working on and what he intended to do with it. Jason said, and if Josslyn is in danger, and Anna said she couldn’t get directly involved. Dalton would know the WSB had eyes on him. She needed him to look into Dalton for her, but promise not to confront him directly. He said he’d take care of it.

Sonny thanked Maxie for the meeting, and she said she wanted to make sure he wasn’t offended. He said, no, but he thought they should be more careful. Sidwell knew when he invested in Deception that Sonny was an investor. He was positive Sidwell’s interest in Deception was actually an interest in him.

Lucas told Marco that his relationship with his mom had a lot of ups and downs, but they were both willing to work on their issues and got through it. It was hard to believe she was gone. They lost a lot of time fighting, but when they worked things out… Marco asked if it was Lucas’s subtle way of telling him not to cut his mother out, but Lucas said it wasn’t his place. He was just offering his own experience. Marco said he was glad Lucas did, and took his hand.

A police officer gave Natalia a breathalyzer test and said it was .12, way over the limit. Natalia said she felt fine, but the officer said she was under arrest for driving while intoxicated. She argued as he cuffed her and read her rights.

On the patio, Kai left to get Marshall a refill, and Trina said, so? Marshall said he seemed like a nice young man. Did he make her happy? She said, so happy, and he said that was all they needed to worry about. She said she missed him, and he said he missed her too. More than he could ever say.

Portia said she’d told Trina that she and Curtis left early because they had work in the morning and he had a call from affiliates in Japan, and he said she was good at making up stories these days. Portia said she was sick of it. The snide comments, the tension, and straight up anger he’d been throwing her way. He said, deal with it. They can’t figure out what to do about their marriage until he finds Jacinda and pays her off to say Drew hired her for sex then took ketamine on purpose. (He’s out of the loop.)

Willow gave the baby to Sasha and Sasha said she was so beautiful. Michael said she was amazing, and thanked Willow, who nodded. They all looked at the baby, and the paramedics came in with a gurney.  

🫔 Friday’s Enchilada…

Marshall says he’s overjoyed at how happy Trina is with Kai, but Kai’s admiration for Drew Cain is a bit unsettling. Curtis says he doesn’t like it either, but he hopes Kai sees the truth about Drew. Marshall says he hopes it happens sooner rather than later.

Molly goes into the interrogation room and as she’s looking at a folder, she says she’s here to ask a few questions of… Miss Ramirez. A still drunk Natalia says she doesn’t appreciate being held like a common criminal. She holds up her cuffed wrists and says, look at this. It’s harassment because she knows Sonny Corinthos. Tell the police they’re not going to get away with it.

Jordan says, since the Nurses Ball, Sidwell has been well-received. She thinks he should donate to the July 4th celebration, keeping him in the spotlight as a philanthropist both corporately and as a citizen. He says he’d like to look into it, when Marco comes in. Marco says he doesn’t mean to interrupt, but Sidwell says, he’s not. They’re just wrapping up. Unless of course (🍷) … Jordan says she has one last question, about Henry Dalton.

Jason says he’ll get what he can on Henry Dalton and confirm the WSB’s interest in him, and Anna thanks him. He says he’ll be discrete, and she says she appreciates it. ADA Turner comes by and says, it’s a nice night for a stroll, but a curious place for a chat. Or did she interrupt a meeting?

In Sasha’s hospital room, Michael says, the baby is so beautiful, and Sasha says, the doctors say she’s perfect, even if she did come early. Sonny comes in and says he could have told her that. He and Michael hug, and he asks how Sasha feels. She says, better than ever, and Sonny says, congratulations to both of them. Michael introduces him to his new granddaughter Daisy, and Sonny says, hello, little one. Welcome to the world.

Carly and Felicia hug, and Felicia says, Bobbie would be so pleased. Another Spencer woman in the world who also happens to be a Scorpio. Carly says, Daisy has a flair for the unconventional, which means she’ll fit right in with in both families. She’s just thankful Daisy is healthy and safe. Felicia says she thinks the woman Carly should thank is Willow, and Carly turns to see Willow standing there.

Nina knocks on Drew’s door and says she knows he’s in there. He needs to listen to her. He opens the door and says, don’t waste her breath. It’s too late. Nina says, Willow knows? and he says, not yet, but the second she comes home, he’s telling her that her own mother set him up. She tried to destroy his life and reputation. She says, if he does that, they’ll both lose Willow. She guarantees it.

Curtis says he really missed Marshall, and Marshall says he missed his family too. He’s sorry Portia got called back to GH. He kind of got the feeling that she was using work as an excuse to get out of the house. Is there something Curtis wants to tell him?  

Molly says, according to the arresting officer’s report, Natalia blew a .12 on the breathalyzer. Then she grabbed the breathalyzer out of the officer’s hand. Natalia says she doesn’t want to cause any more trouble. This has taken so much of her time already. Just let her pay the fine or whatever. She wants to go. Can she go? Molly says she doubts that’s going to happen, but it’s up to whoever is prosecuting the case, and Natalia asks if she isn’t it. Molly says, normally she would be that, but she’s going to recuse herself because of personal bias. Otherwise, Natalia’s lawyer could claim she’s not impartial. Natalia says she doesn’t know Molly, but Molly says she knows Natalia, for the homophobe that disrespected her sister.

Sidwell tells Jordan, Henry Dalton has innovative ideas on forms of clean energy and he’s funding Dalton’s research. She says she thinks that would be more proof of him being a philanthropist, but he says, not yet. The research is promising, but he’d like to wait to highlight his involvement once it’s successful. Marco says he assumes this is part of Sidwell’s push to position himself as a legitimate alternative to Sonny Corinthos, and Sidwell says, maybe. Before Jordan goes, he’d like her to show Marco more of the latest polling. She says, the latest polls show that 62% of the voters want Sonny’s piers taken from him using imminent domain. That means Measure C is on track to pass. Marco says, that’s the last thing Sidwell wants.

Anna says, not that it’s any of Turner’s business, but she and Jason were discussing her granddaughter, Emma. Emma and Jason’s cousin Gio left the Nurses Ball together. She can understand their concern. She was there, wasn’t she? Turner says she was, and nothing brings you closer together than family. Jason asks if this is official or is he free to go, and Anna says she doesn’t know. Maybe Turner is going to arrest him for speaking to her or her for talking to him. Turner says, they’re both free to go, and Jason leaves. Turner says, Anna has to see how bad it looks meeting in secret. Even if nothing happened, the implication of impropriety is there. Anna is a public servant and needs to be aware of how she’s perceived. Anna says, suspicious minds will always find something wrong. There’s nothing she can do about that. Turner says, her behavior is compromising the public’s trust in the city of Port Charles and their leaders, and Anna says, save it for her stump speech. Turner asks how Anna knows, and Anna says she respects ambition. In Turner’s case, it’s the sheer volume. She’s obviously set her sights on being the new DA. Turner says, Port Charles needs newer, younger blood and a DA who actually lives in Port Charles and is doing their job. Anna says, Robert is a hard man to beat. She’s going to need more than mudslinging.

Curtis tells Marhsall that when he found out about Trina, he and Portia agreed that the only way they could continue their marriage was to be completely honest with each other. He just found out she’s been lying to him for months. Marshall asks if he’s talking about… Curtis says, she hasn’t been unfaithful. That’s all he thinks he wants to say right now. Marshall says he’s truly sorry, but something is different this time. Whatever happened, Curtis is still here. Curtis asks what he means, and Marshall says, he could have walked away, but he didn’t. Why not?

Nina says, if Drew tells Willow about Jacinda, she’ll tell Willow that while they were falling in love, he was also sleeping with her mother. She’ll turn her back on both of them and be completely alone at Michael’s mercy. Is that what he wants? He says he can’t see Willow forgiving either one of them, but he can’t believe Nina had him drugged and paraded around Port Charles. Nina says, no one made him go clubbing or take body shots off a sex worker, and technically speaking, she didn’t drug him. He asks how she could do this to Willow. Willow’s pain at being betrayed was horrible. What kind of mother would do that? She says, the kind desperately trying to save her daughter from him, but now she knows that’s impossible.

Carly says she owes Willow a huge thank you for coming to Sasha’s aid, and Willow says she’s glad she was there to help. She’s happy for Sasha and Michael, and Carly. Carly thanks her, and Willow says, hopefully this means no more fighting. The truth is out there, and the judge’s decision should be obvious now. Carly says her greatest hope is that her grandchildren, all her grandchildren, end up where they’re safe and loved. She leaves, and Felicia asks if Willow is good. Willow says, yeah, but Carly doesn’t understand. Now that Michael’s secret is out, Michael lost.

Michael says he’s sorry he didn’t see Sonny before this, but Sonny says he hears Michael’s been busy. Michael says he’s not the only one. Sonny’s seen two new grandchildren is just as many days. Gio, now Daisy. Sonny says, life is full of surprises and miracles, and he and Michael hug.

Nina says, Willow is completely in love with Drew and will believe anything he tells her. It’s cost her so much. She doesn’t want Willow to lose her kids too. Drew asks, how could she? It’s out there now on record that Michael cheated first and fathered another child. When the judge rules, they’ll finally be free to get out of Port Charles. Nina asks what he’s talking about, and he says they’re about to start a new life in DC, away from all this. Away from all his haters. She says she knows that’s what he wants, but what does Willow want?

Sasha tells Daisy that she’s been waiting for her all along. She loves Daisy so much. In a baby voice, Cody says, I love you too, mama, and comes in. He says he won’t stay. He wanted to make sure she was okay after her courtroom birth. Sasha says, she’s perfect, and he says, they both are. She thanks him and tells Daisy that this is her big old cousin Cody. He says, hey, Daisy. I have so much wisdom to pass on, tiny grasshopper. He tells Sasha that he guesses he has a few apologies to give to Jason, and she says, yeah, he does. Daisy was conceived on the night they broke up. She was at the Brown Dog Bar, and she was devastated. Michael was there. He says, at least something good came from their doomed romance. He’s glad she found her happily ever after. She thanks him and says she hopes he finds his too.

Natalia says, Molly’s sister forgave her, and Molly says, Kristina has a big heart. Now Natalia sees why she can’t be the prosecutor. Another ADA will come. Natalia asks, how long will that take? She didn’t even get her phone call, and someone has to take these off. She shows Molly the handcuffs again, and Molly says she’ll talk to the desk sergeant. Good luck. She leaves and Natalia says, thanks… for nothing.

Curtis tells Marshall that the knows Portia loves him and God knows he loves her too, but the lying hurts. It’s twice that he knows of and he doesn’t want to make the same mistakes he made with Jordan. Marshall asks what he means, and Curtis says he reached a boiling point. It was one lie too many and that was it. In retrospect, Jordan’s lies were work related. They were tied up around bringing Cyrus to justice. For him to ask her for answers just wasn’t fair. Marshall says, he was just trying to make it work, and Curtis says he was fighting for what they had. He quit and sometimes he thinks he gave up too soon. Marshall says, from the sound of things, maybe he should give Portia the second chance he didn’t give Jordan. Curtis says, maybe.

Michael says, Jason told him that there was another attempt on Sonny’s life, and Sonny says, yeah. Brick saved his life. He’s thinking the person behind it could be responsible for whoever bombed the penthouse. He hates that Michael was hurt because of it, and not for the first time. Michael paid a high price for being his son. Michael says he wouldn’t change it if he could. Nothing his kids could ever do would make him stop loving him and the same went for them. Sonny says, thank God, and Michael says, Sonny did everything in his power to protect him, but now he’s an adult and he’s protecting himself and his family. Sonny pats his shoulder.

Marco says, support for Measure C would be going against Sidwell’s own interests. If Sonny sold him the piers and Measure C passed, it would be his property that would be seized. Sidwell says, it won’t come to that. They’re using Measure C as a strategy to get rid of Sonny. Jordan says, so far the strategy is working, and Sidwell says, in passing Measure C, they’re using it to pressure Sonny into selling the piers. Once the piers are his, the voters wouldn’t care about Measure C. Sonny’s hold on Port Charles will be gone. Jordan says, on that note, good night, gentlemen, and she leaves. Marco says he hopes Sidwell has a Plan B, and Sidwell asks, why? Marco says, Sonny Corinthos isn’t the type of man to give up without fight.

Sonny tells Michael how Diane thought Michael would probably be better off if he stayed away from the hearing, and Michael said he knew. She’d said something to Jason. Sonny asked how it was going, and Michael said, honestly, he didn’t know. When his paternity came out, he thought his biggest nightmare came true, but when Sasha gave birth, he got to be there. It felt like a miracle. Sorry he didn’t tell the truth about the baby. Sonny says, as long as the baby is healthy and he and Sasha are on the same page, and Michael says he thinks they are. Sonny says, Drew has been pulling Willow’s strings, and Michael says, it pushed him to the point where he had to fight for Wiley and Amelia. Sonny says, maybe everybody coming together will bring them an opportunity. A smart man knows sometimes compromise is the only solution. And Michael is a very smart man.

Jason visits Sasha, and he says, the baby is beautiful. It looks just like her. Congratulations. She thanks him for everything he did for them. He took a lot of flak from a lot of people for nothing. The secret came out anyway. Jason says they did the best they could in the situation. The good news is she and Michael get to be Daisy’s parents. She wonders if she can ask one more favor. She’s had no time to run it by Michael, but she’s sure he’d agree. Would Jason be Daisy’s godfather? He says, it would be an honor, when Carly asks if she can come in.

Jordan tells Curtis that she’s sorry to just drop by. TJ told her that Marshall was in town and she wanted to say a quick hello. Curtis says, he would have loved that. Unfortunately, he had a late flight. She says she’s sorry she missed him, but please tell her that they had a good visit. He says, it was wonderful and it couldn’t have come at a better time. He needed his dad’s insights. She asks if Portia is there, and he says, no. She’s at GH. They’re both making a lot of excuses not to be alone together. She says she’s sorry, and he says, so is he. He doesn’t know what’s happening with his marriage.

An officer uncuffs Natalia and gives her phone to her, and she says, it’s about time. Privacy please. She makes a call.

Marco’s phone rings and Sidwell asks if he needs to get that, but he says, no. He’s already said all he needs to say to her.

Natalia says, voicemail. Perfect. She leaves a message saying she gets it. Things ended badly earlier at the MetroCourt, but she’s in real trouble. She needs him, so can he please come to the PCPD as soon as he can? Please, Marco. Please.

Molly goes to the pool and sees Cody with a beer, his feet in the water. He yells, Molly! Come join the celebration! Even she must be off the clock by now. She says she has to be… Why the hell not? and he says, a beer for the lady, but she says, actually, she’ll have white wine.

Turner tells Anna she’s not campaigning. Not yet. She’s doing her job. Two of the city’s top officials – the mayor and the Police Commissioner – have close personal ties to known criminals, Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan. Why not bring them up on charges? Anna says, give her evidence that will stick in court and she’ll arrest them immediately. Turner says, sounds good, but she’s read Mr. Morgan’s arrest record. All the times he was arrested, he never once saw a conviction. Anna says, that’s the DA’s department, not hers, and Turner says, the DA’s office is limited by the evidence collected, or lack thereof, by the PCPD. Anna says, goodnight, and leaves. Turner says, goodnight, and answers her phone. She says, really? They made an arrest… You know what? She’ll take care of it herself.

Sidwell asks if something happened between Marco and Natalia, but Marco says, just more of the same. She is who she is. He suggests they focus on Sonny. It’s not going to be easy dealing with him. He’s been running Port Charles for decades and stopped other hostile takeover attempts. Sidwell says he sees Marco has done his research, and Marco says, you bet. Sonny’s a heavy hitter. He should never be taken lightly. Sidwell says he’s also done his research. Marco’s friend Lucas is an extended member of Sonny’s family. Marco says, another reason he wants nothing to do with Sidwell’s campaign for getting Sonny out of town.

Nina says, Drew is the main reason Michael and Willow’s custody fight got so vicious so quickly, but now they have the opportunity to cool things down. So why doesn’t he step back a little bit and give Michael and Willow room to talk about a custody arrangement that doesn’t include ripping the family apart? If he advocates for that, Willow will give him all the credit. Drew says, Michael is a Quartermaine, and those people don’t stop until they have everything. So the only way to protect Willow is to convince her that Michael is relentless and not to be trusted. Willow needs to get custody of the kids. Otherwise, Michael will take them from her.

Willow sees Michael at the elevator and asks if he’s leaving. He says he’ll be right back. He’s picking up Wiley and Amelia so they can meet their baby sister. He gets in the elevator.

Jason says he’ll give them a minute, but Carly says, don’t go far. He says he’ll be right outside, and leaves. Sasha says, Michael knew everything, and Carly says she understands. She knows Sasha did everything she could to protect Michael’s baby. All she can ask is that they be honest with each other. Sasha thanks her, and Carly thanks Sasha back. She says, if Sasha and her daughter need anything, please ask her.  

On the phone, Drew asks if Willow is coming home soon, but she says she’s sticking around a little longer. Michael is bringing Wiley and Amelia and she’s hoping to see them. He says, don’t worry. Soon she’ll have full custody, and she’ll get to see them every day.

Cody says, get over here. The water’s great. Molly says she has a few more emails and she’s not messing up her suit. He asks if she can’t be the least bit spontaneous, consequences be damned, and she says she’s perfectly comfortable. Besides, the pool is closed. He says, that’s an easy fix. Just turn the sign over. Does she sleep in her business suit? Does she color code her underwear and organize her socks? She says, okay, okay. Fine. She’ll show him that she’s not uptight. She takes her shoes off and rolls up her pants. She sits next to him and puts her feet in the ware. She says, happy? and he says, elated.  

Turner tells the desk sergeant that she heard Natalia Ramirez was brought in this evening, and he says, she was. Is the acting DA taking DWI cases now? She says she’d like to see Natalia’s file, and he gives it to her. She flips through it and says she needs them to check on priors. She wants everything she can get her hands on about Natalia Ramirez.

Sidwell asks how it’s going with Lucas, and Marco says, they’re taking it slow. But he’s not unsure about the feeling that Lucas could be someone special. He doesn’t want to screw it up. Sidwell says he’s happy for Marco and Port Charles to have the both of them. Marco asks why he wants the piers, and Sidwell says, it’s the perfect place to expand his interests as a mineral importer, as well as his less public pursuits. Marco says he’s going to stop Sidwell there. He represents Sidwell in his legitimate business dealings only. That’s their agreement. He has nothing to do with anything illegal. Sidwell says he does business all over the world. What’s illegal in one place is legal in another. Marco says, Sidwell is a successful businessman many times over. Does he really need to push for more?

Curtis says he told Jordan at the Nurses Ball, Drew was pressuring Portia to have him run favorable coverage about what he’d doing. She asks if he found out what Drew has on Portia, and he says, it’s pretty bad. It could ruin Portia’s life. He saw all the signs, but didn’t want to believe Portia would lie to him to do Drew’s bidding. She says she’s sure Portia felt backed into a corner, and he says, the problem is even worse. The pictures of Drew’s mystery woman. Portia set him up. She hired Jacinda and gave her ketamine to give to Drew. Jordan says, wow. What a mess. Curtis says, after Trina, Portia promised him, no more lies. She broke her promise and chose to manipulate him instead of telling him the truth.  

Nina visits Sasha, who says, she just missed the star of the show. Nina says, that’s okay. She’ll go to the nursery and see her through the glass. She came to see if Sasha was okay. Sasha says she’s a bit tired, but so happy, and Nina says, good. She’s sorry for the way Ric went after her. She’s sure the shock of his harsh treatment probably led to Sasha’s premature labor. She never meant for anything to happen to Sasha or her baby. Sasha says, that’s on Ric, not Nina, and Nina says she wishes that were true. She was the one who told Ric that Sasha and Michael had sex.

Jason tells Carly that Michael asked him not to tell her. At first, he only knew they’d slept together, but when Michael asked for her in the burn ICU was when he put it all together. Carly says, what about the rumors he was the father? and he says he didn’t deny them because they were trying to protect Michael and Sasha. She says, that’s awfully noble. She has to know. For Michael, would he have continued to lie to her?

Sasha asks how Nina knew, and Nina says she just recently figured it out. She was in the Brown Dog Bar and the bartender confirmed it. Sasha says, and she ran to Ric. How could she do that? Nina says she hated doing. She’s sorry she exposed Sasha’s secret, but she couldn’t let Willow’s children be taken away. Sasha says she knows Nina loves Willow, but does she really think the children will be better off with Drew full time?

Jordan says she doesn’t believe Portia set out to lie. Fear is the driving force behind a lot of lies and bad decisions. Curtis says he realizes that, but they just want to keep how far apart they are from Trina, and she says, they can’t keep it from her indefinitely. Trina is too smart. Curtis says, she definitely is and will figure it out. Jordan says, the kindest thing for him and Portia to do for each other is not rush to judgment. Take a beat and look for a way to repair what’s broken instead of fixing his discomfort by ending the marriage. He says, easier said than done, but she says he’s the strongest man she knows. If he wants to save his marriage, he’ll find a way.  

Molly says, Cody told her that he was celebrating, and he says, Sasha had a baby. It was a little premature, otherwise, she’s perfect. She says she can definitely drink a toast to that, and he says, it was a big adjustment finding out Sasha was his cousin. He didn’t react well. She says, yeah. She thinks she remembers a few arrests. They laugh and he says he was feeling pretty miserable and sorry for himself. But seeing how happy Sasha is reminded him that sometimes things don’t you don’t expect to be happy turn out to be great.

At the hospital, Anna congratulates Sonny and says she guesses he and Robert are officially related. He should probably expect a box of cigars. He says, the big exploding kind? and she says, even enemies can find common ground. They have Robin and now they have the baby. He says, love is a powerful thing, and she says, it is. In the spirit of peaceful coexistence, she’d like to share a conversation she had with ADA Turner. She’s making it her mission to go after him. He says he’s aware. Many have tried. Anna says, Turner wants Robert’s job, and she doesn’t think Turner will rest until she puts him behind bars.

Wiley runs to Willow, and she says she’s happy to see him. She loves him so much. He tells her, daddy says they have a new baby sister. He’s taking them to meet her. Can mommy come too? Michael says, absolutely. Please join them.

Molly says she’s surprised Cody came here for a one-man celebration, and he asks if she means instead of a dive bar. Dive bars are more his speed. He guesses he was just feeling nostalgic. This was the spot where he first arrived in Port Charles. Actually, he parachuted in right here. He knocked Britt Westbourne into the pool. Molly says she remembers. There’s a GIF out there of Britt looking like a wet rat. He says that was his fault. It took her a while to forgive him. To Britt. They clink glasses. He says, it was three years ago. That’s a long time. Molly says, it’s not that long, and he says, before he lived here, he barely ever stayed in any place more than a few months at a time. This time he’s glad he stayed.

Sidwell says he understands what Marco is asking of him, but respects him too much to tell him what he wants to hear. Instead, he’ll be honest. He has no interest in changing the way he does business or lives his life. Marco asks what Sidwell is telling him, and Sidwell says, the offer for Marco to be his righthand man is still on the table.

Anna says, Turner wasn’t sharing anything, but she knows Turner is actively investigating Sonny, and Sonny says he appreciates the warning. ADA Turner can dig all she wants. He’s a law-abiding citizen and she ain’t going to find anything.

Turner goes to the interrogation room and Natalia asks if her son is here. He’s her lawyer. Turner says, not yet, and Natalia says, Turner can’t ask her anything without her lawyer present. Turner says, fine, and sits down. Why don’t they talk about Sonny Corinthos while they wait?

Jordan says she’s sure Curtis will figure out the right thing to do, and he says he appreciates her faith. He only knows for sure that Portia is completely vulnerable to Drew. He can’t decide what to do about his marriage until he knows she’s safe from Drew.

Jason says, it would have been difficult, and Carly says if she’d asked if Jason was the baby’s father, would he have lied to her? He says he’s glad she never did, and she wonders why Michael didn’t trust her enough to tell her. He says, Michael thought once she knew, she would be too exited and never be able to hide it, and she says she doesn’t know if she’s mad or grateful, but now that the truth is out that Michael cheated, Willow is convinced she’ll get full custody of the kids. He asks if she thinks Willow is right, and she says, yeah. She’s afraid Willow is right.

Nina said she couldn’t defend what Willow and Drew were doing, but she loved her daughter. As a mother, she had to tell Ric about Sasha and Michael. But she loves Sasha and she’s very sorry that what she did hurt her. Sasha says she’s too tired to fight or hold a grudge. She has her daughter now and that’s all that matters. She does feel sorry for Nina though. They both know Willow is making terrible choices and she’s going to keep making them as long as Drew’s in her life.

Michael and Willow look at the baby along with Wiley and Amelia. They smile at each other as Drew watches.

On Monday, Drew tells Portia that they’ve barely scratched the surface of what she can do; Lulu says she and Danny need to get a few things straight; Jason asks if Dante is threatening to charge Danny with manslaughter (again, no one died, so what the…?); and Sidwell wants to make a deal with Sonny to their mutual advantage.  

🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…

Boo! Hiss! I’m not really into the romance on the show, but why is it every time I like a couple together, one of them leaves?

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/its-official-jonathan-jackson-is-leaving-general-hospital/

That whole thing was so powerful, from his violin performance to him smashing it.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/gh-exclusive-how-giovanni-mazza-brought-gios-pain-to-life/

💉 A Dose Of Reality…

Below Deck

The OG Deck is back with Captain Kerry and Chief Stew Fraser. I will miss Captain Lee and Kate forever, but this is what we’ve got. Deckhand Kyle is also back, so turn on your closed captions. The other deckhands and stews were all new to the boat. The only stews that stood out to me were Rainbeau de Roos, whose name I would love to steal, and Solène Favreau, who seemed inept, harried, and not good at receiving correction. They were off to a great start, leaving the guests’ luggage at the dock, and the bosun saying too many things were happening. The first charter brought small children, and Fraser playing princess with the primary’s little daughters was precious. Primary Sam was not as precious, using a black light to comb his room and being super nit-picky with the food. After sending steaks back and having the chef making new dishes, he decided they didn’t want them. It didn’t look like anyone else got a vote, so good thing there were more courses. By the end of the episode, Chef Lawrence babbled at production and was ready to quit.

Meet the cast.

The Valley

I really feel badly for Brittany, the recipient of rage texts and failed party plans. She tried – the operative word being tried – to organize a nice trip to the beach, but apparently Jasmine had been storing up beef at Janet and let fly. Apparently, Janet is a sh*t ass friend, a vibe killer, exhausting, had sh*tty friends, and gave Karen energy. Now tell us how you really feel. Seriously, like Summer House, these people are too old for this. Hell, people ten years younger are too old for this.

Next Gen NYC

I already like this series a lot, but whenever a show is set in NYC, I wonder how much of my liking it is about loving the city. Poor Georgia, the only native New Yorker, is wondering why she suddenly feels like an alien when she gets questions like, who the f*** is Ben Affleck? and discovers that no one saw When Harry Met Sally. Riley Burress says she doesn’t know that show. Perhaps it reminds me of my early NYC days. If I’d the looks of a model, the money of a rock star, and an apartment that wasn’t a railroad flat with a triangular closet. Regardless, it was more fun than you can imagine, and I hope to relive a little of that with this group.

Meet the cast.

Summer House

In the Reunion Part 2, there was a lot of rehashing Lexi and Jesse’s on and off situationship. I was very much over this already, so I kind of tuned out. Not to mention how much I cringe everyone someone talks about Toegate. Oddly enough – or maybe not, since motherhood will mature you – Lindsay was the voice of reason, one of the cast calling her Mother Hubbard. Not so surprisingly, Kyle was an a-hole and did his best to steal her thunder. Gabby’s dress, if that’s what we’re calling it, continued to be distracting.

Random Reality Items

Because he got high.

Will make beds to stay there.

Slade Smiley! NOLA! Shannon’s vajayjay! Premieres July 10th.

👀 Last Weekend’s Watch…

Creep. Netflix. I thought this film was genius budget-wise. Two actors, one handheld camera, and no need for special effects, this could have been made for about 25 bucks, so kudos. It didn’t hurt that the story was original and pretty intriguing. A filmmaker takes a gig documenting a dying man’s story for his unborn son. It isn’t long before the filmmaker, and the audience, start to wonder if that’s what’s really going on. Well executed, with twists and turns, and an ending I never saw coming, which is saying a lot. This is kind of an old film, 2016, so there wasn’t a whole lot on it, but apparently, there’s a sequel.

https://www.fortressofsolitude.co.za/creep-netflix-horror-movie-mark-duplass/

Fear Street: Prom Queen. Netflix. Adapted from RL Stine’s book series, this is the third in a trilogy. Nothing new to see here and it’s been done better, but it was worth a quick trip to the 80s. There’s also something to be said for a movie you need absolutely no brain power to watch.

https://www.newjerseystage.com/articles2/2025/06/03/new-release-review-fear-street-prom-queen/

Sirens. Netflix. Julianne Moore is one of my favorite actresses. She is incredible in Boogie Nights, the Midnight Cowboy for the 90s. But I digress. I’ve only watched a couple of episodes so far, but I’ll be in for the rest. The bad sheep sister, who also takes care of a homebound, sick father, tries to rescue her younger sibling from what she believes is a cult. Funny, witty, and keeps you guessing.

Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders. Netflix. A three part docuseries on the obvious cold case. I really didn’t know a whole lot about it, especially what was most disturbing. James William Lewis who was tied to the murders, has never been tried.

https://decider.com/2025/05/27/cold-case-the-tylenol-murders-netflix-review/

Day of Reckoning. Amazon Prime. This was a weird film, and I could see why a lot of people didn’t like it, but I enjoyed it. Fifteen years after a load of weird monsters have devastated mankind, they’re back for the survivors. There’s never a concrete explanation as to why this is happening, or why people aren’t better prepared for their return. The plot has more holes than Swiss cheese, but I didn’t care. I loved the monsters. They were reminiscent of the old Ray Harryhausen effects, but a lot gorier. And they all can’t be Godzilla Minus One. I thought it was a good time.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5742568/

Some user reviews. A few spoilers here.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5742568/reviews/

🔮 Looking Forward To Watching…

The second part of Squid Game Season 6 premieres June 27th.

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/squid-game-season-3-trailer

Season 7 of Stranger Things premieres November 26th, December 25th, and December 31st. Cute, huh?

https://www.eonline.com/news/1418123/stranger-things-final-season-premiere-date-revealed

https://deadline.com/2025/05/stranger-things-5-premiere-date-netflix-1236414933/

The Black Phone 2 is in theaters October 17th, and will eventually stream on Peacock. I honestly don’t know how I feel about this. The first one had such a perfect ending, I can’t fathom a sequel being as good. That doesn’t mean I won’t watch it though.

https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/the-black-phone-2-debuts-eerie-official-trailer-for-blumhouse-sequel

🐶 Snips, Snails, Puppy Dog Tales…

🏆 The Stanley Pup returns June 6th on TruTV, as well as on NHL Network on June 8th.

https://people.com/stanley-pup-dog-hockey-game-returns-how-to-watch-11749775

🐕 A dog-endorsed book.

https://people.com/the-dogist-elias-weiss-friedman-new-book-exclusive-11749240

🐩 The ray of sunshine that is Pilaf meets some new friends.

https://people.com/demi-moore-announces-she-and-her-tiny-dog-pilaf-are-caring-for-even-smaller-baby-ducks-11748457

🪅 Quotes of the Week

If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?John Wooden

Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. – William Shakespeare

A champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.Serena Williams

Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth. – John F. Kennedy

I believe the most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity, is daring to dare. – Dr. Maya Angelou

The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. – John Powell

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

A mathematical formula for happiness: Reality divided by Expectations. There were two ways to be happy: improve your reality or lower your expectations.Jodi Picoult (I vote for lowering expectations.)

The border to eternity is never ahead of us. It runs parallel to life and can be crossed over at any moment by old and young. – Reinhard Bonnke

There’s plenty of time for finger pointing later. Let’s stay focused. – Joey Armstrong (Jon Lindstrom), Beyond the Gates

🎡 Are You Ready For the Summer…

Until next time, stay safe; stay being careful to watch out for rogue waves at the beach; and stay knowing that sometimes compromise is the only solution.

August 30, 2024 – Sonny Meets Jagger At the Boathouse, A Thought, On Or Not, Engaged, Who’s Back, Kyle’s World, Next In the City, Play Ball, A Half Dozen Plus One Quotes & Away

Standard

What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Lucky is shoved into a chair, and he tells the guards that he doesn’t understand the attitude. He thought they were getting along just fine. Sidwell comes in and asks how long Lucky has been working with the doctor, and Lucky says, the guy Sidwell wanted him to shoot point blank? Sidwell says, Lucky came here with the intention of leaving with Dr. Gannon and he was hardly successful. He’s escaped, but Lucky is still here. He put a call out to an associate abroad who is very good at giving him what he wants when he wants it, and he’s going to find Isaiah. Lucky says, he’s got a guy who can get him anything any time and he had him track down the doctor? That would not have been his first or tenth choice. Sidwell says, Isaiah’s presence is very important to him, and Lucky says he didn’t peg Sidwell as the sentimental type. Sidwell says he wants Isaiah here to watch him kill Lucky.

At the airport, Isaiah gets off a flight from Heathrow, and hears, welcome to Port Charles. He moves on, and another man follows.

Dante tells Carly, it takes a special kind of person to take a sledgehammer to someone’s life and walk away. Does she have any idea what that did to Brook – Brook stands outside the door listening – using her as revenge to get between him and Lulu? Brook walks in and says she’s hearing her name and the tension in this room is like a ten. So what’s going on? Carly says, Dante is calling her out for paying Brook to break up him and Lulu, and Brook says, that was a very long time ago. Carly says, it was, and she regrets it. If she didn’t say this before, she’s sorry to both of them, and Lulu. Brook says, okay. She accepts Carly’s apology. Carly says she doesn’t want to fight with Dante under any circumstances, but especially right now when Lulu needs her family to be fighting for her.

On the phone, Michael says, Aurora is committed to expanding its interests into the streaming sector… Good. He’s glad they’re able to get everything sorted out and make it happen… No. Thank you. Getting dinner ready nearby, Sasha says, that sounds like it went pretty well, and he says, it did finally. He was worried the whole deal would disappear. He’s been on the phone since he pulled into the driveway. Thankfully, Yuri was here to help Monica out of the car. She says, try to stop him. Yuri is devoted to Michael’s grandmother. He says, the deal is done, so fingers crossed, and she asks if the fingers crossed clause is an addendum. He says, just in case. It can’t hurt. She says she knows how capable he is when he’s committed to a goal, and he says he was pretty sure they were closing the deal today, but until the ink is dry on every contract, he worries. She says she hopes it won’t affect his appetite, and he says, not at all. He’s really looking forward to the family dinner. He’s just wondering what’s keeping Willow.

Drew tells Willow that he doesn’t know why this is hitting him so hard. He feels kind of silly about it. He knew McConkey was sick. They all knew this was going to happen eventually. She says, knowing something intellectually and knowing it in your heart are very different things, and he says, there’s so much he wanted to ask McConkey, so much he wanted to learn from him, and all McConkey wanted was to spend more time with his family, and with his wife. She says she met Hazel briefly. She was so lovely. Drew says, he was a tough old guy, but when he talked about her and how much he loved her… He gave his life to politics, and all he wanted to do was spend the rest of it with the woman he loved.

Ava asks, where exactly are they headed? and Boyle says, Ava is being relocated to a more secure safe house. Ava says, in Port Charles? and Boyle says, Agent Cates chose the location. It will be more discreet. Ava says, that sounds perfect.

John asks if Kristina’s mother finally realized her case is hopeless and went home, and Kristina says her attorney is filing an emergency injunction against him. He says he loves her attorney’s never say never attitude, but it’s not going to amount to anything because he’s going to keep her in custody. Cadet Heller will cuff her and take her down to holding. He tells Dex that he’s on the PCPD’s payroll now, not Sonny’s, and Kristina laughs. She says, want to know the difference between John and her father? Her father has a moral code. John doesn’t have anything but… a badge. He says, that’s all he needs, and she says, no one is surprised he thinks that. He says, cadet, and Dex walks around the table. She asks how he’s going to charge her in the death of her own child, and he says, sometimes when you want to get a deal done, you’ve got to incentivize the other party to hold up their end. Now if Dex would be so kind… She says, this isn’t happening, and John opens the door. Dex tells Kristina to stay calm and puts the cuffs on her. He gently takes her elbow and leads her out, when Alexis comes back. She asks where the hell John thinks he’s taking her daughter.

On the phone, Sonny says he didn’t think Diane was going to pick up. He’s going to need her on call tonight. As a matter of fact, he’s going to need her on call all night. Make sure she has her phone with her at all times. He agreed to turn himself over to John Cates… It’s already been decided. Just be there when he calls. He leaves the penthouse.

Felicia brings coffee to Lulu’s room for Maxie, and Maxie asks how Felicia knew she wanted this. She didn’t even know she wanted this. Felicia says, she’s Maxie’s mom. She knows things. Maxie says, yeah, and Felicia scares her. Felicia says she understands why Maxie doesn’t want to leave Lulu, but she hopes Maxie isn’t spending the night here. Maxie says she’s not. She just doesn’t want Lulu to be alone. Felicia says, with any luck, she won’t be much longer, and Maxie says, Lulu went through life like she was invincible, and for a long time, Maxie really thought she was. Felicia says she can see why, and Maxie says, in a different world, Lulu would be the one going to the ends of the earth to save the ones she loves. That’s not who’s in this bed right now.

Brook asks if it’s her or did that come out of left field? and Dante says, it did. He hasn’t thought about that in a long time. Her? She says, no, not really, and he says, that thing with Carly was like a lifetime ago, and she says, a different lifetime. He says, a lifetime Carly doesn’t know anything about, when Sonny comes in. Dante asks how it’s going. Is everything okay? Sonny says, it will be. They need to talk.

Willow says, time is the most precious thing any of them will ever have. Most people don’t figure that out until it’s too late. But she knows. In the core of her being, she knows. She tears up and says, he gave her the gift of more time when she was sick. He says he would do every bit of it again, and she says she knows. She’s so very sorry for his loss and she hopes he can take some comfort in knowing that the man he believed in so deeply, believed in him. He says, McConkey saw something in him. He’s had bosses and commanding officers, but he never had a mentor. Somebody he could go to and ask for guidance. She says, sort of like a father figure? and he says, maybe. He never knew his father. By the time he met the Quartermaines, Alan was gone. She says she never met him, but she heard he was quite wonderful. Drew says he keeps asking himself, if the congressman saw something in him, would Alan Quartermaine have seen something? Would Alan have been proud of him?

Dante asks, what’s going on? and Sonny tells him that he just wants to say he’s sorry about Lulu. He’s sure Rocco is worried. Dante says, his mother’s been in a coma for so long, he doesn’t think Rocco thought anything else was going to happen. Then it starts to look like she may be dying, and he doesn’t think Rocco was ready for that. He sent Rocco off to baseball camp. That was a distraction for a little bit, but it’s weighing on him. Sonny says, what about Dante? How’s he getting through it?

Ava says she doesn’t mean to be a pest, but she thought they were headed back to Port Charles, and Boyle says, change of plans. Ava asks, why? What’s changed? Has their cover been blown or is the FBI so understaffed they can’t protect her in town? Boyle says, Ava can ask all the questions she wants, but she doesn’t have the answers to any of them. All she was told is, Corinthos has a lot of resources. Ava says, that is certainly true, and Boyle says, he could find her, so they’re moving her somewhere where he won’t. Ava asks if she has no say in the matter, and Boyle says, she does not. At this point, her life is in Agent Cates’s hands.

Cates says he’s taking Kristina to a holding cell, and he’s seen Alexis’s record, so he knows she knows what the inside of one looks like. Alexis says, he’s a disgrace. What kind of a monster would take a woman with Kristina’s physical injuries and throw her in a filthy holding cell? He says, take her to the cell, but Alexis tells Dex, don’t you move. (Poor Dex. I’ll bet he’s sorry he joined the force. Working for Sonny was easier.) John says he’s patiently listened to Alexis’s concerns, but if she thinks his patience for hysterical rants is infinite, she’s gravely mistaken. She says, when the FBI finds out what he’s done to this woman, they’ll have his badge (yes, for the love of all that’s holy, someone call them already), and he says, be careful, counselor. She just got her law license back. One call to the Bar Association and he can make that go away. Permanently. She says, do it. Do your worst. Because if he continues to try pushing around innocent people, she’ll stop him. Mark her words. She will stop him permanently. Anna comes out and asks, what the hell is going on here?

Sidwell says, spare him the fiction Lucky was just about to sell him. He came here to free his friend. It’s that simple. Lucky says, it’s even simpler than that. He wanted to work for Sidwell because he’s the only one around here who has any money. He hopes that doesn’t hurt Sidwell’s feelings. Ask around. Humanitarian work doesn’t pay. Sidwell says, so he was just pretending to care for the lives of others, and Lucky says, caring adjacent. He just cares about himself a whole lot more. You need work as a solid cover when you’re trying to get in and out of places or cross a few borders, but the pay is non-existent. And if there’s luxury anywhere around, he might just want to snuggle up and sit in its lap. Sidwell says, so Lucky wants him to believe it’s just a coincidence. He just happened to be here at the same time as Dr. Gannon. Lucky says, he can believe whatever he wants. He just hopes it comes with a big side of cash.

Sonny and Dante sit down, and Dante says, this thing with Lulu is hard, but with Sam’s help, he’s getting through it. Sonny says, Sam’s great. He’s glad Dante’s got her. But that doesn’t mean that Dante doesn’t sometimes think how things could have been different. Dante asks if he’s speaking from experience, and Sonny laughs and says, maybe. He wants to thank Dante for not giving up on him. He knows he made it tough at times. His mind was not… quite there, and his meds were messed with. But Dante never quit. Dante helped him get through it and he appreciates that. Dante puts his hand on Sonny’s shoulder and says, you’re my dad. When he was lost and messed up and threw away his life with Lulu, Sonny was the one who came halfway around the world to find him. Thank you. You didn’t give up on me either. Sonny says he may not be perfect – far from it – but he’d never give up on Dante or any of his children, and he knows he should have said this more often, but he’s proud of the man Dante is. Dante says, it means a lot, and thanks him, and Sonny says he wishes he could have seen Dante grow up. He wasn’t there, but just watching him these past years, seeing the honorable man he’s become… Dante says he loves Sonny.

Alexis says, Agent Cates is clearly guilty of overreach and abuse of power. He’s going to throw her daughter in a holding cell on charges that are unfounded and egregiously offensive. Anna says she sees, but Alexis says she doesn’t know that Anna does. Did she know he was going to throw her in a holding cell over what happened to her and use that tragedy to trump up bogus charges against her? Anna tells John, a storm is rolling in, which means this department’s resources will be stretched thin. The last thing the PCPD needs is a grieving mother still recovering from traumatic physical injuries in their custody, potentially needing resources that the department will be unable to provide. Alexis says, if so much as one of Kristina’s stitches becomes undone, she’ll sue John, the PCPD, and the FBI. Jerkface John says, the prisoner stays, and Anna says, all right. In which case, she needs him to ensure that all the appropriate paperwork for an extra departmental prisoner is completed and filled out and filed. That is going to take a lot of time, so he might as well start right now. He says he doesn’t have time for this, and she asks if he has somewhere else to be. He says, the Quartermaine estate. He’s taking a suspect into custody. Anna says, he’s not listening to what she’s saying, and he says, fine. Alexis can take her client home. He tells Kristina that he’ll be in touch. Don’t leave town. John leaves, and Dex takes off the cuffs. Kristina thanks Anna and Alexis hugs Kristina.

Drew tells Willow that every time he gives a campaign speech and introduces himself as Drew Quartermaine, he thinks about what that name means. He remembers where he was when the name change became final. He was at the MetroCourt pool and the significance of the Quartermaine name hit him all at once. Willow says, it’s a lot, and he says, it is. And not just because it’s a name that raises your profile or it’s a name people will recognize. It’s because it’s a way he can honor a man that he never got a chance to know. She says she’s sure Alan would be so proud of him, and he says, think of all the lives Alan saved at General Hospital. He devoted so much of his life and his time to the citizens of Port Charles. They sit down, and Drew says he wishes he’d known him. Willow says, Alan’s legacy lives on, and not just within the walls of GH, but within his family. And that includes Drew.

Sonny is about to leave, when Lois asks if he’s trying to sneak out without seeing her. He says, no, never, and she says, he’d better not. She hugs him, and she says, Dante told her that he was here, which she’s got to say surprised her, because a Quartermaine family dinner is the last place she’d expect him to be. He says, it’s a special occasion. All his kids are here except Kristina. Lois says, Kristina will be here next time, she promises. How’s she doing? Sonny says, she’s doing good. She’s tough. Lois says, just like her father, and he says, don’t let Kristina’s mother hear her say that, but Lois says she can take Alexis. Besides, she’s telling the truth. He’s a good dad. He thanks her and she says she’s really sorry about their recent issues. She was just trying to protect her daughter. He says he respects that, and she says, they do what they need to do to take care of their kids. He says, get the job done. Speaking of which, can she do him a favor? She says, yeah, and he says, a lot of his favorite people are Quartermaines – Amelia, Wiley, Michael. Take care of them, will she? She says, yeah. She’ll look out for them. She’ll always look out for his family, whether they’re Quartermaines or not.

Willow says, Alan might not have gotten to know Drew, but she has. She knows the man he really is. He says he thinks she might be the only one who does, and she says, he’s a good person. He saved her life without even thinking about it. He sacrificed himself and went to prison to protect Carly. He inspires her every day. There’s no one who comes through for his family more than he does. There’s an incoming call from Michael on her phone, but she doesn’t notice.

Michael leaves a voicemail, saying, everything’s fine here. He and the kids are wondering if she’s going to make it back in time for dinner, so just give him a yell when she gets this. He loves her. Sonny comes in and asks, how’s it going? Michael says he left Willow at Drew’s campaign event at Rice Plaza. He thought she’d be back by now. Sonny asks if Michael wants one of his guys to check on her, but Michael says, no. It’s fine. He just knows there’s going to be a pretty good storm tonight and he doesn’t want Willow caught up in it. He still gets nervous when she catches a cold. Sonny says, that’s understandable. He wants to take care of the people he loves. Michael asks if he’s talked to Krissy, but Sonny says, not since that bastard Jagger hauled her back to the PCPD. He’s charging her with the death of her own child. Michael says, that’s sick, and Sonny says, he’s sick. Jagger has had an agenda against him longer than Michael’s been alive. The one thing he’s always been afraid of is that one of his enemies are going to come after him through his children.

Alexis tells Kristina to make herself comfortable. Have a seat and she’ll make them some tea. Kristina thanks her for everything and says, Agent Cates is out of control, but it meant the world to her that Alexis fought for her. Alexis says she’ll always fight for Kristina. She’s got her. Kristina says she knows Alexis does, but she has to fight for herself. Cates has to be stopped. Alexis says, he will be, but it’s not going to be tonight. She wants Kristina to take that blanket, wrap it around herself, keep herself warm, and she’ll make some tea. Alexis’s phone rings, and she adds, after she answers the phone. She looks at the phone and says she has to take it. She answers as she walks into the kitchen, and Kristina takes Alexis’s keys out of her bag. She grabs her own bag and leaves.

Michael says, Sonny wasn’t himself, but the father he recognizes, the one that’s always been there for him, that’s the man who’s standing in front of him right now. He knows they’ve both made mistakes, but hopes they’re in a place now where they can move past them. Sonny says, they can do that. He’s a good son. Michael says, Sonny is a good dad, and they hug. Carly walks in and says she’s been waiting for this. It’s about time. She’s here on a mission. Wiley and Amelia are upstairs in the playroom and they’re asking for Michael. Michael says he knows better than to ignore the bosses, and leaves. Carly says she’s been praying that Sonny and Michael would reconnect, and Sonny says, it’s important that he’s on the same page as his children. He loves them and he doesn’t want anything to go unsaid. No regrets.

Lucky says, while Sidwell is trying to decide – he gets up, but a guard pushes him back down – whether he wants to kill him or hire him or cut him loose, they might as well play some cards. What do you say? Sidwell says, they have to kill the time, right? And it just so happens, he enjoys poker. He takes a deck out of his pocket (I guess he does enjoy it), and the guards put a crate between them as a table. Sidwell says, you shuffle, and Lucky says, with pleasure. Sidwell says, for someone who says he’s all about the money, Lucky spends a lot of time with nothing, and Lucky says, the last people to hire him were aid workers. It’s not much, but he ate. Sidwell says, what about a wife? Children? Lucky says, a wife and kids just want to eat too. He likes it on his own. He always has. How many cards?

Maxie tells Felicia, it’s not fair that Lulu can’t be added to the donor list. She understands the thinking behind it, but it just makes her mad. It’s like she has to fight with one arm tied behind her back. Felicia says, one of the hardest things you learn as a patient advocate is, donor lists are reserved for patients with a quality of life. Maxie says, so because Lulu’s been in a coma for three and a half years, her life doesn’t matter? and Felicia says, of course (🍷) her life matters, but with so many people on the donor list, there has to be some criteria. And the perception is, even with a transplant, Lulu’s quality of life wouldn’t significantly change. Maxie says, perception is not reality. Lulu’s life matters just as much as anybody else’s, and she’ll fight like hell for it.

Ava says, oh my God. This is Route 41. Boyle is taking her to the Pine Barrens? She knows Boyle isn’t with the FBI and that’s okay. Really. She’s known more than her share of professionals. She’s a Jerome. From the Jerome family. She has a lot of resources. Boyle says, if Ava had resources, she wouldn’t be hiding from Sonny Corinthos, and Ava says she’s talking about money. She has Jerome money. She has Cassadine money. Boyle says, she must be very proud, but Ava says, nope, just very rich. She can afford to pay Boyle a hell of a lot more than Cates is offering her. Don’t take her to a kill site. Take her to a bank. Boyle tells her, who says he’s paying her?

Cates goes to the boathouse and calls for Sonny. Lightning begins to flash, and John tries the door, but it’s locked. He looks in the window and says he knows Sonny’s here. Come on out. It’s time. Sonny comes out and says, he’s right. It is time. It’s time for this to end. It starts to rain.

Kristina lets herself into Sonny’s penthouse and takes a lockbox out from a credenza. She puts in a combination, opens it, and takes out a gun.

Sidwell lays down his hand of cards, and Lucky tells him, you know what they say. Lucky at cards, unlucky at love. He lays down his hand, and Sidwell says, so he assumes Lucky is no stranger to heartbreak. (I have no clue what these hands are. Other than a short flirtation with Yahtzee years ago, I have no poker knowledge.) Lucky says he’s what they call relationship challenged, but it’s made him one hell of a poker player. Sidwell says he can just as easily kill Lucky tomorrow as he can today. So let’s go again. Lucky says, why not? Tomorrow’s not going anywhere. He picks up the cards.

Maxie says she knows this isn’t fair to Sam, but she wishes Lulu would wake up and tell Dante that she loves him. She wasn’t able to tell him that she wanted him back. There’s a knock at the door and Dante comes in. He thanks Maxie for sitting with Lulu, and Maxie says, of course (🍷). Any time. He knows that. He says he just spoke to the doctors, and they say the cirrhosis is progressing faster than they thought and they could be losing her.

Michael calls Drew and says he’s trying to reach Willow. Can Drew call him back when he gets this? Thanks. Nina comes in and thanks Michael again for the invitation to his family dinner. Is Willow in the main house? She thought she’d ask before she trekked to the gatehouse in the rain. Michael says, she’s not here. They went to Rice Plaza together for Drew’s campaign event and he thought she would be back by now. He’s a little worried. He hopes she’s okay and not out in this storm somewhere.

Drew asks how Willow does it. She just always knows the right things to say. She’s so beautiful and compassionate and full of strength. She makes him want to be worthy of her belief in him. She says, he already is. There is no one like him.

John says he was thinking Sonny might not show up. Sonny leaves him no choice. He filed a case against Kristina. Sonny tells John that he said he’d be here, and John says, this must be his nightmare come to life. He must have spent sleepless nights wondering when a man with just handcuffs and a badge would eventually show up and it would be over for him. Sonny says, and here he is with his handcuffs all ready, and John creepy smiles. He says, nothing is going to give him more pleasure than perp walking Sonny past the Quartermaines. Everyone is going to finally see who Sonny really is. (Because they had no clue before. This guy is such an idiot.) Sonny says, no, Jagger. Now you’re going to see who I really am. He takes a gun out of his waistband and aims it at John.

Ava says, if Boyle isn’t in it for the money, Cates must have something on her. Boyle admits John has evidence that will take her down, but it goes away if Ava goes away, and Ava says, Boyle can’t trust him. Look what he’s making her do. Boyle says she might be taking a chance on doing this, but it’s the only chance she has. Ava says, no, but it’s not. She doesn’t have to do this. Isaiah (for whatever reason) jogs out to the road, and Ava grabs the wheel, saying, Boyle can’t do this. Boyle tries to right the wheel, when Isaiah comes out of the shadows in front of the car. Ava yells, watch out! and the car skids.

Alexis comes back in and says, finally, some good news about the injunction. She looks around and says, Kristina? She sees her bag laying on its side, open, and looks inside. She says, Kristina has her keys, and she runs out the front door calling Kristina’s name.

Sasha hugs Nina and says she was so happy that Nina was coming for dinner. She knows how much it means to Nina to spend time with Willow and the kids. Nina says, it would mean a lot more if Willow was here, and Sasha says, she’s still not back from the campaign event? Nina says, no and neither is Drew, and Sasha says, traffic in the rain is a nightmare. (WOTD) She’s sure they’ll be here very soon. They both know nothing is more important to Willow than her family. Michael comes by and says he’s going to the gatehouse. Willow might be there by now. Nina asks if he wants her to go with him, but he says, no. Only one of them should get soaked. Just call him if they hear from Willow. Nina says, of course (🍷), and he leaves.

Drew asks if he’s imagining this, and Willow says, what? He says, you and me. Not her hero and not the guy who saved her life, but the man who sees her and wants her. And she wants him too. She says, yes, and they kiss. (As a friend of mine texted me, no amount of yelling at the TV stopped them.)

John says, really? Is Sonny going to shoot a federal agent? Right here on the Quartermaine estate? Sonny says, John left himself wide open, and John asks if Sonny thinks he came alone with no backup. Sonny asks why John would need backup. John wants sole credit for bringing him in. John says, Kristina is about to go away for assault and murder. Sonny could save her by just turning himself in and confessing his crimes. But no. Sonny is too selfish to sacrifice himself for her. Or for anyone. Sonny is no man and he’s sure as hell no father. Sonny says, John has been banging the same old tired drum about Karen for decades. He still doesn’t understand, and now John targets his daughter? Sonny has told him over and over and over, John can come after him, but when he goes after Sonny’s daughter – he raises the gun – that’s unacceptable. He shoots John in the chest, and John goes down. Sonny walks over to him and puts another bullet in him for good measure.

Next week (presumably Tuesday), Chase tells Brook, there’s been a shooting; Drew says, there have been times when he wishes he’d met Willow first; Portia asks Jordan if she thinks a winning case can actually be made for Heather; and Sonny says he needs Carly’s help.

💭 Just a thought. Maybe John isn’t really a federal agent. Like, maybe he used to be, but something happened, and he got canned. I’m just wondering how Sonny is going to get away with this. There’s blood, so it’s not a bulletproof vest situation. He did talk to his boss and the lawyer recognized him as an agent, but as far as I know, Sonny isn’t going anywhere, so I need to find some justification here. Or maybe they’ve just discovered John isn’t who he claims to be, he’s extremely dangerous, and Sonny will be a hero. I’ve wondered how Adam J. Harrington is justifying his character’s behavior. He might just be rolling with it, but he’s playing it like someone who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane.

🛁 Who Will Be Laboring…

GH will be rerunning the August 1st episode where Kristina confronted Ava.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/find-out-if-your-favorite-soaps-are-airing-on-labor-day-2024

🍊 Rubbing Salt In the Lemons…

Yeah, yeah. The heart wants what it wants, but this still seems deliberate. I’m sure Shannon was a handful, but no one deserves having their nose rubbed this hard in it.

https://people.com/alexis-bellino-and-john-janssen-are-engaged-after-9-months-of-dating-exclusive-8703643

🌴 They’ve Got Style…

No premiere date yet.

💎 The Hills Are Alive…

It can’t be happiness to see Mauricio take his new, much younger, main squeeze public.

But then this happened.

🗽 Delis and Laundromats and Gay Bars…

Premiering October 1st. I’m looking forward to the pigeons.

In the meantime, relive last season.

🐕 Put Him In, Coach…

I once had a Golden Retriever who would stare at a frisbee until it boinked him in the head. Even worse, his name was Einstein. It was a false prophecy.

https://people.com/shohei-ohtani-dog-decoy-throws-first-pitch-8703895

🐝 Quotes of the Week

Some days you just shouldn’t get out of bed, in my opinion. – Bob Spart (Bill Hunter), The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

My responsibility to myself, my neighbors, my family and the human family is to try to tell the truth. – Toni Cade Bambara

So it’s true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love. – E.A. Bucchianeri

Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it.Fyodor Dostoevsky

I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man. – George Washington

The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team. – Phil Jackson

We were good before things went bad. – Silas Clay (Michael Easton), General Hospital

🍃 Summer’s Last Stand…

Make a return trip on Monday where there won’t be soap, but a Deck that rests for no one. Until then, stay safe; stay not leaving food out for more than two hours when eating outside (one, if it’s particularly hot); and stay knowing that time is the most precious thing any of us will ever have.

July 18, 2024 – Sonny Offers Brook a Deal, Happy Birthday, Jen Is a Deadbeat, Mystery Kiss, VanderMuddle, Yuck, DeadFlix, Driven By Fête & Candy

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Jason and Carly go to the footbridge, Jason carrying a six-pack (beer, not his abs), and Carly says she loves this place. He cracks open two beers and hands her one, and she says, now that everything is done, she feels like all of him is here with her. From now on, they’re not holding back and not keeping anything from one another. Jason says, until or unless something more important is in play. He doesn’t like lying, especially to her.

Tracy shows up at the stables and tells Cody that she saw the light on. He asks if she needs him to kill a bug or something… He’s assuming a big, giant, scary bug. She says, there’s no bug, but it’s good to know he’s available should one appear. She was wondering if he’d mind company. He says, if she doesn’t mind his company, but fair warning. Comet is asleep if she’d rather hang out with him. She says, wouldn’t anybody? and he says he’s getting used to it. She says she couldn’t sleep, and he says he was going to grab a beer. Does she want one? She says, beer me, and he says, coming right up.

Dex brings Chase some dinner at the station, and Chase asks what he’s doing today. Dex says, non-lethal weapons drills and taser practice, and Chase says, he’d be surprised how many people taser themselves. Dex is also about to go on a five second ride that consists of people hitting him with bats. It will be the longest five seconds of his life, and like his entire body is having the worst Charley horse ever. The good news is, he’ll fall down, but won’t lose consciousness. And don’t forget the rule of three: don’t go hungry, don’t get wet, and get home safe.  

Brook arrives at the penthouse and sees Natalia is there. She says she thought it would just be her and Sonny, and Sonny says he knows she has issues with Natalia. Brook says she has nothing to say about Natalia, but a lot to say about Blaze’s career. She’s assuming the reason she’s here is to make a plan to salvage it. Blaze’s career might be over because of Natalia’s idiotic words, so spare her Natalia’s childhood woes and let’s get to work.

Kristina knocks at Nina’s office door and asks if she can bug Nina for a minute. Nina says, of course (🍷). What’s up? Blaze walks in and stands next to Kristina.  

Cody asks if he heard Tracy right. Beer me? She says she heard it on a commercial and it sounded apt. He laughs and she says, experts say if you drink alone there’s a problem, and she doesn’t want to contribute to anybody’s problem. He says, since when? and she says, if somebody she cares about has a problem, she wants to fix it. If somebody she doesn’t like has a problem, she doesn’t just want to contribute to it, she wants to be the sole cause. He says, makes sense, and they clink bottles.

Chase says he owes Dante everything, and Dex asks, what’s different here from where Chase worked before? Chase says, personalities. You need to study the community and get a feel for it. But that wasn’t his biggest challenge. Dex asks, what was? and Chase says, not being able to talk about his beloved Red Sox. There are nothing but Yankees fans here. Dex says he’s a Dodgers guy, and Chase suggests he keep it to himself. That’s something you don’t come back from. He knows Dex having Sonny on his resumé isn’t easy. He has to earn respect and it may take time. There’s nothing but admiration for Dante. His integrity was never questioned. Dex wonders if it’s better to be Sonny’s son than work for him, but Chase says, it doesn’t matter. Dex is here now and needs to prove himself every day. Dex says, that’s the plan, and Chase says he just heard himself. He sounds exactly like his dad.

Carly tells Jason that since they’re putting it out there, ever since she found out about the FBI recording and that she could be arrested, it’s been weighing on her. Jason says, that’s why he didn’t tell her, and she says she hates it, but she gets it. Now that the terms of the deal have been met, they’re off the hook. The weight has been lifted and she feels freer. He says, that’s how it should be, and she says, he’s free too. What’s going on? What is she missing? He says he just spent almost three years being pressured. Now the pressure is gone, but he’s just not sure he remembers how to be free or just live his life. She says, here’s to remembering, and they clink bottles.

Brook says, her first thought was to sue the record label for breach of contract, but Scotty says, they’ll just invoke the morals clause. Sonny says, there’s nothing immoral about Kristina and Blaze loving each other, but Brook says, they’ll just change language, and it won’t end well. If they’re provoked, they’ll say Blaze breached by having a negative impact on their reputation. Sonny says, that’s why they came up with a plan, but it all depends on Brook. Brook says she’s listening, and Natalia says, they want Blaze to be able to put out her own music on her own indie label. Sonny is going to finance it. Sonny says, on one condition. That Brook run the label. Natalia says, Brook is already fighting on Blaze’s behalf. So are they going into business? Brook says, yeah… no.  

Nina says she’s glad Kristina and Blaze are here. She wants to apologize for the deplorable role The Invader played in their misery. Nothing like that should ever happen to anyone. She picks up her desk phone and says she wants someone down in her office now… She doesn’t care. Just get here. She tells Blaze and Kristina that she had no idea her new Editor-in-Chief transcribed and posted the recording. The only thing he cares about is clicks, no matter what was said or who got hurt. Kristina says she knows that’s not true about Nina, and Nina says, she can’t deny her part in it. There are no words to describe how terrible she feels, but she’s going to make it right.

Cody asks, what’s going on up at the house that got Tracy awake? and she says, the incessant humming of the air conditioning. She can feel it in her molars. Is she wrong for thinking a fan is more civilized? He says he thinks the horses would agree. Air conditioning would drive them buts, but they’ll stand in front of a fan all day. She says, not to mention the thousands of children running in and out who leave the door open. They’re cooling the outdoors. He asks, which parent is she channeling? (I’m dying laughing because I used to hear that as a kid too) and she says, her father. Her mother was too nice. If he yelled that they were cooling the outdoors, she’d think if there was one bug made more comfortable, they should do it. He says, she sounds special, and Tracy says, she was. Much to the chagrin of most people, including herself, she takes after her father. He asks how her father slept, and she says, upside down with his arms crossed across his chest in a rafter. They had their differences, but she loved him. Maybe her not sleeping well will just be how it is. He says, maybe she needs to wear herself out. She can take a ride anytime or he could put her to work. She says, thanks, but her insomnia isn’t so bad that she’s willing to start shoveling. It used to be, when her head hit the pillow, she was out. Or she would ruminate about how to get even with the people who wronged her, and within minutes, dreamland. Cody says, those were the days.

Chase says he wanted to play pro ball and was on a traveling team, but they shut him out. They’d all played together before, and he’s surprised they didn’t try to sabotage him. His dad was sympathetic, but wouldn’t let him quit. His dad said they couldn’t take something away from him that he wanted. He needed to practice hard and out hustle them, and they’d have to accept him. Once they did, then they would like him. He can hear his dad saying, you can do this. I know you can. Dex says, he sounds like a great dad. He did an amazing job at Chase’s wedding. Dex was choked up, and he could tell how much Chase’s dad loved him and Brook. Chase says, he had principles and lived them. What did Dex’s dad think about him becoming a cop?

Brook asks what kind of involvement she’d have, and Sonny says, she’ll have all the financing she needs creatively. Natalia says, within reason, but Brook says she’s not sure if they have the same definition of that. All the print and media management will be hers alone. Natalia will have no press presence or influence and will do no interviews unless she authorizes it. She’ll say where Blaze performs and how she’s presented. Natalia says she wants to talk to Blaze, and Brook says, that makes one of you. Natalia can agree or the label will never get off the ground, and when she leaves, her offer goes away.

Blaze says she appreciates Nina’s apology, but it was Ava that caused the problems. Nina says, Ava edited the conversation with the intent to cause as much harm as possible. All her reasons are self-serving and unbelievable to anyone who isn’t a sociopathic narcissist. Kristina says she’s happy Ava is away from her dad, and Nina says her too. Her hateful, spiteful editor decided to give a boost to the paper and himself and comes in second to Ava in awfulness. Adrian comes in, and she says, here’s the second runner-up now. She introduces Blaze and Kristina and says she thought he’d want to face the women whose careers and reputations he treated with such callousness. She also thinks it’s a good time to apologize and suggests he start at grovel and when he hits rock bottom, keep going.

Cody asks if Tracy thinks she can’t sleep because no one has wronged her and she can’t plot, but she says she doesn’t plot. She makes lists. He asks if plots aren’t lists gone to the dark side, and she says she never thought of it that way. She likes itemizing things that have to get done, won’t get done, are already done and need a follow-up. (Same.) It’s soothing. She makes lists of her lists. He says, it sounds stressful, but she says, a list is a gift you give yourself. Anyone can eat an elephant if it’s made into bite sized pieces. He says, she paints a disgusting picture, but maybe she’s right. He wouldn’t be able to eat an elephant if it was broken down to atoms. He wouldn’t see the elephant to begin with, even if it was charging at him. He ignores any disaster coming at him. He used to brag that he was a guy who doesn’t worry. Tracy asks when he realized that wasn’t something to brag about, and he says, recently. He pretends things aren’t happening and before he knows it, the gas fire has turned into an inferno. The elephant gets mad and rampages, and the countryside is wiped out.

Adrian says he’s truly sorry. He had no idea how big it would be. Kristina asks if they didn’t deserve their feelings and just living their lives, and he says, some – not him – believe that keeping their relationship under wraps was hypocritical. Kristina asks if they can’t live their lives in private, and he says, of course (🍷) they can. He didn’t think this would happen. She asks what he thought would happen. He yelled fire and now he’s shocked that people got trampled. Does he even believe his own apology? Nina says she thought he liked the hard-hitting questions. She’s curious about his answer too. Adrian says he hasn’t been in his position long and wanted to prove he could deliver a big scoop. He didn’t think past that, and he should have. He’s truly sorry. Kristina says she doesn’t forgive him, and Adrian says he doesn’t blame her. He’s under orders from Nina and his conscience to turn this around and they have his unqualified support. Nina says, he’s gone now. Go. He leaves, and she says she’s sorry. They came for a reason, and she put her own agenda ahead of it. What can she do for them? Blaze says, Nina actually brought it up. The reason they’re here… Kristina says, they’re planning a response and would love her help.

Natalia says she can’t be cut out completely. She’s the reason Blaze got this far. Brook says, she’s the reason Blaze has to start over, and Natalia says she made one mistake. Brook says, it was a hell of a mistake. She’s sorry. She’s not trying to punish Natalia. She was a good manager, but the maternal authority is over. No more guilt trips or coercion. The only one who didn’t see her sabotage was her.

Carly says, now that Jason is done, Cates can go back to Virginia or whatever circle of hell he’s from, and Jason gets to do what he wants. What is it? Jason says he hasn’t thought that far ahead, and Carly says she knows a great hotel where the co-owner will give him free towels all day. He says, she wants him to lounge around the pool all day? and she says, nothing would make her happier, but he says he’s not good at lounging. His boys are his priority. Jake is leaving. He got accepted to an art academy in Barcelona. Carly says, Jake is leaving just as Jason is free to spend time with him, and Jason says, he’ll miss Jake, but he’s happy for him. She says, he can visit Jake, but until then, they can go hiking and camping, and he and Danny can spend tons of time together. She wants him to promise her something. Wherever he goes and whatever he does, don’t disappear again.

Tracy asks what part of the gas fire Cody is avoiding, or is it already an inferno? Cody says, it’s not out of control, but the countryside will never be the same. She asks, what happened? and he says, remember how he told her that he found his father, but didn’t know how his father would take it? Now he knows and it’s out in the open. Tracy asks who the proud papa is, and he says, Mac Scorpio. She says, wow, and he says he wouldn’t call Mac proud. She says, he didn’t take it well? and he says he’s glad he told Mac on Independence Day since it looks like he’s going to be independent forever.

Kristina says, Nina is the most media savvy person they know, and they’d like her to coach them and give them advice. Blaze says, they need to get it right, and Kristina says, they have so much riding on it, but Brook thinks it will make a big difference. Blaze says, one mistake, and the revival of her career is gone.

Brook says, Natalia made the calls. Now let her and Blaze forge a new path that lets Blaze be seen and heard. Sonny says he trusts her, and Natalia says, Linc Brown taught her one hell of a lesson. She made a promise never to let a third-party control Blaze’s career again. It didn’t matter how great the were. The business is cutthroat and there’s only one person you can trust – yourself.

Jason tells Carly that when he first came back, it wasn’t like he was coming home. He was a military contractor in town to do a job under orders. She says, now he gets to be himself and pick up the life he had, but he says he made that mistake before. Not again. When he was gone before and came back, he couldn’t see it at the time. He couldn’t go back to his old life any more than he could go back in time. He got back together with Sam, and it wasn’t fair to her, Scout, and Danny. All he did was put them through a breakup. Sam had changed and so had he.

Chase tells Dex that his dad was an academic. He liked the law as a concept, but had zero interest in enforcing it. Dex asks how he felt about Chase becoming a cop, and Chase says, he was all for it and told Chase that he’d be a good cop. Dex says, he was right, and Chase says, his dad encouraged him to figure out what he wanted, and he was supportive and comforting, not smothering. Now that he doesn’t have his dad… Sorry. Dex says, he has nothing to be sorry for, and Chase says he knew he’d be sad, but not like this. Dex says, Chase’s father hasn’t been gone that long. Grieving takes time. Give himself some. Chase says, he had nothing but respect for his dad, and Dex says he wishes he felt that way about anyone in his family. Chase asks why he doesn’t.

Tracy says she’s sorry it didn’t go as Cody had hoped. What happens now that he ignored the gas fire and the inferno swept through the countryside and is smoldering? He says, normally, he’d pull up stakes, move on, and not look back, but he promised Maxie and Sasha that he wouldn’t. They’ve been good to him. So has she. She says, she’s not just his friend. She’s his employer and she’s going to share one of her famous lists with him. No severance, no health insurance, and no recommendation if he dares leave without giving her a 30-day notice.

Nina says she’d be happy to help, and Kristina says, Blaze has done interviews before, but not like this. They were micromanaged by her mother. Nina suggests they take some deep breaths. All they have to do is be themselves. They’re wonderful, and need to show the public, like they did Adrian, that they’re human beings. Blaze says, it’s not that simple, and Nina says, nothing is, especially family. They’re imperfect and difficult. This is a chance to show everyone that they’re doing the best they can, just like everyone else.

Natalia says she trusted her own instincts and created a media disaster. She doesn’t completely trust Brook, but she and Sonny have done more to earn her respect than anyone else in this town. It’s time she trusted her daughter, so if Allison agrees to the terms, they have a deal.

Carly says, Sam’s been hard on Jason, but he says he doesn’t blame her. He’s disappeared twice. They have a son together, and nothing has worked out the way Sam expected. That’s why it was so easy with Britt; she had no expectations. Carly says she was so jealous of Britt. She knew Jason was falling in love with her and didn’t want him to love anyone but her. (Ugh. The part of Carly that I hate.) He says, it was different, but she says she still didn’t like it. Then Britt died saving Josslyn’s life. He says he heard that, and she says, now when she thinks of Britt Westbourne, she’s forever grateful.

Dex tells Chase that he wasn’t close with his family. If his father had a dream for him, he had no intention of fulfilling it. Not having a close family, he had no one to look up to or emulate, and no one to rebel against. He wanted to get away and create a life opposite of what he had growing up. He went into the military, and it felt right, like he was finally doing what he was supposed to. Chase asks if he’s sorry he left the army, and Dex says, not anymore. Since joining the force, it feels right again. It feels like home. Chase says, he’s going to be a good cop, and they leave together.

Nina tells Blaze and Kristina, you can be a superstar, but no one has the right to treat you like an object. She won’t let them be a casualty of that kind of thinking. Their media training starts tomorrow… She sees their faces, and says, or she can offer them tea and coffee from room service, and they can start now.  

Tracy says, it never occurred to her to run, although she should have numerous times at the altar. Cody tells her that she should try it sometime. It’s freeing. She says, it’s avoiding, and he should break the habit. He doesn’t look like he’s excited about being free. Every time something calamitous happens in her life, she comes home, and as soon as she gets here, she starts complaining. It just makes her feel that family is more comfortable. He says, maybe he’ll give it a shot, and she asks if his answer is yes. He says he’ll definitely try it her way… if he ever has a family and home to come back to. She asks, what makes him think he doesn’t? and he says, on paper he has one, but Mac doesn’t want anything to do with him. Tracy looks toward the door and says, oh no. Cody says, what are you doing here?

Sonny says, it’s going to be great. While they deal with the music, he’ll make sure Ava gets what’s coming to her. Brook, Sonny, and Natalia clink glasses, but Brook looks worried.

Carly says, if Jason isn’t going back to his old life, what does his new life look like? and he says he doesn’t know. She says he could run security for her hotel, but he says he doesn’t need a job. He has the coffee business. She says, Sonny owns other half and turned his back on Jason. Jason says, because he doesn’t know what happened. Now he can tell Sonny. She asks, what if he won’t listen? and he says, there’s got to be a way to get through to Sonny. He’s in more trouble than he knows.

Tomorrow, James tells Maxie that something weird is going on; Sasha tells Cody not to overreact; and Jason tells Carly that he has to get Sonny to let him back in.

🌻 Opening Up…

She’s a trail blazer and definitely deserves to have her birthday wishes come true.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-cassandra-james-opens-up-on-her-birthday

🍊 Orange You Glad They’re Back…

Gina put on her realtor hat and vouched for Jen so Jen could rent a place, but oops, bad idea. Jen skated on the rent and got evicted. Worse still, Jen couldn’t see why this was an issue for Gina. WTF? over and over.

A focus on dos amigas.

https://people.com/rhoc-recap-tamra-judge-says-shannon-beador-not-a-good-person-after-dui-arrest-8680557

💎 Because He Got High…

So I guess this means it’s really over? I feel badly for the kids, but this is what can happen if you get married when you’re a kid. I don’t think it had anything to do with the show. I’m not sure he even knew they were on one.

🍸 VanderBoot…

Looks like Sandoval has put the final nail in the VanderCoffin. There’s no going back now.

Speaking of lawsuits. Their no good very bad day.

🎈 VanderFringes…

All I can say is, ewwwwww!

⚰️ Coming To a Stream Near You…

Netflix will be absorbing a lot of Dead.

https://www.msn.com/en-my/tv/news/interview-with-the-vampire-the-walking-dead-spinoffs-head-to-netflix-in-branded-amc-deal/ar-BB1q6iE9

🐩 Inspired By Fame…

This might be a bit of old news, but it’s not every day you see a Chinese Crested dressed as Colman Domingo.

👖 Traveling With My Pants…

Start your weekend tomorrow with some soap, both useless and useful knowledge, and a song. Until then, stay safe, stay coloring inside and outside the lines, and stay having principles and living them.

May 3, 2024 – Dante Questions His Boundaries, Cast Changes, Reflection, Not Quite Divorce, Grey This, First Day, Where’s Here, Animal Farm, Dog TV, An Ounce Of Quotes & Listen To How

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Trina and Josslyn run in the park and stop at a bench. Trina says she can’t believe she let Josslyn talk her into HIIT training, and Josslyn says, what they did in 20 minutes, is the equivalent of an hour long run. So she just did Trina’s heart a favor. Trina says, don’t expect a thank you. The way her heart is beating out of her chest, she’s glad to be standing next to a doctor to be. Josslyn says she’s not so sure about that anymore. She used to be so sure about her future. Now, not so much.

Alexis asks Sam and Kristina which one she should wear to the hearing, and Sam says, they both look the same. (They do and they’re both black.) Alexis says, they’re nothing alike. This one is for summations, and she usually won those. And this one is for the I don’t feel anxious look. Sam suggests she go with the one that makes her feel comfortable, and Alexis says, they both do for different reasons, and asks Kristina what she thinks. Kristina says, oh, and touches her bump, and Alexis says, fine. She’ll wear the lucky one. Kristina says, that wasn’t about the suit. It’s the little kicker weighing in.

Nina and Drew pull into a parking lot, and Drew says, they’re here, but Nina says, not so fast. He says, they had an agreement. She was going to help get him a meeting and he was going to help get her closer to Willow. She’s not backing out already, right? She says she just wants to make sure he fully appreciates what she’s doing for him. Congressman McConkey is a key figure in the US House. He has the ear of all the major players in DC and he wants to speak with her. He says he’s sure she’s very honored, and she says she is. And she also understands this is because of her relationship with her father. This is her personal connection, and she wants to make sure he doesn’t screw it up. He says, in other words, she wants him to be grateful and follow her lead. How could he not? She’s such a people person. He leans toward her like he’s going to kiss her, but he undoes her seatbelt.

Sonny visits Dante, who says, this is a surprise. What’s going on? Sonny hands him a giftbag, and Dante asks if it’s something for the kids, but Sonny says, open it. It’s for my son. Dante says, for this kid? He looks in the bag and says, oh wow. This is amazing. He takes out a white boxing glove, and Sonny says, last time they were at the gym, he noticed Dante’s gloves had seen better days, so he got those. They’re 14 ounce, more padding, and good to hit the bag with. Dante can use his old gloves to spar. Dante says, when he gets back, yeah, and Sonny says he knows Dante doesn’t hit the bag anymore, especially right now. Dante thanks him and says he appreciates it. Sonny says, it’s the least he can do since Dante is the only person in his family he can trust.

Ava opens the penthouse door to Carly and asks, where’s Frank? Carly says, he’s down the hall. Is Sonny home? Ava says, no, he’s out, and Carly says she’ll wait here until he gets back. She walks past Ava and sits down in the living room.

The congressman’s assistant Mariel tells Nina that the congressman has been looking forward to this, and Nina says, that’s nice to hear. He and her father were great friends. Mariel says, Drew isn’t on his schedule, and we hear the congressman on the phone in his office, saying, he wouldn’t endorse Fred for dog catcher. Nina says, perhaps they should come back if now isn’t a good time, but Mariel says she’s worked with him since he was in bellbottoms and organizing sit-ins. His bark is worse than his bite. Nina says, really? and Mariel says, no. Follow her. She leads them into the office as McConkey says he doesn’t give a damn about party loyalty. Stop wasting his time. He hangs up and sees Nina. He gets up from his desk and goes over to her, taking her hand. He says, the last time he saw her, she was riding on Dan’s shoulders, her hair in ribbons. She laughs and says, and he has never looked more distinguished. He says, it’s the grey hair, is it? And they say politicians are smooth talkers. Nina says, it’s nice to see him and thanks him for seeking her out. She’s honored that he trusts her with his statement. He says he trusts her, but who’s the suit?

Kristina tells Sam and Alexis that she was so smug about being over her morning sickness. This little one is definitely making up for it with all its kicking and squirming. She thought maybe it was because of all the spicey foods she’s been eating, Oh, Blaze found this incredible restaurant that has the most delicious pastelis. They have to try it. It’s so good. They’re obsessed. Sam says, who? Her and Blaze? But Kristina says, no. Her and the baby. This little one loves spicey food as much as she does. Alexis says, Kristina didn’t when she was pregnant with her, because she had indigestion the entire time. They already talked about her kicking. Kristina says, this is really nice. She doesn’t share too much about her pregnancy with Molly because it’s sensitive. Sam says she kind of gets that. Once the two of them get over this initial awkwardness, things will get a little easier, and she’ll probably enjoy hearing about the baby and how Kristina is doing. Kristina says she doesn’t know. She’d never want to hurt Molly’s feelings, but she does really appreciate that she can share this with them, because this is the most powerful, profound experience she’s ever had in her life. It’s amazing. Having this little life growing inside of her is so incredible. She knows the both of them know exactly how she feels.

Trina does push-ups against the bench, and Josslyn says she’s thinking about switching her major. Trina says, from pre-med? Why? Josslyn says, because she’s not sure she wants to be a doctor. It’s such a huge commitment. Should she really be doing it if she’s anything less than all-in? Trina says she guesses not. Wow. What brought this on? Josslyn says she’s been thinking about it for a while. Then all that stuff went down with Adam, and it freaked her out. Trina says, Adam’s problems had nothing to do with his major, and Josslyn says she knows that, but it gave her a glimpse into the next few years of her life. And it’s another year with a full course load, then studying for the MCATs. Then it’s med school and then a residency, maybe a specialty fellowship. She’s exhausted just talking about it. Trina says she hears her. Becoming a doctor is no joke. Her mom has told her some pretty daunting things, but she always said that it was worth it and she loves it. Josslyn says, and she’s amazing at it. She has nothing but pure admiration for those who pursue a medical degree. It’s just, is that for her? She knows she wants to do something in science, but she’s just not sure being a doctor is her passion.

Carly says, Ava can go do whatever she wants to do. She doesn’t need to be monitored. Ava says, this is Sonny’s house and she’s an invited guest. So let’s get something straight. Carly might think she can come in here and just start ordering her around because of her prior relationship with Sonny, but that’s over. As far as Sonny is concerned, she’s gone too far. Carly says, wow. Okay. She gets up and says, as long as they’re getting things straight, let her get something clear. Ava might have appointed herself Sonny’s gatekeeper, roommate, or whatever the hell she wants to call herself, but she will speak to her ex-husband, the father of her children, whenever she needs to, and that’s never going to change.

Dante says, Sonny has more people in his corner than he thinks he has, and Sonny says, the people on his payroll don’t count. Diane is representing Jason. Dante says, Diane always represented Jason. She can represent him too. Sonny says, they’ll see if she can work for both of them. Did he hear that Nina signed the divorce papers? She’s another one out of his life. Dante says he’s sorry that ended badly. He knows Sonny really cared about her. Sonny says he doesn’t trust her. He doesn’t really trust anybody anymore. Jason, Dex, Nina, Michael… Carly. Carly hits the most. He went to the MetroCourt the other day, when she made her triumphant return. Does Dante know what Carly said to him? Get out of my life. Dante says, just like that, no lead up? Sonny says, no. He asked her, why, when Jason offered to buy the hotel back for her, she said yes, but when he offered, she turned him down. Does he know what she said? Stay out of my life. But he can’t do that. Because they have kids, grandkids. She’s trying to cut him out. That ain’t happening. Dante suggests he let things cool down a little between them. They’ll work it out. Sonny says, no, because once Carly makes up her mind like that, there’s no getting through to her. Dante says, it’s good Sonny has him then, and claps him on the shoulder. Sonny puts his hand on Dante’s shoulder and says, it is a good thing Dante has his back, because he’ll always have Dante’s back. He looks like a corpse about to cry, and Dante says, hey. Is something going on? Sonny says, it’s… it’s… yeah. He’s concerned that Dex has joined the PCPD.

McConkey points at Drew and says, he doesn’t have a camera, so he’s not a photographer. Why is he here? Nina says, this is Drew Cain. He’s her… Drew steps up and says, it’s a pleasure to meet the congressman. He shakes McConkey’s hand and says he’s the CEO of Aurora Media and the publisher of Crimson, but people call him Drew. McConkey says he has an appointment to speak with Nina alone, and Nina says she’s so sorry. She didn’t mean to overstep. It’s just that she mentioned to Drew that she was talking to him today and he expressed an interest to come along. Drew says he’s been a supporter of McConkey for years, and McConkey says, Drew needs to make an appointment. While he’s talking to Nina, maybe Drew could see Mariel and she could fit him in maybe sometime after the election. Drew says he could totally do that, but they’re both busy men, and he’s here right now. Why not take advantage of the situation, right? There was actually a specific project he’d like to discuss with the congressman in particular. Nina looks at him like she can’t believe it, and McConkey says, yes, but he doesn’t hand out favors to corporations. Nina says, forgive her. She’ll show Drew out and they can proceed with his statement. Drew says, the project had nothing to do with Aurora whatsoever. It has to do with the people of Port Charles, his constituents. Could he share a moment of his time for them?

Sam says she wishes she could stay and chat longer, but she has to go pick up her nearly grown, teenage son from school. Kristina asks how Danny is doing, but Sam says she doesn’t know. He hasn’t been talking to her much lately. She doesn’t know if it’s a teenage thing or a Jason thing, but they’re disagreeing on how much time he should be spending with his father, so… Alexis says, he has her to count on and that’s everything, so just give it time, and Sam thanks her. She hugs them both and leaves. Kristina says, she’s okay, right? and Alexis says, considering her boyfriend was shot and her ex has mysteriously returned, and Danny wants to spend all his time with him. Kristina says she loves Jason, but she understands why Sam is worried about her son spending so much time with Jason, and Alexis says, she’s very protective of Danny. Speaking of protective mommies, how’s her girl? Seems like the trimester is going well for her. Kristina says she’s actually really good. It’s Molly and TJ she’s worried about.

Josslyn tells Trina that now she has to figure out what major she wants to switch to so she can still graduate in time. And in order to do that, she has to figure out what it is she wants to do in the first place. Trina says, same. She’s behind on credits unless she wants to play a game of catch-up during the summer, and she definitely doesn’t want to do that. All she can do is work at the gallery. Josslyn says, she’s still grieving Spencer, and Trina says, yeah, but she doesn’t want to get stuck on that. She really doesn’t. She wants to care about anything. And it’s weird because it’s just not like her. She used to know where she wanted to go and where she wanted to be. Now she doesn’t. Josslyn says she feels Trina on that, and Trina says, but Josslyn was on track. That’s why she’s surprised they’re here in the same boat. The police cadets jog by, and Josslyn and Dex exchange a look.

Dante says he heard that Dex was accepted into the academy, and Sonny says he can’t tell Dante how to do his job, but he’d be wise to stay away from Dex. Dante says, they shouldn’t be talking about that, and Sonny says he’s just telling his son to watch his back. Because from his experience, Dex can’t be trusted. He was good to Dex. He did everything for Dex, and Dex turned on him. So if Dante is ever in a difficult situation, don’t expect Dex to cover for him. Dante says he doesn’t expect to be in that position, and Sonny says, Anna and the cops and whoever else wants to believe whatever comes out of Dex’s mouth, but he knows Dante is too smart because he knows better. He’s telling Dante right now, Dante is going to hit those bags – he throws a fake uppercut – in no time. He pats Dante’s shoulder and leaves. Dante looks concerned, as we all would be.

Ava says, Carly can talk to Sonny whenever and however she wants to, but Sonny isn’t here. So why doesn’t she leave a message, and if Sonny wants to talk to her, he will. But something tells her that Carly will be waiting a while for that call. Carly says, for somebody who claims to be so confident in her situation, Ava sounds a little defensive, and Ava says, Carly sounds desperate. That’s why she came barging in here, planting her sad little flag in the middle of Sonny’s living room, because Carly can feel him slipping from her grasp. And she knows she screwed up with Sonny for good. Sonny comes in and asks Carly what she’s doing here. Where’s Donna?

Drew tells McConkey that the piers continue to attract criminal activity. There’s two unused piers that have beautiful infrastructure and incredible views that can be developed into something amazing to benefit the people of Port Charles. McConkey says, and generate tourist revenue, and Drew says, that’s one of the goals, absolutely. He’s been working with Deputy Mayor Jordan Ashford to redirect some of that revenue into the city’s budget to be used for things like more public transportation and have more weekend hours in the libraries and more green energy projects. McConkey says he and Jordan crossed paths a few times when she was Police Commissioner, and he was pleased to see she was taking on Deputy Mayor. She has some impressive ideas. Drew says, she really does. That’s why they’re working together on this, but as he knows, a project of this scope requires federal funding. So he guesses his question for the congressman is, can they count on his support? McConkey says he’s intrigued, but he can’t help Drew.

Alexis asks what Kristina means, Molly and TJ are having trouble. What happened now? Kristina says, apart from TJ giving her an inquisition about her sleeping habits and forbidding her from seeing her father? Alexis says, this is why she told Kristina that they have to have some grace, because this is a new situation. Kristina says, it’s a funny thing about extending grace. You actually have to acknowledge that your behavior is maybe part of the problem. She doesn’t see TJ doing that anytime soon. Honestly, it’s insulting to insinuate she doesn’t know how to take care of herself or this baby. She thinks she’s doing a pretty good job. And it’s not just the way he’s being toward her. She thinks there’s some tension between him and Molly. Alexis says, there’s tension between every couple now and then, particularly when there’s a life-changing event, and Kristina says, they can figure that out for themselves. She’s the one who’s carrying this child. She doesn’t deserve to be micromanaged.

Sam says she’s sorry she’s home later than she thought, but she had to stop at her mom’s to see Kristina. Dante says, that’s okay, and she kisses him. She asks if Danny is home, and he says, not yet. How’s Kristina doing? Sam says, she’s hormonal and grumpy… Is that a gift or something? She reaches for the bag, and Dante says, yeah. Sonny got him new boxing gloves. He hands her one, and she says, that’s really nice of him. She puts it on and says, these are really good gloves, and he says, they are. She asks, how was his visit with Sonny? and he says, it was fine. She holds up her gloved hand and says, don’t do that. Something’s wrong, obviously. He can talk to her. He says, it’s just that line he’s drawn between work and being Sonny’s son. He kind of feels like he might have crossed it.

Carly says she needs to talk to Sonny alone, and Ava tells Sonny that she wasn’t clear. Does Carly get to dictate what happens in this house? Carly says she needs to talk to him about Donna. She’s not discussing their daughter in front of Ava. Ava says she has a call to make to the gallery to check on a delivery. Excuse her. She leaves, and Sonny asks if Donna is okay. Carly says, she’s fine. She wanted to have this conversation in person. She’s not bringing Donna to sleep over this week. She’s not bringing Donna here at all anymore. He says, why not? and she says, it’s not good for Donna to be here with him.

McConkey tells Drew that he has lung cancer, Stage IV. He intends on serving out the rest of his term, but then he’ll be stepping down to be with his family. He knows it’s a political cliché, but in this case, it happens to be true. Nina says she’s so sorry, for him and for his family, and for the people that he serves. And she knows he’ll be dearly missed by his colleagues in the House. Does his staff know? Does Mariel? McConkey says, yes, Mariel and select members of his staff. He wants to stay focused on his remaining programs and legislation, and he wants this statement not to be about pity, sentimentality, or hysteria. There’s enough political spectacle to begin with. Nina says she assures him that she’ll see to it, and Drew says he’s deeply saddened by this news. He’s so sorry. If there’s anything he can do to help in any way, please let him know, but if he may. The congressman’s term doesn’t end until May of 2025… Nina says, talk about being insensitive, but Drew says he’s not being insensitive. He really thinks this project could be McConkey’s legacy for the people in his district. He can take a place that was previously neglected and turn it into a showpiece. Give the people of Port Charles something beautiful, a place to gather by the water like this, it would be such a gift. Not only for the people here now, but for future generations. McConkey says, go on, and Drew says, he still has time to push this in the House. It could be his farewell piece of legislation, and given his current diagnosis, who’s going to vote against it?

Trina says, when Josslyn told her that she was going into pre-med, she remembers thinking to herself, she never heard Josslyn express this before, but she was so proud of Josslyn, she didn’t put it together. Josslyn says, put what together? and Trina says, that it has something to do with Dex. Josslyn says, when she and Cam were falling apart and she was catching feelings🪣for Dex, Dex got really hurt. She had to stitch up his side and she had no idea what she was doing. And it was the most helpless feeling. She remembers wanting to be able to do more than just wait around and be concerned. She wanted to be able to help people, especially in an emergency. Trina says, and by people, she means Dex.

Sam says, Sonny should have known better than to discuss police business with Dante, but from what he just told her, she thinks he handled it pretty well. Dante says, Sonny didn’t come right out and tell him not to act on any information Dex might have, but he sent a message. He assumes Dex is going to talk and Anna is going to listen to him. She says, he didn’t ask Dante to interfere on an investigation, and Dante says, not yet, but he’s come this far, so that’s probably next. Anna called this too. She says, how so? and he says, at Chase’s bachelor party, the guys were shunning Dex, and he questioned the wisdom of bringing Dex on board to Anna. She asks what Anna thought about that, and he says, she kind of reversed it on him. She said, maybe it’s what Dex could be telling them at the PCPD about his dad that might bother him, and to steer clear of him. She didn’t want Dante to be put in a position where he might be compromised or tempted to protect Sonny. She says, there’s nothing wrong with setting boundaries, and he says, but the thing is, he used to set the boundaries for himself. He didn’t need someone else to set them for him. She says she thinks he’s being too hard on himself. Everyone in town knows Dex worked for Sonny, and cops are bound to be suspicious. It does create a hostile work environment. She thinks it’s good he made that point to Anna. He says, there’s one other thing he hasn’t told Anna or her, and that’s when he found out that Dex was applying to the police academy, his first thought was, how could this hurt his father? That’s not thinking like a cop. That’s thinking like a son who’s worried that his father is already guilty.

Sonny asks if Carly is using his daughter to get back at him, but she says she’s protecting Donna. She shouldn’t hear from her father that her mother betrayed him. He says, it sounds like she’s protecting herself, but she says she doesn’t want Donna involved in an adult situation that she can’t possibly understand. (She’s correct. Dr. Phil says that all the time.) Or poisoned by bitterness and resentment. He asks if she thinks he would do that, and she says she doesn’t know. He says, that he would say something against her to their daughter? and she says she doesn’t recognize him anymore. She doesn’t know what he’s capable of. He rubs his forehead and says, legally, he’s Donna’s father. He has rights, even if he has to take her to court. He’ll do that if he has to. She says, please, take her to court. Let’s put it all out on the record. Let’s put it in the light of day and let the judge decide who Donna should go home with. It’s not him. He says, first, she turned on him. Now she’s using their daughter… She says she’s trying to protect them both. Donna doesn’t deserve to be around his level of hate and anger right now. He says, she’s getting everybody in his family to turn against him. Why? Why? Because of Jason? She asks if he can hear himself. He’s not making any sense. He’s not listening to reason at all. He’s living in an alternate universe. It’s like everybody’s out to get… Oh my God. Oh my God, Sonny. She jets to the back of the apartment, and he asks where she’s going. He follows her, and she goes to his bathroom and looks at his prescription bottles. He asks what the hell she’s doing, and she says she’s making sure he’s taking his medication.

Nina says, Drew’s enthusiasm for his project has clearly clouded his sense of tact. He will wait outside while they finish their conversation. McConkey says, no. He’s not insulted, nor is he swayed. Does Drew know how many developers have sat in that chair with a slick pitch and an outstretched hand? Drew says, more than a few, he has no doubt, but that’s not what’s happening here. He truly believes in this project, and knowing what McConkey is facing, he thinks this would be such a legacy for him. McConkey asks how he knows Drew isn’t beautifying these docks not to just turn them into luxury apartments on a federal dime. He believes in public projects. He likes them, but he might not be around to see how things work out. Drew asks if he thinks Jordan Ashford would really be on board for a real estate scheme, and McConkey says, no, but if Drew is well-funded and smart enough, she may not be able to stop him. It all comes down to Drew’s true intentions. What does Nina think? She brought this guy in here. Should he trust him?

Kristina tells Alexis, Molly and TJ are very goal-oriented people. And that’s great for them and their careers – more power to them – but sometimes it seems like they look at this pregnancy and this baby as the next thing to check off on their list of accomplishments. Alexis says, that’s cynical. She hopes Kristina is just being a little hyperbolic. Kristina says she loves Molly and TJ – Alexis knows that – and she knows how much they want this baby. It’s just that they both get so focused on the practicalities of this pregnancy, they’re missing out on the beautiful process of absolutely falling in love with this baby as much as she is.

Sam says, Dante loves his father, and he doesn’t want anything to happen to him, just like billions of other sons and daughters all over this planet. He says, yeah, but he’s in a position to protect Sonny and put his welfare ahead of his badge. Sam says, he had one thought. She knows him. He’s not going to allow one thought to influence him or effect his work. They both know life can get pretty messy and ambiguous when family is involved, and he’s never compromised himself for Sonny. In fact, Dante had him arrested when he put Cyrus Renault in the hospital. He says he wishes he could be as sure as she is. He used to be. He thought he could be both a good son and a good cop. She says, and he’s done that, but he says, has he though? Sonny runs a criminal enterprise. He knows it, she knows it, everybody knows it. His job is to stop Sonny. So why hasn’t he? (To be fair, neither has anyone else who’s in a position to.)

Taking the bottle of lorphenadine with her, Carly says she needs to call his pharmacist, but Sonny says she is not calling his pharmacist. Give him his pills. She says, not until he answers a question. When was the last time he took his medication? He says, what is this? Just because he didn’t agree with her custody arrangement, she’s accusing him of not taking his medication? She says she’s not judging him. She’s trying to help him. Something is so wrong. Does he remember the last time he was off his meds? He says he’s fine, but she says, he’s not fine. Ava comes out and asks if everything is okay, and Carly tells Sonny to look at her. It is common for people dealing with bipolar to go off their medication. She’s not judging him. Just tell her and she can help him. He asks if she really thinks he’d risk everything by not taking his medication. Does she think that little of him?

Nina says, Drew is a very tenacious businessman, but he’s also a decorated Navy SEAL, and he’s known for his philanthropy and leadership at Aurora, and he’s very committed to the city of Port Charles. She can say truthfully that Drew can be tough, but fair. Not so different from the congressman. McConkey says he’ll have to see some actual concept sketches and specs, but if the numbers check out and Drew can make this a reality, he’s got himself a deal. They shake hands, and Drew thanks him so much. McConkey says, it’s going to be tough to wrangle this through the House. He’s going to expect a little more than a park bench with his name on it. Drew says, how about the McConkey Esplanade? McConkey says, that will do. Of course (🍷) he’ll be long gone before this thing is finished, but Drew has to promise he’ll have the congressman’s wife front and center for the dedication, and he’s got to let her cut the ribbon, because Hazel does love a good photo op.  Drew says, absolutely. He can count on that. He looks at Nina.

Alexis says she and Kristina know Molly and TJ already want and love this baby, but maybe their misguided and annoying attempts to contribute to her pregnancy may be their way of trying to connect with Kristina and be a part of it. Kristina says, by coming at her like she’s some clueless, irresponsible incubator? Alexis says, stop. She’s going to ask Kristina something, and it’s important she answer honestly. Kristina says, okay, what? and Alexis asks if Kristina is starting to think of this baby as more hers than her sister’s.

Josslyn tells Trina that she didn’t get into pre-med because of Dex, and she’s not thinking of getting out of it because they broke up. Trina says, but he is a factor, and Josslyn says, yes, but not because she was thinking Dex is a criminal and she needs to be able to stitch him up – we see Dex clad in a towel, opening his locker at the academy – in case he’s shot again. She guesses it’s that she and Dex are close in age, but they’re worlds apart in life experience. He’s already served in the military. We see Dex getting dressed, and Josslyn says, that really matters, and it seemed to her that becoming a doctor would also really matter, and it would. But just because she’s got the grades to get in medical school doesn’t mean that it’s the right fit. She would be taking a spot from someone who really does have the passion and could very well make a much better doctor. And she thinks she owes it to them and to herself to figure out where she would do the most good – Dex buttons his shirt – and find out what she actually wants to pursue. Trina says, whatever Josslyn decides, she’ll be here for her, and Josslyn says, same. They’re in this together. Trina says, and why is she trying to figure this out, when part of the future she’s struggling with is about Dex? She’s still in love with him, isn’t she? We see Dex fix his hair, and Trina asks why Josslyn can’t admit she doesn’t want her and Dex to be over. We see Dex in his new uniform.

Sam says she thinks that Dante is being hard on himself, because she knows how he values the law. And she knows how he always walks that line. He’s a good cop. He’s got to give himself a break. He says he thinks maybe he just has to face reality. He’s gone easy on his father because he loves him and his siblings. And that right there is a conflict of interest. If he’s not willing to enforce the law, he’s got no business being a cop.

Carly suggests she and Sonny go to his doctor and get his blood drawn. Maybe he just needs his dosage adjusted. He says he doesn’t need his dosage adjusted. Get out. She says, please listen to her, but he says he’s listened long enough, and opens the door. She says, he has to understand how serious this is, and he says, she’s got to go, and points out the door. She slams the bottle of lorphenadine onto the mantle and walks out. He closes the door and looks at Ava. He looks like scary, unwell, sad Sonny, and says, there’s nothing wrong with him is there? Ava says, Carly is being unreasonable.

Carly walks down the hall and stops. She says, oh my God, and keeps walking.

Sonny says, Carly can go to hell, and walks into the back. Ava walks over to the mantle and picks up the bottle of lorphenadine.

On Monday, Kristina asks if Molly thinks her father poses a threat to their baby; Alexis tells Diane, if this one explodes, it’s going to shred her entire family; Anna tells Bennet that he can’t trust them with anyone but her; and a stranger (to us) on a park bench asks if Sonny wants to join her.

🚑 Two In One Out…

I thought I’d seen the congressman before.

Another revolving door character.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-aiden-recast-with-tristan-riggs

It’s confirmed. We saw him through his newbie, dad bod phase, and now he’s ditching us.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/nicholas-chavez-says-goodbye-to-general-hospital

🏋️‍♂️ Sweatin’ To Memory Lane…

Aww. Good times…

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/richard-simmons-reflects-on-his-time-on-general-hospital

💎 A Drift In the Hills…

But divorce isn’t in the cards? Really? That’s kind of hard to believe when he’s moved out and she’s changed her name back.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1400726/kyle-richards-drops-mauricio-umanskys-last-name-from-her-instagram-amid-separation

🍸 Rocking the Gray…

Vanderpump Rules enlightens the world on the latest method in dealing, which I used to call, I’m ignoring you.

https://www.popsugar.com/relationships/gray-rock-method-49359630

🛸 In the Beginning…

The long awaited third installment is almost here.

https://ew.com/a-quiet-place-day-one-origin-story-djimon-hounsou-part-2-8639286

🌲 Beyond Lost…

This is old news, but this show is new to me. Amazon suddenly sprouted it as a lure for MGM+. Thankfully, I get that through my TV provider, since I already pay for enough streaming services, and I was hooked with the first episode. I thought it was reminiscent of Wayward Pines, which I also loved, and it was taken from me too soon. (Although there’s a book trilogy that finishes the story.)

Without giving away too much, all kinds of people from all different places find themselves in a town with very few amenities. To the naked eye, it might seem idyllic, albeit unplugged, but the catch is, monsters come out at night. The acting is impressive, and I love looking at the details of the town. The gore ain’t bad neither, but the show doesn’t rest on that. It’s more of a mystery as to where they are and how, or if, they can get home. And if Stephen King recommends it, how can you go wrong? As a matter of fact, as soon as I’m done here, I’m going to watch another episode.

https://screenrant.com/from-show-stephen-king-review-horror-fans-recommendation

https://www.pajiba.com/tv_reviews/from-is-the-best-tv-show-that-will-make-you-hate-its-guts.php

🐄 Animal Magnetism…

Enjoy some peace on the farm.

https://people.com/beautiful-issue-kaley-cuoco-and-her-pets-8633984

🐕 A Dog’s Favorite…

I’ve never had a dog who’s a big TV watcher, but I’ll have to give this a whirl.

https://people.com/why-dogs-love-watching-bluey-according-to-an-expert-8639804

🐦 Quotes of the Week

You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.Khalil Gibran

You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.  – Jack London

Faith is daring to put your dream to the test. It is better to try to do something and fail than to try to do nothing and succeed. – Robert H. Schuller

Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping him up. – Jesse Jackson

It’s only stealing if they find out. – Blanche (Rue McClanahan), Golden Girls

Judge a man by the reputation of his enemies and the character of his friends.K@$H

⚔️ Feeling the Fourth…

Join me on Monday really Tuesday for soap and Deck dilemmas. FYI, the new season of RHONJ begins Sunday at 8 pm if you want to torture yourself that way. Until then, stay safe, stay taking it easy with those margaritas, and stay never involving children in adult situations.

March 1, 2023 – Sonny Sets a Trap, Well Done, CYA Time, For the Ratings, VanderSuits, Winning Ones, More Last, SAGging, Priceless, Octonary Quotes & Rhythm

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Scout’s birthday is being celebrated at the Quartermaines, and Drew tells Carly that he has the balloons set up in the foyer. Carly says, when he throws a party, he really goes all out, doesn’t he? and he asks if she thinks it’s too much, but she says, Scout’s going to love it. He says, not just the balloons, but all of it, and she says, it’s not like he has a 100-foot bouncy house outside and ponies walking around. He says, they do have two horses and an alpaca, and she says, because they live here in the stable where they belong. He wants Scout to feel at home on her birthday, and this is their home. He says he guesses he just missed out on so much time with her. Any chance he has, holidays, birthdays, he just wants to hold on and never let go. She says, he should hang onto that. He should stay present with his daughter. You can’t do that if you’re focused on revenge. He says he didn’t even mention Nina’s name, but she says, he didn’t have to. She could hear him thinking about it. He thanks her for snapping him out of it, so he can focus on what’s important. He kisses her, when Scout comes in with Sam, Jake, and Danny. Scout says, he won’t believe it. There’s so many balloons by the front door. Drew says, they’re all for her. Happy birthday. He hugs her.

Maxie lets Felicia into the apartment, and thanks her for coming by with zero notice. She has a ton of work to do for Deception tonight. Felicia says she’d move heaven and earth to spend time with her grandchildren, but as thrilled as she is to be here, she has to ask. Why isn’t Spinelli available? Maxie says, because she sent him packing.

Dante finds Chase at the hospital and asks, what’s he got? Chase says he just talked to the officer on duty. Assault and battery. The victim was brought here for treatment. He tried to question him just to see what was going on, but the guy’s not talking. He didn’t even give them his name. Dante looks through the door window of victim’s room and says he knows who that is. That’s Selina Wu’s bodyguard.

On the phone at the penthouse, Sonny says, everything ready… Okay. Keep him posted. Thanks. Ava walks in, and he says, is there something she wants to ask him? Go ahead. She says, really? He hasn’t exactly been forthcoming of late. He didn’t say anything to her yesterday after his talk with Nina. He says he’s sure Nina is going to tell her all about it, but if she wants to ask him directly…

John walks into Anna’s office, and she says, please come in. What can she do for him? He says he wants Sonny Corinthos out of his life – for good, and she’s going to help him.

Alexis walks into the Quartermaines’ with a stack of gifts and asks, where’s the guest of honor? Scout says, right here, and Alexis tells her, happy birthday. Scout asks if all those presents are for her, and Alexis says, there’s more in the car. Scout thanks her, and Alexis says, she’s welcome. She can’t take all the credit though, because some of them are from TJ and Molly. Scout asks where they are, and Alexis says, they both have very mean bosses who wouldn’t let them have time off. Drew asks Jake to get the rest of the presents from the car and takes the stack from Alexis, saying, he’ll put them with the other presents. Carly asks Sam where Dante is, but Sam says, he couldn’t get off of work, but she thinks he’s going to make it by later. She looks around and sees the others have gone, and tells Carly, it’s just the two of them now. She wanted to say that she thinks Drew is a little bit more… relaxed. Carly says, she thinks so? and Sam says, yeah. Carly says, they talked before, and he was having a really hard time coming out of Pentenville with everything that happened there. She really thinks he’s slowly, but definitely, moving past it.

Chase comes back from the reception desk and reads to Dante from his notes. Someone called 9-1-1 to report a disturbance on the pier. When officers arrived at the scene, they interrupted a fight between two guys. One, Mr. Li, had been badly beaten, and the attacker appeared to be going in for the kill, when the officers identified themselves as the police. The attacker then fled on foot. Luckily, they apprehended him and he’s in lock-up now. Dante says, so Li must have ID’d the attacker, but Chase says, that’s where things get interesting. Li’s assailant is another one of Selina Wu’s guys. He goes by Morse. Dante says, so this wasn’t random, and Chase says, infighting in Selina Wu’s organization. What does that mean? Dante says he thinks it means everything’s about to get even more dangerous.

Anna closes the door and asks if John would like to take a look around. He might notice, this is the office of the Port Charles Commissioner of Police. Then he might come to the conclusion that the individual occupying said office is, in fact, the Port Charles Police Commissioner, and he’d be right. And who doesn’t love to be right? He says, obviously the Port Charles Commissioner of Police likes it a lot, and Anna says, she likes it a lot. In fact, it’s one of her favorite pastimes. So do they need to have a discussion about the meaning of jurisdiction over a nice cup of tea or something, or is there some other way she might assist him? He says he apologizes, and she says she accepts. She gestures for him to sit down, and he does, saying, he had a bear of a day, and he shouldn’t have taken it out on her. She says, but he did, and it does seem to be a bit of a pattern. He says, it is? and she says, yeah. He barged in on her operation at Pentenville and tried to shut it down. He says he had a legitimate reason to request she leave his witness alone, but she says, that wasn’t a request; it was a demand. He says, and she accused him of obstructing his own investigation, and she says she shouldn’t have questioned his integrity. She’s sorry. He says he was not expecting her to apologize, like ever, and she says she wasn’t expecting him to apologize. So it’s a banner day for both of them. He’s always been good friends with Robin, and she respects that friendship. So there’s really no reason for them to be at odds with each other. He says he can think of one reason, but their difference over Sonny aside, he does respect her, and he wants to say thank you. She says, for what? and he says, for talking him down when he barged in here, acting like he owned the place, and for at least trying to diffuse the tension between them. He wants them to be able to work together. She says she wants that too. Why don’t they make that happen? (Hmm… Is this a couple in the making?)

Ava says, what goes on between Sonny and Nina is his business. She just wants to let him know that her friendship with Nina doesn’t mean she’s choosing sides. She’s staying out of it. He says, wise decision – there’s a knock at the door – because nothing’s more important right now than Dante, not Nina. He goes to the door and says, come on in, Spinelli. Spinelli says sees Ava and says he assumes Sonny must be taking him up on his offer to learn the ways of Dungeons and Dragons, but Sonny says, he can talk in front of Ava. Spinelli says, as you wish. All systems are go for tonight. Ava says, all systems, huh? What’s happening tonight? Sonny says, tonight, he’s bringing his enemy down to his knees.

Maxie says, can Felicia believe Spinelli? He knows everything that happened with Austin and Peter, yet he still lied to her so easily. Felicia says, it sounds like his heart was in the right place, but Maxie says, his heart had nothing to do with it. This was his savior complex. Can she imagine anything more insulting? Felicia says, uh… yeah, and Maxie says, for sure, but he still lied. She knows she’s told her fair share of fibs in the past, but she can’t believe Spinelli would manipulate her this way. Felicia says, that’s not what happened, and Maxie says, what’s not what happened? Felicia says, it wasn’t Spinelli’s idea to move in with Maxie and help her with her finances. It was hers.

Willow and Michael come in with Danny, and Sam wonders if there weren’t more children at the party. Willow says, Scout wanted to visit the horses and the alpaca, so Wiley and Leo are – in Leo’s words – hosting a tour of the stables. Sam says, but Cody’s there, right? and Michael says, yeah. Sam says, perfect. And Danny and Jake brought in the rest of  their grandmother’s presents? Danny says, turns out it was a one-man job. Is there anything else he can do? Sam says, everything is under control. Just go have fun. Danny says, cool. He left his coat down at the stables. He’ll be back. Sam says, he leaves that coat everywhere, when Kristina comes in with Blaze. Danny hugs Kristina, and tells Blaze, hi, obviously starstruck. Blaze says, hi, Danny, and he says, she remembered his name. Blaze says, of course (🍷) she did, and he leaves. Kristina hugs everyone and says she thinks most of them know Blaze, her girlfriend. Sam says, of course (🍷). It’s good to see her again. Blaze says, it’s great to see Sam, and Willow says she thinks they met at Rice Plaza. Blaze says she remembers. It’s nice to meet her again.

 Alexis is getting some party stuff from plastic tubs, when Drew joins her. She says she’s glad they have some time alone. She wants to talk to him about something. He says, great. What’s up? She says she understands this is a touchy subject, but she’s sure he’s heard Nina is now the publisher of The Invader. He says he did hear that. How’s that going? She says she has reservations. Many. She said she was fired from Crimson for personal reasons. Is that true? He says, if she’s asking if this has anything to do with Nina turning him and Carly in to the SEC… She says, that’s exactly what she’s asking, and he says, then the answer’s yes. She was not acting as a concerned citizen trying to right a wrong. Her motivation was strictly vindictive, and if she can exploit federal law to her own ends, should she really be running a major magazine? And as the owner of Aurora, he felt like he couldn’t trust her judgement anymore. She says, that sounds like something he’d say in a press release or a court of law. Tell her what he really thinks, and he says, between the two of them? Someone as reckless and self-absorbed as Nina is capable of anything. If he were Alexis, he’d watch his back.

Maxie says, so it was Felicia’s idea. All right. Explain. Felicia says she knew Maxie was in financial trouble and wouldn’t take her help, even though she clearly needed it and Felicia had the means. Maxie says, except she doesn’t. She kept dipping into her savings. Felicia says, those were the means, and Maxie says, but she couldn’t pay Felicia back because she’s a bad investment. Felicia says, that’s why she called Spinelli. She knew Maxie wouldn’t accept charity from anybody, so she had to get creative. Spinelli was helping her help Maxie. Maxie says, Felicia should have respected her boundaries. It was important to her that she be the one to fix her finances. Felicia says she understands that, but she’s Maxie’s mother and couldn’t just sit back and watch while she was struggling. Maxie says, okay, she gets that. She absolutely does not approve of Felicia’s methods, but if she could see her kids needed help, she’s capable of doing much crazier things, whether they wanted her to or not. She wouldn’t care. She’d just do it. Felicia says, then Maxie forgives her? and Maxie says, absolutely. Felicia says, and she forgives Spinelli, but Maxie says, no way. Felicia says, why? Not that she’s complaining, but why is Maxie so much angrier with Spinelli than with her, especially since it was her idea? Maxie says, because Spinelli is not her parent, and he doesn’t have the right to conspire with her mother to fix her finances. Felicia says, maybe not, but… Maxie says, there’s no maybe about it, but Felicia says, Spinelli is family. He’s the father of Maxie’s oldest daughter and her oldest grandchild, and Maxie knows he’d do anything for her. Maxie says, except respect her autonomy, and Felicia says, because she told him to. Maxie knows she would do the same thing if the positions were reversed. Maxie says, that is precisely the problem, and Felicia says, that they both care enough about each other that they’d do anything for each other? but Maxie says, that is not the problem. It’s because… It’s because she… Felicia says, what? and Maxie says, because she fell in love with him again. Spending all this time with him, having him live in her house. It was all under false pretenses. Felicia and Spinelli didn’t just meddle with her finances; they meddled with her heart.

Spinelli says, so whoever is targeting Sonny is expecting him to be holding a summit, building bridges, as it were, giving them an opportunity to take out both parties at once. Meanwhile, he’ll be monitoring the situation with cameras set up around the warehouse. Ava asks if Sonny is sure Selina’s guy did as he asked, because Li has betrayed her before, and Sonny says, he made sure Li carried out the orders. She says, good. Question. Sonny says, go ahead, and Ava says, isn’t it highly unlikely this enemy is going to show up there himself? Won’t he, too, be monitoring from a safe distance, letting his hired guns do the job for him? Sonny says he’s counting on it.

Dante tells Chase, this assault on Li sounds like a botched execution attempt, which means it relates to the FBI’s investigation that Cates is running. Chase says, but only Li can confirm that, and Dante says, then let’s hope he’s able… and willing.

Jake comes in and is startled to see Blaze. He says, oh… hi, and she says, hi. He says, she’s… Everyone laughs, and Kristina says, this is Blaze, her girlfriend. She tells Blaze, this is Danny’s brother, and Blaze says, nice meeting him. He says, nice meeting her too. He’s a… Willow asks if Jake can track down Danny and let him know it’s time for cake. He left his coat outside. Jake is obviously at a loss for words, seeing Blaze, and says, uh… yeah. He leaves, and Michael says, three… two… one. Jake comes back in, gets his own coat, then leaves again. Blaze laughs and shrugs.

Sam finds Drew and says she was going to send out a search party for him. He says he was just making sure everything was… yeah… She asks if he’s okay, and he says, yeah. He thought he misplaced this Pin the Tail on the Donkey – he shows her a stack of tails – but… She says, crisis averted. She was going to ask if he could do a favor for her. He says, she can ask him anything, always. He wants her to know that. She says she’s not sure about that. He’s been having a pretty rough time ever since… He says, it hasn’t exactly been sunshine and rainbows, and she says, is it ever? (Not here, I can assure you.) He says, but he’s trying to focus more on the silver lining than the clouds, and she says she’s glad to hear that. He wonders what she wanted to ask him, and she says, Danny. He’s been having a really tough time lately, and she knows it’s more than teenage boy stuff. She guesses what she wanted to say is, is there any way Drew can talk to him? He trusts Drew and she thinks he would confide in Drew. She doesn’t think he’d talk to her about anything like that. He says he’d be happy to. He’ll spend some time with Danny. Maybe he’ll take him to a game or something. She says, okay. That sounds good. But is he sure he’s up for it? She doesn’t want to put too much on his plate. He says he’s learning that it really helps focusing on somebody that means more to him than himself. She can count on him. She thanks him and gives him a hug.

Jake goes down the footbridge near the boathouse calling for Danny. He says, they’re going to cut the cake. Danny jumps up by the benches, and Jake asks if he found his jacket. Danny says, yeah. He put it in the car. It’s fine. Jake asks if he’s okay, and Danny says, yeah. It’s a kids’ party. Jake says, well, it’s time for cake, so… He sniffs the air and asks if Danny smells something, but Danny says, no, and starts walking. Jake says, it’s really… sweet. He notices something under one of the benches and picks it up. He examines it, then looks at Danny.

Anna says, despite their differences of opinion, she does understand how John feels about Sonny, and he says, with all due respect, he doesn’t think she does. Sonny Corinthos is now the head of one of the most powerful organized crime syndicates on the east coast. So forgive him if he doesn’t buy into the narrative that underneath it all, Sonny’s a really good guy. She tells him that she wouldn’t say he’s one of the good guys, but she also doesn’t think John has taken his full measure. John says, meaning, and she says, meaning that he’s not a saint, but he’s not a sadist who wants to destroy and torment people for sport. John says he just had a conversation with Sonny that would suggest otherwise, and she asks if that’s why John came barging in here, demanding she get Sonny out of his life. He says, she’s good. Anybody ever tell her that she should be a cop? She says, too often. All she’s saying is, maybe he has issue with the man Sonny used to be, rather than the man he is now.

Dante introduces himself and Chase to Li and asks if Li can tell them what happened to him today. Li says, someone tried to kill him, and Chase says, not just someone, one of his colleagues from Selina Wu’s organization. Dante says, so he’s guessing this isn’t the result of an argument gone bad, right? They have Mr. Morse in custody. He was following orders. Li says he doesn’t talk to cops, and Chase says, his boss wants him dead. Dante says, he walks out of here, he’s probably got days, hell, even hours to live, and Li says, death comes to us all. Dantes says, it does, but judging from the way Li looks, he’s guessing Li fought like hell to stay alive, so he’s not really buying Li’s zen on dying thing he’s trying to sell them. Chase says, how about this? They put in a call to the DA and make sure he’s protected, and Li says, how comforting. Dante says, he’s right. Talking to them is probably just going to buy him some time. A day, maybe another after that. He doesn’t know. But keeping his mouth shut? He’s willing to bet Li ends up in an unmarked grave by the morning. So you tell me, what’s it going to be?

Sonny says he wishes whoever’s targeting him would get in his face, but he knows they’re too scared, and Ava says, so what’s the endgame here? Sonny says, somebody will be sent to eliminate him and Selina, and they’re going to grab them, and let them take them to whoever’s behind the shooting, and this thing is going to end. Ava asks when they leave, but Sonny says, they’re not going anywhere. She says, yes, they are, and walks over to her coat. Sonny asks Spinelli to do him a favor. He thinks they’re done. He’ll keep Spinelli posted. Spinelli says he eagerly awaits Sonny’s communication, and leaves. Ava puts on her coat, and Sonny says he appreciates what she’s doing, but she’s not part of this. She says, on the contrary. If this plan of his is going to work, he needs her.

Felicia tells Maxie that she’s so sorry. It never occurred to her that this would happen this way. Maxie says she never thought Spinelli would lie to her like this, but Felicia says, it isn’t really like that. It’s not like they set out to deceive her. Maxie says, were Spinelli’s pipes actually broken? and Felicia says, so they did set out to deceive her, but if they’d offered Maxie the money, she would have just said no, again. Maxie says, at least it would have been her decision, and Felicia says, yes, and it would have been a bad one. The point is, she and Spinelli were in a lose-lose situation and since there was no good decision to make, they made the least bad decision to help her. Deceiving Maxie like that, helping her with her finances while providing free babysitting, was all an act of love on both their parts. Maxie says she knows that, and she knows that Spinelli would never lie to her out of malice. That is not her main problem. Felicia says, then what is? and Maxie says, the thing that’s bugging her the most is, she couldn’t tell Spinelli was keeping something from her. Felicia says she could understand why that might be troubling for Maxie, but it’s not like what happened with Peter. Maxie says, way to sugarcoat it, and Felicia tells Maxie that she’s just saying, Spinelli never lied to her about his mafia connections. Maxie says she’s always known about this (what?), and Felicia says, he never tried to steal her baby or isolate her in a forest cabin… Maxie says, okay. She gets where Felicia is going with this, but that is a very low bar to clear. It’s just that, aside from Felicia and Mac, Spinelli was always the person she could trust the most. Felicia says, doesn’t this prove that he still is? and Maxie says, maybe it proves that her acting on her feelings for Spinelli was a huge mistake.

Jake asks if this is Danny’s, holding up a vape pod, and Danny says, no, it isn’t, but reaches for it. Jake says, it’s garbage now, and Danny says he can’t just throw that out, but Jake says he can’t leave it lying around. Danny says, okay, fine, it’s his, reaching for it again, and Jake says, he’s vaping? Danny says, who is he to even care? and Jake says, maybe he doesn’t want his brother to get popcorn lungs. Danny says, calm down. It’s not like really smoking. Jake says, they’re not having this conversation here. Right now, they’re going back to the house to celebrate their sister’s birthday, with their whole family there. Is Danny trying to get caught? Danny asks, why? Is Jake going to rat him out?

Anna tells John that recently, she’s gotten to know Sonny as a person, and he’s always been a very good friend to her daughter Robin. John says, come on, and Anna says, just in the very same way he was a good friend to John’s brother Stone. John says, a lot of good people see the best in bad people (agreed), and she says, he’s done a lot of positive things for this community. John asks if she’s talking about the hospital wing Sonny bought in his brother’s memory. She does know crime lords use philanthropy as a way of laundering money. She says, her point is, while she wouldn’t hesitate to arrest him if she had evidence of a crime, she still doesn’t believe he should be reduced to just that. Because if John hopes to take him down one day, he can’t just focus on Sonny’s crimes and flaws, which admittedly are many. He has to take into account the good things as well. If he just lets himself be blinded by prejudice, he’ll miss the opportunity to apprehend Sonny when it presents itself. John and I both ponder this.

Ava says, if Sonny is going to sell this mediation, he’s going to need a third party to arbitrate. That’s the play, isn’t it? Which means he needs a rep from a third family. What’s he going to do, call what’s left of the Novaks? The Buscemas? Does he trust them? She happens to be a former member of the Jerome family. Her presence could help sell this thing. He says, she’s not wrong, and she says, he and Selina are the bait, but she could be what convinces his enemy that this meeting is legit and draws them out. Plus, if she’s being honest – he says he can’t wait to hear this one – his circle of trust has gotten pretty small. It’s so small, she’s in the center of it. He doesn’t have to do this alone. Don’t do this alone. Let her help him.

Maxie says, she and Spinelli have been down this road before and it did not work out, and Felicia says, a long time ago. Maxie says, doesn’t she think that proves that maybe it never will? and Felicia says, how? Maxie says she and Spinelli literally admitted to each other how they felt, and then instantly, everything fell apart. Felicia says she wants Maxie to listen to her and really take this to heart, and Maxie says she’ll try. Felicia says, Maxie may think that when Spinelli moved in, that’s what caused her to fall in love with him, but the truth is, they’ve always had a connection. Not just as friends, not just as co-parents. They’ve always been a little bit in love with each other, even when they were with other people. Maxie asks how Felicia knows that for sure, and Felicia says she’s seen the bond between Maxie and Spinelli. Everybody’s seen it. Nathan saw it. Ellie saw it. Mac is still annoyed by it. And Spinelli, now he sees it. The only person who says they haven’t seen it is Maxie. She thinks it’s time for Maxie to get honest about what she’s afraid of. Maxie says she doesn’t know what she would do if she and Spinelli tried to be together and she lost him for good, and Felicia says she can understand why Maxie would be afraid of that, given all the loss she’s had to endure. Putting our hearts on the line is really scary. Maxie says, it’s not just her heart though. Georgie would be devastated if she and Spinelli didn’t work out. And Bailey Lou and James, they’re both crazy about Spinelli. Felicia says, Maxie is right. There is a lot at stake here. She can’t tell Maxie what decision to make. Maxie says, since when? and Felicia says she can tell Maxie that she’s a survivor. She’s endured so much and come out of it stronger each time. Maxie says she’s just tired. How many growth experiences should one person have? Felicia says, what she has to know is, if things don’t work out with Spinelli, then she’ll survive that too. Or the two of them could get back together again, older and wiser than they ever have been, and stumble into some happiness they never dreamed is possible. It’s up to her to decide if it’s worth the risk.

Jake tells Danny, don’t worry. He’s not going to tell anyone. This is his business. He holds the pod out, but pulls it back when Danny tries to take it. Danny says, what the hell? Give it back. Jake says, not going to happen. He might not be a snitch, but he’s not going to let Danny do this. Danny says he’s not messing around. Give it back. Jake says, or what? and Danny says, or he’ll take it from Jake. Jake says, oh really? This is that important to Danny that he’d try to forcibly take it from him? Danny says he wouldn’t just try, and he grabs Jake, saying, give it back. Willow calls to them, and Jake slips the pod in his back pocket. She says she thought she heard shouting. What’s going on? Jake says, they were just messing around, and Danny says, pretty much. She says, they’re taking a family photo. Come on.

Michael says he wanted to tell Carly this sooner, but he didn’t have a chance, and she says, something wrong? He says he talked to Dante, and Dante told him that he thinks there’s a link between whoever’s targeting Sonny and Olivia Jerome’s death. She says she knows, and he says, she knows how? She says she had a conversation with Special Agent John Cates of the FBI. Does Michael know him? Michael says, they just met, and she says, okay. Is there more to that story? He says, just that he’s worried about dad, and she says, her too. She doesn’t know what to do about it. Does he have any ideas? He says he told Josslyn to bring Dex back to town, and she says, what? Why would he do that? Why would he do that to Dex? Michael says, he’s a grown man. He can decide whether or not he wants to come back. She says, if something happens to Dex, his sister is going to be devastated, but he says he’ll cross that bridge when he comes to it. She asks how he thinks Sonny is going to react. He was furious when he found out Michael hired Dex to spy on him. Now he went behind Sonny’s back again. Michael says, if he’s angry, he’s angry. He’s going to help his father whether he likes it or not. Kristina comes in and says, what’s going on with dad? Why does he need help?

John tells Anna, so O’Neill says they’re looking for a dead man. At least someone who’s dead on paper. Anna says, according to Cyrus. His trustworthiness is questionable at best. Plus, the mic dropped out just as he was acquiring that piece of intel. John says, maybe there’s a way to corroborate his story. Any ideas? There’s a knock at the door and Anna says, yeah? Dante comes in with Chase and says, sorry to interrupt. It’s important. John asks if it’s about his case, and Dante says, he means their case. Yeah, it is. Anna asks what he’s got, and Dante says, Sonny and Selina Wu are making moves. (Well, that’s one way to put it, but I got a mental picture of them dancing.)

Selina waits at the warehouse, and her man comes in. She asks if everything is in place on their end for tonight, and he says, yes. And Mr. Corinthos assured him it’s all taken care of, but… She says, but what? and he says, the associate seems odd. She says, Mr. Spinelli is certainly unique, but very good at what he does. Sonny comes in with Ava and a bodyguard, and Selina says, Miss Jerome, what a surprise. She wasn’t expecting her. Ava says, Miss Wu. She hopes Selina doesn’t mind her joining them at the last minute. Selina says, actually she does. This wasn’t part of their plan. Sonny says, plans change. She can trust Ava.

Maxie calls Spinelli and gets voicemail, saying he’ll return the call posthaste. She says, hey, it’s me. Call me.

Michael tells Kristina, it’s just that he hasn’t talked to dad in a while. Has she? She says, not a whole lot. She’s been busy. Why? What’s going on? Is there something she should know about? Carly says, they were just wondering how things are going with her and Blaze, and Kristina says, things are good. It’s still new, so… Anyway, she’s been asked to summon them for cake and photos. Carly says she’s got to get in there, and leaves. Kristina asks Michael if he’s sure everything’s okay with dad, and Michael says, yeah. He’ll be fine. She says, okay, and leaves. Michael says he’ll make sure of it.

Dante says, Sonny and Selina coerced her bodyguard Li to leak to his source that they’re meeting up tonight, and Chase says, presenting a prime opportunity for Li’s boss to take Wu and Corinthos out. Anna says, so they’re setting up a trap to smoke out their assassin, and John says, which is exactly what he didn’t want to happen. He knew if they let Corinthos in on what was going on, he’d go vigilante and take their suspect out. Anna says, they can’t let him take the law into his own hands, and John says, whatever Corinthos and Wu are planning, they have to stop them. Anna says, let’s go, and they all leave.

Selina says, let her congratulate Sonny on the trust he’s established in Miss Jerome, who is – let’s not forget – the mother of one of his children. Sonny asks what that means, and Selina says, he has incentive to trust her. She doesn’t. He says, Ava acting as a mediator makes the meeting look more legit, but Selina says, her presence further destabilizes an already volatile situation. That’s not a risk she wants to take. She starts to leave, but Sonny says, it’s already in motion. Let it play out. Selina says, at the risk of all of their lives? and he says, they’re all targets at this point. Here’s what they’re going to do. They‘re going to let their enemies come get them.

On Monday, Tracy tells Brook, that is a scheme worthy of a Quartermaine; Cyrus asks Laura, what precipitated this step forward in their relationship; in the hospital, Heather screeches to someone to get away from her grandson; and Sonny tells Selina, let’s get down to business.

👏 Kudos. The vape storyline isn’t just timely, it’s important. I’ve never been interested in vaping, but had a friend who literally died from an addiction to it. He was in the hospital, being treated for an unrelated (but who really knows?) illness. He was told to knock it off, but couldn’t even stop vaping while in the hospital. Even though the prognosis had been good, he went downhill and passed away. IMO, it makes sense that vaping is worse than cigarettes since you’re also inhaling moisture, which cannot be good for your lungs. I mean, inhale too much moisture, you drown, right? Okay, off the soapbox, but applause to GH for including it.

👠 Calling In ReinforceWives…

Being a part of the Housewives universe doesn’t look like a fun experience to me. And I still wouldn’t bet the farm that what Leah says isn’t true. It’s been said all along that alcohol flows freely from Bravo and they tend to egg on problematic situation.

https://pagesix.com/2024/02/29/entertainment/margaret-josephs-kyle-richards-more-housewives-hit-back-at-leah-mcsweeneys-andy-cohen-claims

🎭 Because They’re a Fake, Baby…

I hadn’t considered this, but it sounds like something Jax would drum up.

Not buying this romance at all.

Still on the fence about this. The only thing is, it’s doubtful they would have involved their kids in a ruse like that.

🍸 It’s Spreading…

Another one who seems to be lawsuit happy. Has she gotten to Andy yet? Although there seems to be a line…

https://ew.com/rachel-leviss-sues-tom-sandoval-ariana-madix-scandoval-fallout-8602594

No surprise this was dropped. It doesn’t even make any sense as a lawsuit. It’s just a bunch of complaints about being in a situation she could have easily walked away from

⚰️ Dead At the Top…

Good for them. It’s not a huge shock though. Personally, I didn’t miss Rick, but I think there were a whole lot of fans awaiting his return.

🌁 The Latest In Last…

More characters coming out of the woodwork.

https://ew.com/the-last-of-us-season-2-owen-nora-mel-manny-8602951

🏆 It’s In the SAG…

A little late, but the winners.

https://ew.com/2024-sag-awards-winners-full-list-8598439

All the 2024 fashion.

https://www.eonline.com/photos/36899/sag-awards-2024-red-carpet-fashion

All the fashion from forever.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1395589/give-it-up-for-the-best-sag-award-red-carpet-fashion-moments-of-all-time

🦄 This Week In Pet…

Omg. Jiffpom.

So what’s the problem?

🎙 Quotes of the Week

We love a spiral. – Gabby Prescod, Summer House

One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.Henry Ford

When deeds speak, words are nothing. – Pierre-Joseph Proudhon

You are here for a purpose. There is no duplicate of you in the whole wide world. There never has been, there never will be. You were brought here now to fill a certain need. Take time to think that over. – Lou Austin (And let’s hope it’s not to create stupid names for lipstick.)

Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.Archimedes

Life is a succession of lessons, which must be lived to be understood. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.W. Clement Stone

I wasn’t flirting. I’m naturally adorable. If you have a problem with that, take it up with God. – Genevieve Delatour (Susan Lucci), Devious Maids

🐜 Marching Into Spring…

Flip your script this weekend and do something you’ve never done before. Or binge watch something you’ve never watched before. It’s your call. Then join me on Monday really Tuesday for soap, mischief on Deck, and a nod to the Ones. Until then, stay safe, stay not saying yes or maybe when you mean no, and stay trying to focus more on the silver lining than the clouds.

October 13, 2023 – The Wedding Is On, Thought, Back, Fitting, MIA, A Goodbye, Salty Talk, Postscript, Hard Times, Back To the 80s, Dead Stuff, Costumed Pets (!), Totally Ten Quotes & Monster

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Curtis lifts weights, when there’s a knock at the door. He wheels himself over to open it, and Stella asks if it’s a bad time. He says, not at all, if she doesn’t mind waiting for him to finish another set. She says, not at all, and comes in. She asks if somebody else is here, but he says, no, just him, picking up one of the weights. He asks if she thinks they shouldn’t have left him alone, and she asks if she said that. He says, no, and she says, he’s been on his own for a while now, and he’s doing just fine. He works with the weight, and says, she’s been tracking him, huh? She says she always has; she’s not going to change now. He’s working hard; very impressive. He says he’s just trying to keep it all together, and she says, he’s doing more than keeping it together. She’s very proud of him. He thanks her and says, all these exercises, in fact everything he does, is for Trina and Portia and Marshall. She says, how’s that? and he says, every morning there’s a part of him that doesn’t want to get out of bed. Then he thinks about his family. They need him, and he will not let them down. There’s a knock at the door, and Stella says she’ll get it. She opens it to Selina and says, what do you want?

TJ tells Portia he heard a rumor going around. The buzz is totally positive. She says she has no idea what he’s talking about, but he says, spill. She says she doesn’t want to talk about it yet. Not until she gets a chance to tell Curtis, and she wants to tell him in person. He’s going to be so hurt if he finds out everyone at GH knew before he did. She’s trying to sneak out of here so she can see him. TJ says, he’s going to be thrilled.

Josslyn knocks on the door at Windymere, and Giles answers. He asks if he can help her, and she says, he probably doesn’t remember her, but she’s Josslyn Jax, Avery’s older sister. He says, of course (🍷). What can he do for her? She says she’s looking for Ava. She never picked Avery up from the nanny last night. Giles invites her in.

A guard walks Cyrus to the visiting room, and Cyrus says, another visitor during off hours? He sees Laura, and she says, hello, Cyrus.

Austin sits at his desk and flashes back to him telling the judge that Cyrus is weak because of his heart attack, and no longer a physical threat to anybody. He says, yeah, weak like a great white shark is weak. He remembers telling Mason that he did what was asked and to let Ava go, and Mason saying, neither one of them call the shots. There’s a knock at the door, and Dex says, sorry to bother him, but has he seen Ava Jerome?

Puerto Rico. Here Comes the Bride plays as Nina walks to Sonny, and everyone looks all happy. The priest welcomes everyone and says, they’ve been blessed with a beautiful day to witness the joining in matrimony of Michael Sonny Corinthos and Nina Reeves. This is a joyful occasion, and a solemn one. Marriage as a traditional ceremony is an honorable one, not to be entered into lightly, but a pledge between two people to honor, support, and love one another for the rest of your lives. Is that the pledge they’re willing to make? Nina says, we are, and Sonny says, yeah, we are.

Selina says she’s here to see her friend, but Stella says, she doesn’t have any friends here. And no way she’s buying any with that gift basket. Stella looks at the bodyguard holding a basket of fruit behind Selina, and Curtis says, it’s okay. Selina’s a business associate. Stella says, uh-huh, and Selina walks in. (Oooh. The bodyguard has a bakery box too.) Selina says, his aunt is very protective. She admires that in a family. Stella excuses herself, and Curtis asks what Selina is doing here. She says, he’s been back home for a while now. She thought she’d give him some time to get accustomed to his new life. He says, that was considerate, and she says she hopes now he’s come to his senses and is ready to sell her The Savoy.

Cyrus says, what an unexpected and wonderful surprise. He didn’t know Laura was back from her trip. She says, they just got back, and he says, and she chose to come and see him. He’s touched. She says, he cut his hair, and shaved, and… He says, since he found his true calling, he didn’t find the need to hide behind appearances, and she says, he looks great. So tell her, how is he feeling? He says, their brother told her about his little medical problem, and she says she doesn’t know that she’d call a heart attack a little medical problem, and she’s glad Marty told her. He asks if Martin also told her that it was her aura that pulled him through in his darkest hour, but she says, it was Drew Cain who saved his life. He says, without the will to live, his CPR might not have been effective, but he is a good man. She says, he’s a very good man. That’s why it’s such a shame he’s in here with… Cyrus says, with men like me. He gets the feeling checking on his health isn’t the only reason she’s here. She says she heard about his application for early release, and he asks if she’s here as his sister or the mayor.

Giles says he’s also concerned about Miss Jerome’s whereabouts, and Josslyn says, so she hasn’t been here? He says, she was home when he left. That was night before last. She didn’t mention any plans to be away, but when he came to work yesterday, she wasn’t here. She never came home. Josslyn says, so no maid or no housekeeper has seen her, and he says, no one on the staff has seen or heard from her, but he did find a broken martini glass on the floor here. He points near the fireplace, and says, it could have been an accident. Perhaps she’s staying with her friend Miss Reeves? Josslyn says, no. Nina’s in Puerto Rico getting married. He says, Dr. Gatlin-Holt’s been a frequent guest recently. He was under the impression the doctor and Miss Jerome might be close.

Austin says, recently, no, he hasn’t seen Ava, and Dex asks if he remembers the last time he saw or heard from her. Austen says, two or three days ago. Why is Dex asking him this? Dex says, she hasn’t been to her art gallery, and no one has seen or heard from her, and Austin says, Dex works for Sonny Corinthos; is he right about that? Dex says, yeah, and Austin says, a couple of days ago, Ava mentioned she was thinking of maybe taking a trip to New York. She said there was an artist she was interested in signing. Dex says, that could be very helpful, and thanks Austin for his time. Austin says, no problem, and as he walks past Dex, Dex punches him in the stomach and gets him in a headlock. As Austin struggles to breathe, Dex says, Sonny has a daughter with Ava Jerome, so he cares about her. If he finds out Austin has something to do with her disappearance, he’ll be back, and he won’t be asking questions. He lets Austin go and walks out.

In the hallway, Dex’s phone rings, and Josslyn tells him that she thinks she might have found something.

The priest says, it’s his understanding Sonny and Nina have elected to say their own vows, and Nina hands her bouquet to Willow. Sonny says he guesses Nina wants him to go, and she says, yeah. They join hands, and Sonny says he spent all morning writing his vows. They’re in his pocket, but when he looked in Nina’s eyes, he felt like he didn’t need to write his vows because he can always speak from his heart to her. He thanks her for trusting and loving him, and for seeing the better man in him than he ever saw in himself. He appreciates her kindness and her strength and her willingness to fight for their love, even though everybody was against them. When they doubted they should be together, they did everything they could to get through it, and here they are. He’s convinced more now that they belong together, because of how he feels right now in the moment. How he always does; she makes him secure. He knows she loves him and he loves her that much more, and he always will.

Selina asks Curtis to just hear her out. She’ll keep the entire staff at The Savoy – Stella walks back in – and the entire name of the club will remain. He and his entire family will have VIP memberships for life, and she’ll increase her original offer to twice what he paid for the club. He says, that’s an extremely generous offer, and she says she agrees. So what does he say? He thinks a moment and asks why she’s determined to buy his club. Why doesn’t she start her own and find a location that’s half the price? Stella says, good question.

Cyrus says, in case Laura is wondering, he has no idea how the judge is going to rule. He hasn’t heard anything yet. Now that she’s back, will she oppose his release? She says, he looks as strong and healthy as the day he got in here, but that said, she’s not a doctor. And as the mayor, she doesn’t interfere with judicial decisions. He says he supposes putting in a good word for her brother is out of the question, and she says, yes. He asks if Marty also told her that he gave away all of his money.

Dex arrives at Windymere, and Giles lets him in. Josslyn introduces Giles, and says, Giles told her that Ava hasn’t been home since night before last, and nobody on the staff has seen or heard from her. Dex says, she told him that she found something, and she says, this cellphone and this lollypop. The cellphone was under the coffee table, and the lollypop was just kind of sticking out of the couch. And Giles found a broken martini glass on the floor. Giles says, Miss Avery must have dropped the lollypop last time she was here, but Josslyn says, this isn’t Avery’s. Dex asks how she knows, and she says, because it’s grape and Avery hates grape. So somebody else had to have been here. And Ava would have never left her cellphone in case Avery needed to get in touch with her. Dex says he saw cameras everywhere as he walked up to the house. There have to be more, right? Giles says, yes, and Dex says he needs to see the footage from the minute Giles left Ava.

Nina says, to be honest, she never imagined she’d be here right now with Sonny. It’s actually the last thing she ever expected or wanted, and she fought it for a very long time. She kept telling herself that they would never work, and as she kept saying that, her heart kept falling deeper and deeper in love with him. And she couldn’t fight her heart anymore, could she? Or him. His charm, his humor, his compassion, his courage, his loyalty… his dance moves. What more could a person ask for in someone they love? Then she saw him parent his children, who he fiercely loves, and how he’s willing to fight for them, for their protection. She’s always wanted that family, since she was a little girl. Her daughter is now a part of her life – she looks at Willow – and the two of them are part of his family. He’s given her so much. He’s given her a family. And she wants to give him something. She’s going to surround him with love for his entire life; she promises him that. And they can leave all their mistakes behind them. She’ll walk with him, hand in hand, right beside him, loving him, for the rest of his life.

Selina tells Curtis that she doesn’t have the time or the inclination to open a new club. It’s too much work and she has a busy schedule. The Savoy is already established; that’s why she’ll be paying him top dollar for it. Stella asks if he heard how Selina made it sound like it’s a done deal, when Portia walks in. Selina tells her, good afternoon, and Stella says, she got here just in time. Miss Wu brought them a basket filled with treats. Why doesn’t Portia have a seat and she’ll make them some tea so they can all get to know each other better. She asks what kind of tea Selina would like, and Selina says, that’s kind of her, but she has another appointment. Stella says, that’s just too bad. Maybe another time then. She opens the front door, and Selina nods to her bodyguard. She tells Curtis that she’ll be in touch, and he thanks her for the basket. I want to know what’s in the bakery box. Selina leaves with the guard, and Stella closes the door, putting her back against it, and says, amen.

Dex looks at a tablet, and Giles says, he can see the front entrance is well-covered by several cameras. Dex says, there Giles is, leaving. This is the night before last. Ava was alone when he left? Giles says, yes. Feel free to examine the rest of the footage. He must check on a delivery. Please help Miss Jerome. He leaves, and Dex points at the tablet, saying, there. Someone’s coming in. Josslyn says she sees him, but she can’t see his face; he’s wearing a hood. They keep watching, and Dex says, they’re at about twenty minutes later. Josslyn says, there’s Ava. She’s with him, but Josslyn can’t tell if her hands are tied or if she’s just walking super close to him. Dex suggests they check the dock camera around that time… They didn’t use the launch. Josslyn says, he would still have to go back to Port Charles, no? and Dex says, right there. He has his own boat. That’s what they left on. If he and Josslyn want to see where they came ashore, they need to see the harbor security cameras and the traffic cameras from that time. They can’t do that without going to the cops. Josslyn says, there’s another way.

Josslyn knocks at an apartment door, and a voice asks, who knocks? She looks up at a camera and says, Spinelli, it’s Josslyn. You’re watching us through the security camera. Spinelli opens the door and says, greetings, clever girl. What brings them to his door?

Austin gives TJ a folder and says, the prognosis was very impressive. He coughs and drinks some water, and TJ asks if he’s all right. Austin says he’s fine. He went to a concert last night and he was very enthusiastic. TJ asks, who was the band? when Mason walks in. He says he’s sorry. His cousin here wanted to see him.

Cyrus tells Laura that he’s seen so much suffering in here, he thought his money could do more good trying to help these poor souls. She says, Marty did mention to her that he’d given some of his money to a recidivism organization, but he says, not some of his money, every dime. He says, she doesn’t believe that, and she says she guesses they’ll see, won’t they, if he’s granted his early release. He says, how little faith she has in her brother. They were ill-gotten gains. He’s come to realize and appreciate that. She says she hopes so, and he says, she doesn’t seem to doubt the generosity of her friend Sonny Corinthos when he gives away his dirty money. He’s not wrong.

The priest says, Sonny and Nina’s vows were so clearly from the heart. Now please repeat after him. They say the traditional vows; in sickness and health, forsaking all others until death do us part. The rings are exchanged, and the priest says, in the presence of God and these witnesses, they’re now husband and wife. What God has joined, let no one put asunder. He thinks they know what happens next. They laugh and Donna says, you’re supposed to kiss. They do, and everyone smiles.

Portia asks what that was about, and Stella says, that woman was trying… Curtis says, Selina came to talk business, but what is Portia doing here in the middle of the day? She says she wanted to tell him something in person, but she wanted it to be official. Stella says, for what to be official? and Portia says she’s been named Co-Chief of Staff at General Hospital. Curtis says, congratulations, and she says, it’s going to be a lot more administrative work and a lot of emails, but… Stella says, Portia knows she can handle all of that, and Curtis says, she’ll be great. Portia says, and it’s going to be a little extra money. Stella says, as it should be for all that extra work, and Curtis says, they’ll be very lucky to have her. He couldn’t be more proud of his intelligent, accomplished, and very gorgeous wife. She kisses him and says, thank you.

Dex tells Spinelli that they couldn’t download the video from the system at Windymere, so all they have is the footage he had access to. Josslyn says, they also found Ava’s cellphone at Windymere, but she doesn’t know how to get in. Can he break in? He says, he can, but it will take time Ava doesn’t have, and Dex says, let’s get back to what we’ve got. The butler departed the house at 10:57 that night. At 11:18, an unidentified figure, likely male, entered the house. There’s no footage from the interior, so we don’t know what happened inside, but at 11:59, the hooded figure left by the front door with Ava. They were close together. He appears to be leading her, and from her posture, it’s likely her hands were tied. They arrived at the docks at 12:03 am and left in a single engine outboard. That’s what we have. Spinelli says, well done, and Josslyn says, what they really need to know is where they docked the boat in Port Charles. Does he think he can get access to the harbor security and traffic cameras?

Austin tells TJ that the apologizes. His cousin is unaware of hospital protocol. Mason could have just interrupted a consultation with a patient. Mason says he’s sorry. He’s just a truck driver and doesn’t know anything about hospital protocols. So he hopes TJ can forgive him. TJ says, no problem. They’re finished. He thanks Austin and is about to leave, when he says, so Mason is a truck driver? and Mason says, used to be. Now he kind of does a little bit of everything. TJ says, it was good to see him again, Mason says, him too, and TJ leaves. He pauses for a moment outside the door, then walks on. Mason tells Austin, do not get high and mighty with him about manners. Austin said he needed to see him right away, so what’s going on? Austin says, Sonny Corinthos knows.

Laura says, Sonny has nothing to do with the way she views Cyrus, but he says he’s well-aware of that. He and Sonny were in the same kind of business for years, and he ever thought much about Sonny. But then he’d see Sonny treated with such reverence, an honored member of the Port Charles community with a respected family when he’s no better than Cyrus is. Again he’s not wrong.

Kristina congratulates Nina and welcomes her to the family, hugging her. Donna goes over to Sonny and says, her turn. He says, come here, girl. Give me a hug. He wants her to know something. Daddy always loves her. She knows that, right? She says she loves him, and they hug again. These two are too cute together. Donna asks Nina if she can call her Mama Nina now, and Nina says she would love nothing more. She hugs Donna.

Willow tells Sonny, congratulations, and hugs him. He says, her mother is the best thing that ever happened to him. He just wants her to know that she means everything to Nina. Willow smiles at him, and tells Nina, congratulations. Nina thanks her, and says, it means so much that she’s here. Willow hugs her, and I feel sick thinking about this all falling apart. Michael hugs Sonny and tells Nina, congratulations. Welcome to the family. He kisses her on the cheek.  

Stella says, this is definitely cause for a celebration, and Portia agrees. Stella says she’s taking the two of them out for dinner tonight to celebrate. Marshall and Trina too. Portia says, they can actually have dinner in here tonight, have some champagne. It’ll be a little bit more relaxing, right? Curtis says, no. Auntie’s right. This is a big deal and they should celebrate it, right? Stella tells him, you said it, baby.

Laura tells Cyrus that she supposes she and Sonny have the sort of friendship that surprises some people, but she had no idea it upset him that much. He says he’s sorry. He’s not upset at Sonny. He supposes he just envies Sonny’s life, and how Sonny seems to have a closer relationship with his sister than he does. She says she’s known Sonny for a very long time, and he says, he knows it’s unlikely, but if he does get his release, perhaps he and Laura can build a bond that’s even stronger than the one she has with Sonny. She kind of shrugs and smiles, and the guard says, time’s up. Cyrus says, wish me luck, and she tells him, good luck. He laughs and pats her hand. He thanks her so much for coming. He hopes to see her again very soon. He leaves with the guard.

Just for the record, I’m aware they spell the prison Pentonville on the show, but I think Pentenville looks more like penitentiary, so, artistic license. Like with Windymere.

Dex says, there. That was the boat. Josslyn is surprised he can see it, and Spinelli says, keen powers of observation. Here they are. Dex says, Pier 17, and Spinelli, the abductor, if that’s what he is, chose his spot well. See what’s around the pier? It’s all warehouses. They’d be deserted at that hour, so even if Ava were to call for help, he doesn’t think she’d be heard. Josslyn says, wait. He took off his hood. Dex asks if Spinelli can tighten it, and Spinelli says, yes, of course (🍷), but the cameras are not high res; it might be grainy. Dex says he knows that guy. That’s Austin Gatlin-Holt’s cousin… Mason.

Austin says, one of Sonny’s guys was here asking about Ava, and Mason says, so? Austin says, what does he mean, so? No one’s heard from her in a couple of days. Mason says, because she’s locked in a basement somewhere. Who cares? Austin says he cares. He cares very much. Mason says, that’s sweet. His cousin is in love. Austin says he’s not joking around here. Don’t you hurt her. Mason says, Austin knows better than to threaten him, and Austin asks if it isn’t enough that Ava spent all this time thinking she killed Nikolas, and Nikolas is alive and well. He’s fine; he’s in Europe. Mason says he didn’t tell the guy to take off. He and Cyrus were the ones who kept him alive in the first place. Austin says, Nikolas is Cyrus’s nephew, and Mason says, forgive him. Cyrus has never struck him as the sentimental type about family, but Austin says, maybe they’re wrong about that. Mason needs to convince Cyrus to leave Ava alone. If that guy comes back for him… Mason says, put him off, but Austin says, no. He thought he already had. He punched Austin in the gut and grabbed him in a chokehold. He said, if anything happens to Ava, he’s coming back for Austin. Mason says, looks like you’ve got a problem, cuz.

Sonny and Nina, and Michael and Willow slow dance, while Kristina dances with the kids. Michael’s phone dings, and he says he has to take this real quick. He’ll be back. Willow calls Wiley over to dance with her, and Sonny asks if he can dance with his little girl. Donna says, yeah, and much cuteness happens. Willow suggests Wiley ask his grandmother to dance, and Wiley asks Nina if she wants to dance. She says, does she? Yeah. They dance as much as you can dance with a three-foot height difference. On the side, Michael says he’s at a family function. He can’t talk long. So, they have the name of the person who turned Drew Cain in to the SEC?

We don’t see his face, but a man tells Michael, the SEC was contacted by a lawyer named Martin Grey, acting on behalf of a client. Michael says, Grey was just a go-between. He needs the name of the person who pointed the SEC to his mom and Drew… He turns around and looks at Nina having a grand old time with Wiley. Ugh. I mean, I get it. She did wrong, but I still feel badly about it since it all finally came together, and everyone is so happy.

Curtis reaches for his water, and Portia tries to help, but he says he’s got it. Doesn’t she have to go back to the hospital, Co-Chief of Staff? She laughs and says she does actually, and he says he’s going to take a shower and he’ll see her tonight. She says she can’t wait, and he wheels himself out of the room. Stella suggests Portia take the basket over to the hospital for the nurses to enjoy, and Portia says, okay. When she gets closer, Stella lowers her voice and says, Portia doesn’t have to do everything. She just got a wonderful well-deserved job and she’ll be making more money. Portia says, right, and The Savoy is making money, and Stella says, but Curtis isn’t there. In his mind, he’s not making a dime. Curtis needs her, he needs all of them, to live out their lives as normally as possible and not walk on eggshells around him. He can go out the restaurant and have a fine time. Portia says she was just thinking he’ll be more comfortable here, that’s all, but Stella says, if something is making Curtis uncomfortable, he’s a grown man and he can tell them himself. Believe her. She knows Curtis and he will. Portia says, okay, and thanks her. They hug, and Stella hands Portia the basket. Portia asks if she’s sure, and Stella says, absolutely. They don’t want nothing that woman has to offer, but she will be keeping the baked goods. Portia takes the basket and leaves.

Josslyn asks if Dex is sure that’s the same guy, and Dex says, positive. Maybe Mason has ties to someone working against Sonny; he’s not sure who yet. Josslyn asks how he can tell from this picture, and Dex says, when he was following Mason, he always had a lollypop in his mouth. Josslyn says, that would explain the grape lollypop at Ava’s, and Spinelli says, here we go. The vehicle that Ava and Mason got in is registered to a Pautuck Trucking Company, Pautuck, New York. Dex says he’s going to need a list of all the employees employed by the trucking company and their addresses, as well as any properties owned or leased by the trucking company. He tells Josslyn, that’s where they’ll find Ava.

Austin says, Mason’s right. He has a problem. Because for some reason, Cyrus hates Sonny Corinthos. Can Mason please explain that to him, because he doesn’t understand. Isn’t there enough to go around for everybody? There’s plenty there. At least there used to be. Mason says he doesn’t get it either. Honestly, he thinks the whole thing started when the boss found out Mayor Collins was his sister. Austin asks, what’s that got to do with anything? and Mason says he doesn’t know. He’s just telling Austin, that’s when Cyrus started mentioning Sonny more and more. He would rant on and on about Corinthos and the life he had. Austin says, what life? They both have the same life. They’re mob bosses. Mason says, he called Sonny respectable. It’s almost as if it’s something he wanted for himself and doesn’t have. Austin says, so his life is in danger because Cyrus is jealous of Sonny Corinthos, but Mason says he thinks it goes deeper than that. Austin says, if that guy comes back, Sonny’s guy, he’s going to spill his guts. And they’re next move is to come after Mason, and then Mason will be as dead as him. Mason tells him, don’t do anything stupid. Austin’s only protection from Sonny is the boss, so just do as he’s told. Let the boss handle Sonny. He leaves.

Wiley and Donna chant, cake, cake, cake, and pound on the table. Sonny and Nina get ready to cut the cake, and Michael watches from the sidelines.

The guard says, this is it, opening the door, and Cyrus goes out into the sunshine wearing civilian clothes. He takes an envelope of the possessions he came with from the guard, and the guard says, he knows his way out. Cyrus says he certainly does, and tosses the envelope into a trashcan on his way to the gate.

Sonny and Nina cut the cake, and Sonny feeds Nina a piece. Michael watches.

Before going through the gate, Cyrus takes a deep breath and smiles.

Sonny and Nina wipe icing off of Donna and Wiley’s faces. Michael glares at Nina. This is bad.

The prison gate opens, and Cyrus walks out. He turns to look back at the prison.

Sonny and Nina kiss and drink champagne. Michael glares some more.

Cyrus gets in a car, and it drives away.

On Monday, Cody wonders if Sasha is going to walk away from her life after just getting it back; Willow says, Michael never told her who he was talking to; and Kristina asks what someone is doing here.

💭 A thought: Interesting that Nina and Cyrus have parallel goals of wanting a family and are both going about it all wrong.

🩺 The Doctor Was Out…

This is embarrassing. He’s my absolute favorite soap actor and I didn’t even realize he’d been gone for so long. Well, nice to have him back.

🧳In Sonny’s Defense…

The punishment fit the crime; being exiled to Bridgeport. And one of the funniest interactions ever, starting with her opening the door to give Sam the boot and him standing there.

🕵🏾 The Latest in Waldos…

It’s time to put him back on the canvas. Taggert is definitely underused.

🥀 Ringing Down the Curtain…

He had a wonderful run.

🗽 Her Face Is Irrelevant…

Doubtful she was joking considering her ego. Tribecca does not need her endorsement.

🧂 Four Teaspoons Of Salt…

This week in RHOSLC.

The slam.

The non-clap back.

To be filed under don’t care.

https://people.com/jen-shah-husband-sharrieff-shah-sends-50th-birthday-well-wishes-prison-exclusive-8303004

🍊 Orange You Done Yet…?

Fancy Pants Heather’s hint.

https://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county/style-living/rhoc-season-17-reunion-recap-heather-dubrows-new-house

It was pretty bold for one just released from banishment.

Apparently not too bold though, since the status quo stays the same.

💎 Possible Final Word…

So, they’re separated, but not divorcing, and it’s no one’s fault.

👠 Those 80s Ladies…

Normally, this wouldn’t be my type of film, but I do like an 80s flashback.

https://ew.com/tv/ladies-of-the-80s-lifetime-movie-first-look-photos/

https://people.com/ladies-of-the-80s-a-divas-christmas-lifetime-first-look-photos-8305219

⚰️ News Of the Departed…

Reddest herring in the world.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-daryl-dixon-melissa-mcbride-season-2/

It makes sense since Jadis was a huge part of the Rick story.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-the-ones-who-live-adds-terry-o-quinn-pollyanna-mcintosh-teaser-photos/

There better be some good explanation of why Victor went from antihero to antichrist.

https://bleedingcool.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-season-8-scene-madison-victor-reunite-kinda/

Dead at the con.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/new-york-comic-con-2023-recap-the-walking-dead-universe-rick-michonne-daryl-dixon-carol-fear/#1

🐩 Best In Costume…

I could look at this stuff all day.

https://www.thelist.com/646383/the-best-celebrity-pet-halloween-costumes-ever/

https://www.hola.com/us/lifestyle/20211022325485/celebrity-halloween-costumes-pets-roundup-gallery-1/

📣 Quotes of the Week

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. – Bertrand Russell

If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content. – Leo Tolstoy

I could not tread these perilous paths in safety, if I did not keep a saving sense of humor. – Horatio Nelson

Compassion for animals is intimately connected with goodness of character; and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man. – Schopenhauer

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

Our experiences don’t define us. It’s what we’ve learned from them that matters. – Monkey D. Garp (Vincent Regan), One Piece

A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave. – Mahatma Gandhi,

Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence. – Henry David Thoreau

Few things will make you feel better than a job brilliantly done. – Robin S. Sharma

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping. – Gertrude Stein

🪄 Putting a Spell On You…

Visit again on Monday really Tuesday for soap and what’s happening in the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay never blowing out a Jack O’Lantern before midnight on Halloween, and stay being aware of hospital protocol before you barge into a doctor’s office.

July 4, 2023 – Big Oops, Yesterday’s GH, Together Or Not, Morgan May Spin, No Dracarys Here, Today & America

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

My bad. I swear I read the soaps weren’t on Monday, and since most people were off Monday, it made sense. Oops. So here’s a quick(er) recap of yesterday’s GH. Tomorrow, we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled more information than you need.

General Hospital

Sam goes to see Carly and the moss bowl🎍. Sam tells Carly about Drew having to say goodbye to Scout, then having to console Scout afterward. Scout’s devastated. She lost her dad once, and now she did again.

Drew drops by Sonny’s penthouse, and tells him that he’s leaving for Pentenville today. Sonny wonders why he’s here instead of with his family, and Drew says, unfinished business.

Dante stops by Mac’s office, and Mac says, something interesting crossed his desk that he thinks Dante should see.

Sasha has an appointment with Dr. Montague, and Gladys tells her not to push herself too hard. Gladys knows she wants to end the guardianship, but she can’t rush mental health. Sasha says she just got an email from Gelhorn Jewelers. They’ve dropped the larceny charges against Cody. Gladys is sure they have their reasons, and Sasha has the feeling Gladys knows what they are.

At the pool, Scotty asks Cody to sign an affidavit so they can do business with the WSB. He has the feeling they’re going to play hardball. Cody asks if he’s going to be investigated, and Scotty tells him that the S in WSB stands for Security. Is that going to be a problem?

Michael tells Willow that Dr. Randolph isn’t meeting with them today, but sending someone familiar with the case. They have to believe it’s good news. TJ comes in and asks how Willow is feeling. She says anxious, and asks if he has the results. He says he asked Terry if he could deliver the news; it’s life changing. As a friend, he felt it might be better coming from him. From all accounts, the bone marrow transplant was a success.

Mac tells Dante that Gelhorn Jewelers dropped the charges against Cody after determining the clasp on Glady’s bracelet was faulty. A witness came forward. Dante reads that a waiter discovered the bracelet on the floor, and thought it belonged to the jacket above it. That’s weird. Mac says the waiter slipped the bracelet into Cody’s pocket, leading him to slip handcuffs on Cody. He imagined himself Cody’s father, not his arresting officer. Dante flashes back to finding out Mac is Cody’s father, and Mac says he wants to deliver the news himself.

Cody tells Scotty that the charges about the bracelet won’t stick. All it cost him was a new friend.

Sasha says, Gladys didn’t seem surprised or upset, and Gladys explains about the waiter finding the bracelet and putting it in Cody’s pocket. Sasha asks if Gladys is ready to admit the truth that she was wrong about Cody.

Drew tells Sonny that he’s said most of his goodbyes, and spent time with Scout. At least it’s not forever. Drew brought a guitar with him for Ned/Eddie. He’s hoping Ned’s favorite guitar will help bring back some memories. Sonny says, Ned took off, but he’s got his eye on Ned, and he’s not the only one.

Carly asks Sam to be honest about how she feels, and Sam says she’s unhappy and pretty angry. She wishes Drew would have made a different choice, and Carly says she does too. Sam says, Drew deserves peace and happiness, and sacrificed it again because of Carly. Carly doesn’t blame Sam for feeling the way she does, and wants to fix it for Drew, and Sam says, but Drew wants to fix it for Carly, which speaks volumes about how much he cares.

Sonny says he knows Drew was made an offer to flip on him. Drew could have given them damaging information and didn’t. Drew says, Carly would never turn Sonny in and neither would he. Besides it’s his debt to pay. Sonny says he’s not going to forget what Drew did for him and Carly. He has eyes in Pentenville who will look out for Drew. Drew says he appreciates it, but doesn’t think he’ll need it. Sonny tells him, keep your eyes open and your chin up.

Gladys says she was wrong about Cody, but he was wrong about her too. She’s not some diabolical mother-in-law. Sasha asks why Gladys didn’t tell her before she got the email, and Gladys says she didn’t want to distract Sasha before her appointment. She also thought Sasha would be angry because she’d blamed Sasha’s friend, but Sasha says, it was just a big misunderstanding. But the person Gladys should apologize to is Cody. Dr. Montague is ready for Sasha, and Gladys says she hopes she didn’t cause problems for Sasha and Cody, but Sasha says, there is no her and Cody.

Scotty says, after Cody signs the affidavit, he’ll have plenty of friends, and they’ll all look like Benjamin Franklin. It should prove he’s Leopold Taub’s son. Taub had no living relatives, so no one is going to contest it. This, and his birth certificate, will do the trick, unless the WSB decides to exhume Taub’s body. Can Cody cry on cue? The WSB were stupid and careless in losing the necklace, and Cody will suffer when they dig up dear old dad. They should push for it. Cody says, please don’t.

TJ says, they need six months to a year to know if Willow is for sure in remission, but they’re encouraged; there are no visible leukemia cells in the blood or bone. Willow can go home. Her immune system is still compromised, so they’ll have to make consideration for that. Willow wonders if it’s a dream, but TJ says, once she gets her meds and instructions, she can go home. Michael says he doesn’t think it’s a good idea. The gatehouse isn’t ready. Willow suggests they stay somewhere else temporarily, but Michael wonders if it’s safe. The kids carry germs; they can’t risk infection. TJ says, exposure to illness like chicken pox could be deadly because all her immunizations were wiped out, but they’ll go over it before she leaves. She says, it sounds like she’ll still be in isolation.

Sam says she realized Drew and Carly were a couple before Carly did. She’s happy for them, and if there was no other way out, she’s glad Drew stepped up for Carly. Her family needs her. Carly says she misses him already, and asks if Sam wants coffee. Sam says she hasn’t had coffee today because the kitchen is Dante’s domain, and tells Carly that they need to talk about all that Carly’s lost.

Gladys goes to Sonny’s, and asks if he talked to Sasha about not ending the guardianship. He says he did, and doesn’t blame Gladys for being concerned.

Sasha tells Dr. Montague that things are back on track, and he says he doesn’t want her to view the sessions as vehicles to prove herself to him. His purpose is to see if the guardianship should be ended, but he’s also here to help, and needs her to be honest. She says she is, but he says, she seemed troubled since she walked in. Does she want to tell him what’s making her so anxious?

Mac and Dante go to the pool, and tell Cody that they have news. Mac says the jeweler’s insurance company dropped the charges, and Cody says, that’s great. Dante says, Cody gets more excited about a chicken parmesan, and Cody says, to be fair. Mama Q’s chicken parm is perfection, but he knew he was innocent. What changed their minds? Mac says, a witness came forward and said they put the bracelet in Cody’s pocket, and Scotty says, the truth prevailed. He leaves to file the affidavit, and Mac asks to talk to Cody. Before Scotty can jet, Dante asks him what he and Cody are up to.

Drew hands over his possessions and gets frisked. There’s a song part while he does the equivalent of checking in; fingerprinting, photo, that sort of thing. A guard takes him to his cell, and from the hallway Cyrus says, it’s certainly not the MetroCourt, but it may be a step up from a leaky makeshift prison on a Greek island.

Mac tells Cody that he’s glad the charges were dropped but he had to do it, and Cody says he won’t hold it against Mac. Mac says he’s glad to see Cody and Scotty are on good terms, considering Cody punched Scotty when he first got to Port Charles. So Cody trusts Scotty? Careful with that.

Dante asks what the letter was about that Cody was signing, but Scotty says he’s not at liberty to talk about that. Dante wonders if Scotty is representing Cody in another matter, but Scotty says, Dante knows about lawyer/client privilege. Why is he concerned? Dante says he’s concerned that Cody is being scammed by Scotty.

Sasha says, what isn’t making her anxious these days? She guesses she feels the pressure of getting this right. He says, it sounds normal, and understandable. Has she tried meditation? She says she prefers yoga, but he asks her to try an app he recommends. She says she would like to feel more centered, and he says he has something else for her.

TJ says, Michaels concerns are valid. At first, Willow can only have physical contact with immediate family and a small number of friends, It’s crucial she avoids close contact with anyone’s who’s sick, and recommends they all wear masks. A nurse will be by with the information and medication. Willow says, he’s been invaluable as a doctor and friend, and he says he has to leave before he blushes. Michael says, the nightmare’s over, and she says, maybe they’ll get their happily ever after.

Carly tells Sam that it’s hard for her to wrap her head around all she’s lost in the past two years. Her husband, Jason, her hotel, now Drew. The $5 million SEC fine pales in comparison. Sam asks if she has it, but Carly says, even if she secures a loan, she still can’t afford it. She’s sick thinking about Drew in prison, and what she’s going to face out here. She doesn’t know what she’s going to do. What really pisses her off is that they’re in this position because of spite.

Drew says, Cyrus knows him, but who’s he? and Cyrus says he’s Drew’s brother in Christ. Blessed are ye who weep now, for ye shall laugh. He’s glad Drew isn’t weeping over his circumstances, and Drew says he’s learned time passes either way. Cyrus says his group would benefit from Drew’s outlook. They meet twice weekly in the library. Their brotherhood is founded on shared values, not on prejudice or partisanship. The minute he heard Drew was headed to Pentenville, he knew Drew’s place was with them.

Michael says, the gatehouse will be immaculate for Willow’s arrival, and he has no problem gatekeeping. Her health is all that matters. She promises to be good, and he asks who she wants to see. Sasha, Chase? She says, yes to both, but there might be someone else she wants to add.

Sam says, Carly has people who will help, but Carly says she’s not going to take a handout. Sam asks, what about Donna? and Carly says, thankfully, she’ll always be taken care of by her father. Sam says, what about Donna’s mother? but Carly says she’s handled setbacks before. The MetroCourt was a real blow, but she handled it and she’ll handle this. She just doesn’t know how yet. Sam admires her grit, and Carly says, they have that in common. Sam says, something she’s learned in the past few years is, it’s okay to ask for help and push your foolish pride aside.

Sonny tells Gladys that Sasha admitted she was nervous about ending the guardianship, and Gladys says, see? She’s not ready. Sonny says, it seems realistic to him. Nothing Sasha said indicated she’s not ready. So if she’s ready and the doctor and judge say yes, they’re going to stay out of her way.

The doctor gives Sasha a prescription bottle, and tells her to take five milligrams three times daily; it’s a mild sedative. It will help manage her anxiety and is often prescribed in conjunction with antidepressants. She asks if it’s habit-forming, and he says he’ll be monitoring her intake. He’s confident it won’t be a problem… unless she doesn’t feel in control. She says she does feel in control – totally.

Dante says he doesn’t want to see Cody getting in any more trouble, but Scotty says, everything they’re working on is aboveboard. There’s no scheme here.

Cody says, it seems Mac is always warning him against someone, and Mac says he’s not putting Scotty in Selina’s category, but he wants Cody to be careful around her. He promised not to interfere, and he won’t. Cody says, Scotty’s his legal counsel, and Mac apologizes. He’s prying. They might not be related, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want what’s best for Cody.

Drew asks why all the interest in him, and Cyrus tells him, don’t be so modest. His story is well known. Business mogul, prominent family, philanthropist. Navy SEAL hero turned prisoner, turned free man. Drew says, turned prisoner again, and Cyrus says, yet one more chapter in Drew’s fascinating story. Far from the end. It’s easy to lose faith behind bars, and he believes Drew’s presence at their meeting will help restore faith to some of their brothers. He thinks Drew will find great comfort in this book of prayers. He hands Drew a Bible, and Drew says he didn’t catch Cyrus’s name. Cyrus says, just call him Brother Cy, and Drew says, as in Cyrus? Cyrus says, Renault, and Drew says, Laura’s brother? Cyrus asks how his dear sister is, and Drew says, the Cyrus Renault whose drug trafficking caused overdoses and nearly killed Sasha Gilmore? Cyrus says his past is lamentable, and Drew says, he tried to kill Britt Westbourne. Cyrus says, thank God he wasn’t successful, and Drew says, Cyrus can thank his late brother Jason Morgan for that. He hands back the Bible, and says, and God help Cyrus, if Cyrus ever approaches him again.

TJ says, it’s official. Willow’s discharge is being processed. She can stay as long as she wants, but she’s free to leave once she’s reviewed all of her medication and instructions. He can’t stress enough that they need to protect her immune system, and not see people outside of her limited bubble. Michael says, they’ve got it, and they thank TJ. He says he’s so happy for them, and leaves. Willow says, he’s been a godsend, and Michael asks if she wants to add TJ to her bubble. She says, yes, but she was thinking of someone else, and he might not be happy. He says, whatever she wants, and she says she thinks her bubble should include Nina.

Carly tells Sam, maybe she’s being prideful, but it’s her mess. She has to clean it up, but she’s risen from the ashes before. Sam trusts Carly will get the clarity she needs. As long as she keeps her iron will, a roof over her head, and her freedom, she’ll think of something. Carly says, Sam’s right, and thanks to Sam, she’s figured out a way to use all three.

Gladys tells Sonny that Sasha has no idea of how stressful it will be to be on her own, having responsibility for her finances… having to make decisions where Deception is concerned. She might buckle under the weight. Sonny says, she’s made her point, but she has to understand something. It’s not up to her anymore. Give it up. Gladys leaves.

Dr. Montague says, Sasha is doing good, and if it continues, he’ll be able to give the judge a positive report. She thanks him for listening. It means everything. He says, they all need support. Talk therapy, meditation, and the prescription are all parts of a consistent wellness plan. He’ll see her next week. He goes into his office and calls Gladys. She asks if he did it, and he says, her daughter-in-law is on a new prescription regimen. It’s only a matter of time. If Gladys having second thoughts, he can invent an excuse for Sasha to bring back the medication. Gladys says, no. Let’s move forward. It’s the only move she has left.

Dante wants Scotty’s assurance nothing shady is going on, and Cody’s not going to get burned by what he just signed. Scotty asks what kind of a lawyer Dante takes him for, and Dante says, a sketchy one with a bag of tricks. Scotty says, this time it’s torts, not tricks. And just for his information, all lawyers have a sketchy bag of tricks. Dante says, tort? Like a civil lawsuit? Scotty tells him not to worry about Cody, and leaves.

Cody says he doesn’t mind Mac looking out of him. It’s unnerving, but nice. Mac says, don’t think of him as a cop, but a friend, and Cody says he already does.

Cyrus says, unlike them, the word of the Lord is free; no strings attached. Drew says, forgive him if he doesn’t believe that, and Cyrus says he does. He’s a big believer in the power of forgiveness, as he is in second chances. Take the book and don’t throw it away until he peruses its pages. He’ll find its lessons very useful. Drew takes it, and Cyrus leaves. Drew opens the Bible, and finds it’s hollowed out with a screwdriver inside.

Tomorrow, Cody asks Dante, what if he doesn’t want out of it; Lucy tells Maxie that there’s a snake in their midst; Sonny tells Nina, never say never; and Tracy asks someone if they’re in or they’re out.

🔁 It’s On, It’s Off, It’s Confusing…

Take your pick. Although even if Allison Dubois was right (which was actually the first thing I thought of), it doesn’t make her any less of an a-hole.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/other/the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-couple-kyle-richards-mauricio-umansky-split-report-medium-allison-dubois-reacts/ar-AA1dntq5

https://ew.com/tv/real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-kyle-richards-mauricio-umansky-separated/

⚰️ Spinning Into the Spin…

I can take or leave Rick, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Morgan again. I miss him already.

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-lennie-james-morgan-rick-reunion/

🐉 She Knows Something, Jon Snow…

I doubt anyone thought otherwise, but who knows with this show?

https://ew.com/tv/emilia-clarke-wont-be-in-jon-snow-spin-off-game-of-thrones/

🎆 Declare This…

The facts of the day.

https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-04/

😔 It’s Not Really the Hardest Word…

Sorry again. I was actually going to double-check yesterday, but I was all wrapped up in Netflixland. For real, there’s no new Deck tonight; just never before seen nonsense and nobody needs to see more than we have already. Join me tomorrow for soap and OC smack talk. Until then, stay safe, stay leaving the fireworks to the professionals, and stay forming brotherhoods on shared values, not on prejudice or partisanship.