Tag Archives: Michael Jackson

October 24, 2025 – GH Weekdays, Drew Pays Ronnie a Visit, Soap Suds, This Week In Reality, Weekend Watching, Watching Soon, A Rarity, An Ending, Spooky Viewing, All Dressed Up Plus a PSA, One Dozen Quotes & A Thrill

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

🥢 Weekday Bites…                                                                           

Monday:

Carly had wine with Jack and asked how his business trip was, even though the moss bowl🎍was probably more interested than she was. He told her about Charlotte’s visit with her father, and she said she hoped he got what he wanted from Valentin. He said he didn’t see the flowers he’d sent, and she said she had to throw them out.

Marco told Nathan that the arraignment was going to be handled by ADA Lansing-Davis. Marco saw Molly come in and went to talk to her.

Nina was brought into the courtroom and hugged Nathan. Willow was brought in, and she stared at Nina.

Michael asked why Dante thought he’d framed Willow. Dante said his grandfather’s gun had been found at Elizabeth’s and Willow said he put it there.

At the tea party, Olivia introduced Lucy to Ronnie, and Lucy immediately gave Ronnie a real estate spiel and her card, but Olivia intercepted it and said it wasn’t a business meeting. They were hoping Ronnie would make Port Charles her permanent home. Lucy said she was also the town historian. Ask her anything. Fun fact. This used to be her house when she married Monica’s husband Alan.

Tracy told Brook that she was glad to throw the party for Ronnie. What better way to demonstrate that she didn’t belong and never would?

Portia saw Elizabeth outside the Quartermaines and said she wasn’t just having morning sickness in the morning. Elizabeth asked if she told Curtis, but Portia said she wasn’t going to until she knew for sure he was the father. They went inside and Stella greeted them. Elizabeth asked, how’s the vibe? and Stella said there were a lot of ladies, tea, and tons of finger food. She hoped they were hungry.

Olivia introduced Felicia to Ronnie and said she was an Aztec princess. Ronnie curtsied, but Felicia said she gave up the title a long time ago. Tracy laughed, and Brook told her not to be mean. She suggested Tracy welcome Ronnie.

Jack asked why Carly threw out the flowers, and Carly flashed back to smashing the vase. She said they’d slipped out of her hands and shattered, and it seemed best to throw them out. He said he was afraid she was still mad about Josslyn and Vaughn, and she said he wasn’t wrong about that.

The judge said, first up, was The People vs Willow Tate, and Willow said she thought she and Nina were going to be charged together. Willow pled not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder, and they moved on to bail. Molly said Willow had a history of erratic behavior and her mother had ample means to spirit her away, but Martin said that was absurd. Willow had strong ties to the community, was a nurse, and had two children in Port Charles. She had no criminal history and the victim was there in support of her. But the judge agreed she was a definite flight risk and bail was denied.

Martin saw Lulu in the hallway, and she said she’d been covering for someone from the Port Charles Press. They’d arrived and she had to go to a tea party to meet Monica’s long lost sister. They’d been estranged, but Monica left the house and most of the estate to her. Martin said it must have made Tracy furious and that made him happy, and Lulu left for the party.

Ronnie met Portia, and Tracy told Stella that she was staying out of the way in case she got blamed for stirring the pot. Stella said she took it that Tracy wasn’t a fan, and Tracy asked, what’s not to like about a gold digging grifter? Stella said there still might be trouble. Portia and Jordan were in the same room and on the brink of open warfare. Tracy said as long as Brook couldn’t blame her.

Ronnie said Jordan was absolutely stunning (truth!) and wondered why she was single – not that there was anything wrong with that. Jordan said she’d been focused on her career, and Portia said she had a hunch Jordan wouldn’t be single long. She asked Brook if there was herbal or decaf tea and Brook went to get it.

Jack said he knew something was off, and Carly said she’d been struggling. He said he thought she understood he had no choice, and she said she thought she did, but had time to think about it. Did she really want to be with someone who was basically required to keep things from her, even if they involved the people she loved? He asked if she was ending things.

Nina said she felt terrible, but Nathan said there was nothing she could do. Focus on her own situation. Was she going to take the plea deal?

Drew wondered what the judge was thinking, and Martin said Willow would be transported to Pentenville as soon as Nina was arraigned. His hands were tied. He had to leave and suggested Willow get a lawyer to represent her at trial. He was already representing Drew, and she needed an actual criminal defense attorney, a damn good one.

On the patio, Dante told Michael that he wasn’t there as a cop, but convince him that he didn’t shoot Drew. Michael said the police had evidence that proved Willow was guilty, and Dante said Michael wasn’t there when Chase and Anna came back with the second warrant. Where did he go? Willow said he was in Elizabeth’s house. Michael said Elizabeth told him that he could wait, and Dante said he had ample opportunity to plant the gun. Michael said he didn’t. He wanted to talk to Willow about family therapy. He’d noticed that the visitation hearing was moved to January, and it was too long for the kids to go without seeing their mom. If he framed Willow, that meant he shot Drew. Did Dante think he could? Dante said between Michael and Willow, Michael had the stronger motive.

Carly said, when they met, she and Jack had an easy rapport, even though he’d been keeping secrets from her, big ones. She came to him for help with Lucky and he called in an air strike. He said he knew how important she was to him even thin, more than any woman had ever been. He’d do anything for her. She asked how he could keep her in the dark about daughter.

Felicia said Stella took no guff from difficult patients, and Ronnie said she had her share of nasty customers at the diner. Stella said she had the feeling Ronnie wasn’t a guff taker either, and Ronnie said, nope. Tracy said, et tu, Stella?

Martin found Lulu in the foyer and said she left her phone at the courthouse, but she said it wasn’t hers. She had it in her bag. He was about to leave, when Stella told them to come in and meet Monica’s sister.

Michael told Dante that Willow had every reason to shoot Drew. He’d lied to her from the beginning and slept with her mother. Dante said they’d reconciled, but Michael said maybe she had second thoughts. Dante said Michael and Drew were at odds. Drew blew up Michael’s family and was trying to get his kid, and Michael had a history of violence. Michale said he was protecting his mom and sister, and Dante said they would still use it against him. He should turn himself in. Michael said Dante gave him the same advice last time, and even though he was under 18, he was sentenced as an adult and went to Pentenville. Why would he ever take Dante’s advice again?

The judge called The People vs Nina Reeves. The charge was conspiracy to commit murder, and she asked how Nina pled. Molly said the prosecution was amending the charge to making a false statement, and Nina pled guilty. Willow asked Martin what Nina was doing.

Jack said when he and Carly started getting serious, they discussed parameters and he was clear about his work. Carly said they’d been through so much since then and she learned to trust him. She was convinced he’d never do anything to hurt her, but he did. Nothing was more important to her than her kids and he knew that, but he let Josslyn be pulled into his world and said nothing. Why didn’t he tell her that Josslyn was in danger?

Martin met Ronnie and explained he was a party crasher. He’d thought his niece left her phone at Willow’s arraignment. Stella asked how it went, but he said, not well, and Lucy asked if it was true that the gun was found in Elizabeth’s house. Elizabeth said, unfortunately, yes, and Lucy asked if she thought Willow was capable of shooting Drew. Tracy said she thought Willow would be a poisoner, but she must have thought that took too long, and Elizabeth said it wasn’t the time or place for gossip. Lucy said, it was merely conversation, and Lulu offered Portia some finger food. Elizabeth intercepted the tray and said she’d see if the other guests wanted some, and Portia looked sick. Jordan looked at Portia.

Dante said he’d never forgive himself for the part he played in Michael going to prison, but Michael said he shouldn’t have brought it up. Sorry. Dante said, don’t apologize. He knew that and wasn’t trying to upset Michael or make Michael think he didn’t believe in him, but since he’d been back from Germany, Dante had seen a different side. Michael always had the ruthless thing going on, but seemed harder and colder. Michael asked if Dante could blame him, and Dante said he couldn’t, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t worry or wonder what Michael was capable of. Maybe shooting his uncle in cold blood.

Stella told Ronnie that everything in the house told a story, and Ronnie said, if the walls could talk. Stella said she was sure the Quartermaines were happy they didn’t, and Ronnie said she got the sense that when the Quartermaines were quiet, that’s when you had to worry. Stella said it didn’t take Ronnie long to figure them out, when Martin said he was going to get while the gettin’ was good. Stella walked him out while Ronnie sipped her tea.  

Molly said the DA’s office had a plea deal that they were ready to present. In exchange for Nina pleading guilty, she’d get probation for one year and a $10,000 fine. Willow said Nina was recanting and helping the DA to save herself, and Drew yelled, bitch! How could she do this to her own daughter? The judge banged her gavel.

Jack said he didn’t tell Carly because there was nothing to tell. Josslyn was unwittingly dating an agent, but she was never Vaughn’s target or part of his mission. She was never in any danger, but he could understand why Carly was angry. Carly said it was a betrayal like no other, and he said he hated that and felt worse because he caused it. He cared about her and couldn’t lose her. Please tell him that he hadn’t. She asked him to promise one thing, and he said he’d try. She said she knew Vaughn and Josslyn broke up, so it wasn’t an issue, but in the future, if he found out Josslyn was at risk, promise he’d tell her. He promised, and she said he hadn’t lost her. She kissed him and he said, thank God. Did she want to have dinner with him tonight? She said she had a girls’ night with Donna, and he said he couldn’t beat that offer. She suggested a raincheck, and he said, absolutely, as long as they were really okay. She said they were, and he said he didn’t know how it happened, but she was his whole world. She said she felt the same, and he left.

The judge shouted for order, and Drew said Nina backstabbed her own daughter. He hoped she felt good about it. The judge said, another outburst, and she’d have him removed. Molly said Nina had signed a sworn statement, but needed to recant vocally on record. Nina asked if it was really necessary, and Nathan said she had to, for her sake and Willow’s. Nina said, on the night of September 2nd, 2025, between 9 pm and 10:33 pm, she was in her apartment at 979 Carlyle, alone. She didn’t see her daughter until later at General Hospital after Congressman Cain was shot. Willow began to cry.

Michael said if that’s how Dante thought of him, how could he stand to be in the same room? and Dante said he couldn’t ignore what he’d seen. Before the accident, Michael let Willow take the kids. Michael said Dante was ignoring what Willow had done while he was gone and was condemning him, and Dante said the old Michael was more compassionate. Michael said Willow proved herself unfit in his absence and stalked Daisy, but Dante said he didn’t have any proof that Willow targeted Daisy. Maybe he was framing her for that. Michael said he sent his newborn to another continent. Did Dante think he’d do that if he didn’t believe she was in danger? She was growing up without him. Every time Daisy’s mom sent a picture, it was like a knife in his heart. Dante said if he was so sure it was Willow, bring Daisy back, and Michael said he’d love to, but as Dante said, he had no proof. He wasn’t risking Daisy’s life like that. Even if Willow hadn’t been the one targeting Daisy, it wouldn’t matter. He could still prove his children weren’t safe with her. Dante said Willow loved those kids. She loved Wiley like her own. Michael said, letting her adopt Wiley was his first mistake. Wiley was scared and confused because of Willow. Her needs and feelings came first, even if it hurt her children. No more. Dante said it was all just a shame, and Michael said, like Dante told him, he’d changed, and so had Willow. She’d been in a downward spiral for a while. If Dante didn’t think she was capable of putting a bullet in Drew’s back, he was grossly underestimating her.

Olivia insisted that Portia try a stuffed mushroom, and Portia ate one. She said it was so good, then dashed out. Jordan followed.  

Lucy said the house was so beautiful, but felt stuffy, and Ronnie said when she fits got there, she couldn’t tell the difference between the crypt and the main house. Lulu told Lucy that she thought Ronnie had something stronger in her tea, and Lucy said they were going to grab a water for her. Ronnie said, sounds good, and Olivia asked how she was feeling. Ronnie said, good, so good, and Olivia said she knew it was a lot. Maybe Ronnie should lie down for a little bit. Ronnie said, why? They were in the middle of a party. Besides, things are gonna get fun now. She tapped on the teapot with a metal utensil, and asked, who wanted to cut loose and have fun? They could start with the music and play something less snoozy. Who was in charge of the music? She banged on the teapot again, and Tracy said, stop banging. That was her mother’s teapot, and Ronnie could break it. Ronnie said, who cares? It wasn’t a museum. It was a home, and it was her home. She laughed and said, so, ladies, please. In her home feel free to let their hair down and just do whatever they want to do. Kick off their shoes and take off whatever they wanted. She sat on the couch, took off her shoes, and said, that’s better. She put her feet up on the coffee table.

Carly called Spinelli and said she needed his help. But if he did this, he couldn’t tell anyone, not even Jason… Yes, it was that important. Please. She didn’t have anyone else to turn to… She thanked him and said she appreciated this. He needed to create a new identity for her, starting with a fake passport with a digital trail that could stand up to an extreme background check. Can he do that, please?… Don’t ask. Just make it good.

The judge said Nina was free to go. Arrangements were being made to transfer Willow to Pentenville. Willow said, this can’t be happening. It’s not fair. Nina forced her to lie. It was Nina’s idea. Nina said she was trying to help Willow, and Willow said she was going to prison because of Nina’s help. Nina said she’d explain later, but Willow said, don’t bother. It won’t matter. She hated Nina for this. Leave her alone. She was innocent and Nina should be behind bars. Drew had to help her. He said he promised, and as she was taken away, Willow said, he promised.

Dante said Michael would do anything for his kids, wouldn’t he? and Michael said he thought he knew what Dante was getting to. He was going to ask if Michael would kill for them. The answer was yes, but he thought Dante would say the same thing. Dante said it sounded like Michael would have no problem framing Willow – Lucy and Lulu almost walked in, but listened from the hallway – and Michael said if he’d shot Drew, Drew would be dead. He wished he had framed Willow. He’d make damn sure she was guilty and his children would never have to see her again. Lucy looked at Lulu.

In the foyer, Jordan asked if Portia felt better, but Portia said she felt fine. Jordan said she saw Portia run out and she seemed nauseous, but Portia said she was perfectly fine. Jordan said Portia was pregnant, wasn’t she?

Tracy said Ronnie was clearly inebriated, but Ronnie said she was relaxed. Had Tracy ever in her whole life been relaxed one time? Tracy said, not recently. She wasn’t surprised that Ronnie had a drinking problem. Ronnie said she did not have a drinking problem, but Tracy had a problem, a big problem. Did Tracy want to hear what it was? Felicia said this wasn’t going to end well, and Elizabeth said, but she couldn’t look away. Ronnie said she’d tell Tracy anyway, and Tracy said, of course (🍷). Ronnie said Tracy was uptight, frigid, and completely undersexed. She needed to go out and find herself a debaucherous, degenerate guy to take care of them for her. Stella dropped her cup and it shattered on the floor, and Ronnie laughed, flopping onto the sofa.

Tuesday:

Drew walked into Alexis’s house and said he was making her an offer she couldn’t refuse.

Kai met Curtis at Bobbie’s and said he was getting back Trina’s trust. Curtis said that would make it easier for him to ask this.

Trina and Josslyn were at the Brown Dog Bar and Josslyn said she sensed something was weighing on Trina. She was here for Trina, always. Trina said her parents were getting a divorce.

Portia said she wasn’t pregnant, but Jordan listed everything pointing to it. She asked if Curtis knew.

Tracy asked Ronnie to repeat what she’d said, but Olivia thought they got the gist. She left to get coffee, water, or anything, and Brook suggested Tracy go out for some fresh air. Ronnie said Tracy was full of hot air, and Tracy said Ronnie couldn’t speak to her like that. Ronnie said she’d speak how she wanted to in her house, and Tracy said she was three sheets to the wind. She took flowers out of a vase and was about to throw the water on Ronnie, and Ronnie said, don’t you dare.

Trina told Josslyn about Portia altering Heather’s test results. Somehow Drew found out and had been blackmailing her parents. Josslyn said there wasn’t a hole deep enough for Drew to fall into, and Trina blamed herself, but Josslyn said none of it was her fault and there was nothing she could have done to change it. Trina flashed back to telling Kai that she wished she could let them know the evidence was gone, and told Josslyn that she might have one thing that would turn it around.

Lulu came into Bobbie’s and told Curtis that she was pursuing a lead. Curtis introduced her to Kai, and she said she had a new angle on the Congressman Cain shooting. Curtis said when she was ready, he hoped she brought her article to Aurora first.

Felicia told Tracy, put the vase down, and Tracy said it wasn’t worth ruining. Ronnie said Tracy was mean spirited and abruptly sat down, saying the room was spinning. Olivia gave her water, and Tracy said she thought the party was over. Brook wanted everyone to meet Ronnie, and they did. She was a sloppy drunk who used alcohol to give her a personality. Stella said, enough, and Tracy said she was just trying to sober Ronnie up. They could all agree Ronnie Bard in this house was an insult to the Quartermaine family.

Portia said she didn’t have to answer Jordan’s questions and told her to back off. Jordan said she couldn’t pretend not to see what she saw, and Portia said, then don’t pretend. Mind her own damn business. Portia left, and Jordan called Anna. She said she was sending out the bat signal. Meet her at the Brown Dog.

Drew told Alexis that Willow was charged with premeditated murder because Nina lied, giving her fake alibi that she went along with because she thought Nina was guilty. ADA Turner made a deal Nina in exchange for recanting the alibi. Alexis said she didn’t see what this had to do with her, and Drew said Willow had been sent to Pentenville, and Alexis said that was the risk you took when you shot someone, but Drew said Willow was innocent. Michael planted the gun in her things. She didn’t have a lawyer and needed the best. He’d double Alexis’s retainer. Alexis said, absolutely not. It was never going to happen.

Curtis told Kai that he and Portia were filing for divorce. Trina had been blindsided and he was worried she’d need support. Kai said he’d do everything he could to help her get through, and Curtis said he didn’t want her to feel like she had to take sides.

Josslyn told Trina that it sounded like other things were going on, but the blackmail didn’t help. Relationships were hard and sometimes things just didn’t work out.

Anna had a glass of wine waiting for Jordan, and Jordan said she’d just found out Portia was lying to Curtis – again.

Portia saw Isaiah at the hospital and said she’d just been at a tea party from hell.

Ronnie said the room was still spinning, and Elizabeth asked if she was on any medication. Ronnie said, no, and she hadn’t had one drop of alcohol. She wasn’t drunk. They could check her tea. Felicia sniffed the cup and said, no alcohol, and Tracy said, that’s what alcoholics did – deny. Ronnie said she wasn’t drunk and had no idea what happ… Oh wait a minute. Somebody slipped her a micky.

Drew asked why Alexis didn’t want to defend Willow. Michael separated her from her kids and wasn’t it Alexis’s duty as an officer of the court to make sure justice prevailed? Alexis said she couldn’t believe his audacity when he’d kept Scout from her family. She felt sorry for Willow. Because of his selfishness and bad advice, she’d been influenced into making bad decisions, but that was on them. She didn’t want to deal with him in this mess even if he tripled her retainer. He said he had something even more valuable.

Jordan said Curtis held on to the bitter end and finally said it was over, and Anna said she wasn’t surprised. Jordan said they were filing for divorce and now this, and Anna asked what Portia was lying about. Jordan said Portia was pregnant.

Portia told Isaia that Jordan should mind her own damn business. They’d agreed to only telling Trina, but she was convinced Curtis told Jordan. Isaiah said, like she’d told him, and Portia said Curtis running to Jordan all the time made her furious, but Curtis would have custody of Jordan in the divorce and Jordan would finally leave her alone. Isaiah said he had a sure-fire way to improve her mood.

Kai said he hoped Curtis and Portia weren’t divorcing because of Drew. He knew Drew was responsible for Stella’s investigation and targeted her just to hurt Curtis. That opened his eyes to who Drew really was. He was sorry it took so long. Curtis tried to warn him, but he didn’t listen. For that, and a lot of other things, he owed Curtis an apology.

Lucas saw Lulu at Bobbie’s, and she asked him to join her. He said Elizabeth told him that there was a tea party at the Quartermaines, and he assumed she was invited. Lulu said she went briefly, and he said, tell him everything. What did Tracy do? Lulu said she wasn’t there long, but she and Lucy walked in on Michael having it out with Dante. Michael said that if he’d shot Drew, Drew would be dead, and he wished he’d framed Willow. He would have made sure she was guilty, so she never saw her children again. Lucas said, that meant Michael didn’t do it, but Lulu said Michael was so cold and calculating. He was too smart to tell a cop that he did it, but she was convinced Michael was capable of shooting Drew and framing Willow. Lucas said he thought she liked Michael, and she said, of course (🍷) she did, but who was more likely to shoot Drew in the back, Willow or Michael? Lucas said, in his opinion, Willow was more capable of violence than most people thought.

Tracy said, someone drugged Ronnie? Ridiculous. Ronnie said she’d been a waitress all of her life, and before that, she served cocktails. She learned to tell the difference between someone being drunk and someone who’d had something slipped in their drink. The drugged ones always said the same thing. They felt free, detached from their bodies like they were outside, seeing everything that was happening. That’s exactly how she felt now, like her mind was wrapped in cotton. Tracy said, drop the victim act and sleep it off, and Ronnie said she wasn’t drunk, but Tracy was working hard to convince everybody she was. Somebody wanted to humiliate her, and Tracy was the only person miserable enough to have done it and drugged her.

Anna asked if Jordan thought Curtis would stay with Portia because of the baby, and Jordan said Curtis didn’t get to raise Trina. It looked like Portia found another way to hang onto him. Anna said, then why hadn’t Portia told him that she was pregnant?

Isaiah said the renovations on his cabin were done and it looked amazing. It was the perfect weekend getaway for him and Portia. They could go on a day trip to the village, hold hands, and stroll. No one would know them or care. They could make a fire and open up a bottle of wine, and he might be persuaded to make his famous three-cheese omelet and serve her breakfast in bed. Portia said she’d love that, but wasn’t sure right now was the best time to get away together. He said if she needed to get away and be alone, he could give her the key, and she said, he’d give up his cabin time for her? He said, if she needed it, nothing would make him happier, but she said she didn’t want to be alone. She wanted to spend time with him. They kissed.

Curtis told Kai that he knew how easy it was to fall for Drew’s lies. Drew fooled him. He’d considered Drew a good friend until he saw Drew’s true colors. He’s glad Kai wasn’t taken in. Kai said he could barely look at Drew. He was ready to resign, but then Drew was shot. Was it wrong of him to keep working for someone he had zero respect for?

Lucas told Lulu that Willow needed to be a mom. She was consumed with it and blind to everything else. She needed to be with Wiley and Amelia regardless of what was best for them. Lulu said Willow thought she was what was best for them, and Lucas said she was delusional. The things she’d done to the kids were not okay just because as a mommy she decided they were. She wasn’t thinking like a mentally healthy person or a good mom. Lulu said she couldn’t disagree, and Lucas said Willow blamed Drew for not getting visitation and sleeping with her mom when he was seducing her away from Michael. As a mom, it was enough of a motive for her to shoot Drew. She was unwell and Lulu should think twice about going after Michael in the press. Carly would never forgive her, and she’d be helping a guilty woman go free.

Drew said he’d life the restraining order on Alexis and she could spend time with Scout if she agreed to defend Willow, and Alexis said he was going to use that sweet little girl as a bargaining chip? That was the textbook definition of extortion. He’d denied Scout’s family access to a child who loved and needed them and was using it to dangle in front of her so she’d do what he wanted. He didn’t care about what was good for Scout. He only cared about what was good for him. He asked what she thought Sam would want her to do.

Brook said Tracy wanted to prove Ronnie didn’t belong and spiked her tea to make sure that would happen. Tracy said she would never, and Olivia laughed. She said they all knew Tracy got Alexis drunk, then framed her for drunk driving, and Ronnie said, that’s horrible. Tracy did that to someone else? Tracy said she did not drug Ronnie, and Ronnie said she had it with Tracy. Tracy had a lot to say today. Now shut up and let her have her turn.

Lulu told Lucas that she was just trying to report the facts. She couldn’t keep the facts from the public because Carly would be upset. Whoever shot Drew needed to be brought to justice. Lucas agreed, and she said, what if the PCPD had the wrong person in custody? Lucas said Michael was a good man, and Lulu said, so was Sonny, but he could also be completely ruthless at heart. Michael was like his father.

Alexis said she couldn’t believe Drew brought Sam into it, and he asked how many times she’d criticized what he was doing and used Sam. How would Sam feel if she rejected the opportunity to spend time with Scout? Alexis said she hated him, and he said all he was asking was for her to do her job defending an innocent woman. She said that’s why she didn’t want to take the case. He’d do anything to get what he wanted and she refused to be part of it. He said she wouldn’t be dealing with him at all. Willow would call all the shots. She said, fine. She’d take the case. On one condition.

Jordan told Anna that she couldn’t say for sure if Curtis knew, and Anna asked if she thought it was possible Portia didn’t want the baby. Jordan said she had no idea, but it could definitely be the reason she was keeping the pregnancy a secret. Portia was doing what she wanted and not thinking about Curtis’s feelings. Should she?

Kai told Curtis that he liked the work and made great contacts who would consider him for a job after graduation, but it wouldn’t happen if he quit. Curtis said, then stay. He wouldn’t be a hypocrite. A lot of people hated their bosses (truth!), and if he could create a brighter future, why not stay and learn what he could. But be sure to maintain his own sense of right and wrong while he does it.

Ronnie said she tried to get along with Tracy, but from the minute they met in the crypt, where she was trying to say goodbye to her sister, Tracy had been a complete witch to her. In her letters, Monica had said Tracy was mellowing over time, but if this was an improvement, she couldn’t imagine. When Monica sent her letters, she was so impressed with the life her sister had made for herself. A big house, a loving family, she thought Monica had it so damn good, but coming here and meeting Tracy and seeing her in action, she pitied Monica. She would rather be dead broke and sleeping in the streets that put up with Tracy’s nasty insults and temper tantrums. Tracy asked if everybody was just going to stand around and let Ronnie speak to her like that, and Olivia said it was Ronnie’s house. Ronnie said Tracy treated her like someone who snuck in to steal the silver. All she ever wanted was to find out more about Monica. She had no expectations when she came there other than to share stories about her sister, who she avoided most of her life because she stupidly let her angry teenage self, with her whole 16 years of life, determine how the rest of her life was going to go. For that, Tracy attacked her every time she could. Brook was kind to organize this party for her, and it meant a lot. She thanked Brook for that, but Brook’s grandmother had used her kindness to humiliate her. Tracy wasn’t just vindictive, but she was spiteful and cruel. She wasn’t putting up with it anymore. Get out of her house and don’t come back.

Trina asked if Anna would mind her talking to Jordan, and Anna said, of course (🍷) not. She left, and Trina asked if her dad told Jordan that he was getting a divorce. Jordan said, he did. She was sorry. She knew it was hard for Trina. Trina said it was, but they still loved each other. She thought they could work things out, but it couldn’t happen if Jordan didn’t keep her distance from Trina’s dad. Jordan said she and Trina’s dad had known each other a long time, and Trina said she knew, but Jordan needed to give her mom and dad the space to realize they still had so much that tied them together.

Anna sat down across from Josslyn, who said, please sit. Anna said, so Josslyn was a WSB agent, and Josslyn nearly choked on her drink. She said that conversation is not for the Brown Dog, and Anna said Josslyn needed to tell her one thing. When she was at the Five Poppies, did she hear anyone mention the name Cesar Faison? If Josslyn did, she needed to know. Josslyn said she couldn’t tell Anna that information. She wasn’t WSB anymore. Anna said no one knew Faison better than she did. If he was somehow involved in any of this, the situation was going to get very dangerous. Not just for Josslyn, but for a lot of people. Make no mistake, Josslyn was going to need her.

Isaiah asked if that was a yes to going away this weekend, and Portia said she’d absolutely love to spend time alone with him. It would give them a chance to talk about everything going on between them.

Curtis told Kai that Drew would do everything in his power to exonerate Willow. Don’t let Drew drag him into anything illegal, and if Kai needed anything, call him.

Lulu told Lucas that Michael was raised by Sonny and seen Sonny do whatever it took to get what he wanted. It had to have an effect on who Michael was as a person. Lucas said he wasn’t a fan of Sonny’s, but Carly and Monica countered his influence, and Lulu said she hoped he was right. The last thing Michael said was that he hoped Willow never saw her kids again. He seemed to justify anything he did as long as he thought he was acting in the children’s best interest. Lucas said, if that was true, heaven help the kids. Willow was the exact same way.

Alexis said she’d represent Willow if Drew lifted the restraining orders on her, Molly, Kristina, Rocco, and Danny, but Drew said, not Danny. Alexis said Scout missed her brother. She had the right to see Sam’s kids. He said Willow needed a great lawyer and he could ask another one. He would not have that hit man’s son anywhere near his daughter. She said Danny wasn’t Jason. It was ridiculous to pretend he was. Drew said he didn’t care, and Alexis asked, what the hell was wrong with him? How could he be horrible to Sam’s kid? He said it wasn’t his kid, and she said he was a petty little man. He said it was his final offer. Scout could see everyone except Danny. Alexis said she wanted to see Scout tomorrow, and he said, fine, after she met with Willow.

Tracy said Ronnie couldn’t throw her out. They were all okay with this? Olivia said she loved Tracy, but she’d been horrible since day one. Now she drugged Ronnie’s tea. Of course (🍷) Ronnie was throwing her out. She didn’t want Tracy at the MetroCourt either. Tracy said, wow. Thanks for that. She’d been kicked out of the house before, but always made it back. Why? Unlike Ronnie, she was a Quartermaine. Olivia said, don’t start, and Tracy said she couldn’t believe her own family siding with a con artist, whom she did not drug. Brook said she loved Tracy, but Tracy did it to herself, and Tracy told Ronnie that she said it herself. She walked away from Monica. And despite all the correspondence they supposedly shared, Monica didn’t want Ronnie in her life. So didn’t she think they would have met in person if Monica wanted Ronnie in her life? What was cruel was Monica giving this beautiful house to her sister in name only and leaving the woman who spent 45 years with her a jar of relish. Tracy seemed on the edge of crying and said, Ronnie wanted to know about her sister. She was never cruel. Something was very wrong here. This was not Ronnie’s house and would never be her home… but she was going to leave now and she was going to take every framed photograph of her family and every prized possession with her. She’d call for her things in the morning. She left.  

Wednesday:

Lois went to see Sonny and said she hoped he’d show her the same grace as last time. Sonny said, after he found out she’d lied to him and the family for over 20 years.

Josslyn saw Emma outside Bobbie’s and wanted to talk. Emma said it better be good.

At Bobbie’s, Gio told Ronnie that she was the first person to order tomato juice, coconut water, and hot sauce. She said it was the perfect antidote to… a tea party. Brook said breakfast was on her after the stunt Tracy pulled, and Gio asked what Tracy did now.

Tracy woke up on Lulu’s couch and suggested Charlotte and Rocco hit the mute button. Lulu told them, keep it down. Tracy had a rough night.

On the phone, Britt said she was aware she was late. That’s why she was calling. She didn’t know when she’d be in. She’d been detained. Anna let Britt into her office, and Britt said if she lost her job, she was holding Anna responsible, but Anna said that was the least of Britt’s problems and present her with a bill for the manpower and resources used involving her supposed death.

Nathan went to Jack’s office and Jack asked where he’d been for the past seven years.

Steinmauer. Valentin was brought into the visiting area and sat across from a woman. He said when they told him that his lawyer was there, he didn’t expect her. Carly – in a dark wig and glasses – said, Barbara Saunders. She was asked to review his case and recent developments may result in his early release.

Lois said she couldn’t change what she did, but wanted to right as many wrongs as she could. So was Sonny going to invite her in or ask her to kick rocks? Sonny told her to come in and they hugged.

Josslyn said she heard Emma got her job with Dalton. She wasn’t looking to work for him, but Emma shouldn’t be either. Emma said he hadn’t tried anything, and Josslyn said, not yet. He wasn’t the average creep. He was a lot more dangerous than Emma thought and Emma needed to trust her. Emma said Josslyn was the least trustworthy person she knew. Josslyn being unreliable worked in Emma’s favor and she planned on taking full advantage of it.

Ronnie said she’d shared words of wisdom with Tracy, who didn’t take kindly to them, and Gio said he wished he’d been there. Brook said he didn’t, and Ronnie said Tracy accused her of being drunk and she knew she wasn’t drunk, but knew something was off. It hit her that her tea had been spiked. Gio said, Tracy drugged her? and Ronnie said, uh-huh.

Lulu said Tracy was staying a little while, and Charlotte asked, how long? Tracy said it was open-ended. She’d been kicked out. Charlotte stifled a laugh and wondered why, and Lulu said Tracy was a guest and they’d treat her as such. Rocco said he needed help with his French homework, and he and Charlotte went upstairs. Tracy asked if they didn’t go to school, but Lulu said it was an in-service day and they were off. Before Tracy settled in and sent out change-of-address cards, they needed to get a few things straight.

Carly said she’d like to speak to her client alone, but the guard said they needed eyeballs on the inmate all the time. Carly said her client had the right to privacy in this situation and asked if she needed to elevate the matter. The guard left, and Valentin said her credentials must be unimpeachable. She said she had help from a friend, and he said, Jack could have gotten her in with no pretense… unless she was keeping the meeting from him. Why?

Jack told Nathan that they had footage of him getting off an exit before the accident. He’d been on the phone, but no phone was found on him or in the car. Nathan said he didn’t remember, and Jack said there had been a ping from a burner phone before the accident and it was likely from the phone he’d been using. With any luck, they’d find the person he’d been talking to. Nathan asked why he was going through the trouble, and Jack said when someone resurfaced who was presumed dead, it warranted investigation, especially if it was the son of Cesar Faison.

Lois said sitting on the boardwalk in Atlantic City with Brook was one of the best days of her life, and Sonny asked if it was the first time they’d been alone. Lois nodded and he asked if they’d spoken since. She said, no. She’d never ask him for help with that, but needed help with repairing Brook’s relationship with her son. Gio was pushing away and she had to make that right.

Brook said she thought Tracy saw the tea as a chance to show that Ronnie didn’t belong, and Gio said it wasn’t just bad. It was illegal and dangerous. Ronnie thanked him for his concern, but said she was okay today and more than got back at Tracy. She evicted her. Gio said he didn’t expect that, and Brook said, neither did her grandmother. Gio said it was good to set boundaries. If you didn’t, people walked all over you.

On the deck, Rocco said he’d lied to get Charlotte away from Tracy, and Charlotte said Tracy couldn’t just order them around. He said he knew Tracy was a lot, but she could be nice, and she was just kicked out. Be easier on her.

Lulu said Tracy was welcome to stay as long as she needed to, but Charlotte and Rocco were teenagers. That meant they were loud. Tracy said she lived with Rocco and Danny. She knew their ways. Lulu said, not in quarters this close. If she couldn’t deal with their ways, it was best she found someplace else. Tracy said she wouldn’t have to deal with their ways if Ronnie Bard hadn’t gotten loaded and convinced the entire family that she was to blame.

Josslyn asked what Emma meant by taking advantage, but Emma said it was none of her business. She was done talking. Josslyn grabbed her arm and said she knew she’d screwed Emma over and it was fine that she was mad. But don’t let herself get in deeper. She wouldn’t hurt Josslyn, but she’d hurt herself. Trust her when she said Emma didn’t want to be near what Dalton was doing. Emma asked what made her so sure Dalton was bad, and Josslyn flashed back to talking to Jack. Her phone rang, and she told Emma, don’t say I didn’t warn you, and left.

Valentin asked what the state of Carly and Jack’s relationship was, and Carly said, as far as Jack was concerned, she was knee deep work and wouldn’t see him for a few days. He said, Sonny and Jason wouldn’t be happy. She must have a very good reason to see him.

Britt said told Anna that she couldn’t afford it. It was ridiculous. Was it even legal? Anna said Acting DA Turner could find a way to make it legal, or she could feed the bill to the shredder and forget about it. Britt asked how much the memory lapse would cost, and Anna said, who helped fake her death? What was she doing at the Five Poppies and who was in charge? She needed every detail.

Sonny told Lois that Gio had moved in with him and had a job at Bobbie’s, and she said knowing Gio was there made her happy. By any chance did he get a new violin? Sonny shook his head, and she said, what about school? He said, Gio didn’t want to go right now. He was figuring out who he was and what he wanted minus the input of the people who loved him and wished him well. She said she understood why he wanted her and Gloria out of his life, but music was a big part of who he was. It was a gift from Camilla. He said, Gio associated it with the lies he’d been told his whole life, and she said she couldn’t stand it. Gio was giving up something he loved, and her daughter couldn’t have a relationship with her son. The two people she loved most were hurting because of her.

Emma told Gio that Josslyn tried to convince her to quit working for Dalton, and Gio wondered if she had a good reason. Emma said she thought Josslyn wanted her job back. They’d put Dalton on the back burner for too long and it was time to show the world who he really was.

Ronnie told Brook that her son was a good kid, but Brook said she couldn’t take credit. Ronnie said Gio mentioned he’d just found out she and Dante were his parents, and Brook said, they all did, and it came out in the most traumatic way, driving a mile wide wedge between them. They were hoping if they gave Gio some space, he’d come back, but at this point, she didn’t know if he would ever let her be a part of his life.

Nathan said his mother left her past behind and Faison was dead, and Jack said so were Nathan and his sister. He got Nathan’s brain scans and there was nothing there. No trauma or lesions. Nothing that would impair his memory from the time of his supposed death until he woke up in the hospital. Nathan asked if Jack was calling him a liar, and Jack said they had reason to believe Cesar Faison’s syndicate was still in operation. Now was the time for Nathan to tell him if he was involved.

Valentin told Carly that he was content living abroad in relative peace, when Jack tried to shoot him three feet from his daughter. Carly was collateral damage when he’d tried to kill Jack and if Jack was around her daughter, she wasn’t safe. Carly said she planned on destroying Jack Brennan and asked if he wanted to help.

Nathan asked if Jack thought he was part of a syndicate run by a dead man, but Jack said he didn’t know who was running it. He’d exchange full immunity for answers, but if Nathan declined, he would charge Nathan with the same crime – conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and treason. How would his son feel about that? Nathan said he just met his son for the first time and lost seven years of his life. Faison was a criminal who’d threatened the mother of his son and shot him. Faison was no father to him. Ask Anna. Unlike Jack, Anna knew him and would tell Jack that he’d help if he could. He was glad he met Jack because now he knew who Jack was. Jack could threaten him all he liked, but don’t push him around.

Britt said the Five Poppies was out of Anna’s jurisdiction. Anna had no right to question her about something that happened thousands of miles away. Anna said she did if it affected the safety of the people there, and Britt asked if she had evidence connecting it… She didn’t think so. It was time for Anna to let go of her delusion of being an international agent and accept the fact she’d been demoted. Anna said the reason Britt was there was because she sent Jason. He’d assumed Britt was in Croatia because she was going to die and he was willing to let her live out her last days as she saw fit. She told him that the WSB was looking at the Five Poppies and that suggested Britt’s presence wasn’t voluntary. So Jason went to rescue Britt. She wasn’t trying to take Britt down. She was trying to help her.

Lulu asked if Tracy was saying Ronnie framed her. Admit she spiked Ronnie’s drink. Tracy said she didn’t. This was the second time she’d been accused of drugging someone. Where did people think she got this stuff? Lulu said people knew she was resourceful. Was she saying it was someone else? Tracy said Ronnie over imbibed, and she was an easy scapegoat, and Lulu said Tracy had set her sights on taking Ronnie down since she came to town and had her investigate Ronnie. Ronnie lived a quiet, law-abiding life. Tracy said she didn’t believe it, and Lulu asked why she was so convinced otherwise. Tracy said she knew Monica as well as she knew herself. There was no way Monica would give Ronnie a doghouse much less the family estate. That woman was hiding something and she knew it.

Charlotte admitted that maybe she was harsh. She was jetlagged and the visit with her dad was weird. Rocco asked if she meant bad weird, but she said, just weird weird. It was good seeing him, but in a huge creepy prison, it was hard. Rocco said maybe he’d get out on good behavior, and Charlotte asked how dinner with his other family was. He said, good. Liesl and Nathan were cool. She said, what about Britt? and he said she was hard to read, but he thought she cared about her mother and brother. She asked if he noticed anything off, but he said he didn’t know Britt well enough. Why? She said when she was with her dad, he asked her to pass along a message to him. He said Rocco shouldn’t trust Britt.

Valentin said now Carly saw Jack as the son of a bitch he was. What changed her mind? Obviously, Jack had done something to one of her children. She asked what he’d do if Jack recruited his daughter, and he said he wouldn’t rest until Jack was six feet under. How long had Josslyn been a WSB operative? Carly said she thought eight months, but didn’t know how Jack lured her in, and he said there were two kinds of recruits. Those who were interested and those who had to be convinced, exploited. Those prospects were vulnerable and there was leverage – money, a misguided sense of patriotism, a personal tragedy they wanted to avenge. She said Josslyn’s boyfriend Dex was murdered, and he asked if the murderer was found. She said it was Cyrus Renault who disappeared. Josslyn left town afterward. He asked if she thought Jack possibly had something to do with it.

Lois told Sonny that she kept the secret, but could have told Brook before everyone found out and given her a chance at a real relationship with her son. Sonny said she could have also given the family a chance, and she said she was happy Gio let Sonny be a part of his life. Sonny said he thought she was leaving the past in the past and moving forward, and she said that’s what she was trying to do, but needed his help. Gio needed to stop blaming Brook. He needed to know it was all on her, but he wouldn’t talk to her. She needed Sonny to get them in the same room. He said, even if she talked to Gio, it was no guarantee it would change anything.

Ronnie said she thought Gio was trying to make sense of his part in the family, and Brook said she didn’t know why he wanted to be part of the family. He knew the Quartermaines were a bunch of liars, and now he thought they’d drug your tea too. Ronnie said, what’s a family without a little dysfunction? and Brook said, that was a generous take. Ronnie said Tracy wasn’t the only Quartermaine. The rest had been so lovely since she walked in the door, including Gio, who had an open invitation to come back. The problem was, finding a way to draw him back in. Brook said she thought she may have that covered.

Emma said she thought the master key would get them in the lab, and Gio said it would have if Dalton hadn’t taken extra security measures. Between that and her grandma trying to stop them, they were up against it. She said she thought they were in luck. Her grandma had been distracted and was busy. Now what the best chance they were going to get.

Tracy told Lulu than Monica never mentioned her sister, but as soon as she died, Ronnie showed up with letters as evidence. Lulu asked if she didn’t have them looked at by a handwriting expert, and Tracy said, they could be wrong. She was getting a second opinion. She had been closer to Monica for the last two years than anyone and Michael was the center of Monica’s universe. There was no way she’d disinherit him in favor of a sister she hadn’t spoken to in a decade. The will was a forgery. Charlotte wondered what a moving truck was doing pulling into their driveway.

Britt said she didn’t need rescuing, and Anna said the evidence suggested otherwise. Britt said she’d been working in a lab on developing an exfoliant scrub, but Anna said she didn’t think they’d use a bomb to cover up a spa treatment. Britt said it was a competitive market, and Anna said they forgot to add the toxicity screening. That ran up Britt’s bill by 10K, but she’d settle for Britt telling her who she was working for. Britt flashed back to finding her meds with the note signed C, and said, that Eurocreep Pascal, but Anna said, he was the middleman. Who did he answer to? It wasn’t Cesar Faison, was it? Was her father still alive and running the Five Poppies?

Jack showed Josslyn the video of him talking to Nathan, and Josslyn asked if he thought Nathan knew something. He said, didn’t she? and she said she hardly knew Nathan, but heard he was a total Boy Scout. She didn’t think he’d do anything connected to Faison. He said, so he should take Nathan’s memory loss at face value? And she said, look at Jason, but he said, Jason’s answers were less convenient than Nathan’s.

Valentin said he assumed Josslyn felt vulnerable after Dex’s death, and Carly said, she was devastated. She told herself that Josslyn was lost in a personal vendetta, when all the time, Jack used it as a test to recruit her. Valentin said, maybe Jack pointed her in Cyrus’s direction to see how far she was willing to go and she figured it out. Carly wondered if Josslyn murdered Cyrus, but Valentin said maybe she tracked Cyrus down on her own and it was part of Jack enticing her to be a recruit. Jack couldn’t resist, especially if Josslyn finished the job herself. Carly asked if he was telling her that the man she’d been falling in love with turned her daughter into a killer.

Sonny said Lois needed to live with the possibility that things may never be the same with Gio and Brook, but she said she had to try. She was begging him to please help her make this right.

Gio asked Emma to promise that whatever they did, they did it together, and she said, obviously. She needed him for back-up. He said he preferred being her partner in crime, and they kissed.

Brook smiled, and Ronnie said she was guessing that lovely young woman was part of Brook’s plan. Brook said Emma rescued Outback. Dogs weren’t allowed in the stable, but she told Emma that Outback could stay since she figured Emma would come visit. Ronnie said, and Gio would come with her. Not bad. She guessed that Brook was Tracy’s good granddaughter.

Gio’s phone rang, and he told Emma that it was Sonny. Sonny told him that he needed to come back to the house when he got off work, and Gio asked if everything was okay. Sonny said Lois was there and it was important that Gio see her.

Lulu said, everyone knew how much Monica loved Michael. Edward left him a fortune, and she didn’t need to demonstrate her love with more money. Maybe she felt Ronnie needed both. Charlotte and Rocco brought in two big boxes, and Lulu asked what was in them. Tracy said a few items she rescued from the house, and Lulu looked out the window. She said, a few? There was a giant moving truck parked in her driveway.

Britt said she was tired of hearing that name. That man had been a blight on her entire life. Her mother was obsessed with him and ignored her. Now she might lose the only good thing she had going in her life – her job – because Anna dragged her in. She hated to disappoint Anna, but her psycho ex had nothing to do with the Five Poppies and he was dead. She answered Anna’s questions and wasn’t paying the bill. Anna could burn it or bill her, but she just wanted to move on with her life. Anna said Britt thought she was protecting herself by staying silent, but she was making herself vulnerable, and Britt said she was done. She had to see if she still had a job. Thanks for nothing. She left.  

Josslyn told Jack that she was at the Brown Dog with a friend and Anna was there. Anna made a point of interrogating her about the Five Poppies and Cesar Faison came up more than once. Jack said Anna was probably jumping at shadows. However, she did know Faison better than anyone else and they couldn’t discount that. Two of Faison’s dead children showed up in Port Charles alive while they were investigating his last project. That wasn’t a coincidence. They were connected somehow.

Valentin said maybe Jack stepped in and took care of the rest, but Carly said Josslyn was a participant in Cyrus’s death. She may not be able to get Josslyn out, but she could get Jack out of Josslyn’s life before she did something worse or he got her killed. Valentin said they couldn’t do it alone, but together they had a chance. They had the one thing that could destroy Jack. Carly asked, what? and he said, her. She was the only one Jack trusted. Anyone else he’d spot from a mile away. He’d never see it coming. She asked what she was supposed to do, and he said, the first thing was to make Jack think she loved him more than anything or anyone in the world.

Thursday:

Chase saw Michael in the steam room and asked if he saw the headlines in the Port Charles Press. The article said other suspects might be at large. Did Michael really believe Willow was capable of shooting Drew?

Cody went to the main house and introduced himself to Ronnie. She said she had to tell him that she always had a weakness for cowboys. (Nice nod to OLTL.)

Brook knocked at Lulu’s door, and Tracy opened it. Tracy told Brook that she had nothing to say to her, and slammed the door in her face.

Gio went to Sonny’s house, and Lois said she was hoping he would come. He said he almost didn’t.

At Bobbie’s, Martin told Drew that the press did a good job casting reasonable doubt on Willow. He’d do whatever possible to find her a good attorney. Drew said there was no need. He took care of it.

Willow saw Alexis in the visiting room at Pentenville and asked if Scout was okay. Alexis said she was there for Willow. She was Willow’s new attorney.

Jacinda met Kristina outside Bobbie’s and said her agency told her that Kristina requested a meeting. Kristina said she didn’t want to pry, but was going to. What did Jacinda have going on with her brother? Jacinda asked, why? and Kristina said she was concerned. She loved her brother, and he’d been through the ringer. He’d had a difficult recovery, and his ex had told the court that he’d abandoned his children. He might appear to have it all together, but deep down, he had a big heart and had been hurt badly. She was worried that he and Jacinda were getting more serious and moving too quickly.

Chase insisted Willow wasn’t a murderer, and Michael said he didn’t think they should get into this. Chase said he knew Michael and Willow had problems, but it had gone too far. An innocent woman had been arrested. Michael said Chase didn’t know Willow as well as he thought he did.

Alexis said Willow deserved the truth. Drew didn’t leaved her a choice.

Drew said Alexis agreed to defend Willow on one condition, that she be able to see Scout, and Martin said he was glad it worked out. He’d talk to the judge about lifting the restraining order. Drew said he still needed the restraining orders as leverage. He wouldn’t enforce them unless he felt Alexis wasn’t doing what she could to free Willow. Martin asked, what about the rest of the family? and Drew said, the Davis women, but not Danny or the Quartermaines. Martin said that meant Scout wouldn’t get the privilege of meeting her new great aunt. The Quartermaines had a new relationship to play with – Monica’s long lost sister Ronnie.

Ronnie said Monica had written that she was pleased the family finally found a wonderful head groom, and Cody said she loved the stable, but not every horse was hers. Ronnie said, Tracy made that clear, and Cody said the name of Tracy’s horse was Hades. Ronnie said, hard to handle, bad tempered, and bites, but Hades could stay, and Cody said he heard Tracy moved out. Ronnie said she evicted Tracy, and he said he’d gotten to know Tracy and was sorry to see her go. Ronnie said she thought Tracy would be rough to work for, but if there was another side to Tracy, she’d like to hear it. Cody said Tracy was cold, mean, and thought she was better than everybody else, but she could be extremely generous, loyal to a fault, and would literally do anything for the people she loved, and she loved Ronnie’s sister.

Brook continued to bang on the door and said, open up. She would just get louder. Tracy told her, get in here. What did she think they had to talk about? She didn’t drug Ronnie at the tea party. Brook said that wasn’t why she came, and Tracy said Brook had known Ronnie for an hour and a half and known her for her whole life. Why was Brook taking that hash slinging harridan’s word over hers?

Lois said she wanted to take the chance to clear the air, but Gio said he’d rather move on. She said she wasn’t there to explain anything. She’d heard he took time off from school and wasn’t playing music anymore. He said he was working and figuring stuff out, and she said she was worried about him. He was pushing the things he loved out of his life, like music. Music didn’t betray him and neither did Brook or Dante. The person who betrayed him was her.

Lois said he had every right to be mad at her, but she was asking him to put his anger where it belonged – on her, not Brook or Dante, and especially not on himself. Gio said he wasn’t angry, but she said, of course (🍷) he was. He said he didn’t want to be and he wasn’t mad at himself, and she asked why he was waiting tables. He said there was nothing wrong with it, and she said he should be playing concert halls or even the park. He was so incredibly talented. It would hurt Camilla to know he wasn’t playing music, but it would hurt more knowing it was because of her. He said he was still trying to make sense of his whole life, his childhood, his mom. Nothing was what he’d thought it was. She said she knew it would take time to figure all that out, but he also needed to figure out how Dante and Brook fit into his life as well. She knew he was angry, but Dante didn’t even know, and Brook gave him up because she was so young. She came to her mother for advice, and she was the one who told Brook that he’d be better off – she started to cry – if he was adopted out to a young family. She was with Brook when Brook gave birth, and giving him up for adoption was the greatest sacrifice of her life.

Brook asked Tracy, why not make peace? She wasn’t asking her to apologize for the tea party, but for treating Ronnie like dirt. Tracy said she wouldn’t give Ronnie the satisfaction, but Brook said she’d already lost her mother and grandmother. She didn’t want to lose Tracy too.

Ronnie gave Cody some snacks and said she’d gotten the recipe from her line cook, and Cody said he’d kill for the recipe. She said, tell her more about Monica, and she’d give it to him, and he said he didn’t know her as well as everybody else, but he was told that before Monica and Tracy became close, it was the clash of the titans. In the end, Tracy was Monica’s mouthpiece, bodyguard, and attack dog. She stood up to Drew Cain when Monica couldn’t do it herself. Ronnie asked why she kept hearing that name. Michael had a lot of things to say about Drew, and she was hoping he was exaggerating. Was he really as bad as Michael said? Cody said, if anything, he was much worse.

Martin said Monica left her estate to her long-lost sister, not Michael, and Drew said he didn’t realize Monica had a pattern. She cut him out of her life like she did her sister.

Jacinda told Kristina not to worry about her and Michael, and Kristina said Jacinda came to see him after his grandmother died. Jacinda said she came to offer her condolences. There was nothing serious between them, but she got why Kristina was protective. She’d do the same thing. Kristina offered to get Jacinda coffee, and they went inside. Drew said, if it wasn’t the call girl that was paid to drug him. He bet the police would love to hear about her and Kristina’s meeting of the minds.

Alexis said she agreed to defend Willow because Drew offered her access to Scout, and Willow said she was truly sorry Drew put her in this position. Scout wanted to see her aunt and brothers. Alexis said, her brothers weren’t part of the deal. At least not Danny. Willow said she’d do what she could to help change Drew’s mind about the restraining orders. She also wanted Alexis to defend her because Alexis believed she was innocent, not because she was forced to. Alexis said, coercion or not, she’d defend Willow to the best of her ability. She would listen to Willow and Willow only, but if Willow didn’t want her services, say it now.

Michael said Willow was more traumatized by Dawn of Day than anyone knew. She’d made huge mistakes. Chase asked if he honestly believed she’d shot Drew, and Michael said anything was possible. Chase said there were other suspects, and Michael said, like him. Chase said, yes. Him, his mother, and anyone else who went in and out of the Quartermaine mansion. Michael said, Willow was in and out of the mansion, but Chase said she’d moved out months ago. Michael said they hadn’t changed the locks and she was the one who’d stalked his daughter Daisy.

Lois said, giving up Gio for adoption was the hardest thing his mom ever had to do, and Gio said he thought of Camilla as his mom. Lois said he was right. Sorry. Camilla was his mother and always would be. She’d never take that away from him. He asked why the family wanted something from him that he couldn’t give. He knew Brook and Dante were his biological parents, but they weren’t much more than that. They were people he kind of knew growing up, but it wasn’t like he had a relationship with them and he wasn’t sure he wanted one.

Brook said if Tracy told Ronnie that she was sorry, Ronnie would give her another chance. She knew Tracy was angry at Monica. Tracy said she knew in her bones that Monica didn’t do that, but Brook said, don’t exile herself to make a point. A house could be replaced. She couldn’t.

Drew threatened to tell the police about Michael paying Jacinda for a fake alibi and told Kristina not to mess up the deal he’d made with her mother. Jacinda suggested he watch his step, and he said he could still press charges. She said, do it. She’d love to explain to the police how he was loaded with ketamine and hired her for the evening and night, then got caught. Next time he hired an escort – and there was always a next time – don’t do body shots in a room of people with phones. He said she didn’t want to push him, and raising her voice, she said he got a lawyer to give her $50K to stay in Australia. That wasn’t something you did when you were looking for justice. He said she knew the justice system, having been arrested three times, and she said she had a record. So big deal. He said he paid her good money to stay away, and she asked if it was taxpayer money. He said the next time he saw the police, he was pointing them straight to her.

Willow said if Alexis was willing to help, she accepted, and Alexis told her about the paper suggesting suspects had been overlooked. They had a lot of ground to cover and when she asked questions, she needed Willow to answer honestly. Did she shoot Drew? Willow said, no, and Alexis asked why the weapon was found in her belongings. Willow said, Michael put it there, and Alexis asked why he’d do that. Willow said he was framing her to keep her away from her children. Michael shot Drew, not her.

Chase said that was insane. Willow didn’t stalk Daisy. Michael asked if he remembered the night Daisy was missing, and Chase said she’d been in her bassinet the whole time, but Michael said she hadn’t. And there was the other incident after Daisy was born. There were things that never made sense. She’d been moved from her crib and was facing a different direction and wearing a different onesie. Chase said, Sasha just forgot, but Michael said, she didn’t. Then there was the first incident when Sasha was brought the wrong baby. Willow was there because of her meltdown at the courthouse. Chase asked why Michael didn’t tell him when it was happening, and Michael said he had no proof. Willow likely broke in to terrify him and Sasha. She could have easily gotten her hands on the gun.

Ronnie asked why this guy hated the family, and Cody said, after Drew seduced Willow, Monica turned on him and threw him out. He claimed all he did was fall in love. Ronnie said, with his nephew’s wife? and Cody said, exactly. After that, Drew was out for payback from Monica and the Quartermaine’s, especially Tracy. He was using his political power and money to attack them. She said, that’s a lot, and he said, there’s more. Drew went too far. He had Tracy arrested for drugging him with ketamine. She said, Tracy drugged him too?

Brook said Tracy might consider the possibility of being nicer to Ronnie, and Tracy said she wasn’t apologizing for something she didn’t do. Brook said she was asking Tracy to try and make Ronnie feel welcome, but Tracy said she couldn’t. She knew Monica did not want that woman to have that house. She wasn’t going to pretend otherwise to get along. Brook said Tracy was needlessly rude and now she was camped out in Lulu’s living room. Was that what she wanted? Tracy said if her family turned their backs on her for standing up for Monica’s wishes, so be it. At least she’d know she took a stand.

Lois said she knew Gio’s walls were up and it was all on her, but maybe someday he’d find a way to let the walls come back down. Gio said he needed to get going. He was meeting friends and stuff. Lois said, have fun, and keep his heart open to music and whatever, and he said he got it now. She never meant to hurt him. She was just doing the right thing. She said she still was. All she could do was try. Gio asked how things were with Brook, and she said, not good. He said he was sorry to hear that. He knew how close they used to be. He hoped they got back to that someday. She said, her too, and he left.

Jacinda told Drew, do your worst, and Kristina said, let it go. A public official hired a woman for her time and embarrassed himself. Let’s go. It’s a congressional scandal, nothing special. Outside, she told Jacinda that she had no idea Drew would be in there, but Jacinda said he was just a jerk. No wonder Willow took a shot at him. Kristina asked if she wanted to go somewhere else for coffee or a drink, but Jacinda said she’d take a raincheck. There was something she had to take care of. She left, and Kristina looked inside at Martin and Drew.

Willow said she prayed Drew remembered what happened the night of the shooting, and Alexis said, if he did, she hoped it was for his sake, not Willow’s. Willow asked what she meant, and Alexis said, in this instance, a sudden memory would look suspicious to the court and be exploited by the prosecution. They’ll think he was making it up to exonerate her. Willow said, so if he did remember… and Alexis said, it wouldn’t help her case. She thought she had what she needed, and they’d pick this up tomorrow. Willow thanked her and said she felt a lot better knowing Alexis was fighting for her.

Chase said Michael was being malicious, accusing Willow of stalking a baby. He had no evidence. Michael said that’s why he didn’t file charges, but it showed what Willow was capable of. Chase said, the one most capable of shooting Drew was Michael. He had more access, bigger motive, and the resources to protect himself. Willow was on her own. That was the definition of injustice. Chase walked out.

Cody told Ronnie that he didn’t know what happened at the tea party, but Tracy didn’t drug Drew. He did it to himself and when he got caught partying, he tried to put the blame on Tracy. Tracy had done a lot of things, but she didn’t do that. Ronnie asked if she should give Tracy the benefit of the doubt, and Cody said, if Tracy did drug her and she called Tracy on it, he thought Tracy would say to her face, you’re damn right and I’d do it again. Ronnie said she worked hard to get along with Tracy, and Tracy humiliated her in front of everybody. When she left, Tracy took the family photos and possession and looked like a walking estate sale. The movers left a box, and she had to call them. Cody said he’d run it over, and she thanked him. He said he was happy to help. He had to make himself look good for the new boss. He picked up the box and left.

Brook told Tracy, fine. Sit in Lulu’s house, surrounded by her pride and relics. But before she left, she needed Tracy to know she loved her and that would never change. So call her anytime. She left.

Lois called Brook.

Cody went to see Willow at Pentenville and asked how she was holding up. She said, better now. How were the kids? He said, fine, and she asked if there were any developments in the case, but he said, not yet.

Jacinda thanked Michael for meeting her at the coffee bar, and he said she wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. What happened? She said his sister Kristina asked her for coffee and to check on them, and he wondered if she’d asked about anything. Jacinda said, no. She was sweet and very protective of him. That wasn’t the problem. Drew was. He threatened to send the cops after her for drugging him. Michael said, let him. He had no proof. She said she had priors and took money from the congressman to stay out of town. Nothing seemed to touch him. Michael said he couldn’t argue with that. How could he help? She said she needed to disappear – again.

Brook went to Sonny’s, and Lois said, she came. Brook said just because she came didn’t mean she was going to stay.

Alexis met Kristina at Bobbie’s and asked what was going on. Kristina said Drew was there earlier and said the strangest thing. She should check in with Alexis before she ruined the deal. Don’t worry. She didn’t lose her temper. Alexis said she would have understood, but before they got into it, she had to tell Kristina that she was defending Willow.

Chase said he was going to investigate Drew’s shooting as a private citizen until Willow was exonerated, but Willow said, don’t. It would cause nothing but problems. He said she was his friend and he had to help, but she said, not if it cost his job. He said he’d do it on his own time, and she wondered if he’d get into trouble for undermining the DA’s case. He said he had every right and the department couldn’t stop him. She said she didn’t want him to risk his neck, but he said someone had to. A person should not go to prison for a crime they didn’t commit.

Jacinda said she knew Michael was counting on her, but she had to watch her own back, and he said running wasn’t the way to do that. They were each other’s best option, and she should stay put and stick to the original story. It was a terrible alibi, but he thought he had a solution that would work for both of them. He’d pay her to fall in love with him

Cody brought the box to Tracy and asked how she was doing. She said she was living with two teenagers. How did he think? He said she could impart her worldly wisdom on them, but she said what she wanted to impart involved duct tape and chloroform, but Lulu wouldn’t approve. How was Hades? He said, fine. Once this had blown over, she could see for herself. She said she should probably board Hades somewhere else, and he asked what was in the box. She said, Alan’s train set. He would put it out every Christmas for the children, but he was the only one who played with it. She thanked him for bringing it, and he said it wasn’t his idea. Ronnie… She said, do not extol the virtues of St. Ronnie, and he said they weren’t so different. She said she hated him for saying that, and he laughed. He said they were both strong women. Ronnie was just nicer about not letting people push her around.

Ronnie opened the door to find Drew and she said, thank you, but I have a nice relationship with the Lord. He said that’s not why he was there. Did she happen to be Veronica Bard? She said she was. How could she help him? He said the question was, how could he help her?

🫔 Friday’s Enchilada…

Brook asks when Lois got into town, and Lois says, this morning. There were a few things she needed to take care of, and Brook was at the top of her list. Brook says, the last time they saw each other in Atlantic City, they shared a nice moment. Let’s not ruin it. Lois says she knows things are still bad between them, but there’s something Brook needs to know.

Carly walks into the steam room and sees Britt lying on a bench with her eyes closed. Britt says she’d like to have another cucumber water and eucalyptus towel, and Carly wings a towel at her head. Britt sits up and asks what the hell Carly thinks she’s doing. Carly says, teaching her an important lesson – how to share.

Spinelli thanks Jason for meeting him at the Brown Dog Bar, and Jason asks what he needs. Spinelli says he was hoping Jason would be so kind as to impart his parental wisdom, and Jason asks, why? Spinelli says he has the utmost respect for Jason’s relationship with Danny despite their regrettable time apart. They seem close. Jason says, and? and Spinelli says he loves James like is own son, but now that James’s father is back, he fears James may be taken away.

Nathan visits Lulu, and she says she was wondering when she’d finally see him. He says he needs to thank her for saving his life, and they hug.

At Bobbie’s, Kristina says, Alexis is defending Willow after everything she’s done to Michael? and Alexis says, if they want to see Scout, yes. She’s going to defend Willow, and in turn, Drew will drop the restraining orders against them. Kristina says, that’s good news. She’s sick of Drew punishing them all. Alexis says, unfortunately, he’s still punishing one of them, and Kristina asks what she means. Alexis says she doesn’t want to get into details. Scout will be here any minute. But Drew refuses to drop the restraining order against Danny. Kristina asks if Danny knows, but Alexis says she didn’t have the heart to tell him or that theirs have been lifted. Kristina says she doesn’t blame Alexis, and Alexis suggests they cherish their time with Scout… and there she is. Scout walks in and Alexis hugs her and says it’s good to see her.

Jacinda asks if it isn’t suspicious that Michael happened to be with an escort when Drew was shot, and Michael says, it’s a terrible alibi, but he thinks he has a solution that will work for them both. She says she’s listening, and he says he wants to pay her to fall in love with him. She says, to be clear, her time is for rent, but her emotions are not. Maybe he needs to find another alibi.

Ronnie says she’s not into politics, but she knows she’s definitely seen Drew’s face on the news, and Drew says he wishes the reporting was more accurate. He’s doing what he can to right that. How is she settling in? She says, it’s an adjustment, and he says, everybody in the house was born with a silver spoon in their mouth except them. They have more in common than she thinks. She says, really? and he says, give him a chance to prove it to her.

Britt says she got here first. If Carly has a problem with the way she seems, Carly can leave. Carly says she owns the hotel, including the spa and steam bath. She’s not going anywhere. Britt says she gets it. Carly is rich and owns everything. But does she have to remind everyone every five minutes? Carly says she doesn’t want Britt here and can throw her out when she wants, but Britt says she doesn’t think Jason would like it.

Spinelli says, the situation with James’s father is tricky. That’s why he needs Jason’s guidance. He possesses valuable insight into what Nathan is thinking because he’s worn similar shoes. Jason says, when Danny and Jake thought they’d lost him until he came back, and Spinelli says, yeah. And in the wake of his absence, he had to rebuild the relationship with his sons and it’s gone well, right? Jason says he’d like to think so, and Spinelli says, good. That’s what he wants for him and James. He wants them to have an unbreakable bond like Jason has with Danny. What he doesn’t want is for James to be taken away by the father he already has.

Nathan says he’s been meaning to come by and see Lulu. He couldn’t talk at the arraignment because his sister needed him. Lulu says she’s glad he was there for Nina. If Britt got locked up, they could throw away the key. He says he sees her antipathy with his other sister, and she says she’s not going to let Britt ruin the moment. She can’t believe he was the guy in the crashed car. He says he’s grateful, but wishes he knew how he ended up there, and she asks how it is being back. He says, it’s hard not remembering the last seven years of his life. The last he remembers, he and Maxie were married and Maxie was pregnant. Now Maxie is gone and James has grown up. Lulu says, it’s a lot. Maxie has them spinning. He says he just wants to take care of James and make a good life. Get his old job back at the PCPD. Lulu says she wants him to get his job back, but he doesn’t need that to be a good dad to his son. James will love him no matter what. Nathan says he hopes so, but he’s not sure what he’s up against here, and she says she understands better than he thinks.

Scout says it’s been so long since she’s seen them, but Alexis says, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that they’re together and today is a Davis Girls fun day. Kristina says, except for Aunt Molly. She got stuck at work, but they can video chat with her later. Alexis asks Scout’s nanny if she thinks they can spend time alone, and the nanny says she can keep an eye on things from the counter. Alexis says she’s sure, and the nanny leaves. Alexis says she wanted to make sure to tell Scout how brave she’s been and how proud of Scout she is. She was very brave when her dad was in the hospital. Scout says she’s glad he’s home, but the police made a mistake and took Willow away. Her dad said Alexis was going to help bring her home.

Drew says he’s sure Ronnie got an earful about him and just hopes she doesn’t take what she hears at face value. The Quartermaines don’t take kindly to outsiders like them. He’s been part of the family for a long time and if they can smear his name as easily as they have, imagine what they could do to somebody like her. Ronnie says she doesn’t have to imagine. Tracy says it right to her face. He says, let him guess. Tracy says she’s not good enough to be here and says she’s an opportunist just after the Quartermaine name and fortune. She’s very quick to shame and name call, isn’t she? Ronnie says, Tracy probably just hates everybody, and Drew says she’s probably right. There’s something else they have in common – Monica.

Michael tells Jacinda that he’s sorry. Every word came out wrong. She says she hopes so, and he says he didn’t mean to imply he could buy her feelings. Quite the opposite. He really liked her the night they met. That’s why he wanted to buy her a drink. He had no idea she was… She says, that she was an escort? and he tells her that he was going to say he had no idea she was the woman involved in Drew’s ketamine scandal. Now she’s involved in something a hell of a lot bigger. If they want a believable alibi, they need to find a way to have a real relationship, something other people believe because they believe it themselves. She asks if he thinks people would believe a man like him fell for a woman like her, and he says, why wouldn’t they? She’s smart, beautiful, and magnetic. No one would be surprised that he’d be with her. The real question is, why would someone like her be with someone like him? She says, maybe because he’s sexy, intelligent, and successful, and he says, they sound pretty great and pretty believable as a couple. She says, who is she to argue? and takes out her phone. He asks what she’s doing, and she says, taking a selfie. If people are going to buy this, they need to leave a social media trail. She takes the photo.

Brook asks why Lois is at Uncle Sonny’s, and Lois says, Sonny graciously let her use this place to take care of a few things. Gio was just here. Brook asks, why? and Lois says she was giving him a gentle nudge toward her and Dante. Brook says she wishes Lois hadn’t done that, and Lois says she knows. It’s her butting in again, but she had to try. Brook says she didn’t have to do anything, but she chose to anyway, and Lois says she doesn’t want to argue. She doesn’t want to leave the country with them in a bad place. Brook asks why she’s leaving the country, and Lois says, an opportunity fell into her lap and if she takes it, she’ll be leaving the country.

Lois says, because she was with L&B Records and Miguel Morez, somebody reached out and offered her a job as tour manager, and Brook says she’s happy for her. She’s a great tour manager. Lois says she didn’t expect Brook to tell her that, but it may not even happen. Not without Brook’s blessing. Brook asks what she means, and Lois says it’s for Brook’s client, Blaze. Brook says, right. Blaze finished opening for Miguel. Lois says, Blaze did such a great job, she made an even bigger name for herself. She gained so many new fans that Miguel’s people want to capitalize on it and send her on a tour all of her own. They asked her to manage it, but she’s not taking the opportunity away from Brook. So it’s her call.

Alexis says she promises to do everything in her power to help Willow, and Scout says, good. She likes Willow and hopes Willow marries her dad for real one day. Kristina says she wants to know how Scout is doing. The last time they talked, Scout was trying out for the swim team. How did it go? Scout says she made the team, and Alexis applauds. Scout says her first meet is next Tuesday, and Alexis promises she’ll be there. Kristina says she’ll be right next to Alexis, and they’ll be cheering Scout on. Danny and Rocco come in, and Scout hugs Danny. The nanny’s beady eyes watch them.  

Drew tells Ronnie that Monica was the person who welcomed him into the family. She didn’t know anything about him, but as soon as she found out he was Alan’s son, that was all she needed. He’ll always be deeply grateful for her being there during the toughest time of his life. Ronnie says, that sounds like her sister, but not from personal experience. They were not close. He says, they weren’t very close either, at least during the last year. They’d had a serious falling out. He made some mistakes and was trying to fix them, but because Tracy interfered, Monica wouldn’t even give him a chance. He wishes he’d had the opportunity to deal with it before she died. It’s painful to have to live with for the rest of his life. He’s sure that’s something Ronnie knows all about too.

Michael tells Jacinda that Willow has been charged with Drew’s shooting, but he’s still on the suspect list. He’s much, much higher than her, so he needs her a whole lot more than she needs him. She says, true, but he gets points for being honest, and he says he’ll always be honest with her. It’s the only way to make this thing work, if they have trust, and he needs her to trust him. She says, because? and he says, if they want it to work and for people to believe them, she needs to get a different job.

Outside Bobbie’s, Danny says, whatever he did, he’s sorry, but Alexis says he didn’t do anything. Drew did. Danny asks why Drew can’t just leave them alone? and Alexis says, because he’s an ass. He agreed to lift the restraining orders on all of them, except he kept Danny’s in place. Danny asks if that means everyone can see Scout except him, and she says, yes, but it’s not going to last long. She’s going to fix it. She hates this so much, but in the meantime, they need Scout to spend time with the rest of them to balance the bad influence Drew has. Rocco says, everyone but Danny, and Alexis says she knows it’s not fair, but at the moment, they need to go by Drew’s rules. It’s unconscionable, she knows, but she’s going to take care of it. Danny says he knows she will. She always does.

Drew tells Ronnie, sorry. He’s texting his daughter’s nanny. Ronnie says, that’s fine. She can certainly see how he’d made his life in politics after the speech he gave her. He clearly has a way with words. He says he was just telling the truth. He loved Monica. That didn’t stop because they weren’t speaking. She says, one thing she knows about Monica, once she made up her mind about you, it was really hard to break through. Anyway, she’s glad they had the chance to chat. He says him too, and she says she’s sorry, but she can’t shake the feeling he came to her with an ulterior motive. He says he wouldn’t call it an ulterior motive, but there was something else he was hoping to talk to her about.

Jacinda tells Michael that she’s not saying he’s wrong. Her continuing work as an escort will give people a reason to doubt their relationship, but not having an income is not an option. She has bills to pay. He says he totally gets that, but he can get her a job that pays well, and who knows? Maybe she’ll like it more than the place she’s at right now. She says he’s going to a lot of trouble to make this work. That makes her think he has something pretty serious to cover up. She wasn’t actually with him that night, so she has no idea what he did or didn’t do. He says he didn’t shoot Drew, but he did come dangerously close. He was mad that night and drove over to confront Drew, but then he got out of his car, and it hit him. What Drew was going to do was escalate things. That’s what he always does. Nothing good would come of it and he decided to move forward, for him and for his kids, and leave Willow, Drew, and all that behind. Jacinda says, every time he talks about his kids, he lights up. She can tell how much he loves them. You’re a complicated man, Michael Corinthos, but underneath it all, you’re a good guy. He says he really wants to be, and she says, by the way, she does. He says, does what? and she says, believes him about not shooting his uncle.

Lulu tells Nathan, for her, it felt like a good night’s sleep, but for everyone else, four years had passed. Her little boy and girl were teenagers, her father was dead, and so was her Aunt Bobbie. She felt like she was living in another world, an alternate universe. Nathan says he’s really sorry, and she says, yeah, so is she. He says, that stuff messes with your head, right? and she says, it’s hard to explain the anxiety, the questions, the displacement, the guilt. Dante had to raise Rocco, and her daughter went with her father, so she knows all too well what he’s going through. He says he guesses she does. He has so much guilt about Maxie. She might be the only one who can walk him through it.

Spinelli tells Jason, before Maxie was transferred to the hospital in Boston, he promised to keep the family together and James is an integral part of the family. He needs to play this exactly right. Jason says he doesn’t know Nathan too well, but everybody thinks he’s a good guy. He’s sure Nathan will respect everyone’s feelings when he gets to know his son. Spinelli says, he’s right. Nathan is a good guy. That’s why Maxie… loved him. He was arguably the love of her life, and Nathan made it clear he still loves her. Jason says, stop. He has to stop. That was the past. Maxie loves him and James has plenty of room in his life for him and Nathan. Spinelli thanks Jason for saying that. He doesn’t want to lose James.

Carly says, funny. Britt acts like she wants as little to do with Jason as possible, yet she finds a way to drop his name in every conversation they have. Britt says, exaggerate much? and Carly says she and Jason have been best friends for a very long time. She’s in his life and that’s not going to change. Jason wouldn’t care at all if she threw Britt out of the hotel. He’s seen her be way pettier and never blinked an eye. Britt says she gets why Carly would brag about that, and Carly says she tells it like it is. Britt says Carly talks a big game, but she knows it’s driving Carly crazy that Jason flew all the way to Croatia to find her. How hard did Carly try to convince him not to go after her? She’s sure it made Carly mad that he didn’t listen, and she knows Carly is upset that Jason still can’t stop thinking about her after all this time.

Brook tells Lois that she has a lot going on right now. Gio, Chase’s job, Monica’s estate is in limbo. She could never take on a position like that, even if it was offered to her. Lois says, Brook has a lot on her plate, and Brook says she usually does. Blaze just lost her mother. Even though she and Natalia didn’t have the best relationship, she can understand why Blaze would want maternal energy around right now. Things aren’t great between her and Lois, but she trusts that Blaze will be in great hands. Lois says, that means… and Brook says, take the job. Lois has her blessing. Lois thanks her and says, that means a lot. Brook asks when she’s leaving, and Lois says, today.  

Michael says it’s likely both he and Jacinda will be called to testify at Willow’s trial. So there can’t be a traceable money trail between them. She’ll still get paid a sizeable amount, just under the table. Jacinda says, that’s fine, and Michael says, good. She needs to have a reason that she left her last job. He’ll cover her expenses, and she’ll need a legit title and position. She asks what kind of job he has in mind. Does it come with health insurance?

Alexis comes back and asks, who’s ready to order? and Scout asks, where are her brothers? Alexis says she’s sorry. They had somewhere to go. They wanted to stay and said to tell her how much they love her. Kristina says, Scout hardly saw them. They didn’t get to talk.

Drew says he loves that Monica left Ronnie the estate. Keeping the house in the family is a great way to preserve Monica’s legacy. He also understands Port Charles is not her home and she might have a life she wants to get back to. If that’s the case, he’d love the opportunity to make and offer on his family’s home. If that’s what she decides, he hopes he’s her first call. Danny and Rocco come in, and Danny tells Drew, get the hell out of our house.

Carly says she’s not surprised Jason can’t stop thinking about Britt. He’s loyal to a fault, even to the people who lie to his face. Or did she tell him what she was really up to in Croatia? Britt says, who’s asking? Carly or her WSB agent boyfriend, Jack Brennan? Carly says she doesn’t do Jack’s dirty work, and Britt says, just Jason’s. Carly says she and Jason have been through things Britt can’t even imagine. Once again, the reason alludes her for Jason putting himself on the line for Britt. Why not do something to justify his faith in her, like be a decent person? Britt says she really misses the Five Poppies spa. It was so much quieter. Carly says, then she should go back… Unless she can’t.

Spinelli tells Jason that the other day, he tried to hint that what James needs is routine and consistency in his life. In other words, James should stay with him and James’s sister, but Nathan mistook that and thought he meant that James needed him to consistently be a hands-on father. Jason tells him, all he can say is, when he came back to town, he saw Sam and Dante had built a blended family and Danny loved being a part of that family. He didn’t want to disrupt that, so who knows? Maybe Nathan will feel the same way. Spinelli says, even so, things changed with Danny and Jason is with him full-time, and Jason says, only because Sam died. Spinelli says, that’s exactly his point. What if the worst happens and Maxie doesn’t make it? What happens to his family then?

Nathan tells Lulu that he can’t stop wondering if things had been different, if he’d never left, would Maxie feel the same? Maybe to him it didn’t feel like seven years had gone by, but they had. Maybe in all that time, she fell out of love with him. Lulu says, no. Maxie never stopped loving him. She was devastated when he died and mourned for a really long time. Then she moved on with her life. In true Maxie style, she made big mistakes along the way. Nathan says he heard about it from Nina, and Lulu says, Maxie never would have gotten involved with Peter August if she hadn’t been spinning out over losing him. It took years for Maxie and Spinelli to reconnect. She loves Spinelli and he worships Maxie, but she truly thinks Nathan was the love of Maxie’s life. And when Maxie wakes up – and she will wake up – she’s going to be stunned, then thrilled that he’s alive. But if he’s wondering if Maxie will choose him or Spinelli when she comes back to him, only Maxie has the answer to that.

Lois says she’s flying to Seoul later today, and Brook says, that makes sense. Blaze has a lot of fans there. How long is the tour? Lois says, TBD. She’s adding new dates all the time. It’s part of the job description. Brook says she’s sorry. She knows things aren’t great, but she hates to think that Lois won’t be here and waiting when she’s finally ready. Lois says she’ll always be there for Brook. It doesn’t matter how long they’ve gone without speaking – days, weeks, months, God forbid years – the second Brook needs her, she’ll drop everything and come running. Lois starts to cry and says, Brook is her heart, beating outside her chest. She always has been. Brook starts to cry too, and says she needs Lois, every single day, a thousand times a day. Not an hour goes by that she doesn’t wish she could call Lois, but something in her isn’t ready to move on from this. Lois says, don’t feel bad about the way she feels. She kept a secret from Brook that wasn’t hers to keep. She swears she’s learned from her mistake. She just hopes she gets the chance to prove it to Brook someday.

Scout asks if she can come over for a sleepover, and Alexis says she’d love that, but they’d have to ask her dad. The nanny says, it’s time to go. Scout’s dad wants her home. Kristina says, they haven’t even ordered, but Alexis says, that’s okay. They’ll see each other soon. Scout says, okay. She loves them. Alexis hugs her and says she loves Scout too. She’ll see Scout at the swim meet. Kristina says, they’ll be the ones cheering the loudest, and hugs Scout. The nanny says, let’s go, and she leaves with Scout. Kristina says, what the hell was that? and Alexis suggests they not make a scene. She’s sure Drew’s little spy called and told him that Danny was here. Then their time with Scout was over before it got started.

Drew says he was just here to talk to Ronnie about adult business. It doesn’t concern Danny either. Danny says, it does. He lives there. Drew isn’t even allowed on the grounds. How did he get past the front gate? Drew says, Ronnie decides who gets to be here now, and Ronnie says, okay. Let’s just cool it, okay? She and the congressman were just having a chat, but Danny is obviously upset about something. Maybe they could discuss it and work out some kind of understanding. Rocco says, she doesn’t know Drew like they do. He’s a bad guy. He’s been keeping their sister away from them and still won’t let Danny see her. Drew says, it’s a long story, and Danny says, Drew filed restraining orders against Scout’s entire family to keep them from seeing her. Ronnie says she doesn’t understand that. The way he was talking, he seemed like someone who really values family. Why is he keeping his daughter away from hers? Drew says, Danny put Scout in danger. He kidnapped her… Danny says, that’s a lie. He was bringing her home. The doorbell rings, and Ronnie says she’ll get it. When she’s gone, Drew says he’s just about had it. They’re both entitled little punks that don’t know when to shut up. It’s time that they get something straight.

Lois opens the door, and Brook says, ma, and goes to her. They hug and cry, and Lois says, hey. When Brook was growing up it was them against the world. She hopes they’ll be that way again someday. She loves Brook so very much. Brook says she knows. Safe travels. Lois says, okay, and leaves. Brook watches as she walks away from the house.  

Nathan thanks Lulu for what she said about Maxie. Most people say if she wakes up, but Lulu said when. It helps. Lulu says she can be this confident because it happened to her. She fought her way back. Maxie is a fighter, like they are, and Maxie is going to come back for James, like she came back for Charlotte and Rocco. Nathan says he hasn’t met Charlotte yet, but Rocco’s a great kid. He’s smart, interesting, and polite. She thanks him and says she thinks so too. When did they see each other? Nathan says, they had dinner last night, and she says, him and Rocco? He says, him, Rocco, his mom, and Britt.

Jason says, Spinelli has to stay strong and positive for Maxie and the kids, and Spinelli says, he’s right. Jason says he knows how hard it is on him. If there’s anything he can do to help… Spinelli says, actually, he could talk to Nathan. Tell Nathan his story and that he knows what it’s like to want to reconnect with his son, but he held back and took it slow for Danny’s sake. Convince him it’s the right thing to do in this situation. Jason says he doesn’t know why Nathan would listen to him. He barely knows the guy. Spinelli says, Jason did save his sister’s life. That should give him an in. Jason says, okay. If it will make Spinelli feel better, he’s happy to do it. But Nathan’s not a dumb guy. He may think Spinelli sent him and think Spinelli is trying to keep him away from James. Spinelli says that should have occurred to him, and Jason says, so why not be more direct? Why not invite him over and let him see James as part of a big loving family? Then he’ll see with his own eyes how happy James is. Make Nathan a partner in parenting. Spinelli says, it’s not only wise, but surprisingly full of heart. Perhaps Jason is becoming less stone cold and a little more warm and fuzzy. Jason just looks at him, and Spinelli says, or not. They get up, and Spinelli almost hugs Jason, but Jason is like, no. Spinelli says he’ll let Jason know how it goes leaves.

Carly says they all know Britt is hiding something. Between her, Jason, and Jack, they’ll figure out her dirty little secret. Britt flashes back to the note that came with her medication, and says, this place sucks. It doesn’t even have a cold plunge. She leaves.

Kristina says, what if Drew thinks they had it planned to have Danny show up and takes Scout away from them again? and Alexis says she’ll have to make sure he knows it was a coincidence – and it was, by the way. Kristina asks, what if he doesn’t believe her? but Alexis says, Drew wants Willow acquitted and knows she’s the best person to do that. But if she fails, he’ll keep Scout away from them for good. Kristina says, if anyone can get Willow free, she can, and Alexis says, the problem is, if Willow claims she’s innocent, she has to give the jury someone else to find guilty. Kristina says, please tell her that she’s not trying to pin Drew’s shooting on Michael.

Jacinda tells Michael that she has one stipulation. She doesn’t want the job to just be her cover. She wants to actually do the job, learn something new. She’s a hard worker. Who knows? Maybe this will be her next career. Michael says, don’t worry. She’ll have full autonomy. He doesn’t want to micromanage her. He wants her to succeed here. She says, good. Then she’s in. He says, okay, and holds out his hand, but she says, please. They want this to be convincing. He says, done, and they kiss.

Drew says, Scout’s nanny told him what Danny did. He showed up at Bobbie’s earlier while Scout was there. That cannot happen again. Danny says, or what? It doesn’t matter how many restraining orders he hits them with. They’re seeing their sister. He can’t watch her every second of the day. She’s not his prisoner. Rocco says, Scout is smart and she loves them. He can’t keep them away without making her hate him. Drew says he doesn’t want to play these games with them. If he feels Scout isn’t safe here in Port Charles, he will take her and relocate to DC. How often do they think she’ll see them then? In the meantime, he’s going to have both delinquents arrested and thrown in jail, just like Danny’s dad and just like Rocco’s Uncle Lucky. Ronnie brings in Laura, who says, I beg your pardon. I believe you’re out of your depth now. You have a much bigger problem than my grandson and his brother. You’ve got me.

On Monday, Curtis says, Jordan isn’t the reason his marriage is over; Trina asks if she’s interrupting Isaiah and Portia; Kristina tells Sonny that he might not be so happy when he hears what she has to say; and Drew says, all Ronnie had to do is name her price.

🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…

This doesn’t surprise me one bit, and she’s blowing up on Instagram.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/general-hospital-star-scarlett-spears-donna-will-star-as-young-glinda-in-wicked-sequel/

Failed retirement looks good on her.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/why-failed-retiree-jane-elliot-is-thrilled-with-her-general-hospital-resurgence-as-tracy/

At first, I was leaning toward him actually being Faison, but now I’m not so sure. I don’t think evil twin, but it’s not unheard of.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/is-nathan-really-back-on-general-hospital-fans-weigh-in-on-his-mysterious-return/

Daytime Emmy stuff.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/the-52nd-annual-daytime-emmy-awards-the-complete-winners-list-as-it-happens-live/

https://ew.com/daytime-emmy-awards-2025-winners-list-11831588

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/photos/daytime-emmys-2025-inside-the-winners-circle-with-stars-of-general-hospital-young-and-restless-and-more/

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/photos/the-2025-daytime-emmy-awards-what-you-didnt-see-behind-the-scenes-during-and-after-the-ceremony/

💉 A Dose Of Reality…

Below Deck

The captain told Nathan that he had some people who didn’t get it, and in Nathan’s interview, he said he’d given them the benefit of the doubt first charter, but now it was looking like a joke. Primary Grant wanted something to eat at some ungodly hour and Aesha stepped in, suggesting fries. Of course, he insisted on truffle being added, but by the time they were served, he wasn’t hungry anymore. He wasn’t belligerent or even demanding, but he was idiotic and insensitive to the fact that the crew members were human. After being told no swimming, guest Jack also tumbled, or rather bounced, into the water while drunk. The guests did leave a $20K tip, $1818 each, which kinda, sorta made up for a charter of idiots. Looks like a deckhand might be headed for walking the plank though.

Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City

The Below Deck trip was planned, but Heather said she couldn’t enjoy herself on a superyacht. They were savages. Lisa was annoyed that she couldn’t bring her glam squad and tried talking smack about Angie to Heather, but Ozempic Face wasn’t having it. Heather told Meredith that Lisa was never going to own it and apologize, but Meredith preferred giving Lisa the benefit of the doubt. Todd suggested Bronwyn stop getting in the gutter and rolling around in the slime. She assumed she’d be fighting with Lisa and was setting herself up for it. Whatever happened was on her.

Housewives Wife Swap

This is what reality TV should be about – learning how other people live who aren’t you. Angie from RHOSLC swapped with Lindsay, a wife living off the grid. In the 24-hour period when the swapped wives play by their rules, Mary showed up when Lindsay was demonstrating how to gut a fish. Seeing Mary’s face was priceless and was one of the many moments that made it worth watching.

Real Housewives Of Orange County

These women should always stay high. Gina and Fancy Pants did mushrooms and romped through fields of tulips, while Shannon tried her hand at riding a plaster horse. Gina was mesmerized by clogs with flowers in them! While there weren’t any knockdown drag outs, there was plenty of behind the back gossip, which I find tedious since it’s always rehashing the same stuff over and over. In Gretchen’s interview, she said if Tamra hadn’t changed when she accepted Jesus, what made them think she’d changed now? Good point. I could see why Tony Geary moved to Amsterdam. It looks amazing and so much fun – the markets! the canals! the flowers – weed included!

Random Reality Items

I smell desperation.

Tease is right. There’s not much to see there.

Yikes. It’s so creepy that people do this.

Looks promising. I was totally surprised when I realized how much I like this show. Those who can’t do watch it on TV.

Getting some Lala.

👀 Last Weekend’s Watch…

The Perfect Neighbor. Netflix. A documentary about someone who is very far from being the perfect neighbor. When the entire neighborhood hates you, they can’t all be wrong. Racist and antagonistic, Susan Lorincz is a neighbor you don’t want to have, constantly berating the neighborhood children for being children. Hand to God, I had a downstairs neighbor like that when I lived in an apartment, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Lorincz takes things too far, fatally shooting a mother of four through a locked door and then using Florida’s Stand Your Ground law as a defense.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1424110/the-perfect-neighbor-what-happened-to-susan-lorincz-ajike-owens

I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025). Netflix. The reviews weren’t good, but I didn’t hate it. It is what it is. A slasher film with all the tropes. There was a more complex plot than the original, which only led to unanswered questions, but does it really matter? This is the kind of mindless film where you just kick back with your popcorn and not think too hard. Probably the best thing about it was the inclusion of actors from the original film and an amusing fantasy sequence with one of them.

https://decider.com/2025/10/17/i-know-what-you-did-last-summer-2025-digital-streaming-movie-review

https://www.splicetoday.com/moving-pictures/i-know-what-you-did-last-summer-ages-gracelessly

🔮 Watch Of the (Near) Future…

Genius casting!

https://ew.com/wicked-for-good-casts-colman-domingo-cowardly-lion-11832887

Airing November 6th, 8 pm on NBC, streaming on Peacock the following day.

https://ew.com/first-look-at-cynthia-erivo-ariana-grande-in-wicked-for-good-tv-special-exclusive-11834430

It’s almost here.

https://ew.com/welcome-to-derry-on-set-it-prequel-tracing-pennywise-origins-exclusive-11830263

👠 Over At the Frankenstein Place…

I can’t wait to read his memoir.

https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/tim-curry-makes-rare-appearance-045437579.html

🐝 Time To Buzz Off…

One of those good things that will be coming to an end.

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/yellowjackets-ending-season-4

🎃 Halloween Watch…

Obviously, best and scariest are a matter of opinion, but there are some good ones here.

https://ew.com/best-halloween-movies-streaming-11832026

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/scariest-movies-of-all-time

🐈‍⬛ Casting a Spell On You…

🍄 Omg, the mushroom Pug.

🗽 These costumes make me feel guilty for not being more ambitious.

https://nypost.com/2025/10/19/us-news/costumed-canines-strut-stuff-at-nycs-halloween-dog-parade/

https://hyperallergic.com/1050567/the-goodest-boys-of-nyc-halloween-dog-parade-2025/

🐕 And of course, ways to keep your pets safe.

🦉 Quotes of the Week

I don’t want to pinch your bubble. – Jasmine Pineda, 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?

You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them. – Shonda Rhimes

A good character is the best tombstone. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble. – Charles Spurgeon

Whatever you are, be a good one. – William Makepeace Thackeray

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. – Alice Walker

The road to success is always under construction. – Lily Tomlin

Leaders who win the respect of others are the ones who deliver more than they promise, not the ones who promise more than they can deliver.Mark A. Clement

No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has. – Henry Ward Beecher

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. – Maya Angelou

Success is defined as the ability to go from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. – Unknown

You can never leave footprints that last if you are always walking on tiptoe.Leymah Gbowee

We’re married now. My hell is her hell. – Mike Biggs (Billy Gardell), Mike & Molly

🪄 Magic In the Night…

Until next week, stay safe; stay keeping your pets out of the mix on Halloween; and stay not doing body shots in a room full of people with phones if you hire an escort.

October 4, 2024 – Lucas Comes Home To Port Charles, A Review, Reunited, Her No Good Very Bad Look, VanderWeen, Engaged, First One, Sorry About That, Pet (!) Costumes, OctoQuotes & Thrill This

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Gino plays his violin outside of Bobbie’s, when Trina puts a dollar in his violin case. She asks if he knows any Billy Eilish.

Chase says he can’t put his finger on it, but something is different around here, and Brook says, good different or bad different? He says, definitely good. Listen… It’s quiet. She says, the kids are all in school, Tracy is out on a ride, Olivia is at the MetroCourt. Somehow, all of the planets are finally aligned, and they have this entire place to themselves. He says he has the afternoon off work. The planets can’t get any more aligned than that. He kisses her, when her phone rings. He asks her to ignore it, but she says she can’t. She looks at her phone and says, it’s Violet’s school. They’re sending her home.

Ric asks if Ava is suggesting someone at General Hospital altered Heather’s test results, and she says, it wouldn’t be the first time. He asks, who would do that? and she says, somebody who wants Heather kept behind bars. He says, lab tech?… Someone with maybe a little bit more authority. Somebody who could go in and out of any room in the hospital without being stopped. It’s also got to be somebody who is so invested in keeping Heather in prison, they’d be willing to risk anything to keep Heather behind bars.

Lucky knocks on Sonny’s office door and says, sorry to disturb him. He knows it’s been a long time. They hug.

Carly tells Josslyn, the doctors need to do a secondary screening of Lucky’s liver to make sure everything is okay, and then they can move forward with the transplant. Josslyn says, but Lulu’s going to be okay, and Carly says, it’s looking that way.  There’s a knock at the door and Carly opens it to Lucas. They hug, and he says, she’s looking good. She says, he’s home.

On the phone, Brook says, of course (🍷) … Absolutely. They’re on their way. She tells Chase, Violet’s fine. Physically fine. He says, so she’s not sick or hurt? and Brook says, no. He asks why they called, and she says, she hit a boy in her class. He laughs and says, no. Violet wouldn’t do that. She says, her teacher saw her do it, and he says, she got in a fight or something? Brook says she doesn’t know. Violet wouldn’t tell the teacher what happened. He says, since when does Violet not talk about anything? Something’s up. He’s going to go get her. Brook says, they’ll both go. It might take the both of them to get the truth out of her.

Ric asks if there’s someone at the hospital who was attacked by Heather, because that person would definitely want her to stay where she was, and Ava says, Heather and her hook put her in the hospital. So she won’t exactly be shedding any tears if she stays where she is. He says he’s sorry, and she says she’s just saying, the hospital is a big place and there are probably a lot of people who weren’t too excited about the possibility of running into Heather at the supermarket. He says, that’s a fair point, but if he’s going to prove GH’s tests are untrustworthy, connecting it to somebody might be helpful. She tells him to go ahead and prove his grand conspiracy. In the meantime, his client Heather will be rotting in Pentenville. He says, not if he connects the dots real fast, and she says, if he accuses a hospital employee with tampering with the tests, every lawyer GH has is going to come running, and nothing about his case will move fast. He asks if she thinks he should ditch the whole tampering theory, and she says she thinks if he wants things to move quickly, he should give GH an easy out. Just tell them up front that he thinks it’s probably an honest lab mistake. The hospital is sure to agree it’s a faulty test. He asks when she became such an expert in legal strategy, and she says, just giving him an alternative. If he wants to do it his way, do it his way. She doesn’t care. She has no dog in this fight. He says he thinks she does. So who is she protecting?

Lucas and Josslyn hug, and he says he’s missed her so much. He can’t wait to hear all about her life. He wants pictures, videos, all of it, especially the embarrassing stuff. She says, that’s most of it. She’s going to just reschedule with Trina. He says, go be with her friend. They have plenty of time to catch up. She says, it’s going to take a lot of time to get him fully caught up, and he says he’ll block out three hours. She leaves, and Carly says she knows they’ve been talking about him coming back for a while now, but until he texted her that the plane had landed, she just didn’t believe it. He says, it was time, and she suggests they sit down and talk. They go into the living room, and she asks if it was hard leaving Boston, but he says he didn’t have many ties there. Boston’s great, but he was working all the time. It made him a better doctor, but he didn’t want to live like that. He missed the family. She says, they missed him too. She’s so happy he’s here. He can stay as long as he likes, but just be warned. Donna is really into crafts, and he’s going to find beads and glue everywhere. He says he’ll keep an eye out, and she says she’s so glad he’s home. She knows it’s hard for him to be in Port Charles. He says he’s sorry he didn’t stick around after mom’s funeral, but she says, it’s okay. She gets it. He says he knew she would, and she says she just wants him to be okay. He says he’s getting there, and she says she knows he’s excited about the job. It’s just that after everything he’s been through, is he sure he’s up for it?

Sonny says he can’t express how happy he is that Lucky is home safe, and Lucky says he’ll never be able to repay Jason or Anna or Carly for everything they did to get him back here. Sonny says, even though Lucky got all the help, he heard it was hell to get back. He’s sure Lucky’s dad would be very proud that he did this for his sister. Lucky says, his dad might be relieved, but he’s not so sure he’d be proud. Sonny asks, what makes him say that, and Lucky says, because they both know he should have been here all along.

Gio finishes playing, and Trina applauds. He says, thanks, but he still needs to work on that bridge. She says, it sounded perfect to her, and he says he’s glad, but he needs something perfect to both of them. She says, that’s fair. What is he even doing out here? He says, change of pace. It’s a nice vibe. Fresh air, sound of the birds, the wind. Kids laughing, people talking. She says, so he likes to play surrounded by… life, and he says, when he plays outside, he feels like he’s part of this big orchestra that’s always playing, but they forget to listen to it. She says, and here she thought it was just about the acoustics. She’s glad she ran into him. She felt terrible that his performance at the gallery got canceled. He says, it wasn’t her fault, and she says she knows, but she’s been working overtime getting Harriet Nakia’s show back on the book and she finally did. She’d love to rebook him. He thanks her for the offer, but says he has to pass, and she asks, why? He says he knows how much she cares for Ava, but she pushed Uncle Sonny’s pregnant daughter out of a window and killed her baby. He’d never work for that woman now.

Ava says she’s not protecting anyone, and Ric says, she’s right. He doesn’t need to find out who did this. She says, really? Two seconds ago, he was Columbo. Now he’s going to walk away? He says, no. He’s just reevaluating the new information. She asks, what new information? and he says, the fact that she doesn’t want him to know who did this. He’s not going to pressure her into telling him who it is. She says, that would be a waste of time because it isn’t anyone, and he says he thinks he’s gotten to know her pretty well, and he knows she wouldn’t stick her neck out for anybody. So this person must mean a lot to her. He guesses he’s just going to have to figure out Heather’s case with what he’s got. He says he’ll see her later, and leaves.

Lucas asks if she’s questioning his skills as a surgeon, but Carly says, not at all. She just knows it isn’t easy for him to be back in Port Charles. He says, when he saw an opening for a trauma surgeon at GH, he didn’t even think about it; he just applied. She says, if there’s anything she can do for him to make it easier, let her know, and he says, just her being here makes it easier and better. He thinks this job was the universe telling him that he can’t run away forever. He doesn’t want to be that kind of man. She says, a man who runs from difficult situations? and he says he knows he will never be Wiley’s father, but he’d sure like a shot at being uncle. He thinks he could really nail that. (Isn’t Wiley, like, in college by now?) She says she thinks he’ll be a great uncle. Has he talked to Michael? He says he emailed Willow and Michael before he accepted the position. They’re both completely on board. She says she knows it’s going to be difficult to see Wiley, but if anyone can navigate that situation, it’s him. Speaking of navigating a difficult situation, has he been in touch with Brad? He says, no, and he’s not going to be. But while they’re on the subject of past relationships, what is this he hears about her and Sonny?

Sonny says, they all make the best decisions at any particular moment, and Lucky says he can’t help wondering how his dad would feel about him letting Lulu waste away in that bed. Sonny says, if Aiden messed up, would Lucky judge him? and Lucky says, of course (🍷) not. He loves Aiden. Sonny says, there’s his answer, and Lucky says, that’s just part of being a parent. Sonny says, not all parents. Even with him. He made that same mistake with Michael and still regrets it to this day. He can tell Lucky something about his father. He wouldn’t judge Lucky because he loved him. Lucky thanks him for saying that, and Sonny tells him that he’s saying it because it’s true. Don’t beat himself up. He’s here. That’s all that matters. Lucky says he has a lot of work to do, and not just the stuff with Lulu, and Sonny says, then do it. Has he seen Aiden? Lucky says, not yet. He’s been to some of the most dangerous places in the world, and here he is in Port Charles afraid to see his own son.

Trina says, Gio really won’t play at the gallery? and he says he’s sorry. Uncle Sonny’s been good to him. Maybe if Ava gets cleared, he’ll consider it. Trina says, it’s fine. If that’s how he feels about it, she’ll just ask someone else. But don’t worry. She’ll never ask him to play at the gallery again. She goes inside Bobbie’s.

Brook and Chase walk into the nook with Violet, and Chase says he knows Violet didn’t want to tell her teacher about what happened today, but she can tell them anything. Brook says, they love her like crazy, and Violet says she doesn’t want them to get mad. Chase says, she must have been pretty mad to hit that kid. What was his name? Violet says, Garth, and Brook says, what’s the story with Garth? Violet says, he’s a mean bully and he lies, and she hates him, and Chase asks what he lied about. Violet says, her dad, and Chase asks what he said. Violet tells him that Garth said her dad’s a drunk.

Carly says, Lucas is in town all of two hours. How does he know what’s going on with her and Sonny? He says, Joss, and she says she should have known. He says, she really should have. So? She says, so, it’s complicated. Can they just leave it at that? He says, for now. She’s going to tell him eventually. She says, probably, and he says, Joss also told him about Ava and Kristina. Does she think Ava did what they’re accusing her of? She says she doesn’t think Ava is innocent of anything, but to be honest, nobody knows what happened in that hotel room except for Kristina and Ava. And it’s a whole mess right now. Molly and Kristina are… Is he sorry he came back yet? He says, no. He thinks it’s good he came back when he did. He’s sorry if he sounded judgmental about her relationship with Sonny. After the relationship he had with Brad, he has no right to judge anyone. She says she understands, but she also knows he’s not going to let her off the hook that easily, and he says, definitely not. Now while she comes up with her Sonny story, he’s going to GH to fill out some forms and get his new ID. She says she’s happy he’s home. Their family really needs him right now. He says, somebody’s got to keep an eye on her, and leaves.

Lucky says he doesn’t even know if Aiden wants to see him, and Sonny asks why he wouldn’t want to. Lucky says, because he dropped the ball. They used to email and videochat every couple of weeks and he hasn’t made contact in a long time. Sonny says, Aiden still cares what Lucky thinks, but Lucky says he doesn’t know about that. Sonny asks if Lucky cared about what Luke thought about him, and Lucky says, more than anyone. Sonny says, then that’s what’s got to be at the front of his mind. Not what he wants to change, but what Aiden needs from him. Lucky says he doesn’t even know what that is, and Sonny says, he’s not going to get it by sitting here talking to him. He’s just got to show up no matter how tough it is. He’s got to show up. Lucky says, Sonny is right. He’s going to go see Aiden. Sonny says, he’s probably in school, right? and Lucky says, something else he should have known. Sonny says, he’s going to figure it out sooner or later, and when he does, they’ll change the start time of school and change the vacation schedule, and he’ll have to start all over. Lucky says, good to know. He guesses he’ll swing by GH and check up on Lulu and his buddy Isaiah. He thanks Sonny, and Sonny says he’s glad Lucky is back. Lucky says, him too. It’s good. Sonny says, that means he’s supposed to be here, and Lucky leaves.

On the phone in Bobbie’s, Trina says she saw their ad online and she was wondering if they’re still available. Give her a call back and they can talk details.

Outside, Gio puts away his violin, when Josslyn comes into the courtyard. She says she didn’t know he’d be here, and he says he was just rehearsing. She says she was about to head inside and hang out with Trina. Does he want to come? He says, it’s probably not a good idea. Trina isn’t going to want him there. She asks, what happened? and he says, they don’t see eye to eye on something, and neither of them is going to change their mind. She says, that doesn’t sound like Trina. She’s always down to share other people’s points of view. He says, not about Ava Jerome. Trina wanted him to play at the gallery and he said he couldn’t. Not after what Ava did to Kristina. Josslyn says, that’s it. Come with her. He follows her inside.

On the phone in her office, Portia leaves a message for Trina, letting her know she was thinking about her. She hopes school is going well. Trina doesn’t have to call her back. She just wanted to let Trina know that she loves her. There’s a knock at the door, and Ava walks in. Portia asks what she can do for her, and Ava says, as Portia is probably aware, Ric Lansing is representing her in her current legal difficulties. Portia says, okay… and Ava says, he’s also representing Heather Webber. Portia says she did know that, and Ava says, what Portia may not know is, Ric had several blood panels run to test Heather’s cobalt levels, four to be exact. Three were normal. One was not. Does she want to guess which one? Portia says, not really, and Ava says, the one test that showed Heather Webber still had elevated levels of cobalt in her blood was conducted right here at the GH lab. Portia says, their lab is excellent. She’s sure if there’s a problem, they can do another test. No issue at all. Ava says she’s surprised to hear Portia say that, and Portia says, why is that? Ava says, because Ric has come to the conclusion that someone here at GH tampered with those test results. Someone with an interest in keeping Heather in prison. Someone with access. Portia says, someone like her?

Brook asks what Violet thinks Garth meant when he said that about her dad, and Violet says, a drunk is someone who drinks too much. Brook says, it’s not a nice word, and Chase says, her dad has a disease. Brook says, we don’t call people unkind names because they’re sick, and Chase says, that’s right. Violet says she told her friend Jamie her dad couldn’t take her to the pumpkin patch this year because he was in a special hospital, and Brook says, that’s right. Violet tells them that she was saying that her daddy is going on lots of hikes and talking to people. But then, Garth said he wasn’t in a hospital. That he was in rehab because he was… Chase says, got it, and Violet says, then she hit him as hard as she could, but then he poured grape juice all over her shirt. Brook says, her dad bought her that shirt, didn’t he? and Violet says, yeah, and now it’s ruined because of stupid, mean Garth. Chase hugs her and says he’s so sorry any of that happened to her. He thanks her for telling them the truth, and she says she’s sorry she hit Garth. He just made her so mad. She’s sorry about her shirt. Brook says, that’s okay. Why don’t they go upstairs? Violet can change and she’ll throw the shirt in the washing machine. She’s sure she can get the stain out. Violet leaves and Brook follows her.

Isaiah walks around on crutches in his hospital room, when Lucky walks in. He says, not bad. Now pretend the Yankees won the series and jump up and down. Isaiah laughs and says, about time. What did he do, walk from Sidwell’s? Lucky says, looking pretty smooth there, and they shake hands. Isaiah says, this is actually him improved. It’s good to see him. Lucky says, it’s good to see Isaiah too. He guesses he owes Isaiah one. Isaiah says, oh yeah, and one day, he might actually take Lucky up on it. Lucky says he knows Isaiah is joking, but he’s not. They may not be trapped in Sidwell’s compound anymore, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have Isaiah’s back. Isaiah says he knows, and Lucky says, good. Because he does and he always will.

Carly walks into Pozzulo’s, and Sonny says he can make Carly an espresso in 25 seconds. She says, that’s impressive, but that’s okay. She’d feel like she was cheating on his old machine. He says, she doesn’t know what she’s missing, and she says, one more mystery she has to live with. He says, have it her way, and leads her to his office. He says, guess what? Lucky was here earlier. She says, how’d that go? and he says, he’s adjusting to being back in Port Charles. She says she’s sure it’s a lot for him, and he says, he’s a lot like his father. He’s tough. He’s going to be okay. She says she doesn’t know if he’s heard, but Lucas is back. He says he heard. How is he? She says, he’s good. He’s ready to start the next chapter of his life. He’s also concerned that they’re getting back together. Sonny says, this is going to be over soon, and she says, good, because that’s why she’s here.

Terry lets Lucas into her office and says, everyone is excited about him rejoining the staff, and he thanks her for making his transition back so smooth. She says, they’re lucky to have him. She’s sure he had his pick of hospitals. He says, GH was always his first choice. He’s looking forward to a fresh start in his hometown. She says she wants that for him too, but there’s something she thinks he should know.

On the phone, Trina says, if they’re schedule changes, let her know. She turns around to see Josslyn with Gio, and says, whatever they’re trying to do, the answer is no. Josslyn says, Ava is not worth losing a friendship, and neither is Sonny, but Trina says, this is between her and Gio. Josslyn says, they both see good sides to Sonny and Ava. How, she doesn’t know, but it doesn’t matter. She’s not here to waste her time or her energy trying to convince them that they’re wrong. Trina says, the world won’t end if everyone doesn’t have the same opinions, and Josslyn says, she’s right, but they don’t have to fight Sonny and Ava’s battles for them. Let them screw up their own lives, but don’t let them change one thing about theirs.

Portia asks if Ava really thinks she’d risk everything to get back at Heather, and Ava says, what she thinks is, if her daughter were in danger, she’d do everything she could to protect her. Changing a test result? That’s nothing. She’d pull strings, she’d pay bribes, she’d even kill if it meant keeping her child safe. And she’d sleep very well at night. Portia says she guesses they’re different in that way, but Ava says, no, they’re not. But Trina doesn’t know how far Portia would go to protect her. She’s getting her life back together. She’s going back to school. For the first time in a long time, she’s thinking about the future. Portia says, that’s exactly what she’s been praying for, and Ava says, well, it’s happening, and Trina doesn’t need to see her mother’s career crash and burn because of something she did to protect her daughter. Portia says she appreciates Ava coming to speak with her, but she doesn’t know what Ava is talking about. Ava says, come on. It took her all of three minutes to realize it was Portia who messed with those test results. And she won’t be the only one. So like it or not, Portia is going to need her help.

Lucas walks into the lab where Brad is working. He says he heard Brad was working here.

Trina says she understands why Gio feels the way he does about Ava. She was at the pool when Kristina fell. It was horrifying. Gio says, if Josslyn hadn’t done everything exactly right that day, Kristina would have died, and Trina says, that’s why he doesn’t want to do anything with Ava, and if he doesn’t want to perform at the gallery, don’t. He thanks her, and she says she’s just asking as his friend to consider the possibility that the fall was an accident. He says he wasn’t in the room with Kristina and Ava, so he’ll let the judge in the case decide who’s guilty. As far as the gallery gig, he won’t do it for Ava, but he’ll do it for her. She asks how he knows she hasn’t found his replacement.

Brook asks if Chase wants to go beat up Garth with her. She’s kidding… mostly. He asks how Violet is doing, and she says, she’s doing better. She’s upstairs changing her clothes. She’ll be down in a minute. Has he seen her phone? He says, she left it here when she went upstairs, and gives it to her. She checks something, and he asks what she’s doing. She says she’s looking for Garth’s parents’ phone number in the school directory. She’d like to have a little chat with them. He says, that’s probably not the best idea right now, and she says, he’s right. They should drive over there and have the conversation in person. That way, they can get eyes on Garth, see what his story is. He says, that might make things worse. Although there’s nothing stopping him from putting a boot on their car. She says she likes where his head is at on this, and he says, but you know who wouldn’t? Finn. She says she hates it, but he’s right. They need to focus on Violet. He says, there’s always going to be Garths in this world. They need to teach her how to deal with them. Short of her uncle tasing them. She says, that’s a good idea. The teaching, not the tasing. They just need to put their feelings aside and listen. He says he thinks Violet misses Finn more than they realized, and Brook says, it’s her way of crying out for help.

Lucky asks what Isaiah thinks of Port Charles, and Isaiah says, all he’s seen so far is the airport, the side of the street, and inside the hospital. Lucky says, all the hot tourist spots, and Isaiah says he’s also gotten to know some people around here. Lucky says, anyone interesting? and Isaiah says, one or two. Lucky says, sounds like Port Charles is growing on him, and Isaiah says, Lucky never told him much about his life here, which is cool, but now might be the time to tell him anything he needs to know. Lucky says, like what? and Isaiah says, like anything that might keep him from putting his foot in his mouth. Lucky says, Isaiah has met his ex, and Isaiah says, she’s pretty awesome. And he’s looking forward to meeting Lucky’s son. Has Lucky seen him yet? Lucky says, not yet, but he will soon, and Isaiah asks if Aiden knows what Lucky’s been doing. Lucky says he hasn’t given him too many details. He didn’t want to scare him. Isaiah says, he should know that Lucky’s been helping people. Isaiah is happy to tell him that, and more if Lucky wants. Lucky says he might take Isaiah up on that at some point. There are going to be a lot of questions, and he certainly doesn’t have all the answers. Isaiah asks if Lucky is worried how Aiden is going to react, and Lucky says, that, and he’s focused on his sister. He’s waiting to hear if he’s a match. Isaiah asks if he’s concerned about the surgery, and Lucky says, which one? Lulu’s or his?

Brad says, Lucas is back, and Lucas says he is, but not for Brad. They’re both going to be working here, so he thought he’d make some things clear since they’re bound to run into each other. If they speak to one another, it will only be about work. No catching up, no hashing things out. Nothing. The past is the past and that’s not going to change. He’s moving forward with his life and that doesn’t include Brad. Are they clear? Brad says, crystal, and Lucas says, good. Because he wants nothing to do with Brad – ever.

Portia asks why Ava wants to help her. What’s in it for her? Ava says, Trina. She doesn’t deserve to watch her mother lose everything. She’ll think it’s her fault, and she’s been through enough without adding that to it. Portia says she was just trying to protect Trina, and Ava says, keep doing it. Do what Ava tells her to do. No one has to know she’s doing it. Portia says, it’s already too late. Brad Cooper is back working at GH. He’s working in the lab and he’s already suspicious of her. Ava says, lie low. Don’t try to cover her tracks. Don’t try to hide what she’s done. The bigger deal she makes it, the bigger deal it’s going to become. Portia asks what she does about Ric Lansing, and Ava says she’ll handle Ric Lansing. She can certainly keep him away from Portia. Portia says, it’s not going to work. Ric Lansing will get Heather out of prison. They have to stop him.

Carly says, Sam told her that Alexis is protecting Kristina by not defending herself, and Sonny says, Alexis isn’t doing herself any favors in this case. Carly says she gets that, but Alexis shouldn’t be punished for a crime she didn’t commit, and he says, that’s why he hired Martin Grey to represent her. He’s already working on her defense. She says, he’s going to let this go to trial? but he says, no. He believes Alexis’s case is going to fall apart. She says, what if it doesn’t? and he says, it will. She says she’s on his side. She always has been and always will be. He asks why she thinks he came to her for an alibi, and she says, why does he think she gave him one? She doesn’t want anyone to go down for Cates’s murder. The world is a better place without him in it. He can’t destroy another life. Sonny says, he won’t, and she says, okay. Then he needs to tell her what they’re going to do to protect Alexis.

Violet comes downstairs, and Brook asks if she feels better. Violet says, yes, and Chase says, Garth shouldn’t have said what he did, but her dad wouldn’t want her to hit someone either. Brook’s phone rings, and she says she has to take this. She steps away, and Violet says, if Garth hadn’t said those mean things about her dad first, she wouldn’t have punched him. Chase says he knows, but he needs her to believe in her dad right now. Can she do that? Violet says she guesses so.

On the phone, someone tells Brook, the principal would like to speak to Violet’s guardian as soon as possible.

Violet says she’s sorry she hit Garth. Does Chase think she’s going to get in trouble? He says, even when you have a good reason for doing something, if you break the rules, there are consequences.

Gio asks if Trina is saying she already got someone to play at the gallery. Where did she find them? Trina says, the internet? and Josslyn says, there’s no way they’re better than him. Gio thanks her, and Trina says she will tell them that the musician she found is a little sketchy, so she’d be very happy if Gio would reconsider her offer and take the job. He says he’d be very happy to accept the offer – for her, and Josslyn says her work here is done. Gio says, if the environmental science degree doesn’t work out, she could always be a talent agent, and Trina says, very true. She could.

Ava says, unfortunately, there’s nothing they can do to stop Ric from trying to get Heather released from prison, but Portia says, there has to be. Ava says, he’s got three tests that prove the GH test was faulty. Heather Webber was affected by cobalt in her system. Portia says she can’t just sit here and do nothing, but Ava says, she can’t be seen anywhere near Heather’s case. Ava’s phone rings, and she says, it’s Ric. Ric says he’s got great news. He filed a summary motion on Heather’s case. He asked that her conviction be overturned immediately, and there’s a good chance it will be. Ava says, congratulations, and he says, don’t worry. Her mystery friend will remain a mystery. She thanks him and says she means it. Can she call him later? He says, no need. He just wanted her to know about the motion. He hangs up, and Ava looks at Portia.

Brad says, Lucas must hate him, and Lucas says, all of this would be easier if he did. He does feel sorry for Brad. He understands all the reasons Brad did what he did. Brad says he still shouldn’t have done it, and Lucas says, Brad was drawn into a nightmare. But Brad pulled him in too, and it’s a nightmare he never wants to think about or experience again. So goodbye, Brad. He walks out.

Isaiah says, so if Lulu’s body accepts Lucky’s liver, it will take her back to her baseline. He’ll have given her the best possible chance to wake up from her coma. Lucky says, don’t kid a kidder. The odds of that are pretty slim. Isaiah says, slim is better than none, and Lucky says he guesses. Isaiah says, Lucky is going to need about a week in the hospital, and another six to eight weeks after than to recover from the surgery. That being said, there are risks. There’s no such thing as a routine transplant surgery. Lucky says, and Isaiah wouldn’t consider… Isaiah says he’ll give advice and offer support, but he’s never going back into surgery. Lucky says, sorry. He never should have asked. Isaiah has done more than his part. Isaiah says, he means the whole risking his life to get Lucky help thing? and Lucky says, without him, he’d still be in the desert. Whatever happens next is on him.

Sonny says, don’t worry about it, and Carly says, he does have a plan to help Alexis, doesn’t he? He says, they can protect Alexis and everybody involved. All they have to do is find the gun Alexis threw away. She says, what if he doesn’t find it? and he says, then he’ll prove Alexis didn’t kill Jagger Cates. She says, how? and he says he’ll turn himself in.

On Monday, Willow says, maybe she and Michael can figure it out together; Robert tells Diane, Holly’s back in town; Terry has Lucky’s test results; and Lucky owes someone a huge apology.

🪥 Brush Up On Your Lucas…

A refresher course or an introduction.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/abc/general-hospital-lucas-jones-ryan-carnes-158930

🎉 Mother and Child Reunion…

Laura’s head is going to explode when Lulu wakes up.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/genie-francis-returns-to-general-hospital-2024

I dunno about him being like Luke. Luke was never that altruistic.

https://ew.com/general-hospital-will-reunite-laura-with-lucky-genie-francis-jonathan-jackson-8723567

🎉 Receipts, Proof, Timelines, Lemons In a Bowl…

I really do feel badly for her, but she seriously needs to curb her drinking.

Confirmation!

🍸 Something About Horror…

It beats the horror of the last two seasons of VPR.

💍 Charming Proposal…

She’s finally moved on from creeper Austen. Good for her.

🥸 That’s a Lot Of Laughs…

Wow. Fifty – 5-0 – seasons.

https://ew.com/how-to-watch-first-snl-episode-after-saturday-night-movie-8722822

💸 Regrettable Millionaire…

This came after the shame of being included in The Dark Side of Reality TV. I kinda, sorta remember it, but I’m not a fan of the finding love shows. I always feel embarrassed for the contestants. No doubt they feel embarrassed for themselves too, after it airs. And it’s rarely love that they find.

https://ew.com/joe-millionaire-producer-regrets-convincing-women-to-do-show-8714985

👻 Get Your Ideas Here…

This article shows costumes you can buy and where you can buy them, but it’s not that hard to DIY some of these ideas. I’m no seamstress, but I’ve handmade dog costumes a few times. You try to find Rocky Horror costumes for dogs.

https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/pets/best-dog-halloween-costumes

Omg, the little football.

https://blog.homesalive.ca/dog-blog/20-funny-creative-outrageous-pet-costumes

💡 Quotes of the Week

The really magical things are the ones that happen right in front of you. A lot of the time you keep looking for beauty, but it is already there. And if you look with a bit more intention, you see it. – Vik Muniz

It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it.Abraham Lincoln

October is the fallen leaf, but it is also a wider horizon more clearly seen. It is the distant hills once more in sight, and the enduring constellations about them once again. – Hal Borland

Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. – Terry Simpson

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. – Mike Tyson

You’re going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it’s always their actions you should judge them by. It’s actions, not words, that matter. – Nicholas Sparks

I said no cilantro. I might as well shove a bar of goddam soap in my mouth. – Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell), The Penguin (Same.)

No one knows what it is, or how it works, but everyone wants to possess it. – Nomad (Michael Berryman), Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time

🍁 Here’s To October…

Get your weekend on, then join me on Monday for soap and seeing what’s on Sail. Until then, stay safe, stay within the parameters of a party (in other words, don’t be nosy about the host’s home), and stay never calling people unkind names because they’re sick.

October 6, 2023 – Sonny Has Errands To Run, She’s Out, She’s In, Faux Housewives, Simon Says, Sharing, Stop It, Dead Talk, Turkey Time, Vintage Scares, Pets (!) In Costume, Just Shy Of 10 Quotes & It’s That Time

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sonny goes to Michael’s office, and Michael says he wasn’t expecting to see him. It must be important if Sonny decided to come all the way down to his office. Sonny asks if it’s a problem, but Michael says, no, just unusual. Sonny says he’s trying to be a little more spontaneous in his old age, and Michael asks what brings him here. Sonny says he knows he shouldn’t be asking this, but he has a favor that only Michael can do for him.

Moving right along, Sonny sees Anna at the MetroCourt bar, and thanks her for meeting him. She says she was a bit surprised by the invite, and he says he’s been looking out for her since the shooting at the MetroCourt. She says she appreciates that. She’s being very cautious, one eye looking over her shoulder, because apparently, she’s got a target on her back now. He asks if any threats have happened, but she says, no, and he says, that’s good to hear. She asks if that’s why he asked to see her, to check up on her, but he says he just wanted to let her know he’s going to be gone for a few days. If she needs anything, he’s just a phone call away.

Alexis says she can’t remember how long it’s been since they’ve visited her at her office. It must be important. What did she do to deserve this visit? We see it’s Sonny, and he says, it’s not what she’s done; it’s what she’s going to do. She says, typically, when someone wants her to do a favor for them, they ask her nicely and say please. What does he need? He says, put this paper to good use, and save a man’s life.

Setting a cup of coffee on the bar at Charlie’s, Kristina says, just tell her when and where, and she’s there. Sonny says, that’s my girl, and she says she’s actually pretty excited about it. After all he’s done for her lately, how could she possibly say no. He thanks her, and says he knows he can always count on her. She says, that’s not something she hears every day and it’s so nice. She hugs him, and Dante walks in.

Carly leaves a message for Diane to call her. She just wants some kind of update as to when they’re taking Drew back to Pentenville. Sonny knocks at his old kitchen door, and Carly says she just needs to know. She tells Sonny, hey, and he says he knows this must be difficult for her. Nobody wants Drew to go back to prison. She says she keeps hoping Diane is going to call and tell her they’ve figured out something, some kind of loophole to stop Drew from going back there. They’re looking into the judge to see if they can find some sort of bias, but it seems to be a longshot, so she doesn’t know. He says, she’s doing everything she can. There’s nobody more tenacious than Diane. She says, the girls are in school, and he knows that, so he must be here to see her, and he says, she guessed right. That, and to see the moss bowl🎍. She says, please tell her this isn’t bad news, and he says, it kind of depends on her perspective. She says, that’s cryptic. What’s going on? He says he and Nina are eloping.

Valentin is working on his laptop, when a message pops up with the number for a therapist in his area. He picks up his phone, but there’s a knock at the door. He opens it to Nina, who says she came by to see if things were any better with Charlotte. He invites her in, and she says, this place is so beautiful. Charlotte must be so thrilled to be in her own home with her dad… What’s wrong? What happened?

Robert meets Anna at the MetroCourt and asks, who’s the suit? She says, it’s a gift from Sonny, and he asks if she can send it back. She says, no, and he asks where Sonny gets off sending a goon over here to keep an eye on her. She says, he has a very caring side, and he says, so did Attila the Hun. She says, Sonny was worried about her and wanted to offer her protection, which she refused first of all; she didn’t think she needed it. He says, but now she does, and she says she changed her mind. He asks if something’s happened, and she says, other than the recent disturbing events, no. Nothing has happened in the last 24 hours since she’s had protection. He says, so she’s living in the MetroCourt, and she says, yes, until she moves into the new place. Valentin has bought a house for them. He asks when she went house hunting, but she says she didn’t. He bought the house on his own. Robert says, Valentin could have at least made her part of the process. Unless of course (🍷) she thinks he’s hiding something. She says, he’s always hiding something, but the house isn’t part of that. It was indeed meant to be a surprise. He says, Valentin is nothing if not full of those, and she says, he certainly is.

Gregory comes into Alexis’s office and asks how it went with Sonny. She asks how he knew Sonny was… Esme has to quit sharing every visitor that comes into her office. It’s not that she has anything to hide, Esme just needs to learn a little discretion. He says, Esme’s not to blame. When a notorious coffee importer shows up here, people tend to talk, and usually in hushed tones. Sonny’s good fodder for the water cooler. Alexis says, they’re going to be very disappointed. He just came to ask for a favor. Gregory says, he hopes nothing illegal, and she says, Sonny wanted to see if The Invader could help leverage Judge Albert Kim. He’s the judge who sentenced Drew Cain to three years in Pentenville. Gregory asks what outcome Sonny is hoping for, and she says, Carly thinks the judge’s sentence was unnecessarily harsh, and they’re hoping maybe they can get the sentence reduced or at the very least, have him moved to a safer facility. He asks just how Sonny suggests she do that, and she says, that’s what they have to figure out.

Carly says, eloping? What happened to the big blow-out wedding Sonny and Nina were planning? He says he wasn’t planning the wedding. He just told Nina that she can do whatever she wants with the wedding. Carly says she knows Olivia was helping, and he asks if that’s tough for her, but she says, no. She’s a big girl. Olivia can do what she wants, and they’re way too close for her to let something like that bother her. Sonny says, there were just so many details and things like that. A wedding should be about a celebration, not a deadline. She says, it’s just surprising considering all the noise Nina was making about her big wedding celebration, and he says, they’re just going to fly down to the island. It’s not going to be a big deal; just a small ceremony. It’s just going to be him and Nina, and whatever kids are able to go. She says, kids. That’s why he’s here. He says he would love if Donna could go. It would mean everything. If she’s okay with that.

Valentin tells Nina that he’s totally lost. He and Charlotte used to be so close, and now he feels like he doesn’t even know her. She says she knows this must be so difficult for him, but he says, not just him. Charlotte’s going to need professional help. He’s trying to find her a therapist. (I guess Montague is out.) She says, it might take him a while to find someone. Charlotte’s in a very serious situation, and he’s going to have to find the doctor who’s the right fit. He says he’s always been able to talk to her, hasn’t he? No matter how raw it gets. She knows him, maybe better than anybody; maybe even Anna. He doesn’t know how it got this way. This is his little girl they’re talking about. Nina says, they’re going to figure this out together. Where is Charlotte now? He says, she went on a bike ride. That’s why he’s doing research and making phone calls. Nina asks if he hasn’t said anything to Charlotte, and he says he just doesn’t know what he’d say if she lied to him, if she denied it. He doesn’t know how he’d react. Why is this happening? Did he do something to make her act out like this?

Kristina says, he told dad what? and Dante says he explained he couldn’t go to the wedding, but he’d go to the next one. She says, that’s not even funny, but he says he’s just kidding. She says, so he is going to go, but he says he’s not kidding about that part. She says, he has to go. Dad asked Dante to be his best man, didn’t he? Dante says, he did, and he’s honored. He just can’t go away right now. She says, that, she does get, because the PCPD softball team really need their star pitcher, and he says, they probably do, but he’s just got a lot of stuff going on here. She says, what stuff is more important than dad’s wedding? and he says, Charlotte was living with them; she’s moved out. They’re dealing with the fact Scout’s father Drew is behind bars, and it’s tough on her. His job… She seems more annoyed than Sonny did. He took this a lot better than her. She says she just thinks it’s important they be there to support dad, and he says he agrees. Dad knows he supports him. They’ve had their ups and downs, but he knows Dante’s behind his and Nina’s relationship. She says, nothing can keep her away, and he says, that’s good. She’ll be representing. She says she doesn’t think she’ll be the only one actually. Dad asked Michael to come. Dante says, that’s big. What did Michael say?

At the hospital, Michael looks for Willow, and a nurse tells him that she thinks Willow’s still on break. She’ll check. He sits down and remembers Sonny saying he wanted to tell Michael in person. Michael tells him, usually when somebody says that, it’s not good news, but Sonny says, it’s good news, for him at least. He and Nina are eloping; they’re going down to the island. Michael says, congratulations are in order, and Sonny says he knows times have been tough this year, but he thinks they’ve moved past that, and Michael says, with everything that happened with Willow, he realizes how important family is. Sonny says, Nina is Michael’s family. He knows there’s been a strain between them… Michael says, that’s an understatement, and Sonny says, she’s tried to make an effort between Michael and Willow. What makes her happy is spending time with Amelia and Wiley. Michael says he has to admit things have been better with Nina, and he knows she’s trying to respect their boundaries. Sonny says, nothing would mean more to Nina than to have Willow at her wedding, and it would mean a lot to him to have Michael there. So is there any chance he’ll go?

Nina says, this is not Valentin’s fault. She wishes she had the answer. Charlotte is a teenage girl, and teenage girls can be very complicated. He says, she’s a Cassadine. Cursed, isn’t it? None of this godforsaken family gets to be happy. Nina says, please, don’t go there. This has nothing to do with a curse. Charlotte isn’t doomed. She’s an adolescent who got herself into trouble. She’s struggling, but they will get her help. He says, it’s so overwhelming, and she says she’s sure Anna’s been supportive. What does she think? He says he hasn’t told her. How is he going to tell her that his daughter is the one who’s been tormenting her? Charlotte’s the one who set the fire; she’s going to be facing very serious criminal charges. Nina says, they have to just be very grateful no one was in the house. If Charlotte did do this, she made sure of that. He asks if that’s supposed to make him feel better, but Nina says she’s just making the point that Charlotte isn’t trying to hurt Anna. She’s not a murderer; she’s just crying out for help. He says, it’s more than that. Charlotte’s terrorizing the woman he loves, and he’s trying to keep that from escalating, but is he doing the right thing by not telling Anna?

Carly says, Sonny knows how much Donna loves weddings. Of course (🍷) she can go. Sonny thanks her and she says she knows how happy Donna was at Michael’s wedding. Hopefully, both girls can go. He says, that’s the plan, and she asks if he’s called Ava, because Avery wouldn’t want to miss it. He says he called Ava, but she hasn’t gotten back to him yet. He hopes there’s no problem there, because it would not be the same without Avery. She says, it looks like he’s thought of everything for his tropical ceremony, and he says he’s trying. He thinks he covered all the bases. Oh no, wait. The favor she asked for Drew? He’s working on it. She says, let’s hope it comes in time to save Drew.

Gregory asks if Alexis is sure she wants to get into this. He’s heard a lot of stories about people who do Sonny’s bidding and sometimes it doesn’t end well. She says, ya think? She’s very well aware of the methods Sonny uses to handle things. This time, he would like it handled legitimately. He asks if she’s sure that she and Sonny don’t share any similarities, and she says she thinks she’s offended. He says he doesn’t know Sonny well, but from what he hears, Sonny has reputation for ruthlessness. He knows firsthand how ruthless Alexis can be… when it comes to the pursuit of truth in journalism. She says, really? Do go on. He tells her that he’s just saying she’s a force of nature when it comes to business, and that’s a good thing by the way. She says, this is really very entertaining. Trying to compliment her after calling her ruthless. That is some fancy footwork. He says, unfortunately, that’s the only footwork he’s capable of these days.

Kristina tells Dante that she knows Michael wants to make peace with dad. There’s definitely been a lot less tension lately. Dante says, yeah, but that’s a far cry from Michael attending the wedding. They have to start somewhere to get back to where they were. She says she doesn’t know if they’ll ever get back to where they were, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. He asks, so is Michael going to the wedding or not? and she says, she doesn’t know. She hopes so. She’ll tell Dante one thing. She’s not excited to be on an island with him and Nina for the next few days. He says he thought she was Team Nina, and she says she is. She likes Nina a lot. Most important, dad loves her, but she hasn’t forgotten what Nina did to Michael and Willow. That’s some serous damage, and they both know their brother holds a grudge. He says, kind of just like… and they both say, dad. Blaze comes in, and Kristina introduces her to Dante. Blaze says, we meet again.

Michael remembers telling Sonny that he can’t give him an answer now. Not without talking to Willow first. Sonny says he gets it. He just hopes Willow does this for Nina, because the ceremony wouldn’t be the same without Wiley there. She wants Wiley to be the ring bearer, like he was at Michael’s wedding. He’s a pro now. Michael says, Willow has a lot going on right now and she just got back to work. He’s not sure she’s going to want to drop all that and get on a plane. Sonny says, okay. He just wanted Michael to think about it. In the present, Willow dashes over to Michael and says she heard he was waiting for her. Is everything all right? Did something happen with the kids?

Valentin tells Nina that he just doesn’t know what to do. They can’t involve the police. She says, no. They’re not bringing the police into this. She’s a teenager; she’s fifteen years old. If she did do this, and the police find out, they will send her away. He can’t let that happen. They’re just going to have to handle this themselves. He asks how they do that, and she says, they’re going to find a way to get through to Charlotte. They’re not giving up on her. He says he’s always appreciated her support, and she hooks her arm in his and says, even though they went their separate ways, she’ll always care about him. She loves Charlotte. He says he doesn’t know what he’d do without her help, and she says, about that. He’s going to have to deal with this on his own. That’s what she came by to tell him. She’s leaving town.

Anna tells Robert that she thinks Valentin feels this house is a way for him to focus on his daughter. He feels Charlotte needs a more stable environment. She’s had a very rough year. Robert asks if she didn’t tell him that Victor was keeping her at the boarding school, and Anna says, when she finally did come home, she’s been bouncing from house to house. First she was at Laura’s, then she lived with Dante. That’s not to say they weren’t there for her. They were very supportive, but Charlotte is fifteen, and along with that age comes anxiety and insecurity. He says, Mac was having a problem with Robin like that, and she says, Charlotte needs her father’s undivided attention. She totally understands that. She thinks maybe Valentin feels that buying a house for her is the first step in putting her on more solid ground. He says, in the meantime, Anna’s roughing it in the hotel, but she says she doesn’t call room service roughing it. She thought Robert didn’t want her with Valentin. He says he doesn’t. However, she should have the final choice in where she lives. She suggests they agree to disagree when it comes to the subject of her relationship with Valentin, and says she asked him here because she needs his help. He says, with? and she says, something crucial.

Sonny tells Carly that he pretty much politely demanded Alexis use that paper and her investigation skills to look into Judge Kim, because they have to figure out why he gave Drew such a harsh sentence. Carly says, they need to do more than look into Judge Kim. They need to get the judge to commute Drew’s sentence, or at least send him to a safer facility. Does Alexis understand that? He says, Alexis knows that the goal is to get Drew out of Pentenville, but it’s not going to happen overnight. The first thing she needs to do is a deep dive into Kim’s record. They have to figure out what makes him vulnerable. Then they have an opening. She asks if he thinks Alexis is going to come through, and he says he’s confident she’ll deliver for them.

Gregory apologizes to Alexis and says, that was meant to be a joke, but clearly it didn’t land. She says, he has every right to handle his disease any way he sees fit. If he wants to joke about it, joke about it. Go for it. He doesn’t have to edit his words with her. She’s going to follow his lead. He says he feels like he’s constantly thanking her for being understand, but thanks her again. She says, he doesn’t need to keep thanking her or apologizing. What’s that quote from that movie? Friendship means never having to say you’re sorry. He says he thinks that’s, love means… (Actually, I think her version makes more sense.) She says, he just doesn’t need to keep thanking her, and he says he still hasn’t told Chase. He knows she keeps telling him to wait until he’s ready, but when will that be? He can’t keep hiding behind his work here. He wakes up some mornings and he’s so determined to tell Chase the truth. Then he finds himself here instead. He used to lecture his students about procrastination. He’d tell them, putting off that term paper won’t make it easier. She says, this is a little bigger than a homework assignment. He’s going to tell Chase when he tells Chase. He says he’s just being selfish. He just wants more time with his son before his son looks at him with pity. Before he sees the disease, not his father. She says she thinks he’s wrong. She doesn’t think Chase is going to react that way at all, but Gregory will do what feels right for him and she’s not judging him. He says, speaking of judges, how are they going to handle Judge Kim?

Dante says, good to see Blaze again, and she says, good to see him too. She tells Kristina, Dante was her hero at the Nurses Ball, and he says he doesn’t like to brag. Kristina says, since when? and Blaze says, after Brook outed Linc on stage, Dante grabbed him and dragged him out of the MetroCourt. Nice work, detective. He says, just doing my job, ma’am, and Kristina says, that’s great. She almost forgot; her brother, the knight in shining armor. Blaze says, don’t think she’s forgotten how nice Dante was the day they ran into each other at Kelly’s, and he says, that was a few months ago. He saw Blaze at Kelly’s and Rocco had been watching her music videos; he’s a big fan. And they saw her at Rice Plaza years ago, and she was so gracious to them. Thanks. Blaze thanks him, and Kristina says, they’re practically BFFs. Who’d have guessed that?

Michael says, everything’s fine. He didn’t mean to worry Willow. She says, it must be something important for him to come all the way to GH, and they sit down. He says he wanted to tell her that Sonny paid him a visit earlier and apparently, he and Nina are eloping in Puerto Rico. She says, okay. The last time she spoke to Nina, Nina was knee-deep in wedding planning. It sounded like a huge event here in Port Charles. He says he guesses Nina changed her mind, and Willow asks if this means they get out of going to the wedding, but he says, no such luck. They’re definitely on the guest list. Sonny wants them to fly down to Puerto Rico.

Valentin says, she’s leaving town? but Nina says, it’s just for a few days. Don’t worry. She feels silly talking about it, given everything Valentin is going through, but she and Sonny are going to Puerto Rico; they’re eloping. He says he thought she was having a big wedding at the MetroCourt, and she says, that was the plan, but it got complicated, and it was really stressful. They just want to get married as soon as possible and the best solution was to have a small ceremony on Sonny’s island. He says, if that’s what she wants, he’s happy for her, and she says, he can always call her, but he says he’s not going to call her. He’s not going to interrupt her wedding. Unless she wants Sonny after him. Besides, Laura’s coming back from London. They’re going to figure out what to do about Charlotte together. Charlotte walks in and asks if Valentin is keeping things from her.

Robert says, Anna will do whatever she wants, so what does she need? She says, let’s just look at the recent events, starting with the shooting at the pool. She thinks that bullet was meant for Sonny, not her. Robert says, he’s got his fair share of enemies, and Anna says, so does she, but she thinks she’s being targeted in a completely different way. He says he doesn’t follow, and she says, after the shooting at the pool, her house was torched. Then her room here was vandalized. What does that tell him? He says, that her enemy is toying with her. They’re trying to break her down. What is she going to do about that?

Charlotte says, Valentin didn’t tell her Nina was coming over. She was putting her bike away, and she saw Nina’s car out front. She’s so happy to see Nina. They hug, and Nina says, it’s so nice to see Charlotte. How is she? Charlotte says, much better now that she’s living with papa, and Nina says, it’s a beautiful place. Is she settling in okay? Charlotte says, everything’s perfect. Can Nina stay and have lunch with them? Nina says, no, she’s so sorry. She just came over to tell Charlotte’s dad that she was leaving town for a few days. She and Sonny are going to Puerto Rico. Charlotte says, cool. She wishes she and papa could take a trip with Nina someday. Nina says she’s not sure Anna would be so thrilled with that, and Charlotte says she knows. She was just thinking how great it would be if they could go to Europe. Remember how they used to always talk about doing that? Nina says, that’s right. How about this? They plan a girls trip, just the two of them. Maybe she can convince Maxie to allow Georgie to come with them. She likes Georgie, right? (The way she says this, she may as well have been saying, Charlotte’s not going to set fire to Georgie, is she?) Charlotte says, yeah. She used to see Georgie a lot when her mom was still with them. But she’d rather just go with Nina if papa can’t come with them. Nina says, it’s a deal, and Charlotte says she loves Nina. They hug, and Nina says she loves Charlotte too.

Alexis tells Gregory, it looks like Judge Kim has a number of high-profile cases. His opinions that he wrote for his decisions read like bait for a promotion. Gregory asks, can you elaborate on that for those of us who didn’t attend law school? and she says, from what she can tell, it sounds like he’s trying to impress the Judicial Board in hopes of a higher appointment. Gregory asks how he goes about that, and she says, when judges are trying to climb the ladder, they set new precedents. And they do that with their opinions. And what they want is for those precedents to be appealed and upheld. So in simpler terms, it looks like Judge Kim is trying to get the attention of those above him. And if that’s the case, then maybe they can help him do just that.

Carly thanks Sonny for everything he’s doing for Drew’s case, and he says, Drew’s a good man. He doesn’t deserve what’s happening to him. And Drew being in prison affects her, and no matter what’s happened between them, she’s the mother of his children and he just wants her to be happy. She says, that means a lot. So from all the research Diane has gathered, it looks like Judge Kim is hoping for a promotion to the Federal Bench. She’s thinking he’d be more than happy to meet with the press and cooperate. He says, that gives Alexis a way in, and she says, that’s all they have for now. Sonny says, do him a favor and tell Drew to sit tight, because he’s doing everything he can behind the scenes to get him out of there. Carly says she will and asks if he ever found out who Austen was visiting in Pentenville.

Gregory tells Alexis, from the look on her face, he’d say she has a plan. What is she thinking? She says, her guess is, this guy has an ego; most judges do. He says he hears the same about lawyers, and she says she’s not sure who’s worse, but what she thinks is, this guy is really career oriented. He wants to get ahead which means he’ll be very susceptible to the lure of publicity. Gregory says, and that’s where she comes in, and she says, they call him in for an interview. They pump him up. They tell him that they’re interested in doing an article about his decisions, take some pictures, and hopefully he’ll eat it up. Gregory says, and then, she goes in for the kill and ask him about Drew’s sentence. She says, mm-hmm, and he says, good plan of attack. Like he said, ruthless.

Sonny tells Carly, unfortunately, they have no information on that yet. They don’t know who’s pulling the strings when it comes to Austen and Mason. She says, trailing Betty didn’t turn up anything? and he says he had Dex watching her every move, thinking she’d lead them to the boss, but that didn’t happen. They have someone watching Austin, and his guys are doing everything they can until he gets back from the wedding. She says, that’s what he should be concentrating on right now, and he says he knows. She says she’s going to have Donna packed and all ready to go. She can’t wait to see Donna’s face when she tells her. Please take a couple of pictures of Donna for her. He says, okay, and she says, let her know if he hears from Ava. She can just bring Avery here and he can pick up both girls at the same time. He says, thanks, that means a lot, and she says, it’s been a painful couple years. He agrees, and she says, and she just wants him to be happy too. He says, yeah. He feels the same way. They soap stare at each other for a moment, while the moss bowl🎍 yawns, and Sonny says he’ll see her.

Kristina says she’s flying down to Puerto Rico later for her dad’s wedding, and Blaze says, a destination wedding. How exciting. Dante says, they’re eloping, thank God, and Kristina says, Dante. He says he’s just telling it like it is. He thinks they’re being smart by keeping it a small, family ceremony. (Is that really eloping then?) Kristina asks why he says that, and he tells her, because he thinks if they had a big wedding in Port Charles, they’d be asking for trouble.

Anna says, this is where Robert comes in. She needs his help. Because she’s almost certain this threat is coming from inside the WSB. Or someone with access to the Bureau’s resources. He asks if she thinks this is the same person who outed her for being a double-agent, and she says she has her suspicions. Look at the timing; think about it. None of this started until she was exposed in the press. It has to be connected. It can’t just be a coincidence. He says, this is revenge from someone she’s wronged in a past case? and she says her actions hurt a lot of people who might want payback. He says, she hasn’t been an active operative in years. Could somebody hold a grudge that long? She says she doesn’t know. She just really needs his help to get some information from inside the Bureau. He tells her, as he said, since Frisco left, his influence there is limited. As for this new director, whatever influence he might have is going to be limited at best. She says, limited is better than non-existent. Please. Will he help her find out what is going on and who is after her?

Nina says, it was so good to see Charlotte. Does she remember their handshake? They do a fancy pattycake thing, and Nina says she has to go to the gallery. She’s been trying to get ahold of Ava with no luck, so she thought she’d try her there. Charlotte says she misses Nina so much. Please come over after her trip. Nina says she will, and kisses Charlotte’s forehead. Valentin walks her to the door, and outside, he thanks her for coming. It meant a lot to Charlotte. It’s good to see her smile. Nina says, they’re going to figure this out when she gets back, okay? and they hug as Charlotte watches. He tells Nina, have a nice trip, and Charlotte half smiles.

Willow says, fly to an intimate wedding? It would be one thing if it was 200 guests at the MetroCourt. They’d be able to blend into the background, but this… Michael says, yeah. It would just be family, so they’d be front and center. She says she knows she’s been pushing him lately to accept Nina, but this is a lot. He’s finally made peace with his dad and Nina, and it’s so new. He asks if she really wants to put it to the test.

Alone outside, Nina looks at a picture of Charlotte as a young child. She says, Charlotte, what happened to you? As she starts to go down the walk, her phone rings. Sonny asks, how is his bride-to-be? and she says she’s okay, but he says she doesn’t sound okay. What’s wrong? She says, it’s just been an emotional day. Where is he? He says he’s been all over town doing things, but he’s finished now. He’s all hers. She says, that’s all she’s ever wanted, and he says, then she better get packing. We’re getting married. She says, yes, we are.

On Monday, Nina says, this is the best wedding present she could ever ask for; Gregory tells Finn, now because of him, Chase is paying the price; Carly tells Alexis that there’s proof, and she can get it for her; and Cyrus asks what someone has in store for him.

🚗 Enjoy the Ride…

We say goodbye to Gladys. Her last scenes with Sonny were so much fun!

🎤 Old Is New Again…

We say hello to Lois. Brook needs her mom, and hopefully, she’ll go head-to-head with Tracy.

💰 Not As Rich As They Seem…

She has a point. It does seem like you get demoted to friend if you can’t keep up the image.

Case in point? She seems like the kind of person who would ditch her financial responsibilities.

🍊 Who’s a POS Cheater…?

I figured that’s what Jenn was referring to.

🍸 Something About Her Living Her Best Life…

Can’t wait to read her book. This has been one of those rare times we got to see karma at work immediately.

🍾 Words Of Wisdom…

She must be doing something right. She looks amazing. And what I said yesterday. It really is ridiculous how they all just keep circling the same dating drain.

⚰️ Put That Dead Thing Down…

I have to admit, I’m surprised, but he probably has a big fan base.

‘TWD Daryl Dixon’ Becomes Most Viewed Premiere and Season in AMC+ History (collider.com)

This sounds like a great convention.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/new-york-comic-con-2023-the-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-rick-michonne/

I knew it. I knew I saw this scene somewhere and there had already been a connection to France.

🦃 The Forgotten Holiday…

That holiday we jump over between Halloween and whatever December holiday you celebrate now has its own slasher film. If Eli Roth is involved, it’s bound to be good.

https://ew.com/movies/thanksgiving-trailer-patrick-dempsey-eli-roth-addison-rae/

🎃 Not Halloween Without It…

Weird-ass vintage costumes. Just remember, that bag is not a toy, or a costume.

https://www.travelchannel.com/ghostober/photos/13-iconic-vintage-costumes-to-recreate-this-halloween?xp=sistersite

👻 It’s That Time Of Year…

One holiday where celebrities are just like us.

👄 Quotes of the Week

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. – Lao Tzu

Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian. – Shari R. Barr

Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great. – John D. Rockefeller

The deeper the truth in a creative work, the longer it will live. – Sir Charlie Chaplin

It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it. – Abraham Lincoln

He ain’t no Christian; he’s a dope fiend. – Judge Mathis

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. – Vincent Van Gogh

True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us. – Socrates

October is the fallen leaf, but it is also a wider horizon more clearly seen. It is the distant hills once more in sight, and the enduring constellations about them once again. – Hal Borland

🦖 Main Character Energy…

Join me again on Monday really Tuesday for soap and yachting with awful people. Until then, stay safe, stay treating and not tricking (take that however you like), and stay making parties celebrations not deadlines.

October 29, 2021 – Gladys Comes Bearing Intel, New Gig, Reboot, Invaded, Not True, More Erika, Denial, Nobody, Ultimate News, Deck Farewell, Sequel, Haunting Quotes & Thrill This

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Anna sees Finn at the hospital and tells her, welcome back. She thanks him, and he says, still no sign of Peter? She says, no. She was just talking to the agents on the ground in Crete, and nothing. Not yet anyway. He says, as much as he wishes she had Peter in custody, or another freezer, he’s glad she’s okay. She says she wishes they all were.

Elizabeth tells Valentin, he’s doing remarkably well for a man with a gunshot wound who’s been shipped halfway around the world. How is he feeling? He says, like he could wrestle a bear, and Austin comes in, saying, he thinks Valentin would need a note from a doctor. Elizabeth asks if there’s something she can do for Austin, and he says, sure, but right now her tact and discretion are gift enough. She doesn’t need to worry. He’s not there in a medical capacity. He has business with the patient.

Brook tells Charlotte to eat her cereal so they can get going, but Charlotte says she can’t. Papa doesn’t let her eat sugary cereals. Brook says, just this once won’t kill her. Now, hurry up, so they can go to the hospital and see her dad. Brook’s phone rings, and she tells Lucy, this isn’t such a great time… She had Gladys working on that. She told Gladys she’d finish it, but she forgot… No, Brook has no idea where she keeps that calendar… Has Lucy tried calling her phone?… Oh, of course (🍷) she’s not answering. Fortunately, Brook knows exactly where to find her.

At the MetroCourt, Sasha tells Brando that his coffee smells good. It has real caffeine in it, doesn’t it? He says, mm-hm. She misses it, doesn’t she? She says, so much. She doesn’t dream of fitting back in her clothes or riding a roller coaster. She dreams of morning coffee, a double-shot latte with extra foam. Maxie comes in, saying, she’s sorry she’s late. Sasha says, no worries, and Brando says he enjoyed the extra time with Sasha. Maxie says, enjoy it while he can. He won’t have a free minute once the baby is born.

Gladys goes to the bar, wearing a bathrobe and slippers, and asks the bartender, what kind of a spa doesn’t have alcohol? She needs a bottle of Dom, and are strawberries in season? Never mind. If they’re covered in chocolate, it doesn’t matter. (Yes, it does.) She’ll take half a dozen. Brando asks what she’s doing there, and she says, the works. Eyebrow threading, mani-pedi, and some kind of treatment with gold leaf that’s going to take ten years off of her. He asks if she isn’t supposed to be at work, and Maxie says, that’s what she’d like to know.

Ava asks if Spencer would top off her coffee one more time, and Spencer says she’s already had four cups; the fifth one might kill her. Coming right up. Ava asks if that’s any way to talk to a customer, and Spencer says, perhaps Nikolas can spare his wife by taking her somewhere more suitable. Ava says, such as? and Spencer says, somewhere else. Nikolas says Spencer seems to have forgotten, he has no moral high ground here. He stalked Ava for months. He terrorized Ava, him, and Avery. He won’t allow Spencer to be rude to Ava on top of it. Spencer says, that’s rich. The man who let him think he was dead for three years is lecturing him on his tone. Nikolas says he’s Spencer’s father, and Spencer says, that can’t be helped. Next time Nikolas climbs on his high horse, just remember he’s no innocent himself. Shawn comes in, and looks at Nikolas.

Brook sends a text to Maxie that says, 911! AGAIN! Charlotte comes in, and says she gave Bailey a kiss goodbye from both of them, and said she’d tell daddy that Bailey loves him, and she gave the nanny Bailey’s top three favorite toys in case she won’t stop fussing. So they can go now? Brook thanks her, and says she’s so good to Bailey. Charlotte says, of course () she is; Bailey’s her sister. Brook says, off they go, and Charlotte asks if she’s sure they shouldn’t bring Bailey to see Papa. The nanny can get her ready in ten minutes; five if she helps. Brook says she wishes they could, but she thinks it would be too much commotion for Valentin. Charlotte supposes Brook is right. Besides, she might be scared by all the machines. Brook asks if Charlotte is nervous, and says, her Papa is going to be fine. He’s looking forward to seeing her. She’s very brave, and Brook wants her to know that she doesn’t just have Valentin; she has Brook too. Charlotte says she knows, and hugs Brook. Brook says, so Bailey is with the nanny, check; spoonful of sugar, check. Are they forgetting anything? Charlotte says, Yuri, and Brook says, that is one giant oversight. Let’s get Yuri, and let’s go see your dad.

Gladys says she has the day off, and Maxie asks if Brook is aware she’s not at her desk. Gladys puts a credit card in the folder to pay her bar tab, and says, it was Brook who gave her the day off. Maxie snatches the card, and says she supposes Brook also told Gladys that she could use her corporate card? Gladys holds out her hand, and says, it’s hers to use, but Maxie says, this is a corporate credit card. She’s part owner of the corporation, and it’s not for frivolous spa treatments or strawberries and champagne. Gladys says, Brook told her it was okay, and Sasha says she’s sure this is a misunderstanding. What did Brook say exactly? Gladys says, Brook was clear. Brook told her to enjoy her well-deserved reward day for all the hard work she’s done. Maxie laughs, and asks if she’s talking about the bare minimum they practically have to beg her to. Brando says he thinks it’s best if they postpone Gladys’s spa day, and she can reward herself this weekend. Gladys says she’s going to do what she was promised, she’s going to do it today, and she’s going to pay for it with that card, like she was promised.   

Ava says Nikolas has been preoccupied all morning. Is there anything he wants to discuss? He says, what’s to discuss? Despite his job, his kid is nowhere close to doing what’s right. She says, and Alexis? and he says, what about Alexis? She says he told her before that Alexis’s pardon might not work out. That’s got to be weighing on him. He says he does have a lot of family business on his mind, and she if he wants to elaborate. He says, there’s been some trouble with some real estate the Cassadines used to own in Greece. He needs to make some inquiries. She asks how it affects him, if the Cassadines no longer own the property, and he says, maybe it doesn’t, but he’d like to head to GH to make sure.  Valentin was shot on the property.

Finn says he heard Peter shot Valentin, and Anna says, he did. He says when he heard, all he could think about were those two little girls, Valentin’s kids. Because of Peter, they could have lost their father. It never should have come to this. He wishes he’d killed Peter. Anna says, no he doesn’t, and pulls him aside. He says, he does. If Peter would have died, none of them would have to worry about him going on this rampage. She says, at what cost to him though? and he asks if she’s talking about his conscience. He thinks he would have slept just fine knowing Peter was in the ground. She says he would have spent the rest of his life looking over his shoulder, wondering when it was going to catch up with him. And if it had, what would have happened to Violet? He says, at least he would have known that Violet and everyone else was safe from Peter. She says, that day will come because Peter’s starting to get desperate, and along with desperation comes mistakes, so he will get caught. Finn says, if he does, he’s interested to see if Peter will tell the authorities about the whole stairwell/freezer incident. She says, if he does, they’ll probably throw Finn a parade. She knows how much he love crowds and attention. He says he does love a good parade, but seriously, when she’s out there looking out for the world, who’s looking out for her?

Valentin says he hasn’t forgotten his agreement with Austin. If Austin wins his suit against the Quartermaines, he’ll support Valentin’s bid to stay CEO of ELQ, and Valentin will pay him off in any way Austin sees fit. Austin says he’s only there to tell Valentin that he’s going to have to hold on to his job on his own. He’s agreed to stop pursuing his claim against ELQ. Valentin asks, why he would do that? and Austin says, the mother of Valentin’s daughter. Valentin asks what Brook’s done now, and Austin says she manipulated him into making a HIPPA violation. Then she made him an offer. He gives up his rights as Jimmy Lee’s son, or he could give up his medical license. Valentin says he’s sorry to hear that. Brook can be a tenacious little minx when it comes to her family. Austin says, she sure is. He recognizes, as Bailey’s father, Valentin doesn’t have a choice, but he does. He doesn’t want anything to do with the Quartermaines. He’s out. Brook says, works for her, and stands in the doorway with Charlotte and Yuri.

Valentin says, mon petite, and Charlotte runs to him, saying, mon papa. Austin says, it’s suddenly really crowded in here. He thinks he’ll split. Brook tells him not to let the door hit him when he’s leaving. Charlotte asks if Valentin is okay, and he says he’s tougher than he looks. She says, he looks terrible, and Brook says, she should see the other guy. What is this, life number six or seven? He says, at least eight, and Brook says she has some Deception business to tend to, and they have some father/daughter time to make up for, so get on that. Outside the door, she tells Yuri that she has some calls to make, and to stay there with Charlotte. She’s his number one job. As she walks down the hall, Austin says he still hasn’t gotten the official word from the Board about going back to work. Could she prod that along? She says, not now, and he tells her to take her time. It’s just his future, his career, the lives of his patients. No worries.

Maxie says Gladys is an assistant. Nobody owes her a spa day or anything else aside from her weekly salary, provided she actually earns it. And she’s confiscating the card until further notice. Gladys says she doesn’t think Maxie wants to do that, and Brando tells her, stop. She can’t talk to her boss that way. Maxie’s phone dings, and she says, that’s Brook. Gladys says Maxie can ask her herself, but Maxie says she has to meet Brook at GH; Valentin is in the ICU. Gladys says, that poor wonderful man, and Sasha tells Maxie to go; they’ll reschedule. Maxie says, as for Gladys, she expected her back at her desk ten minutes ago. She leaves, and Gladys tells Sasha, before she says anything, she was telling the truth. Sasha says they’ll get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, Gladys has to remember that she reports to Brook. Gladys says, how can she forget? and Sasha says, and Brook reports to Maxie. Gladys says, Maxie was just lording that over her; Sasha doesn’t need to repeat it. Brando says, if they’re constantly reminding her of who her boss is, maybe she needs to hear it. Gladys says she’s sick of it. Nobody talks down to her, least of all some fraud who’s barking out orders at her when she should be getting a paternity test. Brando says, hey! Apologize to Sasha right now, and Sasha says, Brando is this baby’s father, without question, and she doesn’t need a test to prove it. Gladys says, of course (🍷). She didn’t mean that. She’s sorry; she’s overwhelmed. Which is why she needs a spa day. She runs out.

Anna tells Finn, this manhunt for Peter has been exhausting; mentally and physically. And the sheer carnage he’s left in his wake. Now there’s two little girls whose father is in ICU. He says, he took the liberty of looking at Valentin’s chart. Exploratory surgery isn’t without risk, but given Valentin’s age and condition, he hates to say it, but he thinks Valentin is going to make it. She laughs, and thanks him for that. She’s happy they still want what’s best for each other. As far as Peter is concerned, Finn’s peace of mind is more important than having him in custody. His death on Finn’s conscience, she would never want that for him, ever. Or Elizabeth. Finn looks at Elizabeth, standing at the reception desk.

Ava says, Valentin was shot? and tells Nikolas, great. She hopes he was sent out a window and belly-flopped into the Aegean. He says, but she’s not one to hold a grudge, and she tells him to let her enjoy it. She asks, who shot him, and why the hell would Nikolas care? and Nikolas says he’ll explain on the way to the launch, but she says he’ll explain on the way to GH. She’s going with him.    

Shawn walks into Kelly’s, and Spencer wonders why they call it serving when you spend most of the time cleaning up. Shawn says he’ll get the hang of it, and maybe even come to enjoy the work. Spencer says he’ll take Shawn’s word for that, and asks what brings him back so soon? Did he forget something? Shawn says he came back to see Spencer.   

Elizabeth asks if Finn is sure Anna isn’t going to say anything about what they did to Peter, and he says he thinks Anna has their back. She says, okay. She should thank Anna. She guesses she should cut Anna a little slack. She’s doing everything she can to catch Peter, but Elizabeth can’t help thinking how many lives Peter will destroy before he gets stopped. He says, Peter will never harm Elizabeth or her family again; he’ll make sure of it. She asks, how? and he says he just will. She says, sounds like a plan, and thanks him. He says, speaking of families, he feels kind of terrible for prying into hers.

Valentin asks Charlotte how things are at the Quartermaines without him. Is she helping Brook with her baby sister? She says she changed Bailey’s diaper, twice, and he says, he’s proud of her. He knows it’s been an adjustment, and wants her to know how much he appreciates her effort. She says she enjoys taking care of her sister. It happens a lot when Brook’s friend comes to visit. He says, Maxie? but she says, Detective Chase. They’re constantly playing games and watching movies. Valentin says, they’re friends, and she tells him, if he says so. He says he cares very much about Brook because she’s Bailey’s mother, but he’s glad she has friends. She asks if he has friends, and he flashes back to kissing Anna in the tavern. He says he has her and Bailey, and that makes him the luckiest man in the world.

Gladys is carrying a humongous teddy bear, and tells Austin that she’s looking for a room. Valentin Cassadine. He says he’s terribly sorry, but only family is allowed to visit, but she says she is family. Gladys Corbin, and she comes bearing gifts… She whispers, and intel. He says, oh, intel. Intel wouldn’t have anything to do with the Quartermaines, would it? She says, would it ever, and he says, you don’t say. It’s a crying shame hospital policy prevents him from telling her that Valentin is in ICU-1. She says, thanks for nothin’, winking at him. He says, pawsitively my pleasure, slapping the bear’s paw. She leaves, and he says, damn, that was gold. Maxie asks, what’s gold?

Shawn says, when he was there earlier, Spencer made a crack about how he used to be able to get his father to do anything for him. Spencer says, first of all, Nikolas is his father, not his dad. Second of all, those days are long gone; his father has washed his hands of him. Shawn says, Spencer might feel that way, but he’s sure that’s not true. Spencer says, care to put money on that? He could use it. Shawn says he would, and he’d win. Spencer says Shawn thinks this is one of those tough love kind of things, but it’s not. Shawn says he thinks the connection between Spencer and his father runs deeper than both of them realize. He also thinks they’re both incredibly stubborn. Spencer says he can’t disagree on the second part, and Shawn says, behind the stubbornness, they’re both longing to reconnect. He thinks if there’s anyone in the world Nikolas would come clean to, it’s his son, and Spencer says, come clean about what?

Anna sees Nikolas and Ava, and says she wanted to talk to Nikolas. He asks what he can do for her, and she says he saved her a trip to Spoon Island. She wanted to ask him about a Cassadine property in Crete. He says, any properties there were sold off years ago. He might be able to provide her with some more information later, but right now he’s here to see Valentin. Anna says, that’s odd. It wasn’t that long ago that they nearly came to blows at the MetroCourt. Not to mention Valentin shot Nikolas out a window and into the sea, and Nikolas was in hiding for three years. He says, recent events have taught him to  rely on his better angels. Can she tell him where he can find Valentin? She says, ICU, but visitation is limited. Ava suggests they come back another time, and Nikolas asks Anna to let Valentin know they were there. She says she’ll be happy to, but while she’s playing messenger, is there anything he’d like to say to his Uncle Victor? Nikolas says, what about him? and Anna says she thought Nikolas would have heard. Victor’s alive.

Valentin asks if Charlotte has seen Scout, and Charlotte says, Scout and Danny were over. He asks if Scout is still interested in ballet, and Charlotte says she is. He says he’s glad. Yuri stops Gladys from coming in, but she says she’s a friend. Valentin says, Miss Corbin? and she says, Gladys. She told Yuri she was a friend; now let her inside. Yuri says, Charlotte is visiting with her father, and Charlotte asks Valentin, who is this person? Gladys says, isn’t she a delight? And pretty. She bets Charlotte knows it. Valentin introduces them, and Gladys says, now will Yuri let her in? Valentin suggests Charlotte take Yuri to the cafeteria for cocoa or something, and they leave. Gladys comes in, and says, my God, it’s worse than she thought. Don’t worry. His Gladys is here now.  

Brando tells Sasha, he can’t believe his mother. He thought she dropped the whole paternity thing months ago. He’s so sorry. She says, first of all, it’s not his fault. She’s not excusing Gladys, but she’s dealing with a lot. In the past few months, her living situation and employment status changed. He says, both for the better, and Sasha says, and she got shot. He says, which is bad, but she’s wearing it like a badge of honor, and she says, on top of everything, the first man she showed interest in, who showed interest in her, literally got blown up on their first date. He says he gets it, and she says, his mother may be… all of the things she is, but she has been through it. He says, even so, she still has to respect Sasha, not only as the mother of her grandchild, but as her boss. He wouldn’t blame her if she fired Gladys.

Austin tells Maxie, you had to be there. He cracked an unappreciated pun. She says she’s glad sense of humor’s back. Does that mean he’s okay with everything? He says he’ll never be okay with giving up his birthright, but in a weird way, he’s kind of grateful that Brook tried to ruin his career. It reminded him how much he enjoys being a doctor. She says she knows what Brook did was wrong, but she doubts Brook would have gone through with it. He says he’s pretty sure she would have. There’s this thing he’s trying to figure out that he doesn’t understand. Maxie was engaged to an extremely bad dude, and she’s besties with a morally bankrupt woman. Is he the only one who thinks she deserves better?

Brook sees Charlotte with Yuri, and says she thought Charlotte would still be visiting with her father, but Charlotte says he sent her to get hot cocoa. Brook says she’d love to join them, but she has to find Maxie. They move on, and Brook gets in the elevator, and says, and ruin her day.

Finn says, Violet found the picture of Elizabeth and her father… and Elizabeth says, she’s bound to have questions. He says, Violet is a very curious little girl, especially where her family is concerned, and she says, that’s understandable, given all things concerned, and he says, even so, he shouldn’t have pushed her, comparing her relationship with her father to his with Gregory. He shouldn’t have done that. Every family is different. She says, she simply doesn’t have a close relationship with her dad, and Hayden never knew him. She’s sorry he’s not an active grandparent to her boys or Violet, but that’s just who he is.

Nikolas says, his uncle is alive? and Anna says, alive, well, and in custody. He was colluding with Peter. They were holed up in a compound in Crete that Nikolas claims is no longer part of his family’s ownership. Nikolas says, to the best of his knowledge, it isn’t, but he can contact his lawyers. She says she would appreciate that, and he asks if Victor has said anything he should know about, and she says, he hasn’t told them much so far. He’s intimated there are secrets to be shared, but he’s angling for a deal obviously. He says, sounds like his unscrupulous uncle. So what’s going to happen to him? She tells him, it’s difficult to say. Victor didn’t survive, and lay low for six years without someone’s help. Maybe it was Peter; maybe it was someone else. Anyway, she’ll be in touch. She leaves, and Ava asks Nikolas, tell her, what is it he’s hiding?

Shawn says Spencer must know he went to prison for shooting Spencer’s former stepmother Hayden Barnes, but he was falsely accused. Spencer says, he’s out now, so they must have found who shot Hayden. Shawn says, the authorities didn’t, but he did. He needs Spencer’s help to bring them to justice. Spencer asks, what can he…? He puts down the tub of dishes he’s holding, and asks what any of this has to do with his father. Shawn says, everything. Nikolas is responsible for Hayden’s shooting.  

Nikolas asks what Ava means, and she says, it’s clear he knows more about Victor than he’s letting on. If she could see that, so could Anna. So she must ask, is whatever it is going to come back to bite them? He says, if Victor had given him up, he’d be in custody and being formally questioned right now, and she says, given him up for what? He says, Valentin shot him and almost killed him, and she says she remembers very well; she was there. He says Victor found him and nursed him back to health, and she asks what Victor wanted in return. He says, they struck a deal. He kept Victor’s anonymity, and Victor kept his. He promised when he reclaimed the Cassadine estate, he would give Victor a home base, and keep his secret. She asks what this has to do with Peter. How deep is Nikolas in with him? He says he had no clue Victor was up to anything with Peter, and she asks if he can trust his uncle to keep him out of it. He says he thinks so. His uncle is an opportunist, and needs Nikolas where he is. She says, unless he’s found a way to leverage Nikolas for his own freedom. He knows as well as she does, betrayal comes most often from those closest to us.

Spencer asks what Shawn means when he says, Nikolas was involved with Hayden’s shooting? Is Shawn saying he shot her? Shawn says, no. We believe Nikolas hired someone to do the job for him. Spencer goes outside, and Shawn follows. Spencer says, who’s we? and Shawn says, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that Nikolas is the one who hurt Hayden, not him. Spencer says, if what Shawn is saying is true, then his father let Shawn serve six years for something he… What proof does Shawn have? Shawn says, none right now. That’s where Spencer comes in. Spencer says he wants no part of this, and Shawn says, just ask Nikolas about Hayden. That’s all. Spencer asks why he should, and Shawn says, for Violet, Hayden’s daughter. That little girl is without her mother just like Spencer. Doesn’t he want to know if Hayden is staying away because of something his father did to her? Spencer seriously doubts his father is going to confess to him, and Shawn says, then he doesn’t. Spencer says, what if he does? What does he do then, turn Nikolas over to the police? Shawn says, Spencer tells him, and he’ll tell the police. Spencer says he doesn’t want his father to go to prison, and Shawn asks if Spencer isn’t facing prison right now. Nikolas is holding Spencer’s feet to the fire for stalking Ava, while Nikolas arranged for someone to kill Hayden. Who committed the greater crime? Spencer says he’s sorry, but he needs to get back to work, and Shawn says, follow his instincts. Do the right thing. Shawn leaves, and Spencer takes his apron off and jets. Shawn watches from around the corner.

Sasha tells Brando, Gladys is never going to be a perfect fit for Deception, and he says, he appreciates her hiring Gladys. It gave her a sense of purpose. She says, she also wanted Gladys to earn an income so she could move out. He says, that too, and look how Glady’s repaid her; insulting everybody, and helping herself to the corporate card. She says, Gladys honestly thought she had Brook’s blessing somehow, and he says, how? He doesn’t know Brook that well, but she doesn’t seem like the type who would treat his mother to a spa day. Sasha says, she isn’t, which is why she needs to get to the bottom of this. He says, or she could just fire Gladys. It’s obviously not working out. She says, let her talk to Maxie and Brook, and figure out what’s going on. As for Gladys, she still has a job… for now.

Gladys says, that Charmain of his is a real beauty, and Valentin says, Charlotte. She says, like the web? and he says, like the web. Both of his daughters are rare beauties. She asks, where is that precious bundle of Brook’s? and he says, at home. Why is Gladys here? She says he was so good to her and she wants to return the favor. She took a bullet recently too. He says he heard. She seems to have made a remarkable recovery. She says, it’s not all bad; she’s a weathervane now, meaning, she can tell when a storm is coming. He says, that must be useful, and she says, it is. He thanks her for the visit and the gift, and she tells him to remember the bear is for him, not the rug rats, no matter how beautiful they are. He says he will. He doesn’t want to be rude, but he really should rest now. She says, of course (🍷). You poor, poor thing. He must be exhausted. She sits next to the bed, and asks if he knows she works for Brook.

Maxie says she knows Brook isn’t Austin’s favorite person right now, and she can sympathize. There was a time she and Brook hated each other. He asks, what changed? Brook is still superficial, caustic, entitled, and opportunistic. She says, they’ve been though a lot, and she can’t forget the good things, and he says he can’t forget the promise he made to his father. She asks if he’s at least been reinstated, and he says, he got an informal notice that Brook retracted her statement, but he’s still waiting for them to make it official so he can see his patients. She says, that’s good. It means this whole thing is effectively over. He says, it’s not over, when Brook walks up, and he adds, not by a long shot.

Finn says he knows it’s a difficult subject, but he’s only asking for Violet, and Elizabeth says, she wants to see the picture again. He says, she’s asked a couple of times where the picture of her grandpa Jeff is. He looked, but he couldn’t find it. Does she know what happened to it? She flashes back to tearing it up, but says she has no idea.

Sasha tells Brando, she has an idea or two about how to reach Gladys, and he asks if she’s sure. She knows how his mother is. The more someone tries to manage her, the more she doubles down to cause trouble. Sasha says she’s got this. He can leave Gladys to her.

Brook says she’s been calling and texting Maxie since last night. Why hasn’t Maxie gotten back to her? Maxie says, something was wrong with her phone. She wasn’t receiving any texts or calls, and they suddenly came in a few minutes ago. What is going on? Brook grabs her, and says, they need to talk, pulling Maxie away from Austin. Austin says, before they have this little tete-a-tete, he’s done everything Brook asked him to do, yet somehow, miraculously, he hasn’t been officially cleared to see his patients. Brook says, that sounds like a you problem, and he says, the problem is for his patients because he doesn’t get to see them. She says she did her part. She’s sorry if the administrative wheels of this hospital grind slowly. She’s sorry, but she has bigger fish to fry, and Maxie says, like Valentin? Brook says, like her assistant. Something has to be done about Gladys. Maxie says she caught Gladys using Brook’s corporate card, and had to order her to go back to work. Austin asks if they’re talking about Gladys Corbin, and Brook asks how he knows Gladys. He says he doesn’t know her well, they just met, but she was looking for Valentin.

Gladys tells Valentin, she’s Brook’s assistant, but she’s treated more like an indentured servant. She doesn’t understand how a classy guy like Valentin got mixed up with a bossy bridge and tunnel princess like that. He closes his eyes, and asks why Gladys is there, and she says, he was so understanding the few times they kept each other company. He listened, and accepted her for who she is. Does he know what that is? He says, a force of nature? and she tells him, that’s not what she was going to say, but she likes that better. She asks if she can call him Val, and says, if knowledge is power, than anyone who crosses her had better take cover.

Ava calls to Anna, who says she thought Ava left. Ava says she’s on her way out, but she just wanted to reiterate that if Anna needs anything from her or Nikolas, just let them know. Peter’s reign of terror has to end. Anna says she couldn’t agree more. It was nice to see Ava together with Nikolas. She’s so glad that whole stalker nightmare is over. Ava says, Spencer is facing the music, and she and Nikolas are ready for their happily ever after. Anna says she certainly hopes that’s the case, and Ava says it sounds like Anna has doubts. Anna says she’s not sure that’s even possible, happily ever after with a Cassadine.   

On the phone outside Kelly’s, Shawn says, they picked up his tail?… Great. He’s on his way.

Nikolas is at the docks when Spencer joins him. He asks if Spencer isn’t supposed to be finishing his shift at Kelly’s, and Spencer says, something more important came up. It couldn’t wait. Nikolas asks what Spencer’s done now, and Spencer says, it’s not about him. It’s about Nikolas. Tell him about Hayden.

On Monday, Sonny says there’s something Carly should know, Valentin asks if Gladys’s knowledge concerns him, Spencer asks if Nikolas arranged for his stepmother’s murder, and Britt tells Jason, they’re so close, they have to find her.

🕳 What Comes Next…

Glad to see she’s recovered from that fall.

🌲 Pine Valley Legend…

And just think. She can start a new streak of not winning awards.

😧 Yikes…

Not that it’s in any way her fault – she’s totally the victim here – she just got done talking about how pricey her wardrobe was on the RHOBH Reunion.

🚬 Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em…

Josh Flagg? Really?

💎 If You Didn’t Get Enough…

More on the ongoing saga.

📸 Not Me…

She was framed framing Tom.

🥗 Everybody Is Somebody…

I dunno about this. Didn’t she write for fitness and nutrition magazines?

👠 To Be Expected…

What did they think was going to happen?

https://www.eonline.com/news/1307070/why-cynthia-baileys-friendship-with-kenya-moore-changed-after-housewives-girls-trip-fight

https://screenrant.com/real-housewives-ultimate-girls-trip-ramona-room-selection/

You, too, can get in on the fun.

https://www.etonline.com/how-to-watch-the-real-housewives-ultimate-girls-trip-174336

🛥 Final Salute…

He wasn’t on for long, but he seemed like a stand-up guy.

https://people.com/tv/below-deck-mediterranean-captain-mark-howard-dead-at-65/

🐯 Tiger, Tiger…

Because we just can’t stop watching.

https://www.insider.com/tiger-king-2-first-trailer-released-netflix-2021-10

🎃 Quotes of the Week

Darkness falls across the land, The Midnight Hour is close at hand. – Rodney Lynn Temperton

Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.Edgar Allan Poe

The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for out wits to grow sharper. – Eden Phillpots

Villainy wears many masks, none so dangerous as the mask of virtue. – Ichabod Crane, Sleepy Hollow

I’ve seen enough horror movies to know that any weirdo wearing a mask is never friendly. – Elizabeth, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones. – Stephen King

A person should always choose a costume which is in direct contrast to her own personality. – Lucy Van Pelt, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Halloween is not only about putting on a costume, but it’s about finding the imagination and costume within ourselves. – Elvis Duran

If human beings had genuine courage, they’d wear their costumes every day of the year, not just on Halloween. – Douglas Coupland

Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night. – Steve Almond

I’ll stop wearing black when they make a darker color. – Wednesday Addams, The Addams Family

Where there is no imagination there is no horror.Arthur Conan Doyle

The moon has awoken with the sleep of the sun, the light has been broken; the spell has begun. – Midgard Morningstar

When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam, may luck be yours on Halloween. – Unknown

When the witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers ’tis near Halloween. – Unknown

Werewolves howl. Phantoms prowl. Halloween’s upon us now. – Richelle E. Goodrich

Every day is Halloween, isn’t it? For some of us. – Tim Burton

I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.L. M. Montgomery

Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story. – Mason Cooley

There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly-lit front porch. – Robert Brault

On Halloween you get to become anything that you want to be. – Ava Dellaria

🧹 Flying Off On My Broom…

See you post Halloween when the Dead are Feared. No matter what you do, have fun, but trust your instincts. And until the wolf howls, stay extra safe, stay doing what makes you feel comfortable, and stay not doing things that make you desperate. You’ll inevitably make mistakes and get caught.

June 6, 2021 – Teddy Launches a Big Stick, My Opinion About an Opinion, Victor’s Motives, Fear Finale, Jumping Time & Get Enough

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

We see Morgan’s town in shambles; a burned out building, doors swinging in the wind, a playground merry-go-round turning. Teddy says Dakota saved Morgan’s life. She thought he was going to give her a fresh start in a place she felt safe, a place to call home, and a family. Did he? Dakota says, no, and we see Morgan walking through the desolation. She says he built a town, and filled it with people, but her sister… Her mom did the same thing, ten times over. She still never felt comfortable in her own skin in any of those places. Teddy says both of them wanted something from her she couldn’t give. They wanted her to be somebody she’s not. He heard her with Alicia. She wants what they all want; someone to love her the way she is. She asks if he thinks she’ll find that person in the new world, but he says she already has. She says, him? and he says, yes. She says he put Alicia in the bunker because he thought he saw something special in her. He says he did. He loves what Alicia will become. There’s something in Alicia that he and Dakota will never be. That’s nothing to feel sorry about. Dakota is so much like him. They’re two very logical conclusions in a world built on a foundation of violence, lies, and self-interest. That’s why they understand each other. He thinks she’ll agree. When he says they’re conclusions, he means they don’t belong in the world the way it is. Things are just about to get started. She asks, what will happen to them? and he says, they’re going to die with everyone else. He knows it’s a lot to take in. She needs to ask herself the question, when they figure it out, does she still want to be a part of it, or does she want to pretend to be someone else just to have the chance to keep on breathing? Does she want to stay as she is in the time they have left? She says she wants be who she is, and he says, good girl. She’s in the right place. The lights come on, and Riley says, it’s the emergency battery. They need diesel to be running before dark. She asks how Riley knows Teddy, and Riley says he was an officer on the boat. Teddy says Riley was a broken man when he found him. Riley found himself like Dakota; found himself without a family to call his own. Riley asks if Teddy has them, and Teddy shows him the keys around his neck. Dakota laughs, and Teddy asks, what’s funny? She says, Virginia had a thing about keys too. Virginia said they’d unlock the future, but she doesn’t think this is what Virginia had in mind. Riley leaves, and she asks, does he know? Does everyone know they’re going to die? Teddy says, everyone here is aware, and she asks how he got them to follow him, knowing they were going to die. He says, it’s easy to get people to follow you. Just offer them something they really want to believe in. It’s just that not a lot of people want to die. I suppose that would be a monkey wrench. We see Morgan put his hat on, and take out a gun. Teddy says, getting them to do that is something else. Morgan looks at his pokey weapon stuck in the ground. Teddy says, it’s something very few people have, and gives Dakota a gun. She asks what it takes, and he says, it’s not that complicated. You just have to be wiling die with them. Morgan looks at Dakota’s note saying he still has things to do. He rides up a hill where Victor and the others meet him. He asks if Victor is ready to do this, and Victor says he’s guessing that’s a rhetorical question. Morgan says, let’s go, and they ride toward the USS Pennsylvania.

Morgan cuts through the submarine hatch, sparks flying. He gets it open, and looks down the stairs. He throws a flare down, and says, it’s a lot further down than he thought. Grace holds a Geiger counter, and says, at 10,000 milligrams, they should start to worry. She should go down first. Morgan says he’s got this, and June says she’s got him covered. He starts to go down the stairs into the sub. Shari radios Luci, asking if they found the naval base. June is worried, but Dwight says, if they fire the missile, the sub is probably the safest place to be. The rest of them are sitting ducks. Morgan asks if they’re ready, and John tells them, fire at anything that moves, dead or alive. Morgan goes down further, and Grace asks what the reading is. He says, 10 milligrams, and goes to the next level. She asks what the reading is now, and he says, still holding at 10. She says, it hasn’t changed? and Morgan says, he thought she said 10… A zombie grabs him, knocking him down, and getting on top of him. He yells, shoot it! and John tells him to move its head. He does, and June gets it with one shot. Morgan says, thank you, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Morgan says, the crew must have all died, and Grace asks what the reading is now. He says, still holding at 10, and she says she’s going in. Cover her. Shari talks to Luci about the naval base.

Morgan hears Grace coming behind him, and she asks if he’s okay. He says he’s fine, and she takes the Geiger counter from him. She says she wants to see if the device is still intact. It’s been reissued twice. He says he knows what she’s trying do, and she says, the same thing as him. He says she wants to make them pay, and she asks if there’s something wrong with that. He says, no, but they haven’t talked about… She says, now is not the time, and calls up to the others that it’s safe. Morgan says he hasn’t pushed it because he understands her pain, but if they don’t talk about it now, they might not get the chance. He has to do what needs to be done to stop this, and he might not make it. She says, we might not make it; she’s coming. He says she’s not coming. She’s got to stay. She’s alive, and got to be here for a reason. He thinks it might be so she can build the future Athena showed her. She says, what about him? He should build a future too, but he says, first, he has to make sure there’s a world left behind to rebuild. The others begin to join them, and June asks if they’re all right. Morgan says, yeah, and June asks him to let her take a look, but he says he’s fine. Grace wants to take more readings, and June tells Morgan to give Grace time. Victor says he’s not sure Teddy’s group are the a-holes they have to worry about right now, and Dwight says, there has to be a crew on that floor. John asks Shari if they know how many stand between them, and where they’re going. Shari radios Luci, asking if she has any idea how many crew members on the boat, but there’s too much interference and she can’t hear. She says, it’s getting worse as they go on, and Grace says she’ll get Lucy. Morgan says, let’s go, and they continue on without Grace, who moves closer to the steps, but still can’t hear Luci.  

Grace goes up the ladder, while the others walk through. Grace asks if Luci can hear her, and says they need to know the count of the crew. Luci says, 150, and Grace asks if they heard it. Victor says he wishes they hadn’t. They also hear zombies beyond the next hatch. Morgan bangs on the hatch with his pokey weapon, and John asks if they have any idea what’s beyond the hatch. Victor asks if it’s the only way, and Luci hears, and says, it looks like it. John wonders if they have enough ammo, and Dwight suggests they hold their fire while they’re down there. Victor agrees, and says, Alicia might be in there. If not, they need to find out where she is. Morgan says he’s going in, and tells them to kill anything that slips by him. June says he’s not going in alone, and he says, no one needs to get hurt. She says, neither does he. Victor hands him the note from Dakota, saying he dropped it. Morgan says it wasn’t for Victor to read, but Victor says, just because Dakota saved Morgan’s life doesn’t mean he needs to give it up there. Morgan says, it’s not about that. He was halfway to being one of those things. He knows how to get past them. Victor says, they’ll be behind him. He knows they’ve had their differences, but Alicia called him to take care of Morgan, and that’s what he’s going to do. John says he’s coming too. He gave up his family to put this guy away. He’s not about to let Teddy succeed now. They all want to go, and Dwight says, no use arguing. Realizing he’s outnumbered, Morgan says, let’s open it up.

Morgan opens the hatch, and going through a narrow hallway, dispatches several zombies in different ways with his pokey weapon. He checks the reading, and says, it’s clear. The others follow, and John closes the hatch. Dwight asks if he’s locking them in, and John says he doesn’t want any surprises. June asks if there’s any way to dismantle the missile from there, and Victor says, it’s not a good idea since they don’t understand it. Dwight says, do they think some psycho that’s been behind bars for 40 years knows how work this sh*t? and John tells them, don’t underestimate Teddy; he’s a resourceful fella. The hear zombies beyond the next hatch, and Morgan sees an intercom. He picks up the mic, and says, Grace? Grace says she thinks that’s the emergency com. They need power. Morgan says, they have to turn the silo off, and asks, which way to the weapons room? Grace calls Luci, and hears Teddy saying, they got there fast. Morgan asks, who’s this? and Teddy says Morgan knows damn well who it is. He says, Teddy? And Teddy says, bingo. That you, Morgan? John takes the radio and asks if Teddy recognizes his voice. Teddy says, he’s afraid he doesn’t, and John says he’ll give him a hint. The last time Teddy heard it, he was in a courthouse listening to his testimony against him. Teddy looks worried, and breathes heavily. He says, Officer Dorie; is it really him? John says he’s sorry he never paid Teddy a visit, but he has no stomach for death row. Teddy says John couldn’t kill him then, and he won’t now. John begs to differ. He has a bullet to put in Teddy’s head before the day ends. Teddy says he sees the day ending differently. No hard feelings. If John hadn’t put him away, he wouldn’t be sitting where he is now. June tells John not to let Teddy get to him, and John asks, where’s the girl? Teddy asks him to be more specific, and John says, where’s Alicia? Teddy says Alicia is safer than all of them, and John asks what he means. Teddy says what he means is, she’s tucked away someplace they’ll never find her. Morgan says, tell him where she is, and Teddy says, they didn’t think she’d be safe by the boat, did they? Morgan says, Teddy is going to kill his own people? but Teddy says he’s giving them a second chance. Morgan tells Grace to get on the walkie, and tell Luci to get everyone as far away from the sub as possible. She copies, and Teddy says, he and Morgan are like two peas in a pod. He’s leading everyone to their end, and Morgan is doing the same thing. Except Teddy isn’t fooling himself about what he’s doing. Excuse him; he’s got to run. He’s about to turn the power on. June radios Grace and tells her to reach her people; tell them to get somewhere safe. Grace says Charlie told her there’s a naval base nearby, but she’s not sure it will be far enough. Victor says, then they won’t fail. They hear zombies knocking on the other side of the hatch, and Victor asks, where’s Morgan?

Victor moves forward, the others behind him. He whispers for Morgan. A zombie pops out, and he sticks a knife in its head. Shari and Dwight see bunks full of dead undead, and Dwight wonders what happened. They keep moving, and Morgan walks further ahead, alone. A zombie come out behind him, and he stabs it in the eye. He starts to open the next hatch, when another zombie comes out, and he cracks its head open with the ax part of his pokey weapon. He goes in, and starts to close the opening, but Victor stops him, saying, let go. Morgan sees zombies coming behind Victor, and tells him, get in. He closes and locks the hatch, and Morgan says he doesn’t need Victor to be there, but Victor says Morgan’s not supposed to be there by himself. Morgan says he doesn’t want anyone else to die, and Victor says, no one has to die, but Morgan says, they might. Victor asks if this is what Morgan thinks he has to do. Dakota said he had things left to do in her note, but that’s not what she meant. Morgan says he’s been leading them from one dead end to another. He promised them something different, something better. He wants to be sure this time. Victor says Dakota wanted him to kill her mother; that’s what she meant, not this Morgan says he has to make sure. Victor says, people follow him because they want to, not because he owes them something. Morgan says he doesn’t know why Victor is even still there, and Victor says, Alicia asked him a difficult question when they were at the lodge. She asked if he was doing this for them or himself. Morgan says, and? and Victor says he’s doing it for everyone. Morgan’s Geiger counter goes wild, and they hear a zombie. A zombie woman stumbles out, covered with boils, we assume from radioactivity. She keels over, and Morgan says, don’t touch it. The zombie gets up all weird, like Exorcist weird, and reaches out toward them, then collapses.

They use Geiger counter, finding heavy radiation coming from the zombie, and Morgan and Victor carefully go around it to the next hatch. The Geiger counter goes crazy, and Victor says he thinks he knows where the zombie came from. Morgan says, the readings are high, when they hear something. He says, they’re about to get power, and radios Grace. He says they’re at the next door, and it’s off the charts at 40,000. Grace says, the only way they’d get that kind of a reading is if they exposed radioactive material. They have to find another way. If Morgan goes in, it will kill him. He asks how long he’d have, and she says she doesn’t know. Days? She yells for him, and Morgan and Victor look up, seeing zombies toddling along the grating above. One drops down, and Morgan says he’s going inside. Victor sees another ladder, and suggests he go up and kill them, Morgan following. Morgan says Victor isn’t thinking it through, but Victor says he wants to do what’s best for everyone. Morgan asks what that is, and Victor says, to live. Another zombie drops down, and Morgan asks if it’s clear. Victor says, let’s go, and they climb up.    

They see several zombies, but they’re behind a barrier, so not a threat. They see dead undead on the floor, and one leaning on the open hatch, all victims of radiation. Victor says he told Morgan there was another way. Lights begin to come on, and Morgan says, they must be getting closer to launch. Victor takes off the other way, and Morgan follows. Zombies come out of the hatch behind them, and they close the door. Morgan says, this is a dead end. It’s a bunkroom, and he sees pictures on the wall of Riley and his family. He tells Morgan, this sailor is one of Teddy’s people. He’s the one who attacked them when Grace was in labor. He says, there’s no way out, but Victor says they’ll find a way. Morgan says he had one. Whatever Victor had to prove, he proved it. Tons of zombies are suddenly coming their way, and Victor says, Alicia’s message was meant for Morgan, because he’ll do things Victor won’t. He struggles with Morgan over the pokey weapon, and Victor knocks Morgan down, ending up with only the pokey ax part. He says, Morgan didn’t want anyone to die. He’s going to get his wish. He kicks a zombie away, and jumps into the hatch.   

Victor approaches another hatch, the pokey ax in his hand. Dakota appears behind him with a gun, and tells him to drop it, and slide it to her. He does, and he says, she’s with them. Of course. She says, they gave her something no one else could. He tells her not to make the same mistake with him that she did with John, but she says she doesn’t think she is. Don’t think he can change her mind, especially after what he did. He says he doesn’t understand, but she says he doesn’t need to, or his people. She gets on the radio, and says, whoever is out there needs to listen. They need to know why they’re not going to stop this. They saved her to give her a fresh start. June did the first part; the second part is something else. If she lived with them, she’d have to be a different person, and fall into their ways. It would never work Morgan’s way.  She asks Victor if he really wants to be the person Morgan wants him to be? That’s why she killed Morgan. Listening on the radio, Grace gasps. Dakota says, Morgan’s way going forward is not how she wants to believe. Victor says, that’s not true, but Dakota says she wants to be the type of person she wants. That’s why killed John. Because of people like him, the world has to end. June told John that it wasn’t too late; the world still has meaning. She’s going to make it have meaning, just not the way he thought. Victor says, Teddy is going to kill everyone; Morgan isn’t. Dakota says, Alicia will still be there. She’s the beginning; they’re endings. When they start again, it won’t be with a-holes like him. She aims her gun at him, but seems uncertain. Victor closes his eyes, and she shoots, but she only gets him in the arm. Morgan comes out of nowhere, and slams her up against the wall, knocking her down with the stick part of the pokey weapon. She’s out, and he checks her pulse. He says Victor claimed it wasn’t on him, but he gave them the key. He did it to save Grace and the baby, and he can’t let it be for nothing. He radios Grace, saying he’s there and he’s all right. She says she’s there, and Morgan tells Victor, this ends now. Victor says, Morgan… but Morgan doesn’t want to hear it. He says they’ll deal with what Victor did later. He’s cost them enough time. Victor hands Morgan the stick part of the pokey weapon, which is now officially a pokey stick.   

Teddy asks how it’s looking, and Riley says, two minutes. He stopped something like this once, but they don’t have what it takes. Teddy says he’s glad Riley did that. His family returned to the earth, and now he can too. He’d be lost without Riley. Teddy radios Sue/Dakota, but gets no response, and an alarm sounds. Teddy gets a WTF? look on his face, and tells Riley, hurry.  

Morgan takes out a handful of key cards, and tries each one to get into the final hatch. Victor wonders where he got them, and Morgan says he took if off a dead soldier’s body after Victor left him. Victor tries to justify his actions, and Morgan tells him, stop.  

Behind the hatch, Riley says, on three, and Teddy says he copies. Morgan keeps trying the cards, but none of them are opening the hatch. Teddy puts in the key, and Riley says, one… Morgan prays the next card works, since it’s the last one. Riley says, two… three. Teddy turns the key. Morgan inserts the card, and the hatch opens. Victor and Morgan tell Teddy, stop, but Teddy says, they can’t. Riley says he told them it was inevitable. By the stairs going outside, John tells everyone, hold on. June tells Grace, they have to go, and Grace yells for Morgan. Everything begins to shake, and all is silent for a moment. They watch as a rocket shoots up out of the sub. Watching from the hill, Sarah says, damn, and Daniel says, that’s a big stick. They watch as it continues to go up into the sky.

Morgan grabs Teddy by his jacket, and puts his pokey stick in Teddy’s face, while Victor trains a gun on Riley. Riley moves, and Victor says, don’t. Riley tells Teddy, they only got one off, but Teddy says, it’s enough to get them started. They’ve begun. Victor says, how much, and Riley says, not enough. Victor asks where the missile is going, and Teddy asks if Riley would like to tell them what targets he programmed. Riley says, there are ten warheads on the missile. They’ll see where they land. It will be hard to miss. Victor says, where? and Teddy says, anywhere; everywhere. Maybe toward the water; maybe toward the town Morgan built. He’s been where Morgan is. A long time ago, he thought he was going to change everything, but a prison sentence put an end to it. What he didn’t realize was, it didn’t really end anything. He knows it’s not what Morgan wanted, but don’t look at it as an ending. The world is going to be a better place soon. Morgan just won’t get see it himself. Morgan threatens Teddy with the stick, looks him over, and lets go of Teddy’s jacket. He says, get out of here. Go. He tells Victor to let Riley go. Riley and Teddy can’t believe it, but get out while the getting’s good. Victor tells Morgan, it could been worse. They could have fired more. Morgan says, it could have been none if he’d gotten there sooner, and Victor says he did what he did to save lives, but Morgan says Victor did it for himself. He wanted to tell Alicia what a big hero he was. Leave. Victor sets down the pokey ax, walks to the hatch, and goes through. Morgan looks at the key in the control panel, and looks around. The camera pans out, and we watch through the hatch as he gets smaller.  

I don’t mean to be critical, but you’d think Morgan might start checking the controls to see if there’s an off button. On the other hand, Z Nation survived a nuclear bomb, so…

Next time season finale, Morgan and Grace reunite, some welding happens, Teddy says it’s almost time, Riley says, it’s just the beginning, and Victor screams.

👩🏽‍🏫 I was reading an article in Forbes, where reviewer Erik Kain not only said FWD’s scenario about a nuke being easily launched was unrealistic, but wondered how, after 40 years in the slammer, Teddy would know anything about how to launch it. First of all, I fail to see how a show about a zombie apocalypse should be expected to do anything realistically. And secondly, Dwight asked that question, and John answered it. Teddy is a resourceful guy. Kain also posed the question as to why Morgan would let Teddy and Riley go. I thought Morgan figured they were going to die in the radioactive fallout anyway, and it would be a more gruesome death than him killing them. Even with the pokey stick.

⌚️ About Strand…

What made Victor tick tonight.

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-uss-pennsylvania-strand-morgan-showrunners-interview/

🎞 Coming Up…

A sneak peak at the finale, and yeah, what about Al?

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/fear-the-walking-dead-season-finale-sneak-peek-familiar-voice-radio-daniel-salazar-616/

🪂 Possible Jump…

Speculation on what’s to come.

https://www.cbr.com/fear-the-walking-dead-s6-nuclear-explosion-time-jump/

🍃 Taking My Leave…

Time to call it a weekend. Or whatever you want to call the last two days. Until we meet for soap and Sailing, stay safe, stay unprejudiced, and stay resourceful, but not in the same way Teddy is.

October 18, 2020 – Victor Forms an Army, Felix Catches Up & Some Thrills

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

What looks like a gang of convicts is led into the yard of a sugar processing plant. One of Ginny’s rangers says he’s not one to give second chances. It seems Virginia is. Who is he to argue? The people form a line, and he tells them that they’re here because they deserve to be in a grave. Think of it as a final chance to dig their way out. He bangs on a solid metal warehouse gate, and cocks his gun. Zombie noises come from inside, and there’s pushing on the gate. The prisoners all have pokey sticks, and one asks why they’re being made to do this. What’s in there? The ranger says, one way to find out. Aim between the eyes, and whatever you do, don’t get too close. He tells them to move forward, and they move closer, holding their spears ready. The ranger says, door, and another ranger pulls on the chain that raises the gate. Disgusting goop drips from bottom, and pools out on the floor. The gate is only a couple of feet up, and the ranger says, raise it, but the other one says, it’s stuck. Zombies start crawling out, and the ranger says, drop it, but a zombie grabs door guy’s leg, and drags him in, along with one of the prisoners that didn’t listen and got too close. The others try poking at them, and the ranger tells a prisoner, don’t just stand there; drop the door, but he says he can’t. The ranger moves him out of the way, and another prisoner gets dragged in. She claws at him, and says, please. He shoots her. The chain breaks, and the ranger is snatched in. One of the prisoners tries to help him, but can’t, and ends up getting dragged in too. When it’s over, one prisoner named Sanja is left standing, and blood mixed with goop flows out of the door.

Just outside Lawson, Victor dumps something in a barrel, and tells Alicia, that’s the last of it. Alicia pours gas on it, and sets it on fire. She tells Victor, they’d better get back before sundown. Al’s van pulls up, and Victor asks if there’s a problem. Ranger Marcus is driving, and says the wind is blowing toward the canteen, and they can’t enjoy lunch. Move it down. Victor says it’s his sh*t. If he doesn’t like it, come out and move it himself. Marcus gets out, and asks if Victor thinks he’s afraid of him, and Victor says Marcus wouldn’t have the tank if not for him. Marcus asks, if Victor is so important, why is he carrying a bucket of sh*t ? Victor says, he’s not, and tosses it near Marcus’s feet. A girl jumps out of the tank, and tells Marcus to leave them alone. He calls her Dakota, and tells her to get away from the fence. Victor wonders what the hell is going on, and Marcus says they’ll let Ginny settle it.

Alicia and Victor are led through town in handcuffs. Victor tells Alicia, he’s sorry, but she says, don’t be. Victor says, he deserves it, but he’d always thought they’d come into town under more auspicious circumstances. Dakota pops out, and tells them Marcus is an a-hole, which made it funnier. They all introduce themselves, and Dakota says she knows who they are. Alicia thanks her again for her help.   

While getting a haircut, Ginny radios someone to send a ranger to the western territories. He’s got to be out there somewhere. Her secretary or whatever asks if she’s ready for them, and she says, send them in. Victor and Alicia come in, and we see it’s Daniel cutting Ginny’s hair. Victor says he didn’t know Daniel was there, and Ginny tells them, have a seat. She hopes they don’t mind; she wasn’t expecting a visit. She adds that they could use some time in the chair themselves. Alicia asks what she did to Daniel, and Ginny says, nothing. He was hellbent on getting his cat, things got ugly, and he wouldn’t stand down. (I do not want to know.) She says, everyone has to contribute, and Victor asks if that’s the fate that awaits them. Ginny says she was hoping for more from them than cleaning out latrines. Alicia says that’s what she assigned them, and Ginny says, Victor assaulted a ranger in broad daylight. That can’t go unpunished. Victor asks where she’s sending them, and she says, somewhere that suits their more natural talents. She asks them to excuse her. She’s got more pressing matters to attend to. She checks her hair, and tells Victor that he’s already squandered one opportunity. Don’t waste this one. She leaves, and Alicia asks what that was about. Victor say he doesn’t know, and tries talking to Daniel in Spanish. Daniel says he doesn’t know what Victor is saying, and in Spanish, Victor says he doesn’t have to pretend. He asks Daniel to look him in the eyes, and say he doesn’t know who he is. He touches Daniel’s arm, and Daniel says he doesn’t know who Victor is. Daniel starts packing up his stuff, and Victor says Daniel told him to remember who he was in there. Can’t Daniel do the same? Daniel stops, and says he doesn’t know who Victor thinks he is, but he doesn’t know who Victor lost, or what’s weighing on him. He takes out a St. Christopher’s medal, telling Victor that he found it on one of the dead. His wife wore one. It helps people bear heavy burdens. He gives it to Victor, and says Victor needs it more than he does.

Victor and Alicia ride in the back of a tank. The driver tells them, get out; they’re here. Victor hopes it’s not what he thinks it is. It’s the sugar plant, and the ranger takes them to the warehouse, and Alicia asks, what’s in there? The ranger says they’ll find out when they clear it. Virginia is building the future. What’s in there is the key to getting it done… if they survive. They see a prisoner running, and he gets shot in the back. The ranger says they don’t take kindly to runners there. He gives Alicia a pokey weapon that’s no more than an armband, and Victor gets a spear. Alicia says she’s they’re going to need something more to make a dent, and the ranger says they’ll send a truck with supplies. If they’re still breathing when he gets back. He leaves, and Alicia says, they trust them? Victor says, for good reason.

Charlie joins them, and Alicia asks what she’s doing there. Charlie says she tried run away – twice. Janice comes along, and Victor guesses he and Alicia aren’t the only ones in the dog house. He asks what Janice did, and she says, what did she do, or what did they catch her doing? Victor asks, who’s in charge? and she says, the rangers keep it clear. Victor asks, what happened? and looks at the gate. We hear zombie noises, and Janice says, they did. Victor asks how many rangers there are, and she says, ten, nine now. He asks, what about the prisoners? Can they be trusted? She says, some, but not all. He asks, why? and she says, they’re not going to clear this place. They need to get the hell out of there.

Charlie explains that there were too many tanks, and they were leaking. They’re full of molasses, and it sticks like nothing else. If the door jams… Sanja is still there, and Victor moves toward the door chain, telling him, stay back. Sanja says he could have tried harder, but he didn’t. He was just the a-hole who watched. He heard about what Victor did. How he stood up to Marcus. He wishes he had the guts. Someone yells, twenty-four; let’s go. The ranger is back with the truck, and says he got them delivered. Victor and Alicia open the back of the truck, and Victor says, you’d think they could provide better weaponry, picking up a makeshift spear. Alicia tells Victor, this isn’t going to work. They need better people; more people. The rangers have guns. He says, the people there couldn’t cut it. Things could go very bad very fast. This can’t be their only move. Alicia wonders what this is really about, and Victor says, they’ve been listening to other people long enough. It’s time for them to start listing to themselves. Charlie finds Dakota in the truck, and is about to pounce on her, and Alicia says, it’s okay. Dakota says she won’t go back. She heard what they were talking about, and she can help. She knows what happens if they take out a ranger. Alicia asks, how? and she says Virginia is her sister. Victor tells her, come with them.

Hidden under a blanket, Dakota goes with Victor, Alicia, and Charlie to a more secluded spot. Victor says, start talking, and she says, they’re not the first people to try. If anyone kills a ranger, Ginny will hunt them down and kill them. If she can’t find them, she’ll hurt and kill people they love. Victor asks if Ginny isn’t going to come looking for Dakota, and she says Ginny will figure out she’s gone by time it’s dark. She wants to get away, and find other people who do. Alicia asks why Dakota thinks she can help, and Dakota says she knows who they are. She saw their tapes. Her sister was obsessed with them. Victor says their reputation precedes them. He asks how they escape, and Dakota says she knows what’s inside the warehouse. They just need to get it. He says, what? and she says, a weapon. He asks, what kind? and she says she doesn’t know, but it’s important enough that Ginny keeps throwing bodies at it. She wants what’s in there. Someone is out there trying kill her, and she wants to use it. He asks, who put it there? How does she know it’s in there? And why are so many dead between it and them? Dakota says, if they can get it, they can overpower the rangers; use it against them. Alicia asks why they should believe her, and Dakota says she hears what goes on, like the deal Victor made. Alicia asks Victor, what deal? and Victor says, sh*t. It’s not what she thinks. Alicia walks and he follows her. He says, Ginny splits people up. He asked her to keep them together. Alicia asks, why do that? She can take care of herself. Victor says he did it for himself… what he needs to do to survive. He can’t do it without help. Not without her. It’s the least she can do. She asks what he means, and he says Daniel told him to remember who he is. She helps him do that. It’s not about right or wrong, but about being someone you can look in eye when this is over. Alicia says, then he doesn’t think they should risk it? He told her they needed to make a decision for themselves. She thinks they should make this one. He asks if she really thinks there’s a way to do it, and she says she does. He says, okay; let’s do it then. It’s going to be dark soon, and Ginny will realize Dakota is missing.

Some of the other prisoners join them, and Victor asks a prisoner if he’s sure, and he says he wants to get out as much as they do. Sanja stands by the gate, and Victor says it’s their last chance to get these things out of the way. Alicia says, it will work, and Victor asks if Sanja is ready. He says, now, and Sanja raises the gate. Inside is a track, like the metal things set up when you wait in line for a ride. The zombies amble out, and Victor and Alicia bang on the metal bars. Sanja looks like he might have a heart attack, and the group stands ready. As the zombies come out, they stab and spear them one by one. Zombies are pouring into the track, and as they’re killed, the group takes turns adding them to a pile. They’re coming faster, and Sanja holds the side of the gate where they’re coming out; it looks like it’s about to burst. Alicia tries closing them off, but one grabs Charlie, dragging her in. Alicia stabs it quickly, and pulls Charlie away, but another zombie tries to pull her back. Dakota comes in from the side, and stabs it, and Alicia asks if Charlie is all right. Charlie says she’s okay, and Dakota shows her the knife, saying she can thank the ranger who had a run-in with Victor. A ranger’s voice says, all right. Get away from her. Two rangers are there, and one comes up to Dakota, asking what the hell she’s doing. She radios Ginny, and says they found her. She tells the group to put their weapons down, and they do. Dakota says she’s not leaving. The woman reaches for her, and Dakota backs up, saying, don’t touch her; she’s not allowed. The ranger says they’ll see what Virginia has to say about that. The gate isn’t holding any longer, and Victor tells everyone to pick up their weapons. He tells Sanja to let go of the gate, and the zombies through. The ranger radios for help. Victor and Alicia stand ready.

The zombies are corralled, and Victor says, they can do this. He tells everyone, spread out, and lifts the latch to the gate. A ranger tries to take grab Dakota, but she runs. Alicia, Victor, and the others use pieces of the broken gate as shields as they kill the zombies. One of the rangers is drug into a cluster of zombies, and that’s the end of him. I laugh, then Dakota pushes the other ranger into the zombies, and I really laugh. Victor loses his weapon, and says he thinks he knows how get something. He and Dakota run to a trailer. Sanja is in the trailer, and asks Victor not to make him go out there. Victor beeps the horn, and asks if they’re moving, but Sanja says, no. Victor keeps beeping, and Sanja says, it doesn’t work. Victor asks for Sanja’s knife, and tells Sanja to follow him. He tells Dakota, don’t move. Sanja says, Victor knows how much trouble they’re going to be in, and Victor says they were in trouble anyway. Sanja says he should have taken the rangers out; why didn’t he? Victor says, good question, and stabs Sanja. He says Sanja said he wishes he had stood up today. Today is the day he gets to be a hero. Victor gets the zombies’ attention, and basically tosses Sanja toward them.  

Inside, Charlie and Alicia take the rangers guns, and shoot the zombies. Victor watches as the zombies tear Sanja apart. Alicia and Charlie make short work of the zombies, and I think, that was fast. Why didn’t they just do that in the first place? Victor says, they did it. Alicia sees a mangled Sanja, and Victor says he tried to stop him. It’s what he wanted. He did it for them. On the radio, they hear Ginny say, don’t let her out of your sight. Victor says there’s not enough time to get what they came for. Dakota joins them, and they go back into the warehouse.  

Victor says, there’s nothing there; there’s no weapon. Dakota says, there has to be. Virginia said so. Alicia says, or they were sent on a wild goose chase to expose them. Dakota says she’s not lying, and Charlie says, they believe her. Victor says, here she comes, and Alicia says, they can’t hold her off. He says, no they can’t, and tells everyone, it’s over. Let’s go. Alicia, Charlie, and Janice follow him back out, with Dakota straggling behind. Ginny asks where her sister is, and Victor says, these people were just acting at his behest; just punish him. She says, why would she do that? He did what no one else could. Alicia says, for what? and Ginny says, the key to survival. Victor says, there’s nothing there, and Ginny says she’s been looking for a true leader. Each and every one of them is the key. This is how they survive. Congratulations. He formed an army. She goes over to Dakota, and says, never leave her side again. The rangers lead them out, and Victor asks Ginny what she wants an army for? Some of them are not her biggest fans. How does she expect them to follow her. She says that’s his job. He can find young soldiers – she shows him a Pioneers key – and this will allow him to use them however he sees fit. When the time comes, and she calls for a big show, he’d best be ready.  She gives him the key, and he puts it in his pocket.   

Daniel cuts Charlie’s hair, and she says he really doesn’t remember the warehouse? Skidmark? None of it? He asks if she’s a friend of Ofelia’s, and she says, no. Victor comes in, and says they’re loading the trucks at the gate. He has her things. She tells him, wait, and takes her banjo out. She plays, and Daniel whistles. He says, The Traveling Wilburys, and she says, yeah. He taught her; she learned it from him. He says, it’s a beautiful song.

Alicia opens the car door. Janice says she’s not coming. Victor wants her to stay there and work in the laundry. He said he had his reasons. She tells Alicia, good luck, and Alicia says, her too. Victor asks for a minute, and Alicia says he has the key to the city. He says it will afford privacy. They almost died. Sanja did, so they could do what they did. It could have gone differently. He should have hesitated. She says because he didn’t put a target on their backs by killing the ranger? and he says he didn’t trust his instincts. He knew what needed to be done, and he couldn’t. Like he told her, she made him remember the person he is. He needs to do the things he needs to do now; for him, for her, for all of them. To do that, he has to forget that person, and he can’t with her by his side. She says she’s seen him do plenty, but he says he doesn’t want to drag her down. He needs to forget who he is, but she doesn’t. He gives her the St. Christopher’s medal, and says, whatever happens, don’t ever forget. He backs away, and the ranger says, let’s go. Alicia walks to the car, and looks back at Victor. She looks at the medal, and gets in the car. It drives away.

As he walks back, Victor wipes a tear away.   

Daniel gets a donkey cart ready, and a ranger tells him, hurry up. He’s got to get going. Victor comes by, and says he felt sorry for Daniel because he didn’t remember, but now he envies Daniel. Victor keeps walking, and the ranger gets in the cart. Daniel whistles as he drives. He suddenly stops, and tells the ranger that he left his good scissors inside. The ranger says he’ll have to make due, but Daniel says it will take him twice as long to work with what he’s got. The ranger tells him, stay there, and goes back into the compound.

Daniel looks around, and gets down. He whistles, and hears a whistle back. He tells donkey, did you hear that? A zombie comes out of the woods, but before it gets to Daniel, someone stabs it in the head from behind. The person wears a cloak that hides their face, and Daniel says, much obliged, friend. If they are a friend. It’s Morgan, and Daniel says he knows who he is. Morgan says he could use Daniel’s help, and Daniel says he looks like he could use a haircut. Morgan says, it’s good to see him. Daniel says he thought Morgan was the him that she was looking for. They shake hands.

Next time, Morgan gets a shave, the end is the beginning, a lot of rats, and Morgan finally gets a better weapon.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond

Iris found out that Hope decided to sacrifice herself, and tried to get her to come back, but Hope refused. She said it had to be her. She’d found an office toward the front that had a siren. She was going to set it off and clear a path.

Silas got some backstory this time. We saw he’d been arrested, after it looked like he’d committed a murder, possibly his grandparents and/or parents. I have the feeling there’s something more to it though. In his flashbacks, we saw Silas and his uncle meeting with Felix, who said because Silas’s uncle had sponsored him, he was going to get a fresh start. His uncle told him, no matter what anyone said, he was a good kid. He later met Iris while he was cleaning her dad’s lab.

Silas told Elton that he didn’t have what it took to kill a zombie, but would hold the bags while Elton did the killing. Silas wandered off and had a zombie encounter, but when he was about to whack it out of existence with a giant wrench, he remembered whatever it was he’d done before, and hesitated. Iris came to his rescue, perpetuating the idea that he was scared.  

Felix and Huck caught up to the group, and Iris explained what Hope had gone to do. Meanwhile, Hope went to the rooftop, but when she started to crank up the siren, the handle broke off. Felix couldn’t believe that Hope left a trail of breadcrumbs, but when he came to find her, she’d gone rogue and kamikaze. Iris said she didn’t think it was just about their dad any longer, and Silas said their mistakes shouldn’t have to follow them, but sometimes did. He thought Iris did something she felt bad about. On the side, he told Iris that he thought if he came with them, he’d be strong, but he wasn’t, and Iris confessed that she didn’t feel strong either. She didn’t care about her sisters mistakes, or Silas’s, and he said she should. She asked what he was afraid of, and he said, himself.

Iris radioed, saying she took the siren apart, but couldn’t put it back together. Iris told Hope that they could do this, like when they were kids. Iris said she’d get the siren going, but when they heard it, they had to haul ass. Elton didn’t understand the phrase haul ass – which I found hard to believe, no matter how sheltered he was – and Iris had to explain it meant run. Hope was able to hand crank the siren, which drew the zombies. The group managed to haul ass, and get out and past them.

Silas flashed back to reading Iris’s copy of The Tyger by William Blake (Tyger, Tyger, burning bright…), and heard her read it in his head as he walked. As Hope ran, zombies followed, but got stuck in some oil, which she set fire to. A zombie grabbed her, and Iris arrived in time to help, but ended up in trouble herself, and Hope returned the favor. Everyone reconvened outside the airport, but one of the humongous piles of tires started to fall against the fencing. Silas held it until the zombie arrival, and another moment while Elton ran in to grab his suitcase, then let it fall, blocking the zombies in. Then they all stood there, looking at the zombies, and I was like, why aren’t you hauling ass?

The kids all refused to go back. Iris said she and Hope wanted to keep their promise to their dad, and suggested he and Huck help them. They were going on with or without them. Huck told Felix there was no turning them around, so keeping them safe was all they could do. Hope and Iris sat on a dock, and Hope said she was tired of being scared. She told Iris about how she’d felt responsible for their mother’s death, and how the pregnant woman had shot their mother, then Iris shot her. She didn’t want what happened to change the way Iris saw her, and Iris said they were kids, the goddam sky was falling, and none of them were ready for it. Iris held Hope she cried, and told her that they’d get through it. They were going to have to.

Felix said Iris and Hope’s dad would want them to be safe, so he and Huck were going to make sure none of them got hurt. Iris asked if that meant he was coming with them, and he said they gave him no choice. Hope said she was sorry for dragging him in, but she was glad he was there. Hope asked why Elton had gone back into the devil’s a-hole for his luggage, and he said his mom’s manuscript was in it. She’d almost been done, and he wanted to finish it. Hope told him it was an a-hole, but badass move. Silas remembered his grandmother telling him that life was good. They made it good.   

A recruit named Slade visited Elizabeth, wanting to know what happened that they killed an entire colony of people. She asked what he’d been told, and he said that they’d neutralized a threat, but with respect, it didn’t seem like a threat. She turned on all the appliances, so there was noise covering what she had to say. She told him they had energy, water, medicine, transportation, a council, school, culture, currency, agriculture, manufacturing, and law. They were the last hope. They inherited a population of over 200,000 to live and create the future. They might not have seemed like a threat, but they were going to be. Slade said he didn’t know if he believed that.  

They ate soup in silence, and there was a knock at the door. Elizabeth told him to answer it, and he opened the door to a couple of soldiers. She told him that he was to be remanded to the health and welfare complex in a labor oriented capacity until he was ready to serve again. He said he didn’t think he’d ever be ready to serve again, and she said then he wouldn’t leave. He asked if she thought about how many died, and she said they were the lights of the world. He said that was a lie, and she told the soldiers to take him out. He said he knew what they did.  

When he was gone, Elizabeth put all the appliances on again, rolled up her sleeves, and cried, dripping tears on her map. 

Next time, Felix wonders how to keep everyone alive, and Hope says it’s about to get bad.  

🧛🏽‍♀️ After Such a Dead Night…

It’s late, and I’m off like a dirty pair of underwear, as my dad would say. Until we reunite on Deck, stay safe, stay altruistic, and stay away from too much sugar. Especially if it’s covering zombies.

October 28, 2019 – The Verdict Is In, Brandy Makes It Out Alive, Dualing Rogers, Maurice Works Overtime, a Better Joe & Halloween Thrill

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

I missed the very beginning, but it’s all self-explanatory today, except for Julian asking Willow what she’s doing at Charlie’s with Wiley.

At Kelly’s Alexis tells Kendra that she felt better post-workout than before. Is that possible? I’m confused at her confusion, since I thought that was normal. Kendra says, anything is possible if you put your heart and soul in it. Alexis says, and your glutes. Kendra says she’s proud of Alexis. She’s Kendra’s most improved most improved client. Alexis says, thanks to her. If Kendra hadn’t taken her on, she would have gone from fad to fad. She pauses, and says she’s lying. She wouldn’t be doing anything. Kendra says she can’t take credit. Alexis is doing all the work. If she follows the routine, she’ll achieve results she never expected. Alexis says, speaking of that… She takes the jar of her supplement out, and says she carries it with her now. Kendra says, it’s great stuff, isn’t it? and flashes back to putting whatever into Alexis’s supplement. She tells Alexis that she swears by it.

Michael and Chase spar at the gym. Michael says the situation with Sasha is driving him crazy. He comes there to let off steam, so he can be a rational person. Chase asks if it works. Michael knocks him down, and says, yeah.

Willow tells Julian that she’s babysitting, but she’d be happy to take Wiley elsewhere. Julian thinks it’s a strange choice to ask her to babysit, but she says if Brad and Lucas want her to be part of Wiley’s life, it’s their business. She won’t apologize for taking them up on it. Julian asks where they are, and Willow says, they had a doctor’s appointment. Julian says, both of them? Dammit! Therapy.

Neil asks about things between Brad and Lucas, and Lucas says, if it’s a difficult subject, Brad tends to deflect. Things between them are dreadful. Brad says Lucas pushes, and Lucas tells Brad that he’s worried. The doctor must be too, or he wouldn’t have asked Lucas to come. Neil asks Lucas to tell him, in his own words, why he came, and Lucas says Brad has always been sensitive, but since Wiley came to live with them, he hasn’t been normal. Brad asks if it isn’t normal for new parents to be neurotic. Plus, Wiley was kidnapped. Lucas says Brad was like this before the kidnapping; an insomniac tending to overreact, and with frayed nerves. He’d thought it was a new father thing, and let it go, but it’s not. Neil asks if Lucas had a hunch, and Lucas says he does think Brad is keeping something from him

Sonny tells Laura that personally he hopes Franco stays with Drew’s personality, and starts over on the west coast, but it has nothing to do with him. Scotty reached out, and wants him to get involved. He’s not asking her whether he should or not, but wants a sense of what’s going on. He respects her judgement. Laura laughs, and says she knows. She’s wouldn’t say this to Scotty or Elizabeth, but she feels sympathy toward the man who calls himself Drew, who desires more agency over his life, and the power to make his own decisions. Sonny says, but… and she says her heart breaks for Elizabeth, her grandchildren, and Scotty. Franco is hugely important to all of them, and now he’s just gone.

Judge Lasser tells the courtroom, while the witnesses had a positive effect, they have no bearing on the legal matter. The court’s riddle is not who the plaintiff is or who he should be, but whether he has the capacity to answer questions himself, and whether he has the autonomy to make a decision that could cost him his own life. Thus, there’s only one opinion that’s of concern. The medical witness has testified to the soundness of the plaintiff’s faculties, and she has no choice but to rule in favor of the plaintiff.

Elizabeth looks stunned, but tells Cameron, it will be okay. Cameron gets up, and says the judge can’t do this; it’s wrong. Judge Lasser understands they’re disappointed, but an outburst in court won’t be tolerated. Scotty tells Cameron to sit down, and look at him. It’s not over. The judge says she hereby releases the plaintiff from Shadybrook, and Elizabeth’s power of attorney is voided. Franco thanks her, and asks if he’s free to go. She says, court is adjourned. He goes to Kim, who welcomes him to the rest of his life, but he doesn’t really look too happy about it.

Julian ask Willow if that’s it; therapy? She says they just left a number. He tells her to give it to him, but she wonders how it’s his concern. Julian apologizes, saying he just needs to know where they are. Willow gets her phone, and gives the number to Julian. He calls, and says, dammit. They’re in Neil’s office. Willow asks what the big deal is, and he says he told Brad that he shouldn’t bring a shrink into their issues. Willow says, if they have issues, that’s the perfect person to bring them to.

Neil asks why Lucas doesn’t think Brad is being honest, and Lucas says Brad lied about where he’d been recently. Then mysterious flowers showed up. Brad says, oh my God. He has no idea who sent them, and he already explained why he went to see Nelle. Lucas said he’d let it go. Lucas says he spoke too soon. Nelle did horrific things to his family, and Brad insists on being friends with her. Neil asks how it makes Lucas feel, and Lucas says, abandoned, betrayed, and like his family doesn’t matter; he’s an afterthought. Brad says Lucas and Wiley have always been number one. Everything he does is for family. Lucas asks, then why would Brad speak at Nelle’s parole hearing? Brad says everyone deserves a second chance, like he had. Lucas says Brad wasn’t murdering people. Neil asks what Brad was doing, and Lucas says, lying to save himself, and keeping things from everyone. Brad says Lucas thinks he’s reverting to form. Ditching being a good guy, and starting to be bad Brad again.

Sonny tells Laura that he feels bad for Elizabeth. Laura says, it’s a confusing time, and he says love makes you desperate. She jokes that they wouldn’t know anything about that. Sonny says, who? Them? Laura says you don’t think rationally, and don’t make the wisest choices. She asks him not to blame her for using the friend card. She knows there’s no love lost between him and Scotty, and he says, that’s putting it mildly. She says, Scotty is a dad, scared for his son. As a father, she thinks Sonny might find some small measure of compassion. Sonny says, comparison for Scotty? Laura says she knows it doesn’t exist, but Sonny says, for her, he’ll try, and they hug.

Alexis shows Kendra that she’s carrying the supplement with her. Kendra says it’s good she’s making it last; it’s not easy to come by. She suggests Alexis think about being a distributor, and Alexis says she should probably take Kendra up on that; it would be cheaper than a therapist. She shares some supplement with Kendra, who says she can’t imagine Alexis needing a therapist; she seems so well put together; successful, beautiful, a career, a loving family. Alexis says, it didn’t happen overnight, or without sacrifice. Kendra says, no pain, no gain; she gets that. She recently suffered a major family loss. Alexis says she’s sorry; she didn’t know. Kendra says she doesn’t talk much about her brother. He was taken far too soon, and too young.

Alexis says she’s sorry for Kendra’s loss. Sonny comes by, and she introduces him to Kendra as Kristina’s father, and introduces Kendra to Sonny as her trainer. Sonny asks if Alexis can talk for a second, and Kendra excuses herself to give them a minute. Sonny says, trainer? and Alexis says he should be glad. Exercise keeps her from freaking out about Sam. He says, Diane has it covered, and Alexis says it’s a challenge not to be involved professionally. She has no idea what’s going on with Sam in prison.

Michael and Chase both lie on the matt. Michael asks if Chase is alive, and Chase says he’s not sure he’d call it alive. How’s Michael’s face? Michael says, it’s still there. Chase says he’s surprised; he didn’t expect Michael to be such a good boxer. Michael tells Chase not to let the nice guy fool him. He practically grew up in the ring. Chase can see that, or more accurately feel it. Michael says he took the Sasha stuff out on him. Chase says he’s the one who asked to spar; it’s okay. Falling in love? He knows the feeling. But just so it’s clear, he did let Michael win. Michael says, lies, and Chase says he’s just playing.

Julian tells Willow he thinks Brad and Lucas are making s mistake seeing a shrink. She asks, why? and he says, Brad’s been acting erratic lately. It’s starting to effect his relationship with Lucas. Willow says, then it’s good they’re getting help, but Julian says it’s never a good idea give a shrink access into your head. Just ask his sister. Willow says, Ava was seeing a madman not a therapist. Julian asks if there’s a difference.

Brad says Lucas thinks he’s regressing, but Lucas says, no. Brad says Lucas just thinks he’s the same as he’s always been, and Lucas tells him, that’s not what he said. He believes in Brad, but also believes Brad is keeping secrets. He thinks somewhere Brad lost faith in him, in them. He wants things back like they used to be. Brad says he wants that too, and Lucas says, does he? Neil says, his two cents. They began the session talking around and at each other. Now they’re talking to each other. It’s not pretty, but it’s real. Like it or not, it’s called progress.

Franco asks Martin, now what? There’s something he has to do. Martin says he can do anything he cares to. He’s his own man; free to be whoever he wants. Martin tells him, good luck, and they shake hands. Kim thanks Martin, and he says, it was his pleasure. Now he’s going to get some friend chicken. Just kidding. He starts to leave, and tells Scotty, that was fun. Until they meet again. Scotty says he’d better hope they don’t. I call Martin a creep. Cameron says, Franco is gone, and Scotty says he’s golng to be off like a jack rabbit. They’re never going to see him again. Cameron tells Scotty that he can handle it, but he doesn’t know if his mom can. Elizabeth says he doesn’t have to take care of her, and Scotty says they’ll figure it out. Cameron asks, how? Scotty says he’ll figure out how. Doc understands it hurts, but his hands were tied. Scotty says, not his, and punches Doc. Laura walks in.

Laura asks if Doc is all right, and Doc says he’s fine. She asks Scotty, what’s wrong with him? and Scotty says, Doc took his case. He had the one chance to save them, and he blew it. Doc says he had to tell the truth. and Laura says she was just defending Scotty, saying he should be treated with compassion. Hit Doc again, and he’ll get none from her. She tells Doc to sit; he’s bleeding. Franco tells Elizbeth, Cameron, and Scotty, this the way things are now. They need to accept it. Cameron runs out of the courtroom, and Trina follows him. Scotty says he thought Ryan had the lock on destroying families, but his twin is just as skilled at it. Franco looks at Elizabeth.

Chase tells Michael that he’s going to have to reschedule his date for an ice bath. Michael says tell Willow that he’s sorry, and adds, it’s getting serious. Chase says, living together will do that. The other day, they were watching Wiley, and Willow blew him away, seeing her with her son. He couldn’t help think… one day, maybe. A part of him is saying it’s too soon, but he told that voice to shut up, and enjoy the ride. Michael says as an incredibly wise beat up man once said, he knows the feeling, and he’s happy to say it.

Lucas and Brad arrive at Charlie’s, and Willow says she told Wiley that his daddies would be back. Lucas takes Wiley, and Willow says, he was an angel. Julian asks how the appointment was, and Lucas says, fine. Willow needs to make a phone call, and Lucas needs to change Wiley, and they step away. Julian says Brad and Lucas went to therapy after all, and Brad says they’re making progress. He said he’d handle it, and he did. He looks at his phone, and says, dammit. Obrecht was forcing him to do something, and now she wants him to undo what he shouldn’t have done in the first place. This day keeps getting better. Julian suggests Brad change his password while he’s at it, in case she got into his phone.

Alexis tells Sonny that Jason always has Sam’s best interest at heart, but he always makes the situation worse. Something terrible happens, and Sam end up in the hospital, or in handcuffs. She knows the only way for her to help is to not help. In which case, she’s still helping. Sonny thinks it’s good Alexis has a workout regimen. Kendra dumps half of her water bottle out in a tub of dishes, and peeks out from around the corner. Doesn’t anyone notice her lurking?

Sonny leaves, and Kendra comes back. She thinks it’s cool that Alexis and Kristina’s father are so close. Alexis says they’re a good match on Kristina’s behalf. Kendra loves how they come together for their daughter’s sake. Alexis says, when push comes to shove, they do, and there’s been one push and shove too many. She thinks those days are over, since Kristina seems to be doing well. Alexis checks her phone, and has to go. She tells Kendra that she’ll see her later.

Julian tells Brad that Willow was asking questions about him and Lucas. Nothing major, but maybe he wants to chat her up, and let her know thing between him and Lucas are copacetic. Brad says, even if they’re not? and Julian tells him, just go. Lucas comes back with Wiley, and Julian says he meant to ask Lucas about the florist he used to get Brad the flowers. Lucas says he’ll have to ask Brad. Julian says he didn’t realize it was a sore subject, and Lucas says Brad didn’t know who they were from. Julian suggests Lucas make a video; he and Wiley were practicing for the Nurses Ball. Lucas asks if it isn’t a little early, and Julian says, it’s never too early; ask Lucy. Lucas says he’d rather not. He picks up Brad’s phone, but can’t unlock it. Julian says Brad changed his password, and Lucas wonders why.

Sonny goes to the gym, and tells Michael to let him know if he needs help with Valentin. Michael says Sonny is strictly back-up. Michael leaves, and Sonny is about to close up, but Cameron and Trina come in. Sonny says they can stay, but tells Cameron to go light on the heavy bag. Cameron tells Trina he was thinking about Oscar. As much as he feels horrible, and wants to scream, and punch people, he knows if Oscar was there, he’d feel the same about his mom. They’re both ripped apart. Trina says it’s not simple. There are no bad guys… except that sleazebag lawyer. Cameron says, and the people who did this in the first place. Trina is sorry, and wishes she could make it better. Cameron says she can hold the bag.

Laura finds Elizabeth in the hallway. Elizabeth says she needs a minute, and Laura says she’ll stay with her. She doesn’t want to go home to the boys in that state. Doc tells Laura, he almost lied. He almost said what Scotty wanted, but if he had to hurt someone, it might as well be with the truth. Laura says he did the right thing. He leaves, and Laura goes to Elizabeth. She suggests they get out of there, and clear their heads, but Elizabeth says there’s just one thing she needs to do first.

Kim tells Franco it was hard with Cameron. Is he okay? He says, it was just a lot. Elizabeth comes in, and says you can’t leave. Kim says court is over, but Elizabeth says she’s not talking to Kim. She’s talking to the man who took her husband’s place. He can’t leave without saying goodbye to their family. If he does that, she’ll let him go. She walks out.

Chase joins Willow, and Willow asks Brad if everything is okay. Brad says it’s never been better. Sometimes you need an outside perspective. As Brad goes back to Lucas, Chase says he thought his brother was tightly wound. Willow says, so it’s not just her, and he says, no.

Julian tells Lucas that people change their passwords all the time. Lucas says not when they’re married with a baby. You grab the nearest phone. Julian says he doesn’t think about that stuff, but he’s sure Brad had a reason. Elizabeth and Laura come in, and Julian hands Wiley back to Lucas, leaving to wait on them. Brad joins Lucas, and Lucas hands Brad his phone, saying he forgot it. He asks why Brad changed his password. He went to shoot a video, and couldn’t get into the phone. Brad says he read about spyware and keyloggers, and it freaked him out. They should all be worried about personal information. Lucas says, personal, or secret?

Kendra dumps out the rest of her water bottle, and switches Alexis’s supplement container with one from her backpack.

Outside Kelly’s, Alexis calls Neil, and says she just finished. He says he just said goodbye to his last client. Does she want to meet up? She says she would, but she has some legal research. They agree on another time. Kendra comes out, and says Alexis forgot her supplements. Alexis says, heaven forbid. It helps her a lot, and she has a lot of work to do.

Julian asks Elizabeth how it went, and she says, it was all for nothing. They ended up losing Franco. Julian says he’s sorry, and she says, her too.

Kim thinks she and nuDrew should go and celebrate, but he doesn’t feel like celebrating. Kim tells him, it’s not a betrayal to be happy. It doesn’t make him a bad person to want to start the rest of his life. Franco asks, what life? He got everything he was asking for. Now what does he do with it?

Cameron hits the heavy bag, as Trina holds it. He starts to go nuts, hitting it harder and harder. Then he starts to cry. Trina goes to him, and they hug. Sonny watches.

Laura takes Elizabeth’s hand. She tells Elizabeth that she doesn’t have to go through this alone. Elizabeth says she keeps trying to think what would Franco tell her? What advice would he give her? But it’s getting harder and harder to hear him. It’s really happened. Franco is gone.

Kim tells Franco, they’ll figure it out together. Start fresh. Go somewhere far away. He asks if she wants to leave Port Charles, and she says there’s nothing left for her there. Is there something left for him?

Sonny hears someone come into the gym, and says they’re closed. Scotty says he’s not there to fight. Sonny owes him, and he has to collect.

Tomorrow, Maxie asks Peter what’s going on, Jason isn’t comfortable putting Sam’s life in the hands of one person, Kim tells Franco that he’s what’s best for her, and Scotty wants Sonny to make it right.

Below Deck

Still at the beach picnic, Helen says Brandy is impacting her time; it’s her vacation. Kate calls Captain Lee to confirm they’re getting Brandy to the boat as soon as possible. He tells her, affirmative. They put Brandy in some kind of stretcher, and Brian says he’s freaking out because it’s not safe. They tell Brandy that it’s okay; they’re getting her back. In her interview, Kate says this is why she loves guests like this. Their friend is being carried off because of a medical emergency, and they’re just not letting it ruin their vibe. One of the guests says Brandy will be okay in a few hours. Obviously, they’ve been at this rodeo before. Helen asks Kate to take a picture of her and her girl squad.

Captain Lee says he’s getting a medic to the boat. Kevin assumes he has one less for dinner. In the captain’s interview, he doesn’t know what’s wrong. He’s seen a lot of situations, and if you hesitate, someone could die. He sits at Brandy’s bedside like he’s her dad. The picnic breaks up, and the guests get ready to head back.

In her interview, Simone says she used to get bullied, so when Kevin said her job wasn’t rocket science, she felt hurt. Kate understands, but keeping her away from service could be worse, Courtney radios Kate, who’s still at the beach, saying she’s been with Brandy. She asks if Simone can switch places with her now that the guests are coming back. The captain says, the medic is on his way. In his interview, he says he’s responsible for every swinging d*ck on board. Like it or not, it’s his responsibility. He has to keep everyone safe. If he has to call a professional to do it, there’s no doubt that’s what he’ll do.

Kate cleans up on the beach with Tanner. Abbi and Brian bring the supplies back, and the captain notices Abbi’s hair isn’t tied back. Tanner asks if Kate would like to split a bottle of wine after work tomorrow. In Tanner’s interview, he says, Kate is like a friend/aunt. She’s sexy and beautiful, and you never know. You have to roll the dice. Helen tells Kevin, lunch was fabulous. In his interview, he says he wants to make the dinner on their last night special, since the seafood extravaganza turned out to be just fish. His standards are high for himself. It can’t be midcore. He’s stepping it up for tonight’s dinner.

The picnic supplies are unloaded, and the captain tells Ashton to remind Abbi to put her hair up. He does, and she says she gave her elastic to Brandy. Ashton suggests she have more than one, and I’m thinking, is she kidding? She couldn’t find something else? She doesn’t seem to grasp that her hair could get caught in something. Like gears. Courtney serves the guests drinks while they’re in the hot tub. Captain Lee tells Brandi the medic is there to look at her. The doctor asks how she is. He asks her a few questions, and she claims she’s feels fine now. Kate is just glad she’s breathing. It’s all she can hope for. The doctor asks if Brandy has been drinking, and she says only been drinking champagne for the last two weeks. If I’d had coffee in my mouth, I’d have done a spit-take. He tells her to only drink juice now, and she agrees, but I believe it if you believe it. The doctor’s diagnosis is that Brandy has had too much alcohol, and Brandy goes back to sleep.

Tanner tells Simone that he and Brian were in the water all day, and he has a rescue under his belt. He says he’s getting hammered tomorrow after work. Ashton tells Tanner to help Brian bring in the water toys. Brian tries to use a pulley to bring up the slide, but it gets stuck. There are a lot of bleeps, so I’m guessing this is a really bad thing. Brian says he screwed up the davit, and the captain is going to be pissed. He goes to the bridge to talk to Captain Lee, while Tanner pulls up the slide manually. Brian says he wanted to tell the captain face-to-face. He messed up the cable on the davit. He wasn’t thinking. The captain says let him guess. He was lifting the slide, and the cable came out of the roller. He says, it’s not going to be easy to fix. It’s a lot of work, and expensive. Brian takes full responsibility. In Captain Lee’s interview, he says, this is a major screw up with a $60K piece of equipment. Once is a mistake; twice is a pattern. He appreciates Brian coming to him, but the screw up is on Ashton’s shoulders. It’s his department; make it run right.

Kate says Brandi is all right; she’s sleeping. In Kate’s interview, she wishes every guest on every charter would sleep for the entire charter. She could do that forever. Kevin tells Kate, there are seven showing up for dinner, plus the captain. He’s going to do some Asian sh*t first. He was digging around in the freezer, and found some fresh fish, along with local prawns. Simone is back on laundry duty, and the captain calls Ashton to the wheelhouse. He tells Ashton about the massive screw up, and that Brian tried to use the davit to pull up the slide, and broke it. It’s difficult and expensive to repair. To Brian’s credit, he came and told him, but he should have told Ashton, his supervisor. Captain Lee says he doesn’t tolerate fools. Kate sets the table for seven people.

Abbi hates the uniforms, saying, that’s not what boating is; it’s bullsh*t. Ashton tells Brian about Captain Lee calling him out. He had no idea Brian was using the davit to pull up the slide. Again, there’s a lot of bleeping, and Brian says he doesn’t normally screw up. In Brian’s interview, he says he’s had enough experience to know he should have gone to Ashton, but the adrenaline was pumping through him, and he wasn’t even thinking. Kate jokes about Courtney’s radio voice. The guests pick out which Rolex to wear tonight.

The captain calls Kevin to the wheelhouse. In his interview, Captain Lee says he doesn’t like to babysit, but when the chef is being vindictive with the interior, and Kate brings it to his attention, he knows it’s serious. He tells Kevin that he understands there was a dust-up in the galley. Enlighten him. Kevin says he got flustered when he had to call Simone for service. He told her that he was sorry, and they hugged it out. In his interview, he says it was between him and Simone, and they’d sorted it out. That Kate told Captain Lee about the incident pisses him off. At least he knows where he stands. They don’t like each other. Grow the eff up. Kevin tells the captain that he tried sort it put as quickly as possible. They’ve got to have a happy boat. Kevin turns and walks out, and in his interview, Captain Lee can’t believe Kevin had the balls to turn his back on him, and walk out. Kevin doesn’t have to like him, but he has to respect the rank. He’ll own Kevin’s ass in a heartbeat. Will we end up seeing Ben on this show too?

Ashton tells the deckhands, it’s been a challenging day. They’re becoming adapt at overcoming them. He tells Brian not to feel bad, but if something goes wrong, tell him first. In Ashton’s interview, he says, there seem to be a lot of little mistakes happening. We flash back to the stuck tender, Abbi’s radio issue, and the davit. Ashton says he’s in a leadership role. He knows the captain is watching and it sucks.

Brandy sleeps on. Kevin says he’s making Thai street food on a classy level. I don’t even know what that means, except he leaves the heads on the prawns. Everyone seems to like it, and I guess they’re drunk enough to eat a whole prawn head. Kevin tastes the next course – a piece of fish wrapped in a leaf or something – eating the whole thing. Kate asks where the seventh dish is, and Kevin looks confused. He says, fu-u-udge, but he doesn’t say fudge. He tells Kate that the captain isn’t getting one. Courtney says, they just don’t give him one? In Kate’s interview, she says, Kevin forgot an entire main dish for the captain. For a chef so particular, he served his mistake to his boss on a silver platter. I say, or not, to Kate. Helen says, it’s like a piece jewelry on a plate. She must be really drunk. In his interview, Captain Lee says Kevin pissed him off, and now he’s not going to feed him? He’s not in a good mood. Kevin tells Ashton that he ate one to taste it, and Ashton is like, are you kidding? Kevin says he used the rest for the extravaganza yesterday. Ashton leaves the galley, making a face like he might die laughing any moment.

Oh man this is one of the most amusing episodes in like, forever. Since the foam party.

The captain ends up eating a garnish, and in his interview, asks if he looks like a rabbit. He will have Kevin’s ass for this. Kate can’t believe Kevin didn’t try to fake something. Brian tells Courtney, Tanner is going to be sipping wine with Kate, just the two of them. Tanner says he suggested they split a bottle, and Kate said, how about two? Well, she did say that, but I translated it to mean she wanted her own bottle. She jokes around with him, but no way would Kate sleep with this dude. Kevin cleans up the kitchen, and says goodnight, no doubt hoping to avoid the captain. The captain lingers over a drink at the table, and Kate asks about dinner. Captain Lee says he’s not completely full. Kate says, everyone had a full meal except for him, and he says then Kevin acted like it’s what he wanted, patting him on the shoulder. He calls Kevin a condescending little pr*ck. In his interview, the captain says, if you’re going to be an arrogant pr*ck, don’t piss off the boss. He asks Kate, what would he have served if Brandy showed? It’s piss poor planning. Kate tells the stews that they did a good job. I’m loving Abbi’s nightgown or robe or whatever it is. Very boho. In Simone’s interview, she says she’s disappointed to be back on laundry. She doesn’t want to be the laundry girl. Abbi suggests Simone tell Kate that she wants to practice service, and ask if Courtney can do laundry.

Kevin sneaks around. Courtney and Kate look at Tanner’s Instagram, which is filled with photos of Tanner showing off his physique. In Courtney’s interview, she says that kind of body is a negative for her. She doesn’t like people who work out that much. That means they don’t have time for her, and they’re not cuddly. Kate says, if he would just… Courtney says, not do that? They call him an a-hole.

Uh-oh. Brandy is up and moving. She wanders around, and asks Courtney for juice. She wonders where everyone is, and Courtney says, no one is up. Brandy asks what time it is, and Courtney tells her, 12:30. Brandy says, at night? In Courtney’s interview, she says she wants to scream. Brandi asks for champagne with the juice, and Courtney asks if she wants a mimosa. In her interview, she says she’s only serving, not making judgement calls. She’s not going to correct someone who had an exorcism earlier today. Brandy flops down on a couch and makes a phone call, yelling at the person on the other end. Courtney tells Kate, already in bed, that Brandy is in the main salon and wants a mimosa. She wonders if she should just put sparkling water in the juice. Kate pulls some clothes on, and goes back with Courtney. Brandy asks why Kate is up. She looks tired. Brandy starts yelling into the phone again. Kate tells Courtney, this is not real life. In her interview, Courtney wonders what is going on right now. Brandy wanders off again. Kate says, she’s asleep, and she and Courtney run to bed.

The guests wake up to a buffet. The captain says, let’s get out of here. The anchor is in the pocket, and they’re moving. Simone tells Kate that she’s getting the hang of it. In Kate’s interview, she says, the great thing about Simone is, she’s trying. Her intentions are to improve, and Kate can work with that.

Kevin goes to the wheelhouse, and asks the captain how the dinner went down. Keeping his eyes on the horizon, and not looking at Kevin, Captain Lee says, it was okay. Kevin says, sorry about missing out on the fish. Still not turning to Kevin, the captain asks how it happened. Kevin says he thought he had eight plates, and could test drive one. Captain Lee says, good thing the other guest didn’t show up. They’d have been screwed. It’s a helluva way to run a railroad. Kevin has an unlimited budget, and instead of having more than enough, it seems like Kevin has just barely enough. There’s silence, and Kevin slips out. In Kevin’s interview, he says he messed up, but he didn’t expect the captain not to address him or look at him. That the captain thinks he didn’t do a good job got in his head.

Tanner asks Kate if she’s down for wine action after work, and she says, always. Helena hands Kevin a little velvet pouch with panties and pearls in it. She wants him to put on the panties, take a selfie, and send it to her. Kevin is confused. Kevin reads that it’s an erotic self-love kit. They debate what the pearls are for. Courtney doesn’t think they go inside anywhere, and Kevin asks what she thinks they’re for. She says she’s leaving. The panties look like something lacey from Victoria’s Secret, and he doesn’t know what to do.

Everyone packs. Brandy says, YOLO. They dock, and Brandy is still drinking. Ashton tells Courtney that Brandy’s suitcase is heavy, and she says, there must be a lot of deep emotional problems in there. I literally lol. Helena gives Captain Lee an envelope, saying it’s a reflection of how amazing they are. Richard says they can handle anything now. After the guests leave, the captain says, they’re gone; get after it, and they do.

At the tip meeting, the captain says the have number two in the books. He’d said he was waiting for the other shoe to fall, and it dropped. He compliments Ashton for coming through on the tender. He looks at Kevin for a moment, and moves on, telling Kate, good job with service. In Kevin’s interview, he says the captain made a point of indicating he’s not doing a good job. The tip is $20,000, or $1800 each. Abbi’s never held this much money, and says she feels like a baller. Captain Lee tells them to have fun. Simone tells Courtney about Tanner having a date with Kate. She’s gotten good FBI skills from working in the laundry. In Courtney’s interview, she says she’s into it; she’s nosy. She wants to know all about it. Kevin comes out to help the crew. Ashton says he likes Courtney, but she’s not his type of girl. He likes to banter. In his interview, he says she’s a stunning girl, but not open. He wants to know what’s going on inside. He says, there’s always a possibility. Never rule it out. Ashton tells the deckhands, when he drinks, there’s an Ashton inside that wants to get out.

Kate gets her to-do list done. Courtney says she heard Kate might have a date with Tanner. Kate tells her that she said she’d share some wine with him, but Courtney says, he thinks it’s a date. In her interview, Kate says a glass of wine at the bar is now a date. Tanner is adorable, but before she agrees to a date, he has to have the balls to call it one. She tells Courtney that she’ll wear her new uniform.

Tanner paces while Kate gets ready. In her interview, she says he’s adorable, but if it’s a choice between Tanner and washing her hair, she’s going to wash her hair. The crew does shots. Ashton laughs because Tanner can’t find Kate. She finally comes down, and says she washed her hair. She can’t do that in the bar, but she can have wine with Tanner there. They head out in a party bus. Ashton says he loves Courtney; she’s a team player. In Abbi’s interview, she says, the charter was long and terrible. She’s ready to get hammered.

They go to The Kee in Phucket. It’s getting harder to refrain from making jokes. Ashton toasts to a challenging charter. Brian says he learned his lesson last time, and we flash back to him bugging Courtney about smiling more. He says he’ll do shots, but not as many as last time. Kevin just wants to drink. In his interview, he says he cares about the captain’s approval – seriously? – but it is what it is. He’s ready to drink this one away. In Kate’s interview, she says a sober Tanner is super cute, but a sober Tanner is never out with them. Tanner reminds Kate about their wine date, and she tells him that she said she’d have wine with him. In her interview, she says he has to be more sober, or she has to be more drunk. Brian asks if Tanner is all right, and he says, nope. Ashton tells Courtney that she’s beautiful and an old soul. He wants to learn more about her. He asks what her two biggest flaws are, and she says, that’s a dumb question. In Courtney’s interview, she asks if this is a job interview at McDonald’s. She hopes he doesn’t think he’s romantic.

Simone dances. Brian, who’s suddenly wearing a red and white sailor shirt, asks if Courtney wants to have a drink with him. Kate loves that Brian is being hardcore in a sailor shirt. Kate tells Ashton that she likes them together, and Ashton is bummed. Someone says, let’s bounce, and Ashton almost gets left in the elevator on the way down. Everyone is half asleep going back in a taxi. Courtney asks Brian to carry her to the boat. Kevin has his head in Kate’s lap. Walking down the dock, Abbi tells Simone that she was serious about her drinking. She falls down, but bounces right back, saying she loves to sail, and  they’re heading back to a motorboat. Everyone goes to bed, but Abbi stays in the galley, eating everything in sight, saying, she loves meat. She finally goes to bed.

It’s another day until charter. Brian wishes he could have kept the shirt. Ashton had fun, but wishes he could remember everything. Abbi tells Simone that she can’t get up; she tried. In Simone’s interview, she says, it’s like Abbi is on her deathbed. This is why Simone doesn’t like drinking a lot. Walking on the dock, Kevin thinks the captain’s comments are getting to his head. He’s definitely not a quitter, and doesn’t want to make this the first time. It would be a bad move, but he could hop off here, and they can cook for themselves.

Ashton tries to call Abbi, but she’s not responding. Tanner says she sent a group text that she doesn’t know if she’ll be up by nine, and needs to be near a toilet. In Ashton’s interview, he says, she’s there to be a deckhand, not have a good time. Where does she get off? He tells Tanner, he was on deck at nine, no matter how hard it was.

Next time, a girls trip charter, Tanner gets sick, Ashton feels like the wheels falling under the bus, and Captain Lee says if Kevin doesn’t step up, he’s going to be fired.

👦👦 Two Todds In One…

My absolute favorite talks about playing a dual role inside the same person.

https://www.abc.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital-roger-howarth-playing-franco-as-drew-173113?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=5298

🚴 Hardest Working Man In Soap Business…

And a mighty good man.

https://www.abc.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital-maurice-benard-state-of-mind-website-173132?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=5298

👓 Juicy Once More…

Why is it, every reality star who goes into prison, comes out looking better?

https://radaronline.com/photos/joe-giudice-rhonj-weight-loss/?utm_source=email&em_hash=72048a93bc8188334dc1071a32fe8f3b

👹 Halloween Is Coming…

And you probably knew this would too. Remember where you were the first time you saw it? I do, and we’ll just leave it at that.