What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Finn asks what Elizabeth is doing at the hospital. He thought her shift ended hours ago. She says, it did, but she picked up another one that starts soon. It made more sense to crash there than go back home. Cameron’s with Jake and Aiden. He says he knows the last couple days have been difficult for her, and she says, her anniversary with Franco, followed by the one-year anniversary of his death. He says he’s not making assumptions about how she’s feeling, but is working herself to death really the answer?
On the phone with Lucy at the MetroCourt, temp Sasha (see below) says, she understands. The investors want them to hold off on the IPO until Maxie is found. That makes total sense. It would sound too tone-deaf to proceed. Maybe they can pivot and… No, she’s right. Maybe they should just take a breath. Brando comes in, and Sasha says she’ll talk to Lucy tomorrow. Sasha tells Brando, this is a surprise, and he says, sorry to ambush her. He hasn’t been able to get ahold of her for days. He even stopped by her place for Valentine’s Day, but she wasn’t there. She says she’s just been working a lot, and he says that’s why he tracked her down. He sits down, and says, they need to say all the things they’ve been avoiding saying to each other.
Austin is listening in on Victor, when Obrecht comes up behind him, and says, well? He jumps, and says, she scared him, and she says, it’s only one of her formidable skills. How is the operation going? He says, all day, he’s been listening to this bug she put on Victor, and listening to someone’s life 24/7 is very tedious. For this diabolical guy they think he is, his life is very mundane. He hasn’t said anything of interest. She says, keep listening. If they’re right, and he helped Peter escape, it can be their key to finding Maxie.
Victor looks at The Sun tarot card, and flashes back to Peter saying if Victor gets him and Louise out of Port Charles, Peter will tell him everything he wants to know about Drew. Yohan joins him, and says they have eyes on their target. He’s alone; no witnesses. Victor says, then let’s get going.
Drew rips off the crime scene tape at the pier, and looks around. He hears someone coming, and slips into the shadows. He sees Sam, and says, enjoying the view? She says she didn’t come there for sightseeing, and doubts he did either. He says he hates feeling so helpless. He figured the best way to beat that feeling was to come to the last place Maxie was. He’s just hoping the police missed something to help them bring her back home.
Anna finds Felicia crying at the hospital and hugs her. She asks, what’s going on?
Driving, with Maxie as his passenger, Peter tells her not to worry. All those people back in Port Charles standing in their way are in the past. They’re going somewhere no one will ever find them.
Sasha asks what’s on Brando’s mind, and he says he thinks she’s been avoiding him since Liam’s funeral. He barely sees her, and when he does, she has her nose buried in her tablet doing work. He understands it’s her way of coping, and the last thing he wants to do is get in the way of her healing. He’s glad she’s managing all this so well, but the truth is, he’s not.
Felicia tells Anna that she’s sorry. She just wanted to pull herself together before she saw Mac. Anna says, if anyone would understand, it’s Mac. Felicia just made a very hard decision, giving Maxie’s baby back to Brook. It was the right thing to do. It’s the only home that little girl has ever known. Felicia says, she’s a stranger to that baby. She knows that intellectually, and she’s feeling just a fraction of what Maxie must have felt all those months, to not be able to be with the child you love, and take care of her. She knows it was the right thing to do, but wishes she had some connection to Maxie right now. She starts to cry again, and Anna puts Maxie’s earring in her hand. She tells Felicia, that’s Maxie’s. It was with the baby when Anna found her at the firehouse. The PCPD already pulled prints from it, and confirmed it is hers. Maxie left it there deliberately, so her daughter would have something to remember her by. Felicia says, that is so Maxie, to be thinking ahead even in the most impossible situations. Anna tells her to hold on to that. She knows Anna will stop at nothing to bring Maxie home. Felicia says she does know that, and thanks Anna. Anna asks if Felicia wants her to stick around, but Felicia says, no; she just needs a minute. Anna tells Felicia that she’s got this, and leaves.
Maxie says Peter’s been very quiet about where they’re going, and now he’s so confident that no one will ever find them. Peter asks if she remembers him telling her about his time in boarding school, and Maxie remembers that he said he was relieved when Faison sent him away to school, where he could really be himself. He says, it was one of the happiest times he can remember. Until he met her, of course (🍷). Most of the students went home for the summer holidays, but there were a few of them who would stick around. The school would send them to this beautiful cabin in the mountains. Incredible. Last year, when he felt the walls closing in, he saw the academy was listing the farm for sale, so he arranged to buy it. Not in his name of course (🍷). Virtually not traceable in fact, in case he ever needs to disappear. He wishes Louise could have joined them, but who knows? If it becomes secure enough, they could send for her.
Elizabeth says she appreciates Finn’s concern, and he says, but it’s none of his business, and if she needed his help, she’d ask for it, right? She’ll have to forgive him. It’s an occupational hazard; he can never stop diagnosing. She says, he’s not totally wrong. She did have a good cry this morning, but she doesn’t have the luxury of curling up in a ball. Cameron’s been so selfless, such a hands-on big brother over the past year, he deserves a chance to live in the dorms. Which means she has to pick up extra shifts so she can afford it. He says he’s been working on his listening skills. He’s actually taking a refresher course at the college. He can listen if there’s something on her mind she wants to talk about. She flashes back to looking at her slashed dress, and says, actually… Anna comes in, and asks if it’s a bad time, but Elizabeth says, no, what’s up? Anna asks if they have a minute, and the three of them step away. Anna says, she just wanted them to know she got the PCPD to increase patrols for Brook and Chase’s protection. Just in case Peter decides to come back and make another attempt at taking Louise. Finn thanks her, and Elizabeth says she hates that Peter’s still a threat. She’s relieved the baby is safe, but hates that it comes at Maxie’s expense. Anna says they’re going after Peter now, and Finn says, this never would have happened if he’d just finished Peter off.
Drew tells Sam, he doesn’t know what he was expecting. Obviously, Peter’s not going to leave a copy of his travel itinerary. She says, plus, the police already canvassed the whole area, but he says, they could miss something; they’re not perfect. She says, really? and he says, that wasn’t a dig against Dante. She says she gets it; they’re all doing their best. Drew asks how Dante is holding up, and Sam says, he’s driving himself hard to get a lead. Not that she’s expecting anything less from someone so dedicated. He says he’s glad she and Dante are in a good place, and she says, her too. And she’s glad they are as well. He suddenly moves her behind him, and Victor comes onto the pier. He says he does hope he’s not interrupting.
Sasha says she has been avoiding Brando. It’s very clear they’re grieving very differently. He needs to sit with his feelings; she can’t do that. He says he needs to talk about it with the one person who went through it with him. This whole experience, from getting pregnant to losing their beautiful son, it bonded them. She’s the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with, the person he loves. If they can’t be there for each other now, what are they doing here?
Felicia goes into Mac’s room, and Laura is sitting next to the bed. Laura hugs her, and says, Mac told her that they chose to leave the baby with Brook and Chase, at least until Maxie comes home. It must have been a very tough decision for her. Felicia says, it’s in Louise’s best interest. Moving forward, she and Mac can visit her regularly, and they’ll no longer be strangers. Laura says she’s going to give them some privacy. If they need anything, call her. Mac thanks her for coming by, and Laura leaves. Mac asks, how’d it go? and Felicia says, their granddaughter is very happy. So that at least makes one of them. He says, it’s only temporary. They just have to keep visiting her, so she knows they’re her family too. Felicia says, he’s right. She’s safe and she’s in good hands until Maxie comes home. And she will come home. She looks at the earring.
Peter says, Maxie is going to love it. It’s in a very remote area. The nearest village is so small, it only shows up on local maps. It’s so beautiful. There’s a caretaker, modern amenities. It’s well-stocked. The best of both worlds. Everything they could possibly need for their life together, until Louise joins them. Maxie asks, where is this place again? and he says, it’s best she doesn’t know. It’s for her own protection, trust him. She says, if he can’t tell her where they’re going, she’s not going to know how long they’ll be in the car. Does he think they can pull over someplace so she can use the restroom? He asks if it’s a trick, but she says she’s not going to run. She knows what their deal is.
Austin tells Obrecht, he can’t do this anymore. Listening to Victor go about his daily business is odd, and exhausting. She says, it’s a small price to pay for what he did. His vendetta against Brook is the whole reason Maxie’s daughter’s identity was compromised. Consider this his penance. He says she’s right. He’d do anything to make it up to Maxie. He wishes he could go back and not do the dumb thing he did, and she says, vengeance seldom turns out the way one expects. Once we set events in motion, we cannot control the outcome. But he should know this. If anything happens to Maxie, there will be hell to pay. He says, Victor is talking to someone, and she leans in to listen. He’s talking to two people.
Victor says, Drew Cain and his dear niece. What brings the two of them down here? Sam says, to find Maxie. What brings him down here? He says he was hoping to offer his financial resources to the authorities heading the investigation. He thought maybe someone official would still be down here. Sam asks why he would offer them money, and he says, truth be told, he feels partly responsible for the horror Peter August has unleashed on them all. Drew says, there’s a good reason for that. Victor actually is responsible. Victor says, in retrospect, he sees his dealings with Peter were a bad mistake, and to that end, he’s been making some small amends. He’s been reaching out to Nikolas and Spencer for the last few months, but he’s afraid their family is still badly broken. And he left some phone calls for Sam which she hasn’t returned. He’s beginning to think her and her sisters don’t really want to get to know him. Sam says, maybe Victor should be the P.I., because he is right on the money. As fun as this conversation was, if Victor is done, she and Drew would like to get back to work. Victor says, of course (🍷). He’ll leave them to it, but before he goes, he’s glad he bumped into Drew, because he has something that might be of interest to him. He holds up The Sun tarot card, and says, activate.
Austin tells Obrecht that Victor is talking to Drew. Is that possible? Obrecht says, it’s certainly suspicious, and asks for an earbud. She listens in.
Sam asks what Victor is doing, and Drew asks if that’s supposed to mean something to him. Visibly surprised, Victor says, the WSB just released his personal effects from the compound in Crete, and this card was amongst it. He can only guess this is from the tarot card deck that Peter used to condition Drew. Drew should probably keep hold of it in case some unsavory character tries to take advantage of his conditioning. Drew says, it’s not as simple as flashing some random card, but he should probably know that considering Faison and Helena kept him stashed at a clinic Victor ran. Victor says, he was always very prudent not to dig too deeply into Helena’s various projects. But it’s a pity Drew didn’t take advantage of his conditioning himself. Maybe gain access to some of those memories that are out of reach. Sam says, Victor doesn’t expect them to believe this BS, does he? and Drew takes her aside. He asks her to give him a few minutes with Victor, and she asks if he’s sure. He says he is, and if he doesn’t come looking for her at GH, then she knows to come looking for him. She says he can trust that, and leaves. Victor asks if there’s something Drew doesn’t want his niece to be privy to, and Drew tells him, he could say that. He grabs Victor’s lapels, and slams Victor against the wall, the mic falling off Victor’s lapel. Drew says, it’s much better for them to just deal with this between them. That way, if he loses his temper and snaps Victor’s neck, no one else will see it and feel obligated to cover for him. Drew moves closer to Victor, and steps on the mic.
Austin and Obrecht yell, and Austin says, what just happened? She says, she doesn’t know. So much noise.
Finn tells Anna, he just meant he shouldn’t have gone along with Peter’s blackmail. Maybe he could have stopped Peter if he’d just turned him over to the police. Elizabeth says she has to get back work, and leaves. Finn says he’s sorry. He almost forgot Elizabeth wasn’t aware of what he did to Peter. Anna says she knows he’s protecting… someone else who was there when Peter fell down the stairs. Just so he knows, he should consider that person under her protection also. He thanks her, and asks how she’s doing. She says she doesn’t know where to start, and he says, start anywhere; it’s him she’s talking to. She says, the search for Peter and Maxie is going to be grueling, but Peter’s options are dwindling, and he’s going to make a mistake, if he hasn’t already. And it’s her job to be there when he makes that mistake so she can pick up his trail. She’s got to end this whole thing. He says, that all sounds great, but he was asking how she’s holding up. She says, she doesn’t know. She’s alone, but not lonely
Maxie looks around the restroom, and Peter says he’s right out here. Sorry to be standing guard at the door, but they can’t be too careful. She says, no, they can’t, and roots through the trashcans. She digs out a lipstick tube, and calls to Peter, don’t worry. I won’t be long.
Mac tells Felicia that he was told over and over again about Peter. All this could have been avoided if he’d just believed it. She says she didn’t see Peter for who he was either, as long as Maxie was telling her that she was happy. She wanted to believe that. Someone who would make up for the time she didn’t spend with Maxie and Georgie when they were young. She willingly ignored the red flags, and she’s done turning a blind eye. She’ll never let anyone hurt her family like this again. Mac says, neither will he.
Outside the door, someone asks in German if there’s a problem with the restroom, and Peter says, nien. No problem. He’s waiting for someone. Maxie says, all set. She’s coming out now, and throws the tube back in the trashcan. Maxie leaves, and a woman comes in. She sees Maxie’s earring on the sink, and turns to call to Maxie, but sees writing on the mirror. Help! Call Anna! USA, and Anna’s phone number.
Deanna tells Elizabeth, she almost forgot. Someone sent this to the hospital. She holds out a red envelope, and says it’s addressed to Elizabeth. Elizabeth takes it, and thanks Deanna.
Sasha says she wants to be there for Brando. She never meant to make him feel otherwise, but if she stops moving forward, she’s afraid she’ll never start moving again. He says, and she’s avoiding him because he’s a reminder of what she lost.
Drew says, when Victor flashed that tarot card, he was hoping to activate Drew’s conditioning. Jason and Britt watched Peter use it to control him, and Victor thought he’d do the same. He shakes Victor, and says, Victor literally drew the wrong card. Victor says, don’t be ridiculous. He just showed Drew a playing card; nothing magic in that. Drew lets go of Victor, and says, stay away from him, stay away from his family, from Sam, from Maxie, from all of them. Does he understand that? Victor says, message received and understood, and Drew walks off. Victor straightens up his suit jacket.
Anna says there were times when she’d come home at night, and really miss finding Finn with his head buried in a medical tome, and Violet with her whole tea set laid out, just waiting. The three of them together was a really lovely time in her life. He says, theirs too, and she tells him that she has to say, she had this underlying tension. She felt like she was running to stand still. She wanted to give him and Violet all her love and attention, but still reserve some emotional bandwidth for her work. There were times she was really stretched thin, and she couldn’t give them both what they needed. He says, she did the best she could, but she says, sometimes her best wasn’t good enough. She knows that and she’s sorry. The upside of being alone is that she does get to devote all her time to finding Peter and bringing Maxie home, without worrying that she’s neglecting both of them. There’s a kind of odd satisfaction, isn’t there, from pouring yourself into what you do well? It’s kind of like finding your power in a way. They both know she’s a terrible muddle at relationships, but she thinks she’s a damn good spy. He says, she is, and she says she’s going to use all her expertise to clear up this mess she’s made here. He says, don’t do that to herself. Peter’s mess is his and no one else’s. She says, this all started because she believed in his redemption, and he says, no one could blame her for wanting Peter to be better than he is. She says, he didn’t. Finn always had misgivings about Peter, and she should have listened to him. They would be in a very different position if she had. He says, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Her instincts over the years saved a lot of people’s lives. Don’t ever forget that. She says, that’s very sweet to say that. Him and Elizabeth, how is it? He says, it’s new, and she says, that’s nice. He says, it’s different. Dating a super spy was a unique experience for him. She says, he’s welcome, and they laugh. She says, he seems very happy, and he says he is. She says, good, and he tells her, good luck finding Peter. If she needs anything, she knows where he is. He’s rooting for her. She thanks him, and he leaves. Anna’s phone rings, and she wonders who’s calling her internationally. The woman from the restroom says, Anna? and Anna says, who’s this? The woman says she’s in a ladies restroom at a rest stop in Switzerland. Some woman left a message to call her. She needs help, and she left an earring. Anna says, oh God. Maxie.
Anna walks into Mac’s room, where Sam and Drew have also shown up, and says, his daughter is bloody brilliant. Felicia says, she heard from Maxie? and Anna asks if Felicia has the earring. Felicia says, right here, and Anna shows Felicia her phone, saying, this was found at a rest stop in Switzerland. We found her; we found Maxie. Felicia laughs and kisses Mac.
Back in the car, Peter tells Maxie that he’s sorry if he was hovering, but they can’t take any chances. He doesn’t want to say she’d try to escape – she’s not his prisoner. Let’s say he didn’t want her to leave without saying goodbye. She says she gets it, and he says he had his doubts, but the only reason he agreed to leave Louise behind is that she promised they’d spend the rest of their lives together. Here we are. Together again. Til death do us part.
Anna says, apparently, someone left a message on the mirror in lipstick. It said, help, call Anna, with her phone number underneath it, and this earring, which is an exact match for the one Maxie left with Bailey. Felicia says, Maxie is telling them where to find her. Sam asks, what’s the plan? and Anna says she thinks they have to approach it from all angles. Can Sam stay here and follow up on the Victor connection? Sam says, yes, of course (🍷), and Anna says she’ll book a Bureau flight to Europe. Drew says he’s going with her, and she says she’ll call Dante, and have him meet them at the airport. Felicia tells Anna to reserve four seats on that flight. She’s coming with them.
Victor says he assumes Yohan saw that Drew had absolutely no reaction to that tarot card. That sniveling weasel Peter August lied again. Clearly, he has no intention of giving Victor control over Drew. Yohan says, if he knows what Victor is looking for, perhaps he can help. Victor says he supposes Yohan has earned his trust. Drew’s memory has been altered. He once knew secrets he no longer has access to. They’re memories that hold the key to everything. The key to his entire life’s work.
Getting off the hospital elevator, Laura sees Obrecht and Austin arguing whether it’s the signal or the equipment. She asks if everything is okay, and Austin says, they’re just having one of those normal, day to day, whispering, bickering conversations. Obrecht says, the mayor might be the perfect person to involve in their undertaking, and Laura says she doesn’t know if that’s a compliment or a threat. Austin says, it depends, and Obrecht says, it involves a good friend of Laura’s. Victor Cassadine.
Elizabeth opens the envelope, and finds a card with a picture of a dark, gothic archway on it. Inside, it says: Thinking of you. We’re both thinking of him today. B. Elizabeth drops it like it’s on fire, and Finn asks, what is it? She picks it up, and says, this. He takes it, and reads it. He asks, who’s B? and she says, if she had to guess, she’d say, Betsy Frank. She’s Franco’s adopted mom. He says he didn’t know they kept in touch, but she says, they don’t. Franco hardly had a relationship with her toward the end. He asks if she came to the funeral, and Elizabeth says, she did. They barely spoke to each other, and she left town the same day. He says, it’s a strange image for a sympathy card; it’s very macabre. She says, that’s Betsy; that’s where Franco got it from. Love of the odd kind of runs in the family. He suggests she talk to Epiphany, and call it a night. He’s sure she can get someone to cover Elizabeth’s shift. Elizabeth says she’s fine, and tells him to go home to Violet. He tells her to have a good night, and leaves.
Sasha says, this is definitely one of those situations where it’s not Brando, it’s her. She loves him. He says he loves her too, and she says she knows he likes to present himself as a tough guy. He owns a garage; he fought in the war. Let’s be real. He wears his heart on his sleeve way more than she does. She admires that, but it’s just not how she operates. She will make sure he never doubts how she feels about him again. He asks if she’s the tough guy in the relationship now, and she says, pretty much.
Laura says, Obrecht thinks a tarot card can activate Drew’s conditioning, and Obrecht says, along with a certain phrase, yes. Laura says, they know Peter and Victor were working together, and Peter was the one who held Drew captive all those years. And it’s very clear Victor wants something from Drew. Austin says, what? and Laura says, that is the question. She can’t help but wonder if this was the real reason Victor came back to Port Charles.
Victor tells Yohan, buried deep in Cain’s memory is confidential information, specifically information on the location of a long buried Cassadine secret, a secret he’s been searching for, for years. Now he’ll have to find a new way to track that location. Yohan says he’s ready to assist Victor in any way he needs, and Victor says, wait a minute. He walks over to where he was with Drew, and says, what have we here? and picks up what’s left of the mic.
In the hallway, Anna tells Felicia, it’s not a good idea for her to come with them on the search for Maxie and Peter. Felicia asks, why not? Brook and chase are looking after Louise, and Spinelli has Georgie and James. Anna says, what about Mac? and Felicia says, he has Robert. Maxie’s her daughter; she needs to see this through. Anna says, she understands, but this could get dangerous, and Felicia says she knows it’s been a while, but this is not her first rodeo. Anna says, if Felicia comes, her focus will be divided. She can’t look out for Felicia, and find her daughter at the same time. Felicia has to trust her on this. They go back into Mac’s room, and Anna says, she was just telling Felicia that she thinks it’s better for her to stay there with him, so Anna can focus all of her attention on bringing their girl home. Mac says he knows how badly Felicia wants to help Maxie, but he thinks Anna’s right. He tells Anna, bring their daughter back, and Drew says he thinks they better get going. Peter already has a big head start on them, plus the flight to Europe is going to put them back even more. Anna tells Mac, get better, and she and Drew leave. Mac says he knows every bone in Felicia’s body was telling her to go with Anna. His was too, but trust him, this is for the best.
Maxie tells Peter that he doesn’t have to worry. She made a choice to be with him, and she’s not changing. She feels like she’s going to enjoy her future.
Anna tells Drew it was hard for her to tell Felicia that she’d be a liability to them searching for Maxie, but she needs to know he won’t be one either, given what Peter was able to do to him in the past. He says, he’ll tell her what he told Jason. If comes down to it, and Peter finds a way to activate him for his uses, he trusts her to do what needs to be done. She says, understood. Let’s go find Maxie, and put an end to this.
In the car, Maxie smiles. It’s the first emotion she’s shown.
Tomorrow, Britt tells someone, try it and she’ll harpoon them; Anna says, maybe Peter is telling them where he’s going in his own way; and Peter says he has an escape plan all set.
👠 Hospital Temp…
She’s slipping into sister Sasha’s shoes.
👮🏾♂️ Being Réal…
He’s my favorite Taggert.
🕍 New Abbey…
Downton Abbey goes Hollywood. Looks good.
https://ew.com/movies/trailers/downton-abbey-a-new-era-full-trailer/
⚰️ Coming To a TV Near You…
This weekend TWD is back. The whole Commonwealth thing looks interesting. That’s what I liked about Z Nation. They showed how various groups were regrouping. And yes, I’m still bitter that it was canceled.
https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-showrunner-11b-commonwealth-preview/
🍦 Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This…
This Sunday begins another round of Dead, but I’ll also be here tomorrow for soap, tea, insightful words, and a random tune. Until then, stay safe, stay unafraid to be introspective, and stay never willingly ignoring red flags.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 