What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

On the phone at the hospital, Sam says, give Scout a big hug and kiss… Okay, just a hug, but make it two… Yes, one for her, and one from – Drew walks in – dad.

Chase says, there’s nothing to be gained by keeping this a secret anymore, and Ned asks what he’s talking about. Maxie says, Chase is right; it’s time. It’s the only way they’re going to find Louise. Anna says she means Bailey, but Maxie says, no. Bailey is Louise. Bailey is her daughter. Ned says maybe Maxie should sit down, and he’ll get her a glass of water. Maxie says she doesn’t need water; she’s fine. He says, she doesn’t need to be brave for them. She’s been through hell. Peter’s lies, his crimes, losing her daughter. Now her father’s in the hospital. It’s enough to break the strongest of them. Brook says, Maxie’s as strong as they come.

Deanna comes out of Mac’s room, and Felicia and Robert ask how he is. Deanna says, Mac is resting comfortably. Felicia says, that’s good news, right? and Robert says, of course (🍷) it is. Felicia asks if they can see him, but Deanna says, not yet; he’s still in recovery. She says she’s sorry, and jets, and Robert tells Felicia, he’s getting the best possible care here. Mac’s got them, and another good reason to hate Peter August. She says, that grudge alone is enough to light a fire under Mac. He’ll be out of GH in no time. Robert says, yeah, and they look through the window at Mac.

Peter says, he needs Victor to make arrangements to get him and Louise out of Port Charles, and Victor asks, what’s in it for him? Peter says, he’s going to make Victor a very contented man. He’s going to unearth the buried secrets of Drew Cain. Victor says, Peter’s been saying this for how long now? and Peter says, Victor’s perseverance is about to pay off. All he asks in exchange is for safe passage for him and his daughter out of Port Charles. Victor says, Peter’s requests continue to multiply, and Peter says, that’s economics; he controls the demand, and Victor controls the supply, and Victor knows he has to deal with Peter. So tell him, what’s it going to be?

Carly follows the white rose petal path to the stateroom. She opens the door, and is surprised to see Sonny in bed with Nina. Sonny and Nina are just as surprised to see her.

Felicia asks Deanna if they can see Mac, and Deanna says, they can go in now, but only one visitor at a time. Robert tells Felicia to do it. Mac might see him and have a heart attack. She thanks Robert, hugs him, and goes into Mac’s room, where he’s hooked up to a ventilator, among other things.

In the hallway, Laura touches Robert’s shoulder, and hugs him when he turns around.

Felicia takes Mac’s hand, and asks if he can feel it. She’s not letting go. Robert’s here. Robin’s trying to get a flight out. She told Robin that she was wasting her time. By the time she gets here, he’ll be back in action. He made an honest woman out of her. She’s damned if she’ll start lying for him now.

Ned says he doesn’t doubt Maxie’s strength, but she can’t go around saying Bailey is her daughter. That’s… Brook says, the truth. Bailey isn’t Bailey. Bailey is Louise. He says, no, Maxie’s daughter was lost in the woods, but Maxie says, that wasn’t the plan. Bobbie was supposed to help her give birth in Beecher’s Corners, far away from Peter, giving her plenty of time to say goodbye to Louise before she left with Brook. Brook asks if Maxie wants her to tell the rest, but Maxie says she can do it. She was supposed to come home and say she lost her baby, and never see her again until Peter was in prison and Louise was safe. Then she would come home. Anna says, but her plan never came off, and Dante says, because Peter had his own plan to kidnap Maxie. Brook says, they improvised. It worked for a while. They thought they got the better of Peter. Chase says, but he got Louise anyway.

Peter says, if Victor won’t step up and make arrangements, he’ll secure his own departure. Victor says, without his help, Peter will be recaptured, and Peter says, perhaps, but then DA Scorpio might want to cut a deal with him based on his knowledge of Victor’s interest in Drew. Victor says, meet him at Pier 55, which is apparently the only pier anyone ever meets at. He’ll make sure Peter gets out of Port Charles undetected. Peter says, smart choice, and Victor tells Yohan, fuel is precious. Peter August is just wasted carbon. He’s just outlived his usefulness.

Peter asks what Louise thinks. Can they trust old Victor? He has proved treacherous, and will prove so again and again, given the chance. So, they’re not going to give him one.

Carly says she knew it, and Sonny says she’s got to listen to him. She says, he’s a liar, and he says, Kristina told him that she wasn’t showing up. She says, Peter August escaped, Dante was hurt, Mac was shot, and she thought he’d want to know. She walks off, and Nina says she didn’t mean for that to happen. Sonny says he knows, and starts getting dressed. Nina says she’s sorry, and he says, so is he.

Carly goes out to the deck, and sees the ring set sitting on the railing. She opens the box, and looks at the rings.

Nina hands Sonny his watch, and he thanks her. He says, listen… but she says, there’s nothing to say. He says, there’s plenty. He’s got to see this through. She says, of course (🍷), and he leaves.

Carly flashes back to when she and Sonny were practically children, and he tells her that she complicated his life. She makes him laugh, and she’s strong; she’s his heart. He’s asking her to marry him. He wants to spend the rest of his life with her. In the present, she looks at the rings in her palm, and Sonny comes out.

At the hospital, Sam asks if Drew heard, and he says, about Peter’s escape? Yeah. Anna called him. How’s Dante? She says, his injuries weren’t that serious, thank goodness, and he asks if she’s okay. She says, nothing that Peter’s corpse won’t fix, and he says he’ll see what he can do about that. She tells him, don’t take any chances, and he says he was separated from his daughter for two long years. He’s not about to risk losing her again. She says, but? and he says, if he has the opportunity to take Peter down, he’s going to take it, but only if it’s a sure bet. He has a second chance at the life he once had. There’s no way he’s letting it go now.

On the phone, Doc says, he’s on his way… He loves her too. Charlotte asks if that was about her father, but he says, he’s sorry. Laura doesn’t have any news about him yet. She says, he always calls her. She doesn’t know why he didn’t. Doc says, they can talk to Dante about that. Why doesn’t she get her coat, and they’ll go to the hospital? She says she’d rather stay here in case her father comes to pick her up. She texted him that she’s staying with Doc and her grandmother. She’s old enough to stay by herself, and Esme will be there soon. She won’t be alone for long, and Doc’s doorman won’t let anyone through. He tells her, all right, but she doesn’t set foot outside unless she hears from him or her grandmother. Understood? She says, yes, sir. She’ll order pizza. She’s not going anywhere until she sees her father.

Laura tells Robert, the good news is, Dante has taken over the PCPD, and the manhunt is well on its way. Unfortunately, he’s had to divide his resources. Robert asks, what’s happened? and she says, Ned Quartermaine’s granddaughter Bailey has been kidnapped. He says, it’s probably by Peter. The manhunt finds him, they’ll find the child. She asks why Peter would want Bailey, and he says, because Bailey is Peter and Maxie’s daughter Louise.

Maxie says, she knows that this is a lot to process, and she’s sorry she deceived all of them, but Peter stole her daughter. Anna hugs her, and Dante comes back. Anna asks what they have, and he says, the perp, Peter, got in through the breezeway and in through the kitchen. Anna asks if Brook or Chase were present, and Chase says, they were, but they were out on the patio. They didn’t hear a thing. Otherwise, Peter would be in custody. Brook tells Maxie that she’s so sorry, but Maxie says, it’s not her fault Peter escaped. They have to focus on Louise right now. Chase says, Maxie is right, and tells Brook not to spend another second blaming herself. He asks Dante where they are in the search, and Dante says they’re searching the beach, and going door-to-door, talking to neighbors. Chase says, have them check his car. Peter took his car seat, and it will confirm Peter is the perp. Maxie says, they don’t need confirmation. Peter took Louise, and they need to find him. Anna says, they have to allow the police to be thorough. Peter might have left evidence that will help to pick up his trail. Dante says, they have to go by the book. Otherwise, he gets off on a technicality. Maxie says, that could take forever, and Anna says, there’s a faster way for them to find him – Maxie.

Sonny says he waited for Carly, and she laughs. She says, she went to the hospital to make sure his son wasn’t dead. He’s okay, by the way. Sonny says, Kristina told him that Carly wasn’t coming, that she couldn’t do it, and she says, so he jumped in bed with Nina? He says, if she felt they could fix things between them, why didn’t she come hours ago? and she asks, how can she fix her marriage when there are three people in it? He tells her, leave Nina out of it, and she says, he didn’t. Now, every time she closes her eyes, she sees him in bed with Nina. How many times has this happened? He says, not once, and she asks, how many times did he want it to happen? He says, maybe as many times as she wanted it to happen with Jason. Oh snap! She says, he’s making this about Jason? He says, that’s not what he meant, and she tells him, he said what he meant. He’s been holding onto that for months, waiting to throw it in her face. Nice way to deflect from him cheating on her with that bitch. He says, maybe he was holding onto it because there’s some truth to it. She says, Jason is dead, and Sonny says, and she still loves him. She says, he was her best friend. He saved her life while Nina played Sonny like a marionette in her land of make believe. Yes, she loved him. He says, and she wants him back, and she says, doesn’t he? He says, Carly wants Jason back because she wants to be with him. She’s been hoping for this to happen. She says she can’t believe this, and he says, she’s been stringing him along, giving him hope. All he was doing is showing her how much he loves her, and how he didn’t want to lose her. He wanted to save their marriage. She says, he never held Nina accountable for hurting their family. Not once. He says, so now this marriage is going to blow up in his face because she finds an excuse. She asks if he thinks she wants to destroy their family, and she’s using this as an excuse, but he says, no. He thinks she’s using it as an excuse to wallow in her misery, and pine for Jason’s ghost. She says, Jason didn’t cheat on her; he did. He can rewrite this story any way he wants, but the ending is the same. They are over, and this is on him.  

Drew tells Sam, he hereby promises not to engage in any unnecessary risk. She can hold him to it. She says she will, and he says, she’ll keep him honest. Speaking of honesty, does she have a minute to talk? She says, actually, she wanted to talk to him about something too, and suggests they go somewhere more private. Drew says, as much as he wants to, he’s not 100% sure he can wait long enough to relocate. She says, sounds serious, and he says he’s afraid so. It’s about them. She says, actually, she was about to say the same thing.

Maxie says she’s trying to rack her brain, and think of all the moments she spent with Peter in all the years she wasted with him; think of something that could lead to him. But if she knew something, she would tell them. Anna says, Maxie can use them as fresh eyes in the situation she’s been dealing for close to a year. Just start simple. Bobbie was supposed to help her deliver Louise. Who else knew about the plan? Bobbie, Brook… Chase says he only just found out, and Brook says, he put the pieces together just as Valentin was learning Bailey wasn’t his daughter. Maxie says, Britt knew. She was supposed to help deliver Louise, but then she went on the run with Jason, and dropped out of that plan, but Maxie never told her that Bailey was Louise. Dante says, anyone else? and Brook says, Nina, but Maxie says, Nina would have taken that secret to the grave. Anna suggests they go back to GH and check on Maxie’s dad. They can do more brainstorming in the car. Brook tells Maxie, this is our girl’s lovey, handing her a blankie toy. She says, when Maxie finds her, she’ll want this.  

Outside, Dante says, Peter found out recently, and Anna says, someone else knew Bailey is Louise. And whoever that person is, if they find them, he or she will lead them to Peter.

Victor asks if it’s done, and Yohan says, the escape routes have been cut off. Peter won’t be leaving here. Victor says, Peter has a talent for escape. Tell the men, there must be no mistakes. Either Victor gets his way or Peter August dies. Correction. He gets his way and Peter August dies.

On the phone, Charlotte asks if Nina has heard from her papa, but Nina says she didn’t know he was missing. Charlotte says, when he goes away, he always tells her. He checks in. He’s been gone two days, and she didn’t know who else to call. Nina says she’s sure Anna can help with that, when there’s a knock at the door. Charlotte says, her pizza just arrived, and Nina says, she’ll check in with Anna, and call Charlotte back. Enjoy her pizza. Charlotte opens the door, and Peter is standing there. He says, hello, Charlotte. He brought her pizza. She tries to close the door, but he sticks his foot in it. He goes inside, and we see the real delivery guy on the floor in the hallway.

Felicia says, Mac is going to keep her hanging. Isn’t that his way? She flashes back to when they were also practically children, and she tells him that she wants to marry him and spend the rest of her life with him. She thinks they belong together. Please say he loves her and wants to marry her. He says he believes she loves him; maybe for the first time. For the record, he’d be honored to marry her. In the present, she says, the honor’s been all mine, partner, and puts her head on his chest.

Doc joins Laura and Robert, and asks, how’s Mac? Robert says, still unconscious, and Laura asks if Charlotte is all right. Doc says, she’s worried about Valentin, and Laura says, of course (🍷). It’s not like him to be away this long without getting in touch with her. Doc asks if he can see Mac, and Robert says, Felicia is in with him, and they’re only allowing one visitor in at a time. But, he is a doctor. Doc says he’s not above pulling rank, if the DA backs him up. Robert says, deal, and wanders off. Doc gives Laura a kiss and a hug, and goes into Mac’s room.

Peter meets Victor, who asks, where’s his daughter? Peter says, Louise is his concern. Has Victor done what he asked? Victor says, he’s arranged for Peter’s final withdrawal from Port Charles, and Peter says, lead the way. Victor says, just as soon as Peter holds up his end of the bargain, and Peter says, as soon as Victor gets him and Louise out of here, he’ll tell Victor everything he wants to know about Drew. Victor says, let him remind Peter, terms are set by the party in control, but Peter says, Victor is wrong if he thinks he has any say. Perhaps he’ll take his chances and Drew’s secrets elsewhere. He turns to leave, but Yohan blocks his path. Victor tells him, careful. One more step, and he’s a dead man.

Ned says he needs to speak to Brook alone, but Chase says, with all due respect, he’d like to stay. Brook says, she’ll be fine; just don’t go too far. He leaves, and Ned says, Chase really put himself on the line for Brook. She says, Detective Chase is a glutton for punishment, and he says, so is she. She opened herself up to all kinds of major repercussions. There may be real hell to pay for passing Maxie’s daughter off as her own. She says, it’s a small price considering, and he says, Peter’s still out there. Everyone involved is in Maxie’s scheme is in danger. She says, and Bailey’s gone, and he says, but there never was a Bailey, was there?

Drew says he thought he had this all figured out. They were done. Sam was with Jason, and he was fine with that, because the most important thing was knowing she and Scout were happy and safe. He made peace, and moved on, but then he got thrown into a cell for two years, and had no idea if he was going to get out. The one thing that kept him going was the hope that he’d see his family again. He’d see Scout, Monica, and all the crazy Quartermaines. He’d see Sonny and Carly, and Sam. She’s his family. She says he’s her family too, and he says, that leads him to the thing that’s been bugging him a little. What kind of family are they?

Nina comes into the hospital, and tells Sam that she heard about Peter’s escape. Mac was shot, and Dante was knocked out? Are they okay? Sam says, Mac is out of surgery. Dante went through a bunch of tests, but they said he’s going to be fine. Nina says, thank God. Sam must have been a wreck. Sam says she didn’t realize she was holding her breath until they got the good news, and Nina says, Sam must have been scared, given how much she cares for Dante, and Sam says, of course (🍷). She loves him.

Sonny says, so that’s it? Carly is going to walk? She says, he walked, but he says he’s been doing everything he can to save their marriage. She says, that’s why she came tonight, and he says, let’s talk then, but she says, hell no. There’s no reason to talk. He says, there’s a reason; Avery and Donna. She says, he didn’t give a damn about Avery and Donna five minutes ago. She’s not going to hang their marriage on them, so they can watch her and Sonny hate each other and fight, and destroy each other. She won’t do it. He says he doesn’t hate her; he misses her. She says, he missed Nina, but he says, no. She says, be honest, and he says, let’s make this about him and Carly. She always has to pick a bad guy. She says she didn’t have to look far. She was laying in bed next to Sonny twenty minutes ago. He says, that was a mistake; he wishes it didn’t happen. She says, like he wishes Nixon Falls didn’t happen? and he says, those are feelings he doesn’t want to have. He didn’t seek to have these feelings. He can’t just wish them out of existence. It’s going to take time. She says, okay, so he wants her to give him the time he refused to give her. She gets having feelings you don’t want to, because after seeing him in bed with Nina, she has plenty thanks to him.

Brook tells Ned, it’s true. She was never pregnant. For a second, she thought she might be, but she was wrong. He says she had him going, and she says, if she couldn’t convince him, how could she convince Valentin? She had to get her ELQ shares back. He says, she made him believe he was a grandfather, just to get those damn shares, and she says she didn’t do it for the shares; she did it for him, to fix their relationship. Then Valentin made it clear that he wasn’t going to hand over the shares without the baby. That’s when she learned about Maxie’s situation with Peter. He says, then she realized she and Maxie could help each other, and she says, and it worked… until it didn’t. He says, the charade went on too long, and she says, they didn’t know if Peter was dead or alive. Maxie didn’t want to take a chance that Peter would return, which he did. It was a total nightmare. She lost the shares, now Bailey is gone, and now him… She’s sorry she failed him again. He must hate her. He says he could never hate her, and she says, disappointed and embarrassed. He says, he fell in love with his granddaughter, and now he doesn’t have one. He never did. He won’t lie. He’s disappointed and hurt, and a few other things, but – he takes her hand – he’s also proud of her. Prouder than he’s ever been.

Nina tells Sam that she’s going to see if she can get an update on Mac. and leaves. Sam asks if Drew wanted to finish their conversation, and he promises it won’t take more than a minute. He just wanted to say if things between them felt confused or undefined since he’s been back, that’s on him. Don’t get him wrong. He’s thrilled to be home, but after all the euphoria wound down and the reunions were over, he wanted to snap back into his old life, only to find everybody else had moved on. He was grasping at something familiar, except she’s out of reach.

Anna tells Maxie, they’ll go straight up and see Mac. Dante sees Drew and Sam, and says he’ll catch up with them, and Anna and Maxie get in the elevator. Drew tells Sam that he’s so sorry if he muddied her relationship with Dante, because he’s so happy for her and for Dante. That’s what he wanted to say. She thanks him, and says, he still is family… isn’t he? He says she can count on that, and goes over to Dante. He asks if Dante is good, and Dante says, he is, thanks. Drew tells him, keep it that way. Sam needs him. Drew leaves, and Dante goes over to Sam.

Sonny tells Carly that he doesn’t want the marriage to be over. They can start over. He got some rings. One to replace the one he lost, and one… She says, those rings aren’t going to change anything, and he says, it was a mistake. She says, was it? Or was it something he wanted ever since he came back from Nixon Falls? He says, when he came back from Nixon Falls, he wanted her. He loves her and needs her. She tells him, save it for Nina, but he says he wants her. She says, he wants them both, and no amount of time is going to change that. He can’t have them both, and he can’t make a choice, so she’s making a choice. She’s choosing herself. Goodbye. She leaves, and once again, Sonny is alone on the Haunted Star.

Maxie asks if there’s any update on Mac, but Laura says, he hasn’t regained consciousness yet, but Robert, Doc, and Maxie’s mom are in there. Maxie hopes there’s room for one more, and goes in. Anna says, thank God Laura is here. She has a thought about Peter, and wants to run it by her. Laura says, of course (🍷), and Anna says she wants to bring Dante into the conversation; he’s downstairs. Laura says she’s just going to tell Doc that she’s stepping away.

Sonny looks at the inscription on the ring, until the end, and flashes back to (maybe) the first time he married Carly. She says, she’ll always love him, even though it’s not always easy, and even though she wants to stop loving him sometimes. God knows she’s tried, but she can’t. He’s it for her. He was from the beginning and will be until the end. Back on the yacht, Sonny puts the rings in the palm of his hand, and drops them into the water.

Maxie says, every time she needed Mac when she was growing up, he was there for her. When she lost Georgie, and Nathan, and when she needed a hero, he brought Frisco home for her. Except he was her hero the whole time. Don’t go ruining his winning streak. They need him to come back to them. He opens his eyes, and Felicia laughs.

Dante says he knows Sam wants to ask if he’s okay, and she says, why should she, when he’s just going to tell her everything is fine. He says, how about her and Drew? It looked pretty intense. Is everything cool? He adds, it’s none of his business, but she says, it’s all of his business. She wouldn’t say cool; that’s not what’s going on. She’d say clear. Clear is more appropriate. Everything is clear with her and Drew. He says he’s sorry, but she says, don’t be, and hugs him. Laura and Anna come out of the elevator, and Sam says, go. He thanks her, and she says, be careful. He says, anything for her.

Carly sees someone on the Quartermaine patio, and says, Michael? She realizes it’s Drew, and he says, sorry to disappoint.  

Coming out of the hospital elevator on the phone, Nina leaves a voicemail for Britt. She says she’s been trying to get ahold of Britt and Obrecht. Call her as soon as she gets this. It’s important. Sonny walks into the hospital, and they look at each other.  

Brook says, Ned is proud of her? and he says, yes. She risked so much in order to protect Maxie and her baby. Brook tells him that it didn’t start for altruistic reasons, but he says, still, she kept up the charade long after the ELQ shares were lost to her. She protected Bailey… Louise at great personal risk to herself, and he’s in awe of her. She says, he’s not mad at her? Even a little bit? He says, scared maybe, at what the truth is doing to her now. He saw her fall in love with that baby, and now she’s gone. Brook cries, and says, if anything happens to her, she will kill Peter with her bare hands. Ned holds her, and says, listen to him. She will come home safely. She asks how he knows that, and he says, he knows that because she has the strength of two mothers behind her.

Deanna says, Mac is awake, and more or less lucid. Felicia asks if they can see him, and Deanna says, just don’t tire him out. Felicia, Maxie, Robert and Doc go into Mac’s room, and Robert asks how Mac feels, having all these people waxing lyrical about their affection for him, while he hovers between life and death. Doc says, he believes the psychiatric term is drama queen, and Felicia asks how long Mac is going to make them wait on him hand and foot. He says, breakfast in bed, partner, and she kisses his cheek. He says, Dante? and Robert says, he checked out of the hospital already. As for Peter August, he’s the subject of a police manhunt. Maxie says, by the time Mac is done with his little vacay, Peter will be back in custody, and Felicia says, everyone will be back where they belong.

Anna tells Dante that she was just explaining to Laura, Peter is going to need help getting away. And there’s one person in this town who’s been willing to help Peter in the past. Laura says, Victor Cassadine. 

Victor tells Peter, that wasn’t so hard, was it? and Peter says, Victor got everything he wanted. Now call off his men. Victor says, in a moment, and Yohan punches Peter. Peter drops to his knees, and Victor says, that concludes their bargain. Here’s to Port Charles’s first good night sleep in four long years. Peter laughs, and says, bad idea. Victor asks, why? and Peter says, if Victor kills him, Victor’s granddaughter Charlotte dies too.

Tomorrow, Laura tells Anna, it actually tracks with her theories; Obrecht says when this is over, someone will answer to her; Peter asks Victor if they have deal; and Nina tells Sonny, all the secrets have been for nothing.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Jennifer told Marge to get her facts straight. Bill had slept with a pharmaceutical rep, not his office manager. Marge said Jennifer wasn’t honest, and we flashed back to Jennifer dragging on Marge and Marge Sr. for cheating. In Marge’s interview, she said, Jennifer was the biggest hypocrite. Any time Jennifer’s name came up, Bill’s affair was the first thing people thought about. In Jackie’s interview, she said, she knew about the affair because Marge told her. Dolores said she felt sorry for Jennifer, and in her interview, she said, problems in a marriage shouldn’t be broadcasted. That’s why people said, let’s take it outside. Jennifer wailed to Bill that she wanted to go home. Joe #2 said that he liked Bill, but his wife was a blabbermouth, who had called him a crook on social media. Gia mumbled about Joe talking smack about her father when he didn’t deserve it. Joe was like, what’s that? and she told him that he was disrespectful to her. He said he’d never let his kids talk to their elders like that, asked where she was raised, and stomped off. Lewis followed him, and Teresa told Melissa that the closest thing to a father Gia had was Joe #2. Gia went to make nice, or at least calm things down, and Melissa and Teresa followed her. I thought the party was going to be in the driveway pretty soon, and Gia said she didn’t need an entourage. Joe wouldn’t let her talk, still trying to get his point across, and said he’d been dealing with this for 20 years. We flashed back to various tussles between him and Joe #1, including an actual fistfight. He told Gia that he’d been sticking up for his sister and parents. Gia yelled, could she speak? and asked why he was talking smack about her father. He said, because it was true, and Gia walked away. Melissa suggested Joe let Gia believe what she wanted. In Joe’s interview, he said he wasn’t suggesting the kids not love their father, but Joe #1 had hurt the family, and he wasn’t holding it in. Gia came back, and said Joe was still looking at her like she was five. He might be mad at her father, but didn’t he think her father was mad at himself? He wasn’t even in the country. Her sisters had also been through enough, and it was five years ago. They sort of hugged it out, and in Gia’s interview, she said she hoped it was a baby step in the right direction. They told Lewis, welcome to the family.

In Jennifer’s interview, she said, the night before had been rough. Olivia was having a pool party for her 8^th birthday, and she hadn’t gotten any sleep. Bill was hiding upstairs, embarrassed, and she was trying to do everything she could so the kids didn’t sense anything was wrong and mommy was having a meltdown. Teresa arrived, followed by Dolores, and Dolores told Jennifer that she’d held her own. Teresa was pissed that it was at her party, and Jennifer said, it happened 10 years ago, and she was over it. She’d been pregnant with her 4^th kid, and they’d just moved to New Jersey. She’d found a receipt for bottle service, then a text. In her interview, she said, once the baby came, she wanted to make it work, and they never spoke about it again. Teresa said Jennifer didn’t owe anyone any explanations. Then the ice cream truck came, and everyone forgot about everything else, as we all would.

Jackie’s parents and brothers came over to bid farewell to the kids, who were going to sleepaway camp in Florida. In Jackie’s interview, she said she hated camp. She’d been an awkward, chubby teenager with big Staten Island hair, and the other girls wanted no part of her. She thought it would be different for her kids, since they were outgoing and sporty. Dolores met Marge at a fancy home store since Dolores had nothing for her new townhouse. Delores told Marge that she didn’t think Marge was right in bringing up Bill’s affair, but Marge said Jennifer had pushed it, and wondered what you should say when someone was such a hypocrite.

Jackie visited Jennifer, and in Jennifer’s interview, she said she felt she should invite Jackie over, since they’d made up. Also (and probably the real motive), Jackie had gone through something similar last year, and Jennifer was hoping she could shed light on why Marge would do something like this. Jackie told Jennifer that she’d known about Bill’s affair because Marge told her, but she’d never said anything. She didn’t want to hurt another woman. Jennifer said she never believed what was said about Evan, and Jackie said Jennifer had talked about Marge, and Marge came back at her. They’d hurt each other. In Jennifer’s interview, she said she hadn’t told her parents, sister, or best friend, and in Jackie’s interview, she said, at the end, she was able to tell her kids that the rumor wasn’t true, but Jackie would have to tell hers that their dad cheated. In the meantime, Marge told Dolores that Jennifer had attacked her for having an affair, attacked her mother, and dragged Jackie through the mud. In Marge’s interview, she said, Jennifer had been trying to get dirt on Evan, but she hadn’t told Jackie. She told Dolores that Jennifer had tried to shake down her friends in Tenafly for info on Evan. Dolores said she’d thought what Marge did was wrong, but not anymore. She wouldn’t have done it, but she got it. In her interview, she said, now that she found out what Jennifer had done, there were consequences for that. She told Marge that she wanted to invite everyone to her new townhouse.

Delores had an amazing spread for her housewarming, and in her interview, she said, living by herself was freedom. She told the women she hadn’t seen much of David; they were seeing each other less and less. In Melissa’s interview, she said, Dolores talked about being happy with the David situation, but she thought Dolores wanted more. Marge told Dolores that she thought Teresa was still mad at her, and we flashed back to Marge telling Teresa that Lewis needed to address the video. Melissa said she didn’t think the video bothered Teresa, but it bothered her that other people were bothered by it. In her interview, Marge said she’d investigated the retreat, and they broke you down so you didn’t have hostility toward women. They told you what a POS you were, and instead of taking it out on women, they took it out on each other. (Hey, whatever works.) Jennifer arrived, and in Jackie’s interview, she said she knew what it was like to walk in and have to face the person who said something about your husband. We flashed back to Teresa handing out vibrators, and suggesting Jackie put it up her ass. Jackie sat in another room with Jennifer, giving her a pep talk, when Dolores joined them, and told Jennifer there was no reason to cry. In her interview, Dolores said, Jennifer went around raving about how happy she was, then knocked people. If she was living that life, why was she falling apart? Marge joined them, and asked why Jennifer was crying. Jackie got up, and Marge sat down, Jackie wandering off. Jennifer said, it was overwhelming, and she didn’t want to fight with Marge. Marge said she didn’t want to fight either, but Jennifer’s behavior was hypocritical. Jennifer said she’d only given her opinion on things Marge had been vocal about, but Marge said Jennifer had pushed it, including what she’d done to Jackie in digging up dirt on Evan. Hearing her name, Jackie flew back, and asked what was up with that. Jennifer said, Frank claimed he knew things, and so she looked into it. Only out of curiosity; it was human nature. Jackie said, Jennifer was trying to get something on her husband, when it was Jennifer’s husband who had done stuff [sic]. She commented on others’ marriages when she knew she had her own problems. Jennifer said it had been 10 years ago, and Marge hit below the belt – her babies! Yep, when all else fails, cry about the babies. Melissa wondered, what was the big deal? and in new Housewife Traci’s interview, she said, she and Melissa had been friends for years, but she was baffled as to why Melissa couldn’t understand why Jennifer was falling apart. In Marge’s interview, she said everyone was too emotional. Drop it. Dolores said, let’s eat, and Melissa thought it would be a good idea to get more champagne flowing, because when emotions are high, alcohol is the best thing to pour on them. Then Teresa was added to the mix.

Teresa asked what she missed, and Jackie said, Jennifer needed to recognize her part in what had happened with Marge. In Jackie’s interview, she said, as frustrated as she was, it was hard to see another woman in pain. She could be the bigger person since Jennifer needed support. In Marge’s interview, she said, what was painful to Jennifer’s family was Bill cheating, not that the truth was made public. Because we can’t get away from it, Teresa said, that’s why she told Jackie about the rumor; she was being a girl’s girl. In her interview, Jackie said, to this day, Teresa doesn’t feel she did anything wrong, and in Dolores’s interview, she said, Teresa’s rationale makes no sense to anyone except Teresa. Marge said Jennifer had chastised her for things that were going on in her own backyard. Jennifer said she was removing herself from this situation, and walked out. Melissa said Jennifer wanted to talk about everyone else, when she had her own sh*t to deal with, and Dolores said Jennifer had to face something she’d been sweeping under the rug. Traci thought maybe Jennifer was embarrassed because her façade was crumbling, and Marge said, this is no f***ing fairy tale.

Next time, Joe tries to talk with his nieces, another party, and another fight.

🏝 On Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip, the main takeaway point was, Ramona is a jerk no matter where she goes. She called Kenya a bitch for no reason before they even landed, and I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about her behavior in choosing a room. She was called out by everyone from Cynthia, who said Ramona couldn’t read a room, to Kenya, flat-out calling her an a-hole. The cast consists of Cynthia, Kenya, Melissa, Teresa, Kyle, LuAnn, and Ramona. The jury is still out, but it doesn’t look very promising.

🏆 Nom, Nom, Nom…

The Oscar nominations, snubs, and surprises.

https://www.cnn.com/entertainment/live-news/2022-oscars-nominations/index.html

https://ew.com/awards/oscars/oscar-nominations-2022-snubs-surprises/

🚌 This Is My Stop…

Get on the bus with me tomorrow for some soap and a peek at what’s happening in the OC. Until then, stay safe, stay taking time for yourself, and stay remembering, as Kenya told Ramona, if it looks like an a-hole, and talks like an a-hole, then it’s probably an a-hole.

⚠️ Warning: possible naughty words