(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
The Walking Dead
Connie and Virgil run through the woods, chased by zombies. He says they have to find somewhere to hide, and they keep running until they see a house. There are a few zombies milling around, and a zombie grabs Virgil as Connie is trying to get the front door open. The door finally opens, and three of them – Connie, Virgil, and the zombie – tumble inside. Connie manages to get the door shut before other zombies follow. The zombie has Virgil down, and Connie smashes it in the head, and puts her back to the door.
Carol tells Aaron and Rosita that she’s going to ride out. Aaron suggests a larger group, but Carol says Connie doesn’t have time to wait. Magna comes by, and asks if they’ve seen Kelly.
Connie looks through the slats of the wall at the zombies milling around outside. She sees a moose head on the wall and is creeped out, and the house as a whole is tattered and messy. She looks at a small written map, and Virgil quietly goes upstairs, and looks around. He checks one bedroom, then another. He comes back, and tells her that he checked the whole house. They’re okay. Nobody’s there. She looks at the map, and he grabs a book and writes, you need some rest. He tells her that she hasn’t slept in days. He writes, I can keep watch, but she just looks worried. He writes, we will find your home, and says, you sleep. She shakes her head, and writes, unsafe. He tells her, rest, making a gesture meaning sleep. She shakes her head again, and he sits, while she looks out again, remembering the cave. She rouses Virgil, and writes, going to search the house again.
Frost is tied to a chair, and not looking too good, since he’s been beaten pretty badly. Carver pulls Frost’s fingernails out, and says, tell him where they are. Daryl watches, and Pope asks if it bothers him. Daryl says he’s done worse, and tells Carver that he’s up. Carver says, like hell he is, but Daryl takes his place. He looks at Frost, who asks if they’re just going to stand there, staring dreamily at each other, or are they going to get to it? Daryl grabs him by the neck, and Carver says, if Daryl kills him, the two of them have a problem. Daryl drops Frost, and says he knows what he’s doing. He tells Frost to give them the location where his friends are hiding. If he does that, this all goes away. Frost says, it’s a good offer, or, hear him out, they can all go eat sh*t instead. Daryl cracks him one across the face, and Carver says he’s already gone through these steps. Maybe they should start taking pieces. Pope tells Carver to give him the knife, and Frost tells Daryl, do what he’s got to do. Pope gives Daryl a big knife, and Daryl takes off his vest and throws it down. I guess that means he’s ready to rumble. He says he doesn’t think Frost understands. He’s the best shot Frost’s got. Frost asks, why? Are they friends now? Daryl says, no, it’s not because they’re friends. He’s the one holding the knife. Frost says, Daryl’s buddy is the one holding the gun, and Daryl smacks him again, saying, shut up. Listen to him. Frost is close enough to know where they’re hiding. Daryl grabs one of Frost’s fingers, and says, no one needs to die. Just say the location, so they can all walk away happy. Frost says, go to hell, a-hole, and gets a finger chopped off for his trouble. Daryl says, the location, or he’ll take another one. At first, Frost refuses, but then tells him, yellow house, and gives an address. Daryl asks Pope if that’s good enough, and Leah says she can scout it out. Pope tells her to take a squad, and he wants her, Carver, and Daryl to go. Carver balks at taking Daryl, and Daryl tries to hand back the knife, but Pope shakes his head.
Connie checks some of the rooms, but they’re locked. She sees old-time portrait photos along the walls with the eyes gouged out. Not real promising. She goes into a bathroom and looks at herself in the mirror, telling herself, don’t you look delightful? She looks inside the medicine cabinet, and checks out what’s there. She realizes the back of it is a slatted wall, and suddenly, there’s an eyeball looking back at her from the other side. She runs downstairs, and wakes Virgil. She signs, we’re not alone, and he asks, what happened? She signs, something else is in here with us. He says he doesn’t understand, and she signs, it was behind the wall staring back at me. She grabs the book, starts to write, but gets frustrated, and throws it down. She grabs Virgil’s knife and cuts at a painting. She steps back, and we see she’s written, NOT ALONE. I actually got a chill there.
Leah, Daryl, Carver, and a couple other men find the yellow house. Carver says, it’s quiet… there are two entrances. Leah tells the men to go by twos, and gives them instructions. Carver says, what about d*ckhead? Is he supposed to believe Daryl has his back? She says, that’s her job, and they move toward the house. Daryl hangs back, and pulls on a car windshield wiper. Inside, Maggie sees a clothesline move. The men go inside, yelling, clear! as they go through the house. Carver says Frost jerked them around, but Daryl suggests they check the house first. Leah tells the men to search outside, and she stays to search the house with Daryl and Carver.
Kelly rides through the woods, and sees a dead horse near an empty campsite. She looks under the tarp, and starts going through the knapsacks there. The last one she opens has Kelly’s notebook, and she flips through it, seeing things like, trapped with the dead and walked with them for days, and asking where Michonne is. She says, Kelly, where are you? and takes the bag with her.
Virgil looks through cabinet to the other room, and tells Connie that he doesn’t see anything. She signs, something was there, and he says he’s sure she saw something, but she hasn’t slept, so maybe it’s… She shakes her head adamantly, and he says, sorry. They’ll give the house another sweep. She says she’s not staying there, and starts to walk toward the front, but a door slams shut behind her, separating her and Virgil. It’s silent because we’re getting Connie’s POV. She slides slowly down the hallway, with her back against the wall. She feels something behind her, and runs. A very creepy human on all fours, moving really fast, chases her, and she slams the door in its face. She looks down into the basement. This thing was so bizarre and scary, like something out of the old Creepy comic books.
Leah feels the sink, and says, it’s still wet, and Daryl says Frost was telling the truth. Coming downstairs, Daryl notices the corner of a trap door, peeking out from under a rug in the living room, but doesn’t say anything. He suggests, maybe they went out back, and Carver asks if Daryl is in a hurry to leave. Underneath the trap door, Negan, Elijah, Gabriel, and Maggie listen. Daryl says he’s just trying to help, and he and Carver argue. Leah tells them to stop, and says, she’ll check the perimeter, and check for possible runners. Carver says he doesn’t have time for this bullsh*t, and she says she understands, but doesn’t need it. Carver says he’ll check again upstairs, and make sure he didn’t miss anything. Leah tells Daryl, either he’s with them or not, and he asks what she wants him to do. She says, for one thing, stop pissing off Carver.
Kelly’s horse won’t budge, and she pulls on the reins. She slips, falling into a large mud puddle. Carol asks if she needs help, and walks into view with Rosita and Magna. Magna asks what Kelly was thinking. She should have told them she was heading out. They help Connie up, and she says she’s fine. She hands Magna the book, and says, it’s Connie’s. She found Connie’s camp. Connie, and some guy she was with, left in a hurry. Something’s not right. Magna looks through the book, and says, she thought they were being followed. Kelly tears up, and says, she’s out there and scared. Connie needs her. If something happened… Carol says, they’ll find her first, and they keep moving.
Connie holds the door shut, and it gets quiet. She slowly goes down the stairs, and when she gets to the bottom, she sees human bones everywhere, picked clean. The stairs shake, and something falls. The feral creature thing starts coming down the stairs on all fours – which is pretty effing creepy – and Connie pulls herself up, and into a vent leading to another room. Some of the walls are weird and made of slats, and she looks through them, seeing another eyeball, but this time, from the cave. She looks again, and sees nothing. Virgil suddenly runs inside the room, slamming the door shut. Connie sees Virgil, and bangs on the wall. He comes toward her, uncertain. She taps out SOS, and he moves closer, and I yell, no! because one of those things is behind him, being all stealthy. Connie tries to warn him, but…
She watches in horror as this creature pounds on Virgil. She tries to get one of the slats off, while it strangles him, saying, hungry. He fades, and she manages to distract the creature by banging on the wall again. It gets distracted, and Virgil is able to grab his knife, and he stabs it. It crawls off, trailing blood. He struggles to get up, and stabs the knife into the wall (on his side, it’s wallpapered). The knife comes through an inch from Connie’s nose, covered in blood. She pulls frantically at a slat, and gets it off, quickly putting her hand through so that he sees it’s her. He makes a hole big enough for him to help her come through.
Daryl tells Leah that they ran, and won’t come back; the Reapers hit them hard. The Reapers have twenty people in town, they’ve got weapons, and the balls. They probably saw the Reapers coming miles away, and ran. Carver asks what Daryl’s point is, and Leah says, there’s nothing here. It’s time to go. Carver thinks they’re missing something, and Daryl asks if he wants to waste another hour. Carver says, this dirtbag wants to play, and Daryl says, come on. Leah says, it’s not the time, and it’s not his call. Carver says they both know who Daryl is deep down. He was there, remember? After that, does she think this is going to end different? Leah says, so this is what? Carver looking out for her, and Carver says, she always got him. She says, when Pope locked her in the cabin and lit it up, he must have known. Was he was looking out for her then? He tells her, wake up. Everything is a test. Does she think this guy gives a sh*t about them? They’re going to fail. Daryl says, Carver is right. He doesn’t give a sh*t about any of them, except for Leah. He’s here for her. It’s no secret he’s made mistakes, but he’s here right now. Maybe he’ll do it better this time, if she lets him. Pope scares the sh*t out of him, and he doesn’t want to end up face first in the fire under Pope’s boot. But if Leah says trust him, he’ll trust him. Leah says, they’ve wasted enough time here; it’s time to move on. Carver says, sure. It’s her call. He sees the trap door corner, and says, hold on. He pushes Daryl out of the way, moves the rug, and opens it triumphantly, drawing his gun, but there’s nothing there. Daryl says, told you.
Negan, Maggie, Gabriel, and Elijah sneak out the root cellar door.
It starts to storm, and Rosita says, which way? Carol wonders if they should split up, check both trails, and double back, but Magna says, a storm is coming. They should stick together. Rosita says, it’s up to Kelly, and Kelly decides to keep going.
Virgil tells Connie that he’s never seen people this far gone… to herd them like prey, but they’re not. He’s getting her out. They’ll make a run for it. He gives her the knife, and says, no matter what happens, she has to keep going, with or without him. Don’t stop. She says, no, and tries give the knife back, but he says, no, just take it. She puts it down on the floor, and signs, if we’re getting out, we’re going together. She’s not letting him give up now. He says he doesn’t have a choice. He lost himself for a long time, off the map, and made choices he can’t unchoose, but Michonne gave him another chance. She pointed him to a road, and that road led to Connie. He has to pass on that chance, or it all means nothing. If she can find her family… He cries, and she signs, we leave here together. He says he needs her to promise to keep going no matter what happens. She puts her hand in his, and locks their fingers. He says, together, and they hear the creatures coming. He says, time’s up. They open the door and go out; her with the knife, and him wielding a table leg. He tries a door, but it’s locked, and the feral creatures appear. Virgil clubs at them, but they get him down. Connie slashes at them with the knife, and they back off. Virgil tells her to get out, but she drags him out with her. The creepiest creature of all comes crawling down the stairs, and Connie shields Virgil. She grabs the zombie they came in with, disembowels him, and covers herself in the guts. She opens the front door, letting in the dead. Very clever. There’s a free-for-all, and the dead feast on the feral creatures. I think leaving now would be a good idea.
Outside, Virgil stumbles, and tells her go. Some of the creatures have escaped, and make a beeline for Virgil, but get a slingshot rock in the head from Kelly. Kelly sees Connie, and starts to cry. They stand looking at each other for a moment, and Kelly says, I’m sorry. Connie begins to cry, and they hug.
Leah, Daryl, and Carver come back, and Pope asks, what’s the word? Leah says, there were signs they were there, but they slipped away. She’s sorry. Pope laughs, and she says she thought he’d be disappointed. He says, the night was a success. After they left, he continued the discussion with their guest, and he wasn’t too talkative, but Pope got everything he needed out of him. Pope looks at Daryl, who nods, and we see new zombie Frost tied to a tree. Pope and Carver go inside, Pope putting his arm around Carver. Daryl and Leah watch, and Leah looks at Daryl. Yeah, I don’t think this is good.
Next time, Negan says, the world is different – there are fewer people to fight for, and fewer things to fight over; Lance tells Yumiko that he can help her people; Maggie pretends to be a Whisperer; and Gabriel comes across a stranger talking to his spirit guide in the woods.
🎤 A couple of Talking Dead insights. Lauren Ridloff (Connie) was a guest tonight, and said she and Angel Theory (Kelly) were really like sisters. Before filming, they hadn’t seen each other in person since the beginning of the pandemic, and she’d asked that they be kept separated on set until it was time for them to meet in the scene at the end. She thought it would make it more authentic, and I have to agree it was a good choice. When they started crying, it made me want to cry. IMO, this was one of the best episodes ever. And while a great script, great acting, and great direction by Greg Nicolero played a part, it was largely because of those creepy-ass feral creatures. We also learned that some of the portraits were of them during a more civilized time, and the eyes had been scratched out so they weren’t reminded of how they used to be. I love when they get all detailed about a backstory we normally wouldn’t even know about.
And so another night of zombies concludes another weekend. Join me tomorrow for soap and a Croatian cruise. Until then, stay safe, stay going the extra mile, and stay trusting your gut feeling if you think a place is unsafe. Otherwise, you might end up having to cover yourself in guts.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
The Walking Dead
Aaron walks through the woods with Grace. An unmasked Whisperer with a W carved on his forehead asks if they’re lost. Grace says she’s scared, but Aaron says it will be okay, and to stay close. They hear whistling, and another Whisperer comes out with a gun, one more with a knife. A real zombie joins them, and Aaron kills it. He calls for Grace, but she’s gone. He’s surrounded by Whisperers and zombies, and they close in, hacking at him. He wakes, and sees Grace sleeping peacefully.
Jerry quietly steps over some sleeping kids to go to the bathroom. He looks out sees a zombie, and yells, breach inside the wall! Everyone scrambles around, and Aaron tells Grace to head downstairs to the basement and stay there, like they practiced. Does she have her whistle? He leaves.
A zombie is eating a random guy in the street, and everyone is running toward a section of the wall that’s been pushed down. Carol, Aaron, and some others try to put the panel back in place, but the zombies aren’t making it easy. One grabs at Aaron, who’s trying to block what’s left of the opening. Jerry finally whacks it in the head with a hammer. They get the wall back in place and fortified.
At the Commonwealth, Eugene and company watch a welcome video. Director of Ops, Lance Hornsby, says if they’re watching this, they’ve made it through the rigorous screening process, and are on their way to becoming part of the community. He explains they’re under the leadership of Pamela Milton, and they’re 50,000 strong. Each person is assigned a job best suited to their skillset in order to keep the community thriving. This orientation will give them a taste of what’s in store. The future starts here. We see an ice cream truck and a sack race, and Lance says, community. We see some happy old people, and he says, care giving. We see the stormtroopers under a banner that says, Fight the Dead, Save the Living, and he says, security. That’s the Commonwealth way.
Yumiko says, Pamela Milton. Wow. Princess smiles and nods. Am I supposed to know who she is? A man gives each of them an envelope, and Eugene says he’s in the high school teacher pool. Princess takes out her $2 bill, and says it’s a good sign. Eugene asks what this is, and the man says, their job and housing assignments. Eugene says taking up permanent residence wasn’t their intention, but the man says, if there’s a problem, take it up with their case supervisor. Eugene says, they’re not there to work; they came to get help. Princess wonders if they can’t stick around. She got a retail position, and maybe there’s a mall. Ezekiel says, he got animal control, and thinks the positions were based on what they’d done before. Yumiko says, hers isn’t an assignment; more like an invitation. It’s from an Edmund Widgeway, to meet and talk about opportunities in the community. Princess says, sounds fancy; it must be the accent. Eugene they have to leave asap, before these entanglements usurp their Plan A. He’s supposed to meet Stephanie, and Princess says she’ll go with him, since she wants to see more of the city. Ezekiel tells Yumiko, maybe whoever gave her the invite can help. Yumiko goes over the man’s desk, and he tells her to see her case supervisor, but she says she doesn’t have one. She only has this letter. He looks at the letter, and seems impressed. He asks how he can help, and she says she was inquiring about a family member she thinks lives there, but hasn’t heard anything. He says he’d be happy to help with that.
Zombies gather outside Alexandria. Rosita says, the wall is fragile since it broke, and Aaron says, they need a long term fix using updated tools. Rosita says, they’re back to square one soon with the food, and Aaron says, it’s nasty (if you remember, it’s horse), but it’s going fast. Maybe they should check Hilltop. Carol says they could make a run, and see if there’s any game along the way. I find it difficult to believe there isn’t even a bird or squirrel around. And again, nuts? Berries? Roots? Rosita says, what if there’s nothing left? What if they can’t make it safe? They need to look into other options. Aaron says, this is their home, and he’s not ready to abandon ship. They’re going to try and make it safe first.
Maggie and Negan fight a zombie together in the woods, and bring it down. Negan tells her, the only way this works is if they trust each other. She asks why she’d ever trust him, and he says, he doesn’t know. Maybe she wants to stay alive, the same as him. Maggie says she’ll stay alive in spite of him, not because of him. He says, if that’s how she feels, he doesn’t understand why she hasn’t put him down yet. She flings a knife toward his head, and he ducks. It lodges in the head of a zombie behind him. He says, sh*t, and she says, she asks herself that question nearly every day. She walks past him, and he says, no sh*t. He follows her.
Aaron, Carly, and Jerry ride to Hilltop, which is a burnt out mess. Aaron says, it’s been picked clean. There are some zombies toddling around, and Jerry says, heads up. Those are our people. A zombie writhes on the ground close by, and Lydia says, that’s Troy. Carol says, let’s just get it done, and Jerry looks sad. They walk around, dispatching the roaming zombies, and Aaron stabs Troy in the head without looking at him.
Back in Alexandria, Judith teaches the children the art of fighting zombies, using wooden swords. They see some teenage kids teasing a young zombie who’s poking his head through an opening; putting their hands close to his mouth to make him snap, and banging on the wall. Judith strides over, and says they shouldn’t be doing that; it’s dangerous. The tallest kid tells her, calm down. They’re just having fun. Judith says, if they don’t stop it, she’s going to tell Rosita. The boy says, she talks too much. No wonder her mother abandoned her. Judith tells him, what did you say? and he says she’s such a baby. Her mother must have gotten tired of her whining. Judith puts a knife to his throat, and tells him, say it again. I dare you. Grace comes over, and asks her to come away from them. The boy says, stay away, psycho, and Judith walks off with Grace.
On the road, Maggie and Negan walk into a suburban area. They go inside a house, and Negan says, it doesn’t look like anybody’s been here. She says, so they wait, and he asks, how long? She ask how long he’d want someone to wait for him, but he says, the longer they stay, the more likely those lunatics will catch up to them. They should just take the food from there back. It’s not a lot, but it’s something. She says, it’s nothing. They need to feed a whole community. He says, she needs to know when to cut her losses, and she says, those losses are her people. He says, she still has people; she still has Herschel. She asks if he doesn’t know that’s the reason she’s doing this. He says, she can’t. That’s his point. He knows he doesn’t get a vote, but here it is anyway. They should give it until sundown. If they others don’t show by then, they should go.
Yumiko looks in a bakery window. She goes inside, and smiles. A baker comes out and asks how she’s doing. They have a fresh batch of donuts. She says she’s looking for someone, and another baker comes out, carrying a cake. He says, ready, boss, and sees Yumiko. She says, hi, Tomi, and he drops the cake.
Aaron and the others go through Hilltop, and Aaron says, it’s all gone. Jerry says, a lot of them are still standing; remember that. Carol says, it’s war. They need to take care of the stray zombies before they keep searching. They see a group of zombies walking like they’re pushing the wheel in Midnight Express, and Lydia tells them, look at the way they’re moving. They’re being herded. Aaron says, Whisperers, and they run toward the zombies, Aaron using his metal mace arm to smash heads. One falls to the ground, and it’s a Whisperer. Jerry rips its mask off, and Lydia says she knows him.
And ice cream truck plays music from The Sting, which is better than that crappy music they usually play. Eugene waits by the sidewalk, and Stephanie brings him a cone. He takes a lick and approves. They walk, and he tells her, if she doesn’t mind him saying it, this place has creature comforts he didn’t know he missed. It’s a fine day for him. She says, it’s a fine day for her too. She’s glad he’s here. He sees a woman pushing a stroller, and Stephanie asks where he is. He says, his people. Back where he’s from, there used to be a place like this. He could be content indefinitely, but he wouldn’t be the man he is if he didn’t do what he came there for. He can’t stay. He has to help his friends. Since there’s significant red tape to become a citizen, does she have any advice on how to cut through it? She wishes she did have some, and they sit on a bench. She looks up at the radio tower, and he looks at her. She says she bets he’d feel better if he could talk to his people. It’s not in her realm of responsibility, but she wants to help. Ezekiel and Princess join them, and Ezekiel says, the deputy superintendent said it would take five weeks to see the boss. It might as well be five years. Princess asks if there isn’t an unofficial version, and Eugene hands Princess his ice cream cone. They all walk toward the train station where the tower is, as Mercer watches.
The kids are all running around the house, when Judith comes in. She finds a handprint thing that Carl made for her, and she asks who broke it. She goes up to the bully kid, and asks if it was him, but he says, no. She says, don’t lie, and he tells her not to pull another knife on him. He said he didn’t do it. Grace says she can help fix it. RJ says, he can too, and Herschel says they all will.
Judith sits outside with the broken piece, when Rosita comes by. She says she remembers when they made those. She was so small, and Carl wanted them to have a memory together. Judith says, now it’s broken, and Carl is gone. Everybody is. Rosita says she misses them all too, and Judith asks if it gets easier. Rosita says she’d be lying if she said it did, and Judith says she’s worried she’s going to start forgetting about them. Rosita sits next to her, and says she never really knew her dad, and her mom died when she was a little older than Judith is now. For a long time, it was just the two of them. They moved a lot, from job to job, but her mom always managed to keep them going. She didn’t know it then, but her mother was teaching her to survive on her own, so Rosita would be okay if she wasn’t there. Carl and Judith’s dad did the same for her. She’ll always be able to get through tough times. Pieces wood are nice, but she doesn’t need that to remember how much they love her. Rosita adds that she’s really good at fixing things.
Aaron asks the Whisperer his name; and no Alpha/Beta garbage. The guy says his name is Keith, and Aaron asks what he’s doing there. He says he’s not hurting anyone. The herd scattered, and those who weren’t killed or burned, they all left. Aaron asks why he’s keeping the walkers, and he says, protection… comfort… old habit. Jerry asks what Aaron thinks, and Aaron says, he’s never met a Whisperer who wasn’t a liar. Lydia says he believed Mary, and Aaron asks how she knows Keith isn’t lying. Why is she so certain? She says he wasn’t part of her mother’s inner circle; he was afraid of her. Aaron says, all that proves is, he’s got eyes, and Keith says, during the long winter, he took care of Lydia. Does she remember? She says she’s not sure, but it doesn’t matter. Aaron says, he’s hiding something, and Carol says, Aaron is right. They need make sure he’s not a threat. Aaron says they’ll put him in the cellar until they decide.
They go down to the old jail cell, and Jerry says, dude… Aaron asks, what is it? and Jerry says, nothing good. Four people are crouched along the wall, and Aaron says, he’s not alone. Let’s see what else he lied about. Aaron digs around the cell, and finds a mask. He asks, how many more? and Keith swears that’s it. Aaron says, Keith just led to him, and Lydia tells Aaron, look at them. They’re scared. They’re just trying to be people again. Aaron asks how they know they’re not a threat; hiding in plain sight before they get ambushed. She says, they weren’t all monsters, and Jerry sees a scarf. He said it belonged to Nabila. They were in Alexandria. They burned down their home. Carol asks Aaron what they’re going to do, when Keith grabs a knife. Lydia yells, look out, and Keith lunges at Aaron, slicing him. The others run out during the distraction, and Aaron says, his turn, and knocks Keith out.
At the Commonwealth, Stephanie leads Eugene into the train station. Remind me not to let these two spy for me. They’re so nervous, it looks obvious they’re up to something. Ezekiel sits in the waiting area, and Eugene and Stephanie go upstairs. Princess watches everything.
At a sidewalk café, Yumiko tells Tomi that she’s good with a slingshot too. He says, not bad for a barrister. He tells her that she’s changed, and she says so has he. How did he find this place? He says he fled Chicago after it first started going bad. He ran out of gas about 20 miles from there. He was lucky enough to find good people, and they walked there. It was early on, and they had just a few secure blocks when they first started, but they expanded. He almost forgets what’s going on outside the walls. She says, he’s been there the whole time making cakes? and he says he likes baking; it makes him happy. She says, he could save people, and he says she’s still trying to run people’s lives. She says she just wants what’s best for him, and he asks, when was the last time she saw him happy, truly content? She says she can’t remember. Maybe now. He says he likes his life the way it is. It’s the one gift he got out of the world falling apart. Don’t ruin it for him. She says, of course she wouldn’t ruin it, but tell her one thing. Is it as good as it seems? He says, better. She says, if she wanted to get help for her people, could she do that there? He says, anything is possible, as long as she follows the rules. Does she want some cake? She says, hell yeah.
Princes sees Mercer coming up the steps to the train station, and runs out. She says, fancy meeting him there. She admires his muscles, and says, clearly, they’ve got a gym. He asks her to excuse him; he has business inside. She says she wanted to thank him, and he says, for what? She holds up the $2 bill, and says, for making sure she got this back. He says, no need to thank him. He was returning her property. Is there something else? She says, yeah… He has really beautiful eyelashes.
Keith hangs by his arms, and Aaron says tell him where the others went. He holds a zombie on the end of a stick, close to Keith, and says, how many more? Answer him. He brings the zombie closer, and it bites at Keith’s jacket. Keith yells for Lydia to help him, and Aaron asks, where are they? Keith says, the Alexandrians pretended they were better than the dead, but dead is honest. His friends are better off dead. Aaron lets the zombie bite Keith, and Lydia is clearly disturbed. Aaron says, the clock is ticking. Does he feel better off? He can help Keith by cutting off his hand before the infection spreads, but they don’t have much time. Where are they? Keith says he doesn’t know; he swears. Aaron asks if the Whisperers are still a threat, and Keith says, no, but Aaron says, stop lying. Lydia says, enough, but Aaron says he needs answers. Lydia says Aaron wants something else, and she won’t be there to watch. Jerry, who’s holding Keith’s arms up via a pulley, drops Keith closer to the zombie, and Aaron says, tell the truth. Keith asks what Aaron wants him to say. There were more, but they’re gone. He doesn’t know where. Carol shoots the zombie in the head with an arrow, and Aaron asks, what the hell is she doing? She says, she’s stopping him from doing something, but he says he’s doing what he has to, to keep safe. She, of all people, should understand. She says, not like this, but he says, look around. They’re standing in the ashes of what the Whisperers destroyed. Grace is hungry because of them. There’s a world full of people beyond saving, and he’s not waiting for them to show up on their doorstep. Carol says she knows how it felt after Henry was murdered, when she let it take control of her, and take her down a dark path. Now with everything she does, she carries it with her. It’s a path he doesn’t want to go down. Let him go. Jerry drops Keith, and Aaron says, he can cut Keith’s hand off, or he can do it himself. The choice is his. He drops a knife in front of Keith. Geez, not even an ax.
Rosita fixes the handprint thing, and hears Eugene on the radio. She asks if he’s okay, and says it’s good to hear his voice. He says, they’re all safe, and yes, he’s doing okay. How are things there? Rosita says, the war is over. Alpha and Beta are dead, but Alexandria is trashed. They’re running out of food. He starts to break up, and she asks if he’s still there. Where is he? Judith says, he’s gone.
Eugene says he lost the feed. Something is haywire. Mercer marches in, and tells him, hands up. He tells some guys to search Eugene, and says Eugene is under arrest for unauthorized use of company property. Eugene is taken away.
Negan puts stuff in his bag, and Maggie asks what he’s doing. He says he’s leaving, and she says, not with the supplies. Their mission isn’t finished. He says, it is for him, and they struggle over the bag. He tells her, get over it, and she pushes him. They look at each other for a hot minute, and she pushes him again. They hear someone about to come in, and get in position, grabbing weapons. Elijah brings Gabriel in, and Maggie says, he made it. Elijah says the found each other in the woods, and Gabriel says he didn’t know if he’d survive. He knew they would be there, but what about the others? She tells him that Duncan, Cole, and Agatha are dead, and Alden is holed up in a church; she doesn’t know about the rest. Gabriel says, so we wait. Maggie nods, and says, we wait. She looks at Negan, and he sits.
Eugene paces in the office, where Ezekiel and Princess wait with him. He asks, where’s the young woman who was with him at the train station? and a man says they’re being charged with unlawful trespass, reckless endangerment, and illegal communication with a foreign entity, according to article whatever, and section whatsis of the Commonwealth criminal code. They’ll have a hearing before a judge, and if found guilty, they’ll be dropped in a zone far outside the Commonwealth walls, and banished from the community forever. Princess asks if they can’t talk to a lawyer, and the man says, they have an attorney? Ezekiel says, a fancy one. If they like rules so much, they need to have one. The man says, they’re asylum seekers, not citizens, and Eugene asks again about Stephanie. He says, she’ll be charged separately as a citizen, and Eugene says, they weren’t doing anything wrong. He says, tell it to the judge, when Lance walks in with Stephanie. He tells the man, let them go, but tells the group, don’t move. He’s going to find Mercer. He leaves, and Ezekiel says, was that…? Princess says, the video guy. Eugene thanks Stephanie, but she says, she might have stopped them from being banished, but they’ll have to pay in one way or another for what they’ve done.
Keith tells Lydia that he understands. Alpha would have done worse. Carol gives him some mushrooms as sustenance for him and the others, and he thanks her. He tells her that they’re not all like Alpha; some of them just want to survive. Lydia tells him, don’t ever look back. The group loads up their wagon, and Keith says, they don’t think he’s changed. Jerry tells him, that’s not for him to say, and Keith says he can prove it. Jerry asks, how? and Keith says he saw one of their people. She came out of the cave where Alpha kept the horde. The cave collapsed, and she was all alone. She looked hurt, but alive. Carol asks when he last saw her, and he says, in the woods by the screaming cave. Carol asks if Lydia knows where that is, and Lydia says she does. Carol says, they’ve got to go. Connie is alive. Aaron says, it will be dark before they get back. They’ll go at first light. The group heads out, and Aaron looks back. The other four Whisperers come out, and go to Keith.
Next time, Kelly says, something’s not right; and Connie is trapped by someone.
😱 How Much Is That Zombie In the Window…?
Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton’s son Gus did a zombie cameo in tonight’s episode. Giving us proof that you can’t escape bullying even when you’re dead.
Funny how another Monday happens every week. Or how meaningless the word Monday is to those who have abandoned calendar living altogether. See you for soap and on shenanigans on Deck tomorrow. Until then, stay safe, stay being your bad self in a good way, and stay not letting anything take you down a dark path. Not even a zombie.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
The Walking Dead
Daryl and Dog run through the woods. They come to a brick building, and a Reaper comes out, but Daryl throws something to get him to go in the other direction. A Reaper comes out of the woods, and Daryl fights with him. He grabs Dog, and I can’t look.
It’s daylight now, and Daryl puts guts from a body on his hands. He looks for Dog, who is okay, and sniffing around near the building. Daryl hears Dog bark, and runs to find the Reaper standing with Dog. He says, let him go, and the Reaper takes off their mask. It’s Leah, who says she never thought she’d see him again. He says he felt the same, and she asks what he’s doing there. Is he alone? She saw him with some people; who are they? She points a shotgun at him, and asks if he’s one of them. He says, it’s a small group, and no, he’s not one of them. He travels light, as always. He calls to Dog, but Dog doesn’t budge. He says he knows who she’s fighting, but he’s not part of it. A couple of Reapers come out. WTF?
Daryl is brought into Meridian, hooded and bound. Dog is oblivious, and walks behind with Leah. Well, he was her puppy first. Daryl is brought to an attic room, and left there. Leah comes in, and he says he came back for her. He looked everywhere for her. He’s sorry she ended up with these people. She says, these people are her family. They never stepped looking for her, and when they found her, she came home. He says, his family picked the wrong fight with the wrong people a long time ago. Like he told her, he’s alone. She says he found her, and gets a bucket of water. She wipes his face, then puts the cloth over his nose and mouth.
Two Reapers waterboard Daryl, who is back in the hood. And by that, I mean he’s literally wearing a hood again. Leah tells the guys, up, and Daryl coughs. One of the Reapers says, again, and asks Daryl if the others are still out there. Daryl says he doesn’t know, and the Reaper asks who their leader is. The woman? Daryl says he ain’t one of them, but the Reaper says, bullsh*t, and dumps more water on Daryl’s head. Leah says, enough. She’ll handle it. The Reaper says Daryl will crack. He just needs more time. She says she gave him enough time already. She said, up. The two Reapers leave, and Leah takes off Daryl’s hood. She says she needs him to cooperate, and he says he told them everything. She says, he told them nothing. Talk. He says he traded with the group for food, and knew them less than a week. Go ahead and kill him if she wants. He has nothing else to say. She leaves.
Daryl is is dragged to another room, and put in a cage. The men leave, and Leah looks at Daryl for a moment, then follows.
Daryl seems to be alone, but he hears someone say, sh*t, and some groaning. He sees Frost from Hilltop in an adjacent cage. Frost starts talking about Maggie and company, but Daryl says he doesn’t know who Frost’s friends are, and doesn’t care. Just because they shared a bag of grain doesn’t make him give a sh*t. He wants no part of the beef Frost has with these people. Does Frost hear him? Shut up, and leave him alone. Got it? Frost says, yeah, he’s got it, and calls Daryl an a-hole. Some people come in, and take Frost out. Daryl is alone again.
Leah comes back and shakes her head. She says he’s just as stubborn as ever, and Daryl asks if that’s what she thinks; this is him being stubborn. She says, fine. Hard-headed. He needs to tell her the truth. He says he never lied to her. Never. They have nothing else to talk about. She asks what he knows about the people he was with, but he says he doesn’t know sh*t. He’d help her if he could. Just give him Dog, and let him go. She’ll never see him again. She asks if that’s what he wants, when Frost is drug back in, and he’s not in good shape. One of the Reapers comes back, and says something to Leah, and she asks if it’s about Turner. She and the Reaper leave, and follow the sound of a man moaning in another room. Reaper Bossie is crying, and says he tried. The Reaper he’s talking to says he picked the right family. He brought Turner home. A man, who we come to find is Pope, chants over Turner’s dead body in what looks like a makeshift chapel. Leah is all sad, and Pope says, God is here. God is angry, and he’s angry. Does she feel that? The volume is so low, I think the boom person was on vacation. There’s no problem hearing the commercials though. There never is.
Leah stands in front of Daryl’s cage, then sits next to it on the floor, He asks, what happened? and she says, one of her brothers is dead; Michael Turner. They traveled world together, becoming mercenaries after fighting in the war together, and could actually pay their bills. Daryl is surprised at this information, and she says, Michael was like her, no family. He was the little brother she didn’t have and always wanted. She’s lost a lot of people, but not like this. He was the first person she was close to in a long time. Daryl says she didn’t lose him. He came back and she was gone. She says he left her. She asked what he wanted, and he left. He says he got scared, and she asks, of what? He says, letting go, and she ponders this. She says, it doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t have worked anyway. They couldn’t have been happy in a world like this. He suggests they talk about her family, and she says, don’t tell her that he’s never done things like kill people. She knows what he’s done, and he has no right to judge. This is her; the good and bad, all of it. He says he doesn’t believe her, and she says she can’t help the bad, but she can help him save himself. In spite of everything, she cares about him, and doesn’t want anything bad to happen to him. Just tell her anything. If he keeps silent, she can’t stop them. They’re angry about Turner, and want someone to pay. He says, a woman is the leader, but they spoke in code because he was an outsider. There’s a tall skinny guy who never shuts up, and a priest that carries a shotgun. They have the numbers. One of their soldiers slipped up, and they lost fighters, but they still have more than she has there. He asks when he’s going to meet this Pope.
Pope sits sharpening a knife, and Leah tells him that he was right. Daryl was hard to break, but he told her there are a lot more out there than they thought. She thinks he’ll be good there. They need the manpower, with Turner gone, and the other two missing. She tells him, say something. He knows she hates it when he does this. He says, do what? and she says, freeze her out. He asks if it’s about her and Daryl, and she tells him that she never said it was, but he says, yet here they are. She had to go on a fishing expedition for an old boyfriend. He sits in front of her, and says, go on then; tell him. Did she find what they were looking for? She says she told him Daryl would be useful, and she was right. Carver saw it, and he sees it. He says, he sees a guy who wants to get in her pants; someone who loved her. She says, fine, but she never said Daryl told her that he loved her. Pope says she could have handed Daryl over, but she didn’t; why? She says, at one point, he meant something to her, but that ended the day Pope found her. He showed her the family, and she never regretted her decision. She doesn’t want him to either. Does he? He touches her face, and says he believes in her more than the others. She says she knows.
Daryl sits in a chair in another building, and the two Reapers who waterboarded Daryl are now verbally harassing him. One asks if he has something to say. Come on; don’t be shy. He’s about to be a man. The other says he bets Daryl’s girlfriend wears the pants. Leah walks in, and tells them to knock it off. They leave, and Leah unties Daryl’s hands. She hears the door lock, and runs over to it. She tries the handle, but no luck. The lights go out, and fire comes out from under the door. She throws a chair at the door, and Daryl tells her, stay back. He starts ripping at the boards over a window, then breaks something, making a tool to pry them off. He breaks the window glass, and grabs Leah’s hand. He pushes her out first, and follows. All the dudes in the pack stand there watching, and Leah joins them. They all face Daryl, as the building he and Leah were in collapses. Pope says, forged by fire. Ordained by God. They welcome him. Welcome to fortitudo salutis.
Pope asks if Daryl believes in God, but Daryl says, not anymore. He guesses he only believes in himself now. Pope says, Daryl passed the test, but he’s not God, and pours drinks for himself and Daryl. Daryl asks what else Pope wants from him, and Pope saying he wants Daryl to understand. He gives Daryl the drink, and tells him to sit down. He says, they all met in the Valley of Death, the hills of Afghanistan. They carried their fallen brothers off the field so many times they lost count. Politicians wrote the checks, but they were just props. Today, they talked about God. He thought there ain’t no God; he never saw Its face. But they saw God everywhere; in the blood, horror, and death. God was there, telling them where to go. They didn’t have much else to hold on to in those days. They held on to each other. Pope lights a cigarette, and gives one to Daryl. He says, that war ruined all of them for good. They couldn’t find real jobs. People called them mercenaries. They did the dirty work that no one else wanted to do, and were paid handsomely for it. The real dirty work started after the fall. They’d never been in a war like that; had never seen that kind of chaos. The things they did… All that death, day after day after day. After a while, he started feeling like Daryl, wondering where God was, until He showed his face again. The politicians had one last war to get behind, this time, coming for them. The bombs came, and they lost some of their own. They found a church in a little town, and holed up there. When the chaos died down, he looked at his people, and couldn’t believe it. Not a trace of blood or burn marks; not even a scratch. They were the chosen ones. These men had no power over them. Daryl came out of the fire alive, and look at him now, sitting right there. Is he hurt? Any burns? A scratch? Daryl says he’s been through worse before, and Pope gets up. He asks if Daryl is coming, and Daryl nods.
Everyone is gathered around a campfire, eating, and Daryl joins them. Pope says Leah was right about this one, and she says, of course she was. Pope says, he’s family now. He goes over to Bossie and says, Bossie walked ten miles with his dead brother on his back. The strength that took. Does Daryl have any idea how crazy they are? Turner will have a proper burial. Bossie says he did what any one of them would have done, and Pope asks if he’s still hurt. Bossie shakes his head, and Pope says, he just has one question; something that’s been bothering him. The wounds are on his back. Leah says, it’s been a rough day, and Pope asks Bossie where he was when Turner was being attacked. Bossie says he was right there. Leah says, enough, and Pope ruffles Bossie’s hair. He says, it takes divine strength to face fear head on. They all saw what Daryl did. He got Leah out of the fire first. He kept her safe. Today, God baptized Daryl in that fire, and made him one of them. One thing he forgot to tell Daryl; never turn your back on your brother. God doesn’t only use fire as baptism. It’s also his wrath. He grabs Bossie, and throws him into the fire, holding his face in it until it’s charcoal. Daryl is like, oh, wow, and Pope says, they run into the battle. Into the fire. Always. Daryl looks at Leah.
Next time, Judith teaches the kids of Alexandria how to fight, Eugene says they can’t stay at the Commonwealth, Stephanie wants to help Eugene, and Negan says, the only way it works is if they trust each other.
👎 Turn Down…
I’m sure it’s frustrating, but First World problems.
Join me tomorrow for a medical drama and a yacht in the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay exercising your mind, and stay not picking the wrong fights with the wrong people.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
The Walking Dead
Everyone runs. Cole’s throat is slashed, Duncan is stabbed, and both Negan and Gabriel are hit with something. Elijah gets dragged away from the others by a rope, and Maggie is suddenly alone. She feels movement behind her, and flings a sickle she’s found at a Reaper, but it misses him, and sticks in a tree. I’m already thinking, if these people can’t get it together in ten years to gather roots, nuts, and berries, and grow tomatoes, they’re doomed.
Carol comes back to Alexandria with Kelly, and Magna asks if Kelly wants to do a shift together. Kelly says/signs, something came up, and Magna asks if she wants to talk, but Kelly says, there’s nothing to talk about. Aaron and some others raise a new wall made out of metal pieces, and Carol tells Aaron that they’re getting the horses back. He says they’ve been down this road before, and they’re about to fail. Carol says, if they don’t get the horses, they can’t carry more than a sack of grain. She gets a few supplies, and leaves.
Judith, RJ, Gracie, and RJ play cards, and talk about their parents. In other words, this part is boring.
Maggie walks through a desolate area, and comes to a mall. She walks past a bunch of scattered cars in what used to be the mall parking lot. I love an abandoned mall. She tries a door, and a knife comes flying through the air, sticking in the wall near her. She runs, and tries another door. This one opens, and she closes it behind her. She goes down stairs, and sees some empty bottles, where apparently someone has had a drinking party. She sets a couple of them on the push-bar of the exit door to alert her to intruders. She walks through the mall, and to another set of stairs. We hear zombie noises. She shines her flashlight around, and walks up. A zombie comes out of nowhere, scaring us both, and she sends it bouncing down the stairs. She flicks on a lighter, and we see a Reaper behind her. She sends him flying too. She hears footsteps, and jets.
Gabriel sits in the woods, saying, the Lord is my refuge and my strength. He he pulls an ice pick out of his leg, and sees someone limping away and a mask on the ground. He limps in their direction.
Maggie goes through a space housing a lot of mannequins, which are always good for a scare. Something falls, and she jumps a mile, but keeps walking. Someone comes out from behind a counter, and it’s Alden, but in a hot second, a Reaper pops out and takes him down. The Reaper goes after Maggie with a sickle, and she keeps him at bay while she reaches for an empty bottle nearby. She punches him, getting him off of her, breaks the bottle, and gouges him in the side of the head with it. Negan comes up behind him, and finishes him off. Before dying, the Reaper sets off a grenade, and Negan and Maggie duck for cover. When the smoke clears, Maggie sees Alden sitting on the floor, and goes to ten to him. He has a stomach wound, and she asks if he can walk, He says he won’t know until they try. Negan says she’s not seriously thinking about keeping going. What exactly is the plan? She says, the plan didn’t change; they need that food. They’ll go to the supply drop, and radio the others from there. He says he knows theatrics, and these people just showed them how insane they are. They can’t be on any road the Reapers are using. It’s a sh*t plan. She asks him for a better one that doesn’t starve them, and he says he’s on her side. She says, then help her with Alden. They help Alden up, get on either side of them, and help him outside.
Rosita picks mushrooms or something by a creek, when Carol comes along, and Rosita says she didn’t want stay in the house. Kelly and Magna join them, and they surround a lone horse, each of them swinging a rope. They don’t try very hard, and it trots off. Rosita asks if Carol is okay, and Carol says she’ll be better when this is done. Rosita says she’s having dreams that Abe is trying to tell her something; somewhere they’re supposed to be. But just as she’s about to hear it, he gets shot in the head. She thinks it’s a message for them. Carol asks what he’s trying to say, but Rosita doesn’t know.
Outside the mall, Alden says they’d better get moving, and Maggie and Negan get on either side of him. They hear a woman scream, and head in that direction. Negan says, really? We’re going toward the screaming?Cool. They see Agatha stabbing zombies like a machine, and to prove his worth, Alden stabs one that they pass, but practically falls over. Duncan sits on the ground, and Agatha shakes her head, leaving Maggie with him. Maggie says she’s so sorry, and he asks, why? They were lucky. She says, for a little while, and he asks her to make sure Agatha gets home. Promise. He closes his eyes, and Maggie takes out a knife. She kisses his bald head, and stabs him.
Carol and her group go through the woods, when they see several dead, half-eaten horses by the river. Kelly says, no, and Magna hugs her. Carol says they’ll keep looking for the rest. Stay close to the water. Rosita says, it’s getting late, but Carol keeps walking. Rosita catches up with her, and says they don’t have to right now. They can do it tomorrow. Carol says they needed the horses yesterday. Now. Magna hugs her, and Carol says, let’s go home.
Kelly says they’ll try again next time, and Rosita says, maybe not. They run forward to a field, as a bunch of horses come running through. Kelly says, dope, and Rosita says, there’s a dairy farm. They have a paddock, and they can pen the horses in. The horses run in, and they try to round them up, but they’re about as good at that as they are growing food. Kelly tells them to drop their lassos, and Carol asks, why? Kelly says, just do it, and they put the lassos down. Kelly says, they’re not running. She thinks they’re home. Carol makes a sound like she’s calling a cat, and one of the horses comes to her. They all pet it.
Gabriel recites the 23rd psalm – the Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He finds the unmasked Reaper leaning against a log, and the Reaper says Gabriel moved slower than he thought Gabriel would. He asks if Gabriel is scared, but Gabriel says he’s not. The Reaper says he’s been blessed, and Gabriel says he has a funny definition of blessed. He asks Gabriel to pray for him, and Gabriel says the Reaper tried to kill his friends. The Reaper says, they tried to kill him. Pray for him; even his enemies deserve that much. He thought Gabriel was a man of God. Gabriel says, God isn’t here anymore, and kills the Reaper. (Or as Cheech Marin said in Machete, God has mercy; I do not.)
In the woods, Maggie looks out with binoculars, seeing a load of zombies. Negan says, there are twice many as before. He believes they should rethink the plan. She says, if he wants to go, go, and he says he can help. Her friends trusted him. She was gone a long time. Things change; people change. She says he’s got them fooled, but not her. Stop pretending to be one of them. He walks away, and Alden asks if Maggie is okay. She says she can handle Negan, but he says he’s not talking about Negan. He asks if Hilltop is the place she told Hershel about, and she says, not much surprises her anymore. He says, they’ll build it better than it was. They’ll get it done. At least by the time Adam is old enough to remember. They’ll start when they get back. Maggie says, the good news is, Hershel lives in Alexandria. Small win. Negan finds a decrepit, charred zombie tied to a tree, with a sign that says JUDAS above him. The zombies surround them, and Maggie says, come on. They move faster, killing a few along the way, but Alden falls. Maggie grabs him back up, but the zombies are closer now. Agatha, Negan, and Maggie start slicing and dicing. Even Alden gets in a few licks before he falls again. Agatha gets bit, and Maggie comes flying toward her to pull her away, but the zombies are crowding in. Negan grabs Maggie, and drags her off, as the zombies bring Agatha down. Bye, Agatha.
Carol and her group bring the horses back to Alexandria, and Rosita says she’s out. They tie the horses up, and Carol keeps walking with hers. Magna catches up with her, and asks if they can talk. Carol says, sure, and Magna says, she knows what Carol is doing, and wants her to stop. She’s giving Kelly false hope. Carol says she doesn’t understand, but Magna thinks she does. She believes Connie is alive because she can’t accept what it means if she’s lost. Carol says, Connie is family, and Magna says she wants her family to heal. Kelly looks up to Carol. She’s sorry for whatever Carol is going through, but she’s asking, begging Carol; whatever she’s telling Kelly, stop. She’s just making it harder. Carol walks away, and brings the horse to a stable where it lies down. She pets it, then cuts its throat – which, thankfully, we don’t see, but I say, WTF? She puts the blood in a huge dish, and Alden comes in. Alden and I both say, WTF?
The boring group of children is brought a plate of horsemeat. Judith is like, eww, and Hershel tells her, smaller bites are better. She asks if he’s eaten it before, and he says, when he and his mother were on the road, they just ate what they found. It’s better than spiders. Just chew it fast; it’s not that bad. Rosita brings the baby to see the horses, and sees Carol washing up. I’m annoyed. The kids could have waited a hot minute while they rode to get something.
Magna and Kelly sit looking at the windmill. Carol comes by, and asks if Kelly is ready. Kelly goes with her.
Negan, Maggie, and Alden walk down the road. Negan eats something, and says, goddam sh*t, spitting it out. He asks if they’d like a taste of crap cardboard, and I figure it must be low carb. Negan suggests they go through the woods, but Maggie says the road is faster. Alden says, the woods are safer, and Maggie tells him, they need a break. They go into an old church, and Maggie says, they’ll rest for a while. She tells Negan that she knows what he’s thinking, and the answer is no. She tells Alden that they’re fine, and he says, maybe for now. If these guys are anything like she says, things are going to get worse, and he’s dead weight. They all know. He walked away from Negan because he trusts her to do the right thing. No matter how hard. No matter how much it costs her. She looks at him, and he says, supplies are the only thing that matters. Alexandria needs them to do this. They’re waiting for them. Hershel… Judith… Adam… Maggie says, Adam needs a father, but Alden says, if her plan fails, everything they’ve worked for, what they want for the future, dies with it. Then what happens to Adam? She gets up, and Negan says, the sun is going down. She has to make a decision. Maggie says, it’s easy for him, isn’t it? Being reckless with someone else’s life. He doesn’t get to decide who lives or who dies anymore. It’s his fault. He destroyed everything they built. Negan says she still has to decide, and she looks at Alden. She starts going through her bag, and gives him a canteen. She goes over to Negan, and holds out her hand. He gives her his knife, and she gives it to Alden. Negan moves a pew near the door, and Maggie says Alden better be there when they come back. He says they better come back. They leave, and he pushes the pew against the door, then sits on it.
A lone zombie walks toward Maggie and Negan as they walk through the woods. Negan cracks it in the head with a crowbar. He stands there, the crowbar dripping blood. Maggie walks past him, and he follows.
Next time, Daryl meets a Reaper in the woods, and once again I’m afraid for Dog.
⚰️ Later, on Talking Dead, Lauren Cohan (Maggie) said that the dripping crowbar was evocative of Lucille dripping blood after Negan killed Glenn and Abraham, but I wouldn’t have even thought of it if she hadn’t said that. In other trivia, the kids were eating beef jerky. Yeah, well, I would hope it wasn’t real horse.
October 3rd begins the second, and final, season of The World Beyond. Too bad. I kind of liked it. It will probably end up on another platform, since they’re all trying to entice viewers with extensions of their network shows for a price.
Whether you labor or not, celebrate anyway. Tomorrow’s GH is a rerun, so see you on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay looking out for one another, and stay knowing that things change; people change.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
The Walking Dead
A zombie toddles around making zombie noises. Maggie drops down and shoots it in the head. She shoots a few more, but she and her bullets are outnumbered.
Gabriel drops into the subway car, followed by the others. Gabriel beats the crap out of a zombie, and they walk toward the next car. Negan looks tired, and Alden asks where Maggie is. Negan says she was right behind him. She wanted them to keep moving forward. Gabriel gets the door open, and says, they’ll go from car to car, hop off, and keep going.
Daryl busts through a wall to find Dog. He and Dog travel quietly. They come to a room where there’s all kinds of random stuff. He sees, It comes for us all, written on the wall. Next to it, a dead person sits on the floor, handcuffed to a briefcase of cash. Apparently, it didn’t do them much good. Daryl looks at a weird mural on the wall, a royal family overseeing what looks like a bizarre party. I have no clue what this is about, but later on Talking Dead, they explained it was people fighting each other, but not the zombies surrounding them. Okay, well, it looked like a strange party to me. And who were those people with crowns on? I want answers.
Yumiko tells Princess that the Commonwealth has structure and laws. There has to be someone in charge. She’s going to speak to them and demand results. Princess says, that’s her plan? Is she sure she can be cold as ice? Yumiko says she was a lawyer; it comes naturally. She loves her brother, and hasn’t seen him in a long time. She’ll be fine as long as she can speak to them. A trooper comes by, and Princess says, that was the woman from last night. She knows. Eugene comes back, and says he’s looked everywhere for Ezekiel, and he’s freaking out. It’s probably because Ezekiel told off the big guy. They should come clean about who they are, and where they’re from. Yumiko tells him to stick to the story. She gets up and strides over to the trooper. She says she demands to know where her friend was taken, but the trooper tells her, calm down. She doesn’t know where Yumiko’s friend is. Yumiko says she’d like to speak to someone who can give her answers, and the trooper says, Yumiko wants to speak to her supervisor? Princess says, yeah. They want to talk to the manager.
Daryl sees a plastic bag that has, among other things, a couple of candy bars in it. He takes them out, and pulls out a hundred dollar bill. He reads a message on it that says, Dear Dad, you always said if you don’t come back in a week to move on. Mom didn’t listen and went looking. It’s been 3 weeks, so we’re going next. I’ll watch Jesse and turn on the radio every day at 10. See you both soon. Love, Tom and Jesse. It’s accompanied by a photo of two kids. Dog senses something, and Daryl follows him. Dog leads him to a zombie lying by the wall, and Daryl shoots it with a crossbow. He sees a map on the wall, but he and Dog are distracted by a loud yell. Dog takes off and goes into a pipeline. Here we go again. Daryl calls to him, but Dog doesn’t come back, so he follows. Must we really have a heart attack about Dog tonight? Although this is the thing I like the most about Daryl now. He takes responsibility as a pet parent.
Yumiko sits in an office with the assessors, and the woman says she’s not sure why Yumiko is there; she’s already been assessed. Yumiko says, they think they’ve been assessing her? She’s been assessing them. The woman almost smiles, and says, Yumiko doesn’t know anything about them. Yumiko says it’s a large community; organization and bureaucracy are part of that. Probably the woman’s job before this was forensic psychologist. The guy was perhaps academic; a researcher. He assesses the lab rats in his community. Someone above them based their jobs on who it was thought they were. The assessor’s poke around in the dust of their brains, and push the boundaries about their toilet habits. They raked one of her friends over the coals for a two dollar bill. They use money as a powerful psychological tactic, because it’s familiar, and they know how desperately people miss the old world. They decide whether someone will enhance their community or just drain their resources, but the truth is, they need to justify their existence, because at the end of the day, they could rely on their gut instinct. She was a lawyer. She likes rules. They bring order to the chaos. She believes her brother, a thoracic surgeon, is at the Commonwealth. She’d like her groups’ processing expedited. The woman asks again where Yumiko went to school, and Yumiko says, Oxford and Harvard, but she knows that. Would she like Yumiko’s credentials again? Mercer comes in, and gives Yumiko a cup of coffee. Yumiko comes thisclose to smiling.
Eugene and Princess wait out in the hall, and Princess says she has to pee. She shouldn’t have mentioned it, since now she really does. Eugene doesn’t want her to go, but she says, the big guy just walked in with coffee; it must be going good. She goes up to two trooper, and speaks to one of them in another language – Italian? Spanish? I can’t find this out. She goes into another room, and the trooper follows her, leaving the other to guard the hallway.
Daryl follows Dog’s bark, and goes through another pipeline.
Gabriel manages to get the door open, and the group goes into the next car. They can hear zombies, along with a banging sound from underneath. Alden says, it’s Morse Code. SOS. It gets louder, and they open a trap door, Maggie popping through. She stares at Negan for a hot minute, then whacks him in the head with her gun. She says, she slipped. He saw her, and left her to die. Negan says, okay. So what? Gabriel says, he’s just going to admit it? Alden says, he tried to kill her? Negan says, she was in trouble, and he didn’t help; there’s a big difference. Duncan slams him up against the wall, and Negan says, Maggie was just talking about killing him sooner than later, and now somehow he’s a big a-hole because he didn’t risk his nuts for her? He’s been an asset. He killed Alpha – nice of him, he knows. If he hadn’t, every person they know, their skull would be on a spike. He did what needed to be done. He’s trying. Duncan says he’s not buying word of it, and Agatha says, they can get through the city without Negan. They hear someone yelling for help, and they run to the other end of car. Gage is in between cars, and he says he’s locked in. They were in the tunnels, and there were walkers everywhere. Maggie asks if he locked the other car door, but he didn’t, and she tells him, if they open the doors, they’ll all get in. Zombies are coming toward Gage, and he says he’s sorry; he won’t do it again. Gabriel says they have the time, but Maggie says they don’t have the ammo. She tells Gage that she’s sorry; they can’t. He says, liar, and pulls out two knives. He stabs himself, as the zombies reach him. Negan should point out the irony here, but maybe it’s too easy. Or he doesn’t want to die. They watch as Gage is torn apart. Now I’m wondering, why didn’t they just tell him to go underneath like Maggie did? It’s a wonder these people have survived eleven years.
Eugene shakes and twitches, and gets up. He wanders down the hall, and tells the trooper that he’s been waiting for his friend Yumiko. She was being questioned in that room, and he was wondering if they had an ETA for when she’d be done. The trooper says, there’s no one in there, and Eugene says, but he saw her and them. The trooper repeats, there’s no one in there, and Eugene says, his other friend went in to use the ladies room. The trooper says, what friend? He needs Eugene to leave.
Duncan messes with the door, and Negan paces a little. He sits, and Gabriel asks, what is it? The flashlight goes out, and Maggie lights a flare. They see Gage heading the zombie crowd. Alden does too, and he says, they don’t want to look, but he wants them to look. Gabriel says, all it is, is the shell of a man who died a coward, which is pretty harsh, if you ask me. Alden says, he didn’t deserve to die in the worst way imaginable. Maggie says, there are worse ways. She and Hershel were alone for a long time, and they came across an old man kneeling by a grocery cart full of scavenged clothes. He said they were for his daughter, and asked if they’d help him haul the cart back home. He’d give them some food for their trouble. She knew he was a liar, but she was starving. They followed him back, and she held a knife to his throat. She reached in his pocket, pulled out the chloroformed rag he was going to use on her, and stuffed it in his mouth. They went inside, and she locked her boy in a room, then went through the house. She came across three deformed… she woudn’t call them men. They came after her, and she handled them. The house was quiet, but she could hear a thudding sound from the attic. She thought there might be people tied up trying to get free. She opened up a door, seeing a set of stairs, and saw a shadow at the top. It was rocking back and forth, and she thought it was some kind of animal. It fell down the stairs, and came at her face. It was a walker. It used to be a woman. Her arms and legs were cut off and stitched up; her eyes had been gouged out; and she had no tongue. There was a cauterized gash in her throat where her vocal cords had been ripped out. Whatever was in there, was trying to get out. There were three more just like her. Their hearts were still beating. The first thing she thought was, if they’re alive, there must be food. She took care of it, and found the food; lots of it. She and Hershel filled the cart, and left. She tells Alden that she doesn’t feel anything when she tells him that, because that’s what’s out there. That makes it clear what they have in Alexandria; what they had in Hilltop and Meridien. It’s rare compared to everything out there. If it isn’t… Negan says, it means nobody has it figured out. Nobody ever di,d and nobody ever will.
Daryl keeps going through the pipe, and a zombie grabs his leg. He shoots it, and falls out the opening back to where the tracks are. He whacks a few zombies, cracking their heads with a pipe, gets his bag and light, and keeps going. He sees blood near the tracks, and hears Dog in the distance. He calls to Dog, and Roy comes out of the darkness, stumbling toward him. He falls, and Dog attacks a zombie. I won’t watch just in case, but Daryl shoots the zombie and Dog is okay. Seriously, they could kill off the whole cast, and I’d be fine as long as Dog made it. And I don’t trust them after Ezekiel’s tiger. More zombies pop out, and Daryl dispatches them. This is starting to get old. He goes to Roy, lying by the tracks, and Roy asks, how bad is it? Daryl says, it ain’t good, and Roy says he lost Cole. Daryl asks where the ammo bag is, and Roy says he lost that too. Daryl tries to tend to Roy’s head wound, but Roy says, don’t waste it on him. He gives Daryl some bullets and a grenade from his pockets, and says, it’s all he’s got. Tell the kids he didn’t die a coward.
Duncan pries open the next door, but the one going into the next car is locked. Zombies are coming, Gage leading the pack. Duncan uses an ax on the door, and Gabriel and Maggie get ready to shoot at the zombies. The door starts to give way, then falls. The zombies swarm in, Gage at the head.
Daryl and Dog run.
Gabriel shoots the oncoming zombies with a machine gun, and the rest use bows and arrows, getting the dead one by one as they straggle in. Duncan sees zombies coming from the other side, and Maggie hands a gun to Negan. He shoots, but the zombies just keep coming, and I think, either they have to run out of dead people or ammo at some point.
Daryl is inside the subway car, on the other side, and shoots his way through as the theme music plays. He gets to the door, and Negan opens it from the other side. Everyone runs into the car where Daryl is, and he tells them, get down. They duck under the seats, and Daryl shoves the grenade into a zombie’s mouth. He kicks it into the other car, and shuts the door. The grenade explodes, and it’s quiet. Blood cascades down the window.
Eugene sits at the table, and researcher dude opens a pouch that looks ominous, but really just contains office supplies. He takes out a pen, and Eugene asks what they’ve done with his traveling companions. Mercer says, they’re being processed, and Eugene says, as in administratively, or as in bologna and other meat stuffs? He’d like to see them. Mercer says, only one thing gets his heart pumping. Battling the dead gets it pumping every time; not in a bad way. He hands Eugene a box of tissues, and tells him, mop up. Eugene blots his face, and Mercer says Eugene can’t lie for sh*t, so don’t lie. Eugene says he wasn’t going to, and Mercer says, that makes him like Eugene. Keep doing that, and it will help him. But if he doesn’t… Does Eugene get him? Eugene nods, and Mercer says he knows Eugene is holding back. He has two questions, which require two answers. Truthful ones. Do that, and he’ll get to go, and see his friends again. Everything will be okay. It’s that simple. Ready? Where is their settlement, and why were they at the train station? If Eugene lies, he’ll know. Eugene says, okey-dokey. He has been holding something back. He was afraid of what his friends would think. In the course of their travels, he found a radio. Night after night, he would speak into the void, holding on to what if, as fools are wont to do, and he’s nothing if not a fool. He starts to cry, and says, then one night, a voice came back, a woman, a beautiful voice. They got to talking, and she was not repulsed by his musings. They spoke of train museums and ice cream cones, laughed, and sang Iron Maiden. They wanted to meet, so he got his friends to go the train yard, under the guise of asking for help. He knew they wouldn’t go otherwise, but he was thinking about Stephanie. He was lying the whole time, afraid he’d lose the three friends he has. He lied to Stephanie, saying he was from a large settlement, because he thought she might be a femme fatale, laying a trap for a lonely heart. He’s not one to whom relationships come easy, particularly those with the fairer sex. He is in fact a virgin, even though he’d observed the act more times than he cares to admit. He was hoping, after a suitable period of courtship, Stephanie might be the one to change his unenviable status. He’s afraid if Stephanie finds out he wasn’t honest with her either, she’ll have nothing to do with him. He cries, and says, here it is, and he’s very relieved to get it off his chest, because everything he’s said up until that has been the goddam truth.
Troopers bring a hooded Eugene in a wagon to a trailer. They bring him up the stairs, and take the hood off. He sees Yumiko, Princess, and Ezekiel. He hugs them, and laughs. He asks where they took Ezekiel, and Ezekiel says, the infirmary. A medic steamed his face, and gave him some nasty herbal cough syrup, and then he slept. Eugene asks if the tea was spiked, but Ezekiel says, no. They took the light from his room so he could sleep. They checked on him periodically, then brought Yumiko to visit him. They were brought to a holding room with Princess, then brought there. Mercer reads a bunch of legalese from the Commonwealth’s constitution, and says they’ve been granted asylum and citizenship. When they walk out, they’ll be escorted to orientation. He looks at Ezekiel, and says, by a beat cop. Welcome to the Commonwealth. He tells Ezekiel, I went to West Point, a-hole.
Princess asks what Yumiko found out, when a woman comes in. She asks which one of them is Eugene, and Eugene raises his hand. She says, she’s Stephanie, and he smile. Little hearts pop out of his eyes.
The group finally gets to the outside Negan gives Maggie back the gun, but hangs on to it for an extra beat or two. Maggie asks Daryl what he’s looking at, and he says, it’s a letter from the kid to his parents. Maggie tells everyone that they’ll be heading out, but they need to take a detour first. Arbor Hills. It’s a supply depot Georgie set up. They’d been set up all over, with ammo, food, and weapons. They’ll rest up there, and restock. A radio tower marks the neighborhood. Does Negan know where that is? Negan says, yeah, and they head out.
They see some dead men hanging upside down, and Negan says, this place sure has gone to s*h*t since I was here last. Let’s double back. They barely start to turn, when Roy, who is somehow still alive, gets an arrow to the forehead, and a sickle comes winging through the air, hitting Cole in the leg. Dragging Cole, they quickly find cover. We see a group of masked people marching toward them, looking like something out of the old Warriors movie. It’s the Reapers.
Next time, a fight in the woods, Maggie says the plan doesn’t change, Carol says they’re going to starve to death, and Gabriel says God isn’t here anymore.
📉 Dead Dive…
I’m kind of surprised. Geez, we’ve made it this far, why not finish it out?
After Netflix and work this weekend, it’s back to the old Bravo grind. Until we meet on Deck, stay safe, stay following through, and stay out of that space between subway cars. No good can come of it.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
The Walking Dead
Maggie is back home sweet home. It’s night, and she, Carol, Daryl, Rosita, and Kelly go out with a group. They open up a trap door into Fort Connors, and we see bodies everywhere. One lifts its head a little, but they seem to be in a suspended state, like they’re sleeping. Daryl and Jerry stay up top, as the others drop down quietly. They step through the bodies, which still aren’t moving. They go through the room to a padlocked door. One of them opens it, and the lock makes a noise popping open, but it’s okay, and they go into the building. They slip though the hallways, and into another room where they find supplies, and fill their bags. They send the bags back up to ground level, Jerry and Daryl bringing them up on pullies. One of the ropes snaps, but Daryl grabs the bag before it falls. He cuts himself, and a drop of blood falls on a zombie’s head, waking it up. It becomes animated, and alerts the rest, who start to rise. Daryl tells them, hurry, they’re awake, and Carol and Maggie shoot some with bows and arrows; Rosita whacks and slices a few; and Kelly uses her slingshot. They’re severely outnumbered, but still hold their own. Jerry and Daryl shoot arrows from above, and Maggie finally just takes out a gun and starts shooting. Luckily, these zombies are not too fast. Carol breaks out a machine gun and mows some down. It starts getting more chaotic, and the group starts to go back up on ropes, helped by Jerry and Daryl, while Carol and Maggie keep the zombies at bay. Carol shoves some more supplies in her bag, and grabs the rope. The zombies get close, but she gets up top. The zombies that are left huddle at the bottom.
They go back to Alexandria where Aaron meets them. Daryl calls Dog, and hugs Judith and RJ. Negan takes some of the supplies inside, and Maggie eyeballs him. Little Herschel runs to Maggie, and she picks him up. She tells Cole that it’s good to see him, and he says he figured if she was still alive, she’d be there. He’s brought her people Duncan, Agatha, and Frost with him. There’s a fight over some supplies, and Gabriel breaks it up, telling them to calm down; there’s enough food for everyone for one week. Daryl says, just one? and Aaron says, they’ll make it work. Carol wonders how, when they have no crops. Aaron says they’re still scavenging houses, but Gabriel says, it’s hard to build a wall on an empty stomach. Game is scarce too, and Daryl says, they’ll find new territory, but Gabriel says they need food now. Maggie says she knows one more place; where they lived before this – Meridien. It’s got plenty of food, water, and crops. Cole says, now it’s gone, and Rosita asks, what happened out there? Maggie says they were on a mission, leading walkers away. Doug, Agatha, and Frost took a shipment, and on the way back, things went sideways. They got stuck on a boat, but she doesn’t think it was an accident. They heard screams and raced home, but it was too late. The poor people were slaughtered. They ran for their lives. They knew two things about the people who attacked them. They come at night, and by the time you see them, you’re already dead. This was before they caught one. Daryl was with her. It came after them alone. Why? There were not that many at Meridian now, and there’s plenty of food to feed Alexandria until its back up and running. That’s why they took it, and now they need to take it back. Aaron says she’s leaving to fight ghosts? and she asks if he has a better plan. Aaron says, the walls aren’t stable in Alexandria. Walkers could get inside. It’s a matter of if, not when; they’re needed there. Maggie says her son is in Alexandria, so she has skin in the game. She has the best fighters from Meridien, and hopefully some of theirs too. Daryl says, if there’s no food, noting else will matter. He’ll go. Everyone volunteers except Rosita and Aaron, who think it’s a suicide mission. Maggie and the others head out.
They walk in the midst of a thunderstorm, and some want to stop until it passes, but Maggie says they have no time. They see a Metro sign, and go down the stairs. Oh no. Dog is with them. I hate when Dog gets put in danger. Don’t touch Dog! Negan thinks they should wait for the storm to pass, and Maggie says, he doesn’t want to go? He says, no, and she says she doesn’t give a sh*t. Which way? He tells them what tracks to follow, and asks to talk to Daryl, but that’s a hard no. The others bump into Negan on purpose as they pass, like a bunch of babies. No wonder they’re not getting anywhere. Negan seems to do all the heavy lifting too.
They walk, and see graffiti that says, if there is a god, he will have to beg for my forgiveness. They hear a loud noise, and Cole says, it’s nothing serious, just the storm pushing the pipes. Negan says, it sounds serious. He thinks it’s God telling them to turn around, but Gabriel says, he’s sure God would run it him first. Negan asks if he’s willing to lose his remaining eyeball to this flood. He points out a watermark on the wall, and says the tunnel floods on a regular basis when rains. Daryl says, it’s worse up there, and Negan tells him, all he’s saying… but Daryl says, it ain’t working. Keep moving.
People wearing hoods are brought into the Commonwealth via wagons. Eugene sits in an interrogation room, and a woman asks if his name is Eugene Porter. He says, yes, that was his given moniker, and she says, no need to nervous… not if he’s honest. Eugene says, that’s how he rolls, and the woman explains that they’re auditors for the Commonwealth. If they pass inspection, they can go to Level 2. Eugene asks, if they don’t? and she says they go to reprocessing. He asks what that is, but she wants to start the assessment. As the questions are asked, we see the different characters answer them. Are their parents living; what did they do; what was their alma mater (we find out Yumiko went to Harvard Law); their zip code (Eugene has had several, and remembers them all); the results of their last routine physical; vaccinations; have they had cancer? Eugene says, none, and she asks about his goiter. He tells her that it’s a benign growth he’s had since birth. The woman asks Princess where she got the cash she had, and Princess explains that when she cashed her first paycheck, she’d asked for a two dollar bill, so she could have a reminder of the first money she made. The woman asks if they’ve been arrested, and do they have a history of drug use? Eugene says, he was in the anti-drug and alcohol commission when he was in high school, which is no surprise, and tells her that he wanted to meet Stephanie. The woman asks if they’re fundamentally honest, and repeatedly asks where their settlement is. Are there other groups they’ve come across? Some the questions are random and odd, like how they wipe themselves (Ezekiel passes, I don’t think pun intended), and how lucky are they? The woman continually repeats the question about their settlement, and Ezekiel starts to laugh. She asks if he thinks it’s funny, and he says he does. A stormtrooper in red-orange armor (Mercer) stands near them, and Ezekiel asks if he’s in charge; he’s standing there not talking like a man in charge. Mercer says, yeah, he’s in charge, and Ezekiel asks if Mercer thinks he fears him. Mercer says Ezekiel looks scared to him, and Ezekiel asks what Mercer did before the fall. His guess is dude was an a-hole beat cop. That’s why this fascist crap comes so easy. It’s another power trip, like before. They’ve been asked the same questions for over seven hours. He’s been cooperative, and his people have been cooperative. Ezekiel has a coughing fit, and Mercer asks if he’s thirsty, sliding over some water to him. Ezekiel drinks it down.
Back together, sitting at a table in a holding area, Eugene says, Ezekiel told off their leader? Ezekiel says, perhaps he could have handled it better, but he didn’t like way they talked to him. Yumiko says, do they know… but Ezekiel says, no; don’t worry about it. Mercer watches, and Princess says, they’ve got to pull the ripcord. It’s time to get out. Eugene wants them to wait, saying, the gruel isn’t the worst thing he’s ever eaten. Stephanie told him they were cautious. It’s a test. He thinks they should hunker down and level up; get honest. Ezekiel asks if Eugene wants these people to go to Hilltop with machine guns, but Eugene says, they need help. He thinks they can get it from these people. Princess sees a couple in another area, and asks how long they’ve been there. The man says, four months, but the woman says, nine, and he says the reprocessing confused him. One of the stormtroopers takes a guy out who does not want to go, and Mercer says, reprocessing. Eugene says, okay. Gotta go.
Maggie’s group follows the tracks, and stops, seeing bodies in plastic bags covering the space in front of them. Negan looks pretty worried, and Daryl moves to poke one of them. It startles both of us when it moves. He kills it, then checks out the body, saying, his throat was slashed so deep, it almost severed his head. Maggie says, they were killed during the fall, and Negan asks if she’s sure. Whoever is walking them through this masquerade, could still be there. She tells them to take each one out, and clear the path. They keep walking.
They stab each body in the head, but one gets up and out of his bag. He’s a big one too, and looks like one of the radioactive zombies in Planet Terror, all kinds of oozing bumps all over him. He sneaks behind Gage, and they tussle. Negan manages to push him away from Gage, and keeps him at bay for a minute, then shoves him against the wall, splitting his head open with an ax. Maggie tells everyone to pay attention so they don’t lose anymore. Negan asks if that’s her big plan; to pay attention. Does she want them to pay attention to anything in particular? A kid almost died. Daryl says Negan doesn’t give a sh*t about the kid, but Negan says, Maggie doesn’t give a sh*t about the kid. She’s playing dictator and not listening to anyone Whoever or whatever killed these people could still be there. Has that thought crossed anyone’s mind? …Exactly. This is a death march, with Maggie as the Pied Piper. If they want to roll with that sh*t, knock themselves out, but not him, not today. He’s out. Gage says he is too. Negan might be a d*ck, but he makes sense. Roy says, let them go, but Maggie says, Negan knows the city. Negan asks if that’s why he’s there; he’s their DC tour guide. Can no one read a goddam map? Maggie brought him there to die. She’ll find a reason, even if she has to do it herself, away from the prying eyes of Alexandria. He’d thought Daryl was in on it, but can tell by the glazed look in Daryl’s eyes, he had no clue. Gabriel says he’s paranoid, but Negan says, he’s still right. Him dying on her terms is not happening. He’s not letting her drag him through the mud, filth, and slime, and putting him down like a dog, like Glenn. Daryl punches Negan, knocking him down, and Maggie says their kids are starving, and she’s calling the shots because that’s how everyone voted. As for killing him – she cocks her gun, and aims it at him – it’s always on her mind. He’s not wrong about it. The woman who left six years ago, isn’t the one who’s there now. There’s a little bit of the old one keeping him breathing, but she doesn’t know how long it will last, so keep pushing her.
Princess points out two troopers who are flirting, and Ezekiel asks how she can tell them apart. And why does she think they’re flirting? She says she heard some stuff on the wagon, and gives them gossip about several troopers. Ezekiel says, they’re not even looking at each other, but Princess says, it’s obvious in the way they’re not looking at each other. When they go on break, one takes off first, then the other follows. She bets they spend most of their time taking the armor off. Oh…
Princess and Ezekiel are walked down a hall by two stormtroopers. They walk past an interrogation room, seeing the couple they’d spoken to before, and a third soldier comes out. She asks where Princess and Ezekiel are being taken, and one of the troopers says, reprocessing. She tells them to move along, and the troopers – who are really Eugene and Yumiko – walk Princess and Ezekiel to a room that has laundry bins full of money and papers, marked, for incineration, and a wall of photos and notes, that says, flag for expedited assessment and admittance. They look at the photos, and Eugene opens a door, peeking outside. He tells them that they’ve got to go now, but Princess asks Yumiko, isn’t that you? pointing at a photo. Yumiko looks at a picture of her and underneath it, a note from her brother. She says she has to stay.
In the tunnel, the group is still busy stabbing heads, when one of the flashlights goes out. Cole calls for Gage and Roy, saying, they have the rations, but they’re gone. Another dude says, Negan scared them off, because they just automatically blame Negan for everything. Daryl shines his flashlight down the tunnel, and we hear zombie noises. Yep. Here they come. Maggie uses her bow and arrow, and it’s the usual slicing and dicing. Negan, Gabriel, and Cole try to open a subway car, and I think maybe they wouldn’t be so obvious if Daryl would stop shining the flashlight at the zombies. Everyone scrambles to get on top of the car, and Dog takes off. Dammit! Daryl goes after him, which is as it should be, and Dog crawls into a hidey hole. Daryl goes in after him. Negan is next to last, climbing on top of the car, and Maggie starts to climb up behind him. The zombies are there, and it’s not good. One grabs Maggie’s leg, and on top of the car, Negan looks back. He sees what’s going on, and looks at her for a moment. She says his name, but he disappears, and she slips.
Next time, Negan says Maggie was right behind him, and Yumiko tells Eugene to stick to the story.
🙀 And So The End Starts…
Not a bad start to the final season. See you on Deck tomorrow, but until then, stay safe, stay equitable, and stay not bringing your dog on dangerous missions.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Anna and Finn enter Helena’s old lab, and Anna wonders if Peter hid down there before he escaped. Finn doesn’t say anything, and she says, did he escape? Finn says, no, and looks at the freezer. He says, he’s in there.
At the pool (🍷), Carly and Josslyn sit with their feet in the water, and Josslyn’s face is in her phone. Carly says, her and that phone. She only uses hers for calls, texts, and email. Josslyn says, and to spy on her children, but Carly says she’d call that monitoring her children. She asks what’s going on with Josslyn, and why she’s not hanging out with Trina and Cameron. Josslyn says there’s something she has to tell Carly, when Spencer comes out. He says, sorry for interrupting a mother/daughter moment, but he wanted to say hello. Carly says, hello, Spencer. Josslyn told her that he was back in town. So did some of her hotel staffers. He says, the staff was very helpful when he took an unexpected swim, and Josslyn says he should be more careful walking so close to the pool. He says he definitely learned his lesson, and she says, one can only hope.
Trina walks into the house, and the door squeaks loudly. She says she thought they were getting that fixed, and Portia tells her, the carpenter said he’s coming by to repair it. Trina says, on second thought, maybe they shouldn’t fix it. That thing is better than an alarm system. She heard a screech last night when Portia came home. The hospital is working her really late these days, huh?
Sitting near the pool (🍷), Curtis flashes back to kissing Portia. Shawn walks in, and says, checking out the competition? and Curtis says he has to admit the sunset views there are better than at his nightclub. Shawn sits down, and Curtis says it’s good to see him. They bro shake, and Curtis asks Shawn how it feels to be a free man. Shawn says, the short answer is, it feels damn good, and Curtis asks, what about the long answer? Shawn says, freedom doesn’t mean free from problems or challenges, and he still has plenty of those. Starting with his search for whoever shot Hayden. He was hoping Curtis could help him out.
Jordan is looking at the divorce papers when there’s a knock at her office door, and an officer says there’s someone asking to see her. Stella breezes past, and says she knows the officer is only doing his job, but can Jordan please tell him that she’s family. Jordan says, it’s all right; she’s family. The officer leaves, and Jordan asks what she can do for Stella. Stella says Jordan can tell her what she’d doing to salvage her marriage before Jordan loses her nephew altogether.
Elizabeth comes down the hospital stairs, and thanks Scotty for meeting her. He says it’s his pleasure, but it sounded urgent. She asks how the law defines justifiable homicide.
Jason slips out of a hospital door and into the hallway. He makes a call to Spinelli, thanking him, and asking if he’s still in. There’s something else he needs Spinelli to do.
Anna says, he’s in the freezer? and Finn says, it’s all right. Peter August is dead. He killed him.
Carly asks when Spencer got back to Port Charles, and he says, a few days ago, but that’s no excuse. He should have come over by now to tell her how sorry he is for her loss. He really admired Uncle Sonny. In Spencer’s opinion, he was a great man. He hears congratulations are in order, that she and Jason are engaged. She says they are, and he says, they’re finally getting the happiness they deserve.
Trina tells Portia, she’s just going to grab her tablet, and go back to the pool (🍷), so she’ll make it quick. She thinks the hospital is working Portia too hard. She didn’t get home until after midnight last night. Portia says she wasn’t working; she went out. Trina says, she went out out, for fun? and Portia asks if it’s that impossible to believe. Trina says it is. Did she go out by herself? Portia says, no. Terry invited her to go out, and she said yes. Trina says, that’s better than great. Where did they go? Portia says, here and there, and Trina says, imagine if she answered that way when Portia asked her the same thing. Portia says, eventually, they ended up at the Savoy with Curtis.
Curtis says Shawn knows he’s no longer in the P.I. game, and Shawn says Curtis’s ex-partner is helping him. Curtis says, Sam is one of the best. If anyone can find Hayden’s shooter, it’s her. Shawn says he’s counting on it, but he also knows Curtis did a deep dive on the case. Curtis says he got absolutely nowhere. He and Hayden were friends before she left, but he never found a smoking gun. If he had, he would have notified the cops immediately, but he never found who Hayden’s shooter was. Shawn says he was wondering if something in the old files that meant nothing then, might mean something now. Curtis says he’ll revisit his old records and see what he can find. It’s the least he can do. Shawn says he wants Curtis to know that he understands Curtis has already done plenty, and he’s grateful.
Jordan covers the papers on her desk, and tells Stella that her marriage isn’t open for discussion, and this conversation is over. Stella says she’s sorry if it takes a little tough love to get Jordan to follow her heart, and Jordan says she followed it. She did what Stella encouraged. She went to find Curtis. She was going to tell him that if he wanted to roll up his sleeves, and make this marriage work, she’d be right beside him. Stella says, now she’s talking. Did she find him? Jordan says she found him all right, at The Savoy. She also found the answer she was looking for, and it wasn’t the answer she or Stella wanted.
Scotty and Elizabeth go into an examining room, and Scotty says, just a little piece of advice. If you’re going to be talking about justifiable homicide, then you should do it when nobody’s near you, and only to your lawyer. She says nobody’s near them now, but he says he thinks it should still be a little hush-hush. Between her and him, what kind of trouble is she in? She says, this isn’t about her. It’s about… He says, a friend, right? 99% out of 100, it’s about a friend. There never is a friend. She says, this time there is, and he says if she wants to stick to her story and take him for a buggy ride, fine. So this friend, why did they kill whoever it was they killed? She says, desperation… outrage… The thing is, her friend didn’t mean to kill this other person. He says, so it was self-defense? and she says, no. He says, first things first. She didn’t kill anyone. She says, no, this isn’t about her. He says, this is about her. He’s sorry to snap at her, but if she knows that her friend killed somebody, or knows anything about it, that makes her an accessory to murder.
Finn says, after all the lives Peter destroyed is it any surprise he’d meet a violent death? Anna says not only is she having trouble believing he was killed, she’s having trouble believing Finn did it. He says, believe it, because it’s true. He’s the one who found Peter on the roof, waiting for a helicopter to help him escape. We see the roof scene again as Finn talks. He says he pleaded with Peter. He confronted him about Chase. Peter’s answer was to throw the antidote off the roof. Then when Peter tried to leave, he couldn’t let that happen. He killed Peter August. He threw him face first down a flight of stairs. Peter hit his head hard on the way down; he died. She says she’s sorry, and he says, that he killed Peter? and she says, that he had to bear the weight of what he did. He says, it goes against everything he stands for, but if he had to face Peter again on the roof under the same circumstances, he woudn’t do a damn thing different.
Spencer says, Jason and Carly will make perfect life partners. He hopes it’s not presumptuous to say, but he thinks Uncle Sonny would have approved. Carly thanks him, and he says he guesses there’s something familiar about falling in love with a friend. That explains how Josslyn and Cameron ended up together. Josslyn says, Spencer! and Carly says, Josslyn and Cameron? What? Josslyn says, well, that’s… and Spencer says he couldn’t believe it either. They’ve known each other most of their lives, but he’s always credited Josslyn with a more adventurous spirit, and thought she’d be drawn to someone that’s… He looks at Josslyn and says, what? She hasn’t told her mother? Josslyn pushes him into the pool, and tells Carly she wishes he’d stayed in Italy. Spencer pops out of the water, and she smiles at him.
Trina says, so Portia and Terry had a drink with Curtis? Portia says, no. Terry encouraged her to seek out Curtis, so she did. Trina says, so she and Curtis… Portia says, it’s a new thing, for both of them. Trina knows she hasn’t dated much since her and Trina’s father split up, at least never seriously. Trina says, and Portia never talked to her about it, and Portia asks if Trina wants her to stop, but Trina tells her, she didn’t say that. Portia says she and Curtis enjoy each other’s company; Trina must have noticed that. Trina says she knew they were close, and Curtis called the night Cyrus took them hostage and came to their rescue. When Curtis was shot, Portia kept vigil at GH. So it makes everything make sense. Portia says, she’s not interested in Curtis because he risked his life to save them; it’s because of the man he is. She likes being with him, and would like to spend more time with him. So how is Trina feeing about all that?
Shawn says, one of the worst things about prison was being locked away from TJ. He was sure TJ was on the right track and doing well in school, but he was at a pivotal point in his life, when it’s easy for a young man to lose his way and turn down the wrong road. TJ needed guidance a strong role model, and Shawn wasn’t able to be there, but Curtis was. He’s thankful Curtis came to Port Charles when he did. Curtis says it was one of the best moves he ever made, and Shawn says he respects Curtis. Curtis is someone he can count on and turn to, despite what happened with Tommy. Curtis says, they all made mistakes back in the day, and Shawn says, those mistakes could have easily put a wedge between them, but Curtis made a point of being there for him and TJ. He thanks Curtis, saying, he’s a good man. Curtis says, that means a lot coming from Shawn. Respect. They clink glasses, and Shawn says, cheers, brother.
Scotty tells Elizabeth, for it to be justifiable homicide, the person who committed the crime would have to prove he was in a situation where it was kill or be killed. She says, what if… and he says, he also recalls visiting a friend of hers who was afraid they’d be hauled in for questioning about Peter’s disappearance. And he knows that friend was very important to her. She says, so what if her friend needed his help? and he says, it would be a conflict of interest. She says, what conflict? and he says she’s his top priority, and he’s going to do everything in his power to protect her. But she has to tell him what’s going on, so he can help her out of the mess she’s in before it’s too late.
On the phone, Jason asks Spinelli if he found it.
Anna tells Finn, whatever happened, she knows he’s not a murderer, but he says, a jury of his peers might disagree. She says, Peter confronted Finn, Finn shoved him, he fell, and hit his head. Finn tried to help Peter, didn’t he? He says he checked for breathing and a pulse, but there was nothing. There was nothing he could do. Peter was gone. She asks if he was certain, and he says he didn’t spend a long time lingering over the body. He had other priorities like keeping Chase alive. She says, and he didn’t feel he could come to her? He says, her knowing Peter was dead wasn’t going to bring her any closer to finding Louise. He couldn’t risk leaving Violet without a father; her mother already abandoned her. How could he leave her too?
Spencer says, this is getting annoying, and Josslyn says, tell her about it. What the hell is wrong with him? He asks how he was supposed to know she was keeping her romance a secret from her mother. He thought they shared everything. She says, they do. In fact, she was just about to tell her before he opened his big mouth. Remind her to tell Trina not to even waste her time with him; he’s so out of her league. Carly comes out, and gives Spencer a towel. She says he’s only in town for five minutes, and he’s already causing trouble? She asks to talk to her daughter, and he leaves. She and Josslyn sit down, and Carly says Josslyn has to stop pushing that kid in the pool. She’s not kidding; it’s a safety regulation. Josslyn says she’s sorry. She’d love to promise she won’t do it again, but if Spencer is sitting close to the pool edge, and running his mouth about something that’s none of his business… Carly says, find another way to shut him up. If Spencer hits his head, Nikolas will sue her. Josslyn says, okay, but Spencer is a jerk, and totally deserved the dunking. Carly says she agrees with Josslyn, and Josslyn says she hopes Trina stays away from him. Carly says, what does she want to talk about first? Trina and Spencer, or her and Cameron?
Trina says, she’s not sure what’s happening here, but is Portia asking her for dating advice, because that would be weird. Portia says, don’t worry. She’s not asking for advice, and definitely not asking for permission, but she does want to know if Trina has a problem with her dating Curtis. Trina can be honest with her. Trina says, all she wants is for Portia to be happy. Portia says, but…? and Trina says, how long have Portia and Curtis… She saw the signs, and thought something was there. Was she right? Portia says, yes, they had feelings for each other, but it wasn’t until last night that they owned up to those feelings, and decided to see where it’s going to go. Trina asks if Portia has any idea where it might be going, but Portia says, not yet. She’ll keep Trina posted. She wanted to tell Trina first before she hears it from anyone else. Trina says she’s glad Portia told her… Portia asks, what is it? and Trina says, does Jordan know? She thought they were friends.
Jordan tells Stella that she walked into The Savoy just in time to see Curtis and Portia in a close moment. Stella asks, how close? and Jordan says, close enough that their lips were touching. Stella asks what she did, and Jordan says, she left. Stella says, she walked out? and Jordan asks what she was supposed to do, pull out a sidearm, and yell, freeze? Stella says she understands that Jordan is hurt and angry. Portia and Curtis share a past, and that can be a powerful draw. On second thought, maybe Jordan did the right thing. This way, she can have a talk with Curtis, or Portia. She heads for the door, and says, or maybe she’ll sit them both down, but Jordan says, please just let this go. Their marriage didn’t work. Curtis has moved on. Now she needs to move on too.
Curtis says he could never replace Shawn or Tommy, but he did the best he could to be a father figure to TJ for as long as he could. Until things between him and Jordan… Shawn says he’s sorry to hear they’re splitting up, but just because the marriage is ending, that doesn’t diminish the family he’s created. If he wants proof, look no further than TJ and Molly. He wouldn’t be there now if Molly hadn’t called out Judge Carson for being hard on defendants of color. Those kids are a hard act to follow. Curtis says, sometimes he thinks TJ is the man he’s always wanted to be, and Shawn says, all they can do is try. In the meantime, besides running the hottest club in town, what else is new in Curtis’s life? Curtis says the nightclub keeps him busy most nights. In the afternoons he comes there to recharge. Shawn says, there are definitely worse places, and Curtis says, tell him if he’s out of line, but after Shawn tracks down the person responsible for Hayden’s shooting, what happens next? Shawn says he’s keeping his options open. Why? Curtis says, because The Savoy is his baby, and he working to assemble a team he can trust. He could certainly use a man with Shawn’s skills.
Scotty says, if Elizabeth’s friend killed who he thinks they did, they should be given the keys to the city. But it’s not about what’s right; it’s about the law. She asks if those two things shouldn’t be the same, and he says, theoretically, but the longer she stays quiet, and says nothing, she’s committing a crime. She needs to tell him what’s going on so he can help her. She says she would if she could, but there are other lives involved. Other people might suffer if she came forward. He says, so this friend, he really means a lot to her.
Finn says he owes Anna an apology, and she says, for what? He says, for being so hard on her about keeping things from him. He never imagined he’d be living in a glass house, throwing stones. She says, it’s not the same thing, and he says, don’t let him off the hook. She says, she only wishes she could. She needs to ask him a question. He confronted Peter on the roof. He pushed Peter, and Peter fell down the stairs and he hit his head. And then what? He transported Peter there? He says, yeah, and she says, how? He couldn’t have done it alone.
Josslyn tells Carly, she and Cameron just started seeing each other. She didn’t want to say anything until she knew there was something worth saying something about. Carly says, okay. It’s weird. And great. She’s happy for Josslyn, as long as she’s happy. Does her dad know? Josslyn says, no, and please let her tell him. Carly says Josslyn knows she can come to her about anything, and Josslyn says she knows. She wants Carly to know that it came as a surprise to her and Cameron too. Trina told them that they were the last people to know. Carly says, it does happen sometimes, and Josslyn asks if that’s what happened with Carly and Jason.
Portia tells Trina that she doesn’t want to hurt Jordan. She hopes they find a way to remain friends through this. But before she speaks to Jordan – and she most certainly will – it was important she speak to Trina first. Trina says she’s glad Portia told her. She was expecting to grab her tablet, and be on her way, but this was kind of nice. Portia says, she’ll take kind of nice. Trina hopes it works out, that everything Portia wants to happen, happens. She texted Josslyn to meet her, so… Portia tells her, have fun. She’s glad they were able to have this talk. Trina will be living on campus soon, and it’s important they keep this line of communication open, right? Trina says, right, and leaves. Portia says, that went better than I thought it would. Outside, Trina looks sad.
Shawn asks what kind of skills Curtis is looking for. Does Curtis want him to be a bouncer for the velvet rope? Curtis says, nothing like that, although he’s sure Shawn would be good at that too. He’s looking for someone to help him run the place, and he heard Shawn has managerial experience. Shawn says he ran Kelly’s diner, not a nightclub, and Curtis says, obviously there are differences, but what Shawn doesn’t know he can learn on the job. Shawn says he appreciates the offer… and Curtis says he knows what Shawn is going to say. This isn’t a handout. Shawn would actually be helping him, because he needs someone he can trust. Shawn wants to say yes, and Curtis tells him, say it. Shawn says if Curtis is looking at this like long term, he can’t give Curtis that. His plans are to find out who shot Hayden. After that’s done, he needs to figure out what work he wants to do; what kind of life he wants to lead. All he knows is, he wants to be his own boss. Curtis says he gets it. He owned his own P.I. firm, and now the nightclub. He’s been his own boss, and sees why Shawn would want the same, but what Shawn is talking about are future plans, correct? Shawn says, there are no actual plans yet, and Curtis says, until Shawn puts those plans in place, he could sure use him at The Savoy. Shawn says, just a couple of friends helping each other out, and Curtis says, that’s what friends are for. Shawn says, then he accepts, and Curtis says, welcome to the team. They bro shake, Shawn asks when he starts. Curtis says, whenever he’s ready, and Shawn says, he wasn’t expecting to get out for a long time, and all of a sudden, here he is. Curtis says, and he’s there for Shawn when he’s ready.
Elizabeth tells Scotty, her friend needs help; she’s not turning on him. Scotty says he admires her loyalty, but his advice to her is to stay quiet. Don’t talk to anybody, because justifiable homicide doesn’t apply to this particular crime. So if the police come knocking on her door, dummy up and call him. Understood? She says, understood, and they hug. Jason looks through the window.
Finn tells Anna, Peter was on the roof when he confronted him. What happened after that is on him, and no one else. Anna says she hears what he’s saying, but if her instincts led her to him, the PCPD won’t be far behind. The more she knows, the more she can help him. He says he told her everything. She says, if he had help, it’s understandable that he’d want to protect them, but he insists there was no one else. There’s nothing left say. Once she opens this freezer, she’ll see what he did.
Carly says it was a little different for her and Jason, and Josslyn says she knows they’ve been friends forever. Carly says, more than half their lives, and Josslyn says, if they’re talking percentages, she and Cameron have been friends all of their lives. If it took Carly and Jason that long to figure it out, it’s kind of the same. Carly says, they could all wear matching outfits and stuff, and Josslyn says, no, but thanks for the offer. They laugh, and Shawn says he’s glad they’re getting along. Carly says, never have, never will, and hugs him. Josslyn says she’s got to run, but not before she does this, and hugs him. She says, please don’t tell her that she’s all grown up now, and he says, even if she is? She says, it has been a while. He’s going to make her cry at the pool (🍷). She jets, and he tells Carly, she’s all grown up, and Carly says he doesn’t know the half of it. They sit, and she says she wants to share all that with him, but first she wants to talk to him and his future, and she’s hoping it has something to do with her and her family.
Trina has come in, and Josslyn sits with her at a table, and asks, what’s going on? Trina says she’s not going to believe this, and Spencer strides in, saying, believe what? He’s already enthralled. Trina says, on second thought, maybe meeting there was a bad idea. Josslyn says, no argument here.
Portia opens the squeaky door to Curtis, and he looks at it and says, what the hell is that? She says, a souvenir from when he kicked the door in. He says, sorry about that, and she says, don’t be sorry. He saved their lives.
Jordan signs the divorce papers, and puts them in an envelope. She seals it, and puts it in her outbox, and says, signed, sealed, and on its way to be delivered to the courthouse. Stella says, feel better now? and Jordan says, actually, yes. Curtis is free, she’s free now, and now there’s no more looking back, asking herself what might have been. Stella says she thought her nephew meant more to Jordan, and Jordan says she loves Curtis. At one point, he loved her too, but their marriage didn’t work. Once the papers are filed, the rest of her life can finally begin. She cries a little.
Scotty and Elizabeth walk out, and Jason says he needs to talk to her. Scotty says, hang on. Is this her friend? He’s got his own lawyer. She says, it’s not Jason, and he says, good. She says she still needs to talk to him, and Scotty tells Jason if anything happens to Elizabeth… Jason says he knows. He’ll have to answer to Scotty. Elizabeth thanks Scotty for meeting her, and says she’ll call him. Scotty leaves, and Elizabeth urges Jason into the examining room. She asks if he got her message. She thinks Anna knows about Peter. Please tell her that he got to his body before she did.
Anna tells Finn, she was worried that someday she’d have to identify Peter’s body. That is, if she didn’t end his life herself. Those were really the only two ways it could have played out. Finn says he saved her the trouble, and she says, as much as Peter hated Faison, he turned out the same way. The choices Peter made led him here. She puts her hand on the freezer handle.
Shawn tells Carly that he had a conversation with Curtis, and he’s going to help out at The Savoy. She says she’s happy for Curtis, but sad for Jason and her. They could use his expertise. He says he has no doubt she can handle whatever comes up, especially since she and Jason are – he lifts up her hand – in it together? She says, they are, and they’re very happy. While she’s sure he’s going to make The Savoy even more successful, she wants him to know he’ll always have a place with them. He says he’ll remember that.
Josslyn tells Trina that she promised her mom that she’d stop pushing Spence into the pool (🍷) because it’s dangerous, but she can make an exception. What did he do to Trina? Spencer says, he tried to prevent her from making a fool of herself for attempting to Parent Trap Ava and his father. Josslyn says, Parent Trapping; how? Trina says she told the server to bring them each a drink and tell them it was from each other. Josslyn says, that’s a great idea, and Trina says, it would have worked if Mr. I’m-Not-A-Fan-Of-My-Stepmother hadn’t outed her, and ruined it. Spencer says he’s done trying to help people. Au revoir. Josslyn says, ciao, loser. Trina asks how Spencer tried to help Josslyn, or is she reading that wrong? Josslyn says he helped her all right. He told her mom about her and Cameron literally seconds before she was going to. Trina asks how Carly took it, and Josslyn says, it was fine, but awkward. Trina says she feels Josslyn, Know what’s even more awkward? When your mom opens up to you.
Curtis says, and Trina was okay with it, and Portia said, she seemed to be. He says, and she told Trina it was him, and not some other Curtis? and she says, Trina knew the Curtis she was speaking of. He says, when she told Trina that they were going to start seeing each other, she knew what Portia meant? Portia says she was very clear, which was kind of new. Not just because she hasn’t dated much after she and Taggert split, but because Trina is her little girl. But she’s not anymore; she’s a grown woman. Instead of Trina confiding in her, it was kind of like they were confiding in each other. Curtis asks how that made her feel, and she says, good. Like she and her daughter are becoming friends. And she could use one of those right about now. He says he assumes she’s thinking of Jordan, and she says, isn’t he? He says, yeah. He was thinking he’d better tell her about them before she finds out some other way.
An officer tells Jordan that she’s wanted in interrogation, and she thanks him. Jordan thanks Stella for her concern, but she does have to ask her… Stella says she knows. Mind her own business. She will, and please don’t worry about her. She’ll show herself out. Jordan leaves, and Stella says, one thing Jordan should know by now. Her family is her business. She looks up, and says, Lord, forgive me. It’s for a good cause. She takes the envelope with the divorce papers in it, and puts it in her bag.
Finn says he knew this moment would come; the end of the road, getting caught. Now that it’s here, he’s almost relieved. He’s glad it was her. She says, let’s not put it off longer, and they open the freezer. It’s empty, and they look at each other.
Jason says he did get Elizabeth’s message. He and Anna didn’t cross paths, and Spinelli was able to get into the security cameras, so he got in unseen… Elizabeth says, just tell her what he did with Peter’s body, but he says, nothing. When he opened the freezer, Peter’s body wasn’t there.
Tomorrow, Jordan asks if Dante knows what Anna is doing, Anna asks if Finn is absolutely certain Peter was dead, and Laura asks if Carly is having second thoughts.
The Haves and The Have Nots Reunion – Part 1
There’s never much to say about any reunion, and even less when it’s the cast of a weekly show. That’s not to diminish how great it was to see the cast of The Haves and The Have Nots together as themselves. Kind of like a mini HAHN convention. All of the main characters – Candace (Tika Sumpter), Hanna (Crystal R. Fox), Benny (Tyler Lepley), Kathryn (Reneé Lawless), Wyatt (Aaron O’Connell), David (Peter Parros), Jeffrey (Gavin Houston), and Veronica (Angela Robinson) – were on stage. The only one missing was Jim (John Schneider), but it wasn’t explained why. There was a live audience, and plenty of flashbacks. Each character had their own montage, and the cast answered questions from host Egypt Sharrod. Questions were also taken from the audience, and a ultimate fan Yolanda, who’d been throwing viewing parties, got a video chat with Benny/Tyler, and an all-expense paid invite for her and a friend to come to the final cast party. Some takeaway points were that this had been Tyler Lepley’s first acting gig (he celebrated with Hennessy); Reneé Lawless had been raised in the South, and knows how to bury a body and keep it hidden; and – drumroll – Tika Sumpter had become engaged to Nick James who’d played Officer Justin Lewis. The best part was the obvious love the cast had for each other, and for the fans. Catch it if you can.
The Real Housewives of New York City
Ramona visited LuAnn, who had a birthday cupcake with a candle in it for her. In Ramona’s interview, she said everyone knew she loved to celebrate her birthday, and celebrated for literally a month. But because of covid, she wanted to downplay it. Ramona thanked LuAnn for hosting the party, and LuAnn said she was glad Ramona had given up control, and let her do it, even though Ramona liked to have a 50 girlfriend party. In her interview, LuAnn said Ramona was always hosting her own party. She was switching it up this time, and including Sonja. She was doing a joint party, and a party was more fun when another friend hosted it. She told Ramona that it was going to be small and intimate, and there would be a nice surprise. Ramona said she was looking forward to it.
Eboni and Sonja went see Martin, and in Sonja’s interview, she said Martin could be tough, but there was no growth unless someone got in your face. Ramona told LuAnn that the séance brought up stuff about her brother. She’d never mourned him. She was afraid Sonja was going to have an accident, since her brother had crashed his car. They’d thought he was on something, and probably a drinker too. She thought Sonja went too far with her drinking, and Ramona felt helpless like she did with her brother. LuAnn said she told Sonja that someone could have called the police when she smashed the glass to the fire extinguisher. LuAnn had been there, and it scared the sh*t out of her. We flashed back to LuAnn’s arrest, and she says, it just takes one night. Ramona said Sonja was obviously not addressing something in her life. She wished Sonja would go to a professional to deal with the pain that was deep down. At the ring, Eboni asked Sonja about her parents, and Sonja said they’d loved each other, but when they broke up, her mother invited Sonja to live with her. Her dad was a player. Martin told Sonja, what her father thought about her had nothing to do with her. She needed that experience to get ready for what she was experiencing now. In Sonja’s interview, she said her father loved her, but she was blown away that he’d matured enough on the other side to see that. She was grateful that he showed up at the séance. In Eboni’s interview, she said Sonja had taken Martin’s words to heart, and wasn’t letting anyone walk on her. She could be more balanced, but Eboni wasn’t going to nitpick. Sonja told Eboni that her daddy broke her heart, and she was working to find answers to her story. Eboni said she’d been talking Ashley, the woman who thought she was Eboni’s sister. They were getting a blood test, and getting the results together on FaceTime. In her interview, Eboni said she wasn’t scared anymore. She had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. LuAnn pointed out to Ramona that she’d gotten a piano, and said she and musical director Billy had been working on a Christmas song. She was donating the proceeds to Fortune Society, and asked everyone if they’d sing a line. They were going to have the birthday party, then do the video.
Eboni FaceTimed with Ashley, and in her interview, she said it had been a long time coming. Since she was six, there had been rumors and suspicions, and she couldn’t wait to have some fact based evidence. She told Ashley, the little bit of family she had was dwindling, and she wanted to make the effort to see if she had additional family out there. Ashley said when she found out their father had passed away, she felt the hurt of the absence of a relationship with him because it didn’t hurt. In Eboni’s interview, she said she didn’t have a relationship with Kenneth, but there had been a handful of visits with her mother. She told Ashley that he was supposed to help her move when she went to Loyola, but he did one load, and disappeared. She felt it was better to have no relationship than feel abandoned. She thinks it cursed her in her relationships with men. She ended it before they could. Ashley said she was preaching to the choir. Eboni said she wanted to meet Ashley regardless of their status. She respected and admired Ashley, and wanted a relationship with her. Ashley had given her something special – her father. LuAnn met with the restaurant manager to plan the party, and Leah joined her there. LuAnn said there were going to be dancers, and Leah reassured the manager that they’d keep it classy. LuAnn said, famous last words, and Leah said she had a cake idea, and wanted to be in charge of that. LuAnn said they had all the needed to have fun, and Leah asked if they needed to sign a contract for the Christmas song. LuAnn said she’d just laid the tracks, and hadn’t thought about that part yet. In Leah’s interview, she said she was happy to donate her time and voice for the Fortune Society, but she wanted to make sure all her bases were covered legally. She asked what Garth thought about an article saying he was LuAnn’s new boyfriend, and LuAnn said they were laying low and taking a break. In her interview, LuAnn said she and Garth weren’t hot and heavy. They were having a good time, and liked each other’s company, but they’d sizzled then fizzled.
In LuAnn’s interview, she said she was lucky to be working with Bruce, who’d worked with Barbara Streisand and Donna Summer, and Billy, who’d worked with Liza Minelli for years. Ramona showed up first, and in her interview, she said she didn’t have a great voice. It had been until she was twelve, when her voice changed, and she hadn’t kept up with singing. This was for a good cause, so she’d figure out how to make it work. She sang, and I thought, good luck with that. In Ramona’s interview, she thought she did fine. She wasn’t the best singer, but had good energy. When she left, LuAnn asked Billy if he was exhausted, but Billy said Ramona was good natured. LuAnn said she wasn’t expecting Adele. Sonja was next, and in her interview, she said she loved working with Billy. He was iconic, nice, and made you sound good. Eboni came in while Sonja was singing, and in Eboni’s interview, she said she was not a singer, but LuAnn asked for this sh*t, so she was going to get it. She hoped LuAnn wasn’t looking for Whitney. This was not it. Billy asked for the next victim. In Leah’s interview, she said she was happy to do the song, but feeling ambivalent because she wanted a contract. She told LuAnn that she’d spoken to her attorney, who told her to ask, who owns the song? How would it be distributed, and, if they used samples, was she liable for anything? Bruce said only the three of them were publishing it, and it was totally original. In LuAnn’s interview, she said, talk about timing. She and Leah talked about this already, and now is definitely not the time to talk about it when the producer is there. LuAnn told Leah that everything they were making was going to the Fortune Society. Leah said, forever? and LuAnn said if Leah wasn’t comfortable, there were plenty of girls who would want to do it. Leah asked why LuAnn was being defensive, and LuAnn asked why Leah was. Leah said LuAnn attacking her was making her uncomfortable. Billy told her to look at it as a donation, and Leah said that was all she wanted to know. In her interview, Leah said she loved LuAnn and loved Christmas songs – even though she was converting – and it was nothing personal. In LuAnn’s interview, she said she’d had the Christmas spirit going, and it was like she’d been having a party, and Leah came in and shut the music off. Leah did some unnecessary warm-up exercises, and sang pretty well.
In LuAnn’s interview, she said her friend Hank was like one of the girls, and had done their pageant in the Hamptons. He was helping with the party. In Bershan’s interview, she said it was round two, her second chance. It was their night, so she was going to chill. In Sonja’s interview, she said she was glad LuAnn’s concept was just them. Ramona realized she didn’t need 75 friends to celebrate with; they had each other. Sonja talked about the pageant to Hank, and said it had been a fun vibe, but she wasn’t drinking tonight, since they’d been wagging their fingers at her. In her interview, Sonja said when Bershan wasn’t saying stupid things and didn’t piss her off, she liked Bershan. She was probably great when she was sleeping. She had a boyfriend for six years that way. Billy said Sonja was afraid to drink, and Ramona said, wait an hour or two. The others arrive, and appetizers are served. In Leah’s interview, she said she was forgiven after almost setting Ramona’s backyard on fire, a week after meeting everyone. She supposed she had to extend the same grace to Bershan. Nude model Kurt joined them, and Eboni wondered if he was going to be nude tonight. In Eboni’s interview, she said she almost forgot she saw his d*ck. It was nice. Clothed model Dylan also joined the party, and Sonja asked how Ramona knew him. Ramona said she met him through people, and in Sonja’s interview, she laughed, and said Ramona obviously didn’t want know how they met. Dylan gave Ramona flowers, and Hank introduced his friend Will. In her interview, Leah wondered if they couldn’t find new men. The last time she met William, it didn’t go well. I thought, oh, he’s that William, and Leah apologized, saying she was projecting her anger at past boyfriends onto William, and she shouldn’t do that. In her interview, Sonja says, that leaves Dylan up for grabs. Hank said he and LuAnn had a treat for them.
Two dudes in only jeans danced around, and in Bershan’s interview, she said, turning it up, strippers, music, dancing, and having fun. That’s what she thought they should be doing. In Ramona’s interview, she said she didn’t want a lap dance. She didn’t want anybody’s body close to hers. Wasn’t admiring from afar good enough? Leah reversed it, and gave one of the guys a lap dance. LuAnn gave a toast, saying she was so glad they were there together to celebrate. She’d known both Ramona and Sonja for almost 20 years, and loved them so much. Happy birthday. Now they could all drink. Sonja said, could they, or would there be things said afterward? LuAnn told Sonja to do Sonja, and in Sonja’s interview, she said it was no fun unless they did it together. Eboni and Leah literally discussed body parts on the terrace with Kurt, got confused as to the names of things, and Leah ended up googling it. In Eboni’s interview, she said Kurt seemed like the kind of man who’s studied the Kama Sutra, and had made it his business to know how to please a woman. This is why she respected him. She told the other women that she was hosting a Black Shabbat at a Jewish friend’s house. Ramona wondered why it wasn’t just a Shabbat, and Eboni said she was inviting Black friends, except for them. Ramona asked why she just didn’t say she was having people over, and Eboni said it was because they shared a culture. Ramona said, how about saying she’s having a party; want to come? In Ramona’s interview, she says she hoped it would be a fun night. Sometimes Eboni made it serious and lecture-like. Eboni said, because of covid, she was limited to the amount of people. She’d invited Black people she went to Israel with, and who had experienced the Jewish people and community with her. This was enough to make Bershan want to head for the hills, and in her interview, she said she didn’t need go to go to school for five hours. She could miss this party. Leah talked to the other women about LuAnn’s song, wondering how long LuAnn would be donating money from it. Ramona said she trusted LuAnn, and Leah said she just thought they should have gotten a release before they recorded. LuAnn caught wind of what was being discussed, and joined the group. She said Leah had come in talking about lawyers, and basically said she didn’t trust her. She was disappointed. Leah said she was just protecting herself, and Ramona applauded, saying, God bless LuAnn. She asked why Leah wanted to fight, and Leah said everyone was angry last year, when Dorinda and Sonja were on LuAnn about using Sonja and not paying her. We flashed back to that, and LuAnn told Leah not to overstep her boundaries. Leah said she would step wherever TF she wanted to. Her lawyer said if she did the song, they should have a release. LuAnn told her, lawyer up. She wouldn’t find anything.
LuAnn said she would cut off her right arm for Leah, and Eboni said Leah just wanted to ask questions. It wasn’t about LuAnn’s integrity. In Eboni’s interview, she said it wasn’t her norm, but she just figured they’d get to the paperwork later. Although if it hadn’t been for charity, it would have been the first thing she did. Leah said she hoped if LuAnn made millions later (as if), she’d give them something, and in her interview, she said, all she wanted to know was how the money was going to be donated, and for how long. In LuAnn’s interview, she said she was upset that Leah didn’t get it. Leah was talking to LuAnn’s girlfriends about legal issues that hadn’t come up, at a party she was hosting. They sang Happy Birthday, and the cakes came out – a vagina and a penis, with two candles on each of them. No surprise, since Leah took on that task. Leah told LuAnn that it wasn’t about her integrity or trusting her, but about protecting their friendship. LuAnn said she just hadn’t gotten to it yet, and Leah said she’d cut off her right arm for LuAnn too. LuAnn said Leah had nothing to worry about. In her interview, LuAnn said Leah not trusting her was upsetting. She hoped they could move on, and get to that bridge when they got to it. Ramona left, no doubt for a date, and in Sonja’s interview, she said none of them was perfect, but when she gelled with her girls, she was reminded of why she was friends with them. Ramona told William that she’d text him her address.
Next time, Leah talks about her rabbi, Eboni finds out about Ashley, Ramona argues for Sonja’s family money, the Christmas song video is made, and Dylan calls, saying Sonja is passed out in his hotel room.
🍵 Tea You Tomorrow…
Just soap on Wednesday, since RHOBH is taking a break this week, and the finale of Family Karma and RHOP is airing. Until then, stay safe, stay taking it a step at a time, and stay keeping your hands off other people’s paperwork, even if you think it’s for a good cause.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Finn plates slices of orange and carrots at a picnic table in the park. Violet runs up to him, and he asks if her team is ready for some snacks. She says they’re hungry, and he says, that’s what a big-time game of T-ball will do to you. She looks at what he’s made, and says, they’re not snacks; they’re too healthy. He says he’s a doctor. He believes in a healthy snack. She says her team is going to hate her. He says they don’t want that, when Elizabeth approaches with a big container. She says she hopes they don’t mind. Aiden made cupcakes for Violet’s team. Violet says, thank you Aunt Elizabeth, and hugs her, and Finn says, yes. Thank you Aunt Elizabeth for saving my life.
New York City. David asks why the hell Anna is so interested in his sister? He moves toward her, saying, what the hell is this? Valentin is on him in a flash, pinning him to the bar with his arm behind his back, and says, move, and he’ll break David’s wrist. Anna says she wants him to tell her about the baby his sister helped kidnap, and the father, Peter August.
Laura sees Jordan, and asks how Alexis and Shawn are going. Jordan says, good evening to her too. They’re both in the interrogation room, making a few phone calls to loved ones. Laura says she’ll need to cut that short.
On the phone, Alexis tells Molly, she’s absolutely sure. Molly says, but mom, and Alexis says, don’t but mom her. The same goes for Kristina and Sam. There’s nothing they can do at this juncture. If anything changes, she’ll let Molly know. TJ asks Molly if his dad is with Alexis, and Alexis says, he’s right here. She’s going to hand the phone over, but there’s one more thing. Have fun tonight. Don’t worry about her for a second. She loves Molly. Molly says she loves Alexis too, and Alexis hands the phone to Shawn. TJ asks if Shawn is going to tell him the same thing Alexis told Molly, and Shawn says he’s got that right. He wants them to enjoy themselves, and not worry about his situation. He’ll be the first to know. TJ says, it will be good news; he just knows. Shawn hopes so, and says he’ll see TJ soon. Shawn tells Alexis that TJ’s hopes are so high, he’s going to be devastated if Shawn gets sent back to Pentenville. Alexis thinks it might be unavoidable – for the both of them.
TJ peruses the menu, and asks Molly if they should take their parents’ advice and spend the evening having fun. She says, it was their intent when they came there, and it makes sense. She may never see him again, he’ll be so busy doing rotations at the hospital. He says, and she’ll be busy studying for the bar exam, while continuing to work for the DA. So let’s eat, drink, and indulge in each other all we can. A waitress brings a bottle of champagne to the table, and Molly asks if TJ ordered it. He says he’s afraid that’s not in the budget. The waitress must have the wrong table. She says, the champagne is from the gentleman at the bar, and Nikolas smiles, raising his glass to them.
Cameron and Josslyn hold hands as they lie in lounge chairs, sunning by the pool. Cameron asks if she wants more sunscreen, and she says, that would be great. She can feel herself starting to roast. He puts sunscreen on her back, and a voice says, watch your hands, townie. Josslyn says, Spencer? and he says, live and in person. She asks how he is, and what made him decide to grace them with his presence? It’s been forever. He says he thought it would be forever before the two of them got together. How’d that happen? Cameron says, just lucky I guess, and puts his arm around Josslyn. He asks how long Spencer is in town for, and Spencer says he’s back for good.
Valentin lets David up, and Anna says she doesn’t understand. David just said he was hired by Peter to take him off the roof of GH. He says, that was the plan, but he couldn’t get the chopper close enough to land, and had to abort. She says, if he didn’t airlift Peter out, how did he escape? David says he has no idea, and he’s done. Do they have any more questions? Talk to his lawyer. He doesn’t have to tell them squat. Valentin says David isn’t going to make his life any easier by walking out. In fact, he’s making his life a helluva lot worse. Anna says, he has one shot to help himself. She needs him to tell her what happened to Peter August.
Valentin thinks David agreed to work for Peter because his sister asked him too, and Anna says, and the money was good; she wired him funds. Valentin says David can talk to him nice there or they can have him arrested for obstruction of justice. Anna says he’ll be fingerprinted, and she doesn’t think New York Methodist is going to be happy having one of their Medivac pilots arrested. She tells him, come on, and pulls out a chair. He sits, and she asks, what happened on the roof? He says he couldn’t land; the hospital wouldn’t give him clearance. She says, so how did Peter escape? and David says, all he knows is, August told him that he’d be alone on the hospital roof, but he wasn’t.
Violet calls to her teammates that her cousin Aiden made cupcakes. Finn says Elizabeth saved the day, and she says she’s happy to help. Aiden actually made them for his Little League team, so she set some aside because she remembered him saying he was responsible for the team snacks. He says, and she figured he’d bring something like orange slices and carrot sticks. She says, something like that, and they sit. He thanks her for saving him from a week of his daughter not speaking to him. It’s too bad his other problem isn’t as easily solved. She says he can’t stop thinking about it, can he? and he says, he’s funny that way when he kills someone and hides them in the hospital freezer. She says he didn’t do it alone, and he says he wishes to God he had.
Cameron says, last he heard, Spencer was taking a gap year, and touring the world. Spencer says he didn’t realize that Cameron kept up with his activities, and Cameron says, grandma gives him the updates. And Aiden was all kinds of jealous. With Spencer studying in France, he’s sure Aiden would love to study pastry cooking in Paris. (Wouldn’t that be baking?) Spencer says his school didn’t offer culinary courses. It was more focused on the traditional curriculum; languages, mathematics, and the extracurriculars of course (🍷), writing and theater. Cameron tells him, grandma said he was the lead in every show, but Spencer says, she exaggerates. He was the lead in most of them. Josslyn sits by the pool, putting her feet in the water, and Cameron joins her. She asks how Spencer’s tennis game is, and he says, better than ever. She says she’s into volleyball now, and he says, what a waste. She says, excuse me? and he says, volleyball is a team sport. Wouldn’t she rather shine as an individual? She says, no. She’d rather play the sport she loves, and Spencer says, if she ever wants to get back into tennis, he’d be glad to give her a tutorial. He won’t bother asking Cameron. Cameron swings a racket like a sledgehammer. Cameron thanks him, and Josslyn says, wow. Spencer hasn’t changed. He asks if she wants him too, squatting down and moving closer. She says, no. What she’d like him to do is cool off. She pushes him into the pool. She and Cameron get up, and walk off, hand in hand. Cameron says, well, Spencer’s still annoying, and Josslyn says she doesn’t think Spencer can help it. Trina appears, and asks, who’s this guy Spencer that they’re talking about? Cameron says, he’s an old friend. He might be stretching it. Josslyn says, no. Spencer’s definitely a friend. They’ve known him since before Trina was even in Port Charles. Trina says she can’t wait to meet him, and Josslyn sees Spencer, getting out of the pool and soaking wet. She says she thinks this might be the perfect opportunity for that, and introduces them.
Nikolas says he doesn’t want to interrupt TJ and Molly’s night out, but TJ says Nikolas ordered the champagne. It’s only fair that he enjoy it with them. Nikolas sits down, and Molly says, and congratulate them on their domestic partnership. Nikolas says he’s really glad they made things official, and she thanks him. She says, not to be a downer, but she heard he and Ava are dealing with a stalker? The PCPD keeps the DA’s office posted. He says he’s glad they’re taking it seriously. Has she seen her mom? He saw Alexis a few times, but hasn’t been able to visit lately, which is remiss on his part. TJ says, Nikolas hasn’t heard, and Nikolas says, please tell him it’s good news. Molly says, it wasn’t for a while. It was torture for her mom. She was locked up in solitary.
Shawn says, Jordan told him that someone leaked it to the press about Judge Carson’s sentencing bias, and Alexis asks if that’s good or bad for them. He says, it might not make a difference in his case. He pled guilty to shooting Hayden. He’ll probably end up back in Pentenville. She says, after everything Jordan’s done for him, why is he saying that? and he says he knows how the system works; slowly, very slowly. An investigation could take years, and in the end, they could still determine Carson did nothing wrong. She says Carson belongs in Pentenville, not him, and he thanks her for her support, but says he worries more about her. She says she’ll be okay, unless she’s sent back to solitary. She can’t do that. It was humbling. She wasn’t prepared; it’s such a tiny cell. Jordan and Laura walk in, and Alexis asks, what happened? Any news? Laura and Jordan look at each other.
Spencer says, sorry; he’s wet. His old pal Josslyn is still a prankster. What’s her name? Tina? She says, Trina, and Josslyn says, Trina and Spencer actually have a connection. Trina works in Ava’s art gallery, and Spencer is Ava’s stepson. Spencer says, not for much longer. Ava and his father are splitting up, so soon Ava won’t be anything to him. Cameron says Spencer still hasn’t forgiven Ava for forcing his dad into marriage, and Josslyn says, he’s been in boarding school in France for years. Trina says, boarding school? France? He’s full of surprises. She bets he left a trail of broken hearts behind. Josslyn tells Spencer not to get any ideas about Trina. She’s all about her mystery man. Trina says, Victor, but he’s never met Cameron or Josslyn, and when they took a selfie on his cell phone, he never sent it to her to show them. She wonders why. Cameron says he and Josslyn don’t believe Victor exists, and Trina says, it’s no great loss. She thought Victor was cool, but it turns out, he’s a total jerk.
TJ toasts to his beautiful, intelligent, and courageous domestic partner for exposing Judge Carson’s bias to the world. They clink glasses, and Molly says her mom deserves some credit for doing the research on the judge’s sentences. And Martin got the recording of Judge Carson admitting she sentences people of color more harshly than she does white people. Nikolas says Molly’s mom must be incredibly proud, and she says, proud of her, and glad to be out of Pentenville. She’s in PCPD lock-up for the time being. Nikolas says he wishes he’d known the tough time Alexis was going through. Molly says, hopefully, the worst is over, and TJ says, now that Judge Carson’s sentences have been leaked to the press, the Attorney General’s office is under pressure to investigate. Nikolas asks if there’s a chance Alexis could go free.
Alexis asks if she and Shawn are going back to Pentenville, and Shawn asks if it’s about the media leak they mentioned. Laura says, the Attorney General called to let her know she was making the investigation into Judge Carson her top priority, and Alexis says, it would be great to know who leaked it, so she could send them flowers. Shawn says he’s sure they have no idea, and Jordan says, it’s a matter of public record, so it could be anyone. Jordan’s phone rings, and it’s the Attorney General. Laura says she told them to call Jordan from now on. Jordan leaves to take the call, and Laura says, the Attorney General and the governor are nervous about the amount of press around Judge Carson. Shawn says, so that’s good for them, right? but Laura says, not necessarily. That’s why she wanted to talk to them first, before they got anybody’s hopes up. She knows how politicians operate. They need to talk out every single issue, and sometimes it takes months, even years. She’s so sorry, but it is still waiting game.
Anna and Valentin sit at a table with David, and Anna says, another person was on the roof with Peter? David says, yeah. He was only supposed to take only August to Pawtuck. Since another person could have implicated him, he was relieved he had no clearance to land. She asks if he can describe the other person with Peter.
Elizabeth tells Finn that he needs to hear her. She doesn’t regret helping him hide Peter’s body. Violet comes running to them with an empty container, and Elizabeth says, it looks like Aiden’s cupcakes are popular, and Violet says her team voted that Aiden should make cupcakes for all their games. Elizabeth says she’ll have to ask Aiden if he wants to, and Finn asks, when’s her turn at bat?. She asks him to show her one more time, and Finn says, just like they practiced. He shows her how to hold the bat, and stand, and asks who she’s looking at. The other players? No. The coach? She says, no way; she’s looking at the ball. He tells her, that’s right. Keep her eye on the ball, and when everything feels right in the universe, swing. Nice and level, with her eye on the ball, just like that. Perfect. She thanks him, and says she’s ready now. She runs off, and Elizabeth says she wishes they could watch their kids’ games all summer long, and he says, him too. And not have to worry about a body in the freezer. Elizabeth says, and no way to get him out.
Spencer says, he seems to be dripping, and asks if Trina will tell him about the gallery. She says, sure. Why not? She goes with him, and Josslyn wonders if Spencer is interested in Trina. Cameron says, if he is, he’s got a tough hill to climb, since she doesn’t seem interested at all. She says, Trina seems mad at Spencer, which is strange, since they never met. Then again, you don’t need to know Spencer for long for him to rub you the wrong way. Cameron says, as long as Josslyn’s not interested, he doesn’t care. She says, jealous already? He was always the guy she wanted the most when they were kids.
Spencer tells Trina, he’s so sorry, but she says she’s not interested in his apology. She just lied by omission to her best friends because of him. Why would he pretend to be some guy named Victor? And before he lies again, he should know she’s very perceptive. If she suspects he’s being less than truthful, she’ll tell Cameron and Josslyn how they really met.
Molly says, in a perfect world, her mom would go free, but Nikolas says, it’s not a perfect world. Molly says, her mom’s sentence makes sense; she nearly killed Dante. TJ says, which she admitted to, and Molly says she just hopes Alexis doesn’t have to go back to Pentenville. TJ says, it sounds like Judge Carson has influence with the deputy warden, who could make it difficult for Alexis. Molly says, technically speaking, Alexis had an altercation with a guard, but they know her mom; she’s not a physical person. It couldn’t have been much. TJ says, Alexis was in solitary for three days, and Nikolas says, if he can help in any way… TJ says, Alexis didn’t go after Judge Carson on her own behalf. She did it for his dad. She was trying to get him out of prison. Nikolas asks if there’s a chance Shawn could be released.
Laura says, the governor is going to wait until the investigation has concluded before he takes action, and Shawn asks, what about Alexis? She shouldn’t have to go back to Pentenville. The deputy warden is definitely biased against her. There’s no explanation for Alexis being in solitary for three days for such a minor infraction. Jordan comes back, and Alexis asks what the Attorney General said. Jordan says, a lot. She said the sentence Alexis got was suitable for the crime. Meaning, Alexis won’t go free. However, she won’t be returning to Pentenville. Shawn says, that’s good news, and Alexis says, that depends. Where is she being sent? Jordan says, Spring Ridge. Alexis says she knows that place. it’s right outside Port Charles. She used to advocate for her clients to be sent there. Jordan says, it has a low populations of inmates, all non-violent, and Shawn says, the inmates at Pentenville call it a spa with guards. Laura tells Alexis, congratulations. She knows Alexis will be much more comfortable. Her phone rings, and she says, speak of the devil; it’s the governor. She leaves, and Shawn says, Alexis doesn’t look very happy. He guesses a prison is still a prison. Alexis says she’s grateful, but what about Shawn and others like him? She actually committed the crime she’s been sentenced for, but he didn’t. It’s not fair.
Elizabeth wonders how they’re going to get Peter out, now that the cameras in the stairwells are working. Finn suggests borrowing a gurney, and a body bag from the morgue. They can take Peter out to the landfill. They cheer Violet on, and Elizabeth says, at least the landfill will help him decompose quickly, and Finn says, listen to them, talking about another human being like this; one he killed. Elizabeth says, one who deserved to die. He did the right thing pushing Peter down the stairs. He’s not sure the authorities would agree, and they cheer for Violet as she takes first base.
David says he was distracted. He was making an unauthorized landing, and getting lots of heat for it. Anna says, male or female, height, build, and he says, they were male, tall. Valentin says, a hospital employee? but David says, they were dressed in street clothes. Anna says, jeans and a T-shirt? and David says, they were dressed in a suit; blue or grey. He thought the guy was one of them. Anna says, a detective? No. What else can he tell them?
Violet runs to Finn, who picks her up. She says she got the hit, and he says, her hit was spectacular. She did like he told her. She says she knows she did, and he says, she kept her eye level with the ball, and ran fast. The game is still going on, and there’s no one in left field. Her teammates need her. Violet says she’s glad Finn is there. She got the hit because of him. Elizabeth asks if she’s chopped liver, and Violet says she’s glad Elizabeth is there too. This is her best game ever so far. She tells Finn that she loves him, and he says he loves her too. He puts her down, and says, go get ‘em.
Valentin asks David, how old was this guy? What color was his hair? David says, dark. He’s not sure about the age. Valentin says, long or short hair? and David says, long-ish. Valentin asks if he had a ponytail, but David says, it was to his collar, maybe. Valentin asks if there’s anything else he can tell them, anything distinctive, but David says, all he remembers is that Peter was with a guy on the roof. That’s it. Can he go home now? A couple of cops walk in, and David says, what is this? Anna says he aided and abetted a murderer, and he asks what she’s talking about. He was contracted to fly a plane, and didn’t even pick anyone up. He did nothing wrong. Valentin says, Peter was implicated in a series of murders, and David received money for helping him escape. It’s a serious offense. David says they have no proof; he did nothing. He continues to plead his innocence, as the cops take him away. Valentin asks if Anna believes him about other person, and she says she doesn’t know why he’d make something like that up. Valentin agrees, and says, if Peter had another ally, aside from the pilot and nurse, it’s someone they know nothing about.
Josslyn says, Trina and Spencer have a lot to talk about, and Cameron says, Spencer has a lot to talk about with anybody. The only person he wants to talk to is her.
Spencer says he honestly didn’t mean to mislead Trina, and she says he has no right to even use honestly in a sentence. Who is Victor anyway? He says, his uncle, and she asks why he pretended not to know anyone. He says, it’s complicated, and she thinks that sounds like the start of another stall. Don’t bother. Cameron and Josslyn are right over there. He says, okay, and they sit down. He says he lied because he didn’t want his father to know he was back in Port Charles. She asks, why not? and he says, for three years, he believed his father was dead. When his father resurfaced, he didn’t take it well. And when his father married Ava, he didn’t take that well either. She asks why he came back, and he says his dad is divorcing Ava, and he wanted to show support. He wasn’t sure how his dad would feel, so he laid low. He knows now that his dad is happy he’s home, but if his dad knew he’d waited before seeing his dad, it could destroy any progress they’ve made to fix the relationship.
Molly says, Shawn pled guilty because he thought he shot Hayden, but he didn’t. Someone else did, but they don’t know who. He was literally in the wrong place at the wrong time. TJ says, Diane is assembling a legal team to reopen the investigation into the shooting. Shawn told him it’s going to take time, and not get his hopes up. Molly gets a text, and says, or maybe they should.
Alexis thanks Jordan for letting her text Molly, and Jordan says she hopes the next text is to TJ from Shawn, but Shawn says, it might be a while. Laura has come back, and says she’s not so sure about that. The national press picked up the story. Alexis says she’s sure the governor is thrilled, and Laura says, that’s why the governor was calling her. He’s going to make Shawn’s case a priority. Alexis asks what that means, and Laura says, let her finish. Jordan says, she’s with Alexis. What did the governor say about Shawn?
Valentin and Anna have coffee, and she asks what makes him think the person on the roof with Peter is an ally? He says, that’s interesting. The hospital was searched top to bottom, and everybody who was there the night Peter escaped was interviewed. If the man wasn’t an ally, why didn’t he come forward? She wonders who the person is, and he says, it could be anybody. Someone affiliated with the hospital, or maybe not. Peter is Faison’s son. He has access to any number of support personnel. It might be a courier, or maybe it’s the person who facilitated Peter’s escape. She says, then why bother with Hopkins?
Finn shouts advice to Violet, and tells Elizabeth, the thought that someone could have seen what they did with Peter keeps him up at night. She says, if they’d seen something, they would have come forward by now, and yells to Violet that she’s got this. He says, Anna could have found a witness the police missed. If Peter’s body is discovered, and traced back to him, it will be devastating to Violet. He’s tried hard to give her a sense of security and stability. Her mom’s been off the radar for a year and a half. She says she still can’t believe her sister would voluntarily abandon Violet for so long. She wants him to know if something should happen, she and the boys will take care of Violet, and he thanks her, but says, what if someone saw her helping him hide Peter’s body? She says, if they did, why haven’t they said something? They just have to have faith that they’re in the clear, and continue to live their lives, and not let Peter take that away from them.
Laura says she’s saved the best for last. The governor decided to commute Shawn’s sentence to time served. Shawn asks, what’s the catch? How long will the paperwork take? Jordan says, it could take weeks, sometimes months, but Laura says, the paperwork has been handled already. Effective immediately, Shawn is a free man. Shawn and Alexis hug.
TJ hugs Molly, and congratulates her. Nikolas says, another bottle of champagne to celebrate Alexis’s move out of Pentenville, and Molly says she’s sorry the text didn’t include any news about TJ’s dad. TJ says, his dad should have never been denied parole when it came up a few weeks ago; they said he was a model prisoner. Molly tells Nikolas that they were convinced TJ would be out in time to see TJ graduate from med school.
Spencer asks if there’s any chance Trina can forgive him for lying to her, and she says, for a while, she wasn’t talking to her dad. When she finally did, it felt really good. He says, so she understands why he didn’t tell his father at first that he was back in Port Charles. She says she gets the anger, but does he really work at The Savoy? He says, no, and she asks why he was there the night of her graduation party. He says he was thinking of telling Cameron and Josslyn, but then she came in all bloody and stuff, he realized the timing wasn’t right. She asks why he pretended he didn’t know Ava, and he says she would have told his dad. She says, and his mom? and he says, he would never lie about her. Ask Cameron and Josslyn. Or she can look online. His mother’s name is Courtney Matthews. She died the day he was born. Trina says, sorry. She doesn’t know what to believe about him anymore. He says he gets it, and he’s really sorry. If she wants to tell Ava, Cameron, and Josslyn that he pretended to be some guy named Victor, he’ll understand. She says, but he doesn’t want her to, does he? He wants her to trust him. Josslyn and Cameron come over, and Josslyn asks, what’s going on? They’ve been having this intense conversation forever.
Jordan hugs Shawn, and Shawn thanks Laura. He says he knows she did a lot to get his sentence commuted, but what about the other inmates of color who were handed unfair sentences? She says the governor is going speed up the process of reviewing the sentences. It’s going to be a long road, but she’s glad it began with him. Alexis says Laura is amazing, and asks if Laura promised the governor her first born son. Laura says, no, but she pointed out that his poll numbers could slip if he didn’t correct this horrible injustice, and he’s up for reelection. Jordan says, finally, a politically savvy move that also achieves justice, and Alexis says Shawn deserves it. He’s been a model prisoner, and he’s been a rock star to the other inmates. God knows he saved her life and her sanity. He says she saved his too. He suggests they call TJ, but Jordan has a better idea.
Trina says she and Spencer were just talking about art. he’s interested in her job at the gallery. Cameron says he can see the movie title; Spencer Cassadine, Man of the World. Spencer says, and he can see Cameron’s… Sorry. What are his interests? Besides Josslyn. Cameron says, that’s funny. On that note, he’s going to head out or he’ll be late for work. Josslyn says she has a PT appointment to work on her ankle. She asks if she can give Trina a ride, but Trina says she thinks she’ll stick around. Cameron wonders if she has more to talk to Spencer about art, and Josslyn tells Trina, call her later. Cameron tells Spencer, welcome back; it’s good to see him. They fist bump, and Cameron and Josslyn leave. Trina stands in front of Spencer, her arms folded. He thanks her for keeping his secret, and she says she’s glad that he and his dad are talking again, but so they’re clear, lie to her again, and she’s out. And so is his secret.
TJ supposes if there were good news about his dad, he would have heard by now, and Molly says she’s sorry. Nikolas says he is too. He has some calls to make, so he’s going to say goodbye. Molly thanks him for the champagne and good wishes, when Jordan and Shawn walk in. TJ says he doesn’t believe it, and goes over to Shawn. He says, Shawn is out, and Shawn says, he’s a free man. They hug, and Shawn says it’s good to see TJ. .
Alexis sips some coffee, and says, compared to the swill in Pentenville, Laura has no idea. It tastes like the perfect café au lait from a sidewalk café in Paris. Laura says she’s sorry it’s been so hard on Alexis. She had no idea. Alexis says she can’t thank Laura enough for intervening in Shawn’s case, but Laura says, it was Alexis, Molly, and Martin who did the heavy lifting. Alexis says, Nikolas gets credit for an assist. He saved her from Cyrus’s people. She doesn’t know how to thank him. Laura says, his methods were dubious, but it was for a worthy cause. Alexis says, she has to admit he’s redeemed himself, and Laura says, it’s a huge relief that she can recognize her own son again. She only wishes he and Ava didn’t have to deal with the stalker in their life, but Alexis is right. Her son has turned into the good man she always knew he was.
Nikolas congratulates Shawn on his release; it’s well-deserved. Shawn says, freedom feels good, and Jordan asks what’s the first thing he wants to do? TJ says, champagne? and Molly says, the MetroCourt’s filet mignon? Shawn says, he wouldn’t say no to either, but first he wants to focus on repaying his debt to Hayden. Someone tried to kill her and came damn close. He’s going to find out who.
Finn says, Violet won the game for her team. He’s so proud of her. She asks if she can celebrate with her team and coach, and he says, of course (🍷). He’ll be right there. Violet runs off, and Finn tells Elizabeth that Violet is the most important thing in the world to him. He owes her love and security. He owes her everything, and for her sake, he keeps going. It’s not fair to ask Elizabeth… Elizabeth says she’s not going anywhere. They’ll deal with this together.
Anna wonders, if Peter had someone waiting to transport him, why book a helicopter? Valentin suggests it was a diversion or a contingency plan, but she says, why go to the roof if he wasn’t going to get on board? Valentin says, Peter killed Franco, he arranged for Maxie’s abduction, his child had disappeared. He needed to get out of GH, and needed to disappear himself. But if the Peter’s helicopter didn’t land, it still leaves them with the mystery man on the roof. She says, he’s right. Maybe it’s not important… No, that person’s very important, but there’s something they’re not seeing clearly. It doesn’t add up.
Tomorrow, Chase says he can’t be Willow’s husband, Terry tells Portia that the only place to be is The Savoy, Sasha says she isn’t so sure she wants him to be, and Stella says, get out of her way.
Madison continues to do chest compression on Wyatt. Jim wonders where the ambulance is, and Jeffrey says, they’re on the way. He thinks he hears them, and goes outside. Madison says, there’s still no pulse, and Leo takes over. Madison says, check his pockets, but be careful of needles. Jim hands the prescription bottles he finds to Madison, who says, oh no.If Wyatt mixed these, he’s in cardiac arrest. Jim says, he was fine, and Madison says, they’re slow acting once get in your system. Jim asks, where’s the damn ambulance? and we hear sirens. He calls to Jeffrey, asking if it’s there, and David says, he’ll go. Keep working on him. He runs out, and says, this way; hurry. Madison says, still no pulse, and Jim wails, where’s the ambulance? The EMTs come in, and Madison tells them that Wyatt is in cardiac arrest. He doesn’t know what all Wyatt has taken, but he wants them to use Narca,n and they need a crash cart. The EMTs cut Wyatt’s shirt open.
Jim says, hey, buddy, they’re going to fix you up. An EMT says, clear! and zaps Wyatt. He does it a second time, then Madison takes over. He asks if Madison is a doctor, and Madison says he’s a nurse. He says, clear! and zaps Wyatt. Clear! Zap. Jim asks how he’s doing, and Madison tries one more time. The EMT who’d been working on Wyatt tells the other one that they need a gurney. He tells Jim, he’s gone, sir. Jim cries, and gets up, saying, no, no, no. He walks outside, and David follows. Jim heads for his car, but David says he shouldn’t drive. Jim says he’s fine, and gets in the car. David says he’s sorry, and tries to reason with Jim, but Jim starts up the car, and burns rubber. Inside the house, Jeffrey looks at Wyatt’s body, then walks outside. David asks if Jeffrey is okay, and Jeffrey says, it’s really happening. David tells Jeffrey that he’s sorry, and Madison joins them. Madison says he knows how much Wyatt meant to Jeffrey, and he’s sorry. Jeffrey says he really tried, and David thanks Madison for his help. He suggests they go back inside, and Jeffrey walks slowly. Inside, Madison remembers he left something in the car, and Jeffrey asks where he parked. He says, in the garage, and Jeffrey tells him, it will be quicker if he goes out the back door.
Veronica goes to her closet, and opens the safe, using a keypad. She takes out a stack of cash. Marco waits on the sofa downstairs, and she walks in, tapping the cash against her palm. He thanks her, and she says, it’s all there. He thumbs the stack, and she asks if he doesn’t want to count it. He says he does, and sits back down. As he counts, he tells her that she should really be more careful. She asks why he’s saying that, and he says, all of these people are after her life. She says, who? and he says, Jim Cryer. She says, Jim Cryer is certainly not all these people. He says, there are others, and she says, like who? He says he’s pretty connected, and overheard a few things. She says, like what? and he says she has a lot of enemies, so there are always others. She says she wouldn’t be Veronica if she didn’t have enemies, but he says, that’s not a good thing. She should pray to Mary, ask for forgiveness. She says he’s telling her this after he just did what he did? He says, he always asks for forgiveness, and she says, after he kills people? and he says, yes. She says, isn’t that special? and he tells her that she should consider it. She says, he should consider leaving, and he thanks her. She says he knows way out. Au revoir. He leaves.
Marco gets in the car with Jim’s thug, who asks if he got the money. He says he did, and Jim’s thug says they just need to get this done. As soon as she comes out. Marco says, yeah.
Benny and Candace run into Hanna’s house, and find her in the kitchen. She says she’s all right, and Benny asks, what happened? She says, Lord have mercy. She’s all right. He says he’s going to kill the SOB who did this, and Hanan says, he knows who did this? Lord, of course he does. Is he trying to get another baby killed? She tells Candace, give that man his money, but Candace says, it’s not Jim Cryer, and Hanna asks, who hell did this? Benny says, this one is on him, and Hanna says, Lord have mercy. What did he do? He says he didn’t do anything, and Candace says, someone is upset that he’s dating their ex. Hanna says, she’s full of sh*t, and Benny can’t keep his d*ck in his pants. She’s got this girl up in there. She calls for Tanisha, who comes in with the baby, and says he’s going to get everyone killed with his foolishness. Benny says he doesn’t know Tanisha, but Hanna says he’d better talk to her. Benny says, who are you? He’s never seen her before. There’s a knock at the door, and Hanna says, it’s the police. She goes to answer it, and I think, I would be a little more cautious after what just happened.
Hanna lets in an officer, who asks if they’re okay, and she says they are. Her son knows who did this. Benny says he doesn’t, and the officer asks, was he there? Hanna says she and Tanisha were there. Someone drove by, and shot up the whole damn living room. He asks again if she’s okay, and she says she is. He says he’ll take her statement and talk to the neighbors. He’ll be right back. She says she won’t be there; she has somewhere to go. Tanisha says she’ll be there, and Candace asks if Tanisha is okay. Tanisha says, thank God the baby wasn’t in the way, and Candace asks how Benny knows Tanisha. He says he doesn’t, but Tanisha says, look at the baby, and Candace says he looks just like Benny. Benny says, the baby’s not his, and Tanisha says, he’s hers. She understands he doesn’t remember; they were both pretty drunk. It was at a club in Austin. He says he hasn’t been there in… She says, fifteen months to be exact. Candace asks how old the baby is, and Tanisha says, six months. Benny says he doesn’t know her, and Candace says, she has proof, and it’s one hell of a receipt. Tanisha says she doesn’t want anything. She just thought he should know. He says she’s tell him the baby is his, and she says, yes. He says he doesn’t think so, and wants a DNA test from his own doctor. She says, again, she doesn’t want anything, and he asks, then why is she there? She says, he has a son, and she thought he should know about him. He asks if she wants money, and she says, no. He says he just came up, and he’s not giving her nothing. He doesn’t know who she is at all. She says she’s an attorney. She was out with her girlfriends at a bachelorette party, and they dared her to kiss him. He didn’t stop her, and she’s ashamed to say they ended up in… He says, the bathroom stall. She says, yeah, and he says, it was the ladies bathroom. She says, now does he remember? He says he was drunk, and she says, so was she. He says he’s sorry, and she says, it’s okay. She makes six-figures. She just thought he should know. She doesn’t want anything other than him knowing his son exists. If he wants to be in his son’s life, that’s up to him, but here he is. Candace says, damn. She tells Benny that she’s going to see Mitch, and he says, don’t. She says, they won’t hurt her, and leaves. Tanisha asks if Benny wants to hold his son, and Benny takes him. She says he does look just like Benny. Benny is all, hey and hi, with the baby, and says, it’s daddy.
Candace stands outside when Hanna comes out. Hanna says Candace just won’t learn, and they sit on the stoop. Hanna asks why Candace doesn’t give Jim his money back. Candace says she can’t do it, and Hanna asks, why not? Candace says, it’s her last chance; her only chance. Hanna says she’s just going to let him kill all of them, and Candace says, it wasn’t him. Hanna says, it could have been, and Candace says Hanna doesn’t understand. It’s a lot of money. Hanna says, it’s not hers, and Candace says, sorry. Hanna says she doesn’t get it. Running around buying cars for people, is it worth it? She thought they’d made so much more progress than this. Candace says, the straight life’s not for her. Why can’t Hanna understand? Hanna says she does. Why can’t Candace understand? She’s said it over and over again. Choosing this life, something is going to happen to her. Candace says she’ll be ready when it does, and Hanna says, so they’re back to that. Candace says she doesn’t need insults, and Hanna says, no insults. Live it like she’s got to. Candace says, she just needs… Hanna asks what Candace needs, and Candace says she doesn’t want live like this anymore. She wants to be better. She’s going to go, and Hanna says, do what she’s got to do. Candace says, sorry, and leaves. Hanna says, Lord, please. Please help us all. The officer comes back, and says he has a few questions. She says she told him that she had to go somewhere, but he says, it won’t take long. She says, what is it? and he asks, who’s house is this? She says, her boss, Kathryn Cryer, and he asks how long she’s lived there. She says, a few months.
On the phone with her lawyer, Kathryn says she has somebody in her cell. He says, that’s not supposed to happen, and she says, it sure as hell did. He says he’ll look into it, and she says she’s been in jail this whole time, and nothing is happening. He says he’s working on it, and she asks if he hooked up with Jim to keep her in there to get her money. He says, no, but she says he’s up to something. He promises he’s not, and she says he needs to get that bitch out of her cell. He says he’s on his way, and she tells him, hurry.
Kathryn calls Hanna, and says, a friendly voice. She asks if Hanna found Wyatt, but Hanna says, no; she didn’t see him. Kathryn wonders where he could be, and Hanna says, sorry. Kathryn says she’s still in this damn place. She can’t believe she’s been sitting here the entire time. Hanna says she knows Kathryn has a lot, but there was a drive-by at the brownstone. Kathryn asks if Hanna is all right, and Hanna says, yeah, but the living room is… Kathryn says, don’t worry about it. The insurance will pay. She’s just glad Hanna is all right. Damn Jim. Hanna says, it may not have been him, but Kathryn says, it sounds like him. Hanna says, Benny was messing around with someone else’s woman, and Kathryn says, sorry. Hanna says, not as sorry as she is. She’s got to stop by the house to get documents for the meeting with the accountant tomorrow. Kathryn says, they’re on her nightstand, and Hanna says she hopes she doesn’t run into Kathryn’s husband. Kathryn says, if she does, walk in and out, and Hanna says she’ll try that. Kathryn tells her, be careful, and Hanna says, Jim doesn’t scare her. Kathryn says, good, and Hanna says she just wants him to leave her alone. Kathryn asks Hanna to let her know when she has the paperwork, and Hanna says, then she’ll come see Kathryn. Kathryn says someone was put in her cell, and Hanna tells Kathryn to be careful too.
Sandy walks into Rianna’s place and says, call him. She says, please, and he says, call him, and tell him to come over. She says she’s not going to call, and he tells her to do it, or she knows what’s going to happen. She says she’ll call the police, and he asks if she thinks they’ll protect her. Call him. She says she’s not going to, and he slaps her. He says, call and tell Benny that he whooped her ass. She says he doesn’t know her like that. She sold him a house, that’s it. He says it’s the last time he’s asking, and she picks up the phone. Benny asks if she misses him already, and she says Sandy found her. He asks, where is she? and she says, at his new house. He says he’s on his way, and Sandy asks why she didn’t tell him where they were, and she says he would have known Sandy was there. Sandy asks what the address is, and she tells him. He says, come on… Wait. She’s lying to him. She says she’s not, and he picks up the conveniently left out folder with Benny’s info. I’m surprised he’s smart enough to know what this is. It’s a different address, and he says she was protecting Benny. She says she was trying to protect Sandy. She doesn’t want him to do this. He tells her to get her ass in the car.
Kathryn yells that she needs a phone call, and Diamond says, that ain’t happening. Kathryn asks if Diamond will just not talk to her, and Diamond calls Kathryn a princess. She’s not going talk. She’s going to beat Kathryn’s ass. Kathryn says Diamond is threatening her, and Diamond says, okay. Kathryn says she’d better bring all she’s got, and Diamond says she’s got a lot. She’s Diamond, baby. Kathryn says, hard as a rock, and she says, Diamond Castile. Kathryn doesn’t remember her does she? Lizzie Castile was her niece, and they covered it up. Now she knows why she was put in with Kathryn. To kill her ass. She moves toward Kathryn, and knocks Kathryn around for a while. She produces a rope, and ties it around Kathryn’s neck, looping it through the bars. She pulls on the other end, and says, die. Kathryn struggles to breathe for a while, but then slumps.
Veronica heads for her car, when two masked gunmen come out of the dark, and shoot the crap out of her. They run off into the night. That makes three so far.
Candace walks into the Iron Bone (I guess it’s the last time I’ll be typing that… sniff…) She sees Mitch, and asks what happened to his face. He says she shouldn’t be there, and she says she needs to talk to his family. They came after her brother. Vinnie comes out, and says, look what the cat dragged in. She says, hi, and he says, she is? She says, Candace Young, and he says, she’s Candace. How is she? She says, not good, and Vinnie asks, why is that? She says his family came after her brother, and Vinnie says, did they get him? She says she’s not talking to him, and he says he thinks she is. She asks Mitch, what’s going on? and Mitch says she needs to go. She says they came after Benny, and Mitch says, she needs to leave. She asks if he knew about this, and he won’t look at her. She says, did he? and he nods, saying, yeah. She says, how could he? and he says he’s sorry. His hands are tied. Vinnie says, literally, and Candace says, please. Don’t let them do this. Vinnie says, Mitch has no power. Didn’t he tell her? Mitch doesn’t want to be part of the family, so he doesn’t have vote or say. He’s an outsider. She asks what his name is, and he says, Vinnie. She says, okay, Vinnie. Her brother… Vinnie says, did a bad thing, and she says, he didn’t mean to, but Vinnie says his nephew Sandy thinks he did. She says Benny didn’t know she was Sandy’s girl. She looks at Mitch, and says, tell him. Vinnie says, stop talking to him. Mitch tries to say something, and Vinnie says, stop talking. He can’t talk to her. Candace asks where Mama Rose is. Mama Rose said she’d do Candace a favor, and Candace wants to talk to her. Vinnie says, he’s the new Mama Rose. Candace says she did Mama Rose a favor, and they came after her brother. His family doesn’t usually roll like that. He says she’s got balls, and she says she just wants them to leave her brother alone. Vinnie says, it’s up to Sandy, and she asks, where is he? She’ll talk to him. He says, she’s not going to stop Sandy. He’s going to find her brother. She says he almost killed her mother, and he says, casualty. Mitch says she should go, but she says she’s not leaving. Vinnie says, she is, but not on her own. They’re delivering her to Jim. She saved them a trip. She says she’s out of there, but some goons block her way. Vinnie says she’s got a lot of Jim’s money. She asks what it has to do with him, and he says Jim has done a lot for them; one hand washes the other. She has Jim’s money, and they owe him. She says she helped them, but he says, it’s a new day. The goons grab her. Mitch starts to move, and Vinnie says, if he stands up, he’ll lose his legs. Mitch gets up anyway, and punches Vinnie, but other guys grab him, and Vinnie punches Mitch out. Candace starts to fight, but ends up being dragged away, yelling. Mitch says, son of a bitch, and Vinnie tells him, stay down. Mitch tells them to get off him.
Rianna waits in front of the house, crying, when Benny pulls up. She says she’s so sorry, and she says he has nothing to be sorry about. Sandy walks out from the side of the house, and Benny says, it’s like this. Sandy says Benny has been messing with his girl like this told him Sandy takes out a gun, and says Benny embarrassed him in front of his entire family. Benny tells him, put the gun down, and they’ll handle his problem like two men. Sandy says, okay, but Rianna says, Benny, no. Sandy says, let’s do it, and Benny says, all right, let’s do this. Two more guys come out, and Benny is shot down. Rianna sits on the steps, crying. Are we killing everyone tonight? Will Charles be assassinated too?
Leo approaches Jeffrey, and says he knows it’s a bad time, but Tanner is there. Should he send Tanner away? Jeffrey says he’ll talk to Tanner. Tanner comes in and says, sorry.Is it a bad time? Jeffrey asks, what is it? and Tanner says he wanted to bring this to Jeffrey. Jeffrey says, he told Tanner… but Tanner says, Jeffrey wants this. Jeffrey says, no, really, he doesn’t, but Tanner hands him a box. Jeffrey sets it on the table, and Tanner says he has a beautiful house. Jeffrey thanks him, and Tanner says he wishes he lived like this. Jeffrey says, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, but Tanner tells him, he can say that from his point-of-view. His brother was crazy about Jeffrey. Jeffrey says, Tanner told him; thanks. Tanner says, don’t get him wrong. He respects it, he just doesn’t get it. Jeffrey says, a lot of people don’t, and Tanner says Jeffrey did something to Justin; put a spell on him. He’s going to miss Justin. He wasn’t a bad guy, just confused. Is Jeffrey confused too? Jeffrey says, no, he’s gay, and Tanner asks if he’s going to make the memorial. Oh that’s right, his mother. Jeffrey thanks Tanner for bringing the box, and Tanner says he’s sure it’s something personal. Jeffrey says, it’s a really bad time, and Tanner says he’ll see Jeffrey around. Jeffrey is the last connection to his brother. He leaves, but the music is saying, this ain’t over. Madison comes back.
Madison gives Jeffrey a glass of water, and an aspirin or something. David comes downstairs, and says he’s going to check on Jim. He asks if Madison can stay, and Madison nods. David starts to leave, and Jeffrey opens the box. The house blows up, as Tanner walks to his car. Oh, come TF on. Who’s going to be left? Just those two hitmen? And why isn’t Leo doing his job? Jim was right about that security company.
Jim is having a drink in the living room, and Vinnie’s goons walk in. One of them says, delivery, and they dump Candace on the floor. He asks how she’s doing. She says she’ll give him the money, but he says, it was Wyatt’s money. She says she’s sorry, and he says, is she? It’s too late for that. She says, please, and Jim says, drag this worthless bitch upstairs; last room on the left. As he goes upstairs, he asks, how she feels, calling her Candy Cane. He says, her ass dead already; her body just doesn’t know it yet. He drew her a bath, like old times. The goons dump her in, and leave. He pushes her under the water, and pulls her back out a couple of times, asking how it feels. He holds her down until she stops moving, and he says, 3… 2… 1… He lets go and laughs. Hanna walks in the front door, and sees drops of blood going up the stairs.
She goes upstairs, and hears splashing noises. She sees Jim sitting on the tub, and says, who is that? He says, why doesn’t she come on in, and take a look. He gets up and Hanna runs to the tub. He says he held down a little while for Wyatt, and longer for Amanda. Hanna pulls a lifeless Candace out of the tub, and Jim asks how it feels. Her daughter is dead like his son and daughter. Now she knows how it feels. His son is dead. His daughter is dead. Now that bitch whore of a daughter of hers is dead. She says, son of a bitch, and goes apesh*t on him. She shoves him against the wall, and he gets her down, but she’s a good fighter. Still, he gets the better of her, and drags her down the hallway by her leg. She kicks him, and manages to get up. He tries throwing her down the stairs, but they both go down, sort of tumbling together. He kicks her down the last flight, and says she thinks she’s going to take everything. She’s lying on the floor of the foyer, and he keeps kicking her, but she manages to get up and get the door open. She kicks him in the balls, after which he recovers way too fast, and she throws a planter at him on the porch. She gets to the car, but he pulls her back and throws her down. She kicks him again, and beats on him with (I think) her shoe. She gets in the car, and he smashes the driver’s side window, but she drives anyway. He tries to hang on to the door, but she drags him along. He calls her a crazy bitch, and she finally shakes him. She says, you wait, and peels out.
She drives out, turns around, and drives over the lawn. She heads for Jim, who says, take your best agghhh! as she slams right into him. She stops the car, and says, she ain’t gonna hurt like this. Then she cries and screams and shakes, looking like the last girl left in a horror film.
The text thanks everyone for watching, and I want to cry. In 8 years, I never missed an episode. I’m not sure what the final death toll was here, but it was at least eight. I gotta say, Tyler surprised me, and made sure there won’t be another season. Ever. At least not with this cast.
Next week, a two-part event that looks back over the show – The Final Cast Reunion. It looks like a lot of fun.
🥂 Until Next We Meet…
Bringing you NYC in Salem tomorrow, along with the not-even-hot mess that is Beverly Hills. In the meantime, stay safe, stay dancing to your own tune, and stay keeping your eye on the ball, and swinging when everything feels right in the universe.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Valentin tells Michael, today’s the day. The Quartermaines are voting him out as CEO of ELQ. Michael says, that’s the plan, and Valentin wonders who he should congratulate as his successor, Michael or Ned.
Brook says, Maxie is going to leave Port Charles? and Maxie says, it’s her only option. Brook says she has to calm down, and quit being so extreme. All she has to do is follow the plan, and they can make this work. Maxie says, they can’t. Monica is already snooping around, threatening to tell her parents that she’s losing it. She doesn’t know. Maybe she is. She doesn’t trust herself anymore, and can’t keep going with these lies.
At the hospital, Scotty says hello to Austin. So he’s a doctor, and delivered Maxie’s baby in the woods. Scotty once delivered a baby in a snowbank. Austin tells him, you don’t say, and Scotty says, so now Austin works at GH. He’s a man of many talents. Austin says Scotty has no idea, and Scotty says his girlfriend is a doctor too. However, sometimes there might be sensitive matters where it would be nice to talk to a guy. Now he can get free doctor advice. Austin says, quid pro quo. He can count on Scotty for free legal advice? Scotty says, no. Hell, once they make this move, Austin will make so much dough, he won’t even need a job.
Nina calls Sonny/Mike, and says it’s good to hear his voice. She’s sorry it took so long to return his call. He says he knows she’s a big-time magazine editor, and she’s probably spending a lot of time with her grandson. How is he? She says, he’s absolutely adorable. She spent this morning with him, and she’s spending as much time with him as she possibly can. Enough about her. How are things in Nixon Falls? He says, good, but she asks if he’s sure. The last time she spoke to Phyllis, she got the feeling something was wrong. He asks why she doesn’t come check it out for herself. Phyllis misses her, and so does he. She says she misses him too, and he asks if she has any idea when she’ll be back in Nixon Falls. Ava comes in, and Nina says she hopes he doesn’t mind, but can they talk about that later? She lowers her voice, and says she just called to let him know she thinks about him all the time. They’ll talk again soon. Sonny says she can count on it. He hangs up, and smiles.
Ava says, look at that, a smitten kitten. Nina says, all right. Stop it. Ava says she’s just glad Nina looks so happy. At least one of them is.
Trina walks in the park, messing with her phone. Spencer looks down from a tree, and says, fancy meeting her here. She asks if he actually has a home, or is he living in the park? He says, it’s not like she’s not there all the time too. Hard day’s work? She says she decided to organize the gallery before the professional cleaners come in. He asks if it was hard being there, considering what happened last time, and she says, he means getting doused with fake blood? Gross, but ultimately harmless. Besides, she had to go back sometime. She’s trying to make things easier for Ava; that’s her boss. She’s going through a really painful divorce. In fact, right now, she’s moving out of the home she and her husband shared.
Laura walks into Windymere, as men are taking boxes out. She finds Nikolas sitting alone, and says, so the movers are here? She guesses that means Ava’s leaving. He says, Nina invited her to crash at her old penthouse. She took a few suitcases there, and the rest will go into storage. Laura says she’s so sorry, and he says he tried to convince Ava to run away with him to Cassadine Island in Greece. He told her they could take Avery with them, but she refused. His only chance to hold onto his marriage was to find the stalker. She asks if he thinks it was worth the risks he took.
Nikolas helps Trina join him up in the tree, and asks, what happened to her boss’s marriage? Why is she getting a divorce? There has to be a reason. Did something happen? Did she cheat? Trina says, no. Ava loves her husband. She’s being stalked. All that fake blood that fell on Trina the night of her graduation party was meant for Ava. The stalker wants her away from her husband. He asks why the stalker would care if she’s married, and Trina says she doesn’t know. Why would they pour fake blood on her? The whole thing is creepy.Ava was worried something would happen to her daughter Avery, so she did what the stalker wanted, and filed for divorce. Trina doesn’t think Ava and Nikolas will ever be able to be together again, and he says, tragic. Kind of like Romeo and Juliet. She says, let’s hope it ends better than that, but with some crazy person after Ava, who knows?
Nina says she’s so glad Ava decided to stay at her place, and Ava thanks Nina for having her. She didn’t feel safe at the MetroCourt, a big public hotel, but there, the doormen are practically family. They won’t send anybody up because of the threats. She feels less vulnerable there. Nina says she’s glad to help, and Ava says, it won’t be long. Just until all this stalker craziness is over. Then she’ll be gone and out of Nina’s hair. Nina can have the place to herself, and invite her mystery man for dinner.
Sonny asks if Lenny and Phyllis have heard from the doctor yet, but Phyllis says, not yet. They just went for a beautiful walk. The weather is perfect, but even that couldn’t take their minds of the new round of tests they did on Lenny. Lenny thinks all the waiting is making his ticker worse, and Phyllis says, not funny. Sonny says, take a seat; he’ll get Lenny some water. Lenny says he was just kidding. He’s feeling fine. He appreciates Sonny stepping in while he was taking it easy. Sonny says he can’t believe Lenny has a problem with his heart because Lenny has one of the biggest hearts he knows. Lenny thanks him, and says he’s going to balance the books. Sonny says he can do that, but Lenny says, the truth is, if he doesn’t do something to distract himself, he’s going to lose his damn mind. Lenny goes in the back, and Sonny says, Phyllis is a nurse. Does she have any idea what the test results are going to say? How bad is it?
Olivia says, just five minutes ago, she and Ned were talking about how cute Bailey is in her crib. Now she comes downstairs to the truly ridiculous business of ELQ. Valentin says, the irony being the only reason the Quartermaines are once again majority shareholders is because of Bailey. Michael says, enough. They all know they can go around and around their family drama, but that’s not why they’re there. They gathered all the family proxy votes; now it’s time to decide who’s going to replace Valentin. Valentin says, if they can reach a consensus, but Michael says, that shouldn’t be hard. If any of them were planning on voting for him, don’t. He wants Ned to be the next CEO of ELQ.
Maxie tells Brook, every time she drives over there to see… Bailey, she tells herself if will be the last. From here on out she’ll be good and keep her distance, but as soon as she leaves, she’s thinking up excuses to come back. She knows it’s dangerous for Bailey, but she has no will power left. Brook says she feels for Maxie. Maxie has paid a tremendous price to keep her baby safe from Peter. But don’t leave town just yet. Peter might be captured or even killed soon, and she can bring her daughter home safely. Maxie says she doesn’t think she can hang on that long; it’s too painful. Brook says she’ll support Maxie whatever she decides, but does she really think she’s in the right frame of mind to make such an important decision? She’s so emotional right now. Understandably so, but she misses Bailey so much, Brook can’t bear to see her in any more pain. Monica comes in, and says, Maxie is here again.
Maxie says, Monica doesn’t have to say anything. She picks up her bag and heads for the door, but Brook tells her to wait. Maxie says, it’s fine. Maybe Monica is right about her, that she does need help. Monica says she’s not judging Maxie. What’s happening to her is just tragic, and she’s worried about Maxie. There’s no shame in asking for help. Brook suggests Maxie listen to Monica, and not rush into anything. Maxie tells Brook, say goodbye to Bailey for her. Tell her she… Just tell her that she said goodbye. She leaves, and Brook says, my God, it’s so awful. Monica says, she needs help. At least she admitted that. Monica knows a thing or two about losing a child. The pain never ever goes away. You just have to learn to manage it. Brook says she’s sorry for Monica’s loss, and Monica tells her to go say hi to Bailey. She’s sure Bailey would like to see her mom.
Ned says he appreciates the gesture, but what made Michael decide? Michael says he thought long and hard about his priorities. He’s got a son now, and the rest of his family. Plus, he already has a job at Aurora Media, and a large staff that relies on him. He can’t abandon them, or his other priorities to commit himself to ELQ. And more important, he thinks Ned is the best man for the job, and the rest of the family will vote him in. Ned says, but first – he turns to Olivia – he wants to know what his wife thinks.
Austin tells Scotty, he loves the art of medicine; he’s more than just the sum of his parts. He can help people, it gives him purpose, so it’s likely he’ll continue to practice, even if he doesn’t need the paycheck he provides. Scotty says, that’s fine by him. There’s a lot of patients suing for malpractice; that’s his specialty… Austin says he doesn’t understand the energy in Port Charles. Not one of his patients in Pawtuck ever considered suing him. Scotty says, there’s always a first time for everything, especially when people get wind of what Austin is about to do to the most powerful family in this town.
Phyllis says she’s known Lenny’s cardiologist for years; he’s practically a town fixture. But after Lenny finished getting all those tests run, Dr. Ford didn’t have much to say. She’s an experienced nurse, and can usually tell good news from bad, but she couldn’t read between the lines. Sonny says, ahh. Maybe the doctor hasn’t had a chance to look at the test results yet. She says, it’s probably something simple like that. She’s sure Lenny’s meds have helped him. He seems a lot better, right? Sonny says, absolutely, and Phyllis says she could barely keep up with him on their walk. She asks if Nina ever called him back, and he says they had a great call, except for the part where he lied to her.
Nina tells Ava, she was away from Crimson for longer than she intended, and has a lot of work to catch up on. All her free time is dedicated to Wiley, so she doesn’t have time for Mike to visit her. Ava says she’s confused. She thought Nina really loved Nixon Falls. Isn’t she ready to go back to Pennsylvania? Nina says she’s not ready to leave Wiley. It must be very hard for Ava, being apart from Avery. Ava says she thinks about Avery every minute. She just has to focus on the fact that Avery is happy with her sisters, and safer with Ava keeping her distance. Nina asks if there’s any new news about the investigation into Ava’s stalker, but Ava says, it’s going to take a while, if they ever catch him. Nina says, that leaves Ava living apart from Nikolas, and Ava suggests they move on to a happier topic… Nina’s new man. Why doesn’t Nina tell her the reason she doesn’t want him to move there? Or at least come for a visit.
Back on the ground, Trina messes with her phone, and Spencer jumps down from the tree. He says he sees she’s one of those, and she says, one of those what? He says, an ostrich person. Always looking down, hoping to find something better on your phone instead of what’s right in front of you. She says, sorry for her bad manners, but her friend Josslyn doesn’t believe he’s real again. Since he failed to show up on the 4th of July, Josslyn thinks she’s a figment of Trina’s imagination. Like she’s Jan from The Brady Bunch, and he’s her very own George Glass. He says, who? and she says, he doesn’t watch classic sitcoms? He says, no, and she says, then she’s going to do what Jan Brady couldn’t. She positions her phone to take of selfie of the both of them, and he asks what she’s doing. She says she’s more than an ostrich person. She’s also a selfie person. Come on. Let’s show Joss that you’re real. He says, no selfies.
Nikolas tells Laura, knowing that Ava’s just a launch away is killing him. It’s all he can do not to go to her right now. Laura asks what that would accomplish. She thinks he has to honor her wishes and stay away, Nikolas says, giving the stalker what he wants, only emboldens him to ask for more. Then it becomes more threatening. How long are they supposed to be his puppets? Months? Years? How can he sit in this empty, echoing house, and wait to see what happens next? She says she thinks they’ll be able to find the stalker sooner than they think. She has an update on the investigation.
Ned tells Olivia, before she says anything, he wants to make himself clear. If running ELQ is going to push her further away from him, he’ll turn this down. She’s much to important to him, and he doesn’t want to destroy the progress they’ve made in getting back together. She says her problem was never with the job. It was how far he was willing to go for business. He completely turned his back on his daughter. He says, now he’s willing to turn his back on ELQ to make up for that, and she says, they split up. Brook left town. She thinks he’s done his penance. For what it’s worth (🍷), she agrees with Michael. She thinks he’s the best man for the job, assuming he can keep it in perspective. He says he will. He promises her that he will, and when he proves himself, maybe, just maybe, they can try again. She says, they’ll see. One day at a time. They hug, and Brook sees. She smiles.
Phyllis says, Mike/Sonny lied to Nina? That doesn’t sound like him. Did he say he wasn’t missing her? Sonny says, no. They got all that out in the open. He told her that he missed her, and she said she missed him. She asks if Nina mentioned when she’s coming back, but Sonny says they didn’t get that far. She had to get off the phone. He just hopes she gets home soon. Phyllis asks what the lie was, and he says Nina asked if everything was okay in Nixon Falls, and that’s the part where he lied. He told her everything was fine. They both know that’s not the truth. Why hasn’t Phyllis told Nina what’s going on with Lenny?
Nina says she told Ava before, she and Mike/Sonny do not have a future in Port Charles. Ava asks why she’s convinced of that, and Nina says she has too much history there. The best thing about Nixon Falls was that no one knew her. Here, she’s always running into old boyfriends, and reminded of her mistakes. There, she can be a new person. She could be happy. No one was hurting her. Ava says, not to mention, she didn’t have to deal with Carly. Nina says Carly still felt the need to come after her in Nixon Falls. (Another reason for me to hate Carly.) Ava asks, how so? and Nina says because she had this weird idea Nina was going to go to court to get visitation rights for Wiley. She warned Nina that she was going to dredge up every horrible thing she ever did in her life, so the fight would be as ugly as possible. Ava makes a face, and asks how things are now that Nina is back. Nina says, cordial, but guarded. Her doorbell rings, and she says, Carly seems to want to give her a chance… for now. She opens the door, and it’s Maxie, who’s crying. She says she needs Nina’s help. Please.
Laura tells Nikolas, they’ve analyzed the boot print found at the gallery. It turns out it’s a hiking boot made by a very small American company that’s not online. It’s only sold at a few specialty stores around the country, and she doesn’t think it’s going to be very hard for them to figure out who purchased it in that size. He says, what if they paid in cash? and she says, one step at a time. For now, she’s grateful that they have a solid lead to follow up on. And let them follow up on it. Don’t intervene, don’t interfere with this. She really doesn’t want to see him hurt like that again. And he will be if he keeps taunting this guy. He says, if he doesn’t intervene, what’s next? What if the stalker targets someone else he loves?
Trina says Victor/Spencer won’t let her take a picture with him? She’s starting to think he really is hiding something. He says he’ll take the photo on his phone. He’ll add a cool filter to it, and if he likes it, he’ll send it to her. He can’t allow unauthorized selfies floating around. She says she could think of a lot of words to describe him, but didn’t think diva would be one of them. He says not everyone is as careful about lighting and framing and retouching as he is, and she says, oh, he’s one of those people. He says, touché. He shouldn’t have stereotyped her for texting. Can he buy her a snack to apologize? but she says she had something on her way to the gallery. He asks how’s the clean-up? Are they any closer to finding out who was at the gallery? She says, actually, they are, and he says, what do they know? Did they tell her anything? She says, the investigators are going over the gallery again. She pretends to be working, but really, she’s listening in. He asks what she heard, and she says, they found the guy’s shoeprint; some kind of designer boot. They even have the size. Isn’t it amazing?
Laura says, when Nikolas told her he’s afraid people he loves might be in danger, is he talking about Spencer? He says, yes, and she asks if he’s heard from Spencer recently. He says he and Spencer are estranged. Why would she think he heard from him? She says she and Spencer talk regularly. He was on the Amalfi coast when she last heard from him, and headed for some far-flung places after that. He says, good. If the stalker decides to go after Spencer, he won’t be able to find him. She didn’t say anything about any of this to Spencer, did she? She says, nothing specific. She did tell him that Nikolas was going through a rough time, and it would be nice if he gave Nikolas a call. She’s very disappointed that he didn’t reach out.
Trina tells Spencer, it’s a very expensive brand. It’s only a matter of time before the police track him down. He says she must be relieved, and she says, once they catch him, Nikolas and Ava can call off their divorce. He says he didn’t realize the time; he has to go. She asks, why? Is he worried her mom is going to swoop in again, and start asking questions? He says he didn’t mind that at all. He sometimes wonders what his mom would be like if she was still alive. She says she can’t imagine what it would be like if her mom wasn’t around, and he says he’ll look for her next time he’s in the park. She says, or he could call her, and they could make a plan. He says, that would take the spontaneity out of it. He loves a good surprise. He walks off, and Trina watches, little hearts popping out of her eyes.
Austin tells Scotty, he’s not afraid of what he’s about to do professionally. His work speaks for itself. Scotty says he doesn’t know about that, but Austin is about to make a lot of enemies today. He’s making a move on Michael Corinthos, so there could be a price to pay. Austin says he’s not uncomfortable with that, and Scotty asks if he’s ready. Austin says he’s been ready for a long time.
Phyllis tells Mike/Sonny, Nina’s got so much going on in her life, she didn’t want Nina worrying about Lenny. She should be enjoying her time with her grandson. He says, Nina’s a smart woman. She’s already suspecting. She even asked him flat-out, but he didn’t want to say anything since it’s not his place. She says sorry if she put him in a tough spot, and he says she’s a strong woman. She does everything for everybody else, but who does for her? He knows she doesn’t want to talk about this, but she’s going to have to. If not with him, with Nina. Lenny comes out, and says he doesn’t know if it’s the new meds, or that business is booming again, or maybe it’s just that he’s still in love with his wife after all these years – he puts his arm around Phyllis’s waist – but all of a sudden, he feels like he’s twenty again. She says, really? Twenty? He says, maybe thirty. Thirty-five tops. They kiss, and Sonny smiles. He flashes back to Nina kissing him.
Ava says she’s heading out. She needs to do a final check at Windymere. She leaves, and Nina asks Maxie, what’s going on? Maxie says, when Nina left town, did that help her feel better? Or did she just end up missing Wiley more? Nina says, she thought of Wiley every single day, but it was a little easier knowing that he wasn’t right across town and she wasn’t seeing him. Plus, she had other distractions. Why? Maxie says she’s thinking of leaving Port Charles. She’d take James with her, and Georgie would stay with Ellie and Spinelli. Nina says she doesn’t think their situations are comparable at all. When she left town, she thought she was alone; she was alone. Almost everyone in this town betrayed her, except for Maxie. Maxie has so many people who love her. She has her mom and Mac, and Nina loves her. Does she really want to leave all that? Maxie says, no, but Bailey is here too. Nina doesn’t understand. What does Brook’s baby have anything to do with this? Maxie says she told Nina how she and Brook had bonded during Lamaze class. She stared visiting Bailey… a lot. So much so, that Monica thinks she has a problem. Nina says, that’s absurd. If Brook doesn’t have a problem with it, why should it concern Monica? Does Maxie want her to call Monica? Maxie says, please don’t. The truth is, she has been visiting Bailey too much. It has to stop.
Brook congratulates Ned. Thank God things are being patched up after she made a mess of them. All it took was one little baby to make things right. Ned says, right is relative. Valentin is still living here. Brook says, he’s actually very good with Bailey, and her bodyguard comes in handy once in a while. Olivia says she has to admit, Valentin is very sweet with that little baby. Ned says, still. He’s sorry Brook had to go through all this, and Olivia says, all’s well that ends well, right? She thinks they should just appreciate all the light that baby has brought into this family. She really is a gift. Brook says, she’s a gift, that’s for sure. Michael and Valentin come in, and Michael ask Ned, since he and Olivia talked it out, is he accepting the CEO role? Ned says, yes, with pleasure, and they shake hands. Ned says, in his mind, he’s just keeping the CEO seat warm, so Michael can take over one day. And then, maybe even Wiley can take over from Michael. Olivia says before they send Wiley off to Harvard Business School, she’s going to check on Leo. She leaves, and Brook asks if Valentin is ready to bow out gracefully. He says, once all the votes are in.
Monica sees Olivia in the foyer, and says she gets the feeling Olivia and Ned are inching closer together. Olivia asks what is it with the Quartermaines? They always want to rush things. They’re moving toward each other very slowly. Monica says she knows Olivia loves Ned, and Oliva says Monica also knows, it’s not that simple. Monica says, it’s also not that complicated. Don’t let anger steal any more time from her and Ned than it already has. She remembers she and Alan had the best times when they opened up their hearts, and let it all hang out. Sometimes she thinks forgiveness is almost as sweet as love.
Nina can’t imagine how much Maxie misses Louise. Can she explain why visiting Brook’s baby is so bad? Maxie tells her, Monica says she needed counseling; maybe she does. Nina says, there’s no shame in asking for help, but what does Maxie need help with? Maxie says, when she’s with Bailey, she can’t bear to leave her. She wants to hold her all the time, and be with her every hour of every day. Nina says, Maxie knows she has a troubled past with babies, so she’s saying this with love and care. She takes Maxie’s hand, and says Maxie does know Brook’s baby isn’t her baby, right? Maxie says, no. She doesn’t know that. That’s why she thinks she needs to leave Port Charles.
Lenny wants to take Phyllis to the Shadow Lounge, where they can dance the night away. She says she likes the sound of that, and Lenny says Mike/Sonny will have to run the bar by himself. Sonny says, go, celebrate, have fun. Phyllis thinks she’ll go by Martha’s shop and get a new summer dress, and Lenny says he’ll have his suit pressed and ready to go. Dr. Ford walks in, and says he was in the neighborhood, so he thought he’d stop by. Consider it a something like a house call. Sonny says he’ll be in the back.
Nikolas says he hurt his son deeply, but Laura says she never believed he’d stay angry this long. Spencer adored Nikolas, and she knows deep down he still does. Nikolas tells her, what can he say? He misses his boy. He doesn’t know if Spencer is graduating now, how he’s traveling, or what makes him a man. Unfortunately, he taught Spencer how to hold on to a grudge when he nurtured his anger at Valentin for years. He wishes Spencer would come home, and make the situation with Ava somewhat bearable.
Trina thanks Ava for meeting her at the park, and Ava says she was headed to Windymere, but wanted to see what was going on with Trina first. Trina says she wanted to talk about a barback at the Savoy, and Ava asks if it’s the one who talked her into going in to her own party. Trina says she ran into him a couple of times since then, and it was interesting. Ava asks if she likes him, and Trina says, maybe there are some perks to being drenched in fake blood.
Spencer takes the shoes with the fake blood covered soles out of his bag. He looks around, and puts them in a dumpster.
Valentin suggests they bring the meeting to order; skip the formalities and go straight to a vote. Michael seconds it, but Scotty walks in and says they can’t start yet, and Monica asks who let him in. He says he knows his way around this museum, and Monica says if she didn’t invite him, he’s trespassing. He says he’s there on ELQ business. They can’t begin unless all the Quartermaines are present and accounted for.
Maxie tells Nina, she has to go before she does something she regrets. Nina says she’s not thinking of stealing Bailey, and Maxie says she doesn’t know what she’s going to do. Her heart is with Bailey; they’re one. Nina asks what she means. Louise and Bailey aren’t the same baby. If Maxie needs help, Nina will get for her. She loves Maxie forever. No matter what Maxie says, nothing will change that, but Maxie needs to talk to her right now. Is she thinking about stealing Bailey. Maxie says, it woudn’t be stealing. She’d be bringing her home where she belongs.
Phyllis thanks the doctor for coming in person, and he says he wishes he had better news. He leaves, and Sonny comes out. He asks what the doctor said about Lenny’s heart.
Ava asks if Trina’s friend has a name, and Trina says, Victor. Ava says, no last name? and Trina says he hasn’t told her. She barely knows anything about him. Ava says, except that she’s interested, and Trina says, yeah, but he’s a little elusive. They’ve been running into each other, and he has her number; he can call her. Ava says, if he doesn’t, he’s a fool, and Trina asks how Ava is. She heard they got a lead on the stalker guy from his boots. Ava says she’s supposed to feel hopeful, but everything is so bleak right now. Trina asks if Ava wants her to go along to Windymere to keep her company, and Ava says, that’s sweet, but she’s fine. Don’t worry about her. When things settle down, she’ll take Trina shopping to replace the clothes that were ruined. Trina says Ava doesn’t have to do that, but it would be fun to have a girls day out. Ava says they can talk about Victor, and Trina says, if she ever hears from him again. Ava says she thinks Trina will, and Trina tells her, good luck. She’s rooting for Ava and Nikolas to get back together again, and for that creep to be behind bars where he can never hurt anyone else.
Laura tells Nikolas that she’s sorry she brought up Spencer. She thinks she just made it worse. Nikolas says he’s still glad she called; her heart was in the right place. Spencer walks in. He says, father, and Nikolas says, Spencer. Spencer says, he’s home.
Ned asks what Scotty is talking about. All the Quartermaines are represented, either by proxy or their presence here. Scotty says, wrong, Ned, and Michael says Scotty seems to have all the answers. Which family member is missing? Austin walks in, and says, him. But he’s not missing anymore. He’s here now. Brook asks what he’s doing here, and Ned asks if she knows this guy. Michael says he doesn’t know what they’re up to, but this is a family matter. Scotty says, exactly, and Monica asks if Valentin had anything to do with this, but Valentin says, he’s just as curious as they are. Michael says, no offense, but who the hell is Austin. Scotty says, let him introduce them, but Austin says he’ll take care of this himself. Austin says, he’s Michael, right? He’s Austin. Austin Gatlin Holt.
Tomorrow, Ava wonders who has more right to the lodge than she does, Austin says what was rightfully someone else’s is now rightfully his, and Sonny doesn’t know how, but he’ll find a way.
The Haves and The Have Nots
Candance says, what? and Oscar says, we’re all here. She asks, who the hell is we? and Erika appears. She says, me. War appears, and says, and me. Candace’s son appears, and says, me. We flash back to each of their deaths, and Oscar says they’re all here to destroy her. Erika says, we all hate you, bitch, and War says, he gets her first. I’m going to kill you, bitch. Candaces flashes back to everything she did to them or they did to her. She says, what? and Oscar repeats, we’re here to destroy you. Candace flashes back to pushing him out of the window, and Erika says she deserves to die. Candace calls for Benny. Benny tells her, wake up, and asks if she’s all right. What happened? Did she have a bad dream? She says, yeah, and he asks if she’s sure she’s all right. She says she needs to get out of this hotel, and he says he thought she wanted to stay under the radar. She asks where he’s been, and he says, with that girl. She says, the whole time? and he says, yeah. She asks if he talked to Mitch, and he says, no. Did she? She says she tried calling him. Vinnie… Benny says, what’s going be is what’s going to be. Don’t worry. She says, it’s hard not to worry about him, and he asks if she wants to talk to him about her dream; it seemed pretty bad. She says she doesn’t want to talk about it, and gets agitated. He tells her, calm down, and she jumps up and goes into the bathroom.
David’s guard Leo (they finally said his name) gets Wyatt on the ground, and David comes running down the stairs, asking, what the hell is going on? Madison says, Wyatt escaped from the hospital, and Leo says, sorry, sir. Wyatt says he’s not going back to jail, and David says he’s calling Wyatt’s father. Wyatt says Jim will kill him, but David says, he won’t. While David is looking at his phone, Wyatt catches Leo off-guard (no pun intended), but Leo gets Wyatt’s hands behind his back, and cuffs him. David says, it’s nice to see his money working for him. Wyatt calls to Jeffrey, who says he can’t help Wyatt. Madison suggests calling the cops, but David tells him that he said he was calling Wyatt’s father. He’ll handle this. He calls Jim, and says, Wyatt is there at his house. He came to see Jeffrey. He’s high. Jim says, dammit, and David says Jim better come get him. Jim says he’s on his way. Madison asks to look at Leo’s injured hand, and says, it’s turning orange. Leo needs to get some ice on it. Jeffrey says, Leo knows that, and he thinks Leo knows where the kitchen is. Madison says Leo needs to keep an eye on Wyatt, but Jeffrey says Wyatt is fine; his hands are tied. Wyatt says Madison isn’t doing his job, and Madison says he’s not on duty. Madison asks if Jeffrey is jealous, and Wyatt says, what are you two? Jeffrey tells Madison that he’s fine, and Madison says he was just joking. Jeffrey asks if they can just drop this, and Wyatt says they’re making him sick. Madison says Wyatt should be thankful he’s not getting a bucket piss to throw at him, and Wyatt says Madison is supposed to be a nurse. Madison says he’s off duty, and David says Wyatt’s father is on his way.
Veronica pulls into David’s driveway, and Leo tells her that she needs to leave. She says she sees David still has a rent-a-cop, and he asks her to leave again. She says, make me, and he says he will. She says, touch her, and she’ll make sure he pays. Tell the bastard she’s here. He tells her not to step one foot on the property, and she says, then tell him. Leo tells her, stay there, and goes into the house. Veronica and William (another name I finally got) get out of the car, and Veronica says, this gonna be fun, girl. Leo tells David that Veronica is there, and David says, tell her to leave. Leo says, she won’t, and David says, all right; he’ll handle it. He tells Jeffrey, stay here, but Jeffrey says, no. He’s coming. They go outside.
David and Jeffrey go over to where Veronica and William are standing by the car. David says Veronica needs to stop coming there. She says she needs to talk to Jeffrey. She’s glad he’s there. There’s someone she wants him to meet. David tells her, leave now, but she says, no. He says he means it, and she says, Jeffrey, this is your father. David says, what the hell? and William says, sorry. David tells them to get their asses out of here, and Veronica tells Jeffrey, this is his real father. She had to pull him out of a gay bar. That’s probably where Jeffrey got it from. The same DNA. David tells Jeffrey, get in the house, and Veronica says, William and Jeffrey’s other daddy were business partners. Come on, meet your daddy. It’s your daddy, son. She starts to sing, it’s your real daddy; it’s your daddy. Jeffrey asks David what she’s talking about, and David says, she’s crazy. Go back in the house. Veronica says, come on, man. Jeffrey looks just like him. David says she’s sick, and Veronica says she remembers. He said she was a sick bitch. David says, come back one more time, and see what happens. She says, it’s always threats; do something. I’m Veronica, bitch. You can’t kill me. She doesn’t die, but he does… and Erika did. He says Veronica made sure of that, didn’t she? and Veronica says she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He says, Erika and Maggie Day, she murdered them both. She says again that she doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and he says her day is coming. Leave here now. She says she will, but doesn’t, and says, here, Jeffrey, like Jeffrey is a dog. She opens a manila envelope, and says, see this? taking out a paper. David tells her, don’t come near his son, and she holds the paper out, saying, DNA results. Look at it. She shakes it, and says, this is your father. David says Jeffrey doesn’t want it; leave. She laughs, and says, listen to him. Look at him. He says, now, and she says, okay, but calls to Jeffrey to take the results. She sees Madison, and says, is that girl in there? Hey girl! Madison waves, and she says, how ya’ll doing? She tells Jeffrey that William is still his daddy. It doesn’t matter if he walks away. William says they shouldn’t be doing this, and she says, shut up. If he wants a ride home, shut up and take his raggedly shoes and raggedy-ass self, and get in the car. She criticizes his shirt, and says he and Jeffrey dress alike. She yells to Jeffrey that his daddy works it better than he does. William gets in the car, and she tells him, just because he’s gay, that doesn’t mean he can’t open her car door.
Inside, Jeffrey asks David what that was about, and David says Jeffrey knows how his mother can be. Jeffrey says William looks like him. He knows his mother, and wouldn’t be surprised if she was cheating. David says Jeffrey knows she would do anything, and Jeffrey says, this is a new low. David says Jeffrey is his son, and he’s Jeffrey’s father. He doesn’t want to hear another word. Now sitting in a chair with his hands cuffed behind his back, Wyatt says, who cares? Let him out. David says Wyatt’s father is coming, and Wyatt says, Jim will kill him. David tells him again that Jim won’t kill him, and tells Jeffrey to watch him. He needs to make a phone call. He goes upstairs, and Wyatt says, Jeffrey… but Jeffrey says he doesn’t want hear it. Wyatt says Jeffrey is supposed to be his friend, and he’s just leaving him there? Jeffrey says, he is, and starts to leave. Wyatt asks where he’s going, and Jeffrey says, goodbye. Wyatt asks, what the hell happened to Jeffrey, and Jeffrey says he got over Wyatt. Wyatt asks if that’s how Jeffrey treats a friend, and Jeffrey says, afriend who won’t do right by himself. Wyatt says, get out of here, and Jeffrey tells him, that’s what he always says. Jeffrey and Madison go upstairs, and Wyatt asks Leo to take off the cuffs. Leo says, no chance.
Jeffrey and Madison go into Jeffrey’s bedroom, and Madison asks if Jeffrey is stressed. Jeffrey says, yeah, and Madison rubs his shoulders. He says, two things. Jeffrey doesn’t need to be jealous of Leo. Jeffrey says, he’s cute, and Madison says, yes, he is. Jeffrey says Madison was flirting, but Madison says, no, he wasn’t, and they’re not even in a relationship. They’re just having fun, right? He sits next to Jeffrey, who says, what if he wanted more? Madison says, that should take time, and Jeffrey says he knows, but he likes Madison. Madison says he likes Jeffrey too, and Jeffrey says he wants to see what a normal relationship is. Madison asks what he means, and Jeffrey says, after Justin, he wants to see what a normal relationship is like. Madison says, they have the time, and Jeffrey agrees. Jeffrey reminds Madison that he said two things, and Madison says, Jeffrey’s mother. Jeffrey says, she’s a nutjob, but William does look like him. Madison asks if Jeffrey has ever seen William before, and Jeffrey says, no, but his mother had the DNA results. Madison says, they can be doctored, and asks if it bothers Jeffrey. Jeffrey says, he knows his father is his father, and Madison says he can find out. Go get tested with him. Jeffrey says, it would kill his dad if he asked, and Madison says, don’t ask. Just get his toothbrush, or hairbrush; something. They can tell with that, Jeffrey says, really? He can’t. Madison says David is a supportive, loving man; just go with that. Jeffrey thanks him.
Veronica comes in, and tells Laura that she needs a drink. Laura say she has one right here, and there’s also someone waiting for Veronica. Veronica says, who? and Laura says, Mr. Marco (wow. it’s like winning Bingo), and Veronica asks if Laura got her new dresses. Laura says they’ll be ready tomorrow at 4, and leaves, as Marco comes in. Veronica says, bonjour. Como se vas? He says he’s good, and she says, he looks like he’s been in a fight. Was he that much of an opponent? Marco says, he was okay, and she asks if it’s done. He says, yes. Can he have his money? She says she’ll have it in an hour. She know it would be done this quickly. He says he wants it now, and she says, he’ll have it. He says he doesn’t know what kind of element she’s used to dealing with, but he’s different. He wants his money and wants it now. She says, fine. She’ll go upstairs, and get his money. But instead, she starts rubbing his shoulders, and asks how that feels. He says, like he’s waiting for his money, and I laugh. He tells her to please go get it, and she says, yeah. He gets up, and she asks where he thinks he’s going. He says he’s going with her, but she says, stay right there. He says, hurry, and she says he needs to relax. He’s a little demanding for her taste. He says, sometimes. She walks back to the coffee table, takes her bag, drains her drink, and heads upstairs.
At the Iron Bone, Vinnie sits in a booth with a drink. Mitch comes out, clutching his stomach, and Vinnie asks if he’s all right. Mitch says, yeah, and Vinnie says, good. Mitch says, just let this go, but Vinnie says he can’t do it. He spoke to Sandy, who told him what happened. Mitch says Vinnie doesn’t even like Rianna, but Vinnie says, Sandy seems to like her, and Rose is warming up to her. Mitch says, they’re not even together anymore, and Vinnie says, it don’t matter. He sent Sandy to get Benny, and he’s on his way now. Mitch gets up, saying, he has to talk to Benny, but Vinnie tells him, stay out of this one. Mitch isn’t going to talk to him. Give him the phone. Mitch hands his phone over, and says he let Vinnie beat his ass as punishment. Why won’t he let Mitch try to smooth things out? Vinnie says Mitch knows how Rose is about family, and Mitch says, there’s nothing he can do to stop this? Vinnie says, no, and he’ll get caught in the crossfire. Have a drink. Relax. Sandy’s got this. Mitch says, Sandy is going to take him out? and Vinnie yells for Micky to get Mitch a shot. It will take the edge off. Mitch says he doesn’t want one, when Sandy walks in. Vinnie asks why he’s there, and he says he’s waiting for Sal. Mitch says, to do what? and Sandy says, Uncle Vinnie is in charge, and said he could do it. Vinnie tells Mitch, stop bleeding for this kid, Sandy says Mitch acts like he has a hard-on for Benny. Mitch says, Benny is a good kid, and Vinnie says, he’s a dead kid. He tells Sandy, go do it, and Mitch says Sandy ain’t no murdering bitch. Sandy asks why Mitch is going to bat for Benny’s ass; he’s going to show him. Mitch says Sandy walks around hating Black people, and his girlfriend is Black. Sandy says, that’s different; she’s half Black. Vinnie says Mitch’s friend is so stupid and so dead. Mitch says he can’t do this. Please, man. Vinnie says, he’s pleading for this kid again, and tells Sandy, go do it. Make it bloody as hell. He has a nephew pleading for this kid. Take him out. Sandy leaves.
The guard opens the door to Kathryn’s cell, and puts another inmate in. Kathryn says, excuse me. I’m supposed to be alone. The guard tells her, says who? and Kathryn says, her attorney. The guard asks where Kathryn thinks she is, and Kathryn says she thinks the guard should check with her superiors. The guard says, lady, shut up, but Kathryn says she will not. The new inmate says, looks like she has a roommate, but Kathryn says, it’s a mistake. She’ll have to move. The inmate says, bitch please. Kathryn says, young lady… but the inmate says she’s not in the mood to talk. Kathryn yells for the guard, and the inmate says, stop making that damn noise. Kathryn asks who she thinks she is, and the inmate says, the one who’s going to beat Kathryn’s ass if she doesn’t shut up. Kathryn says she’d like to see her try, and the inmate asks if she’s rich or something. Kathryn says, as a matter-of-fact she is. The inmate says, she was looking for a bottom bitch. She’s going to make Kathryn hers. Kathryn asks what that’s supposed to mean, and the inmate says she’ll see. She’s going to love it. Kathryn says, touch her and she promises the inmate will regret it. The inmate says she’s going to love Kathryn. She’s never had a grandma. Kathryn yells for the guard again, and the guard says, what is it? Kathryn says she’s supposed to be alone. Check her records. She’s Kathryn Cryer. She’ll have the guard’s badge if she doesn’t get this hooligan out. The guard says, sorry, and walks away. Kathryn says, dammit, and the inmate says, so she’s Kathryn Cryer. Kathryn says, that’s her name. The whole town knows her name. The inmate says the whole town will know she got her ass whooped. Doesn’t Kathryn want to know her name? It’s Diamond. Kathryn says, how original.
Hanna comes home to find a young woman with a baby standing in front of her house. She says, cute baby, and asks if she can help the woman. The woman says her name is Tanisha, and asks if Benny is there. Hanna says, no, and she asks if Hanna knows when he’ll be back. Hanna sys, he doesn’t live there anymore, and Tanisha asks if Hanna knows where she can find him. Hanna asks who she is, and she says, a friend. Hann asks how Benny knows her, and she says, it’s a long story. Hanna says she’s got time, and Tanisha asks if she’s Benny’s his mom Hanna. Hanna says, Miss Young, and Tanisha says she’s glad she found Hanna. She needs to talk to Benny. Does she have his phone number? Hanna says she does, and Tanisha asks if she can have it. Hanna says, how about if she calls him for Tanisha. Tanisha says, okay, and Hanna asks if Tanisha wants to tell her what this is about. Tanisha says, it’s just really important that she talk to him, and Hanna makes the call.
Benny tells Candace, here we go. It’s mama; he knows it’s not going to be good. She says, don’t answer, but he says, she’ll be mad. Candace says, she’s already mad. Benny answers, and Hanna says, hold on. She hands the phone to Tanisha, and holds the baby. Benny asks, who is this? and she says, Tanisha. He wonders who Tanisha is, and she says they met a while ago at a club. She’s been trying to find him. He says, for what? and Hanna says, Lord have mercy. Tanisha says she needed to talk to him in person, and he says, about what? Hanna says, is this his baby? and Tanisha says, yeah. Benny says, what? and Hanna says, you have a baby. He looks like Benny. Benny says, hold on. What the hell is she talking about? Tanisha says he has a son, and he says he doesn’t know her. She says, that doesn’t make her feel good. It was only one night, but it happened. He says he’s sorry for what she’s going through, but she’s got the wrong guy. She says, it’s him. She had to find out his last name. Hanna takes the phone, and hands back the baby, She tells Benny to talk to Tanisha right now, and he says he doesn’t know who she is. Hanna says, his penis did. The baby looks just like him. Talk to her right now. She means it. Now. She hangs up ,and invites Tanisha in.
Jim walks into David’s house, and says, what the hell? How did Wyatt get out? Wyatt says, he’s out on bail, but David says, no he isn’t. He broke out of the hospital. Jim laughs, and says, really? He’s actually proud. David says Wyatt stole a bunch of drugs and meds, and Jim asks if that’s true. Where are they? Wyatt says he took them. Just let him out. Jim says, come on, and Wyatt asks where they’re going. Jim says, they’re going home, but Wyatt says he’s going to his loft. Jim says he doesn’t have a loft anymore, and Wyatt says, mom never sold… but Jim says Wyatt is coming with him. Wyatt says he’s not going, and Jim asks, what happened to their conversation at the hospital? Wyatt said he’d go upstate to rehab. They agreed that’s where he was going. Wyatt says he’s not going there, and Jim says, listen you ungrateful little prick. I’m taking your ass to rehab or dragging it to jail.What happened to, I love you, dad; I’m going to rehab. Wyatt tuned into an a-hole just like his damn mother. Wyatt starts to slump, and Jim says, he did the same thing when he didn’t want to eat his peas. Wyatt passes out, and Leo says, he doesn’t have a pulse. He undoes the cuffs, and Jim asks, what’s the matter? Leo and Jim try to get Wyatt to the floor, and fall with him in the process. Madison comes in, and Jeffrey asks, what’s the matter? Madison is already checking out Wyatt, and starts to do chest compression. He says, get an ambulance, and tells Jim, it could be a lot of things. Jim asks if he could be more specific, and Leo calls 9-1-1. Madison tells Jim, back up, and continues to work on Wyatt. Jim wonders, where’s the damn ambulance?
Candace asks Benny what that was all about, and Benny says, some girl says she had his baby. She says she told him to wrap it up, but he says, it makes no sense. He doesn’t remember her. Candace says, all the more reason to use protection, but he says, no; he can’t recall it at all. She asks what mama said, and he tells her, she said, go there and talk to her. She says he needs to find out if he’s a baby daddy, and he says, not funny. He’s not going… Mama said it looks just like him. She says, messing around with random women, and not using protection, he’s got know it was going to happen. He says he’s always been safe, and she asks if he’s been using protection or pulling out. He says she doesn’t know him like that, and she says she’s his sister. She does know him. Go find out. He says, this is crazy, and she tells him, be careful. He says, speaking of that… He calls Mitch, and gets voicemail. He leaves a message to call him back, and tells Candace, he’s not answering. She says, let her try, but she gets voicemail too, and leaves the same message. She tells Benny, relax, but he asks how he can relax right now. She thinks they should leave the hotel. If they’re not there, no one can hurt him.
The phone rings, and it’s Sandy. He says he’s outside. Benny knows who this is. Come outside. Benny asks what the hell Sandy is talking about, and Sandy says Benny heard him. He’s not going nowhere. Benny tells him, do what he’s got to do, and Sandy says he’s waiting on Benny outside. Come now. Sandy hangs up, and Candace asks, who was that? Benny says, it was him, and she asks how he knows Benny is there. He says, Mitch told him, but she says, no way. He woudn’t have. Benny says, Sandy is his brother. He looks out from the side of the curtain, and says, he’s not out there. Dammit! He’s at mama’s. Benny dashes out.
Sandy does a drive-by at Hanna’s house. He riddles the house with bullets, and speeds away.
Next time, Candance goes to the Iron Bone to see Mitch, Veronica says she wouldn’t be Veronica without enemies, Benny suggests he and Sandy handle the problem like men, and Diamond says she’s going to beat Kathryn’s ass. It’s the finale – sniff… Tyler Perry is not holding back. Who will make it out alive?
😴 Nothing To See Here…
It’s been a super long day, so NYC tomorrow, and in the meantime, stay safe, stay venturing out of your comfort zone, and stay not being an ostrich person, always looking down, hoping to find something better on your phone instead of what’s right in front of you.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Violet runs into Charlie’s with a baseball, and tells Anna that her daddy gave it to her. Did she see him play? Anna says she did, and he’s a true hero. Violet asks if they can have a tea party, since Anna has pretty cups, and Anna says, any time she wants, but it might be a little different; Daddy won’t be there. She says she misses Violet, and Violet says she misses Anna too.
At Charlie’s, Michael says, Sam’s final play won the game. Good for her. Dante says it was all his coaching, but Sam says she made the play despite his coaching. Violet tells everyone, shh! Uncle Chase and Aunt Willow are coming. Finn picks her up, and Willow wheels Chase in. Everyone yells, surprise! and Violet confirms, it’s a surprise, in case that was unclear. Everyone applauds, and there are smiles all around.
On the terrace with Bailey/Louise, Valentin tells her, happy 4th of July. This is a family celebration where the firework’s are literal, so she might want to enjoy the quiet while it lasts. Brook comes out, and says she’s already late for Chase’s party, and wants to be there to support him. Valentin is good, right? He’s going to be Bailey’s primary caregiver for a couple hours. Monica comes out, and asks to see Brook for a moment – alone.
Jake asks why Cameron brought him to the park. He wants to go to the pool with Aiden and their friends. Cameron says he thinks they need to talk, and Jake asks, about what? Cameron says, give him a break. He’s trying. He knows Jake is still mad and still hurt about what he did, and what he said to him when he was so sure Jason killed Franco. Jake says Cameron called his dad a killer, and said he was stupid for believing Jason. Cameron said he was sorry, and he said it was okay. Cameron says, obviously, it’s not okay, and he wants to fix it.
Clothes are all over the floor in Britt’s room. Jax wakes up and looks at Britt. She opens her eyes, and he waves and tells her, good morning. She says, what the… and he says, it’s just him. Does she remember Charlie’s Pub last night? They had a few drinks, and she invited him back to her place. She says, things happened, and asks, what time is it? He checks, and says, no way; it’s the afternoon. She says, wow, time flies, and asks if he has anywhere to be. He says, actually, he doesn’t, unless she wants him to go, of course (🍷). She says, you tell me, and asks if it was pity sex. He says, no, not on his part. She’s beautiful. She says, good answer, and kisses him, because no one has bad breath or messed up makeup after a night of drinking and wild sex on a soap.
Carly asks if Josslyn is going to the park to watch the fireworks. Avery is going to a Lila’s Kids event, and she thinks Avery would feel better if Josslyn was close by, just in case she gets insecure. There’s been a lot of upheaval in Avery’s life recently. Josslyn says she was going to meet Cameron and Trina at the docks, but she’ll switch it to the park. Speaking of Trina, Carly will never believe what happened at Trina’s party. Actually before the party. Trina came face-to-face with Ava’s stalker.
On the phone, Trina says she told Portia that she’s over what happened last night. She’s not scared… She’s at the pool. She sees Spencer (another one who now goes by two names), and says she just spotted someone she knows.
Jason comes in, and Carly says, good; he’s here. Josslyn asks what Jason is doing for the 4th, and he says he thinks he’s going to spend it with her mom. Josslyn asks if they’re going somewhere, and Carly says, they’re not sure yet, but they have something to tell her. She and Jason are getting married.
Brook says she’s used to the third degree from Olivia, but what did she do to provoke Monica? Monica says she just wanted to talk without Valentin, and Brook says, okay. What’s the problem? Monica says she heard Maxie was there to see Bailey again, and Britt says, so? Monica says, it can’t be healthy. It breaks her heart knowing what Maxie is going through. Her baby is with a kidnapper, and coming to see Bailey is going to open the wound over and over again. It’s not healthy. Maxie comes in, and says, happy 4th! Look at that sweet, precious little girl. How cute she is in her 4th of July outfit? She looks adorable. And she does. Bailey/Louise is a very cute baby.
Violet tells Chase and Willow, happy 4th of July. Chase thanks her, and says she’s dressed for the celebration, but what is all this? Jordan says, they missed him, and thought it was a good time to celebrate, and tell him that they can’t wait to have him back. Dante can’t believe he’s saying this, but they missed Chase on the field too. He struck out a lot, but sometimes Chase actually hit the ball. Finn tells him to take his time in rehab. The longer they can avoid his pitching, the better. Violet says, just so everyone knows, today is only a party, not the reception. That’s later. Finn says, right. Chase wanted to make it clear that they’re saving the reception for when he’s is back on his feet. Chase says, which will be before they know it. He’s starting physical therapy. Willow convinced him to come there for a bite before visiting his physical therapist, and he totally believed her. Jordan says she told Chase’s new wife to lie, and Chase says, that’s a first. Dante says they have a little something for Chase and his new bride, and holds up Bride and Groom baseball shirts. He says he can’t wait for Chase to be back, so he can strike out again. Jordan suggests Chase and Willow both cheer them on this Thursday when they’re playing Aurora, and Violet says, yay, Uncle Chase and Aunt Willow! Everyone goes, yay!
Spencer says he’d ask if Trina is stalking him, if he wasn’t happy to see her. She says he wishes she was stalking him, and he asks if she hasn’t been on every pier looking for him. She says she was staking out a place to watch the fireworks with her friends, but she just got a text; they’re going to the park instead. He asks how the rest of her party was, and she says, awesome. Thanks for talking her into staying. He says, most people would have called it a night, but Trina tells him, she got some good advice about staying. He asks if she wants to catch some rays with him before meeting her friends, but she says she doesn’t have a swimsuit. He tells her, wear her birthday suit. He will if she will. She says she has a better idea. Why doesn’t she take him to the park… wearing clothes.
Cameron tells Jake that he’s sincerely sorry for insisting Jason killed Franco; he apologizes. Jake says, okay, but why did he? Cameron knows his dad would never hurt him like that. Cameron says he sees that now, but he was so hurt about losing Franco. Somebody told him recently that being angry is easy, but it’s so much harder to be sad, to be hurt. He took the easy way out. He was a jerk to Jason and a lousy big brother to Jake. He’s so sorry, and he’ll continue saying it until Jake believes him.
Josslyn says, Carly and Jason are getting married? That’s… unexpected. Carly says she knows it’s a surprise, but they thought about it carefully, and believe it’s the best choice for them. Josslyn says she only ever thought of them as friends, and Jason says, they are, and definitely couldn’t do this if weren’t best friends. They’ve always counted on each other, and been there for each other, and realized they should make the bond formal and legal by getting married. Josslyn asks if they think they’ll be happy, and Carly says, of course (🍷). What would make them really happy is knowing their family supports them. Josslyn says, of course (🍷) they have her support.
Jake says, Franco was his stepdad too, and he loved Franco. He didn’t deserve to be murdered. Maybe Cameron is right. Being mad at him is a whole lot easier than being sad. Cameron sits next to Jake on a bench, and says, he gets it. As soon as Jake stops being mad at Cameron, he’ll have time to miss Franco. Jake says he does miss Franco, but he also misses his brother. Playing video games with him, playing soccer, and teasing him about girls. Jake starts to cry, and Cameron says he misses those things too and knows it can be really scary to feel sad. How about if they do it together? Cameron puts his arm around Jake, and Jake says, okay.
Josslyn tells Jason, welcome to the family. Except, he’s always been a part of the family. He says he’ll take the welcome anyway, and Josslyn asks if they don’t feel weird about being friends, then husband and wife. Carly says she thinks there’s going to be an adjustment, but they’re good. Josslyn says, clearly, they have it figured out, and the more she thinks about it, the more it makes sense. Who else are they going to marry? Sonny understood their relationship, but she’s not sure other people would. Relationships can be totally awkward, and they’re better off sticking to what they know. Carly says she doesn’t know whether to be proud that Josslyn is happy for them, or concerned that she’s such a cynic when it comes to relationships. She hasn’t even gone to college yet. Josslyn says she’s not a cynic. She just realizes that relationships can get complicated when you don’t want them too, but they’re so lucky. They already know each other, inside and out. She has to get going, and Carly tells her to have fun. She says she will, and congratulates them, adding that she means it. She looks at Jason and says she doesn’t have to call him dad, right? Carly laughs, and Jason says, no. She says she was just making sure. Bye, engaged people. Happy 4th. She leaves, and Carly says, that was weird, but it went kind of well. Are they ready for the next step? Jason looks uncomfortable, and says, there’s something they have to do first.
Jax tells Britt, not that they need any more fireworks, but today is the 4th of July. She says, is it? and he says, picnics, fireworks, barbecues, the red, white, and blue. She laughs, and he asks, what’s funny? She says she was thinking about her first 4th of July in Port Charles; it was a nightmare. She can laugh now, but back then, it was terrible. He asks, what happened? and she says, for starters, she was carrying a baby that wasn’t hers, but that’s not even the main part of the story. Patrick Drake’s daughter Emma had this hyper-realistic doll, and she was holding it. It just started peeing on her, and it caught her so off-guard, she chucked the evil doll off her lap, and it landed on the barbecue grill, and exploded into flames. Every part of that story is true. They laugh.
Chase thanks Finn and Elizabeth for pulling off the surprise party. Being with friends and family is the best medicine. Finn says they hoped he’d feel that way, and Elizabeth says she wants to check on Cameron, and make sure he got his brothers to the park. She leaves, and Chase says, Finn and Elizabeth always seem to be together. What’s going on with them?
Jordan tells Anna, it’s been a while since they had a proper catch-up. She knows Anna has been looking for Maxie’s baby. Anna says she’s been searching for any evidence with Valentin, and Jordan says, Anna and Valentin? Wait a minute.
Valentin texts Anna: Are you still coming?
Britt asks what Maxie is doing there again, and Maxie says she was passing by, and wondered what they were up to with baby’s first 4th of July. Monica asks, what about James and Georgie? and Maxie says, they’re on a picnic with her mom and Mac. She’s going to join them later. She just wanted to see what was up with Brook and Bailey. Brook says, Valentin is a doting father, and every time Olivia comes by, she swoops in for her Bailey time. The Qs have a ton of nannies, so she thinks she’s covered. Monica says she’s going to going leave them to talk, and when she’s gone, Maxie asks why Monica is being weird. Brook says, she’s being weird because of Maxie.
Finn tells Chase, Elizabeth is Violet’s aunt, and she’s been a good friend. When Chase got sick, she kept him from falling apart. Chase says, so there is something there, but Finn says, she’s still mourning the loss of her husband, and he still has issues because of Anna. Willow comes back, and Finn says, it’s really nice what she and Chase have, a good old fashioned, uncomplicated relationship. Chase says he couldn’t agree more, and Willow says she’ll go get them something to drink. Anna comes by, and asks if she can have Finn’s brother for a second. Finn says, of course (🍷), and gets up, saying, he kept the seat warm. She says, thanks, and sits. She says she wants to congratulate Chase on the wedding, and he says, thanks; he’s never been happier. She says, he deserves it.
Elizabeth tells Finn, Chase is right. Friends and family are really the best medicine. Finn says he’s almost happy himself. Then he remembers Peter is still in the freezer. She says she needs a drink. Does he want anything? He says, a drink sounds good, but no thank you.
Trina says Victor/Spencer will like her friends. They’re all going to college together in the fall. It was a whole drama. One was going to a California school, the other got waitlisted for Southern Coastal, but in the end, they all decided to go to PCU, which shows excellent taste, since she’s going too. Come on. She’ll introduce him to Cameron and Josslyn.
Josslyn sees Cameron and Jake, and asks if Jake is joining them, but he says, no way. He doesn’t want to be a third wheel. He’s meeting Aiden at the pool. He leaves, and Cameron says he doesn’t know where Jake got the third wheel idea. She says, it’s no big deal. Besides, she has exciting news. She’s glad he did his apology tour and all is forgiven, because her mom and Jason are getting married.
Jason tells Carly that he doesn’t want to lie, but something so simple like telling people they’re getting married, is… They both say, it’s complicated, together. He says, but what he told Josslyn was true. He couldn’t do this if Carly wasn’t his best friend. She says she feels the same way, and he takes a ring box out of his pocket. He tells her that he got her this.
Brook says, Monica has a point; Maxie shouldn’t be there, and she doesn’t need to be. Brook maneuvered her way into a job at Maxie’s office so she could see her daughter at daycare without anyone suspecting. Isn’t that enough? Maxie says, it was an ingenious plan, and she’s grateful, but it’s a holiday weekend and she’s here. Let her spend time with her daughter.
Valentin flashes back to being with Anna in Austin’s cabin, and Anna saying she couldn’t have gotten through the last few months without him. He tells her, nor him without her. He sort of smiles.
Willow asks how Michael’s 4th of July is going, and he says he thinks he’s looking at the calm before the storm. She says, it sounds ominous, but he says, it’s good news. He was shocked when he first heard, but then he thought about it and it made perfect sense. He’s happy for them. She says, who? and he says, his mom and Jason are getting married. Elizabeth and Sam are sitting at the bar, and overhear. Willow asks if she heard that right; his mom and Jason? He says, after them being best friends his whole life, they decided to get married. They had a discussion about it, and he believes they know exactly what they’re doing, and they’re fully committed. Sam drains her drink, and jets. Elizabeth follows her.
Carly looks at the ring, and says, it’s beautiful. She hands it to him, he sighs, and puts it on her finger. Bleh.
Jax says, Britt barbecued a doll in front of the girl who owned it. That’s horrible. She says, it’s funny now, but back then, it was a nightmare. Jax suggests they make some better 4th of July memories. Would she care to join him on the terrace deck to watch the fireworks?
On the phone, Carly thanks Olivia for letting her know, and Jason asks what Olivia wanted. She says, Vincent Novak is at the MetroCourt, and he says, maybe they want to make peace. She asks if he really thinks so, and he says, Brick’s team is efficient. The Novaks lost a lot; they lost their offices, and they lost trucks. She says, in that case, it looks like they watch the fireworks from the MetroCourt, and holds up her hand with the ring.
Trina asks if Victor/Spencer is coming, but he says maybe he’s not ready to meet her friends. She says, all of a sudden he’s shy? and he says, just thirsty. He’s going to grab some bottled waters, and he’ll catch up with her.
Cameron says, so Josslyn’s mom is marrying Jason. Is she excited about that? She says, yeah. They’ve been friends for, like, ever. Like she told them, who else would they marry? He says they have to talk about her and him, the graduation party, and how she kissed him. Trina joins them, and says they’ll never believe it. She ran into that guy again, Victor, the one who convinced her to go back to the party after she was drenched in fake blood. Josslyn says, he must be some guy, and Trina says, he’s cute. Not that she’d ever tell him that. She moves on, and Josslyn tells Cameron, she guesses their talk will have to wait.
Anna asks why she’s meeting Valentin on the Quartermaine terrace, and he says, it’s 4th of July, and she’s British. She doesn’t have to be bitter and alone. She says he’s funny, and asks if his lovely little daughter is around. He says, she’s inside with her mother, which is good because she’s a little young for what he has in mind. She says, which is? and he says, Anna likes plenty of fire, right? She says, always, and he says, he has sparklers. He shows them to her.
Maxie says she’s missed Louise, and Brook says, Peter is still out there. What if he’s following her, watching her going to her non-friend’s house? He’s psycho, but not stupid. He’s going to put two and two together. Maxie says, she knows that, and after today, she’ll stay away. Brook asks, isn’t she the one who said she’d protect her baby at all costs? She can’t even keep her distance on a long weekend. What happened to her? Maxie says, Louise is her daughter; her flesh and blood. She knows better, but she can’t help herself.
At the pier, Sam says Elizabeth doesn’t have to babysit her, but Elizabeth says, babysitters don’t bring vodka, and takes out a bottle. Sam says, they both heard Michael say it; Jason is marrying Carly. If Elizabeth is afraid of leaving her alone, she can call one of Sam’s sisters. Elizabeth asks if she’s not the perfect person to vent to. She loved Jason too, and knows what it’s like to come in second place to Carly. Sam says, they didn’t even try to hide it. Carly always came first; she wouldn’t have it any other way. Elizabeth suggests they start with the shots, and pours them into plastic cups. She says, so Jason and Carly are getting married. She guesses it was inevitable, but doesn’t Sam think it’s a little soon? Sam says she doesn’t know. For as long as she and Jason were together, there was always Carly. There was Sonny too. Jason being Sonny’s best friend, business partner, and right hand man. Then Carly just took him, all for herself. Elizabeth says, that’s why doing shots won’t be enough, and Sam asks what she’s talking about.
Josslyn asks where Trina’s new friend is, and Trina says, he should have been there by now.Maybe he decided not to come, and Cameron says, if he’s already playing games, Trina might want to drop him, but she says, he’s just being a guy. If he comes, tell him that she couldn’t wait. Josslyn says, she’s leaving? and Trina says, it’s good not to be too available, besides, her mom keeps texting her. She’s still nervous about last night, so Trina is going to watch the fireworks with her. She says she’ll see them later, and leaves. Cameron says that gives them time to figure out what happened, but Josslyn asks, what is there to figure out? Dev forged her journal entry, and she never wrote that he was a bad kisser, because that’s not what she thinks. He says, there’s a lot more to it than just that.
Sam lugs a tote bag onto the pier, and asks Elizabeth, what now? Elizabeth says, now, they have another drink, and hands Sam a cup. Sam says, excellent, and they clink plastic cups. They drink another shot, and Sam asks what they’re doing. Elizabeth says, back in Colorado, her closest friend Terry, Dr. Randal, didn’t really date, but was the best shoulder to cry on. Whenever a crush moved on to someone else, Terry had this idea that you couldn’t really move on until you cleansed the person from your system. Elizabeth lights a rolled up newspaper, and throws it in a trash can, starting a fire. She asks Sam, what’s in the bag? and Sam takes out her leather jacket, saying, Jason gave it to her years ago. She reaches into a pocket, and takes out two concert tickets. She says, Springsteen tickets. They never used them. Elizabeth says, into the fire, and Sam tosses them in. Elizabeth says, now the jacket, but Sam says, no. Elizabeth says, yes, and Sam kisses it, and throws it in. Elizabeth asks, what else? and Sam pulls out a wooden box. She says, dominos. Don’t ask her why she and Jason loved the game. She doesn’t know, but they did. She adds it to the fire, but says, it’s not burning. Who knew dominos wouldn’t burn? She thinks she has something that will help, and takes a bottle of tequila out of the bag. She takes a drink, and throws the bottle in. She says, it was a memory, but not anymore.
Dante tells Finn that he’s going to find Sam and Elizabeth. He leaves Charlie’s, and Finn picks up Violet. She says, Uncle Chase and Aunt Willow want to take her to see the fireworks. Chase says, GH is letting the patients and the staff watch from the roof, and Willow says they promise to get Violet home afterward. Violet asks if she can go, and Finn says, two hours tops. He tells Chase, don’t over-do it, and Willow says she’ll make sure of that. Finn thanks her for everything, and tells Violet to stay with Uncle Chase. Dante comes back, and says he can’t find them anywhere. His phone rings, and he says, are they? He’ll be right there. That was a friend from the fire department. Apparently, Sam and Elizabeth are on the pier. Finn says, let’s go, and they leave.
Valentin hands Anna a sparkler, and says he got these for Charlotte, but she decided to go horseback riding. Apparently, her tastes are more sophisticated than run of the mill sparklers. Anna wonders where Charlotte got her extravagant taste from, and he says, guilty as charged. She says she happens to like sparklers. Light her up. He lights one for her and one for him.
Carly and Jason are in the MetroCourt elevator, and Jason asks if she’s ready. She says, let’s do it, and takes his hand. They walk in, and Vincent Novak gets up. He says he heard about the unfortunate misunderstanding with his nephew, and Jason says he’s surprised Joey didn’t know any better. Vincent says, he can be a hothead. He’s spoken to Joey, and hopes their families can continue to co-exist in peace. Jason says, that’s their goal too. If he and Carly had known Vincent was going to be there, they would have invited him to celebrate with them. Vincent says, celebrate what? and Carly says, Jason asked her to marry him, and she said yes. She shows him the ring.
In the park on the phone, Trina says she’s on her way home… No, she wants to be with Portia. They can look at the pictures from her party. She leaves, and Spencer comes out from the trees.
Josslyn tells Cameron, Dev did a messed up thing. What else is there to say? He says, but if Dev hadn’t made him think Josslyn wasn’t into him, what would have happened? Would they have been together after they kissed at the dance? Would they be together now?
Maxie tells Brook, just a few more minutes, and she’ll leave. Britt says she knows Chase’s party is breaking up by now. She has to change, and she’ll give Maxie one or two minutes alone with Louise/Bailey. She’ll be upstairs, so hopefully, it won’t look too suspicious. Maxie thanks Brook, and Brook leaves. Maxie tells Louise that she’s missed her so much. She has no idea. Or maybe she does. Maxie loves her with all her heart. Monica walks in, and does not look thrilled.
Anna says, ow! and drops her sparkler. Valentin asks if she’s all right, and she says, it’s just a spark flew. He says, let him see, and he takes her hand. He says, it’s just a little burn, and kisses it. Then he kisses her. I’m in. it’s about damn time.
Chase thanks everyone for coming. The next time the party is going to be… Violet says, a wedding reception, and he says, that’s right. A big old fancy wedding reception. He and Willow will do a first dance and everything. Violet says she can’t wait, and Michael and Willow look at each other.
A fireman sprays the trashcan with a fire extinguisher, and Dante says he’s from the PCPD. He shows the fireman his badge, and says they got a call that there were two women out there. The fireman says, right through that door with his partner, and Sam and Elizabeth come out with another fireman. Dante says, they’ve got this, and thanks the firemen. Dante asks if Sam and Elizabeth are okay, and Elizabeth says, they’re fine. The fire’s out. She and Sam sit, and Dante asks if they started the fire. Sam says, come on. Join them in the celebration. It’s the 4th of July. She takes a slug from the vodka bottle, and says, she just declared her independence.
Jax and Britt get in the elevator at the MetroCourt, and he tells her that she looks beautiful. She says he cleans up pretty nicely himself, and he says he’ll make sure there are no grills around, and the only doll on fire is her. She says, cornball, and he says, wait until he starts with the dad jokes. She tells him that she didn’t say corny was bad.
Carly says, sorry Jason has to stick around. She’s sure he’d much rather be at the bridge. He says, wouldn’t she? and she says, the view of the fireworks is much better from there. She used resent the bridge. She hated it because it was a Robin thing. It felt hands off to her. He says he took her there himself, but she says, it’s a girl thing. They should go back to the bridge. He says, okay; whatever she wants. Britt and Jax come in, and Britt and Jason lock eyes.
Tomorrow, Jason tells Britt that she still means something to him, Nina has something to tell Obrecht, Monica says they have a big problem, and Phyllis encourages Sonny to visit Nina.
The Haves and The Have Nots
Benny knocks on Rianna’s door, and she opens it. He asks if he can come in, and she says she shouldn’t do this. He says he drove all this way for her, and she lets him in. She says he wasn’t followed, was he? and he asks if she’s scared of that dude. She says he won’t leave her alone. She’d move away, but her mom is in a home there, and needs her. He asks, why? and she says her mom has had cerebral palsy her whole life. It got to be too much. He says, sorry, and she says, it’s okay. She can afford it most times. He says, most times? and she wonders why she’s telling him this… She’s drunk. He asks if he can have some, and she says she’ll get him a glass. She comes back with red wine, and he thanks her. She asks if he’s excited about his new house, and he says, come here. He tells her that she needs to be held, but she says she’s fine. He says, come on, and she says she’s not sleeping with him. He says he won’t bite, and she sits next to him, putting her head on his shoulder. He says going to be okay. He promises she will. She asks how he’s so sure, and he says he has a sixth sense about these things. She thanks him for defending her, but he says he was only doing what any man would do. She says, no. He made her feel so safe. She wants to thank him. She kisses him, and he asks what she’s doing. She tells him, shut up, and kisses him again. He says he ain’t going to be responsible. He told her that he’s not letting her take advantage of his body. They kiss some more, and she pushes him back. He takes off his jacket, and she unbuckles his belt, then kisses down his chest, and… well, you know.
David asks the guard, who just left? and the guard says it was a guest of David’s son. He said his name was Tanner. David tells him to run the plates, but he says he already did. The guy’s full name is Leonard Tanner Lewis. David asks how he knows Jeffrey, but the guard doesn’t know. David tells him to find out all he can. Jeffrey comes downstairs, and says David doesn’t have to do that. David asks Jeffrey to tell him who nobody is, and Jeffrey says, he’s Justin’s brother. David says, the boy who set himself on fire? What did he want? Jeffrey says Tanner wanted him to come to the funeral. David asks, why? and Jeffrey says, Tanner told him that Justin cared for him. David asks if Jeffrey plans on attending, but Jeffrey says, no. David says, good. He doesn’t think it would be appropriate, and Jeffrey says, there’s something about Tanner that he doesn’t trust. David says, then he shouldn’t. You never know what people’s motives really are. David goes upstairs.
Jim pulls into David’s driveway, and the guard asks if he can help him. Jim says he’s going in to see David, and the guard asks if David knows him. Jim says he does, and asks if he isn’t the sorry-ass security guard Jim fired. He let Jim’s son escape. The guard asks if he can help Jim, but Jim says, no. He’s going in to see David. The guard says he has to be announced, but Jim says he doesn’t think so. The guard puts his hand against Jim’s chest, and says he’ll put Jim on the ground if he doesn’t wait. Jim tells the guard to take his hand off. He’d like to see the guard try. The guard tells him, move toward the door, and he will. Jim laughs, and says, okay, announce him.
The guard tells David that Jim is there to see him, and David says, okay. Jim comes in, and says he sees David hired the sorry-ass security company he fired. David says, they’re doing okay so far. What brings Jim there? Jim says he’s in a bind. He needs $100K. That crazy-ass bitch wife of David’s is representing Celine. Judge Modine will put his ass in jail if he doesn’t give Celine $50K in 24 hours. David says, Jim doesn’t have $50K? Jim says he doesn’t have 50 cents. These women… David says he knows, and Jim says, that damn Hanna. David wonders if she said no, but Jim says he’d rather shoot himself than ask Hanna for money. David says he’ll loan Jim the money, and Jim says he appreciates it. These damn women… David says, they’ve lost their minds. He’s surprised Jim is paying Celine, but Jim says he has no time to be in jail, and Modine is just the bastard who will send him there. David says, speaking of wild women, Mama Rose… Jim says he talked to her? but David says, no, she retired. Apparently, she has health problems and moved to Florida. Jim asks, when? and David says, a month ago. Jim says that means he can go after Candace, but David says, not necessarily. Vinnie is running things. Jim says, he’s vicious, and David says, he can be. Jim asks what David suggests, and David says, pay him. Jim says, for what? and David says, Candace. Have Vinnie get rid of her. Jim says, good idea. What does David think it would cost? David asks what it’s worth to get rid of her, and Jim says she took $8 million from him. David says, give Vinnie $100K, and Jim asks if David can make it $200K. David says Jim will probably need it, and Jim thanks him. David says he’ll have his lawyer write it up, but Jim says, no lawyers involved. He doesn’t trust lawyers. He was a lawyer. Some of his best friends are lawyers. He leaves, and David gets on the phone.
Hanna walks in the door to Kathryn’s house, when Kathryn calls. Hanna says she’s on her way out, but Kathryn says, on second thought, let Jim go over there. Hanna says, but Kathryn’s boyfriend… and Kathryn says, he’s not her boyfriend. He should be gone by now, and if he’s not, Jim can kick his ass out. Hanna says, the two of them are something, and asks what Kathryn wants her to do. Kathryn says, call Jim on a three-way. She knows Hanna doesn’t want to, and Hanna says Kathryn has no idea how much that man makes her blood boil. Hanna makes the call, and when Jim answers, Kathryn says, Wyatt is at the loft. Jim says, the one she was supposed to have sold? and Kathryn says, he’s there. Jim says, he’s in the hospital, but she tells him, go over there and see what’s going on. He asks how she knows this from jail, and she says, just go. He asks again, and she says she heard Wyatt on the phone. He asks why she was calling there. Who’s living there? She says, no one, and he asks if it’s that damn Hanna. What’s going on with them? Are they having a fling or something? She tells him, just go, but he says he’s not going until she tells him, and has her girlfriend release some money. She says, if he doesn’t go, and Wyatt harms himself, she’ll know it’s him. He says, bye, and she asks if he hung up. Hanna says, he did, and she asks Hanna to go over there. Hanna says, okay, and Kathryn thanks her, and says she’ll try to call in an hour. She’s sorry. Hanna says, it’s okay, and Kathryn says, Hanna has the power and the money.
There’s no afterglow for Rianna, who looks miserable. Benny asks why she’s crying, and she says, sorry. He says, for what? and she says she thinks he should go. She didn’t want to do this. Who knew she was this vulnerable? He says she needed to take her mind off it. How did he do? She says he’s so lame, and he apologizes. She tells him that his credit sucks, and he says, damn. Why is she bringing it up now? She says he needs to work on it, but he says she didn’t have him there for no credit. Is she nervous or something? She says, maybe a little. She shouldn’t have done that. She needs to ask… He says he’s healthy, and she asks if he’s sure. He says, is she? and she says she has nothing. He says, it’s good then, but she’s still nervous. Why don’t they have a snack? She says she can make him a sandwich, and he says, that’s it? She can’t cook? She says, can he? and he says, hell yeah. What’s she got? She suggests he put on clothes first, and he says, how about this? lifting the sheet. She says, it’s sexy, and tells him she’s going to get dressed, but he says if he’s cooking nekked, she is too. She asks him to tell her about himself. Is he a whore? How many women has he slept with? He says he’s not answering that. How many men has she slept with? She says, two, and he says she means he’s two? He laughs, and says, get out with that bullsh*t, but she promises it’s true. He asks how she hooked up with Sandy. She must know he hates Black people. Sandy told Benny straight up that he doesn’t like him. She says Sandy loves her too much. He’s going to come after Benny hard. He says he’ll handle it, and she says, how? He says he’d like a burger, but she says, it’s too late for a burger. (Who made up that rule?) He says, it’s what he wants, and he needs to get ready for round two. She says they’re not doing it again, and he wonders if it’s like she wasn’t doing it the first time. They already did it once, and if they do it twice in the same night, it don’t count. She says, he’s the worst, and he tells her, don’t look at his butt. He gets up, but he’s wearing underwear.
Rocky is at the loft, and says Kathryn wants Roderick out, but Roderick says he told Rocky, he’s not leaving. Rocky says he doesn’t want to do that. Go to his own place. Roderick says he doesn’t want to go to that dump; he’s staying there. He looked online, and he can claim squatter’s rights. (Um… isn’t he in the country illegally? Weren’t the Feds looking to question him?) He says Kathryn can’t kick him out. He can sue her for more than the place is worth. Rocky says he doesn’t want to do that. He sounds like a junkie, and he’s asking for big trouble. Roderick says, the hell with them, and asks Rocky to stay and have a drink, but Rocky says he’s not going to be there when they come knocking. Roderick says, no one is knocking, when there’s a knock at the door. Rocky says someone is knocking at the door, and he’s leaving though it. He walks out, and Hanna comes in. Roderick asks what she wants, and she says he’s not supposed to be there. He says he’s not leaving, and Jim walks in. Jim says he’s looking for Wyatt, and Roderick asks how Jim is. Jim wonders what the hell is going on, and Hanna says he was telling her that he’s not leaving. Jim asks, where’s Wyatt? and Hanna says she’s leaving, and goes. Roderick says he doesn’t know; Wyatt isn’t there. Jim asks what Roderick is doing there, and Roderick says he was just cleaning the place. Jim asks where his son is, and Roderick says he doesn’t know. Jim asks his name, and Roderick tells him. Jim says, if he’s there cleaning, what’s up with his luggage? Roderick stammers, and Jim mimics him, and says, get out. Roderick jets, and Jim looks at the drugs on the table, and says, dammit, Kathryn.
Candace answers the phone, what? and Landon asks if she’s seen the news. She says, what news? and he says, it’s on all the news stations and in the paper. He’s been sending her clips. She says she hasn’t watched them, and he says, because she has Jim’s money. She’s not going to touch it. She says she won’t. How does he know? He says he knows where she is right now. She needs to let him advise her on the money. She says, no, and he says, then they’ll take it. She says, who? and he says, the IRS. She has to put it in a business account, and shelter it. She says she already did; she’s two steps ahead of him. What does he want? He says he’s asking her to come to DC. She says, get the hell out, and he says, he just wants her to do one interview. The whole world will change its perception. She says, no, and he says, Charles (using the he/him thing) doesn’t do well without her. She says Charles should have thought of that before he kicked her out, and put her in the back of a car. He asks if they can’t let that go. They get it. Their people screwed up. What’s her plan? She says she’s going to call the guy who made Landon piss himself, and Landon says, he kind of liked Mitch afterward. He says he’ll call again, but she says, just listen. She’s not doing an interview, and she’s leaving the hotel. He says they’ll just find her in the next one. She says, okay, fine. She’ll go tell her side. He asks why she’s doing this; he’s trying to help. She says he’s helping Charles, and Landon says, and himself. She says she’s not going to be a pawn, and he says they’ve gone over this. She’s still a stupid hood chick. She says, say that again, and he says, it’s politics. He knows she’s enjoying this. Candace says she’s not enjoying it, but he says, tell that to someone who doesn’t know her. She’ll have them eating out of the palm of her hand. He tells her, at least change hotels; that one looks low rent. She says it was good enough for him to come by, and he says he’s done some of his best work in those places. She hangs up.
Charles comes out, and Landon asks if he’s all packed, then answers his own question. Of course he is; they’re going to the White House. It’s exciting. It’s amazing to think how far they’ve come. Charles says he almost can’t believe it, when Conley joins them. He says he came to see Charles off, and asks if Landon can give them a moment. Landon leaves, and Conley asks if Charles is good.
Landon goes back to his office, and Oliver asks if Conley is there. Landon says, he’s been here a lot… Okay, what? Oliver says, nothing, and Landon asks if Oliver knows what he hates about him. Oliver says, everything? and Landon says, his smug attitude. Little bitch. He was thisclose to firing Oliver. Oliver says, sorry, and Landon says, the only reason he’s keeping Oliver is that he has potential. When he becomes a detriment, he’s going. Now what the hell did Oliver want to tell him about Conley? Oliver says, Conley’s got an angle, and Landon says, he knows. Oliver asks, what is it? but Landon says, that, he doesn’t know. He tells Oliver not to come back unless he has actual information. Landon does know Conley’s angle, but don’t come back unless Oliver has proof. Oliver asks what it is, but Landon says he’s not going to tell him.
Conley tells Charles that he’s headed for the White House. He’s so proud. Charles thanks him, and asks if Conley is okay. Conley says he did want to know if Charles spent any more time considering Devoir. It’s Charles’s decision, but did Charles look at his proposal? Charles says he didn’t, and Conley encourages him to look at Devoir’s resumé. He thinks Devoir would be great for the state of Virginia. Charles says he thought they already talked about this, but Conley says he wanted to make sure Devoir got a fair shake. Charles asks, what is it? Why is Conley pushing this guy so hard? Is there something else? Conley says, no, and Charles hopes Conley won’t mind if he asks him to stop pushing so hard. Conley asks if there’s anything he can help with, but Charles says, everything is done. Conley says, of course. Charles is the President of the United States. Everything is moved for him. Charles says, it’s obvious Conley has an agenda, and Conley says, how about them Mets? he’s heading home. They need him at the farm. he didn’t mean to push. He should know better. Charles tells him, it’s okay, and Conley leaves. Landon asks if Charles is all set, and Charles says he is. Landon says, sir… Charles says he knows when Landon addresses him like that, it’s something bad. Landon says, it’s not bad, but it’s about Devoir, and Conley’s request that he be made head of the EPA. Has Charles ever been to the farm? Charles says, a lot of times, and Landon says he looked at the pipeline being proposed. It’s going to run through protected land, and across Conley’s farm. He stands to make a lot of money. Landon thinks that’s why Conley is pushing so hard. Charles says he knew it had to be something, and Landon says he’s afraid so. Charles asks if Landon knows what it feels like to be used at every hand, and Landon says, sorry, but Charles says he bought it. He thinks he should be used to it, and Landon says, the higher you go… Charles says he didn’t expect it from Conley, and Landon says, onward? Charles says, onward. Landon says, going to the White House, Mr. President? and Charles says, yes, please. They shake hands, and Landon says, let’s do it. Landon’s phone rings, and Charles asks who it is. Landon says, Candace.
Charles says, let him answer, and Landon asks if he’s sure. Charles says, give him the phone, and says, hello? Candance says, Landon… but Charles says, no, it’s him. She asks how he is, and he says he should be asking her. She says she’s okay. She wanted to talk to Landon. Charles says she got him, but she says she’s not ready to talk to him. He says he’s not ready to talk to her either, and she asks why he’s on the phone. He says, the same reason she was calling. She says, why is that exactly? and he says she misses him like he misses her. She says, the last time he saw her, she was in the trunk of a car. He says he’s so sorry. He misses her, and would love to see her. She says she doesn’t think that’s going to happen. She’s not going to walk through that door, or sneak in and out. He says he doesn’t want her to, and she says he wants her to walk in the front door of the White House? He tells her, come to Pennsylvania Avenue, and she says he doesn’t mean a damn thing he’s saying, but he says he does. He’s President Elect. What the hell are they going to do to him? She says, it was a big deal before, but he says, not anymore. She’s a bigger deal. Come see him. She says she’ll think about it, and he says, they’ve got nothing but time. She says, at least seven months, and he says, what? She says she’s pregnant. She waits, and says, it’s quiet. He says, how many… and she says, it’s his. He’s the only man she had unprotected sex with. He tells her, okay, and she asks if that’s all he has to say. He says they should meet soon. Can he call when he gets to DC? She says, yeah, and he says, they’ll talk soon.
Charles hands the phone back to Landon, who says, may he ask what she said. Charles tells him, she said she’s pregnant. Landon says, from him? and Charles says, that’s what she said. Let’s go to DC. Not a word to anyone. Landon says, no, sir, and leaves. Charles wonders WTF to do.
The guard tells Jeffrey that Madison is there, and Jeffrey says, let him in. Madison walks in, and Jeffrey says he thought Madison was working. Madison says, they let him go home, and Jeffrey asks, why? Madison says he got piss thrown on him, and Jeffrey says, what? Sorry. Did he shower? Madison says, of course, and Jeffrey says he’s kidding. Madison says, and then he got choked out. Jeffrey says, by who? and Madison says, Wyatt Cryer. He escaped from the hospital in Madison’s scrubs, while Madison got left on the floor. Jeffrey asks where the hell Wyatt is, and Madison says, the police are looking everywhere for him. He stole powerful drugs that could kill him. Jeffrey thinks he should tell his dad, and runs upstairs. The door opens, and the guard tells Madison that a friend of Jeffrey’s is there. Madison asks, who? and the guard says, Wyatt Cryer.
Madison says, the guard is security, right? Wyatt is a prisoner who escaped from the hospital. Bring him in, and detain him. The guard says, okay, and lets Wyatt in. Wyatt seems really jazzed, and asks where Jeffrey is. Madison says, upstairs, and asks if Wyatt is high. What did he take? Wyatt asks where Jeffrey is again, when Jeffrey comes downstairs, and says he’s calling the cops. Wyatt says he’s leaving, but the guard blocks him, and says he’s not leaving. Wyatt does a slow clap, and the guard says he’s not going anywhere. Wyatt tries throwing a punch, but the guard flips him to the ground, and gets Wyatt’s hands behind his back.
Candace is in bed when there’s a knock at the door. She asks who it is, and a male voice says, me. She asks who me is, and he says he’ll break the door down if she doesn’t let him in. She says, do that, and she’ll blow his brains out. He says, they both know she doesn’t have a gun, and she says, try it and find out. The door opens, and it’s Oscar. She says, what the hell? How is he there? He asks what she means. How she pushed him out of a window? She thought it would kill him. She says she knows she did, but he says, she thought she did. She says she saw him fall from the 30th floor. He says, nothing she ever does will work. Don’t worry. He’s not going to kill her. She asks why he’s there, and he says, we’re all here. She asks, who’s we?, and he says they’re all here to destroy her.
Is this going to be some kind of riff on A Christmas Carol?
Next time, Veronica says, she’s Veronica, bitch, you can’t kill her; Jim says he’s taking Wyatt’s ass to rehab or dragging it to jail; Kathryn gets a new cellmate; and David says Veronica’s end is coming.
🤹♀️ To Be Continued… Tune in tomorrow for soap and double the Housewives. Until then, stay safe, stay looking for the silver lining, and stay knowing that relationships can get complicated when you don’t want them to, but not being a cynic
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 