Tag Archives: Nikki Haskell

September 9, 2021 – Jax Confronts Nina, Listing Quickie, Quite a Dame, Neff House, Wedding Photo, New Move, Only Friend, Dancing Cast & Wedding

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Portia sits at the bottom of the basement steps with Jordan’s head in her lap. She says Jordan isn’t the only one with secrets. She has one too. Trina doesn’t know the truth about her father; who he really is. Portia knows she waited way too long to tell her. She says she’s not going to leave Trina, and lies Jordan gently on the floor. She runs up the steps.

At the hospital, Maxie asks Brook why they’re still waiting; her appointment is over. What’s the point of sticking around? Brook points at Austin, and says, that, right there. Maxie is going to follow him. Go. Maxie asks why she’s following him, and what does she do if he sees her. Brook says, say something nice, something to cover. Maxie asks if Brook is trying to set her up with Austin.

Jason finds Carly at the renovation site, and asks if she’s thinking about Jake’s. She says, Jake’s, that time in their lives… Sorry she took off. He says Spinelli tracked her phone and he found out where she was hiding. She says she wasn’t hiding, just nostalgic. She’s not sure if that even describes this feeling. He asks, what’s going on? and she says, it started the other night at the pool (🍷). They were dancing, and it was like she was right back there, at Jake’s, dancing with him, feeling everything she used to feel, and it scared her.

Sonny asks who Jax thinks he is, coming there and talking about the truth. He lied to Nina. He betrayed Nina. This is the truth; their truth. It’s all they need to know. Jax says what Nina is doing is wrong, and Sonny asks what he thinks Nina is doing. Jax says, doesn’t he get it by now? He’s not Mike, and Nina knows it.

Maxie says when Brook offered to come with her to her postpartum appointment, she thought, wow, she’s being a good friend, but as usual, she has an ulterior motive. Brook says, of course (🍷) she does; she’s a Quartermaine. And this was a doctor’s appointment, not a night out on the town. Maxie says she gets Brook’s point, and Brook says now that they know Maxie has a clean bill of health, Maxie has to go spend some time with Austin. Maxie says, no, she doesn’t, and Brook says she doesn’t understand what the problem is. Maxie says, yes, she does, and Brook says, Austin delivered Maxie’s baby in the woods, and was in the woods with them the night Maxie gave Brook her daughter to protect her from Peter. Maxie says, which is exactly what they don’t want him to remember, so quit pushing her in his direction. Brook says he might be a good distraction for Maxie; lift her spirits a little bit. Maxie says her spirits are fine, but Brook says they’re not. And spending time with a guy who thinks she’s charming might be the perfect little pick-me-up.

Portia bangs on the basement door, and screams for help. She begs Jordan to keep breathing. Someone will hear. They’re not going to die down there. She yells, somebody! Please!

Maxie says, first of all, she’s so not ready for another man in her life, and if she was, it so wouldn’t be Austin. She’s had to listen to Brook go on and on and on about Austin’s claims on ELQ. How he could possibly back Valentin, and prevent her father from becoming CEO again… Ooh, that’s it, isn’t it? Brook said she had an ace in the hole when it came to Austin. She was talking about Maxie, wasn’t she? Oh my God. Ned comes by, and asks how long Brook has been there. Maxie says, too long, and Ned asks if Brook has seen Leo. He needs to find him.

Jax says, Sonny doesn’t want to know his real name? and Sonny says, he told Jax; this is his life now, and he doesn’t want anything to interfere with that. Jax says, so he doesn’t care that he has a whole family out there who loves and misses him? Sonny says he thought about it, and he could have been digging a little deeper, but he hasn’t. Jax asks why he didn’t, and Sonny says, that family Jax mentioned, who love and miss him so much, where are they? Why haven’t they come looking for him? Jax says he doesn’t know, and asks Nina why she thinks Sonny’s family hasn’t come looking for him. Sonny says Jax has no business butting into their business. Jax lied to Nina. He chose his ex-wife over her, and has no right to come there and accuse her of anything. Jax says, Sonny has no idea? and Sonny says, he might not know who he was, but he knows who he is now. And he knows Nina, and she’s been nothing but good to him. She’s his life. Nina asks Jax to just leave them alone. Please. Can he just do this one last thing for her? Jax says he’s sorry, he can’t, and Nina tells Sonny that she needs to talk to Jax alone.

Jason says, ever since he and Carly started talking about the wedding, even before they actually decided, it’s like she’s been in this fight with herself. Carly says, because she has been. She knows why they should get married. She knows it’s the best way to keep the family safe. It’s great from a business standpoint, but is it what Sonny would have wanted? Jason says, Sonny’s gone. He misses Sonny every day, but this is about them. They’re the ones getting married. If that’s still what they want. She asks if he’s backing out, but he says, no. He’s just saying they do have the option to call it off. She says, what about the Five Families baked baccala? and he says, there will be a huge fallout. It won’t be good, but he’ll deal with it. The business is important, but who they are to each other is more important.

Sonny says he doesn’t think it’s a good idea to leave Nina alone with Jax, but she says, she’s fine. He asks if she’s sure, because when he came in there, she seemed pretty upset. Maybe Jax is the one who should go, before he gets shot again. Jax says he’s still the same person he was before, and Sonny asks why he says that like it’s a good thing. Nina tells Sonny, stop. This isn’t him. This isn’t the man she’s come to know and love. He says, now she’s going to use the L-word to soften him up. She asks if it’s working, and he says, maybe a little bit. She says she’ll straighten it out. She’ll get Jax to understand how much they mean to each other. He says he’ll be in the back, but she says, he can’t be there. Let her work it out. Trust her. Sonny says he trusts her with his life, but he doesn’t know what Jax is capable of. Nina looks at Jax, and says, Jax wants what’s best for her, right? and Sonny asks if she means Jax wants what he thinks is best for her. Nina says that’s her point. She’s going to help him understand that they get to choose what’s best for them, and she can’t do that if she’s worried he’s going to bust in there any second and rescue her. Sonny says he knows she’s perfectly capable of rescuing herself, since she rescued him. He walks up to Jax, and says, if he does anything to Nina, Jax is going to have to answer to him. Jax says he had a feeling Sonny was going to say that, and Sonny says, trust that feeling. He leaves, and Jax asks how long Nina has been keeping Sonny from his family.

Curtis goes back into the house, and calls for Jordan. Portia starts yelling again, and he opens the basement door. He sees Jordan at the bottom of the stairs, and runs down. Portia says Jordan has a head wound; he’s going to have to carry her. Be careful; there’s a gas leak. He asks if Portia is going to be okay, and she says she’s going outside. Just hurry.

Maxie tells Ned to breathe. It’s going to be okay. They’ll find him. Ned says, it’s a big hospital; he could be anywhere. Brook says she just spoke to hospital security, and they’re all over finding Leo. Ned thanks her, and says he turned his back for ten, fifteen seconds, to talk to the pediatrician, and when he turned around, Leo was gone. Maxie says, kids do that. She thinks Georgie can teleport. Brook says, with Spinelli as a dad, she’s not surprised, and Maxie says, Leo is going to be fine. Ned says he hopes she’s right. He’s going to call Olivia.

Austin walks into an examining room to find Leo playing with his fidget spinner. Leo says he likes this, and Austin says he thought Leo might. He was so brave when he was there to get his tetanus shot. How’s his finger? Leo says, good, and Austin says Leo isn’t scheduled to visit him today. Does his mom know he’s there? Leo shakes his head, and Austin says, what about his stepdad? Leo says, nope.

Nina says she came to Nixon Falls because she wanted to see her friend Phyllis, and Jax says he knows. She says, please don’t interrupt her. He wants to know what happened, right? She’s trying hard to tell him. He says, go ahead, and she says she was really hurt and heartbroken when she found out what he and Carly did to her, that they hid the identity of her daughter. She’s really sorry she made a scene at Sonny’s funeral, and she’s really sorry she confused Wiley. He says, speaking of Wiley… and she says he doesn’t have to tell her that Wiley is Sonny’s grandchild; she already knows that. He says, but somehow she’s justified keeping him from Sonny. She says she came to Nixon Falls to be with Phyllis because Phyllis cares for her. Phyllis doesn’t judge her. She saw Phyllis, and was on her way out of town, and ran into Sonny. She couldn’t believe it, just like Jax right now. She couldn’t believe it, and then after talking to Sonny, she realized he’d lost his memory, and the only clue to his identity was his watch that he still wears. It said, To Mike, Never enough time, Love, A. Now he calls himself Mike. Jax says, his watch, and his father’s name. When she realized Sonny was alive, why didn’t she tell Carly?   

Carly tells Jason not to put himself in an impossible situation just to make things easier for her. He says, why wouldn’t he? Look at where they’re standing. It’s Jake’s, where it all began. She was the first friend he made on his own, who knew nothing about who he was before the accident. She always talks about what he does for her. Why don’t they talk about what she does for him? She accepted him, and believed in him. She fought for him. She says she sure did that, and he says he doesn’t know who he’d be if he hadn’t met her. He’s just lucky he did. He trusts her; he trusts her instincts. If she thinks they shouldn’t get married, then they shouldn’t do it.

Curtis brings Jordan outside, and lies her down on the porch, saying, come back. Portia checks Jordan’s pulse.  

A security guy tells Ned that they haven’t been able to locate Leo yet, but they’re actively looking. Ned wonders if they should bring in the police, when Austin comes in with Leo. He says he thinks they might be looking for something, and Leo runs to Ned and hugs him. Ned says, they’ve been looking all over for him, and Austin found him. Austin says, actually, Leo found him. Leo was waiting for him in the examining room where he got his tetanus shot because he wanted to tell Austin how much he liked his fidget spinner. Ned asks why Leo didn’t tell him that he was going over there, and Leo says, because he wanted to see Dr. Austin.

Nina tells Jax, she did call Carly, the second she found out what was happening to Sonny. She tried to tell Carly, but before she could get one word in, Carly lit into her. She said if Nina sued for any rights to see Wiley, she’d dredge up every horrible thing Nina had ever done in her life. She was relentless, and kept pounding the hammer on Nina’s coffin over and over, until Nina couldn’t take it anymore. She starts to cry, and says she knew it was wrong. She knew she should have told Carly, but in that moment, she couldn’t bring herself to even care. He says, let him get this straight; she kept quiet out of revenge? She says, no… yes… no… Maybe in the moment she did. he says, what about other moments, like when he came to visit her, or when she went back to Port Charles when he arranged for her to visit Wiley? How could she just stand there, holding Wiley, when she knew she was keeping Sonny from his entire family? They were still grieving him. How could she do that for all those months?

Carly says it doesn’t feel wrong to marry Jason. She knows he’ll treat her with respect. She knows he’ll be great with the kids, and would never lie to her. It’s not a question of him being a good husband; he’ll be a great husband. The problem is Jake’s. She fell in love with him back then, and realized that she could fall in love with him all over again.

Sonny sits on a bench near the water, and flashes back to Jax saying he has a whole family who love and miss him. He says, the family Jax mentioned, where are they? Why haven’t they come looking for him? Jax says, doesn’t he get it? He’s not Mike and Nina knows it. Sonny looks at his watch.

Nina tells Jax that she tried to come clean with Carly. She thought about coming clean when she went to Port Charles. He asks why she didn’t, and she says, because when she was visiting Wiley, Carly showed up again. Then all of a sudden, her visitation is over. It’s Wiley’s bedtime, and it’s enough with playing with Grandma Nina. She thought, back in Nixon Falls, there’s this a lovely man waiting for her. He says, Sonny, but she says, Mike. He says, they’re the same person, but she says, they’re not. Sonny is a ruthless mob boss. Mike is a simple guy who wants what he has there, a simple life with his friends Phyllis and Lenny. He says, and her? She says, and her, and he asks if she’s told Sonny that she knows who he is; that the answers he seeks are right in front of him? Here’s where Jax is wrong though; Sonny isn’t seeking them. She says, no, and he asks, why not? She says she thought about it a lot of times, but knew if she told him, he’d look up who he was, he would discover all the crimes Sonny committed. Even though Sonny was okay with it, Mike wouldn’t be able to live with it. It would change him. Jax says, or he’d want to return to his old life whether he remembered it or not. But she didn’t want that because she’s in love with Mike. She says she is, and from what she’s heard, Sonny is not a good guy. He says he agrees with her there, and she says, Mike is a good man. He’s devoted and kind, and she got something from Mike she’s never gotten from any man – honesty. He asks how much honesty she’s given Mike in return, and she asks if he has any idea what a difficult decision this has been for her every single day. So the question is this. Who is better for this world; Sonny, who kills people, or sweet, kind Mike? He says it’s not her decision to make because there is no Mike. There is only Sonny, and he’s married to Carly. She says, Sonny found himself there, who he truly is. He’s Mike and he’s happy… and she’s happy. Does Jax want to take that from her again?

Brook asks how long Leo was with Austin before he decided to tell someone, and Austin says, 58 seconds. She says her stepbrother goes missing, and just happens to show up with him? and he says he knows this one; she’s implying something. She says, kind of convenient when he’s trying to ingratiate himself with her family. Leo goes missing, and when they’re just about to call the cops, he shows up and he’s the hero? Ned says, Austin treated Leo for the cut on his finger a few weeks ago. Leo liked him, so it makes sense that Leo would seek him out. He just wishes Leo would have asked him first. Austin imagines he did, and Brook says, it’s just Leo being Leo. Austin agrees, and asks if he can talk to Ned for a second. Ned asks Brook to keep an eye on Houdini, and Austin says he has something he thinks Leo will get a kick out of, and shows him a gyro wheel. Leo seems fascinated.

Portia tells Curtis, Jordan’s breathing is getting better, but she isn’t regaining consciousness. She breathed in more of what was in that basement than Portia did. He says, she’s only got one kidney; that has to make it worse. Portia says, the gas puts her in danger of renal failure, and the remaining kidney could be compromised. Let’s get her to a hospital right now. They pick Jordan up, and carry her to the car.

Ned and Austin go into an examining room, and Ned says, if this is about ELQ… but Austin says, this is way more important than ELQ. Ned may recall he asked Olivia to bring Leo back to see him. Ned says he does, but Olivia thought Leo was okay, so he took Leo to his own pediatrician for the all-clear. Leo’s finger seems to have healed nicely. Austin says, it looks great, but he didn’t need to see Leo about the cut. Ned asks, then why did he want the follow-up?

Carly says she was so surprised when she fell in love with Jason. She was so busy chasing after Tony, and lying to AJ, and one day it dawned on her that he was the one she wanted, and she was so, so in love with him. Of course (🍷) she had to get him to fall in love with her, which wasn’t easy since he had his guard up, but little by little, she found a way. They were so close, then she met Sonny, and everything changed. Jason left Port Charles, and she and Sonny fell in love. When he came back, the feelings she felt, she couldn’t let herself feel them, so she locked them away, and woudn’t let herself think about them to the point where she believed they were gone. Now she’s starting to feel them again. She’s not in love with him yet, but she’s on the way, and just can’t go there alone.

Sonny looks his watch, and takes it off. He remembers Nina saying, this watch is the evidence of a life he used to have. He has to learn who he was before he came to Nixon Falls. Until he does, she can’t give him all of her.

Jax says, all he wanted was for Nina to be happy, and she says, then can he leave, and forget what he saw there? He says he wishes he could. He honestly means that. Everyone at home is grieving Sonny, and his absence has put everyone in Port Charles in danger, including Josslyn. She asks what he means, and he says, she asked him a while ago who the world would be better off with, Sonny or Mike. It pains him to say this, but Port Charles needs Sonny. She says she thought everyone would be safer with Sonny gone, and he says she has no idea what she’s done. The lives that have changed. The things she set in motion.

Austin says he’s observed some behavior from Leo that he thinks warrants attention. Ned asks, what behavior? and Austin says, there’s no cause for concern. He just wants to observe the kid a little bit more. Ned asks, why? Does he think there’s something wrong with Leo? Austin says he doesn’t think anything’s wrong with anyone. He just thinks Leo might benefit from seeing a specialist. Ned says, in what? and Austin says, every human being is different, and every child is different. He’s seen a lot of kids and what he’s trying to articulate is that he thinks Leo would enjoy learning a more effective way of communicating. At least discuss it with Olivia. Ned says, actually, he has. He’s mentioned Leo’s quietness concerns him sometimes, but Olivia won’t hear it. Austin says Ned needs to try again because some kids really benefit from treatment. Ned says, for introversion? and Austin says, if he’s shy, he’s shy, but it could be a range of other things; none of them is bad. This is great. What human being doesn’t deserve the right to learn the skills to connect to the world a little bit better? Ned says he’ll talk to Olivia about it, and Austin says, tell her to reach out to him if she has any questions, and the same goes for Ned. Ned starts to go, and Austin says, this has nothing do with anything other than Leo, and Ned leaves.

Brook says Austin is so into Maxie, and Maxie tells her, so she keeps saying. Brook says, he may be an interloper, but Maxie may see him in a different light. Maxie says, stop pretending this has anything to do with her; it obviously doesn’t. Brook would do anything to protect the family business. Exhibit A: faking a pregnancy to save ELQ from Valentin. But hey, she gets it. That’s what the Quartermaines do. But her pregnancy faking days are over, and she’s not a Quartermaine. She doesn’t want to get mixed up in whatever plan Brook has going on next. Brook says, just invite him to Carly and Jason’s wedding. Just spend a little time with him; put her toe in the water. What harm could it do? Ned comes back, and thanks them for looking after Leo, and Maxie says, of course (🍷), like anyone was even looking in Leo’s direction. He could have disappeared again ten minutes ago. Brook asks if Austin tried to weasel his way into the family business, or what? and Ned says, something like that. Brook tells Maxie, all the cards are out on the table. Could she just spend some time with Austin, and see where it goes? Could Maxie do that for her?

Sonny looks at his watch, and remembers Nina saying, there are a million reasons why they shouldn’t be together. With all those reasons, and the fear that what they have will collapse when he finds out who he is, she’s still here. And if that’s not love, she doesn’t know what is. He asks what she’s saying, and she takes his hand and tells him that she’s saying she loves him too.

Jax tells Nina, when Sonny disappeared, his business became vulnerable, and by extension, so did Carly and her family, including Josslyn. Nina says she doesn’t know the ins and the outs of mob business, but she assumed Jason could handle things, and Carly would benefit from it. He asks if she’s read about Cyrus Renault, and says, things escalated from there. Jason was either behind bars or on the run, so Carly felt that she needed to take over the family business. And Carly’s only way to maintain power, or keep this illusion of peace, is to marry Jason. Nina says he told her they were engaged, but she thought it was just for show. She didn’t expect them to actually get married. He says, well, it’s happening. And it’s a little tricky, because the bride-to-be is married to a man who’s alive and well, and being hidden there by Nina.

Carly says she and Jason can stop, take a step back, tell everyone they’ve reconsidered and they’re not getting married. It will be awkward for a while, but they’ll be fine. She cherishes his friendship, and can’t live without it. The butterflies she’s feeling will eventually go away, but if they get married, she’ll keep falling and won’t stop. When he doesn’t return the feelings, she’ll be angry, resentful, and hurt. She can’t have that between them. He asks why she assumes she’ll be falling alone. <gag>  

Maxie tells Brook, it’s very disconcerting, and Brook says, what? Maxie says, Brook, and her plan. Brook says, what plan? She’s simply encouraging Maxie to spend time with a guy who’s clearly interested. Maxie says, that right there is exactly what she’s talking about. Brook is pretending there’s no plan, when obviously, there is a plan. On one hand, Brook is a total lifesaver. She’s great with the baby. She’s keeping the baby safe, and she’s loving and protective. Brook says, her pleasure, and Maxie says, and just when she thinks she can relax, that everything is under total control, Brook starts plotting and scheming, all over these stupid ELQ shares. Brook says, first of all, they are not stupid ELQ shares. They’re very valuable, and they’re her great-grandfather’s legacy. And second of all, who is Maxie to talk to anyone about scheming, Miss Schemer McSchemerson? She could give a master class. Maxie says she’s scheming to save her baby, but Brook sys, it’s still a scheme. That’s okay. They’re not mutually exclusive. Maxie tells her, says the woman with a blatant ulterior motive, and Brook asks if it isn’t possible for her to protect Bailey/Louise while at the same time safeguarding her family’s company. Maxie says, and by <air quotes> safeguard <end air quotes> she means cutting Austin out, and Brook says, maybe. Maybe not. Maybe Austin is a really nice guy, with a legitimate claim. What would help her out is someone she could trust – like Maxie – spending time with him. Maxie says, okay. Fine. She’ll do it. Brook thanks her, and Maxie says, but if it happens to jog Austin’s memory about what happened in the woods the night Louise was born, she’s going to blame Brook. Brook says she takes full responsibility… whatever that means. Austin comes by, and Brook calls his name. He says, no thank you, and keeps walking. Brook follows him, saying, they didn’t offer him anything. He says what she has to offer him is unfounded accusations, but he’s full up. Try again tomorrow. She says, definitely. In the meantime, Maxie has something she wants to say to him. Maxie says, well… um… and Austin says, it’s okay. She said she didn’t want him to bother her again, and he won’t. She says, it’s not a bother. She wondered if he’d like to attend the wedding of the century. And by that, she means the wedding of Carly Corinthos and Jason Morgan. She planned most of it, and it came out really nice if she does say so herself. He says, weddings aren’t his thing, and she says he could be her plus one. Curtis comes in carrying Jordan, and says they need some help here. Jordan coughs.

Sonny remembers saying, he may not know who he was, but he knows who he is now. And he knows Nina, and she’s been nothing but good to him. She’s his life. He puts the watch to his lips, gets up, and tosses it into the water. I so want this to work, and I so know it won’t. I’m not into the romance stuff, but this makes me want to cry.

Nina tells Jax, as far as Carly knows, she’s a widow. And she’s not too far off. The man she married is gone. Mike doesn’t even know her, and he doesn’t fit in her glamorous life any more than she fits in his. Jax says, there’s no justifying this. There’s no rationalizing this. So much damage has been done because of her lies. If she continues to keep this secret about Sonny, things are only going to get worse. She asks what he expects her to do. Sonny doesn’t know who he is. He says, because she hasn’t told him. She has to come clean. She has to make this right, and tell Sonny who is right now. Because the wedding is tonight.

Jason says he did fall in love with Carly when Michael was a baby. Then she was with Sonny, so he would only let himself see her as a friend. A friend who he loved, and a friend he’d die for. That’s how he justified putting her first, because he wasn’t in love with her, and it wasn’t about having her. But now the feelings are coming back. It’s like she said. They can stop it now, and it will be awkward for a little while, but it will pass, because they’ve definitely been through worse. Or they can get married for real; spend the rest of their lives together. She says, can he make that promise? and he says, yes, he can. She asks if he’s not just saying that because he thinks he should, and he takes her hands. He tells her, he’s saying it because it’s true, and they kiss. Bleh.

Tomorrow, Brook asks if Maxie is saying she’s a bad mom, TJ tells Jordan that she can’t stay there, Curtis says Austin’s face tells him the news isn’t good, and Sonny tells Phyllis that he’ll respect her wishes for now.

🥜 In a Nutshell…

On Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, David and/or James said Fredrik would never get another listing from them, since he bragged about a sale when the client had asked for it to be on the DL. Derek told Fredrik that the LA guys were just threatened by him, since he was encroaching on their territory. But it was a legit complaint, since we saw a clip of the client sounding pretty pissed. JoshF teamed up with Nikki Haskell to broker a deal on one of the most beautiful homes I’ve seen on here. It had been owned by Peter Bogdanovich and Diane Keaton (not at the same time), and George Washington Orson Welles had also slept there. Designed by Wallace Neff, it was 8200 square feet, with 7 bedrooms and 9 baths, and Spanish tiles to die for in the kitchen. The asking price was $17.4 million, and the deal was done at $16.455 million. A bargain! In the meantime, JoshA was busy with a house in Bel Air, near the Playboy mansion and the late Aaron Spelling’s place. On the flipside, Tracy had a buyer who backed out because, at 6’5”, he felt he was too tall for the house.

Next time, a client wants Fredrik to team up with one of the Joshes, JoshF lies to a client, and Tracy’s client says she can’t go through it again.

💃🏻 Go, Go, Girl…

I knew I’d heard Nikki Haskell’s name before. And she was also a stockbroker before she became a real estate broker. She’s had a busy life.

🏯 Amazing Place…

The Wallace Neff house from tonight’s MDLLA episode.

👰🏼 Don’t Look…

Tradition says it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress before the wedding, but it looks like Carly and Jason didn’t listen. We all know that marriage is doomed anyway. Maybe. You never know.

https://ew.com/tv/general-hospital-carly-and-jason-wedding-photo/

🎥 Congrats To Chloe…

The late Nelle seems to be doing quite well with her next chapter.

👄 Of Course She Is…

Does it surprise anyone that LisaR would be like a suckerfish on Erika?

Including his link because he did do that apology tour.

👠 Latest Dance…

It’s not exactly my thing – I’d rather be dancing than watch dancing – but both Martin Kove and Mel C? I might actually watch this season.

The hosts.

https://abc.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/cast

🐄 Cows Officially Home…

If you listen real hard, the sound of the weekend, which is hopefully becoming a clearer concept these days. Unless you don’t want it to be. Then feel free to march to a different calendar. See you tomorrow for soap, tea, and a few wise words. Until then, stay safe, stay counting your blessings, and stay not being a Miss Schemer McSchemerson. It always ends up weaving a tangled web.

May 20, 2021 – Laura Joins Forces With Two Cassadines, Marc’s Townhouse Moves, About a Spy, But Not Us, Real Renovation, Impossible, Shah Friends, PolyGG, She Wins, Still Rocking & Nightlife

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sam opens the door to her apartment, and a tire rolls in. Dante follows it, and says, look familiar?

Maggie comes into the prison library, and Alexis says she looks happy. Maggie says she got it. Her parole. She’s out on Friday. Alexis says she’s so happy for Maggie, and Maggie says her cousin even has a job interview lined up for her. Alexis says if she has any problems, call her county employment liaison, or go through the Board of Corrections, or go to the Department of… Never mind; they’ll talk about it later. What is she going to do to celebrate her freedom when she first walks out? Maggie says she hasn’t thought about it yet, and Alexis asks, why not? Maggie says, first she had to thank the person who made it possible.   

Shawn is led into the visiting room, where TJ is waiting. Shawn says he appreciates TJ taking the time to visit, and TJ asks why he’s being so formal. Shawn says he just knows how busy TJ is, but TJ says he’s never to busy to visit Shawn. How is Shawn doing? Shawn says he’d rather talk about TJ. Tell him what’s new in his life. TJ says he put in for a staff position at GH, and Shawn says he’s sure they’ll jump at the chance to have him. TJ says, here’s hoping. First, he has to graduate. Shawn says he didn’t tell TJ yet, because he didn’t want to get TJ’s hopes up, but he decided to go for his parole.

Laura thanks Nikolas and Ava for coming over, and Nikolas says, it sounded serious, so they dropped everything. Ava says, if it’s between mother and son, she understands, but Laura says, no. It’s good Ava is there. All of them need to stick together. Nikolas says she mentioned Cyrus in her message. What did he do? Laura says he told her she lost a brother, and gained an enemy.    

Brando asks Sasha if he should slip out the back, but she says, no. It’s better if he’s there. They can confront this head on. Cyrus knocks (surprisingly), and Sasha opens the door. Cyrus notices Brando is there, and Sasha says, perfect timing. They have a lot to discuss. Cyrus asks what Brando is doing there, and she says, Brando is part of this. Apparently, he wants to know who the father of her baby is. Fine. She’ll tell him.

Carly tells Gladys that Sasha is pregnant, and Brando is the father. How does she think Cyrus is going to react when he finds out? Not well. The only one who can save Gladys and her son, is Carly. Gladys says, impossible. Her son has better taste than the face of Description. She doesn’t know where Carly heard this lie… Carly says, Sasha, and Gladys says Carly believes her? Carly says she does, and Gladys better hope Cyrus doesn’t find out that Sasha is pregnant with Brando’s baby. The best thing would be if Cyrus doesn’t find out Sasha is pregnant at all. Gladys says, too late. Cyrus already knows.

Sam tells Dante, it’s a good looking tire… plenty of tread… looks like it’s had some patchwork done. They did a good job. She’d take it for her car, but it won’t fit. She could actually use a spare. He says it’s a perfect fit for his car, but she knows that. She’s the one who slashed it. She says, she slashed his tire? and he says, tires. He has another one just like it. He says, sabotage? but she says she thinks it’s called carelessness. He says, even with the worst kind of luck, it’s impossible to flatten two tires on the same sharp object when the car is parked. She says he’s right; that is bad luck. Her advice to him, don’t buy a lottery ticket. He hands her a bill, saying, he doesn’t have to, and she says, come on. He’s giving her a bill? He says she’s lucky he’s only giving her a bill. He could have her on obstruction of justice, hindering a police officer, aiding and abetting a fugitive. They all carry prison terms. If she doesn’t want to go back to jail, don’t take his word for it. Ask her mom.

Alexis says she’s happy for Maggie, but all she did was give Maggie some pointers. Maggie says Alexis gave her a lot more than that; Alexis gave her confidence. Alexis says, that was all on Maggie; she was just a sounding board. Maggie says Alexis helped her find her voice, and Alexis says that means a lot to her. She’s glad she could be there for Maggie. Maggie says, this is going to sound selfish, so she hopes Alexis takes it the right way. If Alexis had to get tossed in the slammer, Maggie’s glad it was with her, or she might not be getting out. Alexis says, if anyone’s been selfish, it’s her.

Laura says, Nikolas’s Uncle Cyrus is drawing battle lines, with him on one side, and her and everyone she loves on the other. Ava asks if shots have been fired, or it was a vague threat, like the one he made against Avery to her. Nikolas says, or the one he made against Spencer at that disastrous family dinner. Laura says, which was the last straw for him. Cyrus knows the dinner was a diversion so that Carly could get Jason out of GH. Ava says, Cyrus can’t possibly hold them responsible for something Carly… Never mind. She forgot they’re talking about a psychopath, not a reasonable human being. Laura says, yes, he’s a psychopath. With money and resources, and now the gloves are off. Nikolas says, at least that’s one wedding invitation they won’t have to send, and Laura says he can’t be glib about this. Cyrus has more of a reason to target him than anybody else. Nikolas says, because he’s Laura’s son? but she says, because Nikolas is going behind Cyrus’s back to buy Pentenville.

Sasha tells Cyrus, it was a one-night stand. One and done, only not quite, since she has this dandy souvenir. Cyrus says he wasn’t asking about the circumstances, and she says, no. He sent his driver to ask. If either of them lean on her anymore for intimate, personal information, she’s calling the cops, and filing a harassment complaint. Cyrus says, that won’t be necessary, and tells Brando to wait in the lobby. On second thought, he might be a while; take the night off. Brando hesitates, and Sasha ask what he’s waiting for. Go. Brando leaves, and Sasha says Cyrus got his answer. Is he waiting for the gory details? He asks if it’s so impossible to believe he cares about her, and she says, it’s completely impossible. He doesn’t care about her, or the baby she’s carrying. All he cares about, is that it’s not his. He says, how could it be? They’ve never been intimate. She says, no, but if she hadn’t OD’d on the drugs he gave her, she would have slept with him… to get more drugs. That’s what he was counting on, right?

Carly asks, who told Cyrus? and Gladys says, it was a misunderstanding. She overheard Sasha in the ladies room. Carly says, and she immediately blabbed to Cyrus? but Gladys says, of course (🍷) not. She ran into Lucy, and they noticed a connection between Cyrus and Sasha. The way he looked at her, there was a spark. Carly says, of course (🍷) there was a connection. Cyrus is a drug dealer and Sasha is a recovering addict. Gladys says, Lucy told her about the night Sasha went back to Cyrus’s apartment, so of course (🍷) it made sense. Carly asks what Gladys did, and Gladys says, what any polite, well brought up person would do. She congratulated Cyrus on becoming a father. Carly says, and she painted a target on her son’s back.

Dante says, Sam isn’t acting like someone who put their old life in the rearview mirror. Or is that what she just tells people so she can do whatever the hell she wants to? She asks if he wants details on her criminal activity, and he says, then he doesn’t have to dig it up detective style. It saves him some time. She says, exhibit A, and holds up a book. She says, this is called a book. One she read to Scout before she fell asleep. Then she let Danny stay up and listen to the Dodgers game. Dante says, ew! and she says she knows. It’s a family scandal, but Danny bleeds Dodger blue. That’s it; her confession. Cuff her. He says he’s confused. What does that have to do with her activities yesterday? She says, everything. Her children are her world. Is that clear? He says, crystal. He never said she wasn’t an awesome mom. She says, great. At least she’s got that going for her. He asks why she’d risk all that by slashing his tires, and helping Jason escape.

TJ says, the last time he and Shawn spoke, Shawn said the whole parole thing was a non-starter. What changed? Shawn says he guesses he did. He had to set his pride aside. Lucky for him, Alexis helped him see that. TJ says, he’s seen Alexis? and Shawn says, she’s working in the library of the women’s division; he has privileges there. TJ asks how she’s doing, and Shawn says, taking it in stride. TJ asks Shawn to tell Alexis that he and Molly send their love, and Shawn says he will. TJ asks how Alexis helped Shawn, and Shawn says Alexis gave him a good swift kick to the backside. TJ says he’s been the recipient of one of those himself, and Shawn says, Alexis convinced him he didn’t have to pay for a crime he didn’t commit.

Nikolas says, so Cyrus knows about Pentenville, and Laura says Cyrus is aware of his plans. Ava says Nikolas is just trying to protect Alexis, and Laura says she knows, and as admirable as that is, she has to ask. Is that the only reason he wants to buy this prison? Nikolas flashes back to talking to Shawn about his parole, and Shawn saying he wants to nail the person who shot Hayden and thinks they got away with it. He tells Laura, he’s doing this to keep Alexis safe, and eliminate Cyrus’s threat. Go ahead. Tell him he’s making a huge mistake. She says, actually, she’s all for it. This could be the best thing he ever does with that damn Cassadine inheritance he has.

Cyrus admits he hasn’t always shown his more compassionate side to Sasha, and she says, he palmed her off on his driver when she OD’d at his apartment. And she has the sneaking suspicion he didn’t want Brando to take her to the hospital; not with the harbor close by. He says, the truth is, he’s drawn to her. He didn’t realize how much until they wrote this script last week… She says, until he found out she was with someone else. Admit it. He doesn’t have feelings for her. He just wants things he can’t have. Like his family. He says she’s a beautiful young woman with questionable judgement. She laughs, and he says he doesn’t want her to make the same mistake she almost made with him with someone who’s not worthy. She asks what makes Cyrus think he wasn’t worthy? Oh my God. Is that why he sicced Brando on her? He thinks she slept with his driver?

Gladys tells Carly, she had no idea her Brando was the father of Sasha’s baby. In fact, she still doesn’t believe it. She knows how these models are with their designer friends and their designer drugs. Carly says, Sasha’s not lying. If she says Brando’s the father, then Brando’s the father. If Cyrus finds out… Gladys says Carly made her point. She doesn’t need to drive it into the ground. She told Carly about the way Cyrus looked at Sasha. If he finds out his own driver… The doorbell rings, and Carly opens it to Brando. He says he’s sorry to come over unannounced, but she says, perfect timing. He says he thought she cared about Sasha… He sees Gladys and asks what she’s doing there. Gladys says, tell her it’s not true. Tell her that Carly made up the whole thing to manipulate her. Please tell her that Sasha person isn’t carrying his child.

Sam asks if Dante actually has any proof that she tried to impede his investigation, and he says, the security footage from the gas station. She says, no he doesn’t. If he did, he’d be there with a warrant, not an invoice for repair. He says it was worth it to see the look on her face, and she says, now that he’s had his fun, take his tire and… He says, and what? and she says she doesn’t care. Hang it from a tree and make a swing for Rocco out of it. He says she really did do him a favor, and she says he’s welcome. He says if she hadn’t done what she did, he wouldn’t have realized he was on the right track. Jason is hurt, wounded, Britt is with him voluntarily. When he started searching for a location nearby that was tied to Britt, he saw there was a Cassadine property; a nature preserve near the gas station. It’s got a barn, and guess what he found? She says she doesn’t know. A cow? A chicken? A moo-moo here, a cluck-cluck there? He says, better; evidence that Jason and Britt were there. She says does he know what she thinks? He says he’s dying to know, and she says he’s bluffing. If Jason left a trail, he’d be following it. Not haggling with her over the price of a tire. He says he did follow the trail, all the way to the Canadian border. She asks if he alerted the Canadian authorities, and he says, that’s procedure, right? The CPD said there was no sign, but they’d keep an eye out. There it is. That’s what he’s been looking for – that look. It tells him everything he needs to know. She says she’s not going to lie. She’s not going to pretend she’s not happy that Jason got away. But if he wants to build an actual case, he should be looking for the real killer.

Alexis tells Maggie, she tried rehab before; it didn’t last. She’s certain rehab wouldn’t have worked for her this time either, and if she didn’t make a change and do something drastic, she’d never stop drinking. All the rehab centers in all the world wouldn’t have made a damn bit of difference. In her pleading guilty, there was a lot of selfishness. Maggie asks how that was selfish, and Alexis says, besides being accountable for her actions, she knew this was the only place she had a chance of drying out. Maggie says, whatever her reasons, she knows she wouldn’t be leaving if it wasn’t for Alexis. Alexis says, they’re even. By Maggie letting her help, she did something for Alexis. Maggie hugs her, and leaves.

TJ says, all this time, Shawn said he was accepting the consequences of his actions. Shawn says, because he thought he shot Hayden, but he didn’t. TJ asks how he found out, and Shawn says, from Hayden herself. He figured he needed to be punished anyway. He did fire a shot, and someone got hit, just not by him. TJ wishes Shawn had told him sooner, and Shawn says he didn’t want TJ involved. TJ says he is anyway, and now might be the perfect time. Molly is working at the DA’s office, and they can take steps to uncover who really shot Hayden. Shawn says TJ can’t be involved. It’s his battle and he doesn’t want TJ and Molly caught in the middle. TJ asks, why not? and Shawn says, whoever shot Hayden thinks they got away with it, and he needs it to stay that way. If word gets around TJ is looking into it, they might want to stop him. The first step, is getting him out of there. After that, don’t worry. He’ll find out who it was, and make sure they trade places, and they end up right there.

Nikolas says, Laura approves of his efforts to purchase Pentenville? and she says, if it were anyone else, she wouldn’t, but in addition to keeping Alexis safe, he can use this as an opportunity to give back to the community as a whole. Ava says, it’s no wonder Cyrus is against it, and Laura says, privatizing Pentenville doesn’t just have to be about money. It could be about treating the inmates more humanely. Nikolas could be a leader in prison reform. Ava says, it earns respect for the Cassadine name. That’s quite a legacy to leave Spencer. He says, who knew he was an altruist? and Laura says, she knew. Ava says, she didn’t, but she likes it. Laura says, this will put Nikolas on a collision course with Cyrus. Is he prepared to deal with that?

Sasha asks if Cyrus thinks she got it on with his chauffeur. No wonder he’s so defensive. He says, did she? As Brando’s employer, he might have the right to know. I wonder what employee handbook he’s read. She says she knows he’s been away for a long time, but in this millennium, no employer has the right to pry into their employee’s private life. Ugh. She’s not quite right either. He says, it’s about more than that, and she knows it, and she says, he just can’t wrap his head around the fact that she chose someone who wasn’t him. He wants to know the truth? Here it is. She had broken up with Michael, and she needed a lift; know what she means? And there he was, Mr. Nobody, the right man at the right time. So she fell into bed with him, and just her luck, one time was the charm. He says she still hasn’t told him who he was, and she says, patience. She’s saving the best for last.

Carly tells Brando, Sasha told her about the baby, in confidence, but his mother, the human megaphone, overheard Sasha talking about it, and went to Cyrus to congratulate him on being a father. Gladys says she swears she had no idea the baby was his. How could she? He swore he didn’t want kids, and that he was careful. What was he thinking? He says, that’s really none of her business, and she says she’s sure that Gilmore girl (ha-ha) preyed on him and his weaknesses, and before you know it… He says, that’s not what happened. Sasha is smart. Gladys says, not too smart to avoid getting knocked up, and he says, and brave enough to face down Cyrus. When Cyrus commanded she tell him who the father of the baby is, she didn’t give him up, and she never would. Carly says, sooner or later, Cyrus is going to find out who the baby’s father is, and Gladys says, then Brando is a goner, and it will be all her fault.

Dante wonders if there’s a disconnect with Sam. She thinks he believes Jason is guilty, but he doesn’t. in fact, with all due respect to the Commissioner and her investigators, the odds of Jason dumping the gun down the garbage shoot where the victim’s body was discovered are virtually non-existent. Add to that, the only witness is Sonny’s perpetually resentful cousin Gladys, it’s obvious Jason is being framed. She asks, then why is Dante hunting Jason? He just admitted he thinks Jason is innocent. He says, Jason is innocent of murdering Franco; he’s guilty of escaping from the hospital, and all the charges attached. Dante is on the force full time. He doesn’t get to pick and choose what assignments he takes. He was given Jason’s case, so that’s what he’s going to do. She says, good luck with that, and he senses she doesn’t believe he’s going to have success. She says she’s heard he’s an excellent detective, and he says, not excellent enough to keep her from slashing his tires. She says, they’re back to that? and he says he just wanted to thank her again. She says, for what? and he says he wouldn’t be walking around free, wearing this badge, if she hadn’t stopped him from killing Peter, and got him into therapy with Doc. He’s deeply grateful. She says she can’t believe he actually has a heart. For what it’s worth (🍷) she knows he would have done the same for her. He says he would.

TJ asks if Shawn has any idea who actually shot Hayden, and Shawn says he’s thought a lot about it over the years. They give you plenty of time to think in here. So far, he’s drawn a blank, but if Alexis can find a way to get him out of there, he’ll be in a better position to figure it out, and settle the score. TJ says, settle the score how? but Shawn tells him not to worry. He’ll leave justice to the law. He has way too much to live for, starting with TJ’s graduation. Promise he’ll save Shawn a seat? TJ says, I promise… dad.

Nikolas says, if somebody has to draw a line in the sand, let it be a Cassadine, and Ava says, or better yet, two Cassadines. He’s not going to have to face Cyrus alone. Laura says they’re all in this together, because she’s sure Cyrus is going to try and find a way to get back at them for the family dinner at Windymere, and using it as a decoy to let Jason get away. Ava says, something else happened that night. Sources tell her that Cyrus ended up on the losing end of the meeting of the Five Families balsamic vinegar. Laura says, that’s what happened? He did mention something about Carly pulling some sort of… power play? Ava says, she did more than that. From what she hears, Carly really handed Cyrus his ass. She wishes she could have been there to see it.

Sasha tells Cyrus, she referred to him as Mr. Nobody because she didn’t know his name. They agreed up front; no names, no sob stories, no excuses. He wanted what she wanted, and vice versa. Cyrus says, so he has no idea she’s expecting, and she says, how? She doesn’t even have his phone number. What can she say? He had a great body, and looked great in the dark. Cyrus says, what if he told her that he only wants to know his name so he can make sure he lives up to his responsibilities? She tells him, she would say, he’s not her father, this is not the 1950s, and no one is responsible for her baby except for her.

Carly says, for once Gladys speaks the truth. Her big mouth could get Brando killed. Gladys says, good God, and Carly says, of course (🍷) there’s one person who could stop Cyrus. Brando says, who’s that? and Carly says, his mother. Gladys says, all right. Carly wins. How can she protect her boy? Carly says, the only way to ensure Brando’s safety, is to make sure Cyrus is no longer a threat. That means putting him back in prison where he belongs. Brando asks how his mother is supposed to swing that, and Carly says, by recanting her statement. By confessing Cyrus paid her to lie about who and what she saw the night Franco was murdered.

Sam tells Dante, now that they got that settled, how much does she owe him? She looks at the bill, and he says, it’s not just a matter of money. If she pulled that crap with another cop, she’d be in a holding cell, and she knows it. She says, so he thinks she took advantage of their prior relationship? and he says, now that she mentions it… She says if he feels duty bound to arrest her, do it. Just know that he’s probably going to have to read Scout books every night to get her to sleep, and she’ll probably be cellmates with her mom. He says he’ll probably hear it from Monica when he’s at the Q’s, or his mom will be shooting daggers at him for putting her away. Bottom line is, he’s willing to call it quits if she stays out of his way. And if she pays for the tires. She says, obviously she’ll pay for the tires, but she doesn’t have that kind of cash in the house. Will he take a check? He says, yeah. If it bounces, he knows where to find her.

Shawn goes into the prison library, and Alexis asks if she can interest him in another book or a periodical. He says he has all the reading material he needs, but there is something she can do for him. She says, name it, and he says, he just got a visit from TJ. She asks how Molly and TJ are, and he says, great. Molly just graduated from law school, and started a job with the DA. She says, excellent, and he says, TJ’s about to graduate from med school, and he’d like to be there. TJ called him dad, so he’s going to take her up on the offer to get him out of there.

Laura tells Ava and Nikolas, she can’t say she’s thrilled to hear that Carly decided to take over Sonny’s organization, but she guesses with Jason being unavailable, Carly will do anything she can to protect the family. Nikolas suggests they show Cyrus how solid their family is, and throw a great wedding. Ava says, it’s such a nice sentiment, but a family fête isn’t exactly going to stop Cyrus in his tracks. Nikolas says, they’ll show him that they have something he covets, but will never possess. Laura says she’s all for symbolic gestures, but they need an actual plan.

Cyrus asks if Sasha has ever considered that he might want to be part of her life, and might want her to be part of his. She says, not for a second, and he says, a man can only have so much money, so much real estate, so much… She says, power? Isn’t that why he’s so desperate to find out who the father of her baby is? As long as he’s a mystery, he has power over Cyrus. The man who did what Cyrus couldn’t. The man who got what Cyrus couldn’t get. Let her tell him about Mr. Nobody. He was young, he was great in bed, and he put a new life inside her. In short, he was the opposite of Cyrus. Cyrus says, they’ll talk again, but she says, let’s not, and he leaves.

Gladys says she told the police the truth, and Brando says, just stop. They all know Jason didn’t kill Franco. She got there after Franco was shot, so there’s no way she saw Jason get rid of the gun. Gladys says she did see it, and Carly says, no she didn’t. Gladys made the whole thing up, and the only way she would do that is if somebody paid her to do it. Brando says, they all know that someone is Cyrus, and Carly says, if Gladys wants to save Brando from Cyrus, tell the truth, before it’s too late.

Sam hands Dante a check, and asks if they’re done here. He says, the next time she gets the urge to go rogue, remember she might not get a cop who’s as nice, or handsome, or charming as he is. She rolls her eyes, and he says, there might actually be consequences. He starts to leave, and she says, whoa, whoa, whoa. Isn’t he forgetting something? She gestures toward the tire, and he says, oh no. That’s hers. She paid for it. She rolls it toward him, and he takes it, says, see ya, and leaves. She says he’s such nice guy. She starts to go upstairs, when there’s a knock at the door. She turns around and says, let her guess. He has more questions for her. She opens the door, and sees the check ripped up on the hallway floor, but Dante is gone.

Alexis tells Shawn, remember, this parole hearing isn’t about innocence or guilt. It’s about two things. The first thing is, his progress inside the wall. The second thing is – and this is important – they want to see remorse for the crime he’s committed, because that way they can trust he won’t do it again when they let him out. He says he can’t in good conscience, express remorse for a crime he didn’t commit, and she says, what about the crime he did commit? Does he have remorse for that? He says, for pulling the trigger? Yes. For botching the job and not hitting the target? No. He’s glad he missed. She says, let’s look at it this way. What were the circumstances that led up to Hayden Barnes’s shooting? They’ll see where that takes them.

Nikolas says he’s not going to sit by, and let Cyrus threaten his family. If he wants a war… Laura says, no. She didn’t ask him there for a war council. She’s still the mayor, and committed to fighting Cyrus by any legal means at her disposal. Ava says, she and Nikolas aren’t exactly model citizens, and Laura says, she didn’t hear that. Ava says, but what Laura is saying is, she’d prefer it if they didn’t do anything outside the rule of law, and Nikolas adds, or is she saying she’d just prefer not to know about it if they do? Ava says, plausible deniability is definitely something they can go with. Nikolas says, they might need to. Not just to defend themselves, but their family, which definitely includes Laura. Ava says, if the three of them present a united front, and Carly continues to hold up the Corinthos end of things, she thinks Cyrus is going to find himself very isolated. A man on an island, so to speak. Laura says, that could end up being the worst case scenario. It could make Cyrus so desperate, he becomes even more dangerous.

Sasha sits down, and breaths a sigh of relief. She looks at one of her headshots and says, dodged a bullet tonight, didn’t you, Gilmore? But only for the moment. Let’s be real. No amount of avoiding is going to stop Cyrus, and he can’t find out about Brando. She rubs her belly, and says, they’ll just have to stay one step ahead of him.

Gladys swears she’d do anything for Brando, and Carly asks why she senses a but coming. Gladys says, if she makes an enemy out of Cyrus, he’ll take it out on both of them, mother and son. There’s got to be a better way. Gladys tells Brando, he works for the man. He knows what Cyrus is capable of. Tell Carly. He says, Sonny trusted Carly. So does he. What do they do? Carly says, get Gladys to recant her statement, and implicate Cyrus. Once Gladys is on record with the police, Cyrus will be powerless to stop the investigation, and will be on his way to Pentenville in no time.

Tomorrow, Robin returns, Anna tells someone that they can’t get past this until they get through it, and Robert tells Annie that Sean’s case files might hold the key.

Million Dollar Listing New York  

Ryan got a tour of Marc Jacobs’s townhouse from Marc’s husband, Charlie (Char). We saw the photos from Architectural Digest, but since they were moving to Westchester, just about everything had already been moved or gone to auction, including a lot of the fixtures. In his interview, Ryan said, where’s all the stuff? All the Marc Jacobs-ness of his house had been removed. Char said they were looking for a fresh start, but had done renovation on the townhouse, and everything had been a considered decision. Even mostly empty, it was pretty impressive at 4796 square feet. There were gold leafed ceilings that only two people in the world were equipped to craft, a 100-carat gold ceiling, and a galley kitchen with Meiele appliances. I actually know what both of those things are, so points for me. I also know Meiele appliances are way out of my price league. The townhouse was four stories, and the primary suite 945 square feet. There were only three bedrooms, but five baths, and a custom bult mahogany closet that you know was fabulous. Apparently, Marc had so many pairs of shoes, there were still a large amount there. The master bath had $100K of stonework put into it, and Ryan called it a marble mecca. Marc’s dog Neville was there, a Spuds McKenzie dog with over 200K followers on Instagram. There was a garden courtyard, and a kosher kitchen downstairs. Ryan explained in his interview, it was the only way to have two full kitchens in a townhouse in NYC, which was news to me. Not that I’ve ever looked into it. Ryan said he wanted to sell it quietly, like a Picasso off-market. His potential commission was $330K.

Steve was looking for comps for the 3000 square foot apartment on Baxter Street (I’m pretty sure I’ve passed this building) that bordered Soho, Little Italy, Nolita, and Chinatown. I know how difficult finding comps can be, since there aren’t many for my type of house in my area. Although his problem was that each of those neighborhoods had different price points for the same thing. Steve said the outside had zero curb appeal, and it was between neighborhoods; the apartment had an identity crisis. Not to mention the lobby was nothing to write home about. Steve said he felt like people would think it was in Chinatown because of the exterior. He divvied up his team to look for comps in each neighborhood.

Tyler had been given a listing on 67th Street, that he’d missed out on previously. He met the owner and his daughter at the apartment, where he’d done a staging. He said the apartment was dripping with charm, and he’d staged it to reflect classic New York Upper East Side architecture, which included a formal dining room. In Tyler’s interview, he said the key to good staging was neutral tones and a low profile, so no matter what the taste of the potential buyer, they’d see the beauty of the space. Ryan asked owner Robert about the noise level, since the apartment overlooked a police station and a firehouse, and Robert said they were good about not putting on the sirens until they got to the corner, but they’d gotten used to it. I understand this too. My first residence in NYC was across from a firehouse. When I first moved in, the noise would keep me awake, but Robert wasn’t lying. I got so used to it, when I would visit my dad in Ohio, I couldn’t sleep because it was too quiet. True story. Tyler said second floor apartments were notoriously challenging to sell. One of the reasons the owner hadn’t chosen to list with Tyler before, was that Tyler advised him that his price was too high and it should be staged. Robert hadn’t listened, and the apartment sat there for two years. In his interview, Tyler said that when you didn’t get a listing, it was devastating, and a blow to your ego; you questioned your own advice. This was his chance at redemption. He couldn’t f*** it up.

In Ryan’s interview, he said, the challenge with Marc Jacobs’s townhouse was that most of the awesomeness had been boxed up and sold at auction by Sotheby’s. His strategy was to give a private showing every fifteen minutes, and hopefully start a bidding war. Doing showings back-to-back made people feel like they wanted it more, because there was limited time. A price of $11 million had been decided on, Char agreeing to sell it faster for less. Ryan said it was a lot of square feet to show in fifteen minutes – 330 square feet a minute. One potential buyer offered $9 million, which Ryan thought was too low, but it was an offer. He thought offers would keep coming in if he kept up the momentum. KJ had buyers who were obsessed with the townhouse, but they had three kids, and would need to renovate for another bedroom. She wondered what was up with the missing fixtures.

Steve said he’d taken a risk, asking the Baxter Street seller to wait 24-hours before he came up with the proper price. The apartment had great characteristics, and he wanted the right number, which he said was imperative to the success of the sale. He suggested $5.5 million, but the seller whined that they were on the cusp of Soho, Tribeca, Nolita, and Little Italy, and Steve said, it was also on the cusp of Chinatown. He knew it was difficult for the seller to think of pricing below his expectations of $6.1 million. He got that there was an attachment, but said he wasn’t a broker who was going to tell them what they wanted to hear. He gave them what the reality was. The seller agreed, and Steve’s potential commission was $165K.

Tyler and his assistant Kemba auditioned models to pose as fireman and policeman at the 67th Street open. In Tyler’s interview, he said, buyers didn’t like surprises, so they were going to be very upfront. The auditions were a hard job, but somebody had to do it. We saw a lot of hot guys, and Tyler hoped they could distract the potential buyers from the noise outside, and bring him offers.

Steve took it to the streets, deciding to bring in samples from local restaurants in the neighborhoods surrounding Baxter Street. He made up handouts with a map, showing how to quickly get everywhere, and listing the coolest things in each neighborhood, as well as the restaurants featured. The open was going to have a distinct food theme. They got macaroons from SoHo, meatballs from Little Italy, Matcha something or other from Nolita, and dumplings from Chinatown. I wanted everything, especially the dumplings, but settled for a turkey sandwich. Steve admitted the exterior sucked, but the lobby was going to be redone soon, and the building had the money in reserve, so he knew it was happening. He focused on selling the location, and said the beauty of it, was that it was in the middle of everything. In his interview, he said potential buyers and brokers showed interest, but he’d been doing this long enough to know not to get excited without a solid, bonafide offer. Yep. I never count on the money until it’s in the bank.

Ryan had made a promise to sell the Marc Jacobs townhouse quickly, exclusively, and quietly, but made it clear that if it didn’t work, he’d have to put it on the market. The pre-market showing was a success, and in KJ’s interview, she said it was perfect for her buyer. It was not only stunning, but a piece of New York history. She offered Ryan $9.5 million, but in his interview, Ryan said, Marc Jacobs doesn’t do bargain rack. KJ said she was on her way somewhere, and Ryan offered to pick her up. In her interview, she said, there was never a free ride, ever, but she was willing to sit in Ryan’s car to get a deal for her client. Ryan liked having the buyer’s agent trapped in the car, being able to use it when calling the seller. They went back and forth a little, but it was deal at $10.5 million.

Next time, two apartments at 4000 square feet each, and Ryan has a The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe themed open house, and dresses as a lion.  

🕶 Father, Godfather, Friend, and Spy…

All about Sean Donely.

👨🏻‍🏫 Cameron Knows…

Apparently, he’s not going to tell us though.

🎡 Spinning Off…

Ryan’s solo act will begin on June 15th.

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/ryan-serhant-brooklyn-townhouse-renovation-new-bravo-series

https://www.bravotv.com/million-dollar-listing-ryans-renovation

😆 Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha…

Eboni expects a lot.

https://pagesix.com/2021/05/18/eboni-k-williams-got-through-to-ramona-singer-with-help-talk/

👭 The OGs Have Bonded…

Motherhood makes for strange bedfellows.

https://pagesix.com/2021/05/16/shahs-stars-mercedes-golnesa-are-friends-now/

🛫 Exploration…

Why can’t we just call it being single and doing what you want?

https://pagesix.com/2021/05/16/golnesa-gharachedaghi-of-shahs-of-sunset-explores-polyamory/

🎮 Not Only Another Pretty Face…

She’s not just Jennifer’s Body anymore, but Jennifer’s brain.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dj-khaled–megan-fox-face-off-in-an-epic-live-fortnite-battle-301291138.html

💃 Still Turning the Beat Around…

The grande dame of Studio 54 celebrates her 80th.

https://pagesix.com/2021/05/18/nikki-haskell-turns-80-with-studio-54-themed-bash/

She knows everybody.

https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/nikki-haskell-80/

🛍 Hitting the Sack…

Until we meet tomorrow, for soap and tea, stay safe, stay benevolent, and stay not being a human megaphone like Gladys. It will just end up causing trouble.