Tag Archives: Padma Lakshmi

Aug26

August 25, 2023 – Cody Asks Sam For Help, Newbie, Atlanta Receipts, Called Out, No Shock, Leaky Deck, VanderLock, Tasty Move, New Horror, Dead News, Second Last, Stray Training, Apple Pups, 9 Crisp Quotes & Out

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Willow comes into the hospital, and Elizabeth asks if she’s had a setback, but Willow says, just the opposite. She wants to get back to work. Does Elizabeth have room for one more nurse?

Finn sets up the backgammon board, and Tracy says she hopes he’s been practicing. He’s going to need it. He asks if she’s kidding. He has an eight-year-old daughter, and there’s not a day that goes by that there isn’t new disease at the hospital to challenge him. Does she really think he has time to practice backgammon? She looks at him, and he says, okay. The minute he knew she was back in town, he started practicing his ass off. She says, good choice – she takes a paper out of her pocket – because according to her calculations, Tracy-47, Finn-29. He says, 47-29? She kept that all this time? She asks what he thinks and he says, of course (🍷) she kept it; she’s winning. She says she loves to win, and shakes the dice.

Cody says he’s desperate here. Sasha’s in trouble, and Sam could be his only chance. She says, to get himself locked up in Ferncliff? and he says, to help Sasha. She says she thinks it’s a terrible plan, but he says, it’s the only plan he’s got. Please. She says she won’t help him, much less be the one who commits him.

On his phone at the Crimson office, Sonny asks what Brick’s got for him. Has the fake information Betty stole from his computer been downloaded?… He gets that, but he’s impatient. It’s just that he wants some answers. He may have to figure this out. Nina comes out of the elevator, and Sonny says, he’ll see Brick later. Nina comes in and asks, what’s wrong? Sonny says, nothing. A beautiful woman is in front of him. What could be wrong with that? She says, nothing’s wrong with that, and they hug. Absolutely nothing.

At the pool, Molly thanks Alexis for coming, and Alexis says, of course (🍷) she would be here. She knows how much this means to Molly and TJ. Molly says she really wants Alexis to like her, and Alexis says she thinks it’s more important that Molly and TJ like her. Molly says, they really do, when Andrea comes in. Molly introduces her to Alexis, and they sit at a table. Kristina appears in the doorway and sees them.

On the phone, Brook says, so it’s all true?… She can’t say she’s completely surprised. She could kill her with her bare hands… No, no. Not them. A certain member of her family.

Tracy asks, how’s Finn’s father? and Finn says, he’s… fine. She says, fine? Really? She was supposed to have dinner a few days ago at the MetroCourt with her sister-in-law who had to cancel. There, she ran into Finn’s father, who coerced her into having dinner with him. Finn asks, how bad was the dinner? and she says, actually, the food was much improved now that Carly Spencer is no longer running the show. He says he meant, how was his dad’s company? and she says, he’s charming, but he couldn’t hide the fact that his hand was cramping. What’s wrong with him? Finn says he’ll have to ask her not to pursue that line of questioning, and she asks, why? He says he’d prefer not to lie to her, and she says, fine. He shakes the dice, and asks how Ned is doing. She says, he’s still singing on streetcorners and hanging out with her favorite person, Sonny Corinthos. And how is Detective Chase? He says, Chase is convinced Tracy is forcing Brook to give up her music career to work at Deception, and she says she needs to ask him not to pursue that line of questioning. He asks, why? and she says she’d prefer not to lie to him. He laughs.

Willow tells Elizabeth that she’s feeling stronger every day. She’s got her energy back and she’s really starting to feel like her old self again. Elizabeth says, that’s such great news, and Willow says she loves her time with Michael and the kids, but what she really wants is to get back to nursing. Taking care of people who need help, like she did when she was getting her transplant. This hospital is full of excellent nurses who took such amazing care of her and really supported her when she needed it. She’s not sure what she would have done without them. Elizabeth says, they do have excellent nurses here, but Willow wasn’t just any patient; she’s one of them. Willow says she wants to pay it forward and give that type of care to other patients who need it. Elizabeth says, that’s why they do this, and she’s all for Willow coming back to GH because she’s an amazing nurse, and she can’t wait to have Willow back on rotation, as soon as her doctors approve her return. It would be a bad way to repay all those nurses by coming back too soon and pushing herself too hard, compromising her immune system. Willow says, of course (🍷). She agrees. That’s why she’s here, to talk to Dr. Randolph and see when she’ll be approved. Elizabeth says, great. This place needs people like Willow, and she can’t wait to get that documentation that says Willow is ready to work.

Sonny says he doesn’t want to keep Nina from her work. Maybe she should see if something urgent came up. Nina says she’s just fine in his arms. Besides, there’s nothing that can’t wait. He asks if she’s sure about that, and she says she would have gotten a text or an email from one of her assistants. He says, maybe its one of those old fashioned phone things. Why doesn’t she just check it out? She asks why he’s acting so weird, and he says he doesn’t want her to miss something important. She goes to her desk and finds a jewelry box, and asks, what’s this? He says he doesn’t know; maybe she should open it. She opens it, and says, oh! revealing a stunning diamond pendant necklace. She says she loves it; it’s beautiful. He says, it’s going to be even more beautiful when he puts it on her, and she asks if it’s an apology for being so secretive with her. He says, yes and no, and she asks, which is it? He says, why doesn’t she turn around and he’ll put it on her. She says, it’s gorgeous (it gets my vote), and he says, it’s absolutely amazing, putting the necklace on her. He hooks the clasp, and she asks how it looks. He says, she looks beautiful and that just compliments it, and she says, he always has a way of making her feel special. What happened to him to put him so at ease? He says he’s just happy, but she says when she saw him in his office the other night talking to Ava, they both seemed pretty tense.

Sam says, even if she wanted to – which she doesn’t – she couldn’t have Cody committed because she’s not related to him. Therefore, there’s no legal standing to do it. He says, easy fix, and she says she can’t wait to hear this. He says he gives her power of attorney. She becomes his medical executor. She says, so he appoints her one day, and she has him committed the next. That’s not going to look suspicious at all, is it? He says, it’s good enough to get him into Ferncliff, and if people start asking questions afterward, who cares? She says she cares. This is a bad idea. He says, no, it’s not. It could work. She says, this is a pointless discussion because she’s not going to do it, and he says, why? She says, because she’s not going to do anything that’s going to make Sasha worse.

Andrea says, the view from up here is amazing, and Alexis says, you can see most of Port Charles from up here. Kristina says, TJ likes to come here and go swimming to blow off steam, and afterward they grab something to eat. Alexis notices Kristina, who ducks out. Molly and Andrea discuss the food there, and their favorite dishes. Alexis looks over and sees Kristina is gone.

Tracy says she wins, and Finn says he has the feeling that’s her favorite phrase. She says, it’s definitely one of her favorites. Isn’t he even going to try to beat her? He says, just wait til next game, and she says she appreciates his enthusiasm, adding something to the paper. She says, the running score is now 48 to 29, and he tells her that she doesn’t have to say it so loud. He’s surprised she doesn’t have her own Quartermaine score tab stationery with a little family crest on it. He can see it now; one for Brook, two for Tracy, Ned zero. She says, that’s a clever idea, and he says, you’re welcome. She asks what they’re going to talk about now that he’s removed his father from the topic of conversation and she’s removed her granddaughter? She knows he doesn’t want to waste any more time talking about stationery. He says he discovered a fascinating new bacteria… but she says, no. Infectious diseases is off the table. He says he has a topic, and she says, Monica’s cheap china or business cards? He says, what about Luke?

Gregory comes into the hospital, and Elizabeth asks if he’s here to see Finn, but he says, actually, he was hoping to have a word with her. She says, sure. Is everything okay? He tells her, let’s just say, it’s extremely important.

Sam tells Cody, they’ve been over this. Sasha has suffered a psychotic break. Right now she needs medical attention because she’s dangerous and delusional. He says, no, she isn’t, and Sam asks what he’s talking about. He has a scar on his side where Sasha stabbed him. He says he’s telling her that Sasha is being drugged, and somehow, Gladys is responsible for it. How is he the only one who sees it? She says, he may think that, but Sasha also has a history of mental illness, and he says he knows all about her history, but one minute she’s fine, and the next minute, she’s hallucinating. How does that happen? He’s telling her, something isn’t right. She says, okay. Say he does get in to see Sasha and he pushes her further into her delusion. He says he wouldn’t, but she says, he doesn’t know that. Or maybe even the worst-case scenario. Maybe she thinks he’s Cyrus Renault again and attacks him a second time, and he’s not so lucky and winds up in the hospital, or worse. He says he’s thought through all that. He’ll be on his guard this time, and he can defend himself from Sasha. She says she’s not worried about him, and he says, gee, thanks. She says she’s worried about Sasha and him traumatizing her more. Is he willing to take that risk?

Sonny says he understands why Nina feels excluded, and she says, good, because she did. First, Dex and Gabe wouldn’t let her in the penthouse. Then when she went to his office, she found him talking with Ava, and she seemed to be in the know about what was going on. He says, because he and Ava share Avery, and she says, but then he tells her that it’s for her safety that she doesn’t know. Who wouldn’t feel left out? He says, because some things in his business are better left unsaid. They’ve gone over this a thousand times and he doesn’t want to put her in danger. She says, he’s willing to put Ava’s life in danger? and he takes her hand. He says he came here to apologize for making her feel like an outsider. He doesn’t let her in on things because it puts her at risk. She knows everything else. She says she feels like Frank or Gabe when his office door is shut in her face, and he says he doesn’t ever want her to feel like an employee. She says she knew from day one what she was getting into when she fell in love with him, and she accepts all of him; this charming, amazing man in front of her, and the ruthless businessman. She loves all of him. He says he doesn’t ever want her to forget how much he loves her. That’s all that matters. She says, just let her in. Maybe she can help him. She can handle it. He says, some things are best not knowing.

Kristina goes to the reception desk and asks if Dr. Randolph is in. Walking by, Willow says, Dr. Randolph had an emergency that pulled her away, and Kristina hugs her. She says, Willow looks great. It’s nice to see her out. Willow says, it’s great to be out. She’s feeling a lot better. Kristina says she’s sorry she didn’t come see Willow. She didn’t know when Willow was accepting visitors again. Willow says, it’s okay. After she left the hospital, she had to restrict her visitors to a small group, since her immune system might be compromised, but now she’s almost fully recovered, so they can see each other any time. Kristina says, that’s amazing news, and Willow says she couldn’t be more grateful for what Liesl did for her. She’s actually here to see Dr. Randolph too. She’s hoping to get the all-clear to go back to work. What about Kristina? Is she okay? Kristina says, not really. Actually, it’s probably best she doesn’t see Dr. Randolph today.

Elizabeth tells Gregory, she’s officially on break, so she’s all his. What’s going on? Are Finn and Violet okay? He says, they’re fine, and they sit down. He needs her to accept his apology. She says, for what? and he says he’s been keeping something from her, from everyone close to him. But the time has come for him to be up front and transparent. He waited too long. He never should have agreed to watch Violet the other night. She asks, what happened? and he says he fell, and Violet came in and saw him on the floor. She says she’s sure it was scary for Violet, but she’s going to be okay. What about him? Is he hurt? Does he want to see a doctor? He says, no. The fall was nothing serious, but Violet was worried and so was he. He told Finn and now he’s telling her. He has ALS.

Tracy tells Finn that she keeps forgetting Luke is gone. The fact that he’s not around to drive her crazy is something she finds impossible to wrap her head around. Finn says, she really misses him, doesn’t she? and she says, yeah. He has her at loose ends, so she concentrates on her good friend – she nods to him – and focuses on a business project she’s involved in. He asks if she wants to talk about it, or is it one of those subjects they shouldn’t pursue a line of questioning? She says she prefers not to lie to him, and he laughs. Brook storms in and says, how could she? Tracy says, they’re in the middle of a game, and Brook swipes the board onto the floor. She says, now they’re not.

Nina and Sonny sit at a table, fully set for dinner in her office, and she says, one of the perks of having her office in the MetroCourt is that she can have them send dinner down when they’re feeling hungry and romantic. He says, speaking of romantic, they haven’t even talked about the details for the wedding, and she says, they’ve been a little preoccupied. Him with whatever he’s doing and Michael, and her with  the MetroCourt and the magazine and Willow. He asks if they can focus on themselves. They haven’t even set a date when she wants to marry him. She says she’s glad he asked because she wants a winter wedding, and she wants their table centerpieces to be filled with anemones and orchids and roses, and she was thinking about wearing an off-white gown. He says, she thought about this? and she says, a little. He says, a lot, and she says, if they have a winter wedding, she saw these amazing emerald and gold invitations; they’re gorgeous. And he would look dashing in a burgundy tux, and she could picture them in Crimson’s January issue. He says he’s not very comfortable with being splashed across her magazine, but he does like a winter wedding because they have time to plan and she can have what she wants. She says, there’s another reason she wants to wait for winter. She wants to make sure Willow is fully recovered. If they have a wedding before Willow is completely cleared, she thinks it would be disrespectful to her. He says, Nina wants her to come around so she can be part of the wedding.

Kristina says she doesn’t know if Willow heard, but she’s starting an LGBTQIA+ youth center here in Port Charles. Willow says, Michael told her. She thinks it’s an amazing idea. Kristina says she asked Dr. Randolph if she would be on the board of directors, and Willows says, she would be excellent. What did she say? Kristina says, she seemed interested, but she didn’t commit yet, so she’s here hopefully to convince her to get on board. (No pun intended?) Willow says, she will, and Kristina says she’s glad she ran into Willow first. She’s realizing she’s not quite in the right head space to talk to Dr. Randolph today, and the worst thing she could possibly do is throw herself into business to distract herself and potential risk messing things up for the foundation. Willow says, distract herself from what? and Kristina says, from feeling left out of her sister’s life.

Alexis asks what led Andrea to wanting to become a surrogate, and Andrea tells her, like she said, she’s married. She and Ben have a young son, Randy; he’s just a baby. Her husband is a plumber and she used to work as an executive assistant. Alexis says, so she’s no longer working, and Andrea says she really wanted to stay home with her son and not look for another job, and she and her husband decided being a surrogate would allow her to do that. Randy’s young enough that he won’t remember her being pregnant. Someday they’ll explain to him of course (🍷), when he’s old enough to understand. Alexis says, it’s good to come clean about things like that, and Andrea says, at this point, he’s so young, he won’t anticipate a sibling when he sees her pregnant. So it won’t mean anything to him. Alexis asks, what will it mean to her?

Cody tells Sam that he can’t think of anything more traumatic than Sasha being trapped in Ferncliff. Please, just hear him out. She sits down, and he says, so Sasha had a breakdown after her baby and husband died within a year. Then she started using drugs; that’s when she cracked. That’s when she smashed in the windshield. Sam asks if he’s trying to prove her point, and he says he gets it, but then Sasha got help. She made a full recovery and was doing so great, she was even able to go back on TV selling Deception’s beauty products. And just when she’s ready to dump Gladys as her guardian and start taking control of her own affairs, she cracks again, even worse than before, leaving greedy Gladys in control of her money. Come on. Doesn’t Sam find that way too convenient?

Finn points to the game on the floor and says he was going to win. It doesn’t matter; Tracy and Brook should talk. He’ll show himself out. Tracy says she apologizes for the rudeness of her granddaughter. She was clearly raised by her mother. He says he’ll call Tracy later and leaves. Brook asks why she did it. Why? Tracy says, do what? and Brook says, go after Deception and in the process hurt her friends. Tracy says, please. She’s told Brook time and again, there are no friends in business. Does Brook think her great grandfather could have built ELQ into what it is today by making friends? Besides, they got what was coming to them. Brook asks how she can say that, and Tracy says, Lucy Coe stole the designs for The Deceptor. Brook says, from who? Tracy? Tracy says, no, and Brook asks, then who? Tracy says, from the company she’s working with, and Brook says, so there it is. Tracy just revealed the whole plot. Tracy used her. Tracy says, Brook used her to get Chase back his job, and Brook says, and Tracy used that to blackmail her into hurting her friends so she could help some random company. For what? Some revenge on Lucy Coe? Some bizarre vendetta? What’s happened to her? My guess: Tracy is working with Martin’s ex-wife number three, whose idea he inadvertently passed to Lucy.

Cody tells Sam, Sasha isn’t in Ferncliff because she’s a danger to him or herself. She’s in Ferncliff because she’s a threat to Gladys controlling her money. Sam asks if he really believes Gladys had Sasha drugged and sent to Ferncliff so she could remain in control of Sasha’s assets, and he says he’s played cards with Gladys. She’s an addict, like anyone who’s addicted to booze or coke. She says, that’s a big accusation to make, and he says, yeah, and Gladys has an even bigger debt to pay. Addicts are liars. He has no idea what lies Gladys has told herself to justify what she’s doing to Sasha. Frankly, he doesn’t care. All he cares about here is the victim. So is Sam going to let Sasha just rot in Ferncliff, or is she going to help him get in there and help her?

Sonny tells Nina, Willow’s on the road to making a full recovery, so they have to believe that. Nina says she does. She saw Willow earlier at Kelly’s and she looked a lot better. She just doesn’t want to tempt fate. He says, she’s going through a lot; she’s been through a lot. She’s a fighter. Nina says, she is a fighter, but it’s hard not to worry about her, and he says, they’re always going to worry about their kids. Nothing’s going to change that. But Nina’s been doing a lot of praying, and her prayers seem to be answered. Nina says, Sonny knows her a little too well, and he tells her not to forget that. He knows how important it is to have Willow at their wedding. Nina says, they’ve made a lot of progress. They’ve had some really good conversations, and Willow has made it clear she wants more of a relationship with her. He says, that’s great, and she says, it’s just going to be a long, hard road to rebuild that trust, but she wants Willow at the wedding, and they both know she won’t attend as long as Michael’s not there. (I dunno about that.) How does he feel about that? He says, if Michael wants to show up, nothing would make him happier. If you’d asked him six months ago if there was a chance Michael would come to their wedding – they laugh – he would say, no way. But you‘ve got to have hope, and he and Michael are doing a lot better. She says, that’s great, because she knows how important that is to him. He says, they’ve got to be thankful for everything they’ve got, and things seem to be looking up for them.

Willow says, Kristina can talk to her. What happened? Kristina says she knows she can trust Willow with this, and the secret is going to be out in nine months anyway. Molly and TJ have been having some infertility issues; Molly specifically has been. Willow says, poor Molly, and Kristina says, she’s been taking it really hard, and ever since they found out, she – they – have been talking about ways to have a baby of their own. So Kristina stepped up and committed the unpardonable sin of offering to be their surrogate. Willow says, wow. That is quite an offer. She’s taking it that it didn’t go over well. Kristina says, but it should have. You’d think Molly would see it as the selfless and loving gift she intended it to be. Instead, she’s insulted and completely shut Kristina out.

Andrea says she’s sure Alexis knows, there’s no greater joy than being a mom, and she was blessed with an easy and healthy pregnancy. If she can somehow pass that joy on to Molly and TJ by being their surrogate and giving them the gift of being parents, she’s also providing for her family and she’s willing to do it. Molly says, she and TJ can’t thank Molly enough. And they’ll both be there for Andrea every step of the way. Andrea says, luckily, she does know what to anticipate with the pregnancy, and going into it, knowing she’s carrying Molly and TJ’s baby and not her own, will make it possible for her to do this. That’s why she signed the contract. Alexis says she knows something about contracts, having been a lawyer for most of her life. She also knows what they can’t do. They really can’t capture the emotional part of what it means to have a child. So she thanks Andrea. It’s an incredible gift Andrea is giving to her child.

Elizabeth says she’s so sorry this is happening to him, and Gregory thanks her. It’s been a struggle to wrap his mind around it. (There’s a lot of that going around.) He put off facing it for as long as he could, which is why he hid his diagnosis from Finn and Chase for so long. He still hasn’t found the strength to tell Chase. Now that Finn knows, on the one hand, he’s relieved; on the other hand, he knows his son. She says, he’ll do everything he can for Gregory, and he says, that’s what he’s afraid of. Finn will act as both his doctor and his son, and he’ll forget to feel. But he’ll need to be in touch with those feelings, and for that he’ll need Elizabeth. Gregory dreads what’s ahead for him, but knowing Finn has her beside him, supporting him, he can dread it a little less.

Tracy says, what’s happened to her? What’s happened to Brook? Chase has softened her beyond recognition. Brook says, thank you, but Tracy says, that wasn’t a compliment. Brook says, Luke’s death has hardened Tracy more than she could have possibly imagined. She’s not only destroyed a company, she’s destroyed dreams. Does she understand that? Tracy says, please, and Brook says, if there’s any merit to this suit, it could bankrupt Deception. Tracy says, well, then Lucy Coe hasn’t kept very good books if her company’s that financially fragile, and Brook says, she’s unbelievable. This could leave Deception vulnerable to a hostile takeover. Or it could crumble before it ever has a chance to get back up on its feet. Tracy says, that’s the plan.

Elizabeth says she’ll do everything she can to support Finn, and Gregory. And she’ll be there for Chase and Violet. Gregory tells her that he had no doubt she’d say that, and thanks her. She asks, who else knows? and he says, at this point, it’s her, Finn, and Alexis Davis. He knows he’s being a coward, but he’s dreading telling Chase. She says, he’s anything but a coward. Facing this alone for months takes way more strength than he’s willing to admit. He’ll find the right moment to tell Chase. He says, Chase is the baby of the family, but boy, the optimist; the one who believes no matter how bad things get, it’s going to be okay in the end. He doesn’t know how to tell Chase that he’s sick, getting sicker, and one day, he’ll be helpless. There are days when he doesn’t believe it himself, but then his hands cramp up, or he struggles to stand up, or he falls down like he did with Violet, and it hits him. He’s going to die. This is real. She says, yeah, it’s real. There are still good days ahead, and she’s going to help him enjoy them. He thanks her and they hug, and Finn sees them.

Brook says, what plan? What is Tracy really after? She hasn’t been interested in ELQ in years, and that’s money to run a small country. What’s really going on here? Who sets out to ruin people’s lives? Oh wait. She’s sorry. Of course (🍷). A Quartermaine. Well look how well that’s turned out for this family. No wonder her dad woke up thinking he was someone else. Who’d want to be Tracy’s kid? Brook stomps out, and Tracy ponders this.

Andrea thanks Molly and Alexis for the lovely meal and even lovelier company. She’s so glad she’s in the position to help Molly and TJ. Molly says, they’re the fortunate ones to have found Andrea, and Andrea tells Alexis, it’s been a pleasure. Alexis says, it was a pleasure for her as well. It was a wonderful night. Andrea leaves, and Molly asks what Alexis thinks, and please, be honest. This is too important for anything else. Alexis says she likes Andrea. She thinks Andrea has a good head on her shoulders, and a good understanding of what it’s like to be a surrogate. Molly says she’s so relieved to hear Alexis say that, and Alexis says she thinks Molly and TJ are going to make fantastic parents. Molly thanks her, and they hug.

Kristina tells Willow, if she’s honest, it feels like Molly is punishing her because she can have a baby and Molly can’t. She knows that sounds harsh. Willow says, Kristina has a right to her feelings. She won’t pretend to know the answers, but one thing she’s learned is that babies are great bridge builders. Once the child is there and you’re interacting with this small miracle and the immediacy of them, it makes the old wounds seem less painful. So don’t assume she and Molly will feel this way forever. It’s very possible once the baby gets here, Kristina will just be aunty and Molly will be mom, and neither one of them will feel the need to be so territorial. It’ll all get easier. Kristina says she really hopes Willow is right, and she hopes the same for Kristina and Nina. She knows there’s negative history there and she gets it, but she’s been spending some time with Nina and she’s really a good person. Kristina’s dad loves her a lot. Maybe it’s like Willow just said, the immediacy will make the old wounds seem less painful. She hopes things get easier for Willow too, and Nina. Willow says she likes the sound of that.

Nina says, she and Sonny need to have these romantic dinners more often, and he says he knows. He’ll see what he can do. They kiss and his phone rings. He says he’s got to get this, and she says, go. He steps away and asks, what’s the update?

Cody says, what if it was Sam in Ferncliff? Or one of her sisters? Alone and afraid, being held against your will, being told by the doctors and staff that you’re crazy. Wouldn’t she want someone to check on her and make sure she’s safe? Wouldn’t she want someone to do something for her if she wasn’t? Wouldn’t she want someone to save her if they could? Or would she prefer everyone just stands on the sideline, does nothing, and hopes for the best? Because when that doesn’t work out, her and everyone she loves are going to regret it for the rest of their lives. Sam says, okay. She’ll do it. She’ll have him committed.

On Monday, Marshall asks if Portia has any good news; Lucy calls Martin an idiot; Trina tells Josslyn, there’s got to be a way to bring them back together; and Stella tells Curtis that he’s not giving up.

⚖️ New Lawyer In Town…

Too bad Nora wasn’t available. Then we’d have both Pine Valley and Llanview representing.

Carly Hughes Cast on GENERAL HOSPITAL!

🍑 Peach Of a Reunion…

I’ve been watching this off and on, but I still can’t get the image out of my head of Shereé and Marlo screeching at each other in gibberish back in (I think) season 4. No one seems to have matured much since then either.

VIDEO: See RHOA Season 15 Reunion Trailer! Kenya Serves Marlo a Subpoena, Drew’s “Incriminating” Texts With Ty Are Exposed as Ralph & Drew Face Off, and Kandi Accuses Drew of “Gaslighting”

🍊 Clap This…

Tamra can make justifications and excuses all she wants, but that episode was disgusting, and she hasn’t changed for the better in all these years.

RHOC’s Tamra Judge Claps Back After Bethenny Calls Out “Naked Wasted” Drama With Gretchen and Accuses Her of Going After Son Ryan, Plus Claims Narrative Aired is “Completely False”

🛟 His Ship Is Sinking…

Never liked him. Never will.

Former ‘Below Deck’ Production Member Accuses Gary King of Sexual Misconduct

https://people.com/below-deck-sailing-yacht-gary-king-accused-alleged-sexual-misconduct-7852575

⛴ The Latest In Decks…

Not sure how I’m going to feel about Captain Lee’s replacement.

Everything That’s Leaked About Below Deck Season 11

🍸 Because Can’t Let It Go…

Why doesn’t he just leave already? No matter what she says, this can’t be comfortable for her.

https://ew.com/tv/vanderpump-rules-ariana-madix-sleeps-with-door-locked-tom-sandoval/

At least she has something to balance it out.

Ariana Madix Opens up About ‘Calming’ Relationship With Daniel Wai

🍜 Tastes Change…

It’s a wonder she didn’t end up in the hospital from exhaustion.

Padma Lakshmi Reveals Why She Left Top Chef

👹 Delicacies Of Horror…

Some of what to expect in AHS season 12.

https://ew.com/tv/everything-we-know-about-american-horror-story-12-delicate/

AHS trivia. Maybe they should do an AHS: Barbie.

https://ew.com/tv/margot-robbie-almost-starred-in-american-horror-story-asylum/

⚰️ Dead Review…

Apparently, it doesn’t take much to impress him. Just because you’re not repeating the same lines over and over doesn’t make it art. TBD.

https://winteriscoming.net/2023/08/24/norman-reedus-teases-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-making-art/

For the life of me, I can’t remember this guy.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/08/24/fear-walking-dead-watch-return-troy-otto/

Teasing Rick and Michonne. Mostly Michonne.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/08/22/walking-dead-ones-live-teaser-cast-release/

Maggie’s plans in the City.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/07/26/walking-dead-city-season-2-maggies-plan-negan/

🏞 Mapping the Last…

They’re ready to roll. Now if the strike would just end.

https://ew.com/awards/the-last-of-us-season-2-mapped-out-craig-mazin/

🐶 No Dogs Under 17 Allowed…

I think this says it all: For years, I have been saying, Somebody needs to make an R-rated talking dog movie, the animal trainer says.

https://people.com/strays-dog-casting-training-exclusive-7692967

🦮 Pets in 3D…

I love it! Kudos to Apple. 🍎

https://people.com/dogs-with-prostheses-star-apple-iphone-campaign-the-invincibles-7724735

🐝 Quotes of the Week

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. – Neale Donald Walsch

You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals. – Booker T. Washington (Well, if I ever reach my goals, it will be one helluva yardstick.)

New beginnings are disguised as painful endings. – Lao Tzu

No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave. – Calvin Coolidge

Nobody can make you a doormat unless you lay down on the floor. – Judge Star Jones, Divorce Court

Whatever we believe about ourselves and our ability comes true for us. – Susan L. Taylor

Today stretches ahead of you waiting to be shaped. You are the sculptor who gets to do the shaping. What today will be like is up to you. – Steve Maraboli

The fruit of your own hard work is the sweetest. – Deepika Padukone

Don’t spend major time on minor things. – Jim Rohn

🍒 Outside the Club…

While you’re enjoying what’s left of the summer, stop by on Monday really Tuesday for soap and random cups of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay tempering your ambition with courtesy, and stay being thankful for everything you’ve got.

Aug19

August 18, 2023 – Anna Discovers the Truth, PS, Back Again, Drama Chat, Ultimate Legacy, Sharing, VanderMash, The Con, From Dead To Flowers, Tasty, Unusually Cute, An Eighter Of Quotes & Never Gonna

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sonny shows up at his old Carly’s place late at night, and she says, please tell her everyone’s okay. He says, everyone is okay, and she tells him that Donna’s been asleep for a while. He says he figured, and she says, yet here he is. He must want a favor.

Tracy sits in the nook with her head on the table and a towel over it. Eddie/Ned puts on the light, and she groans and says, whoever you are, go away. She pulls the towel off her head and ha-ha-ha! It’s Tracy with a hangover looking more disheveled than we’ve ever seen her.

Kristina says she was under the impression that things were good between her and Molly, and Molly says, they were… They are. Kristina says, but not good enough for Molly to invite her to a family gathering, but Molly says, it wasn’t a family gathering. Kristina says, except for one sister it was, and Molly says, it’s getting late and TJ’s going to be getting back… Kristina says, TJ is the one who told her about Kristina’s sushi party; the one she had for their mother, their sister, and her mother-in-law. She guesses her invitation got lost in the mail.

Getting ready for bed, Dante says his terrible day is over, and Sam says, he wouldn’t believe what happened to her tonight. He says, try him, when his phone rings. He says, Detective Falconari… You checked the surrounding areas too?… So Valentin Cassadine’s car never entered the ELQ parking garage the night Anna Devane’s townhouse burned down… Okay. He hangs up and says, why are you lying to Anna?

Anna and Valentin go into a room at the MetroCourt, and he says, it’s a lot nicer than the place she stayed last night. The MetroCourt was booked, but it’s available now. She can have it as long as she wants to. She says she guesses this is home, but he says, it’s not home; it’s just temporary. As far as hotels go, it’s pretty comfortable. She’s always liked staying in hotels. She says, but she had a home to come back to and now she doesn’t.

Gregory tries to sweep the beads from the table into his hand, but some of them end up on the floor. Finn comes in and says he’ll get that. He picks up the beads and sits next to Gregory on the couch. He asks if Gregory is okay, and Gregory says, he’s fine. He’s just tired… and clumsy. Finn asks if that’s why he fell, or is it something else? After a pause, Gregory says, it’s something else… something awful, and Finn asks if he’s sick. Gregory nods, and Finn asks if he’s been diagnosed. Gregory says, yes, and Finn says, maybe he can help. Will Gregory tell him what it is? Gregory says, ALS.

Eddie/Ned says, good evening, and Tracy says, it would have to be him. He says he never took her for someone who was a hard partier, and she holds up her hand, saying, stop talking and just leave. She reaches for a bottle of aspirin and knocks it on the floor. She groans and puts her head in her hands. Ned picks it up and says, she’s drunk as a skunk, but she says, no. She’s not drunk. She just wishes the room would stop spinning.

Anna looks through some shopping bags and tells Valentin that she doesn’t even know what she bought. What’s wrong with her? He says, her house burned down, and she says she’s been through worse. He says, that’s true, and she says she wasn’t in any danger. She was out running. Thank God Charlotte wasn’t there. She was with Dante and Sam, and Valentin was at ELQ. She needs to get it into her head that she has a lot to be thankful for, and she needs to just move on. They sit down, and Valentin says, she’s not a machine. She lost her house. It was a violation, and they can be thankful no one was killed, but she doesn’t have to pretend it doesn’t hurt. She says, it really does, and he says he’s with her. She’s going to get through this. They’re going to get through this together, and they’ll find who did this to her and stop them from doing it again. Does she trust him?

Carly says, if this is about Avery having another sleepover, she’s welcome here anytime, but Sonny says, the Avery situation is under control. Carly says she’s glad to hear that. Ava must be relieved. She was really worried about… something. He says he’s not here for a favor. Actually, he’s in a position to do her a favor. She says, no thank you.

Sam wonders what’s up, but Dante says, it’s nothing that can’t wait. But there is something that can’t wait. Sam asks, what? and he says, this, and kisses her. No matter what kind of day he has, he knows when he gets to see her, everything’s going to be okay. She says, he stole her line, and he says, it’s his line because he just said it. She tells him that she was going to say, when she has a day where she thinks she won’t be able to sleep at night, she thinks about coming in here and getting into bed with him and turning out the lights, and everything else just melts away. They kiss, and he says, maybe the should talk a little bit before they turn out the lights. Her first. She says, he can go first, but he says, she knows how rock-paper-scissors work. She says, since she was twelve, and they play. She picks rock and he picks scissors, and rock beats scissors. She says, her crazy day. Where does she start? Molly and Kristina are headed for World War III.

Molly says, this is so typical, and Kristina says, Molly not inviting her to something? She agrees. Molly says, no. Kristina’s reaction. Is she not allowed to have a dinner party and invite who she wants? Kristina says, Molly invited everyone in the family but her, and Molly says, fine, she’ll say it; Kristina wasn’t invited. But despite what Kristina always thinks, it wasn’t about her. It was about Molly and TJ. She wanted to share the good news with mom and Sam and Jordan that they found a surrogate.

Finn says, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and Gregory says, yeah. Finn says, there are other conditions that have the same early symptoms. Is he certain? Gregory says, yes. When he told Finn he was going to Milwaukee for a seminar, he was actually in Rochester at the Mayo Clinic. They did extensive testing and the results were conclusive. Finn says, that trip was over six months ago. He’s known all this time? Gregory says he’s sorry. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Finn. Finn asks, why not?

Anna comes out from her shower, and sees Valentin pouring some wine. She says, he read her mind, and he asks what they’re going to toast to, handing her a glass. She says she has no idea, and he says, then to us. To our future together, which can only get less complicated and less dangerous. She says she’d like to believe that, and they clink glasses. He says, she may not believe it now, but they have a lot to be grateful for, and she promises not to keep wallowing in self-pity. He says, it’s not self-pity. She’s been traumatized and she’s dealing with some very powerful emotions. She’ll work through them. She says, and they’re going to find out who’s behind this, and he says, yes, but in the meantime, he has something to talk to her about. It’s something important. He’s going to buy season tickets to the ballet in New York. Charlotte still loves dance, and he knows she does too, so why doesn’t he buy three tickets? She can join them. She says her house just burned to the ground, and someone is trying to kill her, and he’s talking about Swan Lake. He says he can’t think of anything he’d rather do than spend time with the two women he loves most in this world. And he likes Swan Lake. She says she likes it too, and he’s about to kiss her, when there’s a knock at the door. Anna wonders who it is, and he opens it to Martin. Anna says, it’s a bit late for a business call, and Valentin says, whatever this is, he’ll deal with it quickly. He goes out into the hall with Martin and closes the door.

Tracy tosses a couple of pills in her mouth and drinks some water. Ned says, Leo told him that a guy like him needs 15½ cups of water a day, and she says, Leo’s a very smart kid. She can’t tell him how grateful she is Leo’s not here now. She holds her head, and Ned says, she doesn’t seem very experienced at this sort of thing. She says, if by that he means she doesn’t look like someone who gets drunk all the time, she didn’t get drunk this time. He says, she didn’t? and she says, no, she did not. Well, she did, but it wasn’t her fault. Somebody insisted on putting too much alcohol in those Mai Tais at the MetroCourt pool… ugh. He asks if some old bartender was trying to loosen her up for her dough, but she says, no. Actually, it was not some old bartender trying to loosen her up; it was Ned’s daughter. Not that he even acknowledges that he has one. She rubs her forehead.

Finn says he doesn’t understand. Gregory didn’t think he could handle it? Gregory says, it wasn’t Finn; it was him. After all these years, they were finally getting to spend time together as a family; Finn, his brother, Violet, and him. It was so special. Finn says, it is, and Gregory says, the big stuff, Christmas and Halloween with Violet; and the little things, him bringing over muffins from Eckert’s or showing Violet videos of Uncle Chase singing. Finn says, it wouldn’t have changed, but Gregory says, of course (🍷) it would. It will. It already has. When he looks at Finn, he can see it in Finn’s eyes, he knows what this disease does. Finn knows he’s dying.

Sonny says, Carly’s not even going to listen to him? and she asks if he can’t listen to her. Did he not hear her down at the police station? He says, that was different. He was there to help Ned and she was there, so he thought he’d help her. She says, he decided she needed help. He didn’t listen to her. He says, and when she turned him down, she spent the night there. She says, and she was fine with that. She can take care of herself. He says he’s sure she can, and she says, it’s taken a while, but they’re both moving on. They respect each other and want each other to be happy. And as he can see, there’s no For Sale sign in the front yard because Kelly’s is doing great. She’s going to take care of herself on her own, so whatever his favor is, no thank you; she doesn’t want it.

Dante asks why Molly didn’t invite Kristina, and Sam says, because she was revealing her big news that she and TJ had found a surrogate who was perfect. She thinks Molly didn’t want to hurt Kristina’s feelings. He says he understands that. It is Molly’s decision. Sam says she understands that too. She also understands Kristina being hurt. She’s sorry. She shouldn’t be going on like this. He asks, why? and she says, because of the situation he and Lulu had with Maxie. He says, that’s okay. It was a long time ago. TJ and Molly have to realize this is a big decision. You can’t take this lightly. She asks if he thinks Molly’s making the right choice by not having Kristina be the surrogate.

Kristina says, that’s great. She hadn’t realized Molly and TJ were even interviewing surrogates yet. Molly says, they wanted to keep it quiet, and Kristina says she gets that. She’s sure mom, Sam, and Jordan were thrilled to hear the news. Molly says, they were very happy for her and TJ. This is what they want. Kristina says she knows, and Molly says, the woman they found is perfect, and she’s willing to go through the process right away. Kristina says, that’s very exciting, and Kristina says, it is. After everything they’ve gone through, there’s still a good chance she and TJ could have a child within the next year. Kristina says she’s happy Molly is so happy, and Molly says she planned on telling her first thing tomorrow. Kristina says, just not tonight with the rest of the family, and Molly says she wanted it to be a happy occasion. She knew mom, Sam, and Jordan would be happy for them. Kristina says, and she wouldn’t? She would have spoiled all that? Molly says she doesn’t know. They’ve been getting along so well, but she didn’t want to take the chance that tonight would turn into a discussion about why they turned to a surrogate instead of Kristina. Kristina says, now that everyone is gone and Molly brought it up, why are they paying a stranger to have their baby when she was willing to do it?

Finn says, six months. They could have done so many things. Gregory says, the last six months have been perfect. What he didn’t want was to be a burden to Finn, or have Finn spend time with him out of some sense of obligation. Finn says, that wouldn’t have happened, but Gregory says, of course (🍷) it would. He knows Finn and Chase. He’s so proud of both of them, and he and Finn finally got the time to know each other. Finn says, that’s meant everything to him. He’s the one who’s sorry. He’s sorry for costing them all that time. Gregory says, there’s no need to rehash that now. Getting to know Finn and getting to understand and appreciate his incredible accomplishments over the years has been so rewarding for him. Finn and his brother make it almost impossible for him not to be one of those obnoxious bragging fathers. Finn says he’s one of those too, when it comes to Violet, and Gregory says, Violet, what a gift she is. Every single moment he spends with his granddaughter is even better than he imagined. Finn says, she pretty much thinks her grandfather’s the greatest guy in the world, and Gregory asks how she’s going to feel when all he can do is sit and stare at her, when he can’t even speak her name?

Ned asks, why would Brook give Tracy too much booze? and Tracy says, Brook’s up to something and she should have known the minute she saw the fire eater. He says, fire eater? and she says, it was a luau, with tiki torches and leis. He says, sounds like fun, and she says, he would think so. She should have gone right back down to the lobby and ordered a car. He says, it sounds like maybe she had a lot of fun. What’s wrong with that? She rubs her temples, and says, that’s all he ever thinks of; having fun and being Eddie Maine. Anything to avoid facing the reality of his life.

Valentin says, Martin understands this is critical, and Martin says he does. Valentin asks if he’d act like it, and Martin says, his fee, as exorbitant as it is, grants him 24-hour access, but doesn’t give him or any other client the right to abuse him. Valentin says, point taken. He has a lot on his mind. Martin says he understands, and yes, it’s hot off the wire. He gives Valentin an envelope, and Valentin checks out some paperwork inside. He says, looks good, and thanks Martin, opening the door. Martin says, he’s welcome. Although why he insisted on doing this tonight instead of first thing tomorrow morning makes no sense to him. Anna hears that part, and Valentin goes inside and sets down the envelope. Anna asks if it’s important, but he says, not really. Why Martin insisted on coming by in the middle of the night makes no sense to him.

Ned says, Tracy wants him to face the reality of his life, which means she wants him to ride around in limousines and pretend to be some hotshot tax dodging executive. She says, it’s a start. Or he could just stop singing on street corners, and running around all night to sleazy bars, and getting arrested for fighting. He asks if it’s embarrassing to her somehow, and she says, it’s embarrassing to the whole family. He says, so it’s best to just shut Eddie up? and she says, he’s not Eddie. He says, and she wants to prove that by having someone strap him to a table and have electricity shot through his head. She says, what? and he says, I’m on to you, lady. He overheard her tell Olivia that she wants him committed.

Carly says she doesn’t know if Sonny knows this, but Drew is in solitary confinement. Sonny says he knows, and Carly says, of course (🍷) he knows; he’s protecting Drew. She’s really worried about him. She knows he went through worse in Crete, but still. Sonny says, he’s been through a lot. He’ll get through this. She asks if Sonny thinks he can get a message to Drew, and he says he might be able to do better than that.

Finn says, Gregory has to give Violet more credit. She constantly surprises him by how much she understands. Gregory says he hopes Finn is right, and Finn asks what the doctors told him in terms of prognosis. Gregory says, luckily, he was still in the first stage when he went to the Mayo Clinic; muscle cramps and occasional difficulty walking. Finn says, and now? and Gregory says, it’s progressed. His hands cramp more frequently than before. Finn asks, what happened tonight? and Gregory says he was trying to help Violet make some bracelets. He could barely hold on to the thread. He doesn’t think she noticed, but then she got up to get some clasps from her bedroom and he tried to stand up to shake out his hands, and that’s when he fell. Thank God she wasn’t here to see it. Finn says, but she came back in, and Gregory says he told her he tripped over the coffee table (he did not; he said it was probably a bead on the floor). She had to watch him struggle to get back up on the couch. He knows he can’t hide his disease any longer, and he’s so ashamed about tonight.

Molly says she’s so glad she didn’t invite Kristina tonight, and Kristina says, she’s made that perfectly clear. Just answer the question. Why would she rather a stranger have her baby as a surrogate, when her own sister offered to do it for her months ago? Molly says, with a surrogate, they sign a legal, binding document, and Kristina says she knows how it works; she rents out her womb and throws in her egg at a discount. Molly says, both sides benefit. She gets money she needs for her family, and they get the child they want. Kristina says, the child they want; there it is. As opposed to the child she’s offering to give them that they clearly do not want. Molly says, the surrogate is performing a service, not racing around town working on some pie-in-the-sky project, and letting everyone know she’s saving her poor sister from her own infertility. Kristina says, if Molly has some stranger as her surrogate, she’s not even going to be related to the baby.

Sam says she’s sorry. She shouldn’t have put Dante on the spot like that. It’s a really confusing situation. He says he gets it, and stop apologizing. They’ll be playing rock-paper-scissors all night long. It’s a personal thing for Molly and TJ, that’s all. He’s sure Kristina had the best of intentions when she offered to be their surrogate. Sam says she understands that, but Kristina and Molly haven’t been close lately. He says he knows she loves her sisters and wants to fix all kinds of things for them, but maybe this one… She says she should let them work it out for themselves. He says, maybe, and she says, he’s right. Now it’s his turn. Spill. He says, it was just kind of a regular weird day, and Cody shows up at the station while Gladys is there, filing a restraining order against Cody on Sasha’s behalf. Cody loses his mind completely in the middle of the squad room, saying, Gladys is the one having Sasha drugged. He lost it. He went crazy, and Dante and Mac had to restrain him. She asks if he had to arrest Cody, but he says, not this time. Those two hate each other. She says, Cody and Gladys? Definitely. He says, and the whole time this is happening, he’s investigating Anna’s townhouse burning down.

Valentin asks if Anna left him some hot water, but she says she feels like the MetroCourt has an unlimited supply. He says, give him five minutes, and goes to the shower. She’s about to look at the envelope, when her phone rings. Dante says, sorry to call so late, but there’s something he thought she should know. He had one of their tech guys look at the ELQ security footage from the night her house burned. Valentin’s car never exited or entered the ELQ parking garage. He had them check the surrounding area to see if the car was parked somewhere else too, but they got nothing. She says she sees, and he says, Valentin told her the reason he went to ELQ was, there was a water main break and he was concerned about the mainframe computer? She says, that’s right, and he says, there was no water main break. She says, thanks for that information, and listens to hear if the shower is still running. She takes the envelope, and looks at the papers inside. It’s an invoice or something with Pikeman’s letterhead.

Tracy says she did ask Olivia to commit Ned, and he says, because he embarrasses her? She says, because this can’t go on. She thought just maybe if he was in a hospital, they could help him stop faking this ridiculous… He says he’s not faking anything. He is Eddie Maine. And by the way, he didn’t ask to be in this house. They all want him here. So he’s trying to make them understand he can’t choose to be who he is. He’s Eddie Maine and there’s nothing he can do about it. She says, okay. He’s Eddie Maine, but she’s Ned Quartermaine’s mother, and she’s never going to stop fighting for her son.

Finn says, Gregory has nothing to be ashamed of, but Gregory says he does. He’s so selfish to put his daughter at risk. Finn says, that’s okay, but Gregory says, no. He shouldn’t have agreed to watch her alone tonight. Somehow, he convinced himself he’d be okay. Finn says, it turned out okay, but Gregory says he had no right to take that risk. The other night, he went to one of those hatchet throwing places and he did it. Maybe it’s human nature, but he thinks he’s been trying to convince himself that he can beat this thing, or at least hold it off, but that’s just denial. He needs to stop that before he puts someone else in danger like he did Violet. Finn says, it’s happening to Gregory and he has to figure it out on his own, and Gregory says he needs to stop driving. He shouldn’t have been driving this long. Finn says, so stop driving. No one’s going to judge him for how he’s handled this so far. No one’s going to judge him. Finn wishes he’d had someone to talk to besides his doctor. Doing this all on his own all this time must have been hell. Gregory says, Alexis knows. She was snooping around and they got in a big argument, and he collapsed. He had to tell her. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Finn. He didn’t want to see the look on Finn’s face that he’s seeing right now.

Carly asks if this is the favor Sonny came over here to talk to her about, and he says, before she turns him down, hear him out. She says she’s listening, and he says, when he got news of Drew’s situation, he did some digging and he has a connection with someone who could arrange for Drew to get out of solitary early. So when he’s released, she’ll be able to go see him. She asks if Drew is going to owe anybody anything, but he says, absolutely not. She asks what it’s costing him, and he says, from the look on her face, it means everything to him. She sits next to him on the sofa and says, Drew’s going to wonder why the sudden change. He says, when she talks to him, just tell him no strings attached. It’s just a gift from him. She says, he knows Sonny is protecting him. She doesn’t know how he’s going to feel about this. Sonny says, it’s not a gift to him; it’s a gift to her. She asks if there are any stipulations for her if she accepts.

Sam comes back in the bedroom and says, it looks like Dante’s rotten day is still with him. He says, it’s just hitting close to home this one, and she says, and he can’t get into specifics. He says he can tell her that Valentin is being dishonest with Anna, and she laughs, saying, when has Valentin ever been honest? He says, she’s right, but it’s weird. Valentin really cared about Anna, and she cares about him. He told her all this pretty surprising stuff, then he lies about where he was the other night. Sam says she’s not that surprised about it. She knows he lives a complicated life. Who knows what he’s got going on? Dante says, he wants to know what Valentin’s got going on because his daughter’s in the room down the hall.

Anna lies awake, but pretends to sleep when Valentin gets into bed. He turns out the light, and she opens her eyes. She says, he lied to her.

Gregory says he understands. Finn’s a doctor; one of the best. He knows all about this hideous disease. Finn knows what it’s going to do to him. Finn says he looks at Gregory now, and he looks fine; he looks good. Gregory says, that’s what’s so hard to grasp. He looks in the mirror, he feels good, but he knows this thing is in there somewhere. Finn says he also sees the man he grew up with. The man who used to toss him so high in the air, and he was never once afraid Gregory wouldn’t catch him. Gregory says he remembers that guy too. As you get older, try to hang on to that self-image as long as you can. The thought that he’ll be less than that for Finn, for Violet… Finn says, never less. He’s still that man, and he will always be that man, no matter what happens. Gregory thanks him for that, and Finn says, he knows what Gregory is facing, so there’s no point in trying to tell him no, because he’ll be by Gregory’s side every step of the way from here on out. Gregory tells him, do what you have to do, but he has one favor to ask, and Finn says, anything. Gregory says, help me tell your brother. Because he’s afraid it’s going to crush Chase. Finn says, it will, and they’ll be there for him. He tells Gregory that he loves him and starts to cry. Gregory says he loves Finn too, and they hug.

Ned asks if loving her son means locking him away somewhere, and Tracy says, stop being so dramatic. If he overheard her saying that, he also overheard Olivia refuse. And she’s his… She has final say. He says, but he’s watched Tracy. She can be very persuasive. What’s to stop her from changing Olivia’s mind about putting him away? She says, answer her something. If he’s so worried about them having him put away, why is he still here? Why isn’t he at Sonny’s? He says, Sonny is a nice enough guy, but too many goombahs around. Tracy says, there it is. She knew it. You are in there, Ned. Somewhere.

Sonny says, there’s no strings attached in there for Carly either, but he’s sure Drew is going to be happy to get out of that little cell. He wants to be clear, this is for her – or not. It’s her decision. She says, he’s unbelievable, and he says, yes. She says, he came to the police station the other night and he was so offended when she said he couldn’t help her. He came up with a favor he knew she couldn’t turn down. He says, maybe he’s just being nice, and she says, yeah, he is, but he still wins. He asks if that’s a yes, and she says, yes, please get Drew out of solitary. He says, all right, and gets up. He’ll let her know when it’s done. He heads for the door, and she says, thank you. He says, you’re welcome, and leaves.

Molly says, that was mean, even for Kristina, and Kristina says, that came out wrong. Molly says she thinks Kristina said exactly what she meant, and Kristina says, fine. If they’re saying what they really mean, why doesn’t Molly say what she really means. She would rather have a baby from a stranger than one from her own sister. Molly says, yes, and it’s true she might not be biologically related to the baby, but TJ will be, and that baby is going to be created for them as a result of their love for each other. Kristina says, if she had the baby for Molly… Molly says, if she did, it would be a gift for my sister, and no one would ever be allowed to forget it. Kristina says, wow. She guesses she never realized how selfish and insecure Molly is. She leaves.

Sam says, Charlotte is Rocco’s sister, so she and Dante need to find a way to get along with Valentin. Dante says he knows, and he’s glad she’s here with them, especially with a threat to Anna. She says, burning down someone’s house is definitely a threat. Any theory on why Valentin would lie to Anna? He says, not yet. He never really trusted that guy. She says, as much as they don’t trust him, she really does believe Valentin loves Charlotte, and she doesn’t think he’d ever do anything to hurt her. Dante says he agrees. Intentionally, he wouldn’t hurt her, and he probably loves Anna. She says, but he doesn’t think Anna trusts him, and he says, no, and neither can they.

Valentin asks what Anna said, and she glances at the Pikeman envelope as she turns to him and says, he lied to her. He said he was going to be five minutes, and he was way closer to fifteen. He says he’s sorry; the water felt good. He kisses her, and she says she’s so exhausted. He says, so sleep, and kisses her forehead. They turn back to back, but their eyes stay open.

Tomorrow, Carly tells someone that she’ll be there; Anna tells Valentin, it’s unsettling when someone you know is acting strangely; Sonny says, maybe we should just call this off; and Cyrus tells someone, we meet again.

💣 GH FYI: Mason did say the boss was a woman. So I’m not crazy. Well, maybe I am, but I didn’t imagine that. The theory is that there are already enough female villains on the canvas – i.e. Selina and Gladys – so they changed the boss to a man. Still, just a wee bit insulting to viewers’ intelligence.

👨‍👧‍👧 One Of the Boys…

Jake pops back before they can excuse his absence with back to school.

Hudson West Returns to GENERAL HOSPITAL!

🗽 Discuss Amongst Yourselves…

The new RHONY cast talks about their favorite subject – themselves.

Real Housewives of New York Open Up About Season 14 Reboot

🦕 Old New York…

Well, if the Countess says it’s cool, it can’t possibly be uncool. But did they get the yacht?

Luann de Lesseps Promises ‘Good Drama’ on Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip

🦘 Not Down Under…

More on the Deck drama that rocked the franchise. I actually tried to catch this episode the other night, but came in too late. And I’m not desperate enough to hunt it down on Peacock. Not yet anyway. João ended up as one of the replacements, much to the mini distress of Aesha.

Aesha Scott Shares What Didn’t Air on Below Deck as Producer Addresses Luke & Laura’s Firings and Reveals Team’s “Valiant Effort” to Intervene, Plus Captain Jason Speaks

🍸 VanderBreak Is Officially Over…

I couldn’t figure out how Graham was bait here, but we know she’s prone to flights of fantasy.

Raquel Leviss Accuses LVP of Not Genuinely Caring, Claims James Taught Dog Graham to Bite, & Dog Was Used as “Bait” for Vanderpump Rules Return, Slams “Villain Narrative,” Plus Talks Family & Podcast Plans, & Death Threats

I’ll definitely be getting Ariana’s new book. I requested and got Fancy AF Cocktails for Christmas after it came out, but this looks a whole lot juicier better. I dunno about Scheana’s music, although I have to admit Good As Gold is on one of my playlists.

Brock Davies Fires Back at Raquel’s Podcast Interview as Ariana Madix Announces New Book Will Cover ‘Scandoval’ Drama & Relationship With Tom Sandoval, Plus Scheana Releases Music About Scandal

The minutiae.

Kristen Doute Claims Raquel Leviss Was “Telling Some Truths” After She Alleges James is “Violent,” Denies Being Silenced With Pump Rules Spinoff as Raquel Reacts to Kristen’s Shocking Comments

🎪 More Bravo Than You Can Shake a Stick At…

All the guests at BravoCon 2023.

Full List of BravoCon 2023 Bravolebs Revealed

💐 Not Those Flowers, Lizzie…

This looks suspiciously like a V.C. Andrews book.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/08/04/alycia-debnam-carey-lost-flowers-alice-hart/

🌍 Padma Is the New Waldo…

Where in the world is she?

https://www.padmalakshmi.com/taste-the-nation

🐙 Behold the Unusual…

I want them all.

https://www.alwayspets.com/s/cutest-unusual-pets-754c25d1fa0043c2

🐚 Quotes of the Week

Immature love says, I love you because I need you. Mature love says, I need you because I love you. – Erich Fromm

If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes. – John Wooden

What we fear of doing most is usually what we most need to do. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power or our will. – Epictetus

Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death. – Albert Einstein

You can’t make somebody your number one if you’re always their number two. – Judge Star Jones, Divorce Court

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. – C.S. Lewis

It’s not easy having a good time. Even smiling makes my face ache. – Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), The Rocky Horror Picture Show

🧋 Drinking the Milkshakes In My Yard…

Let’s reconvene on Monday really Tuesday for soap and whatever tea I can pull out of a hat. Until then, stay safe, stay living your best life as your best self, even if it’s only in your mind, and stay never judging how someone is handling their illness.

Jul22

July 21, 2023 – Sonny Sizes Up Austin, New Nanny, Will He, Transformed, Dueling Deckhands, New Chef, Dead Stuff, She’s Here, Robfusal, Sea Dog, Just Five Quotes & Her World

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sonny says, to protecting our own, and clinks glasses with Nina and Ava. He asks Austin, what’s wrong? Does he have a problem with the toast?

As the doctor pokes at Curtis’s legs, TJ asks what he feels, but Curtis says he doesn’t feel a thing. He can’t feel anything. None of them seem surprised that he can’t feel his legs. Will somebody tell him what the hell is going on? He shouts, what’s going on?!

Diane walks into the hospital on the phone, and says she’s literally walking in the door… Don’t worry. She’ll find Sasha and take care of everything. Leaning on the counter, Robert says, everything? That’s a tall order, even for Killer Miller.

Sasha is wheeled out of the elevator, and Gladys says, she’s going to get better. She knows it doesn’t look like it, but she promises to do everything she can to get Sasha all the help she needs. Dr. Montague comes out and says he knows how upsetting this must be for Gladys, but he’s here now. He asks if Sasha remembers him. He’s Dr. Montague, and he’s here to help her. She says, help her? and he says, she’s not herself right now, but he promises she will be soon. He’ll make sure of that. He asks the officer to take Sasha to the exam room, and the officer leaves with Sasha. Gladys says, he never told her that Sasha would get this bad, but Montague says, her daughter-in-law is much worse off than she led him to believe. Gladys asks what he gave her. She hurt somebody. It’s lucky she didn’t kill him. And she’s in so much pain now. She never meant for Sasha to suffer… He says, shut up. They both know what she meant to happen. She did her part; now he’ll do his. He goes into the exam room, and closes the door. Gladys looks at Sasha through the window, and Montague closes the blinds.

Carly visits Drew in Pentenville, and says she knows she promised she wouldn’t visit so soon, but he says he’s glad she did. She says she knows he wanted to feel more settled, but she had to see him. She misses him so much. He says he misses her, and she says, here she is. He says, she looks so beautiful, even in a place like this, and she says, she talked to Sam. Scout’s determined to visit him ASAP. He says, she knows how Scout is when she sets her mind to something; you can’t change it. The last time he was locked in a cell, he etched her name in the wall, and that’s what kept him alive, but now he has so much more to live for. She says, this place is better than Crete, right? and he flashes back to Cyrus giving him a Bible with a screwdriver in it. Carly asks, what’s wrong?

At the pool, Dex tells Josslyn, other people were at the pool when the shooting happened. Anna Devane for one, and the police are even certain Curtis wasn’t the target. She says she’s certain. Curtis was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The bullet was meant for Sonny. It could have been Dex. He says, no, but she says, he already got shot working for Sonny. What’s to say it won’t happen again? He says, because now he has more to live for. He’s never loved anyone as much as he loves her. He’s not going to give that up. They kiss.

TJ says, Curtis has every right to be concerned, and Portia says, TJ is right, but he doesn’t want to put too much stress on himself right now. That’s going to make it… Curtis says, stop. He can’t feel his legs. He needs them to stop talking to him like family. They’re doctors and he’s a patient. Why can’t he feel his legs? Dr. Barnsdall says he understands why Curtis is so concerned, but he’s just come through very extensive spinal surgery. Curtis is lucky to be alive. The bullet fragments he removed were lodged very close to Curtis’s spine. He was under very heavy sedation during the procedure. Every patient’s body reacts differently when that wears off. Curtis says, so the anesthesia is why he can’t feel his legs? and the doctor says, that’s one of the possibilities. Curtis says, cut it to him straight. What are the other possibilities? Dr. Barnsdall says he still needs to look at some of the other tests and scans they took after the surgery, and then he’ll better be able to answer some of Curtis’s questions. He’ll leave Curtis with his family now. The doctor leaves with the nurse, and TJ asks if Curtis heard what Dr. Barnsdall said. Very few people would have even survived that surgery. Portia says, if Aunt Stella were here, she thinks Stella would call it a miracle, and Curtis says, a miracle.

Diane tells Robert that she’s here to see her client Sasha Gilmore. Yes, she knows Sasha was recently represented by Martin Grey, but he asked her to take over when he was called away. He asks if Martin is going to be back, and she says, he is, but Maxie felt Sasha needed… He says, a killer shark, but she says, compassion and complete dedication. She will take care of everything. She knows why he’s here, and no, he won’t interrogate her client in her current state.

Gladys tells the guard that her daughter-in-law is not a criminal. He saw how gentle she was. She just needs a little psychological help, that’s all. He looks straight ahead like a guard at Buckingham Palace, and she says, oh God, and walks away.

Sasha says she knows he’s Dr. Montague, and he says, very good. Does she know why she’s here? She says, for more of those pills he gave her? but he says, no. Those pills would have helped her, but he warned her not to take too many. She says she only took three pills a day like he told her, and as he prepares a syringe, she notices blood on her clothes. He says, soon, all of her questions will be answered, and she sees the syringe. She asks, what’s that? No. He gives her the shot.

Austin says he really respects Sonny. Sonny is a powerful man and puts such a high value on family. Sonny says, nothing more important than family, and Austin says, absolutely. Let him try to put Sonny’s mind at ease. He hasn’t spent a lot of time with Avery, but the little time he’s spent with her, she’s lovely. He thinks she looks at him and sees him as not just her mom’s friend, but maybe her friend as well. Sonny says, Avery sees the good in everybody, and Austin says, that’s wonderful. He wonders if she got that from Ava, or is it a trait she inherited from Sonny? Sonny says he always gives people another chance, and Austin says, just the one? What happens when people disappoint him? Sonny asks, what happens when Austin loses a patient? and Austin says he thinks he can speak for every doctor in the world when he says, it’s hard to lose a patient. Sonny says, you’ve just got to move forward. It’s sad, but some people are beyond helping. You’ve just got to move on.

Portia says, please talk to them, and Curtis says he understands what the doctor was saying. He’s lucky to be alive, and he’s grateful for everything everyone at the hospital has done for him. But he wants to walk out of the hospital on his own, and that’s not going to happen. TJ tells him, that’s not what Dr. Barnsdall said, and Curtis says, yet. Portia says, no one can walk right after spinal surgery, and TJ says, Portia’s right. People going through the same kind of surgery, it can take weeks before they can walk. Curtis asks, how long before they can feel their legs again? when TJ gets paged, and Curtis tells him to go. He knows TJ has a job to do. TJ says he’ll be back as soon as he can, and leaves. Portia takes Curtis’s hand, and says, it’s going to be okay, and he says, yes, it will. As soon as he gets his life back. All of it.

Robert says he takes no pleasure in Sasha’s current predicament, but Cody Bell’s the real victim here, and Diane says, come on. They both know there was no intent. Sasha never meant to hurt the guy. He says, she stabbed him with a paring knife, and Diane says, it’s well-documented that Sasha hasn’t been herself since losing her baby and her husband. And might she point out, Heather Webber killed Sasha’s husband and came perilously close to killing yours truly, so she would think he’d have more… He says he’s not there to persecute her client, and she says, good. Why is he here? He says, after Maxie spoke to her, she called her Uncle Robert. She says, so Maxie asked him to look out for Sasha to make sure she was treated fairly, and he says, who’d have thunk it? Her and him on the same team. They get into the elevator together, and bump shoulders.

Sasha scrubs at the blood, and says she can’t get this off, but Montague says, don’t worry about that. He sets up a recorder, and says, they’ll take care of that later. Now tell him what she remembers. She says, there was a pool, and he says, what happened at the pool? She says, Gladys was there… and he grabbed her by the wrist. She flashes back to seeing Cyrus grab Gladys, and tells Montague, she saw him. He tried to ruin her life. He gave her drugs. Montague asks who she thinks she saw at the pool, and she says she knows she saw him. He grabbed Gladys and she knew she had to stop him. She had to stop Cyrus Renault.

Carly says she doesn’t understand. Cyrus is a murderer. She assumed Drew would be separated from people like him. Where did Drew run into him? Drew says, Cyrus found him. Cyrus wants to make him a fisher of men. She says, Cyrus Renault? and he says, what good is a messiah complex without disciples he’s recruiting? She asks if he told Cyrus to go to hell. Better yet, he has to tell the guards. They don’t know what kind of sick game Cyrus is playing, but Drew has to stay away from him. Drew doesn’t want to get on his bad side. He says she doesn’t have to worry about him, but she says, he just told her some maniac has him in their sights, and he doesn’t want her worrying about him? He says he’s got this; he can take care of himself. Cyrus knows not to make a move on him. She says she knows all the training he’s had, but he doesn’t know how many men Cyrus has under his control. He can’t fight everyone. He says, it’s okay, but she says, it’s not okay. He says, it’s taken care of, and she says, how, and by whom? He says, her ex-husband.

Ava says, Sonny is incorrigible, and tells Austin that his bark is far worse than his bite. Sonny says, the doctor knows he was joking, right? and they all laugh. Austin’s phone rings, and he asks them to excuse him. Sonny asks if there’s a problem, but Austin says, occupational hazard. He’ll be right back. He leaves, and Ava says, all right. Nina says, don’t get her wrong. Austin is awkward, but very nice and there’s some kind of chemistry there, but as a couple, she doesn’t really see it. I’m glad she said it, since I’ve been thinking it.

Outside on the phone, Austin tells someone, you could say that. It was super awkward. A lunatic walks into a restaurant and he’s with Sonny Corinthos. Not great. He guesses the question is, what’s Mason going to do about it?

TJ asks if Dr. Barnsdall reviewed all of Curtis’s latest test results, and the doctor says he did, and the final scans they took after Curtis’s surgery. TJ says, will his uncle ever be able to walk again?

Carly says, Sonny has people watching Drew’s back, and Drew says, she doesn’t sound completely surprised. She says, vintage Sonny, and Drew says, to protect him? She says, Sonny knows he’s a good guy, and deep down he knows Drew is good for her. She and Sonny will always be family, and at the end of the day, nothing’s more important to Sonny than family. He asks if this is Sonny’s way of welcoming him into the family, and she laughs, saying, she wouldn’t go that far. She just wants him to come home. Nothing’s more important. He says he’s working on it. So what else is going on? She says, Willow came home, and he says, that’s great. She says, the only reason Willow is okay is because he rescued Liesl. The only reason Willow’s okay is because of him. He says he’s just happy she’s home where she belongs. Are they planning a big party at the house for her already?… What’s going on? Carly says, nothing, but he says he knows her. He loves her. Tell him what it is.

Portia says, what Curtis needs right now is rest, and she’ll be right back. He doesn’t let go of her hand, and says, what he needs is her here. He also needs to tell her something before the doctor gets back. She says, they’ll have plenty of time to talk later, but he says, she’s wrong. Time is the one thing we’re never sure we have. When he came to find her at the pool, he’d just had a conversation with Sam, and she said something he didn’t think was important at the time. And now, he can’t forget it. Portia asks what she said, and he tells her, she said, you never have enough time with the people you love, and she’s right. He realized how much time he was wasting and came to find her. He’s not sorry he went to the pool looking for her, but he’s sorry he didn’t get to say what he wanted to say.

Robert and Diane come out of the elevator, and Gladys says, her daughter-in-law is in no condition to be hounded by lawyers right now. Diane says, Gladys might be Sasha’s guardian, but she’s not Sasha’s gatekeeper. She’s assuming Sasha is in the exam room. Gladys says, she’s getting the treatment she needs from her shrink, and Robert says, he’ll handle this. He goes over to the guard, and Gladys says she’s sure Diane means well, but Sasha is in pretty bad shape. If Diane makes her more upset, she swears she’ll… Diane asks, what will she do? Word to the wise; never, ever threaten her. Robert tells Diane, ten minutes max, and Diane asks Gladys to excuse her.

Sasha says, he was going to hurt Gladys like he hurt her, and she couldn’t let that happen. So she saw the knife, and… Diane walks in, and says, Sasha, stop right there. Not one more word. And you – she looks at Montague – turn off that recording device right now. He grabs it and shuts it off.

Ava says, she and Austin have only had a few dates. Of course (🍷) Nina doesn’t see them as a couple. Nina says, on the plus side, he’s nothing like Nikolas, and Ava says, that’s for sure. He is very… Nina says, alive, and Ava says, what? Nina says, don’t get her wrong. Ava and Nikolas had some connection and chemistry, but Nikolas always seemed like he was brooding. He was always serious all the time to her. At least Austin is mysteriously… expressive. Ava says, he’s definitely more alive, and Sonny says, he’s very attentive to his patients, because earlier, that guy Gordon was hostile. Austin could have blown him off, but he took the time to deal with the problem. Nina asks, what happened when Sonny went out after him? and Sonny says he’s pretty sure that Austin’s patient understands the situation. Austin comes back, and Ava says, Sonny was just complementing his bedside manner. Sonny’s phone rings, and he tells Gladys that he’s in the middle of something. Gladys says, it’s Sasha. She’s been arrested. Sonny asks, what the hell for? and Gladys says, she’s getting a psyche evaluation at GH right now. Sonny says he’ll be right there, and Nina asks, what’s going on? He says, Sasha’s in trouble. He has to go to GH. Nina says she’s going with him, and tells Ava and Austin that she’s so sorry. Ava says, no, go, and Sonny and Nina leave. Ava says, disaster averted, for now, and eats her martini olives off the stirrer.

Josslyn puts suntan lotion (I think… I hope) on Dex, when his phone rings. She says, don’t answer it, but he says, she knows he has to. Sonny says he knows it’s Dex’s day off. Something came up. Dex asks what he needs and Sonny says, surveillance. Port Charles Grill. Austin Gatlin-Holt.

Portia says she loves the sentiment, she really does, but is Curtis saying if he hadn’t spoken to Sam, he wouldn’t… He says, it’s done. They’re here. And what he wants her to know right now is, whatever happens, his feelings for her won’t change. And once he’s back on his feet… She says, and he will be, but she needs him to listen to his doctors… and his wife. She just wants him to relax and let his body heal as long as possible. He says he’s feeling stronger by the minute, and she says, good. That’s what she likes to hear. She has to check on a patient really quickly, but she promises she’ll be right back. She leaves, and cries in the hallway. Curtis pinches his leg, and sighs.

Dr. Barnsdall shows TJ his tablet, and says, they were successful in removing the bullet and every fragment. TJ says, Dr. Barnsdall always does good work, but was it enough?

Carly says, there’s nothing for Drew to worry about, but he says, something is going on. Is it the financial penalty from the SEC? She says she can handle it. She doesn’t want him to even think about it. He says he doesn’t want her thinking about it. That was a huge fine. He doesn’t want this weighing her down along with everything else. It’s really simple. He can sell Aurora. She says, no, he can’t. Diane made it crystal clear that she can’t accept anything from him, Michael, or Sonny. She could be hit with an even bigger fine, or worse. He says, Diane knows what she’s talking about. Did she come up with a Plan B? Carly says, she did, and Diane told her it’s going to take a while, but it doesn’t matter because she has resources. He says, tell him she’s not selling the house, and she says, the house is too big for them. He says, it’s not just the house, it’s the moss bowl’s🎍 her home, and she says, the home she had with Sonny. She has a lot of great memories of the kids growing up there, but those memories aren’t going away because she sells the house. She wants to focus on the future, and getting him out of here and sharing that future with him. No piece of real estate is going to change that. Life is too fragile to wait around. You think you have everything under control, and think the people you love are safe, then just like that… He says, what happened?

Dex puts his shirt on, and Josslyn asks if he really has to go. It’s his day off. What could be so important? He says, it’s no big deal. Nothing dangerous. Just a little surveillance. He kisses her, and she says, if it’s not important, why can’t they go back to his place right now? and he says, it’s not that he doesn’t want that. He made a choice when he decided to work for Sonny. She says she thought she was the choice he made, and he says, the best ever; the most important ever. But now he needs to go to work, and she – he takes a book out of their beach bag – needs to finish that mystery. The minute this job is done, he promises… She kisses him, and he says he promises. I gotta say it. I think she’s too immature for him.

Austin says he can’t tell. Did Sonny think he was okay, or does Sonny hate him? Ava shrugs and says she doesn’t know, but when he decides, believe her, Austin will know. He asks how she thinks it went, but she says she doesn’t know. Sonny plays things so close to the vest, but when it comes to Avery, he’s not going to take any chances. Austin says, Sonny has nothing to worry about with him and Avery. He loves kids. Ava says, that’s good, because Sonny said something he really meant; family is everything. He lives by that. Austin asks if he’s like that with all her lovers.

Gladys thanks Sonny for coming, and Sonny asks Robert, where’s Sasha? Robert says, she’s in there, indicating the exam room. Diane’s with her.

Montague says, how dare Diane barge in here and interrupt while he’s evaluating a patient. Get out! Diane says she’s not going anywhere. She’s Diane Miller, and she’s Sasha’s attorney. And that trumps his title any day of the week, and don’t turn that recorder on again. She gently asks if Sasha remembers her, and Sasha says, Diane. Diane says she’s Sasha’s attorney. She helped Sasha once before, and she’s going to help her again. Sasha tells her, Dr. Montague said… but Diane says, no. She doesn’t need to pay any attention to Dr. Montague. Just look right at her and she doesn’t say one more word. Montague says, unfortunately, Diane is a little too late. Sasha already told him more than enough.

Nina tells Gladys, this doesn’t make any sense. Why would Sasha stab Cody Bell? Gladys says, it was obvious she wasn’t herself. She would never hurt anyone. Something made her do it. Sonny says, like what? What made her do it?

Alone in the office, TJ yells, dammit! and pounds the desk with his fist. Portia walks in and says, no. He walks over to her, and she tells him, please don’t say it. She cries as he hugs her.

Gladys says she’s not a shrink. How would she know what’s wrong with Sasha? First there was the shoplifting, now she stabs Cody? Nina’s own journalist was there; she saw the whole thing. Nina says she talked to Alyse. She said it came out of nowhere. It doesn’t make any sense. When she was on Home & Heart, and someone did that horrible mind game on her, she handled it. Sonny says he saw her a few weeks ago and told her that she was ready to be on her own; to end Gladys’s guardianship. What changed?

Montague and Diane step away from Sasha, and he says, the police brought Miss Gilmore in for a psyche evaluation. As her lawyer, he’s sure Diane knows what that entails, what his responsibilities are. He’s sorry, but at this point, his hands are tied.

Robert tells Gladys, Sonny, and Nina that he just got off a call from Judge Palmer… Diane joins them and says, please, let her tell them. Sasha needs help. She’s being sent to Ferncliff Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Oh yeah, Ferncliff. We haven’t seen that place for a while.

Ava says she needs to make something very clear, she and Austin aren’t a couple, and they’re definitely not lovers. He says, what happened at Windymere… She says, means nothing. They’re nothing. She had a little moment of weakness. She’s regretted it ever since. He says he’s only regretted they haven’t done it again, and she says, he has an inflated opinion – he rubs her leg under the table – of his sexual prowess. And she assumes as a doctor – she picks up her knife – he has a need for that hand creeping up her thigh. He says, she wouldn’t, and she just looks at him. He removes his hand, and says, she didn’t answer his question. Sonny is a jealous guy? She says, Sonny doesn’t care who she sleeps with, as long as it doesn’t negatively impact Avery. He says, good to know. He assumes she sang his praises when he was away from the table, and she says, what praises might those be? His gymnastics in bed. He says, thank you, and she says, his willingness to help bury dead husbands? She told Sonny as little as possible about him; only what she thought he’d actually believe. He says, then how come he didn’t buy it?

Drew asks, what happened? and Carly says, Curtis was shot. Drew says, is he… She says, no. He’s in the hospital. He asks, how bad was it? and she says, it was touch and go. She heard this morning he’s out of surgery, he’s in recovery, but she doesn’t know his condition. Drew says, who shot him? and she says, they don’t know. It was at the MetroCourt pool. He asks if anyone else was hurt, and she says, no, luckily. He says he doesn’t get it. Who would want to kill Curtis? She says, the PCPD isn’t sure he was the target.

Curtis unsuccessfully tries to move his legs. In the hallway, Portia wipes the tears from her cheeks and puts on a smile. She goes into his room, and says, told him that she wouldn’t be long. He says he’s glad she’s back. Could she make sure they schedule a therapy session for him as soon as possible? She says, it’s way too soon for something like that, but he says, it’s never too soon. He’s not going to sit here in this bed and wait for another miracle. He knows it’s going to take hard work, but he’s here for it. Because no matter what it takes, he’s going to walk and stand up on his own two legs. Who knows? Someday, he might take her in his arms and they can dance the night away again. What does she think about that? She says she absolutely loves it. There’s something she wants to tell him. He asks, what’s wrong? and she says, Dr. Barnsdall got the latest tests and scans back and he consulted with three other surgeons, and none of them think he’ll be able to walk again.

Carly says she’s sorry. As soon as she gets any information about Curtis, she’ll get it to Drew. He thanks her, and says, she told him Portia was with Curtis. Does she know who else was out there? She says, his attorney Zeke, Jordan Ashford… Dante, Anna, and Sonny. He says, Curtis is such a good man. They’d better find out who did this. A guard says, time’s up, and Carly says she’ll come back as soon as she can. Seeing him makes everything better. He says he loves her, and she says she loves him, and leaves after taking a last look.

Portia says, doctors have been wrong before, and this isn’t a death sentence. They almost lost him for good, and Dr. Barnsdall said there’s no reason he can’t live an absolutely… Curtis says, stop. Just stop. She says, but they all love him. No matter what. He says he needs some time, and she says, of course (🍷). Of course (🍷) he does. He says, alone, and she says she understands. She leaves, and stands in the hallway crying, when TJ sees her. In his room, Curtis looks lonely.

Josslyn reads her book, when her phone rings. She says, hello?… This is Josslyn Jax. Who’s this?… Excuse me?… What are you talking about?

Ava says, Sonny rarely makes snap judgements, but when he does, look out, and Austin says, so she doesn’t think Sonny’s judged him yet. She says, probably not, but she thinks she managed to convince him that he has nothing to worry about with Austin spending time around Avery. Austin says, he’s not the only one who can read people. And he gets the distinct feeling Sonny is on to them. Dex listens from the bar.

Cyrus sits on a couch reading, and looks up to see Drew.

Sasha is wheeled out, and Nina says, it’s horrible. Diane promises Nina that she’ll fight this tooth and nail. Gladys says, she’s going to a good place, right? and Montague says, that’s exactly where her daughter-in-law should be. She’ll get all the help she needs. Isn’t that what they all want? He gets in the elevator, and Sonny asks the guard for a moment. He asks if Sasha can hear him. He knows she’s in there. Listen to him. She’s not alone. Does she understand? She’s not alone. She thanks him, and the guard wheels her into the elevator.

On Monday, Carly tells Josslyn that she’s been entrusted with their family institution; Austin tells someone that everything will be okay; and Sonny tells Dex, stay with him. See what he can find out.

🧸 Bye Pilar…

The nanny Mason wants.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ella-lentini-cast-as-betty-rutherford-on-general-hospital

⚖️ Come On Back, Jack…

I feel ripped off. I was hoping he was going to be a regular.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/will-jackson-montgomery-return-to-gh-walt-willey-speaks-out

👩🏻‍⚕️ Spreading Her Wings…

Now if they’d just give her a love life. Chad was great, but it’s been a minute… or two… or three…

GH’s Cassandra James Opens Up About Her “Transformational Year”

⚓️ Two Stooges On Deck…

He needs to mansplain.

‘I Am Not a Cheater’: Colin MacRae Clarifies Below Deck Sailing Yacht Reunion Bombshells

He’s got work to do, he’s just not sure what.

Gary King Admits He Has ‘A Lot of Work to Do’ After Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 4

🥗 She’s the Top…

No one can replace Padma, but the show must go on.

Bravo Announces Padma Lakshmi’s ‘Top Chef’ Replacement

⚰️ Let’s Talk About Dead…

Wow. Daryl hasn’t even had his first season yet.

https://www.avclub.com/amc-is-already-tossing-new-seasons-at-its-latest-walkin-1850665927

And coming up behind Daryl.

https://people.com/the-walking-dead-rick-michonne-spinoff-title-teaser-andrew-lincoln-danai-gurira-7564287

City recap.

https://www.cbr.com/the-walking-dead-dead-city-season1-episode5-recap-spoilers/

🩰 Time To Shine…

Barbie in review.

https://www.avclub.com/barbie-movie-review-margot-robbie-greta-gerwig-1850646537

I love this song!

https://slate.com/culture/2023/07/barbie-girl-song-movie-aqua-nicki-minaj-ice-spice.html

When and where you can see it.

https://www.barbie-themovie.com/

📸 Meanie Meanie Jellybeanie…

I included this only because I thought it was odd and kind of funny.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/abby-lee-miller-slams-rob-lowe-for-refusing-to-take-a-picture-with-her-at-elton-johns-oscar-party-he-was-mean/ar-AA1e5DmS

🐶 The Old Man and The Sea, and The Dog…

I’ll bet he was glad for the company, and it’s a good pet parent who recognizes their dog would be happier in another home.

https://people.com/dog-lost-at-sea-with-sailor-adopted-by-crew-member-rescued-them-7563071

💫 Quotes of the Week

Today is a new day. Hiding from your history only shackles you to it. We can’t undo a single thing we have ever done, but we can make decisions today that propel us to the life we want and towards the healing we need. – Steve Maraboli

It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about. – Dale Carnegie

To be nobody but yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. – e.e. cummings

You are not called to be a canary in a cage. You are called to be an eagle, and to fly sun to sun, over continents. – Henry Ward Beecher

I’m fast, cheap, but average. – Director Higurashi (Takayuki Hamatsu), One Cut of the Dead

🩱 Life In Plastic…

Meet me here on Monday really Tuesday for soap, and who knows what, since I can’t watch one more Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay making your own kind of music, and stay keeping in mind, time is the one thing we’re never sure we have.

Jun3

June 2, 2023 – Mason Comes Calling, The Bureau, Hot Doc, Her Reality, Seeking Peace, VanderCompost, Chef Farewell, Dead Spin, Model Pup (!), Seven Solid Quotes & Born

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Jordan is about to knock on Curtis’s door, when she flashes back to their kiss. As she starts to knock, Curtis opens the door, surprised to see her, and she says he’s probably wondering how she knew he was here. He says, so she came to see him? and she says, yes. His wife told her where to find him.

The bank officer tells Spencer that everything seems to be in order, and brings him the safety deposit box. Per instructions of the late Victor Cassadine, the contents of the box now belong to him. He’s sorry for Spencer’s loss. Instead of laughing, Spencer thanks him, and he leaves. Spencer tells Trina, it’s not too late. They can leave the box and walk out of here. He knows his Uncle Victor, and no good will come from opening this box. She asks if he really doesn’t want to know what this box might be protecting his family from.

Ava finds Austin at the hospital, and wonders if she can ask him a question. He says, sure, and she says, it’s about her post-op recovery. She suggests they find somewhere private, and he says, you bet. His voice gets louder, and he says, if they’re going to discuss her post-op recovery, they should probably do it in his office. They walk down the hall, and she says, they’ve got a problem.

Michael walks into Sonny’s old kitchen, and Carly says, perfect timing. She just made brownies. What brings him by? Not wanting to admit he’s there to visit the moss bowl🎍, he flashes back to Josslyn telling him to give Carly the evidence to save herself. Carly says, it’s not bad news, is it?

Josslyn goes to Dex’s apartment, and says, they’re in private, so no one can listen to them. Can he please just email her the video of Sonny taking the shipment from Pikeman? He says he doesn’t have it.

Sonny sees Dante at the pool, and asks if he’s seen Nina, but Dante says he’s been too busy looking at that pretty girl over there, indicating Sam. Sonny says, it looks like they’re in a good place, and Dante says he can’t complain. Sonny seems lighter. Sonny says, maybe it has something to do with him and Nina being engaged, and Dante hugs him, saying, congratulations. That’s awesome news. Things are looking up in Sonny’s world. Sonny says, not everything, as Ned walks in. Sonny goes over to Ned, and Sam asks Dante, what’s going on with Sonny? Dante says he doesn’t know, and asks if Sam knew Sonny and Nina got engaged. She says she just overheard him telling Dante, but she guesses she shouldn’t be surprised. This means he and Carly have truly moved on.

Carly asks if Willow is okay, but he says he spoke to her this morning, and so far, so good. She asked about Carly. She’s worried; they both are. Carly says she doesn’t want Willow worrying about her. She has to focus on herself. Would he please tell Willow that she’s fine? He says, they both know she’s not fine, and from what she told him, she doesn’t have many options. She says she’ll take her chances in court, or go for a deal, okay? and he says, which means offering up Drew or dad to the Feds. She says she knows it’s not much of a choice… and he says, so she’s going to take her chance in court? She says she doesn’t know, but it’s her decision to make. That’s why she doesn’t want him and Josslyn fighting over this. This is her problem. He says, what affects her, affects them, and she says she knows that. Whatever decision she makes will be what’s best for this family. He asks what decision that will be.

Josslyn says, Dex doesn’t have the footage? and he says he gave the only copy to Michael. She asks, why? and he says, because it’s his property. Michael paid him, he gave Michael the footage; end of story. She says, it’s not end of story, because that video’s the one shot her mom has at not going to prison. He says, then she needs to get it from Michael, and she says she can’t believe he risked his life to get this video, and he doesn’t keep a copy for insurance. He says, that’s not how he works. He provides a service. When he was in the military, he had a mission, an objective, and he completed it. He didn’t take ownership of it. It’s the exact same thing now. Michael hired him; the footage belongs to him. Even if he had a copy, which he doesn’t, he couldn’t give it to her.

Ned says, no need for Sonny to get in his face. He has no beef with him. Sonny says, only with Carly, ratting her out to the SEC? That’s low, even for a Quartermaine. Ned says he doesn’t owe Sonny any explanations. He’s here to see his wife. Sonny says, Ned’s not going anywhere until he’s done with him.

Ava tells Austin that Nikolas inherited property in the Chechen Republic, and Laura thinks that’s where he’s been hiding out. Austin asks, why? and she says, the theory is that Victor hid him there once before, and Laura wants to fly to Chechnya, find him, and bring him home. He says, she told him they have a problem. If Laura wants to go to Chechnya, she’s not going to find him. Let her go. Let her try. Ava says, it’s dangerous. She could be hurt or worse. They have to stop her. He says he’s going to push back on that just a little bit. If Ava goes to Laura and tells her not to go to Chechnya to look for her long lost son, she’s going to want to know why. He totally understands that she’s worried, but she can’t say anything to Laura. She can’t do anything to raise suspicion. She says she can’t have any more blood on her hands, especially not Laura’s.

Curtis says, Jordan spoke to Portia about him? but she says, don’t worry. She didn’t tell Portia what happened with them at The Savoy. Isn’t he going to invite her in? He says, absolutely, and she walks in the house. She says, it really is lovely here. When was he going to tell her that he moved back home? He says, actually, he was coming to find her right now. He opened the door and there she was. She says, she’s always here when he needs her, except she’s not sure it works the other way around. He says, she’s angry, and she says, he can add hurt to that. Definitely confused. After they kissed, they agreed she’d wait, and while she was waiting, he reconciled with his new wife.

Spencer puts the key in the box, and tells Trina, if Pandora had left that box closed, the world would have been spared its evils. She says, hope also came out of that box. Stop stalling. He opens it, and she asks if that’s what she thinks it is. He says, what fresh hell? and takes out a tablet. He tries it, and says, of course (🍷). No juice. Maybe it’s sign. He puts it back in the box and closes it, but she says, it just needs a fresh charge. Good thing his girl always comes prepared. She digs in her bag, and says, her dad has a rule; she should never be without a charge. She takes out a charger, and he says, remind him to thank her dad the next time he sees him. She plugs in the tablet, and he takes an envelope out of the box, pulling out a paper. She asks if that’s a receipt, and he says, from an online pharmacy. This is a prescription filled from Esme for the same drug that almost killed Oz Haggerty. She says, and poisoned her.

Carly says she’s not selling anybody out, but Michael says, maybe she shouldn’t look at it that way. She asks how she’s supposed to see it. She either turns on the man she loves or the man she used to love, who happens to be the father of her kids. He says, she told Sonny that she wouldn’t double-cross him. While that’s admirable, from where he’s standing, Sonny hasn’t exactly extended the same courtesy to her or this family. She says, that’s not true. Sonny offered to give her information that she could offer the Feds; something he could defend himself against. She turned him down. She doesn’t want to open that door. He says, what if she had something Sonny couldn’t defend himself against?

Ned suggests he save Sonny and himself some time. If he doesn’t pull some strings and get the SEC to stop the investigation against Drew and Carly, Sonny makes him pay. Is that the gist of it? Sonny says, Ned’s going to pay, and Sam tells Dante that he may want to do something about this. Ned asks if Sonny is threatening him, but Sonny says he doesn’t threaten people; he gets even. He thought they had mutual respect, until Ned went after the mother of his kids. Ned says he had nothing to do with it, and they start yelling at each other. Dante comes over, and tells them to settle down, but Ned says he’s not the one who started this. Sonny says he’ll finish it. Is that what Ned wants? Olivia comes out, and asks, what the hell is going on here?

Ava tells Austin that she’s a mother too. She understands what Laura is going through, but she can’t risk anything happening to Laura while she searches for Nikolas, especially since it’s her fault he’s gone in the first place. He says, let’s do it. Let’s figure out a way to stop Laura. She thanks him, and he says he’d like to propose some terms though. She says, like what? and he says he doesn’t see any reason to rush things. It’s probably hard for anybody to go to Chechnya, let alone an American, and it’s probably not going to be easy for Laura to get out of Chechnya. So whatever plan Laura comes up with has to be well thought out and considered, and hopefully, that will give them some time to really think about how to stop her.

Curtis tells Jordan that him moving back in with Portia isn’t a reconciliation. It’s just a first step. She asks if Portia knows that, and he says he’s staying in the guest room. She says, even so, what gives? Was he ever considering reviving what they had together, or was she just there to help him sort out his feelings for his wife? He says he’d never play her like that. What happened between them was spontaneous. It was compulsive, but it was completely organic. She says, maybe this is on her. She got wrapped up in a single kiss. She misread the situation, didn’t she?

Spencer says he wasn’t sure Trina knew that Esme drugged her that night at the cabin, and she says, her mom and Curtis suspected it. She barely drank that night, and certainly not enough to make her feel so out of it. How did he know? Did Esme tell him? He says he found pills. He was going through all Esme’s things trying to find something that would clear Trina in court, and he brought one of the pills to Britt. She told him that it was an opioid analgesic, something if mixed with alcohol could cause a person to lose consciousness. He’s so sorry. She says, so is she, and he says he means he’s sorry he didn’t tell her about this sooner, but things just kept happening, one thing on top of another, and he guesses it just got buried. He’s sorry. She says, she knows. It’s okay. it’s been a lot, but it sure comes back up though. It was such a violation, and it started the whole revenge porn case. At least she didn’t end up like Oz Haggerty in a coma. He says he wanted to be the one to save her, but he didn’t have any actual proof. She picks up the prescription, and says, until now.

Ava thanks Austin, and says she feels so much better. It really helps her that she has someone to share this with. He says, literally any time. When she said there was a problem, he thought she might have heard from Mason, but she says, not a peep. He says, that’s great, but weird, because usually when he has his hooks in somebody, he’s not inclined to let go. She says, small favors, as he opens his office door. Can they hope that Mason has given up… Just outside the door, Mason says, given up on them? Never.

Dex opens his laptop and tells Josslyn, look for herself. She says, if he tells her it’s not there, she believes him. She has to. Because if he’s lying, they’ve got nothing. He says he spent months telling her half-truths and keeping secrets. He won’t do that again. She says, even if it’s his job? Just like it was his job to get the video for Michael, and not keep a copy, and not give it to her? He says, to him, honesty and evidence are two different things. He can tell her what he’s doing, but he can’t make her a part of it.

Ned says, he and Sonny were just having a friendly chat; one where he just shuts up and listens. Olivia says, in case Sonny’s forgotten, this is her place of business, and Sonny says, so he can’t have a conversation in her hotel? Sam says she thinks what Olivia means is, they should do this more privately, and Dante says, like not at a patio with a pool full of witnesses. Sonny says, to be continued, and Ned says he gets that Sonny is pissed. Had he done what Sonny is accusing him of doing, Sonny would have every right to threaten him, but as God is his witness, it wasn’t him.

 Michael says, at least he and Sonny are in agreement about one thing; they both don’t want Carly to go to prison. Carly says she knows he has huge issues with his dad, and he says he does. Despite everything that happened, he still had to come to grips with wanting to save his mother at the expense of his father. Carly says, it’s a good thing he doesn’t have to, and Michael says, Joss is worried about her and so is he. If it came down to the choice of saving her or Sonny… She says she’s not going to sacrifice Sonny to save her own skin; she won’t do that. He says, what if he does it instead?

Trina wonders how this receipt got here. Is there something else in that envelope? Spencer takes out a folded paper, and says, it’s a letter, handing it to Trina. She reads: Dear Maggie, I need your advice. I may be in a lot of trouble… He says, that’s Esme’s nanny, takes the letter and reads: That sleazy bartender I met has been harassing me. I tried to convince him to leave me alone, and things got out of control. I slipped him something so I could get away. I may have seriously hurt him. Trina asks if Spencer realizes what this is, and he says, evidence. She says, it’s got to be Esme’s handwriting, and he says, it looks like it. She says, isn’t that just like Esme, trying to slant things to make herself look like the victim? She’s the one who purposely drugged Oz Haggerty. You could never induce that girl to tell the truth. He says, total amnesia could, and Trina says, this is amazing. A receipt that proves Esme bought the drugs that could incapacitate two people, and a written confession. What else do they need? He asks if she thinks it’s enough, and she says, only one way to find out. She opens the fastest charging tablet in the world, and they look at it.

Curtis says, Jordan didn’t misread anything. His feelings for her are real, and him moving in here doesn’t change that. I call him an idiot, and she asks, how real are his feelings for Portia? He says he’d be lying if he said he didn’t have feelings for Portia as well, and she says she’s out of here. He says, she accused him of not giving their marriage the chance it needed, and she was right. When Jordan wanted to work on things, he walked away because he wasn’t ready to handle the pain at that time. Now he’s trying to learn from his mistake. It wouldn’t be fair to her and Portia if he walked away from his marriage before he sorted out his feelings. She asks how he plans on doing that, and he says, by not avoiding Portia, by committing to having the hard conversation, by doing what he didn’t do with her, and that’s putting in the hard work. She says, that’s admirable, and great news for Portia, but where does that leave her?

Ned says, Sonny is right. They’re families have had an ugly history, but they share a family member. They both prioritize family, and granted, the Quartermaines don’t always show it. But when push comes to shove, they’re loyal and they pull together. When he threatened Drew, he was angry, but that’s where it ended. And he considers Carly family, not just because she’s Michael’s mother, but she’s Olivia’s best friend, and loved by his son Leo. He would never hurt her. Sonny suggests they not pretend Ned would never act in his own self-interest. His family loyalty took a vacation when he threw in with Valentin, and that’s the reason Carly lost half her hotel. Ned says, and he regrets that, which is why he’d never kick her while she’s down. Olivia says, she and Sonny go way back, which is why she’s not asking him to believe Ned. She’s asking Sonny to believe her. Her husband didn’t do this.

Mason says, don’t Austin and Ava look comfortable; all cozy and at ease. Did they miss him? Mason comes in, and Austin closes the office door. Mason says, sorry he’s been gone so long. He was out of town on important business. But worry not. He didn’t forget about them. He’s keeping tabs. Austin asks, how? and Mason asks if anybody ever told Austin that he worries too much. He should be more like their girl Ava. She’s been living her life; carrying on without a care in the world. It’s almost as if she didn’t miss her husband.

Dex says he’s sorry. Josslyn’s scared about her mom, and she came to him thinking he could save her, but he can’t. He feels like he’s failing her. Josslyn says she came up with a plan that didn’t work. She thought he could give her something he literally doesn’t have. So it’s not his fault. None of this is his fault. It’s her family’s mess, and she doesn’t know how to fix it. If her mom doesn’t turn in that evidence, and goes to prison, then Donna literally has nobody except Sonny and Nina, and she needs her mom. He says, Donna will have her. He thinks Josslyn needs her mom too, and Josslyn says, but she’s grown, and she shouldn’t need her mom as much as she does. He says, we always need the people who care about us the most, and she says she can’t sit here and do nothing. She has to find a way to help her mom. He suggests she start by trusting her mom.

Carly tells Michael, the Feds have been circling this family for years. She hasn’t talked, and she’s not going to start now, even for a deal. He says, she could probably send Sonny away with what she already knows, and she shrugs. He says, but there’s a way to ensure she never has to open her mouth. He takes out the flashdrive, and tells her, what’s on this flashdrive is irrefutable evidence that Sonny violated the National Security Act. Just give him the word, and he’ll make sure the relevant parties see it. Her hands will be clean. She asks, what’s on the flashdrive? and he says, video footage of Sonny and his crew finalizing a deal to transport a dangerous weapon. She asks how he knows this. How did he even get that flashdrive? He says, because he commissioned it.

Sonny says, because of Olivia, this is over, but if he hears Ned had any part of this… Ned says he won’t, and Olivia tells Sonny, see you around, and leaves with Ned. Sam gives Sonny and Dante some space, and Dante says, what the hell was that? Sonny says, from what he knows, Ned had something to do with Carly’s problems with the SEC. What does Dante expect him to do? Dante says, not that. He wants to go to bat for the mother of his children, that’s fine, but don’t go after Ned in a public place. Ned has an accident or something, and who does Sonny think they’ll want him to talk to? Sonny. Does he really want both of Donna’s parents to end up behind bars?

Carly says, Michael paid someone to spy on Sonny? and he says he needed proof of criminal liability that could send Sonny to prison for the rest of his life, and this was more than he could ask for. Obviously upset, Carly asks what he was thinking. What’s on that drive could destroy their family. He says he knows. Willow told him the same thing. That’s why, after they got married, he decided to forget about taking Sonny down anymore. She says, but he still held on to it, and he says, it’s a good thing he did. This could be the only thing that’s standing between her and federal prison.

Dex says, Josslyn can’t tell Carly how to handle this, anymore than Carly can tell her how to handle her life. Josslyn says, she definitely has opinions, and he says, about him; about her being with him. Josslyn says, she told him; her mom just doesn’t want to see her get hurt. She never directly told Josslyn not to be with him. She knows Josslyn wouldn’t listen. He says, it would have solved all their problems if he’d done what Michael wanted and left Port Charles, but she says, not really, because she offered to go with him, and she meant it. He says he knows, and the fact that she was willing to do that terrified him.

Ava says, you freak, and Austin steps between her and Mason, who says, ouch. Is that really what she thinks of him? After everything he’s done for her? Does he need to refresh their memories about what would have happened if he hadn’t stepped in to solve their little problem? They don’t like sunshine and fresh air? Because he could go to the PCPD right now, and guarantee they never see those again. Austin asks, what’s his point? Is there one? Does he have a purpose, or is he just there to torment them? Mason says, don’t rush him. Although he appreciates the go-getter attitude. He’s going to need it. It’s time for the two of them to show poor old Mason some appreciation.

Looking at the tablet, Trina says, is that… Spencer says, Esme with the bartender, and she says, this looks like a still from the security camera on the docks. What are they doing? Spencer says, that’s a hand-off, and Trina asks if this is proof Esme paid for a burner phone; the same one she filmed Joss and Cam with? He says, sure looks like it, and she says, all this time they thought Esme could cover up her tracks so well. She guesses there’s no such thing as a perfect crime. He says, no. At least not where his Uncle Victor is concerned.

Curtis says he knows this is uncomfortable for Jordan, and he knows it isn’t fair. But he never would have asked her to wait if he thought she was some consolation prize. She asks if Portia knows she’s the other half of this equation, and he doesn’t say anything. She says, for someone who hates dishonesty, doesn’t he think he should be fully transparent to both women in his life? He says he does. There’s just more at play here. She says, Portia told her the news. He’s Trina’s father. He says he is, and she says, congratulations. He thanks her, and she says, he’s navigating so much. Is there really room in his life for another complication? He says, she’s much more than that. It just took him too long to realize it. Can she give him just a little bit more time?

Mason says, if it wasn’t for him, they would both be behind bars, and Austin suggests Mason just tell them what he has in mind. Mason says he has something he needs them to do, and Ava says she’d be happy to buy him a bus ticket out of town. He doesn’t even have to ask. Mason says, Ava’s attitude will come in handy, as well as her charisma and fearlessness. Ava’s got all the charisma they need. Ava says, his needs are not her problem, and her ample charisma is none of his damn business. Mason says, so feisty, and Austin says, she is. Why doesn’t he just explain to Ava what he wants from her? Mason says, we want to work your very specific connections, and Ava says, we who? And what connections is he talking about? Does he want a deal on a piece of art? Mason says, it’s not about her art. It’s about her family.

Trina says she has so many questions. How did Spencer’s uncle obtain all this evidence, and how long was he sitting on it for? And if he hadn’t died, would Spencer have ever known? Spencer says, those are all valid questions. This safety deposit box contains a smoking gun. This is exactly what he was hoping for. Trina suggests they get everything together and go to the PCPD. He has everything he needs to get custody of his baby brother.

Jordan says she’s been living in limbo since her and Curtis’s divorce. While he reunited with Portia, fell in love, and proposed, she found herself buried in work, even resisting going out on dates. He says he never wanted that for her, but she says she’s not blaming him. It was her choice not to move on. Maybe subconsciously she was holding out for hope. He says he doesn’t want to keep her waiting. That’s exactly why they’re having this conversation, so he can find out where he stands with Portia, and find out where he stands with her. She says she knows where they stand. She hopes he can find what he’s looking for here, and hopes he and Portia can be happy, together or apart. He says, and her? and she says she has to truly let go; finally. Two years was too long to put her life on hold. She leaves.

Olivia says she’s sorry, but Ned says he doesn’t blame her. He’s let her down before. She says, he’s also been there before, like with Leo. She should have never doubted him. Can he forgive her? He says, maybe. Can she remind him what she said to Sonny again? She says, my husband didn’t do this? and he says, one more time. She repeats it with tears in her voice, and he kisses her.

Josslyn tells Dex, she gets it. This is just too much. What started as a casual thing just got way too intense. He says, they’ve never put a label on their relationship. In the beginning, he was excited to just spend time with her, but usually she was tearing into him for working for Sonny. Then she rescued him from a meat hook, patched him up when he was shot. She even covered for him when he took a shot at that killer on the docks. She says, anyone would have done that, and he says, not anyone would have gone to the lengths for him that she has.

Sonny says, Donna shouldn’t have to lose time with her mother in jail, and Dante says, okay, but Carly’s actions bear some responsibility, no? Sonny says, she didn’t do it on purpose, but whoever pointed the SEC at Carly and Drew sure as hell did. There’s an agenda. Sam comes back with drinks, and Dante says, Sonny sounds like he has someone in mind other than Ned. Sam says, that tip to the SEC was anonymous, and Sonny says, anybody could be trying to get to Carly, or use Carly to get to him.

Carly covers her face with her hands, and Michael says he’d decided this information would never serve a good purpose, but now he realizes it could save her. Does she want to use it, or does she want him to? Carly says she’d prefer it didn’t exist, and he says he respects that, but if she changes her mind… She says she won’t. This footage can never see the light of day. Who else knows about this? Wait. I haven’t seen the moss bowl🎍since that first scene. Did Michael steal it when she wasn’t looking?

Dex says, Josslyn has defended him to her mom, gone to bat for him with her brother, and even pleaded his case to Sonny. She’s special; once in a lifetime. The thought of losing her scares him because he’s in love with her. Now it’s his turn to ask; is this too much for her? She says she loves him too, and they kiss.

Pfft! for a Friday ending.

On Monday, Tracy asks what the hell someone is doing; Mason wants Ava to use her connection to Sonny; and Trina asks Spencer what he’s keeping from her.

💣 Spy Vs Spy…

What the WSB is all about.

What Is the WSB on GENERAL HOSPITAL?

🧑🏽‍⚕️ Most Wanted…

It doesn’t surprise me that everyone wants to work with him. And he’s one of the few I’ll allow to have a man bun.

Maura West Opens up About Working With Roger Howarth on GH

👏🏼 She Has the Clap…

My least favorite OC Housewife.

RHOC’s Tamra Judge Claps Back at Gina’s Drinking Claims, Offers Update on Teresa Feud, and Shares What Eddie’s Been Doing Since Gym Closure, Plus Worst Housewife Quality

💎 Good Luck With That…

These people are just weird.

Kyle Richards Allegedly Wants a Truce in Family Feud With Kathy Hilton

🍸 You Know the Drill…

Bombshells and rumors.

Scheana Shay on What Producers Said About Pump Rules Reunion Bombshell, Why Raquel Will Quit Show, Plus She Addresses Raquel Pregnancy Rumors

Ariana speaks.

Ariana Madix Shares Raquel Leviss’ Text Message to Tom, Most Hurtful Part of Affair, and Addresses Billie Lee and Open Relationship Rumors, Plus Gushes Over Daniel Wai

Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Although I do think the reason she’s so vapid is that Ariana was right the first time; she finds her identity in men. Without a puppeteer, she’s a literal blank slate.

https://www.etonline.com/raquel-leviss-addresses-her-future-on-vanderpump-rules-after-scandoval-205751

Most of this isn’t shocking. It’s a little sad how Ariana feels about LVP. Of course LVP can do no wrong, but I actually see where she’s coming from. She’s a lot older than the cast, and she’s always taken on the mom role. It’s not that she condones what that awful weasel with a moustache did, but as one of her kids, she’s not totally turning her back. And seriously, is she supposed to pull out of her investment in TomTom?

https://screenrant.com/shocking-reveals-scandoval-unseen-vanderpump-rules-season-10/#production-pushed-raquel-to-text-ariana-an-apology

👩🏽‍🍳 Packing Her Knives…

Obviously I watch more than I recap, and this one’s a favorite of mine. She’ll be missed.

Padma Lakshmi Announces She’s Leaving ‘Top Chef’ After 17 Years: ‘Time to Move On’

⚰️ Spinning In Their Graves…

What’s coming up on the Dead horizon.

https://winteriscoming.net/2023/06/01/the-walking-dead-dead-city-premiere-to-air-at-an-earlier-time/
https://undeadwalking.com/2023/06/02/many-walking-dead-spinoffs/

🐕 Canine Recreation…

This is precious.

https://people.com/christie-brinkley-senior-dog-recreate-2014-people-cover-exclusive-7505871

🎺 Quotes of the Week

Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You’ll find they haven’t half the strength you think they have. – Norman Vincent Peale

Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people. – Eleanor Roosevelt (Oooh, snap!)

Every one of us is losing something precious to us. Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back again. That’s part of what it means to be alive. – Haruki Murakami

There’s diseases in mouse poops. – the son of a hoarder, Hoarders

Gardens, scholars say, are the first sign of commitment to a community. When people plant corn they are saying, let’s stay here. And by their connection to the land, they are connected to one another. – Anne Raver

I raise up my voice—not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard…We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back. – Malala Yousafzai

The haunted house was a success. We made people cry. – Jonah Johnston, 7 Little Johnstons

🌿  Springing Into Summer…

Enjoy your break from the daily, unless enjoyment is your daily. If so, carry on. Perhaps there will be a dip in the Dead pool on Sunday, but definitely on Monday really Tuesday there will be soap, Deck, and awful Summer people for all. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping cool in hot situations, and stay opening any safety deposit box you’re bequeathed. You never know.

Jun24

June 23, 2020 – A Loss Revisited, Character Review, Upcoming Emmys, Soap Dads, Black Tie Brokers, Oscar News, Padma’s New Gig & Stars

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

I shot an arrow into the air, and where it landed was on a GH Flashback from November 10th, 2004.

Sam was hooked up to machines in the hospital while Jason kept watch. Literal toddler Kristina was in the same position, awaiting surgery, while Alexis kept watch. Ric showed up with a restraining order to keep Sonny from seeing Kristina. Luke was still in the opening credits, but walked away in the group shot, but I don’t know if that was some kind of statement – about the show, Tony Geary, or both – or actually prophetic.

At first, I thought Nikolas had a twin, but it turned out to be lookalike Connor, who I remember zero about. Old Mike was working at Kelly’s. Courtney told Lois (I remember her!) that Sonny was really Kristina’s father, and Mike said Carly knew, but had kept it to herself. Sam was unconscious, and had lost a baby girl, and Elizabeth looked like she was twelve. Sonny tore up the restraining order, and told Ric that he’d wreck anyone who came between him and his daughter. He’d already lost one daughter, and wasn’t losing Kristina. Little Michael said he knew Sonny was sad about losing the baby, and Sonny reassured Michael that he and Morgan were safe. Michael asked if he was mad at God, but Sonny said he didn’t blame anybody, and told Michael, no matter how hard times get, family has to love each other. Michael asked how they could help, and Sonny said, be kind to each other. He told Michael, a way to respect losing someone precious was letting go, no matter how hard it was. He said, eventually they’d have to get on with their lives, but not today.

Alexis told Ric he was all kinds of wrong, and to focus on Kristina. Elizabeth told Jason that Sam’s feelings would be complicated, and not to let her deal with having planned for the baby’s homecoming alone. Jason said they already had a nursery set up, and Elizabeth said they’d prepared together, so they should mourn together. She said Sam was going to look for someone to blame, and hold herself responsible. Emily nursed Connor’s wound, and told him being a doctor was a dream of hers. He said he gave himself reasons for walking out of the military, but wondered if he really was just a deserter and his reasons were baloney. Courtney told Jason, when they’d lost their baby, he held her together and she wanted to help him now. Lois told Alcazar that Kristina was Sonny’s daughter, and Carly knew, but hadn’t told Sonny. She didn’t think Sonny was going to forgive Carly, and they’d be getting divorced, but Alcazar didn’t think Sonny was in a position to criticize. Kim was still old Carly, and Sonny told her that he was grateful Sam’s baby was going to give Kristina the stem cell infusion she needed. Carly said they were family, and she’d always want to help and support him, whether they’re married or not. Courtney told Jason that Elizabeth was right. He needed to help Sam, and they had to give themselves time to grieve. Potential parenthood had changed him, and Sam loved him. She said if he needed anything, she was there, and Jason said he’d be okay.

Lois told Alcazar that Sonny would go to the ends of the earth to protect his family, but she didn’t think he’d take Carly back. She’d broken a cardinal rule, and lied about family. She wondered if Alcazar would go back to Carly. Carly’s dad John, aka Corbin Bernsen, brought Carly and little Michael to a house, and tried to entice Michael with a skateboarding ramp in the backyard. Michael wasn’t having it, and said he’d wait in the car. Carly said she knew John wanted her to move away from Sonny. Jason told Sonny that Dr. Webber said Sam should have come out of it by now, but Sonny thought maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Jason said he wanted to be the one to tell Sam the baby was gone.

John told Carly that he bought the house for her. She said she wanted to take care of herself, but took the keys anyway, and John left. Sonny told Jason that he thought he’d had an understanding with Sam. She trusted him, even though he’d disappointed her. Jason said Sam always respected Sonny’s choice to stay with his family, and wasn’t angry about it.

Connor had a bad dream, and Courtney told him that he was safe. He said he was dreaming about his buddy Casey, who’d died because of him. He’d watched Casey die. Michael told Carly that he wanted to go home, and live with dad. Carly explained if she and Sonny couldn’t work it out, they would need to move out, and she thought this was a nice place. That was, until Alcazar called to her from the porch. Kristina made it through her surgery, and Sam woke up. Jason told her about the baby, as we watched (but couldn’t hear) through the window. Sam screamed, no! as Jason tried to comfort her.

🤷🏽‍♀️ If You’re As Clueless As I Am…

I don’t know if I wasn’t watching during these time periods, or I just wasn’t paying attention, but a lot of the characters are a mystery to me. So meet, or refresh your memory about, Connor and Courtney.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/connor-bishop?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=17351

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/abc/general-hospital-courtney-matthews-alicia-leigh-willis-168882?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=17351

📺 PandEmmyic…

So far, this is what this year’s Daytime Emmys look like. They’ll be televised on June 26th, 2020.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/daytime-emmys/2020-details-of-show?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=17351

🧼 Soap Is For Dads Too…

How some of the soap stars celebrated Father’s Day.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/abc/celebrated-fathers-day-2020?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=17351

💰 On Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, we got another tour of the mountainside mansion known as the Razor House, that the Joshes described as not just architecture, but a piece of art. Some of the amenities included a smart home system – or as JoshF called it, an expensive light switch – an open floor plan, floor to ceiling glass (all of the windows had shields that could be brought down to cover them), a glass elevator, a subterranean garage, a rooftop terrace, and an infinity pool and hot tub. Going for a mere $25 million. They met with architect Wallace Cunningham, and we found out the house was the inspiration for Tony Stark’s house in Ironman.

James and David took on a listing for a house from 1914 that the owner had totally revamped, having to contend with the Historical Preservation Society, and being restricted as to what overlays could be used. The owner wanted $3 million because of the sweat and cash he’d sunk into it, but that brought the cost to $1250 a square foot, when most of the neighborhood was going for $800. It was one of those houses that doesn’t look like much from the outside, but is fabulous inside. David and James talked owner Joey into a price reduction, telling him that potential buyers didn’t care about the hoops he’d had to jump through to renovate. Joey was stubborn, but agreed to $2.495 million.

Tracy was ready for a new chapter in her life, and decided to sell her own house. Her divorce had been finalized, and they were sharing custody, so she’d only have her daughters 50% of the time. She explained she’d fallen in love with the house while showing it, and had thought it would be her forever home. They’d paid $13 million, but she wanted $24, and was tweaking it to perfection before putting it on the market. Thinking she’d be too emotionally attached, she told her team they would be taking the listing. In wanting to keep her family life private, she informed them that the kids were not going to be on the show. She did want them to be part of the process of looking for a new place though.

In their dual interview, JoshA asked JoshF what superhero he’d be, and JoshF said, Barbie. I’m not sure if Barbie applies, but he also said his superpower would be Ken. The Joshes got ready to hold a black tie broker’s open. In the meantime, David and James were offered $2.1 million, and talked Joey into countering with $2.3. It always amazes me when they dicker over $100-200K, when they’re ultimately talking millions. The buyer’s broker pointed out there was no garage, and gave a best and final offer of $2.25. A deal was made, and the guys made a commission of $56,250. While that could be a yearly salary for a normal human, they do put in a lot of work.

JoshA said they were pulling out all the stops for the brokers open, where both he and JoshF hosted. He said JoshF was an acquired taste, and just when you think he’s normal, something gets blurted out, and you’re like, what planet are you from? The Joshes chest bumped over their success. In his interview, JoshF enlightened us that few brokers showed trophy listings, so they had to bus them in like cattle, renting two party buses. When one broker told JoshF the house was amazing, he said, thank you; I built it, and I had to laugh, since that sounded like something I would say. David cornered Tracy at the open house, asking JoshA to give them a moment, and accused her of talking smack about him when they’d both been up for a listing. Tracy said she’d merely pointed out that she’d made an effort to show up to talk to the seller personally, rather than sending one of her team as he had. JoshA wondered what was going on, but James pleaded ignorance. In JoshA’s interview, he said, you can’t mess with Tracy; she’s a bad-ass bitch. He was sure David was going to tuck his tail and run back to England. Tracy told David, if he’d really wanted it, he should have gone himself. He said she’d also inferred that he wasn’t interested in properties that were less than $10 million, and she said it wasn’t smack; she’d just told the truth. The Joshes and James joined them, everyone talking at once, until JoshA put an end to it, by saying they talked sh*t about each other all the time; just never put it in writing. The Joshes high-fived each other.

Next time, a rockin’ house party in a house that used to belong Howard Hughes.

🎭 In Case It’s Still Important…

I haven’t watched the Oscars since… I don’t remember, but no judgement on those who still enjoy them. You’ll have to wait until next year though.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1161409/oscars-postponed-to-april-2021-amid-coronavirus-pandemic

And hopefully, next time we’ll be seeing #OscarsSoDiverse.

https://www.instyle.com/celebrity/oscars-2021-date-diversity

🥗 Padma Does the HULU…

The hardest working woman in the cooking business.

https://www.eater.com/2020/6/22/21299094/padma-lakshmi-interview-taste-the-nation-hulu-interview

📑 Handing It In Early…

TV looks very not promising this week, but I’ll gather some tea leaves, opinions, information, and fun stuff, and see what sticks. But for now, stay safe, stay receptive, and stay reaching for the stars.