What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Nina wakes up, checks her breath, then pretends she’s still sleeping. Jax brings in coffee, and she makes like she’s waking up. She thanks him, but thinks she needs something to eat; she’s a bit ravenous. He says he doesn’t keep anything in the house besides coffee, and she says, they’ll have to go out into the real world? He’s afraid so, but they need to come up for air sooner or later. She says, breathing is overrated, and they kiss.

Sonny asks Carly how Bobbie is, and Carly says, equal parts thrilled and heartbroken. Lucas is finally coming home, only to immediately move across the country. She doesn’t know whether to cry or celebrate, but Lucas and Brad deserve a fresh start away from Julian.

Willow visits Lucas at the hospital. She says she got the impression that Lucas wants to talk about more than just nannying. He says he thought he was doing a good job of hiding it, but yeah. It’s time they talked about Wiley’s future.

Julian finds Brad at the hospital, and says, Brad summoned him. He’s wondering what trouble he needs to dig Brad out of now. Brad says, none, but he’s wondering who will be around for Julian to bully when Brad moves to Portland. Julian asks if he’s finally leaving Lucas, and Brad says, Julian wishes. Sorry to disappoint him, but he and Lucas are taking Wiley, and moving to Portland next weekend.

Lulu and Dustin walk into the MetroCourt, where Brook is working as hostess. Lulu asks about a certain table, but Brook says it’s reserved. Lulu says she doesn’t see sign, and Brook suggests maybe Lulu would like to dine somewhere else. Lulu excuses herself, and goes over to where Valentin is sitting, wearing sunglasses. Valentin asks why she’s seeking him out, and Lulu says, the DNA results came in. He’s not a Cassadine. He says, apparently not, but he’s still Charlotte’s father.

On the phone, Ned says he understands, and thanks them. Olivia asks if he found out who’s trying to buy up all the stock, and he says his mom was right, someone is after the shares, but they’re good at remaining hidden.

At the Quartermaines’, Nelle gets coffee from the sideboard. She tells Michael there’s not much she’s going to miss about living there; certainly not his family. Michael asks if there’s any chance she’s leaving soon, and she says she’ll be out of the house and out of his life today. Just remember, she’s leaving him and his family in the dirt.

Nina says, no regrets? and Jax says, just the opposite. Her? She says, not yet. So they agree they should… Jax says, see where it’s going? Yes. She says, perfect, but it’s just that she’s not one for skulking around. It’s disrespectful. He says he has a teenage daughter. What message would he be sending? She says she’s had enough deceit already to last a lifetime, but even though she doesn’t want to hide, she’s tired of the world being all up in her private life. He says they don’t have to flaunt it. They’ll approach it like adults; honest, above board, and private. Nina says, how refreshing.

Lulu asks if Valentin is changing his name. She needs to know for the court filing. He says his name won’t change, nor will Charlotte’s last name. She says if it was up to her, he’d never see Charlotte again, and Charlotte would forget he never existed. He says, it’s not up to her, and they have equal parental rights. She can put Charlotte through this pointless exercise, or they can abide by their agreement. She says he can’t afford a lawyer anymore, but he says, he has more than enough to afford a lawyer; he has more than she does. They can fight, or compromise, which is better for Charlotte. She says the only time he cares about what’s best for Charlotte, is when Charlotte’s best interests match his.

Brook says, poor man, and Dustin asks if she feels sorry for Valentin. She says she pities anyone who’s on the receiving end of Lulu’s moral superiority. Wait until he gets it.

Ned says he’ll inform Olivia when he gets some actual information. She says, Michael might be CEO, but no one knows more than Ned does about ELQ. She’s heading to the MetroCourt. It’s Brook’s first day as hostess, and she’s hoping Brook isn’t scaring away the customers.

On the phone with Diane, Lulu says, Diane, no, then says, okay. Dustin says the last time he saw Brook, she was on the way to a meeting with the skeevy producer. How did it go? She asks how it looks like it went. Ned has sent the contract to his lawyers. Brando comes in, and asks where Lulu is; he was told he could find her there. Brook says he’s way too good for Lulu, and Dustin points Lulu out. Brook wonders what a guy like that could possibly want with Lulu. Brando introduces himself to Lulu, and says he got her message. She said she was writing a story about the waterfront shootings. She says she didn’t think she’d hear back from him, and he says he’s there to ask her to drop the story. She asks if he’ll talk about it, and he sits. She says, before they begin, full disclosure. Carly is her cousin, and she met Dev under awkward circumstances. He broke into her house, or rather, someone else broke into her house, and Dev saw them. He stopped them from robbing her. Brando says, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? and she says the police were called, and she actually met Dev at the station. He got arrested, but Sonny cleared everything up.

Dev asks if Sonny has a second. Carly asks if he’s going to tell them why he’s not in school. He says he needs to talk to Sonny in private, and Sonny asks what’s on his mind. Dev says he’s leaving Port Charles. Brando coming here changed everything. Sonny says, Brando is going to play along, and Dev asks, but for how long? Sonny says, for as long as he needs him to.

Lulu tells Brando, Sonny vouched Dev, so she knows he’s a good kid. Sonny and Carly wouldn’t have taken him in otherwise. He’s guessing he walked into more than a line fire when he arrived. She asks why he’s been avoiding her calls, and he says he doesn’t want to give an interview to any reporter; it’s nothing personal. She says she gets it, and he says he doesn’t want the attention. If she wants a quote, he can say he acted on instinct, but it would be in her best interest to leave him out entirely. She says, if she’s doing her job, she has to tell the whole story, and it’s impossible to leave him out. Like it or not, what he did was heroic and selfless. He saved Carly, and took a bullet in the process. He says he’d do it again… She says, but no good deed goes unpunished, and this is his punishment? He says, pretty much, and she says, people want heroes, and want to know everything about them. If there are ducks he needs to put in a row, or skeletons he needs to bury, this is his moment.

Julian asks if Brad expects him to believe Lucas thinks moving is a good idea. Brad says he doesn’t care what Julian believes. What he cares about is the man he loves and his son. Wasn’t it Julian’s idea for them to get out of town, and away from anything that would trigger Lucas? Now he’s finally doing exactly what Julian asked.

Lucas says Willow probably heard by now, he and Brad are moving across the country. She says, Portland right? and he says Brad was offered a great opportunity, and he told Brad to take it. Willow says, of course (🍷), and asks when they’re leaving. Lucas says, in a few days, and she says, wow. So soon? He says it’s tough for his family to wrap their heads around, and Willow says, Wiley has people who love him and are going to miss him. He says it wasn’t an easy decision, but they need to hit the reset button. He still has hope for his little family. That’s what she wanted, right? She says, when she picked them, she wanted the three of them to be a family.

Nelle tells Michael, she made it clear she was interested in selling her stock for a life-changing number. Michael let the opportunity pass, and now it’s too late. Michael asks who she’s selling the stock to, and she says, a buyer. He asks if they have a name, and she says, everyone has a name. Ned comes in, and she says as much as she’d love to chat, her car is waiting, and her new life awaits. She says goodbye to Michael, and says she never got the opportunity to thank Ned for the bait and switch. Disappearing ink on the marriage certificate was brilliant. He says he took it from her playbook; it was his pleasure. She says she’ll remember that one, and leaves. He wonders who Nelle sold her shares to, and Michael says whoever she sold them to was probably part of her plan all along. Their money is probably best spent in buying them back from whoever it is. Ned says he needs to know what kind repercussions there will be from the attack on Michael’s father, and Michael says, Sonny will decide how to respond. He’s just as in the dark as any law-abiding citizen. Ned says, but he’s not any law-abiding citizen. He’s the CEO or ELQ; the face of the brand, as it were. Michael says he’ll talk to his father, and tell Ned anything that will ease the shareholder’s minds. Ned says, while Michael does that, he’s going to find out what interloper bought into their family company.

Dustin asks Lulu if everything is okay, and she says Brando is press shy. He said he was just acting on instinct. Dustin says, humble, considering, and Lulu says she’ll have to interview someone more confident with the spotlight. He says he doesn’t know what she means, and she says, more room for him. He asks if he should start with his childhood, and she says she has enough of his acts of heroism. It’s his last opportunity to shine like the hero he is. He says, at least he hopes he is.

Olivia tells Brook, she’s supposed to greet people at the door, and show them to a table, not stand with her nose buried in her phone. Jax and Nina come in, and Olivia takes them to a table. Valentin watches.

Willow tells Lucas, she didn’t think she’d be invited into their family or Wiley’s life. It’s been a gift. The time she’s had with Wiley, and the days she’s spent with him, never felt like enough. Every time she handed Wiley back, she wondered how soon it would be before she could see him again. The whole idea of them raising Wiley and her being in Wiley’s life might not be possible. Lucas asks, so what is she saying? Does she want Wiley back?

Michael opens the door to Chase, and asks if it’s official business. Chase says, not yet, and Michael says, but it could be. Chase says, Port Charles is still reeling from the violence outbreak. Michael asks if Chase thinks he knows something, and Chase says he gets family loyalty, but there were three attempts in three different cities in broad daylight. If they can’t stop it from escalating, more innocent people will get hurt. He wonders if Michael is sitting on information about who’s concerned, and Michael says he’s not involved with his father’s alleged business, and Chase likes how Michael slipped alleged in like he’s been doing it his whole life.

Dev doesn’t want Sonny to get into trouble for protecting him, and Sonny asks why he’s jumping the gun. Carly asks where he’d go, and Dev says, maybe the private school they thought of sending him to. Carly says, even if they agreed, she can’t just pull him out mid-semester; he’ll never catch up. Dev says he checked online, and if he leaves next week, he’ll get there before the spring semester. Sonny says Dev has it all figured out, and Dev says he does. Carly tells Dev, when Sonny first brought him there, she thought it was too dangerous and risky. But he’s been there a while, and they’re all used to him. If he left, they’d miss him. Not just Sonny and Josslyn, but Avery, Donna, and Mike. Mike might not know where he is, but he’ll notice Dev’s absence. And she’ll miss him. The best thing for him, is to stay right there.

Jax asks if Nina noticed Valentin. She says she did, and he says they can go. They don’t have to stay to  prove a point. She tells him, Valentin no longer has a say in what she does or who she does it with. Not that he ever did. She plans to stay right there with Jax. Jax says, incoming, and Valentin approaches their table. He says, a word? and Nina says, no. She asks if there’s something else, and he says he’d like to talk in private. She says she has nothing to say, and he guesses he’ll say it there. She can’t push what they had out of her heart so easily. She says he did that for her, and he tells her, do what she has to. When she’s finished, he’ll be waiting. She says, he’ll be waiting a long time.

Sonny asks what he can do for Brando, and Brando says he just came from meeting with a reporter. Lulu said she was his cousin. Sonny asks, what about her? and Brando says, she’s been assigned to do a story on the shooting, including what he did. Sonny says, just tell the truth. He and Brando are cousins. Brando asks, what about his son who’s not really his son? He didn’t agree to a cover-up. Sonny says, his mother did when she told them Brando was dead. Now Brando knows and it’s too late to back out. Brando asks Sonny to tell him what he needs to know, so he doesn’t blow this sky high.

Willow tells Lucas, that’s not what she meant, and Lucas says, good. She says she’s so sorry. She’s nervous, and making a mess of this. What she’s trying say is, she let the boundaries get fuzzy, so she’s saying goodbye. It’s going to be hard, but she knows it has to be done. Maybe it’s for the best. She never doubted that he and Brad were absolutely the best parents for Wiley. She’s made peace with them leaving, and wishes them all the happiness in the world. She tears up, and says she might need help saying goodbye. Lucas says he didn’t invite her there to say goodbye; actually, it’s the opposite. He and Brad want to make her presence in Wiley’s life permanent, if she’ll let them.

Julian tells Brad, stay vigilant. Don’t make the same mistakes, and squander Lucas’s chance to be happy. Brad knows he has a lot of work to do, but he won’t be spending every second figuring out how to keep the lie from being exposed. Keeping all the plates spinning will be easier across the country. Lucas loves him, and he wants to be the person Lucas needs without the secret weighing him down. Julian says maybe Brad has a point. He knows they’ve been at odds. Brad says he doesn’t hate Julian. He appreciates what Julian has done for him. He knows Julian did it for Lucas and Wiley, but he still thanks him. Julian says one thing they agree on is Lucas’s happiness, but just because they’re across the country doesn’t mean they’re out of reach. He’ll be keeping an eye on Brad.

Michael tells Chase, it’s true. He’s been doing this his whole life. He knows how to keep himself from getting involved. It’s a fine line. Chase is a cop, and his brother is a doctor, but they don’t share cases. It’s separate. Can he tell Chase something? Not information, but as more of a favor. Chase wonders if Michael is asking him as a friend or a cop, and Michael says he’s just asking. Chase needs to remember his family didn’t start this. Port Charles is their home, and they don’t want anyone getting hurt.

Ned asks Olivia how it’s going, and she says she had to take Brook off of hostessing duties, since she was ignoring the customers. Lulu is also out with someone who’s not her son, and it’s possible she’ll never get used to it. What’s new with him? He says legal confirmed Diane’s assessment, and couldn’t find a single crack in Brook’s contract. She asks, what about the other thing? and he says, not good. Nelle announced she’d sold her shares. Olivia asks, did she say to whom? and he says, she did not. Olivia says they’ll have to go by the process of elimination. Who else is gunning for ELQ?

Nelle goes to Valentin’s hotel room, and asks if he’s ready to seal the deal. He invites her in.

Ned tells Brook, he’s sorry. There’s nothing more ELQ legal can do. Brook says, Link is a letch. He thinks he not only owns her voice and her music, but he owns her, and there’s no way out. He says, Link turned down a substantial offer. Brook may want to try harder at doing a good job there. She says she’s sorry it’s not working out, and wants to go home. He says he’s not letting her go home and feel sorry for herself. She needs a job.

Nina tells Jax, sorry about Valentin, but he tells her not to apologize for someone else’s bad behavior. She says she wishes she could go a week and not have to apologize for Obrecht’s behavior. He asks if she’s really okay, and she says she is. She asks if she mentioned that they’re pulling out all the stops for the Deception launch issue. She thinks they’ll get new revenue. She frowns, and he says he’s listening. She says she doesn’t know if this is okay. Is it a date breakfast or a work breakfast, or both? They need to be clear. She doesn’t want him agreeing just because they slept together. He says he’s not, and she says she believes him. He always tells her the truth. He asks if that’s a question, and she says, what it is, is the appearance of propriety. She doesn’t want to flaunt it.

Brando says, so Dev helped Sonny escape, and Sonny says, that sums it up. Carly says Dev fit in with the family. He made a connection with Mike that’s special. Keeping him in their home wasn’t a decision they made lightly. Dev comes downstairs, and Brando says they didn’t get a chance to speak when they met. Sonny has been filling him in on the details. Dev says, all the good stuff is true, and Brando says Dev seems like a remarkable guy, and he respects Sonny trying to repay his debt, but he has no idea how to pretend to be Dev’s father, and get on with his life.

Chase says he’s not asking Michael to dig, but if he knows something that can shut this down… Michael says they’ll cross that bridge when they come to it, but probably won’t have to. Chase hopes so. He says, it appears Nelle moved out. That should be a weight off of Michael’s shoulders. Did everybody get what they wanted? Michael says, no, but he didn’t expect it. Chase says he has more good news. Brad and Lucas are moving to Portland. Michael asks how Willow is taking it, and Chase says, she’s having a tough time. If he’s being honest, he thinks it’s for the best. The move will help Willow let go of Wiley, and help Wiley bond with his own family.   

Nelle looks at the check, and tells Valentin, it’s not as much as the Quartermaines were offering. He asks if they were offering new identities for a mother and child, and passports and birth certificates that guarantee a long, happy life elsewhere. She says they were not, but she’d rather give her shares away than sell them to Michael. He says good of her to tell him that after he handed her the check. She says, it’s none of her business, but out of curiosity, what is he doing with the shares? He says he never reveals his agenda, but she might find this amusing. Michael and his girlfriend cost Valentin quite a bit. They didn’t offer him the respect he deserves. Nelle says she knows the feeling. He says he saw a company ripe for a takeover, and he’s helping himself to a generous portion of ELQ, and giving Michael the payback he’s long deserved. She says as much as she’d like to stick around and see the carnage, she’ll have to read about it in the financial papers. It’s been a pleasure doing business with him. He says, likewise. Out in the hall, she looks at Wiley’s new passport, and says, hold on. Mom is coming.

Sonny says he’s sorry about the position Brando has been put in, but nothing is more important than Dev’s safety. Brando says he doesn’t want to compromise that; he just wants his life back. Carly says they can make that happen… and Brando says, but? Sonny says Brando needs to be Dev’s father; just on paper. Brando says, that’s it? No strings? Sonny says, no strings, and Brando says, okay, then. Dev deserves a chance, so consider it done. Dev and Carly thank Brando, and Sonny says, this is how it will work. Brando will go back to Chicago, and live his life. Dev is right about boarding school, and they’ll send him there. Dev thinks it’s the best thing for everyone, and Carly says she wants him home for vacations and holidays, bringing his laundry, like every other kid.

Brad shows up at Lucas’s room, and asks what Willow said. Lucas says he hasn’t gotten there. Willow was under the impression they wanted her out of Wiley’s life. Willow says she gave Lucas the impression she wanted Wiley back, but that’s not what she wanted. Brad thinks Lucas should tell her their idea now, and Lucas says the past year has shown them how random life can be. They want to make sure if anything happens to them, Wiley is loved and taken care of for the rest of his life. He asks if Willow will be Wiley’s designated guardian, and she says, of course (🍷) she would. She promises to give Wiley the best life possible. More than that, she hopes she’ll never have to.

Michael tells Chase, it’s the right move. It will give Lucas, Brad, and Wiley the space they need to bond as a family. He has to admit, he’s used to having Wiley around. Chase says Wiley has no idea how lucky he is, and how many people would have moved heaven and earth for him. Michael says, Wiley has a huge family, and they’d still do it. It’s kind of their thing.

Brook tells Ned, just forget it, and walks away. Dustin asks if Lulu minds, and she says, go be a friend. Not that Brook deserves it. Jax suggests he and Nina meet this afternoon, and she can lay everything out for him. She asks if they’re dating, and he says they can say that; there’s no conflict of interest. She says, honest, above board, and no skulking. Jax says, no secrets. They’re just enjoying each other’s company.

Brook tells Dustin, her father showed the contract to ELQ’s lawyers, and there’s nothing. No technicalities, which means she’s trapped at this job. Her father said she’s lucky to have it. Dustin says it’s not like she hasn’t waited tables before, but she says she’s terrible at it. She’s a terrible hostess, and is probably a terrible bartender. Dustin suggests she get an office job or teach music. She says if she teaches a child to sing the scales, she’ll probably get a cease and desist letter. She doesn’t know how she’s going to find her way out of this deal.

Julian asks Olivia if he can have Leo for a couple of days. He wants to bring Leo to Wiley’s welcome home party. It looks like they’ll also be seeing him off. Lucas and Brad are moving to Portland in a couple of days. Olivia says, it’s out of the blue, and Julian says he supposes it will be a fresh start for them.

Listening in, Nelle says, not if she has anything to say about it.

Tomorrow, Curtis says it’s time he and Taggert get to know one another, Anna asks Peter what he’s not telling her, and Sonny tells Jason that neither the cops or Cyrus can see this coming.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht

Jenna and Adam are both drunk and stumbling around. Byron wonders if they’re going to shag, and Georgia says, probably. Adam thinks it would be for the best if they just went to bed separately. In his interview, he says, it’s not the smartest idea to dive in on day one. Madison tells Georgia that she was in a hot tub with people practically doing the nasty, and Georgia says, the chief stew is spaced out. In her interview, Georgia says, if anything goes wrong, this could be bad. That’s why she stopped drinking.

Parker plays the ukulele, and tells Madison that she’s gorgeous. In Madison’s interview, she says she never gets crushes on crew members, but it’s fun to hang out with Parker. Jenna doesn’t remember how she got into bed, and says she’s in her bathing suit. Madison tells her that she was all over Adam, and trying to go back to his cabin with him. In Jenna’s interview, she says she’s going to be anxious all day. She’s mortified about last night. In Adam’s interview, he says, last night got real real, real fast. That girl was ready. A producer asks, ready for what? and he says, for Adam. Adam is eating in the crew mess, when Jenna comes in. He says he woke up drunk, and she says she woke up in her bathing suit. Adam asks if she was next to a dead seagull. In Ciara’s interview, she’s happy she and Paget have what they have, and she doesn’t have to deal with drunk hookup bullsh*t. She discovers the box of shortbread in the cupboard is empty, and Paget says she’ll turn into a monster with no shortbread.

It’s time for the preference sheet meeting. Captain Glenn says the primary is Whitney, who’s bringing along her tightknit group of girlfriends, BFF Jeremy, and cousin Hanna. And she’s a vegan. In Adam’s interview, he says, it’s going to be a difficult charter. His specialty is meat, and he’s least comfortable with a vegan menu. If you put in bacon, it tastes great. The captain says they have high expectations for the level of service, and Jenna says they want a lazy day on the water, doing some sailing. Captain Glenn says he’s not sure there’s going to be a breeze, but he’ll figure it out. Jenna says they want a toga party, and the captain says they have floating docks coming, so that will be a nice platform.

In his interview, Parker says he was overwhelmed during the first charter, trying not to screw things up. He wants to be a valuable asset this time. Adam makes notes. He says he’s not only hungover AF, he wants to make something everyone can enjoy, not just the vegans. The floating docks arrive, and Paget says, at least they don’t have a waterslide, which seems to be a struggle for every crew on every yacht. The provisions come. Adam looks at the preference sheets, saying, vegan, lactose intolerant, an allergy to shellfish. He tells Jenna, this is going to be a pain in the ass. In Jenna’s interview, she says, last night was super awkward, so she’s just going to play like it’s no big deal, but on the inside, she wants to vomit her insecurities onto everyone. Adam says he’s frightened; it’s going to be all on them. Jenna says they have to support each other, and jokes they can take out their anger on the other girls.

The crew gets ready to welcome the guests. In Ciara’s interview, she says she and Paget working together is more of an adjustment than she thought it would be. Micromanaging is not an effective way to deal with her. In Jenna’s interview, she says she’s had no time to assess the stews, but from what she’s seen, they can’t even hold a plate. We see a clip of Adam instructing them. Jenna says it worries her. Captain Glenn calls everyone to the aft deck, and the guests arrive.

Glenn tells the guests, they have activities planned, and sailing if they get the right wind. Jenna gives the tour. In her interview, she says, and here’s the hot tub, where you too can make an effing fool out of yourself. We flash back to her making an effing fool out of herself. Paget tells Ciara that she’s doing stuff wrong. Lunch is served on deck, and Jeremy declares, the food is dope. In Captain Glenn’s interview, he says he can control everything on the boat, but he can’t control the wind. They need a minimum of five knots, but he doesn’t know how the boat will react until the sails are up. The sails go up, but the wind is only at 3 knots, and nothing happens.

Jenna and Adam flirt. In Madison’s interview, she says Jenna was rejected, and it’s awkward. Honey, no. One of the guests makes suggestions to the captain on how to sail without wind. In his interview, Captain Glenn says the only thing worse than drunk guests are drunk guests who think they know how to sail. The crew tries to figure out whose underwear is whose. In Georgia’s interview, she says she never did crew laundry, and she’s fumbling through. You wouldn’t think it was so difficult. Some of the guests get in the hot tub. In the captain’s interview, he says, since they couldn’t sail, he wants the guests to have a beautiful view for dinner. Jenna takes the guests’ pictures. In the hot tub, Jeremy says, here’s to you, here’s to me. Should we ever disagree, eff you; here’s to me. In Parker’s interview, he says his work is at its best caliber when he’s under pressure, and has less time to think about it. He and Paget tie a chain from the boat to a huge rock near shore, so they don’t drift.

The guests think the view is gorgeous. Guest Robyn whines that there’s no flavor in beets. Another guest says they’re delicious, and Robyn says, that’s because she’s vegan. In Georgia’s interview, she says people think she’s a moron. She has an authority issue going back to Catholic school, and got kicked out of church. She’s good with everyone until they disrespect her. Respect existence or expect resistance. In Adam’s interview, he says he would get bummed out if he was a guest, and the primary was vegan. Two guests will be getting juicy, buttery steaks. Everyone else enjoy your fungus. Robyn complains to Jenna that the salad had no flavor. Jenna asks how everyone else felt, and they say they loved it.

Jenna tells Madison, when the guests go to bed, be done in 30 minutes. Adam says he didn’t study this much in college. The guests make disgusting suggestions about the berries in the dessert. In Jenna’s interview, she says she doesn’t want to hurt Adam’s ego. He’s a chef, and he’s delicate.

Ciara checks a list Paget left for her, and in her interview, says she and Paget don’t normally work well together. He gives her a list, and it works for them. Some of the crew goes to bed, while others are just getting up. Madison eats cereal in the crew mess, while talking to Parker. In her interview, she says, after a long day, it’s nice to be a person, and take her stew face off. Captain Glenn says he’s thinking of going north in the morning.

The boat is unchained, and they move out. In Georgia’s interview, she says what she calls a mistake, Adam thinks is incompetence, and they’re not the same thing. She tells Jenna, Adam is taking her lack of experience in a formal setting as incompetence. Jenna tells her not to take it personally. In Jenna’s interview, she says she was trained by old school stews. She cut the tip of her finger off, but instead of getting medical attention, she was told to go back to work, and suck it up. She tells Georgia to take one for the team.

The floating docks are put out. Ciara tells Paget to have patience. She’s not as strong as he is. In Paget’s interview, he says if he wasn’t her boyfriend, Ciara wouldn’t talk to him like that. Jenna tells Adam about her exchange with Georgia, and he says he tried pussyfooting around, but it didn’t help. In Adam’s interview, he says, it’s his galley, and his domain. He doesn’t need to be wasting time coddling a stew. He tells Jenna that you need to learn quick or get out of the business. When he sees Georgia, he tells her that he’s not trying to be hard on her; she’s on a learning curve, and he can tell she’s frustrated. She says she’s not being a wimp, and can carry two plates at a time. He says it’s his way or the highway; don’t complain. In Georgia’s interview, she says this is why she doesn’t have chick friends. The first time she tells one her problem, they relay it, and she gets a kick in the head. This is a little confusing, since Jenna is also her boss, and might have been addressing the situation as such. Adam could have been a little more gracious too. The guests are happy with breakfast, and Jenna suggests some water sports before their toga party. She radios Paget to put out the paddleboards.

Ciara says it’s a little choppy for paddleboards, and one of the guests falls on the floating dock before they ever get on one. Jenna asks Madison to keep an eye on Georgia, and she and Adam flirt some more. In his interview, Adam says he and Jenna have an amazing banter. They’ve got to go slow. In Parker’s interview, he says outdoor recreational activities is where he shines. His parents owned a camp, and he was a camp counselor most of his life. He gives one of the guests instructions, and gets them going. Adam plans the evening’s menu, and in his interview, he says, a few sh*tty comments will bruise any chef’s ego. He thinks vegan food sucks, but he wants to knock their socks off. (Or to use the usual vernacular, knock it out of the park). Jenna says she needs someone on toga duty. Georgia pins a toga on Paget. In Ciara’s interview, she says, Paget has a flirtatious personality, which some girls take as flirting, but it’s not. I’m not sure what the difference is there. Georgia tells Madison that she’s mad at Jenna. She mentioned what had happened with Adam, and Jenna told him. She went to an all-girls boarding school, and had enough of that back then. There aren’t enough togas to go around, so Georgia ends up togaless.

Glenn radios Paget, and asks him to open the swim platform. Paget radios Ciara to move the tender, and she comes, but tells him she’s not off her break. He tells her to put the tender on the side of the boat. In her interview, Ciara says, talk to her like a work colleague. She wonders if he’d talk to anther deckhand that way. He says, it’s not a big deal, and she says she still wants to finish her coffee. He says he’ll tell her when she can do stuff like that. She drives away in the tender, and says she’ll be on the side. In Paget’s interview, he says Ciara normally wins their arguments. She’s feisty, like a little rottweiler. He’s her boss, and she needs to respect that. Georgia radios Paget, and Ciara says she’s calling because he looks nice in a toga.

In Adam’s interview, he says everyone has a hard time accepting a challenge, and he has to rise to the challenge of dinner served in togas. Georgia dresses Ciara, and Paget wonders how she’s going to work on deck. Jenna asks Madison to oversee Georgia on the cabins. Ciara and Paget bicker. She asks if he wants a full-on discussion, and he says he does. They argue about which hose to use for something, and she says he’s bitching at her about things that have nothing to do with her. In Ciara’s interview, she says they never let work things turn into an argument. This is a different side of them. She tells him that he only looks at what hasn’t been done.

Next time, the boat goes sideways, a one month old is a guest, Jenna is enjoying her casual flirtation with Adam, and Jenna says the laundry is a sh*t show.

Below Deck – Reunion – Part Two

Captain Lee is magically back, and Andy starts off with one of the most upsetting moments of the season that took place on land in a van. We flash back to Ashton punching the van window, and Andy says they had a strong viewer reaction, and wants to make it clear that there was a producer in the van who made the call not to pull over, feeling it would be safer to return to the boat. Kate says she trusted their judgement, and Andy asks Ashton, when he saw the show, and knew Kate hadn’t been out of line, what was his reaction? Ashton says he immediately messaged her on Instagram. Kate asks if his hand hurt the next day, but Rhylee says, all he remembered was there was a comment about his mother. Andy asks if Kate was trying to provoke him, but she says she wasn’t trying to start a fight. Ashton says Kate had expressed she was unhappy about him trying to kiss her. They’d been making fun of Tanner’s mom, and Ashton assumed she was coming to his support by saying something about his mom. Andy says he told Captain Lee that all he remembered was something about his mother being brought up, and he got angry. We see that clip, and the captain says that’s the issue he had with all the guys during the season. They’d get blackout drunk and not recall anything. Then they’d get together in the morning, and try to piece it together. It was a sh*t storm. Kevin had to carried in and poured into his bunk five times that he knows of – out of nine charters. Andy says a lot of viewers felt Ashton should have been fired, and asks why no one went to the captain. Rhylee wonders why Ashton didn’t go to the captain and out himself. A viewer says Captain Lee had said he didn’t want to work with Ashton again, and asks if that’s still the case. The captain says, if Ashton is the same person, it is. Ashton says he’s not proud of what he did, and respects how the captain feels. Andy says Ashton claimed Kate was reciprocal when he kissed her the first time, but it looked like he’d grabbed face and went for it. She’d been drinking too, and didn’t have much time to react. Even after she told him not to do it again, he still tried. He asks if Ashton thought he had the right to do that, and Ashton says, it wasn’t aired, but he’d gone to Kate for advice earlier. She’d encouraged him, and he thought he felt a vibe. That’s why he went for the first kiss; the second was uncalled for and unprofessional. His drinking proved to be a massive issue that he’s taking seriously, so he quit drinking. He feels intensely regretful, and upset about how he behaved, from the kiss to losing his temper. It’s not something he’s proud of, and he apologizes again. His intention was never to force anything, and he takes responsibility by making serious changes in his life. What hurts the most is that he knows he’s not that person. He knows what he needs to change, and will be better for it.

Kate appreciates his apology, believes it, and thanks him. She doesn’t believe that’s who he is either, but she’s seen after-shows where he’s doubled down, and didn’t seem sorry. What makes him sorry, and when did it happen? Ashton says, it’s a valid point. It took time for him to realize the extent of the problem, and assess the situation. It’s natural to be defensive, and justify your behavior. (Yeah, if you’re twelve.) Andy says, it seemed predatory, and Kate says, from the outside, it looks like it, but it’s not when you’re in the midst of everything. She asks if Ashton just realized he’s sorry now. He was questioning her yachting experience an hour ago, and still justifying his behavior. A viewer asks if Captain Lee wishes Kate had told him about the unwanted advances, and the captain says, yes. He doesn’t tolerate that from anyone. If he’d known, Ashton would have been terminated on the spot. Another viewer says, Ashton said when his mom saw his behavior, she said she thought she’d raised him better. Ashton says he and his mother have always been open and honest. She expressed her concerns, and he’s listened. She’s not happy with his behavior, and wants him to be the best version of himself. That’s part of the reason why he’s changing his behavior, and quit drinking. Andy asks when he started, and he says, the beginning of January, but he was leaning toward it before. He’s been evaluating why he drinks, and it was an easy decision. Kate says, good for you, and Andy asks if any of the others had the same conversation with themselves. Kevin says, in retrospect, he needs to put down the sixth drink, and cut himself off.

Andy says, during the crew’s off-time, they were duking it out in a battle of the sexes. Then we do what he calls looking back at the complicated dynamic, and I call flashing back to stupid drunken behavior on quite a few crew member’s parts, ending with Kevin kicking sand at Kate. Kevin says he can’t remember what Kate said, and Rhylee tells him to just say he’s sorry and shut up. Kate says the sand in her eye was painful, but Kevin was always disrespectful. She accepts his apology. Andy says he’s curious if Abbi and Simone feel that it was guys against girls. Abbi says she felt respected, but she saw things later that she felt were disrespectful. Abbi says she felt they could laugh and joke, and got along. She didn’t feel that because she was a girl, there was anything different. Simone says, Tanner aside, Brian was like a brother to her, and had her back. She and Kevin had a rough start, but managed to have a great relationship. She thinks it really depends on the individual. Andy asks Courtney how she feels, and Courtney says there’s a disconnect with the word misogyny. They don’t have a deep-seated hostility toward women, but get hostile when women act in a way they don’t expect. Maybe Abbi isn’t as assertive. Abbi says she felt genuinely respected on deck, but she was low man on the totem pole and knew it. Rhylee is stronger, but Abbi knew she couldn’t do certain things, and worked around them, figuring out another way. She thinks she was respected for that. Kate thinks the guys were put in a stressful, strange situation, and encouraged each other the wrong way. She doesn’t think they’re bad people as individuals, but there was peer pressure. Brian says, that’s a good point; there’s no manual to tell you what to do. He says just because they were portrayed that way didn’t mean… Captain Lee interrupts, asking if he doesn’t think what he saw was true. Rhylee says there was no editing, and Brian says he didn’t mean that the way it came out. He feels sad, since he and Courtney had fun, and he really liked her. When he saw the episode, he realized he didn’t behave right, but when he was doing it, he didn’t feel he was coming across the way he did. Andy asks if there’s anything Captain Lee could have been told that would have changed the dynamic, but the captain says he wasn’t told anything. Rhylee says, that’s because they didn’t tattle. Kevin feels Brian wasn’t that bad, and Kate agrees, but Rhylee says, Brian wanted her fired. She says Brian was volatile when he was speaking about her, even though he didn’t know her. Brian says he doesn’t hide what he thinks, and Kevin says, Rhylee knows she’s a hothead. Rhylee says she’s reactionary. Does he think he overreacted in the way he treated her? Kevin says he’s not saying he didn’t react badly.

Andy says Abbi surprised everyone by quitting to answer an engagement text. We flash back to Ashton learning Abbi is green, the radio issue where Abbi kept pushing the mic button, and Abbi quitting. We move on to Captain Lee telling Ashton that Rhylee will be joining them, and Rhylee pushing some buttons. The captain thinks Ashton predisposed the other male members of the crew toward Rhylee before she got on board because of his previous experience. He gets that it wasn’t pleasant, but Ashton basically told them to brace themselves, and prepare for the worst. He doesn’t think Ashton gave Rhylee a fair second chance. Ashton insists their opinions weren’t formed by what he said. Why would he sabotage the rest of the season by pitting them against her, when he understood the challenge? It would have been counterproductive. We flash back to Ashton telling them what a pain Rhylee is. Ashton says he sees how it could be taken the wrong way, and how he created the first impression. He says he’s sorry, and Rhylee says, to who? Ashton says he takes full responsibility. He should have been more professional. Andy says, Captain Lee got upset about a situation that Kevin overheard, and told Brian. The captain says, it’s called gossip, and Andy says, but when Ashton brought the fishing excursion to his attention, and Kate told Rhylee, wasn’t that unprofessional? Captain Lee thinks Ashton has no remorse for anything that happened during the season. If he didn’t want to say it in front of Kate, he could have asked to talk privately. Ashton says, it had a spin-off effect, and upset Rhylee, who further aggravated the situation. Andy asks if there’s anything Kate has done that Captain Lee takes issue with, and the captain says, hell yeah. They’ve discussed a lot of things, going back to her lying about the penis blanket. Ashton asks if there’s been anything this season, and Andy asks what about her throwing the laundry on the floor? I could have sworn he did address that with her at the time, as well as when she stayed off the boat all night. Captain Lee says, it’s the classic he’s sober while everybody else is sh*t-faced, and he’s supposed to respond. Ashton says he called out Tanner, and Captain Lee says Tanner couldn’t stand up, and couldn’t respond. Ashton says what Kate did in regard to the penis cake was unprofessional, and the captain says, it could have been handled better. The problem he has is with the four guys. They seem to think their behavior all season has been totally beyond reproach. Ashton says he’s acknowledging it wasn’t, and Captain Lee says, they can apologize until hell freezes over, but do they mean it? He doesn’t think they’re sincere. Aston says, what about the behavior from the other side? The captain has been protecting Kate, and he doesn’t think it’s professional. Captain Lee tells him, take it how he likes, and Ashton says Captain Lee has said he’d always have Kate’s back. The captain asks if Ashton wouldn’t want to be in that same position, after six years of working under him, and working with insignificant bullsh*t. He can see it how he likes it. Andy says a viewer thought Ashton asking if Tanner slapped Kate with his d*ck was one of the most disturbing things she’d ever heard a man say about a women. Why did he think saying that was okay? Ashton says he doesn’t. He’s seen a therapist this week, and want to identify the root cause of his behavior. The captain says he needs a break. He’s done dealing with these d*ckheads. He walks off the stage.

Andy wonders if Captain Lee is coming back, and why he left. Rhylee thinks he’s over it, and Ashton thinks it’s the questions he’s asking. He honestly thinks what Kate did was unprofessional, and Kate says, let’s go through the list. Kevin feels like they’re apologizing, yet there’s nothing from their side. Kate says she’s sorry she threw the laundry on the floor. She’s sorry she doesn’t take mistreatment well. Courtney says  they’re not the troublemakers. The guys create the behavior that elicits a reaction, and it’s exhausting having to keep telling them why it’s a problem. Ashton says she’s saying they cause a reaction from the girls, then judge them for it. He gets that. Courtney says, don’t create a reaction, and it won’t happen. Andy says a viewer thought Kate was paying a compliment, by calling someone a yachtie. Brian thinks she said it in a bad way; he’d asked her not to call him that. Kate tells him, she said a yachtie is hard-working and well-traveled, but most yachties don’t like being called yachties. Simone thinks yachties are considered party animals, who work hard, but waste their money on illegal stuff. Kate says she was referring to packing a cooler.

A viewer says, how Ashton treated Rhylee personally and professionally, was disgusting, and he encouraged bullying. Ashton says he’s struggled with that, and should have done better. Andy tells him, Rhylee said she doesn’t fire the first shot. Does he see what she was reacting too? Ashton says, he was at a point where he didn’t know how to handle it. Rhylee asks if it wasn’t the first day when he said he was done with her. It’s not what she wanted the outcome to be. A viewer asks why Rhylee felt she had the right to feel righteous, when she defended herself aggressively, which just made matters worse. Rhylee says she didn’t come in combative; she was ready to work. She told Ashton that she thought he had amazing qualities to be a leader, but he had a grudge against her that leads into their working relationship. She didn’t think it was fair, and doesn’t condone the mistreatment of anyone.

Captain Lee returns, and Andy asks why he left. The captain apologizes, and says he felt overwhelmed. He didn’t think the conversation was going in a positive direction, and didn’t want to be part of a negative image. A viewer says they heard Captain Lee won’t work with Ashton again, but would he work with Rhylee. The captain says, it’s a good question. Unless some things have changed, probably not. Andy says there’s a question for the captain and Kate. Now that they see how Rhylee talked to Ashton, would they be okay with a crew member talking to them that way. Captain Lee says, no, and Kate says she wouldn’t love it, but thinks they were both wrong. A viewer asks why didn’t Ashton hold the other deckhands to the same standard as Rhylee, and Ashton says, in the beginning, he had a problem with Brian. We flash back to Ashton giving Brian a lecture. Ashton says, it’s interesting that never came up. He also had a discussion with Tanner about his attitude. Andy asks how Ashton’s buddy Ross managed Rhylee, and Ashton says Ross had as difficult a time as he did. Rhylee says she and Ross are friends, and that’s not the case. Ashton disagrees, and says, Ross felt frustrated. We flash back to Rhylee and Ross butting heads. Rhylee says Ashton wanted her fired, and Andy asks if Rhylee got along better with Ross. She says, 100%.

Andy says the men talked about the areas they need growth in, and asks if the women discovered anything about themselves. Kate says she’d like to be more patient. She understands it’s busy and stressful, but they’re members of a team, and she wants to be more helpful. Rhylee says she knows she’s reactionary, and already said she wants to change that. What she needs to do is think before she reacts, and understand her own point that she wants to get across, instead of being explosive. Andy says there aren’t a lot of women of color in Simone’s position, and asks what she’s learned. Simone says she made it her mission to get into the industry. It was difficult, because people were looking to see how she conducted herself in situations where she should speak up. She didn’t want to be labeled as the angry Black woman. She’s learned if she’s upset about something, to speak directly to her supervisor. Kate says she did amazing, and Simone thanks her. Andy asks if Captain Lee would have done anything different this season, and Ashton says, fire him? The captain says, firing isn’t always the answer. He wishes he’s been privy to, and maybe if someone had come to him, saying it was a toxic situation, he would have intervened. He was shocked and appalled at what he saw unfold this season. He thought nothing they could do, could shock him, and that wasn’t true. Andy asks if it changed how he’ll interact with his crew in the future, and the captain says, absolutely; things will change.

Andy says Kate has a new life in New York, and she says, it’s exciting. Andy tells us, it’s been a dramatic season, and a dramatic reunion. He asks if they’re all going out together tonight as an integrated group, and Courtney says, probably not. Andy says, she doesn’t think her and Brian… and she tells him, don’t be silly. Brian says, blah-blah-blah. I get the feeling he still isn’t taking it well that she’s over him. She says she already told him that she’s not going to tolerate the way he spoke to her.

Andy thanks the entire crew for a fantastic season, and that’s it. Wow. They didn’t even get a shot. Not even a shotski. Let me just point out again, they’ve done seven seasons, and had two spin-offs, and don’t even get a big set for the Reunion. They cram into the clubhouse. And now no parting shot. It’s just not right.

🤹🏽‍♀️ In Summary…

Hope you enjoyed a day off. And if you didn’t get one, welcome to the club.