Tag Archives: pop culture

Jul23

July 22, 2024 – John Tells Jason That Sonny Has To Pay, Burn Book Of Laundry Crimes On Deck & Blues

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

At Bobbie’s, Danny asks how Jason made this happen, and Jason says he asked. Danny says, that hasn’t worked before, and Jason says, Danny’s mom just wants what’s best for him. Danny says, lately, what’s best has been staying away from Jason and taking his phone. Now they’re going on a speedboat trip. He wonders if they can camp out, and Jason says he promised to have Danny home by 10, but they’ll make it happen soon. Carly comes over to their table and says she hears Danny’s dad is taking him out on the boat. She’s having the kitchen whip up some sandwiches to take with them. John comes in and tells Jason, a word, but Jason says, John will have to wait. He has plans with his son. John says, not anymore. (Pretty early in the show for me wanting to punch him.)

Laura goes to see Anna, who says she always has time for the mayor. Laura says, it’s a personal matter, and Anna says she has even more time for a friend. Laura asks if Anna heard from Valentin today or last night, and Anna says, no. Why? Laura asks if she knows why the FBI would be looking for him.

Brook thanks Kristina and Blaze for meeting her at the boathouse. It’s the only place they won’t be interrupted. Blaze says, it has a great vibe, and Brook offers them coffee and herbal tea. Blaze says she needs coffee; she didn’t sleep much last night. Kristina says, Nina gave them a lot to think about. They asked her about how to deal with the press. Blaze says, so they don’t make things worse, and Brook says, that’s why they’re here today, to prepare for an interview with Perez Hilton. It’s their one chance to reverse backlash caused by Blaze’s mom’s homophobic comments. Just be themselves. They’re fabulous. Kristina asks if their questions were agreed to. They don’t want any curveballs. Brook says, after careful consideration, they said no

Scotty tells Ava that they need character witnesses. They need all the love they can get. Ava says she and Sonny both have shady pasts, but Sonny is still running his organization. He asks if she has proof that won’t get her killed, and she says she thinks the playing field is level, but he says, Sonny will dig up people who will canonize him and vilify her. What about Alexis?

Sonny thanks Michael for coming over, and Michael asks what it’s about. Sonny says he needs Michael’s help.

Laura says, an FBI agent paid her a visit and demanded to know Valentin and Charlotte’s whereabouts. It’s one thing for them to want Valentin, but Charlotte? They talk and text all the time… Anna says she hates that Laura is going through this, but Laura knows that she can’t divulge anything about an ongoing investigation, and she doesn’t have any answers. Laura says, Valentin and Charlotte’s phones are no longer in service, and Charlotte’s social media accounts have all been wiped out. They’re gone. She wants Anna to just tell her that she knows some way to get in touch with Valentin. Anna says she doesn’t, and Laura wonders what this could be about. She knows Valentin has been working at ELQ for the past few years. Why would he run unless the FBI uncovered something from his past? She was thinking Anna was going to tell her that it was a misunderstanding. She has a very bad feeling. Anna says she understands that, and Laura says she knows Anna and Valentin aren’t together, but can Anna tell her why the FBI is looking for him?

Ava says, no matter how much Sonny displeases Alexis, Alexis despises her, and Scotty says, what about Nina? Ava says, now that Nina knows she and Sonny are on the outs, she’s probably camped out in Sonny’s hallway pretending it’s a coincidence. He says he doesn’t want a roll call of exes who Ava hasn’t angered. She doesn’t have a lot of people in her corner. Ava says, Laura. She’s the mayor. He says, that’s as good as it gets, but it’s only one. She says, they’ll figure it out. She bets Sonny has fewer allies than she does.

Sonny asks if Michael wants coffee, but Michael says, Sonny doesn’t have to win him over. How can he help? Sonny says, he knows Ava is filing for full custody of Avery and she’s been going behind his back to everyone, including Kristina. Ava made Natalia’s recording public and now Kristina and Blaze are suffering because of it. Michael says he had no idea Ava was involved, but it doesn’t excuse what Natalia said. Sonny says, Natalia is making it right, but he doesn’t want Ava to be part of his daughter’s life. Michael says, Avery loves her mother, but Sonny says, she’d be better off without Ava influencing her. Michael says he’s glad Sonny kicked her out and wonders why she was living here in the first place. Sonny says, there was the break-in at Windymere and like Michael said, Avery loves her mother. He moved her in, but never again. Diane says, there’s an aspect of all of this they haven’t explored. Ava is adamantly voicing her concern about Sonny’s mental stability. If she could sabotage Morgan, imagine what she could do to Avery?

John tells Jason, send the boy home, but Carly says, Jason has spent enough away from his family. Let him spend the day with his son. Jason asks her to drive Danny home while he talks with this… agent, and tells Danny that he promises they’ll reschedule. He leaves with John, and Danny asks if Carly has any idea what this is about. Carly says, they both know his dad can take care of himself, right? and Danny nods.

Ava says, Trina. She’s seen firsthand how Ava makes Avery a priority. Scotty says, she’s an employee. It’s not their best look. She says, Trina is strong, honest, and immensely capable. Her character is sure to impress the judge. Scotty says, okay, but it’s only two, and she says she’s had it with his pessimism. He says, unless a member of her fan club knocks on the door, they’re in trouble, and she says, he’s fired. He suggests she hire Alexis, and wonders if a lawyer can testify against their own client. She says, he’s unfired, and he says he’s in her corner, but he just wants her to understand what she’s up against.

Michael wonders, if they bring up Ava tampering with Morgan’s meds, doesn’t it open the door to talk about Morgan and Sonny’s rocky relationship? and Diane says, yes, but the friction with Morgan was due to Ava’s relationship with him and the onset of his bipolar, which Ava did sabotage. Sonny says, the real question is, who is the better parent? He gave Michael a lot of love and a great home. Will he testify to that? Michael says he can swear on a stack of Bibles, but it’s ancient history. What’s not is his mom sending Morgan to military school to get him away from Sonny, and Morgan being hit by a ricocheting bullet meant for Sonny.

Kristina says she thought the interview would be fair, and Brook says, it will be. Kristina asks, then why won’t their questions be used? and Brook says, once a guest dictates the questions, it’s no longer an interview, but becomes a press release. He will and should ask the questions he wants to. Kristina says she gets the principle, but they have no control? Brook says, of course (🍷) they do, and Kristina asks about their request for certain subjects to be off limits. Brook says, like Kristina’s father and Blaze’s brother? and Kristina says, let her guess. They said no to that too. Brook says, they did, but what’s most important is for them to have the opportunity to tell their side of the story to the world. Blaze says, it’s too much to risk. They’re canceling the interview.  

Ava says, Sonny’s not invincible and she won’t let him take her child, and Scotty says, let him help her then. Does she have anyone in the contacts on her phone? She says, Agent Cates, and he says, Jagger? The FBI guy? Didn’t he question Ava at Selina Wu’s warehouse? Ava says, he wants to be supportive, and Scotty says, he’s law enforcement and has hate for Sonny. That’s good, but she’s only known him for 15 minutes and he thought she’d said Cates was having her followed. She says, because of her association with Sonny, but that’s over, and he found no evidence to incriminate her on anything. Scotty asks, other than hating Sonny, does John have any other reason to take her side? She says she hasn’t known him long, but maybe they have gotten closer.

Jason brings John to his room and asks, what’s so important that John pulled him away from his son? John says, they raided Valentin’s house and found no trace of him, and Jason says, his assignment was to find out who was running Pikeman and get evidence, and he did. Finding and arresting Valentin is on John. John says, Jason was stalling, but Jason says he was waiting until John finished talking. John says, he was here a half hour, and by the time they got to Valentin’s house, he’d vanished. He was tipped off. Jason asks if John thinks he did it, and John says, if it wasn’t Jason, who was it?

Anna says she doesn’t have a cordial working relationship with the FBI, and Laura says, what about Cates’ relationship with Robin? Anna says she and John haven’t seen eye to eye on pretty much anything since he’s been here. And given her closeness to Valentin, there’s no way the FBI would disclose anything to her. Laura says, makes sense. She’s sorry. She’s grasping at straws. This came out of nowhere. She was convinced Valentin had made the decision to provide a stable home for Charlotte and leave his old life behind. Anna says she thought that too, and Laura wonders how they can both be that wrong. She has to believe that if Valentin is with Charlotte, he’ll do everything in his power to keep her safe. Anna says, Valentin is trained in these situations. Not with a child, but they know Charlotte is resourceful. Laura says she knows. It’s just that for some reason all of her children are out of her reach, and now Charlotte is also missing. She cries, and Anna says she’s so sorry. Laura says, it’s okay. Will Anna let her know if she hears anything? Anna says, of course (🍷), but the way they left things, she doubts she’s going to hear from Valentin. Laura says, you never know, and thanks her. Anna says, of course (🍷). Anytime. Laura leaves and Anna sits down, wiping tears from her eyes.

Sonny says he thought that was in the past and asks if that means Michael won’t testify. Michael tells him that he’s not saying that, but they’re going bring up history. Diane agrees and says, they have to prepare. Sonny says, her too? and Michael tells Sonny that all he’s saying is, who’s to say that won’t happen to Avery now? Sonny asks if Michael doesn’t think he’s thought about it, and Diane says, this reaction is what she doesn’t want in court. Scotty will bring it up. Sonny wonders if Michael wants to take the stand to punish him, but Michael says he’s trying to help. Sonny says, like he helped Dex. Michael is only a good son when he wants something. When he doesn’t, he looks at Sonny like something he scraped off the bottom of his shoe.

Scotty says he’s got to ask, and Ava’s got to be honest. Is there something going on between her and Cates? She asks if he’s jealous, and he says, if Diane finds out… Ava says, don’t worry. They’re not involved. Not yet anyway. He asks her to promise they won’t get involved until after the hearing, and she says, so in addition to Cates… What about Dex? He used to work for Sonny and barely escaped. Sonny beat him within an inch of his life. Maybe he’d be willing to testify. Scotty says, she has no proof, and she says, Dex is almost a cop, and she has it on excellent authority that Kristina witnessed the beating. He asks if she thinks Kristina would testify against Sonny, and she tells him to subpoena her. It’s about time Sonny answered for his behavior. He asks, what about Josslyn? She thinks Sonny is public enemy number one. Ava says, she hates Sonny, but she’s her mother’s daughter. She’s an entitled brat who looks down her nose at Ava. He asks if she has a better idea, and she says, Carly, and he rubs his forehead like he has a headache.

Carly say she was hoping Cates confided in Anna, but Anna says, John is more likely to confide in Carly. Carly says she regrets any kindness she’s shown John and asks if Anna is going help. Anna says she can’t divulge any information she finds out, and Carly says, thanks for nothing. Anna says, tell her what this is about, and Carly says, Cates came for Jason this morning.

Jason asks why he’d warn Valentin, and John says, maybe Jason wants to sabotage his case and stick it to him. Jason says, and risk prolonging their deal. There’s no way he’s not done. John says, that would be true if they could find Valentin, but until they do, he has nothing to show for his assignment. Jason’s days as his informant are far from over. He’s putting Jason on a bus to Quantico, where he’ll receive a new ID as a federal prisoner. He’ll go to Lompoc Penitentiary, where he’ll be inserted into a drugs and arms trafficking outfit they believe is there. He leaves tonight.

Carly explains what happened at Bobbie’s, and Anna asks if John said anything to suggest he’s coming for Sonny. Carly says she thinks John is helping Ava with the custody hearing, but she also thinks it’s all one big excuse. Anna says, for what? and Carly says she thinks John is doing what he can to take Sonny down. Anna asks if that’s Carly’s theory or Jason’s, and Carly says, all she knows is, Jason was supposed to be done, when John barged in and started pushing Jason around again. If it’s not about Sonny, what the hell is going on?

Blaze says she’s sorry, but Kristina says, they can’t let her mother’s voice be the only one. They have to share their side. Brook says, that’s the idea, but Blaze says, it’s looking like a firing squad. Kristina says, let him ask questions about her dad and her pregnancy. He can try, but she can also say, they choose to keep that part of their lives private. Brook says, or Kristina could explain what it is. She’s having the baby for her sister because her sister can’t. People will swoon over that story. Kristina says, it’s not her story to tell and she’s not going public with the details of her sister’s health and fertility issues. Brook says, they wanted her advice, and she thinks they should take the risk and do this. Blaze says she knows it’s not true that they can’t make it worse, but Brook says, Perez has no private agenda. He just wants to the truth. They can’t get any better or broader exposure, and they don’t have to answer. Kristina says, it will look like they’re hiding, and Brook says, they could reframe the question and answer in a way that’s comfortable. For example, if they ask what it was like being a mob boss’s daughter growing up, Kristina can say, both of her parents encouraged her to be her best self, and she trusts they’ll continue to do that. Blaze says she likes that, and Kristina says, it’s a good idea, but she would never say that. Brook suggests she figure out what she would say and that they do a mock interview.

Michael says, Sonny asked him to come here and he put aside their bad blood, but now Sonny is attacking him. Sonny says he’s not attacking anyone, but Michael says, the only time he’s seen Sonny like this is when he’s off his meds. Sonny says he’s been taking them and asks if Michael wants to check his medicine cabinet. Michael says, maybe they’re not working anymore. Something is wrong. Sonny says, what’s not working is Michael sabotaging him to get back at him. Then he gets mad, and Michael says he’s crazy. Diane tries to intervene, but Michael says he’s done. Give him one reason to stay. Sonny has no idea how badly he wanted things to work out. Sonny says, he’s made a hell of an effort, and Michael tells Diane, this was a mistake. This isn’t the father he knew growing up. He walks out.

Brook tells them, heads up and make eye contact. Take their time. Here we go. When they first heard the recording, how did it feel? Kristina says, she had been out for some time, so these types of slurs and insults weren’t new. It’s part of the reason she started the Corinthos-Davis House, a non-profit for LGBTQ youth. The center has just been completed and they have amazing programs: counseling, job searches, health education, and referrals. Brook says, that’s amazing. What about Natalia’s comments? Kristina says, it was difficult when she first heard them. It felt like someone had ripped open a shower curtain. She wasn’t ashamed, but it was a massive intrusion. It’s hard to know her privacy was violated by someone she knows and trusted.

Anna suggests John might be trying to debrief Jason, and Carly says, about what? It’s more. She could tell. Anna says, John has been gunning for Sonny since he came to town. He’s resentful about having to protect Sonny when Sonny had a target on his back. Carly says, it’s clear how he feels, and Anna says, now Sonny has no target. Carly says, John thinks it’s his turn, and Anna says, it’s a likely explanation. Carly says, he’s wasting his time. There’s no way Jason is going to flip on Sonny.  

Jason says, the deal was for him to infiltrate Pikeman, ID their leadership, and provide proof. He gave John more than that, and if John can’t make a case, that’s his problem. John says, maybe he can, maybe he can’t, but one case is ironclad – The People vs Carly Spencer. If Jason’s not on that bus, Carly is going to Pentenville.

Scotty says, Ava is nuts. Why would she think Carly would testify against Sonny? Ava says, they’re just asking her to tell the truth, and he says, the opinion of an ex-wife isn’t exactly a slam dunk. Ava says, Carly also happens to be the mother of two of Sonny’s children, Donna and Morgan, but he says he wouldn’t bring up Morgan if he were her. She says, whatever happened, when Morgan was a child, Carly had to ship him off to military school to keep him safe from Sonny. He says he could dig up those records, but it’s ancient history, and she says she happens to know Carly won’t let Donna sleep over at Sonny’s because of his erratic behavior. She was there when Carly accused Sonny of not taking his meds. She even pushed her way into his bathroom to check because he was being so combative. He asks if Sonny is taking the meds, and she says, yes, for all the good it’s doing. She thinks their strongest witness will be Sonny himself. Scotty asks why she thinks that.

Anna says, whatever Carly is thinking of doing, don’t. Don’t confront Cates without any information on what really happened or what Jason intends to do. She understands the impulse, but she’s asking Carly to hold off. Let her find out what’s going on first. Carly apologizes and says she never should have involved Anna. This is between her and Jason, and they’ll fix it themselves. She leaves, and an obviously frustrated Anna makes a call.

Scotty asks what Ava is thinking, and she says, attorney/client privilege? He says, yes, as long as she’s not going to tell him that she’s going to commit a crime. She says she’s not doing anything. One of Sonny’s meds was replaced with a placebo. He says, not that again, but she says she didn’t do it. Not personally. But she figured it out. He asks who else would do it, and she says she doesn’t know, but she’s seen the results up close and it ain’t pretty. He says, so what she’s telling him is that she wants him to get Sonny on the stand and then push his buttons, and she says, he’ll blow like Vesuvius. They can prove to the court that Sonny is to volatile to have custody of Avery – ever.

Sonny says, when it comes to his family, that’s his business, and Diane says, absolutely. Now she’s speaking as his attorney. He was abusing a witness who came into his home at his invitation to help him. Sonny says, Michael turned on him, but Diane says, he was trying to help. Sonny just refused to listen. He’s behaving more erratically, aggressively, and more self-defeating than she’s ever seen, and she’s seen a lot. If he can’t get a grip on what’s got him, there’s no way she’ll be able to convince a family court judge that he’s a responsible, loving, dependable parent to any child, certainly not his own.

John says he has a bus ticket and Jason’s detailed assignment. Read it and destroy it. He knows the drill. Jason says he’s not going, and John says, if Jason is going to stay in Port Charles, Jason has to get him enough evidence to arrest and convict Sonny. Jason says, what if he doesn’t have it? and John asks why he’s still protecting Sonny. Sonny has left a trail of broken lives in his wake, starting with John’s wife and brother. Sonny has to pay! John is unhinged and literally panting, and Jason just stands there. Jason says, Sonny has been wrong about a lot of things,  but there’s one thing he’s right about and that’s John. Pikeman was just an excuse to come to Port Charles and take Sonny down. John says, Jason knows where the bodies are buried, enough to put Sonny away until the end of time. So either give it to him or get on that bus. 

Tomorrow, Jason asks Anna to give him the same consideration she gave Valentin; Carly tells Sonny that John wants to take him down; and John tells Ava that if she wants his help, she has to help him first.

Below Deck Mediterranean

🐈every time one is seen lounging around Greece.

First day of charter. Captain Sandy is boxed in, with six inches between the ground line, the dock, and the other boats, and the wildfires are getting closer. All the lines are freed, and the captain tells Joe to take a line, but he says, it’s stuck under the fender. Nathan says, a wee tender is passing next to them, but as soon as it passes, he says, they have a small RIB off the bow. Somehow, the captain gets out, and Iain says, that’s precision driving. The guests cheer, and the captain says, that was intense. Undocking can be challenging, but Nathan is her bow guy now. In Joe’s interview, he says, fake it before you make it. He has to prove himself to the captain. Aesha sings about how she’s going to wet her pants and has no time to go to the bathroom. In Bri’s interview, she says she’s been writing things down, and we flash back to Ellie suggesting a notebook for the laundry. Bri says, the last thing she wants to do is mess up something else.

The yacht heads for Hydra, and Aesha tells the guests that they’re going exploring. Nathan tells Gael that he feels sh*tty for Joe. They can work as a team, so he learns on the job. Joe has been thrown off the bow and Nathan knows he’s feeling hurt, and his ego is bruised. In Nathan’s interview, he says, Gael is in her head, but he doesn’t blame her. He finds her attractive and enjoys her company, but he wants to be respectful and give her the space she needs. A few of the guests do The Worm in the main salon, and 1980 calls. They drop anchor, and the jet skis and wave runners are put out. The captain asks Bri to pop into her cabin, and Joe dives off the side of the boat to help with the equipment. Captain Sandy shows Bri a greyish pair of pants against a white pair and says she doesn’t know what happened, but this must have been put in with the darks. It’s not white. Aesha tells Bri, even with a color catcher, don’t put the light and dark clothing together, and Bri promises not to. In Aesha’s interview, she says, Bri started off badly, then had one good charter. We flash back to both, and Aesha says, ever since, it’s gone downhill. So far, there have been no fights, so that’s got to be a sign of improvement. But there’s not a chance she can rest easy. She’s been full-on and she has to figure out how to change this. Since there isn’t much to do upstairs, Aesha sends Ellie to help with the laundry, but when Bri finds her there, she says she’s got the washing. Ellie says, she’s just doing a job. Aesha told her to help, since there’s nothing to do upstairs. Stop chasing her out. In Bri’s interview, she says, she thinks Ellie wants her off the boat. She feels paranoid. (She really isn’t too bright, is she?) She’s organized the laundry into messy piles, but she knows where everything is. Ellie messes up her messy piles. Dude, it’s not your desk at home. It’s the superyacht laundry. The guests head back inside, and Aesha calls Bri to the bar. She tells Bri to go on a break, and meanwhile, Ellie is in the laundry and sees the Bri’s notebook. In Ellie’s interview, she says, Bri seems to be writing a list of laundry crimes, mistakes she’s found in the laundry. She’s just finding her own mistakes and blaming them on her. What the f*** is going on here?

The captain tells the deckhands to take in the anchor and calls Joe to the bridge. In Joe’s interview, he wonders what he’s done now, but Captain Sandy asks him to take the wheel while she goes to get coffee. She says she trusts him. In her interview, she says, she supports Joe. She’s not demoting him. He just needs more experience. He knows how to do it, but not how to do it under pressure. She put him at the helm to give him confidence. In Joe’s interview, he says, the captain is still giving him responsibility and it makes him feel at ease. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, all they have are rocks, so she’s using two anchors. It will be difficult, but she has confidence that it should be a smooth operation. Jono wraps stuff in grape leaves, and in his interview, he says he loves Greek food. He’s not experienced in it, but his BFF is from Athens, and her grandma is a master chef. He calls friend Penelope to get instructions, and says, one more setback and he might lose his job. He has no room for error. I pick up on the use of leeks instead of onions and wonder if the Greek restaurant in the strip mall near here is still open. Bri calls her best friend to complain about Ellie, and Captain Sandy says she’s going to back in like a mofo. She’s backing into rocks, and in Nathan’s interview, he says, keeping them in position is an easy thing to do, but a lot of people make it complicated.

Iain gets confused and says, there are no guys to catch the heavy lines at the dock, when there are clearly two guys there. 🐈 In the captain’s interview, she says, sometimes Iain doesn’t look before he speaks. Pay attention. Be aware. Aesha asks Ellie if she’d be comfortable doing lunch service. They need the table set by two. In Aesha’s interview, she says, they’re halfway through the charter season and she can’t keep doing everything. We flash back, and she says, maybe it’s her, and she has too tight of a leash on them. Sometimes you have to throw someone in the middle of the ocean and see if they sink or swim. In Ellie’s interview, she says she’s never done lunch service before, but her energy isn’t matching with Bri’s. She’s not going to be mean. It is what it is and she has to deal with it. In Gael’s interview, she says she knows Iain is going to brag about how he can climb rocks, but it’s not going to be as easy for the guests as he thinks. He’s tiptoeing around Captain Sandy. Just make it safe. Even though she’s on break, Aesha listens to the stews over the radio, and Ellie asks Bri to help fetch various things. She’s extra polite, and in Bri’s interview, she says, Ellie looks good, but it feels fake. In Gael’s interview, she says she’s anxious regarding her relationship and doesn’t want to let it affect her work. She could use a win this charter. Iain tells her, good job, and the captain says, nice work. In Aesha’s interview, she says, this is why she doesn’t take breaks. The person left in charge doesn’t know where things are. She tells Jono that Ellie is running service and she’s nervous. She wants to check. 🐈 She sees the table isn’t set up and it’s ten minutes until dinner. Ellie says, they were making cocktails, and Aesha says she’s coming back from her break. Start setting the table. In her interview, Aesha says she’s learned her lesson. They’re not ready.

In Ellie’s interview, she says, Aesha isn’t giving them a chance. She’s taking it away and it crushes her soul a little bit. Five more minutes, and they would have had it more under control. She’s lost her pho and has no confidence. Aesha tells Bri that the bar is a mess and the table’s not set. They’re not on top of it. In Bri’s interview, she says, if she was Aesha, she wouldn’t trust her and Ellie. Platters of food porn come out, and a guest says she didn’t know shrimp came that big. Bri says, they’re king prawns, and the guest says, if you live in a fancy place, they’re prawns, but if you live in a not so fancy place, they’re shrimp. Truth! Aesha tells Jono, the guests really, really like lunch, and Bri takes a plate to the captain. Gael gets a text from her boyfriend, saying, in spite of anything, he loves and misses her. She texts back that she misses him too. She knows he’s got to focus on his exams, so they’ll talk soon. In Gael’s interview, she says she has a strong connection with Nathan, but at the same time, she definitely has a lot of guilt. She doesn’t want to do that to her boyfriend. She’s a people pleaser and hates to disappoint others. The last thing she wants to do is hurt him more.

The next morning, Aesha says, the guests are leaving the boat at 10 and she’s going with them. I can’t say I blame her. The women guests twerk, as the men chant, Myrtle Beach. They do know they’re in Greece, right? lain helps them over the rocks to the shore, and says, two at a time to keep them safe. One woman wants to take a picture, or her parents will never believe she did this. 🐈 It’s a sweet, quaint, colorful city, and in Aesha’s interview, she says, Hydra is gorgeous. She loves exploring, by foot or donkey. She sometimes wishes she was a donkey on the island so she could poop on the street. I nearly die laughing. Captain Sandy calls her wife Leah, and says she misses her. Leah says, ditto. She took Little Bear for a walk, and Little Bear misses the captain too. Captain Sandy asks if Leah is excited about coming, and we see she’s due to arrive in three weeks. In the captain’s interview, she says she and Leah have been together five years and they’re in love. She moved to Colorado where there’s no water. She would follow Leah to the desert, but would ask if they could please live near the ocean. She tells Leah, it’s one of those days where everything is crazy. One of the guests asks how old the city is, and Aesha says, it was built quite some time ago, showing her vast historical knowledge. 🐈 They see a store named Carolina, which is weird since they’re from Charleston. In that eerie small world way, it turns out the owner is also from North Carolina. In the crew mess, Joe tells Nathan that he dreamed about Bri. She was wearing an old school retainer, and he woke up in an utter panic. Bri walks through and tells him to enjoy the rest of his evening. She doubts she’s going to see him. In Bri’s interview, she says, actually, she’s never been in a weird work love triangle. It’s affecting her work, but she feels chemistry,

The guests come back, and Ellie says, they’re preparing for the sequined dinner. A guest says, it’s time to get ready for sparkle night, and Ellie says, the primary wants Joe to perform. If Gael wants, she can perform with him. She asks if Joe is up for a performance. 🐈 Aesha tells the stews that the décor looks great. Disco balls hang from the ceiling. In Ellie’s interview, she says she’s warming up to Joe. Bri’s feelings aren’t bothering her, and she’s personally looking forward to spending more time with Riz as she calls him. It’s short for charisma. Jono asks how things are going with Gael and her boyfriend, and Gael says, they haven’t spoken much, but she thinks they’re all right. Then she amends that to, they’re good. In Jono’s interview, he says he wants to wow the guests with beautiful food. It’s just as important plating as how it tastes. He’s made grilled lobster with cauliflower rice and he’s taking just as much time digging into his plating skills, so it looks as beautiful as it tastes. Aesha says she appreciates Ellie being a professional, and Ellie says she’s checked out of the drama. This morning when Aesha sent her to the laundry, she started folding and Bri came in and told her to leave. She told Bri that she was there now and just here to help. Bri literally stormed out. It was disrespectful. Aesha says, Bri loses her place if someone else comes in, but it can’t be only hers. If there’s free time, Ellie should help. Ellie says, Bri started writing a laundry crime list. Gael’s clothes were found in the washer, there was no color catcher in with the clothes… In Aesha’s interview, she says, this is what she has to deal with now. She feels like a good chief stew needs to listen and assess both sides before making a decision. Ellie says she’s not getting involved or Bri will twist it like it’s her causing the problems. It’s just too much.

Aesha says, it doesn’t happen in front of her, but thanks for letting her know. Kacie sees the sparkle décor and says she’s going to cry. Guest Ashley says, it’s sparkle night, baby, and Joe puts on a sparkly top, wondering if this is really his job. In Gael’s interview, she says she thought she was going to pursue dance until she tore her ACL when she was 16. Desert is a poached pear with berries, and Jono puts edible gold leaf on the pear. In his interview, he says, a poached pear is simple, and to add value to the desert, he’s incorporating gold leaf. Timeless extravaganza. On of the guests says, they’re having a sparkle party today and tomorrow, and Aesha suggests they take a picture. When she does a big one, she likes to show Scott. In Aesha’s interview, she says, he tells her that she doesn’t need to send him that, and she tells the guests that he doesn’t like it, but she does it anyway. She’s such a dude. Bri tells Aesha that she’s done with the cabins, and Aesha says she can knock off. Aesha tells the guests that they have a big surprise, and Joe and Gael enter all sparkled up. In Joe’s interview, he says, it’s going on. He’s got to perform, baby. They dance and they’re actually pretty good. The guests cheer and Aesha says, they killed it. They were so good. Joe and Gael high-five, and he says, well done. He goes to his cabin and tells Nathan that he can’t wait to have nightmares. Aesha goes to the laundry and flips through the notebook. In her interview, she wonders why Bri is writing this down. It looks like a book of receipts. What is this, a burn book? She can’t tell if Bri is stirring the pot or Ellie is. She takes something out of the dryer and wonders why it’s in there. In her interview, she says she sees cashmere in the dryer and a burn book. It’s time to involve Captain Sandy. She can’t handle this.

Next time, the primary is a branding expert and the guests look difficult; Ellie tells Bri that second stew outranks her; and Captain Sandy says, if Ellie and Bri can’t work together, she’ll have to let go of them both.

🔮 Formerly Known As…

Join me tomorrow for soap, what I’ve been watching, and perhaps some Dubai talk. Until then, stay safe, stay taking it easy with the fireworks (every day doesn’t have to be 4th of July), and stay not abusing a witness who’s trying to help you.

Jul20

July 19, 2024 – Lulu Has Visitors, Wave Hill, She’s a Legend, Previewing Dubai, Considering It, He’s the Worst, Arrested Mom, New Dance, Almost Here, Fur ‘N’ Fins, Just Over 8 Quotes & Time

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Carly says she would have lost her mind if she’d seen Jason jump from the footbridge, and he says, then it’s a good thing she wasn’t here. She says, nothing’s better than having him back home. Did she tell him how grateful she is? He says, yeah, and she says, two and a half years for her. She’s never going to be able to repay him for that. He says, there’s no debt, and she says, he gave up his freedom so she could have hers, but he says, no debt. Not ever. Not between them.

Tracy says, no, and we see James standing in the stable doorway. Cody asks what he’s doing here. It’s a little late for him to be out, isn’t it? James says, Grandpa Mac says he can’t take riding lessons from Cody anymore. Mac says he has to go to Two Trees Ranch now. Cody says he’s heard good things about that place, but James says he hates it there. Cody asks if he’s even been, and James says, no. Tracy says, let her ask the obvious question, where’s his mother? James says, at home, and Tracy asks, where’s Spinelli? James says, home too, and she asks how he got here. James says he took a Ride Share.

Josslyn meets Trina at the pool and says, it’s so good to get out of her uniform. Trina says she bets. Is Josslyn ready to head out? Josslyn says, in a minute, and sets her bag down. She has something for Trina. She’s been meaning to give it to her for the last few days. She found it when they were moving. Trina asks, what is it? and after digging in her bag, Josslyn says, it’s this little bird guy. She shows Trina the dove Spencer gave to her, and Trina takes it and says, it’s a turtle dove. Josslyn says she guesses she has to brush up on her ornithology. She can’t believe she knows that word. (I can’t believe I spelled it right on the first try.) She asks if Trina is all right.

Laura sits at Lulu’s bedside and says, her kids are doing beautifully. Charlotte is the happiest she’s seen her in months. She’s just gallivanting all over the globe. And Rocco continues to school her in video games – his words. She laughs and says, little does he know she lets him win half the time. But they’re growing up, and fast. And beautifully. She thinks Lulu would be really proud of the people they’re becoming. As for her – she massages Lulu’s hand – she’s really been missing Lulu a lot lately. She could really use Lulu as a sounding board. She’s got so much going on in her life, she’s got a lot of reasons to need her sweet, thoughtful, receptive daughter. Dante stands in the doorway, and Laura says, sweet girl. That’s got to feel better, doesn’t it?

Cody says, what does James mean, he ordered a Ride Share? He doesn’t even have a phone. He says, Georgie does, and Tracy says, the benefit of having an older sibling. Cody says, or the curse. Georgie ordered a car for him? James says, no. He stole her phone and got one himself. Tracy tries not to laugh, and Cody asks how James physically got out of his house without his mom or Spinelli knowing. James says he climbed out the window, and Cody says, from his bedroom? Tracy says, tell her it’s a one-story house, and Cody says, it is. James says, but it would be cool if it wasn’t, and Cody says, James knows he’s going to have to call his mom, and she’s probably not going to be happy. Tracy says, probably? and James says he’s not happy either. He wants to take riding lessons with Cody, not some stupid ranch. Cody says he knows, and James asks if he did something wrong. Was it too annoying having him here? Cody says, no, not at all. He loves every minute he gets to spend with James. James says, then why? and Cody says he wishes he could answer that, but where James rides and who he rides with isn’t up to him, as much as he wishes it was.

Carly says she just can’t get over Jason doing this for her, and he says, she’s going to have to try. Please. She says, he sacrificed everything, relationships with everyone, and he says he’d do it again. She says, he means that, and he says he does. Because the alternative would have been her paying the price for something she never would have been involved with if it wasn’t for him and Sonny. She asks if he’s saying she’s not cut out for gangster life, and he says, she’s a lot of things – she says, careful – but mob boss should not be one of them. She says she missed him so much, and he says he missed her too, and takes her hand. She says, now they don’t have to anymore.

Josslyn says, that was a gift from Spencer, wasn’t it? (why doesn’t she know this?) and Trina says, it was a set of two. He has… He had the other one. Josslyn says, Trina never told her, and Trina says, it was just their little thing. She just doesn’t understand why. Josslyn says, why what? and Trina says, why it’s still like this. Why it’s still so hard. Why Josslyn giving her a figurine is so upsetting. Josslyn says, because she’s still grieving, and Trina says, but when does it end? Josslyn says, it doesn’t, and Trina says, good pep talk. Thanks. Josslyn says, it’s true. Grief is a ride that you don’t get off of, but the ride morphs. It can change and eventually, it’s not going to be so painful. It can even be beautiful. Trina says she just wants to get there so badly, and Josslyn says, she will.

Dante knocks at the door, and Laura wipes her tears away. He says he can come back, but she says, don’t be silly, and hugs him. He goes over to Lulu and smooths her hair, saying, hey, you. Laura says she was just catching Lulu up about Charlotte and Rocco, and he asks if there were any Ace stories in there. She says, they didn’t get there yet, and he asks how Ace is doing. She says, he’s good. He’s meeting all his milestones, and she thinks he’s settling into life with her and Doc really well. Dante says, he should. He kind of won the lottery with them. She says she doesn’t know about that. They were pretty rusty, but they’re finding their way now. He says he didn’t get a chance to tell her how incredible he thinks what she’s doing is, being a mother to her grandson. She says, it’s not exactly what she saw for herself at this stage, and he says he bets not. She says she loves Ace and he’s family. She’ll take care of him as long as she’s able. He says, it sounds like it’s a no-brainer for her. He doesn’t know if it would be for everyone. She says she doesn’t know about that, but he says he does. She says, who knows? Maybe Lulu will wake up just in time to meet her newest nephew. He says he prays for that every day, and takes Lulu’s hand.

At the stable, Maxie says she can’t believe James snuck out of the house, and James says, she’s the one who took out the screens from the windows. Spinelli says, that was in case of a fire or another emergency, and James says, this was an emergency. Maxie says, seeing Cody was an emergency, and James nods. She says, he cannot, A, leave their house alone without telling anyone; B, steal his sister’s cellphone; C, use it to order a Ride Share. She’s sure there must be a D. Spinelli says, exiting their home via the windows, and Maxie says, there you go. Tracy and Cody must think they’re the worst parents. Cody says he doesn’t think that, and Maxie says, Tracy can refrain from answering that. Tracy says she’s headed back to the house, and Maxie says, speaking of, does she hang out at the stables often? Tracy says, goodnight, and leaves. Maxie says, now that they have the answer to how, let’s focus on why. Why was it so important for James to see Cody tonight? James looks at Cody, who says, it’s okay, buddy. Just tell his mom what he told him. James says, Grandpa Mac says he can’t do riding lessons here anymore, and Cody says he’ll abide by whatever the family says, but he needs James to know the decision isn’t coming from him. He loves teaching James. Maxie says she knows he does, and tells James that nobody loves Grandpa Mac more than she does, but he’s not in charge of where James takes riding lessons. James says he is? but Maxie says, no. She is. James asks if he can keep on taking them here, and Maxie says, that’s a conversation for another day. That is unless she’s decided he’s grounded for life. Spinelli says, then said conversation would be moot, and James asks what moot means. Spinelli says he’ll explain it on the way to the car, and guides James out, patting Cody’s shoulder as he passes. Maxie thanks Cody for calling her. She doesn’t even want to imagine the heart attack she would have had if she went to check on him in his room and his bed was empty. He says he’s glad they avoided that scenario, and she says her too. And she’s glad he’s still here. He says, a promise is a promise, and she says, make sure he keeps it, and leaves.

Trina tells Josslyn that she asked Spencer why he wanted her to have turtle doves. He said, because every time she saw them, she would be reminded of him. So she told him that she was keeping one and gave the other one to him for the same reason, because she wanted him to know she was always thinking of him. Josslyn says, that’s because they’re a pair, a perfect match, and Trina says, yeah, a perfect match. Josslyn sits next to Trina and puts her arms around her.

Laura asks, how are the kids? and Dante says, they’re good. Busy. Everyone’s busy, right? Scout was just saying she wanted to have a visit with Ace. She says she’s sure Ace would like that, and he says, she’s really into this babysitting thing. Not that she’s old enough to be left alone with the kids, but she’s really good at entertaining little kids. Laura says, then she’d be welcome any time, and they laugh. He says, it must be cool having a little one running around the house again, and she says, it’s exhausting. But it’s more fun than she could have imagined really. (I identify, having recently got a new puppy.) He says, it probably gives her an excuse to throw one of her kitchen floor country music tea parties, huh? and she says, he knows about that? He says, Lulu told him all about it. It was one of her favorite things as a kid, coming home from school and seeing everything set up, and Laura says she forgot about that. He tells her that Lulu always said she was the best, most creative mom, and Laura says, she made it easy. He says, now Ace gets to experience that, right? and she says she hasn’t thrown a tea party for him. Who knows? Maybe she should. He says he does have one question though. Why the kitchen floor? She says, easy clean up, and he says, it all makes sense why Lulu is such a great mom. She takes after her own.

Carly asks if Jason has decided how he’s going to get through to Sonny, but he says he’s not sure. Up until now, he hasn’t been able to tell Sonny anything. It just makes him angrier. She says, which is completely unfair, and he says, not completely, but she says, yes, it is. She gets that Sonny wanted answers – they all did – but the fact that Sonny refused to give him the tiniest benefit of the doubt after all Jason’s done for him… Jason says, it wasn’t like him, and she says, nothing Sonny’s been doing lately is like him, but this is good, right? Jason gets to explain everything to him. Where he’s been, what he’s been doing, and why he’s been doing it. Jason says, you know what’s funny about this whole thing? and she says she doesn’t think anything is funny about it. He says, all this talk about transparency and him being able to tell Sonny the truth… It’s going to come down to two words. She says, John Cates. Thank God he’s not going to be a problem anymore. Jason says, John may not be his problem, but he’s Sonny’s.

Maxie and Spinelli bring James home, and Georgie says, what took them so long? And why does James have to be such a brat? Maxie thanks her for staying here in case Bailey Lou woke up. She didn’t wake up, did she? Georgie says, no, and Maxie says, great. And don’t talk to her brother like that. Spinelli says, that tone is reserved for them, and gently pushes James toward Georgie. Georgie says, steal her phone again and he’ll be sorry, and Maxie asks what she just said. Georgie says, it slipped out, and James says he still doesn’t get why everybody is so mad. Maxie says, because it’s not safe to go out alone and get in a stranger’s car, but James says, she uses Ride Shares all the time. Maxie says she’s a grown-up, and Spinelli says, please tell them that he knows what he did was wrong. Maxie says, and that he will never ever do that again. James says he knows, and he won’t, and he’s sorry. She thanks him, and he asks if he’s grounded, but she says, undecided. Georgie says, if she did that, she’d never see the outside world again, and James says, okay, but he really did need to talk to Cody. Georgie says, about riding lessons? and he says, it’s more than that. He thought Cody might tell him the truth. Maxie says, about what? and James says, something weird’s going on, but nobody’s saying. He can tell. Spinelli says, smart boy, and Maxie says, you know what? James is right.

Sasha says she came as soon as she got Cody’s text. What’s wrong? He says, everything.

Tracy walks into the nook to find Gio eating a sandwich. She says she thought Sasha was done for the night, and he says, she is. He made this. She says, really? He just made himself at home in the kitchen. He asks if that’s a problem, and she says she doesn’t know. Did he make a mess? He says he always cleans up after himself. The kitchen’s spotless. She says, it better be, and he asks if she’s hungry. He can make her one too. She says, no. She already had her dinner. He says, so did he, but that was over an hour ago, and she laughs. She says, he must be ravenous. No sandwich, but a cup of tea sounds good. He says, she should have chamomile. It will help her sleep. She says, thanks for the tip, and he says, she’s welcome. She makes her tea and says, he would be smart to be afraid of her. It is her house after all. He says he thought it was Monica’s house, and she throws up her hands. He says, didn’t Tracy’s brother Alan give it to her? and Tracy smiles.

Dante says, Rocco told him how wonderful Laura was with him when he was in the hospital. She was a real comfort to him. She says, he was trying to be strong for Scout. It was so sweet, but he was terrified. Why wouldn’t he be? He says, Rocco told him that she went to the Quartermaines and sat with him and stayed with him. She asks if he told Dante about the video games, and Dante says, he certainly did, about a thousand times. He was very appreciative. As is he. She says, honestly, Rocco is a very special kid. He’s very perceptive and very sensitive. Dante says, thankfully, he doesn’t have that flying off the handle Falconari gene, and she says, or the brash Spencer gene. He’s quiet, she thinks, and treads lightly. He clearly thinks and feels things really deeply. He says, you know who Rocco reminds him of? Her.

Maxie tells James, when Grandpa Mac came home, something happened that upset him. It’s not a secret, but it’s private. Georgie says, that clears things up… Sorry. James asks if Grandpa Mac is mad at him, but Maxie says, no, not at all. Sometimes when people are upset, they don’t want to talk about it. Spinelli says, or they don’t know how to, and Georgie says, Grandpa Mac isn’t sick like Violet’s grandpa was, right? Maxie says, no. Grandpa Mac is fine. He’s just going through something and the best thing they can do is be patient. Georgie says she’s headed to bed, and Spinelli says, sweet dreams. She leaves, and Maxie says, it’s time for James to go to bed too – again. Spinelli says, and stay there this time, and James says, but it doesn’t make sense. What does any of this have to do with his riding lessons? Spinelli says, he can still take his riding lessons. They just might be in a different location. James says, but he wants to do his lessons with Cody. He’s the best. Maxie says she knows. They just have to take a break from the Quartermaine stables for a little bit. James says, until when? Until he’s back in school, the summer’s over, and it gets dark before 5 o’clock? Spinelli says, the timing isn’t ideal, and Maxie says, they know he’s disappointed. Spinelli says, James must be very confused, and James says, very. Maxie says, just give her a little bit and she’ll figure it out, okay? and James says, this stinks. He walks to his room, and Maxie tells Spinelli, yet another thing he’s right about.

Sasha says, James really ordered a Ride Share and came here by himself, and Cody says, he sure did. She says, Maxie must have been so freaked out, and he says, she definitely wasn’t pleased, but luckily, he called her before she realized James was missing. Sasha says, but why? What did James need to see him about? He says, apparently, Mac told him that he couldn’t take riding lessons here anymore. So James was obviously upset, but he’d thought he did something wrong. It killed him. It’s one thing for Mac to take his anger out on him, but to drag James into all of this? Although he can’t really blame Mac. If he was Mac, he wouldn’t want his grandson hanging around him either. But James keeps borrowing this hat. He picks up a black cowboy hat and says, it’s way too big for him. It keeps falling down over his face, covering his eyes; he’s riding blind. But James keeps insisting it’s perfect. She says, because it’s Cody’s, and he says, yeah. He just loves that kid. James is like family to him. She says, James is his family. He’s Maxie’s son, he’s Mac’s grandson, which makes him Cody’s nephew. Cody says, and now James is hurting and it’s totally his fault.

Josslyn asks if anyone knows what happened to Spencer’s turtle dove. Did anyone find it in his things? Trina says, when they were in Paris, he saw that she brought hers and showed her that he brought his too, and Josslyn says, that is beyond sweet. Trina says, he pulled it out of his pocket and told her that he brings it everywhere. Josslyn says, you know how people are always telling you that grief is bittersweet? and Trina says she’s heard that more than once. Josslyn says, Spencer being gone, that’s the bitter part, but he’s also still with Trina, and Trina says, that’s the sweet.

Jason tells Carly, Cates is fixated on Sonny. Cates came to his room, pressuring him for information. She says, about Sonny? and he says, there was nothing about Pikeman at all. It was all about taking Sonny down, and now Cates is using Ava. He thinks she’s Sonny’s next victim and wants to help her keep custody of Avery. Carly says, this is a problem, and he says he knows it is. She says, Cates has already proved he’s like a dog with a bone. If Sonny… He says, that’s why he has to get Sonny to let him back in, so they can figure this out together.

Dante says, Rocco wanted to visit, but his buddy Charlie got tickets to the Woodchucks game, and Laura says, just as well he’s there and not here. He says, is it? and she says she thinks so. It’s hard enough for him to see his mother like this. Dante wouldn’t want him to miss something fun because of it. He says he guesses so, and she asks how often Rocco visits. He says, often enough he guesses, whatever that means, and she says, it means whatever he needs it to mean. He says he doesn’t know what Rocco needs anymore. This just gets harder and harder. She says, for Rocco? and he says, yeah. He just knows his mother being in this bed than he does of her being out of it. He wants Rocco to know Lulu like he does. Strong and funny and energetic. He tells Rocco stories about her all the time, but it feels like he’s talking about some long, lost relative, not his mom. She says she gets that. She doesn’t like that for him either. He says, it gets to the point where, by Rocco coming to see her, he’s doing more harm than good.

Trina says, sometimes she feels so guilty, and Josslyn asks, why? Trina says, because of course (🍷) she loves and misses Spencer, but there are times she’s so mad at him. Josslyn says, for leaving her, and Trina says, he told her that he’d never do that to her. That whatever happened, they’d face it together. Now he’s gone and she’s alone. Josslyn says, she is not… and Trina says, Josslyn knows what she means. She just feels like Spencer lied to her and she knows that sounds insane. Josslyn says, she’s not insane, and Trina says, really? She’s mad at her dead boyfriend. Josslyn says, does she know what Spencer would say? You should be mad at me. I’m an idiot. Trina laughs and says, he would say that, wouldn’t he? (Yes, and he’d be right. I don’t really miss Spencer, and I’m all for Trio.)

Gio suggests Tracy join him, at least while she’s having her tea. She says, all right, and sits down. How’s his sandwich? Besides large. He says, delicious. All that’s missing are the amazing roasted red peppers he used to get on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. She says she thought he was a Brooklyn boy, and he says, through and through, but he went to college in the Bronx. She asks, where? and he says, Fordham University. She says, that’s a good school, and he says he loved it. She asks why he transferred to PCU, and he says, the music program’s better and when they offered him a scholarship… She says, they made him an offer he couldn’t refuse, and he says he’s so happy he’s here, but he does miss the city. She rolls her eyes, and he says, what? She says, New Yorkers call New York City the city, as if there are no other cities around (she’s right, but the whole tri-state area does it), and he says, well, it’s the best one (he is also right). She says, since he’s from Bensonhurst, she’s going to assume Brooklyn is the best borough, and he says, it depends on what you’re looking for. She says, concert halls, and he says, Manhattan. Lincoln Center. She says, really? Better than Carnegie Hall? He says, for him personally, yeah, and she says, huh. Pizza. He says, that’s a tough one. Luigi’s in Brooklyn is hard to beat though. She says, sports stadium, and he says, Citi Field, hands down. She says, and with that goes baseball teams, and he says, the Mets (agreed). He doesn’t look good in pinstripes. She says, so they’ve covered four of the five boroughs. She knows nothing about Staten Island. She’s never gone there. He says, don’t worry. No one does. (Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I love this conversation.)

Carly says, it’s ironic, and Jason says, what is? She says, by isolating himself and pushing everyone who cares about him away, Sonny’s getting it from all sides. He put his trust in Ava. Shockingly, a bad move. Now he’s about to be consumed with a nasty custody battle. And Agent Cates is willing to use anything to take Sonny down. Jason says, what’s scary is, Cates has hated Sonny for a long time and he’s never had an opening before. Now he does.

Maxie asks if everyone is accounted for, and Spinelli says, accounted for and fast asleep. She hands him a glass of wine, and they clink glasses. She says she still can’t believe James climbed out his window, and Spinelli says, he was a man on a mission and wouldn’t be deterred. She says, that is a very generous and Spinelli way of looking at it, and he asks how she’s doing with all this. She says she’s frustrated… sad… happy… excited... Did she say frustrated? He says, she did, and she says she knows she and Cody don’t share DNA, but he’s family. He says he’s sure Mac will come around, and she says she knows he will. She just wishes he would speed up the process. Not just for himself, but for James too. He says, and for her? and she says she lost a sibling once already. She’s not going to lose another one. He says, she had no control over what happened to her sister, and she says she knows, but she has control over this. She at least has sway over Mac. Think of all the kajillion times he forgave her when she lied to him. He can forgive Cody for this one.

Sasha says, so Maxie shows up… Cody says, with Spinelli, and she says, and they collect James. Did he tell them why he came here? Cody says, he did, and she asks what Maxie said. He says, basically that while she loves Mac, it isn’t up to him to decide where James takes his riding lessons. She says, or with who, and he says, pretty much. She says, that’s good, and he says, how is any of this good? She says, Mac is angry, and he has every right to be, and he says, absolutely. She says, but it doesn’t sound like Maxie feels the same way. And James obviously still thinks Cody hung the moon or he wouldn’t have come here. He says, but it’s Mac’s opinion that matters, isn’t it? and she says, to an extent. He’s having the reaction he’s having. Don’t overreact in response. She really doesn’t think he’s about to be banished from James’s life. Maxie and James clearly have faith in him. And for the record, she does too.

Tracy says, okay, last one. Parks. Gio says, Central Park is amazing for sure, and she says, but he prefers Brooklyn Botanic Garden. He says he’s a bigger fan of the one in the Bronx actually, and she says, New York Botanical? He says, it was right next to Fordham, and he used to go all the time. It’s enormous. So much to offer. But if you’re looking for gardens specifically, Wave Hill is out of this world. She says, never heard of it, and he says, it’s in the Bronx actually, but it overlooks the Hudson River. The view is – he kisses his fingers – and it might be one of the most relaxing places in the city. Sorry. New York City. She laughs and says, there are beautiful gardens here. Her mother gifted them to Port Charles. He says, really. Maybe she could show him sometime. She says, maybe I can.

Trina thanks Josslyn for letting her talk about Spencer and just being patient and understanding. These feelings have her feeling completely confused. Josslyn says she remembers that well. She remembers feeling so all over the place, but they can talk about Spencer whenever Trina wants. She misses him too. A lot. Trina says she hopes she’s not making Josslyn feel like she can’t talk about Spencer. She knows she’s not the only who lost him. Josslyn says, Trina doesn’t make her feel like that at all. She hesitates sometimes to bring him up because she doesn’t know if it’s going to make Trina feel better or worse. Trina says, that changes by the hour, and Josslyn says, how about this? If she brings up Spencer and Trina doesn’t like it, just tell her to stop talking and she will. Trina says, deal, but today is not one of those days. Josslyn hugs her and says she loves Trina. Trina says she loves Josslyn more, but Josslyn says, not possible.

Dante says he sounds like a jerk, not wanting to bring his kid to see his mom, but Laura says, he doesn’t. He says, it feels pretty awful, and she says, of course (🍷) it does. It’s an awful situation, but he’s handling this with grace and strength, like he does everything. But she thinks the question he raised is actually quite important. He asks if she’s got any answers for him, but she says she doesn’t think she has answers. She could offer some advice though, if it’s welcome. He says he’ll take whatever he can get, and she says she thinks Rocco is at an age where he knows what feels right and what doesn’t. She thinks when it comes to visiting his mom, she would leave that decision up to him. Dante hugs her

Carly says, if Jason wasn’t here, she’d be going through this on her own. Watching Sonny spiral, worrying about him, worrying about her kids, and she wouldn’t have him to bounce things off of. They make a good team. He says, they always did, and she says, nobody wants to be in a situation like this, but if she has to be in one, she’s so, so grateful she’s in one with him. He says, him too, and they clink beer bottles.

On Monday, Laura asks Anna to please tell her that she knows some way to get in touch with Valentin; Carly asks if somebody is having John Cates go after Sonny; and John says, Jason’s days as his informant are far from over

🌊 Ride the Wave…

TBH, I’d never heard of it either, but now it’s on my radar. It looks gorgeous.

https://www.wavehill.org/

🍻 Quite a Pair…

Everyone should have a Tracy in their life. I love her character and Jane Elliot sounds wonderful to work with.

Exclusive: Josh Kelly (Cody) On GH Legend Jane Elliot (Tracy)

🐪 Camel Extra…

For whatever reason, I don’t mind these Housewives as much. Besides loud fights being frowned upon, it’s just fun to look at the richest of the rich places. RHOBH have nothing on these women.

RHODubai Season 2, Episode 8 Preview: Will Everyone Go on the Girls’ Trip?

🍑 Too Bad They Haven’t Asked…

Kenya’s character may be flawed, but is Kim really the one who should be pointing that out?

Kim Zolciak Would ‘Seriously Consider’ RHOA Return

🍸 Most Awful and Most Lowest IQ…

He should have done his due diligence? How about just reading the room. Seriously, are we being punked or is there a human being really this stupid?

https://people.com/tom-sandoval-drops-lawsuit-against-ariana-madix-8680565

Where do I sign?

Petition Launched to Ban Tom Sandoval From Bravo

🍹 Dancing In the Drunk…

Why does no one remember Uber when they’re drinking? Better yet, how about taking one there if you’re going to be drinking?

https://www.eonline.com/news/1405011/dance-moms-christi-lukasiak-arrested-for-dui

https://people.com/dance-moms-alum-christi-lukasiak-arrested-dui-charge-8678992

🩰 A New Set Of Moms…

This looks promising. The teacher seems kinder and gentler than Abby Lee, but a lot of dance teachers are kinda mean.

https://people.com/hulu-dance-moms-a-new-era-official-trailer-exclusive-8679808

🐺 Counting Down Now…

The final trailer, Easter eggs, a yellow suit that makes grown men weep, a joke, and of course, Dogpool.

https://comicbookmovie.com/deadpool/deadpool-wolverine/deadpool-wolverine-final-trailer-spoiler-breakdown-lady-deadpool-a-shock-return-and-some-big-easter-eggs-a212194

https://comicbookmovie.com/deadpool/deadpool-wolverine/deadpool-and-wolverine-get-serious-in-emotional-final-trailer-as-spoiler-makes-their-mcu-debut-a212193#gs.bv8le5

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/deadpool-wolverine-hugh-jackman-yellow-suit-b2582775.html

https://people.com/blake-lively-jokes-husband-ryan-reynolds-is-trying-to-get-me-pregnant-again-8677044

🐼 Bringing Joy To the World…

I saw pandas in person (or bearson as it were) years ago when they were here on loan. They are unbelievably cute and don’t look real.

https://people.com/san-diego-zoo-shares-first-video-of-its-2-new-pandas-from-china-8680830

🦈 Sharks get a bad rap. Fish are friends, not food.

https://people.com/shark-facts-for-shark-awareness-day-8677521

🐕 A little more Messi.

https://www.filmwendy.com/post/hollywood-s-top-dog-of-2024

🐦‍🔥 Quotes of the Week

If you just go with the flow, no matter what weird things happen along the way, you always end up exactly where you belong. – Tom Upton

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

A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work. – Colin Powell

Those boos were from the heart. – Terry Moran, Republican National Convention

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

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

Forever is composed of nows. – Emily Dickinson

Wrong turns are as important as right turns. More important, sometimes. – Richard Bach

You and I are like oil and vinegar. Oil and vinegar don’t mix. – John McManus, 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?

🧸 Gummi Bear’s Picnic…

Be adventurous this weekend, or at least switch up your streaming genre. Then join me on Monday for soap and troublemakers on Deck. Until then, stay safe; stay enjoying the great outdoors, even if it’s just your backyard; and stay not overreacting to someone else’s reaction.

Jul19

July 18, 2024 – Sonny Offers Brook a Deal, Happy Birthday, Jen Is a Deadbeat, Mystery Kiss, VanderMuddle, Yuck, DeadFlix, Driven By Fête & Candy

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Jason and Carly go to the footbridge, Jason carrying a six-pack (beer, not his abs), and Carly says she loves this place. He cracks open two beers and hands her one, and she says, now that everything is done, she feels like all of him is here with her. From now on, they’re not holding back and not keeping anything from one another. Jason says, until or unless something more important is in play. He doesn’t like lying, especially to her.

Tracy shows up at the stables and tells Cody that she saw the light on. He asks if she needs him to kill a bug or something… He’s assuming a big, giant, scary bug. She says, there’s no bug, but it’s good to know he’s available should one appear. She was wondering if he’d mind company. He says, if she doesn’t mind his company, but fair warning. Comet is asleep if she’d rather hang out with him. She says, wouldn’t anybody? and he says he’s getting used to it. She says she couldn’t sleep, and he says he was going to grab a beer. Does she want one? She says, beer me, and he says, coming right up.

Dex brings Chase some dinner at the station, and Chase asks what he’s doing today. Dex says, non-lethal weapons drills and taser practice, and Chase says, he’d be surprised how many people taser themselves. Dex is also about to go on a five second ride that consists of people hitting him with bats. It will be the longest five seconds of his life, and like his entire body is having the worst Charley horse ever. The good news is, he’ll fall down, but won’t lose consciousness. And don’t forget the rule of three: don’t go hungry, don’t get wet, and get home safe.  

Brook arrives at the penthouse and sees Natalia is there. She says she thought it would just be her and Sonny, and Sonny says he knows she has issues with Natalia. Brook says she has nothing to say about Natalia, but a lot to say about Blaze’s career. She’s assuming the reason she’s here is to make a plan to salvage it. Blaze’s career might be over because of Natalia’s idiotic words, so spare her Natalia’s childhood woes and let’s get to work.

Kristina knocks at Nina’s office door and asks if she can bug Nina for a minute. Nina says, of course (🍷). What’s up? Blaze walks in and stands next to Kristina.  

Cody asks if he heard Tracy right. Beer me? She says she heard it on a commercial and it sounded apt. He laughs and she says, experts say if you drink alone there’s a problem, and she doesn’t want to contribute to anybody’s problem. He says, since when? and she says, if somebody she cares about has a problem, she wants to fix it. If somebody she doesn’t like has a problem, she doesn’t just want to contribute to it, she wants to be the sole cause. He says, makes sense, and they clink bottles.

Chase says he owes Dante everything, and Dex asks, what’s different here from where Chase worked before? Chase says, personalities. You need to study the community and get a feel for it. But that wasn’t his biggest challenge. Dex asks, what was? and Chase says, not being able to talk about his beloved Red Sox. There are nothing but Yankees fans here. Dex says he’s a Dodgers guy, and Chase suggests he keep it to himself. That’s something you don’t come back from. He knows Dex having Sonny on his resumé isn’t easy. He has to earn respect and it may take time. There’s nothing but admiration for Dante. His integrity was never questioned. Dex wonders if it’s better to be Sonny’s son than work for him, but Chase says, it doesn’t matter. Dex is here now and needs to prove himself every day. Dex says, that’s the plan, and Chase says he just heard himself. He sounds exactly like his dad.

Carly tells Jason that since they’re putting it out there, ever since she found out about the FBI recording and that she could be arrested, it’s been weighing on her. Jason says, that’s why he didn’t tell her, and she says she hates it, but she gets it. Now that the terms of the deal have been met, they’re off the hook. The weight has been lifted and she feels freer. He says, that’s how it should be, and she says, he’s free too. What’s going on? What is she missing? He says he just spent almost three years being pressured. Now the pressure is gone, but he’s just not sure he remembers how to be free or just live his life. She says, here’s to remembering, and they clink bottles.

Brook says, her first thought was to sue the record label for breach of contract, but Scotty says, they’ll just invoke the morals clause. Sonny says, there’s nothing immoral about Kristina and Blaze loving each other, but Brook says, they’ll just change language, and it won’t end well. If they’re provoked, they’ll say Blaze breached by having a negative impact on their reputation. Sonny says, that’s why they came up with a plan, but it all depends on Brook. Brook says she’s listening, and Natalia says, they want Blaze to be able to put out her own music on her own indie label. Sonny is going to finance it. Sonny says, on one condition. That Brook run the label. Natalia says, Brook is already fighting on Blaze’s behalf. So are they going into business? Brook says, yeah… no.  

Nina says she’s glad Kristina and Blaze are here. She wants to apologize for the deplorable role The Invader played in their misery. Nothing like that should ever happen to anyone. She picks up her desk phone and says she wants someone down in her office now… She doesn’t care. Just get here. She tells Blaze and Kristina that she had no idea her new Editor-in-Chief transcribed and posted the recording. The only thing he cares about is clicks, no matter what was said or who got hurt. Kristina says she knows that’s not true about Nina, and Nina says, she can’t deny her part in it. There are no words to describe how terrible she feels, but she’s going to make it right.

Cody asks, what’s going on up at the house that got Tracy awake? and she says, the incessant humming of the air conditioning. She can feel it in her molars. Is she wrong for thinking a fan is more civilized? He says he thinks the horses would agree. Air conditioning would drive them buts, but they’ll stand in front of a fan all day. She says, not to mention the thousands of children running in and out who leave the door open. They’re cooling the outdoors. He asks, which parent is she channeling? (I’m dying laughing because I used to hear that as a kid too) and she says, her father. Her mother was too nice. If he yelled that they were cooling the outdoors, she’d think if there was one bug made more comfortable, they should do it. He says, she sounds special, and Tracy says, she was. Much to the chagrin of most people, including herself, she takes after her father. He asks how her father slept, and she says, upside down with his arms crossed across his chest in a rafter. They had their differences, but she loved him. Maybe her not sleeping well will just be how it is. He says, maybe she needs to wear herself out. She can take a ride anytime or he could put her to work. She says, thanks, but her insomnia isn’t so bad that she’s willing to start shoveling. It used to be, when her head hit the pillow, she was out. Or she would ruminate about how to get even with the people who wronged her, and within minutes, dreamland. Cody says, those were the days.

Chase says he wanted to play pro ball and was on a traveling team, but they shut him out. They’d all played together before, and he’s surprised they didn’t try to sabotage him. His dad was sympathetic, but wouldn’t let him quit. His dad said they couldn’t take something away from him that he wanted. He needed to practice hard and out hustle them, and they’d have to accept him. Once they did, then they would like him. He can hear his dad saying, you can do this. I know you can. Dex says, he sounds like a great dad. He did an amazing job at Chase’s wedding. Dex was choked up, and he could tell how much Chase’s dad loved him and Brook. Chase says, he had principles and lived them. What did Dex’s dad think about him becoming a cop?

Brook asks what kind of involvement she’d have, and Sonny says, she’ll have all the financing she needs creatively. Natalia says, within reason, but Brook says she’s not sure if they have the same definition of that. All the print and media management will be hers alone. Natalia will have no press presence or influence and will do no interviews unless she authorizes it. She’ll say where Blaze performs and how she’s presented. Natalia says she wants to talk to Blaze, and Brook says, that makes one of you. Natalia can agree or the label will never get off the ground, and when she leaves, her offer goes away.

Blaze says she appreciates Nina’s apology, but it was Ava that caused the problems. Nina says, Ava edited the conversation with the intent to cause as much harm as possible. All her reasons are self-serving and unbelievable to anyone who isn’t a sociopathic narcissist. Kristina says she’s happy Ava is away from her dad, and Nina says her too. Her hateful, spiteful editor decided to give a boost to the paper and himself and comes in second to Ava in awfulness. Adrian comes in, and she says, here’s the second runner-up now. She introduces Blaze and Kristina and says she thought he’d want to face the women whose careers and reputations he treated with such callousness. She also thinks it’s a good time to apologize and suggests he start at grovel and when he hits rock bottom, keep going.

Cody asks if Tracy thinks she can’t sleep because no one has wronged her and she can’t plot, but she says she doesn’t plot. She makes lists. He asks if plots aren’t lists gone to the dark side, and she says she never thought of it that way. She likes itemizing things that have to get done, won’t get done, are already done and need a follow-up. (Same.) It’s soothing. She makes lists of her lists. He says, it sounds stressful, but she says, a list is a gift you give yourself. Anyone can eat an elephant if it’s made into bite sized pieces. He says, she paints a disgusting picture, but maybe she’s right. He wouldn’t be able to eat an elephant if it was broken down to atoms. He wouldn’t see the elephant to begin with, even if it was charging at him. He ignores any disaster coming at him. He used to brag that he was a guy who doesn’t worry. Tracy asks when he realized that wasn’t something to brag about, and he says, recently. He pretends things aren’t happening and before he knows it, the gas fire has turned into an inferno. The elephant gets mad and rampages, and the countryside is wiped out.

Adrian says he’s truly sorry. He had no idea how big it would be. Kristina asks if they didn’t deserve their feelings and just living their lives, and he says, some – not him – believe that keeping their relationship under wraps was hypocritical. Kristina asks if they can’t live their lives in private, and he says, of course (🍷) they can. He didn’t think this would happen. She asks what he thought would happen. He yelled fire and now he’s shocked that people got trampled. Does he even believe his own apology? Nina says she thought he liked the hard-hitting questions. She’s curious about his answer too. Adrian says he hasn’t been in his position long and wanted to prove he could deliver a big scoop. He didn’t think past that, and he should have. He’s truly sorry. Kristina says she doesn’t forgive him, and Adrian says he doesn’t blame her. He’s under orders from Nina and his conscience to turn this around and they have his unqualified support. Nina says, he’s gone now. Go. He leaves, and she says she’s sorry. They came for a reason, and she put her own agenda ahead of it. What can she do for them? Blaze says, Nina actually brought it up. The reason they’re here… Kristina says, they’re planning a response and would love her help.

Natalia says she can’t be cut out completely. She’s the reason Blaze got this far. Brook says, she’s the reason Blaze has to start over, and Natalia says she made one mistake. Brook says, it was a hell of a mistake. She’s sorry. She’s not trying to punish Natalia. She was a good manager, but the maternal authority is over. No more guilt trips or coercion. The only one who didn’t see her sabotage was her.

Carly says, now that Jason is done, Cates can go back to Virginia or whatever circle of hell he’s from, and Jason gets to do what he wants. What is it? Jason says he hasn’t thought that far ahead, and Carly says she knows a great hotel where the co-owner will give him free towels all day. He says, she wants him to lounge around the pool all day? and she says, nothing would make her happier, but he says he’s not good at lounging. His boys are his priority. Jake is leaving. He got accepted to an art academy in Barcelona. Carly says, Jake is leaving just as Jason is free to spend time with him, and Jason says, he’ll miss Jake, but he’s happy for him. She says, he can visit Jake, but until then, they can go hiking and camping, and he and Danny can spend tons of time together. She wants him to promise her something. Wherever he goes and whatever he does, don’t disappear again.

Tracy asks what part of the gas fire Cody is avoiding, or is it already an inferno? Cody says, it’s not out of control, but the countryside will never be the same. She asks, what happened? and he says, remember how he told her that he found his father, but didn’t know how his father would take it? Now he knows and it’s out in the open. Tracy asks who the proud papa is, and he says, Mac Scorpio. She says, wow, and he says he wouldn’t call Mac proud. She says, he didn’t take it well? and he says he’s glad he told Mac on Independence Day since it looks like he’s going to be independent forever.

Kristina says, Nina is the most media savvy person they know, and they’d like her to coach them and give them advice. Blaze says, they need to get it right, and Kristina says, they have so much riding on it, but Brook thinks it will make a big difference. Blaze says, one mistake, and the revival of her career is gone.

Brook says, Natalia made the calls. Now let her and Blaze forge a new path that lets Blaze be seen and heard. Sonny says he trusts her, and Natalia says, Linc Brown taught her one hell of a lesson. She made a promise never to let a third-party control Blaze’s career again. It didn’t matter how great the were. The business is cutthroat and there’s only one person you can trust – yourself.

Jason tells Carly that when he first came back, it wasn’t like he was coming home. He was a military contractor in town to do a job under orders. She says, now he gets to be himself and pick up the life he had, but he says he made that mistake before. Not again. When he was gone before and came back, he couldn’t see it at the time. He couldn’t go back to his old life any more than he could go back in time. He got back together with Sam, and it wasn’t fair to her, Scout, and Danny. All he did was put them through a breakup. Sam had changed and so had he.

Chase tells Dex that his dad was an academic. He liked the law as a concept, but had zero interest in enforcing it. Dex asks how he felt about Chase becoming a cop, and Chase says, he was all for it and told Chase that he’d be a good cop. Dex says, he was right, and Chase says, his dad encouraged him to figure out what he wanted, and he was supportive and comforting, not smothering. Now that he doesn’t have his dad… Sorry. Dex says, he has nothing to be sorry for, and Chase says he knew he’d be sad, but not like this. Dex says, Chase’s father hasn’t been gone that long. Grieving takes time. Give himself some. Chase says, he had nothing but respect for his dad, and Dex says he wishes he felt that way about anyone in his family. Chase asks why he doesn’t.

Tracy says she’s sorry it didn’t go as Cody had hoped. What happens now that he ignored the gas fire and the inferno swept through the countryside and is smoldering? He says, normally, he’d pull up stakes, move on, and not look back, but he promised Maxie and Sasha that he wouldn’t. They’ve been good to him. So has she. She says, she’s not just his friend. She’s his employer and she’s going to share one of her famous lists with him. No severance, no health insurance, and no recommendation if he dares leave without giving her a 30-day notice.

Nina says she’d be happy to help, and Kristina says, Blaze has done interviews before, but not like this. They were micromanaged by her mother. Nina suggests they take some deep breaths. All they have to do is be themselves. They’re wonderful, and need to show the public, like they did Adrian, that they’re human beings. Blaze says, it’s not that simple, and Nina says, nothing is, especially family. They’re imperfect and difficult. This is a chance to show everyone that they’re doing the best they can, just like everyone else.

Natalia says she trusted her own instincts and created a media disaster. She doesn’t completely trust Brook, but she and Sonny have done more to earn her respect than anyone else in this town. It’s time she trusted her daughter, so if Allison agrees to the terms, they have a deal.

Carly says, Sam’s been hard on Jason, but he says he doesn’t blame her. He’s disappeared twice. They have a son together, and nothing has worked out the way Sam expected. That’s why it was so easy with Britt; she had no expectations. Carly says she was so jealous of Britt. She knew Jason was falling in love with her and didn’t want him to love anyone but her. (Ugh. The part of Carly that I hate.) He says, it was different, but she says she still didn’t like it. Then Britt died saving Josslyn’s life. He says he heard that, and she says, now when she thinks of Britt Westbourne, she’s forever grateful.

Dex tells Chase that he wasn’t close with his family. If his father had a dream for him, he had no intention of fulfilling it. Not having a close family, he had no one to look up to or emulate, and no one to rebel against. He wanted to get away and create a life opposite of what he had growing up. He went into the military, and it felt right, like he was finally doing what he was supposed to. Chase asks if he’s sorry he left the army, and Dex says, not anymore. Since joining the force, it feels right again. It feels like home. Chase says, he’s going to be a good cop, and they leave together.

Nina tells Blaze and Kristina, you can be a superstar, but no one has the right to treat you like an object. She won’t let them be a casualty of that kind of thinking. Their media training starts tomorrow… She sees their faces, and says, or she can offer them tea and coffee from room service, and they can start now.  

Tracy says, it never occurred to her to run, although she should have numerous times at the altar. Cody tells her that she should try it sometime. It’s freeing. She says, it’s avoiding, and he should break the habit. He doesn’t look like he’s excited about being free. Every time something calamitous happens in her life, she comes home, and as soon as she gets here, she starts complaining. It just makes her feel that family is more comfortable. He says, maybe he’ll give it a shot, and she asks if his answer is yes. He says he’ll definitely try it her way… if he ever has a family and home to come back to. She asks, what makes him think he doesn’t? and he says, on paper he has one, but Mac doesn’t want anything to do with him. Tracy looks toward the door and says, oh no. Cody says, what are you doing here?

Sonny says, it’s going to be great. While they deal with the music, he’ll make sure Ava gets what’s coming to her. Brook, Sonny, and Natalia clink glasses, but Brook looks worried.

Carly says, if Jason isn’t going back to his old life, what does his new life look like? and he says he doesn’t know. She says he could run security for her hotel, but he says he doesn’t need a job. He has the coffee business. She says, Sonny owns other half and turned his back on Jason. Jason says, because he doesn’t know what happened. Now he can tell Sonny. She asks, what if he won’t listen? and he says, there’s got to be a way to get through to Sonny. He’s in more trouble than he knows.

Tomorrow, James tells Maxie that something weird is going on; Sasha tells Cody not to overreact; and Jason tells Carly that he has to get Sonny to let him back in.

🌻 Opening Up…

She’s a trail blazer and definitely deserves to have her birthday wishes come true.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-cassandra-james-opens-up-on-her-birthday

🍊 Orange You Glad They’re Back…

Gina put on her realtor hat and vouched for Jen so Jen could rent a place, but oops, bad idea. Jen skated on the rent and got evicted. Worse still, Jen couldn’t see why this was an issue for Gina. WTF? over and over.

The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 Episode 2 Recap: The Ladies’ Reputations Are at Stake

A focus on dos amigas.

https://people.com/rhoc-recap-tamra-judge-says-shannon-beador-not-a-good-person-after-dui-arrest-8680557

💎 Because He Got High…

So I guess this means it’s really over? I feel badly for the kids, but this is what can happen if you get married when you’re a kid. I don’t think it had anything to do with the show. I’m not sure he even knew they were on one.

Report: Mystery Woman Caught Kissing Mauricio Umansky Revealed

🍸 VanderBoot…

Looks like Sandoval has put the final nail in the VanderCoffin. There’s no going back now.

Only a Vanderpump Rules Reboot Can Work After Tom Sandoval’s Lawsuit Against Ariana Madix

Speaking of lawsuits. Their no good very bad day.

Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney Sued Over Something About Her Sandwich Shop

🎈 VanderFringes…

All I can say is, ewwwwww!

Lala Kent Suggests Jax Taylor and Ramona Singer Hooked Up

⚰️ Coming To a Stream Near You…

Netflix will be absorbing a lot of Dead.

https://www.msn.com/en-my/tv/news/interview-with-the-vampire-the-walking-dead-spinoffs-head-to-netflix-in-branded-amc-deal/ar-BB1q6iE9

🐩 Inspired By Fame…

This might be a bit of old news, but it’s not every day you see a Chinese Crested dressed as Colman Domingo.

The Best Celebrity-Inspired Looks From the 2024 Pet Gala

👖 Traveling With My Pants…

Start your weekend tomorrow with some soap, both useless and useful knowledge, and a song. Until then, stay safe, stay coloring inside and outside the lines, and stay having principles and living them.

Jul17

July 16, 2024 – Anna Gives Jason the Evidence, Soap Bubbles, No Cringe Here, Jersey Shakedown, Charm To Come, Agatha, Feline Fatty & Heat

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Dex comes to the pool in his uniform and tells Josslyn that he’s here on his lunch break. She says she likes his blues, but he says, his unform is nothing compared to hers (i.e. her swimsuit).

John goes to Ava’s hotel room, and she says she’s been looking forward to their meeting all day. She’s sleep deprived though, between hearing the elevator and the people at the pool and being without her daughter and knowing if she’s safe, she’s awake most of the night. He thanks her for being willing to help, and she says she’s at her wit’s end trying to get Avery away from Sonny. He says, the best way to protect Avery and herself is to build a case against Sonny.

Willow goes to the penthouse and asks Sonny if she’s interrupting. He says, she and the kids are welcome any time. What’s wrong? She says, maybe she’s being presumptuous, but she decided to come after she had a conversation with her mother. Sonny asks, since when are she and Nina talking? and she says, since she decided let go of her anger.

Nina slaps Drew and says, you son of a bitch. You kissed my daughter. He says he deserved that, but calm down. (Apparently, Drew doesn’t know that he should never say that to a woman.) He knows there’s no excuse and knows it was wrong. She says, he doesn’t look remorseful, and he says he got lost in the moment – the applause, the congratulations, and the fireworks. He was there with a beautiful woman who was happy for him, and it just happened. Nina wonders how Willow missed his rampant narcissism. Willow is an idealist and can’t see the real Drew Cain… She means, the real Drew Quartermaine. It’s time she broke through that and told Willow that her hero is sleeping with her mother.  

Anna asks Jason to hear her out, but he says he has been hearing her. It’s been nearly three years, and he needs the phone. She says, it’s too soon, but he says, it’s the only way to get Carly out from under the FBI. She says she can’t let Cates take Valentin away.

John says, Ava was living with Sonny and has a past with him and the Jerome family. She must have insight into his organization. She says, it all happened so fast, and offers him some wine, but he says, not while he’s on duty. She pours a glass for herself and says she’s feeling unsettled. She’s used to a juggling act with the gallery and scheduling all of Avery’s activities. Without it, she’s felt so out of sync and alone. He says, that’s why she needs to build a case against Sonny to get her daughter back. He puts his phone on record, but she turns it off and says, his help means so much, but to be honest, she’s afraid of Sonny. If she lets him record her, it could make its way back to Sonny, and he’s harsh when it comes to betrayal. It’s the ultimate sin. He says, they have ways to protect her, but she says she’s not going into hiding while Avery is still with Sonny. He’s erratic and dangerous. He’s pushed his family away, except for his daughter Kristina. He actually blames her for outing Kristina’s girlfriend. As if she cares; it’s not her business. John says, his job is to put Sonny away, and if she helps him, it’s to both their advantages. She says, it’s not that simple. Many have tried and failed to put Sonny away, and who among them is still breathing? He gives her his word that he doesn’t give up his sources, and she says she’ll think about it. Knowing she has his support makes her feel more at ease. He leaves and she closes the door.

Willow tells Sonny that seeing Drew give up his grudge against Nina when he had the right to hold onto it forever, made her realize that hanging onto her pain and resentment was only hurting her. She gained nothing by depriving her kids of someone who truly wants to love them. Sonny says, all Nina wants is to love them and be a part of their lives, and Willow says, they’re taking it slow, but she realizes there’s room in her life for her mom. All she wants is for all of them to be happy. He asks if she’s lobbying for him and Nina to get back together, and she says, no, but they’d genuinely seemed happy, and she knows Nina loves him. He says, he wants Nina to be happy, and with Willow and the children in her life, she will be.

Drew says, if Nina was going to tell Willow about them, she should have done it when Willow told her about the kiss, but Nina says she thought it was more important that Willow confide in her than exposing his feet of clay. What was he thinking? Willow is married to his nephew, and they have small children. He should have better control of himself. He says, something happened in that moment, but it was a mistake and won’t happen again. He respects Willow and cares about her happiness and family. It was an isolated moment, like Nina and Sonny in Nixon Falls. He’s not throwing it in her face, but he understands it was a bad impulse and Nina got carried away. Nina says she knows Drew thinks it was just a moment, but Willow is drowning in guilt. She’s agonizing about telling Michael, but she told Willow to make the choice to move on. She hopes Drew allows it. He says, of course (🍷) he will. Whatever she thinks, he has not and will not pursue Willow.  

Jason asks if Anna wants Valentin to go free. Did she tip him off? She says, it’s about Charlotte. She’s back from school and home with her father. Think about Danny and Jake. If Valentin goes down, he’ll be gone a lot longer than three years. What happens to his daughter then? He says he can’t believe they’ve been working together, and he finally got what he needed… She says, he will get it. She almost took Charlotte’s life. He says, she keeps punishing herself for that, and now she’s going to punish him. She says, Valentin is all Charlotte has. Her mother is in a coma and Laura is already raising one grandchild. She refuses to separate Charlotte and Valentin. Charlotte forgave her. Her voice breaks and she says she can’t repay that by damaging Charlotte more and leaving her fatherless and alone. She won’t do it.

Josslyn asks if Gio will make sure no one drowns in the pool, and he says, no one is in the pool. She says, even better. She needs to have a word with Dex. They step away and kiss in the hallway. She asks if he remembers how upset she was when he first joined the PCPD, and he says, of course (🍷). She says, because she was so focused on the downside, she forgot the upside – his uniform. He asks if anyone could be wearing it, but she says, the uniform is great, but it’s him in it, confident and sure of himself. It makes him so hot. They kiss again.

Lois comes to the pool and says she has exciting news for Gio. A friend of hers who works in the city lost a violinist for a string quartet used on Broadway soundtracks. The violinist broke his arm, and she talked Gio up. Her friend is going to hold a spot for him. What does he say? Does he hear that? It’s opportunity knocking. Is he ready for the bright lights?

Drew says, what he did was awful, but he’s not so awful that he’d take advantage of Willow, and Nina says she needed to hear him say it. He says he’s seen Nina work to reconcile with Willow and he admires the fact she didn’t give up. He knows it’s good for both her and Willow that Willow confided in her. Nina says, it felt nice, but the details weren’t, and Drew tells her not to worry about the details. It won’t happen again. She says she’s choosing to believe him. Don’t make her regret it. She believes in him and will make sure he has The Invader’s endorsement. He thanks her, but says, it’s not a quid pro quo. She says, her main concern is Willow’s peace of mind, and he says, maybe it’s time they came to a new understanding.

John asks what Ava can tell him about Sonny’s organization, and she says, not much. Julian kept her out of all that. Julian and Sonny’s world is brutal. He says, she must have heard things, and she says she and her brother were close. She was exposed to things, but didn’t want to involve herself. She preferred to focus on beauty, art, and her gallery. And of course (🍷) her daughter Kiki. She was raising Kiki alone, but she’s no longer with them. He says he’s sorry for her loss, and she says, Julian made more than his share of mistakes, but she loved him anyway. He asks why she turned up with Sonny at Selina Wu’s warehouse the night of the sniper attack, and she says, Sonny insisted she go. Maybe as a human shield, maybe to intimidate Selina. The Jerome family name still holds weight. She was in no position to refuse. He says, she seemed defensive and protective of Sonny, and she says she supposes she was. They were getting along better then, and she was trying to appease him for her and Avery’s sakes. On one hand, Sonny was offering protection, but on the other, he was often a target himself.

Jason says he feels for Charlotte. She’s just a kid and doesn’t deserve this, but that’s on Valentin. He made his choices. Charlotte won’t be alone; she’s got family. Anna says, it’s not the same thing, and Jason says he understands. He’s heard the pain in his sons’ voices asking where he’s been, why he didn’t reach out, and wondering if he cares for them. He won’t let them down again. She says, that happened with her and Robin. She won’t ask him to sacrifice his relationship with his sons. She’s just asking him to trust her for two hours more.

Gio tells Lois that he appreciates the opportunity, but he already promised Ava and Trina that he’d play at a gallery opening and he’s committed to PCU’s summer concert series. Lois says she’s sure someone can cover for him at PCU, and she knows Trina and Ava won’t mind. This is professional work. It’s Broadway, baby. Think of the exposure. And once you’re in, you’re in. He says he supposes they could find a replacement, but his scholarship at PCU is contingent on the concert series. She says, they can talk to the head of the department and explain the situation. College is supposed to prepare you for the real world, and this is a real-world professional opportunity he’s being offered on the road to stardom. No one deserves it more.

Willow says she has a confession. She didn’t come here to talk about Nina. It’s about Michael. Sonny protests, but she says, just hear her out. Michael is her everything. They have a beautiful life and he takes good care of her and their children. She knows Michael is in pain over their estrangement. Michael loves Sonny; he still does. Sonny says, some things just can’t be forgiven, and Willow says, they both know what it feels like to be lied to in order to be protected. The insult and betrayal are hard to get past. Michael did both to her in the name of love, but she got over it. Look at her and Nina now. The healing feels so much better. Sonny’s phone rings, and he picks it up. He says, Diane… Where is she? He’s been trying to call all morning… He doesn’t give a damn. She’s on retainer. Tell her to call him back immediately. He hangs up, and tells Willow, sorry. She says, upsetting news? and he says, Diane is annoying. He pays her a lot of money. She can call him herself, not have an associate do it. Ava is trying to take his daughter away and he’s going to fight tooth and nail to make sure Avery stays with him.

John asks about Sonny’s connection to Anna, and Ava says she’s wondered about that herself. They go way back and are thick as thieves. She suspects that’s why Sonny has remained a free man. They bonded over Robin, and John says, Ava was a captive audience when he and Sonny faced off, dredging up that history. Sorry. She says, it explained a lot about both of them. John is still grieving his brother and his wife. He says, that’s all for now. He’ll let her think on things, and he’ll come back when she’s ready to talk. Give some thought to making a statement. He thinks that’s the best way to go. She says she’ll think about it. May she call him John? He says, of course (🍷), and she says, it’s comforting having him around. They’ll talk soon. He leaves, and in the hallway, his phone rings. He says, no. It wasn’t for him. The champagne was for a source he’s grooming… Yemen? This is the first he’s hearing about a shipment… It does seem Pikeman is still in play. He’s narrowing down a person of interest, but needs time …. He understands. He expects information soon…

Anna says she’ll go to Valentin and warn him that he’s done. The FBI is coming for him. He’ll take Charlotte and run. Jason says, the FBI wants the head of Pikeman, but she says, they just needed him identified to let Jason go. They’ll cast global nets, but she bets they won’t find him. But it won’t matter. Jason will have fulfilled his end of the deal. Jason says, she’s asking that he trust Cates will honor his end of the deal without having Valentin in custody, but she says she’s asking him to trust her. It would have taken a lot longer without her help. He has the evidence because of her and all she’s asking is that he wait two hours before turning it over. Please. She’s running out of time. he says, she’d better be right, and she says she’ll do everything in her power make sure he doesn’t regret it. She promises. She gives him the phone and says she’s trusting him now. He sighs and says, okay. He has what he needs. Do what she wants with Valentin. She dashes out the door.

Willow says she’s sorry that Sonny is going through this, and he says, they’ve been down this road several times. Willow says she’s happy to help, and he says he appreciates the effort, but doesn’t want Michael involved. Michael had someone spy on him. It’s not easy to swallow. She says, Michael knows he made a mistake. At least consider forgiveness. He says, she’s sweet and tenacious. He always liked that about her. He’ll think about it. She thanks him, and says she needs to follow her own advice. She’s in no position to judge anyone. They all make mistakes, and she needs to focus on making amends for what she’s done. He says he’s sure she’ll fix it, and she says she hopes so. For him and Michael too. She thanks him and leaves.

Josslyn says she and Dex can’t do this here. She has to work. He says his lunch break isn’t the way he pictured it. It’s way better. She says, it’s his fault for showing up looking handsome, and he asks if he should steer clear from now on. She says, don’t you dare, and they kiss.

On the phone, Ava says, they’ll talk tomorrow at the gallery, when there’s a knock at the door. She opens it to Natalia and asks what Natalia wants. Natalia says, clarity. She regrets her remarks, but she can’t figure out Ava’s endgame in recording her secretly and releasing what she said.

Nina says she thought she and Drew already had an understanding, and he says, instead of mutual loathing, they’ve moved to mutual cooperation. She says she hasn’t been completely mercenary. She admires Larry McConkey and values his friendship with her father. She wouldn’t have introduced him to Drew if she didn’t think Drew had something worthwhile. Drew says, and he never would have facilitated a reconciliation with Willow if he thought Nina would hurt her. His faith in her has been justified. She says she never thought he’d apply those words to her, and Drew says, same. She says, they’ve come a long way, and he says, it’s time to put the contempt behind them. Which begs the question, what – if anything – is left? Nina’s phone rings, and Madison says, Sonny is here to see her.

Sonny goes to Nina’s office and says he doesn’t mean to interrupt, but Nina says she and Drew have reached a stopping point. He tells Drew, congrats on his candidacy, and Drew says, that means lot, but his vote means more. Drew leaves, and Nina asks if Sonny wants something to drink, but he says he doesn’t have too much time. He doesn’t know what Ava told her, but he’s moved her out and he’s filing for sole custody. Avery belongs with her father. Nina says, good, and he asks if she’s seen through Ava. If not, Nina can’t trust her. Nina says her eyes have been opened regarding Ava, and Sonny says, he imagines Nina’s wake-up call was no more pleasant than his.  

Ava says, believe it or not, she didn’t intend to record Natalia. She was in the middle of something for work and didn’t realize until after Natalia left. When she listened to the conversation, she thought the world deserved to know what Natalia’s poor daughter had to endure, her judgement about the right to love who she chooses. It was appalling. Natalia says, Blaze’s reputation and career were shattered. She was dropped by her label. Ava says, Blaze is talented and will win out in the end. Natalia has shown herself to be an awful person and a worse mother. Not even Sonny is going to have anything to do with her. Natalia says, Sonny is furious about the recording, but not with her.

Gio tells Lois that he appreciates the offer to play on the album, but doesn’t see how he can take it. She says she just doesn’t want him to miss out on this incredible opportunity, but if it’s not the right gig, no pressure. He says, it would be fantastic if he was still in the city, but he doesn’t like going back on commitments. She says, no Cerullo does, and he says, more important, he likes living here. He likes PCU and the music department, and he likes his job. He likes the people he’s met. Lois says, even the Quartermaines? and he says, especially the Quartermaines. She says, even Tracy? and he says, he doesn’t know Tracy well, but she can be… Lois says, intimidating? but he tells her that he was going to say standoffish. She’s letting him stay at the house. Lois says, it’s not up to her. The house belongs to Monica. Gio says, somebody gave it to her, and Lois says, Alan, God rest his soul, was a wonderful man. He’d love Gio staying there, just like Monica. If… When Tracy decides to bully him, be polite, but don’t let her push him around.

There’s a frantic knock at Valentin’s door, and he lets Anna in. She asks where Charlotte is, and he says, she’s with friends. Anna says, call her and tell her to come home immediately and that he’ll explain when she gets here. She’s still packed, right? Does he have a have go bag? He asks, what happened? What has she done? She says she turned him into the FBI as head of Pikeman. He has to leave the country immediately.

Nina says she was naïve to think Ava was capable of having a female friend. She’s never known Ava to have one. She doesn’t know why she thought that would change, especially given their unique history. They were doomed to fail. Sonny says he’s sorry, and Nina says, it was nice to have someone to rely on, until they became a lying backstabber. Ava played her. Never again. Why did Sonny come to her? He says, Ava filed a custody suit and means to say he’s mentally unstable. He knows he and Nina have been through tough times, but wants to know, when they ask her to take the stand, what will she say? She says she doesn’t think Ava is foolish enough to subpoena her, but she’ll tell the truth. Sonny is an exemplary father and Avery adores him. He says, it didn’t end well with them. He could have done things differently and he’s owning up to that, not just saying it. She thanks him and says she loves Avery and wants the best for her. He says, life goes on. They’re trying. She asks what he’s trying to say, and he says, she buried the hatchet with Drew. Can she do the same with him?

Valentin dumps the books off the shelf where the phone was and asks if Anna did this. She turned him in? She says, they don’t have time to talk about their feelings right now. He has to be ready to go. Listen to her. He asks if any of it was real. Them finding each other, their nights together. Anna cries and says, he knows it was. She’s risking everything to warn him. He’s got to get away. He asks if she wants him to thank her, but she says, it’s not about him. It’s about Charlotte. She needs him in her life, and he needs her in his. He takes out his phone, and calls Charlotte. He asks if she’s on her way home… Good. He’ll see her when she gets here. Anna says, take Charlotte and go and… don’t contact her again. He says, there’s another plan. Come with him.

John knocks on Jason’s door, but there’s no answer. He tries the doorknob, but it’s locked. He yells, open up! Inside, Jason sits looking at the laptop, and John yells that he wants full disclosure. Everything Jason knows or he loses the deal and so does Carly. Jason looks at the clock.

Tomorrow, Gio tells Josslyn that he may have overstayed his welcome; Anna asks Valentin why he risked it all for Pikeman; and Jason tells John that he should think twice before listening to anything that woman has to say.

🧼  All the Soap News Fit To Print…

What they did on their summer vacation.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/dex-and-the-city-evan-hofer-shares-his-big-apple-adventure

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/inside-jonathan-jacksons-intimate-concert

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/adam-harrington-shares-his-epic-surfing-vacation

It’s not inconceivable. Some characters have died several times.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/kelly-thiebaud-reveals-she-tried-to-come-back-to-gh

More sad stuff.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/general-hospital-alum-james-b-sikking-dead-at-90

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-james-patrick-stuart-mourns-the-loss-of-his-mother-in-law

Scheduled for the fall.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/jacklyn-zeman-honored-with-special-episode-of-the-bay

Happy Anniversary!

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/abc/one-life-to-live-anniversary-171600

🐪 Camel Me This…

As of this posting, there was no RHODubai recap available, but there was this. Apparently, she spoke too soon, since it was pretty cringeworthy tonight, Taleen in particular.

RHODubai’s Taleen Marie Teases ‘Cringe’ Future Episodes

🪄 Putting the New In Jersey…

IMO, the whole state could use a rebrand.

Andy Cohen Agrees RHONJ Needs a ‘Rebrand’ for S15
Andy Cohen Agrees There Should Be a Major ‘RHONJ’ Shakeup

But alas, neither Kathy nor the sprinkle cookies will be making a comeback.

Andy Cohen Reacts to Rumors Kathy Wakile Will Make RHONJ Comeback After WWHL Appearance

🍹 Meanwhile, Down South…

The latest on the latest Charm.

Everything to Know About ‘Southern Charm’ Season 10: Who Is Returning, More

Either that selfie is Photoshopped, or her arms are strangely big for her body.

Olivia Flowers Confirms She Was Fired From Southern Charm, Shares Why She Was Let Go & Dishes on Phone Call From Production

🧙🏻‍♀️ It Was Her…

Hopefully, this is as good as WandaVision. Premieres September 18th.

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-debuts-trailer-for-marvel-televisions-new-series-agatha-all-along/

https://ew.com/agatha-all-along-trailer-kathryn-hahn-joe-locke-aubrey-plaza-8674666

🐱 Biggest Kitty Loser…

Next on his bucket list, to be a catnip influencer.

https://people.com/canadian-cat-becomes-tiktok-star-weight-loss-journey-documented-8673846

☕️ Pouring a Cup Of Ambition…

Join me tomorrow for soap, tea, LA and (hopefully) Dubai talk. Until then, stay safe, stay not wearing out your welcome as a guest, and stay not going back on commitments, especially if you like it where you are.

Jul16

July 15, 2024 – Willow Tells Nina About Kissing Drew, Leaving the Anchor Behind On Deck, Two Goodbyes, Goodest Boy & Cruel

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

In bed with Valentin, Anna asks if he sees something he likes, but he says, no. He sees something he loves. He tells her to kiss him like she means it, and she says she does, and kisses him.

Jack sees Carly in the visitor’s room and says, you again. He’s running out of charming greetings. She never comes to see him just to chat. There must be something wrong. Does it involve the FBI?

Jason stands outside Elizabeth’s door with an envelope in his hand. He’s about to slip it under the door, when Elizabeth opens it.

Drew tells Michael that as Aurora’s de facto CEO, he’s going to have Nina reporting to him directly. Is that going to be a problem? Just say the word, and she’s gone. He’ll fire her today if Michael wants him to. (I wasn’t crazy about Drew when he was a good guy, and I’m starting to like him less every time he opens his mouth.)

Willow goes to Nina’s office, and Nina asks her to come look at the issue she’s working on. An artist wants to push scaled down turbans, and she can’t tell if it’s brilliant or ridiculous. Willow says she doesn’t know if she’s the best person to ask, and Nina says, it probably seems frivolous to her, but Willow says, it’s not that. She did something terrible, and there isn’t anyone else she can talk to about it. It’s the kind of thing you can only tell your mom or a sister, and she doesn’t have a sister. Nina says, Willow can talk to her about anything, and Willow starts to cry.

Carly tells Jack that she took his advice, hired the best lawyer, and told them everything. He asks if her lawyer is aware that the FBI is forcing Jason to help them by holding the recoding of her over his head that suggests she’s guilty of RICO violations. Carly says, there’s nothing suggestive about it. They have her flat out saying she’s head of Sonny’s organization. He says, that’s no small feat considering the size and scope of the organization, and she says she’s impressed with how familiar he is with it. He says, the WSB has been known to have interest in local businesses when it furthers their interest. When tampering with the nation’s power structure, one can’t be too scrupulous about the partners one enlists, can one?

Elizabeth says she’s sorry she didn’t hear the doorbell, but Jason says he never rang it. He came to give her this for Jake’s art school. He heard voices and didn’t want to interrupt. She asks if he’d like to come in, but he says, no. He should be going. She asks if he has someplace to be, and he says, no. It’s her house and Jake’s house, and he didn’t want to put them on the spot showing up uninvited and forcing Jake to talk to him. Just because they enjoyed a baseball game doesn’t mean Jake wants to take his money. He doesn’t want Jake to feel pressured to take it. She says, the only way to know is to make the offer and let Jake decide.

Drew says, when Michael came to him and said he and Nina were going to put their differences aside, he thought Michael might feel differently in the light of day. Michael says, even though he’d just as well never see Nina again, she’s a fantastic Editor-in-Chief and it would be bad business to let his personal feelings interfere with Crimson. Besides, Willow is starting to want a relationship with Nina again. If he got in-between that, it would only hurt Willow and that’s the last thing he wants to do.

Willow says, what happened could ruin her life, and Nina promises it will stay with them, mother and daughter. Willow says she’s not proud of this and can’t believe it happened. It was the 4th of July party. She and Drew had a few moments alone to talk. They were toasting his success, and the fireworks were going off. She doesn’t even know how it happened. She guesses they were just caught up in the moment. One minute, they were looking up at the sky, and the next, they were kissing.

Anna says she has to get to work, but Valentin suggests they go sailing. She says she can’t make any decisions until she gets some caffeine in her body, and he says he can fix that. He goes to the kitchen, and she asks if he can make her a latte. He says, as she wishes, and she takes the satellite phone from behind the books. She puts it in her bag, and he comes back, saying, he’s out of milk. She says she thinks that’s a sign she should go to work, but he says, maybe it’s a sign they should go out to breakfast, and he’ll buy her a fancy latte with one of those hearts in the foam. Or they could stay home and do this. He nuzzles her neck and asks if they don’t deserve some time by themselves before everything changes. They’re not going to be able to keep their feelings for each other a secret. People with opinions are going to find out, and he wants to keep this moment as uncomplicated as he can for as long as possible, before the world comes crashing down on them again. They start to kiss when Charlotte walks in.

Valentin asks what she’s doing here. He was going to fly to Europe and pick her up after her holiday. She says, that was the plan, but her friends decided to go island hopping and she’s seen enough of Greece to last a lifetime, so she decided to surprise him. She looks at Anna and says she obviously succeeded. Anna says, it’s lovely to see her. She knows Charlotte and Valentin have catching up to do and she has to go to work. Charlotte says, please stay. There’s something she didn’t say to Anna before she left Port Charles, and she doesn’t like loose ends.

Jack says he’s well acquainted with the corruption and violence in organized crime, and Carly says, unfortunately, she is too. He says, despite knowing that, she went toe to toe with rival mobsters, and she says, they thought Sonny was dead. She had to make a show of strength, or Sonny’s enemies would have moved in and taken over his territory. He says, their first step would have been to eliminate anyone close to Sonny, including his family, and she says, so she did what she needed to do to protect them all. He says, not many people would have the nerve. It seems to him that her talents are wasted in hospitality. Someone with her skills is a born secret agent.

Michael tells Drew that when he sees Willow smile, he thinks about all the months there was nothing to be happy about. He used to pray for the life they have now, so if he has to pretend everything is okay with Nina and put a smile on, he’ll do it to keep the life he’s been blessed with. A life he’s indebted to Drew for. Drew says, no. He did what anybody would do in that position. Michael says, Drew risked his life to bring Dr. Obrecht home (so where is she???) and saved Willow. They’ll never forget that. Willow thinks of him as her guardian angel. Drew says he definitely doesn’t deserve that, but Michael tells him not to be so modest. Drew was able to forgive Nina and it motivated Willow to do the same thing.

Willow tells Nina to forget she said anything. She’s going to go. Nina says, wait, and Willow says, Nina must think she’s a terrible person, but Nina says she could never think that. She’s not judging Willow. How could she with all the mistakes she’s made? It was just surprising. It’s the last thing she expected. Willow says, Nina would never think she’d do something so stupid and self-destructive, but Nina says she’s sure Willow is remembering it a lot worse than it was. She had a cocktail or two and the kiss was probably more chaste than she thinks. Willow says she wasn’t even tipsy. She kissed Drew the way she kisses her husband. It was real and it was wrong. Nothing like this has ever come close to happening before… Except she and Drew have always had this special connection and it’s only gotten stronger. She loves Michael and she’s grateful for their family and the life they’ve built together, but Drew saved her life. It bonded them in a way she’s never felt with anyone else before. In a way, he even brought her and Nina closer together. She doesn’t know what she feels for Drew, but she can’t stop thinking about their kiss. Nina says she thinks Willow is being too hard on herself, but Willow says she’s being unfair to Michael and Drew.

Drew says, if Willow wants to have a relationship with Nina, it’s not because of him. It’s because of the person she is. She tries to see the best in people. Michael agrees, and says, but she idolizes Drew. Drew running for congress has given her something to believe in. Drew says he hopes he can live up to Willow’s faith in him.

Willow says, Drew needs to focus on himself right now and not have this confusing situation with her, but Nina says she thinks Willow is giving Drew far too much consideration here. He’s a grown man. He can look out for himself. Did she force this kiss on him? Willow says, of course (🍷) not, and Nina says, so she wasn’t acting alone. Drew shares some of the blame. Willow says, it doesn’t matter whose fault it is. The kiss never should have happened at all. Nina says she’s kissed someone she wasn’t supposed to kiss and can relate to Willow’s feelings. That’s why she knows the issue isn’t really the kiss, but how Willow feels about it. Or more importantly, what she does about it. Willow says, it’s never going to happen again, and Drew agrees with her, and Nina says, so she regrets the kiss. Willow says, very much, and Nina says, and Drew? Willow says, he does too, but when they talked about the kiss, Drew said something that surprised her. That in a different world, under vastly different circumstances, there might be something between them.

Charlotte says she owes Anna an apology, one that’s long overdue. She should have said something before she went to school, but she wasn’t ready yet. She is now. Anna says, it’s sweet of her, but not necessary. Apology accepted of course (🍷). They can leave it at that. Valentin says he thinks it might be good for Charlotte to say what she needs to say, and Anna says, of course (🍷). Charlotte says she’s sorry she trashed Anna’s hotel room. She’s sorry she wrote those terrible things on Anna’s door and mirror. Anna was always so sweet to her, and she thought it was all an act. Her Grandfather Victor told her that Anna was evil, and she believed him. Now she knows he was the one who was lying and she’s so sorry for how she acted. Valentin wonders what’s behind this shift, and Charlotte says, there were kids that came to the school after their country was attacked. Some lost their entire families and had to leave everything behind when they escaped. Their entire lives were taken by powerful people who didn’t care who they hurt or killed as long as they got what they wanted. It made her realize Grandfather Victor was like that too. Valentin says, he was, but she’s not, and Charlotte says she hopes not. She’s a Cassadine and Cassadines are bad, unless they die trying to be good. Valentin looks sad.

Jake comes out and sees Jason, who says he just stopped by. Elizabeth says, Jake’s dad wants to give him something, and Jason says, Jake’s mom told him that he was accepted into an art academy in Spain. Jake says he just got lucky, but Jason says, they only take the best. They’re not going to waste their time unless he’s really good. Jake says, maybe, but it’s expensive, and Jason says, that’s why he’s here. He wants to pay for it. Elizabeth says, isn’t that amazing? and Jake says, it’s super generous, but not necessary. Jason says he gets it. Jake is worried that he’s trying to buy a place in Jake’s life and his forgiveness, but he knows he has to earn that. He hopes one day that comes, but there are no strings attached. When he wasn’t much older than Jake, he had an important decision to make that shaped the rest of his life, like the one Jake’s about make. He wants Jake to choose what makes him happiest without worrying how to pay for it. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and might not come around again. If he’d been a different kind of father – any kind of father – paying for Jake’s education would be no question. Please take the money and don’t let his failings mess with Jake’s future.

Michael tells Drew that he sees Willow is all-in with his campaign. It’s all she can talk about. She’s Drew’s biggest supporter as long as he stays the stand-up guy he is. Drew says he’ll do his best, and Michael says, Drew forgave Nina and hired her back at Crimson. Now, Crimson has never more successful. He respects Drew’s judgement and will follow his lead. Drew asks if Michael is sure he can handle working closely with Nina, and Michael says, if it means it’s good for the business, he’ll put a smile on and do it.

Nina says, of course (🍷) Drew would wonder what could have been between him and Willow. She’s a remarkable woman. What man wouldn’t? Willow says, a remarkable woman who kissed her in-law with her husband in the next room, and Nina says, things happen. Drew is a handsome man, and their lives became intertwined. The lines were blurred, and Willow made a mistake. It’s understandable. She’s human. Don’t beat herself up too much. Willow says, even if it costs her marriage? but Nina says, one kiss doesn’t need to lead to divorce. Willow says, Michael might feel differently when she tells him, and Nina says, then don’t tell him.

Carly says she’s never been an intelligence agent. She didn’t want to save the world. Jack says, that’s only for idealists. He’s a pragmatist. If he can tilt the scales of justice, he considers it a job well done. Now he takes pride in a well mopped cafeteria. She says, her lawyer told her that if she follows through with a trial, she has a 30% chance of getting off, and Jack says he doesn’t like those odds. Maybe they can improve them.

Anna says, Charlotte is proof all Cassadines aren’t bound for tragedy, and Charlotte says all she wants to do is make it right. She wishes she could go back and change things. Anna says she’s made a lot of mistakes and hurt a lot of people. Shooting Charlotte was – she cries a little – the worst thing she ever did, and she hopes Charlotte knows how sorry she is. Charlotte says she does and also knows Anna didn’t mean it. It happened because she snuck into Anna’s place to harass her. All she can do is ask Anna’s forgiveness. Anna says she’s already forgiven Charlotte, and asks if Charlotte can forgive her. Charlotte says, consider it done, and they hug. Anna says, Charlotte has a lot of grace. She wishes she’d had half of that when she was Charlotte’s age. Charlotte says, it’s kind of recent. The other students taught her how blessed she is. She has a father who loves her, which is more than most have. Anna says she has to get to work, but she’s glad they had this talk. She hated how they left things. Charlotte says, her too, especially since she sees how important Anna is to her papa. She’d never do anything to hurt him. Anna leaves.

Willow says she doesn’t know how she can keep the kiss a secret. She’s a mess, and Michael will know something is wrong. If she confesses, maybe they can find a way to work through it together. Nina says, at the very least, it will relieve Willow’s burden, but there’s no way to predict Michael’s reaction to his uncle kissing her and imagining a life with her. Willow says, he’ll be hurt and his relationship with Drew will be ruined, and Nina says, she can assuage her guilt or choose to put it behind her and move on. It was a momentary minor slip, and if she treats it as such, she’ll eventually forget it happened. Willow says she tried, but she felt too guilty. That’s why she came here. Nina says she’s glad Willow came to her and hopes Willow keeps coming to her. For the sake of the family, let her be the only one Willow confides in. Eventually, she’ll realize a kiss is not the end of the world. The less power she gives it, the less it will matter. Willow thanks Nina for being able to dump on her. It means so much. She should get going. She has a lot to think about. Nina reminds Willow that she’s just a text or phone call away, and Willow leaves. Nina’s smile fades.

Michael says, they’re in agreement, and Drew says, if he’s elected to congress, Michael will return to being CEO and Curtis will keep control of the wellness division. Drew’s phone rings, and Nina says she needs to see him. He tells her that he’s busy and to set up a meeting, but she says, if he’s thinking of hanging up, she’ll make him regret it. Get up here right now or his campaign is over before he kisses his first baby.

Jack says, the FBI will have no mercy and no pity for Carly. To them, she’s a high-profile target that they have evidence against. She asks if he agrees with her lawyer, and he says, he does. The best bet is for her to avoid a trial entirely. She has two other options. One is to go on the offensive. Make everything public and cry government overreach to anyone who will listen. Out the agents involved and kick up a fuss. Maybe they’ll be shamed into cutting her loose. She asks, what if she just makes them mad and they double down? and he says, that’s the risk. She asks about her other option, and he says, make sure Jason remains valuable to the FBI, but she says, he can’t do it forever. Jack says, as long as they have the evidence. Destroy the evidence, destroy the case. She says, it’s on a protected FBI server. How? He says, easy. She has his sympathies.

Anna lets herself into Jason’s room and opens a laptop. She takes the satellite phone out of her purse and loads the files from it onto the computer. She looks at the files that come up.

Jason says, it’s Jake’s choice. Either way, he’ll understand. Jake says he knows it’s not that simple for Jason and knows Jason’s life isn’t regular. It seems like he tried to do his best with what he had. Art school is what Jake wants and to do it in Spain… He’s excited and grateful for Jason’s offer, so he accepts. Jason hands him an envelope, and Jake holds out his hand. They shake, and it turns into a hug.

Carly says, if it was just her, she’d take her chance in court. She hates how Jason has been blackmailed and she wants to punch Cates every time she sees him. But it’s not just her. Jack says, her kids will suffer too, and asks about Donna. Carly says, Donna is happy, but if she went to prison… Jack says, welcome to his world. You choose the lesser of two evils, whatever would least damage the people around you. Carly says, it’s cowardly letting Jason suffer the repercussions of something she did, but Jack asks if it isn’t worth it if she stays with her kid. She says she guesses it is better if she takes the hit rather than Donna, and he says, there’s her answer. She thanks him for his advice and expertise, and he says, always a pleasure. She says, take care of himself, and he says, her too.

Valentin asks if Charlotte wants breakfast, and she says, sounds great. He thanks her for making peace with Anna, and she says, Anna made it easier than she had to. She’s happy he and Anna are back together. He says he doesn’t know about that, but for the first time in a long time, he thinks there’s hope.

When he returns, Jason finds Anna in his room and asks if she got it. She says, it’s just as they thought, a treasure trove. Files, metadata, everything they need to shut Pikeman down and nail Valentin ten times over. Jason says, it’s finally over. He can get back to his life. Give him the phone. Anna says, she can’t. Not yet.

At Pentenville, a man says, they’re ready for Jack. I think it’s Valentin, but we don’t see his face.  

Willow goes into Drew’s office, but finds Michael in his chair. Michael says, Drew had to leave. He’s not running for office, but will she settle for him? She hugs him and says she’s never settling with him. She hopes he knows how happy she is with him. He’s given her everything – a home and a family, and she loves him so much. He says he loves her too. He’d rather be in her arms than in a congressional seat.

Drew goes to Nina’s office and asks, what the hell is wrong? She ordered him to come see her and threatened him. Did she forget he’s her boss? She smacks him across the face and says, you son of a bitch. You kissed my daughter.

Tomorrow, Willow tells Sonny that she wonders if it’s a good idea; Drew tells Nina that it’s time they came to a new understanding; and Ann tells Jason that she can’t let Cates take Valentin away.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Final day of charter – 25-minute delay (so far). Captain Sandy tells the deckhands to put the brake on and stop the anchor. She tells lain that they’re not going to be able get to get the anchor up. He says he’s waiting for the tender to charge, and she tells him to stay with it. In the captain’s interview, she says they’ve never had to leave the anchor before. They could try to haul it by hand or leave it. Leaving it is a risk. It’s an expensive piece of equipment, and she hopes it’s still there when they come back for it. They don’t have an option because she has to get the guests back to the dock. On top of it, the wind is insane. At this point, there’s a 39-minute delay. Trishelle says, they’re hosting people at 3, but Marsha says, she’s not making that flight. The captain says, it’s not the crew’s fault. It’s too windy to transport them back. In Aesha’s interview, she says, the guests are missing flights that she doubts are economy. She has to distract them and keep them entertained. The captain explains what’s happening to the guests, and everyone is totally cool about everything. Captain Sandy tells Iain to find the largest fender and get reflective tape. She gives him instructions, and in her interview, she says, they put the reflective tape on the buoy they hook to the anchor, like they did in Jaws to see where the shark is. Hopefully it works out better for them. She tells the guests that they’re not sinking; the windlass broke. Trishelle says, she’s legit not making her flight, and Brittany says, it’s like extending the vacation and she’s okay with it. In Joe’s interview, he says, whatever Captain Sandy says to do, he’s doing it. Aesha asks Bri if she’s organized in the laundry, and in Aesha’s interview, she says she’s glad Ellie and Bri aren’t fighting. Since Bri hooked up with Joe, they’re letting their petty drama infiltrate the interior. It’s a she said/she said situation and they’re both so convincing. We flash back to them separately telling Aesha what happened, and Aesha says, after charter, she’s brokering a truce. She doesn’t care who said what. Aesha sends Ellie to help with laundry, and the captain says she needs to get the guests back. Nathan takes the chain off the anchor and ties it to the buoy, and Captain Sandy says, he’s free to drop anchor. In Joe’s interview, he says, if the chain hits you or the boat, someone could get hit or die. The chain snaps as the anchor is let go.  

Aesha says, this is a first for her, and the captain says, time is of the essence. The wind is worse. It’s at 33 knots, and the forecast is for 63 knots. If she doesn’t get back now, she can’t dock the vessel. The guests finish packing, and Captain Sandy calls the Marina Emergency Services. She says, they had to leave the anchor. They need someone to meet them to help repair the windlass and a retrieval team for the anchor. The guests rave about the trip – these people are unbelievably nice – and Marsha says she could start a modeling agency in the Mediterranean. Bri and Joe flirt like elementary school children, sparring and poking at each other. Blech. In Bri’s interview, she says, you can’t put toothpaste back in the tube. In Iain’s interview, he says he’s been playing the long game with Ellie and thinks he’s a shoo-in. In Ellie’s interview, a producer asks if Iain has a chance, and it’s a hard no. In Jono’s interview, he says he almost packed after the last charter, but he’s putting the Givenchy back in the closet. He thinks his training taught him to improve and be made stronger by criticism. Captain Sandy says, it’s a lot of boat to hold in the wind, and lain keeps asking for Joe to drop the big fender on starboard. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, it’s taking too long. She can’t keep holding the vessel. If the fender isn’t down, she can slam into the dock and damage the boat. The delay is now 3 hours and 20 minutes. Nathan helps Joe, and the captain says, Joe needs to learn how to tie a line. Nathan has more knowledge, so until Joe learns, he’ll be doing it. She calls lain to the bridge and asks why he chose Joe to be lead deckhand in the beginning. Iain tells her that Joe had experience and was good at guiding people, and we flash back to Joe’s mess-ups. Iain says, Joe is good at running a team, and the captain says, Nathan is working circles around him. She thinks Joe is a great talker and Iain needs to reassess their experience. In her interview, Captain Sandy says, it was clearly an oversight. lain should have come to her first. She’s had to correct Joe’s dockings, and if Iain had taken the time to read the CVs, he would have seen that Nathan is more experienced. This is a red flag. She tells him, in the future, run things by her. Nathan is now the bow guy. Gael’s boyfriend texts her, wanting an update, and Nathan and Joe both wonder where their trousers are. Bri says she’s confused.  

The guests are ready to go, and Marsha gives Aesha a baseball cap and tells her that she’s adopted. Brittany says, Captain Sandy runs a tight, perfect ship. In Nathan’s interview, he says he wouldn’t leave a tip if he was them, but they’re rich and don’t care. Brittany says she loves them, and has Aesha help her get the tip envelope out of her dress bodice, which is just weird. After the guests leave, Aesha tells the stews that they’re having a meeting. They can make a cocktail. The deckhands get to cleaning, and in Joe’s interview, he says he practically got demoted. He wants good laughs and good energy around him. The stews sit down with their cocktails, and Aesha says, well done. They were lucky that the guests were lovely, but they nailed it as well. Ellie and Bri lost focus because of their personal issues. They all need to have respect and kindness when they say things. Ellie says, when it’s put out that she’s disrespectful, she has a problem with that, and Bri says she felt that her feelings weren’t considered. Ellie says, during charter isn’t the time to be overly sensitive, and in Aesha’s interview, she says, the meeting is off to a good start.

Zea Marina. Aesha says, Ellie and Bri have different personalities and need to be conscious of how someone is taking something. You can’t just say, I’m me and you have to take it. Ellie says, things can’t be blown out of proportion all the time. It’s exhausting. Aesha says, they’re going to squash it now. Be aware of how they speak and be the best team. Just keep getting better. There’s a group hug, and in Aesha’s interview, she says she doesn’t feel like they actually fully resolved things. All she can do is keep eye on them and hope the situation doesn’t escalate. If it does, she’ll have to ask the captain for assistance. She’s at her wit’s end. Gael’s boyfriend texts that he’s sorry for being needy. It’s time for the tip meeting, and Captain Sandy says, engineers are coming to fix the windlass. It was difficult, but the windlass is getting repaired, and the anchor is being brought to them. She knows it’s never easy, but it’s part of their character to remain teachable. Nathan is their bow guy now. She tells Jono, good job, and says, the tip is $25K, $2000 a person or 1800 euros. The crew cheers.

The crew gets ready to go out, and in Bri’s interview, she says, in the beginning, she thought Ellie could be a friend. Now all chance of that is gone, so she just has to look out for herself. In Ellie’s interview, she suggests that Joe let it go. She and Bri will battle it out. She comes out in a black catsuit, and Iain’s eyes nearly pop out of his head. In Jono’s interview, he says he’s ready to party, but everyone is still stressed. He doesn’t know what’s going down, but he’s going up. They take a taxi to a bar and have shots. I think, please eat, and Nathan licks Gael’s hand. Joe tells Aesha that it’s weird, and she asks if he can please take the night off from the girls. Joe says he’s not a machine and doesn’t think tonight is his night. In Aesha’s interview, she says she shouldn’t have to ask a deckhand to leave her girls alone, but she’ll try anything at this point. In Joe’s interview, he says he has to take a step back and be professional. Iain tells Ellie that she looks beautiful, and Gael tells Nathan that she loves him. Ellie tells Iain that she’s a person of few words, and he says, him too, but he feels he’s not connecting with everyone as much as he’d like to. Ellie tells him to ask them about them and then listen. In Ellie’s interview, she says, this is not the way to go about it, and in Iain’s interview, he says, sh*t. They sit at the table in awkward silence, then everyone hits the dance floor. Iain talks and talks and talks about himself to Ellie, totally ignoring her advice. In her interview, Ellie says, her bodysuit is working well… on the wrong person. It’s a torture method. He’s waterboarding her with words. Joe tells Bri that she makes him laugh and he finds her attractive, and she says, they’ve caused drama already. He says, he understands that they have to function on a professional level, and she says, if he doesn’t want anything, she won’t invade his space. He says, right now, he doesn’t want anything, and they shake hands. Aesha points out Joe and Bri to Jono, and she asks, what’s with Nathan and Gael? as they watch them at the bar. Jono says he doesn’t know, and Gael and Nathan move closer to each other. Gael tells Nathan that he’s getting her horny, and Jono tells Aesha, it is what it is.

In the taxi, lain blows on Ellie to give her a breeze. Eww. Back on the boat, Nathan and Gael go up to the top deck, and Aesha goes to bed. Gael tells Nathan that she’s a heartbreaker, and he kisses her cheek. She says she can give him a kiss on the cheek and does. He says, they’re friends, and they leave. The declare their like for each other on the stairs and nuzzle. In Gael’s interview, she says she liked it, but at the same time… In Nathan’s interview, he says he doesn’t think Gael’s boyfriend is going to be too happy, but f*** that guy.

In the morning, the anchor is retrieved. Joe says, anything? to Nathan, and Nathan says, there was some neck kissing. Joe tells him, be careful, and Nathan says, she’s fire. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, wildfires are burning near the marina. It’s the first time she’s dealt with that, and it’s so sad that the people are suffering. It’s not close to the boat yet, but getting closer by the day. They need to get off the dock before they have a problem. Iain and Aesha go over what needs to be done with their departments, and the captain tells Iain that the fires are north of Athens. She wishes they could just take off, but leaving the guests at the dock id not a good thing. The anchor arrives, and in the captain’s interview, she says, thank God. A diver goes down and floats it up. They’ll put the chain back on and wrap it around the windlass. We see this operation cost just over $40K. Yachts are expensive. Don’t they say that the two best days are the day you buy the boat and the day you sell it? That’s probably why. It’s a money pit.

It’s time for the preference sheet meeting, and Aesha, Jono, and Iain gather in the crew mess with the captain. Captain Sandy says, the co-primaries are Kacie and Quint, who are exploring Europe for the first time. Aesha reads that they want to have an excursion to a local island, and the captain says, they’re going to Hydra. It’s tough to dock there, so the deck crew needs to be on their A-game. Gael has a guilt hangover after she sees texts from her boyfriend that say he’s sorry if he’s needy and he feels hurt. She shows Jono and says she feels like she’s always on the phone. We flash back, and she is always on the phone. Jono says, maybe they need a break. They can’t change that they’re not together. Does she want to be with him?

Gael says, he’s a good guy, and Jono asks, does she want to be with him? She says she thinks she struggles, especially when she’s tired and working. She doesn’t want to paint him as bad. Jono says, that’s not what he asked, and in Gael’s interview, she says, if he hated her, this would be easier. She’s torturing herself every day keeping up the relationship when she has a connection with someone else. Being apart, people do things they wouldn’t normally do. Growing up, it was always, you can do better. At the same time, she reaps the seeds she sows. She tells Jono that she hates disappointing people, and he says he thinks she and her boyfriend need to have a conversation. Be honest and transparent, even if it’s hurtful.

Once again, Captain Sandy can’t find her shirt, and in her interview, she says, it’s not the first time her laundry was mixed up. We flash back to several times, and she says, the third stew is an entry level position, so she wouldn’t fire someone, but it needs to be corrected. It’s charter four and Bri needs to develop a system. Provisions come in, and the captain brings some clothes back to the laundry. She says, they’re not hers, and Ellie calls Bri to the laundry. Bri explains that the captain’s clothes are in the washing machine, and Ellie says, there needs to be more clarity. Captain Sandy says, they’re not leaving until the wind dies down. She hopes it blows the smoke the other way. Things start blowing around and the placemats fly off the table. In the captain’s interview, she says, they need to wait for a weather window and have to get off before the smoke gets to the marina. Ellie calls Bri to the laundry again, and Bri says, the captain’s clothes are in the dryer. Ellie tells Captain Sandy that she’ll bring them up. Finding the clothing on her bed, the captain looks for a shirt. She says, this is terrible, and goes back downstairs to find the crew eating in the mess. She asks why it’s so hard to get her clothes back, and Bri says, her shirt should be in the pile. Ellie says, her clothes were all pressed and hanging, and in Captain Sandy’s interview, she says she’s dealing with wind, fires, and guests. She doesn’t need to lose a shirt. This is the last time. Now she’s gonna get pissed.

Ellie asks if Bri checked their cabin. It has to be somewhere. The captain says, Bri will pay attention now, and tells the crew to meet on the dock in 15 minutes. Bri finally finds the captain’s shirt, and Captain Sandy says, she’s got to fix this. In Bri’s interview, she says she knows she’s making mistakes, but she’s not the only one in the laundry room. She’s going to log every piece. Receipts, bitch. Iain tells Joe that people are picking up on little things and saying the deck work is incomplete. They’ve got to work together and get everyone on the same page.

The guests arrive, and the captain tells Iain, if they don’t get off the dock, they’ll spend the day in a bulk of smoke. Co-primary Kacie introduces herself and says, they’re from Charleston. Captain Sandy says, they’re not departing immediately because the wind is insane. She doesn’t want them seasick their first time out. Aesha gives the tour, and in Nathan’s interview, he says he feels bad about Joe. Joe is his boy. He can tell Joe feels bad and he doesn’t want to be a d*ck. The captain calls Iain to the bridge. She tells him that a superyacht just docked right in front of her (bastard), and in her interview, she says, the wind is getting worse, she has a boat portside, and now a boat has pulled in front of her. Typically, she wouldn’t take the risk, but the smoke is coming in, so she’s taking it. She tells Iain to drop the lines. She’s casting off and is going to come as close as she can to the other boat. The guests see the fire coming, and Captain Sandy tells the deck crew that they have a window and need to leave. The crew moves quickly, and Iain says, she has 4 meters on the stern and has cleared the groundlines. In the captain’s interview, she says, it’s crazy. They can see the fire and the clients on the boat can smell it. If they don’t want ash on top of them, they have to get out, but how can they get out? She’s boxed in and has 6 inches to work with. One wrong maneuver and the season is over. They’re so close… She says, sh*t. It’s too tight.

To be continued…

🎽 Dancing In the Clouds…

This guy was so precious. I barely remember him from GH, but I work out every day and when I’m feeling lazy, I don’t mind sweatin’ to the oldies with him on YouTube. Rock on, Richard.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/general-hospital-fave-richard-simmons-dead-at-76

🥀 Released From Battle…

Such a shame. Whether you loved her or hated her, there’s no question that her work will live on.

https://ew.com/shannen-doherty-costars-pay-tribute-after-death-8677736

And she loved her dog.

https://people.com/all-about-shannen-doherty-dog-bowie-8677823

🐕 Who’s a Good Boy…

Olympians need furry encouragement too.

https://people.com/meet-beacon-golden-retriever-therapy-dog-team-usa-olympics-gymnastics-trials-8672007

🧚‍♂️ Chasing a Midsummer Night’s Dream…

It’s been a long, humid day, but join me tomorrow for soap and entertainment info and recaps. Until then, stay safe, stay choosing to live your memories rather than record them, and stay not waterboarding anyone with words.

Jul13

July 12, 2024 – Sasha Tells Cody What She Saw, NYC OG Reunion, Fired, New Knight, Real Darkness, Those Brats, 1½ Weeks To Go, Red Carpet Ugly, Quotes Numbering Nine & Summertime

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Maxie tells Cody that they’re just about to have dinner. He should join them. Felicia says, great idea, and Cody says he appreciates what they’re trying to facilitate here. Their hearts are in the right place, but Mac knows where to find him if he wants to talk. Maxie says, sorry… not sorry. She knows this wasn’t the best way to get the two of them in the same room, but she and her mom thought he and Mac needed to talk face to face. Then they can all have a conversation as a family. He says, that’s just it. We’re not a family; you guys are. He’s just the guy who gives her son riding lessons. Maybe it’s better they keep it that way. He leaves, and Mac says, care to explain the point to that humiliating exercise?

Michael meets Sasha in the stable doorway, and she says she was just on her way to the gatehouse. She hands him a picnic basket, and he says he didn’t expect her to be his delivery service when he put out the SOS, but she says, no problem. She was bringing a basket to Cody anyway. There’s fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans with garlic inside. He thanks her and says he didn’t know he’d have the kids for the evening. She says, there’s enough for Willow too. Where is she tonight? He says, she’s working late with Drew.

Doc says, one book, and Ace was out. He asks if Laura is reading that article, and she says, yeah. He asks what she thinks, and she thanks him for sending it to her. She’s not sure if it’s a good comparison to Heather’s case, because this guy got cobalt poisoning from industrial exposure. He says, true, but he suffered from extreme neurological disorders, dementia, and uncontrollable rage. She says, that’s exactly how they would have described Heather not too long ago. She wonders if this article could help people understand how Heather could have changed.

Curtis comes home to find Trina there, and asks, who is this stranger in his house? Kind of looks familiar. Kind of like someone who used to live here. She asks what he’s doing home already. Mom said they’d both be working late and Marshall’s at the club. He sees a beautifully set table, and says, so she thought she could have a romantic dinner at the house? Is there something he should know? She says, it’s actually a surprise dinner for him and mom. It was from the MetroCourt and the sommelier said he recommended the wine, which he didn’t sell her. It was a gift from the hotel owner. He says, she’s adorable, but she didn’t have to do this. She says, it’s an occasion that needs to be marked on the calendar. It’s been a year. He says, since he was shot and almost lost everything, and she says, it’s been a year since his family rallied around him and he found everything. And look at him now.

Jason lets Anna into his apartment, and she says she doesn’t have a lot of time. She’s on her way to Valentin’s right now. She’s going to drop by unannounced and walk out with the satellite phone he uses to communicate with Pikeman. Jason says, assuming it’s still there, and she asks why he’d move it. He doesn’t know she found it. It’s the best way they have to prove that Pikeman is trafficking illegal arms, and that Valentin is in charge of them. So where is she going to find Jason once she’s secured the evidence? He says he’ll be parked two cars down from Valentin’s house, but she says, no. She’s going it alone this time.

Doc says, the patient in the article was restored to baseline behavior. No more decrease in mental functions and no more rage. That’s a good indicator for recovery and it seems to be what’s happened with Heather. Laura says, ironically, the best argument for Heather’s transformed state of mind is that she doesn’t want her case reopened, and he says, based on what he’s learned from a medical and legal standpoint, a strong argument could be had that there was a rush to judgement and the case should be opened. If that were to happen, Heather could even get a new trial. Laura says, maybe she could, but that’s not what Heather wants.

Curtis says he thought he was the only one that kept track of his shooting at the MetroCourt, but Trina says, no. The whole family’s aware. She asked Aunt Stella if she should mention it to him or not, and she said, the heck with mentioning, we should celebrate. So, ta-da! She’s celebrating not only him being alive and well, but standing and walking. He hugs her and says, thank you, baby. Being able to walk again means everything, but what he’s most grateful for is spending time with his family. But he noticed there are only two place settings. She’s not joining them? She says, nope. She just wants her mom and dad to celebrate privately. The way they just pulled together was inspiring, so they deserve this. He says, it’s very thoughtful of her, but they are putting a dinner or cookout on the schedule, so it doesn’t matter how busy she is. She says, he had her at cookout.

Michael tells Sasha, the meeting came up suddenly, but it’s for the New Tomorrow Institute, so Willow could hardly say no. Sasha says, for sure. So how’s it been for him with Willow’s new job? He says he’s happy as long as Willow’s happy. He knows she was pretty conflicted with the long hours she was working at GH and not having the valuable time to spend with the kids, but luckily, Drew came up with a solution. He pitched Willow as spokesperson for the New Tomorrow Institute and got her on board. So Willow can now spend time with the kids and still do work she can be proud of. She says, a win-win, and he says, the kids sure think so. So does Willow. She does seem happier, doesn’t Sasha think? She says, no question, and he says he should get this to the troops. Thanks for dinner and have a good evening.

Jason says, the last time Anna went to Valentin’s alone, she came out empty handed, and she says she was searching the place. Now she knows where the evidence is. He asks if she meant to spend the night last time, but she says, it just happened. It’s none of his business and it won’t happen again. He says he’s not trying to call her out, but he is a little concerned. He knows how complicated this is. She says, noted. She still doesn’t want him there. Valentin has security cameras. He’ll notice if the same car with the same diver is parked outside each time she visit, so no. This is a solo operation. She’ll meet him back here once she’s acquired the phone. He gives her the key to his place, and she says she’s on her way then. She’ll be back when she has the phone. She leaves and Jason loads his gun.

There’s a knock at Jason’s door, and he opens it to Elizabeth. She says, sorry for just dropping by, but he says, it’s okay. Is everything okay with Jake? She hands him an envelope and says, see for himself. He starts reading something in Spanish and asks if it’s Barcelona Academy of Arts. He takes out a letter and says, his Spanish is not good, but is this an acceptance letter? She says, Jake has been accepted into the drawing and painting program.

Valentin opens the door, and Anna asks if he’s surprised. He says he is, but it’s his favorite kind of surprise. He invites her in and she presents him with some wine. He asks if she’d like to stay for dinner, and she says she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t hoping he’d ask. He’s a wonderful cook and she’s just a lowly small town Police Commissioner in need of a hot meal and some good conversation. He says, then she’s come to the right place, because he’d never want her to waste away or be bored.

Sasha is unpacking a picnic basket, when Cody walks in. She says, he didn’t come up to pester her about dinner, so she figured he might be busy and brought it to him. Has he eaten? He says, no and thanks, but he really doesn’t have an appetite right now. She says, that’s impossible to believe. What’s going on? He says, nothing he wants to get into right now, but he’s glad she’s here. He could use the distraction. She says, there’s a lot of that going around, and he says, so keeping him fed isn’t what drove her out of the kitchen and down here. She says, of course (🍷) she’ll always care for his nourishment, but no, and he asks, what’s going on? She says, if she tells him, she has to swear him to secrecy. This has to stay between them.

Felicia says she’s not going to apologize for scheming to bring Mac and Cody face to face. She was hoping Mac would let reason take hold in that stubborn brain of his, and maybe, just maybe, he and his son could actually talk with each other. Maxie says she thinks stubbornness is an inherited trait, because Cody’s really digging in now, and Felicia says she doesn’t get it. Mac and Cody liked each other just fine before Cody told him the truth. Cody is the one who had to live with the secret and now it’s out in the open. He came to Mac of his own volition. Nobody forced him to do that. No one was twisting his arm. Why can’t Mac let it bring them closer together instead of driving them apart? Mac says, maybe he liked the liar better, but she says, don’t you do that. Don’t play this off like you don’t care. What you like better is your own pride. And Maxie’s right. Cody is just like him. Too proud to beg to be accepted as his son, and maybe deep down, Mac wants him to as penance for lying, until Mac can forgive him. He says, Cody jerked all of them around with his lies. He’s not letting anyone do that to his family. Not a relative, not anyone. Maxie says, funny. Now he’s the one that’s lying.

On the phone, Doc says, send her up, when Laura comes in and says, bad dream. Ace is down, then she stayed a while to watch him sleep. It’s just so beautiful, like an angel. Then she realized that Heather is never going to see that unless she takes a photo of it, and she will. She’s made a decision. She’s going to honor Heather’s request and let this go. It just feels like such a shame though. Now they’ll never know whether or not she could have gotten a reduced sentence. There’s a knock at the door, and he says, the doorman called. Trina is here to see her. Laura opens the door, and Trina says she’s sorry to just show up, but it’s important.

Portia comes home and sees the table. Curtis puts on some music, and she asks if he did this, but he says he can’t take credit. This is 100% their beautiful daughter’s idea. When he got home, she was putting on the finishing touches. The food, this amazing bottle of wine, it’s all from the MetroCourt. Trina thought that after the year they’ve had, they needed some time with each other. Portia says, she is so incredibly sweet. She has to call Trina right now and thank her. He says, she can call Trina tomorrow. Tonight is about them. She says, that’s perfect, because she’s been thinking about him all day. How happy she is that he’s here and that they’re still together. She was so afraid of losing him. He says, why don’t they celebrate what’s ahead, and they can leave all the pain and fear behind. She says, the pain maybe, but she’s having a hard time leaving the fear behind. She hates to admit this, but it’s hard for her to celebrate when she’s worried about the safety of her family.

Elizabeth tells Jason, it’s such a prestigious school, she didn’t want to discourage Jake, but she had no idea he’d actually get in. Not because she doesn’t recognize his talent. He’s amazing and his teacher references are glowing, but you never know if someone else is going to see your kid the way you see them. (Truth! Or your pets.) He asks if Jake is excited, and she says, he’s trying to be lowkey about it, but she can tell he’s over the moon. She actually made a point of not talking about it after he applied because she didn’t want to get his hopes up, but she guesses she worried for nothing because they think he’s the real deal. Jason says, that’s great, but he’s going to have to take her word for it. Does Jake even speak Spanish? She says, he’s had six years. Two years in middle school, then all through high school. This is a dream come true for him. Their son is going to study art in Spain. He thanks her for letting him know and asks if she thinks Jake would mind if he reached out to him about this. She says, that’s why she’s here. He might want to spend whatever time he can with Jake before he leaves. It’s sooner than he thinks. He says he’d like to do one more thing. Let him cover Jake’s tuition and expenses.

Laura says, Trina is always welcome, and invites her in. What’s going on? Trina takes a stuffed horse out of her bag and says, it’s an Ace emergency. She found this in her car. She was at her mom and dad’s house, trying to grab some clothes to take to her place, and this must have been there from the last time she babysat Ace. She hopes he hasn’t missed it too much. Laura thanks her and says, it’s so thoughtful. She’d have Trina give it to him herself, but he’s already gone down. Trina says, that’s okay, and Doc says, it’s good to see her, but he has some cases he still has to review tonight. He leaves, and Laura asks if Trina would like to sit down. She’d love the opportunity to catch up. She heard Trina moved onto the Quartermaine grounds. She thought maybe she would have seen Trina at the 4th of July. Trina says she’s been keeping a low profile. She thinks it’s important to vote and all, but she’s just not into the political scene these days. It’s just a little too chaotic and overwhelming. She knows what she’s for and what she’s against. She’s not saying she’s not interested in those issues, but she’ll make sure she’s up on them before she votes in November. Laura says she’s sure Trina will be. Her mother’s very invested. Trina says, yeah, because of Heather Webber. Has she said anything to Laura?

Portia tells Curtis that for years she lived in apprehension because Taggart was pursuing his career in law enforcement. She was so happy Curtis had left that job when they got together because she knew he would be safe. No risk of life or death every time he walked out the front door. Then this mad woman who was fixated on their daughter was finally captured and put in prison where she belongs. She thought she could actually have some peace and was doing real good for a while there, but now this mad woman might just be casually walking their streets again. He says he seriously doubts that will happen again, and she says she knows he thinks she’s being paranoid, but she thinks the lesson over the past few years is, maybe she hasn’t been paranoid enough. Because she didn’t listen to that scared inside voice; she tried to quiet it. And what happened? Trina almost died in France. Spencer did die. That’s why she’s sounding the alarm about Laura trying to reopen Heather Webber’s case. She just fears the worst… She knows it. The worst is yet to come. (This woman. There are so many layers as to why she’s overreacting. The first of which is, highly doubtful Heather would just be put back on the streets. At best, she’d be moved to Spring Ridge. It’s annoying how Portia is an intelligent doctor, yet doesn’t know basic facts. We’ve been here before.)

Valentin says, Anna is in luck. He just made a caprese salad and was about to sauté some filet of sole he picked up earlier. She asks why he enjoys cooking so much, and he says, it relaxes him. Charlotte’s gone now and he’s not used to cooking just for himself, so he almost always has too much. Open the wine and he’ll finish dinner. He’s really glad she’s here. She says, her too, and he kisses her. He says, one dinner for two coming up, and goes to the kitchen. She sets down the wine and goes to the bookcase behind the desk. He comes back with wine glasses and a corkscrew and asks if he can help her find something. She says, he found it, taking the corkscrew from him. He says he’s sorry, but he has to get back to the fish, and tells her to open the wine to let it breathe. She opens the wine, and he brings in their dinner.

Maxie says, nobody’s lied more to this family than her, but Mac says, that was different. She says, it was different because he forgave her. And when it was her turn, she wasn’t so quick to forgive. She remembers clinging to some sort of misguided pride and pushing her mother away, saying she didn’t want Felicia in her life. Even though it didn’t happen overnight, she realized her pride wasn’t nearly as comforting as her mother’s love. The moral of this story is, Mac never turned his back on her. Why can’t he do that for Cody? Mac says, they’ve been over this. He raised her. He always knew her intentions were good. Cody is a stranger who he happens to share biology with. He doesn’t know what she expects, that he suddenly forgives and forgets? Felicia says, they’re not suggesting that, but they’re also not letting him give up on his only child – his son.

Sasha says, Cody knows she and Michael dated, right? and he says, yeah, and they managed to be friends afterwards. She says, right. They’re better off actually. Now she’s stumbled into something that might blow up Michael’s life, not to mention his business with Aurora and ELQ. He says, sounds ominous, and she says, he promised to keep this between them, right? He says, yeah. What is it? She says, the other day, Nina confided in her that she was having an… affair isn’t really the right word. More like a situationship with Drew. He asks why that would bother Michael. Because they all work together? Oh, because him and Willow have bad blood with Nina. She asks if she’s telling this story, or does he already have it figured out? and he says, no, proceed. She says, during the fireworks on 4th of July, she walked into the solarium and saw Drew and Willow kiss, and Cody says, no, but she says, yes. He asks if she’s absolutely sure, and she says she wishes she wasn’t, but it was Drew and it was Willow, and they were lit up by the fireworks and they were too into the kiss to even notice she was there. He says, whoa. That’s a curveball. She says, right? She just had a conversation with Michael, and she was squirming the entire time. He clearly has no idea, and Drew and Willow are working together, and they’re out tonight at a meeting. She doesn’t know what to do.

Elizabeth says, it’s very generous of Jason, but she’s already looking into loan applications. He says, they’re going to forget the loans. Please just let him do this for Jake. It’s something he can do, and she’s been carrying the load for way too long. She says, okay, and thanks him. That’ll be a really big help. She’s still paying for Cameron, and she’s got Aiden coming up, and she’s looking at a lot of expenses for Jake with traveling. He’s got to go there for orientation and got to update his passport and get a student visa and the books and art supplies. He says, that’s fine. Does she think Jake will be okay with him helping? She says she guesses that will be up to Jake, but she got the impression that when they went to the game, things went well. He says he thought so.

Laura says, Heather inspires fear and rage in people and rightly so. If she were Trina’s mother, she would also be very protective of her. After all, Heather did target her. Trina says, but when she came to see Laura in the office, she was so great, and she understands why Laura feels the way she does. Laura says she appreciates that, but she has to tell Trina something. She just came from visiting Heather today, and Heather made it abundantly clear to her that she would like her to drop the whole thing. Trina asks if she’s going to, and Laura says, it’s Heather’s life. It’s her decision and she thinks she has to respect that. Trina says she’s glad to hear that, but Laura does raise an important question. If Heather wasn’t in her right mind and she wasn’t in control of her actions, should she be locked up for the rest of her life? Laura says she honestly doesn’t know what the right thing is here, but she does know she’s going to respect Heather’s wishes. She’s curious though. What does Trina think should have been done with Heather?

Portia says she needs to find out how many names she needs to have on a petition to have Laura recalled as mayor, but Curtis says, that’s been tried before. It didn’t work then, and he doubts it will work now. She says, then she’ll just have to make it an issue. She doesn’t think the public would take too kindly to their mayor’s attempts to try and overturn Heather’s conviction. He says he gets it. She’s fired up about this. She says, and he’s not. She gets that Laura’s his friend and hopefully, that woman will come to her senses, but she can’t afford to take that chance. And more importantly, Trina can’t. He says he hadn’t told her this before, but he went to Pentenville to visit with Heather. He had to see for himself. She says, so they’re just not telling each other things. Is that what’s happening now? He says he was still processing the whole thing and he didn’t know how to talk to her about it until he had. She says, why? Was it that bad? He says, it’s not that bad. After talking with Heather, he can see what Laura sees. From a legal standpoint, maybe Heather doesn’t deserve to be behind bars for the rest of her life.

Felicia says, when Mac thought Cody wasn’t his son, even afterwards he couldn’t let go of the connection he felt with him. Don’t even deny that. Mac says he’s not denying he likes the guy, but Cody lied to him and kept up that lie, every interaction they had, every conversation. Every laugh they shared, Cody was lying to his face. How does she expect him to accept that? Maxie says, Cody grew up with people he wasn’t close to. They never treated him like a son. Is Mac going to continue that and not treat him like one either? He says, the two of them are ganging up on him, but Felicia takes his hand and says, no. (Yes.) They’re loving him. They know how difficult it is for him to welcome Cody with open arms. Because he’s angry, and for good reason. Cody lied to him. He cost them a year of their lives. But ask himself, how much time is he willing to let his anger cost him now?

Sasha says she doesn’t know what Willow is thinking. Michael loves her so much and she knows Willow loves him. They have two small children. He says, all she saw was a kiss, so maybe that’s all it was. They were probably drinking, fireworks were going off. Maybe they just got carried away. She says, so it was a one-time thing? and he says, she knows these people better than he does. Do Willow and Drew seem like people to sneak behind Michael’s back? She says, absolutely not, and he says, okay. His advice is that she forgets that she saw it. Unless she wants to blackmail. His recommendation would be, Drew’s got deeper pockets. She says she needs to go finish cleaning up. Forget she said anything. He says he’s sorry, and takes her hands. He was just joking. He was just trying to lighten things up for her in his own clueless way. She says, he really is clueless, isn’t he? and he says, about most things, but with this, he sees pretty clearly. She asks, how is that? and he says, people can be reckless and crazy. He totally includes himself in that, but that doesn’t really matter right now. One of the hazards of working in someone else’s home is that sometimes you’re going to find out things you wish you hadn’t (been there). And the fact that the Qs are stinking rich only magnifies that problem.

Portia says, no, but Curtis says, she’s still Heather, but not cruel or violent. Nothing like the maniac he remembers. She says, it just makes her crazy to sit here and think he was sitting across from someone who’s an absolute threat to their family. He says he had to see it for himself and he’s glad he did. Because if Laura makes some kind of effort to free Heather – and he’s not saying she has, because she hasn’t – but if she does, they don’t have to fight her. Portia asks why he’s even saying this, and he says, because Heather made it clear to him that she doesn’t even want her case reopened. She told him that she’s right where she belongs, and she would tell that to any judge or parole officer who reviewed her case. She says, Heather said that, so… He says, she did, and she was adamant about it. So no matter what Laura does, he’s 100% confident that Heather Webber will stay right there in that cell where she is for the rest of her days.

Elizabeth tells Jason that Cameron is loving California, and she would never deprive Jake of this opportunity. Does he remember when she wanted to be an artist? He says he does remember. She was good. She says, but she gave up on it. She kind of went back to it a little bit after she met Franco. She knows how Jason feels about him, but he did a lot for those boys and for her. He says, she gets the credit for the boys. She’s done an amazing job raising them. She thanks him and tells him, like she said, it’s going to be up to Jake if he allows Jason to pay for Barcelona. She does want to say that she sees he’s trying to make up for lost time with Jake and Jake sees it too. He’s making good on his word to be a better father. She appreciates that.

Sasha says, Cody is right. The best thing she can do is ignore that it ever happened. And whatever is going on between Willow and Drew will work itself out. Just don’t try to blackmail them. He asks what it’s worth to her and laughs.

Mac says, Cody wanted him to believe he wasn’t his son, and now Cody wants him to know that he’s his son. If the circumstances have changed, that’s on Cody, but he doesn’t have to automatically fall in line and neither does Maxie. Cody can go through whatever he’s going through, but that has nothing to do with them.

Laura says she has to tell Trina that to a degree, she has compassion for whatever Heather is going through right now. As she becomes more lucid, maybe she can get some counseling. Maybe she can arrange for Heather to have a psychiatrist see her in Pentenville, somebody who can help her deal with the things she’s done. Because she believes Heather is truly remorseful. Trina says she’s been thinking about this a lot. Is it fair that someone who’s mentally ill gets punished for something they have no control over? Should they be treated the same as someone who knew what they were doing? She doesn’t think so. Heather couldn’t help that she was sick. She didn’t choose it. Laura says, it’s easy for her to see why Spencer loved Trina so much. She has a very loving, compassionate heart. Trina says, Laura asked what she thinks should be done to Heather, and she thinks Heather should get justice according to the laws of this country, because that’s what she’d want anyone to get. Laura says, her too.

Portia says she wishes she could believe that Laura will do what Heather asks and just let this whole thing go, and Curtis says he still believes in Laura’s integrity. She will do the right thing. Portia says she thinks they’ve talked about Heather Webber enough for one night. She certainly doesn’t want Heather to derail this absolutely lovely celebration that their daughter planned for them. He says, before the first course – he puts on some music – may he have this dance? He holds out his hand and she takes it. She says, it would be her absolute pleasure, and they kiss as they dance.

Valentin asks if Anna has given any thought to his proposition, and she says, leaving Port Charles with him and going… He says, wherever they feel like, and she says she’s thought about how hard it would hit her if he were to disappear without her. He sets down his wine and says, then don’t let him. They kiss and it looks like they’ll be getting busy.

On Monday, Jack tells Carly that he doesn’t like those odds, but maybe they can improve them; Willow tells Nina that she did something terrible; and Elizabeth says, the only way to know is to make the offer.

🗽 Reunited and It’s Not So Good…

Oh for Pete’s sake, Countess. Put on your big girl panties and don’t be all uncool.

https://people.com/bethenny-frankel-luann-de-lesseps-reunite-hamptons-party-8674417

Luann de Lesseps ‘Hurt’ After Bethenny Frankel Reunion: ‘Used Her Daughter To Get to Me’

🚣‍♂️ Bound To Happen…

That’s probably why most of them have their own businesses. Would you want a perpetually hung over 35 going on 14-year-old working for you?

Jesse Solomon Fired From Finance Job After Summer House Debut

⚔️ Spinning Off the Throne…

The latest look at the latest GoT spin-off.

https://ew.com/game-of-thrones-a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms-first-look-cast-confirmed-8665658

📺 Reality In the Dark…

The Vice channel’s Dark Side series is the best, and this sounds like it won’t disappoint.

https://www.ebosscanada.com/news/new-dark-side-series-from-vice-tv.html

Dark Side of Reality TV Trailer: Vicki Gunvalson ‘Will Never Forgive Bravo’

Excellent article about reality TV.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/dype9v/is-reality-tv-too-scared-to-be-reality-tv

🍻 Back To the 80s…

If you’re a fan of the 80s youth quake in film, this documentary is for you. I watched this last weekend and loved it. I’m reading his book now.

https://people.com/andrew-mccarthy-hulu-brats-documentary-biggest-bombshells-8660143

🏊 Diving Into the Deadpool…

Just one more week and a half.

https://okmagazine.com/p/deadpool-and-wolverine-everything-to-know/

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/deadpool-wolverines-teaser-footage-ryan-reynolds-hugh-jackman-tva-cassandra-nova-mcu/

https://movieweb.com/the-history-of-deadpool-and-wolverines-relationship/

🐕 From Contest To Carpet…

I love this dog so much.

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/ugliest-dog-photo-contest-winner-stars-in-deadpool-and-wolverine-movie

https://ew.com/dogpool-gets-its-day-deadpool-and-wolverine-london-premiere-8677127

💡 Quotes of the Week

But instead of spending our lives running towards our dreams, we are often running away from a fear of failure or a fear of criticism. – Erina Wright

The only thing standing between you and outrageous success is continuous progress. – Dan Waldschmidt

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. – T. S. Eliot

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. – Steve Jobs

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. – George Bernard Shaw

Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance. – Will Durant

A bend in the road is not the end of the road, unless you fail to make the turn. – Helen Keller

The man used to have to get naked to count to twenty-one. – Dorothy (Bea Arthur) when asked if her ex had a head for numbers, The Golden Girls

The bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep. – E. Cossman (Or sometimes a good stiff drink.)

🪺 Time Of the Season…

Try doing something you’ve never done before this weekend, then meet me on Monday for soap and misbehavior on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay planning your road trip route in advance to avoid unnecessary delays, and stay letting reason take hold over stubbornness.

Jul12

July 11, 2024 – Felicia Hears Cody’s Side, Soap Suds, Fresh Oranges, Scary Stuff, Teresa Talk, Have Some Whiskey, Happy Half Birthday & The Park

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Felicia goes to the stable, and Cody asks, what brings her by? He’s probably the last person she wants to see. She says, now that she knows he’s been lying to her family for the last two months, she has plenty say, and asks him to promise to hear her out. He says, absolutely, and she tells him not to give up on a relationship with Mac. She believes the best way out is through, so don’t even think of leaving.

Mac arrives at Maxie’s house, and she says she’s glad he’s home and available to stop by. He asks where the kids are, and she says she had Spinelli take them to the pool so they can blow off steam and she and Mac can talk with no interruptions. He asks if it’s about Cody, and she says, of course (🍷) it is. Mac forgave her when she messed up. Now he has to forgive Cody.

Portia shows up at Jordan’s office and says she knows Jordan is busy, so she’ll get straight to the point. She’s going to gather signatures to put a measure on the fall ballot to recall the vote and remove Laura. If it passes, the new mayor will be Jordan.

At the Pentenville visiting room, Heather thanks Laura for coming. She needs to talk to her. Laura says, before she forgets, she has a photo of the most beautiful grandson. She gives Heather an envelope, and Heather takes out a picture of Ace. She says, he’s getting more adorable each time she sees him. Can she keep it? Laura says, of course (🍷). She’ll try to bring one every time she visits. Heather says she had an unexpected visitor, Curtis Ashford. He told her that Laura was looking into her case and thinking of challenging her sentence. Laura says, all she’s done is request transcripts, but it’s possible a lawyer might find grounds for a petition to reopen her case. Heather says, that’s what she wanted to talk to Laura about. She appreciates Laura caring, but don’t do it. She needs to stay locked up.

Brook lets Kristina in and says she invited her and Blaze over to explore strategies. Kristina wonders if there’s a strategy to uncancel someone, and Brook says she thinks they can mitigate the negative damage. She asks if Blaze has spoken to her mother, and Kristina says she doesn’t know if Blaze did, but she did, for all the good did. Brook asks if she thinks Blaze would be willing to make a public statement denouncing her mother’s words, and Kristina says, what Natalia did was wrong, but she’s still Blaze’s mother. Brook says she can’t imagine how Blaze feels, and Kristina says, Natalia did the damage, but Ava is the one who should have to pay.

Ava tells Sonny to howl at moon for all she cares. Then listen to himself and decide how suitable a judge will find him as a parent. Sonny says he’s not going anywhere, and suddenly, John is in the doorway. He asks if there’s a problem here, and Sonny tells him to mind his own business. Ava says, Sonny won’t leave and he’s threatening her. If John doesn’t believe it, he can listen to their conversation.  

John asks if it’s true Sonny threatened Ava on tape, but Sonny asks why he’d record Ava. She has nothing to say. He holds up his phone, and it says, no audio. He asks if John is going door to door for the FBI asking for handouts, but John says he’s staying here. He heard voices and isn’t surprised it’s Sonny fighting with someone. Ava was living with him a week ago, and she’s the mother of another of Sonny’s children. Sonny says he cares about his kids and fights to keep them safe. What about John? Where’s his son? To be continued. Sonny leaves.

Cody asks how Felicia isn’t angry, and she says she likes to hear all sides before making up her mind. It’s his chance to tell his side. Just be honest. He’s wasted enough time already lying to her family. He asks, what’s the point? Mac made it clear there’s no place in his life for him. She says, Mac is hurt and lashing out. It doesn’t surprise her. He’s been a wonderful father to her children, but he never had a biological child of his own. He accepted the fact it was something life denied him, but when he thought Cody might be his son, he was delighted. When Cody told him they weren’t a match, it was a crushing disappointment. Now that he knows Cody lied, what is he supposed to think? He doesn’t feel wanted and who can blame him? He thinks the only reason Cody came forward now is that he has an agenda. Cody asks if they think he’s hustling for a kidney, and Felicia says, is he? He says, no, and she asks if he doesn’t want to accept that he and Mac have a connection. He says, it was never that.

Kristina says, she’s sick of Ava’s petty BS. She was upset that Sonny didn’t invite her to the wedding and took Natalia. Brook says, there were no circumstances where Ava would have been welcome. She murdered Connie Falconari, and all the Falconaris and Cerullos know it. Kristina asks if she thinks Ava cares. She pretends it never happened and assumes everyone else will too. She plunked herself into Sonny’s apartment and his life, and when he wised up and kicked her out, she retaliated. She had dirt on Natalia and used it, and now Allie is collateral damage. She’s devastated that the label dropped her. Brook says, it’s their loss, and Kristina asks if there’s anything that can be done to turn it around. Is it even possible? Blaze arrives, and Brook says she’s trying to set up an interview to give Blaze an opportunity to respond, not just to Natalia’s words, but the public reaction, the online cancellation. Blaze says she thinks it’s a great idea, and Brook says, but it needs to be a joint interview. Kristina needs to be there too.

Portia says, people on the community message boards are outraged that Heather might be roaming the streets, and Jordan says, Portia may disagree with Laura, but she has to acknowledge that Laura is the epitome of fairness. She’s just asking questions. She has no specific goal or outcome. Portia says, her point is that Laura isn’t thinking about the consequences. Lives will be at risk if Heather goes free. Jordan says, Portia knows Heather’s judgement was impaired. Can she be held fully responsible for the decisions she made? Portia says, Jordan’s responses sound like something a politician would say. Not someone who used to be Police Commissioner.

Ava says she appreciates John’s assistance, and he says he was in the right place at the right time. She says she’s only been here a couple of nights, but he knows that since he’s having her followed. He says, when he’s following someone and it reaches a point where he’s not getting anything relevant or useful, he suspends the surveillance. He asks if she wants him to call security, and she says, he sounds almost chivalrous. She knows how to discourage Sonny, but does he want to stay and have a drink?

Cody tells Felicia that he asked himself the tough questions like, who would want a son like him? No one was the obvious answer. Felicia says, he couldn’t be further from truth. The first thing she noticed about him was how alike he and Mac are. They both have a sense of decency and are kind and patient people. And they’re both good with kids. The kids love Cody. She thinks they’re both teachers at heart. Cody says he spent most of his life making a buck, and played fast and loose with the truth, but she says, he’s not alone. Mac can play when he wants to. He says he doesn’t believe it, but she says, that’s because he hasn’t known Mac long. When Mac was his age, he got in all kinds of trouble. Cody says, maybe he does take after him.

Mac tells Maxie, it’s not complicated. Cody doesn’t seem like someone begging to have a relationship with him. Maxie tells him that she’s not saying Cody’s a saint, but he hasn’t screwed up nearly as much as she has, and Mac never decided she was irredeemable. He always gave her support. Why is he taking a hard line with Cody?

Sonny visits Alexis, and says, Ava served him over sole custody of Avery. Alexis says, first her, then their daughter, now him. He says he doesn’t want Ava to ever see Avery again, and she asks if that isn’t an overreach. He says he had sole custody before. He’s going to come after Ava with everything he’s got. All he needs to know is if she’ll support him.

Laura asks if Heather is saying she wants to stay in prison, but Heather says, of course (🍷) not. It’s like some kind of hell. She hates not seeing her grandchild and hardly sees the light of day. She can’t talk to the inmates, since most of them have done something horrendous, but she knows what goes on inside is real. Laura asks what she means, and Heather says, she can’t remember why she killed people. She knows she did it, and remembers doing it, and even thinking that it was somehow justified. Laura says, she was suffering from cobalt poisoning, and Heather says, from a bad hip replacement. It was removed, and in theory, she’s thinking more clearly, but she can’t be sure if she’s let out that she wouldn’t hurt anyone. She doesn’t know if she’d do it again and doesn’t want to put it to the test.  

Blaze says, Kristina’s not a public figure and it wasn’t her idea to keep their relationship a secret. She feels guilty enough dragging Kristina into the spotlight. Brook says, Blaze isn’t to blame and doesn’t need to apologize. Her personal life is nobody’s business. The public can think what they want. The interview is to engage the people who haven’t made up their minds and let the fans know what’s going on with her. Show them who she and Kristina really are; sweet, loving people who are at ease with one another. She has some contacts, and she’s confident she can find the right one. Kristina says she’ll do it, and Blaze asks if she’s sure she’ll be okay in the limelight. Kristina says, telling the truth is easier than hiding it. They’re in.

Alexis tells Sonny that she loathes Ava with the heat of a thousand suns, but as a mother, she’s uncomfortable keeping a mother away from her child completely. Is visitation out of the question? Sonny says, Ava takes every chance she can to poison his daughter against him. He’s not letting her do that anymore. Alexis says she can’t agree to help him unless he acts within the confines of the law, and he asks if she’s willing to take the stand and say he’s a good father to Kristina. She doesn’t have to talk about Ava. Diane will figure that out. She says she’ll testify that he loves his daughter, but if they ask if she approves of what he does for a living, she’ll have to tell the truth.

Felicia says, Cody made a mistake, the same one more than once, but it’s not the end of everything. Unless he can stand here and tell her that he doesn’t want any part of the Scorpio/Jones family. He tells her that he can’t say that.

On the phone, Brook says she’ll be in touch. Chase comes in and gives her a blackberry. She says she’s surprised they’re ripe already, and he says, it’s an early season because of the warm spring. He and Violet were picking blackberries. Now she’s at the gatehouse impressing Wiley and Amelia with her skills. Brook says she’s glad the kids are getting along, and Chase says, obviously, Violet misses her dad, but with all the kids and so much to do, she’s engaged now and seems happy. She says she knows he was up checking on Violet all night because she knows the kind of guy he is.

Cody says he’s been alone so long he doesn’t know how to feel part of a family, especially one he already knows, and Felicia asks if he’d like to find out. He says he got to know Maxie and the kids, and it felt watching life through a window, but she says, he’s not so far removed. When Maxie needed help, he was there. He loves the kids, particularly James who loves him already. James even told her how he asked Cody to be his brig brother and Cody accepted, and how they spit on their hands and shook on it. It’s a sacred bond. There’s no way he can go back on that. She shows him a photo of him and James eating hotdogs on 4th of July, and Cody says he couldn’t believe James asked him to be his big brother, but that was before he told Mac. Mac is furious now and told him to stay away from James. He said he can never trust Cody again. Felicia says, Mac will be fine. Give him a little time and he’ll find his way to forgiveness. Cody tells her, that’s what Maxie said, and she says, that’s because they know Mac inside and out. It will never happen overnight, but he always forgives the people he loves. Cody says, Mac doesn’t love him, but she says, Mac doesn’t know him. She believes with all her heart that if Cody is willing to give Mac time, he and his father will both get what they really want.

Maxie says, maybe Mac and Cody will have the chance to be father and son, but Mac says, Cody doesn’t want love and acceptance and to make up for lost time. He denied they were father and son. Maxie says, he made a mistake. He’s changed. She thinks he wants to be Mac’s son. Mac asks, why now? What does Cody really want? What’s his ulterior motive? He wants nothing to do with Cody.

John asks, where’s Avery? and Ava says, at Sonny’s. She’s not happy about it. Sonny is doing everything in his power to turn Avery against her. Now he’s trying to take Avery away, and it’s cruel. Avery needs her mother. John says, they seemed to be getting along. What caused the rift? Ava says she has no idea. It’s been difficult dealing with Sonny lately; he’s so volatile. John saw how he was behaving. She’s been walking on eggshells. She’s doing what she can to keep Avery safe and wants to get her away from Sonny. John asks how she plans to do that, and she says, prove Sonny is unfit. John knows how he treated Karen and must agree that he has no business having sole custody, especially of a little girl. John says, no question, and Ava says, he’s known Sonny for decades. Would he be willing to make a statement to her attorney Scott Baldwin?

Portia says, Laura has undone all the hard work Jordan and the PCPD did to get Heather off the streets, but Jordan says she doesn’t see it that way. She was proud to play her role in getting Heather off the streets, but as a cop, she realizes evidence is evidence, even if it if comes at an inconvenient time. She advised Laura against pursuing this. She knew it could be a lightning rod and could hurt Laura’s career. But unlike most politicians, Laura’s main concern was fairness. Portia laughs, and says, fair? Heather targeted Trina because Spencer fell in love with her and not Esme. Was it fair for Heather to murder people? Jordan says, she had a medical condition that compromised her judgement, and it may be fair to reconsider her case. The law isn’t just for people they like and approve of. No more than giving them medical treatment.

Brook tells Chase that she’s in the process of setting up an interview with a major outlet and thinks both Blaze and Kristina are on board. She hopes it works. He tells her that his bereavement leave ends tomorrow, and wonders what that means for Violet. Brook says, there’s no problem with childcare, but he wants to make sure Violet knows she’s their priority. Brook says she can work from home, and he says he can pitch in. She asks if he’s going to detect from the boathouse, but he says he’ll talk to Anna and Mac and see about a three-day week. They’ll do what it takes to make sure Violet has a loving home and family.

Felicia can’t find her phone and asks Maxie to call it. Maxie does, and Cody picks up. Maxie hangs up and asks if they heard anything. Maybe it’s really lost. Mac says, maybe it’s in the kids’ room, and goes to look. Maxie and Felicia smile at each other.  

Kristina goes to Alexis’s house, and Alexis asks if something else happened. Kristina says, no, but it’s going to. She and Allie have been debating how to respond, and they decided not to address Natalia’s comments directly, but show the world who they are, two people in love. There’s something wrong with the world if they can’t accept love in whatever form it takes. Alexis asks if they’re hoping the scandal dies down and cancelation moves on to someone else, and Kristina says, Brook set up an interview where they can present themselves as they are. Sonny says, it’s a good strategy. Show they have nothing to hide. Alexis says, it’s great as long as it’s handled right, and Kristina says, they always taught her to know who she is and to stand up for herself and what she believes in, and she thanks them for that.

Heather says, her blood runs cold to think she could be a killer, and Laura asks if she wants to kill again. Heather says, no, but what if she finds herself in a situation where the feelings come back and consume her and she’s doing terrible things again? She can’t risk it. Whatever Laura is thinking of doing, don’t. She’s in here for a reason and it’s where she belongs. Laura says, what if she was triggered by her medical condition and had no control? She’s just trying to help. Heather says she knows, but if Laura really wants to help, take care of her grandson. Visit once in a while and bring pictures. Let her pay for her crimes in peace, as much as she can get in a joint like this. Laura says, okay, if that’s what she really wants, and Heather nods.

Jordan says, there were toxins in Heather’s blood and Portia was on the team who diagnosed it. Portia says she was doing her job. She believes Heather should get proper medical care, but not absolution. Jordan says, Heather has rights like anybody else, and Portia says she has the right to question the legitimacy of the mayor. Jordan says, it’s just an inquiry. Laura is just asking questions. Give it time and see where it leads. Portia says, if Jordan thinks she’s going to sit around and wait for Heather to be released, she’s got another thing coming. She wonders if Heather had targeted Jordan’s son or murdered him, how Jordan would feel then. She storms out.

Kristina says she’s lucky she has parents who have experience with the press and appreciates their advice and guidance. Alexis says, of course (🍷), and Kristina says, they raised an outspoken daughter who tends to step in it. She can’t afford to make a mistake. Alexis says, it’s a good plan, and Kristina says she has to get it right. Allie’s career is at stake. Sonny says, she’ll be great, and Alexis hugs her. Kristina says she wanted to ask how they’ll feel seeing their kid doing an interview on national TV, and Sonny says, he’ll feel more proud than he already is, and hugs her.  

Brook asks if Chase wants to play croquet with her and Violet, and he asks if she doesn’t have to work. She says she’s waiting for a call back, but be warned, she’s a fearsome croquet player. He says, bring it on, and Brook says she’s a lucky girl. Most brides don’t get a preview of how their husband will be as a father. She saw him with Bailey Lou and now Violet. She picked the right guy. He says, they need to schedule time after croquet to argue about who picked who, and kisses her.

John says he knows Scotty; he was Karen’s dad. He’s an accomplished attorney and a great guy. Ava says, he’s spoken highly of John too, and John says he’s in Port Charles in a professional capacity. He has history here, but he’s not in brief to get involved in a custody battle. She says she’s not asking him as an agent, but as John, a father. She fears for Avery, and they both know she’s the one who will ultimately be hurt. She wants to keep Avery safe. Wouldn’t he want to protect his son from Sonny? He says he can’t promise anything, but he’ll think about it, and she says she needs all the help she can get. He says he doesn’t think she needs to worry too much. Before long, Sonny is going to be behind bars where he belongs if he has anything to say about it.

Maxie asks how it went with Cody, and Felicia says, he definitely wants another chance. What about Mac? Maxie says, stubborn as a mule. Mac comes back and says, there are people who lose things who don’t really lose them, and people who lose things that are gone forever. After all these years, he thinks Felicia might be the second one. There’s a knock at the door, and Maxie opens it. Cody says, Felicia left this at the Quartermaines… He and Mac lock eyes, and Felicia says, it’s not gone forever.

Tomorrow, Sasha says, if she tells Cody, she has to swear him to secrecy; Mac asks, what’s the point of this humiliating experience; and Portia tells Curtis, the worst is yet to come.

🛁 More Soap Bubbles…

I wondered if/how the latest Sonny arc was affecting him. So glad he was able to cope. Frank Valentini has always done right by his actors. I doff my cap.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/maurice-benard-reveals-why-he-had-to-take-time-off-from-gh

This sounds like a fun trip!

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/kelly-monaco-and-anthony-geary-reunite

 Extra, extra.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-cameron-mathison-has-an-exciting-new-role

What’s next.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/michael-easton-reveals-whats-next-after-gh

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/gregory-harrison-is-back-on-tv

🍊 O Say Can You C…

The messiness is back. It didn’t take long for Shannon to try and get into it with Alexis, bringing up some old lawsuit she insisted Alexis was involved with, yet she had no receipts. It was at that point, Alexis suggested the real issue was that she was with Shannon’s ex. That’s when she said, if Shannon didn’t like it – all together now – there’s the door Shannon Beador.

Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18, Episode 1 Recap: Shannon and Alexis Go Head-To-Head

A little more about Beador.

https://people.com/rhoc-recap-alexis-bellino-and-shannon-beador-square-off-john-janssen-romance-past-8676867

💎 Worse Than Being Chucky’s Bride…

She’s going to be a great addition to the cast. Hopefully, she can keep her poker face on and not engage in the drama. Or if not, give as good as she gets.

Jennifer Tilly Says Joining ‘RHOBH’ Is ‘Scarier Than Chucky’

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/chucky-jennifer-tilly-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-friend

👙 No Love Bubbles To See Here…

Oh well. We can dream.

https://ew.com/teresa-giudice-rumor-leaving-real-housewives-new-jersey-8675092

Nice try. What’s really funny is, at one point, she said she loved the comments. So why did she disable them?

https://people.com/teresa-giudice-addresses-larsa-pippen-bikini-photoshop-fail-8675214

🐶 Never Mix Whiskey and Fireworks…

This dog. I can’t.

https://paradepets.com/pet-news/bri-bagwell-rescue-dog-whiskey-fireworks

🎂 A Very Merry Half Birthday To You…

My eldest Peke, Marco, is 17½ today. Seems like he was a puppy just yesterday.

Baby Marco

🏊‍♀️ Life’s a Beach…

Come on by tomorrow for soap, a little tea, a bit of talk, and a tune. Until then, stay safe; stay keeping an eye on your children or pets in public areas, and don’t allow them to be intrusive to others (although if it’s me, you can allow your pets to intrude); and stay always forgiving the people you love.

Jul11

July 10, 2024 – Cody Makes a Promise To Sasha, Dubai In the House, New Listings, What’s Cookin’, For the Senior Pets (!) & America

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

In the nook, Sasha gives Drew some coffee, and flashes back to seeing him kiss Willow. She tells him that his speech was inspiring, and he says he’s given other speeches before, but this one was different. She says, last night was full of surprises, when Willow walks in. She asks if Willow wants coffee or a beignet, and Willow says, yes, to both. Sasha says she doesn’t want to brag, but Wiley says these are his new favorites, and Willow says, he calls them bayonets. Sasha tells them to help themselves, and she leaves to see Cody at the stables. Willow and Drew look at each other.

Felicia says she always felt there was a connection between Mac and Cody, and Maxie says, Felicia’s Spidey senses have always been borderline terrifying. She asks if something could have happened to the DNA sample Felicia sent in, but Felicia says, the lab is the best. Even if the sample was contaminated, it would only add to the sample, not take away from it. Maxie says, they’ve all spent a lot of time with Cody, and he’s been wonderful, and Felicia says, that’s why she doesn’t want Maxie to be mad when she says this. He’s lied before, so why should they believe him now?

Scotty goes to Ava’s hotel room, and she checks the hall for a certain FBI agent who’s having her followed because she’s spent time with Sonny. He asks if she means John Cates, and she says, that’s the one. He says he’s known John since high school. He’s a good guy. She asks what Scotty is doing here and is he billing her for it, and he says, oh yeah. He has Diane’s countersuit. Sonny wants sole custody of Avery. He hands her the papers.

Sonny visits his old kitchen and the moss bowl🎍, and Carly says, Avery and Donna are doing crafts with Pilar. Don’t be surprised if they’re covered in glitter. He asks if she doesn’t think Donna is growing up too fast, and she says, that’s why they have to enjoy these glitter filled days. He says, now that Ava’s moved out, would Carly reconsider having Donna spend the night? He and Avery would love it. Jason walks in, as he’s another member of the moss bowl🎍fan club and can’t stay away.

Willow says she wasn’t looking for Drew, but she’s glad she ran into him. She loves Michael with all her heart, and it was wrong of them to kiss. It never should have happened. Drew says, it was an accident. (Yep. He accidentally fell into her lips.) The result of too many drinks and too many fireworks. He loves Michael too and would never hurt him. They did something impulsive and stupid, but one kiss doesn’t have to change anything for anybody.

Maxie says she doesn’t think Cody is lying, but Felicia says she saw the DNA result with her own two eyes. Maxie says, those were the results from the top secret don’t-tell-anyone test. Cody claims the results from the original test prove he’s Mac’s son. Felicia asks if Cody could be working an angle, but Maxie wonders where the big payout would come from. When she talked to Cody last night, she could tell he wanted to bolt. She knows the look of someone wanting to run from the mistakes they’ve made. He was trying to say goodbye without actually saying it. She practically had to threaten him into staying. He can’t leave town after telling Mac that he’s his son.

Sasha goes to the stable and tells Cody that she was going to keep this to herself, but last night… He says, last night he told Mac that he’s his son. He kept thinking about what she’d said. He hated lying to Mac and it just came out. He should have kept his mouth shut. It was worse than he thought. Mac’s furious with him. He said, Cody had plenty of chances to tell him the truth, but he didn’t. He also told Mac about the whole Taub/WSB stuff with Scotty. She asks if Mac understood, and Cody says, what Mac understood is that he betrayed Mac’s family. She says, it was a lot to take in for both of them, and He says, Mac stormed out, so it seems he took in enough. The only person he was madder at than Cody was himself. For believing Cody could be anything but a grifter. She says, that’s harsh and wrong, but give him time. He’s probably in shock. For what it’s worth (🍷), she’s proud of him. He must feel better having that secret off his chest. He says he feels like garbage, and there’s still a weight on his chest. It’s just for a different reason. She asks what he wants to do now, and he says he wants to get the hell out of town.

Ava says, it’s no surprise Sonny is suing for sole custody, and Scotty says, after reading Diane’s filings, he thinks Ava’s expectations should be lower. He doesn’t like the facts of this case. She says, Avery’s father is a dangerous man working in a dangerous business with other dangerous people. What other facts does he need? He says, she was living with Sonny with Avery, but she says she was living there to keep Avery safe and be a loving touchstone for her in a stressful time. He says, judges like stability and don’t like seeing kids ping-ponged around, and she says, that’s why she wants Avery with her full-time, but he says, she’s in a hotel. At Sonny’s, Avery has a routine, and she likes living with her father. Does Ava think a judge will want to take her away from that? She asks if he didn’t tell her that if Sonny had a public meltdown… He says, all bets would be off, but he doubts that’s going to happen during a custody hearing. Sonny’s not that stupid.

Sonny tells Jason that he and Carly are talking on a private matter, and Carly says she and Sonny are discussing the kids. She tells Sonny that Avery is welcome to be there with Donna any day, and Sonny says he has to take care of something, showing her the papers. Ava thinks she deserves to have sole custody of Avery. Carly says she’s happy she doesn’t have to wade into this mess, but he tells her that she might be called to testify because they share custody of Avery’s sister. He needs to know what she’s going to tell the judge about his suitability as a parent.

Sonny says he knows he and Carly have had their problems. He wants to know she’s not going to say he’s a terrible father. She says, it’s no secret they’ve had their issues – he says he’s sorry – but if she’s going to walk in a courtroom and trash anyone, it’s going to be Ava. He says, that’s not what he wanted to hear, but he’ll take it. He heads for the door, but then asks if Jason and his FBI buddy found anything on him.

Sasha asks if Cody is leaving, but he says he told her that he wanted to leave. It would be easier to just disappear, but no. Maxie made him promise he wouldn’t leave, but she’s not the reason he’s not leaving. Sasha is. At least for now. He moves closer, but she stops him and says, he has to stop doing this. He wants a connection with someone, but every time he gets close, he thinks of a reason to bolt. They’re building something. She kisses him and says, he can’t go. If he does, he’ll have a lot more than Maxie to worry about. She’ll hide Tracy’s secret cash box and say he took it. Tracy will have anyone with eyes and a badge looking for him. He says, Tracy has a secret cash box? and she says, not a very well-kept secret. Promise her he won’t go. He hesitates, and she says, how about this. He talks to her first if he decides to go. He says he can do that, and she says she should get back to the house, and leaves.

Ava goes to see Clemont the pharmacist, and he says he has a staff meeting in 15 minutes. He’s going to have to ask her to leave. She says she can sit in. She’s sure his staff will find it fascinating the way he refills Sonny’s bipolar medication. He says he knows she’s not Sonny’s wife. He doesn’t even have a wife. She says, give him time, but it doesn’t matter. She knows he’s been filling Sonny’s prescription with less than a quarter dose and thinks that’s frowned upon in his profession. She’s sure he has his reasons and doesn’t care what they are, but she cares about Sonny’s dosage. He says he’ll change it back to the proper dosage, but she says, he’ll change it to zero. He says, she wants him to give Sonny placebos? and she says she does. Unless he wants Sonny to know what he’s been doing, he’ll do what she wants. He says, it’s dangerous, but she says she’s willing to take that risk.

Drew (who now looks like a creeper) says, they kissed and regretted it and agreed it won’t happen again, and Willow says, absolutely not. He says, the worst thing they can do is dwell on it and let it interfere with their friendship and working together. She tells him that she doesn’t want to compromise her and Michael’s happiness for any reason, and he suggests they put it behind them. It won’t feel as big of a deal in the future. They probably won’t remember it in a year. Michael comes in and says he knew he smelled beignets.

Michael wants to talk to Drew about the wellness division, particularly the budget for Curtis. Willow says, the conversation sounds too exciting for her, and goes out on the patio.

Felicia says, maybe Cody is just mistaken about the DNA results, but Maxie says, they’re pretty conclusive. There’s no real room for interpretation. Felicia says her results were zero, when there’s a knock at the door. It’s Sasha, who asks if it’s a bad time, but Maxie says, no. Sasha says she’s sorry to come by without calling, but this is important. She knows Cody is Mac’s son. If they’re mad at Cody, they should be mad at her too. Cody told her the results months ago.

Clemont says he understands, and he’ll take care of it, and Ava says she knew she could count on him. She asks if anyone’s been asking about her, but he says, no. She says, if anyone does, tell them she was here for a consultation. Make it believable. She hopes he doesn’t do anything to make her come back. She leaves and Clemont looks pretty nervous.

Jason says he’s not working against Sonny, and Sonny says he hopes it stays that way. He’ll be back to pick up Avery. He leaves, and Carly says, he’s not wrong. Jason is working with Cates. Jason says, it’s not to take Sonny down, and Carly suggests he tell Sonny that the only reason he’s working with Cates is to protect her.

Michael and Drew go over the budget, and Michael says he assumes Drew is going to be campaigning to take advantage of the momentum. Drew says he was thinking about that, and Michael says, before he starts shaking hands and kissing babies, did Willow seem off to him?

Willow goes to the stable and asks if Cody is good with her being here. She was wondering how the horses were doing after the fireworks. Cody says, they’re fine. He kept the lights on and gave them extra hay. Some people say you should play classical music to soothe them, but these guys are metalheads. She flashes back to kissing Drew, and says, fireworks are beautiful, but kind of disorienting. You get so distracted, you kind of lose your bearings. (Okay. If you say so, Willow.)

Sasha says she knew Cody lied about the DNA test and that Mac was Cody’s biological father, but it didn’t feel like her secret to tell. Felicia asks how Sasha can be so sure. Her tests results came back negative, and Sasha was there when she told Cody. Sasha says she was also there at the Home & Heart set, when Felicia ordered the DNA test. She saw Felicia take hair from Cody’s brush and she replaced it with her own.

Carly asks why Jason can’t tell Sonny the truth, and Jason says, if Sonny finds out Cates is threatening him, who knows what he’ll do? She agrees, especially with how volatile Sonny’s been, and he asks about the meds. Carly says she checked. He’s taking them. Despite all his faults, he’s always been disciplined with his medication. Jason says, something is off, and she says she agrees, but just now, Sonny seemed like his old self. It was a relief. It seemed like the old Sonny was still in there. Jason says, until he walked in, and she says, that’s when the Sonny she doesn’t recognize showed up. He says he can’t tell Sonny the truth. Not yet. What if he goes after Cates again and kills him?

Holding an ice bucket, Ava opens her door, and Sonny is there. He asks what this garbage is. Is she alleging he’s emotionally unstable? She says she’s not talking to him like this and asks if she should call security. He says he took a page out of her book, and puts his phone on record. Just in case something is misinterpreted later on. Don’t do it.

Willow and Cody have coffee, and she says, he should have come up to the house last night, but he says he wanted to make sure the horses were okay. Did he miss a good time? She says, he was in better company, but people are upbeat about Drew running for congress. Even Tracy is on board. He asks if Willow is going to campaign for him, but she says she’s not a savvy campaigner. He says, she was a teacher, and she says she taught children, not town meetings full of would-be voters. He says, children are people too. If Drew is running as a Quartermaine, it might help if the Quartermaines supported him. Get the family involved. Aside from the kids, Willow is one of the more appealing family members.

Sasha tells Felicia and Maxie, Cody has been wrestling with this decision to tell Mac. She thought, if he had more time, he would get there, so she switched the samples to buy him more time, but she hated lying to them. Please believe that. Felicia says she does, and Maxie says she doesn’t understand. Mac’s a great guy. Sasha says, Cody knows that, but has an issue with not being good enough. He’ll have to tell them the rest. She owed them an explanation and apology. Maxie says she accepts and so does her mom. Felicia says, they appreciate her honesty, and Sasha asks, what happens next? Felicia says, it could turn out to be a good thing for Cody and Mac, and Sasha agrees, but says, Cody told her Mac was really angry and hurt. Felicia says, he was, and it will take time for him to trust Cody again. Sasha says she was trying to help, but by delaying the inevitable, she just made things worse.  

Sonny says, no wonder Scotty is the only lawyer Ava could get, and she says, it’s the strength of the case that matters, not the strength of the lawyers. He asks if that’s what her slip-and-fall guy told her, and she says, defenseless mothers seem to do well in family court. He asks if she’s going to have a stand-in, because that’s something she’s not, and she says, he’ll look good in court unless somebody says something he doesn’t like or looks at him funny. Then all bets are off. He says, Diane can find 20 witnesses to say she’s an unfit mother, and she asks if he thinks his reputation is off limits. What judge is going to give custody of an innocent child to a notorious mobster who used to run a strip club?

Maxie tells Sasha not to be so hard on herself, and Sasha says she doesn’t know what to do. Cody is devastated and talking about leaving Port Charles. Maxie says she made him promise he wouldn’t, and Sasha says, so did she. Maxie says, Cody’s promise to Sasha carries more weight, although she threatened him and she’s more dangerous. Sasha says, not really, and Maxie says, Sasha is so sweet, Sasha could be related to her mom. For all they know, maybe she is. Felicia says she would know. Mac is devastated too, but neither one of them is going to approach the other. It seems like they share the same stubborn gene. Maxie asks what they’re going to do about it.

Cody tells Willow that he likes all the Quartermaines, but some of them are more approachable than others. Can she picture Tracy on the campaign trail? Willow says, not so much, and he says, all kidding aside, he thinks Drew should run as part of a family, because that’s the dream. To be surrounded by people that love and care for you and want the best for you. Sometimes when you don’t deserve it. She says, he’s right about being part of a family. The Quartermaines have done that for her, especially Michael. He’s given her everything.

Drew asks what Michael means by Willow being off. Did she say she wasn’t feeling well, because she seemed fine to him. Michael says, nothing like that, but Willow doesn’t always tell him. She just muscles through. Maybe he’s being oversensitive, but whenever she comes down with something, he gets worried that the cancer came back. Drew says, that’s a normal human reaction. Michael witnessed the person he loves going through a terrible disease and has to give himself a break. Michael says, last night, she was tossing and turning, and he doubts she got an hour’s sleep. Drew says, maybe she just had a tough time winding down, and Michael says, he’s right. It was a big day. If Drew says she seems fine, he’ll stop worrying. It’s probably nothing. He leaves.

Jason asks, what happens to Donna and Avery if Sonny’s in prison for killing a federal agent? and Carly says, especially since there’s a possibility of her going to prison, but he says, that’s not going to happen. He’s not going to let it happen. She says she knows he believes that, and if anyone could stop it from happening, it’s him, but it may not be up to him. Or the moss bowl🎍.

Ava says she’s glad Sonny is recording this. Keep talking. Howl at the moon for all she cares. Then go home and listen to himself and judge how suitable he sounds as a parent. He says he’s not going anywhere, when Cates is suddenly at the door, and asks, is there a problem here?

Tomorrow, Ava proposes a deal with John; Heather makes a plea to Laura; and Portia tells Jordan her plan.

🐪 Better Camel Than Never…

I’m on Taleen’s team about the dog. Even if I hate you, I’ll send you condolences on the passing of your pet. It’s a sadness that’s universal and transcends beef.

Real Housewives of Dubai Season 2, Episode 6 Recap: Shut Up and Burn

🌆 LA Is Back…

As usual, there were fabulous houses with views to die for that all our combined incomes could never afford. The market in LA wasn’t great, and the Joshes were at odds over a co-listing, while Tracy tried to bridge the gap with them. JoshA listed a 7200 square foot house at 9000 square feet to get more eyeballs on it, since it had been on the market for 18 months. He played fast and loose with the definition of living space, saying the extra footage was a concrete area that could be a living space. It seemed shady to me, but so do a lot of things in real estate. JoshA appeared on Days of Our Lives as an aggressive businessman with an affinity for cocaine. They thought he resembled his character in real life – an arrogant a-hole – and he was asked back. I tried watching Days for a while, but I just don’t have the time for another soap. They showed clips though, and I’m hoping they have his scenes on YouTube.

Next time, the Heather and Terry Dubrow, and JoshF dresses up as a shark.

Tonight’s full recap here:

Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles Season 15, Episode 1 Recap: Just When You Think You’ve Seen It All…

🍳 Leaving the Stove On…

I watched this tonight and really enjoyed it. I think Lisa and Gordon are a great fit, and it’s a little different from the usual cooking competition.

Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars Season 2, Episode 7 Recap: Which Team’s Demonstration Backfired?

Also saw this, and ditto on the enjoyment factor. The new generations spin on it keeps it fresh.

‘MasterChef’ season 14 episode 6 recap: Who was eliminated in ‘Age is Just a Number’? [LIVE BLOG]

🐯 No Judgement…

I don’t think the word furries means what they think it means, but even if it did, more power to them. Senior pets need extra love. My oldest Peke just turned 17½ right now, June 11th.

https://people.com/furries-raise-over-100k-for-homeless-senior-pets-at-pittsburgh-convention-8676313

🪭 It’s Getting Hot in Here…

Join me tomorrow for soap and a peek at the OC. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping anything breakable away from pools and pool decks, and stay not delaying the inevitable. It just makes things worse.

Jul9

July 8, 2024 – Two Major Surprises In Port Charles on the 4th Of July, Anchor Disaster On Deck, Sharks Ahoy & R.O.C.K.

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

On the television, McConkey says he’s proud of what he’s accomplished, and serving in congress has been the honor of his life. He did it all for the hardworking citizens of Port Charles. Port Charles is a city that has everything you want in a place to live. Olivia says, he’s a good man, but wears too much pomade, and Sasha says, everyone speaks highly of him. Olivia says, he’ll be a tough act to follow, but Sasha says she doesn’t know. Drew looks pretty sexy in his suit. Olivia says, don’t tell her husband, but she thinks so too. If they want sexy politicians, they’ll have to move to Canada. Sasha says, if Drew is elected, Canadians will start moving here. McConkey says he’s retiring. It’s time for him to enjoy his golden years with his wife and family.

Cody shows James a hoof pick and explains how it’s used. James asks if Cody’s father taught him about horses, but Cody says, no. James asks if his brother did, but Cody says he doesn’t have one. James says he doesn’t either. He just has sisters. There are so many girls in the house. But he sees Cody as just as good as a brother.

Portia and Mac watch on a laptop as McConkey says he feels gratitude, and Felicia asks if Mac brought work home. Portia says she brought the laptop. She’s hoping to glimpse Curtis in the crowd. Georgie says she’s bored and asks when they’re leaving. Mac suggests she go for a swim, but she says, there are too many boys at the pool. Felicia says, boys she’s known her whole life, and Georgie says she’s spent enough time with them already.

Tracy watches McConkey’s speech on her phone and asks Sasha why she can’t rewind. She wants to see Drew’s close-up again. Sasha says, sometimes you can’t rewind with live events, and Tracy says, they have expensive tech and all it does is allow them to be tracked down. She prefers her old TV and VCR. Sasha tells her, preach it.

McConkey says he’s endorsing Drew Quartermaine, and Tracy says, what? McConkey says he’s confident Drew will do great things for the New York 28th congressional district. Meet their next representative to congress. Drew steps up to the podium and confetti falls.

Olivia runs around putting the finishing touches on the picnic, and Portia asks if she’s excited about Drew’s campaign. Tracy says she’s thrilled, and Felicia says she’s sure that anyone has reservations about a family member going into politics. Mac says he’s sure all the skeletons are out of the Quartermaine closet by now, and Olivia says, it will be over in a couple of months. Tracy says, unless Drew wins. Then they’re in for two years. All eyes will be on the Quartermaines. Ned says he was mayor and he’s been there, and Tracy asks if that ill-fated adventure is supposed to make her feel better. It’s not the same. Drew is running to be a member of congress. Olivia puts a campaign button on Tracy and says, it will help her get in the spirit.

Willow says, Drew is a natural, and Michael says he likes Drew’s chances. Curtis walks in and says, same here, and Portia says, Curtis will have his work cut out for him at Aurora. Curtis says, he and Michael will keep the business afloat, but Michael says, more than that. It will be thriving. Sam says, Drew’s not elected yet and has a hard road ahead, and Laura says, Chelsea Grimes is a formidable opponent. She’s a shameless self-promotor, but she has a following. Willow says, she exploits people’s worst fears, while Drew’s been to hell several times and come out the other side. Who wouldn’t want a man as strong as Drew? Jordan agrees, and says her money is on him. McConkey comes in with Drew and says, anyone who bets against Drew is either a fool or a cynic. Everyone applauds and Drew thanks them. He says he loves them and couldn’t have done this without them. He thanks McConkey for his wisdom, his friendship, and his endorsement. Nina comes in, and Drew says he couldn’t have done it without McConkey. McConkey says, or her, indicating Nina, and Tracy asks, who the hell invited her?

McConkey says he was sparked by Nina’s timely introduction, and Tracy says she applauds Nina’s commitment. She didn’t completely ruin Drew’s life, but pushing him into politics should do the job. Ned tells her that she needs to learn to read the room, and Olivia says, who’s hungry? McConkey tells Drew that he needs a bigger gut and American shoes, then he’ll make a fine representative. Drew asks what Sam thinks, and Sam says, far be it for her to question the congressman’s judgement. McConkey excuses himself, and Sam asks how it went with Scout. Drew says, she’s a little vague about what the campaign means, but she’s excited about the name change. Sam says, he’s actually doing this, and he says he’s having his lawyers handle Scout’s name change. Cain was just a placeholder given to him by the state. Sam says she’s glad he’s claiming his Quartermaine name, and Scout too, but it will take some getting used to. Dante joins them and tells Drew, good job. Drew’s got his vote. Sam says, tonight is Drew’s night. Enjoy it.

Willow notices Nina sitting alone and asks if Nina is okay, and Nina says she’s fine. Sometimes she forgets the universal contempt for her, then someone comes along like Tracy to remind her. Willow says, she’s wrong about it being universal, and Nina says she’s glad to hear it. How did Willow feel about participating today? Willow says, surprisingly good. She’s been disillusioned with politics. (Same.) No one seems to care about the important things, and most of them just pretend to listen to the voters when their job is on the line. Drew makes her hopeful that there can be good, important change that can help people. Nina says, it might be a surprise to hear, but she feels the same. Drew is building a bridge between the two of them and it changed the way she thinks of him and herself. She has a habit of clinging to a grudge too tight. Willow says she’s guilty of that herself.

Jordan asks if Ned misses his mayoral days, but Ned says, the people made their choice and Laura is an excellent mayor. Olivia says she can’t imagine dealing with all that baloney, and Laura says, her either. Mac and Felicia join them, and everyone says how good it is to see him, and they missed him. He says, ditto, and tells Laura that he’s sorry about Spencer. She says, it’s still kind of unreal, and he says, when someone so young is taken from them, it’s hard to make sense of it. Laura says, but today is a happy occasion and she’s glad Mac made it back in time for the party. Jordan says, it’s been too long, and Felicia says, that’s what she’s been telling him. Mac says, they kept it together without him, and Ned says, he’ll take the backstabbing at ELQ over local politics any day. Thank God he doesn’t have to deal with that Heather Webber business. Mac wonders what he’s talking about, and Laura says, it’s come to light that Heather may not be legally responsible for the crimes she committed.

Cody says, James thinks of him as a big brother? and James says he doesn’t know what it’s like, but he bets this is close. Is it okay with Cody? Cody says, it’s a little scary, to be honest. He doesn’t know what it’s like. Dante comes in with Sam and says, Cody’s been his brother since he was twelve. Dante taught Cody how to pick up girls, and Cody taught him how to ride horses and make cherry bombs. James says, cherry bombs are cool, and asks if it’s okay that brothers have different last names. Dante says, it’s better, and Sam says, it means you’re not family by accident. Dante says, it’s the family you chose. James says he wants to be brothers, and Cody suggests they make it official with something only brothers do. They each spit on their palms and shake hands, and James says, Georgie would never do that.

Mac says, if Heather isn’t responsible for Britt Westbourne’s murder, who is? and Felicia says, it’s complicated. Heather was sick. Mac says, she’d have to be sick to kill all those people, and Portia leaves the room. Curtis follows her and says, it’s a day to celebrate. Don’t let herself get dragged into hypotheticals about Heather.

Olivia tells Ned that she needs help in the kitchen, and Ned says, of course (🍷), and leaves with her. Laura explains Heather’s condition to Mac, and he asks if she means a bum hip made Heather a murderer. She says, it caused psychosis. No one knew and maybe the case needs to be reopened. Mac says, she was a willing participant. Heather knew what she was doing on Spoon Island. They were there. Laura says, she wouldn’t have made the decisions she did if the poison wasn’t in her system, and Mac says, they live in world full of toxins and don’t turn into serial killers, but Laura says, he doesn’t have a medical degree and neither does she. She’s putting her faith in the expert’s opinion, whatever that may be.

Tracy asks what Drew’s name is, and he says, Drew Quartermaine. He shows her the papers and asks if she minds sharing her last name. She says, a Quartermaine will always get her vote, and for the record, her brother Alan would be proud of him.

Nina scarfs down some cookies in the nook, when Sasha comes in. Nina asks how they could know each other this long, and she had no idea Sasha was a talented chef? Sasha says she’s full of surprises, and Nina says, she’s glad. She’s starving and there were slim pickings at Drew’s announcement. Sasha says she’s surprised Nina was there, but Nina says, the whole Aurora team came to support him. Sasha says she’d thought they didn’t get along, but Nina says, something changed when he hired her back at Crimson. She thinks they realized they have more in common than they thought. Drew is the reason her relationship with Willow is healing, and she introduced him to McConkey. They’re both seeing another side of each other lately.

Drew finds Willow in a room by herself, looking outside at Wiley. He asks if she minds him hiding out with her, and she says, not at all.

Cody tells James that it’s a big responsibility and he doesn’t want to let James down. James says, Cody is the best and would never let him down. Cody thanks him, when Mac comes in with Georgie, who says, she told him James would be here. His grandma is looking for him. It’s almost time for the fireworks. James asks if Cody is coming, but Cody says he’s got to stay here and make sure the horses aren’t scared. James says he could stay and help, but Cody says, no way. Then who would record the awesome video for him? James promises to get it and leaves with Georgie. Mac says, Cody is good with James, and hopes James isn’t too much. Cody says, too much fun? James is the greatest. Mac says, Cody has had an effect on James. He constantly talks about the horses and Cody’s stuntman days. He wants to do the same thing when he grows up. Cody says he’ll walk it back. He doesn’t want to lead James in the wrong direction. Taking care of horses, living above the stalls, and wrangling Quartermaines isn’t for everyone. Mac says he can see the appeal. Cody’s life seems good. He wouldn’t do a thing to change his own life, but if he had two, one would look like Cody’s.

Laura tells Felicia that she’s sorry she brought the party down. Clearly Mac doesn’t share her point of view. Felicia says, Heather brings out strong feelings. It’s a complicated situation, and there’s no solution that will make everybody happy. Laura thanks her, and Ned announces, it’s time for the fireworks. Everyone leaves except Laura, and Portia tells Curtis that she’s going to stay a minute. Save her a seat. He leaves, and Laura says, Portia is obviously angry with her. Would she like to talk about it? Portia says, the only thing she wants is Laura’s assurance that Heather will stay in Pentenville where she belongs.

At the boathouse, Dante tells Sam that they’re the first ones here and get to pick a spot. The kids seem to be having fun. Sam says she’s glad they’re having a good time, especially scout. Drew was right; she’s happy with the name change. He asks if she wants to talk about it, and she says, talk about what? He says, my mother’s potato salad… or Drew running for congress, but Sam says she’s not wasting time arguing with Drew. He and Jason know how to compartmentalize. It’s done, and now all she can do is be happy for Drew and show up at a rally or two and smile for the camera. He asks, what if The Invader calls? and she tells him that she has nothing to say to that sleazy rag after what DeWitt did to Blaze and Kristina. Dante suggests she have a plan of attack. Saying, no comment, might look like there’s something to hide. She says, it’s Drew’s problem, not hers. The only thing she’s worried about is Scout. Drew’s new career could hurt her in all kinds of ways.

Willow tells Drew that she loves this party, but it can be overwhelming at times. He says he had an honest to God moment, a positive one, with Tracy, and she says, there’s no one he can’t impress. He suggests Mercury might be in retrograde, but she says, that’s next month. It’s impressive how quickly he took to politics. People can tell it’s not just a vanity competition, and Drew is going to carry on McConkey’s legacy and do great things for the people in the district. Drew says he was blindsided, but the more he gets into it, the deeper he goes, the more convinced he is of his duty to do it right. Willow says, that’s why he has to win, but Drew says, if he does, things will change, including things for them.

Nina tells Sasha that she and Drew… Sasha says she gets it, and Nina asks if Maxie told her, but Sasha says she picked up on a vibe earlier. Nina says she’s glad they’re not too obvious. Neither of them wants to advertise it. The reaction would be less than ideal. Sasha says, so it’s a casual thing, but Nina says she doesn’t think it even reaches that point. It was just a few times… a few very good times. Sasha says, so she’s enjoying herself, and Nina says she is, but it’s not going to happen again… probably. Sasha says, she’s not judging. Drew is hot and his body is amazing. Nina says, you could grate cheese on his abs, and Sasha says, she’s happy to see Nina laughing. She deserves to have fun, but it’s time to stop. This kind of thing can only end in disaster.

Nina says, disaster is a strong word. It’s just a little fling. Sasha says she just wants to make sure Nina knows what she’s doing. She was deeply in love with Sonny, and Drew was in love with Carly. Both of their relationships ended abruptly and were heartbreaking. The end of a relationship isn’t the end of the feelings. It takes time for the feelings to recede, and until they do, Nina has to find an outlet somewhere else. Nina says she gets it, but sees nothing wrong in wanting a little company, a human touch now and then. It’s difficult to be alone when you’re used to being a couple. It’s been so long. Sasha knows what it’s like, doesn’t she? Sasha says she does, and she might have been too careful with her heart since then, but maybe it’s better than having her heart broken again before it’s had time to heal.

Drew says, if he gets elected, he’ll have to spend more time in DC, after he lured Willow away from her GH job. He feels like he’s abandoning her. Willow says she’s worried he’ll think she’s exploiting him, since she plans on lobbying the heck out of him for the New Tomorrow Institute. He says he looks forward to it, and she says she doesn’t want him to feel guilty. She loved her job at the hospital, but she’s grateful for the change. She gets to spend more time with her kids, and she loves the work. The kids are too young to understand, but Wiley is fascinated that she smells like perfume instead of antiseptic. It’s fun dress up and not be in scrubs all the time. Drew says, she could win a beauty contest wearing scrubs. (Rut-roh. I think I’m smelling what Drew is cooking.)

Mac tells Cody, working at the Quartermaine stables with an apartment upstairs doesn’t exactly qualify as roughing it. It reminds him of growing up in Australia and the walkabouts he and Robert took with their parents. He once flew over the area in a prop plane and the landscape was amazing. He wouldn’t mind living in a treehouse or camping. When he was away, it reminded him of how much he likes it. Cody asks if that’s why he was gone so long, and Mac says, it took longer than he expected. He hated being away, but he had to go honor a commitment he made so long ago he doesn’t remember making it. Some things become such a part of your blood, you stop questioning them.

Sam says, Drew will probably live in DC away from Scout, and she’s going to miss her father. Dante says, he has money and access to a jet. He can come and go as he pleases. She says, it’s frustrating how she wound up choosing Jason and Drew to be parents when they don’t prioritize their children. Dante says, biologically, the kids have other dads, but he thinks they’re good at parenting and thinks their crew would agree. Who cares what Jason and Drew are doing? Scout and Danny have them. It’s not always easy, but it will always be good. They kiss.

Tracy and McConkey come downstairs, and Tracy says she’s glad they did that. Monica enjoyed catching up with him. He says he enjoyed it too and asks how long Monica has been laid up. Tracy says, she doesn’t like to talk about it, but Monica had a difficult year. She understands he did too. He says, they’ve known each other long enough that he doesn’t have to pretend. He has lung cancer. She asks, how advanced? and he says, Stage IV. She says, her father thought ill health was a sign of carelessness, and McConkey says he feels like he’s in his prime, and still has a lot do and more to give. She says, her father was the same way, and he says, he was a fine man and a giant pain in the ass. She says, that’s why they loved him. If he’s up to it when the campaign is over, she’d like to invite him and his wife over for dinner. He says he’ll have Hazel reach out, if he’s not six feet under. She says, if he is, she’ll send a spread over to his wake. She tells him to take care of himself, he says, her too, and leaves.

The fireworks start and everyone is enthralled. Felicia wonders where Mac is, while James films. Mac and Cody come out of the stables, and Mac says, they went all out. The display gets bigger every year. Cody says he knows, and Mac says, it’s amazing how elaborate they are since he was a kid. He’s never seen one look like rain. Cody struggles for a moment, then says, I’m your son. (I nearly choke on my coffee.)

Laura tells Portia that Trina said she had concerns about Heather, but Portia says she has concerns with Laura. Why go to bat for a convicted murderer instead of protecting the citizens? Laura says, Portia was part of the team that diagnosed Heather, so she must understand the questions it raised. Portia says she treated Heather according to the oath she took, but can’t forget that Heather’s entire mission in life was to murder her daughter.

Curtis asks if Nina wants to join him for the fireworks, but she says she thinks she’ll head home. He says, she can’t miss the best part, when Michael comes in. He gives Nina a curt hello, which Nina returns. She thanks Curtis for the offer, but says she’s going to take off. She tells both of them, Happy 4th of July, and starts to leave. Curtis says, he doesn’t like getting into their personal lives, but when Drew is on the campaign trail, they have to learn how to work together. Are they going to be okay or is one of them always going to have to leave the room?

Willow says she hopes she didn’t give Drew the wrong impression. She believes in him so much. He’s always been there for her family, her kids, and her. she wouldn’t be alive today if he hadn’t risked his life in Greenland. He’s the reason she can see her kids grow up. Everyone would be lucky to have someone like him in their corner. She’ll do whatever she can to help, but selfishly, she doesn’t want him to move to DC. She’ll miss him. He says he’ll miss her too, and they kiss. Sasha sees them. (Almost choking on my coffee for the second time.)

Wow. Two bombshells on a Monday.

Tomorrow, Gio says he never would have guessed; Laura says her concern is to see justice served; and Maxie asks why someone lied.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Ellie tells Bri, the victimhood needs to stop. She’s sorry, but Bri’s lack of experience shows in her not being aware how a boat works. There’s a chain of command. Bri says, Ellie makes her feel dumb and it hurts, but Ellie says, maybe it’s Bri’s own insecurities making her feel that way. She never said Bri was dumb, and she’s tired of this bullsh*t. She’s had it. She’s done. In Bri’s interview, she says, Ellie is on a power trip and against her since she hooked up with Joe. In Ellie’s interview, she says, Bri doesn’t listen. Both she and Aesha are her superiors. Breakfast is lobster eggs benedict, and in Jono’s interview, he says he doesn’t want to put out cold eggs again, so he’s making them nice and fresh. He still thinks his job is on the line, so please, no complaints. Captain Sandy asks the guests how dinner was, and they say, fabulous. She says, Aesha will tell them about their next destination. It’s a very cool place. Jono tastes his eggs benedict and dances around. Guest Dean declares the lobster delish, and Aesha explains that they’ll be going to a cave on Moni Island that they have to swim to. Guest Marsha says she can’t put her head underwater. The peacock (i.e. her hair) doesn’t like the water. In Aesha’s interview, she says she loves Marsha’s attitude. She can’t imagine the time it takes to look like that. She’s exhausted just looking at her.

Ellie asks Joe what the Bri situation is, but he says he doesn’t know. She slept on a mattress on the floor. Ellie says, Bri is creating drama for no reason and playing the victim. It has nothing to do with her. Anchor is hauled, but the windless isn’t working properly, and Joe says, it’s a piece of sh*t. Iain says he’s going to send Joe and Gael in the tender with the guests, and Ellie tells Aesha that the Bri situation is out of control. She’s been sleeping on the floor in the guys’ cabin and said Ellie was belittling her. Aesha asks if she is, but Ellie says she’s not that person. That’s where she draws the line. Aesha says, they both need to get on with it, and they’ll sort it out after charter. In Aesha’s interview, she says, there’s an annoying rivalry circling around Joe, but she can’t discipline them out of their emotions. The guests are paying a lot of money to be here. Captain Sandy does some weird jumping jacks on the bridge, and says she needs exercise. Yeah. She needs to learn how to do jumping jacks.

Aesha tells the captain that Ellie is going to the cave because of her thumb situation, and Nathan tells Gael that he’s glad the drama has nothing to do with them. Gael says she thinks they’re the same. Anchor is dropped and the tender is loaded with supplies for the cave excursion. Bri talks to her mom, who asks if she’s got everything sorted. Bri tells her that she’s saying the wrong stuff, and her mom says, show kindness. There’s a fine balance between being assertive and people perceiving you as cheeky. In Bri’s interview, she says, boarding school has a way of making you feel small. You had to wait at the door for whoever was above you, no matter how far away they were, or you’d be bullied. Captain Sandy says, they’ve got to be faster, and she sees the swim platforms leaning up against the side of the boat. In her interview, she says, the fact Iain is in charge and hasn’t caught this is not okay. She tells the deckhands put the swim platforms in the water, and calls Iain. She says, it can’t look like that. It’s a guest area and they have to get the platforms in the water. In Iain’s interview, he says he planned to get them set up after the guests were in the water. Joe says, it’s difficult being told two different things, and they put the platforms in the water. Captain Sandy says, the guests are waiting, and tells Iain that he’s got to be faster.

Aesha is bummed and wishes she could come. Iain says he’s waiting for the guests, who are waiting to be told where to go, and Aesha suggests he go get them. Ellie wonders if it’s a good time to say she’s not a good swimmer. On the yacht, lain tells the captain that he had a different plan, and she says, his plan wasn’t working. In Gael’s interview, she says, growing up being half Asian wasn’t cool, and on top of it, she was slightly socially anxious, which gave her identity issues. When she started yachting, she found that being underwater made her feel safe and at peace with herself. The guests swim to the cave, Ellie following. They hang out in the wading pool inside and it’s amazingly beautiful. One of them says, it smells good, like salt. Iain whines to Nathan that if he’d done it correctly, he still would have been told he was wrong. Ellie has a hard time with her flippers and says she’s the worst person to do this. Gael hauls Ellie back into the tender, and Ellie says she hopes Joe doesn’t believe she’s a bad person or belittles Bri. He says, all he knows is this girl came to their cabin, crying and moaning. Aesha calls Bri to meet her in the upstairs pantry, and says she doesn’t want to get into what Bri and Ellie are fighting about, but why did Bri sleep in the boys’ cabin? Bri says, because it was just fun. She needed her own space and was sleeping in the galley, but Joe said she could sleep on the floor. Aesha asks if she’s trying to prove a point to Ellie, but Bri says, no. She tried saying something, but Ellie didn’t want to hear it. Aesha tells Bri that she can’t sleep in the boys’ cabin. It will affect them. Ellie tells Joe that she was honest with Bri about wanting to pursue things with him, and in Joe’s interview, he says, they’re butting heads, and he’s the cherry on top. (Ugh.) He doesn’t want anything serious, but of course he’s interested. Who wouldn’t be? Bri tells Aesha that Ellie is annoying. When they’re sharing, Ellie has completely different times than her. Aesha says, that’s yachting. If they can’t cancel their sh*t out, she’ll have to make some changes.

Aesha says, they can’t be fighting. It’s affecting their work. Bri says she’s sorry, and Aesha says, they’ll sort it out. Those who went on the cave excursion are back, and Aesha tells Ellie that the guests are chill, but keep an eye on them and set the table. She’s taking a break. Iain tells Gael to keep an eye on the guests when they’re in the water, and Aesha finds that she has no polo. The one on her bunk belongs to Ellie. She tells Bri to put the laundry in the right place, and in Bri’s interview, she says, they’re not labeling their stuff properly. A producer asks if she actually looks at the tags, and she insists she does. In Gael’s interview, she says she’s gained confidence since being here. She wants to be treated like an equal or die trying. On her last boat, a piece of metal crashed down on her and she needed 16 stiches, so she couldn’t prove herself to the men. She wants to not just be good, but pass expectations. Ellie tells Bri that they should change into their nights and pull plates for the chef, and in Bri’s interview, she says, her job depends on her getting on well with Ellie. Whatever Ellie wants, she’ll do. Aesha tells Ellie to start setting the table and wonders why the plates weren’t pulled ages ago. In Aesha’s interview, she says, she doesn’t know if Ellie is distracted or not as capable as she lets on. We flash back to Aesha having to remind Ellie of various things, and Aesha says, she has to always keep an eye on Ellie and Bri, and it’s exhausting. How about doing your job? Just work. She asks why the plates weren’t pulled, and Ellie says she was serving the guests and cleaning up the bar. It just didn’t happen yet. Aesha says, they need to be done in an hour, and in Ellie’s interview, she says, the time got away. At the same time Bri is getting away with murder, she’s put on the cross for the smallest mistake. It’s bullsh*t.

Jono is excited about dinner, and in his interview, he says, the guests want a Hollywood extravagant experience, and he wants to push past last night’s experience. He wants everything perfect and wants to erase last night. We flash back to the primary Brittany’s steak being dry, and he says he wants that gone. They guests dress up like old Hollywood, and Joe tells Gael that he had a word with Ellie. She said Bri broke girl code and is playing the victim, but it’s between them. Gael says, there’s two sides, so they don’t know, and laughs that it’s over him. He wonders if he should go for Ellie, and Gael tells him, whoever he bangs should be the person he continues to bang, or it will cause issues. The guests sit for dinner, and the tablescape is gorgeous. Iain says, the guests want the crew to sing Happy Birthday, and Joe says he hasn’t practiced yet, but Ellie says he has an hour. In Joe’s interview, he says, being an entertainer, he’s always acting. His mom has fibromyalgia and is bedbound, so she got her son to entertain her. To this day, he’s never stopped. He goes to practice on the piano. In Aesha’s interview, she says she and Jono have had a nice trajectory, getting closer with each charter. He’s a lovely human and she’d love nothing more than for him to run the ribbon at the finish line with a gold medal. She asks how the food is, and Brittany says, mama like. Meanwhile, Joe plays the piano while Nathan sings badly. As they do cabins, Ellie asks Bri, how’s laundry? and Bri says, good. In Ellie’s interview, she says, Bri is trying to make her look like a bad person. None of her concerns are being addressed, but Bri’s concerns are being addressed whether they’re real or not. Injustice frustrates her. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, Jono’s presentation between this charter and the last one is like night and day. She’s relieved she has a back-up chef, but she’s impressed. The captain helps serve, and Trishelle says, Jono gives a classy presentation. The topic of escaping boobs comes up, and Marsha mentions Trishelle’s Playboy spread. Trishelle says she’s not ashamed. She looks good and her boobies are generational. Brittany asks if they can see them, but Trishelle is like, no. Brittany does the splits a la Kyle Richards, and Aesha wonders if she’s overserved her.

Aesha says, there’s a surprise for the guests in the main salon and leads them to the piano. She tells Jono that they absolutely loved dinner. Well done. He smashed it. In Jono’s interview, he says, it’s what he wants every dinner. He needed to stop and p*ssy up and she stepped up. Aesha calls the crew to the salon, where Joe is at the piano. They sing Happy Birthday – badly – to guests John and Rich. In Aesha’s interview, she says, no one wants to hear her sing. She’s horrific. God gave her other gifts, like her tiny hands. What is she supposed to do with these tiny hands? Wait. Don’t answer that. Ellie apologizes to Aesha for not getting the plates in a timely manner, and Aesha says, they can’t be perfect all the time. Marsha doesn’t want to go to bed. She doesn’t want it to be over.

3rd day of charter, Moni Island, Greece. In Bri’s interview, she says, it feels good to be in her own bed. It’s not like she was sleeping in a bed though. She was on the floor. She’s trying her best to stay away from Joe. She wants to be drama free. Even though she likes watching it, it’s not for her. Aesha asks where Bri slept last night, and Bri says her own bed. Aesha high-fives her and says she doesn’t want it festering when they go out to drink. They’re going to squash it today. A producer asks Joe and Nathan how they know the bromance is in effect, and Joe says, it happened in like, two seconds. Nathan thinks it’s their energy, and Joe says, it’s spiritual. Jono tells Aesha that he’s going to do eggs benny again. The guests seem to like it. Captain Sandy tells the deckhands to start hauling anchor, and the windless makes a lot of sad noises. Nathan radios the captain that they’re having trouble. There’s no power on the starboard side. Captain Sandy asks if it’s because of the wind or is the windlass not connecting. He says, it’s not connecting, and Joe says, it doesn’t sound good. No, it doesn’t.

Captain Sandy gets the engineers involved, and in her interview, she says, the windlass is like a spool of thread. The clutch is frees it from the teeth that haul the anchor, but it’s not grabbing, so they’re having a difficult time. While the engineers try to figure it out, breakfast is served. Jono says, juicy food porn, and he’s not wrong. The guests love that he gives them extra lobster on the side. The captain talks with engineer Luka, and in her interview, she says, they have to release the clutch and haul a little at a time. The worst-case scenario, she leaves the anchor. The battery is dead in the tender, and the captain says, it’s the worst possible time to make a mistake like this. She wonders, who left the battery on? and asks Nathan, who was the last one to dock the tender? Nathan says, Joe or lain. Nathan wakes Iain, and tells him, the battery in the tender is dead and the anchor isn’t working on the starboard side. To his credit, Nathan doesn’t bitch and just gets out of bed. Brittany says, they’re flying to Paris this afternoon, and we see in the text that there’s already a 20-minute delay. Captain Sandy asks Iain, who was the last one to dock the tender? and he says, probably him. She says, he has to turn off the battery, and he says he was refueling and got distracted. She says she needs him to help sort that out, and in her interview, she says, it’s like herding cattle. In Iain’s interview, he says, he’ll take the blame. He wonders if they can jumpstart the tender like a car, and Joe says, what a disaster. They start hauling by hand, but the line snaps, and the chain releases. Captain Sandy tells them to put the brakes on. Stop the anchor. F***, f***, f***!

To be continued…

🦈 Doo-Doo Doo-Doo Doo-Doo…

Shark Week is upon us. Here’s your schedule.

https://www.discovery.com/shark-week/schedule

☀️ Three-H Summer In Progress…

Hope you made the most of the long weekend if you had one. If not, hope you didn’t work too hard. Either way, put your feet up tomorrow and join me for soap and Dubai talk. Until then, stay safe; stay yielding to hikers, runners, and horses when biking on a trail; and stay preaching it if you prefer your old TV and VCR.

Jul6

July 5, 2024 – Kristina Confronts Natalia, Celebration, VanderSuit, Woe Is Her, A Tease, Dead Talk, Possible Return, Responding, Almost Here, If They’re Lost, Pets (!) At the Polls, Close To 10 Quotes & Woman

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Drew sees Jordan at the pool, and says, she rarely leaves the Deputy Mayor’s office, so she must be undercover. She asks if she looks like she’s dressed for wearing a wire. Even her cell phone is in her locker. He says, she’s really just here to relax, and she says she is indeed. Laura asked her to take over one of the meetings for her. So many suits and so many horrible people wearing them. They were angry when they were done, but when the receptionist told them they don’t validate, she thought they were going to burst into flames. He bets she misses her old job, and she says, they do use nicer language, but after subbing for Laura at the mayor’s conference in DC and that dumpster fire of a meeting she just had, Laura told her to take the rest of the day off. For once, she took Laura up on it. What about him? He says he just took a chance to get some pool time in and take advantage of the last few days before he makes his announcement. Once he officially runs for Congress, he’s going to have to get his laps in at like 6 in the morning because the days are going to be crazy. She says, on the upside, at least he’ll probably have the pool to himself. And she’s thrilled for him, and for them when he wins. The campaign trail awaits.

Trina and Josslyn unpack at the new apartment, while Dex brings in boxes. He asks if Josslyn is sure all this came from the one dorm room, and she says, most of it, yes. That’s why it was so comfortable. He says, when he transferred units in the army, he had one backpack and one small bag, and she says she knows he’s making a point about packing light, but that just makes her sad for him. Trina says, it does. One cute pillow, and your tent becomes a home. He says, only if it’s really cute, and she says she was thinking about turning one of her bedroom walls into a gallery wall. He says, she has the space and the light, and she says, look at him, appreciating light. And her work is done. Josslyn says, there are some tools they might need in the garage. She and Dex can grab them. She and Dex leave, and Trina opens a box, taking out the Molyneaux art book that Spencer gave her. She looks at the inscription and closes it again. Gio walks in, and it falls off her lap onto the floor.

Maxie and Brook walk into Maxie’s office, and Maxie says she knows trolls live to be nasty, but some of these comments… Brook says, are over-the-top, even for a bunch of losers who don’t have lives. Maxie says, some of the lies they’re writing about Blaze and Deception… Brook says, make you want to track them down, and Maxie says, and teach them a lesson? She doesn’t know what’s worse. The homophobic trolls who are spamming them… Brook says, or the Deception customers that feel deceived and betrayed that Blaze wasn’t transparent. Because somehow, they’re entitled to know every single thing about her life, whether she wants them to or not. Maxie says, check this one out. Deception, it’s all in the name. She guesses they kind of walked into that one. Brook says, judging from all of the similar comments, she guesses they did. Trolls aren’t a particularly imaginative bunch, are they? Maxie says, no. This is a bona fide disaster. She hates that any Deception customers would think they want Blaze to hide who she really is. Brook says, or that Deception would be anything but supportive of the LGBTQ community, and Maxie says, it goes against who they are, personally and professionally, or as a brand. Brook says she feels so terrible for Blaze. Her mother knew the truth about her and still said those things. Maxie asks how much she thinks that had to hurt, and Brook says she can’t imagine. She talked to Blaze about being open with her fans, but she just wasn’t ready. Maxie says, and Brook respected that, but let’s be honest. She wasn’t ready because of her mom. And if it was up to Natalia, Blaze would never be ready. Brook says, probably not, but Blaze deserved to decide if and when she wanted to come out. She remembers a time when outing people was a thing. She hated it then and she hates it now. Maxie says she hated every single word that came out of Natalia’s mouth, but this is between Natalia and Blaze, and they deserve the space to navigate this privately. Someone took that away from them.

Kristina knocks at Natalia’s hotel room door, and Natalia lets her in. Kristina says, if Natalia wants to hate her, fine, she can. She doesn’t like Natalia much either right now, but she’ll survive. But what Natalia has just done to her daughter, to Allie, the person she loves, is unforgivable. Natalia says she didn’t know… and Kristina says, she didn’t know what? That she was being recorded? Of course (🍷) not. At the top of the list of the things she doesn’t know, she doesn’t even know her own daughter. Allie is amazing. She’s so special. How could she do this, reduce Allie to the things she said about her? Natalia is her mother. She’s supposed to protect her. What’s wrong with her?

Dante knocks at Sonny’s office door, and Sonny says, what can I do for you, officer? Dante says he just wanted to check in on Sonny; see how he’s doing. Sonny says, he checked in. He did his duty. He can tell the Commissioner he’s doing nothing. Dante says, so Natalia, huh? He knows Sonny liked her. He took her to the wedding, and it seemed like they were having a good time. Sonny says, that doesn’t mean he didn’t hate what she said on that recording, and Dante says, that makes two of them. Sonny says, but who he despises is Ava, because it was Ava’s fault, and he’s going to hurt her in ways she doesn’t even know.

Maxie says, to be honest, she’s said some things she wouldn’t want recorded and broadcast to the world, and Brook says, not her. She’s always been thoughtful and kind. Maxie says, she’s a real angel, and Brook says, even as a joke, it’s not believable. Maxie agrees and tells her, what Natalia said is out there on the internet forever and she can’t take that back, even if she wanted to. Brook says she doesn’t know how Natalia and Blaze move past this, try to repair their relationship, if they even can. Maxie says, they need to figure out how they can turn this around. Otherwise, Natalia’s comments are going to cancel Blaze and Deception. They need to shore up the company, figure out how to turn their public image around, and save their customer base. Otherwise… Brook says, otherwise, they lose everything, for everyone, including them and their careers. Maxie says, they’ll do whatever they can to support Blaze, and Brook says she’s sensing a but. Maxie says, but with everything going on, she senses that maybe they should take a break from Blaze being the Face of Deception.

Natalia asks if Kristina is done. Or does Kristina need her to order some room service so she can keep her energy up to keep yelling? Kristina asks if she’s actually making a joke right now, but Natalia says she’s taking this very seriously. Kristina says, but in her world, gay people aren’t serious about life. They’re not serious about it at all, right? That’s what she said. The alphabet soup that they call themselves? They’re very flighty? She will give Natalia this. She packed a hell of a lot of homophobia into one sentence. Natalia says, no. It was reckless and it was wrong of her to voice her private thoughts to somebody she barely knew. Kristina asks how she could even think them to begin with, and Natalia says she didn’t grow up the way Kristina did. She can’t change that and she’s not going to apologize for having grown up in a different way than Kristina did. Kristina says, part of her life she lived with her daughter. Allie is none of the things she said. She is the hardest working woman and she’s more serious about her career than anybody Kristina knows. And flighty? She doesn’t even know where Natalia got that. Natalia says, maybe she wasn’t referring to Allie.

Gio tells Trina, must be some book. It looked like she was far away from here. She says she was just caught up in a memory, and he says, a good one he hopes. She says, Spencer gave her this book. He was really into art and not the way people say they are. He really understood how important it was. Gio says, art was something they shared then, and she puts the book back in the box. She says, it really was, and they sit on the window seat. She says, Spencer traveled too. He’d actually been to places she’d dreamed of, and she used to imagine a future with him, and now none of it will ever happen. And even though she knows he’s gone, sometimes she looks up and expects to see him coming through the door. He says, it’s like you can still feel the person you lost. Sometimes you can only feel their absence.

Dante asks what Ava did now that’s got Sonny out for her blood, and Sonny says, Natalia showed up at his place to drop off something. She got to talking to Ava, and Ava recorded the conversation, and sent it to The Invader. Dante says, Ava’s behind that recording. He gets that she’s capable of worse, but why would she even bother doing this? Sonny says, because she’s jealous that he took Natalia to the wedding, and Dante says, so he was supposed to take Ava? So she’s going to completely wipe her memory of all sorts of things the Falconaris wouldn’t be forgetting about. Sonny says, he wasn’t going to offend Connie’s family by bringing Ava to the wedding. He told Ava that and made it very clear. But now that she’s gearing up for a custody battle, she’ll do anything to hurt him. Dante says, maybe he’s right about that, and Sonny says, you want to come after me, you’re an idiot. You want to come after my daughters, you’re a dead man. Dante says he gets that Sonny is furious right now. And what Ava’s done to Kristina definitely crosses the line. Sonny says he’ll take care of it. Dante can go ahead and go. Dante says he’s not going anywhere, and Sonny asks if he has a warrant. Dante asks, for what? and Sonny says, if he doesn’t have a warrant, then Dante needs to get out of his place. Does Dante want Sonny to make him leave? Dante says he’s just been shot again, and almost died again, so maybe they can save the threats and hating each other for never. Because that’s not what they do with each other. Sonny says, Dante told him a long time ago that a guy like him couldn’t live in his law-and-order life, so get out of his life, and Dante says he’s sorry, but no. Sonny says, who is Dante to come in here and say no to him? and Dante says, his son. And he loves Sonny, unfortunately, okay? So when Sonny hurts, he hurts. He knows Sonny is full of whatever it is right now – rage, aggression, he’s ready to pop. He feels like he needs to do something. He doesn’t. And the last thing Dante needs is to walk out that door and let Sonny do something that’s going to destroy him.

Jordan asks what Scout thinks about Drew’s campaign plan, but he says, she doesn’t know yet. She asks if he doesn’t think she’ll know when she turns on the TV and sees ads that say he’s running for office, and he says he just wants to make sure he’s got things lined up before he tells her. She says, it could be a challenge, and he says, Scout isn’t running for office. It’s really important that she just gets to be a regular kid. She says, this could be a pretty unique opportunity for the both of them. He could take Scout on the road with him, and she could see a political campaign in action. Hearts are going to melt when the voters see him and Scout together. She has no doubt Scout is going to be his secret weapon in this campaign. Curtis approaches them and says, Drew had his vote, even before he knew Scout was on the ticket, and Jordan says, what did she tell him? Curtis apologizes for being late. He was on the phone with the architect. But it’s nice to see that the Deputy Mayor got started without him. She says she’ll have him know she’s off the clock, and he says, she could never resist a good strawberry daiquiri. She says, why would she? They’re even delicious when they’re virgin. Drew suggests he and Curtis get in and start doing laps before they end up with margaritas in their hands, and Jordan says she’s going to soak up the sun, enjoy her drink, and maybe order some chips and guac. Curtis says, that’s just playing dirty, and he and Drew get ready to go in the pool.

Gio says he lost his mom when he was 10, and Trina says she’s so sorry. He thanks her and says, she was a musician, a violinist. She was his first violin teacher. She was great. She was a great mom too. She says, people always say that, but when he says it, she believes it. He says, it’s really true. He and his mother were like their own little family inside this big Cerullo clan. And then one day, she was gone. She says, then you’re stuck wondering how someone could just fill up your whole world and disappear all at once, and he says, that’s how it was with his mom. He didn’t mean to get them so off-track. She tells him not to apologize. She gets it. He says he knows she does, and gets up. It’s pretty hot outside, so he thinks he’s going to grab some waters from the house. She thanks him, and he leaves.

Kristina says, so she’s the flighty gay who’s not very serious? If Natalia thinks that about her, then Natalia knows less about her than she does her own daughter, which is saying a lot. Natalia says, that’s funny, because Kristina has a whole lot to say for someone who’s just seen a teeny tiny snapshot of a decades’ long relationship with her daughter. She carried her daughter in her body. She loved her before she was even born. Kristina says, then why can’t Natalia love her right now for exactly who she is? and Natalia says she does love her. She loves her very much. Kristina says, that’s not how it works. You don’t get to love somebody by picking and choosing pieces of them that you’re going to accept and expecting them to hide away the parts of themselves you don’t approve of. Natalia says, it’s pretty easy for Kristina to stand here and lecture her about things she knows nothing about, and Kristina asks what she’s even talking about. Natalia says, let’s see where Kristina is at in about twenty years, when that baby she’s carrying is hurting, and she would do anything, even if it means them hating her, to spare them the tiniest bit of pain. She knows Kristina isn’t having this baby because she wants to be a mother. She just thinks Kristina is in for some pretty big surprises. Kristina says, Natalia doesn’t know anything about why she’s carrying this child. She’s doing this for her sister because she loves her, and she’s never been more serious about anything in her entire life.

Dante says, Sonny knows he has to stay calm and take the emotion out of it. Think while the other guy’s reacting. He wants to do something he might regret because of Ava? That’s not like him. Sonny says, it’s not like him to let Ava live under his roof, and the only reason he did it was because he needed somebody to talk to. Dante says, Sonny is going through something right now and she was there. So was Avery. Maybe it felt like Sonny had his little family. Sonny says, the Jeromes aren’t his family. His family is dead because of them. Connie was murdered… Morgan… Ava messed with his medication. And he still, for whatever reason, made sure she was safe. Dante says, it seems to be what Sonny does, and Sonny says, what Ava does is stab him in the back, again, and hurt the people closest to him.

Curtis and Drew come out of the pool, and Curtis says he knows it’s been a while since they swam laps together, but Drew is part dolphin. Drew says, Curtis used to swim laps just fine. He’s going to get it back. Curtis says, remember he said that. He’s swimming laps with Drew from now on. He’s going to get his strength back. He can’t have Drew flapping his pruney feet in his face. Drew says he loves it, but Curtis says, Drew might love it less when Curtis starts flapping him. Drew says he’ll deal with that when it happens. In the meantime, he wants to tell Curtis that his congressional campaign starts with the Quartermaines’ July 4th picnic. Curtis says, he’ll be there cheering Drew on, and Drew says he knows, and he appreciates that. He also wants Curtis to know that he appreciates all the work he’s been taking on with the wellness division rollout. It’s been pretty much all him. Curtis says, alone is fine. Fewer people to butt heads with. Drew says, whatever he’s doing is working. He locked in the flagship property and also narrowed the target markets for the rollout. Curtis asks, what can he say? He loves the work. He loves what he’s doing. But Drew needs to focus on that congressional seat. It does no good to run a great campaign only to come in second. Drew says he only plans on doing the first part of that, and Curtis says, good. Because the woman he’s running against, Chelsea Grimes, is a populist reactionary. He’s convinced she’s only running to gratify her ego and to gain a few followers. Drew says, so her idea of public service is using the public services to get more for her, and Curtis says, pretty much. So when Drew accepted that nomination, he took on the responsibility of taking that woman down, and he’s going to do everything in his power to make it happen. Drew thanks him.

Josslyn slips off a chair while taking down a smoke alarm, but Dex catches her. She thanks him, and he says, happy to help. What is she doing? She says she’s changing the battery, not the smoke alarm. This one lasts five years, so you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night and turn it off a million times. He suggests getting a real ladder, but she says, no. She almost had it. He just has to spot her. He says he’s here to help, and she says, thank God. When she said she and Trina could do this themselves, she might have been a little bit over-confident. She still thinks they can do it. They just might need another week. He asks if he’s hearing she’s happy he’s helping, even though she’s too stubborn to ask for it, and she says, her? Stubborn? He sounds crazy. It couldn’t be further from the truth.

Blaze comes to Maxie’s office, and Brook asks if she texted, but Blaze says, no. She just showed up. She hopes she’s not interrupting. Brook says, no. They were just talking… Through her tears, Blaze says she’ll keep this brief. She’s so sorry about the things her mother said, and she’s so sorry for her decision to stay closeted for so long. Brook takes her hand, and Blaze says, it’s pretty clear she’s a liability to Deception, and that’s the last thing she wants. So she resigns.

Natalia says, maybe Kristina is able to just have that baby and hand it off and move on with her life and be completely indifferent to it. But her babies were her life. They still are. There wasn’t a single day she wasn’t grateful for them, not a single day. Her children are the best part of her. She didn’t just stop loving them or caring about their happiness even though they no longer needed her for their literal survival. Kristina says, her love is limited, and she can’t love Allie for who she is, and Natalia says she’s struggling to accept something she wasn’t raised to believe in. Kristina says, that gay people existed? and Natalia says, no, that gay people were confused. She tears up and says, that there was something not right, that they chose to be the way they were. It was wrong. Kristina says, okay, but she has to know now that’s not true. There’s science and genetics. It’s proven. Natalia says, it takes time to reconcile a past with a present that’s so different from what’s ingrained. So she’s sorry she’s not doing that quickly enough for Kristina. Kristina says, it’s not that Natalia’s not doing it quick enough. It’s that she’s a bigot because she’s choosing to be a bigot. She can blame her upbringing all she wants, but the reason she’s a bigot is her. And while she’s working so hard to become a decent human being, her daughter is hurting and she is in pain, and Natalia is the reason for that.

Josslyn says she’s never going to admit she’s stubborn because she’s not, and Dex says, she wins. She’s a human willow tree. She says, let’s not go that far. She’s just saying that she can adjust her attitude to situations or new information as it presents itself. He says, good to know, and she says, no one knows everything and no one’s perfect. He says, she comes pretty close though, and moves closer to her. He’s crazy about her just the way she is. They kiss, and she says she doesn’t want to rush this. He says, him either. That’s not true. He does want to rush it, but he won’t risk messing it up. She kisses him, when Trina and Gio walk in.

Nina sees Drew talking to Curtis, and tells Jordan, good afternoon, Deputy Mayor. It’s nice to see her out of her office. Jordan says she has to admit, it’s nice seeing sunlight for a while, and Nina says she hopes Jordan is enjoying the amenities. She looks over at Drew and Curtis, and adds, the view, and Jordan says she would prefer a view with fewer ex-husbands in it, but she guesses she can’t complain. Nina says she hopes Jordan enjoys herself. She deserves it. Jordan thanks her and says she thinks so too.

Nina goes over to Drew, and says she’s sorry to interrupt, but something’s come up and she wonders if they can speak. Drew asks, what’s going on? and Nina says, Blaze’s mother made some homophobic remarks and outed Blaze in the process. Clearly, the remarks were made in private, but The Invader got ahold of them and now they are everywhere. Social media has piled on from every conceivable corner. They are desperately trying to make this into a scandal. He asks what she wants to do, and she says, as publisher, she’s already done it. She held the Crimson print run, so she could give Deception time to pull the Blaze ad and replace it with a simple two-page statement – no one cancels love. He asks what kind of a delay in publication they’re talking about, and she says, twenty-four hours, give or take. So what does he think?

Dante says he hates what’s happened to Kristina, but he’s not worried about her because she’s a fighter. She’s a protector. He guesses he could say she got that from Sonny. Sonny says, all Kristina gets from him are mistakes, his mistakes. The first mistake was letting Ava back in his life. The second mistake was letting her live in his house. All that matters is Avery and he could have found a different way to keep her safe. Dante says, okay, but if he’s saying his different way would have been something happening to Ava, how does he think that would work out for Avery if something happened to her mom? Sonny says, it would have been the best thing for everyone. Avery’s mom is like the rest of the family, but everybody judges him. But he has a code. What does Dante want? Blood on the streets? Does he want drugs everywhere? That’s the Jeromes. Dante says, what’s sad is that the Jeromes aren’t around anymore, and Sonny says, Olivia Jerome’s bomb could have been the one that killed Morgan, but it doesn’t really matter because it was Ava who messed with his medication. Dante says, Olivia was a bona fide psychopath, and Sonny says, so is Ava. She just puts a face on it. That’s what makes her more dangerous. Dante says, now they know everything she’s capable of, okay? but Sonny says, they don’t know for sure. Look what she did to Connie. Look what she did to Morgan. How does he know she’s not going to do something to Avery? Dante says, she loves Avery. She’s not going to hurt her. Sonny says, Ava is what she is, the last of the Jeromes. And he’s going to take that last cycle down.

Natalia says, Kristina has every right to question the things she said. But don’t dare ever question her love for her daughter. Kristina asks, exactly where was that love in the things Natalia said about her? She has no idea what she lost. Allie is amazing, and unlike Natalia, Kristina appreciates and accepts her for the gift she is. Natalia says she thinks she’s seen and heard enough of Kristina for a lifetime, and honestly, the only reason she let Kristina go on this long is out of respect for her father. Kristina says, but not out of respect for her own daughter? That is consistent. Natalia is right. They are done. Natalia is a prisoner of her own prejudice and wouldn’t even free herself if someone was handing her the key. Natalia says, that’s enough. Come on. Kristina picks up her bag, and Natalia says, tell her daughter that she loves her, but Kristina says, nobody needs the kind of love Natalia has, and she’s going to make sure Allie doesn’t need Natalia again for anything. She walks out.

Maxie says, Blaze has nothing to be sorry for. They’re sorry she’s going through this. Her heart hurts for Blaze. Blaze says she appreciates that, and Maxie says, they were talking though. Given everything that’s going on, they think it might be a good strategy for Blaze to pause being the Face of Deception. Brook says, they’ll hit the ground running in the fall and let everything die down a little. Blaze says she doesn’t think… Brook’s phone chimes, and she says she’s sorry. She steps away, and Blaze tells Maxie that she appreciates them trying to keep her on, but she doesn’t think it’s the right move. Brook comes back and says she’s so sorry. The label just made an announcement. They’re dropping her. Blaze says, so that’s it then. There’s no reason for her to be the Face. Not anymore. Maxie says, that’s not true at all, and Brook says, absolutely not. They believe in her. They know what she has to offer. Blaze says, which is nothing without her music. They don’t want to say it, but they know it’s true. Maxie says, what she knows is, they’ve been counted down and out several times. And Lucy has come back a miraculous and upsetting number of times. Blaze is going to love when it happens. They live for payback. That’s not Deception’s official motto, but lowkey, it really is. Blaze thanks them both, and leaves. Brook and Maxie look at each other.

Drew tells Nina, this is really a tough situation. Not only for Deception, but also Crimson. He thinks she made the right call. She says she was concerned he be worried about the cost, and he says, normally, he would be, but in this case, he’s very impressed with the compassion she’s shown Blaze. And he thinks it’s a better business decision in the long run. It’s better to hold off for 24-hours and issue a statement of tolerance, than rush to meet the deadline and walk right into a firestorm. Nina thanks him, and he thanks her. Curtis says, Nina is real good with PR. It’s no small thing. This guy – he points to Drew – could use her help with his congressional campaign. She’d be a valuable asset. Jordan says, sorry to interrupt their meeting, but Drew’s phone is blowing up. She hands it to him, and says, he got five messages in the time it took her to walk over here. He looks at it, and Jordan asks if he’s okay. He says, yeah. It’s all good. Curtis says, he’s not really selling the all-good part, and Drew laughs. He says, it’s just that the name change is now legal and official. They’re now looking at Drew Quartermaine.

Trina sings as she and Gio put pillows on the couch. He stops to listen and she stops singing. He asks why she stopped. It was great. She has a fantastic voice. She says she doesn’t know about that. She loves to sing, but she usually saves it for her shower. He says, showers usually have good acoustics, and she says, the point of hers is that it has her alone in it. He says, she’s lucky. You can’t play the violin with the water running. She says, give her a break. When it comes to music, he’s like on a completely different level. He says he doesn’t think that at all. Trina’s voice is an instrument, and if an instrument gives you joy, that’s all that matters. She tells him that he has to say that because he’s her friend, but he tells her that he doesn’t say anything about music he doesn’t mean. She asks who he listens to, and he lists several musicians and says, and of course (🍷) Roman. She says, a legend, and he says, and her? Legend category. She says, Aretha, and he says, hard to imagine anyone giving her anything but R-E-S-P-E-C-T. They laugh.

Josslyn and Dex come back with a six-pack of beer, and says, it’s to christen the place. They each take a bottle, and Gio says, absolutely. Who wants to do it? Trina says she will. To good friends, independence, and new adventures. Josslyn says, cheers, and they clink bottles.

Brook says she can’t believe Blaze’s label dropped her. (Doesn’t Lois work for a music label?) They caved in to an anonymous mob. Maxie says, a mob who’s going to move on to somebody else’s mess in a few hours. She meant what she said. She’s not giving up on Blaze and neither will Deception. Brook says, but Blaze doesn’t want to be a model. She wants to be a singer. She is a singer. Maxie says she knows. It’s her passion. Brook says she may have lost her chance to sing, but there’s no way she’s letting Blaze lose hers.

Kristina comes home to find Blaze there and asks if something happened. She’s sorry. She means, did something else happen? Blaze starts to cry and says her label dropped her. It’s over. Everything she poured her heart and soul into for years. This was the thing her mother wanted for her more than anything else and now it’s gone. Kristina holds her as she cries.

Dante says, if Sonny goes after Ava, he’s going to cut his own throat. If he wants to beat her, he’s got to pull it together. Everyone needs him to pull it together.

On Monday, Laura says she’s putting all her faith in the experts’ opinions; Dante tells Sam that this might make it look like she’s got something to hide; Sasha says, this is about a thing that can only end in disaster; and Tracy wonders, who the hell invited her?

🎉 It’s Their Day Off Too…

I’m guessing we all celebrated pretty much the same way.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/see-how-the-stars-celebrated-independence-day

🍸 Just a Little Thirsty…

Normally, I’d never agree with Sandoval, but yeah, she’s just trying to extend her fame. If you want to call that fame.

‘Frivolous’: ‘Vanderpump Rule’s Alum Raquel Leviss Slams Ariana Madix Over Her Attempt to Escape Invasion of Privacy Lawsuit
‘Vanderpump Rules’ Alum Raquel Leviss Drops Bombshell in Revenge Porn Lawsuit Against Tom Sandoval

⚖️ Make Good Choices…

Maybe she and Rachel Raquel can get together.

https://okmagazine.com/p/brandi-glanville-no-choice-sue-bravo-health-legal-issues/

🪝 Don’t Want To Know…

This might be a little too surreal.

https://www.etonline.com/surreal-life-villa-of-secrets-trailer-teases-kim-zolciak-and-chet-hanks-hookup-228311

⚰️ All Kinds Of Dead…

The longest interview ever. Centuries in the making.

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/interview-with-the-vampire-season-2-finale-streaming-amc

https://ew.com/interview-with-the-vampire-rolin-jones-sam-reid-season-2-finale-season-3-preview-exclusive-8670980

Like we didn’t know.

https://ew.com/interview-with-the-vampire-cast-where-are-they-now-8671571

Directing the Dead.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/lauren-cohan-to-direct-episode-of-the-walking-dead-dead-city-season-2-01j17mb26vg0

In case you missed him.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/exclusive-andrew-lincoln-talks-the-ones-who-live-uk-release-in-this-exclusive-interview-01hyxhmh47by

Not sure why this is being rehashed. It’s a little late. Like years.

https://comicbookmovie.com/tv/amc/the-walking-dead/the-walking-dead-star-andrew-lincoln-reveals-the-moment-he-thinks-zombie-series-over-egged-the-omelette-a211820

🧹 You Can’t Keep a Good Witch Down…

I want Binx back.

https://ew.com/hocus-pocus-3-bette-midler-teases-return-winifred-8670794

👟 Get Off His Jackson…

You know what they say about opinions.

https://www.etonline.com/colman-domingo-responds-to-michael-jackson-biopic-criticism-exclusive-228383

🦸🏼‍♂️ It Won’t Be Long Now…

This looks like it’s definitely going to be the best one.

https://ew.com/deadpool-and-wolverine-cover-story-cameos-future-marvel-mutants-ryan-reynolds-hugh-jackman-8672079

https://ew.com/deadpool-and-wolverine-cameos-shawn-levy-a-lot-of-characters-8672625

https://comicbookmovie.com/deadpool/deadpool-wolverine/deadpool-wolverine-star-ryan-reynolds-teases-taylor-swift-cameo-with-new-social-media-post-a211803

🐕 Finding Them…

What to do if, God forbid, your pet got or gets lost.

* Check animal shelters not just in your direct area. Pets can travel far when scared.

* Check Craigslist in case someone found them and is looking for you or are trying to sell them.

* Put posters up ASAP all over the place with a good pic of pet and a good description with your contact info.

🐢 Bring Your Pet To Vote Day…

I think I recognize that tortoise.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2503exwrwlo

🦜 Quotes of the Week

Overcome the notion that you must be regular. It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary. – Uta Hagen

Whatever you are, try to be a good one. – William Makepeace Thackeray

Every bad situation is a blues song waiting to happen. – Amy Winehouse

However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. – Stephen Hawking

Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else. – Les Brown

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. – Marie Curie

Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music. – Jimi Hendrix

We never know when our last day on earth will be. So, love with full sincerity, believe with true faith, and hope with all of your might. Better to have lived in truth and discovered life, than to have lived half-heartedly and died long before you ever ceased breathing.  – Cristina Marrero

Why is my bowl full of non-football related foods on Superbowl Sunday? – Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neill), Modern Family

🍔 Life Liberty and the Pursuit Of Barbecue…

Follow your happiness this weekend and join me on Monday for soap and messiness on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay never leaving a pet in a hot car, and stay not expecting someone you love to hide away the parts of themselves you don’t approve of.