(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
No soap, Memorial Day, but we might as well get this sad news over with. Although I’m sure you know already, since it’s been plastered everywhere. So senseless and tragic. I hope the guy who shot him rots in prison then hell. This really made me feel so sad.
Captain Kerry tells Ben and Kyle that ignoring his order to clean their cabin is blatant disrespect. He’s shown them respect and busted his ass to help them, so is this the way they say thanks you? In the captain’s interview, he says, it’s total disrespect. He’s given Ben the opportunity to be a leader. He tells Ben that he’s the bosun and his goal is to be in the captain’s seat one day. Kyle says something about them being busy, but Captain Kerry says he saw Kyle talking to Barbie, so they weren’t that busy. Get their room sorted out. In Kyle’s interview, he says, at the end of the day, to him their cabin is clean. Um… a hard no. They mostly throw things in the closet and get the room somewhat tidy. Fraser tells Xandi that tonight is the Beyoncé theme, and he wants the crew to do Single Ladies. In his interview, he says, it’s primary Michele’s 50th birthday and they want to make sure it’s the best birthday ever. It’s his time to shine. Mummy knows how to do her sh*t and do it well. Nick tells Fraser, the guests have been taxing, and in Nick’s interview, he says he once worked on a sailboat and had to balance plates on both hands. It can’t be worse than that, right? Captain Kerry inspects Ben and Kyle’s room and asks how long it took them. Ben says, 10 minutes, and the captain says, it’s better. In Ben’s interview, he says he’s never been in this much trouble. The captain is taking it as a f*** you, but they were busy, and he didn’t give a sh*t at the time. Paris tells Barbie that she’s going right back to work after she hits land, and Barbie calls her mom. She says she’ll be home in three days, and she’s going to spend a month doing nothing. In Barbie’s interview, she says she misses her family and can’t wait to see her parents. Her dad isn’t affectionate, so she won’t get cuddles, but he’ll tell her positive things and remind her that she’s a good person and appreciated by her friends. She tells her dad that she did some things he may not like, and she hopes he loves her anyway. In her interview, she says, she’ll tell him about Kyle later. She never imagined she’d be with someone who didn’t share her lifestyle. The dinner starter comes in the form of sushi food porn that looks incredible. The guests get ready, and guest Stephanie says she’s Beyoncé if she let herself go grey. Fraser calls the crew to practice their dance, and in Xandi’s dual interview with Fraser, she wonders why they’re even attempting this. He says, because it’s Beyoncéand it’s the last charter. They have to do something. She says she thinks he’s overestimating all of them. Fraser welcomes the Beyoncés, and the guests come out, each one dressed in a different Beyoncé style. The crew does their dance, but beforehand, there’s a disclaimer that the music is not the property of Beyoncé. Since we don’t really see much of it, I’m not sure what that was about. In Fraser’s interview, he says, across the board, he’s the beehive. The guests are thrilled, and Barbie tells Fraser that if she’s up late and has to leave at 11, she’ll need naps. She needs her 8 hours!!! In Xandi’s interview, she says, Barbie is the last person who should be complaining, and in Barbie’s interview, she says she’s been doing all the work. Xandi continues her interview, saying she just has to get through the next 24 hours, and she’s done. Fraser tells Barbie to be the Barbie she’s been for the last week, and Barbie says, they’re mean. Xandi points out that Barbie is complaining about getting 8 hours sleep.
Guest Tya asks the table why they love Beyoncé, and Michele says, she’s unapologetically Black, while another guest says, she’s a Virgo, which I guess is as good a reason as any. The entrée comes and wow – glazed salmon over Asian noodles. The birthday cake is a strawberry cake, and it looks very cool, but it’s not chocolate, so, eh. Barbie tells Paris that she had to pull toilet paper out of the toilet and got piss on herself. She hates being here. I’m wondering why the toilet paper didn’t flush. In the morning, Nick says he’s dead to the world, and tells Fraser that he’s exhausted. The captain says, they’re pulling anchor for the last time, and they head for Port Louis Marine. In Sunny’s interview, she says she thinks she’s done well for her first time being lead deckhand. There were some downfalls – we flash back – but she’s proud of herself. In Ben’s interview, he says, after thinking it over, he needs to apologize to the captain. Even though he’d do it differently, it’s the right thing.
Ben tells Captain Kerry that he had time to think, and seeing how upset the captain was, he realized they were wrong, and he apologizes. The captain says, if he can’t follow orders when things are easy, what happens when there’s something like a fire? He appreciates Ben talking to him; it means a lot. He hopes it’s been a learning experience. In Captain Kerry’s interview, he says, it takes courage to grow, and he commends Ben for the apology. Ben says, now he thinks he’s in the wrong cabin. It’s the last breakfast, and in the captain’s interview, he says he’s not upset that this is the last docking in this windy place. The guests agree it was a great girls’ trip, and Dylan thinks his shirt smells like wet dog. The crew changes into their whites and lines up for goodbyes. Michele says, they had an amazing time, and Fraser says she was the best Beyoncé. Michele thanks them for her 50th and wishes them the best. She gives the captain the tip envelope, and says, the queen has exited. Live your best life. She and her crown leave, and Captain Kerry says, six weeks. They did amazing. Well done. The drinking commences even before cleaning the boat, and Ben says, they’ll start from the top and get ready to boogie afterward. The captain calls the crew for the tip meeting, and says he’s been in yachting since he was 18. He’s 47 now and has never seen a team work together so well. The tip is $20K or $1,539 each, and the captain says, altogether, they’ve made $208,750. In Dylan’s interview, he says he can feel the pre-workout already. They toast, and Kyle calls home. He tells his mom that he thinks he’s found the one, and in his interview, he says his relationships don’t tend to last, but he thinks he’s in love. He sees a future with Barbie. His mom says, she’s more than welcome to visit. Everyone gets ready to go out, and Kyle tells Ben that he looks like he walked out of Grand Theft Auto.
The crew toasts to the last charter in the taxi, and they go to a gorgeous restaurant next to a waterfall where they’re seated on a deck overlooking it. Fraser suggests a dippy doo doo dar later, which I guess is code for skinny-dipping. Kyle says he’s jumping in the water and takes his clothes off as he goes. Barbie follows him and says, they had a conversation about this. What the f*** is he doing? Xandi yells, get your willie out, and the crew follows suit, but Barbie tells them to stop. This is not enjoyable for her. Dylan hugs Xandi, who says he’s the annoying little brother she didn’t want, but will always love. Ben tells Sunny that he thinks their situation is going the right way and he’d love to take her on a date in Miami. In Sunny’s interview, she says, it feels right, but there’s still a voice in her head telling her to be wary. She’s telling herself not to get wrapped up in her feelings, but she’s a hopeless romantic, and she’s hoping something fruitful comes out of this. Kyle says he’s skinny-dipping, and someone says, get your willy out! Barbie wonders if she’s asking for too much. She’s a class act and she’s not dating someone who’s not.
Barbie tells Paris, this is embarrassing. This is her problem with Kyle. Nick asks if Kyle has adapted at all, but Barbie says, he’s himself and she has to be the one to adapt. In Nick’s interview, he says, neither one of them is in the wrong or the right, and he can’t see a future, but don’t take relationship advice from him. They go to a club where there’s more drinking and dancing. Barbie says she’s nipping this in the bud before it becomes annoying and tells Kyle that she asked him to do one thing. What is so hard about covering his huge d*ck? He surprises me by not saying, thank you, and says he’s not trying to piss her off, but she says he knows it does. She’s literally falling in love with him and thinks he’s worth it. Kyle says he’s in the wrong, but he’s trying. He’s sorry for being an idiot. He hasn’t felt like this in a long time. Barbie takes his hand and says she for real loves him. They kiss and she tells him to stop showing his d*ck. Ben applauds.
In the taxi, Xandi says, if Barbie had been her stew, she would have let Barbie go. She had a bad attitude, but now she’s adapted. Barbie says she made it through, and in her interview, she says, everyone is against her. Xandi says she’s glad Barbie made it, and Barbie says, it’s because her captain believed in her. She busted her ass all season. Xandi says she knows Barbie is good at her job, but Barbie asks, what’s the point in saying that now? Paris tells Barbie to shush, and Xandi is obviously upset. The taxi gets quiet, but then Barbie says, after all she’s done to be nice, why is Xandi attacking her? She’s still here and Xandi isn’t her chief stew. Xandi can’t fire her. Xandi says, f*** me, and Fraser tries to calm her. She starts crying, and Kyle tells Barbie to relax. Barbie says he needs to start backing her. She’s the one who should be crying. Paris tells her, shut the f*** up, and Barbie starts ranting, then everyone tells her to shut up. Barbie says she wants out of the car and she didn’t attack anybody, but Paris says, yes, she did.
They go back to the boat, and Barbie says she’s an alpha in a car of betas. She doesn’t need idiots in her life. She’s successful and worked her ass off. She locks her cabin door and tells Kyle to f*** off when he knocks. She says he was supposed to be her person, but he backs other people. Go f*** yourself, you backstabbing bitch. Get away, all of you. You all suck. Kyle says, this is the worst thing that could have happened, and Xandi says she doesn’t want work with Barbie again. Barbie starts throwing her stuff in suitcases, and says, everybody wins. She doesn’t need that sh*t. She’s done. She quits. They want to drive her batsh*t crazy? They win. She’s going to a five-star resort. In Barbie’s interview, she says she’s not quitting because her job is done, but this job sucks. All she’s done is put her ego aside all season and worked on herself. She cries and says, people continuously continue [sic] to be against her. Nobody cares about her. She walks out, and in her interview, she says she and Kyle are done. She’s not going to be with someone who doesn’t have her back. She broke every rule for him and went against her family, and he let people attack her. Kyle has been the biggest disappointment, and she never wants to see him again. So much for being in love and him being worth it.
In the morning, Nick is snoring in the crew mess, and there’s another kind of mess everywhere. Xandi wants her mummy and Fraser says his head hurts so much. Kyle tells Ben that he got a message from Barbie telling him to change his flight. She never wants to see him again. He put his heart on the table, and it got pinched back. In Kyle’s interview, he says he’s putting on a brave face, but he’s glad she’s gone. He’s never been on such an emotional rollercoaster and Barbie took him for a ride. He thinks he felt more strongly about her than she did about him. He tells Ben, he told her that he loved her, but life goes on. Captain Kerry looks for butter and mumbles that everyone was so annoying last night. In Xandi’s interview, she says she’s disappointed about how it ended, but a drunken mouth speaks a sober truth. Dylan says goodbye to the captain, and Captain Kerry says he knows Dylan struggled a bit, but he got through. In the captain’s interview, he says, Dylan can go a long way, and he would work with Dylan again. He wishes Dylan luck, and Dylan says he got a job today on a 44-foot yacht. Captain Kerry tells him, stay in touch. In Dylan’s interview, he says, it was a character-building experience. He envisions having his own yacht. That’s what he’s working toward. He’s ready. In Paris’s interview, she says, it’s sad to say goodbye, especially to Xandi. She couldn’t ask for a better roommate. She’s going straight back to work, managing a house and working on a boat once a week. She needs money. She’s expensive. In Nick’s interview, he says, St. David, I love you. It’s been fun, but he’s not leaving the couch for a while. He tells the crew, if he misses his flight, he’ll be in the bar. Ben tells Captain Kerry about Xandi saying she wouldn’t hire Barbie, and Barbie going batsh*t crazy over the top. The captain thanks him for the update, and calls Barbie. She says, she’s disappointed that it went down like this, but she’s done. Fraser sits on the floor and says he needs sleep.
Barbie tells Captain Kerry that she’s done. She needs to work on herself, but needs to do it around people who care about her. In the captain’s interview, he says he thinks Barbie was always pissing in the wind. She didn’t fit in, but she tried, and he feels for her. Barbie tells him that she doesn’t like the hotel she’s in and she’s trying to book a villa next door. She thanks him for checking on her and practically hangs up on him. This girl is not going to work on herself. She’s just looking for a group of people who will tell her what she wants to hear. Sunny asks where Barbie is, and Fraser says he wants to push her off the boat, but Xandi says, she’s gone already. Sunny says, she left at 2 am, and Fraser is really startled. He asks if he said goodbye, but Xandi says, no one did. He suddenly remembers that it started in the car, and says, she showed her real self. She took the reins off and galloped into herself. In Fraser’s interview, he says, Barbie hasn’t changed one bit. The proof is in the pudding. Bye, babe. Farewell. He tells Xandi and Sunny that he had to put up with that all season, and Xandi says, he deserves a raise. In Xandi’s interview, she says she’s going back to yacht life, but needs to start thinking about land life. Love and light to everyone. She’s done. In Kyle’s interview, he says he lost the girl he loves, but he’s going to make lemonade out of lemons in Miami.
Ben tells Captain Kerry that seeing the deck crew gel felt like success, and in the captain’s interview, he says, at the start of the season, he believed Ben should be bosun, but he doubts he would have put him there at the end. He hopes Ben learns to pull his socks up and do himself a favor. Everyone says their goodbyes, and in Ben’s interview, he says he came on as lead deckhand and he’s leaving as bosun. He’s going to see how it goes with Sunny. Sunny asks if they’re going with the wind, and in her interview, she says she’s heard boatmances are iffy and romantic. It’s undeniable they have something going on. She wants to pursue it, but is reminding herself not to get hurt. She and Ben leave together. Captain Kerry tells Fraser that he loved seeing Fraser’s growth. He did his best to turn things around. Fraser says he’s lucky to have had Kerry as a captain, and the captain says he doesn’t get accused of that often. I kind of find that hard to believe, since he’s no Captain Lee, but he seems like a fair boss. He says, Fraser did a great job, and in his interview, he says, Fraser is the best chief stew after his girlfriend. Fraser says he thinks Captain Kerry is a fantastic leader. He’s that Aussie bloke, but also has wonderful depth. In Fraser’s interview, he says, one of the biggest lessons he’s learned is that if you have distracting thoughts that are keeping you from your goal, you need to take a step back. He had goals coming in and feels he nailed them. He’s not perfect, but he’d rather learn from his mistakes than regret the things he’s done.
Captain Kerry says he knew he had big shoes to fill coming in. They had epic highs and lows he’d like to forget about, but that’s yachting. He’s grateful for all of it. That was one hell of an adventure.
🏨 Early Check Out…
It’s been a long long weekend, so bidding you adieu until tomorrow, when I’ll give you soap and a VanderFinale. Until then, stay safe, stay taking that last piece of pizza or dumpling if everyone is just sitting around staring at it, and stay learning from your mistakes rather than regretting the things you’ve done.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Anna thanks Carly for coming to her office, and Carly says, Anna’s welcome, but she doesn’t feel like she was asked as much as summoned. Anna says she’s sorry about that, and asks Carly to sit down, but Carly says she’ll save Anna some time. She really has no idea what’s going on with Sonny. She doesn’t talk to him much anymore, and when they do, it’s barely civil. Anna says she didn’t ask Carly here to talk about Sonny, and Carly says she never thought she’d live to see the day. Anna says, a friend of Carly’s is in the hospital, and Carly asks, who? Anna says, Jack Brennan. He was admitted to GH last night. Carly asks, what happened? Is he okay? Anna says, he was stabbed in the abdomen, but no major organs were hurt, and Carly says, thank, God. Anna says, God could be one explanation. Maybe Brennan was the recipient of a miracle or maybe he stabbed himself.
Ava tells Sonny, Kristina is in her third trimester now, right? So trust her when she says, his daughter is now in a swirl of emotions and all of them heightened. It’s not her fault, but right now Kristina is more than capable of taking something she saw and blowing it way out of proportion.
Dex says he knows that’s not an easy offer to make, and he does appreciate it, and Kristina says, it was the right thing to do. He says he’s not sure what he’s going to do yet, and she says, of course (🍷). She’s just so sorry for all of it. Not just the attack, but he’s saved her dad so many times and he’s proved his loyalty to him. He did not deserve this.
Alexis says, as the court already knows, she was disbarred for committing perjury, and Fergus says, there you go, your honor. Now she’s a confessed liar. Case closed. Diane says, if Mr. Byrne refuses to control himself, maybe they should adjourn until they find someone more dispassionate. Judge Caldwell asks Fergus if that will be necessary, and he says, no. Apologies.
Ned says, Brook’s mother told him that she needed him. What can he do? She hugs him, and he says he’s so sorry about the honeymoon. They can reschedule it when they’re ready. She says she doesn’t care about that. Chase just lost his dad and he’s completely heartbroken. Her dad is still here, and she just wants him to know how very much she loves him. He says he loves her too, and hugs her.
In the foyer, Chase opens the compass, looks at the engraving, and closes it.
Elizabeth says she knows Finn is in pain and he’s grieving, but she cares about him way too much to let him throw away his sobriety. He’s already lost so much. Finn says, so what she’s telling him is, put away the bourbon for her sake, but she says she’s telling him that the bourbon isn’t helping him. Whatever he does next, he has to do it for himself and that little girl in her bedroom who just lost her grandfather.
Sonny tells Ava that Kristina saw Jason grab him like he was a crazy person who needed to be held back. That’s what scared her. Ava says, and it wouldn’t help that the person she saw grabbing him was once his best friend. He says he won’t need friends. Not anymore.
Dex tells Kristina to take care of herself, her and the baby, and leaves. Blaze says, he’s right you know. She didn’t do anything wrong. Kristina says, the problem is, she did. In her own way she’s just as guilty.
Alexis says, it is true that she was under oath when she denied having sexual relations with Neil Byrne. But that oath was administered in a medical board hearing, not in a court of law. Fergus says, a distinction without a difference, but Alexis says, it’s a big difference if you ever ended up in a lawyer’s office when you should have seen a doctor. The judges and Diane laugh, which doesn’t make Fergus very happy.
Finn says, Elizabeth isn’t in charge of his sobriety; he is. She says, he’s right. He is. He says, it’s between him and that little girl every day. Her mom walked out on them five years ago, so Elizabeth doesn’t get to walk in here now and tell him if he can have a drink or tell him what’s really important to Violet. She says, they care about each other’s children, and she’s just looking out for Violet like he looks out for her boys. He says, she’s welcome to look after Violet. She can stay here, and she can make friendship bracelets with Violet. Or she can leave. Those are the two choices. You decide. He opens the door, she picks up her bag, and walks out. She turns around, but he closes the door and cries.
Anna tells Carly to just hear her out. If you stab yourself, it’s going to hurt for a minute, but you take care not to hit anything critical. You still get an acceptable loss of blood, and before you know it, you’re out of prison and in the back of an ambulance, and on your way to GH for a couple of days. It’s not the worst plan in the world, right? Carly says, right. When Anna puts it like that, she’s surprised more inmates aren’t stabbing themselves. Anna says, just to clarify, Brennan neither confirmed nor denied harming himself. He did say, however, that if he had stabbed himself, it would give him a chance to see Carly again.
Chase’s phone rings, and he says, Elizabeth? Elizabeth says she knows he’s got a lot going on right now, but his brother needs him, and so does Violet. He asks if she’s okay, but she says she doesn’t know. He asks if she’s with Finn, and she says she was, but she’s not who they need right now. He is.
Anna says she didn’t realize Carly and Jack were so close, but Carly says she barely knows Jack Brennan. They certainly don’t have a stab myself so I can see you kind of relationship. Anna laughs and says, but Carly did visit him in prison. Carly says, Jack Brennan has very little, if anything, to do with her. Are they done here? Because she has a lot going on in her life without this. She gets up and Anna says, she seems to be in a hurry to go somewhere. She trusts that it’s not to see Brennan, right? Carly walks out.
Alexis says she was notified that she was accused of perjury by affidavit. She never even saw the actual document itself, and instead, the Bar Association met without her being present. And it just so happens, Mr. Byrne was a member of that panel. Judge Caldwell says, Mr. Byrne? and Fergus says, it’s true he was a member of that panel, but when Miss Davis’s case came through for judication, he recused himself. Alexis says, and his place was taken by his law partner, and Fergus says, he has an impeccable reputation. How dare she impugn his integrity? She says she didn’t impugn his integrity, and he says he would hope not. Unlike her, he has a sterling reputation. She says, he’s impugning her reputation, and Diane says she’s sorry, but she for one doesn’t need to hear Mr. Byrne wax poetic about his law partner’s curriculum vitae. She assumes he’s brilliant. Otherwise, Mr. Byrne wouldn’t have offered him employment in the first place. The judge says she agrees. Let’s move on. Alexis says she would love to. That is, if it’s all right with Mr. Byrne. Fergus nods, and Alexis says, simply put, she doesn’t think she was given a fair hearing. Not that Mr. Byrne’s friend – excuse her, law partner – had anything to do with it, but she didn’t even know the name of her accuser. Judge Caldwell says, Mr. Byrne? and he says he submitted the accusation. She says, and? and he says, Miss Davis never requested the name of her accuser. Alexis says she’s requesting it now.
Lois makes a charcuterie board in the nook, and Ned asks what she’s doing. She says, putting something together to feed people. He says, why? What people? She says, people they know. They might want to gather here today. Besides, they have a guest coming, and Brook and Chase are here. Ned says, Brook and Chase are gone, and she asks what he did to make them leave. He says, nothing. Brook wanted to see him. He thought it was about the honeymoon, and he told her that they could reschedule it, but it wasn’t. She just wanted him to know how much she loved him. Of course (🍷) he told her how much he loved her. She says, that sounds like Brook. Where did she and Chase go? He says, Chase got a call from Elizabeth. He said he had to go over to Finn’s, like now. She says she’s glad Brook went with him. They’re each other’s family now. And Brook more than Chase will tell them what’s going on later. He says, Chase looked really upset. He didn’t say what the call was about, but he was worried. She says, every couple gets tested, but these two are just right out of the gate. What more can the universe throw at them right now? (Never say things like that because then you’ll find out.)
Finn takes another drink when Violet comes out. She says she made a friendship bracelet. She thinks it looks pretty good. He says, let him see, and she asks, where did Aunt Elizabeth go? He says, this is amazing. He thinks something came up at the hospital, but he can give Aunt Elizabeth this bracelet later. She says, it’s not for her; it’s for Aiden. Finn says, that’s what he meant, when there’s a knock at the door. Finn answers it, and Chase hugs him. Finn says he’s so sorry, and Brook hugs Violet. She sees the bracelet and says, it’s so gorgeous. Violet thanks her and says she made it for Aiden. Brook says, he’s a lucky guy, and Finn says, part of him was hoping they’d get on that plane and go to Italy. And when they came back, everything would be the same, but nothing is ever going to be the same. Chase says, the important thing is that they’re here now, together. Brook notices the bottle of bourbon.
Ava tells Sonny that Kristina is going to come around. She just needs a minute. She’ll realize he’s the same dad she’s always known and loved and adored. He says, yeah, and she says, there’s something else weighing on him, isn’t there? He says, his sons, they turned on him, and she says, sons, plural. She knows where things stand with Michael, but Dante… Sonny says, he’s a cop. That comes first. He just thought maybe it would be different. She says, it’s just terrible that Dex turned out to be the traitor that he is and that Kristina misinterpreted his actions. But really, it’s Jason’s fault, isn’t it? He says, yeah, and she says, when it comes down to it. For butting in and making the situation much worse. He says, she’s got that right, when there’s a knock at the door. Ava says she’s going to tell whoever that is to go away. He deserves some peace. She answers the door and Carly is there.
Anna looks at the police report on Jack’s stabbing, and there’s a knock at the door. She says, come in, and Dex walks in. She says, my God. What happened? He says, before he answers that, can they talk off the record? He could really use some advice, person to person, and he didn’t know who else to ask. She says, of course (🍷). Sit down. Does he need anything? He says, no thank you. He’s already been to the emergency room. She asks, what happened between the wedding and now? What the hell happened? He says, Sonny, after she left, and she hands him a glass of water. He says, Jason put a stop to it, but not before Kristina saw the whole thing.
Ned starts to pick up a piece of cheese with some tongs, but Lois snatches them away. She asks if he’s seen his mom, but he says, not for a while. Why? She says, she and Gregory were close. She thinks he needs to check on her. She’s got to be hurting. He says he’ll talk to her later. He’ll give her some time to deal with it in her own way. She’s not big on emotional displays. She says, Tracy’s got a lot of feelings and they run very deep. Maybe he hasn’t noticed them because of ELQ and how they squabble about Eddie Maine, but she thinks Tracy had real feelings for Gregory. He says, like romantic feelings? and she says, yeah. Maybe. He says, but he was sick when she met him, and Lois says, so what? He says he thought all they did was argue. He knows Gregory would push back whenever she said something. When it came to the wedding prep and rehearsal dinner, he knows flat-out Gregory told her that she had to be nice. Lois says, and she was. She was very nice and very generous. She didn’t snark at anybody. She kind of missed it. And he knows how much Tracy respects people who stand up to her. He says, some people, and she says, and those people are the people she cares about and has feelings for. He says, she’s right. He didn’t see it. He’s a terrible son. She says, of course (🍷) he’s not. Come on. If there’s anything they’ve learned in the last 24 hours, it’s that whether you’re a parent or a child, there’s an invisible clock ticking. They’ve just got to be better with each other.
Brook asks if Violet feels like going for a walk, and Chase says he thinks it’s a great idea. It gives her dad and him a chance to talk about grown-up stuff. Brook says, she knows what grown-up means, right? and Violet says, boring. Brook says, exactly, and Violet asks if it’s okay with Finn. Finn says, it’s okay by him if it’s okay with her, and Violet says, let’s go. Finn hugs Violet and says he’s going to be right here when she gets back. She says she loves him, he says he loves her too, and she and Brook leave. Finn asks if Chase is okay. Does he need anything? Chase says he just wants to know what happened, step by step. He glances at the bourbon bottle and says he means everything that happened.
Fergus says, they can see Miss Davis is attempting to turn this hearing into a personal vendetta (which is odd, since it seems like he is), and Alexis says he’s the one who tried to avenge his brother by getting her disbarred. So she thinks vendettas might be his area of expertise. He says he didn’t need to do anything. If any damage was done, it was self-inflicted. She says she’s made her share of mistakes. She should have taken responsibility for them, and she’s taking responsibility for them right here and right now. He, on the other hand, lets other people do his dirty work for him. She has a right to face her accuser. He laughs and says, apparently, his colleague can’t tell the difference between an appeals hearing and a criminal trial. Alexis starts to move toward him, but Diane stops her. Alexis tells the judges, he says this hearing is about justice and not a vendetta. So let’s let him prove that by telling her the name of her accuser, please.
Sonny says he appreciates Carly running over here, but as she can see, he’s completely fine. She asks if they can talk in private, but he says, Ava knows everything. They can talk in front of her. Carly says, does she? and Ava says, it’s a shame Dex has forgotten who his friends are. Carly says, that seems to be going around a lot. She asks if Sonny has heard from Kristina, and he says, she’s in an emotional place right now. She’s going to get over it. Carly says, his daughter, who thinks he walks on water, saw him beat a man. And when his friend tried to drag him away, he threatened to kill them both.
Blaze says, Kristina can’t make things right for her dad, and she can’t make Dex decide one way or another. Kristina says she knows, but she tried to pressure Dex into doing what she wanted him to do. She just did it through Michael. She is her father’s daughter. Blaze says, she’s much more than that, but she has to make herself and her baby her biggest priorities. Kristina says, if this priority gets any bigger, she’s not going to be able to walk, and Blaze laughs. She says, it’s beautiful. She’s beautiful. Kristina says she wants her baby to have a better world than she had and she’s not doing her part in making sure that happens by letting her dad go free – again.
Anna says, what a mess. Kristina thinks the world of Sonny. Dex says he doesn’t think so anymore, but he doesn’t want to make her testify against him. She says, that’s very compassionate of him, but is he sure? He says, if it were just her, it would be bad enough, but it’s not. There’s a baby to worry about. He respects Anna and he admires her, so he needs to hear it from her. If he decides not to press charges for any reason, is he tarnishing the badge before he even puts it on?
Ned asks if Lois wants a drink, and she says she’ll share a small glass of wine with him. She’s been weeping on and off all day. Her stomach is in knots. He says, his too, and drinks half the glass. She says, not for nothin’, his idea of sharing needs work, and takes a sip. He says, not for nothin’, but if she wants more, he’ll pour some more. They laugh, and she says she’s really glad she married him. And she’s so glad that they were young, and they were in love and they had their beautiful Brook Lynn. She wouldn’t change a thing, except maybe not having her heart broken so much. Although scrap that, because everything that happened brought them exactly to where they are right here. Exes who love each other and they’re the best of friends. And they share a beautiful daughter and years in the future, they’re going to share some beautiful grandchildren. He says he’s looking forward to that, and she says, her too. Although she has to say, she’s a little nervous. She’s going to be over the moon when she gets to hold that grandbaby, but the thought of being a nonna, ugh. She’s afraid somebody is going to ambush her and throw her into a black dress with support hose and orthopedic shoes. He says, Gloria didn’t let that happen to her. It didn’t happen to his mother either. She says, his mother’s not Italian, but he says, Gloria is, and she didn’t turn into a little old lady in a black dress. Why would Lois? She says, he’s right. She’s going to be nonna in combat boots. He says, and she will rock them, and she says, see? He’s a wonderful man. And you know what? Life is short, and we don’t know how much time we have here, so for the record, she loves him, and she appreciates him. He says, she changed his life. He met her and nothing was ever the same. It was all exponentially better. He loves and appreciates her too. She thanks him and he says, and he’s really looking forward to seeing a nonna in combat boots. She laughs and says, it’s really sad though, because someday when they get to hold that hypothetical grandchild, Gregory won’t be here to hold that baby. He hugs her.
Judge Caldwell says, upon review, it is their decision that Miss Davis does have the right to know her accuser, and Alexis says, so? Fergus says, Ava Jerome, and Alexis and I say, what? He says, the name of her accuser. Ava Jerome.
Lois answers the door, and Gio is there. She hugs him.
Diane says she requests a hearing to determine the credibility and reliability of Ava Jerome’s testimony. The judge asks, on what grounds? and Diane says, on the grounds that the revelation that Ava Jerome is the witness changes the entire complexion of this case. Fergus says, Miss Davis forfeited the right to a hearing when she failed to offer up a defense years ago, but Diane says, Miss Davis was denied information years ago. And as such, felt mounting a defense would be futile. Judge Caldwell says, a separate hearing will not be granted. This case has been settled for too long. Diane says, then she would ask for a recess so they can formulate a response to what can only be described as an ambush. Fergus says, that’s ridiculous, but the judge says, they have fifteen minutes. At that time, they’ll expect final statements. The recess starts now. She bangs her gavel and they go to the playground.
Blaze says, how about if she takes Kristina home? and Kristina asks if Blaze is trying to get rid of her, but Blaze says, no. She’s trying to get Kristina to relax. But while Kristina rests, she’ll whip up an omelet. Kristina says, Blaze knows how to make an omelet? and Blaze says she’s a woman of many talents. Kristina says, that she knows, and Blaze says, so she shouldn’t expect breakfast in bed anytime soon. Kristina says, not exactly. She’s a fan of Pop Tarts, right? Blaze says, come on, and they leave.
Anna says, showing compassion for Kristina under no circumstances compromises Dex as a cadet and certainly not as a cop. He says, so failure to report a crime is okay? and she says, let’s just think about this for a second. Just say they could secure a conviction of aggravated assault against Sonny, and they both know that’s not a sure thing. Dex says, understood, and Anna says, Diane Miller would work her magic, and he’d be out in what? Eighteen months, give or take? He says, right, and she says, meanwhile, his entire family would be dragged into this and there is no telling what that stress of testifying would do to Kristina and her baby. On the other hand – and this is very important – he’s the victim of a vicious assault that required medical attention. He says, allegedly. So what is she telling him to do? She says she’s not telling him to do anything. She’s just reminding him that a single crime really affects a single individual. Every crime has ripple effects that just sort of reach out and touch people who had nothing to do with the crime. Their lives, your life, will change forever. Sometimes in small ways. Sometimes in not so small ways. He’s certainly within his rights to report this assault, but he’s under no obligation to do it. And she doesn’t know if this is the right time for them to go after Sonny. He says, everything would be a lot easier if it were just black and white, but she says, life isn’t black and white. People aren’t either; they’re grey. Cops don’t have things easy. If they did, anybody could be a cop.
Carly says she thought she and Sonny came to some kind of understanding. At the very least, a truce. He says he was in a bad place, and she stopped him from going to a worse place and he appreciates that, but she didn’t see what happened. She says, okay, then tell her what happened, and he says he lost his temper. And he punched Dex. Maybe a few more punches. And he kicked him. Then Jason came in and grabbed him, and it all escalated. She says, so it’s Jason’s fault, and he says, Jason just grabbed him real tight. Jason’s a strong guy and he was furious, and he couldn’t move. He started saying things. He doesn’t even remember what he said. Then Kristina’s there. He doesn’t know what she heard, and she ran off. None of this would have happened if Jason had just stayed out of it. She says, now it’s Jason’s fault. Before, it was Dex’s. Before that, it was her and Michael. What is he going to do when he runs out of traitors? Who is he going to blame for the man he’s become?
Dex says he appreciates Anna taking the time to talk to him. He knows how busy she is. She says she doesn’t know if she helped in any way, but she’s always happy to listen. He starts to leave, and she says she hopes she didn’t discourage him from pressing charges. Because the law is the law. That actually is black and white. That’s actually a good thing because it prevents them and saves them from having to make more subjective decisions. He says he understands, but he’s not going to press charges. He’s sorry if that makes him a terrible cop, but for now, he’s going to live in the grey. She says, for what it’s worth (🍷), she thinks he’s going to be a very good cop, and he leaves.
Sonny tells Carly that she said what she needed to say. He thinks she should probably go now. She says, yeah. He seems to have everything he needs right here. She looks at Ava and heads for the door. Sonny says he appreciates what she did for him last night. He and Kristina are good. They’re going to be fine. She says she hopes so, and leaves. Ava says, after hearing that, she’s impressed by his restraint, and he nods. She says, it’s almost as if Carly wants him to be estranged from his children.
In the hallway, both Diane and Alexis rub their foreheads, and Alexis says, according to Ava, she made Ava’s brother’s life a living hell. The night he tried to kill her, she sure hopes she did. Diane knows it was Julian, right? It was Julian who announced to everyone that she was involved with Neil. Diane says, of course (🍷). And Ava takes it upon herself to call Neil’s brother Fergus, who was sitting on the bar disciplinary committee at the time. (God help me, I laugh out loud every time they say Fergus. Not very mature, I know.) Alexis says, it certainly seems that way, and Diane says, meanwhile, Counselor Byrne is sitting on his own pile of conflict of interest. Alexis says she can’t believe they went through this whole big ordeal for nothing. For nothing. All the work they did, all the legal precedents they found, all of the ethics cases, everything – nothing. And does Diane know why? Because her disbarment was never about the law and the law is not going to help her get her license back. They turn around and a guard is there. Alexis says, it’s time? and he says, yes. Alexis tells Diane, Ava Jerome, under the guise of sticking up for her sociopathic brother… Does Diane know what she did? She cost Alexis her career. And not only that, because of Ava, she lost herself.
Lois tells Gio, welcome. Let her help him with his stuff. She wheels in a big suitcase, while he brings in another two, and she asks, who helped him pack? Was it her mom or was it Zia Francesca? He says, Francesca, and he told her that he didn’t need all this stuff. Lois says, but you know what? Don’t worry about it. The room he has, the closet is huge. He’s going to be able to fit everything, no problem. He looks around in awe and says, just tell him where he’s going. Lois says, just leave it there. Yuri will bring his stuff up. He says, seriously? and she says, seriously. Sit down. She’s got to tell him something. She leads him to a seat in the foyer, and she says, he knows Gregory, Chase’s father, the one who officiated at the wedding, right? He nods, and holding back tears, she says, he passed away last night. Gio says, that’s… He’s so sorry. She says, it’s okay. It’s a loss, but Brook and Chase canceled their honeymoon and right now they’re both over at Chase’s brother’s place. He gets up and says, maybe it’s the wrong time for him to come stay. He can look for a rental… She says, absolutely not. Monica is already on board with all this and they’re getting his room ready. He says, the Quartermaines don’t even know him, but she says, they will. He’s extended family and this is on family. She missed him and she was a little worried about what kind of trouble he might be getting into without her having her eyes on him. He says he’s good as gold, and she says, he is good as gold. And she’s so happy he’s here in Port Charles. She really thinks this is the right place for him. They hug.
At Bobbie’s, Violet is coloring, and Brook says, Violet must be feeling pretty sad right now. She’s sad too. Violet can talk to her about her grandpa, but she doesn’t have to. They can just sit here and be quiet together. Violet puts her crayon down and says she’s thinking about her dad. Grandpa was his dad, so he must be especially sad right now. Brook says, he is, and Violet says, what if something ever happened to her dad? Brook says, it’s really scary to think about, isn’t it? Violet says she loves him so much, and Brook says, she doesn’t have anything to worry about. Her dad is strong and healthy, and he’ll be around for a really long time.
Finn says, step by step? and Chase says, please. Finn says he dropped Violet off at school. He came back and the apartment was quiet. It was so quiet. He called out to dad, but he didn’t answer. So he went in his room and… he was so still. He called 911 and a coroner came out not long after that and pronounced him deceased. Chase looks at the bourbon bottle, and Finn says, yeah. He had a drink. Chase says, okay, and Finn says, maybe more than one. He’s not really sure.
Tomorrow, Tracy wonders if Stella could do something for her; Alexis says, had she known any of those things, she would have proceeded differently; Elizabeth says she doesn’t want to regret confiding in Portia; and Finn says he needs a favor from Chase.
It’s really a wonder the Carl/Lindsay relationship didn’t disband earlier than it did. She’s always been an argumentative shrew. She’s one of those people who, if you say black, she’s going to say white, regardless if it’s white or not. She found the perfect lackey in Carl, who was so insecure, he took her abuse until his stepfather told him that he shouldn’t. And while I’ll give him kudos for hanging onto his sobriety in the midst of this mess, she was the poorest choice for a supportive partner. It’s not like he hadn’t known her forever. There wasn’t a chance she was going to stop drinking or even stop drinking to screaming demon excess. He walked right into the awful. This was the only available recap.
I love a celebrity who uses their power for good, and I love a senior dog. I have a Pekingese who’s 17½. He mostly sleeps, but he enjoys his meals, and I couldn’t love him more.
Drop in tomorrow for soap and a bit of this and some of that to send you into whatever the weekend holds. Until then, stay safe, stay gifting without expectations of reciprocity, and stay remembering there’s an invisible clock ticking and be better with each other.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Finn, Gregory, and Violet return home, and Violet says, Brook was so beautiful, and Chase was so handsome. She hopes they have a baby soon, so she can be the cool, older aunt and babysit. Gregory tells her, slow down. She may be cool, but she’s not old. He’s old. Let’s give the newlyweds a chance to be newlyweds. She says she supposes, but she still wants to babysit. What was his favorite part about the wedding? Gregory says, her singing of course (🍷), and Finn says, absolutely. She was amazing. He’s proud of her. Gregory asks, what was her favorite part? and she says, catching the bouquet of course (🍷). They’re going to live happily ever after. Gregory says he believes they will, and she says, and the dancing. Uncle Chase asked her to dance. She spins around and says she loves to dance. Almost as much as she loves to sing. Gregory says, she’s brilliant at both, and Finn says, now that they’ve established that, it’s pretty late. It’s time for her to get to bed. She says, okay, and hands Gregory the bouquet. She asks him to keep it safe for her. She wants to save every single petal. He says he lives to serve, and she leaves. Gregory says, Violet’s right. It was a magical day, and he couldn’t have gotten through it without Finn. Not just today, these past few months. He really appreciates Finn.
Brook says she loves her dress, but it feels so good to be out of it, and Chase says he can’t argue with that. He likes her out of her dress too. She picks up a gift basket and says she doesn’t know what to eat first. Olivia’s been spoiling them ever since they checked in. Now she sent this comp food basket. He asks if she’s surprised. She lives to pamper. Brook says, true… That chocolate wafer looks good. He asks if she’s hungry and she says she just realized she’s starving. Between the dancing and the greeting of the guests and toasts, she didn’t get more than two bites of dinner at the reception, besides that bite of cake he gave her. (Same. You never get to eat at your own reception.) He picks up the wafters and says, okay. Whatever his beautiful wife wants. She says she likes the sound of that, and he says he does too. He loves her. They kiss.
Sonny throws Dex to the floor and asks if Dex knows what he does to traitors. He kicks Dex, and Jason flies in, grabbing Sonny from behind. Sonny says, let go of him, but Jason says, no, and tells Dex, get out of here. Sonny says he’s going to kill them both. They’re both dead to him. He’s going to put a gun to their heads. Some plates of cake crash to the floor, and Kristina stands there looking shocked. She and Sonny lock eyes, and Sonny says, it’s not what she thinks. She runs out, and Sonny says, no, no, no. He tells Jason to get off of him, and Jason tells Dex, get out of here. Dex jets, and Jason says, Sonny’s not going after him. Sonny says, what about Kristina? Let go of him. Jason releases him, and Sonny asks what she saw. When did she come in? Jason says he doesn’t know, but Sonny says, he does know. Jason called her here, didn’t he? Jason says he didn’t. Listen to himself. Just calm down. Sonny says, stay away from him. Stay away from his family. He walks out, and Jason calls Carly. He says he’s at the hotel. Sonny’s in trouble.
Anna goes into Jack’s hospital room and sits next to the bed. She says his name and he opens his eyes. He says, God, she looks gorgeous. No wonder poor Valentin was so obsessed with her. She says, he’s on the mend then, and he says, she knows him. Nothing gets him down for long. She says, not even a shiv attack, and he says, it wasn’t supposed to happen. It’s against the rules. She says, and he always follows the rules, doesn’t he? and he says, about as well as she does.
Dex stumbles back into the Garden, bruised and bloody, and Josslyn runs over to him. She asks, what happened? and he says, it was Sonny. She asks, where’s Jason? and Dex says, Jason saved his ass. She asks if he can see, and he says, mostly. She says she needs to take him to the hospital, but he says, no. He’ll go tomorrow. She says she needs to take him right now, and helps him out of the room.
Gregory tells Finn that it’s been quite the day, but it’s catching up to him. He thinks he’ll turn in now. Finn says, before he does, he appreciates what Gregory said. Gregory doesn’t know how it makes Finn feel to be here for him after they missed out on so much time. Gregory says, that’s ancient history. He’s very much a live-in-the-moment kind of guy these days, and Finn’s been such a rock for him. Letting him move in here and managing all his doctor’s appointments and medications – even when he threw a fit about it – cheering him on to do Chase’s wedding when he was doubting himself, and putting up with his orneriness as he was trying to make peace with this disease. He could go on and on, but he thinks Finn gets his drift. Finn says he’s in awe of Gregory. In awe of the strength and determination he’s shown since he was diagnosed and how brave he’s been. Not just because he jumped out of an airplane, but the way he’s still embracing life. Gregory says he doesn’t have a choice. Now is all he has. Violet comes back and thanks Gregory, picking up the bouquet. She’s going to put these in water now. Gregory says, she could dry those out and preserve them that way. She’s just got to hang them up upside down for a few weeks. She says, really? She’s going to put them next to her bed because they smell so good. Will he help her tomorrow? Gregory says, you bet, and she thanks him. She says, goodnight, and Finn asks if she’s saying it’s not necessary to tuck her in. She says she can get into bed by herself, and Finn says, oh, okay. She says she’ll see them tomorrow morning, and blows Gregory a kiss. She tells him that she loves him, and he says he loves her too, blowing a kiss back. She goes to bed, and Gregory asks if Finn is okay. Finn says, yeah. He just had a vision of saying goodbye to Violet on her wedding day. She’s growing up so fast. Gregory says, not so fast, and don’t worry. Violet will always need her dad. Finn says, yeah. That never goes away.
Kristina goes into the bathroom, breathing heavily. She leans on the vanity, looks in the mirror, and starts to cry. She calls Blaze and says she needs her… She’s in the bathroom across from the ballroom. And please hurry. She tries to calm herself, when Sonny runs in. He says, just let him explain, and she looks totally freaked.
Brook says she wants to ask Chase something, but doesn’t want to bring him down. He says he doubts she could, and she asks how he feels about his mom not being here (thank you). She knows his mom is on assignment halfway around the world, but… He says, at first, he was disappointed, but he’s had a lifetime of experience with his mom’s job. And he also thinks with everything that happened between her and Finn, and how that revelation nearly tore his family apart, she didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable, so she just bowed out. Brook says, that was a really loving thing to do. They took a ton of pictures. They can send them to her. He says, that’s a good thing, and she says she thinks all in all, today was a perfect day. He says, it was the best, and she says she was having a lot of guilt, asking his father to officiate, but she’s so glad she did, that he was the one to marry them.
Gregory says he wants to clear the air about something. He’s so sorry about the words he and Finn had yesterday. Finn says, no apology needed, but Gregory says he needs to get this out. He was angry, and yes, bitter, but not at Finn. It was at his disease, at his inability to be whole, and feeling helpless in the face of that. And he lashed out in a petty and, he’s ashamed to say, a vicious way and he’s so sorry. He’s not holding on to some old, past injury. It was a cheap shot, and he regrets it. He loves both his sons so fiercely and he’s so proud of them. Not just because they’re his sons, but because of who they are and who they’ve become, based on their own values and standards and hopes and dreams. Finn is a good man. He’s a loving father to Violet, who’s a joy and a ray of sunshine in this world. He’s doing a wonderful job with her. Finn says, that’s because when it comes to making a parental decision, he says to himself, what would his dad do? Because Gregory is the best father he knows. Gregory thanks Finn and says he wishes he could take some credit, but Finn’s done all the work. He’s a good son, his son. Finn says he hopes he’s half the man Gregory thinks he is, and Gregory says, just keep doing what he’s doing, and he’ll be fine. He kisses Finn on the forehead, and Finn says he loves Gregory too. Gregory touches Finn’s face and leaves.
Carly sees Jason and asks, where’s Sonny? Jason says he doesn’t know. He went to look for Kristina. She says, this is where he attacked Dex? Out here in the open? Jason says, he was out of control, and she says, Kristina must have been shocked. Thank God Jason was here to stop him. He says he saw how Sonny was watching Dex at the reception. Everybody’s having a good time and Lois’s mom made a big fuss over Dex and Sonny didn’t like that. After a while, Dex left, and Sonny followed him. She says, Sonny meant to do this? He planned on ambushing Dex? Right here, when all of his friends and family are out in the Garden? He says, looks that way, and she says, they’ve got to find Sonny. He says he’ll check the parking lot, and she says she’ll check the terrace.
Sonny asks Kristina to listen to him, but she says, no. He says, sweetheart, it’s okay, and comes closer, but she holds up her hand and says, no. He says, Dex and Jason turned on him… and she says, stop. She doesn’t want to hear this anymore. She starts to cry, and he says, listen… He reaches for her, but she says, don’t. He says, she doesn’t have to be afraid of him. Don’t ever be afraid of him. Understand? She says, just go, please, and he reluctantly leaves. She sobs and lowers herself to the floor, clutching her bump. She says, it’s okay, and continues to cry.
Jack says, special occasion? and Anna says, mm-hmm. As a matter of fact, she was having a lovely evening. Then she gets a call that he’s en route to the hospital. He says, prison violence can be so inconvenient, and she says, isn’t it though? But she understands he’s predicted to make a full recovery. The stabbing missed any major organs. He says he doesn’t recall giving permission to release any medical information, and she says, Police Commissioner – she indicates herself then points to him – prisoner. Being a prisoner breaches certain privacy rights. Is he familiar with that? He says, it must have slipped his mind with everything that’s going on, and she says, he had a very eventful evening. Does he want to tell her exactly what happened? He says he guesses those vicious thugs in Pentenville were too much for him.
Finn follows Gregory into his bedroom, and Gregory says he can make it into his room on his own. Finn says he knows. Still, it’s been a long day. Gregory says he’ll grant Finn that, and Finn says, Violet already turned him down. Gregory is kind of stuck with him. He helps Gregory off with his coat, and Gregory thanks him. Finn unties Gregory’s shoes and takes them off, and Gregory smiles at him. Gregory struggles with his cuffs, and Finn undoes them. Gregory is now ready for bed, and Finn picks up the suit, saying, he’ll drop these off at the dry cleaners in the morning. Gregory says, don’t even think about tucking him in, but Finn says, even he has his limits. Finn goes to the door and asks, what’s the last thing Gregory always told him before he went to bed? Gregory says he won’t forget to brush his teeth, and Finn says, goodnight, dad. Have good dreams. Gregory says, goodnight, son, and Finn closes the door. Finn sits on the sofa and makes a call.
Alexis’s phone rings, and she says, hey, Finn. He asks if he’s calling too late. She wasn’t sleeping, was she? She says, no. She’s working. She’s got papers all over the place. How was the wedding? Wonderful? He says, it was wonderful. He drank.
Blaze goes into the bathroom and runs over to Kristina. She asks if Kristina needs to go to the hospital, but Kristina says, no. It’s not the baby; it’s her dad. Blaze asks, what happened to her father? and Kristina says, when she walked in, he was beating Dex. He was punching Dex. He attacked Dex and was kicking him. He was going to kill him. She begins to sob again.
Carly and Jason meet back at the entrance, and Carly says she called security. They’re going to locate Sonny using the security cameras. Jason says, his car is still in the parking lot. He must have driven himself. He doesn’t see any of Sonny’s guys around. Her phone rings, and she says, yes… Okay, great… No. She can handle it. Thank you. She tells Jason, security located Sonny in the Garden, and he says, if he goes with her, it’s going to set Sonny off. She says she knows. She can handle it. He says he’ll be out of sight, but he’ll be close, and she says, okay. They head for the Garden.
At the hospital, Josslyn says, at least the bleeding seems to have stopped, and Dex suggests they just go, but she says, no. He needs stitches and they’re going to be seen soon. He says, it was really nice of her to give him a ride, but she doesn’t have to sit with him. He’ll be fine. She says she’s going to ignore that. How bad does it hurt? He says, it’s not that bad. It’s more the inside of his head, like when your ears are ringing. She says, he might need a CT scan. Sonny meant business. He says he didn’t want to fight back. He just tried to dodge, but Sonny just kept coming. He was out of control. He thinks Sonny was trying to kill him.
Sonny swipes a glass onto the floor, shattering it, then takes his coat off, puts it on a chair, and presses on his forehead. Carly looks at Jason and goes in, Jason staying outside the doorway. She says, Sonny, and Sonny asks if Jason called her. She says, he told her what happened, and Sonny asks why she stopped him from going after Dex and just ended it. He had Dex right there. She asks if that’s what Kristina heard him say, but he tells her that he doesn’t know what he said. The bastard grabbed his arm, he punched him. Kristina walked in… Carly asks, where is she? and he says he saw her in the restroom… His little girl is afraid of him. Jason listens in.
Brook tells Chase that she can’t wait to see all the pictures from the reception. The candids are always the best. Someone got one of Violet catching the bouquet. That was so adorable. He says, can she believe that song Violet sang, and wrote? and Brook says, she was a total showstopper. Everyone had the best time. It’s like their wedding was a gift to them, and she’s so glad. They deserve a thank you for loving them and getting them to the point where they could find each other, which is saying a lot when it comes to her. He says, she turned out great, so he thinks they did just fine. And for that, he can’t thank her enough. She says, her neither, and they kiss.
Kristina is now sitting on a bench, and Blaze brings her tissues. She says, Kristina sounds short of breath, but Kristina says, it’s not the baby; it’s her dad, like she told Blaze. She feels like such a fool. Josslyn tried to tell her. TJ, Dex, everyone tried to tell her all this time, and she didn’t believe them. She thought she knew him better than anyone, and he had this code of ethics. All this time, she’s just been defending him. Over and over and over again, she’s just been defending him, and she doesn’t even know who that man was. She didn’t even recognize him. He was so angry, and he was so violent. He said he was going to kill them.He said he would empty a gun in their heads. That is who her dad is. Blaze holds her as she cries.
Finn tells Alexis that he didn’t even realize what he was doing. Brook’s grandfather handed him the glass and he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. He was going to set it down, but then Violet started singing the song she had written, and everyone was going crazy. They were applauding, and then Carmine made a toast to her, and he drank without even realizing what he was doing. Alexis says she sees, and he says, what? There’s no such thing as an accident, right? She says, no, that’s not what she said… It’s just that now that he brought it up, does he think maybe subconsciously he wanted a drink? To her, it sounded like he was just having a good time and got caught up in the moment. He says he was. Is he overreacting here? She tells him that she didn’t say that either. They both know staying sober is a struggle. They also know a slip is a slip, which is why the important thing is – and he needs to listen to her – he did not fail here. So he has to forgive himself, which is really hard for people like them to do. He says, the hard thing is coming to terms with this. Seven years sober. It’s gone in twenty seconds.
Sonny tells Carly, there are things parents need to keep from their children for their own good. A father needs to protect his daughter, even from himself. He sits down, and Carly says, there’s a part of him that Kristina has never seen, a part that even scares him. Jason continues to listen, and she says, but that’s just one part of Sonny Corinthos, and it isn’t outmatched by the part Kristina has always known, the loving father, the good part. He says, she didn’t look at him that way. She looked scared. Then when he reached out, she flinched. Carly puts her hand on his arm and says, Kristina is confused and she’s going to need some time to calm down and to process, but she’ll remember the father he’s always been. And he can help remind her by leaning into the good. He can show her the father she’s always loved. He says he’s not sure anyone loves him anymore.
Anna says, the thing she remembers is, Jack was always first in class in hand-to-hand combat training at the WSB. Didn’t he almost snap the instructor’s neck once? Jack asks, how long ago was that? Years of desk work has left him lax and somewhat feeble he supposes. She laughs and says, feeble and lax. They’re not two words that spring to mind in assessing him. He asks if that’s what she’s doing, and she says, always, yeah. Placement of the wound is just so suspiciously fortunate. No vital organs were hit. Is prison life so dreary that he had to stab himself to get a change of scenery? Because he was never afraid to take a risk to get what he wants. He says, it doesn’t seem fair interrogating a helpless victim, and she says she very much doubts he’s helpless. He says he’s chained to a bed and he’s too weak to stand. She says, then she’ll be gentle. He’s never more dangerous than when he appears harmless.
Dex tells Josslyn that Sonny’s convinced he betrayed him and he’s coming after Sonny by joining the PCPD. He keeps hoping to see some look of recognition in Sonny’s eyes that he was someone Sonny used to care about and that he cared about Sonny too. Josslyn says she’s so sorry, but Sonny either loves you or he hates you, and right now, he hates Dex. She’s just really grateful that Jason kept his promise. He says, Jason pulled him off, but it was Kristina who stopped him.
Alexis says, Finn did not intentionally drink, so he didn’t mess up his sobriety date, but he says, it feels like he did. She says she understands why he feels that way, but he’s been to enough meetings to know that people who have been in recovery a long time do slip up. And they come back. Those chips are a great motivator, right? They know it all comes down to them because they’re constantly having to climb uphill and there’s no summit. So she feels really punchy and she’s really tired, but please tell her that this is not the end of his sobriety, and he knows that.
Carly says, Sonny’s children love him. Kristina wouldn’t be so upset if she didn’t love him. He says, she didn’t see Kristina’s face. She looked at him like she didn’t know him, like she was afraid of him. She says, he can’t change what happened. He can’t explain it away. And he can’t make Kristina unsee what she saw. But it was one night. Hell, it was less than that; it was five minutes. Weighed against a lifetime of love and support and understanding. He’s going to get Kristina back, but he’s going to have to give her time.
Dex asks why Josslyn wanted Jason to protect him, and she says she loves Dex. That was never a problem.
Blaze suggests she and Kristina go to her room. Take a bath and get into some comfy clothes. Kristina says she doesn’t want to be alone, but Blaze says, she won’t feel alone. Kristina stands up and they leave.
Sonny says, maybe Carly is right. Five minutes is nothing compared to a lifetime. And the memory could fade, but she’s not going to forget. There’s always going to be a part of Kristina that’s going to be waiting and afraid that he could do it again. He gets up and picks up his coat, and Carly says, then don’t do it again. He says, she knows he can’t promise that, and leaves. Jason comes out, and she says she doesn’t think she’s ever seen Sonny like this. She doesn’t know if she got through to him. Jason says he thinks she did, and she says she’s so scared of Sonny. She goes to Jason, and he holds her.
Anna says she heard Jack had a visitor at Pentenville – Carly Spencer. She finds that odd. Because the last time they were together, he was going to zip tie her and drag her off to God knows where. He says, the zip ties are an occupational hazard in his work, as in hers. They carry zip ties the same way the civilians carry pocket tissues. She says, it’s not a thing, no, and he says, okay. She found him out. He’s so hot for the gorgeous Miss Spencer, that he stabbed himself in the improbable hope she’ll come visit him in hospital. So does she think he has a chance? She laughs and says, there’s that twinkle. He’s very good. He says, she thinks so? and she nods and says, but she’s better.
Finn thanks Alexis for taking the time to talk him down off the ledge, and she says, he’s going to be okay. He’s just a bit freaked out, that’s all, and that’s understandable. He just needed her to tell him that. He says he appreciates her. Good luck tomorrow with the Court of Appeals. She says, thanks. She’s going to need it. He says, if she needs to talk to someone after… and she says, he’ll be the first person she calls. Be good to himself and give Brook and Chase her best. He says, okay.
Turning out the light, Brook says she’s so tired. She’s so glad… She sees Chase is already asleep and snuggles next to him. She looks at her rings and closes her eyes.
Gregory turns out his light and remembers his family when they were all younger. There’s a song part about how those were the days. He flashes back to telling Finn that he loves both of his sons so fiercely and he’s so proud of them, and Finn saying he hopes he’s half the man Gregory thinks he is. He thinks back to Chase telling him that when he was a kid, he remembers Gregory saying, I’ve got you, and he knew everything was going to be okay. Now, he’s got Gregory. Gregory flashes back to Violet blowing him a kiss and telling him that she loves him; Violet singing Shine; and telling Finn that Violet is a ray of sunshine and just keep doing what he’s doing. He remembers Finn saying that he just asks himself, what would his dad do? and saying, needing your dad never goes away, and that he’s in awe of Gregory. He thinks back to telling Finn that now is all he has, and thinks about good times with Alexis, hatchet throwing and skydiving. He flashes back to telling Brook that his Christmas wish is seeing his son marry the love of his life, and then, the wedding. Gregory closes his eyes and hears Violet say, goodnight, grandpa.
I want to cry.
Tomorrow, Brook tells Chase that they have to find it or they’ll be sent back; Kristina tells Blaze, as much as she wants to hide from this, she can’t; Dex tells Josslyn that they can try, and she says, try what; and Dante asks why Sonny would put him in that position.
Below Deck
4 hours before charter. Ben goes over things with the deckhands and tells them about finding a Reiki instructor. Kyle says he’s actually had a few sessions, and in his interview, he says, it opens up the emotions in your head. He’s looking for new experiences. Eyes open; keep forward. The provisions come in, and Dylan admires Barbie’s biceps. He tells her that training is his therapy, and she says, he always seems happy. He says if he wasn’t, he’d never show it on the outside, and I wonder if we’ll see a headline with his name in it someday. In Dylan’s interview, he says his dad was hard on him. He wasn’t good with academics, and it killed him, but he learned that he could channel it into something positive. That’s why he’s a happy person. Fraser asks Paris how it’s going with Nick, and she says she’s staying out of the drama. In Paris’s interview, she says, the last charter, she and Nick weren’t getting along. We flash back to that, and she tells us that she says what’s on her mind. She has foot in mouth disease, and most of the time, it gets her in trouble. She’s staying in her own lane. If Nick wants to crash and burn, it is what it is.
Barbie calls her friend Monica and says she’s the only one working. She can’t wait to go back to Miami and live her bougie-ass life again. We see that everyone else is working, while she’s on the phone. Captain Kerry tells Fraser, this is it, and meets Ben on the sundeck, giving him a list of stuff that needs to be done. Ben bitches to Sunny, and in his interview, he says, come on. Chill. He has to bite his tongue. It’s a bit annoying and he’s sick of it. Nick gripes to Dylan about not reaching his potential. Captain Kerry gathers the crew and says he’s proud of them, and tells them, let’s have a group hug before the guests arrive. Nick gets caught in his shirt while he’s changing. The captain welcomes the guests, and there’s a big Happy Birthday sign for primary Michele. Fraser gives the tour, and per usual, the guests love the hot tub. I don’t know if I’d love the hot tub, especially if it was hot outside, but I also don’t think they could ever get it clean enough for me to unsee what I’ve seen happen in it. In Paris’s interview, she says she’d never holiday with a bunch of women. It could be a nightmare. There could be arguments and drama, or an absolutely good time. She’s praying for the girls. Barbie asks Xandi if she can have five minutes to do her makeup, and in Xandi’s interview, she says she’s dumbfounded. Barbie wants a break for makeup, but it’s not about her. She doesn’t have the words. She thinks her face says it all.
They head out, and one of the guests tells Barbie that she did a semester at sea and went around the world in 100 days. I didn’t catch her name, but I’d love to hear more about that. Barbie lounges in the crew mess with her phone, while the others bring in the luggage. The boat anchors in Woburn Bar, and in Captain Kerry’s interview, he says, the deckhands don’t know the bigger picture of why he asks them to do something. Ben and Sunny argue about 2 meters of distance on something, Ben insisting it doesn’t matter. Kyle tells Barbie that they’re on the same flight to Miami, and in his interview, he says, the first girl he was in love with was his high school sweetheart. They traveled together for several years, but recognized that they needed to experience things for themselves. He’ll do anything Barbie wants. Fraser tells Xandi that he’s going to block Barbie. She’s going to see the show and say she’s not like that. Ben tells Sunny that he wants to see her after the season is over, and she seconds that. In Sunny’s interview, she says, it’s been a rollercoaster with Ben. Now they’re both on the same page. At least that’s what it feels like. Who knows? In Ben’s interview, he says, it could have gone south, but they rekindled things. That tells him there’s the possibility of a relationship with Sunny. The captain tells Ben that the jacuzzi isn’t warm. The wind is also at 20 knots, and they should have the umbrellas down now. The guests have lunch, and the entrée is scallops with edamame foam. They pronounce it the perfect bite, although I’m always skeptical of that foam business.
The guests play on the water toys, and Fraser is annoyed to find out Barbie is sleeping. Ben and Sunny put out mats for the Reiki session, and Fraser knocks at Barbie’s cabin. He wonders if she’s dead, and in his interview, he says, they’re all so exhausted, but that doesn’t mean they can slack. So get up, babe. Get up now. He tells her that she’s half an hour late for work. The Reiki instructor tells the guests that an 86-year-old Reiki master trained her, and they’ll still be in the vibe for 24 hours. One guest says she needs it for a week. In Nick’s interview, he says, yachting takes a toll on your body. At 30, it’s amazing. At 40, you wonder, what have I done with my life? The Reiki chick does her thing, and they face the sunset. Paris brings out wellness shots, no details on what exactly those are, but I suspect there’s no vodka. Fraser tells Nick that the guests request dinner be 8:30 at the earliest, and Nick confirms that it’s a French menu. In Nick’s interview, he says he was trained by French chefs, so it’s going to be easy. Barbie asks Dylan what he’s doing after the season, and he says he’s going to France where the owner of several boats requested him to be court jester. He asks if she’s going to travel with Ben, and she says she wants to get know Ben outside of being her boss, but even though she’d like it to be down, she has her guard up. In her interview, Sunny says, they know boatmances don’t transfer well in the real world and she’s nervous about that. She wants a man not a little boy. She wants a man who knows what he wants, respects his woman, and treats her right, like he’d want his dad to treat his mother. In that case, why she wants anything to do with Ben is a mystery. Captain Kerry sees that the Reiki mats are still out and tells Dylan and Sunny that the flybridge is messy. Sunny tells Ben, nice way to end the season. Dylan fixes his hair and says, if he’s getting into trouble, he’s going to look sexy. In the captain’s interview, he says he’s speechless. It’s not the first day. Where is this coming from? Why are you not doing your job? This is ridiculous. What the f*** is going on? He’s pissed.
Fraser says, the guests look fabulous. They’ve got the Paris vibe. They toast, cheers to next year, and everyone tells Michele, happy birthday. In Ben’s interview, he says, Captain Kerry is military. There’s no heads up. It just drops and you’re in the sh*t. We flash back to the captain making them actually work, and Ben says, they’re not military. It’s a bloody superyacht. He’s sick of it. I tell him, get your own boat. In Nick’s interview, he says, this is how you learn in fine dining restaurants. If you work less than 15-hour days, it’s not a decent restaurant. Chefs are always chasing the buzz. That’s probably why so many chefs are drug users and alcoholics. The starter is a salad with arugula, and Michele says she hates arugula. She asks Fraser for sorbet to clear her palate, and Fraser relays the message to Nick, telling him that it’s not on the sheet. The guests think the salad is meh. The entrée is lobster in a lobster bisque, and Michele thinks it’s salty. This is like the third time she’s said something is salty, so I think it’s her. She admitted she doesn’t use salt in cooking, so might be hyper-aware of it. Nick says he feels like she just wants to complain, but they have to make the guests happy. It’s all about the tip, so he needs to impress them with dessert. Fraser tells Nick that the primary is difficult and everyone else is enjoying the food. Dessert is lemon tart with Chantilly cream and cherry compote in a red wine reduction. The dessert passes muster, but guest Mia sends a message that she’s not feeling well and lying down. The guests go to bed around 10:30, which is unheard of, and all of the crew members seem to heave sighs, except for Nick, who yawns. Kyle stares at Barbie while she irons, and Dylan listens to his affirmations: I breathe deeply and calmly and feel my energy smoothing out. He could just go over to laundry, since Barbie has the iron out.
Second day of charter. Captain Kerry says, let’s get this show on the road, and tells the crew that there will be cabin inspections at 6 pm. Fraser is the only one who loves it, and in the captain’s interview, he says, the standard of cleanliness and tidiness is part of health and safety. You’re only as good as your worst day. No excuses. Ben is pissed since he’s a slob. For breakfast, the guests order omelets, except for Michele, who wants salmon benedict with no salt. Nick tells Fraser, no wonder she got divorced. In Kyle’s interview, he says he’s falling in love with Barbie. He’d like to get to the point where he’s thinking about having kids. Not right now, but he can see making a marriage with her. Not unless he’s able to support her in the way she’s accustomed and does all the housework. Nick churns out omelets, and in the crew mess, Ben bitches about the cabin inspection. He asks what the captain is going to do? Fire them? Fraser tells Nick that the guests are having lunch on the beach.
The beach is set up, and Fraser tells the guests, it will be ready in the next sort of hour. That’s a very sort of British way to form a sentence. In Xandi’s interview, she says she’s mortified about the state of her cabin, but she’s not even brushing her hair. Does she have time to flush the toilet? No. In Fraser’s interview, he says, cabin inspections can be weekly, twice a month, or monthly, but they do happen and they’re important. It shows how much you respect your vessel. Stay tidy. Have some decorum, you swines [sic]. Barbie goes on break, while the guests head to the beach. Paris and Sunny greet them, and one of the guests says, well done on the centerpieces. Fraser says, it looks adorable, and tells Paris, it’s amazing. My turn to say, meh. On the boat, Barbie says she doesn’t know how people go without lashes, and in Xandi’s interview, she wonders if this is a joke. This is her career, and she takes it seriously. Barbie is annoying her. Nick forgot the aluminum foil, and says he needs to make a list. In Paris’s interview, she says, Nick is almost 40 and someone still needs to pack his lunchbox. He’s disorganized and useless. She’s a perfectionist and the chef is a bit lazy. He doesn’t care how it looks or what time it comes out. He’s just a dipsh*t. There are two crème brûlées left – one was an extra and guest Brandi didn’t want one – and Paris, Sunny, and Ben eat them. Michele asks for the one that was sent back, and Fraser tells the three crew members, this is why they don’t do this. Paris says, Brandi told her specifically that she could have it, and he tells her to go deal, but keep it lighthearted.
In her interview, Paris says she did the beach set up. She wants a f***ing crème brûlée. She goes over to the table and tells Michele that Brandi said she could eat it and now she’s getting scolded. Jumping in, Fraser says, that’s why they don’t eat the food, but Brandi concurs that she told Paris that she could have it and Michele says it’s cool with her. They go back to the boat, where snacks await them on the bar. Sunny asks Paris if she’s an empty soul, but Paris says, no. She’s very loving. Just not to people who annoy her. In Ben’s interview, he whines some more about cabin check, and (ironically) says, the captain can’t see the bigger picture. We’re busting our asses. Give us a f***ing break. Captain Kerry does the inspection, accompanied by Fraser, and tells Fraser that his cabin is perfect. He lives the way he talks, and his is a 10. Dylan’s cabin is good and gets a 7. Surprisingly, Paris and Xandi’s cabin gets a nine, and Sunny and Barbie’s cabin gets a 7. When the captain sees Ben and Kyle’s cabin, it’s a total mess, and he asks, what the hell is going on? He wonders if they didn’t take it seriously, since there was no attempt to make it clean. In his interview, the captain says, it’s f***ing disrespectful. He’s beside himself. He’s old school and wants them to respect hierarchy. You don’t ask why; just do what the captain says. He calls Ben and Kyle to the bridge. He asks if they didn’t take the cabin inspection seriously, and Ben says, they were just working. The captain says, it’s not just like it’s messy; it’s rude. Every single person took the time and dealt with their cabin, including Nick. Ben is the f***ing bosun and it’s blatant disrespect. He’s shown them respect, busting his ass to help them. Is this the way they say thank you? In Captain Kerry’s interview, he says, they made no attempt at all. It makes his blood boil. It’s a huge slap in the face. He tells Ben and Kyle that he’s beyond words.
Next time – the finale, a Beyoncé birthday party; Barbie can’t deal with nakey Kyle; and Barbie and Xandi have a blow up.
Join me tomorrow for soap and VanderMess. Until then, stay safe, stay interesting and be informed about current events, trends, and entertainment; and stay remembering that five minutes is nothing compared to a lifetime.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Gregory says, we are gathered here today – he coughs – to witness…and celebrate – he clears his throat – the marriage of these two…beautiful young people – he struggles getting the words out – Brook Lynn and Chase, are you ready to enter… enter into the holy… state of mat… matrimony. He seems almost frozen, and Chase says, dad? Tracy is ready to get up, and Finn asks if Gregory is okay. Chase says, give him a minute, and Gregory breathes heavily and clutches the podium. Tracy gets up and goes to the podium, walking normally, not rushing. She takes his arm and asks if he can breathe. He nods, and she says, good. She quietly tells him, take all the time you need. Everybody understands. It’s okay. His papers fall to the floor, but before Finn can pick them up, Violet does. She places them on the podium and goes back to her seat. Tracy says, don’t worry about the order. Breathe. He does, and she says she can finish this like she promised him. Or they can just wait. Nobody minds. She grips his hands with her own, and he thanks her, his breathing more normal. She goes back to her seat, and he tells them, as I was saying, and they laugh a little. Brook Lynn and Chase, are you ready to enter into the holy state of matrimony? Which is an honorable estate and not one to be entered into lightly, but humbly and reverently. Are you willing to take your vows in the presence of this company and in the sight of God?
Gregory says, Brook Lynn and Chase, please take hands, and they do. He says, Harrison, do you take Brook Lynn to be your lawful wedded wife? Do you promise to love and comfort her, to honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, in prosperity and adversity, and forsaking all others, to be faithful to her for as long as you both shall live? Chase says, I do, and Gregory says, Brook Lynn, do you take Harrison to be your lawful wedded husband? Do you promise to love and comfort him, to honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, in prosperity and adversity, and forsaking all others, to be faithful to him for as long as you both shall live? Brook says, I do, and Gregory says, Shakespeare wrote, true love cannot be found where it truly does not exist, nor can it be hidden where it truly does. Harrison and Brook Lynn, your love cannot be hidden. It illuminates you both. May the light of love you see in each other’s eyes today be with you in all the years to come.
Gregory tells Chase to repeat after him, but Chase says, actually, he has this memorized and he’s kind of proud of it, so… I, Harrison Chase, take you, Brook Lynn Quartermaine to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish till death do us part. Gregory says, Brook Lynn, and Brook says, I, Brook Lynn Quartermaine, take you, Harrison Chase to be my wedded husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish till death do us part. Gregory asks if the best man has the rings, and Finn pretends he can’t find them, but then gives them to Gregory, who says, these rings that you present each other are emblems of the union which you this day declare, and they will henceforth affirm. May they remind you and all others of the bond between you and of the act of faith in which you now partake. He tells Chase to place the ring on Brook’s finger and repeat after him. With this ring, I thee wed. Chase puts the ring on Brook’s finger and says, with this ring, I thee wed. Some people just know the first time they lay eyes on each other. It’s like they’re struck by lightning. That was not us. Everyone laughs, and he says, the first time I saw you, I was struck by a bottle you swung at my head. That bottle is still in evidence lock-up. Now it’s just evidence of my love for you. You’re a force of nature, Brook Lynn. You’re a tsunami, a tornado, an earthquake, all in one unstoppable, invincible, impossibly beautiful woman. And that love and faith that you have in me makes me feel invincible too, and I promise I will bring the strength and love you inspire in me every single day to our marriage, to our children, just as my dad always did for me. He nods to Gregory and says, I don’t know if anyone has been so lucky to get hit in the head with a bottle, but here I am at your side forever. They look at Gregory, and he says he’s okay. Just very, very grateful.
Gregory tells Brook, place this ring on Harrison’s finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed. Brook puts the ring on Chase’s finger and says, with this ring, I thee wed. When I was a little girl, I used to wonder, what kind of man will I marry? Being surrounded by so many strong women, they always taught me not to settle, to hold out for the best possible man like they did. So I made myself a list. My groom to be had to be handsome, and strong, and smart. And he had to love music and he had to love me. Check, check, check, check, and check. Everyone laughs, and she says, but there was one thing I forgot to put on that list – this is a biggie – the husband of my dreams also had to be good. He had to be kind and patient and fair and just… good. And you, Chase, are a good man. You literally make the world a better place every single time you leave the house, and you make my world a better place every single time you come home. You keep people safe and right wrongs, and you do your best to keep people from making bad decisions, no matter how stubborn they may be. I won’t mention any names, but me. Everyone laughs and she says, and even when those bad decisions sometimes happen, you show up with patience and forgiveness and always love. So I am so grateful I hit you over the head with that bottle. There’s more laughter, and she says, and it was an accident. I don’t know how many times I need to tell you that. So I just hope that when I need it, you’ll give me your forgiveness, and I promise I will always give you mine. But the promise I make to you today, to love and to cherish you always, is the easiest promise I ever made, and even easier to keep. Gregory says, by the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Son, you may kiss your bride. They kiss and everyone applauds and cheers.
Everyone stands, and Lois runs to Brook, hugging her. The rest of the crowd follows, and Finn hugs Chase. He says, congratulations, bro, and Chase says, thank you so much. He turns to Gregory and says, and thank you for the best wedding ever. They hug, and Gregory thanks Chase for being patient when he got a little stuck. Chase says, everybody loves a comeback, and Gregory says he’s just glad nobody left. On the bright side, his bucket list is now complete. Chase says, about that. He had one more thing to add to Gregory’s list. Holding their first child. As everyone files out, Dante and Finn pass out packets of birdseed. Leo says he’s not hungry right now, and Olivia says, those aren’t for eating. Leo asks, then what are they for? and she says, follow her and she’ll show him just what to do. He’s the one who served the love potion at the picnic, so technically, this whole thing is kind of his fault. Leo says he’s the bringer of happiness, and Olivia says, damn straight he is. Violet asks if Olivia can take her to the reception, but Olivia says, Violet is going to miss out on throwing the birdseed. Violet says, that’s okay. She needs to get ready for her big surprise. Olivia says, okay. Then let’s go. They leave, and Finn says, Dante’s mom, his whole family. Dante says, they’re something else, aren’t they? Finn says, damn straight, and Dante says, lucky you. They’re part of Finn’s family too.
Outside, Kristina asks Sonny if everything is okay, and he says, yeah. A lot of familiar faces. People he hasn’t seen in years. Kristina says, his people are her people, so he’ll have to introduce her at the reception, and he says he will. Natalia says, it was such a beautiful wedding, and she saw Blaze getting all teared up at the bride and groom. Blaze says she guesses she’s one of those people who cry at weddings, and Natalia says, maybe she should think about that. (I’m guessing Natalia is saying Blaze should change teams, but ironically, it sounds like she’s pressuring them to get married.)
Inside, Carmine tells Gio, nice job, and Gloria sobs. Lois tells her to stop crying, and Gloria says, her first. Chase asks Maxie if she has any notes on the ceremony, and Maxie tells him that she was just saying, the natural light could have been a touch brighter. Spinelli asks if the natural light doesn’t come from the sun, and she says, exactly. The sun had one job. She and Spinelli leave, and Brook asks if the natural light worked for Chase. He says he doesn’t know. All he could see was her. She says she wishes they could do it all over again, and he says, too bad, because this wedding was her first, her last, and her only. But he would be open to renewing their vows every 30 years or so. She says she was thinking every 10 to 15, and he says he can’t wait to argue about it. They kiss. Tracy asks how Gregory feels about sitting down. She found a quiet little room off the altar. He says, the sacristy, and she says, is that what it’s called? He says, everything’s called something, and thanks her. He could use a quiet moment. She says, all right then, and takes his arm. Follow her. As they walk, he says he appreciates her. She’s always thinking ahead, anticipating what he might need, but always letting him make the choice. She says, he knows her. She doesn’t like to be pushy. They stop, and he laughs and says, she has great finesse and grace, which everyone here saw today when his body was refusing to make words. She says she believes every wedding should have some suspense, and he says, forgive him if this is too much… She says she’s on the edge of her seat, and he says he sometimes wonders what life would have been like if he’d met her when he was 25 or 30. She says she’s had the same question a couple of times, and he says, and what answer did she come up with? She says, that life would have definitely been very different. Today would have been very different. And today, since their two families were joined in such a beautiful, joyous way, why would anyone want to change that? He says, why indeed? and gives her his arm. They continue on. Chase and Brook leave the church and are met with birdseed and cheers.
At the MetroCourt Garden, Jordan says, this is a fun party, and Drew says, who’d think Lois would be the subdued one? They take some champagne from a passing tray, and Jordan says, to the happy couple. Drew says, cheers, and they clink glasses. He says, at what point does she think it’s okay to slide out of a wedding reception without being rude? and she says, don’t tell her that he’s bored already. He says he’s not bored. It’s just that, at weddings, he tends to look around and see missed chances. Curtis tells Portia that watching Brook and Chase today made him realize, when you say those vows, you really think you know what you’re in for. The truth is, none of them have a clue. She says she’s just glad they’re in it together, and he clinks his glass against hers and kisses her. Jordan tells Drew that she’s going to pretend she has no idea what he’s talking about. She hands him her glass and says she’ll be right back. She leaves, and Jason approaches Drew. Drew says he didn’t expect to see Jason here, and Jason says, Monica asked him to come. Drew says he didn’t expect to see Jason at all. He guesses neither of them have made an effort to see each other since Jason returned, and Jason says, should they? Drew says he thinks the fact Jason is asking that question pretty much answers itself, and walks away. (Why is Drew so pissed off at him?)
Outside the church, Lois says, okay, okay. Pictures. She poses the bridal party, along with the grandparents. She gets in position herself and tells the photographer, they’re ready. Everybody say, formaggio. They all say, formaggio, and the photographer takes photos while there’s a song part. In the final photo, Chase dips Brook and gives her a kiss.
Jordan goes into the bathroom to find Portia there. She says, touching up or hiding out? and Portia says, a little bit of both. They fix their makeup, and Portia says, and what about her? She noticed Jordan is here with Drew. Jordan says, Drew’s here, she’s here, and that’s all there is to that, and Portia says, mm-hmm. Seems like she and Drew have a little bit of a vibe going on. Jordan says, they’re both single people at a wedding. She’s not exactly sure why she was invited. Portia says, she was Chase’s boss for a really long time, but Jordan says, not anymore. Come to think of it, it could have been Ned that invited her. Ever since she became Deputy Mayor, he’s been very friendly. Portia says, so this was a schmooze invite, and Jordan says, at this point, anything’s possible. Portia says, Curtis thinks they were invited because Brook’s booked clients at his club, and Jordan says, including Chase. So she guesses they’re both schmooze invitees. Portia says, exactly. Anything’s possible. Olivia walks in and asks if everything is okay. Portia says, everything’s fine, and Jordan says, they were just trying to figure out which family invited them. Portia says, and since one of those families is Olivia’s family… Jordan says, they were hoping she could shed a little light on the mystery. Olivia says, that would either be a Lois question or a Tracy question, and Portia says, they’re going to ask Lois. Olivia says, any social event is only improved by their gorgeousness, and goes to the mirror. Jordan says, the woman’s got a point, and Portia says, that does explain it. Jordan says, shall we? and they go back to the reception.
Natalia says, it’s so pretty, and thanks Sonny for a really wonderful afternoon. He says, she’s not leaving, is she? and she says she and Allison are staying at the hotel for the time being, and she figured he’d want to catch up with friends and family. He tells her, stay. He doesn’t know if she knows, but one of his old friends owns the hotel, and she throws great parties. They laugh, and Gio approaches them. He says, excuse me, Mr. Corinthos, and Sonny says, come here, and hugs him. He asks if Gio is too grown up to call him Uncle Sonny. Sonny adjusts Gio’s tie and introduces him to Natalia. He says, this is Giovanni Palmieri. We call him Gio. They shake hands, and Natalia says, that was beautiful today. She really admires his musicianship. He thanks her, and she asks how long he’s been playing. He says, as long as he can remember. His mother was a violinist, and she was much better than he is. Sonny says, he’s just being modest. He studied with the best teachers in New York. Gio says, thanks to Uncle Sonny. Sonny paid for his lessons and his first tutors at college. Sonny says, Gio deserves a shot and he’ll tell Natalia why. He will be a concert violinist. Ain’t that right, Gio? Gio says, thanks to him, and Sonny says, come here. He hugs Gio again.
Kristina and Blaze go in the bathroom, where Sam is touching up her makeup, and Sam asks if they enjoyed the wedding. Kristina says, it was so beautiful, and Blaze says, and Chase’s dad. Kristina says, he was so brave, and Blaze says, he did such a nice job. Sam says, right? when her phone dings. She says, uh-oh. Dante’s bosom buddy is in trouble again. Kristina says, Sam to the rescue, and Sam tells Kristina, they’ll talk over cake. She leaves, and Blaze says she doesn’t know about Kristina, but she’s feeling a little over-chaperoned. Kristina says, her mom was nice today. She’s made eye contact; she smiled even. Blaze says, in a warm, welcoming way? but Kristina says, more like a keep your hands off my daughter way, but hey, she’ll take it. It’s funny. Her mom’s been known to do the same thing. Blaze says, she’s objected to Kristina’s girlfriends? And Kristina says, one in particular. She can’t say her mom was entirely wrong. And if Blaze ever tells anyone that… Blaze says, who would even believe her? Where’s her mom anyway? Kristina says, Albany, and Blaze says, the law license thing. Kristina says, yes. She hopes her mom gets it back. Blaze says, Kristina really likes her mom, doesn’t she? Kristina says she loves her mom. Like depends on the day. Blaze says she hears that, and Kristina says, there’s one thing their moms have in common that’s really important. Their moms are crazy about them, just not so crazy about their choices. Blaze says, of course (🍷) she just wants the best for you, and Kristina says, my job is to convince your mother that what’s best for you is me. Blaze says, actually, Kristina doesn’t have to convince her mother of anything, because Kristina has already convinced her. Anna and Lois guide Gloria into the bathroom, and Gloria says, her contact is caught under her eyelid, and she can’t get it out. She’s half-blind. Lois says, just lean her head back. She’s going to try and fish it out. Gloria grabs Lois’s hand and asks if she’s crazy. Lois will skewer her eyeball with those nails of hers. Blaze says, let her get a tissue, and Anna says she has an idea. She asks Gloria to look down at her shoes for a second, and Gloria does. Anna moves her eyelid, and Gloria says she can see. She can see! She’s going back to the dance floor. She leaves, and Kristian and Blaze are dying laughing. Lois is looking at her nails and frowning, and Anna says she thinks they look very nice. (They’re actually pretty tame for Lois.) Kristina says, really, so nice, and Lois thanks them. She says, let’s go dance, and jets.
Finn seats Gregory at a table and asks what he can get him. Gregory says, not a thing. Why doesn’t Finn sit here with him? Finn says he’d love to, and sits down. He says, Gregory was a rock star today, and Gregory tells him, that’s nice of him to say. Finn says, he was. Everyone’s been talking about how perfect the wedding was. He hopes Gregory allows himself a little pat on the back. Gregory says, if Finn insists, but if anyone was a rock star today, it was Tracy. Tracy walks through, and Gregory says, she bravely stood between him and disaster. Finn says, she was something else. The two of them make a good team. Gregory says he’s just glad the ceremony came off. Performing that ceremony in front of all those people, skydiving’s got nothing on it. Finn laughs, and Lois comes by with Carmine. She thanks Gregory so much for such a lovely service and kisses his cheek. Gregory says, it was his pleasure, and Lois says, this is her pops, Carmine Cerullo. Pops, this is the father of the groom, Professor Gregory Chase. They shake hands, and Lois says, and of course (🍷), he knows that familiar mug, right? You remember Sonny. Carmine and Sonny hug, and Carmine says, this one was at his house so much when he was a kid that after he went home, his Gloria used to take a head count at bedtime to make sure none of theirs were out there getting into trouble. She’d say, pop, we’re short one. Sonny’s not here. They laugh and Carmine hugs Sonny again.
Maxie tells Natalia, yes. Sales are up. And she has the feeling it’s because of their new Face of Deception. Natalia says, that’s so good to hear. She looks forward to having their accountant verify their tally, and that way, her daughter can get her cut as per her contract. Maxie says, Natalia doesn’t get invited to a lot of parties, does she?
Elizabeth tells Jason, this is a surprise, and he tells her, people keep saying that. Monica asked him to come. She says, so here he is, and he says, tell him if this is a bad idea. Does she think Jake would like to go out on the lake with him? Gloria approaches them, and Elizabeth says, he means like fishing or something? Jason says, either that or if he thinks that’s too boring, maybe they could get a speedboat. Gloria says, excuse me. Are you Jason Quartermaine? Jason says, Mrs. Cerullo, and she says, it’s been a long time, but did he ever become a doctor? He says, no, and she says she can’t blame him. She can’t stand the sight of blood either. Sonny walks up, and Lois says, look who’s here. Their honorary son, Sonny. She goes over to Sonny and hugs him.
Spinelli says, Maxie, question, and she says, Spinelli, response. He says, was there a bride at the wedding? and she says, what? He says, because all he could see was her (aww!), and she kisses him. She says she can’t think of a better place than at her best friend’s wedding to tell him that she loves him, and he kisses her. They hear applause, and for a moment, Spinelli thinks it’s for them, but Brook and Chase come in. Lois taps on her glass, saying, kisses! and they oblige. Everyone cheers.
Brook thanks Gregory so much. The ceremony could not have been more perfect. Gregory says he thinks it could have used fewer pauses himself, and Chase says, you were there. You did it, and I’ll thank you for this day every day of my life. Olivia clangs something and asks for everyone’s attention. No one is listening, so she finally yells, yo! I’m trying to talk here. They get quiet, except for some laughter, and she thanks them. She says, now that they have the guests of honor, she’d like to present them with a tray of the cocktail of the day. This gorgeous concoction is known as – wait for it – the Brook Lynn Chaser. Everyone laughs and applauds, and Olivia says, get it? Tracy hopes she doesn’t explain it to them, and Lois says, they’ll take two right here, but Olivia says, wait a minute. This delicious beverage was such a hit at the bridal shower, she decided it deserved a revival, but the happy couple gets first dibs. Brook says, no, no, no. She’s terrified of spilling anything on her dress. Gloria says, what for? It’s not like she’s going to wear it again. Brook says, in that case, she’ll take two, one for her groom. Chase says he prefers to be called her husband, and they kiss.
Carmine tells Finn, hello again. They didn’t get a chance to talk before when they were taking the pictures. Finn says, they were all kinds of busy, and Carmine says, they were, but they’re not now. Is he? (The look on Finn’s face – I’m dying.) Finn says, no, he guesses not, and Carmine says, so he understands his granddaughter’s new brother-in-law is a doctor. Finn says, yes, he is, and Carmine pulls a chair over, putting his foot up on it. He pulls up his pant leg and says he’s got this rash on his leg over here. Is there any kind of lotion or cream he should be using? His wife has got a dozen or so at home, but nothing seems to work here. (HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!)
Sam says hi to Spinelli, and he asks if she’s enjoying the festivities. She says she is. She likes watching Dante being swarmed by his relatives. And Spinelli? He says he’s having the best time he’s had in years, and she says she’s not going to keep him long. She just wanted to know if the Jackal would be available to work with her on a new case. He asks if she could give him a tiny hint as to who they would be investigating, and she gets close to his ear and says, the FBI.
Finn writes something down and tells Carmine, a friend of his happens to be the best dermatologist in the city. Since he’ll be in town for a few days, give her a call, and tell her that Finn sent him. Carmine thanks him and says, having your leg on fire from 2 am on can really spoil your day. So to express my gratitude – he takes two glasses of champagne from a passing server and hands one to Finn – have a drink on me. Finn sets it down, and Ned asks for everyone’s attention. He has his guitar and Violet stands next to him with a microphone. Finn says, that’s my daughter, and Carmine says, she’s an angel. Ned says, they have a little surprise for the newlyweds. Violet promised the bridegroom that she would sing a song at the wedding. What she didn’t tell him was that she would write the song herself. So Brook Lynn and Chase, this is for you. Ned plays the guitar as Violet sings about true love. (The song is amazingly good. This kid is 8. If she keeps it up, she’ll be the next Lady Gaga.) Carmine says, Finn’s little one isn’t just an angel, she’s a star. Salute. He and Finn clink glasses, and Finn takes a drink before he realizes what he did. He stands there with the rest of it in his hand, looking kind of stunned.
The look on his face actually makes me feel a little ill.
Tomorrow, Cody says, if Sasha has a better way, he’s all ears; Spinelli tells Sam that he doesn’t know where to start; Violet says she needs to ask Finn a question and he needs to be honest with her; and Anna tells Jason that he’s causing a scene and asks him to rein it in.
🧴 A Little Bit Of Soap…
Aww. It’s sweet when their real feels creep into it. You can also see Brook’s dress here. Seriously, where is Lila’s dress in that? Wasn’t it supposed to be the sleeves?
Ugh. I hate when they change writers. It’s hard enough to keep track of everything. I’ve always wondered though, if they have one of those bulletin boards like detectives do in the movies, with photos and maps and strings going everywhere.
Every time I actually pay attention to this show, I’m sorry. I watched a 42-year-old man cry because his wife wants to have a project of her own and not just be his Loverboy sidekick. I will say, it was good of the women to have her back and explain things to him. Of course, that’s what made him cry. Like, grow up, dude.
I only watch this on occasion, and only in my peripheral vision. Because I can’t believe anyone would want to follow in the footsteps of this frat house mentality. Jackie Onasis is rolling in her grave.
Take this route tomorrow for soap and assorted amusements. Until then, stay safe, stay refraining from constantly photographing everything for Instagram (we don’t need to see every grain of sand or piece of toast), and stay not assuming the wedding birdseed is a snack.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Trish tells Carly that somebody is here to see her, and Carly sees Anna waiting. Carly asks if she can get Anna a table, but Anna says, no. She doesn’t need a reservation. She needs some answers. Can Carly tell her why she went to visit Jack Brennan in Pentenville?
In the nook, Sasha asks Michael if he wants her to heat up something for him, since she’s just scoping out recipes, but he says, no. Take her break. She’s earned it. Her cooking is getting rave reviews from adults and kids alike, and she knows how hard kids are to please. She says, in this case, it’s the adults that have her digging for recipes, and he says he hasn’t heard any complaints from them, so she’s doing great. She says, if they’re happy, she’s happy, and he says, they’re thrilled. Not only is Olivia less stressed, but they’re getting regular meals and still have access to their own kitchens, so she’s the perfect cook. She says she’s very glad that someone thinks so, and he says he’s a little surprised that she took the job though. She says, why? Because she used to be a glamorous spokesmodel? but he says, because of her and him.
At the stables, Cody tells Tracy, nice ride. She’s got a nice seat. Has anybody ever told her that? She says, not in a long while. That is a great saddle. She thanks him for letting her try it, and he says, no problem. He asks if she’s expecting someone, and she says she thought she was, but now she thinks she’s getting stood up. He asks, who would do that to her? and Gregory walks in and says, sorry he’s late.
At the gallery, Stella helps Trina stuff envelopes, and Trina says, Stella just worked a full shift at GH. Is she sure she doesn’t want to soak in a hot bath, order in, and watch one of her favorite shows? Stella asks if Trina is trying to back out of their movie date and attempt to find something else for her to do. She can’t stay cooped up in this gallery all day, surrounded by – she looks at a painting of steps going nowhere – a different style of art. She knows art is subjective and expensive, and doesn’t know how Ava stays in business. Trina’s great-grandmother used to say, a fool and his money are soon parted, because their father was always coming home with these get rich quick schemes. She’ll tell Trina about him someday. Trina says she can’t wait, and she just wants to say she knows what Stella is doing and wants to let her know it’s working.
Nina says, is Drew sure about this? Maybe this is a mistake. The last few times she and Willow were together, they actually parted ways without things deteriorating. She doesn’t want to push it, and she doesn’t want Willow to think they’re handling her in a certain way… Drew asks her to calm down and stick to the program. He’s her boss. He called her in to talk about Crimson. Don’t worry about it. He’s got everything else handled. Willow walks in and says, the copy looks great. She hopes she can do it justice. She sees Nina, who says, hello, and Willow asks what she’s doing here.
Drew says, he and Nina were just wrapping up some Crimson business, and asks if he answered all of Nina’s questions about the new accounting system. She says, he did, and Drew says, good. He’ll make sure to speak to the software engineers and express her other concerns. She thanks Drew, and says, there’s been lots of change since she’s been back. He says, sure is, and his door is always open. Willow says, they can wrap up. She can step outside and go over this copy. Drew says, no, stay, and tells Nina that Willow is prepping for her very first PSA for the New Tomorrow Institute. Nina says, that’s really great. She’s proud of Aurora for supporting such a worthy cause and Willow for being the spokesperson. She’ll leave them to it. She heads for the door, but Drew says, wait a second. He just had a brilliant idea. Would Nina mind sitting in?
Stella asks if Trina thinks she has some ulterior motive for wanting to spend time with her, and Trina says, doesn’t she? The last time they went on a coffee date, Stella was worried about how she was handling losing Spencer. And she took Stella’s advice and tried to do something meaningful that would try to help her get closure. Stella asks if it helped, and Trina says, a bit, but she’s no closer to knowing what she wants to do with herself. Stella says she knows, and she does see Trina trying. She’s seen Trina struggling and wishes she could wave a magic wand and take all the hurt away. Trina says, her too, and Stella says, Josslyn is Trina’s great friend and she’s keeping herself busy at the gallery, but sometimes you just need a hug and a shoulder to lean on. So here she is. She hugs Trina, and Trina thanks her. Stella says, they’ve got to keep going, right? and looks behind the painting. She says, 15 grand, huh?Well, there’s no accounting for taste. Trina says, Aunt Stella… when Jordan walks in. She says she’s glad to see them both so happy, but she’s sorry to say, she’s about to be a buzzkill.
Carly asks if this is an interrogation, but Anna says she’s just curious why Carly would visit her attempted abductor in prison. Carly asks if she has to check her comings and goings with the PCPD, and Anna says, maybe, when she’s talking to the former head of the WSB and Pikeman Security Group. Carly asks if that’s been confirmed. Brennan was head of Pikeman? Anna says, working theory. She’s answered Carly’s question, now she wants Carly to answer hers. Carly says, the last time Anna came knocking at her door to give her the third degree, Anna and Agent Cates accused her of harboring a criminal. Doesn’t Anna have better things to do with her time? She does. She has to run a hotel. Anna says, the fact Jason slipped out of Carly’s house doesn’t mean he wasn’t there. Carly is deliberately not answering her question. Why is that? Carly asks how Anna knows she went to Pentenville, and Anna says, Brennan may be sequestered, awaiting trial, but he’s still considered a dangerous man. He has a lot of eyes on him. Carly says, especially the FBI’s?
Tracy says she was beginning to think she’d been stood up, and Gregory says, since she asked Yuri to drive him, he could hardly not show up. It was such a lovely evening, he asked Yuri to take the route around the lake, and the sunset was breathtaking. So he asked Yuri to stop, and Yuri found a nice spot and pulled over and piped Tchaikovsky into the back seat. And he just soaked in the music and the splendor and got lost in it. He thinks they both did. She says she’s sorry she missed it, and he says he is too. She would have enjoyed it, and he would have enjoyed it more with her. She says she did get to see some of the sunset on her ride, and he’s so right; it was lovely. Cody says he bets they could convince Tracy to hop back on her horse so the two of them could finish that sunset together. What does he say? Does he want to trade out his cane for a saddle? Gregory says, maybe next time.
Anna says, that’s an interesting assumption, the FBI, and Carly says, if this is Anna’s way of trying to figure out what she knows, let her save Anna some time. John Cates was asking Jason about a connection between Brennan, Sonny, and Pikeman, but Brennan didn’t seem to know anything about it. Anna says, so she told Brennan that Agent Cates was on his case specifically? and Carly says, it’s not like it’s some deep, dark secret. Anna says, yes, it was. Didn’t she learn firsthand how law enforcement works when she was married to the mob?
Willow says she’s sure Nina has better things to do than listen to her practice her PSA, and Nina says, like she told them, she’ll let them get back to work, but Drew says, hold on a second. Is Willow sure? Nina listens to pitches and ad campaigns just about every day. It would be a shame not to take advantage of her expertise. As someone with so much media and promotion experience, he figured she might see something he would miss. Unless Willow is uncomfortable. Willow says she’s not sure she’ll ever be comfortable being a public figure, but it’s important and she agreed to do it. But Nina has a magazine to run… Drew says he’s just suggesting it because it’s Willow’s first PSA and they really want to knock it out of the park. Of course (🍷) it’s completely up to Willow. Willow looks at Nina.
Cody says, do they know what happened the first time he rode a merry-go-round? He fell off. Gregory says, stop trying to make him feel better, but Cody says, it’s a true story. He was a little younger than Leo. He was probably 8 or 9 and trying to impress a really cute girl. Tracy says, hard to believe, and Cody says, she kept looking at this brass ring at the top of the pole, so he climbed up on this carousel pony and stretched out his little body as far as it would go and kept reaching for that brass ring. Then he fell. Flat on his face. He doesn’t know how he didn’t break his nose, but he got 8 stitches in his head. Tracy says, too bad it didn’t knock some sense into him, and Gregory asks, what about the girl? Cody says, the next day, she sat next to him on the school bus, and Tracy laughs. Gregory says, and the moral is? and Cody says, reach for that brass ring. You may fall flat on your face, but you never know. He goes in the back, and Tracy says, he’s well-meaning. Gregory says he wishes everyone treated him so kindly or gave him such good advice.
Sasha says, given Michael’s family’s history with relationships, she’s pretty sure that she and Michael used to be a couple barely registers on their radar. Maybe he’s just disappointed that she never used to cook like this for him. He says he’s a little disappointed, and she laughs. He’s just sorry she had to take this position. He never thought she’d walk away from Deception. He could have negotiated a golden parachute or something. She left all that stock on the table and now she’s cooking for his crazy, mixed-up family. She says, please take that off his mind. She wanted to walk away. And yes, selling all her shares was a big gulp, but it was a loss she was willing to take for her peace of mind. And Gladys already took all of her money, so it’s not like she didn’t have any practice. He says, she doesn’t have to do that with him, pretend that she’s okay, but she says she’s not pretending. It was time for her to go. She’s made peace with her decision and honestly, she hasn’t looked back. When Olivia offered her this job, she jumped at it. She had other options, but none that she liked. He says, maybe she could have given her job search a little more time. He would have lent her the money to tide her over. He’s sure Sonny would have too. She says she really appreciates the gesture, but first, she wouldn’t have taken it, and second, there’s no need. She likes it here. She doesn’t know if he remembers, but she always used to say she longed to be part of a family after growing up without one. So now, she gets to cook for Michael’s crazy, mixed up family. She gets to practice her cooking and stay in a home with people she knows and trusts. Michael says, trust. He wouldn’t go that far. She says, but maybe she should have asked him before she said yes. She never even talked to Willow about it. She really hopes she hasn’t made things awkward between him and Willow. Has she?
Sasha tells Michael that she didn’t even think to ask Willow about how she’d feel about her moving in here. They used to be so close, then with everything that’s happened to both of them, they lost touch. Then after Willow had Amelia, she showed up at the gatehouse hopped up on pills. Willow is probably worried about having her around the kids. Michael says, that’s not the case at all. They know what the situation was. She was sabotaged. They trust her. She thanks him, and he says, as far as their history, they’ve shared a lot of memories, but they’re good though, right? Unless she’s saying it’s awkward for her. She says, no. She really likes being here. He says, good, because the Quartermaines, who rarely agree on anything, agree on her, especially the kids because they love her menus. She says she’s so glad, and honestly, this is not a step down for her. She really loves cooking for his family. She’s found it really nurturing, grounding. She likes seeing how happy people are when they eat her food, knowing she’s contributing to their well-being. And she really loves seeing how happy he is with Willow. They’re really inspirational, the love and commitment they share. Cody comes in and she says she used to have that once and thinks she will again. Cody says, have what?
Jordan says she doesn’t know if there will be an actual motion to reopen Heather’s case, but she wanted to let them know what was brewing, and Stella says, this is preposterous. She knew that woman’s victim’s and she almost made Trina one of them. What is there to revisit? How can this even be considered? Jordan says, it’s been discovered that Heather was slowly being poisoned by an artificial hip implant decades ago, with neurotoxic results, and Trina says, what?They think her artificial hip made her crazy? Stella says she read about this, and she did some digging. Some people who have been poisoned by heavy metals are affected mentally with anxiety, depression, cognitive dysfunction, bipolarity, even schizophrenia. But even if that were the case, Heather is a brutal killer. Surely this can’t erase her actual crimes? Jordan says, no, but some people think it can explain them, and Trina says, some people? Who would even advocate for Heather Webber? Jordan says, she’s going to find out anyway. Her boss has raised the question. Trina says, Spencer’s grandmother?
Willow talks while Drew films, and she says, blood cancer, considered fatal, can now be cured, if only people knew where to look for help. I should know since a marrow donor saved my life. That’s why the New Tomorrow Institute was created, to help people like you and me. Drew says, that was so good, especially on her first try, and Willow thanks him. She says, Nina? Anything to add? Nina says, she comes across as very sincere and authentic, and Willow says, but? Nina says she doesn’t want to make Willow feel self-conscious. What she’s doing is spot on. Willow says, that’s okay. She’d like to hear what Nina has to say. Nina says, okay. Willow is living proof that cancer doesn’t need to be a death sentence. She’s a success story. She’s the example people can aspire to. She came through a harrowing ordeal and now she has a healthy, happy, fulfilling life. Show that. Show the people who are dealing with cancer, and their families, that they not only stand to survive, but like Willow, to thrive. Willow says, so in other words, it’s totally okay to smile a little, and Nina laughs. Willow says, noted. Anything else? Nina says, Willow’s got this. She’s going to go back to her office. Willow thanks her, Nina says, anytime, and leaves.
Anna asks, why on earth would Carly think it’s a good idea to tell Brennan that he and Pikeman were the subjects of an investigation, and Carly says, because she wanted to know how he’d react and she took stupid pills this week. Anna asks, why? Is she running an investigation of her own? Carly says, from the minute she laid eyes on Brennan… and Anna asks if he hasn’t asked her to call him Jack yet. Carly says, he told her that he was in the security business, and she took that to mean he was ex-intelligence or ex-military. She thought he was going after Sonny, then she realized he was working with that guy Hume. When she heard the name Brennan in connection with Pikeman, it wasn’t a far stretch to think the FBI had their sites on him. Anna says she might regret telling Carly this, but the FBI didn’t realize the former director of the WSB was involved with Pikeman, running it, because he managed to conceal his involvement. And that’s why Brennan came after her. Carly asks if Brennan did come after Anna. She thought that was Hume. Did Jack Brennan come anywhere near Anna? Anna asks how Carly found out about John Cates. Because Brennan was already in prison when he came to town. Did he tell her that or did Carly tell him? Carly says she may have mentioned it, and Anna says, so she blindly confirmed to Brennan that he’s under FBI surveillance. Now she’s put Pikeman on high alert and compromised a major investigation.
Carly says, what happens with Anna’s investigation is not her problem, and Anna says, Carly needs to listen to her. So she understands what’s at stake. Carly says, like what? Never mind. She doesn’t want to know, because why should she trust Anna? Why should she trust any of them? John shows up, being all nice and genuine. Then he goes to Jason and hassles him about Pikeman. Anna says, and she knows this how? She doesn’t think John would have shared that information with her. Was she listening? She was listening, wasn’t she? Of course (🍷) she was listening. Carly just asked why she should trust Anna. Because she’s trying to help Carly. Or has she forgotten that Brennan could have killed her the day they arrested him? Carly says she remembers Anna and Dante bursting in with their guns drawn, and the only thing Brennan was packing was a couple of zip ties. Anna says, like everyone walks around with zip ties in their pocket. She’s never ever considered Carly to be stupid or naïve, but Brennan could have kidnapped her that day or worse. Carly says she’s not so sure about that. If Jack Brennan is as dangerous as Anna says, he could have taken her down. He could have pulled out a gun. He didn’t do either. Maybe what Anna saw as a life-or-death situation was just a miscommunication. (Is that why Carly – according to Jack – nearly took his head off with a tray?) Anna says, why doesn’t Carly try being as smart as she thinks she is and stay the hell away from Jack Brennan. She walks off, and Carly says, oh, really? She makes a call and tells Fritz that she doesn’t feel like driving tomorrow, so she’s going to need a ride… Yes, that’s right. Nina walks in, and Carly says she’d like to go to Pentenville… She wants to leave from here… Great. She’ll see him tomorrow. Nina says, that’s nice of Carly to still visit her friends behind bars.
Tracy says, Finn and Violet have probably already left for the rehearsal in Coney Island, so why doesn’t Gregory have dinner with her? As it turns out, Sasha is a fabulous cook. All she has to do is heat it up for them. He says he’s not having dinner with her tonight because she’s going to Coney Island, and she laughs. She says, in the words of the Bensonhurst Brigade, fuhgeddaboudit. This is Lois’s event, not hers, and while they’re all dining on hot dogs and cotton candy, she’ll be enjoying Sasha’s delicious meal with cloth napkins and a tablecloth. Besides, she’s not in the ceremony, so there’s nothing for her to rehearse. He says he couldn’t disagree with her more. He needs her to stand in for him at the rehearsal. That way, she can tell him when the music starts and stops, when he makes his entrance, where to stand. All the little details that he needs to know. She asks if this is why he wanted to see her tonight, and he says, partially. There’s something else. He guesses she could call it his fail-safe plan, in case he can’t make it to his son’s wedding.
Willow tells Drew that she’s really excited about, hopefully, helping so many people, but she has so much to learn when it comes to the media side of things. He says he has no doubt she’s going to get the hang of it. Plus, she has so many people around to help. She says she thinks it was a good idea to have Nina stay around for the rehearsal. Her idea for Willow to simply smile will make it so much easier the next few rehearsals. He says, Willow is a natural, but he has to admit, Nina’s media savvy can really help them reach their target audience. So if Willow is open to it, he could ask her to be more involved. She says she’s not surprised, since he and Nina planned this whole thing, didn’t they?
Cody says he’s just here to scrounge. He was hoping to find some yummy leftovers in the fridge. Sasha says she takes it he’s hungry, and he says, isn’t he always? showing her an apple core. He sees the recipe box and says, this is what he likes to see. Is she trying out new recipes? She says, yeah. She was thinking of trying some new appetizers. Stick around long enough and he might get to sample some. She tells Michael that she’s really glad they talked, and leaves. Cody says, she’s amazing, and Michael says he knows. So what are Cody’s plans for all of her amazingness?
Stella asks how Trina is feeling about all of this, and Trina says she can’t feel anything but betrayed, for her and Spencer. Stella says she understands and doesn’t blame her one bit. Right now, she’s straining her objectivity, trying to see it from Laura’s point of view. She’s trying to think how she might feel if this was a member of their family. Jordan says she was Police Commissioner throughout Heather’s killing spree and her jailbreaks. She’s struggling to find objectivity too. Still, she recognizes Laura’s courage to even consider taking this on. Stella says, she has to realize the political firestorm she’ll cause if she gets that case reopened, and Trina asks if Jordan is saying that Laura is asking for Heather to be set free.
Cody says, Michael just put that out there, didn’t he? and Michael says he finds it saves a lot of time to be direct. He saw them just now; there’s sparks. There’s something there. Cody says, they have a good time. They’re friends. Michael says, friends. Okay. Friendship’s good. Cody says, you can’t have too many, and Michael says, but some friendships are more special than others, and he hopes Cody realizes how special Sasha is. Cody says, doesn’t he ever. Her molten chocolate lava cake is to die for. Michael asks if he’s ever serious, and Cody says he’s very serious about his job, so no worries there. Michael says, what about Sasha? She’s been through a hell of a lot these past few years and she’s come through it. She’s one of the best people he knows, so he hopes Cody is serious about being good to her. Cody says he’ll be as good to her as she’ll let him be.
Drew asks if Willow is accusing him of setting her up, but she says she’s accusing him of being a well-meaning friend who is trying to patch things up between her and Nina. He says he’ll admit he would love if she and Nina worked things out, but he’s a businessman, and Nina coaching her might make for a better PSA which may widen their reach for the appeal, which is what Aurora promised the New Tomorrow Institute. She says, so it’s good business, and he says he would never do anything to hurt her. He hopes she knows that. And he does get how sensitive the situation is between her and her mother. She says, her mother. It still lands with a jolt. She hasn’t thought of Nina in those terms in a while. He says he knows, but if he can get past it and find a way to work with Nina, maybe she can too. She says she meant what she said before. his attitude toward Nina, his ability to put the past in the past and deal with Nina here in the present, made her rethink her own attitude. But it’s hard. She’s opened herself up to Nina on more than one occasion and it did not go well for her. There was always a lie or a manipulation, and she’s left feeling angry and foolish. Like how many times does she have to go through the same thing before she learns her lesson? He says, Nina was the one who needed to learn her lesson, and maybe she has, and Willow says, maybe. He says, they can’t be sure, but he’s willing to give her a chance. He realizes it’s easier for him. She says, Nina sent him to prison, and he says he has a professional relationship with her, not a personal relationship. She can disappoint him, she can frustrate him, but she can’t wound him. So he gets how letting her in is a much bigger risk for her than it is for him. In saying that, he realizes he owes Willow an apology. She asks, why? and he says he may have finagled the meeting and pushed things a bit so that they would have a chance to interact, and he’s sorry. But he stands by his business perspective that Nina will make things better. But if Willow isn’t comfortable… She says, no. She’ll think about it. He says, then why does she look so upset? and she says, because she has no right to come down on him, especially when she’s been keeping something from him herself. He says, she’s keeping something from him? and she says, about his brother.
Carly says she can’t do this. She doesn’t have time for this. Nina says, that was unnecessary. She’s having the best day ever, and she doesn’t want to ruin it. They’re never going to hear bluebirds or see rainbows when their paths cross, but they don’t need to take shots at each other unnecessarily. Carly says, like Nina just did? and Nina says, that was a reflex that she regrets and she’s sorry. She approached Carly because there was actually another reason she needed to talk to her. Carly says, it can’t be another apology. She’s already heard them all. Nina says, no. She wanted to tell Carly that she was right about Sonny.
Gregory hands Tracy a paper and says he hobbled together some traditional texts with some thought and musings of his own. She says she’s sure it’s very beautiful, and he says, thanks, but he’s not looking for assurance. He’s holding her to her promise to take his place if… She says, yada, yada, yada. He’s presiding over Chase and Brook’s ceremony. It’s meant to be. He says, the only things that are meant to be are death and taxes, and she says she takes exception to the latter. He says, don’t tell him that she has stage fright, and she says, whether she does or not is beside the point. He’s the officiant. He says he’s just covering his bases in case he can’t read his notes or he loses his breath, things that have been happening more and more these days. He’ll need his understudy to go on if that happens. She says she seriously doubts she’s going to need to go on, as he puts it, because he’s perfectly capable of marrying those two, all while being the most attractive man in the room. He says, flattery will get her everywhere, except Coney Island. Can they get the airport in time? She has to make that rehearsal. She says she’ll get there. What’s the dress code for Coney Island? He says, think mermaid, and she says, ugh. He laughs and they leave.
Sasha says she heated Cody up some beef bourguignon, otherwise known as beef stew. Where’s Michael? Cody says, he left, right after warning him to be good to her, and she says she knows Michael. He had the best of intentions, but it’s not his job to make sure she’s well-treated. That’s hers. She gets to decide all on her own if a situation works for her, if it fits her needs. He wonders if they’re talking about her job as a cook, and she says, situation is pretty vague. It covers her job, but also the people she associates with. He says, like him, and she says, he doesn’t need a lecture from Michael on being good to her. He already is.
Jordan says she can’t speak for Laura’s intentions, but she does know Laura as her boss and as a person. She is smart and sensitive, so let’s not jump to any conclusions. The question is, where does Heather belong while they sort out her medical and legal issues? Stella says, her vote is, someplace safe and secure. This is a very complicated issue. She’s worked with psyche patients and their families, and she knows people’s pain, mental and physical, can drive them to do and say things that would otherwise be unthinkable. Trina says, maybe Heather was acting out of physical or mental pain, as Stella says, but what about her victims? What about the victims’ families? What about the pain she inflicted on them?
Willow says, what she’s about to tell Drew is confidential, okay? When Jason got back to Port Charles, after he jumped off the bridge, she and Michael found him in the boathouse badly wounded. They bandaged him up and got him antibiotics from the hospital. He says, Jason should have never put them in that position, but Willow says, they had to do something. He says, Jason was shot. So did she stitch him up?… Of course (🍷) she did. Because that’s what she does; she helps people. She helped Jason, she helps people at GH, and now she’s helping people through the New Tomorrow Institute. He appreciates her so much. Her secret is safe with him.
Nina says, Carly told her that it wasn’t going to last, that Sonny would leave her, and he did. If she’d listened to Carly, maybe she could have saved herself some heartache, but she wouldn’t listen to Carly or anyone else. She had to live it and she has. Carly asks if that’s all, and Nina says she’s trying to make amends with Drew. Carly says she understands needing to be on good terms with your employer, and Nina says, it’s in hers and Drew’s best interests to have a good working relationship. Carly says, then she guesses this all worked out, huh? Nina and Drew have a good working relationship, Nina is back at Crimson, and she has her hotel back. No reason to look back at all of the damage done, huh? All they can do is move forward. Nina says, she makes it sound easy, but Carly says, not easy. Necessary. She’s not looking back. She’s not going that way. She leaves.
Anna looks for Jason at the coffee warehouse, but finds he’s not in his office. She says, well, you were right.
Tomorrow, Gregory tells Alexis that he’s not sure an apology will do; John asks someone if they’re planning on walking away with Sonny’s organization; Nina tells Ava, if that’s not worthy of payback, she doesn’t know what is; and Anna tells Jason that they can use Carly’s mistake to their advantage.
Below Deck
Port Louis Marina. Kerry learns Turkish while everyone stumbles out from the night before. Fraser and Ben both have department meetings, and the provisions come in. Barbie and Kyle kiss on the stirs. Dylan wonders if they hook up with a charter guest, will they get fired? and Ben says, Fraser kissed one, so they should be okay. In Barbie’s interview, she says she and Kyle have a real connection, and wonders what it would be like in the real. She doesn’t know how it would work off the yacht. She talks to her mom on the phone, when Kyle comes along. Her mom asks how he is, and he says, hungover, but good, then wisely jets. In Captain Kerry’s interview, he says, the guests have their own yacht. They haven’t been challenged yet, and they’ve had easy guests, not even close to high end clients. No more mistakes. The guests arrive, and neanderthal Ben says, pretty girls. They’re in for a whole lot of sh*t.
Fraser does the tour, and co-primary Rob says, they have a boat in Newport Beach. The St. David is three times the size of his boat and he’s getting boat envy. Frazer tells the guests that he’s excited. They haven’t had a family yet. In Fraser’s interview, he says, this is the kind of yachting he’s used to working. Working for a family, they’ve been in yachting for a while. They have lots of money. They’re bringing their kids on board to congratulate them for being their own kids. They are not like other guests we’ve had this season. We flash back to previous charters this season, and he says he’s finally happy to have a group on board that really know how to enjoy themselves politely. In Sunny’s interview, she says she’s starting to see who Ben really is. However, the chemistry is there. If she chooses to ignore the red flags, that will be on her. Kerry tells the crew to get ready to depart. Paris says she heard Rob owns his own boat, and Rob says, it’s a navigator with three cabins. Dylan asks the guests how they like their STD, and when they look all confused, he explains it’s his shorthand for the St. David. Ugh. Fraser goes over the plates to be used for lunch with Nick, but Nick says he doesn’t want to do plates, and claims, it’s about timing. In Fraser’s interview, he says he’s offering to help, but it feels like Nick doesn’t want his help. There’s no walking side by side, and he wants it, but he’s feeling a lot of f*** yous. Anchor is dropped, and Xandi goes to the beach with Fraser to set up. Captain Kerry shows Rob the engine room and says, whatever he doesn’t know he’ll make up. Rob says, beautiful engines, and tells the other guests the boat carries 30,000 gallons of fuel. Nick joins the others at the beach, and in Paris’s interview, she says she hasn’t worked with Nick long, but it hasn’t been collaborative. We flash back to Nick vs. Paris, and she says, you might have a weird personality, but if you can’t perform, she has no patience for it. The guests takes the tender to the beach, and the tablescape is gorgeous, flowers and greenery and rattan placemats. Captain Kerry walks around the boat with Sunny, and in her interview, Sunny says, the captain won’t cut corners. He’ll tell you straightaway if you do something wrong. He’s a great captain, but she wouldn’t want to be on his bad side. The guests play pickleball and discuss people getting killed by falling coconuts. I look this up and it’s 150 a year worldwide. Paris suggests some things to Nick, and in his interview, he says, when micromanaging happens and someone is being bossy, he lets them think they’re in charge, but he’s been doing this a long time. Three stripes, one stripe.
Sushi and Asian salad is served as a starter for lunch. Nick doesn’t want to plate, but Paris says she doesn’t want to walk around with a tray for 10 minutes asking people what they want. In Fraser’s interview, he says, the plan for the beach was that lunch was to be plated, but Nick needs love and support at this point. Nick says he has to get back to the boat, and in his interview, he says, Paris wants to take over, and he’s not going to stop her. He’d rather that than argue in front of the guests. He needs to get ready for dinner and has no time for this f***ing sh*t. He leaves, and Paris says, family style? Maybe at Sizzler. They make fish and beef skewers – on plates – and the guests say, it’s amazing. On the boat, Xandi talks to her brother on the phone. In her interview, she says, her baby brother is the most important person in her life. She sheltered him growing up and protected him. Their parents never got along, and it was not ideal growing up. When the fighting started, they’d watch TV, something happy. He loved Friends. There was a lot of fighting and a lot of Friends. Paris uses a torch to finish the crème brûlée, and the guests pronounce it perfect. They go back to the boat and are met with mini Palomas and cold towels. Nick tells Captain Kerry that he had things the way he wanted, but Paris changed it. In the captain’s interview, he says, a team member with a single stripe stew on the beach needs to adapt to the chef, not the other way around. Nick says, they’ll see what the feedback is. He wants to get a crack on tonight. I’m starting to wonder if he’s smoking crack. In Nick’s interview, he says, they want showstoppers. He’s doing grilled octopus and there’s going to be nice colors on that. Sunny kisses Ben, and in Ben’s interview, he says, a week ago it was different than today. He’s genuinely liking Sunny and wonders if the break they took could be the magic formula. They go into the bathroom, and we hear giggles. Paris tells Fraser that it was embarrassing. Nick left because she wanted the food plated. She did everything. Is this some kind of sick joke?
The crew puts on their blacks for dinner. Kerry and Fraser eat in the crew mess, and Kerry asks if there was confusion regarding how lunch was presented, but Fraser says, no. No dramas, no tragedies, everything was fine. That’s all that matters. In Captain Kerry’s interview, he says, Fraser is being coy with him and not telling him everything. He’ll deal with it later. Dinner has casino décor and games are set up. Co-primary Noreen says, the chef is amazing, as Dylan decides to assess the situation with the blonde one. Paris tells Nick that the next dish needs a drizzle, and in Nick’s interview, he says he has no time or patience for Paris. It’s not her job. He loves a garnish, but it’s going to look weird. He doesn’t tell her how to scrub toilets. Do what you’re good at. Rob tells Captain Kerry about following a rock band from Ireland, and in his cabin, Dylan does a terrible rap about taking a guest to his room and showing her his big d*ck. Sunny calls her friend Bish and tells her about Ben. She says, they’re just having fun. In her interview, she says, before, there was a lot of back and forth – does he or doesn’t he like me? – like picking flower petals. She’s taking a step back and having fun. It’s positive. Is it though? In Nick’s interview, he thinks Paris is f***ing with him, trying to f*** him up. Captain Kerry says, it’s going to be windy docking. It’s going to be challenging. He thanks the guests and tells them to enjoy the rest of their night. He checks in with Nick and says, he loved it and the guests loved it. Dylan acts like a creeper around the hot tub and gets in on the Truth or Dare game by saying he’ll take a dare. Guest Sarah tells him to take off his shirt and do his best dance. In his interview, Dylan wonders if this is a good idea. He dances, if you want to call it that, pours a bottle of water on himself, and attempts to twerk. The guests chant, Dylan… Dylan, and in his interview, he says, if he was going to hook up with a guest, it would be a fireable offense. He knows the risk factor and decided to play it on the safe side. He’s depressed. The guests go to bed at midnight.
Nick tells Dylan that he’s liking the trip. He has issues with Paris, but they’re her issues, not his. Dylan says, she’s full of sh*t, and Nick says, she demands power and gets it. Be happy. Live life. I’m really glad that I don’t know either of these guys. Captain Kerry looks at the wind level and sighs. Dylan DMs with Sarah, and they make plans to meet in LA, which will probably never happen. The breakfast specials are crêpes and the St. David breakfast wrap, and most of the guests ask for both, as we all would. Nick says he knew he should have made crêpes in advance. Paris tries to school Nick in the art of making crêpes, and in his interview, Nick says, she needs to back the f*** off. F***ing hell. The crew makes plans to go bowling on their night off, and Captain Kerry talks to Ben about the docking. The guests watch as they dock, because it’s not hard enough. The captain says, there are strong winds through the marina in multiple directions, and Kyle says, it’s going be tight. Captain Kerry says, it’s going to take a lot of effort and control. A lot can go wrong. The guests all gasp, and say, oh my God, it’s so close, but they dock without incident. It’s time for the guests to say goodbye, and Fraser says, they’re a wonderful family. Rob thanks the crew, and Noreen says, the food was divine and the service was impeccable. Rob invites the crew to come on their boat anytime they’re in Southern California, and they’ll be the crew’s crew. They leave, and Captain Kerry says, let’s get the boat turned around.
The captain calls everyone for the tip meeting. He says, they have areas to work on, but there’s only one charter left and it’s a quick turnaround. There’s no need for sore heads. The tip is $25K or $1923 each (wow! for one night?), and Captain Kerry adds that they also have a free place to stay in California. In Barbie’s interview, she says her tip is going toward something to wear. Her closet is like Saks Fifth Avenue, and if her father ever cuts her off, she can sell all her stuff. Captain Kerry call Paris to the bridge, and in his interview, he says, three stripes and one stripe are butting heads, and the one with three stripes is stepping back instead of the one. Fraser tells Paris, don’t get fired. He needs her. She tells him not to stress her out. The captain tells Paris that he wants to talk about beach day. He’s seeing a lack of communication. In Captain Kerry’s interview, he says, if the chef says that’s the way he wants to do it, it’s not her place to argue. Paris says, when they were organizing, Fraser said they’d be plating, and she assumed it had been discussed with the chef. They’ve all been butting heads with Nick and it’s frustrating. The captain says, that’s between the chief stew and the chef, and she doesn’t need to be dragged into it. Paris says, perfect, but I’m guessing that’s not what she’s thinking. Fraser and Nick are called to the wheelhouse, and Paris tells Barbie that she was kind of out of line. The captain’s tells Fraser and Nick that they have to work together. He doesn’t care if they like each other or not, he’s not allowing this bullsh*t. They have one more charter and have to work it out how they can work well together. In his interview, Captain Kerry says he hopes by knocking their heads together he knocked some sense into them and for the next charter they can get their sh*t together. Fraser suggests he and Nick go over the menus for the next charter straightaway, so all the meals are set, and they fist bump.
It’s time for the preference sheet meeting. The primary is Michele, a pediatric dentist, who’s bringing friends who travel together frequently. She’s also recently separated and wants this to be her freedom tour. Ben reads that they want a Reiki practitioner, and Fraser reads that a request for a fashion show. They’re celebrating the primary’s 50th birthday as well, and she wants to celebrate Beyoncé style. Sunny says, it’s going to be a good vibe tonight. She feels it. Kyle comes out in a bow tie and a kilt, and Barbie says, that’s not hot. In Barbie’s interview, she says she gets that it’s his heritage, but he doesn’t wear anything underneath and likes to show his situation. She wants to put pants on him. She tells him, don’t start showing people that. They go to Lavo Lanes bowling alley, and in Kyle’s interview, he says he loves how Barbie hates the kilt. Barbie says, he loves to show it and she’s trying to get him not to. They do shots, and Kyle makes the winning spare. Ben tells Kyle to flash his willy, and Kyle obliges. Barbie tells him, stop doing that, but he tells her, deal with it.
In Barbie’s interview, she says, her family is going to have a heart attack. She’s from Argentina and was raised conservative. She’s never dated somebody who doesn’t wear pants. She can imagine introducing Kyle to her father and him pulling his pants down. It’s embarrassing and cringe worthy for her. Kyle promises not to do it again, and she asks how he’d like it if she flashed her boobs. He says he would like it, but he gets what she’s saying. Barbie says she doesn’t like that, and he says, noted. In his interview, Kyle says he needs to flash someone, but doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable. He knows he’s in the doghouse, so he’s going to work at making her happy. They leave, and back at the boat, Kyle says he needs to piss and take his kilt off. I guess the kilt does make that easier. Xandi says she can’t believe she’s sober. Barbie and Kyle bunk together, and so do Ben and Sunny. Kyle tells Barbie that she has him wrapped around her little finger, and in Barbie’s interview, she says, the season is ending and they’re in a good spot. She’s thinking this is not the end of her and Kyle. She has love for him and is possibly falling in love with him. She wants to see what the future holds, if they have real feelings. He’s a great guy, but at the same time, the fact is, he’s different from her family and not Jewish. A producer asks if she thinks her family would want her to be with him, and she says, no. She has so many things to think about. She’s scared that they’re so different, and she wants to see if it works in the real world, if they make it that far.
Next time, a Beyoncé birthday; Captain Kerry says, schoolboy errors are happening and it’s unacceptable: and the captain finds blatant disrespect on deck.
🥤 I’d Like To Buy the World a Pepsi…
Come on down tomorrow for soap and a Reunion of Rules. Until then, stay safe, stay prioritizing quality choices and people, and stay reaching for the brass ring. You may fall flat on your face, but you never know.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Ava goes into Sonny’s medicine drawer and digs around until she finds the lorphenadine. She scratches the number of refills off the label. (FYI, the bathroom is the worst place to keep medicine, even though we all do it.)
At the MetroCourt, Natalia thanks Sonny for all this. She guesses they should probably finish it up and get on their way. He asks if she’s in a hurry, because he’s not. He likes having her here. He enjoys her company. She says she has a personal belief no one should ever have to dine alone, and he says, lucky him.
In her office, Anna takes out the WSB file on Jack Brennan. She flashes back to John telling her that the ties between Pikeman and the WSB go back to her early years as an agent in the 80s. She says she can tell him flat out that she never had anything to do with Pikeman. Jack Brennan, who ended his rather brief tenure as head of the WSB by being shipped off to Pentenville, could tell him more. It’s alleged he was running but Pikeman and the WSB. Unless he thinks she’s the new head of Pikeman, and by packing him off to prison, she was making a big power grab. John says, anything is possible. There’s a knock at the door, and she says, come in, shoving the folder into her briefcase. Dex says, she wanted to see him? and she says, yes. She just wanted to check in, since it was her bright idea to have him apply to the police academy. Detective Bennet thinks his performance in class and training exercise was outstanding, so she wanted to check in with him personally. He says, first of all, he wanted to thank her. It never would have occurred to him to become a police officer, but every day he’s more certain this is where he’s supposed to be. She asks why he feels certain, and he says, the men and women in his class are exceptional. He’s very proud to stand next to them. She says, and the other officers, the rank and file, how’s that going? He says, it’s getting better, mostly thanks to Detective Chase. He’s really gone out of his way to take Dex under his wing and smooth the way a bit. She says, good. He’s very well liked and well respected, so she’s sure that the other officers will trust his judgement. Dex says, Chase invited him to his wedding tomorrow, and she asks if he’s going to attend. He says he wouldn’t miss it, and she says her sentiments exactly. She’s sure she’ll run into him there. He asks if that will be all, but she says, one other thing. Has he had any interaction with Detective Falconari?
Dante meets Sam in the park and apologizes for being late. She says, he’s not going to believe it. She finally got some answers from Jason about what he’s been up to the last few years. Jason is an FBI informant.
Jason is doing actual work at the coffee warehouse, when John walks in. He says, the FBI has some questions for him, and Jason says, John doesn’t have to follow official procedure. There’s nobody here but them. John says he still has questions. Why was Carly visiting the former director of the WSB in Pentenville? What did Jason tell her? What did he say to Carly? Did he mention Pikeman or Brennan to her? Jason says, no, and John says, then why did she drive out to Pentenville? Jason says he doesn’t know. This is the first he’s hearing of it. John asks why she’d visit Brennan of all people. What was she hoping to find out? Jason says he told John, he doesn’t know, and John says, if he even hinted to Carly that he’s been tasked with finding evidence against Pikeman, it violates their agreement. Jason says he only took the agreement to protect Carly. Why would he turn around and give her information that would put her at risk?
Natalia says she could sit here all day if she didn’t have a dozen phone calls to make, and Sonny says he knows how that goes. She says she would imagine he’s a pretty busy man. She knows he was waiting for someone when she showed up. Who would have the audacity to stand him up? He says he didn’t get stood up. It was Ava, the one she met at his place. He brought her here and he said something she didn’t like. She got upset and stormed off. She missed out, but he didn’t. Natalia says, it was a lovely meal, and the conversation was equally so, and he says, it’s amazing how that works. She asks if he thinks things will calm down by the time he gets home, and he says his home, not Ava’s. He brought her and his daughter Avery into his home because… basically for Avery’s sake, but at first it worked out and now it’s… not really. She says she gets it. When a relationship is ending, transitioning, that’s hard enough, but when kids are involved, it’s just so complicated. He says, sounds like she’s been through it, and she says, yeah. She and her husband are separated. That’s Allison’s father and she has a son from a previous relationship. He says, remember he told her that his family is complicated? Life’s a long and winding road. She says, full of all kinds of paths and forks not taken. Ugh. She does hope it’s a little calmer when he gets back. He says, either that, or he’s going home to an empty apartment, and she laughs. He says, Ava could be packing as they speak, but as long as they sip this coffee really slowly, it will give her enough time. She says, okay, and they clink coffee cups.
Ava goes into the hospital pharmacist’s office and says, the print has rubbed off on this bottle. She’s planning an extensive trip and wants to know how many refills are left on her husband’s prescription. They’re going to be out of the country, and she thinks maybe they should be stocking up. Actually, she wouldn’t mind a little more information about the drug itself. He takes the bottle from her and says, normally, he wouldn’t disclose this information, but since she’s gone to all this trouble, he can at least take a little look. He looks at the label and back at her. (Does this guy live under a rock? Making a note that the hospital’s pharmacist takes no security precautions just like the rest of the hospital, just in case I’m ever sick in Port Charles.)
Dex says he and Dante haven’t had much interaction. He thinks they both have the same avoidance strategy. Anna asks if Dante is icing him out, but he says, nothing like that. Dante nods hello when he walks in the squad room. Otherwise, Dante pretends he isn’t there. She says, he told her they have the same avoidance strategy. Why is Dex avoiding Dante? He says, Dante is senior detective. He also just got shot in the line of duty and he’s highly respected here. But he’s also Sonny’s son. Everyone here knows he worked for Sonny for more than a year, so if they’re seen together too much, people might think they’re working together for Sonny’s behalf. A lot of people already suspect him of that, so why put it on Dante? She asks if he has any reservations about Dante. Maybe suspicions that he might act on his father’s behalf?
Sam says she’s only telling Dante until they figure out what to do with this information. Dante says, Jason saved his life. He must have been with the shooter when they tried to take out Sonny. She says, Jason said he’s been working undercover while he’s been away, that he’s been working under an assumed identity, and Dante wonders what Jason was doing. She says she doesn’t know his exact role, but he’s working with Agent John Cates. He says, my God. He already knew that Jason was an FBI informant, and she asks, how? He says, his father told him.
The pharmacist says, Mr. Corinthos has four refills left, and Ava says, that’s what she thought. She just wanted to be sure. He says, as per usual, he’ll call the prescribing doctor when it’s time to renew unless he hears anything else. Will that be all? She says, as he knows, her husband just started taking this new drug. She does have some concerns about it. He says, really? Lorphenadine was recently approved by the FDA, but it’s highly effective and safe in combination with other drugs like lithium in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Has she discussed her concerns with his doctor? She says, not yet. She didn’t want it to seem like she’s undermining the doctor. Sonny is very comfortable with him. She’s sure it’s fine. She does wonder though, what would happen if a patient, for whatever reason, didn’t take the medication as prescribed or took less than the prescribed dosage. Because, as she’s sure he knows, mistakes do happen.
Natalia says, maybe Sonny should go home and talk to Ava, try to resolve things, and he says he was being flip. Ava’s fine. It was just a stupid argument. He was invited to go to some social event. She wasn’t invited. He couldn’t push it because it was the bride’s family calling the shots. It was a wedding. He didn’t even know Ava wanted to go and then she said she wanted to go. He made it clear to her that she can’t go. Then she got upset and stormed off, like he said, and that is basically that. She says she gets it. She empathizes. It’s a pretty terrible feeling, feeling like you’re being excluded. He says, who would exclude her? and she laughs. She says, thank you, but she’s a newbie in a new town and it’s a town that’s got a very tight knit social set. Allison’s going to her manager’s wedding. She might even be performing; Natalia doesn’t know. Obviously, Kristina is her plus one, so she misses out. He says, Brook Lynn Quartermaine’s wedding? That’s what he was talking about.
John says, everything Jason has done up to this point has been to protect Carly, so it doesn’t make any sense to involve her in this, and Jason says he wouldn’t. John says, that leaves them with a big problem. Why was Carly at Pentenville? Could Carly and Brennan have some kind of understanding? Jason says, no. He doubts that. John asks if they know each other. Brennan was arrested at Bobbie’s. Then it was Kelly’s.Carly was the only other person there. She never said anything about this? Jason says he never asked, and John says, ask her now. Jason says, why? and John says, before he was incarcerated, Jack Brennan was career WSB. He rose all the way to director. It can’t be a coincidence that he lands in Port Charles and starts cultivating Sonny’s ex-wife. Carly must be useful to him somehow. Or, and this seems much less likely, he’s of use to her. Either way, it’s in both of their best interests to find out. He’ll leave it to Jason to figure out how. He leaves.
Dex asks if Anna thinks Dante might be protecting Sonny, but she says she asked him first. He says, no, not consciencely anyway, and she says, but he might have an unconscious bias in Sonny’s favor. He says he saw enough of their relationship when he worked for Sonny to know that he and Dante are close. Sonny was estranged from Michael, so he relied on Dante, even though he was a cop. He’s seen them interact as family. It’s easy and relaxed around each other; they trust each other. He doesn’t think Dante would deliberately look the other way if Sonny committed a crime. But he does think maybe when Dante looks at Sonny, he sees what he wants to. She thanks him for his perspective, and he says, to be clear, he thinks Dante’s an incredible officer. Dante is the kind of cop he wants to be. She says, yeah. There’s no one better he could emulate. No one. Okay, that’s all. Thank you. He leaves and her phone rings. She asks, what’s up?… All right. She’s coming over. She leaves the office.
Sam says, Dante knew that Jason was working for the FBI and he didn’t say anything to her? and he says he didn’t remember. It just hit him with all the things she was saying. He was out of it. He was in the hospital. He’d just woken up. He doesn’t know who he saw or what he said. She says she hopes he remembers her, and he says, of course (🍷) he remembers her. But now he remembers Sonny there. Sonny came into his room. He told him that Jason was working as an informant for the FBI. Then Jason came in his room and told him the same thing. It must have been these meds. She says, that actually tracks. So did what Jason said, because he said he and Sonny aren’t close anymore. She just couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Sonny would actually think that Jason would turn his back on him. Dante says, if he’s working for Agent Cates, Sonny would consider that betrayal.
Dex does push-ups against a bench (please), when Josslyn trots up. He asks what she’s doing, and she says she’s obviously working out. She just heard about the challenge; the stadium run without the stadium. Does he want to race? He says, only if he gets a head start… She says, absolutely not, and takes off. He follows.
Dante says he and Agent Cates didn’t get off to such a hot start. He didn’t trust Cates; Cates didn’t trust him. Cates said he was trying to protect Sonny and he didn’t believe that for a second. Sam says, because why would the FBI be protecting a mob boss? She believes it though, but she thinks it’s probably secondary to whoever’s behind those hits. He says, it’s something bigger than his father. Those four crime lords who were taken out, the big cities, major transportation hubs. She says, some sort of smuggling ring? and he says he’s been doing some digging on his own. What sticks out, these are not mob hits.
Sonny says he knows it’s last minute, but he does have a plus one. If Natalia wants to go to the wedding with him, he’d love to take her. (Smelled that coming yesterday.) She says, what? That’s so generous, but she doesn’t want to impose, especially at this late date. He says, she met Lois, and she says, yeah. He says, she’s a close friend of his. All he’s got to do is tell her that he’s bringing somebody. Unless she doesn’t want to be seen with him. He understands. She laughs and asks if he’s sure. He says, yes. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked. They can be like a mom and dad posse for both of their children. She says, they’ll love that, and they laugh. She says, yes. All right. She accepts with pleasure. She thanks him so much, and says, that means she has to come up with a dress, shoes, and she has to somehow talk her way into a hair salon appointment, so she’s out of here. He says he’ll let her know the time and the whole thing, and she thanks him again for everything. The lovely meal, his thoughtfulness. She’s really looking forward to tomorrow. So goodbye for now. She leaves and he smiles.
The pharmacist says he can assure Ava that he takes quality control very seriously, and she says she’s sure he does. But we’re all human. He says, it seems she’s concerned about her husband’s dosage, and she says she doesn’t stand over her husband to make sure he takes his medication on time. What if he takes less than the prescribed dosage? What if he skips? Could his behavior change? For example, could he become aggressive or even violent? He says, that would depend on his behavior patterns when he’s not medicated. The symptoms could return, but that’s beyond his scope. He’s a pharmacist; he’s not a physician. She picks up the bottle and says she was hoping he could ease her mind before the big trip. He says, what he can tell her is that it’s important a person on mood stabilization medication take their medication regularly. And while unmedicated bipolar disorder may manifest in behavioral issues, people generally don’t become ax murderers overnight. She laughs and says, that’s good. Ax murderers are definitely to be avoided. He asks if she’s noticed any change in her husband’s behavior, and she wonders why he asks. He says, if she’s worried about him not taking his dosage, she should speak with him and his doctor. She says, that’s not necessary. This is a new drug and all, and she had some questions about it, so she thought she’d come to the expert. She goes to the door and says she really appreciates him taking the time to explain things to her. She thanks him for all he continues to do for her husband, and he says he’s glad he could help. Good luck with the trip. She leaves.
Jason is back to doing actual work, when Anna comes in. (No wonder nobody gets any real work done. They’re always being interrupted.) He thanks her for coming, and she asks, what’s so urgent? He says he needs all the information she has on Brennan’s arrest here in Port Charles, but she says, it was relatively uneventful. She and Dante made the arrest at Bobbie’s. He asks if Carly was there, and she says, yeah. Why? Did she say something to him about it? He says, no. Cates did. She says, that’s strange, and he says, Cates was asking why Carly would visit Brennan in Pentenville. Anna says, she did what? and he says, Cates didn’t tell her? She says, no. John is not very big on sharing, but that’s fine because there’s a lot about this supposedly join investigation that she hasn’t been sharing with him. More to the point, it’s actually very concerning that Carly would visit Brennan. He says, why exactly? and she says, because when they made the arrest, it looked as if Brennan was going to kidnap her. The man had zip ties in his pocket. This was months ago, but why would she suddenly take it upon herself to go see him now? Jason sighs and says, there’s only one thing I can think of. She thinks she’s helping me.
Dex and Josslyn end up at the bench, both out of breath, and she says, nice race. For a second there, she thought he was going to let her win. He says, and face her wrath? and she thanks him for respecting her enough to beat her. Two out of three? He says, no. It’s a good thing she isn’t at the academy. She would kill herself trying to finish first in everything. She says, like he doesn’t finish first in everything, and he says, not everything. She says, it’s going good though? and he says, yeah. Things are good. He had to face down a lot of people’s doubts, including his own, but it turns out that if you stick with things and don’t walk away, they get better.
Anna asks why Carly would think she’s helping Jason by going to see Brennan, and he says, a couple days ago, he was with Carly. John shows up, and Carly wanted to call Diane, but he said, don’t. He’ll take care of it. Just leave. But she didn’t want to leave, so he’s sure she found a place to eavesdrop in on their conversation (ha-ha!). She says, which was what? and he says, which was John talking a lot about Brennan and Pikeman and possible ties with Sonny. She says, John didn’t mention him working for Pikeman, did he? and Jason says he made sure John didn’t in case Carly was listening. Anna says, thank God he knows her so well. So what does he think is likely she overheard John saying? He says, John went on to talk about Brennan being arrested with a Pikeman guy, and she says, yeah, Hume. Oh no. She hopes Jason is wrong about this. Because if Carly knows the FBI is investigating this Pikeman/ Brennan connection and she inadvertently gives Brennan that information, then she just made their job exponentially harder.
Dante tells Sam, these four crime figures that were taken out, it wasn’t by rivals. It was all in the same way, long range, professional, clean sniper shots. She says, which backs up his belief that Jason did something to prevent them from killing Sonny, and he says, the other thing is, these bosses that were taken out, it’s not like their organizations collapsed afterwards. The next in line took over with almost no interruption to the organizations. Which tells him that this wasn’t to cause chaos or some kind of takeover from outside forces. So if it’s not that, what’s it for? She says she’s definitely not going to lose any sleep over some dead mob bosses, but she does care about Sonny, and she knows Dante cares about him too. And she hopes he doesn’t take this the wrong way, but she cares about Jason too, and she believes him when he says he didn’t stay away voluntarily, that he was coerced. And she thinks that they should help him. Actually, she wants to help him. Danny can’t lose his father again.
Outside the penthouse door, Sonny takes several deep breaths. He goes inside and Ava is there, and he says he’s surprised to see her. She stormed off at the restaurant. He makes a drink, and she says she’s really sorry about that. It was so silly of her to let her feelings get hurt over a social event. Of course (🍷) she understands the Cerullos and Falconaris don’t want her there. He says, that’s the point he was trying to make, and she says she knows. She realizes that. She’s embarrassed actually. She likes to think she has pretty thick skin and she does with most people, but not with him lately. She’s so appreciative about how they’ve been able to connect and come to trust each other. She really cares about their relationship. And that’s why, for Avery’s sake, it’s time for her to move out.
Dex asks, how’s school? Are they on summer break yet? She says, just about. She’s turned in most of her labs and her papers. She has a few exams left, but she actually just got a new summer job at the MetroCourt. She’s going to be a lifeguard there. He says, that’s more fun than working at the front desk, and she says she hopes it’s fun. He says he thought she’d have some high-powered internship lined up, and she says she thought about it, but she’s actually in the middle of switching her major. He says he’s glad she figured it out. So what does she want?… For her major? She says she’ll be taking much of the same labs and classes as last year, just with a different concentration – environmental science. He says, sounds like a good fit, and she says, really? She feels like she’s so late to change her major. He says, just trust herself. He has no doubt she could save the entire planet if she set her mind to it.
Sonny asks if Ava is sure this sudden need to move out has nothing to do with what happened earlier? and she says, yes and no. Once she cooled down, she realized the most important thing here is the friendship they’ve developed over these last few months. She really values that. Plus, she never wants to put Avery in the stressful situation of watching her parents fighting. So it will take her a few days to find the right living situation for the two of them, one that meets the terms of their shared custody agreement. He asks if this is really what she wants, another place, and she says she was looking for a place of her own after she sold Windymere,. Then he wanted them there when they were under threat. but that threat seems to be gone and she’s starting to feel like she’s overstaying her welcome. He asks if he ever said that, and she says, no. He says, then don’t put words in his mouth. He likes having Avery here, taking her to school, putting her to bed. She says, what about her? and he says he likes having people around. He likes the company. But just so she knows, he didn’t ask her to leave. That was her call. So if she wants to get a place, he’ll help her get a place, but just for the record, he likes the way things are.
Sam says she hopes Dante understands why she wants to help Jason, and he says, of course (🍷) he does. They have a history together; he’s Danny’s father. He’s not threatened by any of that stuff. She says, Danny is a big part of this, but it’s more than that. When Dante was in the hospital and she found out Jason was on that roof, and everyone thought he was the shooter – she thought he was the shooter – she was so angry and cold to him. She was just so terrified she was going to lose Dante, she wanted someone to pay, and she had lost all faith in Jason. He says, so she wants to make almonds amends. She wants to help. She says she supposes she does. She knows that Jason loves Danny and Danny has obviously formed some sort of a bond with Jason. It’s just that Danny needs his father in his life. Dante says, 100% he does. He needs his father. And he feels like he owes Jason. He just doesn’t know how to help him. She says, they’re going to figure that out together. That’s what they do. He takes her hand and says, the thing is, he doesn’t know what this is. This can’t be just a simple undercover operation that guy’s got Jason doing. She says, they need to figure out exactly what it is the FBI has on Jason.
Anna tells Jason, so far, the FBI has been under the radar. And Jason being found out to be who he is didn’t exactly rattle Pikeman’s cages too much. He says, yeah, but Cates thinks they’ll still target him because he knows too much. She says, Pikeman obviously doesn’t know he’s with the FBI, so that’s a good thing at least. And he’s absolutely certain he never told Carly that he was undercover at Pikeman. He says, absolutely not. He wants her to stay out of this. She says, that ship’s sailed. So in all probability, Brennan now knows the FBI is on his trail, which means that they’re blown. And that’s a big problem. Because Brennan’s tentacles, they reach from Pentenville to Pikeman to the WSB to God knows where. He asks if she’s afraid of this guy, and she shrugs. She says, Brennan’s a bit of a charmer. Very smooth. But behind those sparkling eyes is a mind constantly working, processing, reading everything, everyone in the room. He is very smart. He’s very shrewd. They all learned as trainees, the most dangerous weapon was to give Brennan information of any kind. He says, so what do they do now? They just wait for Brennan to make a move? How do they know he’s going to make a move? She says, he will. He’ll find his target and then he’ll act. And the FBI won’t know what hit them. She thinks what they need to do is find out exactly what Carly told Brennan. He tells her, Cates said the same thing. There’s one problem. He can’t be the one to do it.
Dex does more push-ups, and Josslyn says she thought she could escape taking Bio-Chem by switching to environmental science, when actually she has to still take environmental chem, which is just as difficult, and she has to do all of the papers, all the labs, and she has to get her master’s after her undergrad break. He says, there’s no escaping. She’s going to have to be awesome. She thanks him and thanks him for what he said earlier. It means a lot. She should go. He says, him too. It’s really good to see her. She says, it was really good to see him. Take care. She runs off as he watches her.
Ava thanks Sonny and says she knows Avery wants to stay. So does she. She realized something. She’s let herself become a bit of a recluse since the Nikolas thing. And after she sold Windymere, she wanted a fresh start, but other than the gallery, she doesn’t get out too much. She guesses that’s why she made the assumption about Brook’s wedding. He says, she doesn’t have to be cooped up here or at the gallery all the time. She should be able to get out, have fun. She was always the social type. She doesn’t have to cramp her style on his account. She laughs, says, that’s some solid advice, and thanks him. She asks if there’s anything she can do to help him get ready for the wedding. She can get his tie, or she can get a gift. How about a painting from the gallery even? He says, cash is king (truth!). There’s a lot of ties that he doesn’t even wear, but he thanks her for that. She asks if she can give him a ride. She can drop him off and she can pick him up. That way, Frank doesn’t have to waste the day waiting around outside the wedding and the reception. He says he can drive himself. Besides, Blaze’s mother is coming as his plus one. She says, oh. Natalie, right? He says, Natalia. Blaze and Kristina are going, so he thought it would be nice to include Blaze’s mother. She says, that’s very generous of him, and he laughs. He goes in the back, and Ava smiles until he’s gone.
Dante says he gets Sam wants to help. It’s important to her and it’s important to Danny. And please don’t get angry at him for saying this, but he thinks she should stay out of it. She says, wait a minute. He just said he had some digging of his own to do, which means he doesn’t know the whole story. He says, no, he doesn’t, but he can tell it’s a delicate situation. And to get involved with Cates and the Feds, and then maybe she’s in the line of fire… There’s nothing she can do. She says, oh no. She has a hard time accepting there’s nothing you can do as a policy. (Me too.)
Anna says, but Jason is Carly’s best friend. Who better than him to find out what she knows and what she’s done? He says, she just answered her own question. Carly can read him like a book. If he questions her, she knows something’s up. And even if he mentions Brennan, that’s it. She’ll decide she can help him by working Brennan for information. Anna says, oh God. They don’t want that. He says, no. She cannot suspect anything more than she already does. So they have to find a way to stop Carly from doing anything else to help him. She says, all right. If Jason can’t question Carly, she’ll have to talk to Carly herself.
On Monday, Gregory says he would have enjoyed it more with Tracy; Sasha says she should have asked Michael before she said yes; Trina says she knows what Stella is doing; and Anna tells Carly that she’s just compromised a major investigation.
❤️🩹 Another Non-Divorce…
Yeah, things weren’t looking too good last season. PK getting sober sounds like a good sign, but it’s a tough road in the music biz. And what is this, a RHOBH curse?
I never thought Brandi’s claims had any merit. It was just her way of trying to deflect from her own bad behavior. I have no doubt it happened – it sounds like something stupid Andy and Kate would do – but they certainly weren’t serious. As for Leah, I have no clue about the coke, but I’m sure the producers don’t discourage drinking alcohol, especially if it leads to drama. Just not too much. Still, is that Andy’s fault? I dunno, but the responsibility ultimately lies with the cast member on that one.
I’ve been to this several times, and the set-up is much better now. They used to do the whole thing at Madison Square Garden, with the benching area (where the dogs are kept in between their shows), the prep area, and the shopping area all in one place. It was always packed with people and like, 110 degrees. On top of it, dog hair dryers were going half the time. Now it’s in two buildings by the river, with only the main show in the Garden. At last attendees can breathe. Go Pekes!
This is a great organization. No one who’s being abused should have to choose between that and keeping their pet. I’d sleep in the street first. Even though I’d need a pretty big box.
Sooner or later, we all quote our mothers. – Bernard Williams
I’ll join this conversation on the proviso that we stop bitching about people, talking about wigs, dresses, bust sizes, penises, drugs, night clubs, and bloody Abba! – Bernadette (Terrence Stamp), Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now. – Paulo Coelho
Motherhood seems to be a no-win battle: however you decide to do (or not do) it, someone’s going to be criticizing you. – Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere
We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals. – Immanuel Kant
Thus far the mighty mystery of motherhood is this: How is it that doing it all feels like nothing is ever getting done. – Rebecca Woolf
The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty. – Winston Churchill
Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own. – Aristotle
Even dads need their moms. – Brandon Gibbs, 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way
Silence is golden. Unless you have kids. Then silence is suspicious. – Nicole Fornabaio, The Noun Project (This goes for dogs too.)
Happy Mother’s Day – Juliet, July 11, 2007
🌻 Easy Like Saturday Morning…
Wishing a Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, stepmoms, pet moms, and mother figures. We’re all moms to something, even if it’s a plant. Join me again on Monday really Tuesday for soap and God knows what on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay sharing with those who have less than you, and stay sticking with things and not walking away. They get better.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Chase says, Finn’s going to do the talking, right? and Finn tells him, that’s what he said. It’s just he was thinking Chase could say it better. Chase asks why he could say it better, and Finn says he’s not exactly known for his bedside manner. Chase, on the other hand… Chase says he what? and Finn says, he does things with care and compassion. Chase says, Finn can be caring and compassionate when he tells their dad that they don’t think he should come to the rehearsal dinner tonight. And he can’t wait to go to Coney Island. Gregory comes in and says, good morning. He’s sorry it takes him so long to get up and get dressed. Did he miss seeing Violet off to school? and Finn says, yeah. She’s only going for a half-day, and he’s going to pick her up so she can change before going to the airport. Gregory says, sounds like a plan, and Finn says, speaking of plans, they wanted to talk to him about this evening, and he… Chase?
Alexis opens the door to Laura and says she was just preparing for her hearing next week. Laura says she was so happy to hear Alexis was taking steps to overturn her disbarment. How’s it going? Alexis says she thinks she’s as prepared as she can be, but at this point, she’s just spinning her wheels. Laura says she thinks Alexis is going to do great. She knows Alexis is an excellent lawyer. As a matter of fact, that’s why she’s here.
At the MetroCourt, Ava tells Sonny that she contacted two of their most high-profile artists to see if either of them would like a large commission to create a piece for the city. Sonny watches Jordan talking with Olivia, and says, turns out that’s not going to be necessary because he’s moved on to another idea. Ava looks over at Jordan and Olivia.
There’s a knock at Blaze’s hotel room door, and Blaze opens it to Natalia. Natalia asks if she can come in. She doesn’t want to see anything she shouldn’t see. Blaze says, since she knocked instead of barging in, she thinks Natalia is safe. What brings her by? Natalia says she wanted to see what outfit Blaze is going to go with for the Quartermaine wedding, and Blaze says she hasn’t decided yet. Why? Natalia says she doesn’t want to clash with it.
Jason is doing actual work at the coffee warehouse when Sam runs in and asks, where’s Danny?
Laura says she went to see Heather in Pentenville the other day, and Alexis asks how she’s doing. Laura says, pretty well. She’s still recovering nicely from the surgery, but other than that… Alexis says, she’s still the same Heather, but Laura says, no. She’s really not. Since the replaced the bad hip, the changes in Heather are striking. Alexis says, in a good way? and Laura says, it appears so. Alexis says, appears being the operative word, and Laura says she knows Alexis and Doc talked about this a few weeks back. She just wondered if Alexis was able to find anything that would suggest they might be able to revisit Heather’s case. Alexis says she’s surprised Laura actually wants to move forward with this, and Laura says, it’s just that the more she talks to Heather, the more she believes the cobalt poisoning was affecting her ability to reason. Alexis says, so the metallosis was the reason she killed those people, and tried to kill all those other people, and had two decades of horrendous and cruel behavior? Laura says she’s not qualified to say. All she can say is, up until this point, Heather has always felt justified in her actions. Alexis says, and now? and Laura says, now she’s beginning to question her violent behavior. And she’s showing signs of real remorse. She thinks in general, Heather is feeling more in control of herself and containing her anger better. That she actually witnessed. Alexis asks if Laura thinks Heather is actually growing a conscience, and Laura asks if Alexis was able to find anything to help her. Alexis says, actually, she did.
Gregory says, of course (🍷) he wants to hear everything Chase has to say, but first, there’s something he needs to say. If it’s all right. Chase says, please, and Finn says, by all means. Gregory says, having the rehearsal dinner on Coney Island is such a fun idea. (I actually wish I’d thought of something like that) And it’s beyond generous of Tracy to bring them all down there, so that Brook can revisit one of the great joys of her childhood. Everything about it seems unmissable… Chase says, the thing is… but Gregory says, please let him finish. He hopes they won’t be upset with him. He promises he’ll apologize to Brook and her family, but he really feels he needs to conserve his energy for the wedding itself. Chase asks if he’s saying… and Gregory says he’s thought long and hard about it. As much as he wants to go, he’s not going to go. He’s asked Tracy if she would stand in for him at the rehearsal. Chase says he really wishes Gregory could make it too, but he understands, and he’ll make sure everybody there does too. Gregory thanks him, and Finn says he knows it must have been a hard decision, but for what it’s worth (🍷), he thinks it was the right one. He can call a home help agency and see if he can get someone to stay with Gregory. Gregory says, no. That’s not necessary.
Blaze says, since when is Natalia going to Brook’s wedding? and Natalia says, since Blaze’s invitation arrived. Or did she not get a plus one? Blaze says she did and she’s taking Kristina, and Natalia asks, why? Blaze says, because Kristina’s her girlfriend, and Natalia says, how could she forget? Blaze says, it seems to slip her mind a lot, and Natalia says, Blaze’s relationship with Kristina is always on her mind, especially at times like this. Blaze says she knows she’s going to hate herself for asking, but times like what? and Natalia says she thinks it’s unwise for Blaze and Kristina to go as a couple to such a public event. She thought they had an understanding about that. Blaze says, so did she. Apparently, they were both wrong.
Jason says, Danny’s not here, and Sam says, all she knows is that he’s not in school. She got a call from his counselor. He was concerned because Danny missed an appointment. He asks why Danny is seeing a counselor, and she says, because Danny occasionally has trouble following the rules. Anyway, he wasn’t marked as present in his first period class, so she used that location app on his phone to see where he was… He says, she’s tracking Danny? and she says, the app said his phone was at home. So she went upstairs to his bedroom and his phone was on his bed under a pile of clothes, which means he deliberately doesn’t want her to know where he is. Jason says, maybe he just forgot his phone, but she says, no teenager ever let’s their phone out of their sight. Especially Danny, considering she just gave his phone back to him. He says he hasn’t seen Danny, and doesn’t she see that she’s training Danny to lie to her?
Sam says, first of all, Jason doesn’t know anything about her relationship with Danny. Danny knows he can trust her. Jason asks, how would he know that? Every time Danny brings up the truth in wanting to spend time with him, he gets into trouble. He thinks maybe if he lies, there’s a chance he won’t get caught and won’t get in trouble. She says she just warned Danny that being around Jason is dangerous and their son refuses to listen to her. He says, okay. If they agree that he and Danny can spend some time together, he won’t be somewhere dangerous. She says, what happens if he just shows up at Jason’s place like he did the other day? Can he promise her that Danny won’t be walking into something dangerous? He says, no, and she says, exactly. And that’s what terrifies her. It’s not just about Danny getting to know him and spending time with him. He wants the danger. He chases it just like Jason. Just like she used to. He says, this is different. There was a time when he didn’t care if he lived or died. He doesn’t see that in Danny. She says, then tell her what it is he sees in their son as opposed to the last time he was in town, and he says he just sees a kid who likes freedom. She says, he’s a teenage boy. They all want their freedom. He just doesn’t know what to do with it. Jason really doesn’t know anything about raising a teenager. He says, maybe not, but she says, definitely not. Because the first rule in raising a teenager is being there, and he wasn’t. He was alive and she still has no idea where he was or what he was doing. And nice tattoo by the way. Did he show that to Danny? Did he at least explain to him where that came from? What are the odds Danny is going to want a tattoo too? (Ha-ha! Tattoo too.) Let’s just hope he goes for one and doesn’t go full out with a whole sleeve. She actually doesn’t know. Maybe that just happened one tattoo at a time over the past two plus years. He says he’ll explain to Danny… and she says, he’ll explain to Danny that he should just hide Jason in the boathouse and not tell her. He says, for what it’s worth (🍷), Danny walked in on him in the boathouse. He didn’t seek Danny out. She says, he told their son to lie to her about it, and he says, because that was the safest thing for Danny right then. That was his decision. Be mad at him. She says she is mad at him, but she’s afraid for their son, and he says, she’s afraid that she can’t control him. He doesn’t even think she sees it. And no matter what Danny does, it feels like he’s in trouble, and it’s wrong. He’s a kid. If he skips school, he’s going to get into trouble. He’s got detention, he gets grounded, take the phone away. He’s going to pay the price. Life goes on. She says, if he knows so much about their son, where is he right now?
Alexis tells Laura that she found two cases where post-condition release was granted because the key witnesses recanted their testimony. The most relevant was a forensic psychiatrist who acknowledged his findings were based on incomplete evidence. Laura says, so then a diagnosis of cobalt poisoning would have helped Heather’s defense, and Alexis says, possibly. If Laura can get a transcript of Heather’s court appearance, she’ll take a look at it. Laura thanks her, and she says, but Laura has to manage her expectations. Metallosis or not, there is no judge that will want to vacate her conviction because the body count is too high, and she confessed, and she pled guilty. Laura says, yes, but all of her actions were under the influence of something out of her control, and Alexis says, maybe she didn’t murder anyone before the metallosis, but Laura can’t pretend Heather was some sort of quirky free spirit. Laura says, she’s right, and Alexis says, it’s a long shot. Laura asks if Alexis is saying she can’t help anymore, because she certainly would understand that, and Alexis says, as a citizen of Port Charles, as a human being, she’s hesitant. As a once and hopefully future attorney again, she believes everyone is entitled to a fair defense, even Heather. Laura says, then she’ll see about getting Alexis those transcripts.
Blaze says she’s taken Natalia’s advice on keeping her private life private. As much as she hates to say it, Natalia has a point. She hates that people are so intolerant. Even a quarter of the way through the twenty-first century, things for queer people… Natalia says, please don’t refer to herself that way, and Blaze says, things for people like her are getting harder and harder. All of this to say, this is a family wedding, not a public event. Natalia says, sometimes Blaze can be such an innocent. Yes, this is not a public wedding, but everybody is going to read about it, and all the lucky invitees are going to be plastering their social media with photos and selfies, especially since there’s going to be a celebrity in their midst, which Blaze is. Blaze says she doesn’t think anything is going to change because they saw her standing next to Kristina, but Natalia says, that doesn’t even count all the professional photos that are going to be out there on the newswire. And that’s not just locally. It’s going to start at The Invader and then it’s going to proliferate outward. Blaze says she wouldn’t worry. The Quartermaines are used to protecting their privacy from the press. Yes, it will be a well-attended event, but only by close family and friends, and she’s going with Kristina. Natalia says, she’s thinking about this in the absolutely wrong way, and Blaze asks how she should be thinking about it. Natalia says, she’s not going as just a regular person, and certainly not as somebody’s girlfriend. She has to think about herself as a brand. Sure, Ally can go to any old wedding she wants to with whoever she wants to, but the second somebody takes a photo of her and puts it online, she’s no longer Allison, she’s Blaze. And they’ve worked too hard to create this brand so carefully. She doesn’t want to see all this hard work and effort just be for nothing.
Olivia asks Sonny how he likes the new menu, and he says he loves it. He wants one of each. Ava says, so does she. She’s heard wonderful things about the new chef. Olivia says, they were a real find. She hopes Sonny wasn’t bothered by the guys in the ballroom. They’re pulling out all the stops. They want everything to be perfect for Chase and Brook’s wedding. Ava says she’s sure the reception is going to be absolutely beautiful, and her phone rings. Sonny says, whatever Olivia needs, she knows he’s here, and Ava says, it’s Trina at the gallery. They’re expecting a new piece today. Excuse her. Olivia says, hurry up. She doesn’t want to miss that. Ava leaves, and Olivia says, please. Tell her that he’s not bringing that one to the wedding.
Gregory says, Violet will be away with them, and while the caregivers are all perfectly nice, he could use a break from this endless procession of strangers in this apartment. Finn says, they’ve been through this before, and Chase says he’d feel more comfortable knowing Gregory isn’t alone. Gregory says, they won’t even be gone overnight. They’re flying back this evening. Chase says, they’ll probably be pretty late, and Gregory says, regardless, he’ll be fine. Finn says, it’s one thing if he spends the evening worrying about Gregory, but it’s Chase’s rehearsal dinner. He should be able to enjoy it without wondering if he’s abandoning Gregory. Gregory says, and Finn of all people would know what it’s like to be abandoned before his wedding. He recalls feeling great at his rehearsal dinner with Jackie, and then wondering where the hell Finn was when the wedding started. But by all means, lecture him on proper wedding etiquette. (Touché and ouch.) Finn says, okay. He thinks that Chase can take the conversation from here, and leaves.
Sam’s phone rings, and she tells Jason, it’s Danny’s school. She answers and listens a moment. She thanks them for letting her know, and tells Jason, that was Danny’s counselor. He got the time wrong. Danny’s at his appointment right now. Jason says, so where’s he been? and she says, in class. The first period teacher didn’t put the attendance into the computer until after the class was over, so go ahead and just say it. Tell her, I told you so. He says he’s just glad Danny is safe, and she says, her too. She’s going to get out of his way, and Sonny’s. He says, Sonny’s not here, and she asks where he is. Jason says he doesn’t know, but she says, of course (🍷) he would know where Sonny is. What’s going on? Did something happen between him and Sonny?
Blaze says, Brook’s wedding has nothing to do with her branding, and Natalia says, maybe she hasn’t been clear enough, but this wedding, her manager’s wedding, has everything to do with her branding. It’s like the most amazing photo op. An event like this, as prestigious as this Quartermaine wedding, and her going as Brook’s client, this is incredible PR. Photos of her and Brook together or even of the two of them together is all brand awareness for Blaze and her music. Blaze says she won’t use her friend’s wedding as a career steppingstone, and Natalia says, but her friend is also her manager, and she should be all over this. Blaze says she loves Natalia and she’s so grateful for everything Natalia has done for her finances. Not just when she started making money, but even before, to help her with her singing. From voice lessons to paying for studio time and everything, every little detail that’s helped her get this far. Natalia says she hears a but, and Blaze says, but there are decisions about her life that only she can make. And this is one of them.
Alexis tells Finn, come on in, and he thanks her for letting him come over. She says, of course (🍷). Start at the beginning. Tell her everything. He says he and Chase both thought it would be best for Gregory if he didn’t go to the rehearsal dinner tonight in Coney Island. So they went over to talk to him, and he beat them to the punch. He said he was going to stay home and rest for tomorrow. She says, okay. That’s great. He says, except he wanted to bring in a caregiver to keep an eye on him while they were all away, and she says, oh. So she guesses he didn’t like that idea. Finn says, no. Gregory reminded him that he slept with Jackie and didn’t show up at his wedding. She says, whoa. That wasn’t the turn she expected this to take. Finn says, him either, and she asks what he said. Finn says, nothing. He left, called her, and here they are. He abandoned his father again. She says, he walked away from an unwinnable argument. That is not abandonment. He says he kept Gregory out of his life for almost thirty years. He convinced himself that after what he’d done, staying away was the right thing to do. He blamed Gregory for moving on so quickly when Finn’s mom died. He even changed his name. He tried to distance himself from his father as much as he could. She says, and then they found their way back together. They worked it out. Finn says, if he ever thought Gregory was going to forgive him, this morning proved otherwise.
Sonny tells Olivia that he’s not bringing Ava. Lois made it a point to not invite her. She doesn’t even know those people. Olivia says, she may not know those people, but those people definitely know her. Ava comes back and says, what people? Olivia says, the Cerullos, the Falconaris, all the people from the old neighborhood. They’ll be at her stepdaughter’s wedding tomorrow. She tells Sonny that she’ll send the waitress right over, and leaves. Ava says, not that he asked, but just in case Sonny wants a plus one for the wedding, she did pick out a pretty spectacular outfit. No pressure. He says, there is no pressure because she’s not going.
Chase tells Gregory that he’s making himself breakfast if he wants anything, and Gregory says he’s so sorry. He shouldn’t have said what he said. Now he feels like he’s spoiled the evening for Chase and his brother. Chase says he doesn’t think Gregory spoiled anything. He and Finn just want to make sure he’s okay here and has help if he needs it. Gregory says he understands. He shouldn’t have lashed out like that. He let his nerves get the better of him. Chase says, he’s nervous? And Gregory says, of course (🍷) he’s nervous. Tomorrow is a huge day. Tonight’s an important night too. It’s the night before his son starts his life as a married man. And as much as he wants to be there with Chase and Brook and everybody, tomorrow is more important. He wants to go over everything he wants to say and make sure he gets a good night’s sleep, and he can’t do all that if some stranger he’s never laid eyes on before is asking him if he’s all right every fifteen minutes like he’s a toddler. Chase says he’s sorry, but Gregory says he doesn’t blame Chase. He doesn’t even blame Chase’s brother. He knows Finn’s just doing it out of concern for him. He’s sure from Finn’s perspective, he thinks he’s right. Chase says, it’s not just that. Sometimes he wonders if he and Brook made a mistake asking him to preside over the wedding. What was Gregory supposed to do? Say no? Chase is concerned that with Gregory’s illness, they’re putting too much pressure on him. Gregory says, presiding over Chase’s wedding is the opposite of pressure. He puts his hands on Chase’s shoulders and says, it’s the greatest honor of his life.
Blaze says she’s going to this wedding with Kristina, period, and Natalia says, she’s made that clear. Blaze says, but Natalia keeps trying to talk her out of it, and Natalia says, no. Blaze has made her decision… a bad one. She apologizes if Blaze has found her concern and her honesty disagreeable. Blaze says she actually understands Natalia’s concerns. She knows how hard Natalia has worked for her continued success. Not just for herself; she knows Natalia is doing it for her too. Natalia says, for her first, and Blaze says she knows how important her image is, especially how important it is to Natalia, but nothing she’s done – nothing that she and Kristina have done – is a threat to her career. On the contrary, her music is taking off. Her fans are going nuts on social media, demanding she release her new single, and she thinks it’s going to be her best one yet because she’s so happy with Kristina. Natalia says, happy musicians don’t make great music, and Blaze asks if Natalia is saying she has to be miserable to have a successful career. Natalia says she just knows Blaze made her decision. Do what suits her and they’ll see which one of them is right. She picks up her bag and walks out.
In her office on the phone, Laura says, Webber. W-e-b-b-e-r. First name, Heather. Jordan walks in, and Laura says, there won’t have been a jury trial, but look for the arraignment, expert witness hearings. Maybe one or two of those would be medical and psychiatric, then sentencing…Okay. Thank you. She tells Jordan, sorry about that. What can she do for her? Jordan says she wanted to give Laura an update on the progress for that urban renewal project, and Laura says, that’s moving forward already? Jordan says, mm-hmm, and it just got a big boost. Laura says, from where? and Jordan says, McConkey. Laura says, Congressman McConkey? That’s amazing. Tell her more. Jordan says she will, but first, she needs to ask Laura something. What was all of that about Heather Webber?
Sam asks if this is about Dante’s shooting, because everyone knows it wasn’t Jason. Jason pretty much saved his life. Jason says he’s been working as an undercover informant for the FBI, and she says, what? She doesn’t understand. How? He says, it doesn’t matter, but she says, of course (🍷) it does. He says, what matters is, the undercover part is over, but his connection to the FBI is not.
Ava asks what Olivia said about her, but Sonny says, she didn’t say anything. The Cerullos and the Falconaris are going to be there, and they have long memories. She says she knows what they think she did, but there is… He says, they don’t need to have proof. They know because Olivia knows, and he knows. She walks into that wedding, it’s disrespecting Connie’s memory and he can’t do that. She gets up and says, if that’s how he feels, maybe she should rethink her place in his house, and he says he can’t believe… She says, what happened to being the only person he could trust? and he says he can’t believe she doesn’t see this. It doesn’t matter that the – he lowers his voice – evidence was destroyed. She still did what she did. She says, what happened was a very long time ago, and he asks, how long before she lets go of what Ryan did to Kiki? She says, how dare he throw her daughter’s murder in her face? and he says, that’s how the family’s going to feel if she walks into the wedding. He gets up and says, listen to him, okay? If she wants to move out, she can move out. It’s safe now, so he’ll buy a place for her, and Avery or Avery can stay with him. She says she’ll take care of her daughter herself, just as she always has, and walks out. He sits back down.
Laura says she’s taken it upon herself to investigate what legal proceedings were held in Heather’s case, and Jordan says, for the Hook murders? Laura says, yes, and for everything that happened on Spoon Island with Ryan and Esme. Jordan asks what she’s hoping to find, and Laura says she just wants to see what expert testimony was given, if any. She doesn’t know much about the case. She distanced herself from it at the time it happened. Jordan says, that sounds wise, but why this sudden interest? and Laura suggests they sit down. She says, it has recently come to light that Heather has been suffering from a medical issue that was brought about by a disintegrating hip replacement. Jordan says, that sounds awful, but what does it have to do with her case? Laura says, the hip raised her levels of cobalt and other metals in her system to the point of toxicity, and it’s quite possible that chemical imbalance was affecting her judgement. Jordan says, driving her to commit a series of kidnappings, jailbreaks, acts of terror, and murders. Laura says, metallosis, or cobalt poisoning, is not permanent. So once the bad hip replacement is removed, the patient can begin to recover. Jordan says, that sounds great for Heather, but… Laura tells Jordan that she’s not saying this excuses Heather for any of the violence she unleashed on this city. She’s just saying it’s possible that it may mitigate some of her responsibility for those crimes.
Sam says, if Jason has been working with the FBI, does that mean he’s working with that Agent Cates, the one that tried to question Danny? He says, yes, it does, and she says, and that’s why Sonny’s turned his back on him. He nods, and she says, and why he hasn’t been in Port Charles. He says, yes, and she says, how the hell did he of all people, get involved with the FBI? but he says he can’t tell her. She says, he means he won’t, and he tells her that he’s saying this because he didn’t choose to stay away from his family. He would never do that.
Alexis says she knows what Gregory said hurt Finn, but Finn says, it was true. She says, what is also true is that Gregory has forgiven him now, ten times over, and Finn says, he hasn’t forgotten. She says, it wasn’t that easy to forget, but it’s history. She can tell him, most people would not have been able to overcome that. He says, if this is a pep talk, it’s not going really well, and they laugh. She says, but they both overcame it. Unforgivable things can be forgiven. She knows this. She’s been on both sides of the sword. He says, like with her daughters? and she says, yeah. She and Sam did not have a great relationship when Sam found out she gave her up for adoption. And Kristina. She thinks they’ve been duking it out since Kristina was in the womb. He says, and Molly? and Alexis says, she’s perfect… No, there’s been things. She’s not perfect. He asks what lesson she learned from angering her daughters, and she says, sometimes she was the injured party. He says, of course (🍷). He’s sorry. He apologizes. She thanks him and says, but what they’re talking about is his lesson here. Which is, the fact that Gregory felt safe enough to snap at him, means that he has faith in this relationship. Finn says he’s glad Gregory feels safe, and she says, Finn doesn’t. He says, not particularly, and she asks, why not? How does he feel? He says he needs a meeting. She gets up and says, let’s find you one, and he says he’s his brother’s best man. But how can he even think about getting on a plane tonight and flying down to that rehearsal dinner while his father is sick and refuses to let anyone stay with him? She says, he’s not missing his brother’s rehearsal dinner, but he says he doesn’t see any other way around it. Not that his dad would even want him there at this point. She says she has an idea.
Laura asks if Jordan has any questions, and Jordan says, just one. What is she hoping to discover? That Heather can no longer be held responsible for her crimes and be let off? Or that she can still be held responsible and kept safely away from the public? Laura says she’s just trying to get to the truth, and Jordan says, and then what? Look, she can’t be objective. Not only did Heather terrorize Curtis’s daughter, which hits very close to home with her, but Trina’s involvement with Spencer was part of the motive for Heather to commit this series of murders, including a cop. Laura says, Rory Cabrera (I feel guilty because I’d totally forgotten him), and Jordan says, yeah, and all of this was to avenge Heather’s daughter, who clearly didn’t need help avenging. Laura says she’s well-aware, and Jordan says, then she must be aware how this must make the families of the victims feel. Laura says she’s not taking this lightly. Quite the opposite. Jordan says she’s glad to hear it. Because the entire city suffered during Heather’s reign of terror. Does Laura want her advice? Laura doesn’t look like she does, but says, please, and Jordan says, do not go near this. Don’t challenge the convictions Heather Webber so clearly deserved. Laura says, but from an objective, legal standpoint, and Jordan says, Laura is not a lawyer and neither is she. If Laura feels Heather needs a lawyer, then find a third party to hire one, but for her to get involved would be political suicide. Laura says, but she’s not trying to have Heather exonerated, or even released from custody necessarily. Jordan says, necessarily will give her political rivals enough rope to hang her and her constituents will line up to cheer them on. This city needs her. She’s a strong and effective mayor. She’d hate to see Laura sacrifice her career and the welfare of this city for the likes of Heather Webber.
Natalia walks into the MetroCourt and sees Sonny, who looks like he has a headache. She says, good morning, and he says, it’s better now. She says she sees he’s waiting for someone, and he says, how does she know it’s not her? (Oh man, dude is smooth, even in his spiral.) Have a seat. She thanks him and sits down. They smile at each other.
Gregory says he’s so sorry, and Chase says, again, he doesn’t have to apologize. Gregory says he feels like he does, especially to Chase’s brother, and Chase says he’s sure Finn knows he didn’t mean it. Gregory says he hopes so. Anyway, tonight isn’t about him, so go ahead and call the home help agency. Chase thanks him… for breakfast, and goes in the back. Gregory’s phone rings, and he asks Alexis, to what does he owe this pleasure? She says, her anxiety? She’s heading to Albany in the morning. He says, already? He thought she had a little more time before she had to make her case. She says, yeah, but she’s doing some last-minute research, and she could use his ears and his brain. How would he feel about her bringing over some Chinese or Mexican food and they can go over her plea to the Appeals Court? He says, tonight? It… Sure. He’d be happy to help. Alexis gives a thumbs up to Finn.
Sam thanks Jason for telling her and apologizes for jumping to conclusions about him and Danny. He says he’s just glad Danny is where he’s supposed to be, and she says, her too. And about the whole boundaries thing they discussed about Danny… He says he’ll honor those, and she thanks him. She leaves, closing the door behind her.
Outside, Sam makes a call. She says, I need to see you, and keeps walking.
Tomorrow, Ava says she thought she’d come to the expert; Josslyn asks Dex to race; Sonny asks Natalia if she’s in a hurry, because he’s not; and Anna tells Jason that it makes their job exponentially harder.
On unsupportive partners night, I’m not sure who was worse. Kyle who literally freaked out and went on a drunken rampage when Amanda dared have a dream outside of his precious Loverboy. Or Lindsay, who wouldn’t support an idea of Carl’s if it came notarized and delivered in the Publisher’s Clearing House van. She isn’t afraid Carl will be pigeon-holed, she’s afraid she’ll have to quit drinking.
I have to admit, I didn’t really know Julia Fox except for some vague recollection of her name. Another fashion designer competition, but speedier and so far outside the box, it’s got it’s own box without borders. The creations are amazing, and I’m fascinated. I barely have the patience to sew on a button, but those who can’t do, watch.
I watched this the first weekend it was out, and it lived up to the first season. I’m a big fan of a horror story paralleling real life horrors, and it was a treat to see Pam Grier. There’s a nod to the first season at the end, but you needn’t have watched it to understand this one.
Come back tomorrow for soap and a bouquet of entertaining distractions. Until then, stay safe, stay not blocking the baggage conveyor at the airport, and stay remembering that unforgivable things can be forgiven.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Anna answers the door to Jason, who says, Agent Cates came to see him about Pikeman. She says, he’d better come in.
Sam sits on the bed, waking up Dante, and says she wanted to be here when he got home from work, but don’t leave her in suspense. How did Anna take it when he told her that he was quitting the force? Did she want him to give a notice or something? Like a month? That seems kind of fair. He says he didn’t resign.
At the MetroCourt, Doc says, they should do this more often, and Laura says she agrees. He says, barely eating and barely talking. What’s up? She says she’s sorry. She knows they’re supposed to be out for a nice meal, but she’s a million miles away. He says, this has to do with her visit with Heather. He takes it that it didn’t go well. She says, just the opposite. It went really well, and that’s why she’s troubled.
Chase goes to Finn’s office, and Finn asks what brings him by. Chase says he just wanted to say hi, unless this is a bad time, but Finn says, it’s actually a perfect time. He’s in between patients right now. He’s surprised Chase has any free time at all, considering it’s almost his wedding day. Chase says, they’re really in the homestretch, and Finn asks how he’s feeling. Chase says he’s excited. He can’t wait for Brook to walk down the aisle. There’s just one big problem. Finn says, only one? and Chase says he really doesn’t want their dad flying to Coney Island for the rehearsal dinner. The last thing he wants is for Gregory to be tired and wear himself out before the wedding. But how does he tell that to Gregory when he knows how much their dad is looking forward to it? Finn says, he doesn’t.
Walking into Bobbie’s, Brook thanks Lois for helping her pick out the gifts for the rehearsal dinner. She hopes everyone likes them. Lois says, Chase’s family is so gracious, they’re going to love what they bought them. And even if they don’t like it, they’re never going to say anything. Now Tracy on the other hand… Brook says, oh please. She thinks Tracy is secretly looking forward to going to Coney Island. She just won’t admit it to herself. They sit down, and Brook looks at a table near the window and says, no way. Lois says, what way? and Brook tells her not to be obvious, but that guy over there is that dirtbag FBI agent who tried to question Danny without Sam present. Lois looks over to see John and says, oh my God. That’s Jagger Cates.
Jack walks into the Pentenville visiting room and sees Carly. He says, well, well, well. This day just got 100% better.
Lois says she hasn’t seen Jagger in years. Brook said he’s with the FBI? Brook says she can’t believe Lois knows that jerk, and Lois says, that jerk happens to be a very nice man. Come on. Let’s go say hi. She grabs Brook’s hand, and Brook says, ma, no, but has no choice but to follow. Lois says, Jagger, hi, and John gets up and hugs her. He says, Lois Cerullo. He can’t believe how long it’s been. It’s so good to see her. She hasn’t changed. (Truth!) She says she doesn’t even care if he’s being nice. She’s going to take that compliment. Brook asks if she doesn’t care about what this guy did to Danny, and Lois says, she knows John knows her daughter, Brook Lynn. He says, they’ve met. Unfortunately, not under the best of circumstances. Brook says, that’s putting it mildly, and he says, actually, he’s been meaning to find her. She asks why he’d want to see her again. Does he want to interrogate her too? John says, not at all. He owes her an apology, and his thanks.
Laura tells Doc, Heather was so much more rational this time. She was more clear-headed than Laura’s seen her in years. It’s like she had a glimpse of the old Heather from way back when. He says, that makes sense now that she’s getting the medical attention she needs, and Laura says she gave Heather a picture of Ace. She was so grateful. It clearly meant so much to her. She loves that little boy. He says, of course (🍷) she does, but honestly, who wouldn’t? and she says, then they talked about Esme. He asks if Heather happened to say anything upsetting, maybe about Spencer? and she says, she did mention Spencer, but it was actually in the context of her regrets. She just realized in talking to Heather, that despite all the crimes she’s committed and her crazy outlook on life, she’s really just another grieving mother who’s missing her child. He says, of course (🍷) she can empathize with that, and she says she does. Can he see why she’s distracted? She’s empathizing with a serial killer.
Dante tells Sam that he went to Anna’s office to talk to her and put his resignation letter on her desk, and she refused to accept it. Sam asks, what exactly did Anna say? and he tells her, Anna said resigning from the force is not going to solve this conflict he’s having, that it was going to open the door to further overtures from Sonny, but the boundaries would be gone. Without his badge, Sonny would see no reason to have distance between Dante and his business. She basically said, to get out of Sonny’s orbit, he’d have to leave Port Charles. He’s not going to do that. He got to thinking, and realized he was running away from his duty. He’s a cop. It’s what he loves to do and kind of what he’s good at. It just means he can’t be on a case that Sonny’s a part of. Like right now, he’s involved in a criminal investigation… Can she say something? She’s quiet. She gets up and says she just doesn’t want to say the wrong thing, but he says, she can’t say the wrong thing. He wants to work through this with her, so just say whatever she wants to say. She says she should have known better than to get her hopes up.
Anna asks what Cates said about Pikeman, and Jason says, he asked a lot of questions about the ties between Pikeman and Sonny, and they talked about that guy up in Pentenville. Anna says, Jack Brennan, and shows him a file box labeled J. Brennan. He says, John talked about how Brennan was director of the WSB, and the alleged head of Pikeman. The funny thing is, he didn’t even mention Valentin. He doesn’t think Cates or the FBI are aware Valentin’s involved. She says, that’s interesting. Did he mention Valentin to Cates? He says, no. His deal with the FBI is to take Pikeman down. He doesn’t trust Cates. He’s not going to give him any more information than he has to. She says she can’t fault him there. If they’re going to do this, she feels that they should have full transparency. She needs to know what it is the FBI is holding over him and what evidence they have against Carly.
Jack says he certainly never expected Carly to show up, and she says she’s been thinking about him. (She’s wearing an orange top and I wonder she’s being ironic.) He says, that’s encouraging, and she says she’s been thinking he lied to her about who he is and he tried to abduct her from her own restaurant. He says he never had any intention of abducting her, and she says, he had zip ties. He says, yes, he did. He apologizes if she got the wrong impression, but the zip ties are… were standard in his profession, so he always carries them. He never had any intention of harming her in any way with zip ties. She says, they just happened to be in his pocket, and he says, and sadly she jumped to the wrong conclusion and nearly took off his head with that tray – she laughs – but no hard feelings over here. She says, just chalk it up to miscommunication, and he says, that works. She says she also remembers the night that Anna and Dante came in with their guns drawn and they arrested him. It’s still a little blurry, but she thinks Anna said something about him being involved with a company or organization named Pikeman. He says, Anna’s said a lot of things about him, but not all of them are true.
Sam says, while Dante was talking, she was running through all of these options in her head, and she has to tell him, there are no easy answers. He’s right. They can’t leave Port Charles because it’s their home. Their families are here. They’re happy here. He says, they are, and she says, and that thing about him being a cop, yes, if he gave up his badge, he’d probably get dragged in deeper into Sonny’s business. He says, they don’t know that, but they don’t really want that, and she says, when he told her that he wanted to give up his badge, she had this huge wave of relief come over her. It was like she could finally breathe for a second, because there was this tiny little glimpse into what their future could look like if she didn’t have to worry every time he went to work and walked out that door.
Finn tells Chase that he doesn’t think it’s safe for their dad to be flying right now either (what is it? a half hour flight?). He’ll go to him, and from a medical standpoint, he’ll break the news to him. Chase says he can’t let Finn do that. It’s going to be hard, but he owes it to their dad to have this conversation with him, especially after the huge effort he made to be a part of the wedding. Although telling him that he can’t be part of the fun the night before is a hell of a way of saying thank you. Finn says, just be honest with him. Just remind him that by staying home from the rehearsal dinner and resting, it ensures that he’ll be well enough to be there and enjoy Chase’s actual wedding day. Chase says, that’s true, but he doesn’t know if their dad is going to see it that way. Finn says, their dad wouldn’t want Chase to spend the most important day of his life worrying about him. And he’ll know it will put Chase’s mind at ease. He’ll understand because Chase has always been the devoted son. Chase says, Finn is a good son too, but Finn says, they both know that’s not true.
Brennan tells Carly that his arrest was purely political. He made a lot of enemies on his rise to director of the WSB. His rivals framed him just to get him out of the way. She says, he was locked up because people were jealous of him? and he says, mm-hmm. And there were also allegations – completely untrue, by the way – that he was secretly head of Pikeman. As if one could secretly head up a major arms manufacturer. So here he sits, a prisoner of his own ambition, one might say, framed for crimes he didn’t commit, so someone else can run the WSB. She says, that’s a sad story, and he says, it is sad. That’s why he tries not to dwell on it, so he suggests they talk about something else. Distract him from his misery. Tell him all about her.
Brook says, John wants to thank her? and he says he was wrong to question Danny without a parent present. It may have been technically legal, but he shouldn’t have done it. And she had every right to call him out, and he’s grateful she stopped him from doing something he would have regretted. Brook tells him, that’s very nice of him to say, if he really means it, and he says, once he walked away, he realized how furious he would have been if somebody had questioned his son when he was Danny’s age. She made him see that. Lois says, he has a son? and he says he does. His son is the best thing that ever happened to him. His name is Stone. Lois says, he named his son after his brother? What a beautiful way to honor his memory. John thanks her. He just wishes they could have met. Brook says, this is the perfect timing. She has to go meet Chase down at the station, so they can catch up. Lois says, whoa, whoa, whoa. She thought they were having coffee. Brook never said anything about meeting Chase earlier. Brook says she’s so sorry. She completely forgot. John says, if her daughter has to leave, please join him. Coffee’s on him. Lois says she would love that, and Brook thanks Lois for helping her shop. Lois says, she’s welcome, and they hug. Brook says goodbye to John and leaves. Lois says, they have so much to catch up on. (Yes. Lois and John. Let’s do this.)
Jason says he needs Anna’s word that she won’t use anything. That whatever he says stays between them. She says, of course (🍷). This is the FBI’s case; it’s not hers. She’s under no obligation to act on any information he might give her. Not that she would anyway. Whatever he tells her is between them. He has her word. He says, okay, and sighs. The FBI has a recording of Carly at a meeting with other heads of organized crime families, saying that she’s in charge of the Corinthos organization, and saying she controls all the business that goes through the Corinthos territory. Anna says she had no idea Carly was involved with the mob so deeply, but Jason says, she wasn’t. It’s when they thought Sonny was dead. His business was completely under siege. They were doing everything they could to hold it together and make it look as strong as possible. He was supposed to be at that meeting, but he’d been shot, so Carly went instead. She says, against his wishes she’s sure, and he says, yeah. He didn’t want her to go, but she didn’t have a choice. She had to protect herself; she had to protect her kids. She knew that any sign of weakness, somebody would try to eliminate her and target her kids. Anna says, so Carly’s best defense was to present herself as part of the mob, and he says, and the FBI has it all on tape.
Sam tells Dante that she can’t deny a part of her will always want that, but a cop is who he is. It’s who he was when she fell in love with him. She knew what she was getting herself into and she can’t try to ask him to change or be something he’s not. She can’t ask him to be another man. The only thing she can control is her response to his choices. He says, so will she stay with him if he’s still a cop?
Doc tells Laura, metallosis, cobalt poisoning, manifests differently in different patients. In Heather’s case, it seems to have tipped her from transgressive behaviors to a pathology that led to rampage. Laura says, okay. Then what’s next? Is it right to just leave Heather in prison for the rest of her life to pay for crimes that were actually brought on by the metallosis? On the other hand, what about all the victims and all of their loved ones? Their loss, their pain is still very real. Would it ever be appropriate to show Heather leniency?
Finn says, Chase is the reason he has a relationship with their dad today. Chase was tireless when he was trying to reconcile the two of them. He wanted nothing to do with their dad, and Chase refused to accept that. Chase says he knew Finn would regret it later, and Finn says he does. He hurt Gregory. He was so stubborn and self-righteous at the time. Chase says he knows Finn still feels guilty, but that was a long time ago. He and their dad are good now. Doesn’t he think it’s time to leave it in the past? Finn says he lost so much precious time with him because of his pride and his anger. Time he’ll never get back. Chase says, Finn’s got to stop beating himself up. Their dad has always loved Finn and he always will.
Anna asks why Jason doesn’t call the FBI’s bluff. Let them proceed against Carly. She has an excellent lawyer. She may well beat the charges. He says, but no guarantee. He couldn’t take that risk. At first, he thought it would just be three months, six months, but now he’s three years in. He’s in too deep. He doesn’t want Carly to know all of this was just to protect her. She says, why not? She’s a strong woman. She thinks Carly deserves to know what the FBI has on her. He says, because if she ever finds out, he knows exactly what her reaction is going to be. She’s going to try and save him. She’s going to do something crazy and wind up sending herself to prison.
Jack says, before things went sideways, he really looked forward to talking to Carly. He suggests they pretend he’s in her restaurant. He’s just ordered a coffee and some eggs, sunny side up. How’s the world been treating her? She says her daughter just had her first dance recital, and he says, soccer girl. She says, that’s the one. And she nailed her solo, so she’s a proud mom. He says, that must be a good feeling, and she says, it is. She recently went through a break-up. That’s been tough, but she’s getting through it, mostly because her best friend is back. He was missing for two years and now Jason is back in Port Charles, and all is right in her world. He says, Jason Morgan has gotten a lot of news coverage. At first, he was a fugitive, then he was exonerated, or at least the charges were dropped. She says, you can’t believe everything the news says, right? Jason didn’t do any of the things he was accused of. And enough talk about her. Let’s get back to him. He says, that’s right. She came here because she wanted to know about Pikeman, and she says, right. Is he sure he’s not involved with them? He says, if he was, he’d have their fleet of lawyers to secure his freedom instead of him paying his own little attorney out of his own little pocket. She says, so it would mean nothing to him if the FBI is investigating Pikeman.
Anna says, it was such a hard choice Jason had to make. Carly’s safety versus him having to allow the people he loves think that he was dead. He says he just weighed what he had to lose against what Carly had to lose. It just came down to her kids. He knew Jake and Danny would be okay. They have great moms and stable homes. But Donna is just a kid. She needs her mom. Anna says, that’s very admirable of him, and he says, there’s another reason. He chose to work for Sonny. He chose to come back into this life knowing the potential consequences. Carly never chose that. He and Sonny pulled her in. When Carly went to that meeting, she had no criminal intent. She was just going to try and protect her family. She says, he got Carly into this, and he says, it’s on him to get her out.
Brennan says he just doesn’t see Carly being tight with law enforcement. How would she know who the FBI is investigating? She says, because she’s friends with an agent, John Cates. He comes into Bobbie’s to eat sometimes. He says, and they struck up an acquaintance? and she says, they have people in common. John is originally from Port Charles and recently moved back. He asks, why?To work a case against Pikeman? She says, why the interest? Does he have a problem with John Cates being in town? He says, should he have a problem?
Lois says she’s been talking John’s ear off. Enough about her. Tell her about him. How did he wind up at the FBI? He says, after his first marriage to Karen broke up, he was kind of reeling, and that’s when he joined the Bureau. She puts her hand on his and says she was really sorry to hear about Karen’s death. He thanks her and says, it took him a while to make his peace with losing her. She tells him, they say that the ones we love never really leave us, but enough about that. Let’s talk about something happy. She wants to hear about his son. He says, talk about time flying, he’s 21 now. Stone’s on the spectrum, so he lives in a group home outside of Quantico. It’s the perfect place for him and he’s really happy there. She says, it’s got to be so hard for John though, being so far away, and he says, it is. He wishes he could see Stone more, but this is the way it has to be for now, so there’s a lot of texts and videochats. She says, thank God for cellphones, and he says, what about her? How’s it been coming back to Port Charles?So much has changed. She says she knows. All of their old hangouts are all gone, except for this place, but it used to be Kelly’s. He says, places aren’t the only thing that’s changed. They have too. He guesses he should only speak for himself, but he knows he’s changed. All the dreams he had when he was young turned out to either be wrong for him or slip through his fingers.
Doc says he does believe Heather’s metallosis was a major factor in her crimes, but it’s impossible to say if that was the only cause, and Laura asks if there couldn’t be some middle ground, at least from a legal point of view. He says, philosophically speaking, he believes that Heather should have a shot at building a better life, but not with absolving her of everything she’s done. His phone rings and he says, it’s the hospital. He needs to take this. She tells him, go ahead, and he leaves. Valentin approaches the table and says he hopes she doesn’t mind if he imposes. She says, that depends. What is it about?
Finn tells Chase, it’s settled then, right? He’ll go to dad and talk to him about staying home and resting during the rehearsal dinner, and Chase can just focus on getting married and having the best day of his life. Chase thanks Finn and hugs him, saying, he doesn’t know what he’d do without him. Finn tells him to remember that and be forgiving when he stumbles through his best man speech. Chase says, okay, and leaves.
Sam says, the only thing she knows for sure is that she loves Dante, and they have a family and a life together. Is something like this worth breaking up for? She’d have to tell him and Rocco to leave. What would be the point? To separate their children when they would be miserable apart while they’re still missing each other? He says, so she doesn’t want him to leave? and she says, it’s not like she would love him any less or be any less afraid for his safety if they weren’t together. All she would lose is him. So she’ll just have to learn to live with the fear. He says he’s sorry. He’s sorry for making her feel that way. He hates it, and if he could take that fear away from her, he would. She says she knows, and he says he’s really sorry he gave her this false hope that he was going to resign. She says she can’t pretend she’s not disappointed. She’s going to have to feel these emotions and learn to work through it. He says, whatever she needs, however he can help her, and she says, probably just a little time so she can process it all. He says, whatever she needs. He promises he’ll never take her for granted and what she’s sacrificing. He loves her. She says she loves him too, and they kiss.
Brook comes into the squad room, and Chase asks what she’s doing here. He thought she was going to spend the day with her mom. She says, her mom ran into a friend, so she came here to distract him from his very important work. He says he only just got here. He actually went to speak to Finn and he agreed to talk to their dad about not coming to the rehearsal dinner. She says, that was nice of him. She’s really sad that Gregory’s not going to be there, but she really thinks it’s what’s best. And now he’ll be well-rested for the actual wedding day. He says, that’s the idea, and she says she thought her mom was crazy for wanting to have the rehearsal dinner in Coney Island, but now that it’s here, she’s actually really excited. She can’t wait to show him all her favorite places and have cotton candy with him on the boardwalk and to ride all the rides together. He says, they’re going to be so busy, they won’t have time for any pre-wedding jitters, which everyone keeps warning him about. He keeps waiting for them to happen, but so far, nothing. She says, really? Because she’s a total wreck.
Lois says she totally gets what John is going through because she feels it too. Being back in Port Charles is harder than she thought it would be. He asks, what’s that saying? You can never really go home again. She says, ain’t that the truth? But don’t get her wrong. The last few months she’s spent here with her daughter, before she gets married and starts a family and doesn’t have as much time for her ma, has been amazing. It’s a gift she’s always going to treasure. But it’s like he said, being back here is a constant reminder of what her life was, what she thought it would be, and how it actually turned out. But different is not necessarily bad.
Valentin says he thought Laura might like to hear how Charlotte’s doing in Switzerland, and she says, that would be lovely. She always loves to hear about her granddaughter. He sits down and says, she’s busying herself with school, and she’s checking in with him once or twice a week by text or phone. They actually videochatted the other day and he saw her room, so she’s thriving. Laura says she didn’t realize how much she needed to hear that. That’s so great. Charlotte sent her a couple of emails, but not on a regular basis. He says, she’s a teenager. They take what they can get. She says, that’s true. She did talk quite a bit about how much she missed that school of hers, so she’s glad Charlotte is happy to be back there, but does he think now that she’s in Switzerland, she’ll be able to put everything that happened in Port Charles behind her?
Anna tells Jason, say this all goes according to plan, and he’s able to deliver to John whatever the hell it is he wants on Pikeman. Does he think the FBI is going to hold up their side of the deal? With her experience with intelligence agencies, she’d say it’s very hard to believe they would ever destroy that evidence. They might bury it for a time, but they’ll always have it to use against him and Carly. He says he plans to honor his part of the deal and help the FBI take Pikeman down, but after that, that’s it. He’s done. He has no intention of taking orders from John Cates or the FBI for the rest of his life.
Sam says she feels so lucky to have Dante, and he says he doesn’t know what he would have done if he’d lost her. They kiss and I’d bet the farm they’re about to get busy.
Finn pushes whatever is in front of him off his desk. He gets up, picks up his phone, and sits on the floor. He hits AA meeting near me on Spyder-Finder.
Brook says she knows they put so much work into planning this wedding, but there’s still so much that could go wrong. What if the flowers aren’t what they wanted? What if her dress gets ruined? He says, that’s not going to happen, but she says, don’t be so sure. She read this post about this custom designer gown. The bride was about to put it on, and somebody had left a black felt pen open, and there was a big, black blob in the middle of the dress. He says, no. Did they postpone the wedding? She tells him, the girl didn’t say, and he says, if that happens – she says, God forbid – then she can get married in blue jeans. She can get married in a bathrobe. She can wear the dress, ink stains and all. He doesn’t care. It doesn’t matter to him. She tells him, that’s so sweet of him to say. But that’s impossible because their wedding day has to be perfect. But there is one thing she’s not nervous about, and that’s marrying him. She can’t wait to be his wife. He says he can’t wait to be her husband, and she says she shouldn’t kiss him in the squad room. He backs up and says, no, she shouldn’t. It would be a bad idea. He takes her hand, brings her into the interrogation room, and closes the door. Inside, they kiss.
Anna says, the FBI made a deal with Jason, and they need to stick to it. If they don’t and they continue to abuse their power, frankly, in her book, they’re no better than Pikeman. He says, but they have to take Pikeman down first. She looks at the flowers from Valentin, and says, it seems to her that the FBI are not onto Valentin at all, but she still thinks he’s a key player in Pikeman. And luckily, he invited her out to dinner, and she accepted. She thinks it will be an opportunity for her to work him. He asks if she thinks Valentin will give anything up, and she says, the date on the photo Dex gave him proves Valentin was in Port Charles when there was the shooting at the MetroCourt, but he doesn’t know he was caught in the lie, so he has no reason to have his guard up. She thinks if she plays it right, he could lead them to whoever is in charge of Pikeman.
Laura tells Valentin that she’s delighted Charlotte is happy back at school, but she can’t help wondering if it might be too soon for her to be so far from Port Charles and all of her family. He says he was worried about that too, but as it happens, he has a new business venture that will be taking him to Switzerland quite often. He can keep an eye on her. That should ease both of their minds. She says, it does actually. So what’s the new venture? Is it something for ELQ? He says, something for ELQ.
Lois says she thinks John is looking at this all wrong. He’s achieved so much. Becoming an FBI agent, it’s so impressive. Does he like the work? He says, for the most part, yeah, and even when he doesn’t, he can tell himself that he’s accomplishing good things by enforcing the law. (Since when is blackmail enforcing the law?) His phone dings, and he says, speaking of his job, he’s so sorry, but he has to make a phone call. She says, absolutely. You go save the world. She gets up and says, it was so great running into him and catching up. They hug, and she says, don’t be a stranger. He says, her neither, and she leaves. He makes a call and says, Brennan’s got a visitor?… What is Carly Spencer doing there?
Brennan tells Carly that the only problem he has with this Agent Cates is, he still has his badge, his freedom, and most importantly, he gets to enjoy the pleasure of her company. The guard tells Brennan, time’s up, and Carly says, that’s her cue. Brennan says, time flies when a beautiful woman comes to see him, and Carly gets up. She says she’s sure he could have done a lot worse to her that day than some zip ties. For whatever reason, he didn’t. Thank you. He says, her visit really brightened up his day. Maybe she could come back sometime. She says, we’ll see, and he says he’ll live in hope. She leaves, and he says, watch your back, Valentin.
Tomorrow, Blaze thinks it’s going to be her best one yet; Sam asks Jason to promise her someone won’t be walking into something dangerous; Ava asks Sonny, how dare someone throw her daughter’s murder in her face; and Gregory tells Finn, by all means, lecture him on proper wedding etiquette.
🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…
It’s so ridiculous that this poor woman has to worry about how she looks during a tough time. Have they ever seen a British soap? They actually look like real people. As for weight, I met the so-called fat girl from One Life To Live when she was on Broadway. I was at my fighting weight and felt like a giant next to her.
There was a lot to unpack from the Vanderpump Rules finale last night, but it was late, and I needed to process. TBH, I’m not so sure this show is going to come back, at least with Ariana. It could just be the continuing recovery from Scandoval, but this finale seemed a little too final. And the Reunion probably isn’t going to help anyone. Reunions might be cathartic, but I wouldn’t call them healing.
For whatever reason, it left me feeling sad. Maybe because Lala was right when she said – and I’m really more rephrasing than paraphrasing – what happened to Ariana was horrible, but now she thinks she’s a demi-god, dictating how everyone must behave. Other than Sandoval himself, I don’t think anyone in the cast would argue that what happened to her was horrible. But I can honestly say, if that happened to me and I was suddenly given the consolation prize of Dancing with the Stars, Chicago, hosting Love Island, and just about every other media possibility, I’d be laughing my ass off at Sandoval who could barely sell a ticket to his concerts. I would never tell someone else how to feel. Only you know what’s best for you. But somehow, I don’t think this anger is helping her. Even when she grey rocks him, the hate is coming off her in waves. Seriously, I would pat him on his stupid head and rub his nose in it every chance I got. They say living well is the best revenge, and she was handed that on a platter. We were all thrilled to see the karma unfold before us. I’m now holding my breath, wondering if it’s going to backfire since she can’t contain her visible anger, even in public, probably feeling that since the world backed her during this tragedy, they’ll back her no matter what. Au contraire. The public is fickle, and this isn’t a good look. As Lala said – again rephrasing – no one died.
Yeah, he probably does just want to apologize for show, and if she doesn’t want to hear it, that’s fine. But, as several of the cast members pointed out, they’re on a reality show, like it or not, he’s in the friend group, and if you can never film with him, that makes it difficult for everyone. No one is saying she has to be friends with him or even forgive him, just reel it in for the group events. And expecting the others not to be friends with him – even when she’s not around – is unreasonable. They’re not five years old and all of the original cast members have a history with him. Katie was always a little free with her sarcasm, but the hate is now slopping onto her and she’s taking it out on people like Jo, whose only sin was to act on her feelings for Schwartz after he and Katie separated. And Katie wanted out. It’s painful to watch. I also think Jo could do better. That guy has always been commitment shy. That’s why he needs Sandoval to tell him things like what socks to wear.
On the plus side, one of the reasons I’ve stuck with this show – besides she who can do no wrong, LVP – is that it’s interesting to see how people grow over the years. That’s why I didn’t think they should have fired Stassi and Kristen. While I think Kristen has less growth potential, I would have liked to see how Stassi matured. In the early years, they were all kids. I read a review where someone said they wanted to cry when they showed the early clips. Same. After all these years, it’s like we know them. Some we might want to hang out with all the time; others are like those cousins you tolerate at family gatherings. (Hint for Ariana if she wants to continue with the show.) Apparently, Brock has been very grounding for Scheana, who had a revolving door of losers she fell in love with. She found her Prince Charming and is nearly living her best life. Kudos. She does still need some help with that anxiety, but I think she’ll get there. Whatever James is doing is working for him, and I hope he gets his dream of a family with Ally. We’ve seen him go from an unreasonable, nasty drunk to a man with a plan. Honors to him for staying California sober. IMO, Lala was the MVP of both last night and the show in general. She went from being a mean girl, calling out people for not working on their summer bodies, to being a wise and maternal woman. Confetti parade for her. Color me impressed.
Here’s hoping the Reunion isn’t the final nail in the VPR coffin. But if it is and VanderWorld breaks up, I’d love to see Lala and Scheana move to The Valley. God knows that show could use a VanderBoost.
Join me tomorrow for soap and a jab at those awful Summer people. Until then, stay safe, stay pushing in your chair when you leave the table, and if your life turned out differently than what you thought it would be, stay remembering, different is not necessarily bad.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Nina is at the MetroCourt with Valentin when Sonny walks in, and they exchange a glance. Valentin asks if she’s okay and she says she’s fine. She’s not sure Sonny is though.
Sonny sits with Jordan and asks if he’s late, but she says she’s early. He asks, how’s Molly and TJ? and she says, a little jumpy, expectant parents. He says he hears her, and she asks, how’s Kristina? He tells Jordan, she says being pregnant isn’t what she expected… it’s better. He thanks her for meeting him, and she says, he told her that he had a proposal. He says he wants to make a significant donation to the city of Port Charles.
Willow meets Drew at the MetroCourt bar and thanks him for coming. They hug and he says, absolutely. He guesses this means she made a decision. She says she thought it through and talked it over with Michael, and she’d be honored to be the spokesperson for the New Tomorrow Institute. (Sounds like a cult or something sci/fi.)
As Anna is dealing with her new apartment, Bennet walks in. She says, this is unexpected, and he says he was doing a training exercise. Dex walks in with another young man, both carrying file boxes. He asks Anna where she wants this.
Laura waits in the visiting room at Pentenville, when Heather is wheeled in. Heather thanks the guard and says she can go, but the guard says, it’s procedure. Heather says she understands, and the guard says, especially for someone with an extensive history of escape. Heather says she’s kind of a celebrity around here. It’s sort of flattering. Laura asks how she’s feeling, and Heather says, a lot better. The new hip is still healing, but it’s a lot less painful than the old one. Laura says she’s glad to hear it, and Heather says she doesn’t miss those rashes or the whole not being able to breathe thing. She asks if Laura is here to give her the lowdown on Ace. She wouldn’t hate prison nearly so much if only she could see her grandson.
Carly goes to the coffee warehouse looking for Jason, and he comes out and asks, what’s wrong? which says a lot about their relationship. She says, it’s Sonny. He’s in trouble.
Jordan says, a significant donation, and Sonny asks if it surprises her. She says, not at all. He has a long and impressive history of philanthropy. She can think of three programs off the top of her head that would benefit from his support. He asks why he gets the impression that she doesn’t want to take it, and she says, why does he think? He says, any donation from him is coming from a legitimate enterprise and also investments, and she says she figured, but one needs to be sure. He asks if one needs to ask him any more questions, and she says, just one. Why come to her? He says, because she’s the Deputy Mayor and she’s going to know right where to put his money. And they both have children who are having a baby together, and that means a lot to him.
Valentin asks, how are things progressing with Willow? and Nina says, incrementally. Willow came into Drew’s office when they were going over the Crimson budget, and when she went to leave, Willow stopped her. He asks what she said, and Nina tells him that she said, if Nina and Drew could manage to be civil to one another after everything Nina did to him, then maybe she was holding on to her anger at Nina a little too long, and just maybe she could let some of those bad feelings go. He says, wow. That seems more than incremental. She says she doesn’t want to get her hopes up too high, but right? and he asks what she said. She tells him that she thanked Willow for saying that and got the hell out of there before she started making lunch plans and offering to babysit. He looks down and she asks what she did. He says, she’s fine. He’s just worried about what poison Drew is putting in Willow’s ear about her. She says, he’s not. Not if he knows what’s good for him.
Drew says he can’t tell Willow how happy and honored he is that she wants to work with the New Tomorrow Institute, and she says, great. He says, it’s just that there’s been something that’s kind of bugging him. He knows he sprung this on her out of nowhere, and it just occurred to him that maybe she felt pressured to say yes, because… She says, because he went to Greenland and rescued her Aunt Liesl and brought her aunt back to Port Charles in time to save her life, and he says, yeah. He would never want her to feel a sense of obligation. She doesn’t owe him anything. She says she literally owes him her life, and he says, that’s why he’s having second thoughts.
Anna says she told Bennet that she took today off so that she could move into her new apartment, and he says, she did. She says, now he’s assigned all the new cadets to help her move? and he says, just a few boxes. She says, but he’s not allowing them to use the elevator. He’s making them bring said boxes up three flights of stairs. He says, you can’t get a good cardiovascular workout on an elevator, can you? and she says, no. She really appreciates the gesture, but she’s telling him, if she gets in trouble with internal affairs, she’s so taking him down with her. He says, this is his doing, and he takes full responsibility, so if he does go down for this, she’ll be in the clear with some shiny new recruits in the best shape of their young lives.
Carly tells Jason that she can’t have Donna staying at Sonny’s. With Ava staying there and Sonny going on and on about how she’s a traitor, it’s not good for Donna emotionally. Jason says, it’s reasonable, and Carly says she went to tell Sonny, but Ava was there and tried kicking her out, which is crazy. It’s like Ava thinks she’s mistress of the manor or something. He says, maybe she thinks she is, and Carly says, Sonny was furious. And she expected that, but she thought once he got past his initial reaction, he would understand her position and respect it. But that’s not what happened. He just became more and more irrational. He even threatened to take her to family court, which is absurd. Jason says, that’s crazy. He has to know that he would lose that. She says, he should and because he didn’t, it made her think, is Sonny off his meds? He says he thought about that too, and she says she asked him. He swears he’s taking his medication. She even went into his bathroom and went into his medicine drawer. She checked his prescriptions, and it looks like he’s taking him. He asks how Sonny reacted to that, and she tells him, he said, just because they disagree about what to do with Donna, that doesn’t mean he’s going off his meds. And he has a point. She may hate the way Sonny’s living and the choices he’s making, but that doesn’t mean he’s headed for a breakdown.
Laura says she wanted to tell Heather thatAce did the cutest thing, and Heather says she’s sure everything he does is the cutest. Laura says, it’s true, but he sort of outdid himself with this one. She’s humming him a lullaby, and just as he’s about to fall asleep, he starts to try and sing along. Heather laughs, and Laura says, he starts making his own little sounds to the music. Heather says, that is so wonderful. He’s already marching to his own drummer. Runs in their family, she guesses. Laura agrees, and Heather says, Laura wanted to tell her that? Like when it happened, Laura thought, I have to tell Ace’s crazy grandma about this? Laura says she didn’t think about it quite like that, but yes. She wanted to share that with Heather. In fact – she takes out an envelope – she knows this isn’t the same as seeing him in person – she takes a photo out of the envelope – but she thought Heather might like to have that. She gives Heather a photo of Ace, and Heather thanks her. She says, that’s just the cutest thing ever. She thinks she sees Esme in him. Laura says, yes, he does look like Esme, and Heather says, she’s so lucky. She hopes Laura knows that. Laura got to spend time with Esme, really got to know her, at her worst, but also at her best. She got to spend time with Esme at Spring Ridge, but Esme didn’t know who she was. Then of course (🍷) there was her father. She hopes Ryan is roasting over a pit in hell right now… Sorry. Laura says, please, don’t be, and Heather says, because he is a murdering bastard, right? Not unlike yours truly. Except she loved her little girl so much. And yes, she did blame Trina Robinson and Laura’s grandson Spencer and everybody else for the bad things that happened to Esme, but she believed in her heart that all those people deserved what Esme did to them. So when they tried to put the blame on Esme, she did what she thought any good mother would do. She protected her daughter by punishing the people who hurt her. But now she’s been going over and over this in her head. She can’t for the life of her remember why she thought killing those people by stalking them with a hook was going to help her little girl.
Jordan says, any donations are subject to fiscal review by the city, and Sonny says, of course (🍷). She says, and their acceptance is solely at her discretion, and he says, but she’s in charge. He’s positive his money will go where it’s needed the most. She says, that’s very flattering, and he says, it’s very true. She says, but why now? and he says his home is in Port Charles. He raised his children here and he wants to help the community.
Drew says he knows Willow is a private person, and if taking on this role demands she share more of her personal life than she’s comfortable with… What? She says, it’s nothing. It’s just he offered her this job and now he’s trying to talk her out of it? He says he’s not trying to talk her out of it. She’s perfect for the job. There’s nobody on this planet better suited for it than she is. She’s living proof that stem cell and bone marrow transplants save lives. The bartender puts plates in front of them, and he says, but that’s not very good breakfast conversation, right? She says she’s a nurse, and he says, that’s true, which is another reason she’s perfect for this. Not to mention the fact that she’s warm and beautiful and charming… She says, okay. She’s not sure where he thinks flattery is going to take him. She’s getting a lot of mixed signals here. He says, it’s not flattery. It’s just a list, a list of the many reasons people will be able to hear her on this. What he’s trying to say is, he doesn’t want her to do it if it compromises her privacy or out of a sense of obligation. She says she appreciates everything he did for her, and it was heroic of him. She knows that makes him uncomfortable, and he doesn’t see himself that way. He says he doesn’t see himself as a hero because he’s not a hero. He just did… She says, something completely, utterly heroic, and he says he did the right thing. She says, and here she is alive and well because he did that right thing. Why can’t he be proud of that? He says he is. he’s very proud of that and always will be.
Valentin says, so tell him, how is it working for Drew after… Nina says, after Valentin bought The Invader and left him in the lurch? but he says he was referring more to her reporting him to the SEC. She says, oh, that, and he says, and by the way, as for buying The Invader, he has no regrets. She asks if he’s sure, and he says, because it gave her the leverage to get back to where she needs to get to, it’s money well spent. She asks if this was part of his grand plan to manipulate Drew to get her back at Crimson, but he says, no. Even he’s not that good. She says, don’t sell himself short, and he says he was revealing a path to happiness post-Sonny for her, and wherever that takes her is fine with him. She says, so this was an entirely selfless act, and he says, entirely selfless. She says, that’s what she thought, and he says he’s not going to deny The Invader is a good investment. And making Adrian DeWitt associate publisher was a genius move. Because now he’s reverted the paper to the style of tabloid, which has increased circulation. She laughs and says, it must drive Alexis crazy. She must be hearing no end of it these days. He says, she’s still printing the hard stories and more people are reading them because they don’t realize that’s what they’re buying. So win-win, even if Alexis doesn’t realize it. Nina asks how much grief Alexis is giving him, and he says he can take it. She knows him. He’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants.
Felicia says, as much as she loves Anna’s old house, she thinks this place is prefect for her, and Anna says, it’s nice, right? She couldn’t stay holed up at the MetroCourt forever. (I suddenly realize, it’s Sasha’s old place.) Felicia says, stranded at a five-star hotel. Life is hard. Anna says, it was nice, yes, but it wasn’t hers, and Felicia says she gets it, and she understands Anna needed time after everything she went through with Charlotte. Anna says she did need time after everything that happened, and Felicia says, if she wants to talk about it, they can talk about it. Anna says, it’s not like she’s not ever thinking about it, but it’s beginning to go a little bit in the background now, and Felicia says, but she’s fine, right? Anna says, yeah. Charlotte just went back to boarding school in Switzerland, so she’s on her way. Felicia says, and she knows this how? and Anna says, what? Felicia asks if Anna and Valentin have been chatting.
Jason tells Carly, the way Sonny handled Cyrus is proof he’s not thinking clearly. So is what happened in the Pine Barrens. Hauling Dex out there, planning to kill him, when everybody in Port Charles knew he worked for Sonny. It’s sloppy. It’s impulsive. Sonny’s too smart to make a mistake like this. Carly says, he’s going to have to have his blood drawn and his medication recalibrated, and he refuses to do that. This is the frustrating part about bipolar disorder. It sends you spiraling while telling you that you’re fine and everyone else is wrong. He says, let’s just take it a step at a time. Is there somebody Sonny still trusts who can convince him to get his blood drawn? She says, the only person Sonny trusts right now is Ava, which is crazy because they all know she switched Morgan’s meds for placebos. He asks if she thinks Ava is trying that with Sonny, and she says she thinks Ava is capable of it. She just doesn’t know what it would get her. And to be honest, Sonny’s been off since Nixon Falls, and he’s been really bad since his break-up with Nina.So maybe it’s not bipolar disorder. Maybe Sonny’s pride is wounded, and he doesn’t know where to put his anger.
Anna says she and Valentin bumped into each other at the MetroCourt bar the other night, and Felicia asks how that went. Anna says, it was good. They were very civil with each other. Felicia says, of course (🍷) Valentin can be civil with Anna. He’s been obsessed with her since the Cold War. There’s a knock at the door, and Felicia asks if Anna is expecting anybody. Anna says she doesn’t know. Maybe it’s Detective Bennet with another training exercise. She opens the door, and a man holding a beautiful floral arrangement, says, flowers for Anna Devane. She says, that’s her. They’re lovely. She thanks him and takes the flowers inside. Felicia says, let her guess, and Anna looks at the card. She says, yep. Valentin. It’s just congratulations on the new apartment. Felicia says, shameless, and Anna says, and looking forward to dinner. Felicia says, back up. Anna said she talked to Valentin. She didn’t say anything about dinner.
Willow says, yes, she owes her life to Drew, and she’ll never ever forget that. But she’s not accepting this position out of any sense of obligation. The New Tomorrow Institute is doing important work. Getting people tested, recruiting donors helps save other lives like hers was saved. She wants to be a part of that. Drew says, amazing. Then before they make it official, they should talk about scheduling. She might want to cut back hours at the hospital. She says, that actually won’t be a problem. She’s decided to leave her job there. He says, not because of this he hopes, but she says, no. Because of her kids. When she was fighting leukemia, she kept saying how much she wanted to live to see her kids grow up. But after she recovered and got back to work, she realized that bit by bit, day by day, their childhoods were passing her by. She has the privilege of being able to step back from her career. Most people can’t, but she’s been given a second chance to be a mother, and she, Wiley, and Amelia want to take full advantage of that. He says he knows the feeling. Time with your kids, there’s nothing more precious.
Valentin says he was worried Drew lured Nina back to Crimson just to find new ways of punishing her, and she says, that thought crossed her mind, but only for a second. She really doesn’t think that Drew would sabotage his own magazine. He says, she has new faith in Drew, but she says, it’s not faith, it’s observation. She can’t stand the guy. He’s arrogant, entitled, petty, and rude. He says, other than that? and she says, other than that, he is a savvy businessman. He asks if she’s sure Drew isn’t just giving her a hard time. (Insert your favorite rude joke here.)
Heather tells Laura, it’s a terrible thing to take people’s lives and only afterwards realize what that means. That those people all had people who loved them. How did she ever think that by killing people she could help Esme? She cries, and Laura says, this doesn’t excuse what she did, but she was suffering from cobalt poisoning. That line she drew from wanting to protect her daughter to deciding it was okay to kill people to do that, the line was drawn by the illness. She was inside the illness at that time, so at that time, it made sense to her. Heather says she hears what Laura is saying and wants to believe that’s right, but she knew the reasons for what she was doing right up until the minute she had surgery. It’s just that now she can’t remember the logic. She can’t conceive of why, but she can remember what she did, every single moment. Laura says, because now she’s outside the illness and so she’s seeing things more clearly. Heather says she’s seeing how people see her too, and cries some more.
Jason suggests he and Carly go over a few things. Is it possible Sonny developed a tolerance to this dosage and his medication needs to be adjusted? She says, there’s only one way to find out, and he says, right. So who can reach Sonny? She says, not a lot of people. Sonny’s convinced everyone’s out to get him.Dante’s a possibility. Kristina, but she wouldn’t want to involve her because she’s pregnant. He says, what about Olivia? They’re still close. Or Brook Lynn. She says, all options, yes, but if they were to approach Sonny right now. he’ll know she’s behind it, and not only will he refuse to do it, it could damage his relationship with them and then he’ll feel even more alone and persecuted. Jason asks if there’s anybody else she can think of, and she says, Stella Henry. He asks if she thinks Stella would do it, and she says she does, but she thinks Stella has to witness his behavior first. It’s hard and Donna is going to be so upset that she can’t see her father. And Sonny is so furious, he’s never going to come to her house and see Donna. It’s a lot. John walks in and says he didn’t expect to see Carly here. She says she’s here visiting her best friend. What is he doing here? He takes out his badge and says, official business. He has some questions for Mr. Morgan.
Laura says, whatever the cost, Heather did do some horrible things, but she’s still human. She’s still Ace’s grandmother. As far as she can see, Heather is still capable of love. Heather says, but she wonders if she’s only capable of love when it’s convenient for her. She discarded her children, not just Esme, but Steven Lars and Franco. And she did all of that before the ski accident. Laura says, but it’s not like she left them in the woods or by the side of the road, right? She made sure they were safe. Heather says, maybe she was sane enough at the time to realize that she was the one she needed to keep them safe from. She wasn’t in any condition back then to give them any kind of a good life. It wasn’t until years later that she became obsessed with her children, and she insinuated herself into their lives, interfered with their relationships. She wonders if she’d never had that hip replacement and had that metal poison her blood and her mind, does Laura think she might have been a good mother?
Anna flashes back to telling Jason that she wonders if Charlotte being in Switzerland doesn’t make it easier for Valentin to do Pikeman’s bidding. She says, it’s not like she thinks he’s suddenly trustworthy, and Felicia says, good. She doesn’t have to check Anna for a head injury. Anna says she hates to admit it, but she misses him. She can tell Felicia is disappointed in her. Felicia says, just a little bit, but whatever else she may think of Valentin, she does know he loves Anna.
Nina tells Valentin that she and Drew have had some altercations, some of them quite fierce, but they’ve reached a kind of quid pro quo. Valentin asks if this quid pro quo is equally beneficial to both of them or just to Drew, and she says, that’s an excellent question. She gets up, and he asks where she’s going. She says she’s going to find out. She’ll be right back.
Nina goes to the bar and says she didn’t mean to interrupt. She just needs to run something past Drew for the next issue. It doesn’t need to be now obviously, but sometime this morning. Anyway, that’s it. She’ll leave them to their morning. Willow says, actually, she would like Nina to be the first to know, if it’s all right with Drew… Drew says, absolutely, and Willow says she’s officially accepted the position as spokesperson for the New Tomorrow Institute. Nina says, great. She’s so proud of Willow, if that’s something she can be. Willow says, it’s fine, and Nina says she’s very, very proud of her. Drew says he just had an idea. What if Crimson does a story on the Institute and on Willow?
Carly says she saves John from being beaten and he thanks her by harassing her friend? and John says, believe it or not, his being there has nothing to do with her. She says she’s present, so it does have something to do with her. And you know who’s not present? Jason’s lawyer. She’s going to call Diane right now. Jason says, please, don’t bother. Let’s just get this over with. She asks what he thinks Diane would say if she heard him say that, but Jason says, it’s going to be okay. He’ll call her later. She says, fine, and leaves. John says he wouldn’t be surprised if she’s calling Jason’s lawyer anyway. She probably realizes Miss Miller would refuse to let him cooperate. Carly lingers outside the office, but still in the warehouse, keeping to the shadows and listening in. John says, while he is impressed with her ability to obstruct an investigation without actually obstructing justice, he has no time today for Miss Miller’s legal pyrotechnics. They need to talk about Pikeman.
Anna tells Felicia that he thing that made her relationship with Valentin so complicated was the fact that they really did love each other. Felicia says, that never goes away. Certainly not quickly and most of the time, not completely. Anna says she can’t share her life with someone she doesn’t trust, and Felicia says, no, she can’t. Anna says, but Valentin understands her in a way that few men do, and Felicia says, they get each other. Anna says she doesn’t think he gets her in quite the same way she gets him, and Felicia says, they see each other with perfect clarity. The only difference is, Valentin likes what he sees, and Anna doesn’t. Being the recipient of Valentin’s devotion must be amazing. To be seen, flaws and all, and still be loved so relentlessly. Anna says, it was something, and Felicia says, the tragedy of Charlotte’s shooting will always be between them. She knows Valentin doesn’t blame Anna, but that doesn’t change how Anna feels about it, and she’s only just started to recover. So she has to ask Anna. Does she really think this dinner is a good idea?
Nina says, Crimson is always looking for important stories to run alongside the arts and culture of fashion. She would love to include an article about the New Tomorrow Institute if it works for Willow as spokesperson. Drew looks pleased with himself, and Willow says she can’t wait. Nina says, great. Someone from Crimson will contact her. Willow says, it just may take a little while. She still needs to get up to speed on the Institute. Nina says, no rush. Just schedule something with the rep at Crimson whenever. Willow says, okay, and Nina says, enjoy the rest of her morning. Willow says, her too, and Nina goes back to the table.
Valentin says, it looks like that went well, and Nina says, her daughter smiled at her. And she’s doing an interview for Crimson. He says, that’s wonderful. Good for her. And he takes it her quid pro quo evened out a little. She says, oh honey, right now, I’m way ahead. She can put up with Drew forever if it gives her access to her daughter.
Drew says he should have asked before he pushed Willow together with Nina, but Willow says, please. He’s got to stop treating her like she’s still that fragile woman in the hospital bed. She’s fine. She can handle this. Not that there’s anything to handle. It’s an interview for a good cause. And it’s her job now. He says, it certainly is, and they hug. He thanks her, and she says, him too. Always. She leaves.
Jordan tells Sonny that she’ll see what she can do, and he says, that’s all he can ask. Drew comes by and says good morning. Sonny puts his hand on Drew’s shoulder and says, listen. He’s been thinking about it, and he reconsidered. He’s not going to sell Volonino’s. Drew tells Sonny that he can’t say he’s not disappointed, but no harm, no foul, and Sonny says, good luck on his project. Drew thanks him, and Sonny says he hopes to hear from Jordan soon. He leaves, and Jordan says she needs to get back to the office herself, but Drew asks if she has a second. There’s something he wants to pitch to her.
Heather tells Laura that she wonders how different her life would have been if she hadn’t gotten medical treatment that turned her into a monster. Would Esme still be alive? Even if she hadn’t given Esme up, would she be well enough to go find her? Be a mother to her? When she thinks of all the years she spent in prisons and mental institutions, all the things she’s missed… Why? Laura says, there’s just no way to know what might have been, and Heather says, she’s right. She might have been a good mother. She might have been a terrible mother. Maybe this person she’s become is the real her and the cobalt just brought it out. Laura says, there’s just no way to know, and Heather says, but there’s one thing she does know. She hurt a lot of people. Understanding now all the wrong she’s done, and feeling the guilt, taking responsibility for all the damage she did… She guesses that’s all just part of the punishment.
Laura says she doesn’t know if that’s what this is, but she thinks it’s a really good thing that Heather is starting to realize the severity of her crimes, because she’s taking responsibility. That means she’s coming back to reality. Heather says, a reality without her daughter. Or Franco. Two of her children are dead, and the third is in prison and she’s probably never going to get to see him. Not that he wants to see her. But – she picks up the photo – she has her grandson, who, thanks to Laura, is going to have a happy life. Laura says she gives Heather her word that she’ll do everything in her power to make sure that Ace has the best possible life, and Heather thanks her, pressing the photo to her heart.
Drew says he was able to convince the congressman to throw some federal money at revitalizing the city, and Jordan says, their city? He says, Port Charles, and she says, that is unbelievable. What did he want in return? Drew says, he wants a lot of things, and she says, such as? Drew says, such as his name all over the place, and she says, how all over the place? He says, so far, all he promised him was an esplanade, and she says, okay, that’s fine. What else? He says, front row seats at the dedication? and she says, done. What else? He says, that’s it so far, and she says, okay. Let’s get it all in writing. She’s impressed. He says, don’t be too impressed, because he pitched McConkey just like they knew what they were doing down to the last detail. She asks how much he has planned, and he says, other than the McConkey esplanade, not very much. He has some rough notes. She says. Post-Its or napkins? and he says, both. She says, in government, we call that a working draft. How can she help him? He says, she knows exactly what the city needs. He’s secured the funds to make it happen, but she has to help him figure out how to make Port Charles as attractive and as accessible as it can be. She says, okay. She’ll do it. He says, amazing. He kind of thought it would be harder to convince her. She asks, why? When it was basically her idea. She talked to him about urban renovation and reclamation, and he found a way to make it happen. She does want him to answer one thing. How did he get McConkey to sign on? How did Drew even get a meeting with him? He is notoriously inaccessible.
Nina tells Valentin, everything is righting itself… Well, almost everything. And she has him to thank for all of it. He says he’s always happy to help a friend, and they clink coffee cups.
Drew looks over at Nina and tells Jordan, it’s complicated. He and Nina lock eyes.
Anna says, it’s just dinner, and Felicia says, famous last words. Anna says she and Valentin had a very intense personal relationship. And Felicia is right. What happened with Charlotte is always going to come between them. The result of that is, they’ve never been able to have a calm, adult conversation about it. Felicia says she thought the reason for the dinner was to have calm, adult conversation, and Anna says she thinks that they need closure. Felicia says she hopes Anna knows what she’s doing, and Anna says, so does she.
John says, Jason’s business partner is Sonny Corinthos. The FBI arrested him last fall on suspicion of facilitating an illegal arms shipment for Pikeman. Corinthos was released on lack of evidence, but all that means is that he was covering his tracks. Jason says, Sonny hasn’t spoken to him about Pikeman or anything else, and John says, they know Pikeman was doing business in Port Charles because the ex-director of the WSB, Jack Brennan, is in Pentenville right now – Carly continues to listen – because he was arrested for conspiracy with Roman Hume, a Pikeman employee. Jason says he wasn’t here when any of that went down, and John says, no, but Sonny was, and it points to an ongoing association between him and Pikeman. Carly shakes her head like she can’t believe it.
Sonny walks in the park, and sees a group of cadets jog by, Dex at the front. He watches them with a scary Sonny face.
Tomorrow, Dante asks if Sam will stay with him if he’s still a cop; Laura tells Doc that she’s empathizing with a serial killer; John says he owes Brook an apology; and Jack tells Carly that his day just got 100% better.
Vanderpump Rules
The VanderGang is in San Francisco. Ally wonders if Dan and Sandoval have met, but James says, no. Lala wonders what if Dan has an interaction with Sandoval. Dan has been in fights before and doesn’t f*** around. Katie tells Lala that she thinks he’s the sweetest person. Brock asks Scheana if she needs help setting up, but she says, Sandoval is helping with sound for all the performances. It’s a big deal. He asks how she feels about last night’s conversation now that she’s slept on it, and she says, they have good productive conversations. She wonders if Sandoval was genuine or playing her. Ariana isn’t going to feel it’s genuine because of what he did. She has a hard time trusting what’s real. Brock says, he loves Ariana, but she doesn’t reach out. Sandoval reached out. In Brock’s interview, he says, Sandoval is genuinely the greatest caring friend. He does and acts when Scheana needs him most. Scheana tells Brock that she doesn’t agree. Ariana is a good friend to her, but Brock says, actionwise, she bails out, and Scheana says she understands that Ariana is the person who will probably not show up, but want to be invited. She’d never turn her back on Ariana, because Ariana has always been there for her. Brock says, she has a dog in the fight.
The VanderGroup minus Sandoval take a trolley car to Chinatown, making me wistful for NYC’s Chinatown. They go to a restaurant, making me pine for dumplings, and Brock asks what they got up to last night after playing dress-up. Lala says she cuddled with Katie in the bed. She thought Scheana and Brock could be a tag team, but they couldn’t handle this. Scheana asks if she’s ever had a threesome, and in Schwartz’s interview, he says, everyone says it’s never as good as you think it will be. He’s not ruling it out, but he thinks it’s a bucket list thing. Dan says he trains 7 days and bartends, and Lala grills him with a barrage of questions. What’s his main focus? How old is he? (40.) Has he ever been married? (No.)When was his last relationship (5 years ago) and why didn’t it work out? In her interview, Lala says, Dan is handling this interrogation like a champ. He’s not even breaking a sweat. She’ll be damned if another person comes into the group and ends up being an a-hole. She’s asking now what their intentions are, and why are they here? Lala tells Ariana, hold on to him. James asks what Dan thinks of Sandoval, and Dan says he doesn’t know Sandoval, but knows what Sandoval has done and he’s not hearing great things. Scheana says she put it in perspective for Sandoval that he’d been weaponizing Ariana’s mental health on top of what he did. She felt she saw the mask fall and he said he needed to think. Katie asks how long Scheana is going to believe those are genuine tears. She doesn’t believe anything that comes out of him. In Katie’s interview, she says, they’re making this more nuanced than it is. F*** the guy who f***s over her friend. Schwartz says, he did a trash thing, and Ariana debates his choice of words, saying it sounds too singular. In Lala’s interview, she says, Ariana tries to put on a cool girl vibe, but she cares a lot. Sandoval is the monster and she’s the victim. She doesn’t think Ariana wants to deal with a mourning period.
Brock has arranged for a path of rose petals leading to the bed in their room and tells Scheana that he asked the staff to do something romantic. Scheana says she’s glad she got the conversation out of the way, and since she looks at things with rose colored glasses, she says, Ariana seemed receptive enough. Brock asks if she told Ariana that she and Sandoval made up, but Scheana says, they didn’t make up. It’s a step forward and a breakthrough conversation, but they’re not best friends. Schwartz goes to Sandoval’s room, and says, it was the best meal in Chinatown. <sob!> He got to know Dan better and he’s great. Sandoval says, Ariana has good taste in men. Ugggh. Schwartz says, they kept it civilized, but Brock felt the girls were being hypercritical of Scheana for talking to him. Lisa calls Scheana to wish her good luck tonight and asks how everyone is getting along. Scheana says, pretty good, and she had a good conversation with Sandoval. She feels he’s taken steps forward and he’s listening. Lisa says, they have a long history, and asks if Scheana still loves him. Scheana says she does.
Lala tells Katie that Scheana’s got pressure on her. She’s going to Ariana for some sort of approval. She feels Scheana wants Ariana to say that things aren’t going to change because she talked to Sandoval. Katie says she doesn’t think that’s going happen, and Lala says the pressure is on Scheana for the way she lives her life when someone else who’s thriving has mad rules for everyone. In Katie’s interview, she says, Scheana feels like she should be the exception to Ariana’s boundary of not wanting mutual friends. Sandoval didn’t make a mistake. He made choices for months, then doubled down on those choices. Katie says, Sandoval’s been a sh*tty person to Scheana. If that’s the kind of friend she needs, go for it. Schwartz asks about Sandoval’s conversation with Scheana, and Sandoval says she asked him to consider apologizing for the mental stuff he said about Ariana. Schwartz says, Ariana might tell him to f*** off in the moment, but he thinks it would mean something to her. In Sandoval’s interview, he says he just wants the tension to subside a little. Schwartz tells him not to get defensive, and Sandoval says he just wants her to know that he wants to work on himself for real and he’s taking action to become a better person and learning from his mistakes. He wants her to know that if it’s days, months, years, or decades, if she ever needs him, he’ll be there for her. Schwartz says, it will probably be decades.
Last minute preparations are made for Kyle’s whiskey launch party. Tom tells Scheana that Hassan is doing the sound. He does the sound for Sandoval’s band and is a professional engineer. She thanks Sandoval, and in her interview, she says, that’s the person she remembers. The friend who does things when not even asked and was so genuine. That’s what made the fallout hard. She remembers who he was for 15 years. She jokes, that was me making it about me. People start to arrive, and in Scheana’s interview, she says, it’s the first time she’s not performing solo. There will be a full band behind her. She’s used to performing on top of a bar after a few tequila shots. We flash back to that, and she says, this is a big deal. Dan wears a strange man bun, which I do not think he rocks. I’m not a fan of the bun to begin with and believe the only two men who should be allowed to wear it are Roger Howarth and Sensei Guillermo Gomez.
James asks Ally to check out the sunset with him and they go outside. He says, it’s such a nice weekend, and she says she misses Hippie and the cats and wants to go home, but she’s having fun. James tells her that he knows he said his priority was Hippie, but she’s his priority. He’s the luckiest man on the planet and would do anything to make her happy. Ally tells him that she knows she said she’s not ready for marriage, but when she is, she wants to marry him. In James’s interview, he says, when he was a teenager, he had his life mapped out. His dad had him at 28 and he was going to follow in his dad’s footsteps. He wipes his eyes and says he wouldn’t change anything. His life led him to where he is today. He loves Ally and would tell the younger James that he’ll have to go through sh*t before he finds someone who makes him truly happy.
In Jo’s interview, she says she still loves Schwartz. They make a good team. It breaks her heart, but what is she supposed to do? Lay in bed and cry? At the end of the day, she wants Schwartz in her life for the rest of her life. Schwartz asks her to come into the lion’s den, but she says she doesn’t like negative energy. In her interview, she says, she wants this to be over. If she can say she’s sorry to Katie, she’s hoping Katie will say it back, but she doesn’t know if Katie hates her because of her connection to Schwartz. Good luck to the next woman. Schwartz brings Jo over to the VanderArea, and tells Katie that Jo wants to say something to her. Jo says she’s sorry if she hurt Katie, and right away, Katie is all like, if? IF? Just say she’s sorry, not sorry if. Jo says, this is weird, and Katie says, she’s weird. Lala says, don’t start, and Jo asks if Katie feels like she owes her an apology. Katie says, no, like we thought there would be a different answer, and Jo says the text she sent Katie about the divorce was genuine. Katie says, then Jo moved in with Schwartz, but Jo says she was couch surfing. She never moved in. Lala says, they stayed together and had sex, but Jo says, there were months between the divorce and when that happened. On another sofa, Ariana tells Dan that she doesn’t know what’s going on, but it’s not good. Poor Dan has no clue either, but Ariana says, long story. Jo says she wishes she could explain. She feels bad. Katie says she feels that Jo was looking for the right moment to move in on Schwartz. (Like this dude is such a catch.) Lala, who is sitting between them and obviously uncomfortable, says she doesn’t believe that. Jo says, not even close, but Katie says, don’t move in on someone’s ex if you support them. Jo says she didn’t move in, but Katie ignores that and says, just don’t do it. Stay with literally anyone else. Jo says, just let him go.
Katie says, Jo is a f***ing liar, and Schwartz tells her, ease up. Katie says, they weren’t divorced yet and it was a difficult time. Jo says she was thinking about herself, and Katie says, as a woman, Jo should have thought of her and slept in the street. Schwartz says, she came to make peace, and Katie says, I don’t want peace. I think that says it all and shows Katie for the sh*thead she’s being. They should just walk away now, but Schwarz says, Jo feels uncomfortable, and Katie says, she doesn’t give a f***. He says, she wants to be friends, and Katie says, keep Jo away from her. Schwartz says he doesn’t like an ultimatum or a quid pro quo, and Katie says she didn’t give him one. She said, keep Jo away from her.
Lala, Scheana, and Brock tell Sandoval about Chinatown, and Sandoval says, Schwartz told him that Brock stuck up for him and he appreciates it. Brock says, he’s in the middle, but he’s not Switzerland. He’s friends with both Ariana and Sandoval. Sandoval says he doesn’t get that often and appreciates Brock stepping up and being there. Brock says, Sandoval has been there for everyone, and in Scheana’s interview, she says she understands what Sandoval did was absolutely terrible. She wishes it wasn’t so black and white for Ariana and Ariana could see how much she’s struggling. She doesn’t want to lose Ariana, but she feels like she’s losing herself. She needs to let this sh*t go. It’s enough. Brock says, they’ll be here for their friends. They’ll be here for him. Scwartz asks if Dan and Ariana are doing something afterward, and Ariana says, they’re about the Applebee’s life. Is that code for something, like the pasta? What does that even mean? Do they eat all their meals there? Sandoval comes over to Schwartz, and Ariana ignores him, getting busy with her phone. He introduces himself to Dan and says he heard Dan was a great guy. He just wanted to say, what’s up and wish them the best of luck. Dan says he appreciates that, and Sandoval leaves to the relief of everyone. Ally asks how that went. She got nervous. Dan says, it went, and Ariana says, Logan was texting her. He’s at Beyoncé. Ally says she felt it had to happen, but Ariana says she didn’t because he’s not in her life. In Ariana’s interview, she says she’s not a cog in the machine on the Sandoval redemption arc. He can do that without her. Sandoval suggests apologizing to Ariana, but Schwartz says he doesn’t think it’s a good time with Dan there.
Kyle takes the mic and introduces Scheana, who’s wearing – no surprise – a gold outfit. She sings Apples, and in Sandoval’s interview, he says he wasn’t so crazy about the song, but it’s growing on him. He’s so stoked to see Scheana pushing her music again. He’s excited to see it. In Scheana’s interview, she says she feels like she’s fallen back in love with music and performing. It means a lot. Afterward, Sandoval tells Scheana that she killed it and they hug. In her interview, Scheana says, Sandoval stepped up and helped when he didn’t have to. She hopes he continues down this path. Only time will tell. Ariana goes over to Scheana and hugs her. She says, Scheana killed it, and Scheana tells her that Sandoval flew out his sound operator person. Fool her once, but twice she’s seen the genuine side of Sandoval that she loved for 15 years, the good friend. She’s hoping he’s really changing and becoming a better person. In Ariana’s interview, she says, it’s the same thing over and over withs Scheana. She doesn’t know why Scheana thinks she knows Sandoval better than she does. She’s happy for her. Scheana says she wants to see if there’s a path of growth, and Ariana wonders if she can ask a favor. Don’t talk to her about that. He’s her ex-boyfriend, who doesn’t deserve to be in her presence or breathe the same air. That won’t change. Scheana says she feels Ariana wants an apology, but Ariana says she doesn’t want him to speak to her. Scheana says she asked Sandoval if he was ever going to apologize, and Ariana says, that seems beyond him, and she doesn’t want it. Scheana says she doesn’t want to lose Ariana or compromise their friendship. She’ll always have Ariana’s back, but she feels she can’t write him off forever. In her interview, Ariana says she has to protect herself and keep herself out of situations that make her uncomfortable. She never once said she didn’t love Scheana and didn’t want to stay connected. We flash back to the many times where she literally said she would not be friends with anyone who was friends with Sandoval, and she says she doesn’t know why Scheana doesn’t understand. She says, Scheana’s not losing her. She’s family. She hugs Scheana and says she loves her and doesn’t want her worrying. Sandoval crashes this lovefest by telling Scheana that she did a good job. Ariana can’t teleport away fast enough, but Sandoval follows her. He says, Scheana wanted him to tell her that he’s sorry, but Ariana says she doesn’t want to talk to him. He was f***ing around behind her back and doesn’t deserve to speak to her or have access to her life.
Scheana tells Sandoval that she told Ariana about their conversation, and she thinks it was performative and that Scheana’s an idiot. Sandoval says, Ariana knows him well enough to know it wasn’t. Scheana asks what she means to him, and he says, a lot. She says, in filming or in life? and he says he’s there. He shows up. She tells him, don’t make her look like a f***ing idiot, and walks away. Sandoval tells Billie that Ariana claimed he wasn’t honest and being performative. She’s the performer. She doesn’t like anyone in the group. She can f*** off.
Ariana bitches to a producer about Sandoval interrupting her conversation with Scheana and says he doesn’t deserve to speak to her. The producer says, don’t end it like this, but Ariana says, all Sandoval wants is 30 seconds with the audience. In her interview, she says, what Sandoval is trying to get is for him, not her. She’s the final boss in his video game of redemption. He can’t get to the final boss, and he’s pissed. She leaves with Dan and another couple, presumably heading to do their Applebee’s thing. Sandoval tells Billie that if Ariana doesn’t want to be on the show, don’t collect a paycheck for doing nothing. He tells Scheana that he’s pissed. Ariana talked sh*t about all of them. She doesn’t show up, but he does. When push comes to shove, he’s there. Scheana says she knows. That’s why she’s struggling. Sandoval says he’s sorry he made it hard for her and hugs her. He says he knows she puts up with a lot, and in his interview, he says, it’s hard for people who have stuck up for him and by him. They haven’t forgiven him; they’re just recognizing him as a person and they’re going to get flack for it. Ariana is relentless about her hate. Lala says she has her own point of view and she’s been biting her tongue, so she’s breaking the fourth wall. This happened to Ariana and the world rallied around her. Now she thinks she’s Beyoncé. It’s bullsh*t that she can’t film with Sandoval when she lives under the same roof as him. It’s a lot. She’s saying, don’t f*** with Sandoval, but she’s going to sleep down the hall from him. He did a really f***ing sh*tty thing and it was weird how he looked them all in the eye and said a lot of sh*t, but he did not kill somebody. Ariana moved on 8 days later. She’s never experienced someone who gets cheated on and suddenly becomes God. In Lala’s interview, she says she loves the show because it’s real and gives tremendous healing. For Ariana to walk out this way is such a slap in the face. This is what they do. They’ve been doing this most of their adult lives. We see clips of them in their first interviews and they look like babies.
Lala says, they’ve all experienced high highs and low lows and there’s a responsibility that comes with living your life on camera. You have to be truthful even when it’s extremely uncomfortable. We see scenes from early seasons as she talks. She says she’s watched James live his life on camera, and Tom and Katie. She feels there was a time when she wasn’t honest with what was going on – we flash back to that – and she was suffocating. She doesn’t feel Sandoval and Ariana were ever honest about their relationship until Sandoval was caught cheating. And they think they get to be honest one moment and pack it all away and all is good? F*** that.
This all makes me deeply sad for some reason. In Katie’s interview, she says, sometimes you have to stick to your boundaries. If your peace is more important, stand your f***ing ground. In Ariana’s interview, she says, they all live the difficult parts of their lives on camera. If it’s something that matters, you do it regardless. Sandoval has never tried to talk to her off-camera. He could have written her a note and left it in the kitchen, and she could have read it at her leisure. If you only want to talk on camera, then you’re showing your true colors. Scheana says she knew she would break, and she broke, and everyone leaves the event.
A producer says, that’s the end. Schwartz says, that was a f***ing plot twist, and Sandoval says, he loves it. It was good for him.
Next time, the Reunion.
🍼 No, You’re Not Invited…
Maybe Bowling for Soup was right. High school never ends.
Join me tomorrow for soap and what’s cooking. Until then, stay safe, stay remembering it’s Mother’s Day this Sunday, and stay marching to your own drummer.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Kristina tells Alexis, so she accidentally said my baby, one time, on accident. It’s shorthand for the thing that’s growing inside of her that’s not really hers. It’s completely taken over her body. It’s making her have to pee 24/7. It’s making her hungry and hormonal, and it’s really her sister’s and her partner’s. Alexis says she sees why Kristina would want some kind of shorthand, and Kristina says she can’t win. TJ thinks she doesn’t care about this baby and Alexis thinks she cares about this baby too much. So maybe the two of them should get together and settle on how much they should think she should care about this baby and let her know. Alexis says, got it. Promise. Point taken. She understands why Kristina is frustrated. There’s been a lot of backseat pregnancy-ing here. Kristina says she is falling a little bit in love with this baby, but how could she not? It’s a part of her. And it’s not like she did it on purpose; it just happened. And it’s not a bad thing that this baby gets to feel love before it’s born. Alexis says, that’s another good point, and Kristina says, so she doesn’t know what everyone is freaking out about. Alexis says, the fact that Kristina doesn’t understand why everyone is concerned is cause for concern all by itself.
Carrying shopping bags through the park with Natalia, Blaze says she’s so excited that Miranda agreed to be her stylist, and Natalia says, it took some convincing. She didn’t just volunteer. Blaze says she knows and appreciates everything Natalia did to make it happen. They sit on a bench, and Natalia says, she feels like Blaze was resisting a lot of her suggestions. She didn’t side with anything that wasn’t amazing. Blaze says she wants Miranda to design the looks for her tour and her public appearances, but when it comes to her downtime, she reserves the right to dress how she wants. Natalia says, she doesn’t have downtime. Building a brand and maintaining it is a full-time job.
Anna hands Bennet some paperwork and says he has to talk to the union rep first and the lawyers. He says, and all this is on her to-do list for tomorrow, as in just tomorrow and not the rest of the month? She says, it’s going to be a long day, and he says, even though she’s going to be out of the office, he has the feeling she’s still going to have a long day. She says, almost certainly, but at the end of that long day, she will have checked out of the MetroCourt and into her own absolutely perfect apartment.
Sam says, Dante has managed to remain clear-eyed and clear-headed about potential conflicts, and he always does the right thing. He says, does he? How many times has he erred on the side of being a son versus being a cop? She asks if he thinks resigning from the force is the only way to reconcile his doubts, and he says he thinks when he found out Dex was applying to the police academy, his first thought should have been, maybe this kid will be a decent cop, not what Dex has on his dad. She says, he just did it. He turned one single fleeting thought into a rebuke of his whole career. He says, here’s another thing. She had to see how the guys were treating Dex at Chase’s bachelor party. It was bad. Dex was just on Sonny’s payroll; he’s Sonny’s blood. She says, there’s no comparison between the two of them. He was a cop way before he found out Sonny was his father. Dex knew exactly who Sonny was before he chose to work for him. Dante says, cops care about proximity to people like Sonny. He’s Sonny’s son. You don’t get any closer than that. He can’t even imagine what they all must think about him. She says she can imagine, because she was there when every single one of them showed up to donate blood when he was in the hospital. You don’t do that for someone you don’t respect. He says, cops do that for other cops, and she says, he always does that.
Ava looks at the prescription bottle, and Sonny says, Carly shows up here like it’s her home. Then she tells him that he can’t see his own daughter in his own home. She asks if something happened with Donna, and he says, of course (🍷) not, but she wasn’t talking to him like he was Donna’s father. She was talking down to him like he’s not taking his medication. Then to top it off, she charges to the bathroom and goes into the drawer to check herself, like she’s still living here. Anybody else did that, does she know what he would do? Ava says, it doesn’t sound like she’s showing much respect for his privacy, and he says, she’s not showing much respect. The hell with that. The hell with you, Carly Corinthos. He takes the bottle and slams it onto the table, and Ava asks if he doesn’t mean Carly Spencer.
Sonny says, really? That’s what Ava got out of everything he just said? It was a slip of the tongue, okay? That’s it. She says, it just shows though, how hard Carly tries to push his buttons. She fails of course (🍷), but she does try. He says he’s had a lot of experience with Carly. She plays a lot of games, but he plays those games better. Ava says, it’s staggering how entitled she is. She hasn’t been his wife in years. You’d never know that by the way she acted today. And not just a wife, but a doctor too, apparently. Sonny says, to be fair, nobody knows his condition or whether he’s on or off medication more than Carly. She says, except him, obviously, and he says, obviously, but what really gets him upset is when she came in and started saying he forgot to take his medication, did he remember to take his medication. What is he, a child? What is she thinking? Ava says, she’s not thinking. He’s changed, but the way Carly sees him hasn’t. Carly doesn’t know him anymore. He says, she doesn’t have to tell him, and she says, he’s put up with more than enough today. Why doesn’t he sit down and relax? He says, what he wants to do is go over to the hospital and get his blood drawn so they can test the medication levels, and he can throw his results in Carly’s face.
Sam says, every time Dante walks out that door she worries, but she also knows how much he loves his work. He says, not anymore. That was before he knew he was subconsciously looking away from his father. Now that he knows he’s doing that, he has to stop. She asks if he’s messing with her or just venting, but he says he’s not. He really means this. She says she can’t tell him how long she’s waited for him to say he wanted to give up his badge.
Bennet says, she’s had enough of hotel living, huh? and Anna says, more than enough. Living in hotels was a necessary evil for the better part of her career. There were assignments where it didn’t make sense to rent any long-term residences. They had to be up and out in a moment’s notice, but then living in hotels became less of a convenience and more of a habit. A habit she’s decided to break and lease a space of her own. He says, with respect, it sounds a little like she’s trying to talk herself into it, and she tells him, let’s just say she’s reenforcing her decision. The perfect apartment came up. It’s fully furnished and in an ideal location and she signed the paperwork yesterday. He congratulates her, and she says, thank you, Calvin, so apparently Bennet does have a first name. She tells him, here’s everything she needs, all planned and accounted for and her itinerary at 0800 hours tomorrow. He says, it looks about right, and she says, bungee cords and a hand truck and she’ll take the files she kept in storage after the fire at her house. She’s just grateful God invented elevators. He says, she’s not using professional movers… unless she can’t because there’s sensitive stuff in those files. Gotcha. She says she’s learned the hard way how valuable old records are. She can’t trust them to anyone, except herself.
Kristina asks if Alexis remembers how upset Molly was when their first surrogate miscarried. She was devastated. And she’ll never forget seeing Molly’s face at the park that day. All she wanted to do was help her. Molly’s her sister. It was Molly’s dream to have a baby, and she wanted to help make that dream a reality, no matter what it took. Alexis says, and she loves Kristina for that and so does Molly. Kristina says, she does, when Molly and her partner aren’t questioning her every move, and Alexis says she’s sure they regret making Kristina feel scrutinized, but they’re family and they’re really imperfect. But they love each other which is why they have to give each other a lot of slack. Kristina says, Alexis means she has to give them slack, and Alexis says, no, but Kristina says, that’s what it is. Let her ask Alexis something. If Molly and TJ were using any surrogate other than her, does Alexis think they’d be policing her the same way if she occasionally, accidentally let a my baby slip once in a while?
Natalia asks if Blaze’s music manager has said anything about the studio band’s demo. This is for Blaze’s new single, so she must have some kind of feedback… Okay, so she’s totally incommunicado until after the wedding? Blaze asks why she has such an attitude when it comes to Brook, and Natalia says she doesn’t have an attitude, but she does have questions about Brook’s priorities thus far. Blaze says, there’s nothing wrong with someone being more excited about marriage than Natalia was, and Natalia says, the guitar solo on the new single is terrible. She doesn’t know what Blaze was doing with all that studio time, but it clearly wasn’t her job. Blaze says, excuse me? and Natalia says, she should have shut the guitar down. Shut down the whole session as soon as she heard it. The single cannot be released until it’s fixed. Blaze looks away, and Natalia asks if she was the only one who heard it, or was she the only one listening? Blaze says, they’ll go back in and redo it, and Natalia asks, what other choice do they have? They’re not going to pretend like this current guitarist isn’t anything better than mediocre. This single is far too important. It’s too important to use anybody other than Blaze’s brother. Blaze says, for the last time, she has to let Eloy live his own life and let her live hers.
Natalia says, Eloy is a talented musician and a born performer like her, and Blaze says, and he left the music business. He said he wants nothing more to do with it. Does she have any idea why? Natalia says, because he’s contrary. He just doesn’t admit to himself that that’s where his heart lies, but once he does… Blaze says, he’ll what? Come running back, ready to jump in the studio to make up for lost time? Natalia says she knows her son. She knows music is the air he breathes, and once she reminds him of that… Blaze says, how many times? No wonder Eloy wants out. Natalia says, what about Blaze? Does she want out too? Blaze says, no. She wants to understand why she’s not enough. She chose to have a career in music. But it doesn’t matter because Eloy’s not involved headlining, because that’s what Natalia really wants. Natalia says, Blaze is being ridiculous. Blaze knows she loves them both equally. She just hates seeing talent like that go to waste. Blaze asks if his talent isn’t his choice. As usual, when the subject of Eloy comes up, she’s wasting her breath. She picks up her bags and walks off.
Kristina tells Alexis that she’s got to go. Ally is meeting her. Alexis says, give Ally her best, and Kristina says she will. Alexis hugs her and says, she’s so generous and everyone knows it. She wants Kristina to know that Molly and TJ are just anxious. After everything they’ve been through, they’re just worried this is going to get snatched away from them just like everything else before. But you know who’s not worried?Babies. Most of the time, they come in happy and healthy, and this baby will too. And Kristina will know that she brought this life into the world without any agenda at all but love, and that’s really cool. Kristina thanks Alexis and says she loves her. Alexis says, she’s welcome and she loves Kristina too, and Kristina leaves.
Sam says she can’t tell Dante how many nights she would lay awake and pray he’d come home and tell her that he was done. He says, they should have talked about this a long time ago, and she says she knows. He should have seen the looks on the faces of all the officers and their husbands and wives, because they were all there. They were devastated of course (🍷), but she could tell they felt guilty and relieved, because fate had made its choice that night and it wasn’t them. He says, cops are pretty superstitious, and she says she knows. She lives with one. And she loves this one. So if he was to tell her that he’s ready to give up his badge, she wouldn’t pretend to be anything but grateful. They hug.
Ava says, if Sonny thinks it’s worth having a blood test to show Carly, then she thinks he should do it, but he wonders why he should waste his time. When the results come back, they’re going to be normal. She’s just going to judge him on something else. She says, very likely, and it’s probably a bad precedent to set, letting Carly think he needs her approval on how he maintains his medication. He doesn’t need her approval for anything for that matter. He says he doesn’t need Carly’s approval. She doesn’t care about him. She’s probably with Jason right now. If it wasn’t for Donna, he wouldn’t speak to her again. He’s got to cool off. He’s got to go. She suggests she come with him, but he says, no. He needs some time alone. He leaves.
Holding a huge book, Alexis answers the door to Diane, who says she hopes Alexis has had better luck that she has. Alexis says, the only thing she found in this book is a recipe for graham cracker crust that somebody shoved in here, and Diane says she’s never been partial to a graham cracker crust. (Well, we differ on that point. I’m all about a graham cracker crust.) Alexis says, in all these books, there isn’t one case where the board has vacated a disbarment. Not since her disbarment anyway. Diane says she managed to dig up some transcripts, some declarative judgements that can at least point them in the direction of what not to argue. Alexis says she guesses that’s better than finding out the hard way, and Diane says, so far, it’s just been the only way. Alexis says, they knew this case was probably doomed from the onset, but Diane says, they knew no such thing and they still don’t. If Alexis just wants to give up, then by all means just go find her kitchen, wherever it is, and make that hideous graham cracker crust recipe. Alexis says she knows where her kitchen is. It’s where she keeps the aspirin. And she’s been working on this night and day, this Don Quixote of a case, and she may have a legal crisis under her own roof, and if this one explodes, it’s going to shred her entire family.
Kristina comes home to find Blaze, who holds up a dress and asks how she likes it. Kristina says she likes it. It seems a bit much for movie night and take-out, but whatever she’s comfortable in. What she really likes is, Blaze finally used the key she gave her. Blaze says, it seemed safer coming here than the alternative, and Kristina asks, which was? Blaze says, strangling her mom in the park in broad daylight. Although anyone who’s ever met her mother might buy her insanity defense. Kristina says she knows the feeling. No one ever makes you as nuts as your own mother, right?
Natalia hears someone coming and holds her purse tighter. She sees it’s Sonny and laughs. He says he didn’t mean to scare her. She and her bags are safe. He doesn’t think there’s anything in her bags that would fit him anyway. She says, he doesn’t need help with his clothes either. She’s only seen him a few times, but… He says, she approves? and she says she does. He thanks her, and she says, and he did her a favor. She was just sitting here, stuck in her thoughts, letting time slip away from her. He says, it’s nice of her to give him a pass, but it’s not polite to sneak up on people. She says, it’s such a beautiful day. She’s feeling a little selfish hogging up this bench. Care to join her? He says, yeah. He’d like that very much. He sits down and smiles.
There’s a knock at Anna’s office door, and Dante comes in. She asks what he’s doing here. She thought he was off duty. He says he is. He just wanted to drop something off. She tells him to come in and sit down. It’s nice to see him. He takes out a piece of paper and she asks if he’s submitting a report. He says, no. This is his resignation.
Anna says, Dante was just in the hospital. He was shot. It’s understandable. He says, it’s not just the fact he was shot and almost died. Although that played a part in it for him and for Sam, but not the biggest part. She says, then what is it? and he says, Sonny stopped by his place today. They got talking about father/son stuff, then Sonny mentioned Dex Heller. She says, in what context? and he says, in the context that other cops, maybe even her, will believe what Dex has to say about Sonny’s business, but not him because he would know better. She asks what he took that to mean, and he says he took it to mean Sonny thinks they shouldn’t believe anything that Dex has to say about his business. She asks if Sonny asked him to do anything else, other than not believe what Dex might say, and he says, not immediately, but that’s not going to be the end of it for Sonny. He’s going to come back and then he’s going to ask what Dex said. She says, assuming Dante would have access to anything Dex disclosed. If Sonny asked, would Dante tell him? Dante says, not a chance, but Sonny laying this groundwork… This line has gotten really blurry between what he does as a cop and what he does as a son. He’s always tried to build this wall between certain parts of their lives. Sonny was on one side, and he was on the other side, and they could co-exist. She says, that seemed to be working in the past, and he tells her that what she said at Chase’s bachelor party really hit home for him, and he has thought about what Dex working for the PCPD could mean for his father, information that he could pass on. And he hates that the thought crossed his mind. She says, he’s being really hard on himself. Aside from his remarkable recovery just now, he’s only human. He says, but he’s a cop, and she says, a damn fine one too. And worrying about something isn’t the same as interfering or intervening or sharing intel. He says, no – he takes out his badge – but to him, it sure seems like he’s betraying everything this badge stands for, so it’s got to end. He puts his badge on her desk.
Sonny wonders if he can ask Natalia what has her stuck in her own thoughts, and she says, it’s her daughter. He says he has more than one, so he’s stuck in his thoughts a lot. She laughs and says she just has one, and that one is a full-time job. And a thankless one a lot of times. He says he knows what that’s about, and she says, he didn’t have an argument with Kristina, did he? He says, no. He gets along great with Kristina. He can’t say the same about his ex. She says, nothing worse than a fight with your ex, because you loved each other once, so they know how to hurt you and exactly where to aim it. He says he and his ex share the same daughter that he was talking about earlier. His daughter’s young so she still likes him. Natalia laughs and says, enjoy that while he can. He says, the other thing is, he’s bipolar. His ex was instrumental in getting him diagnosed and recovery. Natalia says, so she’s not all bad, and he says, that was then. Now she’s using it against him.
Alexis tells Diane that Molly and TJ have been nudging Kristina about what she eats, when she sleeps, and how worked up she gets. Diane says, surrogacy can be challenging for everyone involved, even when everyone’s being respectful and well-behaved, and Alexis says, but all Molly and TJ have to do is watch it and wait, and they are both very bad at it. On the other hand, for the most part, Kristina is doing everything a pregnant woman should do. Diane asks what the lesser part has been up to, and Alexis says, thinking the baby is hers. Diane says she’s had some experience with surrogacy, just from the legal side, and she knows whoever is carrying the child experiences a wide assortment of emotions, not the least of which is possessiveness. Alexis says, otherwise, you might as well be an incubator or a test tube, and Diane says, but what Kristina is feeling is different? Alexis tells her, Kristina said she was falling a little in love with the baby, and when it kicks, she goes,that’s my little kicker. It’s not what she says; it’s the energy behind it. And it’s problematic for the role she has. Diane says, has anyone – for instance Alexis – broached the subject with her? and Alexis says, yes, and she got mad. Diane says, that’s also understandable. Alexis says, it’s understandable for now, but as this evolves, they’ll see what happens, because this could be disastrous for her family. Diane says, could be. It doesn’t necessarily need to be. But Kristina did supply the egg. It’s not a third party donor. Therefore, in the eyes of the State of New York… Alexis says, the baby is legally Kristina’s.
There’s a knock at Kristina’s door, and Blaze says she’ll get it. Molly is there and says she didn’t know Blaze was going to be here. She could come back… Kristina says, no. Come on in. They were actually just about to have dinner. Molly should join them. They’re having a meal of organic kale washed ten times by nuns, with a side of polyunsaturated yogurt. (Ha-ha-ha!) Sound good? Molly says, that’s why she did something she almost never does. Just walked out of the office in the middle of the afternoon. She had to see Kristina. She hates the way they left things this morning.
Molly says she wanted to tell Kristina that she talked to TJ. She told him that micromanaging every aspect of Kristina’s life is out of line and has to stop. Kristina says, she told him that? and Molly says she did. Telling her what to eat and when to sleep is not okay. She’s a total control freak and even she would hate that. Kristina thanks her, and Molly says, she’s welcome. Kristina is her sister, not an anonymous egg donor. She loves Kristina and trusts her. Blaze asks if there’s any chance they could have some version of this conversation with her mom, and Molly says, sure. Can it wait until tomorrow though? She took the rest of the afternoon off and she thinks she may do something crazy and see if TJ can get the afternoon off. Maybe go for a drink or see a movie. Kristina says, wow. She appreciates Molly talking to TJ. Does this mean she doesn’t have to do so with her dad?
Natalia says, it’s really brave of Sonny to be so open about his bipolar disorder. She doesn’t really know him, but she really wouldn’t have expected anything less. He says he appreciates that and he knows how important it is for him to stay on his medication. But now his ex has reached a point where she doesn’t give him the benefit of the doubt about anything. Natalia asks if she gave him a reason, but he says, no. Just excuses. She says, those are two very different things, and he says, this is a really great bench, but it doesn’t really offer any refreshments. Does she want to go have a drink with him? She says she’d be delighted. She thinks she’s getting the better part of that deal.
Anna tells Dante that she wasn’t there for Robin at a very crucial point in her life and Sonny was. Robin depended on him, and he was there for her. She thinks her gratitude for that morphed into a kind of bias, always in his favor, no matter what the circumstances. She doesn’t think she realized how much, but whatever debt she thought she owed his father, she thinks now is paid in full. She guesses she was waiting for him to come to the same conclusion. He says he doesn’t know if he’s there yet. So she sees why he has to resign. She says, then what? and he asks what she means. She says, one day, Sonny comes to his door and needs a favor. Without that badge, how does he justify refusing his father? How does he make sure that he and his family don’t just get dragged into Sonny’s orbit? He says he’s a grown man. He’s set boundaries… She says, come on. After a while, they become blurry, boundaries, especially in families. He could move. He says he’s not moving. His family is rooted here. Their lives are here. She says, so is his. His life is here. He didn’t use this badge to protect Sonny. This badge protected him from Sonny and the toxic cloud that follows him around. In short, she doesn’t think he can afford to resign.
Sonny comes into the penthouse with Natalia, and Ava asks how he is. He seems better. He says he is, and introduces them. He says, Ava is his daughter Avery’s mother, and Natalia says, not the ex he was talking about in the park, but he says, no. She’s here to help out. Natalia says, he doesn’t have any nannies? and he says he has a couple of them. Ava says she’s not one of them, and Sonny says, Ava knows Blaze, the singer? Ava says, Kristina’s girlfriend? and he says, yeah. She’s a rising star and guess what? Natalia’s her mother. Ava says, how nice. Congratulations. Sonny says, they saw each other in the park, and they were just talking. He thinks it’s time to crack open that 25-year-old scotch that he imported. Ava says he’ll get it, and he asks her to pour a glass for Natalia. He happens to know she likes scotch every so often. Natalia and Sonny laugh.
Molly says she and Kristina will probably never see eye to eye on Sonny. It’s not personal. She’s an ADA and it’s her job not to ignore who he is. Kristina says, and it’s literally her job as his daughter not to ignore him as her father, and Molly says she’s not asking Kristina to, but it’s public record where Sonny goes, danger follows. Kristina asks if Molly honestly thinks her father poses a threat to Molly’s baby, and Molly says she doesn’t. And she promises that TJ will stop making it an issue. Kristina says, good luck with that, and Blaze puts her hand on Kristina’s shoulder. Molly thanks Blaze for being there for her sister throughout all this. It means a lot that she has someone who cares for her as much as Blaze does. She deserves it. Blaze says she thinks so too, and Molly says she’ll see them later. Kristina thanks her for coming here and saying what she did. It can’t have been easy after what happened this morning. She appreciates it. It’s just another one of the reasons why she loves Molly. They hug.
Diane asks if Kristina at least has a contract with Molly and TJ, and Alexis says, yes. And she told both the girls that this will never hold up in court. Diane says, she’s right. It won’t. Alexis says she’s probably overreacting. This is probably just hormonal and natural during pregnancy, and when this is all said and done, the haze will lift, and she will be thinking clearly. Diane says, it’s possible, and Alexis says, very unlikely that this will come down to a point of law and she’s worrying for no reason other than she’s very good at it. Diane says, when it comes to worrying, Alexis is peerless. However, she’d be a sorry excuse for a best friend if she didn’t give Alexis some advice. On one hand, she’s never been through anything like this, but on the other hand, not being personally invested does give her some objectivity. And that’s what Alexis needs right now, objectivity. Alexis says, go ahead. She’s braced. Diane says, stay out of it. If her daughters want legal opinions, send them to other lawyers. Because the worst-case scenario is, she could cause one of her daughters to lose a child and in the process, she could lose that daughter.
Dante says he doesn’t know what the hell he’s supposed to do, and Anna says, just do what he’s been doing. If he sees a file with Sonny’s name on it, ignore it. If they mention him, walk away. If something crosses his desk pertaining to his father, notify her, and she’ll reassign it. He says, yeah, and she says, maybe they need to look beyond that to other situations that might involve Sonny. So if a case or an incident, even a rumor sounds like it might lead back to his father, then Dante has to tell her. And if events are moving too fast, hand it off to Chase or Bennet or the desk sergeant. Whatever he does, he can’t put himself in a situation where he’ll be compromised, or he’ll compromise himself. Is that clear? He says, all right, and she says she thinks he’s exactly where he should be. In fact, she thinks it’s the only safe spot for him. So he’s staying. Understood?
Sonny asks if Natalia’s whole family is in the music industry or just Blaze, and she says, her whole family is musical, but her son is an extraordinary musician. He’s amazing. But for right now, it’s just Ally – Blaze – who’s actively pursuing a career in music. He says he knows how difficult it is to break into the music business, when Ava comes up behind him. He asks Natalia to excuse him, and she steps away. He asks if Ava doesn’t need to make some calls about the gallery. Does she know what he means? She says she believes she does, and leaves. Sonny joins Natalia on the balcony, and she raises her glass and says, to him, for turning a challenging day into a very pleasant one. They clink glasses, and he says he could say the same to her. She says, it’s funny. She’s walked past this building so many times and admired it, but this view is more spectacular than she imagined. Has he been here a long time? he says, since the 90s, and she says she doesn’t believe it. They walk back inside, and she says, it feels brand new. He says he’s redecorated a few times since then, and she says, amazing taste. He says he was thinking of making a change. He’d welcome her input. He thinks it needs a woman’s touch. She says, what about Ava? but he says, it’s not like that with him and Ava. They clink glasses again.
Tomorrow, Heather asks if Laura thinks she might have been a good mother; Drew asks if Willow has made a decision; Valentin says he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants; and Carly tells Jason that Sonny is in trouble.
Below Deck
Breakfast is served and the phones come out to take pictures. In Xandi’s interview, she says she loves Instagram, but not to that extent. That’s why she’s working on a boat. Kyle debates smashing a watermelon with his head. Why? Who knows? He ultimately decides against it. Chef Nick says he and Paris are going to be friends or she’ll hate him at the end of the season. Fraser tries to get Nick to put a cherry tomato garnish on the plates, but Nick refuses. Fraser says, it’s a disaster, overreacting just a tad. In Sunny’s interview, she says, it definitely feels more awkward working with Ben. She’s pretending everything is fine, but it’s a little difficult. In Barbie’s interview, she says, her family if from Argentina and they’re very modest. She’s close to her family, and her father’s opinion matters, but she’s an adult and she and Kyle like each other. There’s nothing bad about what they’re doing. Guest Zach says he did 50 dates in 50 nights, and it’s how he found his girlfriend. He had spreadsheets. Nick talks to himself in the galley, while the slide and water toys are brought out. No surprise, the guests take more pictures than they actually do anything.
Nick makes the crew lunch and Paris slathers hers with mayonnaise. Nick tells her that when she gets chubby and some guy breaks her heart, don’t come crying to him.😐She tells him that she’s been chubby, and she was still hot. You go, sister! In Paris’s interview, she says, Nick is weird as f***. Trust her. She’s burning the calories. Fraser is anxious to see guest Steven’s soaking wet body, and in his interview, he says, today is water sports, a light lunch, and the guests have requested a New Year’s Eve celebration. They hope to finish the meal at the stroke of midnight. It’s absurd, but it’s happening. Guest Stephanie asks Steven if he’s proposing to Fraser at midnight. Ben tells Kyle that he spoke to Barbie, and said Kyle’s been nothing less than a gentleman, and in Kyle’s interview, he says he likes Barbie a lot, but doesn’t know where they stand. They built it up and now it’s almost in the gutter. Why not make a go at it?It might be worth more than what her dad thinks of her.
Sunny is operating the crane, and Dylan brags about being a crane operator on a cargo ship and how he has a crane operator’s license. In his interview, Dylan says he would listen to podcasts, and learned he should surround himself with people he wants to be like. He’s doing his best and he’s super competitive. If you believe it, you can see it. At the bar, the guests and Barbie bug Steven about proposing to Fraser, and Barbie says she loves this love story. Where’s the mistletoe? Fraser joins them, and she asks what his ring size is and wonders what Steven looks like on his knees. In the crew mess, Barbie calls her sister, and says she can’t wait to be off the yacht. She asks her sister to try not be a massive bitch about what she’s going to say. She’s been going through sh*t the whole season, and this guy, Kyle, has been her rock. He’s into her, and vice versa, but because of dad, she wasn’t doing anything. Now they’ve become a thing. Her sister asks, what kind of thing? but Barbie says she doesn’t know how to define it. Her sister says, dad has his standards, and Barbie says, the heaviest thing is her letting dad down. Her sister says she should have thought about that before. Now it is what it is. And now I see why Barbie is such a mess. Barbie says she’s going to disappoint their dad, but she’s being herself and she likes this guy. In Barbie’s interview, she says, she respects her father, but more important than her family is her being her and it’s time for her to own it. Her sister says, in the end, the person who has to live with your decisions is you. What a philosopher. Did she get that off a fortune cookie? Fraser says, dinner is at 10, and they’re going to count down to New Year’s Eve 2023.5. Barbie asks if Fraser is giving Steven a New Year’s Eve kiss, and Paris tells Steven that this is the first step of the rest of his life. In Paris’s interview, she says she’s never wanted to hook up with a charter guest. All her guests have been in their 70s and 80s, and she’s not into crusty d*cks or d*cks that don’t work. Barbie teases Fraser and he says he’s going to try and fire her again. The deckhands lounge around wearing New Year’s Eve crowns, and Fraser tells the captain that there’s a malicious rumor on of the guests wants a New Year’s Eve kiss from one of the crew. Captain Kerry says, that’s sexual harassment, but Fraser asks, what if they’re actually keen? In the captain’s interview, he asks, when a tree falls, if no one’s around, does it make a noise? Fraser tells him that he thinks it will be just a peck. Everyone gets ready for the celebration, and in Nick’s interview, he says, the guests want surf and turf, which isn’t something he’d order in a restaurant. He doesn’t like mixing his fish and meat, but he’s got to give the guests what they want. Steven talks to Fraser, and in Fraser’s interview, he says he’s been single for five years. He’s been out of the game and thinks he’s lost it. If he can’t be seen without feeling exposed, that means he’s lost it. The décor is beautiful, silver and blue with a little bit of gold. Dylan listens to his affirmations: Your positivity is contagious… Dinner is served, and endless pictures are taken. In his interview, Fraser says he’s shocked. The presentation is horrific. An experience on a superyacht is overwhelming and magical, so it can be overseen. Paris tells Nick that the plates are lacking garnish, and in Nick’s interview, he says, she’s 22. She was sh*tting her bed when he was already a chef. Get back to cleaning sinks or scrub a toilet.
Paris suggests making cucumber stars, and Nick says, go back to the 80s. He serves the surf separately from the turf, and more pictures are taken. Steven is too hot in his gold lamé suit and needs someone to do the honors of taking his pants off. Needless to say, Fraser volunteers. In the galley, Nick says he feels like Paris hates him sometimes. I might be on board with her, but I don’t hate the chocolate fondant dessert he made with chocolate from the excursion. The guests get ready to count down and wave sparklers. Fraser says he’s going to give his husband a kiss, and it’s a peck, but a long peck. Everyone cheers and toasts to love. Barbie asks if Fraser liked it and he says, yeah, but he was hoping for a bit more . Barbie tells Kyle that she’s sorry. She didn’t want to own it because she was nervous about her dad, but she’s totally ready to own it now. They kiss, and Steven sends an Instagram message to Fraser, asking if they can sleep in the same bed, but Fraser sends a message back that it’s a fireable offense. Fraser checks out Steven’s Instagram and says, he used to be an absolute snack, but I would categorize him as still snackable. Fraser suggests Nick garnish with parsley at breakfast, but Nick thinks it’s tacky. In Nick’s interview, he says, it’s not about the pasta garnish. He knows they’re influencers and wonders if you can Yelp a private chef or a boat. As Nick makes smoked salmon eggs benedict – sobbing quietly into my tomato soup – he argues with Fraser. In Fraser’s interview, he says, Nick doesn’t want to take advice and doesn’t listen. He wants to run with how he feels, and it’s not up to Fraser’s level or the level of the ship. The boat docks, and in Captain Kerry’s interview, he says, it’s the best docking all season. He thinks he made a good decision, making Ben bosun and Ben making Sunny lead deckhand. I’m sure Dylan would disagree, thinking he could handle both roles.
Port Louis Marina. Dylan admires his own abs, and Barbie tells Sunny that she likes Kyle, but wasn’t owning it. She is now. She and Sunny high-five. The guests get ready to leave, and there are hugs and goodbyes. Primary Alex tells Captain Kerry that the tip is well-deserved, from the family dishes and the Feast of the Seven Fishes. They’ve built relationships and friendships. He hugs the captain, and says, goodbye, friends. He’ll always remember his first STD. The guests leave, a little work is done, and it’s time for the tip meeting. Captain Kerry welcomes Nick and says, there was great energy, and the guests felt the synergy of the team. The tip is $23K or $1769 each. Frankly, I expected more. The captain tells the crew, well done, and in Nick’s interview, he says his dad was a chief engineer and retired at 50. When he’s 50, he imagines making snacks at a café on a beach in Nicaragua. Captain Kerry calls Fraser to the bridge, and says, it’s a new environment with Nick. Fraser says he doesn’t want to speak too soon, but he’s underwhelmed. Nick has zero presentation and he’s not friendly. It’s his way or no way. The captain says he feels that Fraser doesn’t want to be as helpful as he was with Anthony, and in his interview, Fraser says, the chef isn’t communicating and not allowing them to work well. He’s at loose ends and doesn’t know what to do. The chef is the problem, not him. The captain says he feels a different energy from Fraser since Nick got here.
Captain Kerry says they need to support Nick and respect how he does his food. He’s noticing how Fraser is reacting and that means the staff is noticing. In his interview, the captain says, it’s not the same Fraser and he doesn’t understand. Fraser no longer has the same areas of concern, and he needs to shift or it’s going create a disaster. He tells Fraser that the guests were happy, and they’ll see if it’s better on the next charter. In Fraser’s interview, he says he needs to give Nick what he needs when he needs it, even if it’s a load of sh*t. He doesn’t think it will make Nick better, but he needs to do what the captain asked. Fraser tells the stews that he’s been naughty and giving his opinions. They only have one more charter, and even if the plate looks like a canteen lady slopped it on, they need to adapt. Paris says, Nick makes unnecessary comments, and we flash back to his judgement of her mayonnaise love. Fraser says, be as positive and helpful as they can, and they have a group hug.
Captain Kerry calls Fraser, Nick, and Ben for a preference sheet meeting, and tells them that there’s no turnaround day because it’s a short charter. The primaries are Marine and Rob, who are accustomed to butler service on vacation. They’re bringing son Bobby and his girlfriend Edith, daughter Sarah and her friend Chloe, and youngest daughter Kate and her friend Daley. Nick reads that they want a beach picnic with sushi, and Ben reads that they want a Dressed To Kill/Casino Royale party. Captain Kerry tells Nick to work on presentation. The crew gets ready to go out, and Ben tosses his head like a circus pony, admiring his own hair. Bleh. They teleport to a restaurant, since suddenly they’re there. I guess the taxi ride was too boring to show. In Fraser’s interview, he says he got a message from Steven. Steven is leaving tomorrow, and he deserves this. Paris tells him to message back, since they’re going to a club. Nick explains how he bought a Chanel bag for his girlfriend, and when they broke up, he refused to let her have it. In Nick’s interview, he says, crazy works for him with a woman as long as they don’t try to strangle him in his sleep. I dunno. If I was him, I’d be worried about the not-so-crazy women wanting to strangle him as well. Ben hangs on Sunny, and in her interview, she says, it’s confusing. What is he doing? Why? What does it mean? Is he just stirring the pot? They go to a club, do shots, and dance. In Ben’s interview, he says, once Xandi is off the pinot, she’s over the edge. Xandi falls off a table, and Ben says, she’s just Xandi, their baby giraffe. Steven joins them, and Fraser says he’s literally obsessed. Steven says, same, and they kiss.
Fraser says he didn’t realize Steven was gay until halfway through the cruise. Really? He needs to have his gaydar antenna adjusted or something. In his interview, Fraser says, it’s the first time in a long time that he’s had a crush on someone who felt similar. It’s quite exciting. Kyle says he likes how he and Barbie are so different, and in Barbie’s interview, she says she’s not holding back, but public affection is new to her. She’s trying to be more open, and it feels good as long as they’re not overdosing, and no one is making it a thing. Dylan cheers and tries to give Barbie and unwelcome kiss. The crew goes back to the boat, and Ben kisses Sunny on deck. He asks if they’re sharing a bed, and she says, sure, because there must be something wrong with her. In Sunny’s interview, she says, they’ve been flirting all night. They’re not married or in a relationship, but they have chemistry and fire, so why not? Nick digs around in the refrigerator for drunk food and gives some to Dylan. In bed with Kyle, Barbie says, they’re opposites, and in her interview, she says, she’s falling for Kyle. In Kyle’s interview, he says, he’s falling in love with Barbie and thinks they could have a future. He’s vulnerable and wearing his heart on his sleeve.
Next time, Ben wonders if hooking up with a guest will get them fired; Nick says, Paris is overtaking his job; Captain Kerry meets with Fraser and Nick. He says he doesn’t give a sh*t if they like one another. There’s one charter left and there’s no way he’s letting it fall to sh*t.
She’s beautiful and needs to stop reading nasty comments from people who are living in their grandmother’s basement at age 32, hiding behind the anonymity of the internet.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 