Apparently, he’s the picture of good parenting. I’m totally in agreement with how Denise is handling this. She’s right. Her daughter is 18, and she’ll do what she wants, with or without her parents’ approval. If Denise had come down on her, she’d only distance herself.
When was she a good fit? When she accused the Richards sisters of smoking meth? When she slapped LVP? When she weaseled her way onto the show by attacking Denise? When?
On the other hand, I think these two should have their own spin-off. Poor Sutton. Awkward for sure, and perhaps at times inappropriate, but not malicious.
Hopefully, all will be well in the world of soap tomorrow, so stop by for some, along with tea, weekly quotes, and a piece of music from the vast catalog in my brain. Until then, stay safe, stay not making snap judgements, and stay not posting cryptic things on social media. It’s just annoying, and screams, desperate need for attention.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Finn, the kids, and Gregory get to the camping site, and Finn says, the hike was a little longer than anticipated, steeper. Gregory says, they all did great, and Violet says she wants to tell Rachel about the guinea pig they saw (in the woods?), and Finn tells her not to forget about the gopher; and they bite! She runs off, and Aiden joins them. Gregory says, if it isn’t Aiden, PC Pioneer, and Finn asks if he’s on a break. Aiden says, until dinner, and Jake says, look at him in his uniform. Aiden says, Jake used to wear one too, and Cameron says, but who wore it better? Jake says, him, definitely, but Aiden says, no way. Cameron walks past Finn, who asks where he’s going, and Cameron says, he just needs a break from all this pretending. He’s grabbing his phone; it should be fully charged by now. Finn tells Gregory, nothing like getting away from it all.
At The Savoy, Britt joins Nina, who says, there she is. She took the liberty of ordering Britt’s usual, but Britt says she’s sticking to water tonight. Nina says she thought Britt subscribed to the hair of the dog for a hangover, and Britt says, that’s before she became a GIF. Nina says, don’t worry, it’ll blow over, and Britt says, so she’s seen it? Nina says, has anyone not seen it? and Britt says, that’s great. Thank you. Nina suggests they switch topics, and Britt says, please. She hasn’t talked to Nina since their girls night out; what’s new? Nina says, what’s new… Well, here’s something. She almost left Port Charles.
Carly brings Sonny to her office and thanks him for meeting her. He says, she told him it was about the kids, and she says, it is. This is a difficult situation for them. In some ways, it’s easier for Donna and Avery because they’re too young to fully understand what’s going on, and they just want to know their family still loves them. They’re doing everything they can to reassure them of that. Josslyn’s been terrific; she’s spending lots of time with them, but she’s got a lot going on. He says he loves Josslyn; she’s like a daughter to him, despite what Michael said. She asks what Michael said, and he tells her, he said that after the divorce, and everything that happened with Nina, he basically threw away his relationship with his kids. Can she believe that? She says she can believe it, and she agrees. He says, she didn’t call him here to fight, did she? and she says she didn’t. She just wants to talk about what they still have in common, mainly their kids, and she wanted to talk about Michael and what this rift is doing to him. Sonny says he doesn’t like it either, but Michael’s made it clear he doesn’t want Sonny anywhere near his life. No matter what Sonny says or does, nothing is going to change that.
At the pool, Zelda asks Cody if there’s a problem, and he says he’s sure it’s just an accounting error, but his paycheck was off by $500. She says, there was no mistake, and he knows it, and he says, it wastes both of their time to argue over such a small amount. She says she agrees, and he says, just pay him what he’s owed, and that’ll be it. She says, she’s fulfilled Society Set-Ups’ part of the contract, and he asks if that contract included a drunk woman wandering into his landing zone. Someone could have been hurt. She says, but they weren’t, and he says, an act of gross negligence is bad for business. What’s $500 to protect her image? She asks if he’s threatening her, and he says, she’s a smart woman; you tell me. Sam and Dante walk in, and Dante asks, what’s going on?
As Trina and Josslyn are going into Kelly’s, Josslyn’s phone rings. She says, finally. Where have you been? Cameron says, sorry. His phone was dead; he had to wait for it to charge. PCU decided against Trina? He can’t believe it. She says, her neither, but it’s going to be okay. They have a plan.
In the woods, Austin sees Wyatt piling some wood, and Wyatt asks, how was the kayak? Austin says, great. Sorry he missed it. Kim’s sick and they’re down a counselor, so that leaves Wyatt. Wyatt says, not for long. It looks like reinforcements have arrived. Austin says, good. He wonders who they sent, when Maxie says, Maxie Jones, reporting for duty.
Zelda tells Dante, this man is trying to extort her, and Cody says, if extort means getting what he’s owed. He takes out an envelope, and says, the deal was for $2000. He holds the check out to Sam, and asks, what’s that say? She says, $1500, and Zelda says, two thousand, minus the charges to his room. Cody says, the hotel room was part of the deal, but Zelda says, not including incidentals. He says, he misunderstood, and Zelda says, and it cost him. Sam says, he charged $500 worth of stuff to his room? and Cody says, yes, but he didn’t know… Dante says, okay. If they get this guy out of Zelda’s hair, can they consider the matter closed? Zelda says she supposes so, and Dante says, let’s go. He, Sam, and Cody leave.
Cameron says, what plan? and Josslyn says, they’re at Kelly’s. She thought he was working today. He says he decided to go on that trip; he’s in Pautuck. She says, for real? He’s out of town? He says he thought he should be here, and she says she gets it. She’s sure Jake and Aiden are super psyched he’s there. Maybe this trip is what everyone needs. He says, that’s what Jake keeps saying, and she says, he doesn’t agree? He says he just hates pretending like everything’s fine when his mom is in Shadybrook.
Wyatt drops off Maxie’s luggage, and she thanks him for the assist. He says, no problem, and she tells Austin, he seems surprised. He says he is, and she says, and maybe a tad befuddled? He says he’s always befuddled. It’s nice to see her. What is she doing here? She says, Georgie is a Junior PC Pioneer, and as such, she’s on the Parents in a Pinch list. He says, it needs a better name, and she says, parents volunteer to help out when they’re understaffed, even if their child isn’t participating. So while Georgie is at a sleepover at her friend Lena’s house, here she is. He says, in beautiful Pautuck. She said she wasn’t ready to come back here quite yet, and she says she’s not, but let’s be real. When will she ever be? She thought there would be plenty of people and enough distractions, she’d be able to hack it. She’s also communing with nature. He says, sure she is, and points to her suitcases, asking, what’s she going to do with all of that? She asks if he’s never heard of glamping, and he says he’s heard of it, but that’s not what this is. She says, speak for yourself. Mac says, camping is good for the soul, but she believes an air mattress is key. So where can they set up her tent?
Josslyn says she’s not upset, and Trina asks who she’s talking to right now. Josslyn says, she’s actually glad Cam is spending time with his brothers, and Trina says, but? Josslyn says, but this is just another example that she and Cam are out of sync. But they don’t need Cam. They have all the help they need. Spinelli walks in, and waves.
Finn asks if Cameron came back yet, but Jake says, he’s still on the phone. Violet says, with his girlfriend? and Finn says he’s pretty sure she’s not dating until she’s 30. Violet tells Gregory, grandpa, talk some sense into him, but Gregory says he’s not touching this. Jake thanks Finn, and Finn says, for what? Jake says, coming here was a good idea, especially since Aiden won’t be around them most of the time. Aiden says, take that back, and Jake says, make me. He runs, and Aiden takes off after him. Cameron comes back, and Finn asks if everything is okay. Cameron says, coming here was a huge mistake.
Britt says, sorry about the hearing. She knows how much Nina wanted to be in Wiley’s life. Nina says she even begged Willow and Michael to reconsider, and Britt asks how that went. Nina says, about as poorly as you’d think, and Britt says she gets the impulse to get out of town. She’s just glad Nina didn’t act on it. She has family here. Nina thanks her, and Britt says she means it. If Nina were to jump ship, it would just be her, Maxie, and her mother. Nina rounds out their little motley crew. Nina says she would miss Britt too. Obviously, she wasn’t thinking clearly. Britt says, but she was on her way to the airport, and Nina says, her bags were packed and everything. Britt asks what convinced her to stay.
Carly tells Sonny, Michael is a grown man and makes his own decisions, but that doesn’t stop her from worrying about him. He asks if Michael is in danger, and she says, you tell me. If Sonny’s rivals know they’re on the outs, they could assume Michael is no longer under his protection. Sonny says, that would be wrong. He’s not going to let anybody hurt his son. She says, okay, sure, and he asks what that means. She says, he doesn’t think it hurt Michael when he testified against him? He says he didn’t testify against Michael, but she says, he testified for Nina; it’s the same thing. How does he not see that? She doesn’t get him. She gets that he and Michael are fighting, but Sonny has been Michael’s father since Michael was two years old. Sonny raised him. Sonny says he loves Michael, and Carly says, then how he could sit there when Michael was being attacked?
Sam, Dante, and Cody go to The Savoy, and Cody says, the woman owns a company, for God’s sake. What does she care about 500 bucks? Dante suggests Cody relax, and they’ll get a drink, but Cody says, no thanks. Dante says, he’s buying, and Cody says, in that case, he’ll have a bourbon. Dante says, that’s what he thought, and Sam goes to the bar while he and Cody grab a table.
Britt says, now she gets why Nina is here and not on a plane to Tahiti. Nina says she was actually headed to Europe, but she’s not here just because of Sonny. She has family here. Not just their motley crew… Britt says, Wiley, and Nina says, Sonny helped her remember that she can’t abandon that little boy. Even though she can’t spend time with him, she has to stay here to prove to Michael and Willow that she deserves a place in that little man’s life. Britt says she hopes it works out for Nina, and Nina says she doesn’t sound very optimistic. Britt says she just thinks if she has unrealistic expectations, Nina is going to set herself up. Nina says, for what? and Britt says, at best, to get hurt, at worst, to do something that reinforces Michael and Willow’s decision to keep Wiley away from her. Nina says, thank you for the encouragement, and Britt says she wants Nina to have Wiley in her life, but realistically, Nina was the one who chose to go to court, she lost, and now she has to give Michael and Willow time and distance to come around. On the bright side, she still has James. Nina says, yeah, she can watch James grow up. She knows she’s suffered a great loss, but she’s also realized she still has a lot left. Britt says, including Sonny? and Nina says, she doesn’t think she has Sonny. Britt asks what she calls it, but Nina says she doesn’t know. They just have something between them. Britt says, ya think? and sees Cody looking at her.
Cody says, great, and Dante says, what now? Cody says, that Britt woman is here. She acts like he ruined her life when it’s obvious her life is already a disaster. Dante says, she’s not lacking in the complication department, but they were talking about Cody. Cody says, can they not? and Dante asks, what’s going on with him? Why is he hard up for cash? Is he in trouble?
Finn says, he and Cameron talked about this. Jake and Aiden needed a break, and it seems like they’re having fun. Cameron says, it’s not that. Yes, it’s hard being away from his mom right now, but the reason he wishes he was home is that the school made their decision in Trina’s Title IX case. They ruled against her. Finn asks what that means, and Cameron says he doesn’t know, but it is not good. Finn asks if he wants to talk about it, but Cameron says, not unless Finn can tell him what’s about to happen with his friend.
Josslyn says, they still think the phone is their best bet, and Spinelli says, to prove Esme was the one who recorded her and Cam. Trina says, Scotty asked him to examine it right, as an expert for the defense? and Spinelli says, he did, and the PCPD examined it as well. Josslyn says, the PCPD’s got nothing on The Jackal, and Trina says, The Jackal? He says, one of his many pseudonyms, and Josslyn asks if he thinks he can work his magic, and find something the police missed. He says, as honored as he is by their faith in him, he’s looked at it from every angle, and there’s nothing to connect the phone to the evil doer, or anyone else for that matter. It only exists to Trina as its possessor. Trina asks if he can’t find out where the phone was purchased, and Josslyn says, or when. Trina says, maybe someone remembers Esme from the store, and Josslyn says, she’s hard to forget. He says, alas, the phone has very little data on it. It was only used twice; once on the night in question, and once to send the email blast. Neither of which offer much information. Trina says, what about the serial number? That’s unique to the phone, right? He says, it is, but according to the serial number, this phone doesn’t even exist.
While helping her with the tent, Austin asks if Maxie did a lot of camping as a kid. She says, not a lot a lot, but enough. One time, Mac, her, and Georgie… He says, her sister Georgie? The original Georgie? Maxie says, yeah, she was an original, and he says, the OGG. She says, anyway, the trip was a disaster. It rained the entire time, and their tent had seen better days. Water was leaking in on the sides, and Georgie of course (🍷) insisted she sleep in the middle. He says, that’s love, and she says, or Georgie would rather get soaked than listen to her complain. She thinks Georgie was right. Austin says, he thinks you have to work at NASA to figure out these instructions, and Maxie puts up the tent in two seconds, saying, voila. Stick with her, and he’ll be fine. He says he’s starting to see that.
Carly says, Scotty said Michael was violent against women in open court, and Sonny just sat there, and Sonny says, they were in court. Did she want him to get up, grab Scotty, and throw him against the wall? She says, it’s what happened after. There was a recess, and he didn’t even check on Michael; he went to Nina. She watched him touch Nina’s face. He says, come on, but she says, his son weathered a vicious attack, and he consoled the woman who initiated it. She doesn’t know him anymore. The man she loved, that she fought for, that she married five times would have never done that. He’s gone. The man who came back from Nixon Falls is a stranger.
Trina tells Spinelli that she’s confused. So there’s no phone? He says, the phone exists physically, as she well knows. It’s just, according to the serial number, it never made it to the store. Josslyn says, so it was stolen, and he says, or lost in transit, but she says, let’s go with stolen. Trina says, they should have known Esme was too smart to leave a paper trail, and Spinelli says he’s sorry he couldn’t offer more help. Trina says she appreciates him trying, and Josslyn says, this is insane. They were there that night. There needs to be something they’re forgetting. Something Esme did that can now be seen as suspicious. Trina says she’s not giving up on the phone angle yet, and asks Spinelli, where would you go to buy a hot phone? He says, The Highsider, and Josslyn asks, what’s that? He says, it’s a bar… somewhere that two underage amateur sleuths should not be. So feel free to share their theories with Scotty, but please do nothing else. Understood?
Gregory says, Cameron is doing a great job, covering for the kids’ sake, but something is obviously up, and Finn says, he got some bad news about a friend. He asked if Cameron wanted to talk, but he wasn’t interested. Gregory says, Cameron strikes him as an open, personable guy; not the sullen teen type. Finn says, he’s not. If Elizabeth was here, he’d talk to her. Gregory says, Elizabeth’s not here, and Finn says, of that, he’s acutely aware. Gregory says, he means, Finn is the only option; try again. If at first you don’t succeed… Finn says he might have a better idea.
Cody tells Dante, there’s no trouble. It’s just how he lives his life; gig to gig, paycheck to paycheck. Sometimes, there’s a fair amount of time between each one. Dante asks why he doesn’t just get a steady job, and Cody says, the demand for a full-time skydiver isn’t as robust as one might think. He’s gotta go where the money is. Dante says, if Cody needs 500 bucks, he’ll loan him 500 bucks. Cody says, Dante can buy him a drink, and let him sleep on his couch. Dante can even bail him out of jail in a pinch. But Dante’s not going to pay his way. He doesn’t want to owe Dante like that. Never did; never will.
Maxie asks what gear Austin brought, and he says, he brought this, indicating his bag, and a bedroll. She says, he doesn’t even have a tent? but he says, the forecast was for clear weather, and he likes to sleep under the stars. She says, okay. What does he have in there anyway? Please tell her that he brought toothpaste. He says, all of the essential items, and he brought a change of clothes, and this. He hands her a small book, and she says, it’s a guidebook for the state park. She thought he knew every inch of these woods. He says, he does; it’s his dad’s. It has all his notes and his comments on every trail and every campsite. He knew every inch of this place. Maxie says, amazing, handing it back to him, and he says, when he’s here, it’s like his dad is with him. She says, it’s great he has a special reminder of Jimmy Lee, and he says, his father loved this place, and tried to teach him the same appreciation. She says, like father, like son, and he says, pretty much. She says she’s glad she’s here, and he says, to pitch in, in a pinch, for the win. She laughs, and he holds out his hand. She takes it, and he says he’s glad she’s here.
Carly says, that gesture of support Sonny showed Nina stripped away any illusion. He had a family that adored him, and he threw it away. He says, she gave up on them, but she says she didn’t. She walked away after she found him in bed with Nina. He says, he begged her for weeks, and she pushed him away; she said she wanted to move out. But let’s be honest, she was punishing him. The night she didn’t show up, he was a wreck. He slept with Nina – absolutely wrong – and he’s so, so sorry he hurt her, but she wanted a divorce. She wanted them to end, and she gave up on them. She says she never gave up. She asked for time and he wouldn’t give it to her. He was lying to her for months. He says, and she doesn’t know anything about lying?
Maxie paws through her stuff, and says, this is a disaster. Wyatt asks if he can be of assistance, and hands a small bag to her. She says, he’s an angel. Where did he find it? He says, near her car. He was only following PC Pioneer guidelines. When breaking camp, always recheck the area. She asks if that always includes parked cars, and he says, they moved her gear. He thought it was a little like breaking camp, and he should check to be safe. She says she’s glad he did. This is her toiletry bag; it has her toothbrush. He says, it’s important to maintain dental hygiene while camping, and she says, it says so on page 15 of the PC Pioneer’s Handbook. He says, she memorized the handbook? and she says, not yet, but she and her daughter Georgie are working on it. He says, it takes a while, but it’s worth it. She says, that lesson is true for most worthwhile things in life. If he’s learned that already, he’s way ahead of the game.
Sam brings the drinks to Cody and Dante, and asks if she interrupted something. Cody says, Dante kindly offered to help him out, but he let Dante know he’ll get the money on his own. She says she doesn’t mean to pry, but is everything okay? Is Cody in trouble? Cody says, obviously, Sam and Dante are made for each other. For the last time, there’s no trouble. He has plans. Dante says, what kind of plans? and Cody says, for the future. He’s not going to live like this for the rest of his life. He’s saving up for his dream. Sam says, which is?
Britt’s phone dings a few times, but she ignores it. Nina asks if she wants to answer that, but Britt says, no. It’s just Brad. He’s checking on her. He thinks she’s clinically depressed. Nina asks if Britt shouldn’t reassure him, but Britt says she wants to make him sweat a little. He’s the one who took the video of her at the MetroCourt pool. Nina says, Brad is the reason she’s a meme? and Britt says, a GIF. Nina says, yeah, let’s make him suffer, and they clink glasses.
Dante says, a working ranch of his own, that’s cool, and Cody says he’ll raise cattle, break horses; livin’ the dream. That’s why he’s trying to save every penny he can. Dante says, which is why he’s going to take a 4 hour bus ride to Watkin’s Glen instead of renting a car? Cody says, bingo, and Sam says, buying a ranch is quite a goal. Cody says he’ll make it happen, and she says she thought he couldn’t stay in the same place for too long, but he says, just needs to be the right place.
Gregory says he heard Cameron was worried about his friend, and Cameron asks if Finn told him. Gregory says, no specifics, and Cameron says, it’s not really a secret. One of his best friends is involved in a PCU Title IX investigation. They found her guilty. Gregory says, they found her responsible, and Cameron says, to be honest, the whole process is confusing. Gregory says, as a college professor, he’s pretty familiar with the Title IX guidelines. He can answer questions if Cameron wants. Cameron says, that would be great, and thanks him.
Spinelli says he has to depart; duty calls. Trina thanks him for meeting them, and Josslyn says, he’s the best. He says, now he’s also nervous that he’s said too much, and Trina says, they’ll tell Scotty their theory. He says, and not take matters into their own hands? and Josslyn says, they won’t do anything stupid. He says, Josslyn… She says, they won’t, and he says he’s trusting them to use their common sense here. Josslyn says she’s her mother’s daughter, and he says, that’s precisely what he’s worried about. He leaves, and Trina puts The Highsider in her phone. She says, 483 Water Street, and Josslyn asks what they’re waiting for.
Sonny tells Carly, let’s not forget when he came home, his wife was married to his best friend. She says, they thought he was dead, and he says, that’s one way to mourn. She says, it’s not like she and Jason fell into each other’s arms the next day. It took a year for those feelings to develop, and why is that? He says, let’s not bring Nina into this, but she says, that’s impossible when all roads lead to her every single time. She and Jason would have never gone there if they thought there was a chance he was still alive. He says he would have never been with Nina if he hadn’t lost his memory, and she says, why is that? His refusal to hold Nina accountable is astounding. He says, what Nina did was wrong. He hates the pain she caused Carly and the kids, but he was furious with her. Carly says, for maybe five minutes, and he says, the feelings he had for Nina in Nixon Falls happened when he didn’t know who he was. He came home and still had those feelings. He didn’t want to have those feelings, but he couldn’t shake them. The lie Nina told was wrong, but the connection they had was real. She says, and he chose that connection over his family, but he says he didn’t; she and Michael did when they shut him out. Michael’s trying to tear him down. Michael wants him forgotten; those were his words, and she’s cheerleading for him. She says, Michael’s a grown man. So if he wants to cut Sonny out of his life, that’s his decision. Just like it was her decision as an adult to file for divorce, but Donna’s a little girl. And as her mother, it’s on Carly to look out for her. He says, she’s not keeping Donna from him, is she?
Cody sees Britt at the bar, and says, last chance. She says, for what? and he says, to buy him a drink. She says, tempting… She’ll pass. Does this mean he’s leaving town? He says, tonight, and she says, it’s still a no. He says, she doesn’t give an inch. It makes it that much more unbelievable she’s letting Society Set-Ups off the hook. He thought she’d stand up for herself. He guesses he was wrong. She says, that was one weak attempt at reverse psychology, but he says he thought it was pretty good. She says, she grew up surrounded by master manipulators, and he says, sounds interesting. Her drink comes, and she says, it wasn’t. Good luck. She starts to leave, and he says he just hates to see someone leave the game with money on the table. She says, something he would obviously never do, and he says he’s not that dumb. She tells him that if he has a problem with Society Set-Ups, handle it himself, and walks away.
Wyatt says hi to Finn, who asks, what’s going on? Wyatt says he’s a junior counselor for the PC Pioneers now, and Finn says, moving up in the world. How’s school? Wyatt says, it’s great. He’s decided he wants to study music. Finn says, he plays the cello, right? and Wyatt says, sometimes, but he’s really into the guitar. He’s leading the singalong at the campfire tonight. Finn should come. Finn says, singing, huh?
Gregory tells Cameron that he knows it’s a lot of information, but Cameron says he thinks he understands it a bit better now. He thanks Gregory, but Gregory says, thank Finn. He’s the one who suggested they talk.
Finn says, singing, huh? and Wyatt says, it’s going to be great. He walks off, and Finn looks at Cameron.
Nina suggests she and Britt go to the PC Grill for dinner, but Britt asks for a raincheck. All she wants is her sweet, sweet bed right now. She feels like she could sleep for a week. Nina says, maybe Brad’s not totally off base. Britt sounds a little down. Britt says she just needs to recover from last night… and this morning.
Cody tells Sam and Dante that he should get going. It was good to see Dante. Congratulations on the job, and the girl. Cody is really happy for him. Dante says, thanks, but he thought Cody’s bus didn’t leave for an hour. Cody says he has one loose end he needs to tie up before he leaves town, and tells Sam that it was good to meet her. She says, him too, and he and Dante shake hands. Dante says, see him around, and Cody leaves. Sam says, Dante has a really interesting friend there, and he says, she has no idea.
Austin says he thought Maxie was coming over to the Pioneer’s campground, and she says she was looking for something. He says, among her many bags? and she says, her many useful bags, with her many, many necessary items. Anyway, she found what she was looking for, and she’s ready for what’s next. Violet, Aiden, and Jake come by, and Violet says, goody! She’s not the only girl. She runs to Maxie, who says, I’ve got your back, sister. Violet says, boys are okay, but some things they just don’t understand, and Maxie says, totally. Violet is so wise. Austin suggests Aiden and Jake help Wyatt get firewood, and Aiden says, they’re on it. Violet says, let’s get this party started, and they follow.
Carly says she would never keep Donna from Sonny. For Donna’s sake, not his. He says, this is how she sees him now, and she says, yeah. He says he guesses they’ve just got nothing else to say, and she says, Donna is their only connection. He’ll live his life, and she’ll live hers. He says, all right, and leaves.
Zelda gets up, leaving the pool area, and Cody follows.
Britt asks if Dante’s little friend is gone, and he says, Cody is on his way out of town. Britt says, hallelujah. How did Mr. Law and Order end up being friends with a second-rate con artist anyway? She leaves, and Sam says she was actually wondering same thing.
Zelda knocks on a hotel room door as Cody watches from around the corner. The door opens, and he ducks back, but Zelda goes inside. Spinelli wheels a room service tray out, takes a bite of something, and dashes back in.
Carly’s phone rings, and Josslyn says she wanted to let Carly know that she and Trina are going out dancing with some friends tonight. Carly says, oh fun. She’ll be there… She’s just kidding, but it does sound like fun. (That sounds like something my father would do to me.) Josslyn says she hopes so. She might be out late, and didn’t want Carly to worry. Carly says she loves her considerate daughter. Have fun and no drinking. Josslyn says she promises. Love you. Carly says, love you, and Josslyn asks Trina, ready? Trina says, let’s do this, and they go into the bar.
Sonny comes into The Savoy, and Britt tells Nina, goodnight. He says he took a chance that Nina might be here, and she says, he was looking for her? He asks what she’s doing tonight, and she says she was just headed home. He asks if there’s any way she’ll reconsider, and stay with him tonight.
Wyatt shows Violet a rock, and says, check this out; isn’t it cool? She asks where he found it, and he says, by the lake. She wonders if there’s more like it, and he says, they can check in the morning. Finn asks Gregory, what’s the verdict? Did he overstep, asking Gregory to talk to Cam? Gregory says, not at all. He thinks Cameron appreciated the gesture. Finn says, the kid’s got a weight on his shoulder, but Gregory says he thinks Cameron is strong enough to handle it. If he isn’t, he has Finn to help him. Finn says he doesn’t think Cam wants his help, but Gregory says, give him time. He bets Cam comes around.
Maxie runs up to Austin, and says she found sticks for roasting marshmallows. She shows him, and he laughs, saying, he doesn’t think her sticks are s’more sufficient. She asks if he’s saying her sticks are deficient, and he says he’s heard size doesn’t matter, but they do need to be sturdy enough – that’s right, he’s saying it – to stick them in the marshmallow. She says, okay. She didn’t know she’d taken up with the s’mores police. He says, stick with him, and she’ll be fine, and she says she’s starting to see that. They laugh, and we see that someone is watching.
Tomorrow, Selena tells Curtis, their businesses are dependent on one another; Cody says he thinks he and Spinelli can help each other; Trina asks if the bartender remembers Esme; and Sonny asks, what if he makes it worth someone’s while?
🏕 Coming Up In the World…
I honestly didn’t recognize him. Five minutes from now, he’ll be in college.
Click in tomorrow for some soap and what’s going on in Beverly Hills. Until then, stay safe, stay ready to stand up for what you believe, and stay knowing most worthwhile things in life take a while, but it’s worth it.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Britt fumbles around under the parachute, and pops up, saying, what the hell was that? The parachutist pops up from the other side, and says, now that was interesting. Hello, Port Charles! Britt asks for someone to help her out of the pool.
Michael asks Carly, what is it? As long as it isn’t bad news. She looks at the envelope, and flashes back to opening it, and reading, Patient A has a 99.9999999999999 chance of being related to Patient B. Carly says, if this is true, Nina is Willow’s mother. Michael asks if she’s okay, and she lets out an audible breath.
Sonny comes into Charlie’s, and Phyllis says, that look on his face better not be disappointment. He says he’s always happy to see her, and she asks if he’d be happier if Nina was here. He asks if she came by, and Phyllis says, not today. He says, he called and texted, but she didn’t get back to him, and Phyllis asks if he’s worried about the hearing. He says, she didn’t let him know if the judge ruled, and Phyllis says, maybe it’s still going on. He could head over there and offer his support. He says he already did that, and he just made it worse.
Carly tells Michael, she’s fine. She’s just trying to decompress from the day. Willow says, tell her about it, when Drew joins them, and asks how it went. Michael says, they won, and Willow says, Nina has no one to blame but herself. Drew tells them, congratulations, and Willow takes Michael’s hand, saying, it really does feel like a victory, doesn’t it? After everything Nina put them through, and all that crap she said on the stand, it’s over. Nina can never lay claim to their family again.
At the park, Josslyn says she can’t believe Wiley beat her again. Maybe they should just play a different game. Wiley says, like what? and she says, like volleyball, but he says, no way; she’s too good. She says, finally, a little respect. Her phone dings, and she wonders who it could be. Wiley says, Cameron? and she says, he guessed it. Wiley says, Cameron texts her a lot. She reads: Don’t worry about Spencer. Will set him straight about Esme.
As they head for the room where Esme and Nikolas are, Spencer picks something up from the floor, and tells Ava, this is Esme’s jacket. He calls to Esme, and inside, she and Nikolas break apart. Nikolas says, Spencer. Spencer looks at Ava, who shrugs, and he tries the door, but it’s locked. He says, that’s funny. This door’s been locked. Who would have done that?
Brad continues to film, as Britt hoists herself out of the pool, and says, don’t worry about me. She struggles to stand up, using a table as leverage, and Maxie asks if she’s okay. Britt says, does she look like she’s okay? She tells Dante, feel free to arrest that guy at any time, but Spinelli thinks invoking the law is a little extreme. Britt says, he could have killed her, and Maxie says, don’t be dramatic. Britt says, excuse me? and Maxie says, he was obviously part of the entertainment, and did a really cool stunt. Brad says, he, for one, is thoroughly entertained, and Britt tells Dante, arrest him. Dante says, first things first, and asks the guy to get out of the pool. The guy says he’s a little tied up, and fiddles with his harness, and Dante tells him, get untied up. Come on, get out of the pool. He’ll give the guy five seconds. Britt says she’ll count. 1… 2… 3… 4… 5! Dante says, come on, and the guy frees himself, saying, all right. It’s official. He’s completely free. Britt says, not for long, and Dante says, Cody? The guy says, Dante? and Dante says he doesn’t believe this. Britt makes a face.
Carly says, if there’s one thing they’ve learned, it’s that Nina isn’t going to disappear quietly into the sunset, and Michael says, she took her best shot and lost. Can they please stop talking about Nina, and go home and celebrate with Wiley? Carly says, if only it were that simple, and Willow asks why it isn’t. Drew wonders if he can steal Michael for a minute, and they step into the hallway. Michael asks if it’s about the hearing, and Drew says, yes… and no. It’s mostly about ELQ.
Phyllis says, that hearing sounds like a nightmare, and Sonny says, it was. She says, maybe it’s naïve of her, but things were simpler back in Nixon Falls, weren’t they? If you had a problem with a neighbor, you worked it out over the fence. He says, or over a nice cold beer in town, and she says, and families duked it out at Thanksgiving not in court. He says, and lawyers get their fees, and everyone walks away like they lost, even if they won. She says, it must have been excruciating, standing up for Nina, knowing what it would do to his relationship with his son. Be honest though. If he could go back, and do it all over again, would he make a different choice?
Spencer jiggles the doorknob, and calls, Esme. Are you in there? He says he guesses not, throws the jacket on a chair, and leaves. Ava is about to knock, when Nikolas opens the door. Ava asks, what exactly was he doing in there?
Esme runs out onto the parapet in her underwear.
Brad hands a shirtless Cody a towel, and Britt says, really? Brad says, what? He looks cold. Cody says he’s sorry about getting Britt all wet, but in his defense, he was told the pool was going to be cleared. She says, well, it wasn’t, and he says he sees that now. Dante asks what Cody is doing here; working as a skydiver? Cody says, yeah, and Brad says, Jack of all trades. Cody says, exactly. Where did Dante Falconari end up, besides Port Charles? Britt says their little catch-up is cute, but can Dante arrest him now? Cody says, get out of town. Dante is a cop? and Dante says, guilty as charged. Cody says, him, an officer of the law? and Britt says she swears, if Dante doesn’t do something… Cody says, that is hilarious, and Dante puts handcuffs on him, and says, how about now? Is it funny now, or not so much?
Carly asks how Willow is feeling, and Willow says, mainly relieved. She can’t wait to move forward, and get on with their lives. Carly says, it got pretty intense with Nina. She’s never seen Willow that angry. Willow doesn’t think she’s ever been that angry. For them to go through what they did, and have Nina come begging, after the fact. After having her lawyer say in open court that Michael is violent toward women;that Nelle, a psychotic murderer was cowering in the shadows with her baby because she was scared of him? Why would she let Nina near her child after she did that to Wiley’s father?
Drew says, he’s not going to tell Michael what to do when it comes to his dad, or anything for that matter. If Michael wants to take Sonny down, that’s his call, but he can’t have Michael distracted. This is a high risk business venture, and they need to be present and focused. If whatever’s going on with Michael’s dad gets in the way, he’s going to have a problem with that. Michael says he hears Drew, but wants Drew to know where he’s coming from, and Drew says, fair enough. Michael says, Nina lied to his family for six months. She carried on a romance with Sonny in Nixon Falls for six months, while they grieved a man they thought was dead. She also came to visit Wiley under false pretenses, and took advantage of their generosity in giving her a second chance. That’s why they fought this petition; Nina is a bad influence. She’s not a person they want in Wiley’s life, and as Wiley’s parents, it’s their choice to make. Drew says he couldn’t agree more, and Michael says, Sonny disagrees. Today, he got on the stand and testified on Nina’s behalf. Drew says, it doesn’t surprise him that Michael is furious, but he had this campaign against his dad way before this hearing. Michael admits Drew is right.
Sonny tells Phyllis, would he change anything? He kept asking himself that as he walked out of the courtroom. She says, and? and he says, no, he wouldn’t. He knows that probably makes him a traitor, especially in Michaels eyes, but he sees it as being true to what he believes. She asks if he said that in his testimony, and he tells her, he said he thought Wiley deserves more love, not less, and people should put him first. And even if you make mistakes, you should learn by them, and lead by example; no one’s perfect. She says, amen to that, and he says, that includes him, but he’s not going to apologize for who he is. He’s not going to sit back and let a loving grandmother be cut out of her grandson’s life. It’s wrong. She says, wow. Nina means that much to him? and he says, Wiley means that much to him. He just hopes Wiley grows up, and he doesn’t want Wiley to just be Michael’s son or his grandson. He wants Wiley to be his own man.
Josslyn says, Wiley is so lucky he doesn’t have a girlfriend who drives him crazy, and he says he has a girlfriend. She says, who? and he says, her. She asks if she drives him crazy, and he says, not today. She says, good to know. You know what else she knows? He’s going to be real heartbreaker when he grows up. He asks, what’s a heartbreaker? and she says she has an idea. Does he want to take a little trip? He asks, where? and she says, you’ll see.
Spencer looks at Esme’s suitcase, when the doorbell rings. It’s Cameron, who says, what the hell? Spencer says he didn’t have to come all the way out here, but Cameron says, from the sound of Spencer’s text, he did. What happened with Esme? Spencer says, things were going great, he swears. He cut a deal with Ava to get him and Esme out of the house, and in exchange, he was going to have access to his trust fund. Plus, it would have the added benefit of giving him and Esme time together. It was a win-win-win. Cameron says, it’s perfect. Where did it go wrong? Spencer says, Esme started tearing into Trina. He couldn’t help it; he lost his cool, and he took off. Cameron asks, where? and Spencer says, he went for a ride to clear his mind. He realized he’d messed up, and came back to try and talk things out, but Esme was gone. Cameron says, Esme’s left the island? but Spencer says he doesn’t know. Her suitcase is here, but he can’t find her. It’s like she vanished.
On the parapet, Esme gets her clothes on, while inside, Nikolas asks if Spencer is with Ava. He thought he heard Spencer’s voice. She says, he did. Spencer’s looking for Esme; has he seen her? Nikolas says he hasn’t, and she says, he seems nervous. He says he’s just getting his bearings. He was reading, and fell asleep. She says, with the door locked? and he says, was it locked? The wind must have blown it shut, locking it by accident. She says, it must have been some nap. His hair’s all mussed up, and he missed a button. He suggests they go downstairs, but she thinks they should stay here; it’s quiet and private. Perfect for what she has to say. He says he thinks she made her feelings perfectly clear when she threatened to walk out, and she says, about that. They hear something outside on the parapet, and Ava says, what was that? Outside, Esme curses herself for dropping her shoe.
Dante says, Cody could have hurt someone, and Britt says, yeah, here. Cody says, it was a paid gig. If there’s an issue, take it up with the people who hired him. An officer asks if Dante needs a hand, but Dante says, no, and thanks him for the cuffs. Brook says she knows Chase wants to get in there. it’s just a few more weeks. He asks if they can sit and talk, and they go to a table. Britt says she’s curious about Cody’s job description. Did it say party crasher? Cody says he was supposed to land in the pool; make a big splash… literally. But then… What is her name? Brad says, her name’s Britt, and Britt kicks at him. Cody says, then Britt was smack in the middle of his landing zone. Spinelli says, it is a brilliant marketing strategy; a singles event with eligible men literally raining from the sky. Not that he took any pleasure in how it transpired. The main thing is Britt’s okay, yes? She says, she’s fine, and Cody says, see? She says, but she could have downed, so off to jail he goes. Cody says, Dante’s not doing this, is he? and Britt looks at Dante.
Willow tells Carly, Nina is certifiable. In one breath, it’s, take pity on me; you’re wonderful parents. And in the other, it’s, just kidding; Michael is a woman and child abuser. Carly says, she’s a piece of work, and Willow says she’s just done. Nina better not show up, or try to contact them. The judge made her decision; it’s over. Carly says she couldn’t agree more, and puts the envelope in her bag. She says, all that matters now is giving Wiley the best childhood possible, and Willow says, that is 100% the plan. I can’t wait for this to backfire.
Michael tells Drew, he knew Sonny was different after he returned from Nixon Falls, but when he realized he didn’t know who Sonny was, was at Nina’s trial, when Sonny defended her. A few weeks later, Sonny slept with Nina, and a few weeks after that, Sonny and Carly were divorced. Drew says, Michael is furious on his mom’s behalf, but Michael says, he’s furious with himself. All the years wasted on believing in Sonny, his honor, loyalty, and love. But he sees Sonny for exactly what he is now; he’s a criminal with a long line of luck. This is where his luck ends, and Michael is going to see to it. Drew says, this is where he steps in. He knows what’s going on; Dante told him. Michael plans to use ELQ to go after Sonny. Michael says, and Drew wants no part of that, and Drew says, no, he doesn’t. He’s not just some guy Michael works with; he’s Michael’s uncle. Obviously, he wants to protect ELQ, but more than that, he wants to protect Michael. Michael says he’s good, but Drew says, hear him out. He’s never been that close with Sonny, even when he thought he was Jason, and he agrees Sonny has acted badly. He’s going to stop short of saying Sonny failed his family, because it’s a complicated and tricky situation. Michael says, that is exactly what he did, but Drew says, a lot of people close to Michael don’t feel the same way. So the harder he pushes Sonny, the harder it’s going to be for Dante, for Kristina, and especially for Avery and Donna. They’re too young to be able to grapple with all this. Michael says, loving his siblings, and propping Sonny up are two different things, but Drew says he’s not asking Michael to prop Sonny up. Michael says, it’s what they do every time they pretend Sonny is a legit coffee importer. Michael’s not a gangster. He’s not going to go in guns blazing. He’s a businessman. He’s going to outmaneuver Sonny, and he’s going to do it without ELQ. Drew asks if Michael is sure about that, and Michael says he’s not going to let his issues with his father get in the way of his business with Drew. Drew says, he’s going to keep them separate, right? Because their company, and the people who depend on them, can’t be used to punish Sonny. Michael says, understood.
Phyllis says she doesn’t need a transcript to know Sonny’s heart’s in the right place. She saw it in Nixon Falls. The way he stood up to Elijah when he saw Elijah was trying to take advantage of them. How he treated them like family… when Lenny got sick. He says, they are family, and she says, hell, he almost died when he pulled her and Nina out of that fire. He says, make sure she tells Wiley that one day, but she says she has the feeling he’ll get the chance to tell Wiley himself. The Pub phone rings, and Phyllis answers. It’s Scotty, and Phyllis says, no, she hasn’t come in…I see… Of course (🍷) I will. She says goodbye, and tells Sonny, Nina lost.
Cameron says he can’t believe Spencer let Esme get inside his head – again. Spencer says he doesn’t need a lecture. Not today. It was bad enough seeing Trina with Officer What’s-His-Face at the gallery. Cameron says, she was with Rory? and Spencer says, there was nothing going on, but he didn’t love it. Then to have Esme rip into her… Cameron says, Trina doesn’t need Spencer defending her honor; she can take care of herself. Spencer says he understands, but Cameron says, clearly he doesn’t. His brothers are upset enough that their mother is away, and Joss goes into combat mode every time he suggests Spencer’s not evil incarnate. Spencer says, he knows it’s rough, but Cameron says he doesn’t need Spencer’s sympathy. What he needs Spencer to do is expose his girlfriend already.
Nikolas rebuttons his shirt, and Ava heads to the door to look outside. Nikolas says, it must have been the bats. This is the time of the afternoon they come out. Because everyone knows bats come out in the daytime. Really? He says, they should be grateful the bats eat all of the insects, and Ava says she’ll be sure to send a thank you note. She steps away from the door, saying, bats, vermin with wings. Esme listens from outside, and Nikolas asks if Ava will join him downstairs. She says, in a minute. She needs to apologize. She’s sorry she threatened to walk out on him. She didn’t mean it. She’s so sorry. She shouldn’t have done that.
Spinelli asks Sam if she can’t persuade her beau there’s no need for such drastic measures, and Britt says, what? Brad says, he agrees; let muscles off with a warning. Cody says, or a good spanking, and Dante says, the law’s the law. He’ll do Cody a favor and not arrest him in front of an audience. Let’s go. Sam runs up, and says she’s coming with Dante. Cody asks if she’s Dante’s girlfriend, and Dante introduces them. Cody says, the pleasure’s all his, and Dante says, let’s get out of here. Dante leads Cody away, and Britt calls, enjoy lock up!
Brook says, so much for finding true love, huh? and Chase says, happily ever after is hard to come by. Brook wonders if it’s not better to quit while you’re ahead; save yourself the agony. Chase says, it’s definitely a smart play. Fortunately, Finn was the smart one in the family.
Going back in the courtroom with Michael, Drew asks if everything is okay, and Willow says, everything’s great. Carly says, everything turned out the way it was meant to for everyone involved, and Michael asks if Willow is ready to go home. She says, so ready, when Wiley runs in. Michael picks him up, and Willow asks what he’s doing here. Josslyn says she figured they’d want to see him. She hopes it’s okay. Willow says, it’s more than okay, and thanks her. Michael says, Wiley is a sight for sore eyes, and Wiley asks why his eyes are sore.
Sonny leaves Nina a voicemail, saying, he heard the news; he’s sorry. Call him back when she can, or text him, and he’ll be right there. He tells Phyllis to do him a favor. If Nina comes in, let him know. She asks where he’s going, and he says he’s going to find Nina. She says, they’re both worried, but possibly, Nina may not want to be found. Maybe the point is for her to be alone right now, to process, to grieve, to scream. He says, the last time she was like this, she went to Nixon Falls, and Phyllis asks if that doesn’t prove her point. He says he needs to be with her, and she says, he doesn’t even know where to start. He says, that’s where she’s wrong, and he leaves.
Nikolas flashes back to him and… please don’t make me look at this again. Ava asks if he isn’t going say something, and he says he thought it was over; that she was giving up on them. She says, no. She guesses she was thinking about it, but she went to the firing range to blow off some steam and ran into his mother. Laura told her that he’d asked her to write a letter of recommendation to the Adams Day School for Avery. He says, he knew his mother would be happy to help. Turns out she knows the headmistress. Ava tells him, that’s what she said. The letter is already sent, and she has a call in to the Director of Admissions, and that’s great. She’d really like Avery to go to Adams, but hearing what he did, without making a big fuss or wanting any credit, was a wake-up call for her. She was reminded how thoughtful and generous he can be. After her anger cooled down, she was able to hear his mother’s sage advice. He asks if she’s sure it wasn’t a lecture, and she says, maybe a little of both, but it got her thinking. Not that they don’t have real issues to work through – they do – but she’s never been a quitter, and doesn’t intend to start being one now. Does he?
Brook says, so Chase isn’t a world famous physician like his brother, but he’s smart in other ways. He asks, how so? and she says, like knowing when to step in and save her from blowing it with Valentin. He sacrificed so much to protect Bailey from Peter. He says, that’s not necessarily smart, and she says, heroic then. Maybe she was wrong. He says, about? and she says, the whole quitting while you’re ahead thing. Maybe it’s the exact opposite. You need to jump in more, think less. He says he can do that. In fact, he’s going to make the leap right now. He’ll do everything he can to help her get her music back.
Spinelli gives Britt some coffee, assuring her, it’s the best way through. He has a prediction. One day they’ll look back on the events of today, and see only fond memories. Brad says, he will, but Britt tells him, don’t get any ideas. He’s all mine.
At Charlie’s, Cody says, he thought for a second, Dante was actually going to haul him in, and Dante says, for a second, he was. They bring beers over to the table where Sam is sitting, and Dante says, a tip if he may? The next time Cody decides to jump out of an airplane for money, make sure he doesn’t jump in a pool, public or private. Cody says, noted, and Sam says, Cody is lucky Dante had an extra change of clothes in his car. (Like they’re the same size. Hint: they’re not.) Cody says, gracias, compadre, and Dante says, Cody’s welcome, but he wants them back. Cody says, that Britt woman, she’s something else, and Sam says, that’s one way to put it. Dante says, Cody should thank them. They saved him from Britt’s wrath. Cody says he’ll pay them back by letting them buy him dinner. After all this commotion, he’s starving. Phyllis comes over, and Dante introduces Cody. He asks Phyllis if everything is okay.
Sonny runs into the cemetery, calling for Nina. He goes over to Nelle’s grave, and bends down.
Michael asks if Wiley had fun with Aunt Josslyn, and Wiley says, they played a game, and he won. Josslyn demands a rematch, and Willow thanks Josslyn for taking care of Wiley while they were… Josslyn says, indisposed. Of course (🍷). Anytime. Is everything good? Wiley asks what Michael and Willow are doing here, and Carly says, Wiley wasn’t the only one playing a game. His mommy and daddy won too. Josslyn says, they did? and hugs Michael. She says, thank God, and hugs Willow. She’s so happy that the game worked out the way they’d hoped. Michael says, so are they.
Spencer says, Cameron is right. He can’t keep ping-ponging from Esme to Trina if he’s going to make this work. He needs to show Esme that he’s all in. It just drove him crazy seeing Trina at the gallery with that cop. Cameron tells Spencer, he’s going to say something and he needs Spencer to hear him. He’s going back to take care of Jake and Aiden. He will not lose Joss because Spencer can’t keep his head in the game. Do whatever it takes at this point; Cameron doesn’t care. Confess to Trina, suck it up to Esme, just make it happen tonight. Or he will.
Nikolas asks, what brought on Ava’s change of heart? and she says she just told him. He says, right; his mother and a letter of recommendation. She says, and herself, and he asks why she didn’t tell him before. She says, before what? He recovers nicely, and says, before they came so close to losing what they have. She says she’s telling him now. That’s got to count for something. He says, it counts for everything. Yes, they still have issues, and of course (🍷) they need to discuss them, but not here. Come with him. She won’t regret it. He holds out his hand, and she takes it. They leave, and Esme walks in from the parapet. She says, how wrong you are, Nikolas. Ava will regret it, and so will you.
Brad says, Britt has the hots for parachute guy? Not that he blames her, but those weren’t the vibes he was getting. She says she’s interested, but only to the extent that he helped her prove her point. What’s better evidence that true love is a lie than a cynical attempt to sell it with stunts? Spinelli says, there was nothing cynical about it, and Brad says, what’s wrong with a little romance? Bonus if it’s wrapped in a package as drool worthy as Candy’s. Spinelli says, Cody, and Brad says, whatever. His name could be Elmer for all Brad cares. Britt says she’s going to sue him for assaulting her, and Spinelli says he thinks assault is a bit of a stretch. She says, she’s going to sue him, even if she has to sue him for every stitch of clothing he’s not wearing.
Sam and Dante come back to the table, and Cody asks if everything is copacetic. Dante says, yeah; it’s just family stuff. Cody says, let him know if he can help, and Sam says, who is he? He says, Cody Bell. We met at the pool? She says, she knows, but until an hour ago, she didn’t even know he existed, now he and Dante seem to be picking up where they left off. Dante says, you know how it is when you’re friends from childhood. They literally grew up together. Cody says, and got into trouble together, and Dante says, that too.
Chase says, maybe he does think too much, and Brook says, he does. He says, maybe he should start seizing the moment, and she says, there’s no time like the present. They almost kiss, when Chase’s phone dings. He says, it’s his brother. He’s having a tough time with everything that’s going on with Elizabeth. She says, Chase should go be with him, and he says, really? She says, really, and he says, okay, thanks. And tomorrow, it will all about her and him, and getting the goods on Linc. And once they do, they can use it to get her music back. She says, she’ll see him tomorrow; she can’t wait. He says, him either, and heads for the door. Brook goes over to Britt’s table, and says, that was quite a splashdown. Brad says, Cody can splash into his bath anytime, but Spinelli says, technically, a tub is indoors, and you can’t splash down into it. Brook and Chase steal a glance at each other.
Carly asks Wiley for a hug, and says she loves him so much. Always remember that. He says he will, and Josslyn leaves with Willow, Michael, and Wiley, amid congratulations from Carly and Drew. When they’re gone, Drew says, what was that head nod? Was it because of the DNA results, or because Willow doesn’t know yet? Carly says, it was the results; she heard from the lab. He says, and? and she says, Nina’s not Willow’s mother. He says he guesses it was for the best, and Carly says, especially after the hearing; it was brutal. He says, Michael told him a little bit about it. Sonny testified for Nina. She says, that was the least of it. And the whole ordeal happened because of Nina; because of her selfishness and entitlement issues. Poor Willow is just exhausted, and she’s angry, and she wants Nina as far away from her family as possible. Drew says, it would have been awful if Nina was her mom, and Carly says, but she’s not. He wonders why Harmony said she was, and Carly says, Harmony was a troubled woman, but it doesn’t matter where Willow came from. It matters who she is today, and how much she loves Michael and Wiley, and the life they have to look forward to. I dunno. I’m not so sure Drew is buying this.
Sonny finds something on the ground, but we don’t see what it is. He looks around. I wonder if it’s Nina’s necklace.
Spencer walks into the now unlocked room, and Esme is there. He says, finally. Where has she been? She says, she’s been around, and he says he’s been looking everywhere for her. There’s something he needs to tell her. She says she has something she needs to tell him too.
Ava says, Nikolas is acting strange. What’s going on? He’s scaring her. Spit it out. He says, there’s something she needs to know.
Tomorrow, Rory can’t wait to see what else Trina introduces him to; Cameron says he has something to tell Josslyn; Sonny says, Nina may do something she’s going to regret.
📋 Exit Interview…
I’d forgotten he also writes for GH. He was co-writer of today’s episode.
Pop in tomorrow for some soap, tea of all kinds, a thoughtful collection of quotes, and a musical moment. Until then, stay safe, stay taking only your own inventory, and stay being true to what you believe.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Carly checks at reception to see if the DNA results came back yet, but it’s a no. She wonders how long it takes, when Bobbie comes along and asks what test results she’s waiting for.
Nina comes into The Savoy, and N’neka says, if she’s looking for the boss, he’s not here tonight. Nina takes a seat at the bar, and says, Curtis told her that he was going to look for his father. However, given the challenging day she has tomorrow, Nina was thinking about one of their signature martinis. N’neka says, she’s got it, and Nina says, if she could throw in a little forgetfulness on the side, that would be great. A guy walks past, and says he knows her; the mafia homewrecker. Does that make her the new mob boss lady? She tells him, keep talking. She can have the bouncer here in five seconds. Sonny comes up behind him, and says, hey buddy. You got a problem with the lady? You got a problem with the lady, you got a problem with me.
Epiphany and Portia are in the conference room, and Stella asks, is it okay if a former colleague comes by to say hello? Epiphany tells her, come on in, and Stella says, it’s good to see her. Epiphany says, likewise, and she’s glad to see Stella isn’t suffering any ill effects from her recent panic attack. Stella asks Portia if she should be going to church twice a week to thank God, and Portia says she doesn’t think it’s necessary unless Stella has a thing for the preacher. Epiphany laughs, and Portia says, as far as her panic attack, Stella seems to be back to her old self again. Stella says she’s glad to hear that. She’s sure Curtis told Portia what was going on. Portia says, he told her everything, and Stella says, really? Everything?
TJ says, granddad. How’d Marshall find them here? Marshall says, old man Purdy at the music shop. He told Marshall that he could find them here. Molly says, it’s so good to see him. She and TJ traveled all this way just to find him. Marshall says he sees, and TJ asks if Marshall is sorry they’re here. Did they come all this way for nothing?
At Kelly’s, Gregory tells Violet that she takes after her dad. When he was young, he always had his nose in some book. She says, he’s funny. Everyone knows you can’t drive with your nose. Gregory laughs, and says, she’s so much smarter than he is; the wisdom of youth. She asks, what’s youth? and he says, it’s everything she is, and everything old guys like him would like to be.
Laura lets Finn into the apartment, and he says he promises he won’t stay long. He’s meeting his dad and Violet, but wanted to make sure Elizabeth was okay. Laura says, she’s still up in her room, hopefully sleeping, and he asks if she’s said any more about… Laura says, ghosts?No, not at all. Finn says, good, and Doc walks in. He says he’d assume Elizabeth isn’t any less convinced that Franco’s spirit spoke to her, and Laura says, through that phony medium Chelsea Lamb? Doc says he shares Laura’s doubts, but to Elizabeth, Chelsea is the key to contacting Franco. Finn says he understands grief. He thinks he understands it better than most, but he’s having a hard time understanding why Elizabeth wants to believe Franco’s ghost is trying to communicate with her. Elizabeth is on the stairs, and says, maybe because she trusts the dead more than she trusts the living right now.
Carly says she’s fine, and Bobbie asks why she’s having tests run. Carly says, just as a precaution. If there was something wrong she’d tell Bobbie. She’s not going anywhere. Bobbie says, good, because after she read that article on Nina’s petition for visitation in The Invader, Wiley is going to need Carly more than ever. Carly says she read the first part of the feature this morning, and Bobbie says she thinks it’s a good thing for people to know who Nina really is and what she’s capable of. Carly says, and if it helps Michael and Willow tomorrow, and kills Nina’s attempt at visitation with Wiley, even better. Bobbie couldn’t agree more, and says, anything that keeps Nina away from Wiley is a good thing, but as Carly’s mother, she can’t help but warn her, be careful what you wish for.
Sonny tells the guy that the lady is with him. Does he have something to say to her? They guy stammers, no, Mr. Corinthos… yes. He tells Nina that he’s sorry, and jets.
Portia says she knows Stella was close to her late sister, and Irene kept nothing from her. Stella says, then she understands that she couldn’t violate Irene’s trust, even after they lost her. Portia says, Curtis understands why Stella did what she did. Why not let him worry about healing those old family wounds? Isn’t that right, Nurse Johnson? Epiphany tells her, whatever you say, and Portia says, it won’t be long before Epiphany is the one asking all the questions, and they start calling her Dr. Johnson. Stella says, Epiphany is studying to be a doctor? She had no idea. Epiphany says, she missed her chance once to be a doctor, and thought she’d give it another shot. Stella says, good for her. What good is living if we can’t dream, and dream big? Epiphany says, Stella reminds her of someone she used to know.
Marshall says it’s good to see TJ and Molly, but he has to ask, how did they know where to look? Molly says, TJ may be a doctor, but he clearly inherited his mother’s detective skills. TJ says he found a receipt from a few months ago in Marshall’s clarinet case, and figured that was as good a lead as any. So he called the shop, and spoke with Mr. Purdy, who agreed to speak with him if he bought Purdy dinner. Marshall knows the rest. Marshall says, they’re a regular Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Does Curtis know they’re here? TJ says, absolutely. They’ve had enough secrets, doesn’t he think? Molly suggests she call Curtis right now, but Marshall says, don’t do that. TJ says, whatever went down with Uncle Curtis, once they get back home, they can clear the air and talk it all out. Marshall says he’s sorry, but that’s not going to happen.
Finn says they care about Elizabeth. That’s why she sent Jake and Aiden to live here in the first place, because she trusts Laura and Doc. She asks why they’re all down here whispering, and Laura says, because they thought she was asleep and didn’t want to wake her. Elizabeth says, or it could be, if she really believes she was speaking to Franco through Chelsea, she could be losing her mind? Finn says, no one is whispering, and no one thinks she’s crazy, and Elizabeth says, so if she’s not crazy to think Chelsea could communicate with the dead, then she’s what? A credulous fool? Somehow, that’s even worse. Laura says, no one thinks Elizabeth is a fool for wanting to believe someone she loved and lost isn’t gone forever. But he isn’t really. He lives on in Elizabeth’s heart and in the heart of her sons, and in the memories of the house she shared with him. Doc says, memories make us human, and it’s only natural to want to believe in something beyond this material world. Finn says, you have to be careful of people who want you to trust the dead more than you trust the living. Elizabeth has friends; she can trust them. She has family; she can trust them. She has him, and she can trust him. There’s a noise, and they all turn to look.
Nina says, that boy must be halfway to Buffalo by now, and Sonny says, if he has any sense. Nina thanks him, but says, he doesn’t need to defend her honor; she can take care of herself. She has the battle scars to prove it. He says he knows; he’s seen them. N’neka brings one signature martini and one scotch, but Sonny says he’d like a club soda on the rocks. Nina says she’s impressed that he’s sticking to his resolve, and he’s says he’s impressed with her, coming in here with her head held high after that hatchet job in The Invader. She says, let’s not talk about that, and let’s not talk about the hearing tomorrow either. They’re realities in her life, but they don’t have to focus in on them. He asks what she wants to talk about, and she says she’s sure they can think of something.
Carly tells Bobbie that she’s listening. Why does she need to be careful what she wishes for? How can The Invader article be anything but good for Wiley? Boy, Carly can sure be stupid at times. She says, if it helps insure Nina has no part in Wiley’s life, it’s a win-win, but Bobbie says she can’t help worry that the article could have unintended consequences. Carly says, like what? and Bobbie says, Sonny can’t resist a damsel in distress. What if the article brings out the knight in shining armor in Sonny, and draws him and Nina back together again? Carly says, what if it does? and Bobbie says, come on. Don’t pretend she can’t see where this is heading. If Nina keeps finding ways to end up in Sonny’s arms, there’s no chance of Carly and Sonny getting back together. Carly says, that ship has sailed for good, but Bobbie says, this is her mother she’s talking to. That ship hasn’t even left the dock.
Sonny tells Nina that Avery danced with her dance class, and he knows he’s biased, but they were the biggest hit of the festival. Nina says, no, no bias. He said Leo recited a poem. Were all the Quartermaines there? He says, yeah, Michael and Willow were there, and she says, she knows how painful the situation with Michael is. They don’t have to talk about it. He says he wants to get it off his chest. Things were tense with Michael, but Dante was there to be the peacekeeper. She says, good for Dante. So things are okay between him and Michael? He says, after the article about her, and everything he’s learned since, he doesn’t think it’s going be okay with Michael for a long time.
Stella says she’d love to hear more about Epiphany’s plans for a future in medicine, but doesn’t want to keep her from her duties. Epiphany says, actually, she’s off the clock, and Portia says, so is she. What are they doing sitting here in this conference room? They should be out, painting the town red. Stella asks if Curtis knows Portia is stepping out on him, and Epiphany says, good for her. She needs to keep that man on his toes. Portia says, in no way is she saying they go out looking for trouble, but what’s wrong with three beautiful, smart women going out and enjoying a night on the town? Epiphany says, Portia had her at beautiful. She needs a night off from studying for these MCATs, and she can be out of these scrubs in a minute. Stella asks where they’re going, and Portia says, Curtis’s club. They’re going to drink for free tonight. They clink coffee cups.
TJ says he doesn’t understand what’s stopping Marshall from coming home with them. It’s not like there’s something keeping him here. Or is there? Molly says she thinks they could use some one-on-one time. She’s going to head to the jazz club they saw around the corner. She’ll see them both there later. Marshall gets up, and she steps aside with him. She says she doesn’t think he understands how important he is to TJ. They were supposed to go to Miami and just lie on a beach together, and TJ gave that up just to find him. Marshall nods and smiles, and Molly leaves. Marshall tells TJ, don’t ever give that one up, and TJ says, he never will, but that goes for Marshall too. TJ thinks if Marshall is honest with himself, he doesn’t want TJ to go either. Marshall says he appreciates the kind words, but too much damage has been done. So many misunderstandings, so many regrets, so many hard feelings. Everywhere he goes, he leaves a path of destruction in his wake. Apparently, he’s confused himself with Peter. He says, everybody is better off without him. and he’s better off alone. TJ says he doesn’t know how Marshall can feel that way. He’s never stuck around long enough to find out.
Violet holds out a drawing, and tells Gregory, look what she made. He takes it, and says, that’s beautiful, and she tells him, he’s holding it upside down. He says he knew that; he was just teasing. He turns it, and says, that’s even better. She looks sad, and he asks, what’s wrong? She says, it goes with the one she made for Aunt Elizabeth. It was a picture of her family; daddy, Aunt Elizabeth, Jake, Aiden, Cameron, and her. He says, and this one? and she says, that’s him and Uncle Chase. He says, of course (🍷). He can see it now. So now Elizabeth will have all of them together. She says, he’s learning.
At Laura’s, they find a vase has fallen to the floor, and smashed. Elizabeth says, see? It’s Franco’s spirit, because the three of them don’t believe he’s real. Laura says, there could also be a simple explanation. The vase could have just fallen off the shelf. Elizabeth says, it didn’t just fall; they don’t live in earthquake country. It was pushed. Doc says, it was pushed by the books. Probably because he didn’t lean them on the shelf the right way. It was an accident just waiting to happen. Laura says, there is an explanation, but Elizabeth says, no. She’s going to call Chelsea to prove Franco is reaching out to her.
Carly asks when Bobbie became Sonny’s biggest fan, but Bobbie says her opinion of Carly’s ex hasn’t changed. To be clear, she’s not urging them to get back together, but she’s a realist. She doesn’t think it would be easy for anyone to kiss a lifetime of memories goodbye, good or bad. Carly says, Sonny did. He was a different man when he came back from Nixon Falls. She tried hard to save their marriage and hold on to what they had, but when Sonny slept with Nina, it just confirmed what she knew; there was nothing left to save. It hurt, but it would hurt a lot more if she turned a blind eye to Sonny’s fascination with Nina, and tying herself up in knots to stay with Sonny, when he doesn’t value her or their family. That’s why she filed for divorce. That’s why she didn’t fight for assets. Fighting with Sonny keeps her tied to him, and she just wants to be free. Bobbie says, and if Nina helps herself to Sonny, it won’t bother Carly? Carly says, Sonny is a grown man. He can do as he chooses. Wiley is a different story. Nina is a bottomless pit of need. She needs to believe Nelle is redeemable. If she’s allowed access to Wiley’s life, she’s going to fill his little head with distortions and outright lies. She’s glad Michael and Willow are fighting her petition; she’d be worried if they weren’t. Bobbie says, and there’s no part of her that wants to get back at Nina? and Carly tells her, she’d love to say she’s over it, but she’ll never be over what Nina did. Never.
Sonny tells Nina, Dante warned him about something. It’s not so much what he said, but what he didn’t say. She says, about Michael? and he says, Dante told him it’s not just a difference of opinion; not just another family dust-up. He said, Michael isn’t just trying to cut Sonny out of his life; he’s trying to take Sonny down. Nina says, no; that’s horrible. She’s so sorry. He says, he’ll always love Michael, but he has other family to take care of, a business that he’s proud of, people counting on him. He’s not going to let Michael tear down what he’s spent a lifetime building up. Does she think he’s wrong? Stella, Portia, and Epiphany have come in, and Epiphany says, Sonny Corinthos. Now you know this is the place to be when he’s here.
TJ tells Marshall that he’s sorry. He didn’t say that as an insult; he said it because it’s the truth. Leaving his clarinet as a way to say goodbye. TJ doesn’t want something to remember Marshall by; he wants Marshall. He won’t let Marshall walk out on him like Marshall did on his dad and uncle 40 years ago. Marshall asks if TJ ever stopped to think he did them a favor, but TJ says, letting two little boys believe their father is dead? He wouldn’t call that a favor. He gets that as little boys there wasn’t much they could do, but when they got older, they could have helped clear his name. Maybe address the reasons Marshall got remanded in the first place. Marshall says, Curtis told him about that? and TJ says, all Curtis told him was that Marshall was at a protest when things went wrong. He got arrested and ended up in a mental institution instead of prison. But as a doctor and his grandson, he’s not going to invade Marshall’s privacy. He’s not going to second guess the past. TJ is Marshall’s family, and Marshall is his, and always will be. Don’t walk out on his family again.
Finn asks Elizabeth to please wait and hear him out. She says she’s listening, but she doesn’t know what he’s going to say that he hasn’t already said. He says, he’s obviously not doing a good job, since he hasn’t made it clear; he’s always on her side. She says, if that’s true, just be with her the next time Chelsea comes to her house to contact Franco’s spirit. He says he doesn’t think Chelsea is contacting anyone’s spirit. He knows there have been some strange occurrences happening, and it’s frustrating not being able to figure out who’s responsible, but he doesn’t think they have to jump to the supernatural for an explanation either. Laura says she believes everything Finn is saying, and encourages Elizabeth to listen to him. Doc says, he thinks this might be a good chance for them to talk through things privately, but Elizabeth says, no. If anyone is going to leave, it’s Finn. If he can’t see what’s really going on, she doesn’t want him here. He says he is seeing what’s happening here; is she? He thinks someone is trying to keep them apart; separate her from him, separate her from the boys, separate her from Violet. They’re trying to break down the foundation of the life they’re trying to build together, and she’s playing into their hands. She says she doesn’t want to hear any more from him, and he says, she doesn’t have to, and leaves.
Carly tells Bobbie, Nina is always her own worst enemy. It’s all spelled out in The Invader who the real Nina Reeves is, the damage she’s caused, all the crimes she’s committed. Not one word was untrue; that feature was thoroughly vetted. Reading it should change a lot of people’s minds about her. Bobbie says, including the judge presiding at the visitation hearing, and Carly says, that’s right. And if justice is served, Nina will get the same visitation rights Nelle had; none. Bobbie says, they can only hope, but Nina is Wiley’s biological grandmother. That might be a deciding factor for some judge. So has Carly decided what she’s going to do if Nina pulls another rabbit out of her hat, and the judge rules in her favor?
Sonny hugs Stella, and greets Epiphany and Portia. Stella says, it’s always nice to see him, and he says, they know Nina. Nina says, she’s sure they read The Invader. All she has to say is, don’t believe everything you see in the paper. Epiphany says, okay, and tells them, you twohave a good evening. The women go to their table, and Sonny says, that’s the thing he loves about Nina; she doesn’t back down; she doesn’t apologize. She says, it seems they have that in common. Before, he was going to ask what she thought about pushing back against Michael. He says, she didn’t give him an answer, and she says, here’s an answer; you’re not wrong.
Stella asks, how’s Trina? and Portia says, she’s putting on a brave face, but she’s worried about the trial; they all are. And on top of that, PCU filed a Title IX report. She read it, and it’s not good. Stella says she’s so sorry, and Epiphany says she is too. Trina is a fine young woman. Anyone who knows her, knows she’s innocent. Portia thanks her, and N’neka brings drinks. Stella says, they haven’t ordered yet, and N’neka says, courtesy of Mr. Corinthos. In a regal voice, Epiphany says, please tell him that we said thanks. N’neka goes back to the bar, and Epiphany asks Portia where Trina is tonight. Portia says, she’s with Josslyn. With Curtis out of town, she’d just be stuck home wondering about Trina, and thinking about the injustice her daughter is going through, but they came out to enjoy themselves, right? So let’s make a toast. Let’s toast to Epiphany nailing her MCATs. Epiphany says, we clink, and they do. Stella asks, what gave Epiphany the courage to pursue her dream? and Epiphany says she had a little push from a friend, or didn’t he tell Stella? Stella says, who? and Epiphany says, her brother-in-law Marshall. Stella says, whaat?
Marshall tells TJ, if Tommy were here, he’d be awfully proud of his son. Almost as proud as he is. TJ says, he appreciates the sentiment, but there’s such a thing as too much pride, and it’s safe to assume Marshall is too proud to admit he needs them as much as they need him. Marshall tells TJ to get his girl; he shouldn’t keep her waiting. TJ says, Molly is expecting both of them, so Marshall isn’t getting out of it. So let’s head on over to the club. Who knows? Maybe the spirit will move Marshall, he’ll sit in on a session, and show them how good he used to be. Marshall says, what does TJ mean, used to be? and TJ says, talk is cheap. Marshall says, okay. He knows when he’s on the losing end of an argument. Let’s do this.
On the phone, Elizabeth says, Chelsea, pick up… Stupid voicemail. Laura says, it’s getting kind of late. Elizabeth has been through a lot today. She suggests they go to bed, and Doc says, good idea. After a good night’s sleep, the world will look different in the morning. Elizabeth asks if he means she’ll be different; no longer delusional. Doc says, no one said she was delusional, but there is such a thing as the power of suggestion. Elizabeth says, maybe he’s right. Maybe in the morning, everything will look different. Elizabeth goes upstairs, and Laura says she wishes she could find the right words to help. Doc looks at the broken vase, and says, that’s a good metaphor for the evening. They go to find the broom and dustpan.
Violet says, her daddy is late again, and Gregory says, he’s a doctor; sometimes emergencies come up. Finn comes in, and Violet hugs him. He says she doesn’t know how badly he needed that hug. Gregory says, they were about to give up on him, and Finn says he stopped by Laura and Doc’s. Gregory asks, how’s Elizabeth? and Violet wants to show Finn her picture. He tells her that it’s beautiful; that’s her granddad, and that’s her Uncle Chase. Violet tells Gregory, see? He got it right away. A waitress walks by, and Violet calls her Miss Waitress, and gives her order for a hot fudge sundae. Gregory says, that bad? and Finn says he’s losing her.
Carly tells Bobbie that she hopes for the best, but if the judge rules in Nina’s favor, she needs to protect Wiley. Bobbie says, which means? but Carly says, she doesn’t want to talk about the hearing tomorrow. She’ll deal with it then. Bobbie asks, what about her tests? but Carly says, they’re not urgent. They can wait until tomorrow.
Sonny says, Nina’s understanding and belief mean more to him that she knows. He felt like it was Sonny Corinthos against the world. She puts her hand on his, and says, her money’s on him. She knows he loves Michael, and won’t resort to anything drastic. He says, respect is very important to him, and Michael crossed that line, with him and Nina. He was going attend tomorrow’s hearing, and be there to support Michael and Willow. She asks if he’s changed his mind, and he says, Michael’s made it clear he doesn’t want his support, so he’s free… to support her.
Epiphany tells Stella, she and Marshall had a little something going on, or so she thought, until he said goodbye. Has Stella heard from him? Stella looks at Portia, who says, she can tell Epiphany, and she says, Curtis went to look for Marshall. Portia says, Jordan told her that TJ’s gone searching too. She hopes they can find Marshall and convince him to come back home. Stella says, if only it were that easy. Marshall made a big mistake 40 years ago, but he has something most people don’t get; a second chance to make it right.
Marshall tells TJ, follow him. This alley leads to the stage door. TJ asks if he can get in that way too, and Marshall says, the guy at the door knows him from back in the day. Always lets him in; no cover, no minimum. TJ says Marshall is always working an angle, and Marshall tells him to mind his elders. Two guys appear, and one says, you took the words right out of my mouth, old man. It’s never a good sign when it starts like that. Marshall says, they don’t want any trouble, and the other guy tells them, wallets and cell phones on the ground. Marshall tells TJ, they’re just going to do what they say. They throw their wallets and cell phones down, and Marshall says, it’s all good. Guy two says, what’s in the case? and Marshall says, it’s nothing but an old clarinet. Guy two says they’ll find some nerd to buy it. They’ll take that too. TJ says, the hell they will.
Doc says, of course (🍷) the roses had to fall while Elizabeth was here. He cleans up the mess, and Laura says she doesn’t know which is harder to believe. That Elizabeth believes this is Franco’s ghost, or that someone is willing to exploit her grief to drive her away from Finn. Doc says he thinks Elizabeth isn’t the only one who needs a good night’s sleep, and she says she’s sure he’s right. She asks him to lock up, and says, she’s going to check on Elizabeth one more time.
Finn puts headphones on Violet, and tells Gregory, for lack of a better word, the medium conducted a séance that only reinforced Elizabeth’s belief that Franco’s ghost is reaching out from beyond the grave. Gregory says, but Finn is convinced that it’s someone very much alive, trying to come between the two of them. Finn says, whoever is doing this knows Elizabeth well; maybe better than she knows herself. Gregory says, as Finn knows, he spent his life in a classroom. Teaching the history of the world is one big arc from superstition to science. Culture goes from fear of the unknown to the courage to ask the tough questions, no matter where they may lead. Finn says, that’s what led him to become a doctor. But what good is it if he doesn’t know how to free Elizabeth from the hold this person has over her?
Doc sees the door open, and closes it. Laura comes down, and says, Elizabeth isn’t in her room; she’s gone. I smelled that coming when Elizabeth decided to go to bed.
Nina says she’s been adamant about Sonny not choosing between her and Michael, but he says, she’s not making him do anything. The last time he was on the witness stand, Scotty forced him to say he had feelings for Nina. Nina says, and it cost Sonny his marriage. This could cost him his son. Sonny says he’s just being clear. He’s not discounting anything she did. Remember what he said to her in that graveyard? She says she’ll never forget, and he says, he was the one who was supposed to have suffered because of her actions. Why can’t he take charge, and tell his story with his words? Carly comes in with Bobbie, and they all lock eyes.
Stella says she admires Epiphany’s attitude, and hopefully Marshall wises up and decides to come home. Portia says, who knows? Maybe they’ll get a fresh start. Epiphany laughs, and says she knows they mean well, but she’s not waiting for Prince Charming. Her life is full enough as it is. And if Marshall wants to find out if there’s room for someone else, he knows where to find her. Stella says, if Marshall Ashford doesn’t know what he’s missing, he’s a damn fool, and she and Epiphany clink glasses.
Marshall tells TJ, it’s just an old clarinet. They’re going to give them what they want. TJ says, it’s not just an old clarinet. It’s Marshall’s passion, his livelihood. It’s what’s kept him going all these years, when he would have given up. Guy two says he’s touched. Hand it over. Guy one takes out a switchblade, and guy two says, don’t make them ask again.
Laura tells Doc, she checked every room and Elizabeth is nowhere to be found. He says, the security guard has been at the front entrance all night; she didn’t go through there. He supposes she could have taken the elevator to the basement and gone out the service entrance, and Laura says, this is nothing like her. And where would she be going at this hour of the night? Did Doc forget he found the door open?
Elizabeth slips into her house. She looks at the picture of her family that Violet drew.
Finn asks Gregory how he convinces Elizabeth that she’s not being haunted by Franco’s ghost. Nothing he says gets through to her. In her defense, there’s no evidence, no forced entry, no fingerprints. Every time something strange happened, no one was there. Violet’s headphones are off, and she says, that’s not true, daddy. Aunt Elizabeth was there. What did I say weeks ago? Out of the mouths of babes.
Elizabeth picks up drawing, and tears Finn and Violet off of it.
Tomorrow, Portia asks Jordan if Curtis’s business is being threatened: Finn thinks Violet is on to something; Willow asks Michael, what if Nina wins; and TJ says, call 9-1-1.
The worst thing is that the fire started because someone threw a cigarette butt out the window. WTF is wrong with people? Buy an ashtray for God’s sake. I hope they get nailed.
Come on by tomorrow to get the GH skinny, hot tea, a mix of quotes, and an eclectic tune. Until then, stay safe, stay walking in your truth, and stay dreaming big. What good is living without it?
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Violet runs into a nail salon, followed by an out of breath Finn, who tells her that she has to wait up for her dad. She looks at the polish, and says, so many colors. He tells her to pick whatever she wants, and she asks if he’s ever gotten his nails done. He says, nope, and she says, he should get his nails done too. Looking over from one of the stations, Ava says, there’s a first time for everything.
Curtis punches the heavy bag, when Sonny walks into the gym. Sonny says, whoever he is, Curtis must hate him a lot.
Portia runs into The Savoy, and asks if N’neka has seen Curtis, but N’neka says, he texted that he was coming in late. Does she want to leave a message for him? Portia says, she’s been leaving messages; she just hasn’t heard back. Drew walks in, and says, join the club. Curtis hasn’t been answering his messages either.
Sonny says, damn. Love is stronger than hate. Anybody he knows? Dante is there, looking at his phone, and Sonny asks if something is wrong. Dante says, he got a text from Jordan. He’s needed at GH. Sonny says, trouble? and Dante says he’ll let Sonny know. Curtis says, must be frustrating; son with a badge who won’t share. Sonny says, he and Dante know where they stand. Kind of like maybe Curtis and his father. Brando walks by answering his phone, and says, Nina? Nina says she knows it’s last minute, but she was wondering if he could swing by her apartment. Brando says, something wrong? and Nina says, she just met with Sasha. She could be overreacting, and she probably is, but Sasha seemed kind of fragile. Brando says he’s on his way. Curtis tosses Sonny a pair of gloves, and says, it looks like Sonny might need them more than him.
At some new semi-outside place in the MetroCourt, Lucy sits with Maxie, Brook, and Gladys. She toasts to them, and the success of the IPO. Deception wouldn’t be where it is today without all their hard work and passion. They clink glasses, except for Gladys, who says, since she was included in the hard work and passion speech, why wasn’t she given a stock share? Lucy says, she got a nice little raise, and Gladys says, peanuts. Brook tells her to mooch off her rich daughter-in-law, and Lucy asks Maxie what she’s going to do with her millions. Maxie says she’s going to put a ton of it away for her kids’ education. She keeps looking at her phone, and Brook asks if she’s expecting a call. Maxie says, Austin was supposed to stop by, but that was an hour ago. Sasha walks in, and Gladys runs over to hug her. Gladys says, shy all of a sudden? What kept her so long? They can’t have a party without the Face of Deception. Sasha says she’s here now, and everyone goes, yay!
Alexis says, this is how Harmony shows her love for Willow? By killing her and Carly? Harmony says she didn’t want it this way, and Alexis asks, where does it end? First Neil and his brother, now her and Carly? How many people have to die to maintain the lie that Willow is her daughter? She starts to make a call, and Harmony says, as many as it takes, and rushes her.
Sonny says he just finished his workout. He doesn’t need to climb back in the ring to show Curtis how it’s done, especially after the great night he had at Curtis’s club. Curtis says, if he’s talking about the poker game, Miss Wu runs the games; he just gives her access to the backroom. Sonny says, must be a profitable arrangement, and Curtis says, Sonny would know, since he and Miss Wu partnered up. Sonny says, Miss Wu isn’t his partner; she’s his business associate, just like Curtis. Treat her as such, and everyone walks away happy at the end of the evening. Curtis says, some walk away richer, some poorer, and Sonny says, life’s a gamble, and there’s nothing riskier than family. Curtis should know about that. Curtis says, that’s the second time Sonny’s alluded to his father. Why the sudden interest?
At a table, Drew asks if Portia is thinking what he’s thinking, and Portia says, that Curtis’s radio silence has something to do with his father? He asks what she knows specifically, and she says, Trina told her that she ran into Marshall on his way out of town. He said he was no longer interested in putting down roots in Port Charles anymore. Drew says, or with his family, and she says, he doesn’t seem surprised by that information. Drew knows why Marshall left town, doesn’t he?
Dante comes out of the hospital elevator, and sees Rory. He asks, how’s the patient? and Rory says, messed up pretty badly. Dante sees TJ, and asks, what’s going on? Is he conscious? Did he say anything? TJ says, the patient is awake, but he’s not making much sense, and Dante tells Rory that he’s got this. Rory leaves, and Dante goes into the room. TJ says, the patient’s name… but Dante says he already knows the patient’s name. He and Eric go way back.
Nina thanks Brando for coming, and asks if she ever thanked him for helping Sonny overcome the men who tried to rob them. Brando says, wrong place, right time, and she says, most people run from trouble, but he ran right into it deliberately. He says, she didn’t really call him over to thank him, or rehash what happened at Charlie’s. This is about Sasha, so… Nina says, the two are kind of connected. His courage put him right in the line of fire, and it really frightened Sasha. He says, Sasha knows it’s a one-off. He’s managed to keep his distance from Sonny. She says, but Sonny’s world still managed to find him. She knows he knows this, but he has to take it seriously. After losing Liam, Sasha is terrified of losing him too.
Sasha asks, who wants seconds; the second round is on her. Lucy says, already spending her newfound wealth. Does Mr. Gilmore get a say? Sasha says, her husband is Mr. Brando Corbin. He’s a very special person with his own identity. Gladys says, you tell ‘em, honey. It never pays to underestimate the Corbins. Lucy says she’s teasing. Another toast. To herself, for bringing them all together to make Deception the jewel in the cosmetic crown. They clink glasses, and Lucy says, she actually spoke to Brando this morning and she’s hot on the trail of finding them the perfect house. Maxie and Brook leave for the restroom, and Lucy says, she really believes real estate is an important investment, but you can’t drive it and you can’t wear it, so what is Sasha splurging on to celebrate? Gladys says she’s all for a hot pink convertible.
Outside, Brook says, is it just her, or is Sasha just pretending to enjoy herself? and Maxie says, it’s not just her. Brook says, and Maxie isn’t even pretending. Is Austin ghosting her? Maxie asks why she would say something like that. Brook says, if she’s wrong, just tell her, and Maxie says, she’s wrong. Brook says, okay, but some guys can’t stand when the woman they’re seeing can buy them out.
Gladys asks what Lucy intends to do with her millions, but Lucy says she hasn’t decided yet. One of the waiters makes a call, and says, the Face of Deception is living it up with the top brass in the MetroCourt Garden… No, they’re just getting started.
Her arm against Alexis’s throat, holding her against the car, Harmony says she just wanted to be friends. Alexis says, let her go, but Harmony says, she can’t. She’s not a murderer. They all made her do it. Alexis pushes Harmony to the ground, and says, someone else made her stick a needle in Neil’s arm? Or push his brother to his death? None of that was Harmony’s fault or her doing? You’re wrong, Harmony. Or should I say Lorraine? Harmony picks up another giant rock, and holds it above her head. She comes for Alexis, but Carly pops out and intercepts her. She pushes Harmony back down, and says, back the hell off.
Ava asks if it’s the first time Violet is having her nails done, and Violet says it is. Violet sees Ava’s nails and says, so pretty. She wants that color. Ava thanks her, saying, she was a little worried about it. Violet can have a design in this color if she wants. Violet asks Finn if she can have a design, and Ava says, costs a little extra. Sorry. Finn says, whatever Violet wants, and the nail technician takes her to pick out a design. Ava says, her little girl Avery likes hearts, unicorns, and rainbows. It’s never too soon to experience the finer things in life. Finn says, Violet was the class helper this week, so it’s a special treat. Ava says she bets it’s a treat for him too. If he’s anything like her, there’s nothing more precious than time with his little girl.
Sonny says, Curtis’s father intrigues him. The first time they met, Marshall acted like he didn’t like him, like they’re traded punches in a past life. Curtis says, maybe they did, and Sonny says, that’s Marshall’s problem. Curtis says, Marshall has no use for people in Sonny’s chosen profession, but since he’s interested, why did Sonny tell him no when he asked for help looking into Marshall’s past? Sonny flashes back to seeing Marshall’s prescription bottle, and says, the first time he met Marshall is when Marshall came to Port Charles. Let him tell Curtis something. Sometimes the past is better left where it belongs – in the past.
Drew thinks Portia should speak to Curtis, and she says, she would if he’d return her messages, or Drew’s. She can only assume something serious is going on here. She gets the sense Drew knows more than he’s telling her. She’s not asking him to betray a confidence, but if Curtis is hurting, she wants to help; she needs to. He says he knows how much Curtis means to her, and how much she means to Curtis. Him keeping silent isn’t going to help anybody. He’ll just take the hit from Curtis if it comes to that. She says, then he knows why Marshall left town, and he says, yeah. He helped drive Marshall away.
Maxie says, Brook is wrong about Austin; money means nothing to him. When she first met him, he was hiking in the woods, munching on granola bars. Brook says, until he moved to Port Charles, and started to maneuver for a slice of the Quartermaine pie. Maxie says, he didn’t want anything to do with the Quartermaine millions; he just wanted respect for his father. He even turned down the offer Brook’s family made to buy him out. Brook says, because he was holding out for voting stock, which by the way, has more value. Maxie asks, what happened to giving Austin a chance for her sake? and Brook says, Maxie is right. She’s just speaking from her own experience. Most guys she meets are either threatened by her trust fund or want to help her spend it. She hopes she’s wrong, and Nature Boy’s the exception. Austin runs up to Maxie, and says he’s so sorry. He had the world’s most difficult patient, then got stuck in traffic, and… She looks amazing. He kisses her, and asks if everything is okay. She looks at Brook.
A photographer shows up at the MetroCourt Garden, and the waiter tells him, over there. He gives the waiter some cash, and heads toward Sasha’s table. Sasha thanks Lucy for suggesting this, and Gladys says, especially since the tab is on Deception. Sasha says, she needed a chance to unwind, and Lucy says she thinks they all did. Tomorrow is another grueling day. They have to meet with prospective buyers. Sasha has a bunch of meetings with social media, and she set up a couple of wine and dines with distributors and Sasha. Sasha says, the Face of Deception is a 24 hour gig, and Gladys says, she makes it sound like its a bad thing. She’s gorgeous, successful, a multi-millionaire; she was born for this. The photographer is suddenly there, and says, smile, Sasha. Let’s see the Face of Deception.
Brando tells Nina, Sasha knows she isn’t going to lose him; he made sure of that. Nina says, she knows. You can plan for your life, but he knows how life is; it’s unpredictable. He’d said, wrong place, right time? Well, sometimes it’s wrong place, wrong time. Brando says he gets it. Bad things happen; things they can’t plan for. Sasha doesn’t have to worry. He’s not taking any stupid risks, or being in the line of fire. He’s not in active service anymore. He’s not a cop, and he’s definitely not involved in any aspect of Sonny’s business. He just fixes cars. She says, he and Sasha just experienced a traumatic loss. Her recovery might not be the same as his. When you experience that kind of loss, you’re frightened into thinking it’s going to happen again at any time. You’re afraid to invest, and don’t trust your own happiness, since you’re afraid it can be snatched away quickly. She knows the unbearable pain of losing a child. That’s the kind of emptiness that never really goes away.
Carly asks what the hell Harmony is doing, and Harmony says, she won’t let Carly take Willow and Wiley away from her. She struggles with Carly, and says, Alexis, please.
Curtis says, if he didn’t know better, he’d think Sonny was deliberately keeping something from him. Sonny says, he and Curtis haven’t had any problems, but he knows how much Nina values Curtis’s friendship. Curtis says, Nina’s great, and Sonny agrees. He wants Curtis to know he’s not here to muscle in on Curtis’s club. Curtis says, Sonny and Selena Wu are business partners? Really? Sonny says, yeah, and he hopes it works out with Curtis and his dad. Curtis says, Sonny might be a little too late. Marshall left town already.
Drew says, Curtis wanted to find out what Marshall was up to all those years he pretended to be dead. Portia says, she knows Drew offered to help him. So what did he do? Hire a private investigator? Tap Marshall’s phone, go through the garbage, what? He says, he offered Marshall a job at Aurora, and she says, and Curtis knows about this? He nods, and says, when you apply for a job, what’s the first thing HR does? She says, they do a background check, and he says, long story short, they came up empty, but Marshall found out about it, and felt used. She says, still, does he think that would be enough to drive Marshall away? and he says, maybe. Or maybe Curtis discovered something else, and confronted Marshall about it? She says, any idea what that something else is? and he says, all he knows is, Curtis was trying to protect her and Trina from any trouble that might be following Marshall. So don’t judge him too harshly for going behind Marshall’s back. She says, even if it cost Curtis his father?
Dante asks if Eric remembers him. He’s the cop who busted Eric for armed robbery at Charlie’s Pub. Where’s his partner? Is he worse off than Eric? Dante leans closer, and says, he noticed Eric doesn’t feel like talking, so he’ll make this simple. Who did this to him?
The photographer keeps snapping photos, and tells Sasha to smile. Let’s see that beautiful Face of Deception. Gladys tells him, stop, and Lucy says, he’s gotten enough. She’s going to call security. He’s done. He says, ladies, let’s get a shot of the newly minted millionaires on top of the world. Maxie and Brook come back, followed by Austin, and Brook asks if he wants Olivia Quartermaine to hear about this. Did she mention Olivia is her stepmother? Sasha says, leave me alone, please, and dashes out. The photographer tries to follow, but Austin says, he heard her; leave her alone. He says, he’s just doing his job, and Austin says, beat it. The photographer says, Deception’s loss, and leaves. Gladys wonders where Sasha went.
Outside alone, Sasha digs in her bag, and takes out her pillbox. She tries to take one, when the photographer pops out, and asks if that’s on the menu. She drops everything on the ground, and he snaps more photos.
Harmony continues to struggle with Carly, and finally pushes her down. Harmony jets, and Alexis runs over to Carly, saying, she’ll send for an ambulance. Carly says, they’ve got to stop Harmony.
Violet asks the nail technician, what’s the most popular color? The woman shows her, and she says, cool. Finn tells Ava, Violet’s in seventh heaven, and she says, enjoy it. She doesn’t get as much time as she’d like with her daughter; she’s learned to cherish every moment. Violet says, it tickles, and Ava says, wait until she gets a pedicure. Finn tells Violet, the operative word is wait, and tells Ava, now she’s going to want one. Ava says, and he’ll get her one. He’s a good dad; she can tell. He says he tries, but he gets accused of overdoing it. This is the easy part, right? The hard part is wanting to protect her, every single moment, whether he’s with her or not. She says she knows exactly how he feels. Last year, she almost left the country to protect Avery. She’s glad it didn’t come to that. Finn says, anything for them, right? and she says, absolutely. Violet says, Finn hasn’t picked a color, and Finn asks Ava, what was he saying? He tells Violet, okay, he’ll pick a color, and blows her a kiss.
Dante says, Eric knows who did this to him, doesn’t he? and Eric flashes back to Sonny opening the car trunk. Sonny says, Eric will be joining his friend real soon, and laughs. Dante says, he’ll get whoever did this to Eric. Eric’s just got to give him a name.
Sonny asks why Curtis isn’t looking for his dad. Unless he knows where Marshall’s headed. Curtis says he doesn’t, and Sonny says he can get his guys to track Marshall down. Curtis asks why Sonny cares, and Sonny says he knows what it’s like when a father and son stop trusting one another. Curtis says he’s sure Sonny speaks from experience, and Sonny says, he has two very different strong sons who mean the world to him. They’ve had their differences over the years. They’ve burned some bridges. Some have been repaired; others haven’t. Curtis says he’s sorry. How does Sonny know he and Marshall haven’t burned their own bridges? and Sonny says, only Curtis knows that. Does he think it can’t be rebuilt? If he thinks it can, don’t give up
Drew tells Portia, Marshall was hiding something from his past. Curtis had no idea what it was, or when the secret might surface. He was trying to be proactive, and dig it out that secret before it came back on his family. She says, Marshall is a musician. He has a clarinet in his case, not a machine gun. He says, then why is Marshall being so secretive?Why did he imply he was on the run from someone or something from his past? Portia wishes Curtis had let her help him find the answers. She could have helped him avoid trouble in the process. Drew says, there’s no trouble, and Portia says, there’s no trouble not yet. He says, put herself in Curtis’s shoes. If Marshall’s past does end up being dangerous, the less she knows, the better.
Nina tells Brando, never mind her. Nobody is going to use her as a model on recovering from grief in a healthy way. She’s probably just projecting her own loss on Sasha. He says, maybe Sasha still seems like the daughter Nina never had. She still regrets passing herself off as Nina’s child. She thinks about it nearly every day. Nina says, she and Sasha have both done things they regret. Tell his wife that she needs to focus on herself and him. If that’s not enough to make her happy, she has this amazing career that’s made her so much money. He says, it doesn’t take the place of Liam. Nothing does.
Sasha gathers up her stuff, and says, please leave her alone. A pill has skittered away, and the photographer picks it up and puts it in his pocket. He continues to take pictures, and she covers her face, saying, please stop it.
Austin asks if Maxie wants to get dinner, but Maxie asks if they can reschedule. She doesn’t want to leave Sasha. Brook says she’ll stick around; enjoy her night. Austin asks if Brook is suggesting… She’s helping Maxie spend time with him? Brook says, as long as she doesn’t have to spend time with him, and he says, that’s funny; touché. Maxie asks if they should go to the terrace for the spring tasting menu, but Austin suggests they get a six-pack and takeout wings, and go back to her place. Sasha comes back, the photographer following her, still snapping photos. She tells him, leave her alone, and Gladys grabs his camera, saying, what part of get lost does he not understand? He says, give that back, and Austin steps in front of him and says, or what? What will he do? He says he’s just doing his job, and Austin says, do his job someplace else, like the gutter. He says, she has his camera; that’s theft. Gladys throws it to him, and says, take it back, you rotten filthy piece of garbage. She tells Sasha, let’s go. Carly’s going to hear about this. She and Sasha leave, and Lucy says, he does know who she’s talking about. Carly. She happens to be the ex-wife of Sonny Corinthos, a very complicated businessman, so she thinks he should be very, very afraid. She knows from personal experience, that Mr. Corinthos has a very bad temper, and a short fuse; he doesn’t like women exploited. And if he doesn’t want to get involved, Carly has a very fearsome lawyer, who will take everything he has. He says, his memory card. It has his photos on it. He runs out, and Maxie and Brook say, Gladys, and smile.
Alexis asks what happened to Carly, and Carly says, Harmony drugged her. They’ve got to stop her. Alexis says, let the police take care of it.They’re on their way. Carly says, and if they’re too late, Harmony is going to go straight for Willow and Wiley.
Ava tells Violet that she chose the perfect color, while Finn blows on his nails. He says he really thinks lavender is his color, and shows them his hand. Ava says, anything for them.
On the phone, Sonny asks if Avery would like an ice cream sundae… Has she been a good girl?… Here’s what he’s going to do. He’s going to pick up all the stuff to make an ice cream sundae, and bring it tomorrow. Is that a deal?… He loves her too. Sweet dreams. Dante comes back, and Sonny asks, what happened at GH? Dante says, TJ got a new patient; one of the guys who tried to rob Sonny at Charlie’s. Sonny says, some guys just can’t catch a break. How is he doing? Dante says, he has a broken arm, loss of tooth, loss of blood, loss of memory too, actually. He doesn’t know how he got to the ER or who put him there. Sonny says, memory is a fragile thing. He should know that. How’s his partner? Dante says, vanished… into thin air.
A delivery man brings a package to the hospital for TJ, and TJ signs for it. TJ looks it over, and says, who’s it from? but the man is gone already.
Nina tells Brando that she never said this, but she’s sorry he lost Liam too. His grief is just as significant as Sasha’s. He says, he and Sasha grieve in different ways. He guesses he gets his way from his mom. You know what she’s feeling. When you step on Gladys’s toes, she says, ouch. Nina laughs, and says, and if you step on Sasha’s toes, she’ll apologize for being in the way. He says, his mom is worried Sasha is covering up her pain. He thought that was just her way of processing it. Nina says, she insists on toughing it out, keeping all that hurt inside, which means all that pain could be taking an emotional toll on her that no one is aware of.
Sasha drives, with Gladys in the passenger seat. Someone tailgates them, and is blowing the horn. Sasha says, it’s the photographer. She can’t shake him. Gladys holds up the memory card, and says, he wants this. Sasha says, she stole it? and Gladys says, he deserves it after taking all those pictures of her. Sasha says, she’d tell Gladys how much she loves her, but first she has to lose this parasite. She steps on the gas.
Rory tells Carly, the paramedics are on the way. How is she feeling? Carly says, Harmony drugged her. She has no idea what was in the syringe, but she’s feeling better. Alexis saved her life. Alexis says, Carly saved her life. He says, they both were targeted because Harmony killed Neil Byrne and they found out? They nod, and Alexis says, Harmony also killed Neil’s brother Brendon. Rory says, the body they recovered from the river, and Alexis says, Harmony pushed Brendon off the cliff. The river must have carried him to the harbor. Rory asks if she indicated a motive, and Alexis says, Brendon was blackmailing her. Carly says, he’s wasting time talking to them. Harmony took off through the woods, and he’s got to stop her. If she reaches the highway, she’ll escape.
In the woods, Harmony stops to look at a picture of Willow and Wiley on her phone. She says, they’re all she has left, and she won’t lose them.
Dante says, Sonny wouldn’t know the robbery suspect, would he? and Sonny says, some guys are just meant for trouble. Like those guys who tried to hold him up at Charlie’s. Trouble finally found them. Dante says, one of them has disappeared, and one of them is beat up in a hospital bed. He thinks the message got through. Sonny says, to whom? and Dante says, to them, and whoever else tries to take what’s Sonny’s. Sonny says, he’s the victim, and Dante says he knows. He knows that someone paid for their high-priced lawyer, and someone got them bailed out. Somebody did that to be generous or keep them within reach. He puts his hand on Sonny’s shoulder, and says, let’s hope the message got through, and was received, and that’s the end of it, and there’s no repercussions. Sonny says, it’s a dangerous world out there, right? He just wants to say that the PCPD is damn lucky to have a good man like Dante.
Portia says, if Curtis knows why his father walked out on him a second time, that would explain his silence, and Drew says, how so? She says, maybe Curtis went after Marshall; maybe Curtis is in danger. She doesn’t know. Curtis walks in, and Drew asks if he’s okay; they were getting worried. Curtis says, he saw they’d left some messages. He’s sorry he upset them. Portia says, he knows her, always imagining the worst case scenario, and Drew says, he has to go. He gets up, and tells Curtis, next time, just shoot him a text. Give him a thumbs up; let him know he’s okay. They bro-hug and Drew leaves. Curtis tells Portia, they’ve got to talk, and she says, they sure do.
TJ opens the box, and takes a case out. Inside is Marshall’s clarinet, with a note. I wanted leave you a gift, but all I have to offer is this gift of music. Like you said about surgery, it’s like one great unfinished symphony. Your loving grandpa. He takes a piece out, and smiles.
Nina says, Brando shouldn’t have to support Sasha alone. If it’s not intruding, she’d like to help Sasha through this challenging time. He says, it’s no intrusion at all. She’s helped already by bringing this to his attention. She says, together they’ll make sure Sasha knows she’s not alone. He thanks her, and leaves.
Lucy says, she knows Sasha’s had issues with Gladys in the past – haven’t they all? – but tonight under the circumstances, she’s glad Gladys is Sasha’s mother-in-law. Brook says, that photographer was like a tick. He latched onto Sasha, and we couldn’t get rid of him. Maxie wonders if they should call her, but Lucy has the feeling Sasha wants to be alone. The tab is taken care of, and she’ll see Brook and Maxie bright and early in the morning, and hopefully Sasha is over the shock of being rich and famous. Brook says, all the money in the world can’t buy happiness, right Austin? Austin says, for sure, but it does pay for the tasting menu upstairs. Maxie says she thought he wanted chicken wings, but he says he changed his mind. As much as it pains him to agree with Brook, she makes a valid point. It sounds romantic. Shall they? He holds out his arm, and Maxie takes it, saying, they shall. He says, awesome, and they leave.
On the radio, Rory says, Lorraine Miller, also known as Harmony. Carly asks if he can have them notify Michael Corinthos. He and Willow Tate share a child, Wiley Corinthos, and Harmony could be going straight for them. Alexis says, they have to find Harmony before she makes it to the Quartermaines, and Carly says, she’s already killed two people. She has nothing else to lose.
Harmony looks at the picture, and says she has to get to Willow before the police get to her. Willow will understand. She’ll make Willow understand
The photographer gets closer, blowing his horn, and Sasha says, what’s he doing? She looks in her side mirror as Harmony steps into the road. She steps in front of Sasha’s car, and Sasha tries to swerve.
Tomorrow, Portia says she thought she and Curtis were in this together; Laura comes bearing glad tidings; Spencer asks someone for a favor; and Carly calls Willow and Michael, telling them to come to the ER right away.
The Real Housewives of Orange County – The Reunion Part 2
We come in on Shannon ranting that she thought she’d done things for Gina that were above and beyond. Then Gina had the audacity to ask if she had any friends. That’s a cruel, egotistical, arrogant thing to say to anyone. It means that Shannon isn’t nice; it’s mean spirited. Gina says, what was mean spirited was watching John. We flash back to him saying, f*** Gina, and they’re done with her. Shannon says, it was a buildup, and Gina says, of what? She never said anything about him. Shannon says, he was defending her, and Emily suggests he can do that without being so nasty. Gina says, no man she knows would act like that. Shannon shouldn’t let him speak about her friends like that. Shannon says, it was an accumulation of her telling him things. Andy reminds everyone that Shannon said Gina had an inflated ego, and the group lets her in on what put a pin in it really means. She says she learned something today. Shannon says Gina and Emily were laughing about her and it was hurtful, and Gina says, she and Emily joke a lot. Shannon says, they don’t have to walk on eggshells; she’s tough. Andy says, she’s not seeming so tough right now, and she says, when you knock her down, she gets up. She admits she and Gina do have fun, and Gina says she jokes about everyone. If it bothers Shannon, she can work on it. Shannon apologizes for John, still justifying his behavior by saying it was out of love for her. Andy says, now he’s going to put pin in it.
Next is Noella versus everybody. We flash back to her feuds with Jen, Gina, Emily, and Heather. Andy points out that she doesn’t seem to have any problems with Shannon, and Noella says, Shannon was a constant support. Andy says, Noella and Jen were at odds right away, and Noella says, Jen fired Emily up about Nicole. Emily says, that’s not true; Nicole fired her up. A viewer wonders what the problem was with Jen tagging Noella on Instagram, and Noella trash talks Jen’s MedSpa. Heather says she barely knew Noella, and Noella called her a bitch and a narcissist. Doesn’t Andy have pictures of himself in his studio? Andy says he does, but he is a narcissist. Noella says, Heather went out of her way to make her out to be a liar, and Heather says, she is a liar.
Noella says, Nicole told her that she’d been botched, and had a bad experience with Terry. She said she did follow through with the lawsuit, and got money. Heather explains, when you get a settlement, it’s recorded with the California Medical Board; there’s no hiding it. Andy says he’d have to assume Heather wouldn’t have tried to get Nicole on the show, and Terry would have remembered. Noella says she wondered how Heather didn’t know about it, and Heather says, Noella also claimed she was slamming people against walls. She never did that. Noella says, Heather never told her that she didn’t do it, and then gets beamed back up to her planet, since apparently, she’s not on this one. Heather tells Andy, roll the video, and we flash back to Heather saying exactly that. Andy tells them, he hates to say it, but if that had happened, it would have been on the show. Heather says, Noella perpetuated it all season, and Noella says, everyone told her about it. Realizing he’ll never get a straight answer from Noella on this, Andy moves on to the card game. A viewer wonders, what’s the big deal? and Heather says, they actually have the game, but Max opened it in front of everyone. Noella asks why Heather let her do that, and Heather tells Noella, don’t talk her about parenting. She’s not standing over Max every minute. She says, Noella seems very offended by the word pornography, and Noella says, it wasn’t pornography, but Heather says, Merriam-Webster might disagree. A viewer thinks Emily went too far in saying all Noella talked about was her divorce, and Emily says, Jen wanted to talk, and it seemed inappropriate in the moment. We flash back to that, and Emily says, Noella wouldn’t give Jen her moment, and that all roads didn’t lead to Noella’s divorce. Noella says she cringes looking back, and wonders who this person is. She was seeing her life fall apart, and not knowing if she was making the right decisions. She knows she leaned hard on everyone, but there was genuine love, and she’ll always appreciate that. Andy asks, if she had it to do again, would she do it differently? but she says, if she knew what was going to happen, she probably wouldn’t have done the show. Emily asks if she thinks she’d still be married, and Noella says, she doesn’t know, but she wouldn’t have put this all out there.
They talk about nonsense stuff, like Emily’s turkey sandwich in the sauna. A viewer asks who Jen thinks has had the best work done, and Jen says, Shannon looks good. Shannon says she had a facelift six weeks ago, and the surgeon said he’d never taken off more skin on a patient. Everyone talks about what they’ve had done, and Heather says, you should do whatever makes you happy and confident.
We go down Shannon Memory Lane, and Andy says, she’s been embracing life as a single mom and businesswoman. He asks what advice she’d give herself back when she joined the show, and she says, there is life beyond. You can succeed on your own. Andy asks Heather how Shannon has changed, and Heather says, Shannon is confident and independent. She gives 100% love to her family, and she’s doing amazing. Andy says, Shannon really went through it, and asks how her relationship with David is. She says, non-existent; nothing has changed. She never even runs into him. We flash back to Sophie saying that she doesn’t feel like she deserves the wonderful boyfriend she has, and Shannon says she feels guilty, but thought she was doing the right thing at the time by staying in the marriage. Now Sophie says she knows how it’s supposed to be. A viewer asks about John avoiding talk of marriage, and Shannon says, they do talk about it, but they’re not in a rush. She has two kids still at home. Andy asks if she does want to get married again, and she says, absolutely. Andy asks who everyone’s celebrity hall pass is, and Shannon says she’s never thought of it. Emily says, Charlie Hunnam from Sons of Anarchy; Noella says, Janet Jackson, because she’s a classic; Heather doesn’t have one, which I find hard to believe, but maybe she’s just too tired; and for Jen, it’s Sean Penn. Gina says, Jimmy Valens, and I’m like, who? I look this up, and it’s synonymous with Ritchie Valens, which doesn’t seem like a fair hall pass, since he passed away in 1959. I mean, how is that a hall pass?
Andy asks, like her husband’s shirts, was something in Jen’s marriage missing? We flash back on all the memories of Mr. Puppers, Jen, and Ryne, including the HUGE discussion about his name. Andy asks what Ryne actually does for a living, and Jen says, he owns a successful rental company. They’re income is becoming equalized now. For them, it was almost therapeutic watching the show. Andy says, some couples have credited it for helping their marriage, since they could see things they didn’t like on camera. Jen says, being on the show was somewhat of an issue with Ryne, since she had problems getting him to talk about emotions off camera. Heather says, she’d spoken to him on the phone, and he was personable and outgoing, and she thought the cameras were a lot. Emily says she thinks men have a hard time with the cameras in general, but Heather says, not Terry. A viewer asks if Jen is worried that Ryne loves Mr. Puppers more than her, and I say, of course he does. Look at Mr. Puppers. Who wouldn’t? Jen says she even said it on the show; if he treated her like the dog, that would be good. Andy says, Jen was engaged seven times before Ryne. Why was this different? She says, it was literally love at first sight. When he moved out, they were able to do a reset; it was helpful. Emily says she has a good feeling about them, and Jen says she’s hopeful. There’s been peace and laughter, and she wants to be in it again.
Andy moves on to the trip to Aspen, and the epic bear fail. I notice that there’s way too much sparkly eyeshadow on these women. They talk about the competition for rooms. I space out, or maybe not, since topics can change in an instant with no segue whatsoever. Noella says there was a period where no one texted her, and Heather says, it was probably because Noella was going around lying about her. Noella says she had genuine relationships with the others, and Heather was being controlling. Everyone talks at once, and Andy yells, all right! Not able to control herself, Heather insists on being allowed to button it. Sorry, Heather. Button it is not going to happen. She says, when the cameras came down for the final time, Noella approached her, and asked if they could start over, but it was too late. Andy wants to talk about the karma comment, and Heather tells him, Noella said it first; she didn’t say it out of the blue. Noella whines that she was ganged up on, and Heather says she feels horrible about what Noella went through. She doesn’t wish it on anyone, but Noella said it, and she slung it back. Shannon says, she understands where everyone is coming from, but after the bear scare failed, she thought about what Noella was going through. It had been less than a week since her father passed away. Noella says, four days, and Shannon says, it’s not a sh*t happens thing. Noella says, she was her father’s only child. His career took off when she was born, and her dad went to L.A. Her mom had just graduated law school, practiced in Palm Springs, and they saw each other occasionally. Later, she’d mail him her report cards, but they’d come back unopened. She learned to play golf so they could have a relationship. In their last conversation, he gave her advice about being Black in the industry. He was glad she was representing on the show. Jen says, despite their differences, her heart went out to Noella when her father passed. Jen had to take the MCAT the day after her father died. Andy moves on to happier stuff, and we flash back to the women doing their song, Whatever I Want. He asks Heather what Richard Marx thought, and Heather says, he loved it. She was excited he and Daisy Fuentes let them use it. Gina says she was embarrassed, and Jen says, it was cheesy, but Emily says, they owned the cheesiness.
Andy wants to end on a super positive note, and asks everyone to say something positive about somebody they didn’t know before. Emily says she hadn’t known Heather, and it was positive being with someone who put such effort in getting to know her, her husband, and children. It was nice of Heather to take such a true interest in her life. Heather thanks everyone for welcoming her back, and hopes Noella gets a chance to know her, and she gets to know Noella. Noella says she would welcome that. Noella thought of the group as a sisterhood, and she and Jen were the sisters that fought the most. But she has genuine respect for Jen living with chronic pain, and admires how strong she must be to do what she does. She’s had a lot of hardships, but you could never tell because she’s strong and in control. Jen says she appreciates it. If drama was a drug, Noella would be a pharmacy (ha-ha!). She doesn’t always agree with the drama, but appreciates Noella’s enthusiasm. Shannon says she’s proud of Gina to have withstood what she did with her marriage. It shocked her to see such an amazingly clean orderly household with six children, and she was excited for Gina’s business venture. Gina says, back at her. Shannon is incredibly resilient, and gone through a hell of a lot as a grown woman. She had to redesign her entire life. She was also the first person Gina met with the ability to push all her buttons. Heather says, Emily is an incredible mom, and Jen says, Emily has impressive articulation.
Andy says, it’s the end of a great season – RHOC’s Sweet 16. To celebrate, they’re having champagne and pineapple. The drinks come out, and all I can think is, wow. They’re served in literal pineapples that are also crammed with stuff like noisemakers and wind pinwheels. I think, good luck finding the straw. Heather tells them to stand tall, wear a crown, and be a princess. Or queen. Or something.
🗯 I don’t even know what to say about this season except it’s time I can’t get back.
🌷 Spring Is Sprung…
Stop in tomorrow for soap and a cuppa tea. Until then, stay safe, stay being all that you can be, whether or not you’re in the Army, and stay not giving up if you think a bridge can be rebuilt.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Alexis asks how much Harmony has had to drink, and Harmony says, not nearly enough. Come on. Live a little.One drink’s not going to kill you. Alexis flashes back to seeing Brendon floating in the water, and the bartender puts a whiskey in front of her. Harmony says, she knows what it’s like when you want to forget your troubles. Alexis looks at the glass, then at Harmony.
Josslyn tells Cameron, they don’t know what Spencer’s actually up to? What does that mean? Cameron says he’s worried about Spencer, and Josslyn asks if he hears himself. Spencer has to know deep down in his heart that Esme is guilty of recording and posting that video. He’s convinced himself to blame Trina. Why? Because Spencer is too weak and shallow to stand up against his girlfriend, and now Cameron is defending him? Trina says, Joss, stop, it’s okay, but Josslyn says, it’s not okay. Spencer walks in, and Josslyn says, if Cameron doesn’t call Spencer out, it’s as good as siding with him. Cameron says she would too if she knew what he knows, and she says, what is that? Spencer says, Cameron, stop. That’s enough.
Esme walks into the living room as Nikolas is downing a drink, and asks if Ava is working late at the gallery again. He says, Ava doesn’t share her schedule with him, and she says she can cut a cigar and light it for him; one of the many skills she learned overseas. He says, no, and pours another drink. She says she knows he and Ava disagree about her staying here, but it will all be resolved once they renew their wedding vows. He says, Ava called off the ceremony; they won’t be renewing their vows.
Ava joins Nina at Beradino’s and says, Nina started without her. Is she really that late? Nina says she’s early, and thanks Ava for meeting her at such short notice. She promises not to take up too much of Ava’s time. Is the launch from Spoon Island waiting for her? Ava says, Spoon Island can wait. So what’s this big news Nina texted her about? Nina says she didn’t want Ava to hear it from someone else, in case it blows back and affects Avery. Ava says, what about Avery? and Nina says, Scotty filed the paperwork. She’s going to petition the court to get visitation with Wiley. Michael and Willow be damned; Carly too. Carly most of all. Ava assumes Sonny knows about this. What does he think of it? Sonny walks in on the phone saying, how long ago?… Where are they now?… Okay, then he knows what to do. Let him know when it’s sent. Laura walks up to him and asks if everything is okay, and he says, everything’s good. And if it’s not, it will be. He smiles at Nina.
Alexis pushes the drink away, and asks the bartender to please close out her friend’s tab and put it on her account. Harmony says, no. Alexis has been way too kind to her; better than she deserves. Alexis says, if they both got what they deserved, they’d both be back in Pentenville. Harmony vehemently tells her, don’t say that. She doesn’t even want to think about that place. Alexis asks, what’s wrong with her? Whatever is going on, it can’t be that terrible. Harmony flashes back to Brendon threatening her, and her pushing him off he cliff.
Harmony gets off the barstool, and says she needs a cab. Alexis says she’ll drive Harmony home, but Harmony says she can’t. Carly comes over and asks if everything’s okay, and Alexis says, Harmony’s been overserved. Carly says she’ll speak to the bartender. In the meantime, she’ll get Harmony a room so she can sleep it off. Harmony thanks her, but says, no. She doesn’t accept charity. Carly says, then she’ll call Willow and see if she can help, but Harmony says, no. Please don’t call her daughter. Sam asks Alexis, what’s going on? and Alexis says she has no idea. It’s been a day from hell. Sam asks, what happened?
Cameron says, Spencer is right. Enough is enough. If Spencer won’t tell them, he will. Josslyn says, tell them what? and Trina says she can’t do this. She’s out of here. Josslyn says she’s with Trina, but Cameron says, they have to hear this. Trina says, what? That Spencer thinks she’s guilty and Cameron has his back? Cameron says, no… He does, but there’s limits. He can explain. Spencer says he can speak for himself. Cameron is right. There’s something they should know, and he can’t keep it from them anymore.
Esme says, Ava called off the wedding vow renewal? She’s so sorry. Nikolas says, to be fair, she only postponed it… indefinitely. Esme says, it’s me, isn’t it? Ava doesn’t want her here. She’s going to go. Nikolas says, even if Esme goes, things changed, and he’s not sure how they recapture the spirit that led them to want to renew the vows in the first place. Esme says, they’ll find that magic again. When two people love each other the way he and Ava do… He says, that’s not the problem; it never was. It’s a matter of trust. She says she knows what he means, and he asks if she and Spencer are still having trust issues. She says, at least Spence doesn’t believe the awful things Ava and Sonny do about her, and he says, that she’s responsible for that video with Cameron and Josslyn. She says, they refuse to believe Trina’s responsible, even though all the evidence points to her; that she had motive and was in the cabin when Esme was long gone. It’s easier to blame her. Nikolas says, it’s not only Ava and Sonny who believe it, and she asks if he’s changed his mind about her. He says, Commissioner Ashford was here and asking questions about her.
Laura and Sonny sit down, and Ava asks what side Sonny is going to be on when Nina petitions for the right to see her grandson. Nina flashes back to Sonny saying, if he doesn’t take a side, it’s going to seem like he’s taking her side, and her telling him that if he has to take Michael’s side, she’ll understand. She says she told Sonny that she didn’t expect him to take her side, and Ava says, that’s noble, but with Scotty as her lawyer… Nina says, he’s not going to put Sonny on the stand, because if he does, she’ll fire him. Ava says, Nina feels very strongly about protecting Sonny. The waiter gives Laura and Sonny menus, and Nina asks Ava, what’s a girl to do? He keeps coming to her rescue. Ava says, sounds like a real hero, and Nina says, he is.
Sonny asks what Laura is going to have, and she says, information… from him. Tell her about the robbery at Charlie’s. He says, just a couple of thugs.Brando did all the heavy lifting. He was just making sure Nina didn’t get hurt. She says, all in a day’s work, and he says, nobody’s going to be messing with anybody anymore, especially those guys. She says she wishes she could say the same about whoever killed Luke. The WSB arrested Jennifer Smith. He says, she didn’t seem too threatening when she showed up after Luke’s memorial, and Laura says, she remembers he couldn’t get Jennifer on a plane fast enough. He says, she was always hung up on Luke, but being hung up on Luke and killing him is a big jump. Laura says, there’s more. She was caught red-handed with the Ice Princess. He says, case closed; that’s it. She looks at him, and he says, or not.
Harmony begs Carly not to call her daughter, and Carly tells her to calm down. Harmony says she’s calm; she just can’t find her keys. Sam asks Alexis if something happened, and Alexis says they’ll talk later. She has to take Harmony home. Carly tells Alexis not to worry about Harmony’s car; she’ll have it brought to Alexis’s house. Carly puts Harmony’s keys behind the bar for safe keeping, and Harmony says, her bag, grabbing Brendon’s bag. She tells Carly that she guesses she’s not getting the job, and Alexis says, let’s go. She leads Harmony out, and Carly asks if Sam is okay with that. Sam says, hell no, she’s not.
Alexis opens the door, and Harmony goes in, flashing back to injecting Neil. Alexis says she’ll take Harmony’s bag, but Harmony says she’s got it. Alexis says she’ll make some coffee, and tells Harmony to lie down. Harmony says, please don’t make her leave, and Alexis asks, what’s going on? Is Harmony sick? Harmony says she’s terrified, and Alexis says, of what? Harmony says, not what, who, and Alexis asks who she’s terrified of. Harmony says, herself.
Trina tells Spencer, okay, Mr. Two-Faced, what does he think she should know? and Cameron says, go on, tell her. Josslyn says, tell her what? when Rory walks in. Trina asks if Rory is following her. He keeps showing up to Kelly’s every time she’s there. He says he’s just getting decent coffee for him and the squad; it’s been a long day. He asks if she’s okay, and Josslyn says, they’re all friends here… Well, some of them are friends. Rory looks at Spencer, and says, good to know. He goes to the counter, and Trina tells Spencer, he was saying? Cameron tells him, don’t stop now, and Spencer says, it’s about Josslyn.
Esme asks what Jordan wanted to know, and Nikolas says she wanted to talk to Esme and Spencer. The staff informed her that Esme wouldn’t be speaking to her without an attorney present. Esme says she doubts the staff came up with that on their own, and Nikolas says he told them what to say, and to send the Commissioner on her way, as politely as possible. She thanks him for protecting her… them. She’s sure the Commissioner would love to make her the scapegoat. He says, from what the staff told him, the Commissioner wasn’t accusing her of anything, and she says, not openly, but she’s sure the Commissioner would rather build a case against her than Trina. Spencer was just starting to believe in her again, and if the Commissioner turns him against her, and convinces Nikolas too… He says, that’s not going to happen, and she takes his hand, brings it to her cheek, and thanks him.
Ava says, those punks wouldn’t have tried to rob Charlie’s when her brother owned it, and Nina asks if she’s implying they’re not afraid of Sonny. Ava tells her, she’s just saying, if they know Sonny’s time in Nixon Falls changed him, who’s to say word didn’t get out. Nina says, he’s Sonny Corinthos. Ava should have seen how he and Brando took those thieves down. Even with guns, those punks didn’t stand a chance. Ava says, and here she thought Nina fell in love with Mike the bartender, not Sonny the mobster. She guesses they’re not so different. Nina asks what she means, and Ava says, she couldn’t resist a bad boy.
Laura says, the WSB took Jennifer into custody, so as far as they’re concerned, the matter is closed. Sonny asks if she thinks there’s more, and she says, the Ice Princess doesn’t just connect to Luke’s death; it brings the Cassadines into it. He says, Victor, and she says, he’s made no secret that he has a plan in the works. Sonny says, anything he can do? and she says, his friend Brick, that guy has his finger in more pies than she can count. If he hears anything… He says, she’ll be the first to know, and she says, will she know? She was the last to know her grandson was moving back to Windymere with his girlfriend, and it was all because of Sonny.
Sam says, Harmony Miller was, and still is, trouble, and Carly says, Alexis doesn’t seem bothered by it. Sam says, her mother has made it clear that her friendship with Harmony is her business, and flashes back to Alexis telling her that Harmony was her only friend in prison, and how, on New Year’s Eve, Harmony stopped her from drinking. Things would have gone a lot differently if not for Harmony, and Alexis has Harmony to thank for that. Sam says she had no choice but to back off just, and Carly says, Harmony is Willow’s mom, so she’s inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt, but getting so drunk at the bar she could barely stand can’t be good for Alexis. She’s going to stop because she has no right to give Sam advice. Sam says she’s not shutting Carly down, and Carly says, that’s because Sam’s being polite, which is totally unnecessary because Carly asked Sam to use her relationship with Dante to see if the PCPD had anything on Trina. Sam says, they’ve been over that, and Sam didn’t do anything she didn’t want to do. She made the decision to go into Dante’s emails and look up forensics information. Carly says she badgered Sam about Trina being innocent and Esme being guilty, which is true, but she put Sam on the spot, and hopes Dante forgave her. Sam says, they still have a lot of work to do on that front, and Carly says she’s sorry. But after Sam saw the forensic email, was there anything that could help Trina?
Cameron says, they’re not talking about Josslyn here, and Spencer says, he is. He wanted to believe Trina’s story, but honestly, he was just trying to please Josslyn because he knows she and Trina are good friends. Josslyn says, they’re best friends. Not that Spencer would have any idea what that means. Friendship is just a word to him. Actually, it’s a commodity; something he buys, like he buys everything else. It’s no surprise he can’t wrap his head around the fact that she believes Trina because she actually knows her. Spencer says, that’s Josslyn. Always ready to fight, do what it takes to win. Cameron asks where Spencer is going with this, and Spencer says, why try to throw all the blame on Esme? When they left the cabin, the three of them were all alone. Did they get Trina to film them getting it on? What if this is just Josslyn’s way of framing Esme? Josslyn says, oh my God, and Trina asks if he’s crazy. Cameron says, son of a bitch, and punches Spencer, knocking him to the floor.
Nina says she’s kissed a lot of handsome frogs, but never found her prince, and Ava says, she has an actual prince, but she’s starting to prefer the croakers on Spoon Island. Nina says, uh-oh, what did Nikolas do now? and Ava says, plenty. She’s furious, but to be fair, she’s not completely blameless in this situation, and neither is Nina’s heartthrob over there. Nina asks what Sonny did, and Ava says she’s surprised he didn’t tell Nina. After Trina was wrongfully arrested for being responsible for this revenge porn video, she urged Sonny to have a private chat with Esme. Nina says, he’d never hurt a teenager, and Ava says, no, but he’s certainly an expert in the art of intimidation. He can terrify someone without raising his voice, and she was hoping he could get Esme to confess, but he didn’t get a chance. Nikolas figured out what was going on, and came to Esme’s rescue, and Esme loved that. She played the poor innocent waif in need of protection, and the next thing you know, Nikolas invited Esme and Spencer to stay with them without even asking her first. Nina’s phone rings, and she asks Ava to hold that thought. She says, hey Phyllis. Has she recovered from last night?… What?… Oh no…
Sonny says he and Spencer’s girlfriend had a little chat, and Laura asks, how little? He says, she has to understand something. After what Esme did with that tape of Cameron and Joss, that cannot go unchallenged. She says she’s not saying it shouldn’t, but this is where they part ways because she does trust the justice system. He says, even after Trina was arrested and might go to prison, while Esme is being protected by Nikolas on Spoon Island? She says, first of all, who said Trina was going to prison? She’s going to get a trial to prove her innocence. He says, and Esme can make that difficult for her, and she says, if anything happens to Esme now, he’ll be suspect number one, and she’ll have Robert prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law. He promises, even if Esme is found guilty, he won’t touch a hair on her head, and Nina approaches the table. She says, sorry to interrupt, but she just heard from Phyllis. Those men who robbed Charlie’s are back on the street.
Sam tells Carly, Dante arrived before she could see the details, but the email said there’s more evidence tying Trina to the crime. Carly says, this is bad. Diane said, the ADA prosecuting the case is tough, and has a strong conviction record. Even though she knows Esme framed Trina, and planted every shred of evidence, the ADA doesn’t know that, and she’s going to use that evidence to send the wrong person to jail. Sam says, sometimes the law doesn’t have much to do with justice, and Carly says, look no further than Nina’s right to petition the court for visitation with Wiley. Sam says, just because she can petition, doesn’t mean she can win, but Carly says she doesn’t know about that. Nina has a great way of convincing people she’s a misunderstood saint. Did she tell Sam that Sonny cut back on his drinking, which is great for his health and relationship with Donna and Avery, but guess who convinced him? Sam laughs, and Carly says, what? Sam says she’s just listening to Carly vent. Does she feel better? Carly says she told Sam she was making clean a break, and Sam says, nice try. They both know, It’s never clean.
Sitting with Brendon’s bag clutched to her chest, Harmony tells Alexis, every choice she makes is the wrong one. She went to Something-or-Other Point. It’s a good place to think. It’s quiet, away from everyone; it looks peaceful, but looks can be deceiving. It didn’t help. It made things worse, so she went for a drink. Alexis says she hasn’t seen Harmony like this seen before. What happened? Harmony cries, and says, the one thing she had to cling to was Willow, and Alexis asks if she told Willow that she’s not her biological child. Is that what this is? Harmony says, no, not yet, but she will… because she’s bound to find out. Alexis says she won’t find out from her; she’ll find out from Harmony. Did Harmony decide to tell her? Harmony says, no, not yet, and Alexis says she has no idea what’s going on, but it can’t be as bad as what she just saw. Harmony asks, what happened to Alexis tonight? Alexis asks if Harmony remembers the guy in her office, Brendon Byrne, Neil’s brother? Harmony says, what about him? and Alexis says, he’s dead. She found him face down in the harbor. Harmony asks where it was, and Alexis says, she was at the pier, waiting for the launch, and she saw the body floating in the water. She called the police, and they fished him out. Harmony asks if Alexis is sure it’s the man she met in her office, and Alexis says she’s sure. The guy even tried to wrest money from her guilty conscience. Harmony says, Alexis has nothing to be guilty for, and Alexis says, she knows that. Jordan didn’t know that. She was filled with questions, looking for a motive. Harmony stands up and says, Alexis didn’t kill him. If the police think that, she’ll… Alexis says, she’ll what? and Harmony says she’s sorry. Alexis had a terrible night, and it’s all her fault. Alexis says, Brendon’s death isn’t Harmony’s fault. She didn’t murder him. By the way, they think it’s suicide.
Carly says she’s grateful for Sam’s friendship, and Sam says she’s grateful for Carly’s friendship too. She asks if Carly is ready for a return trip to the hatchet throwing gallery. She could use it to let some frustrations out. Carly says, like Harmony? and Sam says, and Esme. Carly says, it’s a deal, and Sam asks if they can drop Harmony’s car off at her mom’s on the way. Carly says, that way, Sam can check on her mom, but Sam says, her mom insists she doesn’t need her help, and they leave.
Laura tells Sonny, Jordan confirmed it. The gunmen made bail. She asks if she and Sonny are done here, and Sonny says, yeah. He’ll take care of the bill. It was great talking with her. She says, thanks. She’ll catch up with Ava. She leaves, and Nina sits down. She says, Sonny knew about this, didn’t he? and he says, he has his sources. Their lawyer showed up at the arraignment, and notified the judge bail had been paid. She asks, by whom? and he says, someone with deep pockets. She says, a friend of his? and he says, he told her there are punks who will try take advantage of him now that Jason’s gone. She says, in other words, don’t ask too many questions, and he says, it’s better off in the long run. She says, she doesn’t know what it was like with him and Carly, but he doesn’t need to protect her. She knows him, and also knows Mike. It doesn’t have to be either or, because they’re both him.
Ava asks what the what chances are those two can actually pull it off, and Laura says she thinks if Ava and Nikolas can make a go of it, anything is possible. Ava says she didn’t pick a very good example, and Laura says she knows there’s tension at home. Ava says, it’s not a home; it’s a boarding house. Everyone has their own room. Nikolas has his, she has hers, Spencer has his, and that French devil has hers. Laura says, at least she’s not pregnant. That’s something they have to be grateful for. Ava nods, and Laura says, and when they renew their vows… Ava says, that’s not going to happen.
Esme says, Nikolas’s son is still a child in many ways. His emotions swing back and forth like a pendulum. Nikolas is so much more mature and experienced than Spence (let’s hope so, since he’s Spence’s father), if Commissioner Ashford had him thinking the worst of her, she couldn’t bear it. He says, she’s right. In many ways, his son is still very naïve, but he’s not. He knows what she’s capable of, and hasn’t forgotten she helped Spencer terrorize Ava. She says she can explain, but he says he doesn’t need an explanation. She’s not the only one driven by demons, that force them to do desperate things. She says, they’re alike in that way, and he says, his mother’s not sure he’ll ever outgrow that part of himself, but she still has time to get it right. He knows the difference between a lonely heart and a wicked one. She says, which one is she?
Josslyn asks Cameron, what’s wrong with him? and Cameron says, Spencer doesn’t get to talk to her that way. Trina helps Spencer up, and asks if he’s okay. He says, some things are worth it, and Rory comes over. He says, he saw the whole thing, and Cameron says, then he heard what Spencer said. Rory says, Cameron is under arrest, and cuffs him. Cameron glares at Spencer. I’m not sure if it works like that, but okay.
Harmony says, they think that Brendon guy committed suicide? and Alexis says, they’re still investigating, but they think it’s likely. He wasn’t murdered for his money; he was desperate and in debt. Who’d want him dead? Harmony says, she’s going to get out of here. She needs to do something. Alexis says, she’s not going anywhere, when there’s a knock at the door. Harmony says, what if it’s the police? but Alexis says, it’s not the police. She already talked to Jordan. She answers the door to Sam, who comes in with Carly. Sam says, Carly is just dropping off Harmony’s car keys, and Carly puts them on the desk, telling Harmony, don’t go anywhere. Alexis says she’ll keep an eye on Harmony, and Harmony thanks them all, then almost keels over, Carly catching her.
Trina says, Rory can’t arrest Cam, and Josslyn says, he was provoked. Spencer was pretty much asking to get punched. Trina says, he was just standing up for them, and Cameron says, he’d do it again in a heartbeat. Josslyn tells him, stop talking, and Rory goes over to Spencer. Rory says, he’s Spencer Cassadine. He just did 30 days in Spring Ridge. Spencer tells Rory to take Cameron’s cuffs off, and they’ll work this out outside. Rory says he can’t do that, and Spencer says, why doesn’t Rory cut him a break, and whacks Rory across the face. Spencer says he’s sorry; it was an accident. Rory says he’s arresting Spencer too, and cuffs him.
Nikolas tells Esme, Ava is devoted to Trina. She’s convinced Trina’s innocent. Esme says, if you ask Ava, she’s guilty of every crime after Cain killed Abel. She’s accepted there’s nothing she can do to change that, but what does he think? He says, Ava and Sonny are in no position to judge her or anyone else. She says, so he’s on her side, but he shouldn’t be. Ava will forgive him if he sends her on the launch back to Kelly’s. He says, but he won’t forgive himself if he puts her back in Sonny’s sights. She says, that means so much to her, but it comes at a price. He and Ava should be saying those beautiful words to each other, and this house should be full of life and love. Right now, it’s like four islands in a large ocean. If he and Ava can’t or won’t do something about it, she will.
Laura tells Ava not to let her pride get in the way, and Ava says, Scotty told her that she was playing into Esme’s hands. And Spencer’s. Laura says, that’s very wise of him, and Ava says, her biggest problem isn’t with Esme or Spencer; it’s with Nikolas. Laura says, he is a very proud man, and Ava says, it’s not pride that brought Esme into their home. It was selfishness and arrogance. Laura says, that blind selfishness is a Cassadine trait. She’s struggled with it for years, trying to protect Nikolas from his own DNA. Now with Uncle Victor back and making mischief, it’s gotten worse. She hopes to God it doesn’t go on much longer. Ava says, if they get rid of Victor, he can take Esme with him.
Sonny says, Nina is a contradiction herself. She fights tooth and nail to see Wiley, then she’s kind enough to keep Scotty from forcing him on the stand. That way he’s not forced to choose between her and Wiley. She thanks him for the compliment, but she knows he’s trying to change the subject. These two thugs were confident enough to hold them up at gunpoint. What makes him think they won’t come after them again? Sonny’s phone dings, and he says, he’s got to go, pats her hand, and leaves.
On the phone, Josslyn says, let Diane know to call her when her meeting is finished. It’s about Cameron Webber. He really needs her help. Outside, Trina begs Rory to let Cameron off with a warning. Remember that guy who gave her the soft drink? Be that guy for her friend. Spencer says, what about him? and Trina says, as much as she despises Spencer right now, he didn’t mean to hit Rory; it was an accident. Rory says, the Commissioner was clear. If he looks away after a crime has been committed, it’s a breach of procedure, a failure of his duty as a cop. He witnessed an assault, and has to act on that. And Mr. Cassadine hit him, and hitting a police officer is very illegal. Let’s move.
Nikolas tells Esme, no more talk about leaving. Not as long as she’s on Sonny’s radar. She says, all right. Since he insists, she won’t run out on him… and Spencer of course (🍷).
Laura tells Ava, let her worry about Victor. It’s much more important that Ava not give up on Nikolas. Ava says, even if he doesn’t trust her with decisions that concern them both? and Laura says, she’s strong enough stand up anything that threatens her marriage. Go home and tell Nikolas that he needs to trust her. Then insist he show her that she can trust him. At the other table, Nina looks at her phone, and then the door.
Sonny meets Frank at an undisclosed location. Frank opens the trunk of a car, revealing a guy tied up with his mouth duct taped shut. Sonny looks in and says, how you doing?Don’t worry. You’ll be joining your friend real soon. Sonny laughs, and Frank shuts the trunk.
Carly asks if Harmony is okay, and Harmony says, sorry. She just only has an occasional glass of wine, and that whiskey went straight to her head. Sam says she’ll make some coffee, and Alexis says she’ll get cream and sugar. Carly suggests they get water too, on the way to the kitchen, Alexis says, thank you. Sam says, for what, and Alexis says, for not sayingI told you so. Sam says what she thinks about Harmony doesn’t matter. She’s Alexis’s friend, and she stands by her friends. Carly asks if Harmony wants to get some air, and Harmony says, so Carly can tell her in private what a miserable drunk she is? but Carly says, no, because she thinks it will make Harmony feel better. Wiley’s family has to stick together. Harmony asks why Carly is being so nice to her, and Carly says, because Willow’s her family. Harmony sits, and says, she wishes Willow was hers.
Sonny comes back to Beradino’s, and tells Nina, sorry he took so long. She asks if he’s okay, and he says, just a few loose ends that needed to be tied up. She says, as long as he’s all right. She should be going home. She and Scotty have a strategy meeting in the morning. He says he’ll walk her out, and she says she doesn’t want to sound like a broken record, but how does he know the two guys who hit Charlie’s won’t be hitting them again? He says, trust him. They got the message.
Tomorrow, TJ asks Curtis what Marshall is lying about; Spencer tells Cameron to stick to the plan; Drew says, not everybody who goes in gets to come back; and Sonny thinks someone is making a big mistake.
The Real Housewives of Orange County – Reunion Part 1
Andy mentions that it’s Season 16, and I think, oh my God. I’ve been watching this trash for this long? He says, proving the show that started it all is still worth the squeeze, which is debatable. He says, it’s amazing having Heather back. It’s been five seasons since they sat together, and she says, it’s the ten year anniversary of when she first started. He tells her that she looks the same. Of course she does. She’s married to a plastic surgeon. He tells Gina that she looks fantastic, and gives props to her hair. He congratulates Emily on her 13th wedding anniversary, and asks how the future looks. Emily thinks it’s going to be great, and she and Shane are in a great place. Somebody get that lawyer a thesaurus. Andy asks if Shannon’s dealer, Heather, has given her a microdose, but Shannon says, no. He says everyone was surprised that Jen put her put house on the market, and Jen says she’s trying to move to Laguna Beach, where she grew up. Andy asks if Ryne is moving with her, but she says, time will tell, making it clear she’s not joking. My only question. Who gets Mr. Puppers? And if it’s Ryne (which it really should be), can he still be on the show? Andy asks how Noella is feeling about her first reunion, and Noella says, overwhelmed and underprepared. He says he hopes she brought a stack of receipts and not a stack of vaginas. He tells us, they’re surrounded by icons of Orange County, including the original gates from the opening.
Andy says, after a long hiatus from the show, where she was perhaps lost in her house, Heather is making a triumphant return. We see a bunch of clips of everything Heather, and Andy reads that Kelly from Florida thought she was an ice queen, but seeing Heather with her kids warmed her heart. She asks how Heather felt about two of her kids coming out, and Heather thought it was all amazing. Andy says he thought it was a valuable lesson for parents. When he came out, it was a different time, and his mom grieved the loss of the life she’d wanted for him, thinking he would never have kids. He asks if Heather had to recalibrate her expectations, but Heather says, no. Some straight people can’t have kids. Andy says, Heather and Terry seem to have worked out their issues, and she says they worked on it. She adds, a lot of their bad times had been captured on the show, and we flash back to that, including Terry saying he’d used the D-word. She says, they’ve navigated through the years to avoid the reality show curse. Andy then goes to the flip side of the coin, saying, everything Noella knew about her marriage turned south, and we flash back to that. He asks how Noella and James met, and she says, online at a naughty (her word) site called Seeking Arrangements. Andy says he thought that was typically for sugar daddies, and Noella says, attractive girls and wealthy men are the standard. He asks how long they were together, and she says, five years; one where they were legally married. They’d had a ceremony when he was still married for the kids, but it wasn’t legal. Emily says, if Noella is being 100% honest, her ex maintains she was filing for separation. He filed for divorce in Puerto Rico because it was a race for jurisdiction. Noella insists that’s a lie, and Andy says he claims part of the problem was her being on the show. She says he wanted her to be on the show, and if he’d told her that he was no longer comfortable with it, she would have chosen her family. No one believes it.
Emily says she thinks when the tax speculation stuff came out, it was embarrassing for James, and he didn’t want anything to do with the show. He pulled back, and she said, screw you, because she wanted to be famous. Then she was going to file for separation because she wanted be on the show. Shannon says, it’s hard when multiple people are telling you what you’re thinking and your intentions are. Emily reiterates that she said she was speculating, and it’s not crazy as an attorney to look at things from a legal standpoint. Noella insists she was very committed to her man and her marriage, and Andy asks when she saw James last. She says two days after she did Watch What Happens Live. His attorneys said he was going to be in Orange County and he wanted to see his son. Emily says, his attorneys released a statement that they’d moved to Puerto Rico, and became citizens there. Shannon asks why that’s so outrageous, but Emily says, it’s not outrageous. They established residence in Puerto Rico; there was an Instagram post about it. That’s why he filed there, so he could get jurisdiction issued. Noella is adamant that their residence is in California, and bored with this, Andy asks what their official status is. Noella says, they’re divorced, and now California will decide custody, but yay, she can get married. Andy says he heard she was dating someone, and heard he bought Noella a company. We see a picture of a handsome, heavily tattooed guy in his 30s that looks like a better match for her than anyone calling themselves Sweet Baby James, and she laughs. She says, it’s called Toy Marketplace. It’s some kind of sex toy business, and she’s excited about it. It was a Christmas present. Her new guy considers anything outside of them as a couple cheating, so her stack of vaginas is retired. We flash back to that, and Emily asks if it was just a photo or did James have sex with them? Noella says, they were for her to have sex with, and Heather looks disgusted, but it sounds like Noella never followed through. Andy asks if anyone has met the new boyfriend, and Noella says he’s picking her up tonight, so they’ll see him then.
Andy says, Shannon’s attempt to start fresh with Heather was spoiled by rumors, and like untouched sushi, their friendship went rank. We flashed back to the whole Nicole thing, and Heather going all mobster on Shannon. Andy asks the question that’s been on all our minds – where did all the sushi go? Heather says, some people stayed and took it home. Viewer Val from Colorado says, Shannon seemed hopeful of a future friendship with Heather, so why did she mention Nicole? Shannon insists she didn’t know it was the same girl. We see a side-by-side of Nicole today and years ago, and she does look radically different. She says, Gina brought it up at the party, and asked if Shannon was going to tell Heather. Gina tells her, what she said was that she thought Shannon should do the right thing. Shannon says she wasn’t going to bring it up on camera. She’s not trying to stir stuff up. Emily tries to add something, and Shannon yells that she’s not going to start yelling, and then demands some water. Emily says, Shannon knows how it works. You can’t tell two people something at the beginning of the season, and think it’s not going to end up on the show. Shannon pulled the pin out the grenade, and handed it to Gina.
Shannon says she had no idea it would be taken to Heather, and was upset because Emily and Gina were to blame. Heather says, that’s where the BS comes in. Shannon had ample time to talk to her, she could have told Shannon it was dropped, and no big deal. But Shannon was unaware that it was no big deal, and didn’t know if discussing it on camera could have blown up Terry’s career. They’re not making trucker hats. This is their bread and butter, and a lawsuit is potentially damaging. Is Shannon out of her mind? Shannon says she told Emily and Gina because it didn’t make sense. Andy asks why Heather didn’t feel betrayed by Emily and Gina, and Heather says, she was angry with them, but they immediately reached out, and asked to talk to her. She didn’t hear from Shannon for over a week. Shannon says she apologized a million times, and Heather left her standing in the hallway. Heather says she was super pissed. When David had an affair, Heather knew about it, the world knew, but Heather protected Shannon’s family. At the Reunion, Shannon said everything was fine. We flash back to Shannon saying their marriage is better than ever, and David saying that he loves Shannon, the kids, and their family. Shannon says, how dare she? and Heather says, Shannon knew at the Reunion. Shannon babbles about relationship bootcamp, and Heather says, Shannon pretended it was all fine, and she could have blown up Shannon’s family, but she’d never do that. Shannon says, it’s 100% her fault that she had too much to drink, and told Gina and Emily. It’s 100% her fault Heather’s dinner party was ruined. Gina says she accepted her responsibility. Andy tells Heather a viewer wonders why she threatened Shannon like a mob boss, and Heather says she was very upset. She felt betrayed, and when it comes to her family, she gets insane. She’s sorry she came off that way. Shannon says, Heather threatened her family. She thought Heather was going to sue her. The one thing that can get her teary-eyed is her kids. She’s worked her ass off for five years to get where she is, and she’s a single mom. Heather says, just for the record, she’d never sue Shannon, whatever words she used. She felt betrayed, and apologizes for making Shannon feel that way. She would never do that. Andy says, they’ll leave it there, and they take a break.
We flash back to Emily’s season; Shane passing the Bar, Annabelle getting baptized, Emily drinking too much. Andy asks why it was important for Emily to be the truth teller, and Emily says she deal with malicious intent. Shannon says, Emily should make sure what she says isn’t misconstrued, exaggerated, or a telephone game. A viewer asks if Emily feels Mormon teachings are being more influential on her kids than she is, but Emily says, her kids have the best of both worlds. Their father is religious, and she balances it out with another perspective. Another viewer gives props to Emily using her degree for the greater good, and we flash back on her involvement with the Innocence Project. Andy asks what’s going on with that, and Emily says she has some fundraisers coming up, along with case reviews. She’s bringing awareness and raising money. Andy asks about her relationship with her dad, and Emily tears up, saying, it’s minimal. She doesn’t see him or talk to him much, but when she does, it makes her sad. He’s a cool guy with a guitar and ponytail, and sometimes she wishes he was a jerk, so she could be glad he’s not in her life. Andy asks if she’s open to get to know him better, but she says, it’s hard, since there’s no foundation from her childhood. Andy asks if she thinks he watches show, and she says she knows he does. It makes her sad about what he might hear, and she doesn’t want to hurt anyone, but she wants to be truthful about how she feels. Noella says, Emily was with her when she got the text about her father’s death, and they had a good conversation about fathers integrating with their grandchildren. Andy says maybe they were meant to come together now. The fact that he watches the show is touching. He’s getting a window into her life that he wouldn’t have normally. Emily says she’d love to have more of a relationship with him, and get to know him. She’s stubborn though, and stuck in you-weren’t-there mode. She has to make more of an effort. Andy asks if they’ve never talked about that time, and she says, nothing real. He says, maybe it’s time.
Andy says, this season, Gina was thriving, driving, and all glown up, and we go down Gina Memory Lane. They talk about Gina’s exorcism extraction, and Gina says, after getting back from Cabo, she saw something at the door. She couldn’t sleep after that, and knew something was off. She’d had a physical reaction during the ritual, and felt better. She doesn’t want to believe in it, but something definitely happened. A viewer says she was glad to see Gina and Matt co-parent and laugh, and Gina says, it sucked and it was hard, but they both did what they needed to for their children. Things are continually getting better. Andy says she had to make a legal statement for domestic battery, and asks how they got to this point after that. Gina says, before that, they were stuck in that place. It was the hardest thing, but the best thing for both of them. It was something she had to say, and that he had to hear. He’s now more accountable and shows up for their kids. Their kids have their parents even though they’re not married. Andy says it shows what a strong woman Gina is, and to poke the bear, he asks Shannon how she’d describe her relationship with David. Shannon says, non-existent; nothing has changed. There’s no communication. She must be seething at this point. Andy asks how Matt and Travis get along, and she says, great now. It wasn’t fun at first, but they had to get through it. Travis helped by doing what was good for the kids and good for everybody. Andy said Gina’s timeline for getting hitched had been 1-3 years; what was the latest? She said they’d be married today, but they have six kids and both had bad divorces. They need to build up their financial resources, since they’ll have to pay for a wedding and the kids’ college. When they get there, it will happen. He asks what cemented her bond with Heather, and Gina and Heather agree it’s the NYC vibe. I totally get that. Shannon looks… I don’t know. Annoyed? Just waiting for her turn?
Andy’s son Benjamin calls, and all the women say hi. Andy says he’s working, and he’ll see Ben tomorrow. He tells us, one house was too big and one too small, but the friendship was just right. We flash back to fun times with Heather and Gina. And Shannon saying, put a pin in it. Andy asks what it meant to Shannon to have Gina’s parents thank her for getting Gina an attorney, and Shannon gives Gina’s parents a glowing review. Gina says she’s happy that her parents said thank you. It meant a lot to them because they couldn’t be there. Shannon says, Gina said it hurt her feelings when she brought up Gina’s DUI, so she didn’t know what to do. Emily says, it’s one thing when Gina’s parents thank her, but it’s another to bring it up with Heather. Shannon says, and she apologized. Should she do it three times. Emily asks why Shannon is taking that tone; it’s just her opinion. Shannon says she did things for Gina that she considered above and beyond what she’d do for most people (which she’s definitely said three times). She doesn’t expect it to be even, but friendship is a two-way street. Gina’s been gunning for her all season. Gina says, she doesn’t go gunning for anybody, and Shannon whines that Gina made no effort to get to know her. Gina says, Shannon was going through the divorce, and wouldn’t let anyone in, and Shannon says, Gina went through one two years later. Gina says, but she communicated. Shannon says she didn’t have Gina’s good fortune, and I almost fall off my chair. Gina and Emily are talking, and Shannon says she doesn’t want to shout, even though she is shouting. She says she’s going to lose her voice, and Gina says, she’ll lose her voice because she said too many ding dong things this season. Now she has to pay the piper.
Next time, Andy asks Jen who’s had the best work done; Noella accuses Jen of firing Emily up about Nicole; Shannon brings up Gina saying she didn’t have any friends for the four billionth time; and Gina says John being aggressive toward her made her uncomfortable.
🎹 It’s Only a Day Away…
Stop by tomorrow to get the soap lowdown and maybe a cup of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay not writing checks your ass can’t cash, and stay not looking at friendship like a commodity.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
At Charlie’s, Brando and Sasha look at their phones. He says, what about a place with its own dock? and she says she likes the sound of that. He says, they’re not imagining things, right? and she says she keeps pinching herself about how well Deception’s stock did with the IPO. He says she’s a very wealthy woman, and she says, what’s hers is his. They’re a team, which means they can live in the home of their dreams. He asks what she’s dreaming about, when Sonny comes by and says, there’s the happy couple. He and Brando shake hands, and Brando asks if Dante decked Sonny after he left. Sonny says, not Dante, but it’s not important. He just wants to congratulate Sasha on her marriage to his cousin, and say, welcome home. Phyllis comes out, and Sonny asks if she knows Brando and Sasha. She says, they’ve been to the pub a few times. Her staff appreciates the large tips they leave. Sonny says, Brando’s his cousin, and he and Sasha just got married, and Phyllis congratulates them. She tells them that their drinks are on the house. It’s always nice to see such a happy couple. Brando thanks her, and says, they appreciate it. Sasha says, they do, and Phyllis says, she heard they lost their son. They have her sincere condolences.
Dante and Sam walk into the MetroCourt, and Sam asks, why the change of venue? Pizza would have been fine. He says, it would have, but he wanted to do something special. Does she want to get a drink at the bar? She asks, why something special? and he says she asks a lot of questions. She says, that’s the detective in her, and he says he guesses neither one of them can hide anything. It’s the thing that makes them work. She says, one of the things, and kisses him.
At one of the tables, Nina sits with Britt, Scotty and Obrecht, and says she wishes Britt could have joined her at the spa for some pampering. Britt says she was working, and Obrecht says, she works too much. She needs to get out more. Britt declares tonight a rant-free zone. Let’s just enjoy our dinner. Scotty says, good, because he’s starving, and Obrecht says, it’s so nice to have a family dinner like this. It’s unfortunate Maxie couldn’t join them. At least two of her precious girls are with her. Scotty says, if they want a girls night out, he can just lickety split, but Obrecht says, he’s part of the family too. He’s not going anywhere. They kiss, and Ava runs over to the table. She says she’s glad she found Scotty. She needs him.
Cameron and Josslyn are studying at Cameron’s house, when Josslyn makes a frustrated sound. He says, she can’t concentrate? and she says she keeps thinking about that call with her RA. He says, they’re just looking out for her, and she says, asking if she feels safe rooming with Trina. Trina’s her best friend, and she did not secretly record them, and she did not post it. They should be more worried about Esme. He says, they have to find evidence that links her to the recording, so then Trina can accept all the apologies from everyone who’s been blaming her. Josslyn says, that does nothing to lessen the pain Trina’s been feeling.
Spencer goes into the gallery, calling for Ava, and sees Trina. He asks what she’s doing here, and she says, surprised to see that she still has a job? Unlike him, Ava knows she didn’t make that video of Joss and Cam, so here she is. He says, that’s not what he meant. He just didn’t know she’d be working tonight. He’s here to see Ava. She says she heard him asking for her, but Ava’s not here, so he can go. She starts to go back to her work, but he doesn’t move. She asks what he’s waiting for, and he says, her.
Cameron says he can see if Aiden has any award winning cookies left, and Josslyn says, award winning? He says, Aiden won a contest promoting National Carrot Day, and she says, National Carrot Day? He says, it’s a thing. Aiden won it by baking carrot ginger cookies. She says, it sounds weird, and he says he knows, but they were oddly delicious. Did she see his post about it? She says, no, and he says he’s sorry. He forgot she deleted social media. She says, that’s okay. She deleted all of her accounts; too many accounts just to block. The trolls were out in full force. He says, the internet will find something else to fixate on very soon, and she says, until Trina’s trial starts up again. Then the whole thing blows up. She can’t believe she’s saying those words – Trina’s trial. It’s insane that she’s been arrested. He says, she’d never do anything so hurtful, and Josslyn says, it has to be Esme. No doubt she’s confident that she’s pulled this off and covered her tracks, but she is not that smart. There has to be evidence tying her to the video. He says, they have to find it before it’s too late.
Esme comes into the living room, where Nikolas is watching the fire, and asks if Alexis left. He says, she did, and Esme says, Alexis doesn’t want her here, does she? He says, all that matters is what he wants (spoken like a true Cassadine), and he wants her to stay. She thanks him, and says, her hope is that she can help him and Spence heal their relationship. He says, they’re making progress, doesn’t she think? but she says she doesn’t think, she knows. Not that she’s surprised. The more time she spends with Nikolas, the more she realizes what a great father he is.
Sam and Dante clink beer glasses at the bar, and Sam asks what they’re really doing here. Not that she minds having the best night ever. He says, it was just a really tough day at work, and when he saw her, he remembered how lucky he is to have her in his life. He just wanted her to know that. She says, believe her, she knows that, and they kiss.
Ava says she’s sorry to interrupt, but she needs to borrow Scotty; just for a couple of moments. It’s important. Obrecht says, Ava is too late; Scotty is hers. Scotty says, that’s okay, my schnitzel. He’ll be quick. He steps away with Ava, and Obrecht says, it’s so wonderful to finally have found her soulmate. Nina and Britt are long overdue. At least Nina has someone… Nina makes a noise, and Obrecht says, that leaves her Britta. Any news from the matchmaker? Nina says, matchmaker?
Scotty asks if this is about Ava divorcing Nikolas again. He thought she was going to give Nikolas more than 24 hours. She says, this is about his son, and he asks what Spencer has to do with this. She says she doesn’t want Spencer at the gallery, so she’d like for Scotty to arrange for Spencer to do his restitution someplace else. Like picking up garbage or sweeping the streets; either would be good. He asks if this is about Trina, and she says, Trina has been through enough. She’s not going to let Spencer hurt Trina anymore.
Trina asks why Spencer is waiting for her, and he says he needs to know that she’s okay. She asks what he thinks. She was arrested for something she didn’t even do. She had an arraignment hearing, which he didn’t even bother to show up… He says he didn’t think she’d want him there, and she says she didn’t. And how could he possibly think that would be even close to okay? He says, sorry, poor word choice, and she says she guesses that would really affect someone who was vicious enough to post a sex tape, but despite what he thinks, that person wasn’t her. He tells her, stop.
Sasha tells Phyllis that she and Brando are planning a long life together. They’re looking for their first home. Sonny says, if they need any help, just ask. Since Deception did so well in the IPO, they’re not going to have any problems. He’s a happy investor himself. Good luck with their house hunting. He and Phyllis go to the bar, and he says, Phyllis feels bad for Brando and Sasha, doesn’t she? She says, mm-hm. You never get over losing a child, but at least Sasha and Brando have each other. They can focus on building a life together. He says, they seem to be doing good. So how’s everything going with her? She says, look around. Business is booming. He says, that’s not what he asked. He’s talking more like about Port Charles; How’s life? She says she’s amazed at how quickly it’s begun to feel like home, and he says, she doesn’t miss her friends in Nixon Falls? She says she does, but when she goes back to visit, they feel more like the past. Port Charles is her present. He says, that’s good, and she asks what he’s up to. He laughs, and says, actually, he has a favor to ask her.
Scotty tells Ava, the judge would have his head if he tries to change a court order of placement over a couple of teenagers fighting. She says, this is more than a fight; he knows that. Spencer told Trina that he believes she’s behind that revenge porn video. How can she be expected to work with him? He says, unless Trina has some concerns over this thing, Spencer has no legal connection to her case, and she says, except for the fact he keeps defending the enemy.
Nina says she gathers from Obrecht that Britt hasn’t been matched with her soulmate yet, and Britt says, sadly, soulmates are few and far between. Obrecht says, only because Britt has been dragging her feet, and Britt says she filled out the ten-page questionnaire. Now it’s up to Society Set-Ups. Nina says she’s sorry, but she can’t stay for dinner. She promised Phyllis that she’d stop by and see her. She tells Britt to be sure to call her when she meets Mr. Right, and Britt says, when hell freezes over. Nina leaves, and Obrecht says, this has been more than just a few moments. Where has Ava taken mein Scott?
Dante says, his day is definitely improving, and Sam says she’s glad her plan is working. He asks, what plan was that? and she says, to destress him. Does he want to talk about it? He says, some cases are just tougher than others, and she says, Trina Robinson? The new evidence that he asked the officer to email him, any ideas? He says he doesn’t know, and suggests they get a table. They get up, and Ava comes by. She asks for a word with Dante, and he says, sure. Sam says she’ll wait, and he goes with Ava to a private area. He asks what he can do for Ava, and she says, he can stop wasting time and resources on this ridiculous case against Trina.
Spencer tells Trina that he’s sorry, and asks if they can start over. Seeing her caught him by surprise, and he’s reacting inappropriately. She says, in more ways than one, and he says, putting aside everything that’s going on right now, he’s worried about his friend. She asks how he does that, and he says, does what? She says, ignore the fact that he accused her of betraying her best friends, then humiliating them in public. Does he really think they can talk as if none of that happened? He says he supposes not, and she says, but that’s just him closing his eyes to the truth. How else could he stay with Esme after everything she’s done?
Esme says, Spencer doesn’t now how lucky he is to have Nikolas as a father, and Nikolas says he’s made a lot of mistakes with his son. She says, despite everything, she still sees their father/son bond. It might weaken, but it can’t be broken. She often wonders what kind of bond she would have had with her birth parents, had they been alive to raise her, and he asks if she has any memories of them. She says, she was an infant when she was adopted. Then she lost her adoptive parents too. It was hard growing up without a mother. He says, he and Spencer would agree with her, and she says, it’s not as though her adoptive parents left her intentionally; their deaths were unexpected, tragic. But she can’t help feeling that her birth parents just threw her away. She’ll always wonder if she’ll be worthy of their love. He says, children don’t have to earn love. Besides, she doesn’t know why she was put up for adoption. Her parents could have desperately wanted her, but it wasn’t possible to keep her. She says, like his mother couldn’t be a part of his childhood?
Phyllis says she’ll do anything for Sonny if it’s in her power, and he says he knows, but she’s bearing the brunt of running this place. He hopes it hasn’t burdened her in any way. She tells him, don’t worry. She’s very happy here. He says, good, because it would help him a lot if she’d take Charlie’s off his hands.
Brando asks if Sasha is okay, and she says, why wouldn’t she be? He says he knows Phyllis’s mention of Liam upset her, and she says, Phyllis was just being kind. Besides, she doesn’t need a reminder of Liam. She thinks about him all the time. Brando says, him too, and she says, it was nice of Sonny to welcome her to the family. Brando invited him to the wedding reception, right? He says, he thought she was handling that, and she says, they discussed this… He says, don’t worry. He’ll make sure Sonny knows. He looks over at the bar, and says, maybe later. It looks like he’s a little busy right now.
Phyllis says, she’d love to own Charlie’s, but she can’t afford to buy it, and Sonny says, trust him. The price would be more than reasonable. How does a hundred dollars sound? She laughs, and tells him, don’t be absurd. He says he’d give it to her for free, but then the taxes would kill her. This place should be hers; she belongs here. She asks if this is misplaced guilt about the Tan-O burning down, and he says, it wouldn’t have happened if she and Lenny hadn’t taken him in. She says, Sonny… and he says, listen to him. She gave him a home. It’s the most beautiful thing anyone could do, and how does he repay that? He smacks the bar, and says, this is a start. Understand him? Phyllis nods, and Nina walks in.
Dante says he doesn’t know if Ava knows this, but he’s not the lead detective on Trina’s case. She says, he could still be the voice of reason, right? The Commissioner has lost her damn mind if she thanks Trina would make a sex tape of anybody, let alone her very best friends. Why haven’t the cops looked into Esme Prince? He says she knows he can’t talk about an ongoing investigation, and she says she’s so sick of the party line. He says, how about this one? They’re following the evidence. She suggests he follow the evidence that leads to Esme’s guilt, before Trina ends up in prison. She leaves, and Dante goes back to Sam, who says, sorry she left him without any back-up. He says, she kind of did, but really, they shouldn’t both have to deal with it. Sam says, she was out of line, and Dante says, yeah, but she was also right.
Obrecht says she hopes Scotty billed Ava for his time, but he says, as a lawyer, it’s never nine to five. He’s always got to be on call for his clients, especially the ones who pay so well. She says she finds his work ethic strangely sexy, and kisses him. Britt rolls her eyes, and says, gross.
Nikolas tells Esme, true. He didn’t meet his mother until he was a teenager. She says, Spence told her about it. She has to admit, it’s nice to talk to someone else who had a lonely childhood. He asks if she didn’t have adoptive brothers and sisters, and she says she did, but they were never close. After her adoptive parents died, the only one who cared about her was Nanny Maggie. Nikolas says, that’s someone, and asks if they’re still in touch. She says, when she was sent away to boarding school, Maggie found another job, and they lost touch. He says, so Spencer never met her, and she says she’s afraid not, but they really would have liked one another. And Maggie would have liked the fact Esme found someone who really loved her, however briefly.
Spencer says, his situation with Esme is complicated, and Trina says, it was complicated when Spencer thought Esme was pregnant. Ava told her it was a false alarm. Congratulations on dodging another bullet, but he still thinks she’s guilty. She starts to walk away, and he says, she was drunk at the cabin, and she said she didn’t even know what happened. She says, she didn’t walk around with a burner phone in case she got mad at her friends and decided to tape them having sex. And then send out an email while they’re in the middle of class. In case he forgot, she was with him when they got the video. When he was at his mother’s grave. When he decided once again that the rules didn’t apply to him. When he decided to sneak out of prison. She lied to the Commissioner to cover for him. He asks if she’s told her lawyer that he’s her alibi.
Josslyn says she might as well be watching cat videos, and Cameron suggests they take a break. She asks what he has in mind, and he kisses her. She breaks away, and asks if he heard that. Someone’s here.
Nina goes over to Brando and Sasha’s table, and asks if they’re recovering from their exciting day. Sasha says, they’re trying to, and Nina says, it’s no small thing to take a company public. Brando says, his wife is an amazing woman, and Nina agrees. She asks if she’s complimented Sasha on her speech at the launch party, but Sasha says her speech wasn’t that great. Nina tells her, stop being so modest.
Phyllis says, Sonny does realize he’s physically giving her Charlie’s. The place is worth a lot of money. She doesn’t feel right accepting; she’s fine as manager. Nina joins them, and Phyllis says, help her out. Talk some sense into Sonny. He wants to give her Charlie’s. Sonny says he’s selling it to her for a hundred bucks, and Phyllis says, which is ludicrous. Nina says she thinks it’s a wonderful idea, and asks Phyllis to please tell her that she’ll accept Sonny’s offer.
Sam says she knew Dante didn’t think Trina should be charged, but he says, it doesn’t matter what he thinks. He can’t let his feelings get in the way; that’s the job. She says, his job is to serve justice, and he says, the problem with that is, sometimes the law and justice aren’t the same thing. That’s the tough part about being a cop. She says, a good cop, and he says he promises her, he’ll do everything in his power to make sure the right person is punished.
Scotty asks if Nina left, and Britt says, a while ago. He says he guesses he only has eyes for Obrecht, and Britt drains her glass. She says she’s going to get another drink. Does anyone want a refill? Scotty says, sure, and Obrecht suggests Britt flag down a waitress, but Britt is already gone.
Cameron tells Josslyn, he checked underneath every bed and checked in every closet. No one is in this house. He even checked the alarm; it’s still set. She says she must be losing her mind, hearing things that aren’t even there. He tells her not to beat herself up. That kiss just now… Was he moving too fast? She says she wanted him to kiss her. She wants them to be close in that way again. She just feels so exposed. She does feel safe around him, and she’s not going to let a horrible video get in between them. He says, it won’t, and his phone rings. He looks at it, and asks, why is she calling?
Phyllis says, they’re teaming up against her? and Nina says, selfishly, she wants Phyllis to take Sonny’s offer, because it means she’s agreeing to stay in Port Charles. Phyllis says, Sonny doesn’t have to give her this place to get her to stay, and Sonny says he doesn’t have to do anything. He just wants to give Phyllis what’s hers. Nina says, she deserves it, and Sonny asks if she’ll do it for him. Please?
Sasha says she knows she and Brando talked about a house, but do they really want property to maintain? Maybe they should think about a condo. He says, up until now, he’s only thought as far as them living together. He never imagined that… She says, that it would happen this soon? and he says, no, that money wouldn’t be an issue. Where did that come from? She says, they did get married in a hurry, and he says, when you know something’s right, you don’t waste time thinking about it. She says, is he sure that’s it, or did she push him into this? Did they only get married because she wanted to?
Ava goes home to Windymere, and says, Nikolas looks thoughtful. Anything he’d care to share? He says he was waiting for her. He was wondering if she was going to come home. She says, of course (🍷). This is her house. She’s not going to let Esme chase her out of it. Where is that little snake anyway? Has she slithered off somewhere other than Windymere? He says he hates to disappoint her, but Esme’s still here. They had an interesting conversation about her childhood. Ava asks what heart-rending tale of woe Esme spun, or better question, how much of it did he buy? He says he pretended to buy all of it, and she asks if that’s his strategy. Be a sympathetic ear so Esme will open up to him? He says, the more they know about her, the better, and Ava says she already knows more than she cares to know. He suggests they talk about something more pleasant. Why doesn’t he make her a drink? She says, no thank you. She’s going to bed. He takes her arm, and says, sounds good. He’ll join her.
Trina says, her alibi hasn’t come up yet, and he thanks her for not ratting him out, but she tells him, don’t relax yet. She’ll tell Scotty everything if that means she wins the case. She’s not going to prison for him. He says he doesn’t expect her to, and she asks if he’s changed his mind about her. Can he see that she’s telling the truth? He says, it’s hard to believe that she’d do that to Joss and Cam, and she says, so he believes Esme did it? He tells her, he didn’t say that, and she says, then who? Him? Because he was the only other person that was in the cabin. He says, it wasn’t him, and she asks, then what’s his theory? Some random hiker broke in without her, Joss, or Cam hearing anything? Without any sign of a break-in? Or maybe it was a Sasquatch. How far is he going to go to defend Esme? He says he’s not defending Esme. He’s doing this for Trina. Esme set her up. Trina asks, then why is he still with her? and he says he’s only pretending to stand by Esme until she slips up. Until he has evidence that she’s the one who filmed and posted that video of Joss and Cam. That she’s the one who’s guilty, and not Trina. She says, so him saying he believed Esme was just a pretense to trap her? and he says, that’s why he suggested she move into Windymere. She thinks it’s so she’ll stay safe from his Uncle Sonny, but really it’s so he can watch her and try to get evidence that she’s the one behind the video. Trina says, he’s doing this to help her. Why? He says, because he’s falling in love with her. He’s about to kiss her, and she says, what, Spencer? Esme got his tongue? Is he going to keep denying what’s right in front of his face? I assume that was his fantasy, not Trina’s.
On the phone, Cameron says, okay. Thank you for calling and telling me yourself. Josslyn asks what the director of Lila’s Kids wanted, and he says he can’t work at the daycare this summer. She says, he was going to be head counselor; he was so excited. He says he can’t be in charge of the kids with the tape still out there, and she says, this is so unfair. They did nothing wrong. It’s not their fault Esme recorded them and posted something. He says, still, damage is done, and she says, they were campers at Lila’s Kids; this is not fair. He says, no, it’s not, but the director’s not to blame; no one is. Josslyn says, Esme is. She’s going to get everything she wanted.
Esme opens a box, and takes out a stack of letters. She takes one out, and reads: Dear Esme, I was surprised to get your letter saying you’re going to the United States with Spencer. I hope he brings you all the happiness you deserve, but I have to ask if being in New York is wise. No good can come from any contact with your father. Please be careful. Love, Maggie.
Ava says she hopes Nikolas had the housekeeper make a up a guest bedroom for him, because she has no intention of moving out of the master suite, and she certainly has no intention of sharing a room with him. He tells her, we say a lot of things when we’re angry, and she asks if he thinks she didn’t mean it. He says he thinks they’re both passionate, volatile people. He thinks they both live in the moment, and they both say what’s on their minds. Which is why they’re so good together. She says, this isn’t foreplay. As long as Esme remains in this house, he’s going to need a lot of blankets, because his bed is going to be very cold. He says, even after the vow renewal ceremony? but she says, there isn’t going to be one.
Britt looks at her phone, and the email says, congratulations; she has 8 possible matches. She scrolls, and thinks, duck pin bowling? It’s competitive? Is this a man or a twelve year old? Next… Hmm, not bad… She likes that too… She laughs, and thinks, and has a sense of humor. Could it be?
Dante’s phone dings, and Sam doesn’t see him anywhere around, so she takes it out of his jacket pocket. She reads, one new email from Rory, and sees it’s regarding the forensics report Dante requested.
Phyllis says, they act like she’s doing them a favor, and Sonny says, she is. Phyllis asks if Nina knew about this, and Nina says, they just want to make her happy, because when she’s happy, they’re happy. Phyllis thanks Sonny for his very generous offer… She accepts. Nina hugs her, and Sonny says, thank you. Phyllis says, before the finalize the paperwork, she’s got to drop off a deposit in the night box. Sonny asks if Rolph doesn’t walk her to the bank, but she says, he had to leave early. Sonny says, she’s not walking alone to the bank, and calls Frank over. He asks Frank to walk Phyllis to the bank, and make sure nothing happens to her. Phyllis follows Frank out, and Sonny tells Nina that Scotty came to see him at Pozzulo’s. Scotty’s going to subpoena him to be a character witness for Nina at the visitation hearing. Nina says, there’s not going to be a subpoena. She’s going to talk to Scotty, and if there’s a subpoena, she’ll fire him. Sonny says, they’ll see how it goes. He asks if she wants a drink. On the house since she helped him convince Phyllis to take over the pub. She says she’s good, and it was lovely of him to do that.
Brando says, he married Sasha because he loves her. He wanted to make that commitment to be her husband. She says, and not just to make her happy? He says, her happiness is a priority to him for the rest of their lives, and she’d better get used to it. He’d do anything for her. He married her for them. They kiss.
Obrecht calls Dante over to the table, and he sighs loudly. He asks, what is it? and she says she demands he arrest Sonny Corinthos this instant. Dante says, what for? and she says, for threatening her beloved Scotty. Dante says, her beloved Scotty can go down to the station and file a complaint all by himself. Britt comes back to the table, and Scotty tells Dante, there’s no need to make it official. He’s just telling Dante, off the record, since Carly left Sonny, Dante just needs to corral his father.
Sam puts in Rocco as a passcode into Dante’s phone, and says, good thing she knows him.
Cameron asks what time Josslyn told her mom that she’d be home, and she says she’ll text and tell her mom not to worry. He says he thinks she should go; he’s not the best company right now. She says he doesn’t have to entertain her. She just wants to be with him. He says he wants to be with her too, but he has a history test tomorrow, and… She says, and he needs his beauty sleep. He promises to make it up to her, and she says she hates everything that’s happened. They need to prove that Esme’s responsible. He says, they will, and she kisses and hugs him.
Spencer says he wishes this wasn’t happening to Trina, but she can’t blame Esme for everything that goes wrong in her life. She tells him, get out, and pushes him, saying, get the hell out. He leaves, but pauses for a moment in the hallway.
Nikolas says, Ava wants to postpone the vow renewal? Can’t they work through this? She says, this is more than just a lover’s spat. The way she feels right now, any vow Nikolas made to her would be meaningless. She walks out.
Sam reads Rory’s email. Rory writes that it’s the Robinson forensics report Dante requested, and to let him know if Dante has any trouble opening it. Dante comes up behind Sam and asks what she’s doing.
Obrecht tells Britt that she’s sorry Scotty had to leave. His law practice keeps him so busy. Britt says she thought maybe he was running away from Dante, and Obrecht says, her Scotty runs away from nothing. Britt says, of course (🍷) not, and Obrecht says she’s sorry she and Scotty made Britt feel left out. Britt tells her, don’t lose sleep over it. She’s just glad Obrecht found love. Obrecht says, it’s a wonderful feeling. One she wants Britt to experience as well. She paid a fortune to that matchmaker. What’s taking them so long to find the intelligent and handsome man Britt deserves? Britt says, actually, she received some possible matches earlier, and Obrecht gets all excited, saying, really? She did? Britt says she’s still going through their profiles, and Obrecht says, perhaps she should go through them for Britt. A second set of eyes is always useful. Britt hands Obrecht her phone, says, knock yourself out, mutter, and leaves. Obrecht looks at the phone, and runs after Britt.
Brando asks Sonny to thank Phyllis for the drinks, and Sonny tells him and Sasha to have a good one. They leave, and Nina asks if it’s okay if she hangs around until Phyllis gets back. They haven’t really had a chance to connect. Sonny says, yeah, he’s going to stay there anyway, and wait for Frank and Phyllis to get back. Nina says she’ll lock up, but as she gets to the door, two masked gunman bust in, and say, don’t do anything stupid and you might live through this.
Tomorrow, Chase feels terrible that he let Brook down; Dante isn’t sure if he can trust Sam; and Sonny says, they can turn around and go, and this will all be over.
The Real Housewives of Orange County
Still inflicting themselves on Aspen, Shannon told Heather that the others were still up at 4 am when she got up to get water. Heather said she was going into town, and would meet Shannon to go shopping. Shannon asked if Gina was coming, and we flashed back to the night before when Gina was pretty drunk. Gina told Emily that she should have listened to her gut, and in Gina’s interview, she said, yesterday after seeing the mine, they went on the ghost tour and she learned about tommyknockers. We saw a clip of the guide explaining these ghosts and how to placate them (see below), and Gina told Emily that she was going back to the mine and bringing a gift to fix this whole thing. In her interview, Gina said, it wasn’t her; it was the demons. They asked Landon and Chef Leigh to make up a basket for them with things like liquor and chocolate. In Emily’s interview, she said Gina didn’t want to take responsibility for being out of control, and was blaming it on evil spirits. Gina told Shannon what they were doing, and when she and Emily left, Landon said they were from Aspen, and never heard of such a thing. Apparently, it is a thing though.
Noella called Nancy, who said it was all good on her end, and Noella said there was mean girl bullsh*t going on, and it didn’t feel good. We flashed back to her argument with Heather, and in Noella’s interview, she said she had enough going on. She wasn’t adding Heather’s negative bullsh*t to it. She was taking time out. Nancy said, if they couldn’t be nice knowing Noella’s father just died, forget them. Emily and Gina went back to the mine, and Gina placed the basket several feet inside, and said they were sorry. She did not give them permission to take up residency inside her or her soul. She wished them well and said she was sorry again. When they left, she told Emily that she felt good about it, and in Emily’s interview, she said, as an attorney, she liked contracts. If Gina wanted to have one with the tommyknockers, she was all for it. Let’s make this legal.
Noella met with wellness coach Betty, and told Betty that she’d just lost her father. Betty said the minerals from the mine held energy. Everything had a different frequency vibrations. The more they were grounded, the more they connected with everything. On the way back from the mine, Emily said, Gina had to work things out with Shannon, and Gina admitted she might have taken some things out on Shannon. In Gina’s interview, she said she’d known Shannon for five years, but Shannon had yet to treat her like an equal. Shannon had known Noella for five minutes, and now could say she was the one helping her. All Shannon was concerned with in regard to friendships was getting praise. Emily said Gina and Shannon needed to sit down and have a real conversation; work it out. Gina said Shannon made her a worse version of herself. They went to the shopping area in town, and saw a giant bear statue. With Shannon’s face superimposed over it, Gina told bear Shannon to stop calling her arrogant. Bear Shannon should be sticking up for her and being a good friend.
Betty said she was getting to Noella’s root chakras. May Noella feel grounded in every step, and know her place in this earth. In Noella’s interview, she said she’d shed lot of dead weight in Aspen, but she was still in the mourning process. Betty said, may Noella have the ability to create and digest emotion and external influence, to know what’s hers and what’s others. In her interview, Noella said she was on the path to healing. Jen and Heather headed for some shopping, and Heather talked about the sky getting pink before it snowed. They met up with Gina and Emily, and Gina said she was upset about the sh*t with Shannon. Emily said she thought Gina was hurt that Shannon cared more about Noella, when she didn’t get the same thing from Shannon. Gina said it bothered her, and Shannon walked in. Gina asked if they could talk privately, and told Shannon that last night wasn’t indicative of who she was. She was lashing out, and not addressing issues she had with Shannon telling people she was arrogant. Shannon said Gina had overcome a lot of obstacles, and was launching her business. It was amazing, but there was a line between confidence and arrogance. Gina had made certain comments that were on the mean side, like asking if Shannon even had any friends. Gina said, Shannon was the one who said she had no friends. The others completely ignored them, and focused on looking for expensive accessories, and Heather picking out a leather jacket. Shannon said, Gina didn’t own what she did, and Gina said she was never included when Shannon talked about her core friend group; it hurt her feelings. Shannon said she’d done things for Gina that she hadn’t done for anyone else, and she never said she had no friends. How dare Gina? When Gina was single, she invited Gina out with her friends all the time, and now she suddenly had no friends? The overall theme was, Gina hadn’t made the effort, and never reached out to her. Gina said she was trying more with Shannon than anyone else. In Heather’s interview, she said she was glad they were getting it out, but she figured the more they purchased, the less irritated the staff would be by the yelling and the spectacle. Gina said Shannon wasn’t answering her texts, yet said she was the one not making an effort. Shannon said she didn’t respond to one text because she was stressing out getting a lunch ready, and in Shannon’s interview, she said she wasn’t a punching bag. She was doing the best she could, and thought she did a decent job of being a friend. Gina got out her phone, and pointed out two texts Shannon hadn’t responded to. In her interview, Shannon said, big evidence. Two times. Shannon said she didn’t know as Gina wanted to get along with her, and Emily said she thought Gina was hurt by Shannon being so invested in Noella and her well-being, when the same effort wasn’t put into Gina. Shannon said, when Gina was going through a hard time, she couldn’t be there because a nasty divorce had consumed her. When she met Noella met, she wanted to be supportive. When bad things happened, she wanted to be there for someone. Gina said she didn’t feel like Shannon wanted to be her friend, and Shannon said she felt horrible that Gina felt that way. She didn’t want to fight. They hugged it out, and Shannon said she cared about Gina, and was sorry for anything done to hurt her. It was the last thing she wanted to do. In her interview, Gina said she hoped her friendship with Shannon was never the same after this, but it was better. It was like remodeling. You had to tear everything down and start over.
There was a big to-do about Shannon having a splinter, and when that was over with, Noella told Shannon that she thought it was time for her to take her rings off. She asked Shannon to do it with her, and Shannon asked if she was sure. In Noella’s interview, she said she knew what it signified, and Shannon was a great friend. She told Shannon that there was so much unknown, and Shannon said, God had a plan. This wasn’t the right relationship for Noella, but she had a beautiful son. She’d look back later, and thank God this happened, or she wouldn’t be where she was today. It was a bit of a struggle to get the rings off, but eventually, it happened, and Noella said, they put up a good fight. They left for dinner, and in Emily’s interview, she said she had high hopes for their last night in Aspen. She thought it was important to focus on rebuilding and creating cohesion, not tearing each other down.
They went to the French Alpine Bistro, which confused me by playing German music. In Heather’s interview, she wondered how she was seated across from Noella. Noella told the sommelier about how she was going through a divorce, and when she was angry, ordered expensive wine. In her interview, Heather asked, what vintage do you suggest for misery? Shannon said she was excited for her Rack and Roll party. She wanted them to embrace the theme, and channel their inner rock stars. In Shannon’s interview, she said she made a great rib and liked rock and roll. They toasted to rock and roll, and Emily asked them to tell something they’d learned about someone that they didn’t know before. Shannon said Noella had taken off her rings, which meant she was ready to move on. Noella said she came to mourn the death of her father and her marriage, and wanted to go back to the OC fresh. Heather said she enjoyed seeing how Emily prioritized her life based on her kids, and Emily said it was the best compliment she could ever get. Noella said, it was the hardest job in the world, and gave everyone compliments. She said she was happy to have Heather in her friendzone, and in Heather’s interview, she said, if Noella wants to be friends with her, don’t lie about her. In Noella’s interview, she said, if the only way to have a good night was to kiss Heather’s ass – the waiter came over to their table and said a regular wanted to buy them a round of shots – now can they please have fun? There was drinking and dancing, and in Emily’s interview, she said, at the end of the day, they were moving forward, and that’s what it was all about. They toasted to Aspen.
Mr. Puppers! Noella told friend Keni that she just wanted to be in a new house and rebuild. Keni said she knew Noella would manifest her perfect home. Emily was preparing to do the wedding photo thing, and invited Gina to come. They drank champagne as Emily got her makeup done, and in Emily’s interview, she said, it wasn’t a vow renewal or a wedding – we flashed back to her saying how they got married on the fly and had no photos – but it was a celebration of their marriage, their love, and how far they’d come. Gina said she could tell when Emily and Shane were having a rough time, and we flashed back to that. Gina told Emily, it was nice to know that they’d done the work. They deserved to celebrate. Emily was zipped into her gown, and put on some very expensive borrowed jewelry. Shane and the boys waited at the bottom of the outside staircase, and Annabelle joined them, everybody all dressed up. Emily came down the stairs to Canon in D Major, otherwise known as the main theme from Ordinary People. In her interview, she said, for her to walk down and see her husband and three children was huge for her. She never thought it could be possible. Everything she wanted in life came true. It was like a fairytale. Shane said she was missing something, and opened a jewelry box, showing her an engagement ring. She said, are you serious? and he said, no, closing the box, but then put it on her finger. In Emily’s interview, she said, Shane didn’t really propose, and we flashed back to her telling the women that it happened over Google chat. She said, there had been no engagement ring, and although Shane had given her a wedding ring, she hadn’t found it for three years. He told her it wasn’t over yet, and put a wedding ring over the engagement ring. He said, and ten years was a big deal for her. Then there was eleven, twelve, and thirteen. He added an anniversary band, and in her interview, Emily said she knew Shane had a hard façade, but this was a testament to how romantic and how he did love her. They took pictures, and Gina said they nailed it.
Shannon got ready for her party, with core friends Dana and Lisa helping. Noella tried to figure out how to set a guitar on fire, and everyone got ready. Heather and Terry had a private kiki beforehand, and Heather said, Shannon was out of her mind. She had the idea they should form a band. She thought they’d just show up and learn a song in 30 seconds. On the flight home, Shannon told her that they were going to form a band, and she said, but Shannon had no song, no musical instruments, and Heather didn’t think anyone in the group had musical talent. What’s the plan? Shannon said she needed Heather’s help, so Heather called Richard Marx, who had a track from a song Heather and Daisy Fuentes had written. We saw clips of the different women doing their bit, and Heather told Terry that they were going to perform it at the party.
Shannon got laced into her outfit, and everyone trickled in; Noella Hendrix, Emilectra, Gwina Stefani, Fancy Spice, and Thunder Storms. The last one to come in was Doctor Baywatch, who said she wasn’t a rocker, but was virally linked to one. They sat down for dinner, and in Shannon’s interview, she said she’d cooked the ribs all day in apple cider to point of perfection. Maybe she should put a pin in that. In Jen’s interview, she said she had a message she needed to share. Even though Ryne might hate it, the group needed to know, and he needed to hear it.
Jen tells everyone, the time before the last time they got together, she’d been in an emotional state. She didn’t show her emotions often, and thanked everybody for helping her. She usually didn’t reach out, but they lent a hand, and she was happy for the future. Shannon said she was in one of the most blessed places she’d ever been in her life, and was grateful. It was only going to get better. Everyone applauded, and in Shannon’s interview, she said, God had a plan. She had three thriving kids, and someone by her side who she was in love with. There was so much good in her life, she wasn’t focusing on anything but the positive. Heather said, her friends were a great blessing, and in her interview, she said, life was short and unpredictable. She wasn’t perfect, and had made mistakes, but she knew the people in her circle were worthy, and she was proud to call them her friends. Shannon told the women that they were taking half a shot, and then going on stage. In Noella’s interview, she said, it had been a year of change, and from that, rebirth and regrowth. As much as love was important, she thought it was better for her not to focus on sex and relationships, but give love to herself. They got onstage, and Shannon yelled, to OC Realz! the name of their band. She told the crowd that it was their first performance, and Heather thanked Richard Marx and Daisy Fuentes. The song was called Whatever I Want, and it wasn’t awful. It was better than Good As Gold, but I have the feeling there was some autotuning going on.
This was the finale, and the text went this way. Shannon and John were buying a boat, but Gina was still not in the core friend group, which remained at four. Noella was dating a younger man who she thought was her twin flame. She’d gotten a new house, but had no sex dungeon… yet. Jen’s home was on the market. She and Ryne had separated for over a month, but were looking for a fresh start in a new house. I wondered why Mr. Puppers didn’t get an update. Emily had been in touch with her father, and thought of bringing the kids to meet him. She was still involved in fundraising for the California Innocence Project, but others said she was still guilty of stirring the pot. Gina had brought Travis on a tour of her hometown in Long Island, and they were saving up to buy a bigger house – one that could hold her overinflated ego. Heather and Terry celebrated the 25th anniversary of their first date, and were planning a party for the twins’ graduation. Sushi would not be served.
Next time, the Reunion.
👻 About Those Ghosts…
A bit more complex than what the tour guide said, but that was the gist of it, despite Landon’s skepticism.
Hope to see you tomorrow for some soap and a flip of the coin. Until then, stay safe, stay humanitarian, and stay knowing that sometimes relationships are like remodeling. You have to tear everything down and start over.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Curtis says, Drew made it, and Drew says, of course (🍷) he did. It’s an honor to be included. He hugs Curtis and Portia, and Curtis says, welcome to their new home. Drew says he’s a little jealous he didn’t snatch it for himself, and Portia says, he’ll just have to settle with life at the Quartermaines. He says, their place doesn’t come with nosy cousins. Stella and TJ join them, and Stella says, Curtis and Portia will just have to settle for one nosey aunt instead. Curtis says, she said it, not him, and Drew says, it’s nice to see Stella again. She says, him too. She understands he’s been through a lot since she saw him last, and he says, things are definitely improving. He asks TJ how things are at the hospital, and TJ says he was just regaling his family on the ins and outs of an ACL repair. Stella says she definitely wants to hear more about it, especially the part where TJ might be closing in on a specialty. Trina comes in, and Drew asks Curtis how she’s doing. Curtis says he and Portia are going their best to support her, but those charges against her are insane. They’re going to have to fight like hell until it’s over. Drew says he’s sure it helps that the people close to her know the accusations are absolutely bogus, and Curtis says, unfortunately, the person Trina’s thinking about is the one person who hasn’t realized that yet.
Spencer punches the heavy bag, like he’s ever been at a gym before, and Sonny walks in. Spencer says he was just finishing up. Unless Sonny has more to say about his lecture; the company he keeps and all that. Sonny tells him, he said all he has to say, and Spencer leaves.
Laura says she certainly hopes Esme had nothing to do with this video of Josslyn and Cameron, and Esme says, of course (🍷) she didn’t. Why won’t anyone believe her? Nikolas comes in, and says, they just have to let the police investigation run its course. In the meantime, he’s keeping an open mind. Laura says, her son has extended his hospitality to Esme. She hopes Esme won’t betray that trust. Ava walks in, and says, they already know the answer to that, and Nikolas says, she’s back. She says, live and in person, and he says, she made her position on sharing a roof with Esme quite clear last night. Ava says, since then, she’s come to realize that some things are more important than her feelings about Esme. He says, what’s that? and she says, this is her damn house too.
At the MetroCourt, Victor sends a text: Get it done. There’s too much at stake. Yohan joins him, and says, Victor wanted to see him, and Victor says he wants Yohan to keep an eye on things in Port Charles, only for a week or two. Yohan asks where Victor is going, and Victor says he has some business to attend to overseas. Yohan says, he’s leaving town just as Kurt has been exposed. Doesn’t that look like he’s fleeing the country? Victor says, unless of course (🍷) that’s exactly what he’s doing.
Anna leaves a message for Valentin, saying, the last time they spoke, he said he was coming back to town shortly, and she was wondering if that’s still the plan. Could he call her maybe, or text? She has some things she needs to update him on before he comes back. She knocks on Sam’s apartment door, and Dante opens it, thanking her for coming. She says their message sounded urgent, and Sam says, they think they uncovered something that can prove Luke was murdered. Anna says, they have her attention, and Sam says, ever since she and Drew ran into Victor on the docks, she’s had Spinelli monitoring the dark web. Anna asks what he found, and Sam says, they’re working on the theory that Victor’s interest in Drew was somehow connected to Luke’s death. They’re trying to make sense of all of it right now. Dante says, they’re trying to connect the two crimes somehow. It didn’t make sense that Luke was murdered, Victor returns, and the Ice Princess is stolen. Anna says, the overlap is too much of a coincidence.
Yohan asks what Victor means, that’s what he’s doing? and Victor says he’s joking. Far from it. It’s legitimate business he has to take care of. He’ll be back before anyone even knows he’s gone. Yohan says, Mayor Collins, DA Scorpio, and Anna Devane all suspect they have something to do with the incident in Austria last December, and Victor says, but of course (🍷) they didn’t. He has a hunch the authorities will find someone who’s a much more credible suspect than either one of them.
Laura suggests she and Esme give Nikolas and Ava a few minutes to talk, and Ava thanks her, saying, they wouldn’t want to get the mother-to-be all worked up in her delicate condition. Esme says, turns out it was a false alarm. She’s not pregnant, but Spence’s grandmother was right. No doubt Ava and Nikolas have much to discuss. They leave, and Ava looks at Nikolas.
In the foyer, Spencer walks in, and Esme says, that was fast. He asks what they’re doing in the foyer, and Laura says, they’re giving his dad and Ava some privacy to talk. Esme asks where he was, and he says he was at the gym. She says, so that’s why he rushed out of here this morning; so he could get away from her?
Drew asks Curtis if there have been anymore updates about Marshall, but Curtis says, not since he found a hole in Marshall’s story. He asked Jordan to access some sealed arrest records, but she wasn’t going for it. He even reached out to Sonny; see if he could use his resources to get the job done. Drew says he hopes Sonny turned Curtis down, and Curtis says, as a matter-of-fact he did. Why does Drew make that sound like a good thing? Drew says, not exactly good or neutral, but organized crime has been trying to make inroads since Curtis has owned the club. Curtis doesn’t want to owe the mob any favors. Curtis flashes back to Selena approaching him about having no limits Texas Hold ‘Em in his back room, and Curtis agrees it’s probably best.
Selena walks into the gym, and says, no phones, no distractions. The pungent musk of testosterone, charming in its own way. Sonny asks what he can do for her, and she says she stopped by his office, but no one was there. She knew this place was right around the corner, so she took a gamble that he’d be here. He says he never took her for a gambling woman, and she says, it has its time, and its place. He says, is that why she wanted to see him? He likes to keep certain aspects of his life private. This is his boxing gym, if she knows what he means. So if she wants to make an appointment, they can have this conversation in his office. She says she’s happy to reschedule, but on her end, the newly appointed Police Commissioner Ashford has been taking notice of her comings and goings. It might arouse suspicion if she were to stop by his office with any frequency. Here, she’s just a professional, potentially interested in a membership to attend a self-defense class. He tells her, make it quick, and she says, her plan is to expand a fraction of her business in Port Charles, gaming mainly, which doesn’t conflict with any of Sonny’s business interests. She feels it’s been an underserved market since Luke Spencer moved away. She would start small, once she finalizes the location, provided of course (🍷) she secures his blessing first. He tells her, what if he says no?
Laura says she thinks it would be in Esme’s best interest not to lose her temper, because it looks like she and Spencer are going to be living here for a while. Esme says, of course (🍷) Laura is on Spence’s side, and Laura says, no; she’s on the side of keeping the peace. She’s just saying she thinks they all need to take a deep breath, and step back from this moment a little bit, okay? In fact, why don’t they join her and Doc for lunch? She thinks they should both get out of the house while Nikolas and Ava talk. Spencer thanks her for the kind offer, but says he thinks he and Esme have things to discuss as well, and Esme tells him, if you say so. Laura says, if they change their minds, they’re welcome to join her. She moves to hug Spencer, but he says he’s super gross, and she laughs, saying, it’s thoughtful of him. She loves him. Try to be kind to each other. Laura leaves, and he tells Esme, he left because he had a lot of thinking to do. She says she supposes they both did. They said some horrible things to each other over the last few weeks, because he’s fallen in love with another girl, or is he going to keep denying it?
TJ asks Trina how she is, and she says she’s compartmentalizing. Nothing’s really happening with her case today, so she’s just staying focused in the present. It is a housewarming party, right? He says, right, and she says, that’s what she’s supposed to say, but really she just wants to scream, she’s framed and she’s innocent. She wants to say that in person, on Twitter, on TikTok, but she can’t, because every time she says she’s innocent, people think somehow she might still be guilty. He says he gets it. He got accused of doing something he didn’t do, when he was her age actually. Not to the same degree to what she’s facing, but he knows what it’s like to be wrongly accused, and how being passionate about defending yourself can turn into this nonsensical feedback. She thanks him for saying that, and tells him, it’s so strange to find her life spiraling out of control when she didn’t do anything wrong.
Stella tells Portia that she and Curtis buying this house together really caught her by surprise. Back in her day, people didn’t move in together so quickly. Portia says, really? and Stella says, she’s not judging. Times change. At her age, you realize you have to seize your happiness where you can find it. Portia says, is that code for telling her maybe she’s happy for them? and Stella says she’s just reiterating what she told Portia over the holidays. She misjudged the connection Portia and Curtis have. It was just her projecting her concerns about Curtis moving on too quickly. He signed the divorce papers, and… Stella remembers putting the envelope in her purse, and Portia asks if she’s okay.
Anna says, very interesting Dante and Sam would make that connection, because Laura, Robert, and herself believe that the Ice Princess is connected to Victor’s return to town, and unfortunately, Luke’s death most likely. Dante says, according to his mother and Ned, Tracy was pretty blindsided when she found out her diamond was fake; that the real Ice Princess was swapped out before Luke was killed. Sam says, the simplest of theories, Luke was killed to prevent him from catching on to the swap, and Dante says, but that doesn’t explain the theft in the first place. No one steals the Ice Princess so they can put it in their own collection on display. They steal it so they can sell it to someone else. Sam says, unless they want to sell it for a whole lot of money, and Dante says, that’s when Spinelli got a hit this morning. Anna asks, what is it? and Sam brings her over to the laptop, and says, a black market auction. The description pretty much explains what it’s about. Anna reads, what remains of what was once the largest uncut diamond in the world, and says, they found it.
Nikolas says, Ava is right. This is her home as much as it is his, which is why he’s so glad she came around to the idea of remaining here. Despite her reservations about Esme, she has to look at the bigger picture. Whatever she may have done, she doesn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of Sonny’s wrath. Ava says, once again, he’s listening with his heart, instead of his ears, and he says, how so? She tells him, she never said she’d come around to anything. Esme is a liar and a cheat. She’s a conniving reptile, who framed Trina, who’s practically a daughter to her. She’ll never be okay with Esme living here, but she’ll be damned if she lets that off-brand sociopath drive her from her home and marriage.
Stella tells Portia, sorry; she got lost in thought. She’s glad Portia didn’t listen to her when she was being overprotective of Curtis. Portia says, for what it’s worth (🍷), she can certainly understand the impulse, and Stella says, she’s scared for Trina. Portia says, of course (🍷) she is. She’s worried Trina’s entire future will be completely destroyed, if not seriously tainted, over something she absolutely did not do. Stella says she knows as a parent, every fiber in Portia’s being wants to fix Trina’s problems, but there’s only so much you can do. And that feeling of helplessness makes it all the more terrifying. The doorbell rings, and Stella says she thought they were keeping this small; just Drew and family. Who did they invite? Curtis says, no one, and opens the door to find Marshall.
Selena tells Sonny that she must have gotten the wrong impression from their previous conversation. She thought he was on board with cooperation between their two families. He says he’s all for the spirit of cooperation, but they were discussing access to the docks. She never once brought up bringing gambling to Port Charles. She says, it’s an area where their family’s interests don’t overlap. They wouldn’t be in competition as he keeps his gambling interests off-shore. And as this is his territory, of course (🍷) she’d offer him a percentage of the profits. He says, sounds reasonable, but his term still stands; no drugs at all. She says, understood, and he says he’ll let her know about his other terms, but let him say one thing. If he finds out there’s any drugs, or anybody dealing drugs during the games, he’ll shut it down. No second chances. She says she agrees to his terms, and thinks they have a deal. He holds out his hand, and they shake.
Anna says, this diamond up for auction has to be the Ice Princess, and Dante says, they just have to figure out who’s selling Luke’s prized possession. Sam says, maybe the same person who killed Luke, and Anna says, whoever that person is, she believes it’s going to lead them right back to Victor. Sam says they’re going to have to prove they’re in possession of the necessary funds before they make a bid, or they’re not going to get the location of the auction. Anna says, they do that partially because they want to weed out any law enforcement, and Dante says, not much point in showing them their bank accounts. Anna says, when Duke died, he left her a rather large sum of money, which she’s always felt uncomfortable spending because of the ambiguous ways it was acquired. She put some aside for Robin’s education, and the rest she turned into cryptocurrency in case one day she ever had to investigate cyber-crimes. Sam says, it’s totally up to Anna, and Anna says, unless the meet the threshold, they’re not going to be invited to this auction, and she can tell them, the Ice Princess will bring some pretty unsavory characters out of the woodwork. They should do it. Sam says, okay, and starts typing.
French Polynesia. Jennifer Smith sits at a tiki bar, on the phone and sipping a drink. Obviously talking to a partner, perhaps romantic, she says she shouldn’t be much longer. She has very important business to attend to.
Curtis asks what brings Marshall by, and Marshall says he heard they were having a housewarming to celebrate their new home. He hands Curtis a bottle of wine, and asks if he got the wrong date. TJ says he invited grandpa to join, since it’s mainly a family gathering. Curtis says, come on in, and Stella and Marshall acknowledge each other.
Spencer says, his feelings for Trina are complicated, and Esme says, let her see if she has this straight. His feelings for Trina are complicated, so he simplifies things by believing the worst in her. She guesses so he can believe the best in Trina. But now what? He knows she’s not the one responsible for that horrible video. Does that mean there’s a path forward for them? Or she can just leave Port Charles. She can just hope the executor of her trust fund takes pity on her, so that just maybe she can walk away with enough money for a plane ticket and an apartment somewhere on the continent, because now that there’s no baby, there doesn’t seem to be anything keeping them together. She starts to walk out, but he grabs her arm, and says, wait.
Portia asks if Trina is feeling okay; is she eating? Trina says, she’s embarrassed about what has her down the most. Joss and Cam think she’s innocent, Portia and her dad know she’s innocent, Ava does too, and she’s even starting to get the feeling Commissioner Ashford knows in her heart that she’s innocent. Portia says, that should make Trina feel more loved and supported, and Trina says, it does, but why can’t she stay focused on that? Why is she stuck on this one person who thinks she’s guilty. The way Spencer looked at her in the interrogation room… It really hurt her when he asked if she was the one who betrayed Joss and Cam. Portia says, part of growing up is learning the pain of putting your faith in someone who doesn’t give it back to you. She knows it hurts like hell, but it’s also going to teach her who her true friends are in this life. Trina says, it’s funny, because she doesn’t think Spencer really believes she’s guilty. She thinks he wants to believe it, so he can make his messed up situation with Esme easier accept. But that’s always been Spencer’s problem. He wants to do what’s right, but when it really matters, he does what’s easy.
Yohan tells Victor, the more he knows, the more he can help him, when Laura walks in. She heads for the bar, and Victor says, that’s a very kind offer, but in this case, the less Yohan knows, the better. Will Yohan excuse him? At the bar, Laura asks Trish for an ice tea, and Victor approaches. He says, dining alone? but she says, no. She’s meeting her husband for lunch; he’s just running late. He says, patient in distress? and she says, none of his business. He says, since Doc is delayed, perhaps he can offer her a drink, but she says she doesn’t think there’s a martini dry enough to make that offer enticing. He says, ouch; that hurt. She says she knows he heard from Spencer regarding Esme’s possible pregnancy – she’s not, by the way. He says, that’s certainly a relief, but what exactly did he say to Spencer that upset her so much? She says, he offered to handle it for Spencer, and he says he’s sure she’ll agree that Spencer, although a fine young man, is hardly mature enough to raise a child on his own. Unless of course (🍷) it’s okay with Laura that Spencer and Esme are tied to each other for the rest of their lives.
Jennifer says she knows he doesn’t see the value in this auction. It seems wasteful to spend the millions they’ve acquired thus far on something so extravagant. But this belonged to her dear, dead ex-husband, and though she is committed to moving on with her life, she does owe it to him, and to herself… To make sure his most treasured possession stays with someone who cared deeply about him. The Ice Princess simply belongs with me… I mean, us.
Sam says, all they have to do is wait and see if they’re admitted to the auction, and Dante asks if Anna is okay. She says, yeah. Luke was so instrumental in bringing Duke home, she’d like to think wherever Duke is, he’s smiling because his estate is going to a good cause. Dante says she’s putting up a fortune in crypto. Before they go ahead, she should think about the fact this might not have to do with Luke’s death or Victor Cassadine. Anna told them that the inspector was some fanatical true believer of some cause. Anna says, committed to the point of taking his own life. Whatever the inspector believed, he thought his goals were noble and justified to orchestrate this horrible tram car crash that cost so many people their lives. Sam says, the theft of the Ice Princess could have been motivated financially, don’t they think? And not politically? Dante says, or they go hand in hand. Or maybe Victor was exploiting the true believer for his own cause. The sale of the Ice Princess could fund Victor’s belief or cause for a lifetime. Not that he’d let on having a belief other than in himself or his family. Anna says, that they know of.
Marshall says he knows he hasn’t given Drew an answer about the position Drew offered him. He hopes Drew doesn’t think he’s stringing him along. Drew asks if Marshall minds him asking what the delay’s about, and Marshall says, his band picked up more gigs. He started to wonder if being a jazz concierge for Aurora might become a conflict of interest. The last thing he wants to do is keep the job from somebody else who might need it more than him. Drew says, they’re still interviewing other candidates, but keep him posted. Drew excuses himself, and Marshall tells Curtis that he has some nice friends, and a really nice partner. Curtis says he’s a lucky man. In fact, he and Portia were thinking about taking a vacation after they settled in the house, but he guesses all that will have to wait until the situation with Trina is resolved. Marshall says, Curtis has to take care of his family; he has to put them first. Don’t make the mistake he did. Where were they planning on going? Curtis says, Portia has always wanted to go to Buenos Aires; has Marshall been there? Marshall says, yeah, that was a long time ago. He’s sure the city’s changed since he’s been there. if Curtis will excuse him for a second, he’s got to check out that view. Marshall goes out on the patio – where there are an awful lot of trees for it being a beach house – and takes out his pill bottle. Stella comes out, and asks what he thinks he’s doing.
Stella asks if Marshall thinks it’s wise to be popping those pills so openly, and he says, Curtis is already aware of his heart medication; that’s all these are. She says she had to wonder if it’s something else. He’s taking a big chance that could make the truth come out. Marshall says he wouldn’t do that, and she says, listen to her. She’s in this way too deep to go back on her word to Ilene now, and she needs to know that this will not blow up in her face. Her relationship with Curtis, with her family, cannot be collateral damage. He says he appreciates all she’s done for Curtis during his absence, but if anyone is Curtis’s or TJ’s family, it’s him. He goes back inside.
Selena says she was sorry to hear about Sonny’s divorce from Carly, but he says, let’s not go there. She says, family is so important, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be a huge disappointment. She has a few in her own family whose loyalty leaves much to be desired; that’s why their chosen families are so important. He says, this is as good a segue as any. He found Jason’s successor. Brick is going to be serving as second in command. He’s going to be doing Jason’s day to day management. Selena says she’s quite fond of him. This is good news, especially given the rumblings she’s been hearing – no doubt he has as well – about a new family that’s been amassing power on the west coast under radar.
Jennifer says, beyond the sentimental value of the Ice Princess, acquiring it will send a message to the entire underworld that they’re a major force to be reconned with, which will enable them to expedite and expand their program and operations at a much brisker pace than they originally planned. They’ve already expanded through much of the west coast without drawing too much attention from the other families. If she wins this auction, it will only be a matter of time before they can start moving east, and strike right at the heart of Port Charles.
Anna says, they placed Victor’s assistant Yohan in Austria at the time of the tram car crash, and he has shown undying loyalty to Victor; far more than salary alone would justify. Sam says, it depends on how big his salary is, and Dante says, maybe they have to figure out what’s near and dear to old Yohan. The laptop beeps, and Sam says, their crypto account passed the test. They’ve been invited to join the auction of the Ice Princess.
Laura says she doesn’t want to get into this with Victor, especially in public. He asks if she can honestly fault him for trying to look out for a family member’s needs; offering to take care of this problem? She says she knows too well what it means for a Cassadine to handle a situation like this, and she’d like something better for those two kids, and for Nikolas.
Nikolas says, so Ava hasn’t had a change of heart? and she says, no, but she’ll do whatever’s necessary to protect those she cares about. That includes protecting him from his own worst instincts. If anybody gets kicked to the curb, it’s going to be Esme, not her. He says, kicking Esme out isn’t an option since Ava decided to sic Sonny on her. She knew damn well what Sonny is capable of if he believes someone hurt his family. She asks if he’s forgotten what she’s capable of; what he’s capable of? Or has he already rewritten their history into some sweet fairytale? He’s so much smarter than this, and honestly, it pains her to see he’s fallen for this poor abandoned waif act. He asks if this is looking out for him and Trina, or is this her keeping a promise to his mother? Because his mother wants her to look out for him, since he’s so naïve and doesn’t know better? It’s so insulting. She says they can go back and forth like this much as they want, but really it comes down to this. As long as he’s choosing to protect Esme, they won’t be sharing a bed. He asks if that’s an ultimatum, and she says, what if it is? He says, then let him remind her, he doesn’t respond well to ultimatums.
Sonny tells Selena, Brick mentioned something months ago about a rival family on the west coast. He hasn’t heard anything since. She says, in her experience, people who can amass power under the radar do the most damage. They’re not their problem today, but one day, they will be. He says he guesses it’s good they’re in the same corner, and she says he has her word that she’ll keep him in the loop with whatever she hears, if he does the same. He says, deal, and she says, deal. Enjoy the rest of his day. She leaves, and he shakes his head.
Drew says he’s happy for Curtis and Portia. He has to get going, but the place is so beautiful. Curtis says he’ll walk Drew out. As Drew leaves, Stella comes back in not looking so well. Portia says, before anyone else leaves, why don’t they take a family photo? Their first get together in their new home. TJ says they’ll use his phone, and Portia brings Trina over. Stella is hanging around he buffet table, and Portia asks what she’s doing. Get over here, and get in this picture. Stella looks at them, her vision goes blurry, and she collapses.
Ava says, so that’s it; Nikolas won’t listen to reason. He says, neither one of them is listening to reason. She’s ignoring evidence and trusting her gut, and he’s trusting his. She says, the way she sees it, he’s trusting a girl who torched her car, who stalked and terrorized her. They all know how twisted Esme’s mind is. She trusts Trina with all her heart, and he says, he’s not saying Esme is completely innocent; far from it, but the evidence is pointing to Trina, not Esme. She says, evidence can be planted; they both know that. He says, Spencer wants to protect Esme, and he wants to stand by his son. Don’t put him in a position where he has to choose her or his son. He’s already done that once, and it didn’t turn out too well. Don’t back him into that corner again. She says, there’s nothing left to discuss, and he says, so that’s it?Nothing has changed since last night? She came all this way to tell him she’s not moving back? She says, no. She said they won’t be sharing a bed as long as Esme is here. However, Windymere belongs to her too, and she’s not letting Esme take it away from her. There are plenty of guest rooms and cottages on the property for her to stay in and keep an eye on things. At least until he opens his.
Esme suggests they just rip off the Band-Aid and be done with it, but Spencer says he doesn’t want her to leave. She says she doesn’t want to leave, but she doesn’t want to be roommates. She wants to be them again. He says he’s not there yet, but if she stays, they can figure it out. One step at a time. He hugs her.
Victor tells Laura, he wants more for Nikolas and Spencer. More than he was offered by his family. She says, if he’s going for sympathy, he’s wasting his time. He says he knows she thinks he’s heartless, but she’s mistaken. He cares deeply about what the next generation is going to have to endure. They both want to leave them a better world. They might differ in their methods, but surely their interests are aligned. She says, she may need that drink after all and will he stop calling her Shirley. He says he means it. He’s deadly serious. Just think about this possibility. Imagine a world where they stop being enemies, and instead, they work together toward a common goal.
Sam says, the auction is being held at a hotel in French Polynesia, and Anna asks Sam to send her the address. She has a WSB agent who will get her there undetected. In the meantime, why doesn’t Sam have Spinelli do a deep dive on Yohan? See what they can turn up. She’ll be in touch. Dante tells her to be careful. She’s going into a den of millionaires, mobsters, and megalomaniacs. She says she’ll do her best. In the hallway, she leaves Valentin another message. She says she’s going out of town, so she won’t be here when he comes back. She has to be honest. She’s starting to get worried about the fact that he’s completely unreachable.
Jennifer says she’ll let him know how it goes, every detail. She hangs up, and sips her drink. She tells the bartender that she’s ready for another, and he says she’s got it. A man says, s’il vous plait, madame’s next drink is on me. It’s Valentin, wearing a moustache and naval officer uniform, and he asks if this chair is taken.
Tomorrow, Curtis says, call 9-1-1; Michael says, the only thing he wants to hit Smoltz with is an offer; Valentin romances Jennifer; and Sonny tells Nina, defense is easier when you see the hit coming.
The Real Housewives of Orange County
Noella says, Heather saying she hurt her feelings hit her hard. Gina and Emily stand on the stairs listening, and Noella says, she apologizes if she said anything that hurt Heather’s family. Heather doesn’t say anything, and Noella asks if Heather is receiving that or even heard it. Heather says, it’s not how she feels about what Noella said, but what Noella said. She feels for what Noella is going through, so when things have come up, she’s let them go. But at some point, Heather’s family and life are more important to her than whatever Noella is going through. Gina and Emily go to the kitchen, and have chicken salad with Shannon. Noella asks if Heather put her hands on a crew member, and Heather says she didn’t touch anyone. Noella can keep going there, but she said Heather was slamming people up against the wall, and she saw it. Noella doesn’t recall saying that, and Heather says, she admitted to the girls that she lied, and didn’t see anything. We flash back to that, and Heather says she can’t do this with Noella anymore. In Gina’s interview, she says she can’t express how happy she is to be having a conversation about chicken salad with Shannon as opposed to the alternative, fighting in the other room. Noella says she did follow Heather down the staircase, and Heather says she’s done. In her interview, Gina says, maybe Heather and Noella should have some chicken salad. It promotes friendship. Heather says, Noella is a liar and a thirsty girl; she’s done. She walks to the kitchen, and Noella says she’s shocked Heather knows what thirsty means. I guess the implication is that Heather is old, but she does have a few young kids. Noella joins everyone, and says, it couldn’t be resolved. Her apology isn’t enough; she’s a pathological liar and just makes things up. Heather says, that’s a different diagnosis, and in Gina’s interview, she says, the altitude combined with the alcohol, makes chicken salad the only conversation she can have. Gina suggests Noella just say she was wrong and apologize, but Heather says, she can’t. Shannon says she’s going to bed. She literally had two hours sleep.
Gina calls Travis, and tells him, it’s stunningly beautiful, and they have a chef. She’s suffering. In her interview, she says, Mark, Chef Leigh, and Landon are a dream team. They handle everything, and all she has to do is chew, swallow, and digest. Travis tells her that he’s the staff at home. Landon makes a drink for Noella, and Gina doesn’t think it’s wise to give Noella vodka and a bow and arrow, as they’re going for an archery lesson. In Emily’s interview, she says, she’s glad they decided on archery. Shannon had talked about going to a gun range, and Shannon with a gun and her erratic hands – we flash back to Shannon flailing around – are not safe for anyone. Landon brings Noella a bloody Mary and a bowl of fruit, saying it will make her day better. Noella calls her friend Keni, who looks like she’s had way too many lip injections, and says, they’re doing archery. She doesn’t think she should be with weapon right now, so she’s having breakfast in bed. Yesterday was a great day, everyone was bonding, and Heather came after her, calling her a liar, and screaming at her in a crowded restaurant. I wonder how she’ll justify her exaggerating after seeing the show, but I’m sure she’ll find a way, whether it makes sense or not. Heather tells Emily and Gina that Noella is a prevaricator, and has to explain that the word means liar. Noella tells Keni, what she said about Heather was out there and it was her karma. When she said that to Heather, Heather told Noella, all the things that were going on in her life, like her divorce and her son’s autism, were her karma. She cries, and says, it’s so disgusting. In Noella’s interview, she says, it’s a new low for Heather Dubrow. She didn’t think Heather could get any lower. Keni says she wishes she could be there with Noella, and Noella says, it’s high school with wrinkles. Heather tells Emily and Gina, if it wasn’t so irritating, it would be fascinating, and Noella tells Keni, since she’s all about the truth, it must be annihilating for Heather. I’m not so sure Noella inhabits the same planet as the rest of us.
It’s time for archery, and Shannon has a whole outfit to go with it. In Heather’s interview, she says she’d love to see Shannon’s closet. Shannon likes to dress up, and she wonders what Shannon and John do at home. In Shannon’s interview, she says, she doesn’t know if Noella should join the group today. Every time she’s with them, someone comes after her. Maybe she needs a break. Noella has been through a lot; let her rest. In the limo bus, Emily tells Gina that if Noella doesn’t come to this, she won’t be going to the next thing, since they’re going directly there. In Gina’s interview, she says, Noella says she wants to be part of the group, and now she’s locking herself in her room. Heather says, she and Noella can’t agree to disagree about this, and Jen repeats what she says. In her interview, Emily says, Jen doesn’t have many original thoughts. She follows Heather around, and parrots what Heather says. She just repeats everything. We flash back to several instances, and I’d never noticed it before, but she does, and it’s weird.
In Noella’s interview, she says, with everything she’s going through, she feels disconnected from the things that make her feel safe. She misses her kids and wants to be home, and she’s mourning the loss of her father. She got an email with the final divorce papers, and she was reading through it. There were things she hadn’t thought about, like the destruction of their embryos. She can’t catch a break or her breath. She needs a time out from life. She goes to the creek, and in her interview, she says, her father would have loved it. She misses him, and it’s the first time she’s connected to that feeling. She scream/cries.
They get to the archery range, where they meet their instructor Douglas, who is a master fischel, whatever that is. He says, they’ve come to be warriors, and to learn the way of the bow. They do breathing exercises, and Emily gets a bullseye with her first shot. Shannon does too, and Emily gets another. They shoot at balloons, and in Gina’s interview, she says, Emily is crushing the activities game. She was a badass with horseback riding. If it comes to a Hunger Games situation, she’s glad Emily’s on her side. In Emily’s interview, she says she’s excited about their trip to the mine. If you want to learn things, you do the weird underground things, like seeing the mine, not go shopping at Louis Vuitton. The women decide to meet at the house for lunch later.
Gina and Emily decide to fetch Noella, and Gina says, if Noella wants to have fun, she’ll have fun, but she’s not Noella’s therapist. She knows Noella is feeling a lot, but she’s not going there, and Emily says, neither is she. On the ride to the mine, Emily brings along food, saying, archery made her hungry. In Noella’s interview, she says, they have zero interest in seeing how she is. Just a, how are you, how was your day? would go a long way. She’s gluing a smile on her face. They arrive at Clark Tunnel, where guide Jay says he’s going to give them the smuggler’s mine tour. In her interview, Noella says, she and Emily don’t have a good track record with going in cave like structures, and we flash back to the sweat lodge. She says, at least the temperature is more to her liking. Emily asks if anyone has died in the mine, and Jay says, yep. She asks if he’s seen any ghosts, but he says, nope. Noella says, there must be a ghost if someone died here, and Gina says she should have brought her demon dust. In her interview, she says, she acquired the demon dust when getting her demon extraction. It’s basically her saying, it’s cool you’re here, but eat that bitch not me. Thank you. Emily forgets to duck, and whacks her head. Jay says, back in the day, the average minor was 5’4” to 5’6”, and does a mining demonstration.
The others go on hike, and visit a footbridge. They sit by the creek, and now I notice how Jen repeats what Heather says. Heather says she’s happy, and Jen says she’s happy. Shannon says she feels conflicted. Emily has a large part in stirring things up. Jen asks, how? and Shannon says, she brings stuff up that’s controversial, and puts people on the spot. We flash back to Emily asking if Shannon is jealous of Gina, and Shannon says she understands that Gina and Emily have a close relationship, but Emily repeats whatever she hears. We flash back to Emily telling Gina that Shannon said Gina should – all together now – put a pin in it. Shannon says, Emily doesn’t have to report back about everything, and in Heather’s interview, she wonders if Emily is a sh*t stirrer or truth teller. You can look at it either way. Shannon says, what’s really bothering her is that she and Emily weren’t close, but they bonded in Cabo, and it’s so frustrating. In Shannon’s interview, she says, she and Emily have come to a good point in their friendship, but it took work. We flash back to the Tamra days when they weren’t so friendly, and Shannon says, there doesn’t need to be drama or posturing, It becomes dinner conversation for people. Heather asks how she’s going to shut it down, and Shannon says, she wants to have a talk with Emily. She reached out to Gina, and when Gina is ready, they’ll talk, but she’s going to talk to Emily
Shannon, Heather, and Jen are having champagne and the best chicken ever, when Emily, Gina, and Noella get back. Heather says, the canaries made it out alive, and Noella tells Shannon about having a breakdown at the creek, in a good way. It was a memorial to her dad. Emily says she wants to take a nap, and Shannon asks if they can talk first. They go outside, and Shannon says, some of the things they talk about get misconstrued and put out there. She doesn’t want any negative stuff in her life. The thought of negativity is exhausting. Emily says she’s confused. If Shannon is in a good place, why does she say negative things about Gina? Shannon says, that’s between her and Gina, but Emily says, she and Gina are close, and it’s her business too. Shannon says she does understand, and Emily says, she knows no one’s perfect, and she’s not a perfect person. Shannon says she doesn’t want her and Gina’s issues to affect her friend friendship with Emily, but Emily says, it doesn’t. She apologizes if Shannon feels she did something hurtful; it wasn’t her intention. Shannon says, same. None of them intend on hurting anyone. In Emily’s interview, she says, it’s not as easy of a friendship as with Gina or Heather. It’s more challenging, but she’s willing to put forth the extra effort to navigate a friendship with Shannon. She thinks it’s worth it. She tells Shannon that she wants to build a friendship, and Shannon says she thinks they have an opportunity to wear the bear suit. In Shannon’s interview, she says, there’s only one person in this group who would put a bear costume on to scare the women, and that’s Emily. She’s brought two of them, and they sneak around getting them ready.
Noella calls mom Nancy from the hot tub outside her room. She tells Nancy about finalizing the divorce details. Where there was so much love and joy, now she’s just putting her name a contract with their life itemized. It’s like another death. In Noella’s interview, she says, it’s a scary journey to be walking, but she’s ready to walk through it, and put James in the past. She tells Nancy that her girlfriends will be jealous. It’s the fastest divorce in California history. Emily goes to her room, where Gina and Heather are hanging out on the bed. Heather says she wants to have fun, so if something comes up, squash it; walk away. Emily says she and Shannon are fine. She apologized, and said she didn’t mean to hurt Shannon. Heather says, see how easy it is? and in Gina’s interview, she says, it seems weird that Shannon understands Emily’s point-of-view, when she seems incapable of understanding Gina’s. She thinks Shannon has something more personal against her. She tells Emily and Heather that she just wants Shannon to acknowledge her feelings, and take accountability. It triggers her, and she doesn’t want to say something she’ll regret. They all say, not tonight
Emily has a huge bruise from archery, and I’m surprised no one got a feather slice through their finger, a typical injury for novices. They find out bluegrass band Oak Range are going to play a private concert for them, and Noella tells the story of the finalization email, and how it went through every bullet point. Gina says, it’s the fastest divorce ever, and in Gina’s interview, she says, she’s pumped for Noella to close this chapter, and most important, she’ll STFU about her divorce. It’s a win-win for everybody. The band plays outside, and Emily and Shannon slip out. In Shannon’s interview, she says, two bears are better than one. Who better to don a bear costume with her than Emily? She hopes there are no bear traps out there. They dress up, and in Emily’s interview, she says, she appreciates Shannon’s effort to add the reality with bear sound effects coming from her bra, but if they want to scare the women, why are they walking out into a highly lit backyard? The costumes look pretty unrealistic, and no one is scared. Shannon says, it was a bust, but Noella says, it was awesome. In her interview, Gina says she’s sure the band is saying WTF? Shannon and Emily dance around in their costumes, and in Noella’s interview, she says, she knows where this is heading. She knows Gina’s behavior. She drinks too much and loses her effing mind. Noella needs to get herself away from it.
They go in for dinner, and Emily asks what everyone’s first jobs were. This goes well until Noella doesn’t remember Gina’s friend Tatiana. Gina says Noella spent a long time with Tatiana and it bothers her that Noella doesn’t remember meeting her. Noella says, it’s not that deep, but Gina says Noella should know more than she knows. Gina gets up, saying, she’s done, and in Emily’s interview, she says, Gina is overreacting, but she knows Gina well enough to know that superficial things that upset her have a deeper root. She asks if Gina wants some cobbler. Shannon tells Noella that she cares, and Noella says she feels bad. She doesn’t feel supported or respected. Shannon gives Noella a hug, and in Shannon’s interview, she says, this is supposed to be the time for Noella to mourn her father’s death, but she doesn’t feel she’s in a safe space to let out her feelings. Noella says, technically, it’s been the best ladies trip so far. Gina can’t believe Shannon is still being supportive of Noella, and Shannon says she’s just trying to get to a calm point. Noella was blindsided by her father’s death. Gina says, sh*t happens, and in her interview, Shannon says, did Gina just say sh*t happens? They’re talking about somebody dying. She doesn’t know what to say. She tells Gina that she’s just trying to be nice, and in Gina’s interview, she says, Shannon is being nice, so three years from now, she can say, remember when everyone was against you and I got them off your back when you were going through a horrible time? Shannon likes to be there when people are down, but when you’re up, she wants to drag you back down. Gina says, no matter how awful it’s been, she’s never acted like that. Noella is getting a very large check. It’s not the worst thing in world, and she doesn’t have any sympathy.
Next time, the season finale, a rock concert, Noella tries to take her rings off, Shane and Emily renew their vows, and Shannon asks Gina, how dare she?
✈️ Oh Babe, I Hate To Go…
Pop in tomorrow for soap and to see what else I can dig up. Until then, stay safe, stay choosing long term goals over short term satisfaction, and stay doing what’s right when it really matters, not what’s easy.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Brick and Sonny bro hug, and Sonny says it’s good to see him. He asks how Brick got there so fast from L.A. Brick says he knows a guy, who knows a guy, who has a jet fueled and ready at LAX. When Sonny calls, he’s here. How can he help? Sonny says, there’s been a void in his life for too long that he’s been trying to fill, and Brick says, someone used to fill that void. Sonny says, yeah, Jason.
The guy from Charlie’s comes to Alexis’s office and says, it’s been a long time, Miss Davis. She says, it’s you, and he says she remembers. She says she never forgets a face, especially when it belongs to the man who blamed her for his brother’s death.
Harmony walks into Charlie’s, and sees Nina, who apparently lives there now. Nina asks how it went with Michael and Willow. She saw them, right? Harmony says she did, and Nina asks if Harmony told them that it’s in Wiley’s best interest to visit her. Harmony tells her, she said all that and more, and Nina says, don’t leave her in suspense; what did they say? Harmony says, not what Nina wanted to hear.
Nikolas walks into Windymere’s living room, and says, there’s nothing to fear. You’re safe. Esme and Spencer follow him in, and Esme says, this place is extraordinary. Even the name sounds grand – Windymere. Spencer says, it’s not like she hasn’t been here before, and Esme says, not for months. It’s good to be back. Nikolas says, more important, she’s safe from Sonny and his goons here, and Spencer says, what about the lady of the house? When is he going to loop Ava in?
Ava slips into the courtroom and sits down, as Judge Young is saying, Trina Robinson, you have two counts against you. How do you plead? Trina hesitates, and Scotty starts to talk, but she says she’s got this. She tells the judge that she pleads not guilty, and I say, yes!
Brick says, it’s the perfect time to raise a glass to their gone, but never forgotten, friend… What happened to the bar? No single malt aged twelve years? Sonny says he’s taking a break from that stuff, but the bar’s loaded if Brick wants to go help himself. Brick says, whither thou goest, I will go, and Sonny laughs. They sit down, and Sonny says he was hoping Brick would say that. Brick asks, how he can help fill that void? Is Sonny up for adventure? San Juan? Hong Kong? Marrakesh? Sonny says, not adventure. Monica has declared Jason legally dead, so they’re all going to be going to the memorial service. Brick says, may he rest in peace, and Sonny says, maybe Jason can, but he can’t. Does Brick remember Selena Wu? Brick says he does. Formidable lady. Is she causing Sonny trouble? Sonny says, she gave him advice, something he’s heard already, and Brick asks, what advice? Sonny says, that he can’t run the business alone anymore. He needs somebody else to step up and fill that hole Jason left behind. Brick says, I accept, and Sonny smiles and nods.
Alexis says, Brendan, isn’t it? and he says, it is. She says, the last time they saw each other, it was at Neil’s funeral. Not a very pleasant occasion for many reasons. Alexis flashes back to the funeral, and Brendan telling her, this is a celebration of Neil’s life. Alexis stripped Neil of everything he considered worth living for. He doesn’t want this service tainted with her presence. She’s not welcome. We see her leaving, and in the present, she says, he made his feelings crystal clear. And if it’s any consolation, that moment was devastating to her, and sent her into her own personal hell. He says he heard she lost her law license, hit the booze pretty hard, and didn’t stop until she attacked a cop and went to prison. She says she’s very flattered that he kept up with her life. What does he want?
Nina says, Willow just told Harmony what she thought Michael wanted to hear. Get her alone. She’ll change her mind and let Nina see Wiley. Harmony says she’s sorry. Willow doesn’t think it’s in Wiley’s best interest to have contact with Nina. Nina says, so Michael and Willow want a fight. They’ll get a fight, especially after her run-in with Carly earlier. Harmony asks, what happened? and Nina says she was reaching out to Carly to compromise about Wiley, but she wasn’t having it. Harmony says, she’s going through a rough patch, right? She just got divorced from Sonny? Nina says, Carly filed for that divorce. She pushed it through practically overnight. She threw away Sonny with both hands. Harmony tells Nina, give it some time;let Carly lick her wounds. Give her time to heal. Nina says, if that ever happens. And then what? Wiley will be in college, asking, who’s Nina? and he’ll never know who his birth mother is. If only she knew Nelle was her daughter before Nelle died. She could have saved Nelle from herself, and she wouldn’t have to be begging for a chance to get to know her grandson, or for him to know her.
Nikolas says, they can let Ava know when she gets home. Right now, she’s at Trina’s hearing. Spencer says, right, that was today, and Esme asks if he wishes he was there. He says he’s the last person Trina wants to see, and she says she didn’t ask what Trina would want. Nikolas asks if Esme wants to drop her bags off in the bedroom. It’s the same one as the last time. Spencer says, Nikolas can’t stop Esme from bringing up Trina; she’s obsessed. Esme asks if she doesn’t have reason to be. It doesn’t matter that there’s evidence Trina posted that video of Joss and Cam. Sonny Corinthos still believes it was her. Nikolas says, which is why she’s at Windymere and Spencer is home. And she’s safe. She asks if any place is really safe from Sonny, and Spencer says, Uncle Sonny will do anything and everything to protect his family. She says he means protect them from her, and he tells her, he didn’t say that. She says he didn’t have to. She’ll take her bags up. She leaves, and Nikolas asks why Spencer is treating Esme this way when he invited her to stay here. Spencer says he’s sorry, but Esme pushes his buttons; the way he’s been known to push other people’s. By the way, is there a bomb shelter on the island? Nikolas asks, why? and Spencer says, because he’d like to be inside it when Nikolas tells Ava that he and Esme moved in.
Scotty tells Trina, stick with me, kid. They’ll be sorry they tried to railroad you. ADA Arden says, this was a premeditated act that required a significant amount of planning. The defendant specifically targeted her friends with the intent to cause harm. The state requests bail be set at $250,000. Scotty jumps up, and says, your honor, my client is a freshman in college. She’s not Lizzie Borden. She has ties to the community. She’s innocent until proven guilty. She should be released without bond. Arden says, if the defendant is released without posting significant bail, and access to a computer, she has the capacity to do significant harm. (Huh?) Who knows who else she’s taped? Scotty tells her to save that for her closing statement, if she even gets that far. Judge Young tells Scotty, that will be enough, and tells Arden, there’s no indication the defendant poses a threat to the community.Therefore, the defendant is released without bond. He bangs his gavel, and Scotty dusts off his hands. The judge tells Trina that she’s free to go, pending a trial date to be determined. The bailiff says, court is adjourned, and Portia runs over to Trina, saying, she’s never been more prouder of her. She hugs Trina, and Curtis says, Trina was great. Ava says, may I? and hugs Trina, who thanks her for coming. Ava says she’s so proud of Trina, proclaiming her innocence. Josslyn says, they’ll prove it, no matter what it takes, and she and Trina hug. Trina says, you too, Webber, and Cameron adds to the hug.
Brendan says he was in pain, and he wasn’t ready to face his brother’s failings, so he lashed out at Alexis; blamed her for Neil’s death. Alexis asks if that’s an apology, and he says, it is. She says she wishes she’d known about Neil’s addiction. She could have helped. But he hid it from her, and she had no clue. He says, she suffered enough. Look at her now. Brand new career, off the booze, respected, productive member of her community. She thanks him for the compliment, and says, he was really hostile to her at Neil’s funeral, so what is it with the sudden attitude adjustment? He says he’s had some bad luck himself; failed marriage, failed business. It brings humility. She says, and the need to make almonds amends? He says, as two people who loved Neil, he hoped they could come to an understanding.
Harmony tells Nina that she’s sorry. Nothing can bring back Wiley’s birth mother, but she has to know that Willow loves that little boy like he’s her own flesh and blood. If Nina gives it some time, maybe Willow can convince Michael that she should see her grandson. Nina asks, how much time? Because this is the same woman Harmony told her thinks she isn’t good for Wiley. She remembers when Willow was Miss Tate, and taught her former stepdaughter Charlotte. She didn’t like Willow then, and she should have trusted her instincts. Harmony says, Willow is highly principled, and Nina says, oh please. Willow says she’s going to help Nina, and the next moment, she pulls a 180 and sides with Michael. She doesn’t have a backbone. She only pretends that she’s compassionate. That weeping Willow is no oak. Harmony says, just because she’s gentle doesn’t mean she’s weak, and Nina says she’s sorry. She knows Willow is Harmony’s daughter. She’s just frustrated. Look how Willow has treated Harmony. She’s barely spoken to Harmony since she got out of prison. Harmony says things are much better between them now, and Nina says, until Michael shuts her down. Then what’s going to happen? She’s incapable of standing up to the man, or Carly. Nina would be better off to ask a stranger for help. Harmony hisses, Willow is no stranger, and she’s just as strong as her mother, but Nina says she’s never going to be as strong as Harmony. Harmony has overcome a lot, and turned her life around. Willow would be lucky to have even one drop of her courage. Harmony says she forgot; she has an appointment. She has to go. She walks out, and I’m starting to wonder if Nina is delusional.
Sonny asks Brick if that’s a serious offer. He could use Brick’s areas of expertise. Brick says, he can definitely help with the logistics, business support, definitely cyber security, but Sonny will need to bring in somebody else as a facilitator. Sonny says he’d trust Brick with his life, and Brick says, trust goes both ways; Sonny knows that. Sonny nods, and says, Jason used to do the day-to-day, but since he passed, Sonny has to deal with the other families, and try to figure out who targeted his stepdaughter. Brick asks if he’s talking about the tape of Josslyn and her boyfriend, and Sonny says, he saw the tape? Bricks says, hell no, but he saw people seeing it. It took every bit of self-control he could muster, not to take every one of them out. (What? Where are people watching this? And where is Brick hanging out?) Brick asks Sonny to please tell him that he found out who did this, and Sonny says he knows who’s responsible. He doesn’t have proof yet, but he put them on notice.
Ava says, congratulations. Scotty has one courageous client, and he says, tell him about it, but she’s got a big fight ahead… He sees Arden, and says, counselor, get used to the judge seeing things my way. Arden says, cyber crimes are insidious. The law is still catching up. The fact is, whatever goes on the internet, stays their forever. His client taped her friends without their knowledge and put it up for the whole world to see. Scotty says, hey Molly, tell your boss here… and Molly says, he can address her as ADA Lansing-Davis. He rolls his eyes, and says, okay, but she can’t really believe Trina did this. She says she believes DA Scorpio offered a generous plea bargain, and it was his obligation as Trina’s attorney to advise her to take it. Arden says, her associate’s right. She should have taken the deal, but she didn’t, so they’re going to trial. She’s going to take a stand for everyone who’s ever had an intimate picture or video weaponized against them. His client might have thought it was no big deal, but she was mistaken, and she’ll go to prison for the full term. She and Molly leave.
Trina thanks Josslyn and Cameron for being here and standing by her. Josslyn says, that’s what friends do, and Trina says, they took back the narrative when they told their story to The Invader. Their courage made her realize she doesn’t need to give in to cyber bullies, to Esme. The world needs to know she’s not the one who hurt them. Scotty says, they’ve got to talk strategy, and Portia says, now? Is that really necessary? Trina’s already been through so much today. He says, that ADA’s out for blood, and Curtis says, the judge hasn’t even set a trial date yet. Trina says, honestly, she just wants to take a long hot bath, and Scotty says, okay, she can do that. Tomorrow, they have a lot of work to do. Trina thanks him, and Curtis says he noticed there were reporters outside in the corridor. They’re going to want a statement, which he doesn’t think any of them should be making. Ava says she knows her way around this courthouse. They can exit this way. Portia tells Trina, let’s go home, and they follow Ava out. Josslyn tells Cameron, if she were her mom, she’d walk out of this courtroom with her head held high. He says, but she’s not her mom; she has nothing to prove. Josslyn says, only to herself, and Smoltz stumbles in. Cameron says, he’s too late; Trina went out the back. Smoltz says, it’s not Trina he wants. It’s Cameron and his girlfriend.
Josslyn says, they already told their stories to The Invader. Read it himself if he can afford the paywall. Smoltz says, he did read it, and Cameron says, then he would know they have nothing else to say. Smoltz says he knows Alexis Davis stole his scoop, and cut him out of the story, and Cameron says, oh boo-hoo. Life’s unfair. Smoltz says, what about their friend Trina? Their story did some good, but what about their friend? Josslyn says, what about Trina? and Smoltz says, did she do it? Did she film them and post it? Cameron says, hell no, and Smoltz asks, how can he be so sure? Do they know who’s responsible? Cameron and Josslyn look at each other, and he says, they do know. They just can’t prove it? Josslyn asks what he wants, and he says, an exclusive. Tell him stuff they didn’t say in the interview, and he’ll help them get the goods on whoever set up their friend. Sound good? Ava comes back, and says, you. Get the hell away from them.
Portia says, welcome home, and asks what Trina thinks. Trina says she liked it when it belonged to Joss’s dad, but she likes it even better now that it’s Portia’s. A safe harbor. Curtis says, good memories? and Trina says, yeah. Six months ago, their biggest problem was opening a jar of Sonny’s marinara sauce. Now everything’s changed. Curtis says, she heard what the lawyer said. They’re going to fight this. Portia says, they’re going to fight this, and they’re going to win. Trina says she told Joss and Cam that their courage gave her courage, but Portia and Curtis’s support helped her out a lot too. Curtis says, they can do a lot more than offer moral support. He could find evidence to exonerate her. He hasn’t forgotten how to find clues in dumpsters and garbage cans. Portia says, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, and Trina says, Spencer’s right. On one hand, there are tons of people who believe in her. Curtis says, and on the other hand? and she says, there’s evidence that proves she did it. Esme made sure of that.
Nikolas tells Spencer, Ava is well-aware of Sonny’s methods when he feels someone has crossed him or his family. She’ll understand the need to protect Esme. Spencer says, but will she understand why he’s sitting across from her at breakfast? and Nikolas says, it’s not a permanent arrangement. If Trina is found guilty, Sonny will have to accept the verdict and back off. Spencer says, even if Uncle Sonny does, he doesn’t think Ava will. Ava loves Trina like a daughter. She’d happily throw Esme to the wolves if it means Trina goes free. Nikolas says, and if Esme is carrying Spencer’s child? Ava may not like it, but she’ll make peace with it. Spencer says, and if Esme’s not pregnant? and Nikolas says, that’s all the more reason for Spencer to find out.
Brick says, so little Spencer has a girlfriend, and Sonny says, he’s not so little anymore. Brick says, Sonny has always liked this kid, and Sonny says, he still does, but not his company. Brick says, Sonny is convinced this Esme Prince is behind the video. Is he sure Spencer didn’t help? Sonny says, Spencer has done some terrible things, but he’s known Josslyn since they were in kindergarten, and Cameron is part of his extended family. He thinks Spencer’s hands are clean. Brick says, so the girlfriend is operating behind his back, and Sonny says, yep. If they can prove Trina is innocent and Esme is guilty, it won’t be just justice for Josslyn and Cameron. It will be a way for Spencer to dump his girlfriend. Brick says he knows Sonny’s got his own people on it, but as always, if Sonny needs him… Sonny says, yeah, he needs Brick, and Brick says, then he’s on it, but in the meantime… Sonny says, what is on his mind? and Brick says, Sonny is always running around looking out for everybody else. Who’s looking out for him?
Scotty goes into Charlie’s, and asks Nina what she wants. He’s very busy. He has a young woman who needs his help, unlike her. She says she’s sorry. She thought she could avoid going to court, and he says she thought she could get somebody to intercede with Wiley’s parents? Somebody like Sonny? But he threw her to the wolves, didn’t he? She says, no, this has nothing to do with Sonny. Her go-between couldn’t really do anything because Willow is so besotted with Michael, she won’t stand up to him or Carly. He says, why would she? Her mother couldn’t even stand up to that snake oil salesman Shiloh. Nina says, he’s not making this easy on her. Can they sit down? He asks, why should he? He kept her out of prison, and she turned her nose up at his legal expertise. So if she wants his help now, he’ll have to hear her say it.
Alexis says she assumes this understanding comes at a price, but Brendan says, he wouldn’t put it that way. She asks how he’d put it, and he says, she couldn’t have risen from the ashes without help. Is it wrong of him to want the same thing? She says, that depends on what he means by help. Forgiveness? Friendship? He says his brother lost his life by getting involved with a self-destructive alcoholic, and she says, there it is. She was wondering how long he was going to keep up the Mr. Nice Guy act. There’s the door, move toward it, and don’t look back. He says, his brother was never a rich man, and funerals are expensive. She can deny it all she wants, but she contributed to Neil’s death. She needs to make things right. She says she’ll never stop wondering what happened to Neil, and starts to get her stuff together to leave. How he became an addict, and how that addiction took his life. She’s not at all satisfied that’s the truth, but she won’t be browbeaten into paying for his brother’s mistakes. There’s nothing he can say that will make her change her mind. He asks if she’s sure about that.
Alexis says, he needs to leave, but Brendan says he’s not leaving until he gets what he wants. Harmony walks in, and asks Alexis if she’s early. Alexis says, actually, she’s right on time. Brendan was just leaving. Harmony introduces herself, and he says, Brendan Byrne, Neil’s brother. Harmony Miller. Where does he know that name? Have they met before? Harmony says she doesn’t think so. He might have seen her on TV, in connection with an organization called Dawn of Day. She was pretty notorious back then. Alexis says she and Harmony were just leaving, so if he doesn’t mind… He says, of course (🍷). He’ll send her his contact information. If she sees an opportunity she thinks he might be right for, let him know. He leaves, and Harmony says, what was all that about? Alexis says she doesn’t know, but it was scary.
Sonny says, Brick doesn’t have to worry. He survived all those months in Nixon Falls; he can survive anything. Brick says, but he wasn’t alone, and Sonny asks if he’s talking about Nina. Brick says, yeah. She must be one helluva lady to come between Sonny and Carly. Sonny asks if Brick still has something for his wife, and Brick asks if he doesn’t mean ex-wife. He just admires Sonny’s taste, but he gave up Carly. Brick just hopes this new lady’s worth it.
Nina and Scotty get a drink, and Nina says, okay. He needs to hear her say it. She clears her throat, and says she made a mistake. He says, what? and she repeats it louder. She says, she shouldn’t have pinned all her hopes on Willow’s compassion. Does he feel better? He suggests she hire Martin Grey, that folksy downhome charm works with a few judges. She says she doesn’t need folksy downhome charm. She needs a fighter, a killer, that will leave his opponents bloody in the field. He says, that’s him. However, he’s busy right now with Trina Robinson. Nina says she needs his help, and she’s willing to put him on retainer immediately. He says, before he takes her money, he needs to know she’s going to fight for Wiley, no matter what. And if that means kicking Sonny to the curb, then she’s going to do that.
Trina comes back downstairs, and Portia asks what she thinks. Trina says, great room, and thanks her. Portia says she made it up like Trina’s old room, but she probably wants to get rid of the stuffed animals now that she’s grown up. Trina says, no, never, as all of us who have them past our teenage years would say, but she’s still looking forward to returning to her dorms when this nightmare ends and she proves her innocence. Then this place is theirs. Portia says, it’s Trina’s home too. And she doesn’t have to be brave. They’re in this together. Curtis says, all of them, and they have a family group hug.
Josslyn says, what part of no way doesn’t Smoltz understand? and Smoltz says, give it up, man. Ava faces him, and says, a journalist like Mr. Smoltz won’t stop until you slam the door in his face, or better yet, on his writing hand. He asks if she hasn’t heard of the first amendment, and she says, it comes right before the second, and I literally lol. Smoltz says, that sounds like a threat, and Ava says she was hoping it would. Cameron says he and Josslyn can handle this, and Josslyn tells Smoltz, they’re not interested in boosting his career. Cameron says, in other words, get lost. Smoltz says, fine; their loss. He stomps to the door, and says, and their friend Trina’s. He slams out, and Josslyn says, this wasn’t Ava’s fight. Ava says, on the contrary. Avery would never forgive her if she didn’t stand up for her sister. Cameron says, that guy had one thing right. Trina’s in deep trouble until they prove she’s innocent. Josslyn says, and Esme’s guilty.
Spencer looks out the window, and Esme tells him, she just got an alert on her phone; Trina pled not guilty. He says he hopes she can prove it, and she says, even if Trina tries to accuse her instead, when she might be carrying his child? He says, let’s find out. Why hasn’t she taken that home pregnancy test yet? She says she’s scared, and he asks if she’s scared that she’s pregnant, or that she’s not?
Harmony says she assumes Brendan was there talking about his brother, and that’s what caused all the tension when she walked in? Alexis says, it was really weird. He shows up all sympathetic, not at all like the guy who heaped abuse on her at Neil’s funeral. Harmony asks if something changed, and Alexis says, he thought the Mr. Nice Guy act would convince her to help bail him out of his troubles. When she refused, he went from Jekyll to Hyde. He thinks she owes him because she caused the relapse that caused Neil’s death. Harmony flashes back to injecting Neil, and says, it was good thing she walked in when she did. Just stay away from Neil’s brother. The farther the better.
Ava tells Josslyn and Cameron, don’t lose any sleep over Esme. The truth will come out. Trina will be vindicated. Cameron says she sounds confident, and Josslyn says, Esme has skated so far… Ava… Ava says she’s spoken to someone who has an interest in seeing Esme punished for targeting the two of them. Cameron looks at Josslyn, and says, who’s that? Ava says she knows it’s difficult for them to trust her, but this time they’re going to have to. Esme is going to get what’s coming to her. Ava strides out the back way.
Esme says she wants Spencer with her when she takes the test, but she doesn’t need a test to tell her what she really wants. He says, which is? and she says him; she wants to be with him. Does he want to be with her? Don’t answer that now, but ask himself this. If it were without the baby, does her being here work to his advantage? He asks, how? and she says, by driving a wedge between his father and Ava. Isn’t that what he wanted all along?
Sonny tells Brick, he’s taking it day to day. As far as him and Nina, he can’t read into the future, but he will say this. The connection they had in Nixon Falls was real. Brick says, he knows Sonny, and when he wants something, he goes for it, and he usually gets it. Sonny flashes back to him and Nina dancing at Charlie’s, and Brick says, Sonny is thinking about her right now, and Sonny asks if they can get back to the matter at hand. Brick says, the future… without Jason. That’s something they can work on. The future without love, with all due respect, is not for Sonny.
Nina says, Sonny knows she won’t force him to pick sides, but Scotty says, Carly, Michael, and Willow will.So if Sonny has to choose… She says, Sonny is going to do what’s best for his family, and she’s going to do what’s best for hers. He asks if she’s willing to lose lover boy, but she says she won’t lose him. Not if he’s the man she knew in Nixon Falls, and the man she sees in Port Charles. He asks what makes her think she can have it all? and she says, she’s going to have her grandson in her life, and she’s going to have the man who changed her life for the better. He says, sorry, nobody gets it all, nobody, but she says, there’s always a first time.
Sonny says, he and Brick will regroup after Jason’s memorial service. In the meantime, is Brick willing to take on more managerial responsibilities? Brick says he can search for a facilitator to take on some of Jason’s other skill sets; don’t worry about that. Sonny says, okay. He has one more job for Brick. He wants Brick to find out how Esme Prince engineered that video. Brick says, he’s on that; no problem. Sonny asks if Brick wants a drink to seal the deal. Raising his glass, he says, sparkling water. Brick says, to think he’s always admired Sonny, and Sonny says, not anymore? but Brick says, now more than ever, and they clink glasses.
Scotty tells Nina, Michael is out to win, and Diane Miller is a tough cookie. She will dig up whatever she can. Nina says, she understands, and he gets up, asking if there’s anything he needs to know before he files the petition. She tells him, don’t faint, but she thinks her life is pretty much an open book at this point. He says, no little secrets in her diary? No skeletons in her closet? She says, no. Wiley is the only thing left of her daughter in this world. She owes it to Nelle be in his life, whether Michael or Saint Willow like it or not. He says, then hang her hat with him. She won’t regret it. They shake hands, and she says she hopes not.
Alexis says, Harmony never said what brought her by, and Harmony says, it can wait. She’s going to cook Alexis dinner; she’ll make something soothing. Alexis says she could use something soothing. Neil’s brother being here reminds her how horrible Neil’s death was. She can’t help wonder if that eviction is the thing that caused his death. Alexis turns out the lights, and they go to the hallway, but Alexis says she forgot her phone, and goes back to her desk in the dark. Harmony stands in the doorway, and looks around.
Brendan looks through a bunch of folders, and finds one that says Harmony Miller. He says he knew that name was familiar.
Trina says, it’s one thing to plead not guilty, but she has to live with that decision. That ADA is obviously out to get her. She couldn’t believe when she said $250,000 bail. Curtis says he believes she was just grandstanding, and the judge ignored her recommendation. Trina says, this time. The ADA thinks Trina’s guilty, and Scotty said she’s out for blood. What if the ADA convinces the jury she’s guilty? Portia says, that’s not going to happen. And instead of dwelling on it, why doesn’t Trina take that nice hot bath she was talking about earlier? It will make her feel better. Trina says Portia talked her into it, and goes upstairs. Portia tells Curtis, she doesn’t know how long she can keep this up. What if Trina’s right? They have no idea what’s going to happen. Curtis says, Trina has a lot of people by her side, and more courage than anyone he knows. Portia says she doesn’t disagree; she has faith in her daughter, just not in the world. Curtis says, as long as they have faith in each other, they can’t lose.
Cameron asks if Josslyn is ready to go home, and she says, actually, she’d like to go back to the dorms. He says, Trina’s not the only one being brave, and she says, she’s not being brave. She just wants things to go back to normal, if that’s even possible. He says he’ll try to help make that happen, and she thanks him. They kiss, and he says, let’s go. He starts to head to the back, but she says, actually, she’d like to go out the front. He asks if she’s sure, and she says, if she can face a bunch of people on campus, she can face a couple of reporters outside. It’s hard to believe Trina is going to come back here and fight for her innocence. He says, it doesn’t matter what Ava says; this is going to be tough. She says, this is why they need to help Trina. They need to find a piece of evidence that Esme framed her. He asks how they pull that off, and she says, by proving Esme can be in two places at once. She leads him out of the courtroom.
Ava walks into Windymere, calling for Nikolas, and Esme says, he’s upstairs. Ava walks into the living room, where Esme is sitting. She sees Esme is reading What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
On Monday, Violet asks Brook how her baby is; Gregory comes for a visit; Ava asks Nikolas what it’s going to be; and Spencer tells Esme, it’s time to take that pregnancy test.
I think the rules regarding annulments must have relaxed. I thought it either had to be fraud or that you didn’t consummate the marriage. And being realistic, the latter probably hasn’t been an issue since the 1600s.
Proof that the world has gone mad. Maybe Dina is still grieving over Grandma Wrinkles and not in her right mind. In other news, I had no idea Kim D had a last name.
How no one wants to be there. That’s how I feel seeing a performer in Atlantic City. They don’t want to be there. I don’t want to be there. Why are we here?
Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife. – Kahlil Gibran
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. – Buddha
Music is the soundtrack of your life. – Dick Clark
Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It’s beyond me. – Zora Neale Hurston
One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain. – Bob Marley
If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down. – Mary Pickford, 1892-1979, American actress
The only truth is music. – Jack Kerouac
I’d rather see my face aging than a face I don’t recognize at all. – Cameron Diaz
There are two means of refuge from the misery of life — music and cats. – Albert Schweitzer (Hey, what’s wrong with dogs?)
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. – Steve Jobs
Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent. – Victor Hugo
✍🏽 Don’t Forget To Write…
I’ll return to the keyboard at approximately Dead o’clock. Be there or be an octagon. Until then, stay safe, stay seeking truth, and stay letting the courage of others give you courage.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Chase comes into the station wearing his softball jersey and hat, and Dante says, there he is. Good to have him back. Chase says, it’s good to be back in the squad room. Dante says, he’s not going to cry, is he? and Chase says, nah. He goes over to his desk, and Dante asks if Chase wants to have some time to get reacquainted with it. Is his suspension over or what? He’s not in the loop. Chase says, he still has 54 days, 11 hours, and – he looks at his watch – 33 minutes, but who’s counting? He’s only here because he volunteered to organize this year’s community softball league. He’ll be fully reinstated when it’s time to play. Dante says, that’s nice of him. They’ll be looking forward to having Chase back on the team and the force. If it was up to him, he would have been reinstated just for what he did to help Maxie’s baby. Chase says he just helped a little at the end. Brook’s the real hero.
Lucy, Maxie, and Brook pass a binder to a woman who looks through it. She says, everything seems to be in order. The only thing that’s left is to take it to the stock exchange. She’ll be in touch. Lucy thanks her for her time, and says they appreciate it, and of course (🍷) they’ll be waiting. The woman leaves, and they all squeal. Lucy says, it’s happening. They did it, and she’s so proud of all of them; all their hard work that they did together. They’re such a team, and she can’t wait to celebrate all their accomplishments at the IPO launch party. Maxie says, that’s coming up April 5th, and Lucy says, let’s just finalize everything. Guest list, refreshments, the food and drink, and the entertainment, and then let the fun begin.
Brando and Sasha go into the MetroCourt, and Sasha says she’s starving. She could eat the air. He asks if that means the PB&J sandwich on stale bread didn’t do it for her. He guesses that’s the downside of having an extended honeymoon – no groceries. She says she can live with that and he says, him too. He really loved their time away, but it’s nice to be back as husband and wife. She says she’s not ready to give up their honeymoon vibe yet. She loves it when it’s just the two of them. They kiss.
Pacing in her office, Portia says, he’s late, and Curtis says, give him in a minute. She says she just doesn’t know about this. What if he’s not the right fit for Trina? They have no idea. Curtis says, they won’t know until they talk to him. Laura hooked them up, and she said he would know what to do, and Curtis trusts her. Let’s just give him a chance. He trusts everything will work out, and Trina is in good hands. Scotty appears, and says, sorry he’s late; the elevator was chock full of people. He shakes Portia’s hand, and says, Scott Baldwin, at your service.
Trina says, did Spencer just ask her why she did it? He knows she didn’t. Spencer says he was ready to believe it was Esme… and she says they both know she’s not capable of doing anything like this. He says he thought so, but there is evidence, and it points to her.
Victor comes into Charlie’s, and says he’s glad he found Nikolas. They need to talk about Spencer. Nikolas says, later. Did he see Esme outside? Victor says, as a matter-of-fact, he did. Another car was pulling out as he was pulling in, and he saw Esme in the back seat. Nikolas asks, who was driving? Which way did they go? Victor says, he couldn’t tell; he didn’t think it was unusual. Although it did seem like an expensive Ride Share for someone with such limited means. Why is Nikolas worried? Nikolas says, he was asking about the video and Spencer, and she got really upset. She was keeping something from him. She told him that she needed air, and she’d be right back. Victor says, perhaps she felt better and left, but Nikolas says, why would she just take off without a word?She was obviously holding something back. Victor says, that, she most certainly is. Esme could be carrying the next Cassadine heir.
Sonny thanks Esme for coming, and she says she didn’t have much of a choice. He says he’s sorry about his associate; he’s a little rough around the edges. He doesn’t come from the school of social graces. He’s kind of a man of action. Sonny hopes he didn’t frighten her. She says, actually, he did, and Sonny says, that wasn’t his intention. He just wanted Esme to come here so they could chat. She says she doesn’t know why he’d want to chat with her, but he says he thinks she does. She says, Spence? and he says, this is about what she did to his stepdaughter Josslyn.
The new credits are great, but why does Felicia look like she stepped out of Breck ad from the 1970s?
Maxie says, they need to finalize music selections and book the artists, and Lucy says she happens to have some inspired live performance ideas. Maxie wonders where they’re going to get talent on such short notice, and Lucy says, hello? Lucy Coe, mistress of ceremonies of the Nurses Ball. Brook says she thought this was for Deception’s IPO, and Lucy says, she happens to be senior equity partner of Deception. She’s just going to ask all the people who she asked to sing for the Nurses Ball to sing for their company, starting with Amy and Chase. Brook says, about that… and Lucy says, Amy will love it; she’s a sucker for the spotlight. So did Brook get a chance to ask Chase to sing? Brook says, the thing is… and Lucy says, Brook’s not hearing her. They need him to sing, so why didn’t Brook nail him down when he came by here the other day? Gladys comes in and asks if she’s interrupting anything. Are they still talking about the IPO? Lucy says, yes on both questions, and Brook asks what she wants. Gladys says, stock options, especially now that Sasha’s her daughter-in-law. She’d like to revisit having a personal stake in the company. Lucy says, really? They don’t have shares based on nepotism, but if Gladys wants to prove her worth to the company, she can get them all lunch. She’d love a Caesar salad with lots and lots of little croutons. Brook says, she’ll take a chicken pasta salad, and Maxie says, make that two. Lucy repeats the order, and pushes Gladys out the door, thanking her. She says, enough of the distractions. They really have a million things to do. And the first thing is, Brook has to get Chase to sing. Brook says she’s sorry, but the answer is no.
Dante tells Chase, he has to hand it to Brook. He knew she could scheme with the best of them, but this is next level stuff. She didn’t even get anything out of this. Chase says, that’s what he means. Brook went into it for the wrong reasons, but she wound up doing everything right. Dante says, who’d have thought faking a pregnancy would turn out to be a noble gesture? and Chase says, she thought she was looking out for her family. Dante says, that’s Brook right there; she’s a walking contradiction. He told Chase, they grew up together. As kids, she even had this heart underneath all the selfish pranks she liked to pull. Chase says, people grow up, and Dante says, hopefully, she did. Hopefully, that’s what this is, and not just a one-off, and the real Brook, the old school selfish Brook comes back again. Chase says, Brook today is kind and caring, and he doesn’t like Dante talking about her like this. Dante asks where this is coming from. Chase is the one who said he couldn’t trust her.
Brando says, they’re getting their food to go, and Sasha says, okay, husband. He says he loves it when she calls him that, and she says, she loves it when he calls her wife. So they’re doing this? He says, yes, definitely, and since no one knows they’re in town yet, they can just try to ease their way back into reality. But there are a few things they need to talk about immediately now that they’re married.
Scotty sits down, and says, he’s sorry this happened to Trina. He’s reviewed the case, and it’s a doozie. Portia says, her daughter didn’t do the things she was charged with. She knows people probably say that to him all the time, but she didn’t. Trina could never; it’s not her. Scotty says, if she wants him to say he believes her, he does, he really does. He’s got a guy in the DA’s office, so he knows what the evidence is, and the burden of proof is on the prosecution, and this case is loaded with opportunities to cast reasonable doubt.
Spencer says, the whole time Trina was trying to convince him the tape was Esme’s fault, she had that phone with that video. She says she’s never seen that phone before. Someone set her up. He asks if she means Esme, and she says, that’s the only thing that makes sense. He asks how she did it, but Trina says she doesn’t know. How does she do half the stuff she does; she figures it out somehow. He says, they weren’t at the cabin when the video was taken, but he was there long enough to know that Trina was really drunk, and mad at both Joss and Esme. She says she doesn’t remember being mad at Joss, and he says, that’s exactly right. She doesn’t remember what she did or didn’t do, but Esme was next to him nearly all the time, so when would she have had time to do that to Trina? She asks if he’s really trying to accuse her of this, and he says he’s not judging her; he’s in no position to do that. He’s just trying to understand. She says, understand this. She didn’t do it. He says he wants to believe her, and she asks, then why can’t he?
Nikolas says, Esme might be pregnant? and Victor tells him, Spencer said they don’t know for certain. Nikolas says, that would explain why she’s been so emotional; she’s dealing with a lot right now. Victor says he heard about the break-up, and Nikolas says, obviously Spencer knows. How’s he doing? Victor says, he’s pretty shaken up. That’s why he came to find Nikolas. If Esme is indeed pregnant, that baby will be a Cassadine. Spencer and Esme are going to need their support. Nikolas says, maybe they should talk somewhere more private. He’s just going to call Esme and make sure she got back to Kelly’s all right. He calls, and a phone outside near the bench rings. Nikolas picks it up, and says, this is Esme’s phone.
Esme says she hasn’t done anything to Joss, but Sonny says, she knows what she did, and she’s going to make it right. She says, wait. Is this about that unfortunate video of Joss and Cam? He snaps his fingers, and says, got it, and she says, the PCPD arrested someone for that; it wasn’t her. He says he has very good instincts, and they’re telling him that Trina Robinson wouldn’t do that. She says, he’s never been wrong? and he says, never. And Esme’s name’s being tossed around a lot. She says, it’s no secret that she and Joss don’t get along, but she would never do that to her. Please, he has to believe her. He says, don’t do that. There’s no need for that. He called her here because he wants to know the truth. She says she is telling the truth. What has she done to him that would make him think the worst of her? He says she doesn’t remember the hospital, when she lied to him?
Esme says, if Sonny means the time she mistakenly told him that Nikolas and Ava were taking Avery out of the country – he says, yeah, that’s it – that was a misunderstanding, one she regretted. He says, why? Because it led to the truth about what she did to Ava and Nikolas? She says she didn’t mean for anything bad to happen to his daughter, and he says, now she’s lying to his face. She and Spencer meant every horrible thing that was done to Ava. Then to reach her goals, she involved his daughter twice; once with the teddy bear, and the other time she lied that Nikolas and Ava left with his daughter. She says she regrets the things she and Spence did, but she apologized. Didn’t he forgive her? He says he did, and she says, but he didn’t forget. He says he has a long memory, especially when someone hurts his family. And now she’s hurt Josslyn. He squats down and leans on her chair, and whispers, let’s save everybody a lot of time. Just admit you were behind the sex tape.
Spencer says he believed Trina when it was just her word against Esme’s. What she says means a lot to him, but now there’s evidence. She says, which was planted, because like she keeps telling him, Esme set her up. He says, he and Esme have been through a lot, and Trina says, then he should know what she’s capable of. He says he’s seen the worst in Esme, but he was the instigator when she did those things. She thought she was helping him because she loved him. Trina says, the difference between her and Esme is that she would never… she could never intentionally hurt another person. He says, she’s done things for him she wouldn’t normally do, like lie. If he stoked those impulses in Esme, maybe he did the same to her. Wow. He’s even more full of himself than he was before.
Chase tells Dante, Brook has done some shady things, but people do change, and it’s hard when everyone keeps dredging up who they used to be. But he was there during some of the toughest times. Brook was taking heat from all sides, and he saw how it affected her, and she kept on protecting Bailey. Dante says, he was right; Chase does have feelings for her. Chase says, they went through something significant together, and he knows Brook is more than Dante is saying. Dante says he didn’t mean anything by it, but that’s the beauty of a real friend. They see who you are and like you anyway. Chase tells Dante, all he’s saying is to give Brook a little more credit.
Brook says she can’t ask Chase to do the duet. She feels like she’d be taking advantage of their friendship. Lucy says, this is the same guy who pretended to be a father, even though he wasn’t a father, to help Brook protect Maxie’s baby. This is just a teeny tiny favor in comparison. Maxie says she sees Brook’s point. They owe Chase for everything he’s done already, so let’s explore other options. Lucy says, what good are friends if you can’t guilt them into singing for your company? She’s guilted tons of people over her… Never mind. She gives up for a moment. She needs Maxie to talk sense into herself, then talk sense in to Brook. She needs gummis, and she’s going to get them. She stomps out, and Brook says, thank you. Maxie says, not a problem. Now that it’s just the two of them, what’s Brook’s deal? Does she not want Chase around? Brook says, that’s not it. It’s the opposite.
Sasha asks Brando, what needs their attention? Should she be worried? He says he hopes not. He just wanted to point out, they’re married and don’t live together. She says, they should figure that out, but let’s just enjoy being married for now, and he says, it’s not like they do things in the right order. She says she knows their relationship has been a little unorthodox, but she’s happy where they are now. He says, him too, and she says, let’s just enjoy the feeling a little longer. Gladys screeches that Brando’s back, and hugs him. She says she missed him so much. She tells Sasha, hello, and says, Sasha is looking well. If she’d known they were coming back, she would have asked for the day off. Sasha says, it’s probably best she didn’t. She’s sure Deception is busy with the IPO. Gladys says, it’s all anyone is talking about, and since what’s Sasha’s is Brando’s now, he’s going to be living on Easy Street; he can retire early. He says he’s keeping the garage, and Gladys says, have it his way. He’ll need somewhere to work on all the cars he’ll be collecting. She has to put in a lunch order, but don’t go anywhere. She wants to hear all about the honeymoon. She flounces off, and Brando says, it’s too late to make a run for it, and Sasha says, so much for easing back into reality.
Victor asks if Nikolas is sure that’s Esme’s phone, and Nikolas says he saw it earlier. Victor says, perhaps she dropped it, but Nikolas says, she’d need it for updates on the Ride Share. He’s sure she would have noticed if she didn’t have it, and would have come back for it by now. Victor suggests she caught a ride with a friend, but Nikolas says she told him she has no friends; everyone blames her for the sex tape. Victor says he heard about that. Carly Corinthos’s daughter, right? Nikolas flashes back to Esme saying Sonny’s had it in for her ever since she stretched the truth about Nikolas and Ava leaving town with Avery. He tells Victor, they have to go, and Victor says, go where? Nikolas says, Sonny Corinthos has her.
Maxie asks Brook to explain. She wants Chase there, but doesn’t want him to sing because of Amy? Brook says, because of her and her feelings, and Maxie says, now they’re getting somewhere. She knew something was going on, because Brook was acting weird around him the other day. This is why she hustled him out of here, and didn’t want to talk to him about singing the duet. Brook says, Chase has made it clear he just wants to be friends. So she has to keep her distance until she can get a handle on her feelings, and get back to the friendzone. She doesn’t want to ask Chase for any favors right now, and to be honest, she doesn’t even want to see him at the launch party. Outside the door, Lucy says, Chase, just the man she wanted to see. Isn’t it funny how the cosmos is working… Maxie pushes Brook out the door, and Lucy says, you put the energy out there, and there you are.
Gladys, Brando, and Sasha sit at a table, and Gladys says, at least they had a nice honeymoon, considering they got married out of the blue. The rings aren’t bad, although she might have gone for something a little flashier. Brando says he picked them out, and he was lucky to find a jewelry store nearby. Gladys says, like finding the garage they got married in, and Brando says, mom… Gladys says she gave them her blessing, and she meant it. She wants the best for them both. Brando’s phone rings, and he steps away to take the call. Gladys says, now that it’s just them, let her tell Sasha how she really feels about this elopement.
Scotty says, he’ll have witnesses testifying to Trina’s stellar character and lack of motive. He’ll get Cameron and Josslyn; they should have significant sway. Curtis says, okay, but first they have to get through the arraignment. What’s that look like? Scotty says, it can go two ways. The best is that they waive bail because there’s no priors. The worst is, they take it up a notch to high profile because of Josslyn’s stepfather. But it still comes down to Trina’s character, which is really great. She’s at PCU, 4.0, she’s got a job, teachers love her, a lot of friends, and Portia’s reputation as Chief of Internal Medicine. Portia says she sees Scotty’s done his homework, and Scotty says he sees Cameron as his grandson. He would never represent anybody who would do this to Cameron. Curtis says, they should get to the arraignment; they don’t want to be late. Scotty says, he’s right. Judges don’t like it if you’re late. He’ll see them there. He leaves, and Curtis asks if Portia feels better about it. She says they’d better get going, but he says, hold up. Is she okay? She says she will be, and starts to cry. She says, she will be after all this is over. She just needs to stay strong for Trina right now. He takes her hands, and says, he knows everything is going to be okay. Whatever happens, he’s got her.
Trina says she knew Spencer was self-centered, but this is next level. She may have gone against her instincts and principles covering for him, but that doesn’t compare to making a sex tape of Joss and Cameron, her best friends, and posting it. She would never do that to anyone for any reason. He says, she was drunk and admitted to buried feelings about Joss and Cameron being together. She asks how he can even consider that she did this. She had faith in him when everyone told her that he didn’t deserve it. All she had was a gut feeling he was a good guy deep down. Where’s that guy now? Was she wrong all along? He says, it’s not that simple for him, and she says, he knows the truth in his heart, but he just doesn’t want to see it. He’s still blind to Esme after everything she’s done. He says, everything she’s done has been for him and his family.
Maxie says, it’s so good to see Chase. What brings him by? She gently pushes him into the office, and he says he was following up with HR about the softball league to get the charity donations set up. Maxie says, oh man, they’re out today; recruitment event. On his way in, did he happen to see Gladys Corbin? He says, no, and she says, typical Gladys. She suggests she and Lucy go to the restaurant to look for her. If she’s not there, they can have a working lunch. She not-so gently pushes Lucy out, saying, they’ll get her gummis. Chase asks what that was about, and Brook says, he knows Lucy. She probably wants to change the color of the softball jerseys or something. He asks if she’s going to play, but she says she hasn’t thought about it. He says she should; it would be nice seeing her around the diamond. She says, actually, Lucy wants to get some singers to perform at the launch party. Remember that duet she wrote? She’d love for him to sing it… with Amy. Plus, it would be fun to see him there. What does he say?
Trina asks what Spencer means by his family. His father? He says he means the Cassadines, his family. Esme is included in that. She asks, how? By pushing her way into it? He says, she’s part of it now because she… He lowers his voice, and says, she might be carrying my child. Trina says, Esme might be pregnant with his baby? That explains why he has to see the best in Esme, and the worst in her. He say,s she has to understand… and she says, here’s what she understands. From the moment she met him, her life has gotten worse. There were so many times she looked in the other direction when she shouldn’t have, to protect him. Now she’s arrested because of his girlfriend’s lies, and he wants her to understand? She understands that he should know her better than that. So if he can’t look her in her eyes, and tell her that he knows she had nothing to do with it, then she’s done; she’s through. They have nothing left to say to each other. He should go check on Esme. You two deserve each other. He says, Trina… but she stands up and says, leave. The officer tells him, it’s time to go. Come with him. Trina turns her back, and the officer leads Spencer out.
Sonny tells Esme, neither of them is going anywhere until she tells him the truth. She says she has told him; she didn’t do it. He says, okay, and asks if she wants something to eat. She says he can’t keep her there forever, and he says he’s had his share of regrets, choices he can’t take back, but it doesn’t define you. She can step up right now and take responsibility for her actions, and make almonds amends to the people she’s hurt and move forward. She says, some things you can’t make up for, and he says, true.The people you’ve hurt are not obligated to forgive you, and sometimes you can’t make it right by them, but you keep working on it. You know why? To better yourself for you and the people that are going to come into your life. Esme has played games with Avery, Ava, and Nikolas, and now she’s hurt Josslyn and Cam… There’s a young woman sitting behind bars right now. Esme can make it right. All she’s got to do is confess.
Nikolas walks into Pozzulo’s with Victor, and Sonny’s guy asks where he’s going. Nikolas says he’s going to see Sonny, but the guy says, Sonny’s busy. Nikolas says, I’ll bet, and tries to walk through, but the guy stops him. Victor says, take his hands off his nephew, and Nikolas says, where is she? Esme hears them and screams, help me!
Sasha says, she doesn’t expect Gladys to understand why they eloped. It’s what felt right in the moment. Gladys says, that’s her concern; in the moment. Marriage is a big step. They went on that trip to deal with some pretty weighty issues in their relationship, and came back married. It seems like they didn’t think it through.
Dante tells Portia and Curtis that Trina is in the interrogation room. Portia sees Spencer, and walks over to him. She says, he has some nerve showing up here, after what that vile girlfriend of his did to her daughter.
Chase tells Brook, that’s why Lucy was fawning over him. The last time, he’d just come out of the shower in the men’s locker room. Brook says, what? and he says, the first time Lucy recruited him for the Nurses Ball. She basically ambushed him. He had to say yes. It was the only way he could get dressed. She says, they all know how great a singer he is because of what a great success he’s been at the Nurses Ball, and he says, he’s flattered, but he’s not a performer. The only reason he sings at the Nurses Ball is because it’s for charity. She says, making people feel beautiful might not fit into the definition of charity, but it’s still worthwhile. He even said what they do at Deception is interesting. He says, his suspension is up in a few months. He kind of has to keep up appearances. Singing for charity is one thing, but he doesn’t know about singing for a cosmetic’s company. She says she gets it. He has an image to maintain, and he doesn’t fit in her world.
Sasha tells Gladys, her and Brando’s decision to get married was spur of the moment, but they talked it through, and know it was the right decision. She loves Brando, more than she thought was possible. Gladys raised a good son, and Sasha promises she’s going to make him happy. Gladys says she can already see being married to Sasha makes Brando happy. She just doesn’t want him getting hurt. She can’t deny they’ve had issues, but he means everything to her. Brando comes back with Lucy and Maxie, and says, look who he found. Lucy says, there’s the married lady. Congratulations. Maxie says she should be mad at Sasha for not letting her plan the wedding, but she’s too happy for her. Sasha thanks them, and says, they’re pretty happy themselves. Lucy says, I’ll bet, and tells Sasha that the launch party is on track, but after they celebrate the IPO, and Deception’s fabulous future, they’re going to throw another fabulous, huge party for both of them. Maxie says, a Happy Marriage party. They’ll go all out; everyone will be there. Gladys says, now we’re talking, and Brando thanks them. He says, it’s very generous, and Sasha says, and totally not necessary, but Maxie says, nonsense. Getting married is a big deal. It deserves to be celebrated properly. Sasha says, but they’re already married, and Lucy says, who cares? Brando says, he’ll take any excuse to celebrate his beautiful new wife, and Sasha says, when they put it like that, how can she say no?
An officer brings Trina a soda, and smiles at her sympathetically. Dante asks Spencer if they’re going to have a problem, but Spencer says, no, sir. Dante asks if Portia wants to see Trina now, but she continues to stare at Spencer. Curtis says, Portia? and she says she’s fine. She tells Spencer, she doesn’t have time to deal with him today because her daughter needs her. Curtis says, let’s go, and steers Portia to the interrogation room. Curtis says, he’ll give her a minute, and Dante tells Spencer, there’s really nothing for him to do here. In fact, he thinks Spencer is making things worse. So why doesn’t he help Trina and her mom, and get out of here. Spencer leaves, and Portia goes in to see Trina. They hug, and Portia says she’s sorry Trina is going through this. But she wants Trina to remember, she’s going to be home in a little while. Scott Baldwin is her lawyer. He believes in her; he believes in her case. And when Trina walks into the courtroom, she wants Trina to walk with her chin up – she lifts Trina’s chin – and her head held high. Trina says, she didn’t do it, and Portia says she knows Trina didn’t do it. The truth is going to come out.
Nikolas yells, let her go, and Esme runs to him, throwing her arms around him, fake weeping. Nikolas says, what the hell? and Sonny says, they were just talking. Nikolas leads Esme to the door, and Sonny says, she knows where to find him. Nikolas says, that’s enough, and they leave. Sonny tells Victor, okay, we’re done, but Victor says he doesn’t think so. He and Sonny are just getting started.
Lucy says, once it’s official and they go public, they’re going to focus all their time and attention on a big, wonderful wedding party. She just realized, people are going to flip out when they find the Face of Deception is married. Maxie asks if Sasha is okay, and Sasha says she’s just had a long day of traveling; she’s fine. She’s fantastic. She has the perfect husband, super thoughtful friends. Why don’t they catch her up on the IPO? She’s missed so much. Lucy shows her the binder, and Sasha opens it to a picture of herself when she was pregnant, that says, the Face of Conception. She excuses herself, and Brando closes it. Gladys says, she sure bolted out of here, and Brando says, they were just surprised. She’s probably overwhelmed with everything, but don’t worry. Sasha can take care of herself. In the hallway, Sasha makes a call to Sienna. She says she needs something to get her through. How soon can they meet?
Chase says he didn’t mean to imply anything negative about Brook or her job, but Brook says, she understands where he’s coming from. He’s a cop, not a singer. He wants to focus on getting off suspension and back on the job; she gets it. He says, so they’re good? and she says they are. She needs to get back to work. She promised Maxie some numbers. Shut the door on his way out. He says, okay, and leaves. She almost opens it again, but doesn’t, and they stand on opposite sides of the door.
Scotty asks if they’re all set, and Dante says, it’s time to go. Curtis asks how Trina is holding up, and she says, she’s okay. Thanks. He says, she’s better than okay. She’s a champ. Let’s go.
Nikolas and Esme go back to Charlie’s. He asks if she’s sure she’s okay, and she says, only because of him. He saved her. She can’t thank him enough. She throws her arms around him, and Spencer walks in.
Victor says, he’s putting Sonny on notice. Stay away from his family. Sonny says, Spencer is his family too, and what happens to him, or if anybody influences him in any way, that concerns Sonny, especially if they’re coming after his family. Victor says, he’s been warned, and Sonny says, really? Victor says, the Cassadines always come out on top one way or another. Keep harassing his family, and Sonny will learn the hard way. Sonny laughs, and says, he’s faced down men a lot more intimidating than Victor, and he’s still standing. So if Victor wants to take the first shot, believe him, he’ll finish the fight.
Tomorrow, Nina tells Maxie that she might have found someone who can change that; Scotty asks Trina what she wants to do; Diane has a plan; and Carly is staying right here.
All the Wrong People Have the Money The Real Housewives of Orange County
Everyone packs for Aspen. Shannon tells John that she and Gina haven’t talked since their blow-up, but she’s sure everything will be fine. As if. John tells her to just be cordial, and she says she’s always fine when she’s on vacation. I almost choke on my coffee. In Emily’s interview, she says she’s excited because she’s never been to Aspen, but she’s also excited to be in a different climate. Cabo was hot and people got irritated. Maybe they’ll cool off in cooler weather. After the fastest plane ride ever, they’re at an elevation of 8000 feet. On the way to the hotel, they get all excited to see a deer on a hill. I guess it doesn’t take much. They arrive at the 7 bedroom, 7 bath house, and in Noella’s interview, she says, now this is a house. Concierges Trisha and Michael welcome them, and Trisha gives them the tour. Yeah, yeah, another amazing place in a galaxy outside of my price range. In Emily’s interview, she says, there are huge windows, and you can see the foilage [sic] of Aspen. She asks a producer if that’s right, and corrects it to foliage, saying, she didn’t learn that in law school. There’s a bowling alley downstairs and Gina gets a strike. In her interview, she says, now she feels like the trip will be a success. Noella tries to play the dead dad card to get a better room, and in Heather’s interview, she wonders if they’re going to compare tragedies to see who gets the best room – like any of these rooms are bad. Noella wants every room, and Heather says she’ll take the dungeon (i.e. the downstairs bedroom). In her interview, she says, Noella likes dungeons, and we flash back to the one in her house. Heather says, they’ll throw in handcuffs, and Noella will be right at home. They get oxygen and IVs with vitamins and such. Jen asks if Ryne should be her emergency contact, and in her interview, Emily says, who else is going to pick Jen up if something happens? Mr. Puppers? I say, absolutely.
They get ready for dinner, and Noella and Emily get all freaked over what they call a huge spider that’s not that big. By the time the others join them, it’s become a tarantula, but we flash back to a second ago, seeing the spider, and the text says, not a tarantula. Noella says, the altitude is real, and they go to Bosq (a restaurant) where several of them get green drinks. I hate drinks or food that’s a weird color. It makes my stomach flip. Emily suggests everyone tell something the group doesn’t know about them, and Jen says she’s been engaged seven times. In Noella’s interview, she says, no judgement. She’s grateful no one knows how many times she’s been engaged. Heather says, when she first met Shannon, she thought Shannon was cool with great style, and she loved Shannon’s home. We flash back to that, and Heather says, what she appreciates about the group is, at the end of the day, they’re all mothers, and that means something to her. She wants everyone to do well. Shannon says, there’s room for everybody, and changing topics, Heather says she doesn’t like mean people, liars, and sh*t stirrers. Shannon says, sometimes Emily can stir the sh*t. She told everyone that Shannon wanted to have more fun at her dinner party than Gina and Heather in NYC. She meant it in a silly way. Emily says, it was a competition, but Shannon says she knew what was going on in her own mind. Emily tells her, just own it. Good luck with getting Shannon to own anything. Has Emily met her?
Emily says, it was a little competitive, but Shannon says that wasn’t her intent. Gina says, Shannon called to say she was having more fun, and Shannon says, there are certain things between her and Gina, but she doesn’t want to have that conversation at the table. In Gina’s interview, she says, the altitude is enough. At this point, she’s fully willing to put a pin in it. Heather says, she thought Shannon had been calling about her podcast, and Shannon says, she didn’t know Heather’s itinerary. I swear they had this conversation already, and Shannon says she was just calling to say hi. She’s an a-hole. Sorry. Noella says, Shannon is taking way too many bullets on this, and in Noella’s interview, she says, they think Shannon is an easy target, and like bullies in the schoolyard, if you don’t hit them back, they keep coming for your lunch money. Noella wonders why Shannon would be jealous; they’ve known each other for a decade. Heather says, Noella doesn’t know them, and Noella talks over her. Heather puts her teacher hat on, and tells Noella, there’s an art to conversation; one speaks and one listens. Noella wonders how she got through life communicating without Heather. Heather says she was excited, and thought Shannon was going to ask how it went. Shannon says she was in the middle of a party she’d been preparing since before 8 am, and everyone was helping with. Um… But isn’t she the one who made the call? Why is she making it sound like Heather interrupted her? Shannon says she called to see how Heather and Gina were, and in Shannon’s interview, she says, Heather likes to single her out. The hoedown is a perfect example. She walked in late – with Vicki. We flash back to Heather telling Shannon to let her know next time, since they were waiting on them. (They weren’t.) Shannon says, clearly Heather is never satisfied with her. She tells Heather that she’s sorry, and gets weepy. She says she’s a single mom running a company, and dabs at her eyes with her napkin, adding, she gets no more than five hours sleep a night. No comment. She says she’s doing the best she can, and Heather says she thinks Shannon is doing a great job, which she’s told her. It’s okay; Shannon wins. In her interview, Heather says, she doesn’t care what happened, and in Shannon’s interview, she says, it’s not like they haven’t seen the Heather Dubrow eyeroll before. Emily says Shannon voiced derogatory things about her friend, i.e. Gina, and Noella says, put a pin in it. Gina says, Noella shouldn’t get involved, but Noella says she’s just being a supportive friend. Gina asks why Noella isn’t supporting her, and Noella says she relates to Shannon. Shannon has a big heart. Gina says, and she doesn’t? Noella tells Gina that she says hurtful things, and Heather says, Noella doesn’t? She claimed Heather slams people against the wall. Noella asks if she’s going there.
Noella says, she saw Heather shove a camera. In Noella’s interview, she says, she saw Heather push a camera. Then Heather stood on her stairs and went off on everybody. We flash back, and it’s more like Heather put her hand over the camera, and talked to everyone sternly. I think she was kind of off her rocker, but in a spoiled way, not in a violent way. Noella says, if Justin Bieber had done that, the police would have been called. Another highly unlikely scenario. Apparently, Noella just makes it up as she goes along. In Heather’s interview, she says, Noella is perpetuating false bullsh*t, and it’s dangerous. Speaking with the royal we, Heather says, did we get heated? 100%, but do we slam a person against the wall? No. Jen asks if Noella saw Heather put her hands on someone, and Noella says, just because she didn’t see it with her own eyes… In her interview, Noella says, Heather went upstairs, and she asked someone what happened. They said Heather was with Terry, and shoved someone against a wall. Noella says, Heather came after her in her podcast room, but Heather says, it was the other way around. We flash back to Noella in Heather’s podcast room, saying she was nervous, since Heather was slamming people up against walls. In Noella’s interview, she says she’s holding Heather accountable because no one else is holding her accountable. Maybe because there’s nothing to hold her accountable for. She’s an annoying spoiled snob for sure, but she definitely wouldn’t slam someone up against a wall. That’s just stupid. In Shannon’s interview, she says, it’s a huge accusation. She doesn’t think Noella is making it up. Someone told her that story. Noella says karma is going to get Heather, and Heather says her karma is just fine, but Noella’s is already hunting her down. Noella whines, so Heather thinks her POS husband causing her problems is a good thing. I love when someone starts sh*t, then cries when you clap back. Heather says she’s out; she’s done. Noella says, Emily heard it too. They compared notes. Emily says, that’s not true. Now Noella is a f***ing liar. In Emily’s interview, she says she’s never made an allegation of assault. She wasn’t there and doesn’t talk about things she doesn’t see with her own eyes. Emily gets up, and goes outside, joining Heather. Noella asks the rest of them if they think she’s pulling this sh*t out of thin air. I vote yes. Heather tells Emily that she’s done of the highest order (is that a thing?). Either Noella leaves the house, or she’s going to a hotel and home. At the table, Noella says, that’s what a guilty person does, and Jen suggests she let it go. Outside, Emily says, if Heather leaves, it will feel like Shannon won. Heather says she doesn’t care, but Emily says she should stand her ground; Noella is the one who’s lying.
On the way back, Jen tells Heather, Noella isn’t credible. How can you argue with that? Shannon talks Heather smack to Noella, and the others get to the limo first. They’re pretty chatty until Shannon and Noella get in. Then it gets real quiet. For whatever reason, Noella tells Jen that she’s sorry, and Jen suggests she say that to Heather. Heather says she has a family and children, and Noella saw nothing. What’s wrong with her? No one is agreeing with her. Just apologize. In the back, Emily tells Gina that Noella claimed to be repeating hearsay, and Shannon says Emily repeated things about John. We flashed back to Emily telling Gina a million years ago that Shannon had been upset about John being drunk at a golf tournament, and Shannon telling Emily at the Reunion that John hates golf. Emily says she repeated something Braunwyn told her, and they all knew that Braunwyn was a POS. Shannon asks if Emily ever said she was sorry, when Noella wails, she hates that it’s day one. Emily tells her to stop acting innocent. She causes problems, then says she’s sorry. Shannon says, Emily causes problems too, and the next day says she didn’t mean it. Emily says, she apologizes; she doesn’t lie. Heather finally tells Noella, shut up. In Jen’s interview, she says, it’s either the altitude or their extreme personalities. Next time, she’s sitting up front with the driver.
Noella tells Shannon that she can’t believe the gang mentality, which is apparently what she calls the majority’s opinion differing from her own made up narrative. Gina and Emily stay behind in the limo, and Gina says she wants to have a normal conversation about normal things. Noella and Shannon are already sitting down inside when the others join them. Shannon says, they don’t have to be best friends, but they’re in the same friend group. They need to figure out how to get along. Heather asks to speak to Shannon in private, which of course ends up including some other people. Heather says, no one is standing up for her, and Shannon says, everyone is standing up for her. In Shannon’s interview, she says, Heather wants them to defend her, but she feels what Noella is going through. It feels like Heather has an expectation they should defend her, but she’s capable of defending herself. A champagne cork pops, and Noella says, love that sound.
Heather tells Shannon, Noella says sh*t about her, and she should apologize, but she’s not hearing it from anyone else, and doesn’t feel supported. Shannon says, her role is to engage Noella in rational conversation, and Heather says, what if someone went around saying Shannon was a thief? She would defend Shannon. In Shannon’s interview, she says, it seems she and Heather have one thing in common. When someone says something they know isn’t true, they get upset and want to defend themselves. We flash back to Heather saying Shannon yelled at her, and Shannon saying she didn’t. Shannon says, it’s hurtful that people can sometimes believe it. That’s why it’s important for her to be a peacemaker. Heather says, if Noella would admit what she did and apologize, she’d forget it like that, and snaps her fingers.
Gina and Emily have wine and snacks. Emily says she thinks she instigated everything, and Gina says, only emotionally. In Emily’s interview, she says, if there wasn’t so much sh*t, she wouldn’t have to stir it. It’s like, which came first, the chicken or the egg? The sh*t was there before she stirred it. Heather tells Gina, there are consequences for lying. Shannon suggests that if Noella wants to make things better, say she blew up a story she’d heard, and she was sorry she did it. Noella says, that she can do. Shannon adds that she not be defensive, and Noella asks if Heather would be receptive to a conversation, but Heather says, not now. Noella says, let her know when the timing is right. She thinks they should discuss things, but was shocked Heather brought it up the first night at dinner. She’d love a one-on-one. Heather says, okay. Let’s have it now, and walks into another room. Noella says, this isn’t awkward, and follows.
They sit on a fabulous couch, Heather looking like the Grinch, with a death grip on her wine glass.
Next time, an archery lesson, which I’m not sure is a good idea; a hike and a mine tour; and Noella has a meltdown.
📌 Putting a Pin In It…
Leaving an empty seat for you tomorrow, when we’ll go over some soap and probably some awards talk. Until then, stay safe, stay as chill as possible, and stay working on making things right, to better yourself, for you and the people that are going to come into your life.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 