Tag Archives: Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip

January 13, 2023 – Carly Confesses All To Nina, Burdensome, True Story, a Farewell, New Ultimate, Maybe Moving, VanderNext, Dead Talk, Literary Dogs (!), Quote Octet & Glory

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Trina plays cards with Curtis and Portia, and Portia asks what Trina is doing on her phone. She’s been texting all night. What’s going on? Who is she texting? Curtis says, only if she feels like sharing, and she says, sorry. She didn’t mean to be rude. It’s Spencer; he needs her. We see her text to him: Hang in there. You’re not alone.

There’s a knock at Sonny’s penthouse door, and Spencer lets in Alexis, thanking her for coming. She says, he told her it was important. What’s up? He says, take her pick. Esme’s been found, his father’s sunk to a new low, and Britt is dead. She says she’s really sorry about Britt, and he says, it’s so wrong that she’s gone, and it scares him that there’s someone out there who may be even more dangerous and unhinged than Esme is.

At the station, Jordan says she understands the position Dante is in, but this investigation needs a break. The interview with Britt Westbourne was helpful. They now know the killer’s wearing a mask, but she’s still on the loose. If he’d feel more comfortable, she can take the lead. He says, no. It’s all good. They need to get to the bottom of what happened to Britt Westbourne that night. She says, that they do, and she’s hoping his connection with the witness pays off.

Michael asks if Drew knows where his mom is, and Drew says, she’s with Nina. Michael says, this night’s already bad enough. Why would she talk to Nina of all people? Drew says, there’s something Michael needs to know, but Michael says, if it has to do with Nina, he’s out. Drew says, he gets it. Nina has made life difficult for him and Willow. Michael says, she’s been hounding them for months. She took them to court over Wiley, and said Willow was cheating on him. Nina can’t stay out of their lives no matter what they do.

Outside Willow’s room, Josslyn asks if Sonny has seen Michael, and he says he hasn’t, but he’s sure Michael is close. She says, something’s come up and she has to go, but she told Michael she’d stay with Willow, and she feels really bad leaving her. Sonny says he’ll stay with Willow. Go ahead and go. He’ll explain it to Michael. She says, okay, and leaves. Sonny goes into Willow’s room.

Nina says, before Carly starts, if this is about her upsetting Willow again, she didn’t go over there for that. Carly says, that’s not what this is about. As Nina knows, Willow is sick. Nina says, that’s why she and Sonny were at the chapel; they were praying for Willow. Carly says, praying is good, but Nina can do more to save Willow, and Nina says, anything she can do. Carly says, good, because Nina may be the only person on earth who can save Willow.

Portia says, Spencer needs her? and Trina says, he needs a friend. Portia says she didn’t realize Trina still considered Spencer a friend, and Trina says, Esme resurfaced, and Spencer found out she was pregnant – by his father – and then he lost Britt who he was very close to. It’s been a lot on him. Portia says she doesn’t doubt it, especially the pregnancy part. She’s sure Spencer has a lot to unpack. What about Josslyn and Cameron? Can’t they help him? Curtis says, they know how amazingly compassionate Trina is, and Portia says, of course (🍷) they’re extremely proud of Trina’s instinct to help someone in need. But she has a very giving and forgiving heart, and she’s going through a lot right now herself. Curtis says, he and her mother want to make sure she’s supported. She has a lot to process, like, how does she feel about Esme being caught? Trina says, honestly, she’s conflicted. For months, she wanted Esme to face the consequences of filming that video and framing her. Esme made her life hell. Portia says, of course (🍷) she would want justice, and Trina says she did, but she wanted more than justice. She wanted revenge, and part of her still does.

Alexis says, so Spencer is living here now? and he says he is. She says, enough about that. She assumes he’s been told the PCPD is no longer considering Esme as a suspect, and he says, yes, but that doesn’t mean she’s innocent of anything else. He’s learned not to underestimate Esme. She says, hard won wisdom, and he says he did speak with her though. She asks what Esme said, and adds, she’s asking as his aunt, not as an editor. He says, that’s cool either way. She didn’t know who he was. Either she’s a very convincing fake, or she’s got amnesia. Alexis says, or maybe it’s possible she committed the crimes and doesn’t remember. She thinks it’s smart that the PCPD moved on to other suspects. He says he almost wishes she was guilty, so he could stop worrying that someone is targeting Trina and their other friends. She says, Britt was incredibly brave, and he says he almost wishes she wasn’t. She put her life on the line, but if she’d just run away like the person she was protecting, she might have lived to fight another day. He doesn’t know.

Dante thanks Josslyn for coming to the station so quickly, and she says, he told her it was important on the phone. He says, it is; it’s about The Hook killer. She asks if they found her, and he says, not yet, but he was hoping she could help them out with some questions. She says she wants to do whatever she can to help, but will it take long? and he says he doesn’t know. Does she have somewhere to be? She says, actually, yes. She was with Willow. They walk into the interrogation room, and Jordan and Robert are there. Josslyn asks, what is this? and Jordan asks her to have a seat.

Sonny says, Willow looks so fragile, but he knows she’s anything but. He’s seen her take on Shiloh and Nelle to protect Wiley. She’s been in a jail cell… She’s a fighter. That’s why he knows she’s going to fight this. She has the best medical care, and Michael’s going to do everything he can to take care of her. He just wishes he knew how to take care of them both.

Michael tells Drew, Nina actually came to their house tonight and accused him of jeopardizing Willow’s health. She confused Wiley; she upset Willow. If he has to get a restraining order, he’ll get one. He’ll do everything in his power to keep Nina away from Wiley. Drew says, he does not want to do that. He and Carly think Nina could be a bone marrow match for Willow. Michael knows he’s been searching for Willow’s birth family, right? Michael says, don’t tell him that Nina is some distant relative, and Drew says, not so distant.

Nina says she’s happy to get tested, just like everyone else, but Carly says, she’s not like everyone else. She needs to get tested now, and needs to rush the results. Nina says she understands the urgency – Willow’s having a medical crisis – but why did Carly have to come to her personally? Carly says, because a family member has the best chance of success, and Nina is the most likely match. Nina says she and Willow aren’t related, but Carly says, they are. Nina asks if Carly is all right. They’re only connected through Wiley, and that’s only because Nelle was her daughter. Carly says, Nelle isn’t Nina’s only daughter. Willow is too.

Dante says, Josslyn knows Britt Westbourne was murdered recently by The Hook? and Josslyn says she does. Jordan says, Dr. Westbourne was nicked trying to defend someone else, and Dante says, the intended victim, the person Britt rescued… They have security footage from the docks, and they think they have a lead. He slides his tablet over, and Josslyn looks at it. He asks if she recognizes anyone, but she says, it’s grainy. He says, that footage was captured on Pier 54, at 11:57 pm, the night of December 31st; fifteen minutes before Britt called in the attack on Pier 55. Josslyn slides the tablet back, and asks, what’s the question? Jordan says, was Josslyn the intended victim the night Britt died?

Curtis says, it’s perfectly natural that Trina would want Esme to pay for her crimes, and Trina says, but she’s not sure she does anymore… at least not like she used to. They should have seen Esme when she showed up on the deck of the Haunted Star. She looked pathetic, soaking wet, shivering, pregnant. She looked completely vulnerable. Portia says, that night maybe, but that doesn’t mean she’s still not a threat. Curtis says, Esme drugged Oz Haggerty to the point he had to be put in a medially induced coma, and she’s still a suspect in The Hook killings. Trina says, no doubt Esme’s done some horrible things, but that was the old Esme. Portia asks if Trina believes Esme doesn’t remember what she’s done, and Trina says, that’s what the doctors think, right? Is it possible amnesia changed Esme?

Sonny tells says, he’s lost so many people in his life. His son can’t lose Willow. For Michael, the sun rises and sets in her eyes. She’s the mother of his children, his best friend, his soulmate. He knows Willow’s encouraged Michael to communicate with him; to meet him halfway. She’s never lost hope that they’re going to be a father and son again. Everybody needs her. The family needs her; he needs her. Losing her would mean there’s no hope of the family getting back together again.

Michael says, Nina is Willow’s birth mother? The woman who’s been antagonizing Willow since she was a teacher? And Harmony knew the whole time? How could she… Drew says he knows it’s a lot to take in, but Willow needs Michael. She needs Michael’s support. Carly wanted to tell her, but because time is of the essence… Michael says, Drew’s right. She needs to hear it from him.

Nina asks what Carly is talking about. Willow is not her daughter. Carly says she understands this is a shock. She’ll be happy to give Nina an explanation, but later. Please come to the lab… Nina says she’s not going anywhere with Carly until Carly tells her… Carly says, there’s no time, and Nina says, then talk fast. Carly says, Nina had twins, and Nina says, impossible. Carly says, no. She was in a coma. Nina says she had medical attention. Phyllis was one of her nurses. She took Nelle to Florida, and gave Nelle to the Bensons. Carly says, that was the second baby, and she’s guessing that was by design, because Madeline had to make sure she separated the babies so she could get her hands on Nina’s inheritance. Nina says she doesn’t know why Carly is doing this, but she’ll play along. If Willow was Nelle’s twin, Carly is saying Madeline handed of Willow to… Carly says, Harmony. Nina’s mother gave the baby to Harmony.  

Dante says, the person in that footage looks a lot like Josslyn, and if it is her, that means she was in the vicinity of that attack. That means she could possibly help them ID the killer. Josslyn says she’d tell them if she thought she could help, and Robert says, no need to be cagey. She’s in no trouble. Jordan says, they believe Josslyn was the victim that night. It’s curious she didn’t say anything. Dante says, they think she was the intended target the night Brando was killed. If what they suspect is right, then the killer got a second shot at her on New Year’s Eve. Jordan says, if Britt hadn’t shown up, Josslyn’s family might be planning her funeral. Robert says, they can’t protect her unless she gives them all the information. Talk to them. Diane walks in, and says, not one word.

Curtis says, whether or not Esme has amnesia, Trina can’t let her guard down. Trina says she hears them. She fully believes Esme is a psycho, but not a serial killer. Portia says she’s not clear on the laws regarding memory loss, but she doesn’t think it gives Esme a free pass. She committed crimes; she’s a criminal. She needs to face the consequences of her actions. Trina tells them, that’s what Spencer said, and she doesn’t disagree. She’s not saying she’d trust Esme again, but she’s not using Esme as a means of closure. She wants to end that chapter of her life and move on. Portia asks how letting in Spencer helps her do that.

Alexis says, Spencer was closest to Esme. She didn’t have any family; is that true? He says, just adopted siblings. They’re not close, but in due time, Esme will give birth and contribute directly to her family tree. Alexis says, and ours.

Sonny says, they’re going to do everything they can to get Willow well, so she can get back to her kids and his son. Even if he’s not invited back into the fold, it doesn’t matter. He just wants them to be together and happy. Open her eyes. She can do this. Just… Michael walks in.

Nina tells Carly, who knows how Harmony got Willow? That woman was a pathological liar. Carly says, one that tried to kill her and Alexis just to keep this secret safe, and Nina says, if Harmony wanted to keep it safe, how did Carly find out? Carly says, Harmony told her the night she died, and Nina says, Carly suspected she was Willow’s mother the night Harmony died last year? Carly says, if she’d known Willow was sick, she would have said something a lot sooner, and Nina asks if she told Willow. Carly says, no, and Nina says, good, because there is no evidence beyond a troubled woman’s sick confession on her deathbed. This is irresponsible of Carly to go out and present this as truth. She kind of understands it because of what Willow is going through right now, but she’s going to do Carly a big favor. She’s going to pretend this conversation never took place. Carly says she knows for a fact Nina is Willow’s biological mother, and Nina asks, how? Carly says she has proof.

Sonny says, Josslyn was called away, and didn’t want Willow to be alone, and Michael says he appreciates Sonny being here. Sonny says, of course (🍷). He’ll leave them alone. He leaves, and Michael sits by Willow’s bedside. He says he can hear her voice in his head, telling him to go after Sonny. Life’s too short, and he’s trying. Please don’t tell him their life is going to be cut short. He needs her. She’s his conscience, the voice in his head. And he needs to hear it out loud, even if it’s scolding him. She opens her eyes, and says she’ll remind him that he said that.

Trina says, since Rory died, Spencer’s really been there for her, and Portia says, at what cost? She’ll always be grateful Spencer did the right thing in the end, but she can never forget he lied and took Esme’s side. Trina says, he was playing her, but Portia says, not the entire time. She doesn’t get how Trina can excuse that, and let him back in. How is that moving on with her life? Curtis’s phone rings, and he says he has to check in on the club. He leaves, and Trina says she understands Portia’s concerns, but her eyes are wide open. She sees how Spencer has matured this past year. Those months in Pentenville, and now losing people he loves. It’s changed him; given him purpose. He’s committed to doing better. Portia says she’s genuinely sorry for what Spencer’s going through. The way his father betrayed him is indefensible. Trina says, Spencer’s crushed. He was really tight with Britt. And his father – the only parent he has – keeps letting him down over and over again. Portia says, one of the other reasons she’s so uncomfortable with them reconnecting. The Cassadines are dangerous, even to themselves. Everyone who goes near them ends up being burned.

Alexis says she takes it Spencer isn’t thrilled with having a new sibling. Keep in mind, it’s not the baby’s fault; the baby’s innocent. He says he’s not going to hold a grudge against a baby, and she says she knows. He’s a good one. He has forgiveness and empathy. He thanks her, and says, here’s the issue. If Esme finds a way out of this, she’s going to take that baby as far away from Port Charles as possible. Alexis says, Esme’s got some serious legal trouble pending. Even if she finds a way to get over that, Spencer’s father is resolved. He wants full custody.

In the squad room, Dante says he should have known Josslyn was going to call Diane. She’s Carly’s daughter. She’d probably never talk to the police without a lawyer present. Jordan says, Diane looks to be in fighting form, and Robert says, killer Miller. Diane comes out of the interrogation room, asking if she hears her name. Her client is ready to give a statement. They all go back in, and Jordan says, she wanted to keep this informal. Diane asks if that’s why she had Josslyn’s stepbrother call her down her and ambush her, with the District Attorney and the Commissioner. They know the rules. They can’t compel a potential witness to say anything. Robert says, there’s no need to pull out the heavy artillery; they’re just talking. Diane says, her client is ready to make a statement. The moment this turns into an interrogation, she pulls the plug. Josslyn says she was on Pier 55 at midnight on New Year’s. Someone did come at her with a hook. She doesn’t know who; she was wearing a mask. She tried to get away, but she was in heels. She fell down, and The Hook was basically on top of her. She was going to stab Josslyn, then Britt came out of nowhere, swinging her bag. Britt told her to run, and she did. Jordan asks why Josslyn didn’t come forward when she heard Britt died, and Josslyn says, she only found out about Britt a couple hours ago; they had a family emergency. Robert says, if what she’s saying is the truth, why did she engage counsel? and Diane says, first of all, it’s her constitutional right. Robert says, if she was arrested, which she wasn’t, and Diane says, it’s only a sensible idea to retain counsel. Josslyn is following her mother’s example, and the example of her Uncle Jason, who, if Robert recalls, never sat down to a police interview without the benefit of counsel. Think about all the misunderstandings they’ve avoided over the years, and look at them now, avoiding another one. Robert says, there’s really no comparison, unless she’s accusing his office of persecuting victims of crime. Diane says, not at all. She trusts him to act in good faith; just as Josslyn trusts her to ensure he does. Does Josslyn have anything to add? Josslyn says she didn’t see anything that night that could help them. She wishes she had. Dante asks if she remembers if her attacker was pregnant, and she says she doesn’t really know. She wasn’t really paying attention. She was kind of focused on The Hook, and trying to get away. Diane says she knows exactly how Josslyn feels. If she has nothing more to add… Josslyn says, no, and Robert says he’ll walk Diane out. Dante asks if Josslyn has a minute, but Diane says, only if it’s a family matter and not police business. He says, it is a family matter, and Josslyn says, it’s fine. Diane, Robert, and Jordan leave, and Dante says he’s sorry about this. Josslyn asks if it was his idea, and he says, no, but he went along with it. She says if she knew anything that could help him, he wouldn’t have to ambush her. She would have come to him herself. He says he knows. Looks like she outmaneuvered them anyway by calling Diane. She says she learned from the best, and he says she did. What was the family emergency?

Nina asks what proof Carly has that Willow is her daughter, and Carly says she ran a DNA test on the two of them. After Harmony told her that Nina was Willow’s mother, she was skeptical. So she took a few strands of hair from Willow’s hairbrush, and a glass Nina had used at Charlie’s Pub. Nina says, Carly stole her DNA, then ran an illegal DNA test without her knowledge or consent? Carly says, the results were conclusive, with a probability of 99.9%. Nina and Willow are biologically mother and daughter.

Sonny says, it’s good Drew is here. Michael needs all the support he can get, and he doesn’t want it from Sonny. Drew tells Sonny that Josslyn said she filled him in about Willow, and Sonny asks if Drew’s known all along, but Drew says, no. Willow filled him in a couple of weeks ago. Sonny says, it kills him that she didn’t loop them in, and Drew says, it’s always better to have things out in the open. Sonny wonders if he can ask Drew a question, and Drew says, yeah. Sonny says, Carly’s in the chapel right now with Nina instead of Michael and Willow. Does he know anything about that?

Spencer says, his father wants the baby, and Alexis says, he plans to sue on the grounds that she’s unfit. He says, pot meet kettle, and she says she knows. She doesn’t know the details; she doesn’t want to. She just knows he’s serious. Spencer says, with his considerable resources and no one to vouch for Esme… She says, he stands a good chance. So if Esme isn’t the killer, who is? He says he wishes he could tell her. He really thought it was Esme. She asks if Trina has any enemies, but he says, everyone loves Trina. She says, what about Portia? What about Taggert? He says he doesn’t think so. Trina’s dad and Curtis were both in law enforcement, so maybe, but why would they go after Trina instead of going after them directly? Is she looking for a scoop? She says she’s looking for the truth. She’d like the killer caught. She has to go to work; she has a conference call. Don’t tell his father that she told him about his plans. Spencer says he won’t. It was good to see her. She says, as far as vouching for Esme, is there anyone important to her, aside from that sociopath Chamberlain? He says, yes. She’s very devoted to Esme. Maybe enough to kill for her?

Portia says she’s tried to be open minded about Trina’s connection to Spencer, but his father lost her when he terrorized the kids at Windymere because he was trying to teach Spencer a lesson. Now that same man cheated on his wife, with Spencer’s girlfriend, and got her pregnant. The same girl that terrorized Ava. And don’t get her started on Victor Cassadine because… Trina says she knows. She knows Spencer’s family is messed up. Portia says, amoral is a better word for it. She doesn’t want Trina anywhere near those people. Trina says, Spencer’s not his family; he’s his own man. Portia says, he’s a two-time convicted felon, and Trina says, growing up, Portia taught her never to judge people by their worst mistake. Portia says she knows, but you also have to look at the patterns people do. Trina says she gets that Portia is just looking out for her, but please trust her judgement. Portia says she does, and Trina says she hopes one day Portia sees Spencer the way she does, but ultimately, she doesn’t have to. Because he’s not Portia’s friend; he’s hers.  

Willow asks, what happened? and Michael says, she collapsed at home, but she’s stable now. She says, Nina was in the house with Wiley… He says, Wiley is with Brook and Chase; he’s fine. She asks if Wiley saw her pass out, and he says he’s afraid so. She says, he must be terrified, and Michael says, he knows she’s sick. He doesn’t the have details, but they can explain it to them together. She asks if she’ll make it home to do that, and he says, of course (🍷). Why would she ask that? She says, he has the strangest expression on his face. What is he not telling her? He says, it’s about Nina, and she says she never wants to hear that woman’s name again.

Drew tells Sonny that he knows why Carly wanted to speak to Nina, but it’s not his place to share. Sonny says, Carly’s not here, and he needs answers. If it involves his family, he needs to know, and he suggests Drew tell him.  

Nina says she wants to see those results, and Carly says she’ll get Nina a copy. Nina says, never mind. She doesn’t know if Carly used her samples or Willow’s. She’ll get her own test. Carly says, they don’t have time. Why would she lie? Nina says she doesn’t know why Carly does the things she does. Maybe because she’s a liar. Maybe because Carly hates her, or maybe this is some bizarre revenge because she fell in love with Sonny. Carly says, Willow is dying. She has Stage IV leukemia. She needs healthy blood forming cells from a relative, and she only has one. She has Nina. Nina flashes back to her interactions with Willow over the years, both friendly and antagonistic. Carly says she knows Nina hates her and the feeling is mutual, but it’s not about them. This is about Willow. Please go get tested. Please. Nina says, Carly is a monster. Carly made her feel like the scum of the earth. She said over and over how Nina was wrecking their family. What about Nina’s family? How could Carly keep her away from her child? Carly says, Nina can lash out at her all she wants after she gets tested, and Nina says, don’t tell her what to do. Go to hell, you selfish bitch. She’s going to go save her daughter. She slams out of the chapel.

Trina tells Portia, it’s been a long day. Tell Curtis thanks for dinner. She’s not in the mood for dessert. Goodnight. Trina goes upstairs, and Curtis walks in with a couple glasses of wine. He tells Portia that he heard most of it. Does she want to talk about it? She asks if it’s that obvious, and he says he knows her face. He’s literally memorized every expression. Call it a survival tactic. She says she thought Trina put Spencer in the rearview, but she seems determined to revive their friendship. He says he wondered about that when he saw them together, and hoped it wouldn’t become a habit, and Portia says, it won’t if she has anything to say about it. He says he’s not sure she does. Trina has made it clear that she values boundaries. Portia says she wants to respect that, but she’s not going to sit back and watch Spencer worm his way back into Trina’s heart again.

Spencer says, last Esme mentioned her, Maggie was living in London, but Sam could tell Alexis more. Alexis says, her Sam? and he says he asked Sam to find Maggie Fitzgerald when he thought she could be the key to getting Esme to confess she framed Trina. But then Trina was exonerated, and he never followed up. In a letter, Maggie warned Esme against having any contact with her birth father. Alexis says, he told her Esme had no family, and he says, none that she knew of, but Esme claims Maggie knew her biological parents, but never told her. Alexis thanks him for this. Let her know if he hears anything else. A reporter took a picture of him and Trina together after Rory’s funeral. He says, they’ve been spending time together, and she says, be careful. If Trina is a target, it could put him at risk. He says he knows how to protect his own, and she says, his own. He is growing up.

Drew tells Sonny, he’s not gatekeeping family business. It’s a personal matter that involves Nina. Sonny says, Nina’s his family, and Drew says he’s sure Nina will tell him. Carly comes along, and tells Sonny to back off. Sonny asks, what’s going on? Where’s Nina?

Willow says, every time she turns around, Nina is invading their space. Making wild accusations; trying to get close to their son. Nina is toxic. Michael tells her to calm down, and she tells him to make her a promise. If she loses this battle, promise her that Nina will never have access to Wiley ever again. Nina walks in, and Willow says, get out. Leave her alone. Michael says, not now, and Willow says, not ever. She wants Nina out of this room, and out of her life for good. Nina says she’s sorry, but Willow’s life may depend on her.

On Monday, Spencer says, this baby may not know either of its parents; Sonny asks what Carly has to feel guilty about; and Michael suggests Willow hear what Nina has to say.

🚑 Heavy Weighs the Soap Crown…

I don’t think I’ve ever watched the scene in question, but it sounds pretty awful. I remember Roger Howarth being uncomfortable about Todd having been a rapist on OLTL, then going on to be an antihero.

👩🏻‍⚕️ The Real Why…

I totally get it, and she certainly went out with a bang.

🥀 Another Goodbye…

I didn’t watch the soaps he was in, but the fact he wrote The Deer Hunter makes him worthy of a mention.

https://www.soapcentral.com/young-and-restless/news/2023/0110-oscar-nominated-quinn-redeker-a-days-and-yr-alum-has-passed-away.php

🏖 But Will They Survive…?

This actually sounds somewhat interesting. Ultimate underdogs.

🩺 Flipping the Script…

It’s stretching the married part, but then again the Housewives are rarely housewives.

🍸 A Full Trailer…

Something to look forward to. If you have no life. Yeah, I’ll be watching.

⚰️ Here’s Where It Gets Complicated…

You’ll need a daily planner if you want to keep up with all of these.

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-to-end-season-8/

🐕 Dogs On the Page…

For the bookworm dog lover.

🐳 Quotes of the Week

I am who I am today because of the choices I made yesterday. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence. – Vince Lombardi

I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it’s in your mind. Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares aren’t as real as the here and now?John Lennon while doing mushrooms

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man. – Benjamin Franklin

Happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. – Frederick Koenig (Well, duh, Frederick Koenig.)

Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.William Feather

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. – Harry S. Truman

Happiness is for dogs and Americans. – Liesl Obrecht (Kathleen Gati), General Hospital

🥠 Netflix and Chinese…

When it’s at the point you have to dust them, it’s time to take the decorations down. After you’re finished with whatever the next two days hold for you, take time out on Monday-really-Tuesday for some soap and what’s on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay not eating your feelings, and stay never judging people by their worst mistake.

December 16, 2022 – Spencer Says Things Have Changed, Open, Preparing, Miami Takeaways, Unfriended, Ultimately, Inspired, Who Are These People, Pink Pug, Quotes Of an Even Number & Drummer Boy

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Trina runs to Rory, crying, and saying she’s so sorry. He removes his oxygen mask, and says, it was too soon… to tell you how I feel… I’m not sorry… When you know, you know. He flatlines, and the doctors wheel him into the nearest examining room. They use the defibrillator, and Josslyn hugs Trina.

Nikolas sees Laura at the docks, and she says she was just riding over to the island; now they can ride together. He hugs her, and she asks if something’s wrong. He says he just wishes she would have called first, but she says, there is something wrong. Talk to her. What’s going on? He flashes back to Ava asking him, what’s going on? and telling her that Elizabeth is having his child. Laura says, he looks like he lost his best friend.

At the gallery, Ava queues up Nikolas’s confession on her laptop, and makes a call. She tells them, don’t talk; just listen. She presses play, and puts the phone by the speaker. Does she have their attention?… Good. Then come to the gallery right now.

Zaanse Schans, Netherlands. Holed up in a windmill, Anna and Valentin tend a fireplace. Anna says, she burned herself, and she’s seriously not okay. They’ve been on the run since they escaped from Ireland, and what do they have to show for it? Nothing. They have no evidence that Lucy is alive. Even if she was, they wouldn’t know where to find her. She worries that they’ll never get back to the people who love them. He looks at her finger, and says, could have been worse. He could have burned his finger. She says he’s ridiculous, and he puts his arms around her from behind, saying, things can only go up from here, and they kiss.

Cameron tells Trina that his mom and Finn are the best at what they do. They’re going to do everything they can to make sure that Rory… Trina jumps up, and yells, no, no, no! She can’t just wait here. Why haven’t they told her that he’s going to be okay? Cameron grabs her, and says, they’re in there right now working on Rory. That means there’s still hope. She says, they have to save him. They have to. He and Josslyn hold Trina as she sobs.

Nikolas suggests he and Laura go someplace quiet. She can forget she’s the mayor for five minutes, and he can forget he’s a Cassadine. She says, they’ll have plenty of time to talk on the way over. Besides, she really wants to check on Spencer. He says, she can’t, and she says, she can’t see her grandson? He says he just meant Spencer’s not at Windymere right now. She says, then she’ll ask him. How was it that Spencer was able to get out of Pentenville three weeks early? He says, would she believe good behavior? and she says, no, she wouldn’t. What really happened? Who was pulling strings with that? He says he’ll give her three guesses, but he bets she can figure it out in one.

Ava sips a martini, when she hears someone come in. She says, you’re late, and Victor says he came as soon as she called. And for future reference, he doesn’t like being summoned. She says, what he calls being summoned, she calls doing him a favor. Would he care to join her for a drink? She holds out a martini, and he says, given her current mood, he’s not sure he should, but she says, not to worry. Seven parts vodka, one part vermouth; not a drop of arsenic. He says, in that case – he takes the martini – what’s the occasion? To what are we drinking? She says, his wish has finally come true. Her marriage to Nikolas is over. He’s divorcing her. She clinks her glass against Victor’s.

Curtis says, Trina knows what a good doctor her mom is; the same with Dr. Finn. He can promise they’re doing everything in their power to save Rory. She says she knows, but the last thing he said to her, and she didn’t say back to him… Josslyn folds Trina in her arms, and Portia comes out. Josslyn asks if there’s an update, and Portia tells Trina that she’s so sorry. Trina shakes her head, and Portia says again, she’s so sorry. Trina keeps repeating, no, and collapses in her mother’s arms.

In the examining room, Elizabeth tells Finn that he and Portia did everything they could. He says, it just wasn’t enough, and Elizabeth starts to put Rory’s personal effects in a manila envelope. She finds an earring and stops.

Josslyn asks if she can talk to Dante about something, and he says, sure. She asks if Rory was attacked because of his connection to Trina, or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? He says he doesn’t know, and I wonder what the blip happened with the other dead guy, who was apparently also a Hook victim. Dante says, it’s too soon, but she says, it fits the pattern. Everybody who’s been attacked, except for Brando, has some connection to Trina. She and Rory were dating. He says, all he can tell her is, they’re chasing down every lead, and he promises they’re going to catch this killer.

Cameron says he can’t believe this, and Spencer says, Rory had so much to live for.

Trina says she wants to see him, but Portia says, Trina doesn’t want that to be her last image of Rory. Curtis says, besides, this has now become a criminal investigation, and Trina says, she just wants to say goodbye. She promises she won’t touch anything. Jordan says she understands. Dante will go with her. Dante says, of course (🍷), and they go in.

Laura tells Nikolas, what she doesn’t understand is, Victor already had Spencer’s loyalty. Why would he need to get Spencer out of jail three weeks early? Nikolas says, things have only gotten worse between him and Spencer, and Victor stepped in. He thinks if the three of them live under the same roof at Windymere, it will improve family relations. Laura says, when she visited Spencer in Pentenville, he did let on that things were a lot worse between the two of them, but he wouldn’t tell her why. She told Spencer that he should talk with Nikolas, but Nikolas says, it’s not that easy. She asks, why? and he says he betrayed all the people he loves the most.

Ava asks why Victor isn’t toasting her divorce. Isn’t this what he’s been angling for all along? He says he can’t pretend he’s not relieved the two of them have finally come to their senses, and she says, he implied that Nikolas was ready to move on from her, and she didn’t believe him. Turns out, he was right. Does he know the gory details? He says he knows Nikolas slept with Esme, but she says she’s not talking about Esme. She’s talking about Elizabeth Baldwin. Victor says, what about her? and Ava says, Nikolas has been having sex with her for some time. He says he always suspected as much, but he wasn’t sure, and Ava asks if Victor also suspected Elizabeth is carrying Nikolas’s child.

Anna and Valentin kiss, and she says, they’re not going to be able to solve everything with romance. He says he thinks it’s worth a shot, and she says, her too. She feels they owe it to Marty to try to find Lucy. He practically sacrificed himself to get them away from Whitten. Valentin says, but they’re not going to find her tonight, are they? He found a perfectly acceptable case of Chateau Marmot in the cellar, and in the pantry, all the ingredients he needs to make his famous Beef Bourguignon. She asks if it’s world famous, and he says, Charlotte likes it. She asks what he thinks he’s going to whip up for dessert, and he says, crème brûlée, crêpes suzette, cherries jubilee? She says, why not just go to bed? and they kiss.

Elizabeth says she’s so sorry for Trina’s loss, and Trina says she knows they tried. Finn says he wishes they could have done more, and Elizabeth shows her the earring, saying, she found this in Rory’s pocket. Is it hers? Trina shakes her head, and Dante takes out a plastic bag. Elizabeth puts the earring in it, and Trina goes over to Rory’s body. She says she’s glad she got to know him. She’s sorry she couldn’t say the things that came so easily for him… and now there’s no time to say them.

Curtis says, Jordan is thinking about Nathan, and she says, at a time like this, she can’t help but remember all the officers they’ve lost over the years. He says, if she wants to talk about it, he’s here to listen, and she says, thanks, but she needs to call Rory’s parents. She leaves, and Portia joins Curtis. He asks, how’s Trina? and pulls her close. Trina comes out, and Portia goes to her and hugs her. She asks if Trina is ready to go home, but Trina shakes her head. She says she just needs to be alone, and walks off.

Trina goes into the chapel, and alternates crying with deep breaths. She looks at the cross, and says, why? All he wanted to do was help people. His heart was so big. Why did You take him? She doesn’t get it. She sits down, and cries.

Cameron asks if Josslyn wants to go someplace private to talk, but she says she’s sorry; Trina needs her. She leaves, and Spencer asks if Cameron is okay.

Laura says, when Nikolas tells her he betrayed those he loves, was he referring to him cheating on Ava, or something else? Laura’s phone rings, and it’s Jordan. Laura says, oh my God. That’s horrible… Okay. She’ll head over to GH. Nikolas asks, what happened? and Laura says, the PCPD lost a good man in the line of duty. She has to go to General Hospital now. Whatever is going on at Windymere, just promise her that he won’t forget what matters the most. He says, yeah, and she promises it will be all right. She tells him that she loves him, and leaves.

Victor asks if Ava is sure. Elizabeth Baldwin is pregnant with Nikolas’s baby? She says, apparently, Victor underestimated his nephew. He didn’t just move on from her; he’s starting a whole new family. Victor says he can only imagine how she must feel. If Nikolas is capable of jumping from her bed to Esme’s to Elizabeth, her marriage was doomed before it even began. The sooner she puts this ugly incident behind her, the better. She says, he’s all heart. Now moving forward, they both know a divorce can happen quick and easy, or slow and bloody. He may have Nikolas’s written confession, but she has this. She plays Nikolas’s confession on the laptop, and says she knows how much Victor values his family name, and if he thinks that video won’t come out in court, think again.

On the phone, Jordan says, she thought their son was exceptional. She’s so incredibly sorry for their loss. Dante asks how she’s doing, and she says, not great. She just got done breaking the news to Rory’s parent; they are understandably hysterical. He says he might have gotten a lead. He shows her the earring, and says, it was in Rory’s pocket. Elizabeth asked if it was Trina’s and she said no. Jordan tells Portia, Finn, and Elizabeth that she needs to speak with them. Finn asks what she’s thinking, and Jordan says she spoke to the lab, pending a post mortem, they ran Rory’s bloodwork. They found traces of snake venom. Dante says, which means, potentially, Esme is at it again, but Elizabeth says, that’s impossible, and Jordan asks why she thinks Esme isn’t The Hook killer. Elizabeth says, she just doesn’t, and calls Cameron over. She says, Cameron doesn’t think so either. Cameron says, that’s true, and Spencer says, Cameron said Esme struggled with his mother, but that doesn’t remotely prove Esme stabbed and killed a bunch of people. Curtis says, Cameron’s not the only one who thinks that, and Elizabeth says, Esme had a chance to kill her, and didn’t. Doesn’t that mean she might not be the killer? Laura arrives, and hugs Jordan, saying, she’s so sorry. Jordan says, Officer Cabrera was only a rookie, but he was well-respected. She saw a long, bright future ahead for him. Laura says, it’s just awful. Elizabeth asks if Laura has spoken to Nikolas, and Laura says, she just left him at the pier; he was headed to Windymere. Why does she ask? Elizabeth says, excuse her. She has something to take care of. She wants Cameron to make sure he gets home safe, and Laura says she’ll make sure. Cameron asks, what’s going on? and Elizabeth says, she’ll talk to him when she gets back.

Victor says, getting Nikolas to confess on tape must have seemed like a winning strategy to Ava at the time. But if she were to show this evidence to the court now, he doubts she’d get the closure she’s looking for. She says, Nikolas confessed to a murder. What judge wouldn’t be affected by that? He says, unfortunately for her, Elizabeth saw Esme alive and well after that. Granted, no one knows where she is right now, but according to Ava’s timeline, Nikolas confessed to killing someone who’s not actually dead. Which raises a whole host of questions. Namely, why did Nikolas confess to a crime he didn’t commit? The obvious answer is that he was trying to protect her, and that she had tried to kill Esme. Ava says, she and Esme were struggling over a letter, and Esme did a little flip off the parapet. She had nothing to do with it; it was an accident. He says, when the court finds out moments before that struggle, Ava found out Esme had sex with her husband, who’s going to believe it was an accident? She says, if she opens Pandora’s box, who knows what might come out? If he wants to risk the spotlight being shown on his duplicitous family… He says he’ll bite. What does she want? She shows him the papers, and says, this is what Nikolas offered as a settlement. He says, very generous, but she says, in her opinion, not nearly generous enough. If he wants an amicable divorce, he needs to sweeten the pot exponentially.

Anna tells Valentin, she just wants to get lost in them. Pretend the world has gone away, and it’s just them. But if Lucy is really in danger… He says he hasn’t chosen this location at random, and she says, he means they’re in this drafty old windmill in the middle of the Netherlands on purpose? He says, this drafty old windmill isn’t far from Amsterdam, one of the diamond capitals of the world. He happens to know a certain diamond dealer who’s not particular about choosing his clients. She asks if he’s not above doing business with Victor, and he says, his father likes collecting things. He thinks with the right amount of persuasion – she says, and a great deal of money, she’s sure – he might be able to tell them where Lucy is. She asks what they’re waiting for, but he says, they can’t be too eager; that would send up a red flag. They have to appear aloof. She says she was born aloof, and he says he’ll reach out to the dealer tomorrow. She asks what they’re going to do today, and he pulls her to him. He says, keep each other warm, and they kiss.

Curtis says, Portia doesn’t have to be strong for everyone, and she says she doesn’t even know how she’s feeling. It’s so complicated. As a doctor, you hate to lose a patient. You feel so much guilt, thinking there’s more you could have done, but as Trina’s mom? Her boyfriend was murdered, and it’s heartbreaking. She doesn’t know Rory’s family or his parents. She can’t imagine what they’re going through right now. He was so young. He had so much more life left to give. It’s just not fair. Curtis hugs her, and I see no one cares about other guy who was murdered.

Jordan tells Dante to make sure the earring gets to forensics in case it turns out to be a lead. There could be DNA or fingerprints on it. He says, will do, and leaves.

Josslyn goes into the chapel, where Trina is lighting a candle. Trina says she tried to pray, but she didn’t know what to say. Josslyn says, she will, but Trina says, it’s too late. She had the chance to say what Rory wanted her to say; what she should have said. When they went to the PC Grill, Rory told her that he loved her, but she didn’t say it back; she couldn’t. Josslyn says, because she wasn’t ready. That doesn’t make her bad. It just makes her honest. Trina says, honesty hurts, and Josslyn says, believe her, she knows. Trina says, Rory was so gentle, so kind, so brave. He gave his life. Why couldn’t she have given him what he wanted? Maybe if she had, he wouldn’t have taken the risk and lost his… Josslyn hugs her.

On the phone at the docks, Elizabeth calls Nikolas, but gets voicemail. She says he needs to call her back right away. She’s afraid he’s walking into a trap.

Jordan finds Finn sitting on the floor in his office, and he asks how her day has been. She says, back at him, but since they both have a job to do, there’s a coroner’s report. Anything else he wants to tell her?

Josslyn lights a candle, and sits next to Trina. Trina asks if Josslyn thinks he knows… Rory, wherever he is. Does she think he knows she won’t forget about him? Josslyn says she knows she’ll never forget Oscar. That’s got to keep him alive somehow, even if there’s someone else. Her mom says, you have to learn how to love. You might not get it right the first time, or the next time, or the time after that, but if you keep putting yourself out there, one day there’s a chance it might work out. Trina says, like algebra, and Josslyn says, yeah, putting her arm around Trina.

Laura hugs Cameron and Spencer, and says, both of her grandsons, even if it is under tragic circumstances. Were they friends with Officer Cabrera? They look at each other, and Laura asks, what’s that look about? Cameron says, he was Trina’s boyfriend, so they hung out a couple of times, and Spencer says, not so much for him. Cameron says, they wanted to support Trina, then tells them, he’ll be right back. He leaves, and Spencer says he was planning on calling Laura to let her know he’d been released, but then they heard the news about Rory… She says she understands. She was talking to Spencer’s dad about his early release just a little bit ago. Spencer says, then she knows he takes after his father, and she asks if he means are they both stubborn and act before they think. He says, more like everything he touches causes someone pain, and she asks if that isn’t melodramatic even for him, but he says, no. Everything that’s going on with Trina, and what happened with Rory, that’s all on him. She asks how that’s possible, and he says, because he’s the one who brought Esme to town. Think about everything that’s happened; it’s all gone to hell. The sex tape of Joss and Cam, Trina going on trial, and now all these hook attacks. Laura tells him that he can’t help Trina or anybody else if he’s blaming himself, and he asks if she doesn’t blame him, but she says she doesn’t He’s not responsible for the things Esme does. She doesn’t blame him at all. She has faith in him. He’s a much better person than he thinks he is.

Nikolas walks into Esme’s room.

Anna and Valentin bask in the afterglow in front of the fire, and she says, it’s just a fantasy, but it would be nice, wouldn’t it? He says, life in a windmill, skating on the canals in the wintertime. She says, picking tulips in the spring; not a care in the world. He says, it does sound nice, even if it’s just a fantasy. They can come back, but first they have to find Lucy and bring her home. Anna says she’s lived in so many cities in the world, that when Robin said she wanted to take her whole family to California, the concept of home is lost on her now. Wherever she is, when she’s with him, it feels like home. He kisses her.

Spencer asks what he’s ever done to make Laura have faith in him, and she says, during Trina’s trial, he knew that if he gave Trina an alibi, it might end up putting him in prison. But he testified anyway. She believes in that young man. He was going down the wrong road for a while, but turned it around. She believes in him, even if doesn’t believe in himself right now. And she loves him.

Trina tells Josslyn, Ava has reason to believe Esme’s not guilty of the hook attacks, which means she couldn’t have done this to Rory. Josslyn says, all they can do is trust the police to figure it out. Curtis come in, and says, Trina’s mom is anxious to take her home. Trina and Josslyn hug, and Trina leaves with Curtis.

Finn says, at this point, Jordan knows everything he knows, and Jordan tells him, then go home. Be with his daughter. His work is done here. He says, something tells him that hers is not. He’s really sorry for her loss. She thanks him, and leaves. Finn picks up Violet’s drawing, looks at it a moment, and follows.

Josslyn watches as Trina and Curtis leave the hospital, and Dante suggests he take her home. She says she’d like that, and Cameron asks if Dante would mind if he had a minute with Josslyn. Dante says, of course (🍷), and tells Spencer, let’s give them some space. Cameron says, before everything went down tonight, Josslyn said she had something important to tell him, but she says, it can wait. She can’t really think about anything but what happened with Rory right now. She kisses him on the cheek, and leaves with Dante. Spencer asks, what was that all about? but Cameron says, he doesn’t know. What about Spencer? Did he tell their grandmother he’s leaving Port Charles? Spencer says, no, because things have changed. Whatever he can do, he wants to be there for Trina, and he’s not going anywhere until Esme is found.

Nikolas tells Esme that he needed a little Christmas spirit like she did, and they look at lights on the tree. Elizabeth stands in the doorway, and Esme says, it’s almost perfect. The only thing missing is an angel on top. She turns, and sees Elizabeth. She asks if Elizabeth would like to help them, and Nikolas says, he didn’t know she was here. Elizabeth backs up, and jets.  

Victor tells Ava that he’s confident they can come to an arrangement that satisfies all parties involved, and she says she’ll need to see the exact offer in writing of course (🍷). He says, of course (🍷). He’s truly sorry her love story had to end this way. She says, no he’s not. This is just the ending he wanted. He leaves, and Ava picks up her glass. She says, to true love, and smashes it on the floor.

Nikolas asks Elizabeth, what’s the matter? She looked like she saw a ghost. She asks if Esme left the room tonight, and he says, no. She says, is he absolutely sure? and he says he’s sure. Why? She says, because a cop is dead. He was stabbed to death by a hook. In the room, Esme picks up an angel tree topper, and Elizabeth says, doesn’t he see what this means? She gave up Finn; he gave up Ava. Esme puts the angel on the tree, and Elizabeth says, everything they sacrificed to protect everyone from Esme because they thought she was The Hook killer. Now they know she can’t be. Esme steps back, looks at the tree, and smiles.

On Monday, Chase says he’ll do whatever it takes so he’s not tethered to Brook; Drew says he doesn’t think Denise told him everything she knows; and Josslyn asks if Carly wants her to leave Port Charles.

⛅️ Does Not Discriminate…

He’s the best. I love a celebrity who gives back in a real way, and uses their power for good.

🎄 Just Like Us…

Although I doubt they’re running to CVS on Christmas Eve in a desperate last attempt for gifts.

🌴 What Happens In Miami…

Lisa spills the tea.

🧂 No Shah, Shah, No Shah…

It’s certainly been a roller coaster with this one.

And a side nugget.

🚢 Marge’s Address…

I haven’t seen one season of this all the way through. There are only so many Wives I can take in one week.

https://www.realitytea.com/2022/12/16/margaret-jospehs-addresses-real-housewives-ultimate-girls-trip-season-4-rumors/

🍼 Mama Kate…

She’ll have the kid folding laundry in no time.

🍺 House Party Pending…

And I still don’t know what they did, or pretended to do, for a living, and why they’re reality show worthy. Not that there’s a high bar for that.

🎀 Barbie Core Pug…

Can’t say I’ve seen this before.

https://www.dailypaws.com/pet-news-entertainment/celebrities/milkshake-the-pink-pug

📯 Quotes of the Week

Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor. – Sholem Aleichem

What I’ve experienced is that I can’t know the future. I can’t know if anything that I do will change what happens tomorrow. I can’t know with certainty, but what I do know is if I do nothing, nothing will change. – James Orbinski (Now to figure out what the something is.)

Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing. – Warren Buffett

It is, of course, quite true that God will not love you any the less, or have less use for you, if you happen to have been born with a very second-rate brain. He has room for people with very little sense, but He wants everyone to use what sense they have. – C.S. Lewis, from Mere Christianity

I do believe that when we face challenges in life that are far beyond our own power, it’s an opportunity to build on our faith, inner strength, and courage. I’ve learned that how we face challenges plays a big role in the outcome of them.Sasha Azevedo

If you’re going to be able to look back on something and laugh about it, you might as well laugh about it now. – Marie Osmond (Who knew she was such a philosopher?)

It is mental slavery to cling to things that have stopped serving their purpose in your life. – Chinonye J. Chidolue

If you’re looking for sympathy, it’s between sh*t and syphilis in the dictionary. – Captain Lee, Below Deck

🤶🏽 Holly Jolly This…

Take a few days off on me, and let’s meet back here on Monday really Tuesday for soap and swabbing the Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay not getting sucked into the holiday rush, and stay continuing to put yourself out there. If you do, one day there there’s a chance it might work out.

November 4, 2022 – Joss Sneaks Out To Warn Cam, New Donna, Blaze, Finding Love, Back Together, Spotted, Reaction, Cancelled, Even More Costumes (Plus Pets!), Month Number Of Quotes & Time

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Willow and Michael are at Charlie’s, and they kiss. Michael says, this is nice; date night. She says, it’s perfect. Just them. He says he loves spending evenings with Wiley at home, but when Wiley said he wanted to spend the night at Leo’s, he couldn’t complain. Once the baby comes, these nights are going to be few and far between. He’s sorry. Things got crazy at Aurora, and he couldn’t make her GH appointment. She says, that’s okay; it was routine. She flashes back to asking TJ what Britt is concerned about, and Michael says, nothing is routine when it comes to her and their child.

Dex hangs around outside Kelly’s, while inside, Sonny shares an ice cream sundae with Nina. She says, who’d have thought big bad Sonny Corinthos, who loves fine dining, his guilty pleasure is an old fashioned ice cream sundae. He says he’s just excited they don’t have to pretend anymore. They’re out in public; no more apologies. She says she knew that was true when Sonny stood up for her with Carly. She’ll never forget him saying that he’s a part of her life, so that makes her part of his kids’ lives. He tells her, he didn’t even have to say it, the way Donna and Avery responded to her, it made him realize she’s already part of the family.

Austin tells Mason, he’s done. Done with Mason. Done with his boss. He’s a different person now. Mason says, sure he is, but tell him, why is that exactly? Maxie walks in, and says, sorry. She didn’t realize Austin was in the middle of something. Is everything okay? Mason asks if Austin wants to tell her, or should he?

Standing on a terrace at the MetroCourt on the phone, Spinelli says he doesn’t have to offer any explanation. Society Set-Ups is his business, and he needs to know how long it will take to shut it all down… Yes, he’s aware revenues are up, but that’s not the point. Trust him. He has his reasons for shutting it all down.

Curtis tells Jordan, he didn’t want to say this in front of Trina, because she’s already freaked out enough as it is; but if the police department believes Josslyn was the real target the night Brando was attacked, he’s almost certain that killer isn’t going to stop until they zero in on Trina. Portia says, they can’t let that happen, and Jordan promises them both, the PCPD is going to do everything in their power to keep Trina safe. Curtis says, they’ll all have to pull together. Someone should call Taggert. Trina’s father should know what’s going on.

Josslyn tells Carly, she’d just hoped this year would be normal. That she and Trina could go to college and be regular college students, hanging out with their friends – on campus. And now someone’s targeting them? Carly hugs her, and says, she’ll never let anyone hurt Josslyn. Josslyn says she’s glad Jordan was here, and that Trina got home safe… Oh my God. She takes out her phone, and says, if Trina and everyone who stood by her at the trial are targets, that could be Cam too. She has to tell him. She gets voicemail, and says, if he gets this, call her immediately. He could be in serious danger.

Cameron walks on the footbridge, and looks at the locks on the handrail. He flashes back to being with Josslyn in his room, about to get busy. He hears something, and says, is anyone there?

Austin tells Maxie, Mason was saying that he’s having a few problems with the GH Insurance and Billing Department, and asked him to make a few calls on his behalf, but – he looks at Mason – he’s not comfortable crossing any ethical lines. Mason says, is that so? and Austin says he supposes he could make a few calls. He’ll see what he can do. Mason says, that’s all he’s asking, and thanks him. He says, lovely to see Maxie again, and leaves. Maxie says, wow. Having a family that’s constantly asking for favors, that’s got to be exhausting. Insurance and Billing is not Austin’s specialty. He says, it’s not. Why is she here? She says she tried to call his cell, but he didn’t answer, and he says he’s had his hands full. What was she calling about? She says she knows she cancelled their date, but she thought they could grab a quick bite before she goes back to the office. He says he’d love to, but he has some things to take care of here, and she says she totally understands. She should probably just grab something from the MetroCourt and eat at her desk. She’ll see him later though. Austin says, yeah, and she leaves. His desk phone rings, and he answers. He says, yes, he did. The patient who’s been requesting him in the ER, please let everybody know he’s on his way.

Curtis says he’s going to beef up the security, both inside and outside the house, and Jordan says she’ll make sure a police car patrols their block. Portia says, Trina is not going to want to go into hiding, or put her life on hold, and Jordan says, she has the right idea. Even with the threats hanging over her head, Trina needs to live as normal a life as possible. Curtis says, how are they supposed to do that when they’re planning a wedding? and everyone looks uncomfortable.

Carly says she’s sure Jordan’s been in touch with Cam, and Josslyn sends Cameron a text: Call me back!! Important! She grabs her coat, and Carly asks where she thinks she’s going. Josslyn says, Cam is working; she has to go warn him. Carly says, Josslyn left a voicemail and sent him a text. When he calls her back, she can warm him. Josslyn says, what if the killer is scoping out the restaurant or Elizabeth’s house just waiting for him to be alone?

Cameron asks, who’s there? and Drew says, Cameron? Cameron says, Drew, and Drew asks if Cameron was expecting someone else. Cameron says, it’s just that people are getting murdered by The Hook. He’s a little jumpy. Drew says he gets it, but what is Cameron doing out here by himself? and Cameron says, it’s Oscar’s birthday. He can’t help thinking about how much he misses him. Out here, he feels closer to Oscar. Drew says, him too. Oscar’s in his thoughts on a daily basis, but when he’s out here, he misses Oscar a little bit less.

Carly grabs Josslyn’s arm, and says, if Cameron’s at Kelly’s, that means he’s in a public place. There’s lots of people around. Josslyn says she needs to see him. She can’t let anything happen to him. Carly says, Josslyn texted and called him. Why does she need to see him in person? Josslyn says, Cam is her boyfriend. She needs to make sure he’s okay.

Dex buttons up his coat, and flashes back to Josslyn saying she’d be lying if she said he hadn’t disappointed her. In Kelly’s, Nina asks Sonny if Dex can’t protect them inside; it looks pretty cold out there. Sonny says, the cold keeps him alert, and she says, Sonny is tough. She can’t get used to having a bodyguard. Sonny says, she’d better. He’s not going to let anything happen to her. She says she knows, and they kiss

Willow says, according to Dr. Westbourne, everything with the baby is fine, and Michael says he just wishes he’d been there. She says, her too. She went through her first pregnancy totally alone, and it’s a bonus that she gets to share this pregnancy with him. He says, maybe with most couples routine checkups are mundane, but he treasures them as much as she does. So believe him when he says he’ll be right there with her. She says, promise? and he says, the way he sees it, she’s stuck with him forever. She says, forever, that has such a nice ring to it. They kiss, and Michael says he’ll be right back.

Jordan says, they’ve set a wedding date. Congratulations. Portia thanks her, and says, they’re shooting for Valentine’s Day. Jordan says, that’s less than six months away; that’s not much time to plan. But since her and Curtis’s divorce is now official, there’s nothing to stand in their way.

Josslyn tells Carly, she and Trina know Jordan’s theory; Cam doesn’t. She needs to warn him. Carly asks if she’s sure that’s all it is, and Josslyn says, isn’t that enough? but Carly says she’s Josslyn’s mother. She knows when Josslyn’s keeping something from her. Josslyn says, fine. She’ll call Kelly’s then. Carly asks if something happened between Josslyn and Cameron, and Josslyn flashes back to buttoning Dex’s shirt. She tells Carly, things between them are fine, except they’re both potential targets for a killer. Carly says she understands Josslyn is concerned, so she’ll take care of it, and she walks out of the room.

Drew tells Cameron, when he made the decision to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, it was meant to be a grand farewell; to spread his son’s ashes in a majestic vista worthy of Oscar’s forever home. Cameron says he’s sure Oscar would love that, and Drew says, it’s such a magical place. When you’re at the peak, you’re so close clouds, you feel like you could reach out and touch them. Cameron says, that’s officially on the list of things he needs to do, and Drew says, when he got to the top, he just sat there for a few minutes. It felt like he was holding Oscar’s hand, and he knows it might sound crazy, but it felt like Oscar was touching his. Cameron says, it doesn’t sound crazy. If it makes Drew feel any better, he talks to Franco almost every day. Drew says, he should. They should never forget them. Drew’s phone rings, and he asks Carly, what’s up? She asks if he can do her a huge favor. Josslyn is worried about Cameron, and he’s not picking up. Could he swing by Kelly’s and make sure Cameron is okay? Drew says, no need. He’s here with Cam right now. She asks if he’s at Kelly’s, but he says, no, he’s at the footbridge. Is something wrong? She tells him, everything is okay. Just both of them get home safe.

Nina and Sonny kiss, and she says she’s not complaining, but what was that for? He says, ice cream isn’t his only guilty pleasure, and she says he’s going to spoil her. He says, that’s the plan, and she says, to think she was so concerned what other people think. He says he doesn’t care what other people think; he just cares what she thinks. She says, that’s not true; he cares what other people think. Dante, Kristina, the two little sweet ones, they’ve pretty much accepted her, but Michael and Josslyn, not so much. He says, that’s a work in progress, and he’s not giving up. She says, of course (🍷) not. That’s not his style. She thinks she loves him. He says, she thinks? She’s not sure? She says, all right. He deserves better than a half-declaration. She’s sure. He says, about what? and she says she loves him. He leans in for a kiss, but she puts a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth.

Michael says, Willow barely touched anything, and she says she’s nervous waiting for her test results. He says he thought Dr. Westbourne said the baby was fine, and Willow says, she did. The tests were just a precaution. He says, she had him worried for a second. So she knows, even if the tests are just precautionary, they’re in this together.

Spinelli says he doesn’t care about the economic ramifications. He just needs to shut it all down… Maxie walks out behind him, and he says, trust him. He has his reasons… No, that’s not soon enough. Please, just see what they can do. He turns around, and asks what Maxie is doing here, and she says she placed a to-go order; she’s having dinner at her desk. She’s got a long night ahead at Deception. It sounds like he has a long night ahead too. He says, juggling Society Set-Ups has proved more difficult than he expected. This business isn’t what he’d hoped for when he started. She says, let’s stop dancing around the issue. She knows the real story behind Society Set-Ups, remember?

Curtis says he’s going to call Taggert, and keep him in the loop. Unless Portia wants to make the call. After all, they’re both Trina’s parents. Portia says she’s fine with him calling, and he goes upstairs, which is kind of weird, but okay. Portia says she appreciates Jordan’s well wishes on the wedding. She knows this can’t be easy for Jordan. Jordan says, her marriage to Curtis is legally ended. They’re no longer in limbo. Portia thanks her, and says she owes Jordan one. Jordan says, Portia doesn’t owe her anything, but she does owe Curtis the truth.

Nina brings Dex some hot chocolate to keep warm, and he says that’s very thoughtful, but he’s working. She says, just take it, and Sonny joins her, saying, the lady insists. Dex says, she brings out the best in his boss, and Nina asks if Sonny heard that. Sonny says, Dex doesn’t need to tell him that, and Nina asks Dex if Sonny is always so tough on him, but Dex says, he’s a big softie. She says, he is, and they go back in.

Drew knocks at Carly’s door, and she asks what he’s doing here. He says, she sounded tense on the phone, he wanted to see how she was doing. She says, he can’t be here. He has to leave.

Josslyn sees Dex outside Kelly’s, and asks what he’s doing here. He says, working. The boss is inside with Miss Reeves. Josslyn says, oh crap, and looks in the window, seeing Sonny and Nina. Dex asks if she’s looking for someone, and she says, Cameron, but she guesses he’s not in yet. He says, she’s not going inside? and she says she tries to avoid Dex’s boss and his girlfriend whenever she can. It’s nice of Sonny to leave him out here to freeze after almost killing him. He says he’d like to think she’s concerned about him, but it’s just another excuse for her to hate on Sonny. She says she doesn’t need an excuse, and it’s just a waste of energy to tell him anything different when this is what he wants to do. He says, she has no idea what he wants, and she says, why doesn’t he tell her? Cameron walks up, and says, what’s going on?

Willow takes Michael’s hands, and says, they share everything, right? Good times and bad, sickness and health. He says, that sounds an awful lot like wedding vows, and she says, it does. He says, there’s are any number of late night judges who owe the Quartermaines a favor. Does she want him to call one up? They can say those words and make it official. She says, what if she did? and he asks if she’s serious. Is she saying she wants to get married, this time for keeps? She says, she’s saying she never wants to leave him, Wiley, or this new baby.

Austin walks into his office to find Mason in his chair, his feet propped on the desk. Austin says, no. Get the hell out of his office. Mason asks why Austin’s in a bad mood. He’s just here for a progress report on his friend. Austin says, there will be no phone calls or any paperwork for Mason’s boss to worry about, and Mason says, that’s very good to hear. And Austin? Austin says, crazy. He’s not going to alert the authorities and let them know he just did a completely illegally did a medical procedure on somebody with a gunshot wound. But Mason is never going to speak to Maxie again. Mason laughs, and says, so this virtuous man thing’s not an act? Who is Austin trying to be some kind of good guy for? Austin says, who does he think? and Mason says he gets it. Austin is acting out a country song. The love of a good woman is making me turn over a new leaf. Come on. He knows the real Austin. Austin can’t possibly think he and Maxie are meant to be. The lady works for a fancy cosmetics company, and Austin is more down and dirty than anyone here knows. If Maxie knew the compromises and deals with the devil Austin’s made, she’d be running for the hills. Austin says he chooses to believe Maxie cares about him enough to accept him. And if she accepts him, she’ll accept all of his mistakes. Mason says, right, because they’re meant to be. He’d love to test that theory. He says he’ll see Austin around, and leaves.

Maxie says, she may not be a computer whiz like Spinelli is, but it doesn’t take rocket science to see he went into the business of matchmaking after Ellie left him. She thinks deep down, he believes if he can help other people find love, it will mend his broken heart. He says, she’s very astute, and she says she knows he’s been in a sad place for a while, but she has faith he’ll find love again; that the right person is out there for him.

Portia comes downstairs, and tells Jordan that Curtis left a message for Taggert, and he’s talking to Trina. It’s just the two of them, and just so Jordan knows, Curtis hasn’t got the results back from his genetic counselor. So until she has confirmation that Curtis has the genetic markers for schizophrenia, there’s no reason to worry Trina about any of this. Jordan asks, what if Curtis has the DNA markers? If he’s Trina’s father, he could have passed them on to her. Portia says, if he has the markers, then she’ll be the one to figure out what to do next. Jordan says she probably should go, and Portia says she’s sorry. She does want to thank Jordan for taking care of them. She brought Trina home. Portia appreciates that, and thanks Jordan for expediting the divorce papers. Jordan says, it’s the least she could do after she lost the first set. Portia says, there’s so much Jordan doesn’t know. With everything that’s been going on – the good, the bad – can’t Jordan see she’s right in not turning everyone’s life upside down that she cares about? Not until she knows for sure.

Drew tells Carly that he doesn’t understand. He just got here. Carly says, he’s the one who said Ned could turn them in to the SEC for insider trading. He’s the one who said they should keep their relationship a secret. He says, the longer he stands out here, the better the chance of someone seeing them together, and she says, come in. He does, and she says, he was so serious about this earlier, and now he’s joking about it. He was clear they were to stay under the radar. He says, she’s right. He just wants her to know, he walked Cameron to his car. He said he was on his way to Kelly’s; he’s probably there by now. She says, can he please tell Josslyn? She’s worried sick. They go into the living room, but it’s empty. Carly calls for Josslyn, but there’s no answer. She tells Drew that she knows Josslyn left to check on Cam.

Josslyn says she’s so glad Cameron is okay, and throws her arms around him. Isn’t he getting her calls or texts? He says he was with Drew. He was going to call her when he got here. What’s going on? She says, Commissioner Ashford told her and Trina that when Brando got attacked outside of Charlie’s, he wasn’t the intended victim; she was. Cameron says, oh my God, and Dex says, the cops think she was the target? Based on what? Josslyn says, all of the victims are linked to Trina’s trial. Ava was her mentor; Diane, her attorney; and Oz Haggerty was the witness who got Trina exonerated. Cameron says, Josslyn testified that Trina was innocent, and she says, yes, she did, but so did he. So he could be a target too. Dex says, Sonny needs to hear about this, but Josslyn grabs his arm and says, no, he doesn’t. Dex says, she just told him that she and Cam are targets for the killer. Isn’t that more important than her pride?

Sonny says, it’s getting late, and Nina says, time for bed? He says, wha-a-at? and they get up. Dex comes in, followed by Josslyn and Cameron, and says he’s sorry to interrupt, but Sonny needs to hear this. Sonny asks, what’s going on? and Josslyn says, someone is out to kill her and Cam.

In an ironic twist, Michael and Willow also get ice cream sundaes. Willow says, Michael knows how much she loves him; how much she loves their family. He says, of course (🍷) he does, and he loves her just as much. He had a full life before he met her. He’d been in love, and knew what it was like to be happy. At least he thought he did. With her, his whole life has changed. She and their children are everything he wants. Til death do us part. Her phone rings, and it’s Terry. She says, it’s the hospital, and he says, it must be Britt with her test results. She answers.  

Jordan says, Trina is a sophomore in college. Portia has had nearly two decades to determine who her father is. Yet in all that time, Portia chose not to pursue it. She can’t support that. Portia says she’s not asking Jordan to support what she’s done over the years, but now is what she’s talking about. Marshall being diagnosed with schizophrenia; Curtis being tested for genetic markers. This is all about what’s happening now, and all she’s asking Jordan is for a little bit of time. Jordan says, it’s much more important than ever that Portia tell Curtis everything now. Jordan’s divorce to him is is final, and Portia and Curtis set a wedding date. Why go into this marriage with this big secret hanging over her head? Curtis is willing to put his life on the line for Portia’s daughter. Doesn’t he have the right to know if she’s actually his daughter too? Curtis c comes back downstairs, and says he spoke to Taggert, and he’s down to do whatever it takes to protect his daughter. He even mentioned rejoining the PCPD. Portia says, wow, but Curtis says, it’s not really a surprise, is it? He can’t think of a father who wouldn’t do absolutely anything to protect his child.

Carly calls Josslyn, but gets voicemail, and she says, dammit. She tells Drew, Josslyn’s not picking up because Josslyn knows she’s furious with her. The police stood here and told Josslyn to stay put. Drew says, Carly told him that Josslyn was concerned about Cameron. When Carly was her age, what would she have done? Carly says, she would have driven straight to Kelly’s, but that’s not the point. Josslyn is supposed to be smarter than she was. She’s going to Kelly’s. Drew says, they’ll take his car, but she says, he can’t take her; they can’t be seen together. He says, this is about Joss. The hell with the SEC. Carly opens the door, and Josslyn is on the porch with Sonny.

On the phone, Willow says, she’ll see them then. Michael asks what Britt said, and Willow says, Britt wants to see her tomorrow to discuss the test results. He says, that means there’s something to discuss, and Willow says, that was her impression. He says he’s coming with her, and please don’t say it’s not necessary. She says she’s not saying that. She wants him there. He says, they have a big day tomorrow, and he wants to get her home.

Maxie says she knows the way Spinelli’s mind works. It makes sense that he’d want to quantify love; make an algorithm of it, so it removes the uncertainty. But in the end, you’re still taking a risk. Austin almost comes out on the terrace, but hangs back. She says, you can trust the algorithm first, but you still have to trust your heart. Austin comes out, and asks how it’s going. He got done at GH, and Maxie said she was getting takeout here, so he took a chance. Maxie says, she and Spinelli just got wrapped up in his Society Set-Ups issues, and Spinelli says, Maxie… but she says, it’s okay. She told Austin that Society Set-Ups is his baby. Spinelli can trust him. Spinelli says, he’s not exactly comfortable with more people knowing about his level of involvement, although he’s grateful for Austin’s silence thus far. Austin says, no problem, and asks if Maxie can have dinner with him. Maxie says, sure, and goes inside to cancel her to-go order. Spinelli says he should get going, but Austin says, not so fast. He needs to ask a favor. Spinelli says, that was quick. What favor? Austin reminds Spinelli that he just said Austin kept quiet about his Society Set-Ups endeavor, so he figures Spinelli kind of owes him one. He needs Spinelli to do something for him on the downlow. Spinelli needs to run his algorithm on Austin and Maxie.

Jordan says, it’s been a long day. She’ll make sure a patrol car comes around the house. Portia and Curtis thank her, and she leaves. Curtis tells Portia, it’s not too late to change the date. They don’t have to get married on Valentine’s Day, especially with this threat hanging over Trina and her friends. She says, Trina would want them to be happy, and he says, then what Trina wants, Trina gets. They kiss, then sit on the couch, cuddled. Portia says, promise her everything is going to be all right, and Curtis says he promises to never let anything or anyone come between their family.

Cameron flips the sign to Closed, and Dex asks if Nina is ready to go. She says she is, and Dex says he can drop Cameron off, but Cameron says he’ll pass. Dex says, the boss wants him to make sure Cameron gets home safe, but Cameron says he doesn’t work for Sonny, so he’ll make his way home himself. Dex says, it’s his call, and Nina asks if Cameron is sure he’ll be okay by himself. Cameron says he’ll be just fine, and Nina and Dex leave. Cameron looks at his phone, and sees Josslyn’s text: Call me back!! Important! He flashes back to her hugging him, and smiles.

Carly asks if Josslyn is okay, and Josslyn says, she’s fine. She tells Sonny, the only reason she let him take her home was because Cameron is a potential target. Make sure he’s safe. She doesn’t want any protection… Carly pulls her inside, saying, get in the house. Sonny says, he ran into Josslyn at Kelly’s, after he heard Jordan’s theory the Brando’s death was a mistake, and the intended victim was Josslyn. So he brought her here, and had his guy Dex take Cam home. Carly thanks him, and Sonny says he guesses it’s all good here, so he’s going. He leaves, and Carly says, Drew has to go so Sonny sees him leave. He says, but first, and kisses her. He leaves, and unbeknownst to them, Josslyn has been watching, and her expression goes through a few changes.

Tomorrow, Valentin tells Anna that he has a plan; Holly asks if Robert has any details he can share with her; Nina tells Sonny, if she needs to step back, that’s what she’s going to do; and Heather says, speak now, Dr. Dreamboat, or forever hold your peace.

👧🏻 Pumpkin, Is That You…?

I have to admit, little Donna is pretty cute.

🔥 Trail Blazing…

I’m guessing Linc figures it wouldn’t hurt if she sabotaged Brook’s relationship with Chase too.

💖 The Charm…

She sounds like she’s doing well, despite the long covid.

🎞 Reunited…

This film sounds kind of interesting. Something different, yet timely.

🍊 Seen In the Wilds…

She probably stowed away.

🗽 Loser’s Club…

All I can say is, ugh. Ramona.

🐎 Not a Surprise…

It was a good show, but it was no longer Westworld after the first few seasons.

https://people.com/tv/westworld-canceled-by-hbo-after-four-seasons/

🦸🏽 More Masquerade…

👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Family time. I’m so stupid. I thought, how is that kid looking out of that mask with no holes? and it was a graphic put there to block his face.

https://parade.com/news/best-celebrity-family-halloween-costumes-instagram-photos-2022

🎯 Random celebrities.

🎭 Celebrities dressed as celebrities.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanschocket2/people-dressed-as-celebs-costume

🥇 Another category that’s debatable.

https://www.tmz.com/2022/10/31/halloween-costumes-best-2022-celebrity/

🐩 And no way I’d forget.

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/top-dog-hallowen-costumes-2022-37174276

🐓 Quotes of the Week

The cow didn’t even help me. – Kimberly Menzies, when her boyfriend’s mother did not bless their union even after gifted with a cow, 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?

The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot. – Michael Altshuler

In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so. – Immanuel Kant

Focus on the journey, not on arriving at a certain destination. – Chris Hadfield

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.  – Viktor Frankl

If you hear a voice within you saying, you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced. – Vincent Van Gogh

Our thoughts and actions should express our mind of compassion, even if the other person says and does things that are not easy to accept. We must practice this way until we see clearly that our love is not contingent upon the other person being lovable. – Thich Nhat Hanh

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists… it is real… it is possible… it’s yours.Ayn Rand

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.Albert Einstein

If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans. – James Herriot

The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made. – Groucho Marx

Falling Back…

Don’t forget, you gain an hour’s sleep this weekend. I’ll be back when the Dead Walk. Until then, stay safe, stay being grateful for at least one thing every day, and stay never going into a serious relationship with a big secret hanging over your head.

June 28, 2022 – Last Minute Meeting, Winners, Soap Spin-Off Anniversary, Sailing Reunion Minus Ashley, Ex-Wives, Eva’s Take & Floor

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

And get this, they were supposed to be taking a break until after July 4th, but decided to squeak in one more. Pfft!

🏆 Close Enough…

Not exactly a sweep, but GH cleaned up pretty well at the Daytime Emmys. And bravo! to Jeff Kober for winning Outstanding Supporting Actor for the second time!

Behind-the-scenes.

🧛🏻‍♂️ And It Feels So Good…

I loved this show! It was so weird, and vampire Caleb was the best. Every once in a great while GH gives it a nod.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht – The Reunion

Andy welcomes us to the Season 3 Reunion, and thinks this is the first Reunion group that’s actually happy to see each other. He introduces Parsifal III’s Captain Glenn. Gary is next, sporting his detestable man bun, followed by Daisy, who’s in her London apartment. We find out Gary is also in Daisy’s apartment, and Daisy says, he literally arrived ten minutes ago. Andy says, the question is, when is he leaving? and Gary says he’s been there for a week. Daisy says, afterward, they’re having a celebratory drink, and he’ll be on his way. Colin is in Costa Rica; Marcos is in his car in L.A.’s Koreatown; Gabriela is in St. Thomas, the US Virgin Islands, which gives Andy major FOMO; and Kelsie is in San Diego. Andy introduces the crew members who are used to joining after everyone else, Scarlett and Barnaby. The closed captions say he’s a d*ck hand, and I’m sure that was on purpose, but wouldn’t necessarily be wrong had it been Gary. Andy says, it was a great season, and while we saw all sides of Ashley, we won’t be seeing her today, since she’s a no-show. I quickly Tweet that she’s a coward, and Tom says he spoke with her yesterday. She said she doesn’t need this in her life, and she’s not interested in taking part. I interpret this to mean, I’m a coward who can’t face what a sh*thead I am. Gary says, when you sign up, you know there’s going to be a Reunion, and Andy says, he sensed she wasn’t thrilled with how the show turned out. Marcos suggests she’s busy, and Daisy says, they’re all busy; cut the bloody bullsh*t. Andy says, just because you don’t show up, doesn’t mean we can’t talk about you, so diving in… He asks how Gary’s love life is, and Gary says, Daisy? Andy tells us, Gabriela is now dating deckhand Wes, and she says they met on Instagram. He was in St. Thomas, and she knew he had a boat. She asked if he planned to sail, and they fell in love. A viewer commends Colin on going public about girlfriend Silvia, and Colin says, they’ve decided to go their separate ways. D’oh! Andy tells us that Colin is back on the market, and I hope if Colin is still single next season, he doesn’t disappoint me by acting like Gary. Andy asks Scarlett, who was the most welcoming besides Gary and his magic tongue (yuk)? and Scarlett says, everyone was great, even though there was a lot of tension.

Andy says, Marcos pulled off a rare feat; he got along with the chief stew, and the guests loved his food. He rarely lost his cool, but he did lose a piece of his head. We revisit Marco’s season on Deck, and Andy says he assumes everyone is trying to hire Marcos now. Marcos says his life is crazy. He opened a restaurant in downtown L.A., a bar, then another L.A. restaurant in Koreatown. He also has a contract with UCLA, and he’s cooking for 1600 people. Andy says, he’s booked and blessed, and we flash back to Marcos’s accident. A viewer asks about guest Charles, who said he could get better food in a ballpark, and Marcos says, Charles was lucky they were on camera. Andy asks Colin which of Marcos’s meals most impressed him, and Colin says, the molecular gastronomy. He was there for most of it, and he’d never seen that before. A viewer asks for Gabriela to shine a light on her relationship with Marcos, and she says she thinks she just rubbed Marcos the wrong way from night one. They kept their distance from each other, and although they had a couple of great conversations where they connected, most of the time, they avoided one another; it was kind of awkward. Marcos agrees 100%, and Andy asks if Marcos apologized for throwing Daisy on Gabriela in the pool. Gabriela says, Daisy accidently kneed her in the face, but she doesn’t think Marcos knew. Andy asks if that’s why Gabriela got so upset, and Gabriela says she was kneed in the face, then hit in the head with a floatie, but she was laughing until Marcos said she was a problem. Andy asks if they sorted things out, and Marcos says, they’ve talked and it’s all good, but I’m not so sure from the look on Gabriela’s face. Andy asks if they’d work together again, and they agree that’s a no. He asks Glenn if Marcos is one of the best chefs he’s worked with, and Glenn says, he’s a legend. He pushes hard, but can hold it together; he’s an amazing chef. Andy asks about Marco’s dating life, and if it’s going down in his DMs, and Marcos says he doesn’t want to go there. But he does, and says he gets naked photos, marry me, and cook for me, and now he has to go cook. I assume not for one of the DMers.

Andy tells us that Gary had a complicated web of boatmances; locking lips with four stews. We flash back to that, as well as the Ashley and Tom debacle. Andy asks Tom if it was Ashley’s tatas that drew him in, and gets a yes. Andy asks Daisy if she wishes she’d given Ashley some advice, but Daisy says she was shocked, and never would have predicted it. Next time, she’ll give everyone a warning. Andy asks if Colin has ever tried to stop Gary, or is it personal entertainment for him? Colin thinks the girls just flocked to Gary this season. He studied the show, and watched how Gary does it. He floods them with compliments, and they get weak in the knees. Gary says, they kissed him, and Daisy tells him, piss off. Gabriela says, not her, but Gary says he begs to differ. Kelsie says she’s the only smart one, and Andy asks if Daisy doesn’t remember them kissing. Daisy says she kissed everyone; it’s not that big a deal. Andy asks what Glenn’s reaction is to Gary and Daisy making out, and Glenn says he’s not surprised; there’s obviously something going on. Andy asks if Daisy regrets kissing Gary, and Gary takes out his earbuds. She says she did for a long time, but time passes, and they’re good friends. She wishes she remembered, since it looked great. She has no regrets.

A viewer asks what Gabriela thought of Ashley’s cringeworthy pursuit of Gary, and Gabriela says she thinks Gary likes a chase. He likes flirting and a chase, and Ashley came on too strong. Gary says, she’s correct, and another viewer says, even though Ashley was a real a-hole, it was no excuse for Tom to berate her and throw a drink at her. Tom agrees that you should never treat anyone like that, especially a woman. Although there was an element of comedy to it, he would take it back if he could. Daisy says, Tom was massively gaslit by Ashley and Gary, but Tom says he shouldn’t have been drinking the way he was. Andy asks how Tom was gaslit by Gary, and Daisy says, Gary told him it was just an innocent massage. Gary is old enough to know, there are no innocent massages. He was making fun of Tom, saying he was crazy; it was just an innocent massage. Tom thanks her for being supportive, and Gary says he didn’t see it the same way, but maybe he should think more. Tom says, when he and Ashley hooked up, it was because she wasn’t getting anywhere with Gary. She was so drunk, she was going to get what she wanted from someone; it didn’t matter who he was. He thinks she was just bored, but Daisy says she doesn’t agree. She thinks Ashley was making a point. Kelsie says she agrees with both of them. She thinks Ashley was jealous, but she’d also expressed that she could separate intimacy from a relationship. She threw Tom under the bus pretty fast when the boat was dragging. Gary says, what about Tom’s feelings? and Daisy says, that’s what she was saying about being gaslit. Jealousy is a nasty trait, and some handle it better than others. A viewer asks if Gabriela regrets kissing Gary, and why did she tell Daisy that she touched Gary’s weenie? Gabriela says she doesn’t regret having a good time, and her words came out like word vomit to Daisy; she had to tell someone. Daisy says she didn’t need to know, and everyone needs to stay away from Gary’s penis. Tom mentions that he has to watch this with his family.

Once again, Andy welcomes us back, even though we’re not the ones who went anywhere. He says, Kelsie has the distinction of being the only woman who didn’t kiss Gary, and asks if she feels left out. She says, no. She and Gary have an amazing relationship that’s strictly a friendship, and she wants to keep it that way. Andy announces that Mary from Wantagh has the million dollar question. No offense, but what do all the women see in Gary that makes them want to be with him? She’s sorry, but Colin is hotter. I couldn’t have said it better myself, and Andy asks them to tell him about the allure of Gary. He’s curious. He’s never met Gary in person. Gary says, Andy would fall head over heels for him, and Scarlett says, Gary was lighthearted, and she was drawn to how she felt with him. Daisy says, it was a win-win for Gary, since there was no competition. (Reminder: Colin was in a relationship during the season.) Andy asks how tall Gary is, and Gary says he gets asked that a lot. His IMDb says he’s 5’3”, but he’s 5’ 8”. Daisy says he compensates with his personality, and Gary insists he’s not short. Gabriela says, Gary has the confidence to flirt with everyone, and casts a wide net. Andy tells him that Daisy said he had a small weenie, and Daisy says she’s heard that a lot from multiple people… She’s joking. It was a low blow because she was pissed. He had small d*ck energy, and she was annoyed. The girls were fighting, she thought he was more to blame, and she was being mean. Andy asks, what about Gary’s weenie freaks her out, and she says, it’s been a lot of places. Gary wiggles his pinky, and she says, she needs to know where her car’s been; how many miles are on it. Andy says, Gary’s hook-up with Ashley got everyone talking. From many viewers’ perspectives, he was sexually assaulted. Gary says, to be honest, he and Ashley aren’t friends, but in her defense, he didn’t think anything of it. He thinks people are being harsh, and feels they should leave Ashley alone. Andy says, that’s not how it seemed, and if their situations were reversed, it would be quite serious. Gary says he understands that, but can’t stress enough to leave her alone. Daisy asks him to clarify that Ashley didn’t assault her, and Gary says, she didn’t. When fans reacted, he’d sent her a message apologizing, and telling her not to take anything too hard.

A viewer asks Gary, who’s the better kisser? and he says, Colin. Andy asks if Scarlett bought it when Ashley said she wasn’t interested in Gary, and Scarlett said, Ashley told her that she was over it. We flash back to Ashley’s bullsh*t, and Scarlett says, from day one. Ashley made it clear she wasn’t interested, but she was hearing things from everyone. She was new, and she had no background. Daisy says, that’s why she was frustrated; it wasn’t jealousy. She was concerned because of what happened with Sydney and Ali. They weren’t going to admit they were jealous, so their outlet was to behave badly. When she saw Ashley getting drunk, she saw herself. She’d done all this, and jealousy makes people nasty; it’s not a good trait. Andy asks how Scarlett felt when she overheard Ashley saying, nobody’s special. We flash back to Ashley saying, nobody’s special and it’s hilarious to her, and Scarlett says, there was so much talking behind her back. She wishes she’d been talked to directly. Andy asks if she thinks Gary led Ashley on, but Scarlett doesn’t think so. Gabriela says she was told Gary would flirt with anything or anyone, but flirting doesn’t mean he’s leading someone on. He told Ashley that he wasn’t interested, so how was he leading her on? Kelsie disagrees, and Daisy says, you have to be careful who you flirt with. People have feelings, and some aren’t as strong as others. Gary protests, but she says, he was the grown-up in the situation, and he was flirting with someone not mature enough to handle it. Colin agrees, and Andy points out that in the Shag-Marry-Kill game, all the women chose him to marry. Colin wonders what that means, and Andy says he thinks it’s good, but Colin says, no one ever wants to bang him, just marry him. Andy says, they all wanted to kill Gary, and Daisy says, if they marry Colin, they get to bang him for the rest of their lives. Andy asks if Daisy’s three-year dry streak has ended, but she says, it was a joke. He asks what her reaction is to Gary saying she’d be a good shag, and she says she’d be a fabulous shag. A viewer asks why Gary was after Daisy this season, and Gary says, if you watch Season 2, you can see he’s always had a soft spot for her and was attracted to her, which is weird to say, since they’re in the same space. He thinks Daisy is gorgeous and a superstar. Andy asks Scarlett if she thinks Daisy has a thing for Gary, but Scarlett says, she thinks they have a great friendship, and love each other as it is. Andy asks who thinks Gary and Daisy will hook up tonight, and Gabriela thinks they should start now. Gary runs into the other room, and grabs Daisy, causing her wine glass to fall, spilling wine on her and smashing the glass. Gary says, love makes you do crazy things, and Andy says, they’re electric. Viewer Vonda asks when Gary is going to realize he’s in love with Daisy, and he says, perhaps there’s some truth in that. Daisy says, whatever, and Andy asks for a show hands from who thinks they should hook up, amending it to make love when everyone except Gary raises their hand. Gary raises his, and Andy says, Gary is optimistic, and in her apartment.

Andy moves on to Tom, who almost puked on his boss on night one. However, that wasn’t his rock bottom, and things got much worse, We flash back to the anchor dragging because Tom wasn’t paying attention; Colin saying in his interview, that it’s 100 times worse than hitting the dock; and Glenn saying he knows Tom wasn’t purposely negligent, but he has to let him go. Andy asks if the make-out session with Ashley was worth it, but Tom says, it was literally 30 seconds. He says, of course he understands it’s his fault, but at the time, he went into self-defense mode. Now that he’s had the time to look back, he’s spoken to everyone, and takes full responsibility. Andy asks what Glenn’s reaction to Tom and Ashley’s canoodling was, and Glenn says he figured it was something like that. He thinks if Tom had been less defensive, it might have gone differently, but he knew there had to be a major distraction; you can feel the conditions change when anchor is being dragged. Andy asks if after Tom puked the first night, Glenn questioned not having his own captain’s quarters, and Glenn says he would love that, but they don’t have enough cabins. He wasn’t upset about it, and was glad Tom had the good sense to cut himself off before it became an issue. Andy asks if being a man down was better than Tom staying, and Glenn says he couldn’t keep Tom on, thinking it might happen again. How would he answer to the insurance company, his boss, and the guests if it happened a second time. He can’t take a chance like that. Andy asks Barnaby if he thinks Tom deserved the boot, and Barnaby says, you can’t stay on the same boat after that; you’ve got to be cut and start again. Andy asks the deckhands if Gary is a good manager despite his drinking and messy hook-ups. He wonders if that made them look differently at Gary, and Kelsie says, Gary is sensitive, but fun. She learned to adapt to his moods. It’s not always fair, but she’s used to doing it in a male dominated industry, and Gary is a very hard worker, and Barnaby says he feels like they’re friends who work together, and Gary tells him what to do. If Gary was busting him all day, it wouldn’t be the same. Glenn says, there’s off the clock and on the clock. When the crew is on, they’re professional, and when they’re off, they have fun, and he sees all of it. He thinks Gary does an amazing job of running the deck. Andy asks what Gary’s response is to Tom saying he was set up for failure, and we flash back to that. Gary says, it blew him away. He was shocked, and had to reflect on himself. Tom says, at the time, he was acting on emotions, and didn’t want to admit he messed up. But he’s grown and understands that he didn’t take responsibility’ Gary wasn’t setting him up. He was immature, and didn’t realize he had some growing up to do, and has to learn from his mistakes.

Andy says, Gabriela traded healing at sea for personal healing on land, and we flash back to the asshat that is Ashley. Andy asks what annoyed Gabriela the most about her, and Gabriela says, Ashley didn’t learn from or take direction from her. He asks Daisy why she made Gabriela second stew, and if she regrets it. Daisy says, it was mainly her age, since age gives more life experience. She has no regrets, but she’s learned that to some people a title means something. She’s not competitive, and doesn’t care as long as she gets paid and has fun (a woman after my own heart). Gary wonders if they needed titles, but Ashley was still under Gabriela and was deliberately disobedient. He wouldn’t have deckhand under him like that. Andy asks if Daisy thinks the relationship with Ashley was one reason for Gabriela’s departure, and Daisy says, she wasn’t involved with that, but thinks it’s a small element to the vast scale of what was happening. Gabriela thanks Gary for his support, and says, it was a one-sided competition with Ashley. Gabriela wasn’t competing; she was just trying to do her job. Ashley undermined her and poisoned her well of feelings. She felt justified in leaving after seeing how intense Ashley’s hate campaign was. She had no clue, and then saw Ashley tried to do the same thing to Scarlett, and felt validated. She’s not imagining things or making it up when she sees Ashley tried to do it to someone else. Andy asks if Daisy saw anything on the show that made her feel differently, and Daisy says she’s a strong woman with strong opinions. She was never influenced by Ashley, and only saw it all after she watched the show. Post-show, she was more disappointed in Ashley, but Ashley had never spoken badly about Gabriela to her. She was fine with how Gabriela was managing, and told Ashley to suck it up and get over it. Andy asks Gabriela, if Ashley hadn’t  been targeting her, would she have left?

Gabriela says she doesn’t think the experience she had was good, and thinks it was because of Ashley. Gabriela’s down points were exhausting and toxic, but she thinks she could have stuck it out if she hadn’t had someone stepping on her toes the entire time. Glenn agrees, and thinks Gabriela was a great second stew. You have to be a good follower before you can be a leader. He thinks Ashley messed herself up, and had an effect on Gabriela. A viewer asks Glenn if he thought Ashley was stirring the pot or was justified, and he says, she may have had some valid complaints, but she was stirring the pot. Daisy chose Gabriela as second stew, and Ashley desperately trying to move up did her no favors. Barnaby wonders why the stews can’t be like the deckhands, and the deckhands have a virtual group hug. Andy asks if Ashley being made lead stew surprised Gabriela, but Gabriela says, Ashley had been there long enough to know the boat. Gary says, it was to shut her up, but Daisy says, she worked hard and deserved it. Scarlett says she did need direction, which Ashley gave her, and Andy asks why Daisy waited until the end. Again, Gary says, to shut her up, and Daisy says, the work was there. All she needs is someone to rely on who will get the job done, and Ashley was amazing with the wedding. She didn’t like the pettiness, hooking up, and getting sh*tfaced. She gets sh*tfaced, but she’s hilarious, while Ashley was just annoying. She needed Ashley to work well with Scarlett, and genuinely felt that she was learning. She felt straight away that Ashley hated Scarlett, but by the end, she felt they were fine. Andy asks how Scarlett felt to hear Ashley say, Scarlett having no experience gave her life. That actually sounds pretty sad, but Scarlett says she was shocked. Ashley seemed unhappy about a lot of things when she was coming in, but her lack of experience probably did give Ashley life, and she’s happy if that’s what Ashley needed. Gary says he was angry when Ashley told the guests that they’d kissed. He thinks she has learning to do if this is the career path she wants. The last thing guests want to hear is crew drama. Andy says he loves hearing crew drama on a cruise, and if I went on a cruise, I would too.

Andy asks if Barnaby really taught Barrack Obama how to surf, and Barnaby says, Obama came to a private island where he was working. It was amazing. Andy asks Glenn if he bought Erika’s public apology or does he think the skimpy tip was an intentional slight. Glenn says he thinks she had a gripe from the prior season, and it was on purpose; there was nothing wrong with the food. Daisy completely agrees. She doesn’t know if they even know what planet they’re on. Andy asks if she still has the necklace Cyndi gave her, we flash back to that, Daisy says, no, and I wonder if she put it on eBay. Andy asks who Barnaby’s favorite guests were, but he says he can’t even remember any of their names or anything about them. Andy asks how Gabriela felt, being the most diverse person in the crew, and she says, anyone who works in an industry that’s not very diverse would understand. Being on the show was a good way for people to see there’s room for them in the industry. It’s uncomfortable not to feel anyone understands you or you have support. She’s never worked under a Black captain before, and it’s a proud feeling. Lead by example, and work hard. Do the course, and you can do it too. Andy asks if there’s anyone Glenn wouldn’t rehire, and if this was his favorite crew. Glenn says, without the anchor dragging incident, he’d work with Tom, and he was very impressed with Barnaby and Scarlett coming in at the end. They did an amazing job, despite Scarlett being new on the job, and dealing with the politics of Ashley and Gary. He loves them all. Scarlett thanks Glenn, and he says he knows it wasn’t easy, and he wouldn’t want to work with Ashley again.

Andy asks who’s still in yachting, and Colin says he got a catamaran; he’s sailing around the world. Everyone else is still in boating, except for Barnaby, who took his tip money and built a business converting Land Rovers to Tesla electric power. Go Barnaby.

Andy says it’s time to officially end the season, but since Gary and Daisy are under one roof in the UK, he’ll have to follow up.

The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girl’s Trip, Ex-Wives Club

Bravo had a sneak peek of the show tonight, and while I doubt I’ll have the time to watch this on Peacock, I’m sure it will eventually find its way to Bravo, where I’ll no doubt partake of yet another guilty pleasure. I hate half the cast, but it’s an eclectic mix, and who doesn’t love Bluestone Manor, fish room and all? Okay, maybe Vicki. The flashbacks were fun, and Vicki was already bitching about being back in the franchise she didn’t want to leave.

My quick take on the cast…

Dorinda: I love her, and love how she takes hostessing so seriously. Eva: I don’t know her. Literally, not like Mariah Carey doesn’t know Jennifer Lopez. Phaedra: I feel like I shouldn’t like her, shady as she is, but I do. She has a fabulous way with words. Taylor: I’ve always felt badly about her situation, being married to that awful husband, and then him committing suicide, but it looks like she’s blossoming now. She’s remarried, stands up for herself, and even gained some weight. She was scary skinny by the end of her run. Brandi: She makes me want to throw up. I can’t stand her, and hate that she’s still profiting from the franchise. Tamra: Ditto, but she has the added anti-bonus of being a fake Christian. Vicki: Ugh. While she’s had her good moments, she’s always been bossy and entitled. She just can’t understand why she was let go. Um… no one cares anymore. Jill: Thirsty AF. It makes me uncomfortable when a woman embarrasses herself like that. Which is why I don’t watch The Bachelor/Bachelorette shows.

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/rhugt-who-is-in-the-cast-of-season-2-ex-wives-club

🏰 Another Perspective…

Eva weighs in on the latest Girls Trip.

https://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-ultimate-girls-trip-ex-wives-club/style-living/eva-marcille-talks-staying-at-bluestone-manor-dorinda-medley-berkshires-house

⛺️ Folding My Tent…

Check in tomorrow. I think there will be soap, and Beverly Hills, where there’s a new villain in town. Until then, stay safe, stay being a safe place for others to be real, and stay not being jealous. Jealousy makes people nasty and it’s not a good trait.

June 24, 2022 – The Shareholders Vote, Stopping By, Ultimate Ex, Grand Slam, Confirmation, Sorry Diana, Kim Spills, Shah Spin, Who’s That Lady, New West, Confirmation, Nearly Nine Quotes & Radio

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At the hospital, Brad holds out a bag to Britt, saying, croissants from Eckerd’s. She says, almond or chocolate? and he says, one of each. Whichever one she doesn’t want, he’ll take. She snatches the bag from him, and he says, or she can have them both. So is he forgiven… even a little bit? She says she knows he didn’t intentionally set out to make an ass of her, and he says, never. She says, fine. She forgives him. He says, and he promises to never, ever… wait a second. That was way too easy. She says she has ulterior motives, and he says, great. By all means, use him. What does he have to do? She says, all he has to do is listen. She has a little mystery she’s dying to talk to someone about. He says he’s dying; spill. She says, the parachute guy? and he says, Cody. She says, whatever. She found him in an alley the other night; someone had beat the spit out of him. Brad asks if he said who, but she says, no. She’s been going through possible scenarios, and… He says, she can stop. He knows exactly what happened.

Cody sees Dante having breakfast at Kelly’s, and asks why Dante didn’t invite him. Dante asks why Cody is talking about. Cody spent the day on the couch, barely forming any words. Why would Dante think today would be any different? Cody says, it would be nice to be invited, and Dante asks if Cody is sure he should be up and about. Cody says, it’s hard to leave town if he’s just going to be laying on Dante’s couch the whole time, and Dante says, so he’s feeling better? Cody says, stellar, and Dante says, excellent. Maybe now Cody can answer some questions he’s been avoiding.

Linc sits in Jordan’s office, and says he’s honored the Commissioner herself wants to speak with him. She says, any incident involving a civilian and one of her officers warrants her attention. She understands he’s pressing charges against Detective Chase. Linc says, he’s got a mean right hook, that one. He was under the impression Chase is already on suspension for punching a guy, just like Chase did to him. Jordan says, that’s correct, and he says, obviously, the detective hasn’t learned his lesson.

Outside Kelly’s, Brook asks when Chase is meeting with the Commissioner, and he says he’s just waiting for a call. Just like he was five minutes ago. She says she’s sorry, and he says, that’s okay. She says, he’s going to be okay, right? Especially since he’s still on suspension, it’s not like the Commissioner can punish him, right? He says, it doesn’t work that way, and she says, so he’s had two strikes, so to speak? He says, yeah, and she asks if he gets a third strike. Or is he already out?

Olivia and Carly sit by the pool, and Carly looks through a binder, saying, they have a full house. Between wedding receptions, seminars, and conventions, they’re booked through the fall. Business is good. Olivia says, meanwhile, her hair is falling out by the fistful, and Carly asks what she’s talking about. She’s handled busy seasons before; what makes this time any different? Olivia tells her, let’s just say, the energy at the crazy house is up to eleven this morning. With the ELQ shareholder meeting this morning, everyone is just wired. She’ll be so happy when this whole thing is over. Drew and Michael have bent over backwards to get Valentin out of ELQ finally, once and for all. Carly says she thinks it’s exciting, and Olivia says, she must be so proud of Michael for pulling this off. Carly says, she is, but she has a personal stake in this as well. They see a casually dressed Valentin come in and set up a chaise lounge. Martin walks in, and asks Valentin if they’re here for a morning business meeting or some poolside R & R? Valentin says, maybe a little bit of both. How’s the day going? Martin says his day is going just fine so far; how about Valentin’s? Is he ready for his day of reckoning?

Michael asks if Willow wants coffee, but she says, no thanks. Is he sure he needs one? He’s literally bouncing. He says, it seems like he’s been waiting for the shareholder’s meeting forever. He can’t wait to see Valentin ousted as CEO. She yawns, and he says, not everybody is as excited about the family business. She says, sorry. Wiley had her up early this morning. Michael says he didn’t hear Wiley, and Willow says, that’s because their son knows she’s a light touch, and she’ll get up to make him pancakes, even if it’s at the crack of dawn. Drew comes in, saying, good morning. It’s a beautiful day. Michael says, it certainly is, and gives Drew a cup of coffee. He says, to today, and Drew says, the day everything changes.

Britt leads Brad into her office, and says, is this better? He says he doesn’t mean to seem paranoid, but she says, that’s fine. You never know what judgy eavesdropper is lurking in the halls. Now tell her, how does he know what happened to parachute boy? He says, Cody, and she says, whatever. Who beat him up, and why? Brad says, he really only knows some of it, and she says, and that would be…? He says, Cody was at his Aunt Selina’s poker game, and she says, of course (🍷) he was. Let her guess. He made bets he couldn’t cover, and now… Brad says, Cody won big, and his aunt was furious. She asks if he’s saying his aunt ordered Cody’s beating.

Cody says he’s an open book. If Dante has questions, fire away. Dante says, how about if they start with how Cody ended up on his doorstep, beat up, with Britt Westbourne? Cody says he saw a way to make some fast cash, and it didn’t exactly work out. Dante says, so Cody still plays cards, and Cody says he’s better than he was when they were in summer camp. He had an off night. Dante asks if Cody knows who did this to him, and Cody says, they didn’t exactly introduce themselves. Dante asks if Cody can identify them, and Cody says he’d love to. Dante suggests Cody come down to the station, and they’ll get some photos out, but Cody says, it was really dark. Dante wonders how he knew Cody was going to say that, and Cody says, Dante is an excellent detective, clearly. Dante asks if Cody thinks they’re still after him, and Cody says, maybe. He’s not going to stick around and find out. Dante asks if they let Cody keep any of his winnings, and Cody says, they did. Dante asks, how much? and Cody says, fifty dollars. Dante takes out his wallet, and says he’ll spot Cody some cash until he gets back on his feet, but Cody asks if they didn’t already have this conversation. He’s not letting Dante pay his way. Dante asks if Cody wants to get his ass kicked again, and Cody says, yes, he would, taking a piece of bacon from Dante’s plate. Dante says, stubborn idiot, and Cody suggests that’s why they get along so well. He laughs, then grabs his side, and Dante says, they worked him over pretty good. Cody says, Doc Westbourne said he should be fine, and Dante says he still can’t believe Britt stopped to help Cody. Cody asks if that isn’t what doctors do, and Dante says, typically, yes, but Britt usually does whatever’s best for Britt. Cody says, it sounds like there’s some history there, and Dante says, there is, and none of it good.

Drew says, the market has already reacted to the potential merger; Aurora’s stock just keeps going up. Their first priority should be to talk to the VPs, and confirm the merger. Just get everybody up to speed. Ned walks in, and Willow tells him, good morning. He says, good morning, all. He sees the two of them are already making plans, and Michael says, they are. In fact, now is a perfect time to loop Ned in. Lucy joins them, and says, Quartermaines; what a sight to behold. Michael says, it’s good to see her too, and Drew thanks her for coming. She says, it’s her pleasure. She always loves revisiting the Quartermaine manse; she loved living here. And it’s so lovely to see all the heads of the family together. Look at them. My how times have changed.

Valentin tells Martin, they’ll be a reckoning all right. He just doesn’t think it will take all day. Martin sits down, and says, Valentin looks really calm. Does this mean he’s heard from Ned?

Olivia asks Carly, what’s Valentin doing? The meeting is in less than an hour, and he’s lounging by the pool. Carly says, he’s bluffing, to give the impression he knows the vote is going his way. Olivia says, he looks pretty convincing; like he knows something they don’t.

Chase tells Brook, cops don’t usually get a third strike when it comes to altercations with civilians, and she says, he could be fired? He says, maybe. He’d probably fire him. She say, absolutely not. How can a good guy like Chase get in trouble for slugging a sleaze like… She gets up, and says, maybe not. He says he knows that face; that is her plotting face. she says, this is the face that’s going to fix everything. Problem solved. She knows exactly what to do. She starts to leave, but he grabs her arm, and says, whoa. What? She says she can’t tell him because he’ll try to stop her. He says, only if it’s a bad plan, and she says, just trust her this time, but he says, tell him. And then he can poke holes in it. She says, another reason she can’t tell him, and he says, but if he pokes holes in it, she’ll know where the flaws are, and she can cover them up, and exonerate him in the process. She says, all right; here it is. She goes to the PCPD and amends her original statement. She’ll make sure all of his colleagues know he saved her from a violent criminal. He says he can’t let her lie to the police for him, but she says she’s not lying. It’s just that now that the initial shock is wearing off, she realized that her original statement didn’t covey how terrified she really was when Linc attacked her. He says, terrified? Really? She says, if she’s lying, she’s dying, and he says, but to him, and presumably Rory, she just seemed mad. She says, which is how she copes with extreme fear. She puts on a façade of extreme rage. The bottom line is, if Chase hadn’t stepped in to save her, she could have been abducted by Linc. He says, Brook Lynn… and she says, okay, abducted is a strong word, but the point is, it was Chase’s civic duty to defend her from a predator. Case closed.

Jordan says, throwing a punch in a club doesn’t usually rate criminal prosecution, and Linc says, it’s still battery though, isn’t it? She says, it is, and he says, and shouldn’t police be held to a higher standard? She says, of course (🍷). She doesn’t condone what Detective Chase did, but she’s also not convinced it’s worth pressing charges. He says, why not, may he ask? and she says, judges are cracking down on nuisance lawsuits. He won’t be doing himself any favors if the court feels he’s wasting its time. He says he only wants to see justice be served. So if he drops the charges, what are his options?

Cody says, how is this even possible? and Dante says, Britt is a fertility expert, and her mother is a scientist. So they stole his and Lulu’s embryo, and implanted it. Cody says, then she carried the baby, Dante’s baby – Dante says, Rocco – to term. Then tried to pass the kid off as her own child. Dante says, mm-hmm, and Cody says, how is she still a doctor? Dante says he doesn’t know, but she had her license taken away when she went to prison, and when she got out, they gave it back to her. Cody says, prison? He thought Britt was this morally upstanding outraged citizen. Dante laughs, and says, the only person who would probably think that’s funnier than him is Britt. Britt’s been involved with some shady stuff, and that’s not even talking about her being on the run with her father. Cody says, back it up. On the run like a fugitive from justice? Okay, who’s her father? Dante asks if Cesar Faison rings a bell, and Cody says, Britt’s father is Cesar Faison? Dante says, was. He died about four years ago. Cody says, it’s a lot to take in; the whole embryo stealing thing, and to top it off, she’s Faison’s daughter. Dante says, it kind of explains things, doesn’t it? He tells Cody that he has to go, and Cody says he’ll come with Dante. He starts to get up, and sits back down, saying, that hurt. Dante asks if he’s sure he’s all right, and Cody says, Britt told him these are just ribs that are bruised, but he’s wondering. Dante says, they’re going to GH, but Cody says, Dante knows he doesn’t like hospitals. On second thought, yeah. The hospital sounds like a great idea.

Britt says, if Aunt Selina had Cody beaten up over a poker game, what will she do to Brad if he screws up? Brad says, the beating wasn’t her doing, and Britt says, she didn’t think Selina did it herself. Then again, what does she know? He says, she just had Cody thrown out of the game, but he’s totally fine. She says, right, and he says, now that he’s solved the Cody mystery, maybe she can answer a question for him. What was that look between Britt and her mother? The look that passed between them right before Obrecht kicked him out of Britt’s room. Clearly he said something that upset her, but he has no idea what. Does it have anything to do with what’s been bothering her? Britt says, yes.

Valentin says he hasn’t spoken to Ned, and Martin asks how Valentin can be sure Ned will throw over his family, and vote with him. Valentin says, because if he remains CEO, Ned maintains a shot at keeping some influence, so Ned will vote to keep him. Martin says, far be it from him to question a sure thing, but as long as they’re on the subject of family, he has an important update on Valentin’s. Valentin says, the Cassadines? and Martin says, as far as he knows, that’s the only family Valentin has.

Carly tells Olivia to stop staring, but Olivia says, don’t interrupt her; she’s in the middle of a curse. Carly tells her not to let Valentin get in her head. Drew, Michael, and Ned know what’s at stake. They’re all going to come together and oppose Valentin. Everyone’s doing their part, including her. Olivia asks, what’s going on? This is the second time Carly mentioned herself. Carly says, she didn’t have a chance to tell Olivia. The merger isn’t just going to be good for ELQ; it’s going to be good for her. She’s now a major shareholder in Aurora.

Ned gives Lucy some coffee, and she thanks him. She says she takes this to mean that Valentin is on his way out, and Ned says, yes. If they all vote against him, there’s absolutely nothing he can do. She says, from her perspective, she thinks the Quartermaines owe Valentin a great big huge thank you, and Ned chokes on his coffee.

Drew tells Michael, he knows this family loves him as much as he loves them, but he and Sam created Aurora to have something of their own. The merger between ELQ and Aurora kind of feels like two separate parts of himself coming together. Michael says he gets it. It’s like a union of sorts, between Drew’s past and the present he fought to get back to. And now there is no escape. Settle in, because he’s not going anywhere.

Brad says he’s been waiting for Britt to open up about this, whatever it is, and she says she knows. She just hasn’t been ready to talk about it; not a lot of people know. He says, not a lot of people know, and one of them isn’t him. It must be pretty heavy. What’s going on? Britt’s phone rings, and she tells them, she’ll be right there. She tells Brad that she has to go, and he says, come on, but she says, she has a patient, and this isn’t a conversation she wants to rush, and she leaves.

Valentin sits up, and says, what does Martin know about the Cassadines? Martin tells him, relax; it’s a good thing. Valentin says, let him be the judge of that, and Martin says, Valentine’s Victor problem will soon be over. His sister thought of a brilliant, but simple way of getting rid of him. She’s pulling strings to have Victor deported. Valentin asks if that isn’t a little outside of her reach, but Martin says, not at all. Laura is both well-connected and determined, and it makes perfect sense. Victor has a criminal record that goes back decades, which is ample reason to deport him for – wait for it – moral turpitude. Valentin’s phone beeps, and he says he has to go. The Quartermaines await. He jets, going past Carly and Olivia’s table. Olivia says, Aurora’s stock price is climbing, and Carly says, on the rumors of a merger. Once the merger is officially announced, they’re going to skyrocket. Olivia says, and the Q’s will once again be in charge of ELQ. She has to say, Drew’s idea to merge companies was brilliant. Carly says, which is why she sold her half of the MetroCourt to raise the capital to help Michael and Drew, and Olivia says, I’m sorry. You did what now?

Lucy asks if Ned is okay, and he says, he’s fine, but what in God’s name would this family possibly have to thank Valentin for? She says, ELQ has thrived under Valentin’s… tenure. Not to mention the fact, he’s united them together against a common foe. Ned says, yes, and that unity deserves to be fought for and protected. She says, the Quartermaines are nothing if not excellent fighters. Just think what they could do if they all worked together for once.

Willow tells Michael that she’s going to check on Wiley, and she’ll be right back. She starts to go upstairs, but has to stop and sit down.

Britt comes out of the elevator, and Cody says, Dr. Westbourne. She says, oh God, you? and he says, there’s that bedside manner she must be famous for. She says, all the doctors in this hospital, and he asks for her? and he says, she’s the one most familiar with his case. She says, he has bruised ribs. It’s not like he’s a case study the medical world is going to marvel at. He says, turns out he might be more banged up than she thought, and she says, the ER is right down the hall. She’ll call an orderly to wheel him over. He says, come on. Can’t she just check him out? She says, she’s an OB/GYN, and he says he’s heard. She says she’s sure he has, and looks at Dante. He says, here’s the problem. As he told her the other night when she was kindly taking him to her car, a trip to the ER isn’t in the budget right now. She says, right, and he doesn’t have insurance, and whoever beat him up, took his money. She can’t treat him off the books. Dante says he’ll cover Cody’s bill. They can’t put him on a bus out of here if he’s got broken ribs, right? She says, he’s leaving town? and he says, that’s the plan. She says, right this way, and leads him to an exam room, as Brad watches.

Chase says he can’t let Brook lie to the police, and she says, it’s a valid interpretation of the events of that night, but he says, it’s not. She asks, who’s going to contradict her? and he says, a club full of witnesses? She says, please. A bunch of hipsters who were three sheets to the wind? She’s not worried; it will totally work. He takes her hands, and thanks her. It means the world that she would do this for him. She says, he pretended to be Bailey’s dad; it’s the least she can do. He says, the bottom line is, he got himself into this mess, and he’s ready to face whatever happens next. His phone rings, and he says, he’ll be right there. He tells Brook, it was Jordan’s assistant. The Commissioner is ready to see him.

Lucy tells Ned, the Quartermaines united to run ELQ. That would be so incredibly formidable. That’s never going to happen though. He asks what she means, and she says, when Valentin leaves, all that infighting that Edward so successfully cultivated, is going to resurface, which is really a shame. Her phone rings, and she tells Ned that she has to take it. He says, of course (🍷), and she steps away. She pauses, seeing Willow on the stairs, but Willow continues on up. Lucy says, okay; she’s alone. Martin says, now she knows how he feels. He missed waking up to her this morning. She says she misses him too, so much, but with this slot coming up on the Home and Heart Shopping Channel, she has so much work to do for Deception, and she had to come to the shareholders meeting, which is going to be a total waste of time. Martin says, you never know, but she says, Michael, Drew, and Ned are all united on this crazy Valentin front. She doesn’t get to vote unless there’s a tie, which there’s not going to be, which means she’ll just sit around, twiddling her thumbs. She’s going to feel totally superfluous. He says, that is nonsense. She’s definitely the center of his world. She thanks him, and tells him that he says the sweetest things. He says, she’s more important than she knows. Far more.  

Carly tells Olivia that she sold her half of the MetroCourt to Stillwater Venture Group to get the money to help Michael and Drew. Olivia says, so now she’s partners with Stillwater Venture Group? but Carly says, no. She would never do that to Olivia. She has 30 days to buy back her half of the hotel. The price has already been set, and she’s going to have more than enough money. Aurora’s stock is gaining value by the hour. Olivia says, sounds risky, but Carly says, no way. She has faith in Drew, and she’ll always bet on Michael.

Brook goes into Kelly’s to get a refill on her coffee, when Linc walks in. She wonders if they don’t make an ointment to get rid him, and he says he doesn’t like the tension between them. She says, this isn’t tension; this is hatred. He says he sold another one of her songs, and she asks, which one? He says, Morning Rain, and she says she wrote that when her cousin died. He says, that’s very touching. Sof-T paper towels thinks it’s perfect for their new commercial. She says, her song is going to be used in a paper towel commercial? and he says, a national paper towel commercial. So when anyone in the entire country hears it, they’ll think absorbent. He’ll be making a nice chunk of change from it too. He bets if she tried, she could come up with some catchy jingles. Then they could make money together. She says, she’d rather never write another song… Does he really want to work with her again? He says, he does. Why? She says, fine. She’ll do it, if he recants his accusation against Chase.

Chase goes to Jordan’s office, and she tells him to close the door and have a seat. She hopes he realizes how disappointed she is to find him in this position again, and so close to the end of his suspension. He says he’s sorry; he acted in haste. He was provoked, but it’s still no excuse. She says, if there’s no excuse, why say he was provoked? and he says, accuracy. Of course (🍷) now that he’s facing assault charges, she can’t bring him back to the force. She says she spoke with Linc, and he’s agreed to drop the criminal charges. Chase won’t be facing prison time. He thanks her for going to bat for him, but she tells him, he can save his thanks. Linc still wants him to lose his job.

Dante says he hears Brad is working for his Aunt Selina now. What is he doing for her? Brad says, this and that; entry level stuff. Errands and whatnot. It’s super boring. Dante says, Brad has no idea what he’s getting himself into, does he?

Britt walks into the exam room, and sees a shirtless, bruised Cody. She says, colorful, and he asks if it’s okay that it hurts to breathe. She says, that would be a sign a rib punctured his lung, and he says, it doesn’t hurt that bad. She puts on gloves, and says, we shall see. She puts the stethoscope on his back, and tells him to breathe. She listens, and he says, it hurts. She says she should send him for an x-ray, but he says, if she just wraps him up, he’ll be fine. She says, a moment ago, it hurt to breathe, and now he’s fine? He says, she must have the healing touch.

Drew says, they’re all set. The proxies are here; they’re good to go. Willow comes in, and Michael asks if everything is all right. She says, Wiley is fine, and he says, what about her? Is she okay? Before she can answer, Ned walks in with another man, and says he thinks they all know Pascal. Pascal shakes Drew’s hand, saying, they spoke several times on the phone; it’s a pleasure to meet him in person. Drew says, it’s good to be seen, and Pascal says hello to Michael. Michael says, they’re just waiting for… There he is. Valentin walks in, and tells them, what say they begin? He doesn’t think it will take too long. Michael says, it certainly will not.

Britt finishes wrapping Cody, and he says, he and Dante were talking about her earlier. She says she’s sure Dante had a lot to say, and he says, Dante’s definitely not a fan. To him, it sounds like she got a raw deal. She asks how he figures that, and he says, her mom and dad weren’t the easiest role models to live up to. She says he can get dressed, and he says, he just meant, it must be hard to live up to her dad’s legacy. She says, meaning what?

Linc says, let him get this straight. He drops the assault charges, and Brook will write songs for him again. Brook says, no charges, no civil suit, no complaints or demand for an apology. No comment to any reporter that Chase attacked him. This never happened. He goes to the DA and the Commissioner, and tells them that he lied. He makes this go away forever, and she’s all his. He says, it’s a tempting offer, but no deal. All he cares about is that her detective friend loses his job for good. But look on the bright side of things. He’s come around to her way of thinking. Some things truly are priceless. He gets his takeout order, and leaves.

Cody tells Britt, he just means, it must be tough to live down Faison’s reputation. He was one of the WSB’s most wanted, wasn’t he? She says, continue with the ice packs. If the pain persists for more than two days, see a doctor. Have a nice trip. He asks, what just happened here? and she tells him, Dante said he was getting on a bus. Bon voyage. She walks out.

Jordan tells Chase that Linc is filing a complaint with the Civilian Review Board. As he knows, the outcome of the Board’s investigation could be censure, or even dismissal. He says he knows he was in the wrong. In the heat of the moment… She says, this wasn’t a life threatening situation. No one was in eminent danger, except Mr. Brown. Once again Chase has proved he can’t keep his head in a situation, especially when Brook is involved. So answer her this. Why shouldn’t she fire him right now?

Carly tells Olivia that she’s planning a deluxe family vacation in a few months. She feels like they deserve it. So, should they go to the beach or some foreign city? Olivia says, that depends on who all is going, and Carly says, her and Donna of course (🍷). She’s hoping Michael, Willow, and Wiley, and she was going to ask Ava if she could take Avery. Olivia says she wouldn’t hold her breath on a yes for that question, and Carly says, she and Ava… Olivia says, hate each other, and Carly says, but they will move heaven and earth for Avery, so maybe there’s a possibility. Olivia says, listen to the optimist, and Carly says, after the year she’s had, things are finally going her way.

Valentin says, as CEO, he’s calling this meeting to order. Everyone sits down, and he says, any new business? Drew makes a motion to remove Valentin as CEO of ELQ, and Michael seconds it. Valentin asks if anyone wants to make a statement supporting his removal, but Michael says, he thinks they should just get this over with. Valentin says he’ll take that as a no, but he wants to make a statement on his own behalf. ELQ has grown significantly during his time as CEO. It’s no secret, the rumored merger between Aurora and ELQ, but it’s also no secret it has nothing to do with the strength of their company, and everything to do with making Drew a majority shareholder. And that’s a dangerous reason to make this decision. Anyone else want to say something? No one does, and Valentin says, then he’ll entertain a motion to put this to a vote. Ned says, so moved, and Drew says, seconded. Valentin says, then they’ll vote on the motion, and turns the procedure over to their chief counsel Pascal. Pascal says, a motion to remove Valentin as Chair. Before they get to those present, are there shareholders represented by proxy? Drew says, there are, and hands the proxies to Pascal, saying, these are the family members who couldn’t attend in person, authorizing him to vote on their behalf. Pascal asks how they vote, and Drew says, they all vote yes on the motion. Pascal says, very well. Then to those present. Chairman Cassadine? Valentin votes no, and Pascal says, Mr. Drew Cain. Drew says, yes, and Pascal says, Mr. Michael Corinthos III. Michael says, yes, and Pascal says, Mr. Ned Quartermaine.

Britt comes out, and says, Brad is still here? Brad says, they weren’t done, and she says, about that… He says, it’s okay. He knows now is not the right time for whatever this conversation is, and she thanks him. He says he does want her to know he’s here for her. Whatever’s going on, she can count on him. They hug, and she says she knows, but she had a chance to think about it, and she’s fine. If anything changes, she’ll let him know, but for now, he should focus on his fabulous new job. Brad looks like he’s not really buying this.

Brook waits for Chase outside of Jordan’s office. He comes out looking grim.  

Cody comes out and tells Dante, bad news. Dante says, broken ribs? and Cody says, just badly bruised, but the doc ordered him to take it easy, so no hours on a bus right now. Dante says, so he’s sticking around? and Cody says, if that’s okay. Dante gives him a key, and says, he’s got to go, but he’ll call Cody a Ride Share. Cody says, he’ll take the bus. It’s just a ten minute ride to Dante’s; he thinks he can gut it out. Dante says he’s in awe of Cody’s courage. Seriously, he’s happy Cody is sticking around. he leaves, and Cody thanks Britt for the TLC. She says, he’d better hurry. She doesn’t want him to miss his bus again. He says he is taking a bus, but it’s local, to Dante’s. She says she doesn’t care where he’s going, as long as he leaves her hospital. He says he found a reason to stick around Port Charles, so see her around, and leaves.

Olivia says, Carly is going to be sitting pretty when this merger goes through. Her whole life is going to be a vacation. Carly says she’d be bored in a month, maybe two, and Olivia says, maybe a business trip. World domination. Carly says, Olivia is right. She’s going to build a hotel empire. The MetroCourt will become an international brand. They clink mimosa glasses.

Pascal reminds Ned that the motion on the floor is to remove Valentin as CEO of ELQ. Does he vote yes or no? They wait, and Ned finally says he votes no. Pascal says, very well. Between Mr. Corinthos, Mr. Cain, and the proxy votes voting yay, and Mr. Cassadine and Mr. Quartermaine voting nay, we have a 50/50 split. Michael tells Ned, what the hell? It was his idea. He’s the one who started this. He wanted to force Valentin out. Valentin says, the meeting will come to order. They have not finished voting. Pascal says, Miss Coe, as bequeathed by your late ex-husband, Alan Quartermaine, you have the tie-breaking vote. Lucy laughs, and says, would you look at that. The last time she had a vote, she felt a wee bit of pressure, but this time, she gets to vote her conscience. She votes a no-no. Pascal says, the motion fails. Valentin Cassadine remains the Chief Executive Officer of ELQ. Valentin says, excellent, and thanks Pascal for his time and service. Pascal says, always a pleasure,  and leaves. Valentin says, on to the next order of business, namely the rumored merger between Aurora Media and ElQ. It is not happening.

On Monday, Brook says she’ll do whatever it takes to get Chase out of it; Valentin asks for a show of hands; Carly says, her family’s future is brighter than ever; and Brando asks Sonny if he’s sure someone got the message.

🏥 Touching Down…

Soon to be visiting Port Charles. I love Morgan Fairchild.

And I actually remember Susan Batten from OLTL.

🏰 Ultimately Nice…

Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether Dorinda actually works for Bravo, or she just works for Bravo in her mind.

https://ew.com/tv/dorinda-medley-the-real-housewives-ultimate-girls-trip-ex-wives-club/

💎 Yet Another Apology…

All of them should just have I’m Sorry tattooed on their foreheads. On another topic, I can totally see the resemblance in Diana’s photos. I don’t think she’s had any serious work done.

🐇 Let’s Talk About the Husband…

If I spring for that book, there had better be something.

The Beard speaks.

🥼 Thirsty As Ever…

What is up with Kyle? Even the stuff she makes up is boring.

💰 News On Sunset…

Yes! I would love a spin-off with these three.

I see they’re on Trevor Noah’s page of counsel not cancel.

🕶 Excuse Me, Miss…

How funny.

https://ew.com/tv/leslie-jordan-thought-lady-gaga-extra-american-horror-story-roanoke/

In other Gaga news, I love how they have room for everyone. They just make it another universe.

https://ew.com/movies/lady-gaga-harley-quinn-joker-2-joaquin-phoenix/

🐎 Difference In the West…

Returning on June 26th.

https://ew.com/tv/evan-rachel-wood-playing-different-character-westworld-season-4/

🐉 Write Faster, George…

I love that he’s involved with the spin-offs, but I wish he’d speed it up finishing that last GoT book.

https://ew.com/tv/george-rr-martin-confirms-game-of-thrones-sequel-jon-snow-kit-harington/

👄 Quotes of the Week

Each of us must decide whether it is more important to be proved right or to provoke righteousness. – Bernice King

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. – Ovid

No matter how wonderful things used to be, we cannot live in the past. The joy and excitement we feel here and now are more important. – Marie Kondo

You can’t get rich in politics unless you’re a crook. – Harry Truman

Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them… well, I have others. – Groucho Marx

As I get older, I am becoming more selective of who I consider a friend. I find that I would rather have 4 quarters then 100 pennies. – Steve Maraboli

The border to eternity is never ahead of us. It runs parallel to life and can be crossed over at any moment by old and young. – Reinhard Bonnke

It takes two to tango, and he doesn’t want to dance. – Dr. Phil

👠 Don’t Be a Drag, Just Be a Queen…

Give your all to the next two days, and when you’re done, come by for some soap and a Deck Reunion. I almost wrote D*ck, which might actually be more accurate. Until then, stay safe, stay expanding your vocabulary, and stay knowing, no matter how well you plan, the motion still might fail.

May 12, 2022 – Esme Visits Ryan, Celebration, Reunion, Harmonizing, Time Off, Trip Clip, It Hurts, Insensitive, Social Pets & West

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Spencer goes to Britt’s office, and says, my hero. She tells him, hold on a moment. What’s this going to cost her? He says, only a minute of her time and expertise. He promises he’ll make it worth her while. She says she doesn’t need his money, and he says, then his sparkling wit and companionship. She says she’d love that, but won’t his little Esme be jealous?

An orderly puts Ryan on his cot, but he falls over sideways. Esme comes running in like she’s a helpful person.

On the phone at Maxie’s apartment, Felicia says, Mac was giving her clear and present baby vibes… Yes, she took biology in high school. She didn’t really know what to tell him. She was completely taken aback and surprised. There’s a knock at the door, and she says, she doesn’t really know if it’s an issue; it hasn’t come up since. If she and Mac wanted to make their family bigger back in the day, they lost their shot… For some – she opens the door – it’s just not in the cards. She sees Nina standing there.

Carly sneaks back downstairs with Willow’s toothbrush in a plastic bag. Far be it for me to tell Carly how to be sneaky, but won’t Willow miss her toothbrush? Is there something about her hygiene I don’t know? As they’re about to leave, Michael and Willow walk in. Michael asks what they’re doing here, and Carly slips the bag into her purse. Willow wonders if they forgot to lock the door, but Michael says, it was locked. Drew says, sorry to break barge in. He’d like to say it was his fault, but it’s all on Carly.

On the phone at the hospital, Finn says, just because Elizabeth never spoke to Nikolas, doesn’t mean she’s not staying there. It’s a big place. Isn’t there a west wing where no one would even see her… Okay. No… They’re right. He’ll let them know when he finds her. Laura comes in and asks if he’s seen Elizabeth, but he says, he was about to ask her the same thing.

Chelsea tells Elizabeth, this presence is very clear. They don’t want this new family to be formed in this house. Elizabeth refuses to believe that. The Franco she knew and loved would want to see her happy. Is he here now? Can he hear her? Tell him that she believes he’s here. Tell him she’s ready to listen. She sees there’s a call from Finn, but ignores it, and Chelsea gets up, saying, there’s so much turbulence. Elizabeth says, she’s here, and Chelsea tells her to be careful. Elizabeth says she didn’t believe it before, but she’s listening now. Send her a sign. The door blows open, and the wind blows out the candles.

Carly says she’s pretty sure they came in together, and Drew says, if she’s not going to come clean, he will. He was walking up the driveway, and saw Carly messing with the door. If he didn’t know any better, he’d have thought she was a burglar, but it turns out she wanted what can’t be stolen. She just wanted face time with them. She knows there going through it and wanted to help. Carly says, she couldn’t get through, and just wanted to be here. Drew says, he had the key, so he thought she’d be more comfortable waiting there than in the main house. Willow says, that’s sweet of her, and thanks her. Carly says, of course (🍷), and Willow says, they were just at the cemetery, visiting Jonah’s grave. Carly says she hopes it brought Willow some solace, and Michael says, it would have if they hadn’t run into dad and Nina.

Felicia says she’ll call them later, and Nina says she was on her way home from work, and thought she’d pop by to see Maxie and the kids. Felicia says, Maxie is burning the midnight oil at Deception and the kids are asleep, and Nina says, as they should be at this hour. She didn’t realize how late it was; she’ll come back at a more appropriate time. She’s sorry; kiss the kids for her. She starts to leave, but Felicia asks if she likes popcorn. Nina says, who doesn’t like popcorn? and Felicia says, with real butter, not the fake kind. Nina says, like the only kind? and Felicia invites her in.

Spencer says, Esme has no issue with their friendship, but even still… Britt says, just don’t tell her about this conversation. Secrets and lies, the hallmark of a healthy relationship. Spencer says, come on, and she says, you come on. It’s just so Cassadine. She supposes he comes by it naturally. He asks if she’s finished, but she says she doesn’t think so. This is the most fun she’s had all day. He says, he needs her help, and she says, she’ll help him, but only if… He groans and says, oh my God, and she says he has to ask her nicely. Three words, and the voice. She takes out her phone and holds it out, and he says, pwiddy pwease, Bwitt? She laughs hysterically, and says, he was so darn cute, and almost as bratty. He says, she’s wicked, and she asks if he wants to hear it. He says, no, but she plays it anyway. He says, awesome, great, and she says, perfect. Her new ringtone. So what does he need? He takes out the pill he swiped from Esme, and asks if she can tell him what this is.

The orderly says, Esme wasn’t on the schedule tonight, but she says she had an hour. He says he has it from here, and she asks what the mess is in the hall. Is one of the inmates sick? She hopes the supervisor isn’t making rounds. He says he’ll be right back, and leaves. She closes the door, and says, not with that mess he won’t. Ryan sits up and laughs, saying, well played, my sweet child.

Finn tells Laura, Elizabeth gave him the impression she’d spoken to Nikolas about staying at Windymere, but when he talked to Nikolas, Nikolas said he hadn’t spoken to her. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t be concerned… Laura says, under these circumstances, he’s right to wonder. She just spoke to her brother Martin, and he said, Elizabeth has been looking for answers from an unlikely source. Apparently, Lucy gave Elizabeth the name of her medium. He says, and that’s where Elizabeth is. She says, shall we? and he says, we shall, and they leave.

Chelsea seems to have the chills, and Elizabeth tells her, say something. Chelsea says, so cold, and Elizabeth closes the door. She asks if Chelsea is all right, and Chelsea says, she’s not Chelsea. Elizabeth says, Franco?

Britt asks what Spencer is doing, walking around with loose meds, and he says he found it. She says, just lying on the ground? He asks if it really matters, and she says, it could, depending on what it is. He says, that’s where she comes in, and she says, give it to her. He asks if she can tell him what it is, and she says, yes, you just research the code. He says, no way. It’s really that simple. She asks what they taught him in that fancy French boarding school, and he says, Latin, Greek, table manners, conversation. She says, he has so much to learn, and scrolls on her tablet. She stops, and he says, what is it? She says, no more messing around. Whose is this?

Esme says, she thought she could finagle seeing Ryan more often, but his brother is like a human roadblock. Ryan says, Kevin is a wart. The good news is, warts can be treated. Besides, they have other priorities. How are things proceeding? She says, they’re definitely coming along. Ava and Nikolas are on the rocks, and she brought Spencer back into the fold, as promised. He says, then why is she here? and she says, she just wanted to keep him abreast. He says, rule number one, and she says, she knows the rules. He says, prove it, and she says, no unplanned, no uncontrolled communication.  He says, no unplanned communication because it increases the risk of him being found out. No one can know he’s in fighting form. So he’s asking her again, why is she here? How badly did she screw things up for him?

Felicia brings out the popcorn, and sprinkles something on it. Nina asks what it is, and Felicia says, parmesan garlic. Nina approves, and says she didn’t learn much about cooking growing up, but at take-out, she’s a master. Not so much in the kitchen. Felicia says, first of all, she should know this is snacking, not cooking, but she’s happy to share her tips. She doesn’t get it when people have secret recipes and they don’t want to share. If it’s so delicious, why not share it with the world? People are funny. Nina thanks her, and Felicia says, it’s just popcorn, but Nina says, thank you for inviting me in. The Invader is set to run a huge story on her soon. Felicia says, she heard, and Felicia says, Bobbie Spencer is one of her best friends. Nina says, Carly’s mother, and Felicia nods. Nina says, and Michael’s grandmother, and Wiley’s… Felicia says, two more times. That’s who she was talking to when Nina got here. Nina wonders why Felicia didn’t slam the door in her face.

Carly says, Jonah’s grave? Is anyplace sacred to Nina? Willow says, Nina was at the cemetery to visit her daughter, and Michael says, Nina’s still clinging to this fantasy that she would have had a beautiful relationship with Nelle if she’d just been there in time to save her. Carly says, as if Nelle could have been saved, and Michael says, that ends the whole nature versus nurture debate, because Nelle clearly inherited her crazy from Nina. This conversation is creepily gossipy in tone, and it’s making me uncomfortable. Drew seems like he’s not comfortable either, and says, that’s one way to look at it. He’s just saying, if Michael is right, and it doesn’t matter by whom you’re raised, then Wiley would have inherited the crazy gene too, and he knows Michael doesn’t believe that. Michael says, no, he doesn’t.

Elizabeth says, Franco, and Chelsea touches her face, saying, as beautiful as the day I laid eyes on you. Elizabeth asks if it’s really him, and Chelsea/Franco says, no matter how many times he puts the brush to the canvas, he could never capture all of her. He could never show the world what she meant to him. Elizabeth says, she’s missed him so much, and Chelsea touches her face again, saying, don’t cry. She needs to be strong. Elizabeth says, for what? Why is he doing these things? Chelsea/Franco says, Elizabeth can’t move on until she’s at peace, and Elizabeth asks how she can be at peace without him. He says he’s always with her. Believe in herself. No matter how hard she tries, don’t look away. Elizabeth says, don’t look away from what? What does that even mean? Talk to her. Finn and Laura walk in, and Chelsea sits down on the couch, asking, what happened? Elizabeth says, Franco, come back, and Finn asks, what’s going on? Laura says, Chelsea? and Chelsea says, Mayor Collins; it’s been a long time. Elizabeth asks why they’re here, and Finn says, she never showed up at Windymere, and he got concerned. Laura mentioned she’d hooked up with this… person, so they came here looking for her. Elizabeth says, they came at the worst possible time. She was just communicating with.. Finn says, Franco’s spirit? and Elizabeth says, he was here.

Drew says he’s not defending Nina, and Michael says he knows. Drew says, but Nina is Wiley’s grandmother, and of course (🍷) they can keep him from her right now – that’s their right – but when Wiley gets older, he might want to know Nina. Michael says, when that happens, if that happens, Wiley will be armed with the knowledge of Nina’s history; what she’s done, and what she’s capable of doing. And here’s another fact, Nina is a horrible person and no amount of PR can change that. Carly says, that’s right, and suggests Michael and Willow can use some time to decompress. Michael says, that’s a good idea, and Carly says, sorry for just showing up. She promises to be in touch next time. Willow says she has an idea. Why don’t they make this easier? She gives Carly a key, and says, Carly can let herself in next time. Michael says, but still call, and Carly says, she will. She hugs them, and she and Drew leave.

Britt asks, whose is it? and Spencer says, what is it? She says, she asked him a question, and he says, he asked a question first. Answer his and he’ll answer hers. She says, it’s an opioid analgesic, and he says, so it’s like heroin? She says, not quite, El Chapo. It’s a controlled substance and it definitely can become habit forming. It shouldn’t be rolling around on the ground for a teenager to find or swipe from someone’s medicine cabinet. He asks if it’s for pain, and she says, severe pain management. Now it’s his turn. He says, it’s Esme’s, and Britt asks if she gets headaches. Does she complain about indigestion or a dry mouth, because those are some of the side effects. She hands it back to him, and he says, are there others? She says, yes. It can make you tired, nervous… He asks, what happens when you mix it with alcohol?

Keeping her wrist being her back, Esme says, everything’s fine. She hasn’t failed Ryan, she swears. He says, she could never fail him. She’s his one and only. But something’s clearly amiss. Come on. Tell daddy what it is. She says, Spencer has been behaving strangely, and he asks, in what way? She says, he’s been reluctant to be with her, and Ryan asks how long it’s been. She says, they haven’t been intimate since Spencer got out of Spring Ridge. Spencer says, it’s because they’re learning to trust each other again, and he wants it to be special. Ryan says, and it’s unusual for Spencer to be distant? and she says, yes. He says, it’s unusual for any man of his age and appetites, especially with such a willing partner. He supposes it’s possible Spencer has a romantic streak. What else? She says, it’s probably nothing, but he says, spit it out. She says she went to find Spencer at Kelly’s today, but he wasn’t there. Cameron said he was running an errand for work, but she found him at Windymere, and he was going through her things. Ryan asks if Spencer found anything, and she says, the meds she used to drug Trina were in there, and her nanny Maggie’s letters. He gets up, and says, you fool. Spencer is on to her.

Chelsea says, Franco was here? Was she his vessel? That would explain why she lost time. Elizabeth says, it’s true. She reached out to him and he came. Finn says, that’s wonderful, and Elizabeth says, she spoke with him through Chelsea. He told her to be strong and believe in herself, and not look away. Finn says, and that means something to her, and she says, it just happened. Doesn’t he see? All the strange things that were happening; it was Franco sending them a message. He was here. He’s been here all along.

Britt wonders why Spencer is asking about mixing the pill with alcohol, and he asks if that would be a problem. She says, a very big problem. Just one of those on top of booze would make a person very sloppy. He says, sloppy how? and she says, they’d stagger. They’d fall behind in conversation. They’d just not be themselves. Think of it like this. Take normal drunken behavior and amplify it two or three times. It could even give you a seizure. He asks if it could make you forget things, and she says, it can cause short term memory loss, like blacking out after drinking. She asks if he’s seen this in Esme, and he says, no, not in Esme. Britt says, enough of this – she closes the door – pharma consult he has her doing. This is serious. What’s going on?

Esme doesn’t see how Spencer could know anything, and Ryan says, he’s sleeping alone. He’s drawn to another girl; he’s looking through her things. She says, there was nothing to find. She got rid of the prescription label, and Maggie’s letters don’t refer to him. He says, it doesn’t matter what Spencer did or didn’t find; he looked. He’s as false as she is – worse. He shared his suspicions with Elizabeth Baldwin’s whelp. She says, they don’t know that, but he says, of course (🍷) they do. Otherwise, Cameron wouldn’t have lied about where Spencer was. It was right in front of her, but she was too arrogant to see it. He warned her about that boy. He told her to remain on task, but she just couldn’t give up her little toy. Now here they are, and everything they’ve built is in danger of crashing down. She says, wrong. Everything he’s built. There’s still time for her.

Nina says, as Bobbie’s best friend, she’s surprised Felicia didn’t sic the police on her, or at the very least, her husband. Felicia says, Mac has bigger fish to fry, and as James’s grandmother, she has a responsibility to uphold. Maxie loved Nathan, and Nathan loved Nina. Nathan was Nina’s brother, and James is Nina’s nephew. That makes them family. Nina says, that acknowledgement could cost her, and Felicia says, with Bobbie? She thinks they’ve gotten past that. They have their differences, and they’ve gotten down in the mud now and then, but there’s a bond there. The sacrifice Bobbie and Tony made is always just under the surface. Some ties just can’t be cut. Nina says, including the tie with her? and Felicia says, she knows the pain of motherhood when it’s staring her in the face, and she’d be a liar if she didn’t say that in looking Nina in the eye, she doesn’t see a bit of herself.  

Michael asks Willow, what’s wrong, besides the obvious of course (🍷)? She says she was glad to see he and Drew could have a civil conversation about Nina. He says, he and Drew have a solid relationship. They respect and trust each other, and Willow says she can tell. He says, even though Drew has more grace where Nina is concerned, he knows Drew is just looking out for Wiley. She says she got nervous when the subject came up, and he asks, why? She says, after what happened with his father, she didn’t want the same thing to go down with him and Drew.

At the hospital, Drew asks if Carly wants to tell him why she didn’t talk to him the whole way home. She says, because that was some stunt he pulled back there, and he says, here he thought he came to her rescue – twice. She says, if she has some explaining to do, let her explain, and he says, she was like a deer in the headlights; he had to come up with something. She asks if he had to sing Grandma Nina’s praises, but he says he didn’t. She says, he knows what she means. What was the point of that? He says he believes it’s in her purse right now; DNA from a stolen brush and a glass, that together might prove Nina is Willow’s mother. If that’s the case – she says, it’s a big ifisn’t it better that Michael and Nina aren’t in a battle right now?  

Elizabeth says, she’s telling Finn, Franco was here. He doesn’t believe her. He says, that’s not it. He gets that she wants to believe it. She says, he thinks she’s losing it, and Laura tells her, no one said that. Finn says he thinks she’s frustrated and angry after months of searching for answers and coming up empty. Laura says, she thinks Elizabeth is considering some solutions that are… Elizabeth says, crazy, but Finn says, unorthodox; that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Laura tells Elizabeth to come home with her, but Elizabeth says, there’s nothing to be afraid here of anymore. It was Franco all along.

Britt says, if Esme is in any way misusing these drugs, Spencer needs to help her put a stop to it. He says he doesn’t know anything for sure, and she says, even if he suspects it… He says, he’ll take care of it, okay? She asks, how? and he says, he’ll take care of it. He starts to leave, but she grabs his arm, saying, they’re not done. She can’t stand by in good conscience and not do anything. He says, it’s a little late in life for her to grow a conscience, and she says, ouch. He says he’s sorry, but he came to her for information, not a lecture. Now that he knows what’s what, he’s good. She says, enabling Esme does no good. If he wants his girlfriend to be healthy and be in a healthy relationship, he can’t let this go on. He wonders what the hell she would know about a healthy relationship.

Ryan asks if Esme is threatening him, but she says she’s just exploring her options. She’s sure the authorities would rather learn about his status update than come after her. He says, she’d sacrifice him just like that? and she says, if that meant saving herself, in a heartbeat. He says she reminds him of her mother, and she says, how so? He says, he learned early never to turn his back on her. He’s glad see she inherited her mother’s instinct for self-preservation. Now let’s start over, shall we? They’re all each other has; they have to stick together. He pats the spot on the bed next to him, and she sits. She says, she can’t believe Spencer would do this to her. It hurts so much. He says he knows the feeling. You give yourself so much to someone. You lay yourself at the mercy of another person and they just exploit it. She says, manipulate it, and he says, crush it between their forefinger and thumb. He flashes back to a physical fight with a woman (presumably Esme’s mother), who’s about to stab him with a kitchen knife. He says, pure agony. There’s only one thing to do in return; make them all pay.

Nina asks what Felicia sees of herself in her, and Felicia says, a gorgeous, badass woman with feet made for kicking butt. She sees a woman who’s made a lot of mistakes; the kind not easily lived down. Nina says, Felicia did, and Felicia says she didn’t have a choice. Nina says, there’s always a choice, and Felicia says, not a good one. It was either spending the rest of her days in the shadow of her mistakes, and watch her daughter walk away, or facing her and fixing things. The only real shame is in giving up. Nina wonders what she’s going to say to James if he comes to her with a fist full of Invader newspapers, demands answers. Felicia jokes, they’ll be dead then, and Nina asks what she tells him. Felicia says she imagines Nina will tell him the same thing she’ll tell Wiley when he asks the same questions. That day is coming too.

Michael says he thought Willow was on the same page about his dad. She said she was behind him 100%. She says she meant it. She completely supports his decision, even if she’s not sure it’s the right one. He loves his father. Can he honestly say it doesn’t hurt? He says, of course (🍷) it hurts, and she says, when he hurts, she hurts too, and so does Wiley. Their son is sensitive; he knows when something is wrong. They can’t shield him from every bad feeling, every loss – they wouldn’t want to – but they can shield him from some of them. It takes sacrifice and compromise on their part, but isn’t Wiley worth it? He asks who she wants him to compromise with – his dad, Nina, or both?

Drew asks Carly to think about it one second. If Michael goes too far with Nina, and she turns out to be Willow’s mother, it will change things for Willow, whether she wants it to or not. He’s just trying to turn down the temperature. She says she appreciates that, and appreciates his help, but his services are no longer needed. He says, so he’s dismissed now? and she says, it doesn’t involve him, but he says he begs to differ. He can’t unknow what he knows. They’re in this together. She asks what that means. Is he going to blow this whole thing wide open? He says, no; is she? She tells him, she’s certainly not going to say anything right now. If Nina turns out to be Willow’s mother, it’s going to be a huge problem for Michael and Willow. What if the whole thing turns out not to be true? She’ll have set a hideous chain of events in motion for no reason. He asks, what if it is true? What if what Harmony said turns out to be legit? What is she going to do?

Laura tells Elizabeth that she and Doc have been trying to keep Jake and Aiden well entertained, but she thinks it would help if they saw their mother tonight. Elizabeth says it would help her to see them too, and Laura says she’ll get Elizabeth’s purse. Elizabeth says she’ll call Chelsea; they’ll do this again. Chelsea says she’s sure Elizabeth has a lot of questions. The answers are there for the taking. Elizabeth asks if she’ll see Finn later, and he says, absolutely. He’ll make sure everything is locked up. She thanks him, and leaves with Laura, and I wonder why they’re leaving two people who don’t live there to lock the door. And why is Laura treating Elizabeth like a psychiatric patient? Chelsea gets her purse, and Finn says, leaving so soon? She says she’s parched, and he says, I’ll bet. Channeling spirits must drain you. She says, it does actually, and he says, what about lying to a vulnerable woman. What does that do to you? She says she wouldn’t know, but he would.

Esme asks, is that even possible, if Spencer is on to her? and Ryan says, he is, but he hasn’t found anything useful yet, or he would have used it. She got rid of the evidence that would implicate her in the video scheme, yeah? She says she did, and he says, then the best Spencer can hope for is to exonerate Trina. That doesn’t mean Esme can rest on her laurels. Time’s running out; she needs to recommit herself to the task. She says, destroying Ava and Nikolas, and he says he knows she’s disinclined, but sacrifices have to be made. The only way to truly break their bond is to seduce the prince. She can do that, can’t she? For him? She says, if only to see the look on Spencer’s face when he finds out, and Ryan says, good. She says, and when that’s done? He says, then they turn their attention to the rest of their enemies. Each and every one.

Spencer says, he and Esme have been together a long time, and Britt says, so? He says, so what about her? What’s the longest relationship she’s had? She asks what he’s doing, and he says, just pointing out facts. She had that weird obsession with Emma’s dad, and the blink-and-you-miss-it engagement to his father. She says, wow. So much for Spencer wishing Nikolas realized what he had in her. Spencer says, he was trying to be nice, and she says, noted. He says, has she ever been in love, and had that love returned? She doesn’t say anything, and he says he didn’t think so. She says, he’s right. She knows nothing about love, and at this rate, she never will. He asks what that’s supposed to mean, and she says, good luck with his girlfriend. And when it explodes in his face, don’t come crying to her.

Finn says, Madame Nutjob, or whatever her name is, he’s not the one lying to Elizabeth. Chelsea says, really? Elizabeth asked if he thought she was crazy, and he did everything in his power to dodge the question. He says, she can’t flip this around; she’s not smart enough to do that. She’s preying on a very fragile human being. She says, she gave comfort and support to someone who asked for it. Can he say the same? He tells her, don’t ever contact Elizabeth again, and opens the door. Chelsea says, Elizabeth said she’d call, and when she does, she’ll save him a seat. Who knows? Maybe this time he can come with an open mind and actually help the woman he claims to care about find the answers she so desperately craves. She walks out.

Willow says she’s nowhere near entertaining a truce with Nina, but she won’t give up on him and Sonny, and hopes he doesn’t either. He says, his father put someone who actively hurt his wife and children ahead of his family. He can’t act like that didn’t happen or ignore that. He’s Sonny’s son, but first and foremost, he’s Wiley’s father. She and Wiley will always be his priority. And he’ll never let anything come between them.

Nina says, if Wiley asks about the things she’s done, she’ll own them, and Felicia says she sees no reason to treat James any differently. Just make sure she sticks around to answer those questions. Nina takes Felicia’s hand, and says, don’t worry. She’s not going anywhere.

Drew asks if Carly is going to tell Willow and Nina what she knows, but she says she doesn’t know anything. He says, when she does know, and she says, if the unthinkable happens, if Nina turns out to be Willow’s mother, she’ll do the right thing. She sees Britt, and runs over to her. She asks who she sees about a DNA test, and Britt looks at Drew.

Tomorrow, Ned tells Brook, they’re planning for a future with no place for him; Martin tells Valentin, if the family remains a united front, he doesn’t stand a chance; Jordan asks if TJ has something to report; and Sonny says he’s got to put a stop to that.

👩‍👧‍👧 Soap Moms Day…

Mother’s Day in Soapworld.

🧼 On the Edge Again…

I have vague memories of my mother watching this. It was never one of my staples, but gets my respect for being a classic.  

🙋🏻 Her Truth…

Inga Cadranel talks about Harmony’s end, both on and off the screen.

https://daytimeconfidential.com/2022/05/09/inga-cadranel-discusses-general-hospital-departure-and-harmonys-death

🎄 Break Time…

After the Greek prison, off-season Christmas should be a breeze.

✈️ Not Making It Nice…

Dorinda tells us who she would have liked to clip from the Girls Trip.

👗 I Get Her…

Sutton defends her fashion choices. I love her outfits. It’s like the wacky things we wore in the 80s.

🧱 Apology Tour…

While I am Team Sutton, her insensitivity was pretty shocking.

🔦 Missing Housewife…

It still doesn’t exactly explain things, but it sounds like she’s in a lose-lose situation. Will she go the way of Carlton, and be a one season Housewife?

https://screenrant.com/rhonj-why-fans-dont-resonate-traci-johnson/

https://meaww.com/where-traci-lynn-johnson-rhonj-real-housewives-new-jersey-reunion-s-12-trailer-axed-fans-say

🐕 More Famous Than You…

I’d be willing to bet these pets have more followers than all of us put together. Times one hundred.

🚚 Movin’ Out…

Whether winding up a work week or enjoying your part in the Great Resignation, stop by tomorrow for some soap, tea, words to take note of, and a musical selection. Until then, stay safe, stay taking in your local culture, and stay remembering the only real shame is in giving up.

March 22, 2022 – The Pause Is Over, Traci’s Treescape Event, Why, Not Beamed Up Yet & Late

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

In Britt’s office, Brad looks at a laptop and says, next question. I don’t care about the rules; I do what I want. Strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree. Britt says, strongly agree. How many more? This is taking forever. He tells her, have patience. When it comes to making plans, I am willing to compromise. Strongly agree… She says, somewhat agree, and he says, strongly disagree. She says, pardon? and he says, nothing. Almost there. Only 40 more questions. She says, what? and he says he’s kidding. It takes all the answers to find her perfect man.

Elizabeth sees Dante and the station, and asks if there’s been any progress on the break-in at her house. How could someone sneak a giant portrait into her house without somebody’s doorbell cam picking it up? He says, you’d think so, but they have nothing so far. She says, obviously, she’s disappointed – not surprised – but there’s been a development on her end.

Chase goes to Finn’s office, and Finn says, back again? He thought this was going to stop. Chase says, good morning to him too. Thanks for the warm welcome. Finn says he’s sorry. He thought he’d be seeing a lot less of Chase now that Brook is back in town.

Maxie finds Brook sitting outside her office, and asks if they have a meeting. She needs coffee. She was going to stop by Perks on her way there, but realized she didn’t have a free hand, and she keeps forgetting Bailey’s stroller has a cup holder. Brook says she can’t believe Maxie didn’t have coffee. It’s the first thing she does in the morning, after Miss Bailey’s bottle of course (🍷). Maxie says she brews her first cup right after she gets up. Perks is her first latte. She suggests Brook see Bailey at daycare. She’s sure Bailey misses Brook. Brook says, thanks, she will. She misses Bailey. Maxie asks how she is. She hasn’t seen Brook since she got back. Brook says she’s good.

At the MetroCourt, Portia signs a paper, and Lucy says, and that is the last one. She did it. Portia says she’s going to get carpal tunnel from signing all these documents, and Curtis thanks Lucy, saying, this was a better venue than some stuffy room in a bank. Lucy says she does aim to please, and tells them that she forgot a very important something. Stay there one minute. She leaves, and Curtis says, they’re homeowners. Portia says, they’ve got a beach house, and they kiss. Marshall walks in with Epiphany.

At the penthouse, Selena thanks Sonny for seeing her on such short notice. She didn’t want to bother him at home. There was a time she would have gone through Jason, but since he still has no second, she had no choice but to approach him directly. He says, Jason’s hard to replace. What’s on her mind? Do they have a problem?

Maxie says, Brook doesn’t have to do that, and Brook says, do what? Maxie says, pretend she’s okay. She can tell Brook’s hurting. Brook says she’s correct. Life isn’t exactly great at the moment, but how can she complain after everything Maxie went through for all those months and months? Maxie says, Brook didn’t exactly have it easy. People have been judging her and giving her grief. Brook says she’d do it all again to protect that baby girl. She’s just so grateful that Bailey is safe and Peter is finally gone. Maxie says, she’s safe because of how Brook loved and protected her; she’s not going to forget that. Brook says, don’t give her all the credit; Chase helped too. Maxie asks if Brook has seen Chase since she got back, and Brook says, he stopped by the house. Maxie asks, what was so important that he had to rush right over?

Chase tells Finn that he has a legit reason for being there, totally unrelated to Brook. He’s looking at the organizer of this year’s community softball league. Finn says, congratulations, and Chase says he volunteered. Can he put Finn down for a team? Finn says, if he must, and Chase says, and furthermore, could he get Finn to spread the word around here, and get people to sign up? Finn says, Chase might want to pick someone who’s more of a people person. He’s not the best choice to be rallying the troops. Chase says he’d talk to Elizabeth, but he figured she’d be busy with Jake, and Finn says, news on that front. Jake’s innocent; he has an alibi. Chase says, wow, what a relief. Where was he? Finn says, the library, and Chase wonders why he wouldn’t just say that in the first place. Finn says, he didn’t want his mother to know he was videoconferencing with his grandparents. Chase asks why that’s a problem, but Finn doesn’t know. All he can say is, Elizabeth is determined to keep her parents out of her life.

Epiphany looks at Curtis and Portia, and says, they look happy, and Marshall says, they do. She asks if he wants to say hello, but he says, no. He doesn’t want to be pushy. She says, he’s been pushy about getting her into his band, but he says, that suggests common sense. They could have a lot of fun playing music together. Lucy walks by with some mimosas, and Marshall wonders what they’re celebrating.

Lucy gives Portia and Curtis a mimosa, and says, here’s to their new home. Cheers. They clink glasses, and Lucy says she has to go. She really wants to get their papers filed. She hands them their keys, and says she simply has to get back to Deception or she’ll have to fire herself. Ta. Enjoy. She leaves, and Portia says she can’t wait to move in. She’s got some plans for the new house… with his agreement of course (🍷). He says he has some big plans of his own, and kisses her.

Dante says he’ll send someone over to the library, get them to check the computer logs. He’s sure they can confirm Jake’s story, but he’s relieved to hear it. Elizabeth says, her too, but now that they’ve ruled out Jake and Betsy, they’re back to square one, and she doesn’t like it that someone’s been in and out of her house, doing all these creepy things. He says, she did have that key outside that allowed access to her house, and she says she’s removed the key and changed the locks. A security system is being put in today. He says he’ll make sure a patrol car goes by the house every day too, and she thanks him. She says she’s also here on another matter. It concerns Cameron. Apparently, there’s a video going around. He says he’s aware of the video of Cam and Joss. Actually, Michael was just arrested for assaulting a tabloid reporter who asked him about it.

Selena says she and Sonny have no problem. She’s found their collaboration beneficial so far. She hopes he feels the same. He says he was surprised, since everything’s going smoothly and she asked to meet with him. What’s so urgent? She says, they used to be the Five Families calamari; now they’re two, Corinthos and Wu. Since their territories are now consolidated, it’s only natural that their business interests would overlap more than previously. He tells her, cut to the chase. What does she want? She says, use of the Port Charles harbor. Of course (🍷) he’ll get a cut of any business she does in his territory. He laughs, and says, he’ll consider that, but she’s got to play by his rules.

Brook says, Chase stopped by to drop off a few things she left at the beach house. Okay, more than a few. Maxie says, poor Chase. He seemed so lost while she was gone. Brook says she’s sure he’s missing Bailey. His suspension’s also weighing on him. Maxie says, all that is true, but she’s sure Bailey’s not the only person he’s missing. Brook says, Chase made it clear he just wants to be friends, and that’s how she wants it. She asks, where’s Lucy? Deception’s about to go public, and they haven’t even planned the party. Maxie says, she’s wrapping up some real estate business or whatever, and asks, what’s in there? indicating Brook’s notebook. Brook says, it’s just her songbook. Chase found it at the beach house. Maxie asks if she’s writing songs again, but Brook says, not exactly. She hasn’t looked at it since Nelle attacked her. She just couldn’t face it. She thought she shouldn’t write anymore since she can’t sing anymore. Maxie asks if she changed her mind, and Brook says, Chase thinks other people might want to sing them. He thinks they’re pretty good. Maxie says, oh does he? That’s very friendly of him.

Chase asks if this means the pause is over, and Finn and Elizabeth can get back together. Finn says, they haven’t talked about it yet, and Chase asks, what’s stopping them? Finn says, Elizabeth got a little spooked with all the craziness going on, and the speed with which things happened with them. It’s only been a year since she lost her husband; they’re still a family in mourning. Chase says he gets it. All those Francocentric events and sensitivities may have brought up doubts with Elizabeth. Has anything happened since the portrait? Finn says, nothing, and Chase says, maybe it’s over. Finn says, whether it is or it isn’t, he’s not giving up on his relationship with Elizabeth without a fight.

Elizabeth asks, what happens now? and Dante says, Michael will be arraigned this morning. He’ll probably make bail and have his day in court, but he’s only telling her this because she and the boys have to be careful. Smalt is a real piece of garbage, and he’s not going to let this story go. She says, this is an invasion of a very private moment; this isn’t news. It’s smut, and it was intrusive and hurtful. He agrees, but says, it’s news to them because of Josslyn’s connection to Sonny. The Corinthos name is clickbait. She has to remember, Cam and Josslyn are consenting adults now, so technically he’s allowed to go after them. She asks if the kids haven’t suffered enough. What about the person responsible? Is he going after them? He says, of course (🍷), and the PCU is also conducting their own investigation. She wonders how long that will take, and asks what else they can to do. Dante says, stay cool, don’t punch any reporters in the face. If they ask any questions, just keep walking and say no comment. Hopefully, they’ll get bored, and move on to something else soon. She says, easier said than done. Like he told her, the Corinthos name is clickbait. This becomes a story about a kingpin’s stepdaughter. He says he’s going to talk to Sonny, and tell him that he’s got to stay out of it. She says, good luck with that. No one tells Sonny what to do.

Selena asks Sonny to define his rules, and he says, no drugs, period. She says, that’s been his policy for decades. It’s not a problem for her. He says he’s going to need advance notice of all her traffic, and he’s going to need to choose the point person to facilitate the process. She asks if it won’t create more work for him, and he says, those are his terms. She says she agrees, and he says he also needs to hear 48 hours before each shipment. She says, of course (🍷). She’ll make sure there are no disruptions on her end. He says he’s counting on it. Anything else? She says, one more matter. She heard his son Michael was arrested; so vexing. Sonny says, Michael is his problem. She takes care of her family, and he’ll take care of his. She says she does, she promises. She keeps a very close eye on her family.

Brad needs a list of qualities Britt wants in a man, and she groans. She says, smart, resourceful, resilient, not too self-absorbed. Someone who’s aware that there’s a world out there bigger than him and his workout routine or his career path. He needs to be sexy, maybe a little dangerous, but someone she can rely on. Brad says, with a leather jacket and a motorcycle? and Britt says, that’s a low blow. He says, sorry. He’s sure Jason Morgan will be a hard act to follow, but he wasn’t perfect. She says, he was perfect for her, and Brad says, why don’t they try for sexy and resourceful, with a little fashion sense, and maybe loves to dance… and knows good wine… She asks if they’re still looking for her, and he says, trust him. He doesn’t want a man right now, especially with Aunt Selena circling. What he really wants is a job. So how goes it, bestie? Anything at GH?

Epiphany says, Marshall got her thinking, and she’s going to take the MCAT. He says, oh my… wonderful! He’s going to order them a round of mimosas. Curtis and Portia aren’t the only ones with something to celebrate.

Portia says she took Curtis’s advice, and stopped pushing Trina to stay away from Spencer. He says, good. He doesn’t think she has to worry about anything. Trina’s got a good head on her shoulders. He thinks she can trust Trina’s decisions. She says she does. She’s glad Trina’s learning to live life on he own. She wants that for Trina, but it’s times like these she wishes she could just knock on Trina’s bedroom door, poke her head in, ask how Trina’s day has been, and Trina would just confide in her. They’d just talk. No matter the age, parenting is hard.

Marshall asks the waitress for two mimosas with their best champagne. Curtis looks over, and smiles.

Chase says he’s rooting for Finn and Elizabeth. They make a cute couple. Finn asks if he just said cute, and Chase says he’s also impressed to see Finn go after what he wants. Way to be proactive. Finn says, now that they’re on the subject, has Chase spoken to Brook? Chase says, he and Brook are friends who went through an intense time together, and now it’s over. He’ll see her when he sees her. Finn says, it’s good they can still be friends, and Chase asks, why wouldn’t they? He’s sure they’ll be hanging out again… eventually. They’re still movie buddies, although she’s a little possessive about the popcorn. Finn says, and Chase is fine with the buddy part? and Chase says, totally. Why wouldn’t he be? It’s time he got back to living his own life.

Brook tells Maxie that friends was Chase’s word. If he wants something more, he can darn well say it. Maxie says, yeah, but does Brook want more? and Brook flashes back to Chase kissing her. She says, no. She’s not hurling herself into some awkward I’m-sorry-it’s-not-you-it’s-me situation. She’s fine with the friendzone. They really need to jump on this party. She thinks they should start without Lucy, and Sasha’s obviously not coming. Maxie says she got a text from Sasha; she’s extending her time away. Brook says, that’s surprising, when Lucy walks in, and says, they haven’t heard. Sasha and Brando got married.

Britt hands Brad some papers, and says, a list of his job options. He flips through it, and says, none of these are lab positions. She says, they’ve been over this. Terry is Co-Chief of Staff; they make hiring decisions together. There’s no way Terry would let Britt hire Brad to work in a lab, where he could tamper with test results. Given his history, the liability would be too high. She’s sorry, but that’s reality. He says, there’s reality, and then there’s – he looks at the papers – food service coordinator. She takes it and looks herself, and says, it should be food service aide. He doesn’t have the qualifications to be a coordinator. But he could be promoted.

As Selena is leaving, Dante comes to Sonny’s door. She says, Detective Falconari, and thanks Sonny for his hospitality. She leaves, and Dante laughs, saying, hospitality, huh? Selena Wu alleged head of an alleged crime family of the same name. Sonny asks if there’s a question there, and Dante says, no, there isn’t. He came to tell Sonny about Michael; he’s being arraigned today. Sonny asks if Dante can tell him what happened. Michael said he was protecting his sister, and this reporter was harassing him? Because of him and Carly, or what? Dante says, not directly, no, and Sonny asks what Dante means. Dante says, the reporter wanted a headline with the name Corinthos in it, and the reporter went after Michael because there’s a video with Joss and Cameron in it.

Epiphany tells Marshall that she just hopes she’s not fooling herself, thinking she can juggle med school with her job. Becoming a doctor is a major endeavor, and she’ll have to work while she’s in school… if she gets in. Marshall says she’ll be accepted. He bets she knows half that stuff already. How many young doctors has she trained? She says, quite a few, and laughs. He says, there you are. She’s got this. She says he should get a job as a hype man, but he says, no hype needed. He believes in her.

Portia asks how things are going with Curtis and his father these days, and he says, cautiously optimistic. Things sure are looking cozy with him and Epiphany. She says, maybe Epiphany would be good for Marshall, and he says, but would Marshall be good for Epiphany?

Epiphany tells Marshall, part of her expects people to laugh, and tell her that she’s crazy for putting herself through this rigor after all this time. He says he understands too well about not having faith in yourself. But she’s strong; strong enough to face these things. They clink glasses, and Curtis comes by. He says he hopes they’re enjoying their morning, and Marshall says, more so, now that Curtis is here. He sees Curtis and Portia are celebrating. Curtis says, they just closed on a house, and Marshall jumps up, saying, that is good news. He hugs Curtis, and says, well done. Epiphany says she’s going to offer Portia her congratulations, and tells Curtis to have a seat. Curtis says he didn’t mean to interrupt, but Epiphany says, it’s okay. She goes over to Portia, and Marshall says, Curtis didn’t interrupt. Epiphany will be back; he’s not worried about that. Curtis says, a little cocky, and Marshall says, it’s called swagger, son. Curtis says, fair enough, and Marshall says, actually, he doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing.

Epiphany tells Portia that Curtis told them about closing on the house. Congratulations. She must be excited. Portia thanks her, and says she is. She admits it’s a huge step, but it feels right, and sometimes you just have to go for it. Epiphany says she knows the feeling, and Portia asks if she’s saying she and Marshall are getting serious, but Epiphany says, no, no, no. They just enjoy spending time together. She doesn’t think either one of them is interested in anything serious.

Curtis says he’s not buying Marshall’s lack of confidence routine. Marshall is a musician. He’s quite sure Marshall has plenty of game. Marshall says he’s been a player, but he doesn’t want that for Epiphany. He likes her; he respects her. Maybe he just wants to romance her. Maybe that’s why he feels so much out of his depth. He admires what Curtis has with Portia, and wishes he could build a meaningful relationship like that too.

Maxie says, Sasha didn’t even tell them. She doesn’t know how she feels about that. Brook says she didn’t know Sasha and Brando were talking marriage. Sasha never even mentioned it. Lucy says she doesn’t know that they were, and Maxie asks why Gladys was so hellbent on stopping them. She thought Gladys and Sasha were on better terms. Gladys really stepped up when they lost little Liam. Lucy says she doesn’t think it was about Gladys not liking Sasha. It’s just that Gladys thought things were happening really fast. Maxie says, Sasha and Brando have been together for a year, and Brook says she can’t believe she’s saying this, but Gladys has a point. Sasha and Brando just lost their baby; they’re still reeling. Maxie says, right, but sometimes an intense emotional experience can really bring two people together. She trusts Brando and Sasha’s bond, and thinks their relationship will only deepen from here.

Elizabeth goes to Finn’s office, and he asks, how’s Jake? She says, somewhere between righteously indignant and mortified. She was able to convince him that she’s not angry that he wanted to communicate with his grandparents, but she’s furious with her mom and dad for encouraging him to keep secrets. What really bothers her is how upset Jake was because she thought he was behind these strange happenings. Not that she blames him. Finn tells her not to be so hard on herself, and she says she really appreciates all his help with the boys. Now there’s this thing going on with Cameron… They don’t have to talk about it right now. Finn says he wants to. Whatever they are, whatever they’ve become, he wants to be there for her. He thinks they’re stronger together. He knows he is, so he wants to be by her side whatever comes next. He needs her to know she’s not alone anymore. There’s probably times she’s going to be on her own, but it’s not the same… She says, kiss me, and he says, okay, and does.

Curtis tells Marshall, it’s like any other relationship. If he wants it to work, they have to be real with each other. Marshall asks if this is about Curtis or Epiphany, and Curtis says, both. He’s talking about Marshall and Epiphany. Let her see who he really is. Marshall says, no one wants to see that, and Curtis asks if he’s a werewolf or something. He’s serious. Instead of being who she wants him to be, show her who he really is. Marshall says he could have used that advice on one of his first dates with Curtis’s mother. He took her to a skating rink. Curtis says, mom loved to skate, and Marshall says, she did, and she was very good at it. Much better than him, but he couldn’t let her know about that. There he was, trying to be smooth, rapping to her, talking more smack than actual skating. Then her favorite song came on, and out to the rink they went. He tried to bust a move, and the next thing he knew, he was doing a James Brown split on the ice, and that split went right up the back of his pants; he busted wide open. They laugh, and Curtis says, he never knew. She never mentioned any of this. Marshall says he loved Curtis’s mother. He really did.

Britt says, what about clinical patient advocate? and Brad says he assumed that was a joke. Who would want him at a patient’s bedside? She asks if he even read the job description; it’s technical. It’s not warm and fuzzy. He’d explain lab test results. He’d guide the patient through essential versus non-essential tests and procedures. He says, wait a minute. It said that? She says, yeah, and he says, he could do that? For real? She says, he’s hired… pending Terry’s approval. He says, she’s the best, and hugs her. He says, what would he do without her? when Selena walks in, and says, interesting question.

Sonny asks, what’s this reporter’s name, and where does he find him? but Dante says, he doesn’t find anybody; he stands down. The reporter wants Sonny involved. That’s why he went after Michael in the first place. Sonny asks if Dante just wants him to sit back and do nothing when someone put a camera in his cabin, and released a video to embarrass Cameron and Josslyn? Dante better figure this out real quick, because he’s putting an end to it. Dante says, no he’s not. He’s not going to do anything. Dante’s got this. Spinelli’s already taken the video off all public sites, and searched Sonny’s cabin; there is no camera there. Sonny has to let this drop. Sonny asks, how’s Josslyn? but Dante says he hasn’t talked to Josslyn. Carly says she’s devastated, obviously. He can’t believe Michael didn’t tell Sonny. Sonny says, Michael told him that Josslyn’s not his family anymore, and Dante says, wow. So things have gotten worse, not better, between them? Sonny says he hasn’t seen Michael this angry since he went after custody of Avery. He says Sonny is choosing Nina over his family. Dante says, is he?

Elizabeth says she came in to tell Finn the exact same thing. She thinks they’re better together. He says, really? and she says, really. He says, here he thought it was his speech that changed the tide. He had more; really good stuff. She says she’d like to hear more, but he says he likes her approach better, and kisses her again.

Lucy says she thinks they should throw Brando and Sasha a Happy Wedding party as soon as they get back. Maxie says he’s all for it, but she agrees with Brook, who’s been saying all morning that they need to focus on their own party. The IPO is coming up fast, and it can’t be some cookie cutter launch party. It has to get people about Deception. She wants to make a splash. Brook votes for live music; they have a venue that can handle it. Lucy says, a string quartet is classy, but stuffy. She doesn’t want a wedding band that just plays horrible covers. Maxie says, what about an original song? and Lucy says, that would be great, but it’s awfully tight. She doesn’t think they have time to hire a composer to come up with an arrangement for them. Maxie says, what if they don’t have to do that? and Brook says she has some songs that might work. Lucy says, Brook is a songwriter? and Maxie says, she’s phenomenal. Lucy says, then who would they have to sing? She knows Brook can’t. They could get Amy, but she’s not going to have lip-syncing. Maxie says, Lucy… and Brook says she knows what she did. She was desperate after her injury, but she’s come to terms with not being able to sing anymore, because now she knows she doesn’t have to give up music altogether. She’s a songwriter.

Epiphany says she’s going to trust Portia with something she’s not ready to let out yet. She’s decided to take the MCAT. Portia says, with all her nursing experience? and Epiphany says she knows. It just doesn’t… Portia says she had no idea. Epiphany is going to be an amazing doctor. Epiphany says, she really thinks so? and Portia says, she knows so. In fact, she’d like to mentor Epiphany. She can help Epiphany study for the MCAT. Epiphany says, yes, please.

Curtis says, Marshall turned down a chance to play with Dexter Gordon to take mom to see Aunt Stella in California? Marshall says he knew how much Irene was missing her sister, and he wanted to make that happen. She said that’s what sealed the deal. She knew he really loved her, and he did. It’s been a long time since he felt anything close to that for anyone else. Curtis says, except now, with Epiphany? and Marshall says, not yet, but he feels potential. She’s strong, she’s kind, she’s resourceful. She’s straight forward, and fun. She doesn’t judge anyone. She just takes people the way they come. Curtis says, all the more reason why Marshall should be real with her. Curtis hears him. He feels the same way about Portia. He’s so excited to be taking this next step. Marshall says he’s excited for Curtis too. He’s excited to see Curtis so – he makes jazz hands – happy.

Brad says, Aunt Selena, you’re back. How did she find him? She says she was looking for Dr. Westbourne, and Britt asks what she can do for Selena. Selena says, since Brad insists on keeping her in his life, she decided to get to know Britt better. Britt says, she can start by noting Britt prefers to say, come in, before people come into her office. Selena says, noted. Is Britt free for lunch? Britt says she can’t today, and Selena says, perhaps Britt should consult her calendar, but Britt says she doesn’t have to; she knows her schedule. Brad nervously says, it might be hard to sync up. Selena is so busy, and Britt’s working all sorts of hours. He’s going to be busy soon too. Britt just offered him a job at GH. Selena says, that’s kind of Britt, but unnecessary. Her nephew’s working for her.  

Sonny says, is Dante really asking him that? and Dante says he is. What the hell is going on? He knows Michael is upset with Sonny because he cheated on Carly with Nina, but is something else happening? Sonny says he’s just trying to talk some sense into Michael about Nina seeing Wiley. He thinks everybody would be a lot happier if Nina and Michael weren’t at each other’s throats. Nina wants to go to court for visitation rights; she’s Wiley’s grandmother. That’s not going to change. He’s just trying to make sure this all goes away, so he can have his family back. Dante says, Sonny of all people should know it’s not going be that easy. Sonny asks what that’s supposed to mean, and Dante says, Sonny’s not exactly known for his ability to forgive. Where does he think Michael got it from? Sonny says he doesn’t like being at odds with Michael, and Dante says he doesn’t think Michael likes being at odds with Sonny either. He loves Sonny, but he’s angry. Dante is sure Michael would love to forgive Sonny, but it’s going to take time. It’s not going to happen overnight; Sonny has to put in the work. Sonny says he picked the wrong time to stop drinking, and I laugh, thinking of Airplane! Dante asks why Sonny stopped drinking. Is something going on? Sonny says, after Carly asked for a divorce, he started drinking more, and he was going down the wrong path. Nina wanted to help, and told him to stop drinking. Dante says, that’s good. Is Sonny saying there might be an actual future for him and Nina?

Elizabeth says she’s glad that’s settled, and Finn says, him too. The boys will be okay with them, with him. She says, how could they not be? They’ll see what a good man he is, and how happy he makes her. He says, that’s the plan. Whatever happens from here, they face it together.

Lucy taps on Brook’s notebook, and says, this one is perfect. Maxie says she loves it too, but Brook says, it’s a duet. Who would sing the male part? Chase comes to the door, and asks if he could have a moment of their time. Maxie says, look who it is. Detective Chase.

Brad says, he’s working for Selena? He thinks there’s a misunderstanding. He’s working at GH. Selena says, he should have checked with her first, and Britt asks why he would do that. Selena says she thought she and Brad had an understanding. She provides him with a job, along with his rent free apartment. He says he’d be happy to pay rent, and Selena says, he doesn’t have to. Her assistant will contact Britt about a lunch date. She leaves, and Britt asks if she should be worried Selena is going to poison her. He says, no… probably not. Just don’t let Selena take her to a second location.

Sonny says, right now he’s not planning anything with Nina, and Dante asks, then why is he pushing so hard for Nina to see Wiley? He wants his family back together. Is he including Nina in that family? Sonny says, Nina is Wiley’s grandmother, and Dante says, maybe Sonny realizes he can’t be with Nina if she can’t see Wiley. Sonny says, it’s not a choice between Nina and his family, no matter what Michael thinks. Dante says he sympathizes with Sonny, but maybe Sonny has to accept that right now, the way things stand, he can’t have both Nina and Michael in his life.

Portia dangles her set of keys, and tells Curtis, she can’t wait to start decorating. He says they’ll do a walk through later. He’s really glad things are coming together. She asks if that includes his relationship with Marshall. It looked like they were having a good talk. He says, Marshall finally opened up. He really thinks he’s getting to know his father. His phone rings, and he says, hey Drew… Okay… really… tell him when… all right. Portia says, what? and Curtis says, Drew just found some inconsistences in Marshall’s past.

Tomorrow, Drew asks if Curtis is sure he wants to know; Laura tells Nikolas, they need to close ranks; and Carly asks how Elizabeth can be so sure.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Jennifer wanted to meet with Marge. She didn’t want to fight; she’d been stressed and sad. She wanted Marge to acknowledge what she’d done, and own her part. Marge told Joe #3 that she wanted to work it out. She didn’t want to hurt Jennifer, but wanted Jennifer to take responsibility for her part. They met at a coffee shop/bakery, but of course neither one of them got any pastry, just coffee. Jennifer said, Marge had exposed her secrets. All she’d wanted to do was protect her children. She’d never faced it because it was easier to avoid it. Marge had hurt her, and she was devastated. She started crying, and Marge said she felt bad. She didn’t want to kick Jennifer when she was down. Jennifer said that’s how it felt, but Marge said she didn’t want to hurt Jennifer. She couldn’t imagine going through something like that by herself. Jennifer said she didn’t tell anyone. It was buried and they never spoke about it. Marge said she thought Jennifer would blow it off, but Jennifer said it was new for her. She hadn’t dealt with it before, and Bill was embarrassed and uncomfortable. Marge said she felt bad, but Jennifer had been sitting on it for ten years. Maybe she should talk to someone. Jennifer said, what if they went to therapy, and came to the conclusion they don’t want to be together? She was afraid of that, but Marge said they’d stayed together this long; they’d work through it. Jennifer said she wondered why he’d cheated in the first place, She was always trying for him, but he wasn’t stepping up to the plate. When she was fighting with everyone, he walked away. That bothered her more than the infidelity. The first year they were married was the toughest. They were getting to know each other. He would criticize her, and she thought she needed to do better. He needed to fight for her, say he was lucky she didn’t walk out, and that he loves her. She was angry. Marge said she understood, but Bill was still a great father and person. He was human and f***ed up. In Marge’s interview, she said, infidelity was not what breaks up a marriage. She didn’t leave Jan for Joe #3. Her marriage was already broken. She told Jennifer that Bill had to fight for the marriage too, and in her interview, she said she felt bad. Jennifer was heartbroken and she felt responsible to help her feel better. Marge said Jennifer didn’t deserve what happened, and it wasn’t her intention to hurt her, but Jennifer said Marge brought it out, but Marge didn’t do this. Jennifer was taking responsibility for her part, and realized she’d hit below the belt. We flashed back to Jennifer insulting Marge several times, and Jennifer admitted she was shady. She promised to be more conscious of her comebacks, and not do anything that really hurt someone. She didn’t want to fight, but wanted to try and make peace. Melissa appreciated her effort, but Jackie was mad at her for a rumor she didn’t start. Jackie needed to be mad at Teresa. How did she know Teresa wasn’t the one who had been digging around?

In Marge’s interview, she says, Teresa was fine with Jennifer digging around, but acted like an a-hole when questioned about her boyfriend. Marge told Jennifer that Teresa was in a love bubble, and Jennifer said Teresa was so happy. Marge asked, what about the abuse allegations? Tiki had questioned Luis about it after Bill went home. Jennifer said if she’d seen any red flags, she would have said something. Like if he lost his temper with Teresa. Marge said, what about when he told Teresa that if she didn’t stop talking, he’d leave? We flashed back to that, and Marge said she wanted everything to be good for everyone. Before they parted company, Jennifer started to cry again, and Marge said she didn’t want Jennifer to cry; she felt sick about it. The hugged it out, and Marge promised to help Jennifer through it.

Dolores and Frank went to a boutique, so Dolores could get her mother something comfortable while she was in the hospital. Frank asked how her mom was, and Dolores said she had to stay another week, but that was normal. In Dolores’s interview, she said her mom did well in surgery, but now came the bigger change to her lifestyle with diet and exercise. The first thing she’d eaten after surgery was carrot cake. She told Frank that David had been with her mom every day; he was a good man. Frank said he’d stopped by David’s office, and Dolores asked if David talked about her. Frank said, all the time, and in his interview, Frank said that David said Dolores was beautiful and fun. He liked hanging out with her, since it was like hanging out with one of the guys. He told Dolores that David ignoring her was a defense mechanism, but Dolores said she didn’t have closure. Frank said, now she had to find a boyfriend someplace else, but she said she didn’t want a boyfriend right now. He said he didn’t want her sleeping around, and she said, since when had she done that? In Frank’s interview, he said Dolores was a serial monogamist, but she needed to take her time, and not rush into the next relationship. He told her, to find the right guy, she had to think like him. She said he’d had five midlife crises, but he said he got over them quick. She said, yeah, by banging hookers.

Traci had set up a team building activity, that Tiki had used to help people work together. Jackie told Evan that it was at Treescape Adventure Park. Evan said they’d have to climb up high on ropes, close your eyes, and trust people. Jackie said she was not trusting these bitches. Teresa told Gia that they had to climb trees or something, and it didn’t sound safe. Jackie told Evan about going to the clinic, and how she’d gotten bloodwork done, and two EKGs. The clinic had recommended in-patient treatment, and Evan asked, for how long? She said she didn’t know, but she knew what she needed. In-patient treatment wasn’t necessary. In Evan’s interview, he said it sounded like she was denying reality, and Jackie said their next recommendation was three hours, three nights a week, but that wasn’t doable either. In his interview, Evan said if Jackie didn’t trust what they were telling her, and half-assed it, she wouldn’t be fully cured. Jackie said, it was nine hours a week, and Evan said she should do what they were telling her, but she said she could do therapy on her own schedule. She had four kids, and couldn’t take all that time. Evan said he thought in the long term it was worth it, and a good trade-off. Melissa and Joe #2 had salad on the patio, and Melissa said Antonia was stressing her out. She didn’t want to cheer anymore. We flashed back to Antonia telling Melissa, despite what the doctor said, she couldn’t do it. Joe said she’d told him the same thing, and Melissa said Antonia was in a rut. They needed to push her so she’d get out of her own way. In Melissa’s interview, she said, when her father passed away, she was depressed, but her mother was just as depressed. Melissa got three different jobs, and signed up for college. She had to be a self-motivator, and wanted to pull Antonia out of it. She told Joe about the team building exercise, and said it was the first time the women were getting together since the fight. She’d been pissed, but Dolores said Jennifer was going through a lot, and it was screwing with her judgement. Joe said he called it karma.

Jennifer told Bill that she’d talked to an agency, and they had a potential candidate for a live-in housekeeper. She said she’d had coffee with Marge, and it felt like Marge was remorseful. For the first time, they listened to each other. Bill asked if Jennifer felt like they’d made headway, and she said nothing was going to be mended overnight, but she didn’t want to fight. It was something she’d kept secret, and never really dealt with; she’d kept it moving. At the time, it was the best way she could cope. Now she was dealing with it, and found herself breaking down. She was disappointed that Bill hadn’t defended her, but he redeemed himself on boys night when he stuck up for her. He asked if she doubted he was there for her, and she said, sometimes he sat there, so passive. If it came around again, he should say he loves his wife, and he’s lucky she stayed with him. Bill said he didn’t want to hang with the other guys anymore, and in Jennifer’s interview, she said, Bill does what he wants, and it’s like she’s here to appease him. She gave him a pass, now she has to deal with it, because even though it was something he did, he doesn’t want to deal with it. It wasn’t fair. It’s moments like that when I’m on Jennifer’s side, but then I think of how vicious she’s been, and I’m like, um…

Marge visited Jackie, and they sat by the pool and had (low-cal) snacks. Jackie told Marge about the clinic calling, and telling her the next steps the recommended, but she couldn’t commit to in-patient care. In Marge’s interview, she said she was concerned, but didn’t want to push too hard. It hadn’t gone well in the past. Jackie said she knew what she needed, and they could up an out-patient therapist. She had to do it at her own pace or she’d drop it. She told Marge that she’d texted Dolores, but hadn’t heard back. She felt awful about what was going on with Dolores’s mom. Meanwhile, Jennifer and Teresa went to Dolores’s place. Dolores said her mom was in the ICU, since she’d retained a lot of fluid. Teresa said she preferred them being in the ICU, because they were watched constantly. Dolores said everyone was fighting over who was taking care of her mom after she got out. Her sister wanted her, but David also wanted her. In Dolores’s interview, she said, it was a nice gesture, and there were no better hands her mother could be in, but her mom wanted to stay with family or in her own house. She told the women that she saw her mother in the hospital, and it was rough afterward. David came over to her, just looked at her, and then went to the rest of her family to fill them in. She thought about getting something to calm her nerves, but wanted to feel what she was going through. It would get better. Marge told Jackie that she’d thought Jennifer was just going to brush it off, but Jennifer told her that she’d never dealt with it. She seemed wounded, sad, and apologetic. It was a secret she’d buried, and didn’t know if they could work it out. Jennifer told Dolores and Teresa that she was disappointed when Bill didn’t defend her, but he had at boys night; he’d walked out when Evan said she was a terrible person. Diplomatic Dolores said, to be fair, Jennifer had been digging for dirt. Marge told Jackie that Jennifer needed friends, and she wanted to help. In Jackie’s interview, she said she wanted to give Jennifer the benefit of the doubt, but Evan was upset by her digging, and she should apologize. Marge said Jackie had inferred that Teresa told her to do the digging, yet Teresa told Marge to be careful asking questions about Luis. Jennifer told Teresa that Tiki had been asking Luis questions, and Teresa asked if he was offended. Jennifer said, no, and Teresa wondered why Tiki was asking questions. He should just be happy for her. Jennifer said she told Marge that if she thought Teresa was in any danger, she’d say something, and Teresa said, she’d better stop asking questions. Luis doesn’t have to prove himself to no one [sic]. He was her boyfriend, and she was going to stick up for him.

At Traci’s Treescape event, instructor Jon went through the drill with her. He said, one person was up there – there were bridges made out of single logs connected vertically, from tree to tree – and one person was on the ground. That person would tell the other where to go and what to do. He gave Traci a pair of the goggles the person on the bridges would wear, and she said she couldn’t see sh*t. The others began arriving, and Traci said it was about team building and participation. Marge said she was not wilderness athletic. Should she be afraid? Traci said they’d find out. Marge told Traci and Melissa about meeting with Jennifer, and that Jennifer didn’t know if her marriage was going to last. She does all the talking, and he says nothing. In Melissa’s interview, she said she didn’t care to be friends with Jennifer, but this was serious, and she felt bad. Jennifer needed their support. Melissa said things didn’t go away if you didn’t deal with them. Marge wondered how Jackie could forgive Teresa about digging for dirt on Evan, since she’s the one who told Jennifer to do it. In Jackie’s interview, she said it was clear now that Teresa’s hand was up the puppet’s ass. And if Dolores was really Jennifer’s friend, why hadn’t she defended Jennifer? Jackie said Teresa had no problem talking about Evan, but she didn’t want them talking about Luis. Dolores told them that Teresa was coming in hot today. She was coming for Traci because Tiki had been asking questions about Luis. In Traci’s interview, she said she wasn’t her husband’s keeper, and what was wrong with asking questions if there was nothing to hide? Melissa asked to speak to Jennifer privately, and said she felt horrible about what Jennifer was going through. She didn’t wish it on anyone; it wasn’t her style. She’d only been reacting to what Jennifer had said about her family. Jennifer said she was sorry. She shouldn’t have done that, and didn’t want to fight. Melissa said she was sorry too, and if Jennifer needed to talk, she was there. Marge told Dolores that Jennifer hadn’t dealt with Bill’s affair emotionally, and Dolores said, sometimes people didn’t say anything because they didn’t want the person they were with to be resented. Teresa arrived last, bearing gift bags with her workout line in them. She said she was not in a good mood, and this was not going to be good. When the premise was explained to her, she said she could talk some people off the ledge.

Melissa said, Teresa was already threatening to throw people down, and Teresa said she wasn’t a woods person. Marge suggested bug spray, since Teresa’s lip gloss might attract them, and Teresa got offended. Job went through a safety briefing, and Teresa couldn’t stop bitching. Traci had already paired them up; Dolores with Jackie, Jennifer with Marge, and Melissa with Teresa, who would also guide Traci. Teresa suggested she guide Traci off the ledge, and in her interview, Melissa said, Teresa was like a walking misery, who wanted to come in and rain on their parade. In Teresa’s interview, she said, it was the dumbest thing ever. It wasn’t safe to be blindfolded.

Dolores said she wanted to be daring, and in Jackie’s interview, she said she and Dolores had a love/hate relationship, but hoped they could move past all of this. She didn’t want to hold a grudge or guide Dolores off a treetop like some people… Traci said Teresa had a one-track mind. She told Marge that she didn’t understand the no questions rule, and Marge said it was on Teresa’s terms. With Teresa, it wasn’t a friendship, but a dictatorship. Teresa had obviously made Jennifer call around, and should have come to Jennifer’s defense. In Jennifer’s interview, she said, maybe Teresa didn’t go to bat for her, but she enjoyed Teresa’s company. They shared old school values, and being with Teresa brought a certain comfort. Jackie guided Dolores successfully, and I have to add, Jon also walked behind the person on the bridge, so there was little chance of a tragedy. Teresa refused to guide Traci, and Jackie told Dolores that Teresa had a loud bark, but Marge was the one whose good side she wanted to be on. Teresa asked what they were talking about, and Jackie said Jennifer and Marge had made up. Teresa said the problem was, no one knew about Bill’s affair, but Jackie said, everyone knew. Teresa said Marge let the cat out of the bag, and Jackie said no one could put it back in. In Jackie’s interview, she said, after what Teresa did to her husband, she could smell the hypocrisy. Marge said, she’d owned her part, and was better for it. Teresa said Marge looked like sh*t, and Marge said, no, you, prompting Teresa to stomp over to her.

To be continued…  

🛥 I have only one thing to say about Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip, and it’s nothing I haven’t said before. All the wrong people have all the money.

🛸 Happy. Birthday. Captain…

He’s literally gone where most men haven’t gone before.

https://comicbook.com/startrek/news/william-shatner-star-trek-age-2022-birthday-march-22/

🌿 Bobbin’ Like a Robin…

Meet me tomorrow for soap and what’s going on in the OC. Until then, stay safe, stay with your feet on the ground, and stay showing people who you really are, instead of who they want you to be.

February 23, 2022 – Maxie’s Ordeal Finally Ends, No OC, Isaac’s Fave, Salty Talk, Reaction, Paternity, a Tease, Blank Slate, Sloth Fun & Mary

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Anna and Drew approach Felicia’s car, guns drawn. The car is empty, and Drew says, it looks like there’s an abandoned car with no damage. Maybe this car crashed, and the other one stopped to help? She says, or that one ran this one off the road, and he says, maybe Maxie’s running away from Peter.

On the embankment, Peter tells Maxie, he doesn’t have much time. Someone picked up his trail. Now climb back up here… Now. She tells him to hear her. She would rather die than go one more step with him. So go ahead, pull the trigger. But when he does, it’s the end of telling himself there’s one shred of goodness left in him, or that he can turn his life around. If he’s going to kill her because she doesn’t love him, admit he’s a monster. He says, she was supposed to save him. Instead, she abandoned him. This is all her fault. Felicia runs out of the woods behind Peter, and whacks him in the head with a tire iron. He tumbles down the embankment, the gun flying from his hand. Maxie goes down the stairs, and says, Peter? She picks up his gun, and tells him that she has it, but he doesn’t move. Felicia asks if he’s dead, but Maxie says she doesn’t know.

At the hospital, Austin asks if they’ve heard anything about Maxie, but Britt says, nothing yet. He says, if it ends up Maxie gets hurt because of something he’s done, he’s never going to be able to live with himself. Brook walks up with Chase, and she says, he thinks this is his fault? She should have known. What did he do now?

Sonny goes into Charlie’s, and sits at the bar. Bartender Johnny says he hates to disappoint, but Phyllis isn’t here. Sonny says he’s sorry to miss Phyllis, but he’s not here for her. He’s here for that. He points to the scotch, and says, scotch, single-malt, make it a double.

Sasha sits in Kelly’s, working, and Nina runs into Lucy outside. Lucy fans herself (with an actual fan) and says, isn’t this warm day absolutely glorious? They could have the meeting outside if they wanted to. Nina says she thinks that might be pushing it, but it’s nice not to have a coat and gloves. She suggests they go inside, saying, maybe they have air conditioning. Lucy grabs Nina’s arm, and says she really wants to talk to Nina first. Nina asks if they can talk inside; Sasha’s waiting. Lucy says, Sasha’s what she wants to talk about.

Mac is on the phone, when Robert walks into his room. Robert asks who he’s talking to, and Mac says he’s trying to reach Felicia. He should have known better than to think she’d be okay with standing on the sidelines, when Maxie’s missing with Peter. Come on, Felicia, pick up.

Felicia asks if Peter is breathing, but Maxie says she can’t tell. Felicia comes down the stairs, and takes Peter’s gun from Maxie. Anna calls to Maxie, and asks if she’s all right. She asks Felicia what she’s doing here, and Drew runs down to check Peter’s pulse. Drew says, he’s still alive, and Anna asks what Felicia is doing here. Drew says, he’s barely breathing, and Peter groans. Anna, Felicia, and Drew keep their guns on him.

Brando says, it’s good to see Sonny, and sits next to him. Sonny says, is it? and Brando asks if everything is okay. Sonny asks if Brando wants to join him in a drink, and Brando says, okay. Sonny says he was going to call Brando, but then lost track of time, but Brando says Sonny doesn’t have to check in. After everything that went down with Liam, it’s about as well as can be expected. Sonny doesn’t need to keep tabs on him. Sonny says Brando isn’t an obligation. He’s family, and family takes care of each other when times are tough. They remind you that you’re not alone. Brando says, in that case, this family thing’s a two-way street. If Sonny ever needs to talk… Sonny says he had a bad day, but Brando has a lot on his plate; losing Liam, and Sasha pulling away from him. Brando says he did make a little progress on that front. He and Sasha actually talked. Now he’s hopeful they’ll still have a future together.

A woman comes up to Sasha’s table, and says she hasn’t seen Sasha in ages. Sasha says, hi, Sienna. She tells Sienna hat she’s really been busy with work, and Sienna says, busy, huh? If Sasha needs anything… Sasha says, no thanks; she doesn’t do that anymore. Sienna says, no worries, but if Sasha ever needs a little pick-me-up to help her with all that work, Sasha’s got her number. Sasha thanks her, and Sienna goes to the counter.

Nina says, what’s wrong with Sasha? Other than the obvious, she’s grieving over the loss of her baby. Lucy says, yeah, that’s just it. This meeting she called. It’s after hours, and Sasha called her yesterday and made her pitch. She told Sasha it was really unnecessary. They can’t move ahead with the IPO until Maxie is found, so there’s really nothing new to discuss. Except maybe she should be cuddling up to Martin right now, instead of discussing new marketing strategy. Nina says, this is what she was afraid of. Sasha throwing herself into work so she doesn’t drown in grief over losing Liam.

Brook says, after everything she and Maxie did to keep Maxie’s daughter safe, Austin blows it by buddying up to Victor Cassadine? Austin says, he didn’t buddy up. He’s not buddies with that guy, and Brook has no right to judge him after everything she’s done. She lies so much, he’s surprised she and Victor aren’t buddies and BFFs. Chase suggests taking it down a notch, and Britt agrees. They’re all stressed and worried about Maxie. The two of them sniping at each other doesn’t help. Brook says, Britt’s right. Now is not the time. Austin agrees, and says, the only thing that matters is Maxie getting home safe.

Drew says, if Peter doesn’t get medical attention soon, he’s not going to make it. He realizes it’s not going to be a great loss; he’s just saying. Anna says she’ll take care of it, and steps away. Peter says, Maxie… and Drew says, you, shut up, and steps in front of the women. He tells Peter, shut up and stay still. They’re calling him an ambulance, believe it or not. Peter croaks out, Maxie, please wait.

Sonny raises his glass, and says, to things getting better for Brando. Brando clinks his beer bottle against Sonny’s glass, and thanks him. Sonny says, he knows what it’s like to lose a child, but at least Brando has Sasha to lean on. Brando says he’s trying to, but like he said, he wants to be there for Sonny too. He asks if this is about Carly, and Sonny says, this? indicating his glass. He hasn’t had a great day. He was with Carly the last part of the day, with her attorney and his attorney to hammer out a deal. They’re getting a divorce. He doesn’t want it; she wants it. She wants to cut her losses. The only thing she wants from the marriage is the house by the lake, and joint custody of Donna. He’s going to spend time with Avery at the penthouse, so they’re going to see less of each other, and Avery, all because their dad messed up. Brando says, they know Sonny loves them, and Sonny asks how Brando knows that. Brando says he’s seen Sonny with them; it’s pretty obvious. Sonny says, you should never assume the person you love knows how you feel, and drains his glass. He says, like Brando and Sasha. He’s glad they talked. What’s next? When is Brando going to see her again? Brando says, they hadn’t really talked about anything, and Sonny turns to him with a smile, and says, Brando has to change that. They’re making progress, and Brando has to show her how much he loves her.

Nina and Lucy sit with Sasha, and Nina says, she’s intrigued. What was so urgent, it couldn’t wait until tomorrow? Sasha says she knows they’re in a holding pattern with the IPO, but they have to be ready to hit the ground running once Maxie is back. Nina says, Sasha… but Sasha barrels on, saying, she has some ideas, but they’re more of a jumping off point. She hands them some folders.

Chase and Brook come into Mac’s room with Louise/Bailey, and Brook asks if anyone is up for a visit. Chase says, they tried driving her around to get her to sleep, but no dice, so they brought her here for a visit. Mac says he’s always thrilled to see his granddaughter, and introduces Robert to his great-niece Louise. Brook says, for right now, she responds to Bailey. They’re trying to call her Louise from time to time. (Here’s a suggestion. How about calling her Bailey/Louise for a while?) Robert says, look at that face; she looks just like Maxie. Brook says, she does, doesn’t she? and Chase says, speaking of which, have they heard any news? Mac says, not yet, and Brook asks, where’s Felicia? Mac says, that’s a very good question.

Peter whimpers Maxie’s name, and she asks if he’s wanting her sympathy. She strides over to him, saying, five minutes ago, he tried to kill her. All he’s done is leave a trail of destruction and broken lives. Liesl paid for his crimes; Drew lost two years of his life. Jason and Franco are dead thanks to him. It’s his turn now, and he deserves it. Peter says, please believe him. He never wanted this to happen. Drew says, he’s so wrong. Maxie is so far out of his reach; so is his child. He doesn’t get it. He survived this, and he’s going to spend the rest of his life in a cell, which Drew has to admit he finds kind of fitting. He knows Peter will have it so much better than he and Jason did, when they were in captivity, but they knew they were innocent. They had lives to come back to. Peter has nothing. He did it to himself. There’s nobody left to care about him. Nobody. Anna comes back, and says, medics are on the way, and asks if everybody is all right. Drew says, yeah, and she tells him to lead Felicia and Maxie up to the road. Felicia asks if she’s in trouble, but Anna says, no; they’ll sort it out. It was self-defense. She was saving her daughter’s life. Peter whimpers to Maxie that he’s scared, but Maxie says she’s leaving. She, Felicia, and Drew go up the stairs, and Peter says, Maxie, please. They leave, and Anna stays behind. Peter says, it’s just you and me, and Anna says, yeah. Just the two of us.

Lucy says she’s impressed, and Nina says, her too. Obviously, Sasha has been putting in a lot of hours and research. Lucy’s phone rings, and she says, it’s Marty, and asks if they’ll excusez-moi. She says she’ll be right back, and leaves. Nina says she had no idea Sasha knew so much about IPOs, but Sasha says she didn’t until recently. It’s amazing how much information you can get online. Nina says she hasn’t seen Brando around much lately. How’s he doing? Sasha says, she’s been avoiding him… but not anymore. They had a good talk. Even though seeing Brando makes her think about Liam, she knows Brando needs her, and she wants to be there for him. She loves Brando, and doesn’t want to lose him too.

Brando tells Sonny that he and Sasha grieve differently, and he doesn’t want to push her into something she’s not ready for. Sonny says he doesn’t want Brando to push her, but he has to let her know he wants to get together. It’s not good to be alone. Brando says, Sasha told him that she’s been avoiding him because she can’t look at him without being reminded of Liam. Sonny says, they need a change of scenery. Brando’s got to take her out of town, someplace romantic, and let her know how great they are together. He’s got a place in Niagara Falls; he’ll hook Brando up. Brando says, he likes the sound of that, but Sasha might not be feeling romantic. Sonny says, if Brando thinks she’s slipping away, he has to keep her close, because time apart is not good for anyone. Brando can trust him on that.

Peter asks if Anna is staying with him to gloat, but she says he’s her responsibility. She protected him when she believed that he could change. He says she’s always been so soft-hearted, and she says she does try to find the good in people – she crouches down next to him – even though some people don’t have any good in them. They embrace their evil tendencies until it controls them. He’s so like his father. Obsessed, entitled, convinced that he can just take whatever he wants. While he’s still alive, Maxie and Louise can never truly feel safe. He says she didn’t call the ambulance, did she? and she says, no, there’s no ambulance coming. She did, however, call the WSB to tell them that he’d been apprehended. She made it clear that the location wasn’t secure, and they shouldn’t approach. He says, so, a killer in the end, but she says, it depends on your perspective. He says, so now what? She walks away and leaves him to die? She says, no one deserves to die alone, not even him. She does hope wherever he winds up, he finds some measure of peace. He lifts his hand as much as he can, and she takes it. He breathes his last, and she cries a little, and says she’s sorry. She closes his eyes, and checks his pulse. She cries a little more, and says, it’s over. Goodbye, Peter. She goes up the stairs, and Peter lies in the snow.

Brook asks Chase, can you believe it? All that driving around, and she’s still awake. Mac’s phone rings, and he says, it’s Felicia. He asks if she’s all right, and she says she’s fine, and much more important, she found Maxie. She’s fine. He says, thank God, and Brook says, what does that mean? Did she find Maxie? Mac says he’s going to put Felicia on speaker. Brook’s here and so is Robert. Can she repeat what she just said? Felicia says, she found Maxie, and they’re both fine. Someone wants to say hello. She gives the phone to Maxie, who asks, how’s Louise? Mac says, she’s three feet away from him in her stroller. He holds out the phone, and says, look, Brook and Chase are here. Brook says she’s so glad Maxie is okay, and Chase says, her daughter is safe and sound, and she’s going to be thrilled to see her. Robert says, this is great news, but he has to ask the big question. What happened to Peter? Chase says, please don’t tell him Peter got away again, but Maxie says, for once, Peter did not get away. Mac asks what that means, and Maxie says, Peter was about to shoot her, and mom attacked him with a tire iron. Mac says, that bastard didn’t hurt her, but she says she’s fine. Anna is with him. She called an ambulance and they’re waiting to go to the hospital. Robert says, she means he’s still alive? and Maxie says, for now. He’s badly injured, and might not make it.

Sonny looks at Carly’s name in his phone contacts, and says, bad idea. He tells Johnny, another one, and Johnny says, got it.

Brando comes into Kelly’s, and approaches Sasha’s table. He says, sorry to interrupt. He sees they’re having a work meeting. Nina says, Sasha wanted to talk about some issues tonight, and Sasha says, they were just wrapping things up. Lucy says, we were? We were… just wrapping things up. Good to see him. What a good meeting; they got a lot done, didn’t they? Okay, ta. She leaves, and Nina says she’s going too. She tells Sasha to call if she needs to talk, and says, it’s nice to see Brando. She leaves, and he sits down. He says he can really clear a room, and Sasha says she’s happy to see him. He says, good. It gives him some hope… that she’ll agree to run away with him.

Drew says Felicia and Maxie have to take him through what happened. How did they find each other? Maxie says, it’s all thanks to her mom. She remembered a place Peter loved, a place he was sent in his summers away from boarding school. She caught a plane to Europe to check it out. Felicia says, meanwhile, Maxie ran away from Peter. She made it to the road and flagged down a car. Maxie says she was obviously surprised to find the driver was her mom, and Felicia says, they headed to the Autobahn, when suddenly she saw headlights in the rearview mirror. They were getting closer and closer. Drew says, Peter, and Felicia says, he ran her car off the road. Maxie says she thought her mom was hurt, and wanted to lead Peter away from her, so she went to the embankment. Felicia says, she wasn’t hurt. She just had the wind knocked out of her from the airbag. But once she caught her breath, she grabbed a tire iron from the trunk. She went down to the embankment, heard gunfire, and there was Peter, ready to shoot her daughter, and she did not hesitate for one second. She swung that tire iron as hard as she could. She doesn’t think she’s ever hit anything as hard in her entire life. Peter went down the embankment, and Drew knows the rest. Anna comes out of the woods, and asks if everything is all right. Maxie says, the ambulance hasn’t gotten here yet. What’s going on with Peter? Anna puts her hands on Maxie’s shoulders, and says, Peter is dead. Maxie asks if she’s sure, and Anna says she watched him take his last breath. She holds Maxie, and I wonder if Peter is going to be like Michael Myers and disappear.

Brook tells Britt, Austin, and Obrecht, good news. They found Maxie; they’re all safe. Austin says, that’s great, and Brook says, it sounds like Peter put Maxie through quite the ordeal, but the most important thing is, she’s not hurt. Britt asks, what about Peter? Is he in custody? Chase joins them, and says, after Brook left, they got word. Peter August is dead. Britt asks if he’s sure; they’ve heard this before. He says, Anna confirmed it to Mac, and Brook says, thank God it’s over. Obrecht says, this calls for a celebration. Does Britt have any libations in her office? Britt says, the bottom left in the credenza, and Obrecht jets.

Sasha asks Brando, run away together; what does that mean? He says, Sonny knows a place in Niagara Falls, and offered it to them if they wanted to get away for a few days. Just the two of them. If that’s too much, they could maybe get a B&B in Beecher’s Corners. They don’t have to talk about Liam. He just misses them, and was hoping they could reconnect, going someplace new where they don’t have any memories. They could just focus on the here now, rather than the past. She says, let’s do it, and he says, that’s fantastic. Which option interests her most, the grand majesty of Niagara Falls, or a cozy B&B? She asks if he has a preference, but he says he’s thrilled either way. She spaces out for a moment, and he says, Sasha? She says, let’s go to Niagara Falls.

Sonny makes a call, and gets Nina’s voicemail. He says, it’s me. Does that mean Sonny or Mike? Sonny’s not doing too good these days, so Mike might be a better option for her. He knows how much she loves Mike. Damn. He’s being stupid right now. It’s him, good or bad, and it’s not really good right now. He’s at Charlie’s. Where is she? He just needs to talk to somebody, and they always had nice talks. He just wants to say… He looks at the phone, and says he doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing.

On the phone, Robert says, she was there at the end, right? and Anna says she did what she had to do. He says, that guy’s plagued this town for far too long, and she says she’s got to go. She’s got to call Valentin and break the news to him. Robert says, if she really must. Obrecht comes by with a bottle and some cups, and he asks what she wants. She says he must have heard, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and he says, they both despise Peter. She asks if he wants to join her celebration, and he takes a cup.

Austin says, Britt shared her feelings about Peter with him, all the things he’s done, but he’s still her brother. So, checking in. Is she doing okay? She says, Peter made her life hell, just like he did everyone else, and honestly, what she’s feeling most is relief. Relief in knowing her father’s demented bloodline dies with Peter. He says, no kids for her then, huh?

Felicia asks if she can talk to Anna for a second. She knows Anna well enough to recognize when she’s holding something back. Anna says, she didn’t call the ambulance. She needed to know he was dead. It’s unlikely he wouldn’t have survived even if they got here in time, but she hopes Felicia understands. Felicia says she hopes Anna knows that she 100% thinks she did the right thing. Anna says she doesn’t know if it was right, but it was necessary. Felicia says, at one point, Anna cared about Peter; they all did. Does she regret his death now? Anna says, what she thinks she regrets is that she couldn’t figure out a way to stop him sooner. She thinks the Peter she cared for, that at one time she believed was her son, never really existed. Felicia says, he hurt too many people, and too many people are dead because of him. But now, because of Anna – Anna says, us – this nightmare is finally over.

Chase gets a bag of chips from the vending machine, and gives them to Brook. She thanks him, and says she’s so relieved Maxie is okay, she didn’t realize she hadn’t eaten all day. She’s starving. She tells him to take some; he’s probably hungry too. They eat, and he says, it’s good seeing her this happy. She says she’s ecstatic. Peter’s finally gone. Maxie can finally tell the whole world Bailey is her daughter. He says, it’s going to be hard for her to let Bailey go, and she says, when she gave Bailey to Felicia, she was a wreck. It’s going to be hard not to see that beautiful little face every day, but that was the whole point, to keep Bailey safe. Now Maxie can raise her daughter without being concerned Peter will take her away. How can she not be happy about that? He says, part of the reason this whole scheme worked is that people thought the worst of Brook; that she’d lie about her baby’s paternity to get her stock back. He can’t wait for people to know the truth, and see what a noble gesture it really was. She asks what that look is for, and he says, she’s really incredible. She says, he had a lot to do with this scheme too, and he says he knows. They made a good team. He kisses her, and she drops the chips.

Anna says, Dante’s already at the airport, so they can meet him there, and Felicia says, that’s it? There isn’t going to be any police investigation? Anna says, the Bureau has agreed to be a liaison with the Swiss authorities, so they can give their statements on the plane. Maxie says, they’re going home? It’s really over? Anna says, she knows in the past, Peter has survived and haunted them again, but he didn’t make it this time. So let’s go. The cars are here and ready to take them to the airport. Maxie says, when she and Brook made this plan, to hide Louise in plain sight, she could only imagine this moment. She can’t believe this is happening. She cries happy tears, and says, they’re finally safe. Felicia says, she can bring Louise home, and she can finally meet Georgie and James. They hug, and Maxie says she can’t believe this is happening. Felicia mouths thank you to Anna, and Anna smiles at Drew.

Robert says, so Henrik Faison is finally dead, and Mac says, and Felicia’s the one who took him out. Robert says, because he was trying to shoot Maxie, and Mac says, she’d do anything to protect her daughter. Robert says, still. He didn’t see this one coming. Mac says, him either, and tells Louise, you know what means? Her mom will be home soon.

Britt says, kids aren’t part of her future, and Austin says, you never know. She says she’s pretty sure, and tells him, he knows what this means. Maxie might be back in Port Charles tomorrow. He says, looks that way, and she says, the threat of Peter is finally over. He says, Maxie can finally be a mother to Louise, and Britt says, Maxie can go back to her life. He says he’s not sure what she means, and she says, disingenuous is not a good look for him. What’s going to happen when he sees Maxie again?

Brook says, that’s one way to celebrate good news, and Chase says, in a good way, right? She says, look at the mess she made, and starts picking up the chips. He says, let him help, and she says, it’s been quite the day. He says, they should probably get Bailey home, and she says, she’s glad Maxie’s going to be okay. Still, it’s going to be their last night as Bailey’s parents.

Brando and Sasha leave Kelly’s, and he says he’s so glad Sonny suggested Niagara Falls. It’s going to be really good for them to get away; just him and her. She kisses him, and says, she’s never been; it’s supposed to be spectacular. He asks her to text him when she gets home so he knows she’s safe. She says she will, and he leaves. She debates internally for a millisecond, and goes back inside Kelly’s. She sits next to Sienna at the counter, and Sienna says, she thought Sasha left. Sasha says, she changed her mind about what Sienna offered earlier. She definitely needs something to get her through the next few days.

Sonny gets off the barstool, and Johnny asks if he can call Sonny a car, but Sonny says he’s fine. Johnny goes back to work, and Sonny takes out his keys. He says, it’s not that far; he can drive. Nina comes in, and he smiles at her.

Tomorrow, Nina tells Sonny, they have to stop meeting like this; Maxie says it’s her turn to do something for Brook; Anna tells Robert, it’s not something she’s proud of; and Carly asks if Ava really wants to test the flavor of the month against her.

❗️ Surprise! No new RHOC tonight. They had last week’s episodes with bonus scenes, or what I call a cheap show. I definitely felt ripped off, since I’d just seen all that. The only thing of any value was Emily talking about her sister, since I didn’t know she had one.

🛥 On Watch What Happens Live, Isaac Mizrahi said Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip was the best show he’d ever watched in his life. Clearly, he needs a Netflix subscription.

🧂 Extra Salt…

The RHOSL recap.

The denial.

The blame game.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1320381/lisa-barlow-storms-off-set-after-slamming-rhoslc-producers-in-season-2-reunion-trailer

Maybe she can get time served for being on the show.

https://www.distractify.com/p/jen-shah-jail-time

🍤 Warning, Warning…

I remember Bethenny having a severe fish allergy. She gives some simple, but good advice here.

https://people.com/health/bethenny-frankel-had-medical-emergency-accidentally-eating-fish/

🍼 He Manned Up…

Here was a boatmance that never should have happened.

⛵️ Can’t See It…

Kate and Ben had a love/hate relationship too, but them I can see. I don’t know what to make of these two.

💃🏽 Not Much To Know…

An article on DWTS loaded with no information whatsoever.

https://parade.com/1339394/mikebloom/dancing-with-the-stars-2022-season-31/

🦥 On a Slow Note…

Something to make you smile.

🚪 Sneaking Out the Back Door…

I guess it must be President’s Week, since Bravo has nothing new tomorrow either. Although an episode of Galley Talk (always fun!) can be seen at 8 pm, followed by America’s Got Talent: Extreme, whatever the hell that is. I can only imagine. If you’re so inclined, you can join me tomorrow for soap and whatever the hell I can dig up. Until then, stay safe, stay knowing the difference between being honest and being mean, and stay never assuming the person you love knows how you feel.

February 8, 2022 – Peter Teaches Victor Economics, Dolores Has a Housewarming Party, Ultimate Ramona, Oscar Talk & Umi

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

On the phone at the hospital, Sam says, give Scout a big hug and kiss… Okay, just a hug, but make it two… Yes, one for her, and one from – Drew walks in – dad.

Chase says, there’s nothing to be gained by keeping this a secret anymore, and Ned asks what he’s talking about. Maxie says, Chase is right; it’s time. It’s the only way they’re going to find Louise. Anna says she means Bailey, but Maxie says, no. Bailey is Louise. Bailey is her daughter. Ned says maybe Maxie should sit down, and he’ll get her a glass of water. Maxie says she doesn’t need water; she’s fine. He says, she doesn’t need to be brave for them. She’s been through hell. Peter’s lies, his crimes, losing her daughter. Now her father’s in the hospital. It’s enough to break the strongest of them. Brook says, Maxie’s as strong as they come.

Deanna comes out of Mac’s room, and Felicia and Robert ask how he is. Deanna says, Mac is resting comfortably. Felicia says, that’s good news, right? and Robert says, of course (🍷) it is. Felicia asks if they can see him, but Deanna says, not yet; he’s still in recovery. She says she’s sorry, and jets, and Robert tells Felicia, he’s getting the best possible care here. Mac’s got them, and another good reason to hate Peter August. She says, that grudge alone is enough to light a fire under Mac. He’ll be out of GH in no time. Robert says, yeah, and they look through the window at Mac.

Peter says, he needs Victor to make arrangements to get him and Louise out of Port Charles, and Victor asks, what’s in it for him? Peter says, he’s going to make Victor a very contented man. He’s going to unearth the buried secrets of Drew Cain. Victor says, Peter’s been saying this for how long now? and Peter says, Victor’s perseverance is about to pay off. All he asks in exchange is for safe passage for him and his daughter out of Port Charles. Victor says, Peter’s requests continue to multiply, and Peter says, that’s economics; he controls the demand, and Victor controls the supply, and Victor knows he has to deal with Peter. So tell him, what’s it going to be?

Carly follows the white rose petal path to the stateroom. She opens the door, and is surprised to see Sonny in bed with Nina. Sonny and Nina are just as surprised to see her.

Felicia asks Deanna if they can see Mac, and Deanna says, they can go in now, but only one visitor at a time. Robert tells Felicia to do it. Mac might see him and have a heart attack. She thanks Robert, hugs him, and goes into Mac’s room, where he’s hooked up to a ventilator, among other things.

In the hallway, Laura touches Robert’s shoulder, and hugs him when he turns around.

Felicia takes Mac’s hand, and asks if he can feel it. She’s not letting go. Robert’s here. Robin’s trying to get a flight out. She told Robin that she was wasting her time. By the time she gets here, he’ll be back in action. He made an honest woman out of her. She’s damned if she’ll start lying for him now.

Ned says he doesn’t doubt Maxie’s strength, but she can’t go around saying Bailey is her daughter. That’s… Brook says, the truth. Bailey isn’t Bailey. Bailey is Louise. He says, no, Maxie’s daughter was lost in the woods, but Maxie says, that wasn’t the plan. Bobbie was supposed to help her give birth in Beecher’s Corners, far away from Peter, giving her plenty of time to say goodbye to Louise before she left with Brook. Brook asks if Maxie wants her to tell the rest, but Maxie says she can do it. She was supposed to come home and say she lost her baby, and never see her again until Peter was in prison and Louise was safe. Then she would come home. Anna says, but her plan never came off, and Dante says, because Peter had his own plan to kidnap Maxie. Brook says, they improvised. It worked for a while. They thought they got the better of Peter. Chase says, but he got Louise anyway.

Peter says, if Victor won’t step up and make arrangements, he’ll secure his own departure. Victor says, without his help, Peter will be recaptured, and Peter says, perhaps, but then DA Scorpio might want to cut a deal with him based on his knowledge of Victor’s interest in Drew. Victor says, meet him at Pier 55, which is apparently the only pier anyone ever meets at. He’ll make sure Peter gets out of Port Charles undetected. Peter says, smart choice, and Victor tells Yohan, fuel is precious. Peter August is just wasted carbon. He’s just outlived his usefulness.

Peter asks what Louise thinks. Can they trust old Victor? He has proved treacherous, and will prove so again and again, given the chance. So, they’re not going to give him one.

Carly says she knew it, and Sonny says she’s got to listen to him. She says, he’s a liar, and he says, Kristina told him that she wasn’t showing up. She says, Peter August escaped, Dante was hurt, Mac was shot, and she thought he’d want to know. She walks off, and Nina says she didn’t mean for that to happen. Sonny says he knows, and starts getting dressed. Nina says she’s sorry, and he says, so is he.

Carly goes out to the deck, and sees the ring set sitting on the railing. She opens the box, and looks at the rings.

Nina hands Sonny his watch, and he thanks her. He says, listen… but she says, there’s nothing to say. He says, there’s plenty. He’s got to see this through. She says, of course (🍷), and he leaves.

Carly flashes back to when she and Sonny were practically children, and he tells her that she complicated his life. She makes him laugh, and she’s strong; she’s his heart. He’s asking her to marry him. He wants to spend the rest of his life with her. In the present, she looks at the rings in her palm, and Sonny comes out.

At the hospital, Sam asks if Drew heard, and he says, about Peter’s escape? Yeah. Anna called him. How’s Dante? She says, his injuries weren’t that serious, thank goodness, and he asks if she’s okay. She says, nothing that Peter’s corpse won’t fix, and he says he’ll see what he can do about that. She tells him, don’t take any chances, and he says he was separated from his daughter for two long years. He’s not about to risk losing her again. She says, but? and he says, if he has the opportunity to take Peter down, he’s going to take it, but only if it’s a sure bet. He has a second chance at the life he once had. There’s no way he’s letting it go now.

On the phone, Doc says, he’s on his way… He loves her too. Charlotte asks if that was about her father, but he says, he’s sorry. Laura doesn’t have any news about him yet. She says, he always calls her. She doesn’t know why he didn’t. Doc says, they can talk to Dante about that. Why doesn’t she get her coat, and they’ll go to the hospital? She says she’d rather stay here in case her father comes to pick her up. She texted him that she’s staying with Doc and her grandmother. She’s old enough to stay by herself, and Esme will be there soon. She won’t be alone for long, and Doc’s doorman won’t let anyone through. He tells her, all right, but she doesn’t set foot outside unless she hears from him or her grandmother. Understood? She says, yes, sir. She’ll order pizza. She’s not going anywhere until she sees her father.

Laura tells Robert, the good news is, Dante has taken over the PCPD, and the manhunt is well on its way. Unfortunately, he’s had to divide his resources. Robert asks, what’s happened? and she says, Ned Quartermaine’s granddaughter Bailey has been kidnapped. He says, it’s probably by Peter. The manhunt finds him, they’ll find the child. She asks why Peter would want Bailey, and he says, because Bailey is Peter and Maxie’s daughter Louise.

Maxie says, she knows that this is a lot to process, and she’s sorry she deceived all of them, but Peter stole her daughter. Anna hugs her, and Dante comes back. Anna asks what they have, and he says, the perp, Peter, got in through the breezeway and in through the kitchen. Anna asks if Brook or Chase were present, and Chase says, they were, but they were out on the patio. They didn’t hear a thing. Otherwise, Peter would be in custody. Brook tells Maxie that she’s so sorry, but Maxie says, it’s not her fault Peter escaped. They have to focus on Louise right now. Chase says, Maxie is right, and tells Brook not to spend another second blaming herself. He asks Dante where they are in the search, and Dante says they’re searching the beach, and going door-to-door, talking to neighbors. Chase says, have them check his car. Peter took his car seat, and it will confirm Peter is the perp. Maxie says, they don’t need confirmation. Peter took Louise, and they need to find him. Anna says, they have to allow the police to be thorough. Peter might have left evidence that will help to pick up his trail. Dante says, they have to go by the book. Otherwise, he gets off on a technicality. Maxie says, that could take forever, and Anna says, there’s a faster way for them to find him – Maxie.

Sonny says he waited for Carly, and she laughs. She says, she went to the hospital to make sure his son wasn’t dead. He’s okay, by the way. Sonny says, Kristina told him that Carly wasn’t coming, that she couldn’t do it, and she says, so he jumped in bed with Nina? He says, if she felt they could fix things between them, why didn’t she come hours ago? and she asks, how can she fix her marriage when there are three people in it? He tells her, leave Nina out of it, and she says, he didn’t. Now, every time she closes her eyes, she sees him in bed with Nina. How many times has this happened? He says, not once, and she asks, how many times did he want it to happen? He says, maybe as many times as she wanted it to happen with Jason. Oh snap! She says, he’s making this about Jason? He says, that’s not what he meant, and she tells him, he said what he meant. He’s been holding onto that for months, waiting to throw it in her face. Nice way to deflect from him cheating on her with that bitch. He says, maybe he was holding onto it because there’s some truth to it. She says, Jason is dead, and Sonny says, and she still loves him. She says, he was her best friend. He saved her life while Nina played Sonny like a marionette in her land of make believe. Yes, she loved him. He says, and she wants him back, and she says, doesn’t he? He says, Carly wants Jason back because she wants to be with him. She’s been hoping for this to happen. She says she can’t believe this, and he says, she’s been stringing him along, giving him hope. All he was doing is showing her how much he loves her, and how he didn’t want to lose her. He wanted to save their marriage. She says, he never held Nina accountable for hurting their family. Not once. He says, so now this marriage is going to blow up in his face because she finds an excuse. She asks if he thinks she wants to destroy their family, and she’s using this as an excuse, but he says, no. He thinks she’s using it as an excuse to wallow in her misery, and pine for Jason’s ghost. She says, Jason didn’t cheat on her; he did. He can rewrite this story any way he wants, but the ending is the same. They are over, and this is on him.  

Drew tells Sam, he hereby promises not to engage in any unnecessary risk. She can hold him to it. She says she will, and he says, she’ll keep him honest. Speaking of honesty, does she have a minute to talk? She says, actually, she wanted to talk to him about something too, and suggests they go somewhere more private. Drew says, as much as he wants to, he’s not 100% sure he can wait long enough to relocate. She says, sounds serious, and he says he’s afraid so. It’s about them. She says, actually, she was about to say the same thing.

Maxie says she’s trying to rack her brain, and think of all the moments she spent with Peter in all the years she wasted with him; think of something that could lead to him. But if she knew something, she would tell them. Anna says, Maxie can use them as fresh eyes in the situation she’s been dealing for close to a year. Just start simple. Bobbie was supposed to help her deliver Louise. Who else knew about the plan? Bobbie, Brook… Chase says he only just found out, and Brook says, he put the pieces together just as Valentin was learning Bailey wasn’t his daughter. Maxie says, Britt knew. She was supposed to help deliver Louise, but then she went on the run with Jason, and dropped out of that plan, but Maxie never told her that Bailey was Louise. Dante says, anyone else? and Brook says, Nina, but Maxie says, Nina would have taken that secret to the grave. Anna suggests they go back to GH and check on Maxie’s dad. They can do more brainstorming in the car. Brook tells Maxie, this is our girl’s lovey, handing her a blankie toy. She says, when Maxie finds her, she’ll want this.  

Outside, Dante says, Peter found out recently, and Anna says, someone else knew Bailey is Louise. And whoever that person is, if they find them, he or she will lead them to Peter.

Victor asks if it’s done, and Yohan says, the escape routes have been cut off. Peter won’t be leaving here. Victor says, Peter has a talent for escape. Tell the men, there must be no mistakes. Either Victor gets his way or Peter August dies. Correction. He gets his way and Peter August dies.

On the phone, Charlotte asks if Nina has heard from her papa, but Nina says she didn’t know he was missing. Charlotte says, when he goes away, he always tells her. He checks in. He’s been gone two days, and she didn’t know who else to call. Nina says she’s sure Anna can help with that, when there’s a knock at the door. Charlotte says, her pizza just arrived, and Nina says, she’ll check in with Anna, and call Charlotte back. Enjoy her pizza. Charlotte opens the door, and Peter is standing there. He says, hello, Charlotte. He brought her pizza. She tries to close the door, but he sticks his foot in it. He goes inside, and we see the real delivery guy on the floor in the hallway.

Felicia says, Mac is going to keep her hanging. Isn’t that his way? She flashes back to when they were also practically children, and she tells him that she wants to marry him and spend the rest of her life with him. She thinks they belong together. Please say he loves her and wants to marry her. He says he believes she loves him; maybe for the first time. For the record, he’d be honored to marry her. In the present, she says, the honor’s been all mine, partner, and puts her head on his chest.

Doc joins Laura and Robert, and asks, how’s Mac? Robert says, still unconscious, and Laura asks if Charlotte is all right. Doc says, she’s worried about Valentin, and Laura says, of course (🍷). It’s not like him to be away this long without getting in touch with her. Doc asks if he can see Mac, and Robert says, Felicia is in with him, and they’re only allowing one visitor in at a time. But, he is a doctor. Doc says he’s not above pulling rank, if the DA backs him up. Robert says, deal, and wanders off. Doc gives Laura a kiss and a hug, and goes into Mac’s room.

Peter meets Victor, who asks, where’s his daughter? Peter says, Louise is his concern. Has Victor done what he asked? Victor says, he’s arranged for Peter’s final withdrawal from Port Charles, and Peter says, lead the way. Victor says, just as soon as Peter holds up his end of the bargain, and Peter says, as soon as Victor gets him and Louise out of here, he’ll tell Victor everything he wants to know about Drew. Victor says, let him remind Peter, terms are set by the party in control, but Peter says, Victor is wrong if he thinks he has any say. Perhaps he’ll take his chances and Drew’s secrets elsewhere. He turns to leave, but Yohan blocks his path. Victor tells him, careful. One more step, and he’s a dead man.

Ned says he needs to speak to Brook alone, but Chase says, with all due respect, he’d like to stay. Brook says, she’ll be fine; just don’t go too far. He leaves, and Ned says, Chase really put himself on the line for Brook. She says, Detective Chase is a glutton for punishment, and he says, so is she. She opened herself up to all kinds of major repercussions. There may be real hell to pay for passing Maxie’s daughter off as her own. She says, it’s a small price considering, and he says, Peter’s still out there. Everyone involved is in Maxie’s scheme is in danger. She says, and Bailey’s gone, and he says, but there never was a Bailey, was there?

Drew says he thought he had this all figured out. They were done. Sam was with Jason, and he was fine with that, because the most important thing was knowing she and Scout were happy and safe. He made peace, and moved on, but then he got thrown into a cell for two years, and had no idea if he was going to get out. The one thing that kept him going was the hope that he’d see his family again. He’d see Scout, Monica, and all the crazy Quartermaines. He’d see Sonny and Carly, and Sam. She’s his family. She says he’s her family too, and he says, that leads him to the thing that’s been bugging him a little. What kind of family are they?

Nina comes into the hospital, and tells Sam that she heard about Peter’s escape. Mac was shot, and Dante was knocked out? Are they okay? Sam says, Mac is out of surgery. Dante went through a bunch of tests, but they said he’s going to be fine. Nina says, thank God. Sam must have been a wreck. Sam says she didn’t realize she was holding her breath until they got the good news, and Nina says, Sam must have been scared, given how much she cares for Dante, and Sam says, of course (🍷). She loves him.

Sonny says, so that’s it? Carly is going to walk? She says, he walked, but he says he’s been doing everything he can to save their marriage. She says, that’s why she came tonight, and he says, let’s talk then, but she says, hell no. There’s no reason to talk. He says, there’s a reason; Avery and Donna. She says, he didn’t give a damn about Avery and Donna five minutes ago. She’s not going to hang their marriage on them, so they can watch her and Sonny hate each other and fight, and destroy each other. She won’t do it. He says he doesn’t hate her; he misses her. She says, he missed Nina, but he says, no. She says, be honest, and he says, let’s make this about him and Carly. She always has to pick a bad guy. She says she didn’t have to look far. She was laying in bed next to Sonny twenty minutes ago. He says, that was a mistake; he wishes it didn’t happen. She says, like he wishes Nixon Falls didn’t happen? and he says, those are feelings he doesn’t want to have. He didn’t seek to have these feelings. He can’t just wish them out of existence. It’s going to take time. She says, okay, so he wants her to give him the time he refused to give her. She gets having feelings you don’t want to, because after seeing him in bed with Nina, she has plenty thanks to him.

Brook tells Ned, it’s true. She was never pregnant. For a second, she thought she might be, but she was wrong. He says she had him going, and she says, if she couldn’t convince him, how could she convince Valentin? She had to get her ELQ shares back. He says, she made him believe he was a grandfather, just to get those damn shares, and she says she didn’t do it for the shares; she did it for him, to fix their relationship. Then Valentin made it clear that he wasn’t going to hand over the shares without the baby. That’s when she learned about Maxie’s situation with Peter. He says, then she realized she and Maxie could help each other, and she says, and it worked… until it didn’t. He says, the charade went on too long, and she says, they didn’t know if Peter was dead or alive. Maxie didn’t want to take a chance that Peter would return, which he did. It was a total nightmare. She lost the shares, now Bailey is gone, and now him… She’s sorry she failed him again. He must hate her. He says he could never hate her, and she says, disappointed and embarrassed. He says, he fell in love with his granddaughter, and now he doesn’t have one. He never did. He won’t lie. He’s disappointed and hurt, and a few other things, but – he takes her hand – he’s also proud of her. Prouder than he’s ever been.

Nina tells Sam that she’s going to see if she can get an update on Mac. and leaves. Sam asks if Drew wanted to finish their conversation, and he promises it won’t take more than a minute. He just wanted to say if things between them felt confused or undefined since he’s been back, that’s on him. Don’t get him wrong. He’s thrilled to be home, but after all the euphoria wound down and the reunions were over, he wanted to snap back into his old life, only to find everybody else had moved on. He was grasping at something familiar, except she’s out of reach.

Anna tells Maxie, they’ll go straight up and see Mac. Dante sees Drew and Sam, and says he’ll catch up with them, and Anna and Maxie get in the elevator. Drew tells Sam that he’s so sorry if he muddied her relationship with Dante, because he’s so happy for her and for Dante. That’s what he wanted to say. She thanks him, and says, he still is family… isn’t he? He says she can count on that, and goes over to Dante. He asks if Dante is good, and Dante says, he is, thanks. Drew tells him, keep it that way. Sam needs him. Drew leaves, and Dante goes over to Sam.

Sonny tells Carly that he doesn’t want the marriage to be over. They can start over. He got some rings. One to replace the one he lost, and one… She says, those rings aren’t going to change anything, and he says, it was a mistake. She says, was it? Or was it something he wanted ever since he came back from Nixon Falls? He says, when he came back from Nixon Falls, he wanted her. He loves her and needs her. She tells him, save it for Nina, but he says he wants her. She says, he wants them both, and no amount of time is going to change that. He can’t have them both, and he can’t make a choice, so she’s making a choice. She’s choosing herself. Goodbye. She leaves, and once again, Sonny is alone on the Haunted Star.

Maxie asks if there’s any update on Mac, but Laura says, he hasn’t regained consciousness yet, but Robert, Doc, and Maxie’s mom are in there. Maxie hopes there’s room for one more, and goes in. Anna says, thank God Laura is here. She has a thought about Peter, and wants to run it by her. Laura says, of course (🍷), and Anna says she wants to bring Dante into the conversation; he’s downstairs. Laura says she’s just going to tell Doc that she’s stepping away.

Sonny looks at the inscription on the ring, until the end, and flashes back to (maybe) the first time he married Carly. She says, she’ll always love him, even though it’s not always easy, and even though she wants to stop loving him sometimes. God knows she’s tried, but she can’t. He’s it for her. He was from the beginning and will be until the end. Back on the yacht, Sonny puts the rings in the palm of his hand, and drops them into the water.

Maxie says, every time she needed Mac when she was growing up, he was there for her. When she lost Georgie, and Nathan, and when she needed a hero, he brought Frisco home for her. Except he was her hero the whole time. Don’t go ruining his winning streak. They need him to come back to them. He opens his eyes, and Felicia laughs.

Dante says he knows Sam wants to ask if he’s okay, and she says, why should she, when he’s just going to tell her everything is fine. He says, how about her and Drew? It looked pretty intense. Is everything cool? He adds, it’s none of his business, but she says, it’s all of his business. She wouldn’t say cool; that’s not what’s going on. She’d say clear. Clear is more appropriate. Everything is clear with her and Drew. He says he’s sorry, but she says, don’t be, and hugs him. Laura and Anna come out of the elevator, and Sam says, go. He thanks her, and she says, be careful. He says, anything for her.

Carly sees someone on the Quartermaine patio, and says, Michael? She realizes it’s Drew, and he says, sorry to disappoint.  

Coming out of the hospital elevator on the phone, Nina leaves a voicemail for Britt. She says she’s been trying to get ahold of Britt and Obrecht. Call her as soon as she gets this. It’s important. Sonny walks into the hospital, and they look at each other.  

Brook says, Ned is proud of her? and he says, yes. She risked so much in order to protect Maxie and her baby. Brook tells him that it didn’t start for altruistic reasons, but he says, still, she kept up the charade long after the ELQ shares were lost to her. She protected Bailey… Louise at great personal risk to herself, and he’s in awe of her. She says, he’s not mad at her? Even a little bit? He says, scared maybe, at what the truth is doing to her now. He saw her fall in love with that baby, and now she’s gone. Brook cries, and says, if anything happens to her, she will kill Peter with her bare hands. Ned holds her, and says, listen to him. She will come home safely. She asks how he knows that, and he says, he knows that because she has the strength of two mothers behind her.

Deanna says, Mac is awake, and more or less lucid. Felicia asks if they can see him, and Deanna says, just don’t tire him out. Felicia, Maxie, Robert and Doc go into Mac’s room, and Robert asks how Mac feels, having all these people waxing lyrical about their affection for him, while he hovers between life and death. Doc says, he believes the psychiatric term is drama queen, and Felicia asks how long Mac is going to make them wait on him hand and foot. He says, breakfast in bed, partner, and she kisses his cheek. He says, Dante? and Robert says, he checked out of the hospital already. As for Peter August, he’s the subject of a police manhunt. Maxie says, by the time Mac is done with his little vacay, Peter will be back in custody, and Felicia says, everyone will be back where they belong.

Anna tells Dante that she was just explaining to Laura, Peter is going to need help getting away. And there’s one person in this town who’s been willing to help Peter in the past. Laura says, Victor Cassadine

Victor tells Peter, that wasn’t so hard, was it? and Peter says, Victor got everything he wanted. Now call off his men. Victor says, in a moment, and Yohan punches Peter. Peter drops to his knees, and Victor says, that concludes their bargain. Here’s to Port Charles’s first good night sleep in four long years. Peter laughs, and says, bad idea. Victor asks, why? and Peter says, if Victor kills him, Victor’s granddaughter Charlotte dies too.

Tomorrow, Laura tells Anna, it actually tracks with her theories; Obrecht says when this is over, someone will answer to her; Peter asks Victor if they have deal; and Nina tells Sonny, all the secrets have been for nothing.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Jennifer told Marge to get her facts straight. Bill had slept with a pharmaceutical rep, not his office manager. Marge said Jennifer wasn’t honest, and we flashed back to Jennifer dragging on Marge and Marge Sr. for cheating. In Marge’s interview, she said, Jennifer was the biggest hypocrite. Any time Jennifer’s name came up, Bill’s affair was the first thing people thought about. In Jackie’s interview, she said, she knew about the affair because Marge told her. Dolores said she felt sorry for Jennifer, and in her interview, she said, problems in a marriage shouldn’t be broadcasted. That’s why people said, let’s take it outside. Jennifer wailed to Bill that she wanted to go home. Joe #2 said that he liked Bill, but his wife was a blabbermouth, who had called him a crook on social media. Gia mumbled about Joe talking smack about her father when he didn’t deserve it. Joe was like, what’s that? and she told him that he was disrespectful to her. He said he’d never let his kids talk to their elders like that, asked where she was raised, and stomped off. Lewis followed him, and Teresa told Melissa that the closest thing to a father Gia had was Joe #2. Gia went to make nice, or at least calm things down, and Melissa and Teresa followed her. I thought the party was going to be in the driveway pretty soon, and Gia said she didn’t need an entourage. Joe wouldn’t let her talk, still trying to get his point across, and said he’d been dealing with this for 20 years. We flashed back to various tussles between him and Joe #1, including an actual fistfight. He told Gia that he’d been sticking up for his sister and parents. Gia yelled, could she speak? and asked why he was talking smack about her father. He said, because it was true, and Gia walked away. Melissa suggested Joe let Gia believe what she wanted. In Joe’s interview, he said he wasn’t suggesting the kids not love their father, but Joe #1 had hurt the family, and he wasn’t holding it in. Gia came back, and said Joe was still looking at her like she was five. He might be mad at her father, but didn’t he think her father was mad at himself? He wasn’t even in the country. Her sisters had also been through enough, and it was five years ago. They sort of hugged it out, and in Gia’s interview, she said she hoped it was a baby step in the right direction. They told Lewis, welcome to the family.

In Jennifer’s interview, she said, the night before had been rough. Olivia was having a pool party for her 8th birthday, and she hadn’t gotten any sleep. Bill was hiding upstairs, embarrassed, and she was trying to do everything she could so the kids didn’t sense anything was wrong and mommy was having a meltdown. Teresa arrived, followed by Dolores, and Dolores told Jennifer that she’d held her own. Teresa was pissed that it was at her party, and Jennifer said, it happened 10 years ago, and she was over it. She’d been pregnant with her 4th kid, and they’d just moved to New Jersey. She’d found a receipt for bottle service, then a text. In her interview, she said, once the baby came, she wanted to make it work, and they never spoke about it again. Teresa said Jennifer didn’t owe anyone any explanations. Then the ice cream truck came, and everyone forgot about everything else, as we all would.

Jackie’s parents and brothers came over to bid farewell to the kids, who were going to sleepaway camp in Florida. In Jackie’s interview, she said she hated camp. She’d been an awkward, chubby teenager with big Staten Island hair, and the other girls wanted no part of her. She thought it would be different for her kids, since they were outgoing and sporty. Dolores met Marge at a fancy home store since Dolores had nothing for her new townhouse. Delores told Marge that she didn’t think Marge was right in bringing up Bill’s affair, but Marge said Jennifer had pushed it, and wondered what you should say when someone was such a hypocrite.

Jackie visited Jennifer, and in Jennifer’s interview, she said she felt she should invite Jackie over, since they’d made up. Also (and probably the real motive), Jackie had gone through something similar last year, and Jennifer was hoping she could shed light on why Marge would do something like this. Jackie told Jennifer that she’d known about Bill’s affair because Marge told her, but she’d never said anything. She didn’t want to hurt another woman. Jennifer said she never believed what was said about Evan, and Jackie said Jennifer had talked about Marge, and Marge came back at her. They’d hurt each other. In Jennifer’s interview, she said she hadn’t told her parents, sister, or best friend, and in Jackie’s interview, she said, at the end, she was able to tell her kids that the rumor wasn’t true, but Jackie would have to tell hers that their dad cheated. In the meantime, Marge told Dolores that Jennifer had attacked her for having an affair, attacked her mother, and dragged Jackie through the mud. In Marge’s interview, she said, Jennifer had been trying to get dirt on Evan, but she hadn’t told Jackie. She told Dolores that Jennifer had tried to shake down her friends in Tenafly for info on Evan. Dolores said she’d thought what Marge did was wrong, but not anymore. She wouldn’t have done it, but she got it. In her interview, she said, now that she found out what Jennifer had done, there were consequences for that. She told Marge that she wanted to invite everyone to her new townhouse.

Delores had an amazing spread for her housewarming, and in her interview, she said, living by herself was freedom. She told the women she hadn’t seen much of David; they were seeing each other less and less. In Melissa’s interview, she said, Dolores talked about being happy with the David situation, but she thought Dolores wanted more. Marge told Dolores that she thought Teresa was still mad at her, and we flashed back to Marge telling Teresa that Lewis needed to address the video. Melissa said she didn’t think the video bothered Teresa, but it bothered her that other people were bothered by it. In her interview, Marge said she’d investigated the retreat, and they broke you down so you didn’t have hostility toward women. They told you what a POS you were, and instead of taking it out on women, they took it out on each other. (Hey, whatever works.) Jennifer arrived, and in Jackie’s interview, she said she knew what it was like to walk in and have to face the person who said something about your husband. We flashed back to Teresa handing out vibrators, and suggesting Jackie put it up her ass. Jackie sat in another room with Jennifer, giving her a pep talk, when Dolores joined them, and told Jennifer there was no reason to cry. In her interview, Dolores said, Jennifer went around raving about how happy she was, then knocked people. If she was living that life, why was she falling apart? Marge joined them, and asked why Jennifer was crying. Jackie got up, and Marge sat down, Jackie wandering off. Jennifer said, it was overwhelming, and she didn’t want to fight with Marge. Marge said she didn’t want to fight either, but Jennifer’s behavior was hypocritical. Jennifer said she’d only given her opinion on things Marge had been vocal about, but Marge said Jennifer had pushed it, including what she’d done to Jackie in digging up dirt on Evan. Hearing her name, Jackie flew back, and asked what was up with that. Jennifer said, Frank claimed he knew things, and so she looked into it. Only out of curiosity; it was human nature. Jackie said, Jennifer was trying to get something on her husband, when it was Jennifer’s husband who had done stuff [sic]. She commented on others’ marriages when she knew she had her own problems. Jennifer said it had been 10 years ago, and Marge hit below the belt – her babies! Yep, when all else fails, cry about the babies. Melissa wondered, what was the big deal? and in new Housewife Traci’s interview, she said, she and Melissa had been friends for years, but she was baffled as to why Melissa couldn’t understand why Jennifer was falling apart. In Marge’s interview, she said everyone was too emotional. Drop it. Dolores said, let’s eat, and Melissa thought it would be a good idea to get more champagne flowing, because when emotions are high, alcohol is the best thing to pour on them. Then Teresa was added to the mix.

Teresa asked what she missed, and Jackie said, Jennifer needed to recognize her part in what had happened with Marge. In Jackie’s interview, she said, as frustrated as she was, it was hard to see another woman in pain. She could be the bigger person since Jennifer needed support. In Marge’s interview, she said, what was painful to Jennifer’s family was Bill cheating, not that the truth was made public. Because we can’t get away from it, Teresa said, that’s why she told Jackie about the rumor; she was being a girl’s girl. In her interview, Jackie said, to this day, Teresa doesn’t feel she did anything wrong, and in Dolores’s interview, she said, Teresa’s rationale makes no sense to anyone except Teresa. Marge said Jennifer had chastised her for things that were going on in her own backyard. Jennifer said she was removing herself from this situation, and walked out. Melissa said Jennifer wanted to talk about everyone else, when she had her own sh*t to deal with, and Dolores said Jennifer had to face something she’d been sweeping under the rug. Traci thought maybe Jennifer was embarrassed because her façade was crumbling, and Marge said, this is no f***ing fairy tale.

Next time, Joe tries to talk with his nieces, another party, and another fight.

🏝 On Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip, the main takeaway point was, Ramona is a jerk no matter where she goes. She called Kenya a bitch for no reason before they even landed, and I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about her behavior in choosing a room. She was called out by everyone from Cynthia, who said Ramona couldn’t read a room, to Kenya, flat-out calling her an a-hole. The cast consists of Cynthia, Kenya, Melissa, Teresa, Kyle, LuAnn, and Ramona. The jury is still out, but it doesn’t look very promising.

🏆 Nom, Nom, Nom…

The Oscar nominations, snubs, and surprises.

https://www.cnn.com/entertainment/live-news/2022-oscars-nominations/index.html

https://ew.com/awards/oscars/oscar-nominations-2022-snubs-surprises/

🚌 This Is My Stop…

Get on the bus with me tomorrow for some soap and a peek at what’s happening in the OC. Until then, stay safe, stay taking time for yourself, and stay remembering, as Kenya told Ramona, if it looks like an a-hole, and talks like an a-hole, then it’s probably an a-hole.

⚠️ Warning: possible naughty words

February 4, 2022 – Carly Meets Drew On the Footbridge, Suds Sweep, AMC News, a Pledge, a Goodbye, Dating Again, Threatening, Carol Tattles, Whining, Salty Talk, Puppies (!), Practically 10 Quotes & People

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Mac asks Dante if there’s any sign of what caused Kendall (apparently the driver’s name) to lose control of the vehicle. He and Dante look around the van with flashlights. Inside, the guard tells Peter that Kendall must have hit an icy patch and gone off the road. Dante says, all four tires have been punctured. They didn’t hit ice; they’ve been sabotaged. They see headlights coming toward them, and draw their guns.

Brook tells Bailey to sleep well. Mommy loves her.

Maxie says she’s glad Austin finally knows the truth about Louise. It’s been awful lying to him. He says he can imagine she’s had to juggle a lot of lies to really well-meaning people. She says she had to do what she had to do, and he says, he can’t help but wonder if her kissing him now is just another diversion.

Nina comes in to Charlie’s and, walking past Obrecht, she asks the bartender if Phyllis is around. Obrecht asks how long Nina is going to avoid her, and Nina says, Obrecht is responsible for her relationship with Mike coming out in court, so she doesn’t know. Obrecht says she did Nina a favor, and they both know it.

Chase asks if Bailey went down, and Brook says, like a champ. She had a big day. He says, all those people cooing over her. It must be exhausting being that cute. She says he should know, and he thanks her. She says she means when he was a baby. She bets he had really chubby cheeks. She puts her feet up, and he says he’ll never understand wearing shoes that hurt you. She asks, what is there to understand? These boots make her legs look amazing. He says, they do. Believe it or not, he really enjoyed today. She says, her too. She’s just glad they got out of there before the WSB came to arrest granny. He says, it woudn’t be a Quartermaine party if the police weren’t involved, and she says, that’s so true. He says he hopes it didn’t mar Ned and Olivia’s big day, but she says, no way. Nothing could diminish their happiness after how hard they worked for their marriage. He says, she’s right. Sometimes two people just belong together.

Sonny stands on the deck of the Haunted Star, wearing a white tux and holding a red rose, when Kristina comes out. She says, look at him. Carly won’t know what hit her. She asks what he’s doing out here; it’s freezing. He says he didn’t want to wait inside. He’s getting anxious, and wants to see Carly arrive so he can greet her with his rose. She says, very romantic, and he thanks her for what she did inside. She says her pleasure, and what he did to the state room looks amazing. It definitely has an island vibe. He says, not too much? but she says, no. Carly will see all the effort he put in, and see how much this night means to him. He says he just wants everything to be perfect, and Kristina says, it won’t be if she’s still here, so she’s out. She hugs him, and says, good luck, and he says he hopes this makes it right for him and Carly.

Carly walks on the footbridge, and flashes back to Sonny saying, if she’s not ready now, maybe she never will be. Drew comes onto the bridge, and says, they meet again.

Mac says, it could be an ambush, and Kendall comes up behind Dante and slugs him.

Brook tells Chase, she and Olivia have had their issues. She’s had them with her dad too, but she’s come to appreciate how good Ned and Olivia are together. He says, he’d hoped his mom and dad would find their way back to each other, but he’s had to accept that’s probably never going to happen. Maybe they don’t have what Ned and Olivia have; that connection, that something that makes you want to fight against all odds. She says, no one’s ever fought that hard for her, and he says she deserves a love that strong. She tells him that he doesn’t have to say that, but he says he said it because he believes it. She says, it’s a mighty generous thing to say to a person like her, and he says, a person like her? What is that supposed to mean? She says, it means he can cut the act. She knows what he really thinks of her. She stomps off, and out to the patio.

Felicia tells Anna, she still wishes she could have gone with Mac and Dante. She wanted to watch Peter get locked behind bars. That way, she could have taken a picture and sent it to Maxie, and Maxie would know for sure, and get on with her life. Anna says, now that Peter has been dealt with, they can get on with finding Louise. Felicia says, Maxie’s been through so much already. A dangerous psychopath is the father of her child, and all those fruitless searches for Louise. And the whole time, she’s had to handle it alone. Anna says, maybe Austin will change that, and Felicia says she likes him. He seems like a really good man. Lord knows Maxie deserves that. She doesn’t know what she’d do without Mac. How long has it been again? Anna says, not long. She’s waiting for a message from Valentin. Felicia says, Anna told her that Valentin had a lead on Louise. Wouldn’t it be wonderful? Peter behind bars, and a chance to bring Louise home? Anna says, everything would finally come together.

Maxie says she thought Austin understood, and he says he understands she was under a lot of stress, and it was really hard for her that the people she loves were really worried about Louise. She says, and she hated every minute of it; she told him that. But that has nothing to do with their kiss. She wanted to kiss him. He says he can’t help but wonder if there aren’t other factors in play, given her state emotionally. She says, that is a very clinical assessment, doctor. She knows how she feels. He says, she’s been lying to him. She’s been keeping a secret from him since the moment they met. Did she befriend him out of some kind of necessity? Everybody in this town knows her very well, and would know something was up, so she turned to him to keep them at bay because he’s new and safe. She says, he’s anything but safe. She and Brook lived in constant fear that he was going to remember what went on in the woods that night. She should have stayed away from him like she intended to, but she was drawn to him because she feels something for him. Is she alone in that? His phone rings, and he asks if they can talk later. She says, sure, and he jets.

Nina says she would have risked prison before betraying Sonny’s trust like that, and Obrecht says, that’s easy to say now, knowing it won’t happen. Nina starts to leave, but Obrecht says she doesn’t want to fight. Nina is her niece, and knows she’s always on her side. Who did Nina call to help her with Peter in Nixon Falls? Her. Nina says she did, and Obrecht almost died because of it. Obrecht says, that’s all over. She understands what it’s like to make bad choices for love’s sake; to be condemned for following your heart. If Nina needs a friendly face, here it is. Let’s sit. Nina says she was looking for Phyllis, and Obrecht says, Phyllis isn’t here, but she is. Please? They sit down, and Obrecht asks if Nina has eaten. She was supposed to have dinner with Britt, but she was a tiny bit late, and Britt ditched her. Nina says she’s not hungry, and Obrecht says, then they’ll drink. What happened to ruin her appetite? Nina says she had another run-in with Carly. It doesn’t seem to matter where she goes, Carly is there, and no matter what she says or does, Carly takes it in the worst way possible. With good reason, but Nina gets the feeling Carly is more interested in hating her than she is in helping her own husband. Obrecht asks, why does Sonny need help?

Drew asks if Carly is missing Jason, and she says, always. He was her sounding board, her voice of reason. Even when she didn’t agree with him, he never held it against her. He says he’d be willing to listen, or he can just go and let her think in peace, but she says she doesn’t want him to go. What about him? Is he thinking about Jason tonight too? He says, actually, Oscar’s been on his mind, and she says, she and Josslyn miss him a lot. Oscar and Josslyn used to come to this bridge all the time. He says he’s grateful for the few years he had with his son; he just wishes they’d had more time. She says, life is precious, and he says, they shouldn’t waste a second. She wonders why she’s stuck on this bridge trying to make a decision, and he asks what she’s trying to decide. She says, about her and Sonny.

Sonny sets the rose down on the steps, and leans on the deck railing. He says, she’ll be here.

Felicia tells Anna, still no word from Mac. She knows it’s silly of her to try. He’s got a lot going on, but she can’t help it. He said he’d call her as soon as he got to the prison. Shouldn’t he have gotten there already? Anna says, the roads are frozen. It might have slowed them down. Felicia says, maybe. Does Anna really believe that? Anna wonders if Felicia thinks something’s wrong, and Felicia says, when has dealing with Peter ever gone right? Anna says she’ll meet Felicia in the car, and takes off, Felicia not far behind her.

Carly’s phone rings, and it’s Kristina. Kristina says, it’s probably none of her business, but she wants her dad to be happy. He’s waiting for Carly on the Haunted Star. Does she want to show up? Carly says she knows Kristina loves her father, but she’s right, this is none of her business. Kristina says, he’s standing on a freezing deck with his heart on his sleeve. Can’t Carly at least meet him halfway? She helped him put everything together, and trust her, he’s pulled out all the stops to show Carly how much their marriage means to him. She can’t turn her back; it will crush him. Carly says, that’s not what she’s doing. All she asked for was a little bit of space. Kristina says, well, just show up. Please tell her that she’ll at least hear him out. Carly says she can’t do this right now. Goodbye. Drew asks if Carly is okay, but she says, no.

Nina says she wanted to talk to Obrecht, but how could she after what happened in court? Obrecht says, she only told Scotty what she suspected to keep Nina out of prison, and it worked. Thanks to Scotty’s brilliant strategy, she’s a free woman. These are different circumstances. Whatever’s going on now, she promises not to say a word to anyone; she swears. Nina says, Sonny is having some health issues, and it got so bad, she was afraid to leave him alone. She even spent a harrowing night at his place. She’s just thankful she got him to realize that he needed some help. Right after that, she ran into Carly, and tried desperately to tell her that her husband was in trouble, but Carly refused to listen to her. Obrecht says, Nina told her Sonny was sick, and she didn’t care? but Nina says she never got that far. Carly wasn’t hearing anything Nina had to say. Obrecht says, it sounds like she wasn’t trying very hard, and Nina says she’s a little conflicted because Sonny doesn’t want Carly to know what he’s going through. Obrecht says she doesn’t care what Sonny or Carly want; she cares what Nina wants. And she doesn’t think Nina wants Sonny and Carly to get back together.

Chase comes onto the patio and says, Brook can’t just tell him something like that and storm out. He puts a blanket around her shoulders, and says, besides, he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She says, please. He acts all nice, but she knows the truth. He asks, what truth? and she says, when they first moved in, she overheard his conversation with Dante, telling him what a horrible person she is. How he wants to protect Bailey from her influence. He says he’s been trying to figure out why she’s been so hot and cold with him lately. That was just talk; he didn’t mean it. She asks why he said it, and he says, because he slipped. He said it would be a mistake if he developed feelings for her. She says, much better. Thanks for clearing that up. He says he was referring to Bailey. That’s what they’re doing here, right? If he developed feelings for her, it would complicate things, so he had to downplay it to Dante. Dante is a sharp guy, so he said all that crap about her not being his type. She asks if he really had to take it that far. He said awful things about her character. He tells her, she said herself that he’s a terrible liar, so he went too far to make sure Dante bought it. She says, so he doesn’t think she’s a horrible person? and he moves closer to her, saying, just the opposite. He says, he’s come to realize what a truly good person she is.

Spinelli tells Sam, crisis averted. James just wanted a glass of water. Where were they? Her and destiny; choosing a path. New life with Dante; second chance with Drew… She says, things with Dante are great. She loves seeing him with Scout and Danny; he’s a great father. He’s really stepped up, and taken care of all the kids’ needs. He says, what about her needs? and she says she’s not discussing her sex life with him. Okay, no complaints; none. He says, but by her own admission, she has unfinished business with Drew, and she says, if Jason hadn’t come back, they were starting a whole new life together, so it’s hard not to say what if? He says he sees no harm in asking, when Maxie walks in. She says she didn’t know Sam was here. Are Georgie and James sleeping? Spinelli says they’re both asleep, and Sam asks if something’s wrong. Maxie says, she kissed Austin, okay? Sam says, and? and Maxie says, it was horrible.

The police radio asks what the status is; please advise. Lying on the ground, Dante reaches for the radio, and says, 10-99. He repeats, 10-99. Officers down. Multiple injuries. The radio falls from his hand, and we see another man down by the van.

Carly tells Drew that Sonny planned this elaborate surprise at the Haunted Star. He’s recreated Martinique. Drew says, which is where they got married, right? She says, second wedding. Sonny really knows how to make a romantic gesture. He asks, so what is she doing here, and not there? and she says, she doesn’t need romance right now. She needs some space to figure out her feelings. Sonny wants her to commit right here, right now to fighting for her marriage. Is she wrong for not wanting to meet him halfway? He says, back up a moment. She just said she didn’t need romance; she needs time. And she said this to Sonny? She says, yes, and he says, and Sonny went ahead and planned this elaborate surprise, and wants her to come despite how she’s feeling right now? She says, yeah, and he says, that’s not about meeting Sonny halfway. That’s just Sonny being Sonny, trying to fix things on his timetable. The fact that she’s here right now is proof she has doubts. She’s 100% justified in feeling the way she does. She thanks him, and says she’s so glad he understands. He says he thinks he does, which is why he’s going to ask this. Is she positive she doesn’t want to go?

Brook asks if Chase really thinks she’s a good person, and he says, he doesn’t think; he knows. Look what she did for Maxie. Not to mention she put herself at risk to protect Bailey from her lunatic father. She says, and she lied to her family… So much lying. He says, good thing she can lie with the best of them, and she laughs. She says she never thought she’d hear Detective Harrison Chase condone duplicity, and he says, what she did was incredible. It might not have started out for the noblest of reasons, but she came through with flying colors. She stuck to her promise, and protected Bailey. Brook treated Bailey like her own daughter, all while she was taking serious hits to her reputation and character. She says she’d do anything to protect that little girl, and he says, him too, because they’re partners, which is exactly why they can’t be any more than friends. She says, but has he considered it?

Anna walks around the van, gun drawn. She looks in the van, and sees only the guard, lying across the seat. She checks for a pulse. She says, all clear, and Felicia comes out and checks Dante. She says, he’s just unconscious, but where’s Mac? Anna says she doesn’t know; be careful. Anna turns Dante over, and asks if he can talk. Felicia sees Mac, on the ground, shot, and says, oh my God, Mac. Dante asks, where’s Peter? and Anna says, he escaped.

Sonny sits on the steps, and takes a new wedding ring set out of his pocket and looks at them. He hears footsteps, and goes to the railing. He says, Carly?

Nina says, Obrecht told her that she doesn’t want to fight, but then accuses her of not wanting Sonny and Carly’s marriage to work. She gets up and grabs her coat, but Obrecht says, slow down and calm down. She’s not accusing Nina of anything, except perhaps not going after what she wants. She’s on Nina’s side, and wants her to be happy. Tell her, does she love Sonny? Nina says, Sonny is committed to his marriage, and Obrecht says, that wasn’t her question. Nina sits back down, and says, Sonny fell in love with her when he was Mike, a man without a past. Obrecht says, he was Sonny then, and he’s still Sonny now. Scotty told her that Sonny even admitted under oath that he loved Nina; that doesn’t just disappear. Nina says, it does when you have a wife and children. She can’t forget about that little detail. Sonny loves Carly. Obrecht says, perhaps he loves Nina too, but Nina says, she cannot be the woman who breaks apart Sonny and Carly’s marriage. Obrecht tells her, don’t be ridiculous. Marriages break up all the time. Is Nina going to live her life based on what others think? Does she think Sonny and Carly do? If Nina loves Sonny, and he loves her, why shouldn’t they be together?

Kristina tells Sonny, sorry; it’s only her. He says he saw her leaving, and she says, she did, but she came back. She thought he’d see her coming up the dock, but he says he was busy. He shows her the rings, saying, when he came back from Nixon Falls, he lost his wedding band, so he bought two more, since it’s the beginning. She says she’s sorry, and he says, she doesn’t have to be sorry; Carly is always late. She knows how important this night is to him. He asks what she’s doing here, and she says she wanted to be there for him… because Carly’s not coming. She called Carly. He says she didn’t have to do that, and she says she couldn’t help herself. She knows how important this night is for him, but Carly said she couldn’t do it. He says, do what? and she says, meet him halfway. He says, Carly told her that? She didn’t even want to try?… So Carly’s not coming? Kristina shakes her head.

Carly tells Drew that she can’t decide what to do. Does she show up at the Haunted Star, or call Sonny and tell him that she can’t come? He says he gets it; let’s work it through. She says, okay. She knows this much. Champagne and candles are not going to fix what’s wrong between her and Sonny, and he should respect her request for space. Drew says, agreed but is that something Sonny would really do? She says, who knows anymore? Sonny has been all over place since he came back from Nixon Falls, but he should at least try for her her sake. He says, absolutely, and she says, this is typical Sonny though. He has to be in control of everything, and he made tonight feel like an ultimatum; show up or else. Drew says, what if it is?

Mac is on a stretcher, and the paramedics tend to him. Felicia says, they have to get him to General Hospital, but a paramedic says, if they move him before he’s stabilized, they could lose him. Felicia tells Mac, please hang in there; she loves him so much. Dante asks Anna, what’s going on? and she says, Mac was shot. They’re trying to stabilize him right now, then move him to GH. He says he can’t believe he let Peter escape, and she asks if he can tell her what happened. He says he was in the van with Peter and the guard. The van lost control and was swerving everywhere. Then it just stopped. She says, spike strips; she managed to avoid them. He says he’s glad somebody did. He got out, and left Peter and the guard in the van. Mac joined him in searching for what caused the accident. He noticed the tires had been punctured. Then a light came from over here. He points, and she says, a car? Description? He says, no. It was an SUV because the lights were too high. He sensed someone walking behind him, and it was Kendall. He hit Dante over the head. Anna asks if he knows who shot the Pentenville guard or this man, pointing the guy near the van, but he says, no. He came to, and called the dispatcher. He asks, how’s Mac? He doesn’t hear any sirens. She says, they’re still working on him, and he asks if there’s any sign of Peter, but she says, no. Her guess is, he and Kendall took someone’s car. Dante says, he could be anywhere, and she says, they’ll find him. They have to.

Spinelli says, for clarification’s sake, Austin’s kiss was not satisfying? Maxie says, what? and Sam reminds her that she said it was horrible. Maxie says, that’s not what she meant. The kiss was great. It just got really messed up afterwards. Sam says she needs to hear this, when Maxie’s phone rings. She steps away, and says, Austin, hi. Austin says, they have patients coming into the ER. There was a shooting on Route 31. Maxie says, that’s the road to Pentenville. Sam asks, what’s going on? and Maxie says, there was a shooting on Route 31. Spinelli says, he’s on it, and goes to his laptop. Maxie tells Austin that she’s putting him on speaker, and asks, who was shot? He says he doesn’t have any details, but he knows one cop was injured. Sam says, that must be the prison van, and Maxie says, oh my God, Mac and Dante. Sam asks if there’s any other information, and Austin says, this is what he can tell them; multiple injured and two fatalities.

Drew tells Carly, Sonny has to know he’s in the wrong. He’s got to know that he shouldn’t be pushing like this, but it’s almost like he can’t help it. Because he can’t stand the idea of losing her and the kids and the family. All of it is way too much for him to lose. What if it’s not an ultimatum, and it’s more of a cry for help? He’s got to believe they have a future together, so what if instead thinking of it as caving, she thinks of it as throwing him a lifeline?

Sonny closes the ring box and looks like he might pitch it into the water, but he doesn’t. He opens the box, takes one of the rings out, and looks at it.  

Brook tells Chase, what is she saying? Of course (🍷) he’s considered it. He’s hot; she’s hot. He says, that’s not what he meant, and she says, he doesn’t think she’s hot? He says, no… yes… definitely. He was talking about her as a person. He likes her – Brook Lyn. That’s why they’re friends. He moves closer, and she says, friends, right. Because anything more would be too complicated. He says, exactly. So it’s out of the question. She says she never even considered it, and he says, neither did he. They look as though they might kiss.

Nina tells Obrecht that she’s going to the ladies room. Feel free to order without her. She’s leaving her stuff; don’t steal anything. Nina leaves, and Obrecht says, a drink it is. Kristina comes in on the phone, saying, she was already late for work as it was. She gets the point; he’d rather not let her see him in pain, but she should have seen the look on his face when he realized Carly wasn’t coming. It broke her heart. He told her to leave, now her dad is all alone on the Haunted Star… Right… She knows. She’ll give him some time, but she’s calling him when she gets off work. Speaking of work, she’d better get going. Thanks for listening, mom… Love you too. She sees Obrecht standing at the bar.

A detective asks what Anna thinks, and she says she thinks Kendall saw the strip in the middle of the road and did nothing to avoid it. That he intentionally disabled the van to allow the gunman, or gunmen, to move in. She needs tire track prints from the other car on the shoulder. An officer walks up, and asks if there’s any news on the chief, and she says, he’s on his way to the hospital; thanks for asking. What about Kendell? Did they find him? The officer says, five miles up the road, and Anna says, great. She’ll follow him in her car. She wants answers. He says, she won’t get them from Kendall. Kendall’s dead.

Maxie and Sam come into the hospital, and Maxie asks Austin if there’s an update. He says he doesn’t know; he just got here. Felicia comes out, and hugs Maxie. She asks where James and Georgie are, and Maxie says, they’re with Spinelli. What happened? Is Mac…? Felicia says, Mac was shot. He’s lost a lot of blood, and it took forever to stabilize him, but he’s here now. It doesn’t look good. Maxie says, he’s going to be okay. Sam asks Austin about Dante, and he says, table two. She thanks him, and goes in. Dante is hooked up to a couple of monitors, but she hugs him anyway. He says, he’s okay; he’ll be fine. He’s sorry to put her through this though. He guesses it’s the downside of dating a cop. She says, there is no downside to having him in her life, and he says he’ll make sure she remembers that. She says she’s lucky to have him in her life. He says, he’s lucky to have her, and they kiss

Obrecht orders a vodka tonic, and goes back to the table. Nina has come back, along with a glass of wine that magically appeared. Obrecht says, now’s Nina’s chance, and Nina says, for what? Obrecht says, she just heard Sonny’s daughter on the phone. Kristina was saying Sonny is in a bad way. Perhaps he’s still sick. Nina says, she thought he got his medication, but maybe he didn’t. He could be in trouble. Obrecht says, there’s only one way to find out. Sonny’s on the Haunted Star… all alone.

The detective tells Anna, they’re checking for signs Kendall was injured here. He probably succumbed to his injuries, and was dumped where the police found him. Anna says, don’t waste your time, and the officer says, Kendall was shot point blank. He died instantly. His guess is that Kendall and Peter had a disagreement, but Anna says, no; it was planned. Peter hates loose ends. She tells them to send an update that the prisoner is traveling alone, and should be considered armed and extremely dangerous.

Maxie asks Austin, what about Mac? Can they see him? He says, one of them can go in there, and only for a minute. Maxie says, that would be Felicia, and Felicia goes. Maxie asks Austin to please tell her one of those dead bodies was Peter, but he says, no; he checked first thing. Peter’s still out there.

Carly tells Drew that she’s not ready to give up on her marriage. So this isn’t about what’s fair. It’s about what they both need emotionally. He says, okay, and what does she need right now? and she says she needs Sonny to know she’s still in this. She’s not giving up, but they can figure things out without closing the door on their marriage. Right? She thanks him and gives him a hug. She says, thanks for talking to her and clarifying things. He says, always. He’s glad they bumped into each other. She says, her too, and his phone rings. He says, Anna… Wait… What happened to Dante.

At the van, Anna asks if he can hear her. Mac and Dante were transporting Peter to Pentenville, and they were ambushed. They’ve both been hurt. He says, what about August? and she says, there’s no sign of him. He says, dammit, and Carly says, what? He tells her, Peter August escaped.

Sonny closes the ring box, and says, that’s that. He turns to leave, and sees Nina walking out onto the deck.  

Chase says, they should get back, and Brook says, of course (🍷). Chase’s phone rings, and he says, Dante, what’s up? At the hospital, Dante says, there’s something he should know. Mac was shot tonight. Chase asks, how bad? but Dante says, they don’t know. He’s on his way to surgery now. Chase asks, what happened? and Dante says, the transport van was ambushed. Peter escaped. Brook says, what? and Chase says, the transport van was ambushed. Mac was shot and Peter escaped. She says, oh no, and runs inside. Chase runs after her, and Dante asks if he’s still there. Brook and Chase run into the nursery, and Bailey’s crib is empty. Brook starts to cry, and says, no, no, no!   

In a moving car, Peter tells Bailey/Louise, hello, sweetheart. Safe and snug. They’re together, and he’s never letting her go.

On Monday, Austin says, it’s a helluva story; Chase says, all signs point to Peter; Anna asks if Robert wants to go down that path; and Sonny says, his and Nina’s time together never happened.

🧹 Sweeping Up…

What’s to come on the soaps this month.

👄 La Lucci Speaks…

The diva of Pine Valley tells all.

👩🏾‍⚕️ Front Line Help…

She might not be a nurse off-camera, but she’s just as caring.

☄️ Farewell To a Star…

Another loss to the soap world.

👠 She’s Available…

Randall is an idiot.

https://people.com/tv/lala-kent-dating-again-after-randall-emmett-split/

🍊 OC Delusion…

I wanted to like her, but I’ve come to the conclusion she’s batsh*t crazy.

🗽 Accessing Production…

Like this matters anymore.

🛥 Ultimate Complaint…

What a shock. Brandi is mean.

🧂 Rubbing Salt In the Wound…

This week’s recap.

Exit stage Mary.

Everybody is getting into the act.

🐶 They’re Coming…

All you need to know about the upcoming Puppy Bowl XVIII.

https://www.discovery.com/shows/puppy-bowl/see/puppy-bowl-announcement

🦜 Quotes of the Week

Fashion is a movie. Every morning when you get dressed, you direct yourself. – Thierry Mugler

For a New Yorker anything is possible. – Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), The Gilded Age

Don’t let anyone who hasn’t been in your shoes tie your laces. – Judge Faith Jenkins

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. – Maya Angelou

The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them. – Ida B. Wells

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. – Alice Walker

Above all else, go with a sense of humor. It is needed armor. Joy in one’s heart and some laughter on one’s lip is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life. – Hugh Sidey

Don’t lose your sense of humor. – the only advice my father gave me when I left home. I’ve come close.

Start where you are, with what you have. Make something of it and never be satisfied. – George Washington Carver

🚶🏽‍♀️ Time To Skedaddle…

It’s here – the weekend for those still doing the 9 to 5, and the next two days for those off the work grid. Come join me on the third day for soap and a Deck Reunion. Until then, stay safe, stay pragmatic, and stay off any yacht you’re not invited aboard.