(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
No surprise, I missed the part before the opening credits. Here’s what you need to know. Ned showed up at Alexis’s house, and asked if she’d been drunk the night they slept together. Jordan and Curtis went to an abandoned house that Curtis said had been surrounded by guards just a few weeks ago. Inside, it looked pretty empty, except for some covered furniture. They snooped around. Cyrus approached Lulu at the hospital, and she said she had no time for him. He said she needed to make time, since he was in a position to make her life very difficult. Dante listened in. Robert found Anna in the chapel, and she told him what happened with Alex, and instead of saying, hey, how are you feeling about all that? he asked if she’d found out who Peter’s mother was. Willow arrived at the hospital, and that’s where I came in.
Willow hugs Chase, saying, when she heard the news, she had to see him. She asks how Finn is, and Chase says he’s still in surgery. They have to remove the bullet, and drain the fluid around Finn’s heart. There was more of an explanation, but most of it went over his head. Willow says she’s sorry, and he says, it’s all so crazy. His mom was in town. All this time, he’s wanted Finn to reunite with her, and Finn finally changed his mind. She asks if it went well, and he says, it was awkward at first, but it got better. He could see what his family would look like, and feel Finn letting his guard down. They were talking about introducing Anna and Violet to his mom, and he thought they finally did it. They took the first step to being a family, and maybe they could invite his dad soon. She says she knows it’s been Chase’s goal for a long time, getting his brother and parents in the same room. She’s glad he got to have that one moment. He says, all night long, he kept thinking, what if wasn’t the first time he had his family together? What if it was the last time he ever sees his brother?
Anna asks if Robert ever stops his relentless obsession with Peter. She just killed her sister. Alex was trying to kill her, but she still ended Alex’s life, and she has to deal with it. She was up all night, holding her breath, hoping Alex didn’t manage to kill Finn, not thinking about who Peter’s mother is. She’s just hoping Finn pulls through. Does he understand? She had enough. He says, she’s right. He’s sorry, for what it’s worth (🍷). She says, it’s not worth much right now, and he says, Finn has made it so far. She has no reason to believe he won’t pull through. Anna takes his hand, and says, the thought of losing Finn… She starts to cry.
Maxie says she’s loved Peter hanging by her side, but she’s been checked and rechecked. She’s fine. The baby is fine. You know who’s not fine? His mom. He should be with her. Peter says Anna said she’d be better off if he was with Maxie, and Maxie says, typical Anna, putting other’s needs before her own. Anna was incredible rescuing her from Alex. She doesn’t know where she’d be if Anna hadn’t shown up.
Cyrus tells Lulu, her article implies that his motives run counter to what’s best for the hospital, and he has a secret agenda. It’s sheer speculation. She says he’s shutting out employees that have a relationship with the Corinthos family. She got it word for word from her confidential source. Cyrus says he knows she’s baiting him, and asks if she was hoping for an angry outburst. Is she trying to pick a fight with him? Dante appears, and tells Cyrus to back off.
Willow says, poor Violet, and Chase says, Violet doesn’t know any of this. Willow says she totally understands him thinking about the worst case scenario, but he needs to focus on the good things. How Finn changed after Violet came into his life. He says, Finn is so serious about being a dad. Who talks to their kid like they’re in an office for a consultation? His brother, that’s who. It’s funny; Violet loves it. When Finn shows up for a tea party in a three-piece suit, Violet is in heaven. Willow says, of course (🍷) she is. That’s her dad. Chase says he sees the way Violet looks at Finn. She adores her dad so much. How would he… If it came to that, and he had to be the guy, how would he tell her? Willow says she doesn’t think the worst will happen, but if Finn doesn’t make it, she has no doubt he’ll step up for Violet, the same way he did for her. Grief is grief, no matter how old you are. When she found out her baby was gone, he helped her through it, and she knows he has it in him to do the same for Violet.
Epiphany tells Anna, the surgery is over. They removed the bullet, and drained the fluid, with no further complications. Finn is still critical, but stable. Anna thanks her, and says she knows Epiphany is in administration now, and hopes she doesn’t get in trouble. Epiphany says, let Cyrus and Britt come after her. She’s not about to push papers around when her friend is fighting for his life – not in her hospital. She says Anna should be able to see Finn soon, and leaves. Robert says he knows he’s famous for putting his foot in his mouth, but there’s nothing wrong with his shoulder. It’s there for her to lean on. She hugs him.
Willow bets it would make Chase feel better to know how Violet is, and he agrees. Anna joins them, and tells Chase that Finn is out of surgery. He got through the worst. They hug, and Anna takes Willow’s hand with her free one.
Olivia arrives at the hospital, and sees Robert. She says, thank God he’s okay. She asks how Anna is, and he says Finn is out of surgery. It looks like he’s going to make a complete recovery.Anna can finally relax. He needs to work on his timing though. She asks, why? What happened? and he says, if Olivia had turned up sooner, she would have saved him from making a mess with Anna. Olivia says, what did he do?
Ned tells Alexis, he was so wrapped up in his own problems, he didn’t notice what was going on with her. He never put two and two together, and realized it was vodka in her glass. She tells him, stop. The last thing she needs is another well-intentioned gatekeeper. He says, tell him what to do. She’s his friend, and if she’s in trouble, he’s not going to walk away. She says she wishes he would. She doesn’t want help. He says she’s an alcoholic who’s drinking again. He’s worried about her. She asks if he’s worried about her drinking, or worried she’ll slip and tell Olivia that they had sex.
Jordan takes the cover off of a sofa, and Curtis says he found this, showing her an oxygen tank. It was upstairs. He found this too. He shows her some medicine vials, and he says, the bedroom was like a makeshift hospital. She says she’ll see if they can find traces of whatever drug was in the vials. He says, a formerly well-guarded house, with a designated hospital room. They need to find out who the patient was. She says, if that’s what they were. It’s possible they were drugged.
Lulu asks what Dante is doing there, and Cyrus says he heard Dante was back in town. Dante says, good news travels fast, and Cyrus says Lulu must be thrilled to have her husband back. Lulu says Dante is her ex-husband, and Cyrus says, his mistake. And it just so happens that Dante is Sonny’s son, which means Sonny and the mayor share grandchildren. Lulu asks what his point is, and he says, maybe it’s not his relationship with the Corinthos family she should be worried about. Maybe it’s the mayor’s relationship with them. He wonders how the average voter would feel, and if they’d reconsider their support if they knew how close the mayor was with Sonny. Food for thought. He walks off, and Dante asks if Lulu is okay. She asks if he’s kidding. She’s furious – with him. What did he think he was doing?
Finn opens his eyes, and Anna says, there you are. She was waiting for him. Finn says, then they’re even. She takes his hand and kisses it. He sighs.
Anna tells Finn that Maxie is at the hospital, but it’s just a precaution. She’s fine and the baby is too. He says, what about Alex? and Anna says she caught up with Alex. She was headed for open water, and a rendezvous with someone. They exchanged fire, and she hit Alex. She followed Alex out to the deck, there was more gunfire, and she hit Alex again, but when she turned her back, Alex threw herself into the water. He says, so she’s dead? and Anna says, yes. Everyone is safe. He asks where Violet is, and she says, Violet is with Alexis. She didn’t tell Violet that he was hurt. She just thinks he’s working. She can’t wait to bring him home. She looks at his vitals, and he asks if he’s going to need another surgery. She says she doesn’t think so, and he struggles to sit up. He asks what she isn’t telling him.
Maxie says, no one ever hung onto hope harder than Anna did last night. The worst is over. She tells Peter, she’s so lucky. It’s crazy to think Alex could have taken everything, and she has no idea why. Peter flashes back to talking to Alex posing as Anna in Charlie’s. He remembers Alex telling him, they may blend in, but they’re ambitious, and need greater than what the world is capable of offering. Normal and every day don’t apply to him. Trust her to help him become the man he was destined to be. Maxie says, earth to Peter. Other than Anna, is there any other connection between him and Alex? He says, other than being his aunt, they have nothing in common.
Chase asks Epiphany if his brother is really okay. Anna said he was, but she’s not a doctor. Epiphany says, neither is she, but Chase says she is a medical professional. She says his brother is going to be okay, but she bets he’d welcome a visit from Chase. He thanks her, and tells Willow, all he could think about was the things he and Finn would never get to do, and Willow says, sounds like he has a new plan. He says he and Finn or so different. Finn won’t want to go ice fishing with him, or do things like that. She says, you never know until you ask. He got a second chance. It’s probably best not to waste it. He says, it’s not often people get a second chance.
Lulu says, that’s the second time Dante has interfered with her job. He asks if he’s supposed to stand back and do nothing, and she says, yes. She doesn’t want him sweeping in, trying to protect her. He gave her everything she needed, but wouldn’t let her keep it. There’s nothing to protect her from that could possibly hurt more than what he did to her. She walks away.
Anna tells Finn, it’s just everything. When she saw him lying on the ground after Alex shot him, and when Alex left her to die with Valentin in the warehouse. She realized, not for the first time, that life is fleeting. She wants to spend hers with him. She’d like to be his wife, and have him be her husband. It’s just that Violet thinks a big fancy wedding with all the trimmings is the thing to do. She doesn’t think so. Why are they waiting? Why not dodge the hoopla, and get married? Isn’t that the lesson he wants to teach Violet? Love isn’t an expensive gown, or how you decorate the church, or a big cake. Although she does think they should have cake. Their love is what they have, and they don’t need over-the-top trimmings to make it special. She starts to cry, and says when she was walking around outside, waiting for him to get out of surgery last night, she had to face the real fact that she could lose him. Finn says he loves her, and she says she loves him too. He says, she just wants to marry as fast as humanly possible, and Anna says, in a heartbeat
Willow says, it’s probably best if Chase hears it from her. She and Michael are getting an annulment. He says he thought they were happy together, and she says, they are, but they got married to protect Wiley. Now Nelle is no longer a threat, so they agreed to annul the marriage. He asks if she’s still going to act as Wiley’s mother, and she says she’s filling out the paperwork to adopt Wiley. He wonders what that means for her and Michael moving forward. Anna comes by, and says, sorry to interrupt, but Chase’s brother would like to him. He thanks Willow for being there, and she says he’s more than welcome. Give Finn her best. Chase leaves, and Anna says, it’s nice of her to be there for Chase. She wasn’t good company last night. Willow says it’s understandable Anna would be scared, and she thought Chase could use a friend. Anna says, life sometimes has a way of taking the people we love out from under us, but that doesn’t mean we have to agree to let them go.
Robert tells Olivia, he ran into Anna in the chapel while Finn was in surgery. He asked about her sister, and she told him, then he got stuck. He fell back on one of his single-minded issues; one of his old acts. Olivia says she’s shocked, and Robert says he knows it’s hard to imagine. Anna let him have it. She says, he and Anna started sparring a long time ago, but he says, this time was different. Anna was really hurting, and he wasn’t paying attention. She says it sounds like he did Anna a favor, and he says, how so? She says, Anna has a lot to be angry about; her sister trying to kill her; Alex shooting her fiancé, and kidnapping Maxie. She has all this anger rolling around inside, and she knows he loves her, so he’s a safe place to vent. Anna knows he won’t run away. He doesn’t know if Anna sees that way, but Olivia says, it doesn’t matter. Robert gave her a gift, whether what happened was his intention or not. He’s a good friend. He says Olivia is too.
Curtis looks around, and sees a paper sticking out of a baseboard. He pulls it out, looks at it, and crumples it. Jordan comes downstairs, and says, they’ve searched, and there’s not one piece of information to connect Cyrus to whoever lived there. Someone was thorough in covering their tracks. He says, they can’t give up. There’s got to be something. He looks in the fireplace (I’m shocked that wasn’t one of the first places he looked), and says he’s got something. A postcard. The name is burned off, but he can still read the message. Thinking of them every day. Hoping their health is improving, and that they’ll be better by the time he gets there. He promises a plan is in play, and it won’t be much longer before he’s there. Hang in there, and remember I love you. Cyrus. Jordan says, his Achille’s heel. She wonders who Cyrus sent the postcard to, if they’re alive, and if they can find them.
Lulu visits Maxie, and says she’s so happy the baby is okay. Dante waves from the doorway, but stays in the hallway. Peter approaches him, and says, once Lulu goes home, Maxie is going to take a nap. She’s been through one hell of an ordeal. Dante says he’s glad to see she’s doing well. He keeps walking, and Maxie calls to Peter, telling him that she’s having a craving. She’s thinking chips from the vending machine, and asks if he’d mind getting them. He leaves, and Maxie says, okay. Peter is in hover mode, so the clock is ticking. It’s time for Lulu to tell her what’s going on with her and Dante. Lulu says, forget Dante. She wants to talk baby shower. Maxie says she wants yellow. Now that’s been decided. Let’s talk Dante. Lulu says, there’s nothing to tell, and Maxie says, right. Okay, sure. Lulu says, Dante’s intentions are good, but he has a hero streak that’s been in overdrive mode since he came back. He’s been showing up, and getting in the way of her work. He’s interfered twice. Maxie says, outrageous, and Lulu says, she told him to cut it out. She doesn’t need him. Maxie says, what if he needs her?
Dante joins Olivia and Robert, and Olivia asks if Maxie and the baby are okay. Dante says they’re doing fine, and Olivia says, from the look on his face, she thought something was wrong. Dante says, it’s work stuff, and she says he didn’t tell her that Jordan had hired him back. He says he’s not actually with the PCPD. He’s working for TheInvader, doing security. That’s where he’s headed. She says she’ll see him later, and they hug. Olivia tells Robert, it feels like a dream. Her son is back in Port Charles. He’s going to work, and living his life. He’s home, and he’s safe, all because Robert gave him back to her.
Ned says he’s not afraid of what Alexis might say to Olivia. He’s genuinely concerned about her drinking. Alexis says, let her make it perfectly clear. She has no intention of telling Olivia. If and when Ned decides to, it’s up to him. He says, it’s not like it’s going to happen again. They’re not having an affair. It was a one-time thing. Olivia never has to know. Alexis says he’ll probably tell her, but she’ll get over it. She loves Ned. Ned says he’s not going to hurt Olivia in order to clear his conscience, and Alexis says, take it from her, it’s soul crushing to find out the person you love has a secret. Make damn sure Olivia doesn’t find out from someone else.
Willow asks if Epiphany has a minute, and Epiphany says she doesn’t have any more information on Finn. Willow says, it’s not about that. The hospital cut back her teaching hours, and she misses the kids. She’s considering applying to the nurse’s program. She can still work with kids, and translate her experience with her former job. Epiphany says, the world needs good nurses, but Willow will have to go back and start from scratch. Willow says she didn’t think there was a shortcut. She’s at a crossroad. She loves teaching; it’s fulfilling. Epiphany says she can understand Willow’s attraction to the program, and if she wants to talk, Willow knows where to find her. She goes back to work, and Willow looks through the room window at Chase and Finn.
Finn sees Chase by his bed, and says he’s not as pretty as Anna. Chase says Anna was really worried last night. He kind of was too. He sits down, and asks what’s with Finn acting like a superhero. Leave that to the professionals. And just because he’s emotional doesn’t change the fact that Finn is a gigantic pain in the ass. Finn says, back at him, and Chase says, before they met, he wanted to know what Finn was like. He used to have idiotic fantasies about brother bonding. Finn says, then they met, and he let Chase down. Chase says he was extremely disappointed. He thought Finn was cold and arrogant. Finn says he’s heard that before, and Chase says, he was no fun. He didn’t like camping or football, none of the brother stuff he thought they’d do. Finn says he’s sorry he wasn’t the big brother Chase dreamed about, but Chase says, don’t be sorry. Once he let go of the brother he imagined, and started to know the brother he actually has, Finn exceeded expectations. He’s a phenomenal doctor, and any time Chase is down, there’s that annoying knock on the door. He’s seen Finn with Violet, and it makes him excited to be a dad one day. As far as brothers go, Finn’s not so bad. Finn says Chase is growing on him too.
Anna sees Peter, and he asks if she’s there to see Maxie, but she says she wants to see him. Can they talk? He says she sounds serious, and she says, kind of. It’s about Alex.
Epiphany goes to Finn’s room, and he says he thought Epiphany had been moved to administration, and she says, they don’t see her, right? Chase says, no ma’am; they don’t. Finn thanks her, but she says, again, she’s not there, and he’s welcome. She wouldn’t be anywhere else, but she should probably get back to work. Chase says, one more thing. Does she know why ants never get sick? (*Answer below.) She says, really? She’s been up all night, don’t tell her a bad joke that was kicking around for decades before he was born. He says he thought his dad made it up, and she says, his brother doesn’t need to be laughing in his condition. No more jokes. She tells someone in the hall that she took Finn’s vitals; they can go in. Finn asks what they’re doing there. (*They have anty bodies.)
Dante goes to Peter’s office, and sneaks around. He looks through a folder on Peter’s desk.
Peter asks what Anna needs to tell him about Alex. She says she wanted to reassure him of the promise she made last night. Alex is no longer a threat to anyone. Not him, Maxie, or the baby; they’re all safe now. He says there’s something he has to admit. The longer Alex had Maxie, the more his dark impulses were pounding in his head. If Anna hadn’t rescued Maxie, he doesn’t know what he would have been capable of.
Jordan tells Curtis, she’ll see if they can ID who it is. They weren’t a prisoner. Someone has gone to ta lot of trouble to protect someone. The front doorknob jiggles, and they hide. When the door opens, Jordan and Curtis jump out, guns drawn. It’s Laura.
Tomorrow, Franco asks if Scotty is going to help him or not, Valentin tells Anna that she can’t tell Finn, and Sonny asks Cyrus if something is going on with the hospital that he doesn’t want public.
But maybe not until the next life. While we’re still in this one, stay safe, stay on top of your to-do list, and stay leaving being a superhero to the professionals.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
😳 Oops. My bad. After the insane week I’ve had, I had a hard time reading my own shorthand yesterday and attributed Nelle and Brook’s final words backward. Sorry about that. I did question myself at the time, and should have known Brook would never back down to Nelle. The correct version is in today’s post. Moving forward…
Lucy welcomes us back, and says, once again, the 2020 General Hospital Nurses Ball telethon, a spectacular event to raise money for frontline workers’ special safety equipment. It’s a great honor to introduce everyone’s favorite nurse at GH, EpiphanyJohnson. Epiphany comes out, and explains that hospitals are a collaboration. They aren’t made up of just doctors and nurses, but orderlies, lab technicians, cleaners and other workers.Together they provide essential services. These are incredibly stressful jobs, and take their toll on service providers and their families. The viewer donations let them know that the community they support, supports them back. Lucy says the telethon is a way to say thank you to all the medical personnel and first responders, who are heroes, along with their families, and who do so much for them. While the viewers are making donations, they’ll be entertained with amazing acts still to come.
In the bathroom, Ava tells Nina, the Cassadine men do have a way of getting under their skin. Nina says, which brings her back to Nikolas. Is he trying to make Ava jealous by making a fuss over Elizabeth? Even if they’re married in name only, flirting, especially with a married woman, is just tacky. Ava says, and also profitable. If Nikolas sleeps with another woman, he’ll break the infidelity clause, and she’ll wind up with 90% of the Cassadine estate. Nikolas can shower tributes on Elizabeth to his heart’s content, and if he woos her into bed, Ava gets the payoff she deserves. Inside one of the stalls, Elizabeth listens.
Carly tells Jax that Josslyn called. He wonders if there’s something wrong, but she says she thinks Josslyn was just checking in. She might be looking for a congratulatory present. Jax asks if Carly knows Josslyn has been angling for a car, and Carly says she does. She’ll let him handle that. Before he leaves, Jax tells Nikolas, the scholarship for the nursing students in Elizabeth’s name was generous, but maybe he should have thought about it a little more. Franco says, Jax has a point. Next time a wave of generosity washes over him, he may want to shower it onto his wife.
Michael explains the Quartermaine relationships to Willow, telling her, Tracy married Luke. Michael thought it was a fraudulent marriage, but he can’t keep track. They definitely turned out to be life partners though. She asks if unconventional marriages are a thing for the Quartermaines, and he says they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Monica sits back down on the couch, and says, still sleeping; disaster averted. Julian comes up behind her, and chloroforms her, knocking her out. Wiley sleeps peacefully with Mr. Hopsicle.
Brook tells Nelle that she can’t wait until Nelle is hauled off in handcuffs in front of everyone there, and all the people viewing at home. Nelle says the police won’t believe Brook; they’ll say she’s harassing Nelle. Brook says, she’ll call Michael, and he can call the police, but Nelle smacks the phone out of Brook’s hand. Brook says, no worries. Mac is there; he can arrest her himself. Brook heads for the door, and Nelle says she’s sorry. She picks up the shears, and asks Brook to pretend that she didn’t see or hear anything. Brook turns around, and stupidly walks back to Nelle, and says she messed with her last Quartermaine. Nelle slashes at Brook, and we see blood on the shears. Why? Why do they always do that? Like Tuco said in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, if you’re going to shoot, shoot; don’t talk.
Michael sees that Brook called, but didn’t leave a message. Willow says maybe Brook wanted to make peace with him, but he say she doesn’t need to. He didn’t like the idea that she sold her shares, but so did other members of his family. At least she didn’t know she sold them to Valentin. She says he’s less worried than Ned seems to be, and he says he hates the idea of Valentin being in charge, and intends to force him out eventually, but in the short term, Valentin is a smart businessman. He doesn’t think ELQ will suffer. Willow says he doesn’t think of it as a betrayal, so maybe he should tell Brook. He tries calling.
Nelle stands over an unconscious Brook, and says she should have been nicer, more sympathetic. Her mistake. Now Nelle’s plan to have Wiley vanish has gone south. She needs to go. Brook lies on the floor in a pool of blood, next to her ringing phone. Nelle slips out.
Monica is knocked out, and Julian says, sorry. He turns off the TV, and his phone dings. He sees a text from Nelle that says, the timetable has been moved up. We need to move now. Is it done? He closes the doors to the living room, and trots up the stairs.
Michael gives Willow a bottle of water, and raises his own, saying, to Wiley, and his amazing new life. He’s safe from Nelle because of her. Willow says, because of us, and Diane. He says, to Wiley and Diane. Carly watches, and smiles. Michael smiles at Willow, and little hearts start to pop out of his eyes.
Lucy asks Amy if she’s found Jordan. Maybe she’s warming up, since she’s the next act. Amy says she couldn’t find Jordan, so she asked Curtis, who said she was called away on a case. Lucy says, no; that doesn’t work. Jordan is the Police Commissioner. She doesn’t have to solve every case. She can delegate to other police people. Lucy can’t delegate an act. Amy says she called the PCPD and the hospital, but no one has seen her. Lucy will have to cut her number. Lucy says it can’t just be her out there; she needs acts. Acts and asking for money. They need alternate activities. It’s like the NFL draft, but she doesn’t have an act to draft. Amy tells Lucy not to panic; she can panic later. She asks if Lucy wants to shut the Ball down, and Lucy asks if Amy is losing her mind. She tells Amy to find Epiphany and Deanna, and warm up. She’ll stall. She’ll do a tap dance. She doesn’t know how to tap dance. She hates tap dancing. She’ll just stall.
Anna tells Valentin that his song was beautiful, and he says, at least someone appreciates it. She says false modesty doesn’t look good on him. It was wonderful, and he knows it, as was his pledge. He asks if she’s going to chastise him for burnishing his public image. She says, isn’t he? and he says, that’s part of it. He hears congratulations are in order. She must be thrilled for Peter and Maxie. Being a parent changes everything. It makes you better. It did with him and Charlotte, and her and Robin. Maybe it will with Peter. She says, of course (🍷) it will. He hopes so, and says, some mistakes are impossible to fix.
Nina tells Ava, Franco is her friend. She hopes Ava isn’t playing with his marriage. Ava says she’s doing no such thing. She’s heard rumors that under that angelic façade, Elizabeth is chronically unfaithful. If she chooses to break her vows to her husband, Franco should know the truth. Nina sees one flaw in Ava’s big plan. The way she and Nikolas were looking at each other, either she’s getting good at pretending to love him, or something changed in the last few days. Ava says Nina is projecting her issues with Valentin onto her. They leave, and Elizabeth comes out.
Michael tells Willow, they’re supposed to take a tally, and give Lucy the paperwork. What if after that, they sneak out? She says, abandon their post? He says they’ve done more than enough. They can go home, and check on Wiley. She says he’s making her an offer she can’t refuse. She glances at Sonny, and says, did she really just say that? They leave to finish up.
Lucy says hello to all their gorgeous, generous, amazing donors. They’re doing a great job, and she hopes they realize how important it is to the frontline workers who help them every day. When they work together, they do something more than raising money. They’re building a community, and showing the medical personnel and first responders that they support them. Any amount is great. Keep pitching in, and they’ll keep entertaining. They’re in for a special treat.
Nelle dashes through the corridors in the MetroCourt, and around runs outside. Julian sends a text that says, it’s done.
As Monica sleeps, Julian comes downstairs with Wiley, and leaves with him.
Michael and Willow arrive home, and Michael says, sorry the evening crashed and burned. She says, it didn’t. She had a good time. He says, until Chase and Sasha. She says, they were fantastic (I guess we don’t get to see that), and he says, someday it won’t hurt so much. Until then, they can make some popcorn, and watch the funniest movie ever made. She says he doesn’t have to cheer her up, and he says he’s cheering himself up. They sit on the stairs.
Sonny says, Michael and Willow aren’t coming back? and Carly says, they probably went to check on Wiley; they’re such good parents. Sonny says he’s glad it wasn’t her idea; Chase and Sasha pretending to be involved so Michael and Willow would get married. Face it. It’s exactly the kind of plan that’s up her alley. She says, back in the day, 100%. She’d be seeing all of their hearts breaking and feel guilty. Instead, she’s grateful Michael and Willow got custody of Wiley, and Wiley got the best stepmother on the planet. Sonny says he knows there’s too much going on, and Carly asks if he wants to check in with Turning Woods, but he says, no. They’ll call if there’s any change. The best thing he can do for his dad is to stay and support the people who have given him such amazing care.
Olivia tells Ned, she’s trying to call Brook, but there’s no answer. He says, his problem daughter? No surprise. He tells Olivia to save the lecture for now, but she says she’s just expressing her opinion. He says, on this topic, they’re one and the same, and she says he’s scaring the hell of her. She’s heard stories about his grandfather, and his intentions were good, but his methods were toxic. She says this with love, but he’s turning more into Edward every day. He says, that’s not true, and she says, prove it. Find his daughter, and talk to her.
We see Brook lying on the floor, unconscious.
Ned asks if Dustin and Lulu have seen Brook, but Dusting says, not for a while. She might be warming up. They’ll go check. Ned thanks them.
Robert asks Olivia if she’s got a minute, and she asks if he’s okay. He says he has good news. The commissioner at the Bureau said he can get her in to see Dante. Olivia gets super excited, and asks, when? Where is he? Robert says, he’s at a facility in Geneva. No civilians are allowed, so he’ll go with her. The supervisor is waiting for his boss to return, and there’s a narrow window. They have to hurry. He’d like to leave now if they could. She throws her arms around him, and thanks him. Ned watches.
Willow says, popcorn and the funniest movie ever? and Michael says, if only to cheer him up. Feel free not be cheered, since it’s only about him. He asks what she’d like to see, and she asks him, promise not to laugh, but he says, that’s the point. She says it’s a kid movie, with silly humor, and he tells her, cue it up, and he’ll check on Wiley. They go into the living room, and see Monica asleep. Michael tries to wake her, but she stays out.
Julian waits at the pier, and says, sorry, Wiley; you deserve better than this. Unfortunately, your crazy birth mother has other plans. Why is he going along with it? He’s the world’s biggest coward. He should have told Sonny that he knew all along, but Sonny can kill someone. He’s run out of options. He flashes back to telling Ava, go ahead. Tell him what an idiot he is for getting mixed up with Nelle. Ava asks what on earth was he thinking, and why hasn’t he killed her yet? He says he wouldn’t be there if she didn’t have him over a barrel. Ava says if he thinks Nelle will release him when it’s over, he’s a damn fool. On the pier, Julian says, maybe not.
Lulu says, if she’s not backstage, Brook probably bailed, but Dustin says, she might have stage fright, but she wouldn’t run away. They go into the makeshift dressing room, and see Brook on the floor. Dustin runs to check her pulse, and Lulu says, oh my God. Dustin tells her, call 911, and tells Brook to wake up.
Lucy tells the viewers that the Nurses Ball is still so passionately committed to HIV and AIDS. Sonny and Nikolas’s generous donations will be going to those charities. She wants to introduce a woman committed to both causes, and welcomes Anna. Anna thanks the viewers for their donations. She’s been answering the phones, and got to speak to some of them; they’ve been lovely. She’s grateful for their generosity. The Nurses Ball has a special place in her heart, and not just because she received a lovely marriage proposal on this very stage a year ago from Dr. Hamilton Finn (I always forget he has a first name). She says, it’s special because so many lives have been touched by HIV and AIDS. She’s the mother of an HIV survivor. She was diagnosed at a time when the prognosis wasn’t as optimistic; a time when prejudice and fear were more rampant. Her daughter Robin, and countless others, are alive today because of medical research. Perhaps that’s why Robin became a doctor herself. This leads her to tell them how important the telethon is. She served as Police Commissioner, and saw how closely first responders and medical staff work together. Their work is vitally important. The police, doctors, the ambulance crew, the hospital cleaners; no one does their job alone. They need each other, and we desperately need them. So give what you can. Any donation, whatever size. I have a friend who was diagnosed with HIV many years ago, like Robin, and he’s doing fine today.
Elizabeth tells Franco, Nikolas isn’t the problem, Ava is. She’s playing emotional chess with Nikolas, and they’re the pawns.
Robert tells Olivia he has to go back inside. Anna is going to have a fit because he wasn’t there during her speech. Olivia says, tell her the truth. He found a way for her to see her son; Anna will understand. He says he’ll be waiting, and she says she doesn’t know how to thank him. He leaves, and Ned comes out. He says, amazing. They have a fight and she runs to Robert because he says the right things. Olivia says it has nothing to do with their marriage. Robert found a way for her to see Dante. Ned says, that’s great news, and Olivia says, he’s at a facility in Geneva. Robert knows the guy in charge. Ned says he’ll change his schedule, and they’ll go, but Olivia says Robert has to sneak her in as it is. Only one person can go. Ned says, okay, and Lulu comes running in. She says, Brook has been attacked.
Michael begs Monica to please wake up. Monica opens her eyes, and asks if everything is all right. He says she scared him half to death. Is she okay? She says she must have dozed off, and Michael says she was sleeping pretty heavily. Where’s Wiley? She says she doesn’t remember. The phone rang, and she’d left it in the foyer. She came back in, and heard Wiley. Michael asks if Wiley was downstairs or did she hear him on the monitor? Willow says she’ll check the nursery.
Nelle goes to meet Julian, and asks where Wiley is. He says Wiley is safe in his car, and she asks if he’s saying he’s giving her a set of wheels. That’s totally nice, but unnecessary. Just put Wiley in her car, and they can get going.
Elizabeth tells Franco, Ava is encouraging Nikolas to cheat, so she can get the Cassadine fortune. Franco says she has it backward. Nikolas is the one who’s playing them.
Lucy thanks everyone, saying the Nurses Ball was a resounding success; just amazing. She’d like to thank the volunteers who jumped in at the last minute, and gave generously of their time, and the amazing performers backstage who pitched in and made this happen. She thanks her rack of gowns on stage with her, and goes behind the rack, coming out in a volunteer T-shirt and jeans. She says the most deserving of all is their amazing audience. It’s her great pleasure to introduce the intrepid nurses of GH. Epiphany, Amy, Deanna, and an unidentified flying nurse sing. I’ve had zero luck with finding the titles of songs I don’t recognize, but if I can find a list, I’ll post them. They sing in front of a grid with candles everywhere on it, and I think, that’s impressive for something done on the fly.
Backstage, Lucy smiles at her success.
Brook is taken out on a stretcher, while Mac gathers evidence. He asks if Dustin and Lulu saw anybody. Did anyone look like they were fleeing the scene? Lulu says, they didn’t see anyone. Ned tells Brook to hang in there. He won’t leave her side. He’ll be right there. They leave, and Finn goes with them. Mac tells Lulu and Dustin, if they remember any detail, no matter how small, call him.
Michael asks what Monica was doing before she fell sleep. Was Wiley downstairs, or in the nursery? She says she doesn’t remember, and Willow runs down the stairs. She tells them, Wiley’s not in his room, and Monica says, what?
Nelle says, all right, hubby; it’s been fun, but it’s time go. Julian says, sorry, but she’s not going anywhere. She asks what he’s talking about, and he says she pushed him too far. Now he’s pushing back. He takes out a gun.
To be continued…
On Monday, Portia has an update on Brook, Nina tells Jax not to hate her for what she’s going to say, Julian tells Nelle that someone has to stop her, and Sonny says someone is going to tell him right now.
Sunday August 30th, starting at 6 pm, AMC will also be showing the first episode of each season of The Walking Dead. I still think the very first episode was the best one. Rick’s WTF? face can’t be topped.
I didn’t know you could scream that loud after smoking cigarettes. – Cynthia Decker, Pillow Talk: 90 Day Fiancé, referring to Angela screaming at Michael
Tough times never last. Tough people do. – Robert Schuller
Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance and none can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun. – Kent Nerburn
How to sell books in 2020: Put them near the toilet paper. – NY Times
An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break. May you be open to each thread that comes into your life – the golden ones and the coarse ones – and may you weave them into a brilliant and beautiful life. – Unknown
We are all ordinary. We are all boring. We are all spectacular. We are all shy. We are all bold. We are all heroes. We are all helpless. It just depends on the day. – Brad Meltzer
Do one thing every day that scares you. – Eleanor Roosevelt
The noisiest thing in the world is someone trying to be quiet. – me
People tend to be generous when sharing their nonsense, fear, and ignorance. And while they seem quite eager to feed you their negativity, please remember that sometimes the diet we need to be on is a spiritual and emotional one. Be cautious with what you feed your mind and soul. Fuel yourself with positivity and let that fuel propel you into positive action. – Steve Maraboli
Luckily for me, I have all my best ideas drunk. – Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Birds of Prey
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. – Confucius
Immature love says: ‘I love you because I need you.’ Mature love says ‘I need you because I love you.’ – Erich Fromm
Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying. – Roy T. Bennett
🏍 Moving Forward…
Next week has to be better, right? Right? Enjoy your weekend, or pretend it’s the weekend, depending. Until Monday, stay safe, stay supportive of the front line, and stay away from psychopaths with fabric shears.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Ava calls to Nikolas, telling him, the guests are starting to arrive. She’s wearing a black sequined number and he says, quite the outfit. He’s only wearing a towel, and she says, him too, trying not to look. She tells him, you should probably get chest… dressed. He says, don’t worry, and she says they need to sizzle tonight. If he ruins the night for her, he’ll regret it for a looooong time.
Franco thinks about Elizabeth saying he’s about money like everyone else. He took Ava’s commission for it, and he’s playing into her hands. Scotty comes in and says, the man of the hour, and Franco thanks him for coming. Scotty says he wouldn’t take the ferry if not for Franco. He’s sure Franco would like to see some nice friendly faces for his big comeback. Franco says, Ava calls it a revival, and Scotty says, a lucrative reboot. Franco’s got to get work, make money, and pay the bills. Where’s his wife?
At the hospital, Terry sees Elizabeth, and says, just the person she needs. Enlighten her; rumors are flying. Elizabeth says, the rumors are true. Unfortunately, Cyrus is on the board. Terry asks why it’s unfortunate. Now they have enough money to run the hospital. Elizabeth says, money is all they care about. Cyrus is involved in the drug trade, and now he’s right in the heart of the hospital.
Lucy walks up to the door at Windymere with Maxie and Peter, but says she’s afraid she’s not up for a party. The Nurses Ball is tomorrow, and she has a million things to do. Maxie says she thought Lucy would want to be there for Deception. They need to see and be seen, and talk up the company. Lucy says Maxie is more than capable of doing that by herself. Go schmooze. She’ll see Maxie later. Ta-ta! Maxie grabs her arm, and says she’s staying. They go inside, and Lucy says she’ll be right there, and pretends to look at the artwork in another room. Maxie tells Peter that she thinks Lucy is hiding something, and Peter thinks she’s right. Maxie hopes it’s not too terrible.
Lulu thanks Dustin for letting her drag him there, and he tells her to stop acting like he’s doing her a favor. Talent is talent, despite the subject matter.
Franco tells Scotty that Elizabeth isn’t coming. She’s upset that Ava is dredging up his past. It’s the ten year anniversary of Francophenia. Scotty says he can see why she’d be upset, but there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Franco says he tried to explain that, and Scotty says, but she’s not buying it? Franco says, not at all. Even worse, he thinks Elizabeth would prefer to pretend his past never happened at all.
Anna and Finn go over their wedding list at The Floating Rib. Anna says, Chase and Sasha? but Finn isn’t sure of their status. Anna says, just Chase then. He suggests she add Robin and Patrick, but she says they’re not finished with his family yet. He says, Violet? and she asks if he isn’t going to invite his father.
Peter goes to get drinks, and Lulu says, Maxie didn’t tell him she was pregnant? Maxie says, shhh. Nina comes in with Jax, and he says, it can’t be easy, being back. She says this big, drafty house is part of the gloomy past that she’s glad to forget. She’d rather focus on her bright, handsome future.
Ava says, shall we, darling? And tells Nikolas to smile. It’s going to be a night to remember. I think, so was the sinking of the Titanic.
Lucy tells Ava, some people would think it was tasteless to have a private function just before the biggest, brightest charity event of the year. Ava says, you’d think Lucy would be at home before the one night of the year when she’s actually socially relevant.
Nina tells Franco that she’s glad he’s painting again. She’ll make sure he and Ava are in their Out and About page. He thanks her for her support. Lulu tells Maxie, she hates to point out the obvious, but Peter is the dad, and the longer she keeps the secret, the worse it will be. Maxie says, it’s not a secret. She just hasn’t found the time to tell him. Lulu says, really? and Maxie amends that to, the right time. Lulu asks what time will be right, but Maxie says she doesn’t know. Like she said, she and Peter have never even discussed having a child; not once. She’s not sure how Peter feels about it. Lulu says she knows how to find out, and Maxie says, how? Lulu says, by telling him.
Terry tells Elizabeth that Lucy almost single-handedly organizes the Nurses Ball. You’d think she’d vote with the Quartermaines. Elizabeth says, apparently Valentin backed the relaunch of Deception, and Lucy couldn’t jeopardize it. Terry asks if there was no one except the Quartermaines who could help, and Elizabeth tells her, Nikolas stepped up, but it was too late. At least he was willing to do it. It’s too bad he won’t get rid of Ava. He’s going to be at her side when her portrait is unveiled. Ava made tonight about resurrecting the old Franco, who couldn’t tell the difference between good and evil, because he had a brain tumor. He became famous for the wrong reasons, and that’s not her husband. She’s not supporting or celebrating him.
Ava tells Franco, sorry. He deserves better, especially from his wife. Nikolas says Ava is all about being a supportive spouse, and she tells him, not now. Nikolas says, sorry. He’s out of sorts since Spencer said he wants nothing to do with him unless he has the Cassadine money. Franco says, it’s got to be rough, being rejected by a kid he lied to for three years. Ava says she’s sorry Spencer took a hard line with Nikolas, and Nikolas says, they both lost a child. As much as they’d love to be celebrating with Kiki and Spencer, it’s not meant to be. Ava says they’ve all made their choices, haven’t they? She says she needs some air, and leaves. Franco says, what the hell? Spencer thinks Nikolas is an ass, but Kiki is dead. There’s no comparison. Nikolas says, Ava barely bated an eyelash, but Franco says, she finds any mention of Kiki devastating. Anyone who cares about her knows that.
Lulu and Maxie go outside, and Lulu asks if that’s the only reason Maxie hasn’t told Peter. Or is she on the fence about having a baby? Maxie says, the timing is all wrong. She thinks about how incredible it would be, having a child with Peter, but she’s not sure Peter feels the same way. Lulu asks if they don’t get along, and Maxie says, growing up with Faison caused Peter to doubt himself. What if he’s made the choice not to be a father? Well, I’m guessing Peter knows how babies are made, so wouldn’t he have thought about that before?
Finn says he hasn’t seen his father since he diagnosed him with Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, and Anna asks if Finn isn’t happy about that. He says, he is, but they mostly communicate through Chase. She says, what about Violet? Doesn’t she deserve to have a relationship with her grandfather?
Nina asks how well Jax knows Lucy, and he says, not that well, but he’s known her forever. She asks if he has any idea why she voted for Valentin to be in charge of ELQ. He says, of course (🍷) he does, and so does she. He bought into Lucy’s company to have leverage. He has no respect for Valentin, but admits it was a good business move. Elizabeth shows up, and Nikolas says he thought she wasn’t coming. She says she changed her mind, and needs to find Franco. He thinks Franco is out on the parapet, and says he’ll take her.
Franco finds Ava in the stables, and tells her that Nikolas is out of line, but she says he can’t get to her. He asks what she’s doing out there then, and she tells him, like she said, she just needed some air. Franco says, if she was looking for fresh air, it’s probably better in the stables, and she laughs. She sits, and wonders if she’ll ever be able to hear Kiki’s name without it breaking her heart. Franco says Nikolas was deliberately trying to wound her, and she says, maybe with cause. She thinks she’s gone too far.
Lulu says Maxie has to figure out what to do. Peter is a father, and needs to know. Nikolas and Elizabeth come out, looking for Franco, and Maxie grabs Lulu, saying they’re going to start their own search party. Nikolas tells Elizabeth, sorry. He thought Franco was there, but since they are, they might as well enjoy the view. He can have a nice moment where he can pretend his life is fantastic. She says, Spencer will come around, and he says he hopes so. He tells him that he did the right thing, offering to help the hospital financially. He says, if only Cyrus hadn’t gotten there first. He can’t believe the hospital is taking money from him. She says, it gets better. Cyrus is the new chairman.
Dustin shows Peter a little toy car that Rocco gave him as a present. He wanted to come, but Dustin asked if he really wanted to listen to grown-up conversation while looking at a painting, and Rocco decided video games and pizza were better. Peter says, kids never stop surprising you. James and Georgie keep him on his toes. Dustin asks if Peter didn’t ever want kids, and Peter says he’d never thought about it until Maxie came into his life. Maxie and Lulu come out, and he says, there she is; the love of his life.
Scotty tells Lucy, with all the problems Monica has caused, maybe the family can finally earn some money now. Lucy says, the most important thing is that GH was saved, no matter where the money came from. He says, that’s crazy talk. They don’t want a new benefactor coming in, and changing the policies and the staff. They could change what makes the hospital special. Lucy says, no more hospital talk, and suggests they focus on Deception. It was no walk in the park, reviving a company from the 90s, but she did it. She had help, but it was her vision and inspiration that made it happen. Finances don’t fall from the sky. Entrepreneurs make compromises sometimes. He says, Lucy… What have you done?
Nikolas tells Elizabeth, sorry he was too late, but she says, at least he was willing to provide the funding. That’s the Nikolas she remembers. He says he’s trying to get back to who he was. She tells him, hurry up; she misses him. He says he misses her too. He hates the distance between them. She says she needs to find Franco. There are some things between them she needs to clear up.
Lucy tells Scotty, Valentin was adamant about ELQ not bailing out the hospital, and she voted with him. Scotty says, what? She repeats that she voted with Valentin. She knew there was someone else who was going to help. He says, that Cyrus guy. He’s a threat to the community. Lucy tells him, the Commissioner said he’d been framed, wrongly jailed, and was focused on doing good for the community. So she voted with Valentin. Scotty says, she owed him, and knew the day would come when he’d need her tie-breaking vote. She says, it’s not her fault he got controlling interest. It’s on the shoulders of the family members who sold him their shares. The hospital will be fine. ELQ couldn’t do it, so Cyrus did. He says, you can’t trust him; especially since he’s a guy with a ponytail, for cryin’ out loud. She says she doesn’t know anything about that, and Maxie asks for a word with her. Scotty leaves, and Lucy says she knew this would happen, and one day she’d be the town pariah again. Maxie asks if that’s why she didn’t want to come, and Lucy wonders why no one can understand why she did it. She had no choice. She knew if she didn’t, Valentin would pull his money out. There would be no Deception, no launch; they’d have nothing. Jax asks if Lucy minds if he talks to her for a second. She says, that depends. Is he going to harp on her betraying the Quartermaines too?
Anna says she knows for a fact Chase told Finn’s father about Violet. He asks if his father has made any effort to get to know Violet, and Anna says he’s respecting Finn’s boundaries, and waiting for an invitation. Finn says he’s uncomfortable with his father and his father’s wife, and thinks Violet will pick up on it. Say he does let his father in, they don’t get past it, and it gets more uncomfortable. It’s the last thing Violet needs; someone being there, and suddenly gone. Anna thinks there’s another obstacle, and it’s not just because his father remarried.
Ava tells Franco that she’s ashamed to admit it, but she turned Spencer against his father. He says, if there’s anyone to blame, it’s Nikolas, but she says Spencer sees her as a traitor, and gave Nikolas an ultimatum. He’ll be in Nikolas’s life if she’s out. He says, then why not walk away? and she says, money. According to their post-nup, if Nikolas divorces her, she gets 90% of everything. Franco asks if she’s serious, and she says, the remaining 10% would be put in a trust for Spencer, but the kid wants to inherit the entire estate. So if she stays married to Nikolas, Spencer stays on the other side of the world. Franco says, it’s not her responsibility. The person to blame is Nikolas. Ava says she contributed to the problem and can solve it. If she ends the marriage, and doesn’t take the money, Spencer will take his father back. He asks if she can do it, and she says, just imagine if Kiki was still out there. If there was a possibility of Ava seeing her face again, it would be worth anything. What if she could do that? Give Spencer and Nikolas the healing and closure she and Kiki never had. Elizabeth listens in.
Elizabeth says hi to Ava, who says they weren’t expecting her. Elizabeth says, surprise, surprise, and Ava says, it’s good to see her. She has to get back to her guests, but she’s glad Elizabeth made it. She goes inside, and Franco thanks Elizabeth for changing her mind. She says she came to stand by her man and see his masterpiece unveiled. He says she’s made him happy. She’s made his whole night.
Anna says Finn’s father has been married for a decade. She understands, but thinks Finn’s estrangement from his father is going to affect Violet. Finn disagrees. He thinks Violet should know her grandfather, but he lives in California. It’s not like he has a presence in her life. Anna says she lives the same distance from Robin, but they stay in touch. Kids live half their lives on a screen, and it’s made long distance relationships easier. Although she does wish she lived closer. There’s nothing she loves more than giving her grandchildren a hug.
Maxie stumbles, and Peter asks if she’s okay. She says she just slipped on her heel.
Lucy thanks Jax for being a gentleman, and not berating her. He says he’s a businessman, and understands the deal she made, but Cyrus is another story. She says, that’s not her fault, and he says, that may be true, but she defended him earlier. She needs to understand, Jax’s daughter was almost caught in the crossfire when Cyrus went after Sonny’s family. She could have been killed; Laura too. She says, that was Cyrus? and he says, there’s no official proof, but Sonny is convinced, and on this subject, he trusts Sonny. Lucy tells him, butJordan said… and he says he doesn’t pretend to understand why Jordan did that, but technically, it’s true. Cyrus was wrongfully imprisoned, but he’s still a dangerous criminal. If he were her, he’d be careful.
Ava sees Nina on the parapet, and asks if Nina was looking for her. Nina says she wondered where Ava disappeared to, but came out for a breath of fresh air. She loved coming out there when she lived at Windymere. Ava asks if she misses it, and Nina says, parts of it. She misses family time with Charlotte, but she’s accepted the fact that a relationship based on lies and secrets can’t last. Ava says she’s starting to think a relationship based on extortion can’t last. They laugh, and Ava says, trapping Nikolas into a loveless marriage seemed like a good idea at the time, but now she sees it’s not only hurting Nikolas, but Spencer too.
Lulu tells Nikolas, she wanted to check in with him about Spencer. Nikolas hopes their relationship is improving, and Lulu asks, how? He says Spencer told him that he wanted to be his son again if he divorced Ava. She says, clearly, that’s not happening, and he says he’d rather not go into detail. She asks, why? He’s her brother, and she knows he loves his son. It makes zero sense, accepting what’s going on. He says he’s not accepting it, and she asks if keeping one secret is more important than their relationship. Is it more important than regaining her trust? He says, no; it isn’t.
Maxie says she takes full responsibility for dragging Lucy there, but she neglected to inform Maxie that she totally sold out the Quartermaines. Lucy says she did it to save Deception, their bread and butter. Maxie says, no judgement, but Lucy needs to leave. She’s not the best brand ambassador right now. Lucy says, sorry, and Maxie says, this too shall pass. Go rest, so she can be her dazzling self at the Nurses Ball. Lucy suggests Maxie also call it an early night; she’s looking peaked. They need to knock them dead, and be on point tomorrow. Scotty says he got a new convertible; let’s go. Lucy leaves with Scotty, and Peter says, Lucy is right. Maxie looks pale. Is she sure she’s okay? Maxie says she just wants to schmooze the artist, and get it over with. She asks Franco, how long until the great unveiling? How much did Ava pay him to glorify her, and make himself relevant again? Franco says, hostile, and she says she remembers him, but he proved he’s a changed man. He convinced a judge he was a changed man, and now he’s free to be living his best life. Instead, he’s reliving his bad boy genius. The whole thing makes her nauseous. Elizabeth says Maxie has a point. He says the only important thing is, he’s the guy who gets to be married to her, but she wonders where that guy is. The only important things seem to be about everything except the man she loves.
Lulu says Nikolas recruited Spencer to be involved in his power struggle with Ava, but Nikolas says, Spencer jumped at the chance. She says he’s not understanding. He needs to have faith in Spencer that he’ll choose his father over money, not recruit him to be his accomplice. Nikolas says, Spencer is fighting for his inheritance, but Lulu says he’s bonding with Spencer by making his son his partner in crime.
Ava tells Nina, she never had the opportunity to see Spencer and Nikolas together, but she did see how Spencer mourned his father. They had a special bond, and seeing how upset Spencer was when he found out Nikolas was alive spoke volumes. She sees how Nikolas is taking their estrangement. Nina says, it’s one thing to help them reconcile, but the question is, can Ava give up her revenge? Ava doesn’t know. Nikolas made her think she was crazy, and that she saw his ghost. He used Kiki against her, and said they were in hell together. Although she wasn’t much better. The only thing stopping a reconciliation is the stupid post-nup she forced Nikolas to sign. Nina says, revenge is not all it’s cracked up to be. At least for her it wasn’t. Even if you hurt the person, it just ties you more closely to them. She exposed Valentin’s lies at the altar, and got zero satisfaction. It was only when she turned away from the bitterness and ugliness that she found peace. Ava knows what she has to do.
Franco says he thought Elizabeth was there to support him. She says she was, but she’s not comfortable with any of it. She can’t stay. He says he’ll try not to be late, then wonders if she wants him to come with her.
Maxie tells Peter, Franco and Ava are in there all smug and satisfied. She couldn’t help herself. Franco was dishonest. Elizabeth married him and brought him in as a stepfather, but he’s loving his first chance in the spotlight. Franco isn’t like Peter. Peter put in hard work to turn his life around. He says he hopes he never disappoints her, and she says he won’t, as long as he’s honest. She thinks her water smells weird, and he asks, what’s going on with her? She says this is working her last nerve, and he says she’s been dizzy and lightheaded recently. He’s seen her navigate a playground in stilettos. Is she okay?
Jax asks if Nina found Ava. She says she did, and dared to give Ava advice. He says, giving advice can be tricky, but she says she was willing to risk it. It was because of him. He’s proof she can make smart life decisions. Ava comes out wondering where her husband disappeared to.
Lulu says, so Nikolas and Spencer are working together, and he says he has his son back. She asks if she should be happy about him dragging Spencer into the game he’s playing with Ava. He asks, what’s the alternative? Let Ava walk away with 90%? It’s unacceptable to Spencer and him. She asks if it ever occurred to him that Spencer just wants to please him. Spencer isn’t going along for the money, but for his father. Nikolas is missing his moment to turn this around, and stop manipulating. Choose his son, and let Ava decide if she’s going to keep the money. He says he can’t take that risk. Ava has to give up before the marriage ends. She says, he’s pulling Spencer into a lie, and he says, Ava forced his hand. He has to get back out by manipulating the situation. Lulu says, wow. He’s as set on revenge as much as he was when he first came back, and refuses to see what it’s costing.
Anna says she and Finn have been telling Violet that the wedding is about family. Having his father there will show her that he’s part of the family. Finn says maybe he would like them to get to know each other, but that’s not the only problem. He’ll leave it at that. She says, she’s not leaving it at that; it’s about his stepmother. He says he can’t imagine her at their wedding. It will take away from the day – for him anyway. If he invites his father, he can’t exclude her. It’s too complicated. She says she hates to break it to him, but families are complicated. His father is still family, so can’t he put their differences aside for one day? For Violet’s sake?
Dustin says Lulu looks pissed, and she says, once again, her brother has gone below her worst expectations. Ava tells Nikolas, it’s showtime. Franco tells Elizabeth that Ava can take over after the unveiling, but she says she has to leave. Is he coming or not?
Ava tells her guests, on behalf of herself and Nikolas, she thanks them for coming to this celebration of revival and redemption. She teased the return of a talented artist for some time, and would like him to come join her next to her portrait. Franco looks at Elizabeth, but she doesn’t look at him. He goes up front, and Ava says she was going to make a speech, but she realized what she had planned doesn’t seem important anymore. So she’s just going to say she was so happy when Franco agreed to paint her portrait. She’s proud to share it with them tonight. So without further ado… Franco unveils the portrait, and everyone looks shocked. Elizabeth shakes her head, and Franco and Ava look at each other.
Is she naked maybe?
On Monday, Maxie says she has something to tell Peter, Elizabeth tells Nikolas that Ava will destroy what good is left in him if he’s not careful, and Ava says she plans to remedy the situation perfectly.
Every time I hear Clare Crawley, I think they’re talking about Downton Abbey. I’m not a huge fan of The Bachelor franchise, only because I can smell the desperation, and become embarrassed for the contestants, but no judgement.
MEN: Can she steal you for a sec? According to Glamour, Bachelorette Clare Crawley “will have extra men on hand, just in case” anyone gets coronavirus during taping. Meanwhile, we will have extra men on hand, just in case we can’t reach the Tate’s cookies we forgot were on the top shelf of the pantry… – Newsette
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. – Oscar Wilde
It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then. – Lewis Carroll
What you’re thinking is what you’re becoming. – Muhammad Ali
Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. – Dennis P. Kimbro
A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. – Mark Twain
If you can’t laugh at yourself, at least let me do it. – Charlie (Charlie Sheen), Two and a Half Men
People will always have opinions about your decision because they’re not courageous enough to take action on their opinion. – Steve Maraboli
Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction. – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done. – Lucille Ball
🌃 Hey, It’s Still Dark Out…
Long story short, the new site editor causes difficulty for some links. So until I have a minute to figure out a way around it, I switched back to the classic version, an upscale word for the way it was done before. Thank God it’s Friday. We still call it that, right? Keep that weekend sacred, and change your environment for a moment. But while you’re doing that, stay safe, stay authentic, and stay like Bill Murray in Meatballs, telling yourself, it just doesn’t matter.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
The tribe has spoken. Today’s GH Flashback is from January 29th, 2010. This week, we’ll be seeing The Best of Sonny’s Children.
It was the day of baby Josslyn’s christening, and Lady Jane came for the occasion. Michael (one I’ve never seen) was concerned that even though he’d been christened, he wasn’t going to heaven, but Carly assured him that he’d been protecting baby Josslyn when he’d hit Claudia, killing her. Lulu was chosen as godmother, and begged Lucky (the Jonathan Jackson version) to come, because she had a bad feeling. Dante told fellow detective Ronnie that he wasn’t going after Sonny until after the ceremony. Ronnie didn’t think it was a good idea, but Dante said it was non-negotiable. Ronnie told Dante, the minute they were out of the service, the cops would be moving in, unless Dante warned Sonny. Jason told Sonny that everything was in place, and Sonny said Dominic (which he thought was Dante’s name) was smug, and had infiltrated Sonny’s organization, working his way to a position of trust, but it wasn’t a problem, since Dominic was as good as dead. That’s when Olivia walked in.
Lucky told Lulu, large gatherings in Port Charles rarely ended well, and the christening had the potential for disaster of astronomical proportions. Lulu wondered what he wasn’t telling her, but begged him to come and be her back-up. Dante told Ronnie that he wasn’t going to blow the arrest, but Ronnie thought Dante was stalling until a mole could warn Sonny. Dante didn’t blame Ronnie for doubting him, but said he’d changed over the course of the investigation, and was driven to bring Sonny down. He was motivated to make Sonny pay for Lieutenant Poletti, but was concerned about Sonny’s kids getting hurt. He told Ronnie that they were good kids, and Carly was a good person, and Ronnie accused him of only being concerned about the people on the periphery.
Olivia hadn’t heard Sonny and Jason’s conversation, and said she was there to remind Sonny that no one deserved being shot in the house of God. She said Jax had stepped up and made Jason godfather (irony!), and Jason said there wouldn’t be any problems. Lady Jane brought a maple tree to plant for Josslyn, hoping that one day she’d have a swing hanging from it. She said Jax seemed sad, and Jax said he was concerned that everything would come crashing down. She asked what he’d done now, reminding him that he’d promised not to keep secrets from Carly. Jax said Carly was the one taking action in having Sonny removed from their lives. Lady Jane asked for specifics, and Jax said she had helped in infiltrating Sonny’s organization, and Jax had used his connections when the investigation hit a snag. A warrant had been issued for Sonny’s arrest. Lady Jane hoped that Sonny wasn’t going to be arrested during the service, and said Carly might never forgive him. He said he was aware of that, but wanted to be honest. Lady Jane feared his animosity had blinded him, but he said his eyes had been opened.
Sonny told Olivia that her boyfriend was in the middle of the organization, but she told Sonny that she was safer with Johnny than with him. He wondered how safe Johnny was, and Olivia asked if that was threat, but Sonny said it wasn’t. Carly joined them, and asked if Olivia was there for the same reason she was; to ask Sonny to play nice. Olivia thought Carly might be the push he needed, and left. Carly told Sonny that she was glad he was coming to the christening, and she was proud they were still friends. She wanted to use the christening to bring Josslyn’s family together, both extended family and blood relatives. She wanted Josslyn to be surrounded by love, and told Sonny not to do anything to screw it up. Sonny said he’d hit a turning point, and this was the day he was going to dump the garbage by the side of the road. Dante told Lulu that if she was having second thoughts, it was okay, but she said she just wanted the day to be over. Elizabeth went to Luke, saying she owed him an apology. She’d promised not to see Nikolas anymore, and it was a lie. Luke accepted her apology, and she was surprised, but he said there was no percentage in raking her over the coals; she’d done a good enough job herself. She wasn’t his favorite person, and had dealt a lethal blow to his son (i.e. Lucky), but people made mistakes sometimes. You could get drawn in to a circumstance without thinking of the consequences; it was human. He told her, a mistake didn’t negate the good she’d done for Lucky and the love she’d given him. Lulu walked in, and asked what he was doing talking to trash.
Lucky went to the chapel, and said it took a tragedy for him to talk to God, but assumed God knew his heart better than he did. He knew he was supposed to accept things he couldn’t change, but wondered how justice fit in to that, and what he’d done to deserve this. He said it was hard to believe in God’s love, and wondered if there was a plan he wasn’t seeing or a lesson he was supposed to learn. He asked to be able to see more than just black. Jason walked in, and told Lucky that it was important to Carly that he be there. Lucky assumed Jason knew he and Elizabeth had split up and why. Jason said he was sorry, and Lucky said he wished he could assure Jason that Jake would be okay, but he had no idea what was going to happen next. Jax told a tiny Josslyn that he didn’t take keeping her safe lightly, and did what was necessary. He knew he wasn’t going to be popular, and hoped Josslyn’s mother understood. Carly joined him, and said Josslyn was a miracle, thanked him for making all her dreams come true, and said she loved him. Dante went to see Olivia, who said she remembered his christening. He told her that she’d kept her promise to protect him, and he loved her. Sonny called Dante, saying he needed to talk to him, and Olivia told Dante that Sonny had seemed tense; there was something in his eyes like he was sitting on something he wasn’t going to share with her.
Jason thought Lucky would do what was best for Jake, and Lucky said it was bad, and going to get uglier before it got better. It wasn’t fair to Jake for Lucky to dishonor his promise. Elizabeth thanked Luke for his compassion, saying it was more than she deserved. Lulu said she got that right, and Elizabeth left. Luke told Lulu that Elizabeth hadn’t been a solo act, and wondered where her righteous indignation was against Nikolas. Lulu said she was mad at him too, but it was still Elizabeth’s fault. Luke told her it didn’t do any good. It was a bad situation, but it was for Lucky and Elizabeth to figure out. For them to throw in their hostility and judgment wasn’t going to help. He said, judgment is like a boomerang, and sooner or later, it comes back and smacks you in the face. Sonny met with Dante, who wondered why there were no guards. Sonny said Jason was paranoid, and he wanted Dominic/Dante to take an assignment. A shipment was coming in, and he needed Dante to make sure he didn’t get ripped off. The shipment would be in by nightfall. Dante said, by nightfall he (Dante) would be dead. He suggested Sonny was sending him on a bogus security detail on a remote road, but Sonny said he would never do that – unless he’d found out Dominic/Dante had betrayed him. At the church, Olivia wondered where Sonny and Dante were. Dante told Sonny that he was getting whiplash; one minute Sonny wanted him to inherit everything, and the next, Sonny thought Dante had betrayed him somehow. Sonny asked how Dominic/Dante was betraying him exactly, and Dante said he’d wanted to give everyone one last good day, but Sonny had taken it too far and made a dangerous miscalculation. Sonny said that could be rectified, and Dante said he was arresting Sonny for the murder of Claudia Zaccara Corinthos.
Jax didn’t want to hold things up any longer, and the christening commenced. As the priest began the ceremony, Dante read Sonny his rights, but Sonny said they weren’t going to make it to a court of law, and drew a gun. Dante said Sonny would be adding cop killer to his list of crimes. When Dante’s body was found, Sonny would be as dead as him. Sonny said nobody was going to find Dante. He’d trusted and liked Dominic/Dante, and in some ways still did. He was smart and had guts. He’d gained acceptance from Sonny’s family, and Sonny had seriously considered making Dominic/Dante his successor. Dante said he appreciated the irony, and Sonny said it was too bad all of Dante’s effort was wasted. He asked if Dante had any last words, and Dante wanted Sonny to remember what this was about. Sonny had gunned down Lieutenant Poletti from the old neighborhood like he was a worthless bad guy, but they didn’t make them any better. Any kids in the neighborhood who were lacking, Poletti tried make up for it, and he was one of those kids. Poletti taught him to grow up to be a good man, even though he had no role model. Sonny had Poletti killed, while Sonny went on with his worthless pathetic life. Sonny was chauffeured around wearing fancy suits, while a man Dante had respected paid for it. He didn’t respect Sonny; he despised him. While Josslyn was being baptized, Sonny told Dante that he didn’t remember Poletti, but if he’d killed Poletti, he deserved it. Dante told Sonny to pray that his kids never saw him the way Dante was seeing him now; a cold-eyed bastard who would kill anyone to get whatever the hell he wanted. Sonny said, goodbye, detective, and shot Dante, as the priest told everyone, go in peace; the Lord be with you. He added, there was no more of a sacred bond than that of a parent and child. Olivia arrived at Sonny’s, and ran to Dante. She told Sonny that he’d just shot his own son, and Sonny looked pretty surprised.
Below Deck Mediterranean
At 8 pm, they aired one of those repeat episodes with never before seen scenes. Don’t let those fool you. You need a microscope to find what you haven’t seen before.
Three hours until charter. It starts to storm. Bugs comes up the boardwalk, and Malia runs to meet her. Bugs says she’s bringing the thunder. In her interview, she says she’s been working on a busy private charter yacht as chief stew. Malia introduces her to Rob and Alex. In Malia’s interview, she says they need someone to get the job done, and keep a smile on their face, and that’s Bugs. She loves everything about Bugs. Hannah tells Kiko, the pressure is on them. Malia says she has a package for Captain Sandy, and brings Bugs to the bridge. The captain says they need Bugs’s expertise and support. In Bugs’s interview, she says it’s not something she saw herself doing, and Captain Sandy is the only person she’d do this for. She tells the captain that she brought the storm. The captain thinks it was a shock to Hannah, but that Bugsy will pleasantly surprised.
Bugs gives Hannah a hug, and Hannah says, it’s mayhem. Bugs says she’s coming to help, and introduces herself to the rest of the crew. In Hannah’s interview, she says she’s feeling apprehensive about Bugs. The last time they worked together, Bugs basically went out of her way to throw Hannah under the bus. We flash back to that, and Hannah says she doesn’t trust Bugs, and they won’t be friends, but they will work together. Hannah tells Bugs that she’s excited to see her back. They need a strong second. In her interview, Bugs says she’s going in with an open mind. She loves yachting and loves her job, and hopes she and Hannah can work it out this time, and balance out each other’s strengths. Malia gives the deckhands some instructions, and Pete says his stomach is killing him. Hannah takes Bugs around the boat.
At the preference sheet meeting, the captain says primary Justin is a financial consultant, and he’s bringing his best friends. They have a history of partying in Vegas, and are excited to bring the party to Majorca. Because the owner doesn’t allow dogs on the boat (for shame!), they need to find a dog sitter, and Justin may want to go on shore to visit. Weather permitting, they want a beach panic, and to do water sports. They’ve requested a five or six course tasting menu dinner. It’s pouring, and Pete says, this was not forecasted. Malia tells Alex, it’s hard deck crew to figure out. Rob is awesome, but Pete hates her. Bugs introduces herself to Pete, and says she’s Pete… No, wait. He’s Pete. The provisions come in, and Bugs tells Malia that Pete started following her on Instagram. She says Pete claims he’s a captain, and Malia says, of a tender. Welcome to her life. In her interview, Jessica is afraid Bugs is going to change the dynamic, but she thinks Hannah doesn’t like her, so it might be good. Rob thinks Bugs is cute, and Hannah is glad Bugs is on décor, since she hates doing it. In Bugs’s interview, she says her team entered tablescape competitions, and came in first. We see pictures of that, and Bugs says she gets it from her mom. She grew up around décor, because her mom owns a B&B. It’s all about thinking outside the box. She makes magic with some shells, and the table looks gorgeous. Rob and Jess sneak a kiss. Hanna tells Jess that Bugs is on service this charter.
The guests arrive with the cutest Husky puppy ever. The captain tells them, unfortunately, the weather is going to keep them on the dock, but the crew will show them an amazing time inside. Hannah does the tour, and then makes a call arranging for a dog nanny, explaining Justin will want to visit. In his interview, Kiko says he has a tattoo of a Husky. The nanny shows up, and Justin says goodbye to pup Scout. In Hannah’s interview, she says being stuck at the dock makes her job harder. The spotlight is on her and the interior. She tells Alex, the rain really screws things up. Bugs brings the guests a cheese plate, along with various other snacks. Justin asks Hannah if she can get them a table at Tito’s tonight, and Hannah calls for a VIP table. The guests do Belvedere shots, and guest Leon asks for oysters. Hannah says they couldn’t get fresh ones for today, but Kiko has caviar. Malia asks the deckhands if they have any cards for poker. Rob says there’s a whole poker set-up, and Malia asks if Alex knows how to play. In Alex’s interview, he says he played poker every night in college, and paid his tuition from the winnings. The gaming table is set up, and in his interview, Alex says he thinks Bugs is attractive. He’s an eyes and teeth person. If you have good teeth and bright eyes, he’s already in love. Lunch is served. Kiko tastes his own food, and gives himself props. Their surf and turf makes me sad about the quinoa and leftover vegetables dinner I had, so I eat a multi-grain cracker.
Pete text flirts with Lara. In Rob’s interview, he says he’s in an open relationship and getting to know Jess. The guests say lunch was great, and they’re ready for poker. Justin looks in on his pup through a webcam, and Captain Sandy high-fives Kiko. Malia plays bartender for the poker game. The captain tells Kiko not to avoid talking to the guests, and in his interview, he says English isn’t his first language, and he gets nervous. Just let him cook. Leon says he wants oysters, and Hannah explains they’re coming in fresh tomorrow. She suggests if they want something right away, to put it on the preference sheet. Leon says he did put it on the sheet. In Hannah’s interview, she says she’s used to demanding guests, but there’s a difference between being demanding and being an outright a-hole. Leon says he guesses they didn’t read it correctly, but he knows it’s a lot for them. This dude seems like a reject from Welcome Back, Kotter. Hannah goes to the galley, and looks at the sheet. She takes it to show it to Leon, saying the only time oysters are listed is for dinner. Leon says, whatever; I was wrong. When Hannah is out of his earshot, she calls him an effing d-bag. Captain Sandy asks when Kiko is going to talk to Justin, and Kiko says he’s on his way. He meets Justin in the dining room, and says he wants to make sure they’re happy. Justin says he’s easy-going (apparently Leon, not so much), and Kiko goes over the menus. Justin says Kiko is already off to a good start. The guests get in the hot tub, while Bugs looks for tablescape stuff. Malia tells Rob that she appreciates him helping out. He asks if there’s anything she needs specifically, and she says he’s been helpful and respectful. He’s doing a good job, and holding the standard. She appreciates it.
Jess says Bugs’s table is amazing. Leon whines, these MF’ers start late. In Hannah’s interview, she says she’s concerned about Kiko’s timing, especially when the guests are already a pain in her backside. Lightening flashes, and it begins to pour. Justin asks if the others want to go to Vegas next week, but one of the women says she has a birthday party in Japan. Well, excuse me. Justin says, Kiko is killing it. The guests head for shore, and Hannah reminds them to call when they’re coming back. When they’re gone, Hannah radios the crew that the guests have departed. Malia says, copy that, and I laugh at the way she says it, since it sounds more like, thank God. Jessica and Rob hug. In her interview, Jess says, what’s not to like? He has intellect, abs, and a pretty face. She’s in trouble. Bugs wonders if Pete is the crew mess creep. Malia tells Pete, tomorrow is going to be a long effing day, and to make sure he’s on deck at seven. The guests party at Tito’s, while the boat is cleaned up. They leave the club around 3 am, and Leon calls, telling Hannah, they’re effed up. Alex says, oh my God. This is what we’re doing tonight?
The guests come back, bringing some people they met with them, one of them saying, they’re not in Sag Harbor anymore. In Hannah’s interview, she says they’ve brought randoms back to the boat. Some of them get in the hot tub, and there’s lots of drinking, mostly shots and rosé. At 4 am, they’re still going strong, and a giant magnum of Perrier Jouet is brought out. Hannah just wants to go to bed. Alex opens a load of Coronas. Justin finally suggests they call it a night, and Hannah calls for a taxi for the guests’ guests, who leave somewhere around 5 am. As she cleans up with Alex, Hannah says she effing hates her job. She doesn’t get to bed until after 6:30.
Port Adriano. Kiko says his body hurts, and Captain Sandy wants off the dock. She shows Malia that the wind is below 10 knots. In her interview, the captain says, at 15 knots, it’s impossible to get off the dock. They need to take the window when there’s a chance. In terrific timing, one of the guests gets off the boat to walk around. Malia radios that she sees one guest on the dock. Captain Sandy asks if Malia’s eyes are on her, but Malia says, she’s past the entrance. The wind picks up. In Jessica’s interview, she says, oopsy. The captain says, it’s back at 15 knots, and now the guest is back. Captain Sandy realizes Pete has released the wrong groundline, so they can’t just take off. She asks who told him to do that? and he says, Malia did. Malia hears, and says, negative. She told him to release the secondary groundline. The one he released should be the last one to go. He says he’ll put back her really important groundline, and Malia says, of course it’s not his fault. The captain sees the wind is at 20 knots, and says they can’t leave. She radios a crew that it’s a no go. Malia tells Pete that his sarcasm didn’t escape her when he said he dropped her really important groundline. He claims he didn’t say that, but she says everyone on the stern deck heard him. In her interview, Malia says, it not only looks bad for Pete, but it looks bad for her. She’s done.
Pete says he wasn’t being sarcastic; he was communicating that he was putting an important line back on. In Pete’s interview, he says working with Malia is a constant ego check. He goes over what he’s done, but he’s doing the right thing. He tells Alex that Malia is wrong, but you can’t tell her anything. In Malia’s interview, she says, when you’re stuck on the dock, it’s all smoke and mirrors. You need to distract the guests. Captain Sandy says she wants all the toys out, and Malia suggests they bring the guests to a nearby beach cove, along with some tables and chairs. The captain tells Kiko to make food for a beach picnic, and in his interview, he says, good. Then he can concentrate on the six-course dinner; it’s a lot of work. Rob asks Pete about covering the cushions. Pete says he doesn’t know, and he’s not asking. He doesn’t want to get his head bit off. Justin says, poor Hannah, and tells Bugs that they’re bringing the three girls and the guy who were there last night to the beach picnic. Bugs radios that there are going to be extra people, and Captain Sandy tells Kiko, team work makes the dream work. She loves sayings like that. Justin says he misses his son, meaning his dog. Malia tells Hannah that she has to get the dog back to the boat, so they can bring him along. The food is packed, and in her interview, Hannah says, it’s nice to have a good second stew, and she has to admit, she needs Bugs. Malia goes over to the beach with Pete and Rob in the tender, and shows them the cove. Rob and Malia begin to set up, and Malia says she’s done with Pete’s ego. He has the balls to talk smack about her when she’s not standing there, but not to her face. He knows what he’s doing, and just being an a-hole. She doesn’t give a f*** about his ego anymore. The giant umbrella she’s been opening suddenly gets taken by the wind, and takes her along with it. It crashes against a rock wall, which bends the spokes.
Hannah says they’ll do two tender runs with the guests. Malia sets the table, and Rob tells her that he likes Jess. She says, awesome, and they set up a canopy. The new people get to the boat, along with Scout who’s wearing a life vest, and everyone heads to the beach. One of the guests decides to do some golfing, and Hannah explains they can’t, since people are swimming there. In Hannah’s interview, she says she hates when randoms find their way back again. The food comes, and Justin gives Scout a lick of champagne, but of course you’re too smart to give your dog alcohol, right? The beach rep calls Sandy, and tells her that there can be no tarps or glass on the beach, and she relays the message to Hannah, saying, everything has to come down. Hannah tells the guests that they have to take the tent down and remove all the glass, including the bottles containing their alcohol. In her interview, she says she has legit 30 bottles there, and the tent is the only shade. She’s up sh*t creek with no paddle. They fill some plastic bottles with alcohol, but Justin doesn’t want to stay with no tent. Hannah suggests the guests have a swim while they pack up, and sets up a small pup tent. She tells Rob, it’s a clusterf***, and she wants to cry. Malia takes a picture of Scout and Justin on a water toy. In her interview, Hannah says, Kiko is screwed. She radios Kiko that the guests have invited other guests to dinner, and she thinks there are going to be twelve altogether. He says, six times twelve is seventy-two. In Kiko’s interview, he says, how is he going to do that? It’s crazy. He’s screwed again. He starts getting ready to make dinner.
Next time, Bugs gets in the hot tub, the hardest day of Kiko’s life, Hannah questions Rob about his open relationship, and Jessica breaks a finger.
🎁 A Wrap After the Wrap…
If Loving You Is Wrong will be having a reunion on June 30th (that’s TODAY) at 8 pm. But will Oh So Right tie up any loose ends?
Technically, it’s a long weekend coming up, but for some of us, it’s been a long weekend since March. Hopefully, you’re able to branch out by now, but don’t be a Karen out there. Stay safe, stay considerate of others, and stay hopeful that by the time this is over, we’ll have a better world.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Survey says, today’s GH Flashback is from September 22nd, 2011.
Dante (who practically looked like an infant) proposed to old Lulu. At first, I didn’t realize it was Lulu, and for a moment, wondered who else Dante proposed to. JamesFranco playing Franco (which is endlessly amusing to me) spied on Maxie and Spinelli in the park, as they planned Sam and Jason’s wedding. Maxie said everything could be fixed with a few clicks on the Jackal’s computer board. Jason showed up at Sam’s while she was trying on her dress, and said he’d broken the rule by seeing her in it. She said there were so many rules, she didn’t think she could go through with it. At the hospital, Robin told Patrick they had a mandatory engagement tomorrow – Sam and Jason’s wedding – but Patrick said they weren’t going.
Sam said it wasn’t that she didn’t want to marry Jason, but he’d just gotten out of the hospital. She wanted to dance right then and there with him, even though he hated dancing, but there was a knock at the door. Dante told Lulu that he was a work in progress (ugh), but he was still a good investment, and he wanted them to invest in each other and share a future. Being with her made him feel like being a better man. Lulu said he’d gone from it being over to shut up and marry me without a break, and she needed to breathe and think. Johnny (Zacchara) asked his father Anthony (Bruce Weitz) what he had on Tracy, but Anthony said, a gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell. After Anthony left, Johnny got on the phone with henchman Cole, and said he had a job for him.
Robin told Patrick that they’d gotten married partly because of Jason, and she was still Jason’s friend. Patrick didn’t want her risking her life being around Sonny, but she said she’d go alone. A courier picked up Sam’s dress because Maxie didn’t trust her with it, and Sam told Jason, the wedding was out of control. Jason suggested she just say no to Maxie, but Sam didn’t want to hurt Maxie’s feelings. She told him, besides Maxie, everyone had their own ideas for the wedding, including Spinelli, her mom, and her sisters. She didn’t even know what kind of flowers or reception they were going to have, but guaranteed it would be over-the-top. She said she didn’t need flowers, a ceremony, or the complications that came with it. Jason told her to forget what everybody else wanted, and focus on what they wanted. All that mattered was that they loved each other. Sam said she had a rock Molly had given her to keep her grounded, and a love nut; what else did she need? Jason took her hand, and said, come on.
Jason and Sam got on his bike, and ended up at a closed Chinese restaurant. The owner Mr. Li and his grandson Robert let them in anyway, and they confessed they were running from their wedding. Lulu went to see a too skinny Maxie at Crimson for advice, while Dante went to see Lucky (the Jonathan Jackson version). He told Lucky about proposing to Lulu, and how she was hesitant. Lucky asked if Dante was sure he wanted be part of this family. Sam explained to Robert that her head was spinning; she didn’t even know if she wanted roses or lilies. Robert’s grandmother Mrs. Yi (who only spoke Chinese, so Robert had to translate) said lilies should be her flower, since they represented unity in spirit and 100 years of love. She and her husband were halfway there, having been married 50 years. Sam said their problem wasn’t commitment, but the ceremony, and Jason said if it was up to him, he’d marry Sam right there. Robert said they could do that, since he was ordained. Jason pulled out the marriage license that he just happened to have with him. Mrs. Yi said fate had brought them there, and Sam agreed.
Dante pumped Lucky for insight into Lulu, but Lucky said the Spencers were an unpredictable bunch. He told Dante not to play it safe and run from his feelings. They should love the people they were given in life while they had the chance. Anthony went to the hospital where Lisa was in a coma. (Lisa had injected herself with drain cleaner during a struggle with Patrick in June 2011.) Anthony told the doctor that he had power of attorney, and gave the hospital a lot of money. He hoped his generosity counted for something. He gave the doctor a check, and even though the doctor said the protocol was still in the early stages, and thought Anthony should get a second opinion, Anthony said he trusted the doctor, and to shoot her up. Patrick told Robin that she should respect his feelings toward Sonny, the same way he respected hers for Jason. Robin suggested they go to the wedding and get a hotel room for the night, making it a second honeymoon. Patrick said she was playing dirty, but agreed, and told her that they couldn’t let anyone come between them. Johnny got together with Cole, and told Cole to offload a boat containing drugs at the harbor. He was going to put them in Sonny’s coffee warehouse, and then give an anonymous tip to the cops. Cole worried that Sonny would figure out it was Johnny, but Johnny said there would be no proof; just make sure the drugs were unloaded. When Sonny was toasting the happy couple, Johnny would be taking him down.
At the restaurant, Robert took Sam and Jason to the back terrace, where it was romantic and lit by Chinese lanterns. Mrs. Li said something to Sam, and Robert said, loosely translated, it was that Sam’s shoes rocked. (Maxie had meant to send Sam a pair of blue shoes, but a pair of leopard boots had come instead, which Sam insisted on wearing.) Robert said Jason stood under the symbol of the dragon, and Sam stood under the symbol of the phoenix, and the union of the dragon and phoenix symbolized the union of the bride and groom. The dragon stood for strength; he scared away evil spirits, protected the innocent, and blessed the house with safety. The phoenix was the goddess of winged creatures, and brought luck, success, and prosperity, turning bad luck to good. Together, they were the ultimate sides of yin and yang, male and female, strength and beauty. Alone, they brought happiness, but together brought double happiness. Jason had his grandmother’s ring that she had worn for over 50 years. His grandfather had given it to him to give to Sam. Sam had a ring that had belonged to Jason’s father, who wanted him to have it. His parents had a love that lasted a lifetime, and so would theirs. They exchanged rings, and said their vows. Mrs. Li gave them glasses of red wine, and they drank it, doing that twisty thing with their arms. Robert said red was the color of happiness, and tonight, they were joined in happiness. Drinking the wine and honey would make life sweet and rich. From that moment forward, they were one world; earth, water, air, and fire together for all eternity. He pronounced them husband and wife. I’m not big with the romance stuff, but this was actually kind of cool.
Spinelli managed to find some wedding music for Maxie. Dante told Lucky that the moment he met Lulu, he was hooked; there was no one else like her. Lucky suggested he be patient, and let her get used to the idea. Johnny told Cole that his father knew nothing about what was going on, and while Sonny was distracted, it was perfect time to make a move. Unbeknownst to Johnny, Anthony was listening in. Sam gave Mrs. Li her leopard boots, which Mrs. Li said were too cool to refuse, and wondered what they were going to tell Maxie.
Johnny said everything was going down tomorrow night. Jason told Sam they would tell Maxie tomorrow night, and they kissed. Franco set up some Tinker Toys on the statues at the church, and said, see you tomorrow. Okay, they were really cameras, but they looked like Tinker Toys.
Isn’t it funny how The Dixie Chicks are suddenly switching their name to The Chicks to disassociate themselves from racism, but it’s five seconds before they release their first album in a zillion years? Must just be a coincidence.
That’s the trouble with your whole MTV, microwave dinner generation. You want it all now. You think you deserve it just because you want it? It doesn’t work like that. You have to earn it, you have to take it, you have to make it yours. but before you do that, Guy, you need to decide what it is you really want. – Buddy (Kevin Spacey), Swimming with Sharks
Life is painful and messed up. It gets complicated at the worst of times, and sometimes you have no idea where to go or what to do. Lots of times people just let themselves get lost, dropping into a wide open, huge abyss. But that’s why we have to keep trying. We have to push through all that hurts us, work past all our memories that are haunting us. Sometimes the things that hurt us are the things that make us strongest. A life without experience, in my opinion, is no life at all. And that’s why I tell everyone that, even when it hurts, never stop yourself from living. – Alysha Speer
The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently. – Pema Chödrön
Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it. – Wilferd Peterson
Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they are doing. Do things without always knowing how they’ll turn out. You’re curious and smart and bored, and all you see is the choice between working hard and slacking off. There are so many adventures that you miss because you’re waiting to think of a plan. To find them, look for tiny interesting choices. And remember that you are always making up the future as you go! – Randall Munroe
The four hardest tasks on earth are neither physical nor intellectual feats, but spiritual ones: To return love for hate; to include the excluded; to forgive without apology, and to be able to say, I was wrong. – Author Unknown
📰 Searching and Researching…
Sometimes when you’re writing about something, it turns into something else. Like what happened with that journalist in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. In working on a piece about what’s going on in the entertainment world, i.e. apologies and cancelations, I’ve learned a great deal. Not about myself – I have that one pretty much down – but about other perspectives. Woken long ago, my horizons are broadening. Coming soon, but for today, stay safe, stay engaged, and stay open to changing direction.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
To round out the week of Nurse’s Ball flashbacks, today’s GH was from May 5th, 2015. Elizabeth had an announcement, and while we all thought she was going to tell everyone Jake Doe was really Jason (although he was ultimately Jason’s twin), when she took the mic, she talked about Robin and Stone, and Robin’s courage. She said she wished she could be that brave. After playing Phantom of the Nurse’s Ball, tiny terrorizing the event, and not impressing Emma (a scene I’d missed yesterday), Spencer’s late mother Courtney paid him an otherworldly visit. Courtney told him that making people feel badly reflected badly on him, and maybe he really felt badly about himself. She encouraged him to go to the Ball, and stop pretending that he had a hideous deformity. She got him to remove his make, and he really didn’t have much of anything.
At the Ball, Elizabeth told Nikolas she wanted the chance with Jake that she never had with Jason, and that she deserved happiness. Jake did a lot of talking to who-the-hell-is-that-guy? and Spinelli sang Stephen Bishop’s It Might Be You, which was my wedding song. Mixed emotions there – ha-ha. Who-the-hell-is-that-guy? #2 talked to Duke about taking Jordan out, and I don’t mean on a date. Felix presented Lucy with flowers, and the show ended with Sabrina and Epiphany singing You’re Not Alone, and everyone joining hands on stage.
I have no clue what the deal is for next week, or whether they’re going to continue the 2015 Ball, which has another episode. The digital guide isn’t showing any episodes as new, so we’ll see.
I’m feeling so bad about my dog, I actually paid full price for the Nook version of The Chiffon Trenches. It’s okay, but not as good as the Bette Davis bio I just finished. Still, both of them had their heartaches.
If she thinks she’s not being promoted, I’d like to know what the endless flashbacks of Good As Gold, and having to watch her new crappy music video (aka, the closest she’s ever going to get to Brett again) was about. And besides, she should know LVP can do no wrong.
Life is problems. Living is solving problems. – Raymond E. Feist
Expectations make people miserable, so whatever yours are, lower them. You’ll definitely be happier. – Simone Elkeles (Or as Kevin James as Doug on King of Queens would say, the lower you go, the happier you’ll be.)
You don’t develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. – Epicurus
Thank God for wine. – a girl on Blind Date
Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. – Albert Einstein
There comes a point when you either embrace who and what you are, or condemn yourself to be miserable all your days. – Laurell K. Hamilton
Pain is a pesky part of being human, I’ve learned it feels like a stab wound to the heart, something I wish we could all do without, in our lives here. – C. JoyBell C.
Wow. That seems a little late. – an 11-year-old after her mother told her she’s the first Black lead in The Nutcracker
I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back. – Maya Angelou
In every age, the good old days were a myth. No one ever thought they were good at the time. For every age has consisted of crises that seemed intolerable to the people who lived through them. – Brooks Atkinson
🤸🏽♀️ Wherever You Go, There You Are…
Not my greatest week, but we made it to another end of one, and get to do it all over again. Now that there’s been a bit of a tide turn, get out and do something different if you can. Start reclaiming your weekend. Be kind, and don’t be stupid. See you on the Deck side, and meanwhile, stay safe, stay keeping your distance socially, and please, stay rational.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
On the phone, Nina says she got permission to shoot at the fine art museum. Call her when it’s confirmed. In the meantime, try to keep dry. Jax says it sounds like she’s in crisis mode, and she says, it’s raining on the tropical island where they’re shooting. She had to go to plan B. He asks if there’s anything he can do to help. She says he can give her a hug, and he says he can give her more than that. He hugs her, and says, Nelle isn’t helping? Did Nina take his suggestion and fire her? Nina says, no. She sent Nelle on some errands. She didn’t want Nelle telling tales out of school, or talking to The Invader. He asks, what kind of tales? and she says, surprise, surprise. Sasha cheated on Michael. Since he’s Sonny’s son, it’s sure to be news.
Alexis sees Valentin at the MetroCourt bar, and she says they have to quit meeting like this. He looks like he just lost his best friend. He says he has, but she’s better off without him.
Lulu tells Laura, after fighting tooth and nail, she thinks Valentin is going to give up Charlotte? Laura says she only knows what Valentin told her. Laura flashes back to Valentin saying she’s a good person, and Charlotte needs her to learn right from wrong, and be a steady force in her life. Laura says she’s tried to provide that, and he tells her, what he’s trying to say is, he needs her to teach Charlotte to be good. Clearly, he can’t do that. Lulu tells Laura, she knows how manipulative Valentin can be, but Laura says, this is different. She saw him at the MetroCourt after Violet’s birthday party. Lulu says, when Laura was advocating for him? and Laura says, when she was advocating for Charlotte. Valentin pulled her aside, and said the most extraordinary thing. She’s not sure if she believed him. Lulu says, so tell her, and Laura says, he said he wanted her to look after Charlotte, and made it sound like he was going to walk away from her for her own good. Charlotte hears them talking.
Brando tells TJ, as soon as he runs the card, TJ is good to go. The keys are in the car. TJ says, hold on. Something is wrong.
At Charlie’s, Sam asks if Molly got in an accident, and Molly says she went over a curb. The car was making a weird noise, and she didn’t want to drive it home in case she caused more damage. Sam asks why she didn’t call, and Molly says, she was fine, and there was a garage half a block away. It was closed, but the mechanic let her in. She was speed talking, like she is now, but worse. She asked him if he could do the work, and he said he could, or he could keep it overnight if she wanted to take it to the dealer. He went out of his way not to take advantage of her. Sam says, nice guy, and Molly says, very. They just met him. Brando Corbin.
Sonny says, Cyrus took his best shot and missed. Why doesn’t he crawl back in the hole he came from? Otherwise, there will be a war. Cyrus says he can’t go back to Seattle empty handed, and Sonny says, it will show weakness to his organization, and Cyrus will be at risk. What they’re left with is a nuclear option. Sonny starts to walk away, and Cyrus says, wait. He has a counteroffer that will work for both of them. Sonny says he’s listening.
Chase comes home, and is hit with the fact Willow is gone. He flashes back to Willow dressed up, waiting for him, and saying, wine guy come through. He tells her not to come near him until he showers, but she says she’ll risk it, and kisses him. Alone again, there’s a knock at the door, and Chase opens it to find Finn, who says he thinks he needs an explanation. Chase left Violet’s party before she even opened his present. She loved it. Chase says he’s glad, but it’s a bad time. Not because of Finn. Finn says, it’s obvious Chase isn’t his annoyingly upbeat self. Tell him what’s going on. Chase says he cheated on Willow. Willow found out, and now he’s lost her.
Valentin says, Alexis has handled custody cases before, and she says, it’s not a good time, but she’ll be happy to recommend someone. He says he’s not looking for representation. He’s not planning on challenging Lulu’s petition for sole custody. Alexis says she thought he and Lulu would be fighting until Charlotte was old enough to have children of her own, but he says, Charlotte needs stability and permanence in her life. Alexis says, so he’s giving up on her? She thought Valentin adored her. He says, she’s not such a little girl anymore, and she’s seen some regrettable behavior on his part. Alexis says, she’ll get over it. She’s made mistakes in life – a lot actually – but her children are grounded. She can’t imagine life without them. He says he can’t imagine life without Charlotte, but he’s not doing this for him. He’s doing it for her. He has to find the strength to walk away and not look back.
Jax tells Nina, Michael believed in Sasha, and stood by her. It must have been hard to find out he was wrong. Nina says, even worse, it could affect Michael’s custody fight. He says, it makes no sense; they seemed genuinely happy, and crazy about each other. Nina says, Sasha has a way of making people believe what she wants them to, and Michael was determined to believe she was a fallen angel, who needed his love and support. She tried to warn him. Sasha is weak at best, and an opportunist at worst. Jax says, and Nina still misses her.
Cyrus says he and Sonny can have the peace they both want. He won’t threaten Sonny’s turf or family. Sonny says, in return for what? and Cyrus says he won’t interfere with Sonny’s business, if Sonny doesn’t interfere with his. All he asks is an opportunity to put down roots in Port Charles. Sonny asks, what’s the attraction? and Cyrus says, after so many wrongful years in prison, he craves fresh air, sunlight, and a home where it’s quiet and friendly. Jason asks if that includes the sniper watching from the rooftop. Sonny asks if this is how Cyrus wants it to go down.
Kristina asks Molly, if it’s the Brando who thinks she’s an idiot who fell for mumbo jumbo. Sam says, he was talking about the cult thing, and Kristina says, Molly slept with him? Molly says Kristina was just proud of what she did, and Kristina says she is. It was human and healthy. Molly says, she’s not proud, and Sam says, she was hurting, and Brando happened to be in the right place at the wrong time. It was just one night, right? And she still wants TJ. Molly says, more than anything, and Sam says, good. She heard Brando say Molly could pick up the car. She’s sure Molly doesn’t want to see Brando again, and Molly says, never. Sam says, she’ll pick up the car for Molly, and Molly asks her to promise she won’t say anything. Sam says she’s not going to kick Brando, but maybe she’ll kick the tires.
Brando asks TJ, what’s wrong? and TJ says, the parts and labor barely cover the cost of the repairs. He wonders if Brando confused Molly with another customer, but Brando says he gives a discount to first time customers. It keeps them coming back. TJ hopes Molly just comes back for an oil change next time. He thanks Brando for not taking advantage by doing unnecessary work, and Brando says Molly was worried about TJ being in the hospital. TJ says he’s going to be off the crutches soon. He wonders what Molly told Brando, since she had her accident before he went to the hospital.
Charlotte listens to Lulu and Laura talking. Lulu says she and Valentin have been fighting since she found out Charlotte was her daughter. What made him back down? Something happened. Laura says, it must have, for him to think Charlotte would be better off without him. Charlotte flashes back to telling Valentin that she saw him push Ava off the parapet. Lulu says, if Valentin wasn’t convinced after Charlotte was kidnapped, she can’t imagine what changed his mind. Laura says, her either. He didn’t confide the reason for his change of heart. Lulu says, assuming he has a heart, and Laura says, that’s not fair. He’s a flawed man, but he loves Charlotte. Putting her happiness and well-being ahead of his own is the true test a real parent.
Alexis wonders what brought about Valentin’s decision to abandon his child. He asks what’s with her concern; should he be worried? She says, it’s nothing to be concerned about, and he says, the lady doth protest too much. She’s working hard to cover up something. If she wants to talk, he can listen. She flashes back to Sam telling her that she should have questioned the whole system; then the board would have questioned it too. Sam asks if Neil makes Alexis happy, and why the hell Alexis didn’t fight for him? Alexis tells Sam, it wasn’t an option, and Sam asks if that’s because it was too difficult, and she was afraid she’d be in trouble. She was never scared before, and used to be Sam’s hero. Alexis remembers taking a drink.
Nina tells Jax, when they met, who she thought Sasha was, wasn’t who she really was. Jax says, if she wants help finding her real daughter, let him know. She asks him to stop trying to solve her problems. He doesn’t try to control her, and supports and bolsters her, but she spent a lot of time and effort learning how to stand on her own two feet, and count on herself. And she does for the most part. He says, absolutely; no question about that. She says, all of his offers to help and sweep her off her feet are super tempting, but it’s like being offered the best desert after every meal. She wants to say yes, but knows she’d wind up regretting it. So she only says yes on special occasions. He asks if they can make this a special occasion, but she says, it doesn’t seem special. He kisses her.
Chase tells Finn, remember last Thanksgiving, when he told Finn that Willow might be pregnant? He and Willow got to talking, and he realized Willow was practically ready to have a family. It freaked him out. Willow had Wiley in her life, but then she found out he wasn’t her biological son. He was terrified that losing both her son and Wiley would break her. Then she started hanging out with Michael and Wiley every waking moment. He knew Sasha was in the same boat, and they got to talking about what they could do about the situation. One thing led to another… Finn says, and they slept together. Chase says they swore it would never happen again, but it did, and it kept happening. When Sasha was with him, she was actually with him; it felt as if he had her full attention, and he knows she felt the same way. They got careless, and Willow walked in on them. And that, as they say, is that. It’s over. Finn says, wow. That has to be the biggest load of crap he’s ever heard. Does Chase want to tell him what really happened?
Lulu knows Laura is no pushover. What did Valentin say to convince her that he was putting Charlotte first? Laura tells her, it’s not so much what he said as the state he was in. He’s a good actor, and she’s a good judge of character. Losing Nina, Windymere, and his association with the Cassadines changed him. How could it not? Lulu says, it’s the same Valentin who shot Nikolas, and Laura says, the brother Lulu can’t forgive for surviving. Lulu tells her, stay on topic. Valentin would do anything for Charlotte, but to just walk away makes no sense. Laura says, maybe walking away is doing anything for Charlotte. Maybe he loves her that much.
Jax suggests he and Nina take the afternoon off, and go to his place. She looks at her desk, and he says, nothing but work there. He steers her face back to him, and says, nothing but fun here. Charlotte runs in, and yells at Jax to leave Nina alone. Nina asks how she got there, and charlotte says, Nina and her papa have to get back together, and she needs it to happen today.
Cyrus tells Jason, very perceptive, but the man on the roof is just a precaution in case Sonny has his own man on the opposite roof. Sonny says he has all the back-up he needs right there, and Cyrus says, of course (🍷), and waves his guy off. He asks Sonny, satisfied? He’d like to proceed with the negotiation. Sonny says he has an offer; take it or leave it. One time only.
Brando tells TJ, he ran into Molly at Kelly’s and she mentioned the hospital. He’s glad TJ is doing well. TJ thanks him for fixing the car. Sam comes in, and TJ asks if she brought her car in too. She says, no. She thought she’d do Molly a favor, and pick up her car. She’s assuming TJ beat her to it. She asks if everything is okay, and TJ says Brando just made himself a customer. He took care of Molly with a special deal. Sam says, really?
Lulu looks at a picture of Charlotte, and tells Laura, she never doubted Valentin’s love for Charlotte; it’s how he shows it. When his and Nina’s wedding went south, he snuck out with Charlotte. Laura say she’s not defending him, but they don’t know for certain Valentin was kidnapping Charlotte. He might have wanted to get her away from Windymere. Nikolas had come home to take the estate, and Valentin might have wanted to take Charlotte to a hotel. Lulu says, or disappear with her forever. Laura says they can keep reiterating the things he’s done wrong forever, but she has to admit, Valentin had a life-altering experience, and at least where Charlotte is concerned, he’s doing his best. Lulu says, when Valentin tries to come off as wise and compassionate, she starts counting the silverware. Laura says, all right. Let’s focus on the matter at hand. How are they going to tell Charlotte?
Nina hugs Charlotte, and Jax suggests he give them privacy, but Nina asks him to stay. Charlotte is growing up, and Nina thinks she can handle it. She tells Charlotte, she needs to understand that she and Jax care for one another. Charlotte says she and papa belong together, and Nina says she’ll always be Charlotte’s friend, but Jax is very important to her. He’s a good guy. Charlotte says papa is going to leave, and not fight for her anymore. He doesn’t want to see her. Jax says, of course (🍷) he wants to see her. Dads are forever.
Alexis tells Valentin, let’s just say she made a mistake. At the time, she didn’t think it was, so she tried to help someone, but might lose her law license. He says, that’s rough; he’s sorry. It’s not the end of the world though. She says, it feels like it, and he says he gets it, but she’s more than just a job. She says, when she thought they were related, she couldn’t stand him. But now that they’re not related, she almost likes him… whoever he is now. Who is he? He says he’d like to know that himself. His phone rings. It’s Nina, who asks how soon he can get to her office. He says he’s in the MetroCourt. What’s up? She says, it’s Charlotte. She’s upset, and needs her father. He asks if she’s all right, and Nina says, just get here. He tells Alexis, he has to go, and jets.
Chase says he just told Finn the whole story, and Finn says, it was a story, all right. A doozy. Chase says Finn is saying that to his face, and Finn says Chase’s face might as well have a sign that says, nice to meet you; I’m lying. There’s no way he’d cheat on Willow. Chase says he hates to let Finn down, but that’s what happened. He didn’t want to hurt Willow, but he had to face what he did. Finn says, they know he’s not the best with emotions, but he can see Chase loves Willow with all his heart, to the moon and back, and all the other clichés. Most days, Chase is a walking Valentine’s Day card, attached to a candy heart that says something embarrassing. Chase says, of course (🍷) he loves Willow, and Finn says, that’s why he’s not having an affair. Chase tells him, ask Willow. She walked in on them. Finn says, Willow saw what they wanted her to see. Why do that? Chase says, he doesn’t know, but it’s killing him inside. Finn suggests Chase drop the act, and tell him why he did the dumbest thing in his life, and pushed Willow away.
Molly tells Kristina, no more details about her love life. Kristina asks if she can offer some advice, and Molly says, no. Kristina tells her not to be so hard on herself. Molly says she gave up on TJ, but Kristina says, she’s not a bad person. Molly says, she’s a bad partner. She fell into bed with the first person who came along. Kristina says Molly isn’t psychic. For all she knew, TJ was having crazy, wild sex too. Molly asks if that’s supposed to make her feel better. Kristina says she’s trying, and Molly says she can rationalize until hell freezes over, but when it comes down to it, she knows what she has to do. She flashes back to TJ telling her, if their positions were reversed, he would have felt the same. She says he doesn’t have to be so nice to her, and he says his mom got texts she thought were from him. Of course (🍷) Molly thought he was icing her out, but they’re ok now. There’s nothing they can’t take back.
TJ asks if Sam wants to surprise Molly together, but she says she has something to discuss with Brando. TJ thanks Brando again, and leaves. Brando says, if this is about Kristina, he did his best to apologize. Sam says Kristina will forget about him like she forgot about Shiloh and DoD. He’s already given one of her sisters special treatment; isn’t it enough? She doesn’t know him, but she knows why he came there. He brought a lot of baggage, and she doesn’t want him to think he can drop it on Molly. Forget that night, and forget her. It never happened. Understood? Geez. Just a little heavy-handed.
Jax tells Charlotte, he doesn’t see Josslyn as much as he’d like, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s his daughter, or how much he loves her. There are no words to describe how much he loves her. He can guarantee Charlotte’s dad feels the same way. Charlotte asks, how? and he says, dads get a special handbook when their daughters are born, and it tells them that daughters are magical, mysterious creatures with special powers over their dads. Charlotte says, that’s not true, but he says she’ll see. Valentin comes in, and Charlotte runs to him. Jax tells Nina, call if she needs anything. Nina tells Valentin that Charlotte is afraid he doesn’t want her anymore. Valentin asks why she thinks that, and Charlotte says he doesn’t love her anymore.
Sonny tells Cyrus, he can live in Port Charles, but has to conduct his business elsewhere. He doesn’t move anything through Sonny’s territory, and doesn’t touch Sonny or his associates. Cyrus says Sonny has a large territory. That kind of deference could be expensive. Sonny says that’s not his problem, and Cyrus says, fine. Sonny has a deal. He holds out his hand, and after a beat, Sonny shakes it. Everyone gives soap opera looks at each other.
Lulu says, anything? and Laura says, Charlotte isn’t in the backyard. Lulu says she called Charlotte’s friends; where could she be? Laura says she’ll drive around the neighborhood, and Lulu says she’ll head to town. Maybe Charlotte went to Kelly’s. Nina calls, and Lulu says, it’s not a good time. Nina says, Charlotte is there at Crimson, and Lulu tells Laura, Charlotte is with Nina. Lulu asks if Charlotte is okay, and Nina says, physically, she’s fine, but she’s upset. Her father is with her. Lulu asks Nina to please keep her there; she’s on her way. She tells Laura, she has to go, and Laura asks her to tell Charlotte that she loves her.
Valentin kneels down, and asks Charlotte to listen. He loves her. How could she think he doesn’t? She says she heard her mom and grandma talking. They said he wanted to leave her. He says he could never ever want to leave her, but he doesn’t want her to make the same mistakes he did. He needs her to know the difference between right and wrong. She says she can’t learn without him. If he loves her, take her somewhere where they can be together. She knows he’s leaving. Please take her wherever he’s going. He leans his head on her, and she hugs him.
Jax sees Alexis, and she says, hey, stranger. He says it’s been too long since he’s reached out, and she says, her too. He says they have to change that. He needs her level head, and she says, it’s funny that he thinks she’s level-headed. What’s the problem? He says he left Valentin alone with Nina and Charlotte. He’s hoping it’s not a mistake. She says Valentin was there when he got a phone call, and ran off. Everything okay? He says, something is going on. He wishes he knew what it was. Charlotte was afraid Valentin was going to leave her. She says, apparently, he made a decision about his future. His life as he knew it was knocked off course, and he wants to do right by Charlotte, even if he has to suffer.
Chase says, Finn doesn’t believe him? Finn says he laid it on thicker than hot fudge at a sundae bar. Chase says he’s stubborn and a pain in the ass, and Finn says, sounds like him, but nothing Chase is saying sounds remotely like him. Chase says, if he tells Finn, promise him it will stay between them. Finn says, absolutely, as long as it’s the truth. Chase says Finn is right. He didn’t cheat on Willow. He needed her to think he did so she’d marry Michael.
Kristina says, Molly can’t leave until she tells Kristina what she’s decided to do. Molly says she’s not asking permission. It’s something she needs to do for herself. She needs to be completely honest, and tell TJ everything.
Brando tells Sam, he didn’t even know Molly had a boyfriend until afterward; not that it’s any of her business. She says he made it her business when he slept with her sister. My Lord. I’m glad my sister isn’t up my rear end like this. Brando says she’s a big girl, and they didn’t do anything she didn’t want to do. She asks what he wants, and he says, to run his garage, if she’ll let him. She says, if he tries to make trouble for Molly, he’ll be in a world of trouble with her.
Cyrus and Not-Jason go into the MetroCourt. Cyrus says, it’s nice to end the day in a place where he was unceremoniously expelled. A place he doesn’t need any permission to be. It was too easy. Sonny thinks he’ll lower his guard, and go in for the kill. Unfortunately, he doesn’t play by Sonny’s rules. Not-Jason asks where Cyrus is going to start, and Cyrus says, by getting rid of Jason.
Jason tells Sonny, Cyrus and his bodyguard are at the MetroCourt. Sonny says, he doesn’t waste time, and Jason wonders, why let him? Sonny says, it seems all cozy and soft. He’ll let Cyrus play house, and when Cyrus starts looking at Sonny out of the corner of his eye, it will be time for him to take Cyrus out.
Tomorrow, TJ walks in on Kristina and Molly talking, Nina tells Lulu to give Valentin a chance, Finn tells Chase to fix this, and Nelle wants to apologize to Willow.
Vanderpump Rules
Stassi comes home, and tells Beau that she’s sorry. She’s an a-hole. She shouldn’t have gotten mad at him. It was misdirected anger. In Stassi’s interview, she says she left the wine party by herself. Lala was calling and Katie was texting, telling her that she was being ridiculous. When she got home, she realized she was the a-hole. She shows Beau some boxes of mac and cheese, and says it’s the only thing she can’t screw up. In Beau’s interview, he says he could have avoided last night’s fight if he’d told Stassi that he was proposing, but it would have ruined everything he’s been planning for the last six or seven months. He wants everything to be perfect. She asks if he still wants to go mausoleum shopping; it will be fun. He says, of course, and she says she thought he might cancel. That’s why she made the mac and cheese. She tells him, it’s death time.
At SUR, Danica shows Peter some socks she’s gotten for the softball game. She’s excited. In her interview, she says, not only will they get sweet, sweet bragging rights, but she can put Max in his place. We flash back to when he kicked her out of TomTom.
Tom pretends to use the hand-held vacuum cleaner as a laser sword. Schwartz comes by, and says he doesn’t want them to get furniture. Ariana says she’s thinking of having yoga classes at the house. Tom tells Schwartz that James is coming over to play with them. Ariana says, the big game is tomorrow. She’s playing, but she’ll be bad. In Ariana’s interview, she says she’s playing for TomTom, even though she works at SUR. She’s competitive, and Tom doesn’t want her to be on the other team. James arrives, and tells them, Raquel is playing for SUR. It’s on now. In his interview, he says he’s from London. They don’t play softball, and the closest thing they have must be cricket, but if Tom can play, he’s sure he can. They go in the backyard, and James tells them he’s been sober for nearly a month; 28 days. When he does a show, and comes off the stage, he feels all of it. In Tom’s interview, he says, James thought he had to be drunk to be James Kennedy. Now he’s a better version of himself. They practice some ball.
Beau drives to the Hollywood Cemetery. In Stassi’s interview, she says if they buy a mausoleum, Beau has to propose. It’s a gorgeous place, with a lake that has swans, and Stassi tells him, this is where they’re going to be buried. In her interview, she says it’s the perfect way to ensure Beau is committing to a lifetime and afterlifetime. Till death do us not part. She says she loves the vintage writing, and he tells her, that’s Latin. She says he’ll be glad if she dies tomorrow. He’ll be free to mourn, and live out his lonely life for the rest of his life, since he’s not going to date. In Beau’s interview, he says Stassi is in her element, and he’s terrified. His best friend Rob put the ring there. He can’t see Rob or the ring, and he’s panicking, worrying that it might have gotten stolen. It’s the beginning of their life together, and he wants to impress her. They sit on a bench, and he asks what that is on the ground. Stassi wonders if it’s a bell for dead people, and Beau picks it up. He looks inside, but Stassi doesn’t think he should touch it.
He says he loves her so much. She literally turned his world upside down, in the best way possible. There’s nobody else he’d want to spend the rest of his life with. He asks her to marry him, and in between oh-my-Gods, she says, yes. He puts the ring on her, and they kiss. She says, we’re engaged, MF’ers. She says he told her that they wouldn’t be getting married this year, and he says she was supposed to be surprised. It’s what you’re supposed to do. He explains that the ring is a family heirloom, and she says she feels like a part of history; it’s perfect for her. In Beau’s interview, he says they’ve grown a lot as a couple. We flash back to some of their moments, and he says, there have been bad times, but that’s behind them. He’s excited thinking about the future. We flash back to Stassi telling him that she loves him more than ranch dressing. He says, now that they’re fiancés, he wonders if Stassi will get upset if he slips and calls her his girlfriend. He tells her, Lisa offered her home for a party, and she’s going to cook. Katie and Schwartz helped with the whole thing. She says that’s probably why Katie was torturing her. She calls Katie, who screams into the phone when she answers. Lala is there, and says she’s freaking TF out. They tell Stassi how hard it was to keep it from her. Stassi tells Katie, she so mean, and she was wondering why. Katie jokes that she was okay with being mean, and Stassi says she’s so happy, she can’t think straight. Everyone is thrilled. Beau tells Stassi, fiancé sounds bougie, and she says she feels bougie. Everyone is going to be jelly. It’s the best day of her life.
Lisa puts the finishing touches on the party. She tells Ken that she needs him to get ready too. Puffy! Lala and Katie get to Villa Rosa first, and Lala says she thinks it’s better than Christmas. Lisa asks if Lala is wearing anything underneath her dress, and Lala moons her in response. In Lisa’s interview, she says, Villa Rosa is not clothing optional. For the most part, when employees are at her house, she likes them to be fully dressed. News of the engagement spreads like wildfire through the restaurants, and Katie says she texted everyone after Beau proposed. In her interview, Katie says, after Beau proposed, she sent everyone a text to come to the party. Lisa asks about Kristen, and Katie explains what happened with Beau the night before. Lisa asks if Stassi would be upset if Kristen came to the party, and Katie says she would. She needs a break. Lisa says she feels sympathy toward Kristen, which isn’t her normal stance, but she introduced Stassi to Beau. Lala says she was hoping to call Kristen, and handle it. At some point, Kristen needs to look in the mirror, and ask herself what she’s doing.
Kristen teaches her dogs the stay command. They do a million times better than mine. In Kristen’s interview, she says she and Stassi used to tell each other everything, and to find out Stassi is engaged on social media sucks. Where there’s an engagement, there’s an engagement party, and there’s a pretty good chance she’s not invited. Lala calls, and Kristen says she already knows Stassi is engaged, already knows there’s a party, and already knows she’s not welcome at the party. She hopes they have fun. Lala says she knows Kristen was fully coming. Lisa knew, but then things went south last night. Kristen says just because she asked Beau if they were still friends? and Lala says, it’s a weird question. A thirty-six year old doesn’t ask if we’re still friends. He’s Stassi’s fiancé. Kristen asks if this is why Lala called, and Lala says she called to check in with Kristen, but she brought it up. Lala tells her, have a good night. After she hangs up, Lala says, so annoying.
Stassi calls her dad from the car, and says she’s engaged. He says, to who? Beau says they’ll come to New Orleans to see him soon. He asks Stassi if he should call her dad pop now. He asks if Kristen texted, but Stassi says, no. He thinks she was definitely trying to see if she should come to the party . Stassi gets it, but doesn’t want to share this moment with Kristen. In Stassi’s interview, she says she wants to celebrate this incredible day with the people she loves, who don’t stress her out. Beau says he got a text from Carter, and Stassi tells him to send it. She reads, don’t forget to thank Kristen. She made it happen, and now he and Stassi treat her like sh*t. It’s some cold-blooded sh*t. Stassi says, so her first order of business should be to text Kristen. This is why she doesn’t like them.
Everyone trickles in to the party. Literally everyone, except for Kristen. Ariana tells Schwartz, she didn’t eat all day because she was so excited about the dinner he was preparing. In Schwartz’s interview, he says, in order to make sure everyone was available, and without spoiling the surprise, he had to come up with a diversion. We see a clip of him telling Tom and Ariana about a seven-course dinner that he’s making, to stimulate the senses. Ariana says, it’s not happening, is it? Tom says he’s never trusting Schwartz again. He said they were getting individual iron skillets. Schwartz says he doesn’t know why he was so specific; it was unnecessary. In Lisa’s interview, Lisa says Stassi now knows about the party, but she doesn’t know her family is surprising her. She has Mark, Dana, Nikolai, and some others hide. Stassi and Beau arrive, and Stassi shows Lisa the ring. Lisa says, it’s beautiful. Beau did a good job; better than she could imagine. Lisa knows it’s a lot to take in. She tells Stassi, the big surprise is about to get better, and her family comes out. In Stassi’s interview, she says to see her whole family there, she’s shook. Her dad lives in New Orleans, and her mom lives in Arrowhead. It’s rare to have her whole family together at once. It couldn’t be more special. Beau says, no more lies; that’s it. Stassi cries, while hugging everyone. In Katie’s interview, she says, Stassi looks so happy; it’s so incredible. But she thought, where’s Stassi’s other outfit? She told her to wear something else; her ghost outfit. The favorite dress you want to wear as a ghost. Ooh, I like that idea. She tells Stassi that she had anxiety about the ring bouncing around. Lisa asks, who’s hungry? and tells them to sit for dinner. She leads Stassi to the head of the table – Puffy! – and says she doesn’t know how this happened; her waiting on Stassi. It’s a one-time thing. The service Stassi should have given the customers over the years. In Brittany’s interview, she says Jax put together a beautiful party after their engagement. A surprise at her apartment was cool and all, but if he’d had the party at Villa Rosa, she would have been fine with that. Stassi feels like it’s sci/fi; everything is coming over her. Lisa tells her, don’t turn into a bridezilla.
Lisa tells Stassi and Beau to love each other, and treat each other with the utmost respect. It’s worth it. Ariana tells Tom, she’s sitting next to Kristen’s empty seat. It’s like the ghost of Kristen is haunting the dinner table. In her interview, she says she can feel Kristen’s energy. She can’t hear, and she’s complaining about her tiny ear drums. It’s hard not to miss her. Jax feels like Carter sent the text to get brownie points with Kristen. In his interview, he says he sees through that bullsh*t. Scheana asks Nikolai what he thinks of Beau, and Nikolai says he’s good for Stassi. Scheana says she can’t believe how much he’s grown, and starts to creep me out. She asks if he has a girlfriend, but he says, no. She says, what about when he gets to high school? and he says, probably. In Scheana’s interview, she says, twenty-one is the youngest she’ll hook up with. She doesn’t want to date any younger. Please don’t tell me the thought was even in her head. Consider me officially creeped out. He’s like fifteen. Beau and Stassi stroll the grounds, and Beau points out the lemon trees, and the swans. Stassi says it’s the happiest day of her life, and he says, his too. She says they have so much to look forward to. This will be theirs one day. In her interview, Stassi says it makes her gag when she hears it, but she truly is the luckiest girl in the world. She’s so happy. She thanks Beau.
Brett goes out for his break. The girls are outside, and Charli says she’s never had the pasta there. Dayna says, don’t; it’s a slippery slope. Charli says she barely tried the spaghetti at Olive Garden. I have news for her, Olive Garden and SUR are worlds apart. Brett comes out, and Raquel and Charli get up. He asks if he smells, and Raquel says if he’s on break, that means they have to go back. When they’re alone, Dayna tells him that she wishes she’d met him before she met Max. Max is a kid, and she and Brett have deep conversations. In Dayna’s interview, she says, Brett is an effing man. When Max would hug her, she felt like she might break his arms. She says Max will always need something new and shiny. She would have been in his rear view in five minutes. He’s going to run out of women to date, since he’s been overfishing. In Brett’s interview, he says Dayna wants commitment, and Max is scratching the surface of being a sex addict. He tells Dayna, he’s hitting a home run tomorrow.
Stassi wonders if the dogs know she and Beau are engaged. She tells him that she was thinking about a small, intimate, romantic wedding in Italy. He can’t believe she’s already thinking about it, and she says, Italy is romantic and fun, the food is great, and she loves the people and the atmosphere. She loves everything about it. He asks if she doesn’t want to enjoy this part, and she says, part of enjoying this part is the planning. In her interview, she says once she got the ring, she turned into a terrorist. The world is her effing oyster because of this. She shows us the ring. She tells Beau that he doesn’t have to help her plan it. She doesn’t want him to worry his pretty head. He asks who is she? and she says she’s a bride demon. It’s going to be exciting.
Jax brings his lawn mower to Kristen’s house. In his interview, he says he enjoys cutting the grass. It’s therapeutic. He cuts his own grass, his neighbor’s grass, the grass of people who don’t know who he is. It reminds him of his dad showing him how to do it. Brittany tells Kristen, Jax brought the lawn mower, the weed whacker, and the leaf blower. He informs us that Kristen has Kentucky bluegrass. Brittany asks if Kristen is okay about yesterday, and Kristen says, no. She didn’t want to see anyone. Carter picked up the dogs. She doesn’t want them to be around her when she’s sad. In Kristen’s interview, she says they’re her emotional support animals, but she thinks it bums them out if she’s not playing with them, and just in bed crying. She tells Brittany, she wishes someone had called her first. Lala went off on her, and she was crying, and called Carter. Brittany tells her that Carter texted Beau. Jax comes in, and Brittany tells him to read the text. In her interview, Kristen says, Carter is the one person to stand up for her. She swooned a little bit (what? who says that?), but the timing is a bit poor. Brittany says it’s not Kristen’s fault, but Kristen says it will end up being her fault like everything else. Does she ever watch herself on this show?
The SUR and TomTom teams warm up on the ballfield. Katie tells Schwartz, she doesn’t enjoy softball. She doesn’t like balls flying at her. In her interview, Katie says, she’s being a good wife. This is what you do when you’re married; play softball. In Tom’s interview, he says, team TomTom is ready. He’s the most experienced captain, they have the most experienced players, and DJ James Kennedy. He feels good about their chances. He chose black for their uniforms, because it hides dirt, it’s slimming, and looks good. SUR chose it for the same reasons. In Danica’s interview, she says, they’re taking TomTom TF down. She and Brett are team captains, and SUR is super athletic. They’re not cleaning TomTom’s damn bathroom. Lisa says, let’s get the game started. They’re playing nice, right? They say, no, and in Lisa’s interview, she says she’s on board with team building exercises. Not so much their extracurricular activities. If they hit a home run, let them do it on the field rather than the bedroom.
In her interview, Scheana says she’s been playing baseball since she was seven, and continued through high school. Her great aunt Shirley was in the Rockford Peaches, the team that A League of Their Own was based on. And she can pitch with these nails just fine. James sits next to Katie, and says he was surprised he was invited. She says, her too, and he says he hasn’t been drinking for a month. He’s been going to meetings, and working to change his attitude on life. Part of that is how he’s treating people, and how disgusting he was. In James’s interview, he says, the steps are part of his sobriety, and making amends to people he’s wronged. Katie is pretty high on the list. We flash back to several examples of that. She asks if this is the last apology, and he says, it really is. She says she appreciates it. In Katie’s interview, she says, she’s not cold-blooded. She feels he’s spent time thinking about the things he’s said and done, so she accepts it. She tells him that she’s proud of him.
In Charli’s interview, she says she played softball through high school, and she’s competitive. Probably because she didn’t have a dad. Just kidding. Hmm… that’s actually not all that funny, and makes me wonder about her. Brett says he’s going to make Lisa proud, and she says he doesn’t need to impress her. Brittany laughs about Katie eating sunflower seeds and drinking soda out on the field. Jax calls Tom a big baby, and in his interview, says, there’s no way Tom knows enough about softball to be the rules police. If he wanted bronzer for his calves, Tom would be the one to ask, but he doesn’t know anything about softball. He yells that he wouldn’t trade Raquel for Tom. No offense. Raquel says he hasn’t even seen her play. In her interview, Raquel says, you don’t know what competitive means until you’re in the pageant circuit.
Raquel gets a home run, and Tom says they can still make a comeback. SUR wins, and they chant, clean our bathroom. In Tom’s interview, he says, it’s going to suck cleaning their toilet. Schwartz says the joke’s on them. He likes cleaning bathrooms.
Next time, Brett feels violated after being in Scheana’s music video, Jax tells Kristen that she’s angry all the time, Kristen says Jax is delusional, and Brittany doesn’t want Jax circling back to his old ways.
Ian visits Lushion’s office, and says they have to talk. The DA came to see Larry. She said Carl called, and claimed he had information that could exonerate Kelly. Lushion asks if that isn’t what he’s supposed to do, and Ian says, Larry needs to know exactly what it is, but Carl isn’t answering his phone. Lushion asks what the problem is with Carl doing what he’s supposed to. Ian says, if he brags, it could be bad for Kelly. He’ll check the courthouse. He tells Lushion, if he finds Carl, let him know. Lushion says he has to talk to Ian about something else, but now isn’t the right time. Ian says, now he’s curious, and Lushion says, Ian and Alex. Ian says, what about them?
Ian doesn’t know what Lushion is talking about. He starts to leave, but comes back. He asks why Lushion was asking about him and Alex. Did she talk to him? Lushion looks at the floor. Ian asks if she filed a complaint, and says he knew it. He swears it was consensual sex; she’s way off her rocker. Lushion has to believe him. He asks if she’s saying he raped her, and Lushion says, just tell him what happened. Ian says Alex came over and got drunk. The next morning, she said he took advantage of her, and drugged her. Lushion says, did he? and Ian says, no. She finally remembered that she came on to him. Lushion has to believe him. Lushion says he does, and Ian asks if he’s getting arrested. Lushion says, no. Alex didn’t come in there. Ian asks why he said all this, and Lushion says Ian volunteered the information. Ian says, that’s low down, and Lushion says, Ian does it every day in court. If Ian thinks she might press charges, they should talk about it. He’s the only one who’s got Ian; he saw him having sex on the stairs with Alex through the window. She was fully engaged, and didn’t look out of it. Ian thanks Lushion, and suggests he talk to Alex, but Lushion says she has to come to him. Relax. Go find Carl. Ian thanks Lushion again, and leaves.
Marcie tells Brad, it might not be the worst thing. This way, he can raise his kids. He says she can’t be serious. There’s no way Alex would walk out on the kids. Marcie says he didn’t think she was this person either. He needs to talk to a lawyer immediately. She knows he can get custody with her acting like this. He’ll have to call Larry. He’s a weirdo, but he’s a good lawyer. He asks if Ian isn’t her boyfriend, and she says, apparently, he’s Alex’s. She says she can stay there, and have someone else show the house, but he says, that’s okay. He’ll stay with the baby. She says, it’s been a lot. He didn’t know who the father was, and had thought it was his kid. He says that won’t stop him from helping an innocent baby, and she says that’s why she loves him. He’s a good man. He says he loves her too. Go to work; sell the house. She leaves, and he sits back. The baby cries.
As Marcie crosses the street to her car, Randal says, hey there. She says, damn. He needs a job. He asks if she’s living there with Brad, and calls her a slut. She says, that would be his mistress. Did he see what was online? How does it make him feel? He says, glad he’s not with Marcie, and she says she’s got a wedding to plan. He laughs, and she says, it’s happening. He promises she’ll never walk down the aisle. She asks if that’s a threat, and he says she knows it is. She says he doesn’t scare her, but he says he thinks he does. She slaps his forehead, and asks if she looks scared. He says, they’re assaulting each other? and she says, please do. He says he’s got her, and she says, not anymore. Brad’s got her now. Come on. Hit her, so she can scream Brad’s name, like she does every night. It’s too much for him to handle. He says he’s way better at this than she is, and she says she’s going to have a baby; the one he thought was his. Wouldn’t it be funny if she and Brad raised the baby together? That crazy bitch left. She said Brad could have the kids. He laughs, and she asks if he thinks it’s funny. He says, very funny. See how crazy he made her ass? He says he’ll see her soon, and she says, every day she’ll be there. She drives away.
Dr. Raston says she wasn’t expecting to see Alex. Is she okay? Alex says, no and yes, and the doctor asks, what’s going on? Alex says she needs to get birth control pills, and she wants to schedule a tubal ligation. Dr. Raston says, she’s done with kids? and Alex says, yeah; all of them. She left Brad, and she’s giving him the kids. The doctor asks, what about the baby? and Alex says, him too. Dr. Raston asks if she’s been drinking, and Alex says, everything she can get her hands on. The doctor asks if they can talk, and Alex says, about birth control? The doctor says, first, why does Alex need them? Alex says, so she can live her life, and be free in the moment. Dr. Raston says, they won’t protect her from HIV or STDs, but Alex says she can get condoms. Dr. Raston tells her to slow down; she’s worried. Alex says she’s fine. Give her what she needs, and she can go. The doctor tells her, wait there.
In the hallway, Dr. Raston calls Brad. She asks if everything is okay; Alex is there. She knows things are difficult, but Alex isn’t herself. He says, that’s who Alex is. Did Alex tells her that she’s been online, dating lots of different men? The doctor says she didn’t know that, and he says the Alex in front of her is the real Alex. He’s been dealing with a liar and an imposter for some time, and doesn’t want to deal with it right now. The doctor apologizes, and goes back into the examining room. She gives Alex a sample card of pills from the case, and Alex says, if they were there the whole time, why did she have to leave? Did she need to call Brad? Dr. Raston says she’s concerned, but Alex says she shouldn’t be. He doesn’t care anyway. The doctor asks if she can call Alex, and Alex says she can try.
Alex sees two guys coming into the waiting room, one supporting the other. She asks, what happened? and the limping guy says he was in a fight with a bull. He got roughed up. She says it sounds like the place she wants to be, and he tells her to go to the cowboy bar on Highway 65. She says, maybe she’ll go there right now, and he says when he gets patched up, he can bring her. She says, how about if she meets him there? He looks good in those jeans. He’s her kind of man. He asks, what kind is that? and she says, a man.
Ian goes into Larry’s office, and Larry asks if he found Carl. Ian says, not yet, and Larry says, Carl is a public defender; it’s not that hard. Ian says he’s on it, and asks, what’s going on? Larry says he’s hearing things about the Cain case. If he’s not mistaken, Ian was helping Kelly before. Ian says his loyalty is to the firm. Is Larry questioning that? Is he questioning Ian’s integrity? Larry says, Ian is a lawyer. He has no integrity. He hopes he doesn’t find out Ian is lying. Ian asks if Larry is threatening him, and Larry says he is. That’s all for now.
Alex goes to the cowboy bar, where apparently, they serve drinks in Solo cups. She tells the bartender that she’s divorced, and needs another drink. He asks if she wants his special. It’s called, I just got divorced. She asks if he wants to do a shot with her, and he says he’s working. She says, come on, and he says he guesses the boss won’t mind too much. She tells him, make her two. Tiny Solo cups! I’ve never seen those before. They do the shots, and she gives him a credit card, telling him put everything on there. It’s her ex-husband’s; he doesn’t know she has it. He says, how about champagne? and she says, okay. Champagne for everybody. He says, there are only about nine people, but hey, and she says, champagne and a round of drinks. She asks if the mechanical bull works; she wants to ride It. He asks if she knows how, and she says, sure. He asks if she likes riding, and she says she loves it. Stop flirting with her. He says he’s not, and she says he is cute. He thanks her, and she says she has a friend she thinks he’s going to like; a gorgeous Latin girl, Esperanza. She’s going to call her. Maybe they can ride the bull together, but first, shots.
Randal sits all pissed off, looking at his phone and his laptop. He closes the laptop, and says, you think you’re slick. Got you, bitch. He makes a call.
The bartender asks Alex what they’re cheersing to, and she says her divorce. They do a shot, and her phone rings. She laughs, and says, perfect timing. Randal says she was a whore online, screwing all these guys. She says, they swiped right, or left. Whatever; they swiped. He asks if she’s drunk, and she says, yep. She says they need to talk, and he asks, what’s wrong with her? She tells him that he needs to get a sling; it’s going to help him a lot. He says she’s drunk as hell. What is she talking about? She says she’s just trying to help, so he won’t be so curved. His little member is like a little banana. It’s not that fun, to be honest. I nearly die laughing. She doesn’t understand. Is that normal? She asks the bartender if he’s curved, and he says he’s whatever she wants him to be. She tells Randal, in all seriousness, they need to talk. She never loved him. He tells her, that’s not what she said in the shed. She says, the shed. That was just for fun, like the others. He asks, how many? and she says, a lot. He asks where she is, and she says, at the cowboy bar. It’s so fun. He tells her, stay there; he’s coming down. She says, good. Bring his wallet. She just had a brilliant idea. Invent a curved condom. He’d make so much money. He says he’ll see her later, and she calls Esperanza.
Alex asks where Esperanza is, and Esperanza says, at work. Alex says, guess where she is? and Esperanza says she doesn’t know, but it’s loud. Alex says she’s at the cowboy bar, and she’s going to ride a mechanical bull. Esperanza asks if she’s drunk, and why is she at a bar in the middle of the afternoon? Alex says she’s about to ride the bull like nobody’s business, and hangs up. Steven asks, what’s up? and Esperanza says, Alex. She’s at a bar, drunk. Steven says, in the middle of the day? It’s a little strange. Esperanza asks if Eddie is out, and he says, yeah, but it’s okay. He’s there. She calls Natalie.
Natalie is sweeping up at the burger place. Esperanza asks if she’s talked to Alex, but she says, no. Esperanza says, Alex called her, drunk at a bar. Natalie says, she’s going through it, girl. She signed the divorce papers. Esperanza says, that would explain a lot. She didn’t sound good. She’s going over there to check on Alex. Natalie says, pick her up, and she’ll go with her. Esperanza says she’ll see Steven later.
Kelly calls for Lushion from her cell. Steven comes by, and Kelly says, Eddie took her Bible. He doesn’t understand, and she tells him to get Lushion. Please. She needs him right now. He says, okay; relax. He’ll get Lushion. He tells Lushion, Kelly needs to talk to him. She’s yelling about Eddie stealing her Bible. Lushion jumps up, and goes to Kelly’s cell. Kelly is crying, and says Eddie took her bible. Lushion asks, how? and she says, he came into her cell. She sobs, and he tells her that he’ll take care of it. Man, I need a Lushion in my life.
Alex rides the bull, which isn’t exactly on high speed. Natalie and Esperanza come in, and Esperanza tells her, come down. She says, Johnny, a round of drinks, but Esperanza says, no drinks. They help Alex down, and she hugs them. She says she’s drunk, and Natalie says they know that. Alex says Johnny is giving her a job; she’s going to be a waitress. Natalie says, she needs a job? and Alex says, now that she’s divorced, she needs to be free. Natalie says, she can’t be too free. She’s got kids. Alex says, pfft! Brad will take care of the kids, and Esperanza says she’s just going to give Brad custody? Alex says, yeah, but Esperanza says she doesn’t mean that. Alex says she does, and Esperanza says they have to get her home. Alex says, her home is with him. Johnny smiles, and Alex says, he lives upstairs. She’s spent her whole life doing what everyone else wanted. Now it’s her turn. She’s had enough. Esperanza tells her, look at herself, and Alex says, she’s happy for once? Esperanza says she looks miserable, but Alex says she feels happy, and she’s not going anywhere. Esperanza says she has a family; she has to go back. Natalie says, divorce is hard. When she sobers up, she’ll see what she was thinking. Alex says, no she won’t, and Natalie says she has three kids who love and need her, but Alex says Brad is a better person and parent than she could be. He never cheated; not once. He’s going raise them right. She doesn’t deserve them. Esperanza asks if this is about guilt, and Alex says, no. Natalie asks what it is then, and Alex asks if Natalie knows how many men she’s been with. More than Esperanza, and that’s a lot. Esperanza is like, hey, and Alex says, they all know. She’s not going back to that life. She’s going to stay there with the tall sexy cowboy. She’s going to get a job and live there, and be a waitress. Natalie says, they’re going, and Esperanza says, all right. She gives up. Natalie says Alex has their numbers. Alex says, at least ride the bull once. Fire this puppy up. Alex gets on the bull again, and Esperanza asks, what if she hurts herself? and Natalie says she can’t stay there forever. They head for the door, and Alex yells, yeehaw, bitches!
On the phone, Lushion tells Rick, he’ll see him at three. He goes into the locker room, and Eddie is there. Lushion asks where the Bible is, and Eddie says, what he calls contraband? Lushion says, dammit, Eddie, and Eddie says, watch out. God is going to get him. He doesn’t know what Lushion is talking about. Lushion slams Eddie up against the lockers, and Eddie says, there’s the Lushion he knows. He says it’s in his locker, and Lushion says, get it. Eddie gives Lushion the Bible, and Lushion flips through it. No surprise, the photos are no longer there. Lushion asks where the pictures are, and Eddie says he flushed them. Does Lushion need them for something? Lushion says he’ll see Eddie back at the station. When he’s gone, Eddie makes a call, and asks for sugar britches. He gets silence, and says, sweet t*ts? The operator says, there’s no one here by that name, and he says, Larry. Put that little lady on the phone.
Larry’s secretary says, a very rude man is on the phone for him, and Larry says, what else is new? She tells him, he said his name was Eddie, and Larry says, it makes perfect sense. Put him through. He asks what he can do for Eddie, and Eddie says, get $200K from the good reverend. He has information about some women he might find interesting. Larry doesn’t think it’s a good idea to have this conversation on the phone, and Eddie says he’ll come there. Larry says, make his day, and Eddie says he’d better have the money. Larry says Eddie will have to show what he has first, and Eddie says he’s on his way. Larry tells him, wear something low cut and tight. He’ll see Eddie soon. Eddie hangs up, and says, freaky mother better have my money.
Brad calls babysitter Chelsea, and leaves a message. He thanks her for staying late, and apologizes. He says he was wondering if she’s free this afternoon around three, and to call him back. He looks in the crib and says, the baby is sleeping; good. He has no idea all this craziness is around him. He touches the baby, and says, he’s not breathing. He leans in, and says, breathe, breathe, breathe.
Next time, Brad tells Natalie and Esperanza, the baby isn’t breathing; Eddie brings the pictures to Larry; Kelly feels like a caged animal; Randal shows up at the cowboy bar, and Johnny draws a gun on him.
🤸🏻♀️ Hanging In(side)…
Another long night under my belt, and another day of self-isolation under (almost) everyone’s belt. An expanding belt if we all don’t lay off those cookies/pies/mashed potatoes/whatever your comfort food is. I hope you’ve been using the time wisely, like binge watching the early seasons of Below Deck or learning how to make the perfect Pinterest fail. While not much changed for me, I’ll be glad to see paper towels again. Stay safe, stay chill, and if you see something, say something. Oh, wait. Wrong crisis.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Preparing for the arraignment, Nelle practices saying she’s going to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help her God. Carly walks in, and says Nelle should probably try not to attract God’s attention. Nelle addresses Carly as the grandmother of her child, and says it’s wonderful to see her. Carly says, enjoy it while it lasts. She’ll be back in Pentenville to stay soon.
On the phone, Michael tells someone to reach out if there’s anything he needs to know about. He should only be gone a month. Sasha wonders what’s going on, and Michael says he’s taking a leave of absence to be a fulltime father. She says, good for him, and he says he doesn’t want her to think he’s a slacker. She says he’s happy, and happiness is hot. They kiss.
Willow sits in Rice Plaza, and a little boy drops his hot chocolate. She runs over to him, telling him it’s going to be okay. His father comes over, and Willow explains what happened, even though it’s obvious. The father says, thanks for… I guess he’s not sure what, because then he hustles his kid back to the hot chocolate cart. Willow goes back to the bench, and Chase comes by. He asks if she’s okay, and she hugs him.
Valentin has a drink at the MetroCourt bar, and Olivia tells him, Nina is on a photoshoot. Valentin says that’s Nina’s business, not his, and she asks who he’s stalking instead. He says he’s not. He’s just enjoying a cocktail and watching people.
Linc tells Brook, sorry; he needed to take a call. He told Miguel, it’s not retro; it’s just backward. (Making mental note of that one for future reference.) Brook suggests he try to grab Miguel’s ass, and Linc calls her a spitfire. It’s clear their partnership isn’t working, and she says extortion and sexual harassment aren’t working for her. What about him? He says he told her she’s free, and can assume full control of her career. All she has to do is sign over her shares of ELQ.
On the phone, Jordan says she was aware Taggert had a kid, but didn’t know Trina was in Port Charles until recently. It’s been a while since they’ve been in touch. No. That doesn’t make it hurt any less. Mac comes in, and sets up two shot glasses. Still on the phone, Jordan says they have no proof Cyrus was behind it yet, but her people are working non-stop. Mac pours the shots and hands her one.
Curtis meets Jason and Sonny near the coffee warehouse, and Jason thanks him for coming. Curtis says Jason told him that he wanted to meet, but didn’t mention he was bringing Sonny. Sonny says, Cyrus is a problem for all of them. They have to find a solution.
Jordan says, to Taggert, and Mac says, a damn fine cop, and they clink glasses. Mac asks if she’d like another, but she says, no. She needs to save something for the wake. Mac says he didn’t pop in just to raise a glass. He has a lead that he’s been holding off pursuing until he gets her take on it. She asks, why? What lead? and he says, her husband.
Sonny says Jason told him what happened, and it’s his understanding that Curtis did everything possible. Curtis says, except save Taggert. Jason says they had to get Trina out, and Sonny says, Taggert agreed it was the right call. Curtis says, it doesn’t feel that way.
Brook asks Linc why he wants the shares, and he says, dividends. He’s investing in his future. She asks if he even knows what ELQ does, and he says, does she? She throws some financial terms at him, and asks if he understands them. He says he doesn’t have to take a quiz, and she wonders why she’s going from recording contract hell, and being offered freedom for a company Linc knows nothing about. What’s he doing there, and what is he really after?
Olivia says, Carly might be okay with letting Valentin in there, but she’s co-owner, and reserves the right to throw him out. She might exercise that privilege now. He says he bears no ill will against the Quartermaines. Valentin flashes back to saying Michael doesn’t want him as an enemy, and tells Olivia, in fact, he thinks they have quite a lot in common.
Michael tells Sasha, he thinks it’s important that he be a fulltime father for a month or so. Wiley is going to miss Lucas and Brad. He asks if she and Willow had a chance to talk, and Sasha says, some. She knows Willow said she can’t see Wiley anymore. Michael says, Willow is worried Wiley will pick up on her sadness, and Sasha says, she’s not necessarily wrong. Michael says he respects Willow’s decision, but he practically begged her to stay in Wiley’s life. He can’t help but feel they both need each other. Willow might not be Wiley’s biological mother, but Wiley is a son to her in her heart, and infinitely better than his birth mom.
Willow tells Chase that she thought she’d watch the skaters. She didn’t mean to ruin their day. He says being there for her makes him feel useful, and she says she watched a boy drop something, and swooped in to make it better. The crying lady in the park. She’d run from herself too, if she could. So would Michael if he had any sense, but he insisted it was the opposite. She told him that she can’t be around Wiley, and he asked her to try and find a way. The more she thinks about it, the more she wants to.
Carly tells Nelle, she called it. She said it was only going to be a matter of time before Nelle screwed up and was sent back to prison. Zara tells Carly to stop antagonizing her client. Nelle introduces Carly to Zara, saying Carly is the grandmother to her child. Zara says she thought she recognized Carly; she met Carly’s husband. Carly says Sonny was impressed with her; not so much her client. Zara says, Shiloh was her client, and Carly says, not anymore. Zara says he was a man full of contradictions, and Carly says, they’re called lies. He was a rapist and conman, and the world is better off without him. Zara says, those are harsh words to say in front of his grieving widow. Carly laughs, and says Nelle just married him to get his ELQ shares. Nelle asks why Carly is being cruel, and Carly says Nelle tried to kill her son. She left him in a car she thought was going to explode, and gave Brad a child that he convinced Michael was his dead son. Zara says, of all people, Carly must be familiar with the word alleged, and Carly says, Nelle gave birth to Wiley, but she’s only ever allegedly been his mother.
Chase asks if Michael asked Willow to keep being Wiley’s nanny, but she says, it wasn’t like that. Wiley lost Lucas and Brad, and Michael thinks she can be a consistent presence in his life. Nothing has changed from Wiley’s perspective. She’s the nice lady who reads stories to him and babysits sometimes. Chase says, it’s changed from her perspective, but she says it shouldn’t change her and Wiley’s relationship. He’s not the child she gave birth to, but she’s been a part of his life. It’s like what Michael was going through. He didn’t know Wiley was his child, but loved him anyway. She knows Wiley’s not hers, but she doesn’t love him any less in her heart. He says that’s not how she felt last night, but she says she misses Wiley so much, Chase suggests, before she makes a decision, take a breath. She says, of course (🍷), and he says he knows Michael is thinking about what’s best for Wiley, but he’s thinking about what’s best for her.
Michael tells Sasha, part of him feels guilty, but another part hopes Willow can work it out. Sasha says, what if she doesn’t? Will he be able to accept it? He hopes so. He’s afraid he’s going to keep asking. Sasha says, most of the time, Michael compulsively does the right thing. So if this is selfish, why keep doing it? He says he’s convinced if Willow and Wiley stay apart, it’s not good for either one of them. Michael’s phone dings. He looks at it, and says, Willow’s not going to decide before Nelle’s arraignment. Sasha asks if he’s going, and he says he can’t miss it. Sasha says she has a meeting with Lucy, but she can reschedule. Michael says, no. Nelle is going to turn it into a circus. Why give her more of an audience? She wonders what Nelle can do at this point, and he says she’d be surprised.
Nelle asks again, how Carly can be so cruel. They’re connected be her little boy. Carly says, they wouldn’t be, if Nelle had kidnapped Wiley and smuggled him out of the country. Zara starts to interrupt, but Nelle says they have to act as a family, and not be at each other’s throats. Carly says Nelle is going back to Pentenville, and she’s not going to see her boy again unless she makes the right choice. Zara asks, what choice would that be? and Carly says, one day, Wiley will understand Nelle’s alleged crimes. Nelle is sure Carly will fill his head with lies, but Carly says she’s not going to breathe a word. That’s what the internet is for. When Wiley reads about her, in the middle of the mug shots and headlines, will be a full account of what she does today. Nelle asks what she’s doing today, and Carly says, admitting everything she’s done. If she throws herself on the mercy of the court, and the record shows she regrets what she did, at least Wiley will know she’s sorry.
Jordan says, Mac’s lead is Curtis? Mac says, Taggert didn’t go alone; Curtis went with him. Curtis got Trina out, while Taggert drew their fire. Jordan says, that ultimately killed him, and Mac says, Jason came late, and saved Cameron. Once the kids were safe, he and Curtis went back in. Jordan says Curtis’s statement will reflect that, and Mac says, once Curtis provides one. They’re still canvasing the crime scene, so he won’t get to Curtis until later. He wants her to pass the word along, so when they talk, Curtis has a clear head. She says she’ll deliver his message. He starts to leave, and she says he forgot his bottle. He says, no; he didn’t.
Sonny tells Curtis that he and Taggert had their issues, but in the end, Taggert was a brave man. This plan was doomed from the start. Curtis asks what they know about the plan, and Jason says, it’s not hard to figure out. Cyrus grabbed Taggert’s daughter, and Taggert couldn’t risk Cyrus making good on his threats by calling the cops, so he contacted Curtis. Curtis asks what they’re saying, and Sonny says, no one wants Curtis taking the heat for anything he did that crossed the line. Jason says they’re just trying to understand. What was Cyrus’s beef with Taggert? Did Taggert share it with him or Jordan? Curtis doesn’t say anything, and Sonny says, listen to him. They all have secrets. The threat of Cyrus is touching all of them, and now isn’t the time to keep quiet. That’s over. Curtis says, good talk. Be seeing you. He walks off, and Jason looks at Sonny.
Carly tells Nelle, put Wiley first for once, and Nelle says, that’s what she’s doing. She’s fighting to stay with her son. Willow walks in, and Nelle says, there wouldn’t be this mess, if another woman hadn’t given up her child. Carly says she’s sorry Willow had to hear that, but Willow says, it’s fine. That narcissistic sociopath can’t help herself. Carly says Willow doesn’t have to be there, but Willow says she wants to see Nelle sent back to prison with her own eyes. Michael arrives, and Willow says she’ll talk to him later. Nelle asks Michael how their son is, and if he told Wiley that she loves him. Michael tells Willow, about last night… but the bailiff says, all rise. Court is in session, and the Honorable Judge Pierce is presiding.
On the phone, Sasha tells Lucy, there’s nothing to worry about. Nina is on board with the partnership between Crimson and Deception, and would be even if she wasn’t.Maxie is on board, and she’s the Nina whisperer. She says she’ll call Lucy back later. Chase asks if he can come in, and Sasha asks if everything is okay. He says the housekeeper said he could find Michael there, but she says, he just left for Nelle’s arraignment.What’s wrong? He says, Michael is messing with Willow’s head and it needs to stop.
Linc tells Brook, he has no ulterior motive. He’s just getting the best deal. She wonders what good it is to him to invest in a company that’s not even publicly traded. The shares are only worth what someone is willing to pay. He says, three albums in five years is what he’s willing to pay, and asks if her independence is worth it to her. She says she’s willing to wait, and he says five years is a long time in their business. She says, after five years, she’s going to look and sound better than ever. He says, by that time she’ll be crooning to lounge lizards if she’s lucky. Olivia stops at their table, and asks if there’s a problem. Linc says, no problems; just a solution. He goes, leaving the paperwork with Brook.
The judge says, it’s the people versus Nelle Benson. He asks what she pleads in the charge of assault, and possession of forged documents, and she says, not guilty. He asks about bail, and the Assistant DA says, the people want bail denied altogether. Nelle was apprehended when she was breaking parole, and preparing to leave the country with a stolen baby and a forged passport. She’s a flight risk. Zara agrees bail shouldn’t be an issue, and makes a motion to dismiss all charges.
Sonny asks if Jason saw that, and Jason says, how uncomfortable Curtis was? Sonny wonders what’s going on, and Jason says, whatever Cyrus is after, it’s not just personal, and Jordan is in deep. Sonny says, interesting theory, but they don’t have a lot to act on.
Curtis goes to Jordan’s office. He sees the liquor bottle, and Jordan says, Mac brought it by. Mac is going to come looking for him. He says Mac wants his statement, and she says, and wants to ask him some questions. Curtis says he’s surprised Mac didn’t hunt him down sooner, and she says, Mac was holding off. Curtis says his story is straight, but she says she doesn’t want him to give a story. She wants him to tell the truth. He says, he will, as much as he can, and she says, it’s okay. She’s ready for this to come out. She shows him some papers, and says, it’s her resignation and confession. She’s turning herself in.
Curtis says he was hoping Jordan changed her mind, but instead she upped the ante with a confession. She says she has to, and he asks how they’re going to change anything if Cyrus is released from prison, is free to do what he wants, and she’s in prison? She says she has a choice between that, and saving lives, but Curtis says Cyrus is piling them up from prison, and the body count will be higher when he’s out. And she’ll be powerless to stop him.
Jason says Taggert and Jordan were in the operative that took Cyrus down, but why the secrecy? Mac comes along, and says they must be discussing coffee business. Sonny tells him, sorry about Taggert, and Mac says, Jason saved Cameron, and subsequently helped Curtis take down Cyrus’s men. Jason tells Mac, he has nothing to say without his attorney present, and Mac says, some things never change. He didn’t come to grill them. He was hoping Taggert said something before he passed that might give Trina some peace. Jason tells Mac, he said Trina was the only thing he cared about. Mac thanks him, and says, one more thing. He has a message for Sonny.
Chase tells Sasha that Willow came there to tell Michael that she wanted no contact with Wiley. Of all people, he’d think Michael would understand what she’s going through, and respect that she needs time and distance to heal. Instead, he pushed her to change her mind. She’s grieving, and being around Wiley makes it worse. Sasha says, Michael would never do anything to hurt Willow, and Chase says, not intentionally. He wouldn’t be there to speak for her if he didn’t think she wasn’t in the right headspace to advocate for herself. She’s the strongest person he knows. Right now, she’s falling apart, and Michael is speeding it along.
Zara says her client was charged because of one woman’s account that’s riddled with inconsistencies. The Assistant DA asks if Zara saying the victim is unreliable because of a head injury the defendant caused. That’s a new level of victim blaming. Zara says Willow let the defendant in, and the Assistant DA says Willow’s statement says she tried to close the door, and prevent Nelle from coming in, but was unable to do so. The judge asks if there’s evidence that Willow sustained an assault, and the Assistant DA says they have the medical records from that night. The judge asks, what else? and she says they have Chase’s statement. Zara says he’s Willow’s boyfriend and the alleged attack took place in his apartment; there’s conflict of interest. The judge dismisses the assault charge without prejudice. Zara says the prosecution failed to hand over the so-called forged documents, and Robert says there was a mix-up. The PCPD misplaced the documents. Valentin slips into the courtroom.
Sasha tells Chase that she’s sorry about what Willow is going through, and Chase says he knows Michael is too, but he’s got to let Willow get through it at her own pace. Sasha says she has a confession. When Willow was there last night, they talked, and she backed Michael up. Chase says, dammit, and Sasha says she got the impression that Willow really wanted a relationship with Wiley. He says, Willow needs distance and perspective to make that decision. Sasha says she isn’t sure Michael has it either, but maybe they do.
Judge Pierce asks if the charge isn’t possession of forged documents, and Robert says it is, but they’re not in possession of the alleged documents. Nelle flashes back to Valentin giving her the passports and birth certificates. The Assistant DA says she’s certain they can be located, and the judge says to get back to him when they do. Until then, if there’s no evidence, there’s no charge. Motion to dismiss granted. Nelle asks Zara what this means, and Zara says she’s free to go. Nelle hugs her, and Valentin smiles. Carly says Robert is still charging Brad, right? and Robert says, absolutely. They’re still building a case. The Assistant DA says, Brad’s statement is in direct opposition to Nelle’s, and Robert says, they can’t nail her without a hammer, and they don’t have one.
Sonny asks Mac if it’s a message or a warning, and Mac says, it’s a courtesy. Laura has instructed all city agencies to come down hard on businesses like his. They can expect a visit from the health department. Jason says they’re ready, and Sonny asks what Mac wants in return. Mac says, consider it a favor in case he needs Sonny’s thoughts about Cyrus. Sonny wonders why Mac would listen him, and Mac says, a cop is dead, the mayor was caught in a crossfire, and he won’t stand for it. Sonny says the mayor took a bullet for his son, and Cyrus came close to killing his wife. It’s different this time. Mac says he doesn’t miss their little chats, and Sonny says, neither does he. Mac leaves, and Sonny shakes his head.
Curtis tells Jordan, when Cyrus gets out, it will put literally every case against him in question. Jordan says, they’re rock solid, but Curtis says, they won’t be if she does this. Cyrus will walk, and have the freedom to operate. On top of it, he’ll be given the gift of being a man wronged by the government. Legally speaking, he’ll be a victim because she went rogue to put him away. She says, innocent people almost died. She doesn’t know what else to do to stop Cyrus. He says he’s got an idea, but she ain’t gonna like it.
Brook thanks Olivia for chasing Linc off, but she’s not in the mood for a lecture. Olivia asks why Brook is hanging out with that creepy slimeball who muzzled her. Brook says they’re negotiating unmuzzling. Olivia asks how that’s going. Is there an actual offer? Brook says, yes, but it looks like the cost isn’t in dollars. Olivia says if Linc is trying to get in Brook’s pants, she’ll have Sonny break his legs. Brook asks if she thinks Sonny would do that, and Olivia says, absolutely. Brook says she’ll keep that in her back pocket, but what if sex isn’t what he wants? Olivia asks what she’s talking about, and Brook says, her dignity. Olivia laughs, and says Brook is a Quartermaine. Hasn’t she bought and sold that already ten times over?
Olivia tells Brook, look at her family. There are books written about what a cad her great-grandfather was, including his own memoir. The Quartermaines thrive on scandal; she’s never seen anything like it. Brook says they’re a colorful clan. Olivia says, if the price of her freedom is eating crow, grab a bib, and chow down. Brook says, if she does what Linc is asking, she’s afraid her family will never look at her the same way. Olivia says, tell her what the thing actually is, and Brook looks down. Olivia says she’s got to ask herself what outcome is best for her, and if she can live with what she has to do to get there. If she can’t, don’t do it, and start thinking of herself as something other than a singer.
Sasha tells Chase, Michael and Willow are so close to the situation, and hell bent on protecting Wiley, they might not realize they’re hurting themselves. She and Chase can keep an eye out, and have an open line of communication. Chase says, spying on them, and Sasha says, no; supporting them. If Willow has a problem, let her know, and she’ll work hard on her end to do the same. Chase says he doesn’t like going behind their backs, and Sasha asks if it’s any different than him coming there now. He says, yes. He didn’t come with a plan or strategy. She says he makes it sound like a conspiracy. It’s more like a safety net; friends relying on each other. Chase says, it wouldn’t be forever, and Sasha says, of course (🍷) not. Chase says, eventually, things will get better.
Zara says Nelle is prone to gloating – don’t. They got lucky, extraordinarily so. Nelle says she’s always had to make her own luck, but Zara says, they can refile at any time. They’re not going to let go easily. She tells Nelle not to leave town, and Nelle says she’s not leaving anytime soon. Nelle’s phone rings, and Valentin tells her, congratulations. She says she supposes she owes it all to him, and he says she’s welcome. She’s had a helluva reversal of fortune. Make the most of it. She says she plans to. She asks how single life is treating him, and does he want to grab a drink some time? Valentin says, goodbye, and hangs up. Nelle looks at her phone, and says, whatever.
In the hallway, Willow wonders what just happened. The woman who knocked her unconscious and gave her a concussion is getting away with it. Michael says, it was dismissed without prejudice. That means she can be recharged when they locate the evidence. (I already knew this term from watching court shows. The more you know…) She says, what if it never happens? but Carly says, this is far from over. They’re going to prove Nelle gave Wiley to Brad. Willow says, it’s Nelle’s word against Brad’s, and for some reason, judges believe Nelle. Nelle walks up to Michael, and says she’s glad he’s there; it saves her a trip. She hands him an envelope, and says she’s suing him. He’s unjustly kept her child from her long enough. She’s filing for full sole custody.
Sonny and Jason are in Jordan’s office, along with Curtis. Sonny says he knows it’s a complicated situation, and respects Jordan for reaching out. She says, it wasn’t her idea. Curtis will explain what they’re doing there. Curtis says, let’s call it a meeting of like minds. They need to set aside their differences, and come together for the common good. They need to take down Cyrus Renault.
Tomorrow, Obrecht asks Spinelli what he thinks he’s doing, Carly asks if Nelle wants to go to war with her family, and Jason asks if Cyrus has something on Jordan.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey – The Reunion – Part One
Andy started the show by saying he wanted full Jersey hair – ten inches. That was not to be, but the fashion was excessively sparkly, and Teresa even had marabou feathers on the bottom of her sequined number. She also had some rhinestone hair ornaments that I seriously coveted.
Jennifer started things off well by saying Melissa couldn’t really be considering having another baby, because she’s too self-absorbed. Jennifer accused her of making a mockery of people who really wanted children. This, coming from the most self-absorbed person on stage (which is saying a lot), and someone I hope her children don’t emulate. They talked about their plastic surgery – zzzz – and Marge’s relationship with Marge Sr. Andy asked about Marge’s father, and she said her mother had left him after a year and a half of marriage. Andy pointed out that the age difference between Marge and her first husband (twenty years) is the same as the difference between her and Marge Sr., and wondered if she’d looked at him as a parent figure. Marge explained that he’d had custody of his three children, and although she had a son on her own, it was the family she never had. Andy said she didn’t seem emotional about her dad, but Marge said, you can’t miss what you never had. Teresa said her mom was also like that, and her mother’s father had left when she was little.
Moving on to Dolores, Andy said everyone always asks about Frank, and wonder why they don’t just get back together. Are they kidding? Frank is the perfect non-husband. He does everything for Dolores, and wants nothing but her scintillating company. She said she and Frank hadn’t had sex since Frankie was conceived, and we all fell out of our chairs. She didn’t say why, but I assume that’s when she found out he cheated. She thanked the viewers who love them together, but said it wasn’t happening. Andy asked about having it all without the ring, and Dolores said she was good without the commitment. Andy asked, what changed? and Dolores said David had many opportunities, and should have taken them. Jennifer suggested Dolores was settling, but Marge disagreed. Jennifer babbled about the reasons why she thought that, while Dolores tried to get a word in edgewise, trying to answer the question she was asked. Marge told Jennifer, shut it, and Dolores said she and David had good chemistry, and she’d wanted to give him a chance to meet her halfway. She was pretty pissed because she considers herself an effing good catch. She said she doesn’t ask for a lot. Andy wanted to take a group vote on who thought Dolores should kick Frank to the curb, but there were no takers. Marge did admit she thinks Dolores should move on.
Andy switched gears, asking if Jackie got offend too easy, but Jackie said she thought people who didn’t acknowledge their emotions are the angriest inside; it’s healthy to let them out. They rehashed Dolores saying she wasn’t friends with Jackie. Andy said he thought there was more going on than Dolores having been raised old school, but Jackie said it was true they’d been raised differently, and she was more liberal. Dolores said liberal was okay, and she was getting there. Andy told her that a lot of people considered her comments anti-Semitic, which Dolores said couldn’t be further from the truth. She’d probably been with more Jewish men than Jackie. She said she and Jackie were friends now, but she likes to get to know someone before considering them a friend. I hear this, since I’m kind of the same way. She said Jackie made an effort to get to know her after that, and they like each other. Melissa asked why Jennifer was making a face, and Jennifer said she thought that was corny. A viewer asked Jackie her opinion on who’s an excellent parent, and Jackie diplomatically (and wisely) said, they were all great parents in their own way. What they all have in common is that they’re mothers, and how they parent makes them different. We see clips of that, including Gia’s prom, and Andy said, the most asked question about Frankie is if he’s single or with Gia. Delores said he was single, and interviewing for a job as an investment banker. He felt with the long hours, he couldn’t give anyone the time they deserve. Andy said Dolores is always saying she doesn’t want Frankie to have a girlfriend, and asked if she’d make an exception for Gia. She said she would, and we already knew Teresa wouldn’t mind. Andy asked Teresa how it was going with Gia out of the house, and Teresa said she was living vicariously, since she hadn’t been allowed to go away to college. Delores said she had to be home at 11 when she was getting married – ask Frank. Andy asked how Marge’s relationship with her step-kids was going, and she said it was better, but not where she wanted it to be. A viewer reminded everyone about how Jennifer said she didn’t know what kind of a parent Marge had been, and Marge said she was a working mom who raised someone else’s children, along with her son. By the time she divorced, the kids were grown, and all the children are tight with each other. She said Jennifer was far from the poster child for stay-at-home-moms. Jennifer said she did it on her own – with only one woman and a babysitter, and a nanny when she had her fourth child. Melissa said, from Jennifer’s social media, it looked like she was never home, but Jennifer called her postings InstaSham, because that’s what people do. Marge said she only posts about her real life.
Andy asked if Jackie’s father understood her eating disorder now, and she said his mind couldn’t imagine what had really happened. Marge said Jackie looked emaciated in her wedding photos. A photo was shown, and Marge was right. Jackie’s arms looked like broomsticks. Jackie said she would shut down anyone who brought it up, and Dolores asked if thinking of food still consumed Jackie. Jackie said it didn’t consume her, but it was still a struggle. Andy asked Jackie why she kept the fact she had a lot of money a secret, and she said it wasn’t a secret, but it wasn’t what defined her. Andy went on to Jennifer’s old world family facing present day issues, and they discussed her daughter Gaby being bullied, and her brother being gay. Jennifer said her mom was learning, and Marge said she thought Jennifer had handled it beautifully. Jennifer said it was a hard discussion to have with her mom.
The rip-roaring fights of the season were the next topic, and Melissa told Jennifer that she says dumb sh*t. Jennifer said Melissa’s husband says a lot of dumb sh*t, but Melissa finds that funny. Jennifer and Marge bickered over who says stupid sh*t, and Andy said there were no winners at the dinner where Jennifer threw a plate and fork at Melissa. We flashed back to that, and Jennifer told Andy that she automatically says what comes to mind, and it gets her in trouble. It’s not like she was touching anyone. Melissa said maybe not, but the flying dinnerware could have hurt someone. Marge suggested they make a pact not to throw things. A viewer thought Jennifer lost control easily when she was angry, but Jennifer insisted she has the patience of Job, until she’s pushed too far. Marge said she goes from zero to ten quickly, but Melissa hit the nail on the head when she said Jennifer was an effing a-hole, and she thinks Jennifer is starved for attention. Marge said they would never judge Jennifer by her cover, but inside, she was sh*t. Great start for Part Two.
Next time – Part Two – Juicy Joe’s cheating is brought up, the husbands (and Frank) join the group, and Danielle arrives, demanding to sit next to Andy.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 