What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Sasha says she doesn’t want to believe what Cody is saying. Gladys would never do anything to physically hurt her. He says, believe him. Gladys knew Montague before he was her doctor. She used him to help send Sasha to Ferncliff. Sasha says, he’s wrong. He’s always been wrong about Gladys. It can’t be true. He says he needs her to believe this, and she says, Gladys would never drug her… He looks out the window and says, hold on. Someone’s coming.
Drew comes into the visiting room and sees Sonny with Carly. He says he always looks forward to their visits, but something tells him this is about more than just catching up. Sonny says, there is a situation, and he needs Drew’s help.
Cyrus is let in to see Warden Garten, and she thanks him for coming, telling the guard, that will be all. She’ll buzz him when she’s ready for him to escort Mr. Renault back to his cell. The guard leaves, and Cyrus asks how he can help the warden. She says, drop the pious act, padre. She’s had enough of his help. He hung her out to dry, and now he’s going to pay for it.
Dex sees Nina at the MetroCourt, and she asks what she can do for him. As he’s about to tell her, his phone rings, and he says, sorry. She says, take it, and he steps away. He asks, what’s going on? and Josslyn says she thought he was going to help her move into the dorm. He says, of course (🍷). He just has some work to finish up for Sonny. He should be done pretty soon, and he’ll be over. She says, great. She can get back to her book. Everyone’s talking about how great it is. They say goodbye, and Josslyn picks up The Other Black Girl. Sales of the book skyrocket immediately. Dex tells Nina that he has a message for her from Sonny.
On the phone, Austin says he’s done everything Mason has asked him to do… He doesn’t know. Will Mason please stop asking him that? He has no idea. Ava walks into his office and says, put down that phone. Austin says, nice to see her too. Come on in. He tells Mason that he’ll call back and asks Ava, what’s happening? She says, he’s not answering her calls, so she had to find him in person. She’s done with his cousin threatening her and her family. If he doesn’t honor their deal and return Nikolas’s body, she will go to Sonny, and she’ll tell him everything Austin and his cousin have done.
Trina is listening to music on her headphones while stands on a stepladder, putting tombstones next to the paintings. Spencer comes in and says, hello, hello. I tell him, do not sneak up on her while she’s on a stepladder, but he doesn’t listen and shouts, Trina! She falls.
Cody tells Sasha when he tells her to go, take the back exit of the cabin and run. There’s a trail right outside the door. Take it all the way to the road, and he’ll meet her there with the car. Is she okay? She says, yeah, and heads for the back of the cabin. Cody picks up a hammer and opens the door ready to strike. Dante and Sam are there.
Holding Trina, Spencer asks if she’s okay, and she says, yeah. He puts her down and she says she’s sorry (for what?), and he says, she’s good. She says, apparently, she shouldn’t be listening to music while she works, and he says, maybe not, helping her pick up the cards. He sees the dove on her desk and says, so this is where she’s keeping it, and she says, he’s cute. That’s why she likes him there. She thanks Spencer for catching her, and says, that was embarrassing, but it was romantic. He says he’ll always be there to catch her, and she says, it seems like he’s there for her when it’s important. He says, no. It seems like he’s the one always getting her in dangerous situations that she probably shouldn’t be in, like in Greenland. She says, that’s okay. She wouldn’t change it. He asks if she’s sure about that, and she says, positive. He says, she’s saved him at times as well.
Cody says, they scared him half to death. What’s Dante doing here? Sam says, he’s here because he cares and he can help, and she leads Dante into the cabin. Cody calls to Sasha, saying, it’s okay. They’re friends. She comes out and says, it’s good to see them both. Dante says, it’s nice to see her out of Ferncliff. It looks like she’s doing better. She says, thanks to Cody.
Austin asks Ava not to go to Sonny. If she did that, think about what would happen, rationally. Nothing good, right? Tell him what happened. She says, his lollipop licking cousin; that’s what happened. He asks what Mason did now, and she says, he came to her gallery and accused her of going to Sonny because his plan fell through. Obviously, Sonny saw right through it. Mason blamed her for that and started threatening her. She’s not going to take it anymore. She’s done everything that’s been asked of her, and still has no idea when this nightmare is going to end. He says, it’ll end soon. Mason will come through, one way or another. She says, one way or another? What the hell does that mean?
Dex says, Sonny wanted him to tell Nina that he’s going to be unreachable for a few hours. He doesn’t want her to worry. She asks if Sonny told Dex what he was doing, and Dex says, he’s with Carly. They’re visiting Drew at Pentenville. Nina thanks him for delivering the message, and he says, just doing his job, calling her Miss Reeves. She says she asked him to call her Nina. Remember, they’re both on Team Sonny? He says, of course (🍷), and she asks if Sonny told him why they’re visiting Drew. He says, that’s the only message Sonny asked him to deliver. He can be stingy with details. She laughs and says, doesn’t she know it. She asks if she can get him a cup of coffee to go, but he says he’s got to run. He told Joss that he’d help her with something this morning. Dex leaves, and she flashes back to telling Martin that she wants him to expose Drew and Carly for engaging in insider trading. Just make sure to keep her name out of it.
Carly says, Sonny was arrested by the FBI a few days ago, and Drew says he heard. Word travels fast in Pentenville. Congratulations. Clearly the charges didn’t stick. Sonny says, the charges were dropped for lack of evidence. He was basically trying to smoke out the enemy, so he gave them false information, but the false information was passed along to the FBI. Here’s the problem; he doesn’t know who the enemy is. And he’s pretty sure it’s somebody in Pentenville.
Warden Garten says, the idea was to trap Sonny and send him up the river (who uses that term in 2023?), not to watch him walk. Cyrus had one job – one. He was supposed to provide her with accurate information on Sonny and his deal with Pikeman, so she had something substantial to give to the Feds. They went out on a limb and set up a big sting operation that yielded nothing, absolutely nothing. Corinthos is a free man, and it’s his fault. Cyrus asks if she’s taking a tone with him. Doesn’t she think this whole thing pisses him off? Has she forgotten how she became warden? Because without him, she’d still be back in the Corrections office pushing paper and answering emails. Nobody’s happy about this, especially him. She says, but it’s her name that’s tarnished, and he says, which he will clear. He’s but a humble servant of the Almighty. He believed they had the goods and delivered what the Lord placed in his welcoming hands. His people… She says, his people? Is he referring to that useless Mason Gatlin? She should have never intervened for him. He says, Mason has performed admirably for them in the past, even though he realizes now, Mason’s usefulness may be coming to an end. As it must for all God’s emissaries.
Josslyn is having a hard time getting a mini fridge through the door, when Dex arrives and helps her. Adam knocks at the door and says, it looks like they’re neighbors again. He was moving back in when he noticed her stuff was kind of blocking the hallway. Does she need help? Dex joins them, and she says, actually, she has some help already. Adam asks how it’s going, and Dex says, he’s good. How about Adam? Adam says, not bad. He just signed up for another semester of pre-med. Dex isn’t a student here, is he?
Trina asks what brings Spencer by the gallery, and he says he got her text, and he missed her. She says, earlier this morning she was home, and she and Curtis were having a fun little disaster trying to set up the Smart Home gaming system that Marshall bought. He says, that’s absolutely horrid. He hates setting up new tech. Isn’t that what outsourcing is for? She says, that’s nice for folks who have a team of outsourcers, but unfortunately for them, they don’t, and Marshall left it sitting in their laps. But luckily, being a former P.I., Curtis has a way with stuff like that. He asks what she’s doing here. Shouldn’t she be home helping Curtis? She says she got an urgent call from Paloma’s people about her current art display here. Apparently, Ava left out a detail about this fall show. She guesses it slipped through the cracks, which is surprising to her. It’s not like Ava. She’s usually particular about details. She thinks Ava’s been a little distracted lately. He says he can only imagine why. His ex-stepmother is always up to something. She tells him, say what he wants about Ava, but she’s extremely efficient and organized. It’s highly unusual for her to drop the ball at the gallery.
Austin says he didn’t mean anything by it, but Ava says she doesn’t think so. First he tells her, Mason will come through in one way or another; then he tells her to forget he said it. Is he double-crossing her? If he’s double-crossing her, that would be a very, very big mistake. He says he’s not double-crossing her, and she says, good. Because more than anyone, he knows what she’s capable of. When she’s pushed, when she’s provoked, she’ll do almost anything. Especially for Avery. He asks if he can be honest with her about something, and she says, for his sake, he ought to be. He says he’s so sorry. He’s truly sorry that she’s here in this situation. He should never have let Mason put her here. if he could go back in time and change everything, he would. He would change everything so she wasn’t in this position. She thanks him and says, she’d like to change things too. Nikolas provoked her. He threatened her. He threatened Avery, and that’s why she did what she did, but she wishes she hadn’t. He says, Avery is just a child. Is she sure Nikolas would really hurt her?
Carly says, the last time she came to visit Drew, they both saw Austin come in carrying his medical bag, and Drew says, they think Austin is connected to Sonny’s enemy? Sonny says he knows Austin is. Austin and Mason Gatlin have been circling him, trying to catch him violating the NSA, so they can bring it back to whoever their working for. So he gave them false information. The plan was to follow them back to their boss. Drew says, and Sonny thinks whoever they’re working for is here, and Sonny says, the trail stops right here. Drew says, so Sonny thinks maybe because he’s in Pentenville, he’s got a shot at figuring out who Austin came to see that day.
Cody says, he couldn’t have rescued Sasha from Ferncliff without Sam’s help. She became his medical proxy and had him committed so he could get to her in Ferncliff. She also left that car for them to escape in after they broke out, and arranged for this cabin for them to hide in. Sasha asks why Sam would do all that. What convinced Sam that she didn’t belong in Ferncliff? Sam says, Cody did. He never wavered in his belief in Sasha. He always thought she was sane, that she never belonged in Ferncliff. And he was convinced that everything that was happening to her was all wrong. Cody says, the most he could have hoped for was for Dante to look the other way. He didn’t expect Dante to pitch in. Unless Dante’s here to arrest them.
Spencer says, when Trina believes in something, she commits herself 100% to it. It’s one of her many wonderful qualities. It’s why he’s not the least bit surprised she’s committed herself to this gallery and Ava almost by default. Trina says, by default? Ava’s been good to her and so has this gallery. He asks if that’s why she stopped working at The Chuck. It could have led to a better, more prestigious job. She says she doesn’t think working here diminishes her chances of having a successful art career. Ava lets her get her hands dirty in the earthier real art, which she loves. That’s why she chose this career, because of the real art. She doesn’t think she could have had that experience if she’d stayed at The Chuck. He says, but working at a high-end gallery can serve as a steppingstone, and could put her in a position to be dealing with, let’s just say, more notable art. She says she appreciates that, but she’s not interested in accepting a job merely to use as a steppingstone to get to something better. The most important thing to her isn’t the notability of the art, but something more meaningful. She wants to feel fulfilled and have the sense she was part of a process. It’s about personal growth to her, not just an impressive title. He says he can understand that. It’s just that working here, she really has her hands full, and it increases the odds that she’ll fall off one of these ladders. She says ,that was his fault, and he says, maybe, but if she worked at The Chuck, she’d have a whole support staff. Is he wrong? She says, outsourcers? and he says, she can call them what she wants to call them. She says, it’s just a lot. She’s starting school again. She still has to move into the dorms. She’s been trying to make Curtis feel as comfortable as possible since coming back from rehab. She’s trying not to neglect her relationship with her dad, and… She’s sorry. She just went on a whole vent of complaining. He says, she never needs to apologize for venting to him; it’s okay. That’s what he’s here for. He wants to know everything about her, and wants to participate in her life as much as he possibly can. She says, lately, it feels like that isn’t possible. They haven’t gotten any alone time together. He says, that’s exactly why he’s here. He thinks he may have fixed that.
Dex tells Adam, no, he doesn’t go to PCU. He’s just helping Joss move in. Josslyn says, they’re kind of in a rush. They’re trying to get all this stuff together before Trina comes back. Adam says he’s putting together a study group for Organic Chem. He was wondering if she wanted to join. Josslyn says she’ll think about it, and he asks if she’s gotten the book yet. It’s a really tough class. He wouldn’t recommend not having a study group. She doesn’t want to fall behind in class because she got distracted. She says, for sure. She can’t commit to anything right now until she checks out her schedule, but she’ll let him know. They’re kind of in a rush. She’s sorry. It was good to see him. She closes the door, and tells Dex, sorry about that. Dex says, he has a point, and she says, about what?
Olivia asks if Nina has seen the breakfast rush down in the Garden. It must be this great September weather bringing everybody out. Maybe they should keep the pool open until the end of the month. (That gets my vote. I love the pool.) Nina says, Olivia’s in a good mood this morning, and Olivia says, why shouldn’t she be? She really thought it was the end for Sonny. He had her worried. She thought his luck had finally run out, and look, charges dropped. He’s a free man. She guesses Nina must be as relieved as she is.
Drew says, no offense, but this place is full of Sonny’s enemies, and Sonny says he’s aware of that, but anything Drew can do to help, he’d be very grateful. Drew says, if he asks the wrong person, this could blow up in a bad way. Carly says, the most important thing is for Drew to stay safe, and he says he will. She tells him, just keep his head down and do his time, so he can get the hell out of here, and he says he’s doing his best. She says, he’s in a position to have his sentence reduced, and she doesn’t want him to do anything to mess that up.
Cyrus says he and the warden both want Sonny Corinthos off the street and out of their way, and she says, and if she’d given the Feds accurate information, Sonny would be well on his way to a life in Pentenville, locked up where he belongs. And she would have done the great state of New York a huge benefit, and it certainly wouldn’t have hurt her career. He asks if she thinks he wanted to give her wrong information, and she says she’s still wondering how it happened. The Feds booked and arrested Sonny with what seemed like an airtight case, and suddenly all charges are dropped? He says he’ll task her with finding out how and why that happened, and she says, that would be the stupidest thing she could possibly do. She is not putting herself back on the chopping block to get information about Sonny. Cyrus says, oh, is that so?
Dante says he’s not here to arrest them; he’s here to apologize to them both. He should have believed Cody. He knows better than anyone how selfless Cody can be when the chips are down. How far he’ll go to help someone. If he’d listened to Cody, he would have taken action a lot sooner. He tells Sasha, words can’t convey how he feels about what Gladys has done to her. She’s betrayed Sasha’s trust, and he’s so very sorry. Sasha asks, why would she do this? Gladys said she loved her, and they were family.
Spencer says, Turks and Caicos; he wants to take Trina. They can go to New York City first. They can have dinner and see a show and continue on to the islands afterwards. She asks if it isn’t hurricane season, and he says, it’s the best time to go; the surfing is so good. She needs this. He needs this. They both need to get away for a little while. She asks what he’s going to do about Ace and Esme, and he says he’ll have his Aunt Alexis check in on Ace once in a while. Esme isn’t really one of his concerns, and his grandmother will be back any day now. They never have any quality time alone here in Port Charles. They’re always getting interrupted by this or that. How nice would it be for them to get away for a little while and spend some time alone? Be able to focus on them and only them and their relationship. It would be nice. She says, no. She can’t go with him.
Ava tells Austin, honestly, she doesn’t know what Nikolas was capable of that night. But after losing Kiki the way she did, the way she died. Seeing her lying there like that, not moving, begging her to wake up. She couldn’t take any chances with Avery. He understands that, doesn’t he? She’s all Ava’s got left, and she’s going to protect Avery with all she’s got.
Nina tells Olivia, yes, it was incredible when Sonny was set free. She knows Olivia has a special relationship with him, they have a long history, but there must be another reason why she’s in such a good mood. Olivia says, she and Leo went to the recording studio with Ned, or Eddie, yesterday. He was so great with Leo. He was telling Leo about all the different gigs he played in the past. He got Leo involved in the music making process. It really is such a process. Nina says, it sounds like the three of them had an eventful day, and Olivia says, Eddie cut a song, and it’s amazing. It’s earthy, it’s gritty, it’s very, very moving. He talked about it as rootsy and acoustic. Eddie is such a talented musician. Nina says, she keeps calling him Eddie, not Ned.
Sonny says, it isn’t worth Drew spending an extra day in Pentenville, especially if he makes enemies of his own. Drew says he’s very comfortable assessing risk. He can handle this. Carly says, they know he can, but does he want to? It’s very dangerous. Drew says, Sonny got him out of solitary. It’s the least he can do. He’s happy to help. It sounds like whoever Austin and Mason’s boss is, is causing a lot of trouble for Sonny lately, and he wants to help. Sonny says, whoever their boss is has made a lot of trouble for many people he cares about. That seems to be escalating, and he has to deal with this one way or another, but one way Drew can help is let him know who they’re reporting to. Drew says he’ll do what he can and keep his head down. He gets up to leave, and Carly follows him. She asks him to promise to be careful, and he promises. He loves her. She says she loves him, and he leaves. She goes back to the table and tells Sonny, well, he’s doing it.
Cyrus tells the warden, Sonny Corinthos is but one step in his quest to truly turn his life around. As she knows, he recently donated his money to the Rodden Institute to End Recidivism. She says she knows; a smart and strategic move. He says, it pleased her and her friend Judge Sinclair, and it pleases him that the judge sits on the charity board of directors. She says, yes, very advantageous, and he says, but not unlike her passion project to work with former convicts. All her remarkable efforts, creating those work study programs. This has not gone unnoticed. Very strategic of her as well. And how many articles has he read in The Invader about her extraordinary leadership? The press holds her in very high regard. She says, Judge Sinclair’s decision to place her in Pentenville is a testament to just that, and he says, a decision that could be easily reversed. She asks if he’s threatening her, and he says, ye have heard that it hath been said, and eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you that ye resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. She tells him to keep his nose clean. I wish Cyrus would use a translation other than the King James already. It’s tedious.
Sasha says, Gladys is Brando’s mother. She was with them when they lost Liam. Gladys is the only family she has. How could Gladys betray her like this? Dante says he has his own opinion about Gladys, but she’s a weak person and she put herself in a really difficult spot. Sasha asks, what kind of difficult spot? and Cody says, she played poker in a game sponsored by Selina Wu. Sasha asks how he knows that, and he says, because he played in the same games. He sits next to her on the bed and says, his job was to win for Selina, and he saw firsthand Gladys lost a lot, way more than she could repay on her own. So she used Sasha’s money. She sold Brando’s garage, and she must have started raiding Sasha’s bank accounts. Sam says, the only way Gladys could cover her debts is if she stayed in control of Sasha’s money, and Sasha says, when she tried to end the guardianship, Gladys tried to stop her. Gladys said she wasn’t ready and she was making a mistake. But it wasn’t about her at all. It was about her money.
Olivia tells Nina, the harder she pushes Eddie to be Ned, the further she pushed him away from her and his family. She had to make a decision to accept Eddie for who he really is now instead of who he used to be. And who he is, he loves music. That is his passion. He’s so good and he’s so generous sharing that part of himself with Leo. It opened up a whole world for him. And yeah, he put her in touch with a part of herself that she almost forgot existed. Nina says, she’s having a really good time with Eddie, and Olivia asks, what does that mean? Nina asks if she’s falling for Eddie Maine. Does she not necessarily want Ned back? I wouldn’t, but Olivia says she should get back downstairs. She has work to do. Nina smiles.
Josslyn tells Dex, there’s other study groups besides Adam’s. He’s just a lot sometimes. Dex says, Adam’s also pre-med like her and Adam’s going to be a doctor like her. He’s still going to be working for Sonny. They’re two very different worlds. She asks if he’s dumping her because she’s in pre-med, but he says, no. (Dammit.) She says she’d hate to think he was against higher education, but he says, trust him when he says he thinks everything about her is amazing. She says she feels the same way about him, and they kiss. Then they kiss some more, making those smacky noises I hate. She takes his shirt off, then her own, and he asks if he isn’t supposed to be helping her move in. She steps away and says, he’s right, but he says, no, she’s right, pushing her onto the bed where they start getting busy.
Spencer tells Trina, come on. This is going to be fun. This is a great way for her to decompress before her semester starts at PCU. She says she knows it would, but she doesn’t think right now is a good time to go away. Her mom and Curtis are still walking on eggshells, and she wants to be there to help. He says, totally, but she’ll be in constant contact with them. She’s only going to be a phone call away. He doesn’t think either Curtis or her mother want her to curtail her life for them. He thinks they could probably use the alone time themselves. She says, not with school starting right around the corner, and he asks why she’s letting school stand in the way of her wanting to live her life. She’s so talented, and he’s certain she can accomplish anything she wants to in life, so he really doesn’t understand why she needs to do the school thing so she can earn a piece of paper that validates her intelligence. It just doesn’t make any sense to him. Is he an idiot? How is she supposed to get a job? She says she appreciates his vote of confidence in her, but he comes from money, and he says, his ancestry might be Russian royalty, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have to work hard. Maybe not in the traditional sense, but they did. She tells him, all she can say is that she values education, and PCU has inspired her. So she doesn’t think taking a trip right now would be the smartest thing. He says he just thought it would be nice for them to get away, and she says, he didn’t let her finish. (Get used to it.) They can still go to New York and see a show and spend time together, just the two of them.
Warden Garten says she doesn’t think she and Cyrus have anything more to say to each other right now. She presses a button, and the guard comes in. She says, he can take the prisoner back to his cell. Cyrus thanks her and says, he appreciates such a warm and supportive leader. He leaves with the guard.
Sasha cries, and Cody tells her, it’s going to be okay. He’s here. She says, he tried to tell her so many times and she refused to listen. And now what are they going to do? They’re both escaped mental patients; they’re fugitives. Dante says, they’re fugitives with friends (a new game for your tablet!), and Sam says, and there is a way out of this. With the four of them working together, they’ll figure it out.
Spencer hugs Trina, lifting her up, and says, yes. Cool. He’s going to show her his favorite restaurant; it’s right near Washington Square Park. Then he can take her to his favorite pizza parlor, his favorite bakery, and he’ll send her a list of shows. She’ll pick the one that she wants to see, or the two that she wants to see, or the three that she wants to see, and they’ll go see all of them if they need to. She says, okay, and he says, good. Yes. This is going to be fun. He’s so sick of having to steal these little moments away with her. He’s ready for them to have a little uninterrupted time with each other. They kiss, and he says he’s going to make some calls. He’ll talk to her later. He leaves, and she sits at her desk, picking up the dove and looking at it.
On the phone outside, Spencer asks, what’s the best they have? It’s a special occasion. Yes, it’s going to be a very special weekend.
Austin says he promises Ava that he’ll lean on Mason. He’ll do everything he can. But please promise him that she’ll be patient. Promise she won’t go talk to Sonny. She knows nothing good can come of that more than he does. She tells him that she meant what she said. She will go to Sonny if she doesn’t get what she was promised. She walks out.
Sonny asks if Carly is okay, and she says she knows Drew is his best shot at finding out who Austin visited here, and he needs that information to keep himself and their family safe. It’s just, she hates that it’s happening. He says, all he needs is for Drew to give him one name, and he’ll take care of the rest.
Drew approaches guard Johnson and asks how he’s been. Johnson says he can’t complain, and Drew asks how his son is doing. Johnson says, he’s doing really well. He got a summer job at a pizza place. Drew asks if he isn’t graduating from PCU this spring, and Johnson says, he is. Drew says, nice. He may be able to get him an internship at Aurora Media if that’s something he’d be interested in. Johnson asks what Drew wants in return, and Drew says he’ll get him the internship regardless, but there is some information he’d be interested in. Johnson says, that’s what he figured. What is it Drew wants to know? Drew says, nothing major. August 23rd, a doctor came here from GH, Austin Gatlin-Holt. All he needs to know is who he came into contact with. No surprise, Cyrus is lurking just around the corner, and Drew says, and who he came to see.
Tomorrow, Spencer says he has one more favor to ask Alexis; Lucy says she thinks she knows why Martin wants to leave; Anna asks what Valentin is keeping from her; and Nikolas tells Austin that he’s saying goodbye.
👬 Interesting parallel: Who knew Hunter Biden and Drew Cain would have something in common? Drew is the first thing I thought of when the news said it was rare to have a plea deal go sideways, but when it did, the judge usually throws the book at the defendant.
Southern Charm
There’s a bunch of back and forth about Austin and Taylor hooking up, along with some gossip headlines. Craig says, that’s what happens when you muddy the waters. Austin tells Madison that she’s a sloppy mess and always has been. One thing he and I can agree on. It looks like this is stuff we’ll see later.
Randy is Patricia’s new butler, but he’s no Michael. We see everyone interacting with their dogs, which will probably be the best part of this show. Craig’s house is being renovated, and Paige is staying there off and on. In Craig’s interview, he says he’s all about their relationship. As they check out what’s being done in building the pool area, Paige explains that she doesn’t get in hot tubs because of the bacteria, and Craig seems to think because it’s their bacteria, it won’t be a problem. She wants black and white patio furniture, and when he suggests purple, she says, she’ll move out. We flash back to her weeping about missing her mom on Summer House, and I don’t see this as working out unless Craig makes a move to NYC. They’re going to be apart for a while, and Craig says he can’t fly to meet her that much, but she says she didn’t ask him. Rut-roh.
Madison says blah-blah-blah about her marriage to Brett, and we flash back to her talking smack at the Reunion about Austin relating to her son. In her interview, she says, it’s the first time Hudson has had a family unit, and I think of the Coneheads. She says, they got married in Mexico, November of 2022, and the only ones in attendance were their families. She wants to have a party in Charleston for the friends. Brett seems like a stand-up guy, and in Madison’s interview, she says she’s different these days, but I don’t believe that for a second. I’m not sure how she trapped Brett. Maybe she practices voodoo on the side.
Austin is bummed because his friends are doing grown-up things. In his interview, he says, Madison inviting him to her party is surreal and weird. We flash back to her pretending she wanted to make it work, and Craig says he thinks it’s a great chess move by Madison.
Taylor and Olivia go rollerblading, because they’re both single now, and hanging out together. I’ll bet rollerblading got popular again after the Barbie movie. Zumiez actually has a yellow pair that look like Ken’s. I’m not shilling for them, just saying. We flash back to the embarrassment that was Taylor and Shep’s breakup, and Taylor says she’s still catching her breath. In Taylor’s interview, she says she was in love with Shep, but he finally told her that he wouldn’t change. It’s hard for her to understand. Taylor, meet sociopath.
Little Craig! Omg, hate Shep, love his dog. At least it seems like Shep’s responsible in that department, since Little Craig is still alive. In his interview, he says he was a little broken after the breakup and went to Australia. Austen met him there and they lived like children. In other words, like they always do. After that, he went to South Africa. He says, Taylor was on his mind several times a day. Probably when he was banging other women. Little Craig rolls around, scratching his back, and I know this will definitely be the highlight of the show. He’s concerned about Little Craig not having Taylor in his life. She has a new dog, but he doesn’t know if she’s willing to be friends.
Olivia and Taylor discuss going to Madison’s party, and how weird it would be if Austen came. We flash back to Olivia saying she wanted to be in a relationship, but Austen couldn’t get it together. In her interview, Olivia says, he asked her to give him another chance, so she did, and after a week, he said his feelings had changed. She tells Taylor that dating Austen is like going in a funhouse. You’re all excited to go. You walk in and see your distorted image, then a clown runs by. When you get out, you’re discombobulated and want to vomit. That is one of the best analogies of a bad relationship I’ve ever heard. Most of the women aren’t on my hate list, but it’s getting harder and harder to stomach the boys. Because they’re 40 and still boys.
Venita has a boyfriend named Manny, and I think she should keep him away from the others, since he seems like a decent guy. She and Madison have kissed and made up, which I know will end up being a mistake. In her interview, Venita says, having a friend that long is like having a sister. Yeah, in this case, like one of the wicked stepsisters from Cinderella. Manny is a musician, and they were friends first. She thinks he’s perfect. Hard to tell, since look who she has to compare him to. The bar ain’t that high.
Austen, Shep, and Craig go shopping for Madison’s party. The manager has to explain to Austen who Errol Flynn is, and Austen finds parallels in their lives. Austen says he’ll be damned if he overthinks this, but he already is. Shep says he wants to be friends with Taylor, but Craig says, that’s not how it works. In Craig’s interview, he says, Austen and Shep always want to be friends with their exes and tried to get him to do the same with Naomie, but it was a fail. He thinks unresolved feelings always surface. In Austen’s interview, he says, it’s been beaten into his head that he’s the failure in his relationships. We flash back, and that would be correct. He tells the others that they’re going to tread carefully at the party, and they all high-five.
Everyone glams up for the party. Is it wrong of me to hope Madison falls in her new heels? The event is being held at her friend (she has friends?) Brittany’s house, which could easily be confused for a hotel; it’s that huge. They talk to event planner Erica, who points out the details in the décor. Madison says, Patricia isn’t feeling well, and Whitney’s taking care of her, so they won’t be attending. We see a clip of Patricia ringing her bedside bell and calling for her son. The guests arrive, and Austen skulks around the outskirts before giving Madison a side hug and lying that he’s glad to meet Brett. In Austen’s interview, he says he thought Brett was going to be a Greek god, but wonders what Brett has that he doesn’t. We don’t have the time for that, and Brett looks like a younger, more handsome Matthew McConaughey, so nothing to sneeze at. In Craig’s interview, he says, it’s like a beautiful trainwreck. No one gets hurt, but things catch fire and blow up. Interesting correlation.
Venita shows up with a bag from Tiffany’s, and in Madison’s interview, she says she’s happy they squashed their beef. Not that the two are linked, but… New guy Rodrigo is there, and everyone is wearing coats outside. This surprises me, since I got the impression that it’s never cold in Charleston because everyone is constantly bitching about the heat. Shep doesn’t know how to say hello to Taylor, and Brett suggests he just do it. Madison makes a toast about Brett being her dream come true, and suggests Austen make a toast. Being the original guy he is, he says, to the happy couple, and Craig says, very profound. Taylor gifts Madison with a dildo, since she and Brett are long distance a lot of the time. In Madison’s interview, she says she thought Taylor was a good little Christian girl, and WWJD? I dunno. I don’t think He’s the one making judgements here. Shep asks Olivia how to approach Taylor, and Olivia says, Taylor is in a better headspace, but don’t stroll down Memory Lane.
Another side hug, and Shep brings up the memories anyway. Austen talks to Olivia, and from across the room, Craig determines she’s not happy. Olivia asks what Austen needs from her in this moment, so she can enjoy the day, and he says, nothing. She can’t get away fast enough. Neither can Taylor from Shep. In Shep’s interview, he says, it was intense, and he feels responsible which makes him sad. I’m sure he’ll get over it. Craig tells Brett that it’s odd the least awkward conversation of the day was him, Austen, and Madison. Taylor tells Austen, Shep only wanted to make himself feel better. In her interview, Taylor talks about how Craig sat on information and then smiled about it. Wipe the smile off your face before I wipe it off for you. Shep swears to Craig that he wasn’t a cheater, but he’s weak. It wasn’t like he invited women over.
Venita takes pics for social media, and I enjoy the food/drink porn. Craig suggests Paige and Olivia hang because Paige doesn’t have friends in Charleston. Austen has no one to talk to and wants Craig to stop talking. He says he’s about to snap, and finally taps Craig on the arm, but craig ignores him and continues to talk. Taylor says, when the breakup happened, she and Craig went their separate ways. She thought they were friends, and he laughed about Shep’s cheating. She gets loud, and an audience starts to form. Madison is like, not here, not now, and Taylor says, after the breakup, Craig didn’t talk to her. He says, Shep is his friend, and she says, maybe they can have a laugh together. The only person who gives a sh*t is Austen. He’s the only one who had her back. Shep doesn’t give a sh*t about anyone but himself. She asks, what if Craig’s girlfriend cheated on him? and he tells her that she’s embarrassing herself.
Wow. It didn’t take long for everything to degenerate into a mess.
This season, vacations awful people shouldn’t be allowed to have; Madison feels nauseous; Craig wonders why he and Paige are dating if they’re not taking the next step; one of the new guys wants to date Olivia; OH MY GOD, Shep and Taylor hook up, then argue about his cheating again; another new guy tells Shep to grow up, and fights with Austen; and ever the observer, Patricia sips champagne and surveys her domain.
🎼 Giving Them the Moonman…
MTV VMA winners.
The best and worst moments.
https://www.avclub.com/the-best-and-worst-moments-of-the-2023-mtv-vmas-1850832747
The fashion, and the first time I’ve said no to Oscar de la Renta.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/vmas-2023-best-dressed-b2410260.html
https://www.eonline.com/photos/36490/2023-mtv-vmas-riskiest-red-carpet-fashion
https://www.eonline.com/photos/36488/mtv-vmas-2023-red-carpet-fashion
🦁 Circle Of Life Moment…
Taking pups out to the ballgame.
https://paradepets.com/pet-news/simba-cam-citi-field
🍂 Soon To Be Falling…
Join me tomorrow for soap, tea ripped from the headlines, words to weigh, and music relevant to the day. Until then, stay safe, stay knowing when it’s time to switch gears, and stay seeking personal growth and not just an impressive title.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 