Tag Archives: Smashing Pumpkins

January 19, 2024 – Drew Makes a Replacement, A Thought, Custom Made, Side Work, Joke’s On Her, Reaction, VanderSpin, Dragon 2, Late Return, Which Ones, He’s Back, Best Bowl, One Dozen Quotes & Winter

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Laura says, Cyrus’s health must be improving. He looks better. Cyrus thanks her and says, dropping the charges against Sonny Corinthos has revitalized his spirit. His soul is unburdened, so his body can heal. She asks, what led to this unburdening? and he says, accountability. He acknowledged his role in the attack. How he provoked Sonny at the wrong time instead of giving him grace. If he’d simply turned around and walked away, the beating would never have happened. Once he realized that, he was able to let his anger go, and he found peace. She asks if that’s why he called her last night and wanted her here first thing in the morning, to share this epiphany? He says he called her because there’s a lost soul in need of her help. Spencer walks in and Cyrus says, welcome, nephew. You’re right on time.

Ava hears someone come into the gallery, and says she told Trina to take the day off. She turns around and sees it’s Esme. She asks what the hell Esme wants. She’s not welcome here. Esme says, please don’t kick her out. She needs Ava’s help.

Willow says hi to Adam, and he asks where he is. She says, he’s at General Hospital, and he asks, why? She says, because his friend saved his life.

Carly finishes with an interview for a Kelly’s Bobbie’s manager, when Sam walks in. She says, Carly looks underwhelmed, and Carly says, she’s perceptive. She guesses that’s what makes Sam such a great P.I. If she’s looking for something new, perhaps Carly can interest her in the exciting world of shift management.

Nina goes to her office, where movers are removing everything. She asks what they’re doing here, and one of them says, moving. She says, they must be on the wrong floor, but he says, they’re on the right floor. She says, they can’t be because this is her office. They have to leave immediately and tell that guy to bring her stuff back or she’s calling security. He says, they’re just doing their job, and she says, what job? Who ordered this? Drew walks in and says he did. He tells the guys, good work, and suggests they take a break, giving them money for coffee (which I notice he says like caffee) and muffins. They leave, and Nina says, what the hell? He can’t just order her out of her own office. It’s trespassing. He says, no, it’s business. He owns Aurora; Aurora owns Crimson. He knows she’s the Editor-in-Chief of Crimson, but he’s still her boss. Until now. She’s fired. (Okay. I won’t get into how many shades of wrong this would be in the real world, and the lawsuit that would happen. I’ll just keep telling myself, it’s only a soap…)

In the chapel, Josslyn asks how Dex found her, and he says, when she didn’t answer his calls, he went by her dorm. He ran into her RA Kylie, and she told him what happened. He came here and looked around until he found her. She says, her phone died. She’s sorry she didn’t pick up his call. So much was going on. He says, obviously. Why didn’t she call him when she got here? She says she didn’t want to bother him. She knows how he feels about Adam and figured he had enough. He says, if she’s going through something, he wants to know and help if he can. That’s how this works. Got it? She says, got it. She suggests they check on Adam, see if he’s awake. She needs to apologize to him. He asks what she needs to apologize for, and she says, he freaked out because she told the RA that he was in trouble, but Dex says, she has nothing to apologize for. The people who need to be apologizing are Adam’s parents.

Willow asks if Adam remembers anything from last night, but he says, not really. He’d had too much to drink at a frat party. She says, Josslyn Jax found him alone in Rice Park, and he says, sometimes when he drinks, he wanders. It’s a bad habit. She says, he also ingested a lot of pills, and he says, for a cold. She says she’ll let the doctor fill him in, but he says he’d really like to get back to his dorm. She says, he’ll have to be cleared by the attending before he can be released, and he asks when that will be. She says, he had to have his stomach pumped last night. She doesn’t want to alarm him, but he’s lucky to be alive. He says, lucky me.

Carly tells Sam, business is going great, really great. That’s why she has to hire more staff. It’s a really good problem to have, but she just wants Bobbie’s to live up to its namesake. Sam asks what she’s talking about. Bobbie’s is thriving because of her. Onward and upward. Carly thanks her and says she needed to hear that. What can she get Sam? Sam says she’s going to wait to order until Drew gets here, and Carly says, she’s meeting him now? Sam says, actually, five minutes ago. He’s running late. Carly says she hates to break it to Sam, but she’s going to be waiting a long time for Drew.

Nina says, Drew is making a big mistake, and he says, maybe, but it’s his mistake to make. She asks if he honestly thought she’d just roll over and accept this. What about Michael? Drew might own Aurora, but Michael runs it. What does he think Michael will have to say about this? Drew says, hooray?

Cyrus says he’s grateful Spencer came, and Spencer says he didn’t know Laura would be here. She says, nor I, you, and asks Cyrus, what’s going on? He says he thought they should both know he had a visitor here late last night. Somebody who needed his help, who was desperate and alone, who felt everything had been taken from her. Spencer says, Esme, and Laura asks why Esme would come here. Cyrus asks if Spencer wants to explain the rest or should he do it for him? and Laura says, enough with the mystery. Somebody better tell her something. Spencer says he saw his father last night.

Ava says, one too many knocks to the head? and Esme says, does Ava think she wants to be here asking for her help? Ava says, at least she didn’t have to break in. Now leave or she’s going to call the cops. Esme asks if she hasn’t already done that. Ava tried to send her to prison. Ava says, funny. That’s where she thinks criminals belong. Esme says, Ava’s right. She shouldn’t have broken into Windymere, and what Ava did is entirely justified. Ava asks what she wants. Spit it out. Esme says, has she seen Nikolas? and Ava says, why? Has she? Esme says, no, and Ava wonders why she asks. Esme says, because he’s kidnapped her son.

Laura says, Nikolas came back to Port Charles? Where is he? Spencer says, he was here last night. He’s already gone. Laura says, her son came and went without her even knowing. At least Spencer got to see him. It must have been quite a shock though. Did he say why he risked coming back to Port Charles? Spencer says, he came here to take Ace with him… and I let him.

Dex says, Josslyn told him about the pressure Adam’s parents put him under. No wonder he cracked. She says she just can’t believe he’s this messed up about his grades. They’re better than hers, and hers are pretty good. Dex says, it’s not about his GPA. He feels shame for letting his parents down. He wants them to be proud of him. She says, but he acts like he can’t stand them, and Dex says, just the opposite. Adam loves his parents and feels like a failure because he can’t live up to their expectations. She asks if that’s how it was for him, and he says, not exactly. If there was any part of him that wanted to please his parents, it got burned out pretty quickly. He only found peace with his family when he walked away. He just hopes Adam doesn’t have to make the same choice. She says, he really needs help, doesn’t he? and Dex says, he’s going to need a good friend, and that’s what she’s been. She says, let’s go see how he’s doing.

Adam apologizes to Willow for being edgy. He just wants to get out of here. She says she bets, but they need to have the attending check him out first, okay? Portia comes in and says, he’s up. How is he feeling? He asks if she’s the attending, and she says she’s Dr. Robinson. She’s the Co-Chief of Staff here. He says, wow. Then she can definitely sign him out. When can he leave? Willow says she’ll check on the attending and see if Dr. Wallace is available. She leaves, and Adam says he’s really sorry, but last night was just a complete, huge misunderstanding. He’s sorry if he caused trouble, but his friend Josslyn just overreacted. So if she could sign him out, that would be great. She says she happens to know Josslyn Jax, and she doesn’t overreact much. Neither does the staff here at the hospital. She thinks it’s pretty clear what happened here, and anyway, he’s going to have to be cleared by a psychiatrist before he can be discharged. It’s hospital policy. He says, Dr. Robinson… Is she Trina’s mom? She says she is, and he says, Trina’s told him a lot about her. She says, he’s friends with Trina, so she has to take especially good care of him, right? He says, cool. So let him out. She says, if after his evaluation, they all agree that what happened last night is just an unfortunate accident, then he can be discharged. If not, then they’ll have to take the next steps. He asks what that even means. Are they going to keep him here or something? Doesn’t he have rights? What if he doesn’t consent to it? She says, of course (🍷) he has rights. Absolutely, but some of those rights are determined by his diagnosis. They want the absolute best outcome for him, and if they determine he’s a threat to himself or anyone else, they can’t let him leave. It’s hospital policy and standard practice. The on-call psychiatric attending should be here soon, and his parents… He says, they can’t know, and she tells him calm down. He says, please. They can’t know.

Ava asks when Nikolas took Ace, and Esme says, during the hearing. Spencer was supposed to bring Ace to the courthouse, but he never showed up. Nikolas came to the apartment and convinced Spencer to give him her baby. Ava says, that’s unbelievable. And she never saw Nicholas in Port Charles? Esme says, no. He hid from her like the coward that he is, but Spencer let Nikolas take Ace. She can’t believe Spencer would betray her like that. She thought they were getting along. She thought Spencer hated his father… Ava says, like father, like son, self-serving, duplicitous, and Esme says, Ace doesn’t even know Nikolas. He’s going to be so scared and so confused. Nikolas doesn’t know what Ace likes. He needs his mother. She can’t be without her son. She cries and says, he’s all that she’s got. Ava says, it’s a terrible thing to be separated from your child, and Esme says, so she understands. Ava says, unfortunately, she does, but why come to her? and Esme says she thought Nikolas might not be able to stay away from her. Ava says, unfortunately, and Esme says, so she’s right, isn’t she? Nikolas came to see her. Ava says, Nikolas was here, and Esme says, thank God, but Ava says, he’s gone now, and Esme’s never going to find him.

Laura says, Spencer let Nikolas take Ace? How could he do such a thing? He says he had no choice. His little brother wasn’t safe with Esme. She says, come on. She’s proven herself to be a good mother and he knows it. Does Esme know Nikolas took her baby? Cyrus says, that’s why she came to see him last night. She wanted his help tracking Nikolas down. Laura asks why Esme thought he could help her, and Cyrus says, she thinks he has powerful contacts and thought he’d be amenable because Nikolas and Ace are his relatives. Of course (🍷) he’s related to them through Laura, so he knew he had to do the right thing and inform her. He asked Spencer here so he could be the one to explain. Spencer says, Cyrus is all about his soul, right? And confession being good for it? Cyrus says he’d hope so. Spencer is the one who took a child from his mother. Spencer says he did not take Ace, and Laura says, no. He just handed Ace over like he was returning a package. How could he do such a thing? She can only imagine how Esme is feeling right now. How could Spencer take a baby from the only family he ever knew? Spencer says, because he loves his brother, and he’s not going to allow him to be raised by some psychopath, but Laura says, he goes back to that whenever it’s convenient for him. Esme’s worked hard to overcome her past. Spencer says, Laura doesn’t understand. He knows the truth now. Esme’s been lying. She remembers everything.

Portia says, they had to call Adam’s parents because according to his PCU medical records, they’re his emergency contact. Adam asks what she told his parents, and she says she told them he was here and that he’d had a medical emergency. He asks if she told them about the pills, that he tried to hurt himself, and she asks if that’s what happened. He says, no. It was just an accident. She says, okay. Here’s the deal. He’s over 18, so he’s considered to be an adult. As far as they’re concerned, they can’t share any of his information without his permission. He thanks her, and she says, but his parents are still going to have questions. And whether or not last night was an accident, he’s still going to need a support system in place. So she’s imploring him to please be honest with the doctor who’s going to evaluate him. Be honest with his parents, and most importantly, be honest with himself.

Portia leaves and asks if there’s any word on the psyche attending. Is it Dr. Wallace? Willow says, he’s still doing rounds in the west wing. He’ll be down in a second. How’s Adam? She feels so bad for him. Josslyn said he’s under a lot of pressure at school. She just hopes if Wiley or Amelia ever feel pressured at school, they come to her. Portia says she doesn’t get it. Kids these days have so much pressure on them. The bullying, the isolation, school shootings, everything that’s going on in the world. Depression and anxiety are an epidemic for this generation, and it breaks her heart. Josslyn and Dex come by, and Josslyn asks Portia if Adam is awake yet. Portia says she didn’t know Josslyn was here. Did she sleep here last night? Josslyn says she just wants to make sure Adam is okay, and Portia says, he’s awake. He cannot have any visitors right now. That’s really all she can tell Josslyn. A man goes to the reception desk and says he’s here to see Adam Wright. He was brought in last night. He wants to see his son.

Carly says, Drew mentioned he had a meeting at Aurora this morning, and Sam says, they’ve had this on the books for a week. Carly says she’s sure it was last minute. He must have forgotten. Drew would never leave her hanging. Sam says, so she thought. Never say never, she guesses. Carly asks what that means, and Sam says she and Drew have been out of step lately. That’s why she scheduled this meeting, to see if they could iron some things out. Carly asks if this is about the situation with Scout’s school. She doesn’t believe Drew meant to undercut Sam. Sam says, actually, they’ve resolved that issue, but things are still really tense, and they have been since he got home from Pentenville. Maybe it’s just her… Never mind. Carly says, don’t do that. Talk to her. What’s going on? Sam says, Carly probably spends the most time with Drew. Since he’s been back, hasn’t she noticed that he’s changed?

Drew says, as Nina pointed out, Michael just runs Aurora. He happens to own it, so he gets the final say. Nina says she gets it. Either Micahel disagrees with him about firing her and running Crimson into the ground or he doesn’t know. Michael may have Sonny’s last name and he may hate her, but he’s a Quartermaine through and through. He doesn’t let his personal feelings interfere with the balance sheet. Drew says, don’t forget he’s a Quartermaine too, and she says, maybe he should take a page out of his nephew’s book. She has run a tight, profitable ship for years. She saved Crimson from bankruptcy when Julian Jerome tried to run it in the ground and use it as a tax write-off. Now Crimson is one of the top fashion magazines in the country. It is Aurora’s flagship title and it’s her baby. Speaking of, what kind of father tanks his company and destroys his child’s legacy? Isn’t Scout a major shareholder? He gets in Nina’s face and tells her, don’t you dare bring my daughter into this. (I say, or what? You gonna hit me? which is what Nina should say.)

Carly tells Sam, Drew had a horrific experience in Pentenville, and he’s struggling. She thinks that’s to be expected after 3 years in a dungeon in Crete first that affected him not at all. Just when he was getting his bearings, they found out Nina was the one who called the SEC on them. And that very same night, they found out her mother died. She thinks Drew’s angry. She’s angry. Sam says she understands that, but Drew is angry at the world. Carly is directing her anger toward Nina, and rightly so. Carly says, her instincts are telling her to strike back, but she wants to be more like her mom. She wants to focus on what’s important, and right now, keeping her legacy alive and honoring her is so important. She hopes she’s succeeding, but she doesn’t know. Sam says, Bobbie would be really proud of her right now. Carly thanks her and says, but Bobbie also gave people second chances. Maybe that’s what they need to do for Drew. Give him some grace and double down on their support. Sam says she hears Carly, and don’t get her wrong, she’d do anything to support Drew, aside from the issue with Scout and the school. If there’s any way she can help him… Does Carly have any idea how she can do that? She’s listening.

Drew asks what he ever did to Nina. Did he harm her in some way? She says, it wasn’t about him. It was always about Carly. He says, two people were reported to the SEC. Did she just forget about him? She didn’t care that he was collateral damage? She didn’t care that he just got back into his daughter’s life, and he was ripped away again? Right after he helped save Nina’s daughter’s life, so she just cares about her daughter, not his? She says she’s sorry, and she was very grateful. She didn’t know he’d be the one to go to prison. He says, she didn’t want to know. She didn’t care. She was just so hellbent on destroying Carly. He thinks it’s insecurity. She asks what he’s talking about, and he says, Wiley and Amelia love Carly. They’re so much closer to Carly than they are to her. Willow too, for that matter. And Sonny and Carly. Their bond is dysfunctional, but it’s also unbreakable, and he doesn’t think she can stand that, so she wanted to get Carly out of the picture. Nina wanted her out by any means possible. Nina asks if he can just stop talking. Yes. She did what she did, and she won’t deny it, but she thinks this is a perfect opportunity for him to acknowledge his part. He is responsible for putting himself at risk. He says, Carly’s investment was a well-intentioned act of support, with no nefarious motive whatsoever. Nina, on the other hand, just wanted to take Carly out. And now he wants to take Nina out. Nina says she wants to give him fair warning. Don’t use all these feelings to influence his business decisions. Talk to legal. He can’t just fire her. She may not own the company, but without her, there is no magazine. He says, she’s not telling him anything he doesn’t know, and she asks if he’s telling her that he would shutter Crimson just to get rid of her. He says he’s telling her that he would do anything to make her pay for what she’s done.

Portia introduces herself to Adam’s father, and he asks, where’s Adam? Is he okay? She says, he’s resting and he still needs to be seen by an attending. He says, Adam drank too much and made a fool of himself. Does that really require further consultation? She says, it requires them to be as thorough as possible, and he says he doesn’t want her running up their bill with all kinds of extra charges. Adam’s already squandered the money they’ve invested in his education with this foolishness, which is exactly what they were afraid of. Now when can he take his son home? Portia says she’ll go check his status, and walks away. Josslyn follows her and says, Adam can’t go. He needs to stay here and get help. He absolutely cannot go home. Wright says, and why is that? What does she know about his son that he doesn’t? (Hint: Probably everything.)

Esme asks if Ava helped Nikolas kidnap her son, but Ava says she would never do anything like that. Esme says, then why was he here? Why did he come looking for Ava? Did he want Ava to help him get her out of the way? Is that why Ava pressed charges against her? Ava says, that’s ridiculous. She didn’t know Esme had broken into Windymere. She didn’t know Laura was going to convince her to confess to it. Esme says, just tell her how to find Nikolas, please, but Ava says she can’t. He’s a Cassadine. He’s got money, he’s got resources, he’s got the private islands. If Laura couldn’t find him, does Esme really think she’ll be able to? Esme says she’s not giving up on her son. She has resources too. Ava says, Esme has no idea what she’s getting herself into, and her resources can’t possibly compete or compare. Esme asks if she looks helpless. She’ll do whatever it takes to find her son. Maybe she has a dangerous ally of her own. Ava says, oh really? Like who? Esme says, Cyrus Renault.

Cyrus says, Esme told him that Spencer threatened to have the old charges reinstated against her. When he questioned her, she wouldn’t say how this might be possible. Spencer says, because she doesn’t want anyone to know that she’s regained her memory, and Cyrus asks how he knows that. Spencer says, because of the little things she was saying. He was with her before her arraignment at the PCPD. She kept going back to how everyone hated her and how she was the one being persecuted. Then he pointed out to her that these are things that sound like the old Esme. As soon as he said that, she backed off. Laura says, how would he expect her to react? She confessed and she expressed true remorse over what was really a Class-A misdemeanor, and still Ava had to press charges. Spencer says, she told him that Ava wanted her to pay for what she supposedly did to Trina, as though Ava and Trina are the ones overreacting, and she’s the one being persecuted in this situation. Laura says she’s sorry. She doesn’t see this as proof that Esme regained her memory. Spencer says, she called him Spence. That’s what she used to call him, back when they were together. She hasn’t used that name for him since she lost her memory. Laura says, so she called him by his nickname, and he says, when he told her that his father had taken Ace, she told him that she was going to the police and was going to report the kidnapping. He threatened her and said, if she does that, he’s going to tell the police that she has her memory back and they’re going to reopen the investigation. As soon as she heard that, she seemed like she couldn’t risk it. Laura says, maybe she couldn’t risk being thought of as a suspect when she’s so desperate to get her son back. He gave Ace away based on a suspicion, not based on something he knew, and certainly nothing he could prove. Spencer says he does know that Esme has regained her memory, and Cyrus says he’s sorry to interrupt, but memory or not, Esme is still going after her son. She came to him asking for his help. Who else is she going to go to? And if Esme is successful, what will she do when she finds Nikolas?

Carly tells Sam that she thinks the best thing they can do for Drew is, just be honest with each other and keep talking, and to give him some time. She’s going to do everything she can on her end. Sam says, just so she knows, she’s not alone in this. There are plenty of people who care about Drew. Carly says, but what happened to Drew is on her. She’s the one who bought the Aurora stock because she had to inflate the price, even after Drew told her not to, over and over again. And he took the fall just to protect her. Sam says, he insisted on doing that, but Carly says, he wouldn’t have been faced with that choice if it weren’t for her to begin with. So she’s going to do everything in her power to make up for it. Sam says, as long as helping him doesn’t come at her own expense, because that’s the last thing he would want.

Nina asks Drew, what about the staff? They’re hard-working, they’re loyal, some of the best in the business. He’s willing to lay off all of those people just to get back at her. He says, that’s on her. He takes out an envelope and says, she signs this termination agreement or Crimson, with all its staff, is going out of business. One of the movers asks if they should start loading the boxes on the freight elevator, and Drew says he’ll have a look. He tells Nina that he’ll give her a moment to think about it. He leaves, and Nina tosses the papers in a box. She pauses and takes out a photo of Willow with Wiley and Amelia. Drew comes back and says, time’s up. Is she going to sign, or is she taking Crimson down with her? (I’m starting to think this is a dream or he’s really gone bonkers. A lot of it doesn’t make sense, even for a soap.)

Portia says, Josslyn found Adam in the park yesterday, and called emergency services. Wright says, she found him, or she was out drinking with him? and Dex says, Josslyn wasn’t drinking. She went to look for Adam because she was concerned for him. Josslyn says, Adam was alone and nearly passed out, and Wright says, they’ve been concerned about his behavior for quite a while. Josslyn says, really? and Wright says, this incident proves Adam is just not mature enough to live on his own. Josslyn says, it’s not a question about maturity. Adam needs help. He says he appreciates her concern and he’s grateful she called for help when she did, but he’ll take it from here. Josslyn says, he doesn’t understand. Adam has been hiding everything from him because Adam is afraid of what he’ll do. Wright asks why he would be afraid. He and his mother only want the best for Adam. Josslyn says, he just feels so much pressure, and Wright says, Adam has a very promising career ahead of him. He had the test scores to get into PCU. He’s maintained a 4.0 up until now. If he stays on track, he’ll be admitted to a top tier medical school. But now Adam is drinking and partying and squandering everything that he and his mother have worked hard to give him. She says, Adam isn’t partying. He’s self-medicating, having panic attacks. Portia thanks Josslyn and says she thinks she can take it from here. Why doesn’t Josslyn go home and get some rest? Wright asks who he has to speak to, to remove his son, and Dex tells Josslyn, let’s just let the hospital handle this, okay? Wright says, yeah. She’s done her part. Now please leave. This doesn’t concern her. Josslyn says, it should concern him that his son tried to kill himself last night.

Laura says she’s got to alert the police, but Spencer says, if she does that, the FBI could get involved, and who knows who else. Plus, if his father is captured, then Ace is going to get returned to Esme. (He really doesn’t get it, does he?) Laura says, they don’t even know if she’s regained her memory, and if she has, she still might do the right thing by her son. Cyrus says he agrees with Laura. He believes in the power of redemption. Spencer says, well, he doesn’t. Esme’s redemption is fake, and why is Laura still believing her? Is she really choosing Esme’s well-being over Ace’s? Laura says she’s being realistic, and the reality is that Ace would be safer if he was with them. He should have stopped his father. She just doesn’t understand why he didn’t come to her with his suspicions. She would have listened to him. They could have gone to the police together and made Esme face the things she’s done. Spencer says, what about his father, who up until ten minutes ago was the biggest asshat in the world? Should he have reported him as well? Laura says she would have never asked him to turn his own father in, but she knows Ace should be with them while all of the other stuff is getting sorted out. Spencer says, and what if it got sorted out in Esme’s favor? As far as he’s concerned, his father just saved Ace’s life. Laura says, don’t get her wrong. She’s glad that he’s starting to realize his father isn’t the heartless man Spencer’s made him out to be, but he has demonstrated some spectacularly bad judgement here and so has Spencer. His father is on the run. He’s being pursued by the authorities. This little baby has never been in more danger.

Portia tells Josslyn, that’s enough, and Dex says, let’s just go, but Josslyn says, Adam took a pack of antihistamines and washed it down with vodka. He knew what he was doing. Adam is so afraid of his father, he’d rather not live than face him. Wright says, she’s lying, and Josslyn says, doesn’t he even care? He pushed and he pushed until Adam reached his breaking point. Wright says he wants her gone – now! And if this girl comes within 50 feet of Adam, he’ll sue. (Um… we’ve already established Adam is over 18. I don’t think he can. Why is everyone being weird today?) Portia says, that’s unnecessary. She’s tired, she hasn’t slept all night, and she’s leaving right now. Why don’t they go to her office, and she can explain everything that’s going on with Adam, and they can wait for the attending there. Wright leaves with Portia, and Willow goes over to Josslyn and Dex. She says, Dr. Robinson won’t let anything happen to Adam, and Dex tells Josslyn, anything she says will just antagonize Adam’s father. She says, because he refuses to see the truth, and Dex says, Wright isn’t going to listen to her, but if she’s not here, he might listen to Dr. Robinson. Josslyn asks Willow to promise to keep an eye on Adam, and Willow promises. Josslyn says, okay then, and walks to the elevator with Dex, but then she quickly walks off.

Ava says, Esme is joking, but Esme says, Cyrus is going to help her find her son. Ava says, why? and Esme says, because he cares about his family. Ava says, Esme’s not his family. Ace may be a part of his family, but she is not. Esme says, but he promised, and Ava says, promised what exactly? Esme says, nothing. He promised her nothing. She starts to cry again, and says, her son is kidnapped. No one will help her and she’s all alone. She heads for the door, and Ava says, wait, but Esme says, stay away from me, and leaves.

Laura thanks Cyrus for coming to her, to them, about Esme, and he says, they’re family. Where else would he go? She leaves, and in the hallway, Spencer asks if she sees now. Esme went to Cyrus for help. Isn’t that proof she can’t be trusted? Laura says, it’s proof she’s desperate and will do anything to get her baby back, and he says, fine. Both can be true. She takes out her phone and calls the PCPD, asking for Dante. Spencer tries to take the phone, but she says, stop it. She has to do it. She tells them, it’s urgent… Dante answers, and she says, it’s Laura. My grandson Ace has been taken.

Josslyn looks in on Adam through the door window. Dex comes up behind her and gently guides her back to the elevator.

Nina signs the papers, and hands them to Drew. He says he’s surprised she gave in so quickly. She tells him, like she said, Crimson is her baby, and she’ll do anything to save her. (Besides this whole scene being in a parallel universe, is there some weird parallel with Ace here?) She’ll do anything for the employees, even if it means giving up everything she cares about. He asks if she thinks he’d really sabotage Aurora’s flagship title for her. Crimson was always going to be just fine. She says, so this was his plan all along, manipulate her sense of duty to her employees. He says, or maybe she just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to play martyr. She says, her employees are going to lose their jobs eventually anyway, and he says, former employees. She says, this magazine is nothing without her. Does he really think he’s going to get the photographers, the designers, the advertisers? The editorial staff will quit immediately. She made this magazine. This is her magazine. She’s irreplaceable. He says, and yet, he’s already replaced her. Carly walks in, and he says, meet Crimson’s new Editor-in-Chief.

On Monday, Nina says, they’re finally even; Martin asks where Lucy thinks she’s running off to in such a hurry; Esme says, you’re the only person I can turn to (Heather maybe?); and Dante says, maybe he should be arresting Spencer instead.

💭 I dunno about this. I’m guessing the closest Carly has come to editing a magazine is reading one, and wasn’t she just talking to Sam? Hard to believe Nina would say she’s irreplaceable along with all the other big talk, and this would also hardly be moving on for Carly after her speech on letting go. The whole thing was just weird.

🪆 Her Toy Story…

I keep forgetting she was in Five Nights at Freddy’s. I still haven’t seen it.

🪂 On Their Off Time…

Writing mission completed.

This sounds like a real headache. She took an amazing passport photo though.


🤡 Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha and Then Some…

Apparently, the board-certified medical professional was called out by bigger board-certified medical professionals.

😘 She Doesn’t Care…

Sleeping with him was punishment enough.

🍸 After the Rules…

It was bound to happen.

https://people.com/vanderpump-rules-spinoff-the-valley-starring-jax-taylor-brittany-cartwright-kristen-doute-premiere-spring-2024-8431186

🐉 Dragon Is Coming…

What’s up with Season 2.

https://winteriscoming.net/posts/hbo-responds-to-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-release-date-rumors

🐝 Fly Back To Us Soon…

Hopefully, we’re all still alive in 2025.

https://screenrant.com/yellowjackets-season-3-cast-story-everything-we-know/

https://www.etonline.com/yellowjackets-cast-teases-season-3-without-juliette-lewis-exclusive-217957

🏈 In Between Bowl…

The trailers anticipated during the upcoming Super Bowl.

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/super-bowl-2024-what-trailers-commercials-deadpool-3-movies-tv/

🦸🏽 You’re Welcome, Canada…

Deadpool is the best.

https://comicbookmovie.com/deadpool/deadpool-3/deadpool-3-set-photos-reveal-multiple-variants-of-spoiler-in-upcoming-mcu-threequel-a208960

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12984525/deadpool-3-ryan-reynolds-sports-long-hair-marvel-hugh-jackman.html

🐾 Fluffy For the Win…

More on Puppy Bowl XX.

https://wagwalking.com/daily/puppy-bowl-2024

https://ew.com/meet-the-starting-lineup-of-the-2024-puppy-bowl-8425601

👸🏽 Quotes of the Week

Things just tend to accumulate after Labor Day. What can I tell you?Little Edie Beale, Grey Gardens

Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don’t think that you’ve lost time. There is no short cutting to life. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time. – Asha Tyson

Hold fast to dreams. For if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. – James Langston Hughes

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. – Henry Ward Beecher

At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent. – Barbara Bush (Or your pets.)

Comparison is the death of true self-contentmentJohn Powell

You’re going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it’s always their actions you should judge them by. It’s actions, not words, that matter. – Nicholas Sparks

It’s almost nostalgic for a time that never existed. – Ruth Washington (Myha’la Herrold) referring to the TV series Friends, Leave the World Behind

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity. – Henry van Dyke Jr.

Don’t stop until you see the whites of his pockets. – Don Draper (Jon Hamm), Mad Men

Your greatness is measured by your kindness; your education and intellect by your modesty; your ignorance is betrayed by your suspicions and prejudices, and your real caliber is measured by the consideration and tolerance you have for others. William J.H. Boetcker

It’s going to be a long learning curb.Amy Slaton, 1000-Lb. Sisters

Skating On Thin Ice…

Bounce back on Monday really Tuesday for soap and turbulent seas on the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay using your turn signals (you learned that in driver’s ed, right?), and stay focusing on what’s important, even when your instincts are telling you to strike back.

August 3, 2021 – Chase Insists On Going Upstairs, Deck Tirade Aftermath & Tonight

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Nina video chats with Brook and Wiley, telling Wiley, happy birthday. Wiley thanks her, looking at his real life mom, who is somewhere to the side. Nina asks if Wiley liked the forklift she gave him, and I assume she means toy, or she’s way off on age appropriate gifts. Brook says, he hasn’t opened gifts yet, but has a ton. She thinks he’s up for the job. Carly asks who Wiley is on the phone with, and comes into camera range. On Nina’s end, Sonny asks if he can see Wiley.

Stella tells Portia, there’s no such thing as half divorce, and Portia says, meaning? Stella says, meaning, don’t jump in head first. She doesn’t want to be the other woman in Curtis’s marriage, the way she made him the other man in hers. Trina is coming down the hallway with the food she picked up, but they don’t see her. Portia says, Curtis had nothing to do with her marriage ending, but Stella says, oh no? Portia doesn’t think taking up with Stella’s nephew  while her husband was off undercover played a part? Somehow, she doesn’t think Taggert would feel the same way.

Curtis says, Jordan makes it sound like she only signed the papers because she thought it was what he wanted, and she says, isn’t it? He says he thought it was what they both wanted. He thought they had a mutual understanding. She’s saying she didn’t want their marriage to end? She tells him, that’s exactly what she’s saying. She thinks finalizing their divorce would be the biggest mistake of their lives. Josslyn walks in, and finds Cameron, who says she’s there early. His break doesn’t start for another 20 minutes. He picks up a tub of dirty dishes, and she says she guesses she was just excited to see him. She can leave if he wants. He says, no, and asks what she’ll have. She sits at the counter, and says, she’ll have… Spencer says, a BLT and an iced something I’ve never heard of.

Austin helps Chase into the gatehouse, and Chase calls to Willow. There’s no answer, and Chase says, that’s weird. She said she was coming here. Austin says, maybe she’s upstairs. He’ll be happy to take a look. She’s upstairs all right. Getting busy with Michael. Chase says, that’s okay, he’ll go, and Austin tells him, stairs are part of upstairs. Maybe it’s better to ask her to come down. Chase says, the whole point was to show her that he’s doing better and getting stronger. It defeats the purpose asking her to come to him. Austin picks up a shirt off the floor, and says it’s not Chase’s shirt, although how he would know this, I’m not sure. Chase says, it belongs to Michael.  

Carly asks if that was Nina, and Brook says, yes, but she got cut off. Carly says she’s surprised Nina didn’t make it to the party, but Valentin says, a friend of hers is ill in Nixon Falls. Nina went back to take care of him and his wife. Carly is sorry to hear that, and hopes everything turns out okay.

Sonny asks, what happened? The call dropped? Nina says sometimes she doesn’t get service there, and Sonny suggests she use his phone. She says, that’s okay. With all the birthday festivities, she’d get in the way. He says she was just telling him that she’s upset that she couldn’t join them. Call him back. She knows she wants to. He holds out his phone.

Spencer says he thought Josslyn had a party to go to, or was she lying when she said they couldn’t hang out? She says she wasn’t lying. It’s her nephew Wiley’s third birthday, so they’re heading over to the party as soon as Cameron’s break starts. Spencer tells Cameron that they’re going to hang out outside, and he likes his bacon extra crispy. Josslyn says, he’s so high maintenance, and he says, it’s called standards, but clearly, she doesn’t know anything about that. Cameron says, hilarious, and Josslyn tells him not to spit in Spencer’s food. Cameron says he makes no promises, and she says, Cam…? He says, only for her, and Spencer steers Josslyn outside, saying he knew she cared.

Jordan says Curtis’s aunt meddles, and it drives her crazy. He says, join the club, but she says, this time, she pointed something out that Jordan was too consumed with her own guilt to see for herself. She gives up too easily. She felt terrible about the secrets she kept from him, and when he said they were done, she didn’t think she could push against it. She doesn’t want them to be over. She thinks what they have is worth fighting for. She wants to try again.

Stella says Portia is a destruction, keeping Curtis from what he should really be doing, which is getting back with his wife. Trina listens, and Portia says, ex-wife. Stella says, not yet. She knows it’s complicated, given the fact they had an affair way back when, but now it’s not her own marriage Portia is messing with, it’s his. She won’t stand for it. Portia says she doesn’t care if Stella stands for it or not. It’s none of her business. Trina looks super sad.

Willow and Michael bask in the afterglow, and Willow thanks him for finding her. She had no idea how much she needed to see him. He says he needed to see her, and asks if she’s okay. She says she wasn’t, but she is now. He says he missed her, and she says she hasn’t missed his lame jokes. He insists she has, and she reluctantly agrees. She missed all of it, and especially missed telling him that she loves him. He says he loves her too, and they kiss.

Chase wonders what Michael’s shirt is doing there, and Austin picks up Michael’s belt. He tells Chase that he’s sorry, and Chase hobbles to the stairs. Austin asks where he’s going, and Chase says, where does he think?

On a non-video call, Nina tells Wiley, happy birthday, little man. She loves and misses him. Sonny says, better? and she says, yes. He says he would have liked to talk to the little guy, but imagines she’ll introduce him at some point. Phyllis comes in, and Sonny says she’s not supposed to be there this soon. What happened with the biopsy? Nina asks, where’s Lenny? and Phyllis says, he’s not coming home.

Portia asks what Stella wants to hear her say. That she was married, went into a bar, and picked up her nephew? That’s true. Then it became real and serious. That’s also true. She stepped out on her husband? Yeah. Trina looks sick, and Portia says, but none of it has anything to do with Stella. This is her life, her mistakes. Stella says, and to hell with everybody else? and Portia tells her, she didn’t say that. Stella says she doesn’t have to, and Portia asks who Stella thinks she is. She’s speaking to Portia like she’s a teenager late for her curfew. She’s a grown woman. She can’t stop Stella from judging her, but just go somewhere else to do it. Trina walks in the other direction, but an orderly calls to Portia, who turns and sees her.

Curtis says he’s certainly not happy their marriage failed, but he saw no way he could move forward, especially when he saw how much she’d been keeping back from him. She says, what if she’s willing to put in the work to make things different? and he says, different how? They don’t have trust. She says she trusts him; she wants to spend her whole life with him. Just tell her there’s enough time.

Cameron serves Josslyn and Spencer outside, and Spencer says Cameron had better clean up before the party. He wants to make a good impression doesn’t he? Cameron says he’s been freaking out about that. Whether people who’ve known him his entire life will like him or not. Spencer tells Cameron, he’s just saying things are different now. He’s not Cam, Josslyn’s childhood friend; he’s Cameron, her new boyfriend. Josslyn says she’d better start calling him by his full name, and Spencer says nitpick all they want. They’ll see. Josslyn asks if they can go, and Cameron says he just has to clean up. He goes inside, and Josslyn looks at Spencer, who asks what he did now.

Brook tells Carly that Monica is keeping Wiley busy. He’s helping her set the table. Carly says, Brook is so good with him, and Valentin says, she’s wonderful with Bailey. Carly wonders when Bailey is going to be up. She misses holding babies that age. It’s like she blinked, and Donna was a teenager. It feels like it anyway. Valentin tells her, what do they say? The days are long, but the years fly by? He asks if she and Jason are going to have children, and Carly gives him a look. Brook tells her, congratulations. She’s so happy for them. Carly thanks her, and Brook says, they’ve been friends for so long, it’s nice to see they finally fell in love.

Willow sits up, and says she doesn’t know what she’s doing anymore. It’s like she’s dug this huge hole, and she keeps searching for the way out, but she can’t find it. Michael says, we’ve dug a huge hole. They’re in this together, remember? She says, from the second she knew she wanted to be with him, she should have told Chase. He says, she tried. When Chase collapsed, they thought he was dead, then they thought he couldn’t walk anymore. When was the right time to tell him, Chase, I’m sorry, I don’t love you anymore? She says, there was never a right time, and he says, just because she wanted to spare Chase, that doesn’t make her evil; it makes her human. Don’t beat herself up, and don’t make the mistake of thinking this is permanent. They won’t be in this place forever. She says, promise? and he says, actually, he does. She says, part of her wants to go to the main house right now and get it all out there. Tell Chase that she’s here for him, and always will be, but they shouldn’t have gotten married. That her life is with Michael now. But every time she tries to wrap her head around it, she can’t. Michael says, it’s okay. There’s no playbook on how to handle this; they’re doing the best they can. Chase will get better, and until then, she’s going to be uncomfortable, but they’ll get through this. They’ve gotten this far. She says, they should go back, and he reaches for his pants. He asks if she’s seen his shirt.

Austin says, Chase doesn’t want to go up there. Trust him. He steers Chase away from the stairs, and Chase says he has to know. Austin says, there’s a difference between knowing and seeing, and Chase says, get out of his way. Austin says, Chase physically can’t get up the stairs, and Chase says, watch him. Austin says, maybe by sheer force of will he manages to get to the top of the stairs. At what cost? He’ll break his body, he’ll damage his muscles, and set himself back weeks if not months. He worked hard to get there. He can literally stand on his own two feet. Don’t let them take that away from him.

Phyllis says she’s sorry. She should have said Lenny isn’t coming home tonight. Sonny says, that would have made a big difference, and Nina says, a big difference. What happened? Phyllis says, he had a reaction to the anesthesia; nothing dangerous, but they wanted him to stay overnight for observation. She came to grab some clothes and a toothbrush, and wanted to give them an update before she heads back. Sonny says he’ll drive her, but Phyllis says, that’s not necessary. Nina says, they’re both going because they want to, and Phyllis says, fine, but only because it will make them feel better. Sonny says he’ll call Eddie and see if he can cover for the bar, and Phyllis and Nina sit down while he goes to make the call. Phyllis says, it seems like Lenny’s illness is already spiraling out of control, and Nina says, and Phyllis is spiraling with it, right? Phyllis says, it has her really second guessing some of her life decisions.

Portia says, Trina, honey… and walks toward her daughter, but Trina runs off. Portia starts to follow, but an orderly says one of Portia’s patients has been asking for her. Stella says she’ll go after Trina and try to stop her, but Portia says, don’t you dare. Don’t go one step near her daughter.

Spencer asks if Trina is going to the party too, and Josslyn asks, why? He says, just curious, and Josslyn says, no, Trina’s not going, and no, she doesn’t know what Trina is doing later. Spencer says, maybe they should all go out sometime, and Cameron joins them. Josslyn says, on a double date? and Cameron says, that is a horrible idea. He asks if Josslyn is ready to go, and she says, very ready. They leave, and Spencer says, rude.

Jordan says, the papers are signed, but they’re not filed yet. They could call their lawyers, put the divorce on hold, and go back to counseling; do whatever it takes. They’ve come too far, and gone through too much, to give up now. She thinks that they’re worth it. Doesn’t he? He doesn’t respond, and she says, he doesn’t.

Michael finishes dressing in the living room, and Willow comes downstairs. He asks if she’s okay, and she says she has to be. There’s a newly minted three-year-old anxiously awaiting his birthday party. (Ha-ha! Love newly minted.) He says, let’s go, and they leave. Chase and Austin come out of the kitchen.

Spencer takes a bite of his BLT, and says he told Cameron crispy bacon. Is it really that difficult, Webber? Trina heads for Kelly’s front door, crying, and he says, what’s wrong?

Brook wonders where Wiley’s parents are; it’s high time for presents. Carly says, maybe they’re still dealing with Harmony, but Valentin says he doubts it. He got the impression that it wasn’t going to be a long visit. Brook asks if Austin is still lurking around, and Valentin asks if she wants him to count the China settings, but she says she doesn’t want Valentin anywhere near her family’s China. Carly says, maybe Austin couldn’t handle the drama and took off, and Brook says, ha! The guy calls himself a real Quartermaine. He’s going to need thicker skin if he’s going to roll with this crew.

Austin tells Chase, here’s the plan. They wait there for a few minutes until Michael and Willow get to the big house. Then they’ll go. Chase says he’s not going anywhere until Austin helps him up the stairs, and Austin asks, why?  Chase says he’s got to see it with his own eyes. He’s got to know.

Nina says, Phyllis always seems so steady; she’s everybody’s rock. She has such a solid beautiful life there with Lenny. Phyllis says, you can be steady, and have regrets at the same time. She misses her family. Nina says Phyllis never talks about her family; she just assumed they weren’t close. Phyllis says, they used to be, but not anymore, and Nina asks, what happened? Phyllis says, life. One of those old conflicts, layered over with time; she can hardly remember how it started anymore. She just accepted it’s the way things are. But now, with the horrible possibility of losing Lenny, those bad feelings just seem pointless. Nina tells her, why can’t she say that? Go to them, and say exactly that. Try to make things right before it’s too late. Phyllis asks if Nina is ready to take her own advice.

On the terrace, Willow tells Michael that she doesn’t know if she can do this. He says, yes, she can. Together, remember? She says, together, and they go inside. Carly says, there they are. Are they okay? She knows Willow seeing her mom was pretty tough. Willow says, not the best surprise, and Brook asks if Harmony left. Michael says, she’s long gone, and Willow says she needed a minute at the gatehouse. Michael was nice enough to check on her. Michael asks how Wiley is, and Carly says, perfect. Brook says, he’s helping Monica set the table, and Michael says he’ll go check on them. Willow asks, where’s Chase? and Brook says she hasn’t seen him in a while. Willow asks if Valentin has, but he says he hasn’t seen Chase either. Willow says, Chase got into it with her mother, and Brook suggests maybe after all the excitement, he needed a rest.

Chase and Austin go into the bedroom, and Austin says, at least they were safe, showing Chase a condom wrapper.  He tells Chase, there’s no right thing to say to a man who’s discovered his wife cheated on him. Chase says, Willow doesn’t cheat. She doesn’t fall in bed lightly. If she’s sleeping with Michael, that means she’s in love with him.

Portia say she can’t believe Stella did that, and Stella says, Trina didn’t know? Portia says, that her mother cheated on her father? Of course (🍷) she didn’t. Portia calls Trina, and leaves a voicemail for Trina to call her back. She says, or maybe Stella is referring to the fact that the man she’s currently seeing is the same man she had an affair with. She didn’t know that either, but she definitely knows now. Stella says Portia doesn’t know that; maybe Trina didn’t hear everything. Portia says, she heard something. Did Stella see the way Trina looked at her? Stella says she’s so sorry. It was never her intention… Portia says she doesn’t give a damn about Stella’s intentions. Her daughter is in pain can’t and she can’t go after Trina right now because she has to deal with her patients. Stella asks what she can do, but Portia says she thinks Stella has done enough; doesn’t she?

Spencer asks Trina, what’s going on? Trina’s phone rings, and she sees it’s Portia. She sits down, and hits ignore. Spencer asks if she wants to talk about it; she can tell him. She says she just found out something bad about her mother. She’s been lying to Trina; not really lying, but keeping things from her, things she should have known. Spencer says, he’s certainly been there, and asks if her mother explained. Trina says, she probably would have, but Trina was so pissed, she ran off. She can’t deal with it right now. Spencer says, she’ll have to sometime. Not today, but she has to give her mom a chance to explain. He was so mad at his father for so long, they didn’t speak for a year. Things got out of control. Take it from him, getting things out in the open is what’s best for all of them.

Curtis says he’ll always love Jordan, no doubt about that. But the life they had, even if he misses it, it’s no longer the life he wants. She says, because of Portia? but he says, because of him.

Nina tells Phyllis, she’s been trying to connect with her grandson, and trying to get along with his family. She’s in no way perfect, but she thinks she’s trying to take her own advice. Phyllis says she’s not talking about Nina’s grandson. She ran into Valentin Cassadine at the hospital in New York City. Nina asks if he’s all right, and Phyllis says, he wasn’t there as a patient, but Nina’s reaction makes her think the two of them have unfinished business. She told Valentin to respect Nina’s privacy. Nina thanks her, and Phyllis says she’s sure he will, even though he doesn’t want to, and Nina asks what she means. Phyllis says, it was clear as day that Nina’s ex-husband still cares for her. Sonny comes back, and says, they’re all set; Eddie is covering. Phyllis says there’s something she needs to tell Eddie about the new taps, and goes in the back. Sonny asks if it’s him, or was she thrown off when Phyllis mentioned her ex? Nina says, she was surprised that Phyllis ran into him in the hospital in New York, of all places. He says, is that it, or is she still a little connected with Valentin? 

Austin suggests he and Chase take a moment and chat about this, and tells Chase to sit. Austin says he doesn’t know Willow or Michael. He doesn’t know Chase, but he knows people. People cheat sometimes; people you didn’t think ever would, and it almost never has to do with love. Chase says, maybe most people, but not Willow. As furious as he is, he can’t see Michael doing it either. Austin says, apparently, he did, but Chase says, if he didn’t feel something real, he wouldn’t have trashed their friendship over a fling. Austin says he thinks it’s time Chase investigates the possibility that he doesn’t know his best friend or wife as well as he thinks he does.

Willow says, Wiley is the luckiest birthday boy ever, and Carly says, he sure is. Brook asks if Valentin didn’t find it strange that they had to convince Nina to turn on her camera to talk to Wiley. She figured Nina would jump at the chance to FaceTime with him. Valentin says, Nina did seem distracted. He wonders if things are okay with Nina’s friend; he’s worried about her. Brook says, enough to go to Bedford Lake, and he says, Nixon Falls. She says, whatever. Is he worried enough to go and see if Nina is okay?

Josslyn and Cameron arrive at the terrace, and she asks if he thinks Spencer was even more annoying than usual, or was it just her? He says it wasn’t just her, and she says, Spencer brought up Trina. Out of all the guys Trina could date… Cameron asks if Josslyn thinks Trina is really into Spencer, and Josslyn says, that’s what she’s seeing. She guesses it makes sense. Trina doesn’t know him like they do. To her, he seems like a  cool cultured new guy, but Spencer’s been spoiled all his life. On some level, she understands. His dad probably wanted to make up for his mom passing away, but that was the justification for him getting away with everything? Cameron says, Spencer’s definitely lived in a no limit zone, and Josslyn says, he still does. Then they have Trina, who’s the most awesome person to walk the earth. Cameron clears his throat, and she says, besides him of course (🍷). He says, of course (🍷), and she says she sees a whole lot of potential for Trina to get hurt. He says maybe Josslyn should tell Trina that Spencer’s not who he seems on the surface, but Josslyn says, it’s not her business. Unless he was abusive or a drug addict or something, Trina has to figure it out for herself. Cameron is Trina’s friend as well. If he disagrees, Cameron can spread the knowledge. He says, it’s more of a girl thing, but she says she thinks it’s more of a no thing. She just wishes Trina knew what she was getting herself into.  

Spencer tells Trina, it’s always been the two of them, and she says, him and his dad? He says he discovered his dad treated him like everyone else, not thinking if the pain he was putting Spencer through. Trina says she’s sure he thought about it, and he says, maybe it didn’t matter enough. It made him furious. Trina says she gets it. She was furious at her dad too; they went through something similar. He says, they’re on good terms now? and she says, it took a while, but yeah, they’re solid. He says what he didn’t realize is, the more he gave into his anger, the more time it cost him with his father. Now there’s a rift between them that he’s not sure they’re ever going to overcome. She says she loves her mom, and can’t imagine life without her, but she thought they were honest and understood each other, but now… He says, it’s all broken? and she says, It feels awful. He takes her hand, and says, look, the fact that Trina’s mom disappointed her like this is bad – he’s not going to pretend it’s not – but it doesn’t negate the kind of person she’s always been to Trina. Trina has to adjust her perspective a little, and start seeing her not only as a parent, but as a flawed human being like everyone else. She says she doesn’t want to see her mom like that, and he says he knows. He felt the same way about his father. He went from being Spencer’s idol to being a person capable of making huge mistakes. But he’s still Spencer’s dad, and Trina’s mom is still her mom, and her mom deserves for Trina to hear her out.

Curtis tells Jordan, this isn’t about Portia; it’s about him, and where he is in his life. She says, he’s moving on, and he says, does he regret what he gave up? Of course (🍷) he does, but he just can’t anymore. Jordan says she respects that. She had the feeling it was too little too late, but she was determined to be honest with him. He says he admires her courage, and she says, just not her timing. He says, not so much, and she says she has to go, and leaves.

Trina asks if Spencer thinks she should go back and face her mom, and he says it doesn’t have to be today, but he thinks she’ll feel better if she does. She says, the thought of it makes her feel sick, and he says he didn’t tell her it was going to be easy. He wasn’t strong enough to do it when his dad apologized to him, but she’s smarter than he is. She’ll be able to salvage her relationship with her mom. She says, she’ll think about it, and gets up, telling him, for what it’s worth (🍷), he seems pretty smart to her. She thanks him, and he says, anytime.

Nina tells Sonny, she’ll never be indifferent to Valentin, but of all people, he should know she’s moved on. He says he got that impression, and she tells him that he’d better trust his instincts. She and Valentin are done… She can tell he wants to ask her something, and he says he’s happy she’s moved on, but he was wondering, does Valentin know that? Or is he going to show up there like her other ex, Jax, and Sonny might have to take him down.  

Valentin tells Brook, he hadn’t even considered visiting Nina in Nixon Falls. Okay, maybe he considered it, but her friend Phyllis made it clear he would not be welcome there. She asks when that’s stopped him before?

Stella runs into Kelly’s, and says, thank God Curtis is still there. He says he got her message, and he was waiting for her. She says she made a huge mistake.

Portia leaves Trina another message, saying to give her a call or shoot her a text. She needs to know Trina is okay and safe. Trina suddenly appears, and says she’s safe, but she’s not okay.

Cameron and Josslyn go into the house, and Josslyn says, tell her they didn’t miss out on the cupcakes. Carly says they’re right on time, and makes a point of saying hello to Cameron. Josslyn gives her Wiley’s gift, and Carly says, he’s one spoiled little boy today. Josslyn says, he should be, and suggests they say hi to the birthday boy. She wants to take a picture, and Cameron asks if she wants him to take one of the four of them. She says, first she wants to get Wiley and his parents. They’re going to want to remember this day. She tells them, say cheese, and takes the picture. She says they’re the most beautiful family, and Willow and Michael look at each other. Wiley won’t stop saying cheese, cracking me up. It’s a riot when they start to talk.

Austin says he understands why Chase would want to stay Zen about this, and Chase says he’s very far from Zen. Austin says, all right; let’s figure this out. Willow has betrayed him, Michael has betrayed him. His whole world’s turned upside down. Chase is in a tough spot. The only question is, what is he going to do about it?

Tomorrow, Trina asks if Portia has been in love with Curtis all these years, Stella says she wanted Curtis to realize before it was too late, and Chase has something to say to Michael and Willow. I’ll bet.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Lexi is in the middle of her drunken tirade, calling Malia a fake ass bitch and Zee a kiss ass. She pushes Zee pretty hard, and David says, enough. She says she’ll smack them both, and David gets Zee the hell out of there. David tells her to stop, and she yells she’s got money. He wonders how much noise she’s going to make before she realizes she’s wrong, and she asks what his rank is. In Malia’s interview, she says Lexi opened up to her about her dad, and now she’s a horrible person. Malia sits in the hallway, crying, telling Katie that she was there for Lexi, and now Lexi is saying horrible things. Lexi tells David, the only thing he’s got going for himself is that he smells nice. She calls him a lame ass deckhand, and Zee comes back. David tells Lexi to shut up, while Lloyd tries to quietly make coffee without being noticed. David tells Lexi that she’s being toxic, and to go to her cabin. She climbs into her bunk, whining that he doesn’t know she’s Satan. Courtney manages to sleep through the entire thing, as well as Captain Sandy, who we hear snores from every once in a while. Everyone goes to bed, and Katie gives Malia the guest cabin. David suddenly realizes Mathew isn’t there.

In the morning, Katie tells Courtney that she missed everything. Lexi screamed at everyone, and she ended up putting Malia in one of the guest cabins. Courtney says, WTF, bro? and in Katie’s interview, she says she knows Lexi is going through a sh*t time, and she’s empathetic, but she never had to deal with something like this. She thought about letting it slide, but she’s confused as to the best thing to do. Captain Sandy asks Lexi if they had fun last night, and Lexi says they did, but there was drinking and an argument. She doesn’t remember what she said, but they had a little spat. Wow. I’d hate to see what she calls something big. She babbles at the captain some more, and Captain Sandy finally tells her, just apologize. Lexi whines that she wants to, but she wants it to be authentic, and doesn’t know what she’s apologizing for. The captain suggests Lexi say exactly that, and in Lexi’s interview, she pouts, saying she doesn’t apologize if she doesn’t believe one is necessary. It has to come from a real place or what’s the point? The captain says, if you stick to the truth, people can be reasonable. Give them 24 hours to feel comfortable with her again. I so badly want to dropkick Lexi off the boat, I can practically taste it. My father died suddenly too, but I managed not to take it out on my co-workers.

Chief Officer Marten tells the captain that Mathew came to the boat at 9 o’clock, saying he wanted to leave. Marten signed him off the boat; he’s gone. Captain Sandy can’t figure it out, since she was there, and thought he was happy. In her interview, she says they have a charter tomorrow, and no chef. If you sign up for a job, you show up. Lexi blows through the crew mess, talking to no one. In Zee’s interview, he says, Lexi made things tense. We flash back to her telling him to take his Afrikaans ass out of there, and he says, Afrikaans is more the white man’s language than the Black man’s language. He doesn’t know if she was trying to play on the fact he was adopted into a white family, but she threw derogatory and harsh insults at him. She’s completely ignorant. Katie tells Malia that she’s going to talk to the captain, and maybe Lexi afterward.

Captain Sandy texts Mathew, asking where he is, and if he’s oaky. Katie comes to the bridge, and the captain says, she’s not leaving, is she? Katie says, no, but there’s a big problem with Lexi. She lost her father, and she’s upset about it. The crew went in the hot tub, and they were drinking, but Katie left, so she still doesn’t know what happened exactly. She went up there, and Lexi was saying nasty things to Malia. Lexi interrupts, and Captain Sandy says, it’s about her; come in. The captain says, first, she’s sorry about Lexi’s father, but she’s getting the lowdown on what happened last night. Katie says she was screaming at Malia and saying terrible things. Then she went after Zee and David. Lexi tries to act like it’s David’s fault, but Captain Sandy suggests they mend this. She’s going to call a crew meeting. Lexi is still using the I-don’t-remember excuse, and the captain says if she doesn’t remember, be open to what the others remember, so they can move forward. They have a charter with no chef. They need to check their emotions. Plus Lexi is tired and hungover. No matter what happens, don’t lose it. The captain calls everyone to the main salon. In her interview, Captain Sandy says she had to replace the chef, and can’t just replace another crew member, so Lexi is going to have an opportunity to own it and have a second chance.

Captain Sandy says, what she wants is for the crew to have each other’s backs for charter. It’s up to them. Do they forgive, yet hold Lexi accountable? Lexi immediately starts making it up as she goes along, saying she and Malia had a thing in their cabin, and it spilled over to the hot tub. Looks like that’s news to Malia. Me too. Lexi says she doesn’t remember, but apologizes. She acts like this is all very amusing, and Malia says Lexi made personal and inappropriate comments to her, but she really owes Zee an apology as well. Lexi says she doesn’t remember… and Malia says they know she doesn’t. If she wants to get defensive, she can, but she was saying she was better than all of them. The person who doesn’t remember – i.e. Lexi – says, that’s not true. David says Lexi was insensitive, and Captain Sandy says, if Lexi doesn’t remember, just listen; don’t defend. Katie says she kept trying to mediate, and the captain tells Lexi, words affect people, and you can’t take it back. Like Lexi gives a flying. The captain says all they can do is reset. They’re all assets to her, and she believes they’ll figure it out. On top of this, they don’t have chef, and she has to deal with that, so she’ll leave them to it. Malia says they’re all aware Lexi is going through something difficult, and Lexi jets because she’s immature and can only deal with her emotions by getting angry. Courtney follows her, and Lexi says she needs five. Katie asks if everyone feels that they’ll get past this, and in Lloyd’s interview, he says Lexi didn’t give them an honest apology because she doesn’t feel bad. It is eating away at him a little.

24 hours before charter. When Mathew first became unreliable, the captain had a chef placed in quarantine. Chef Luca has two more days left in quarantine, and in his interview, he says he’s getting fat. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says Chef Luca isn’t ready, so it complicates the charter. It’s starting in one day. Katie calls Lexi to meet her in the crew mess. In David’s interview, he says he started a game plan to make a move, but still has to be find out what that move should be. We flashed back to David asking Malia if she could look at him as someone other than a co-worker, and her saying, that’s a hard question. David tells Zee, it was a yes or no, but he’ll take a maybe. He might end up having to move on, but at least now Malia knows. In Katie’s interview, she says, Lexi was horrendous, and is now her problem because it’s her department. It effing infuriates her. The deckhands clean up, and Malia finds gum in the hot tub. Mathew slinks back onto the boat, and says he’s sorry, and full of regret. I say, that’s not all he’s full of. In his interview, he says, when he woke up, he realized he’d made a rash decision when he was wasted. Captain Sandy tells Mathew to meet her on the bridge, and Mathew apologizes to Marten, saying, he didn’t deserve it. Marten says, all is forgiven.

Mathew wonders if Captain Sandy heard about his behavior last night, and says he’d let something small get to him. He doesn’t remember what he said dinner… Captain Sandy says, that’s becoming a thing, and he says he acted extremely inappropriately. He’ll understand if she doesn’t want him back. She says she needs to trust the crew, and that they won’t get upset and walk off the boat. He says he needs to come back, and she says she has a chef. He sasy, what has he done? and she says, as a captain, she has a job to do; it’s nothing personal. But the new chef isn’t out of quarantine until Tuesday, and she needs to get through Monday. After that, he’s done. He says he’ll do it, and in her interview, she says, Mathew is unpredictable. She doesn’t want to walk on eggshells, so she’s going with the guarantee; someone who wants to be here. Mathew tells Courtney and Lexi that he owes everyone an apology. He was  drunk and overtired. Lexi says he doesn’t know the half of it.

Mathew tells Malia that he’s sorry, and she asks if he’s all right. He says he was on an emotional roller coaster. He’s sorry if he was inappropriate. She says he was a little drunk, and he says, a little? Katie says she’ll miss him, and he says she was amazing. He loved working with her. Courtney tells Malia, it’s a shame, but Malia says they need people they can count on. Courtney feels that she’s slightly in the middle, when Lexi should be in  the middle.

It’s time for the preference sheet meeting, and Captain Sandy says, primary Athena is a success coach. Her brothers Jakeson and Jameson are also coming, and Athena has organized an entrepreneur’s retreat to celebrate their success. The captain says, it’s easy to be high fiving when it’s up time, but when you’re down, you’ve got to stay up. Mathew says, wise advice, and in his interview, he says, it’s not good for your reputation to get drunk and quit in the middle of charter season. He still wants to do the best he can, even if it’s over for him. Captain Sandy says, Athena’s friends, Brook and Janine are joining them, and Katie reads that they want two cakes on day two, as well as green and gold, and black and white desserts.

Lexi tells Malia that she doesn’t want what happened to affect their work relationship, and wonders what was said. Malia says Lexi attacked her character and called her names. Lexi said when Malia had been talking about Lexi’s dad, it was for her own benefit. Lexi says she doesn’t think the thing about her dad was genuine, and we flash back to that. It looks pretty genuine to me, and Malia says, Lexi throwing it in her face is pretty bad. Lexi says, no one is calling Malia horrible, and Malia says, Lexi did last night. If Lexi is going to disagree about what was said, it’s not a genuine apology. Lexi says she has work to do, since it’s impossible for her to own up to anything.

Malia tells Katie that Mathew’s apology was genuine, but Lexi’s, not so much. Zee never got an apology at all. She doesn’t know what to say, but if Lexi is really sorry, and wants to be a team player… Lexi pops in, and says she needs to take a shower, but she’ll give them a few minutes. She mumbles that she’s done with the drama. This is why she only wants to deal with men. She hates bitches. She asks to speak with Katie, and in Katie’s interview, she says, this is draining her from every angle. She doesn’t have time to figure sh*t out, and doesn’t know what to do at this point. She asks why Lexi hasn’t apologized to Zee, and Lexi insists that she did at the meeting, which she did not. She skipped right over him. She says she spoke to Malia, and then Katie and Malia were talking about her. Katie says Malia was just telling her what happened. Katie says Lexi put her in a sh*tty situation, and she likes Lexi. She asks if Lexi wants to be there, and Lexi says she does, but all of them are wrong. Katie says, Lexi effed up massively, and she’s pissed off again. She doesn’t feel like Lexi wants to be there or like she cares. She had Lexi’s back this morning. Lexi says she doesn’t care, and Katie is like, bye. Lexi calls her mom, and says she’s quitting. She can’t deal with this. She’s not a child, and won’t be spoken to by someone being unprofessional. Katie cries in her cabin, and Lexi argues with her mom, who’s probably lived with this crap since Lexi’s birth. She tries to get Lexi to think of God, and tells Lexi to call her every day. Lloyd says, Lexi is acting like there was a wrong done to her, and David says, as long as she does her job.

In the morning, Mathew says, best day ever. David says, whatever Mathew needs, just talk to them. Everyone gets moving, and in Malia’s interview, she says it’s one of those challenges in yachting that you have to figure out how to bounce back. Lexi pissed off so many crew members, it’s going to be rough. Katie goes to Captain Sandy, saying she’s concerned that maybe it’s not the right environment for Lexi. The captain asks Katie to give Lexi another chance; just reset with her. Katie says she’ll try, but in all honesty, she’s concerned about the whole boat at this point. The captain tells her to just worry about her department. She’s a leader. Rise, and take this individual and change her trajectory. She knows Lexi has been horrible, but she apologized during the meeting. Apparently, that’s what the captain is calling it anyway. She tells Katie, It’s easy to dismiss someone, but invest in her. If it doesn’t work, she promises they’ll let Lexi go. Now go lead. Katie laughs, and in her interview, she says she understands Captain Sandy’s perspective. The captain is pushing her as a leader, and even though she’s still angry and upset, she needs to be responsible for her team, and sometimes doing that means doing things you don’t effing want to.

Katie tells Courtney that she’ll share a cabin with Lexi. No one wants to be with Lexi, and she doesn’t want to put Courtney in that position, so she’ll do it. In Courtney’s interview, she says, Katie is a good manager. She doesn’t know anyone who wants to be roommates with Satan. The provisions come in, and Katie tells Lexi that she and Courtney are switching cabins. She’d thought Lexi quit, and in terms of ethics and morals, Lexi has pushed her boundaries Lexi says, it won’t happen again. She’s not blaming the alcohol, but everyone had so much (please note the absolving word everyone – no it was just you), they weren’t in the right headspace to say what they shouldn’t. She apologizes, and Katie says she doesn’t think things will be perfect or go back to the way they were, but apologizes for raising her voice at Lexi. These things take time. Katie gives Lexi a hug, and Lexi says, trust her, it was one bad night. She doesn’t want the crew to hate her. In Lexi’s interview, she says, the lesson is to relax before you make harsh decisions. Here’s a thought. How about not drinking and keeping her mouth shut? She says she’s a good stew, and she’s going to make the season work. Captain Sandy radios that it’s 30 minutes until the guests arrive.

Everyone does last minute preparation, and the captain tells them proceed to the dock. She tells the crew, a lot has been going on, but she wants them to set aside the conflict and focus on the job. They’ve got this. She tells Lexi that she believes in her, and thanks everyone. They line up, and the guests come up the dock. The captain welcomes them, and says they’re going on their dream charter. The guests are all excited, and go, woot-woot! In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says she thinks this is what the crew moral needs; excited guests. Now she just needs to see an excited crew. Courtney passes out champagne, and Katie gives the tour. Poor Courtney is back on ironing, and tells the ironing board, Zen. In Malia’s interview, she says she’s proud of her deck crew. They keep lifting each other up, and they’ve come a long way in their skill set, which is what she wants in her team. Katie tells Lexi to make sure Athena’s champagne is topped off at all times. They’re prioritizing her. In Lexi’s interview, she says if she’s focused on the guests, she doesn’t have time to be angry; that’s her thought process. The captain asks Lexi how it’s going, and Lexi says, much better. She’s back on her A-game. In Courtney’s interview, she says she’s back on laundry after a taste of service. She gets the rotation thing, but it’s annoying since it’s Lexi on service, after what she put the crew through. It’s so sh*tty. Anchor is dropped, and the captain asks if Malia is happy with her deck crew. She is.

The water toys are set up, and lunch is prepared. In Mathew’s interview, he says he’s trying to get back into the crew’s good graces, and finish on a high note, even though he messed up, and he’s leaving. A guest takes pictures of their food, and it looks so stupid as she tries to find the perfect angle. Everyone waits with bated breath, and Athena pronounces the food delicious. Captain Sandy asks how their lunch is, and Athena says, divine. Malia tells Lexi that she’s glad Lexi is back with them, but hold off on the tequila. Lexi says, no drinking for her, and in Malia’s interview, she says she’s been there, and wouldn’t want to be judged on one bad night. Lexi says alcohol is not her friend. The guests play on the toys, and guest Jackpot enjoys the jet ski. One guest doesn’t quite make it down slide, getting stuck near the bottom. Athena talks to Mathew about squid options, and even I don’t know what she’s talking about. In his interview, Mathew says, WTF was that? How is he supposed to give her what she wants when he has no idea what she’s asking for? This is a sh*t storm, and he’s nervous.

Mathew tells Captain Sandy that the conversation with Athena was all over the place, and he still got no guidance. She wants calamari, which is squid. She wants it fried, but wants options. She wants it Croatian, but not too Croatian. She doesn’t want him to tell her what it is, and wants to be surprised, but wants a back-up. He’s laughing to keep from crying.

Lloyd has figured out a new way to bring in the dreaded slide where it practically folds itself. In his interview, he says, any time he can find a way to use engineering techniques to solve a problem, he’s going to use it. He may be able to solve a problem that others have been struggling with. As time goes on, he feels more comfortable in his place on the team. The table is set for dinner, and in Lexi’s interview, she says, she grew up Pentecostal, and they’re supposed to be kind and loving, even to people who’ve done them wrong. She struggles with loving people after they’ve crossed her, and with Katie, they’re just trying to get the job done. Captain Sandy remarks on how elegant the table settings have been. In Malia’s interview, she says she feels back that Katie is taking one for the team. Only a couple of guests are at the table, but Athena wants them to start bringing the food out. Katie tells Mathew that no one is at the table or has drinks, and it’s going to be a mess. Mathew says he’ll plate the first course, and in his interview, he says the fact that he’s dealing with this even though he’s leaving helps the captain respect him more. Highly doubtful. He says he’s rolling with the punches.

Athena gets up, saying, she doesn’t think the food is ready. She goes to the galley, and Katie explains, the chef is plating the food. In Katie’s interview, she says the way she does service, all the guests are seated, and you start water, wine, bread, whatever. She’s happy to do whatever the guest wants – it’s their charter – but don’t come running down and making it look like she’s not doing her job. Katie tells Mathew that the guest claims they’re running behind, and Courtney wants to know how they’re running behind when no one is at the table.   

Next time, Courtney has a meltdown, David flirts with Malia, and Athena is disappointed in the cakes.

🧗‍♀️ Getting There…

I scored some antibiotics, and I’m feeling marginally better after one dose. I try to avoid them unless absolutely necessary, so they usually work pretty fast on me, and this was necessary. Especially since I’m in such a fog, I totally missed The Haves and The Have Nots: Final Cast Reunion, Part 2. I’m pretty sure there was no crucial info, but when I catch up, I’ll let you know. I’m also saving The Real Housewives of New York City for tomorrow, since it pairs so well with RHOBH. Until then, stay safe, stay vivacious, and stay trying to make things right before it’s too late.