Tag Archives: Southern Hospitality

February 6, 2024 – Robert Asks Special Agent Cates For a Favor, Oops, Guess Who’s Back In Town, No Hospitality & Good

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Lucy breaks away from Scotty and says, what is this? He says, what they’ve always wanted, and kisses her again. They fall behind the hay bales.

Martin says, for the life of him, he can’t figure out why Tracy wants to suddenly unburden her conscience, but like he said, he’s not up for it right now. She wants him to say she’s right? She’s right. He’s broken up with Lucy. They’re done now. Unless of course (🍷), she wants to discuss some obscure point of law, in which case, she can call his office. Tracy says she’s the reason he and Lucy broke up.

John calls for a car to come to the station of the PCPD… He wants to transport a couple of detainees. Robert comes in and says, look what the cat dragged in – Jagger Cates. John tells him that it’s John now. It’s been a while. He looks good. Robert says, better than the last time John saw him, and John says, he beat the cancer well. He and Robin stay in touch, although it’s been a few months since they caught up. How is she? Robert says, they’re doing great, out there saving lives. Noah’s captain of the soccer team and Emma is an intern at Berkeley Astrophysics Center. John asks why it doesn’t surprise him that Robin’s daughter is a genius. He’s glad to hear they’re all doing so well. It’s good to see Robert. Robert says, him too. What brings him to Port Charles?

An officer locks Jordan and Anna in a cell, explaining that Special Agent Cates asked for them to be detained. Anna says, of course (🍷) he did, and Jordan asks if they don’t get a phone call. The officer says he’ll check on that and leaves. Jordan wonders how far Anna’s friend is going to push these obstruction charges, and Anna says, Lord knows. Jordan suggests they tell him what they know. He might be interested to learn that the buyer for the weapons is in Port Charles. Anna says, if they give him their intel, they use their leverage. If they want to be involved in this investigation, then they have to keep what they know to themselves. Jordan says, they won’t have much time to investigate while they’re being arraigned in federal court, and Anna says she’s just hoping their friends intervene. Dante comes in and says, friends like him?

On the phone in his office, Michael tells Drew that he’s glad the meeting went well… There’s no need to come back. Everyone’s gone for the day. He’s just wrapping up a few things himself… Looking forward to it. AND HE ACTAULLY SAYS GOODBYE. Unheard of on a soap phone call. Dex walks in and Michael asks what he’s doing here. Dex says, somebody tried to kill Michael’s father.

At the penthouse, Sonny thanks Brick for coming by so quickly, and Brick says, it sounded urgent. Sonny says, it is, and Brick says, whatever he needs. He knows Sonny is going through a lot right now. Sonny says he needs people he can trust.

Sitting in the interrogation room, and John tells Robert that he’s in Port Charles working on a case. Murder, attempted murder, stolen weapons. Robert says, sounds serious, and John says, it is, but on a lighter note, he hears Robert is DA now. Congratulations. Robert says, John knows him; keep moving, so to speak. Which brings him to why he’s here. He understands Anna was arrested, so after he sorts that little mess out, the three of them should get together. He knows Anna would love to see John. John says he doubts that. He’s the one who arrested her.

Anna asks, who told Dante they were in custody? and Dante says, Nikolas Cassadine is back in town and turned himself in. He brought Nikolas in for booking, and the desk sergeant told him they were down here. What’s going on? Anna says, the Feds arrested them for an obstruction charge, and he says, really? What happened with that? Jordan says, she and Anna tangled with them while following a lead, but Dante says he’ll need a little more information than that. Anna says, they tried to keep the PCPD’s hands clean while they gathered some extra information, and Dante says, right. Well, too late, right? Because here they are the PCPD jail. He can’t override the Feds, but if he’s going to help sort this out at all, they have to tell him what happened. Start from the beginning. Tell him everything. Anna says, it all started with Dante’s father.

Sonny says, someone close to him targeted him and his family in Puerto Rico, and Brick says, so he thinks the shooter is someone he knows? Sonny says, has to be, because they had to have knowledge of his island. They knew how to get through security, they knew where his men were, and they knew how they worked. That kind of information isn’t easy to get, so it’s got to be somebody he trusts. Brick says, so his theory is, someone inside was the shooter or was working with the shooter, and Sonny says, that’s the only thing he can think of. Brick says, no one on the outside would have any knowledge whatsoever of Sonny’s security plans. Hell, some of his own men don’t know. Sonny says, that’s right, and Brick wonders, who the hell can it be? He personally vetted every single person who works for Sonny. Sonny says he guesses he has to question the source, and Brick says, what?! Sonny thinks he’s behind this? Does he?

Dex tells Michael, after they realized the shooter had gotten away, Sonny didn’t want to stay on the island, so they came back to Port Charles. Michael says, everyone’s okay though, right? His dad and Ava… Avery didn’t see anything, did she? Dex says, everyone’s fine. Fortunately, Avery was in her room with her bodyguard the whole time and never even realized anything was wrong. Michael says, that’s good at least. How could someone get close enough to Sonny to shoot him in his own house with Avery there, and why is this the first he’s hearing about it? Dex says, Sonny probably didn’t tell Michael because he didn’t want to worry him, and Michael says, this is exactly why he wanted Dex to keep working for him, so Dex can tell him when things start to spiral for Sonny, and it seems like it’s happening now.

On the phone, Gregory says he needs to make an appointment with the doctor. He’s expecting Gregory’s call… Yes, he can hold. He looks into the restaurant and sees Tracy sitting with Martin.

Martin says he gets it. Tracy and Lucy don’t like each other. He understands. What he’s telling her is, if she wants to gloat, to bask in Lucy’s misfortune, she’d better have the decency to do it somewhere else. His relationship issues have nothing to do with her. She says, they do. With her and with Scotty. He says he’s telling her that he wants to be alone. It’s none of her business. She says, the trouble with Lucy started when she warned him about Lucy and Scotty. She’s the one who put it in his head that their tawdry history has a habit of repeating itself.  He asks what kind of game she’s playing, but she says she’s not playing a game; she’s trying to stop the games. She’s trying to be honest with him. She’s been manipulating him. She’s been misleading him. He says, in what way? and she says she doesn’t want to bore him with the details, but she got wind of the fact that Lucy and Scotty were plotting against her. They wanted her to fall for Scotty. He asks, why the hell would they do that? and she says she doesn’t know. She thinks it’s got something to do with Deception. When she found out, she decided to turn the tables and started manipulating them and thereby Martin. Her intention was only to get revenge on Lucy, then he got swept up in it… She’s so sorry. Martin bangs on the table and says, of all the self-centered and hateful… How could she do something like that? She says, believe her, she’s done worse. So he has a choice now that he knows the truth. He can either waste his time berating her or use it more wisely and try to get Lucy back.

Lucy sits up, her hair full of straw and her dress off one shoulder. She says, oh my God. What did I just do? Scotty sits up, looking more rumpled than usual, and says, this was amazing. At the same time, Lucy says, this was a disaster,

Martin says, Lucy’s not picking up, and Tracy asks if he expected her to jump at his call. He just broke up with her. Try again. He says, that’s the third call in a row. Obviously, she doesn’t want to talk to him, and he can’t say as he blames her. He’s an idiot. He let someone like Tracy poison their relationship. He would be surprised if she ever forgives him. Tracy says, if he gives up this easily, maybe she shouldn’t. Why doesn’t he stop wallowing and figure out a way to get her to listen to him? Martin says, do him a favor. Don’t help. She’s done enough already. Then again, he can’t stop thinking, if it’s that easy for her to turn the two of them against one another, maybe it’s not meant to be after all. She says, that’s between him and Lucy. She for one thinks he could do a lot better, but for some unfathomable reason, he’s in love with Lucy, so he deserves the truth. He says, after the damage is done. That’s what he doesn’t understand. Why? She got what she wanted. She got her revenge. She blew up his relationship with Lucy. Why confess now? She looks over at Gregory and says, why indeed.

As she zips up her dress, Lucy wonders how this just happened. How, how, how? What were they thinking? Really, what was she thinking? How in the world did she and Scotty just end up here – again? Scotty says, hang on. She’s single. He’s single. They didn’t do anything wrong. She says, right. Technically, she is single because Marty just broke up with her. But she just ended up with another man in bed… Well, it wasn’t in bed, was it? It was horizontal behind a haystack. He says, it’s a haybale, not a haystack, and she says, who cares? She just had sex with another man when the love of her life just broke up with her. She’s not particularly proud of this. He says, she’s very emotional from all those things Martin said to her. It’s not like they planned this. Lucy says, right. It just sort of happened because she was emotional and devastated and very, very, very hurt. So he’s right. He was here and it just happened. It felt familiar. Scotty says, she better be honest with herself and she sure as hell better start being honest with him, dammit.

John tells Robert, after Anna and Jordan refused to disclose whatever information they had about the unsub, he had no choice but to arrest them. They’re hiding something. Robert says he gets that John has a job to do here, but if Anna… John knows her. If she’s prepared to go to these lengths to check this out, then he’s got to know that she’s got a good reason. John says, too much is at stake here. He needs to clear this case, and both Anna and Jordan are getting in his way. Jordan ignored his warning, then she and Anna joined forces and cost him his best lead. Robert asks how they did that, and John says, the gun dealer lawyered up and isn’t talking. They admit they learned something from him, but they won’t say what. Robert says, so he thinks throwing them in jail on an obstruction charge is going to help, and John says, whatever it takes. They’re both former law enforcement. They understand time is of the essence in a case like this, but Anna is more interested in protecting Sonny Corinthos. Robert says, don’t start him on Sonny. They’re both on the same page when it comes to that guy. As the DA, he understands the position John is in. John says he appreciates that, and Robert says, but he’s going to insist John drop the charges.

Dante says he understands why Jordan wants to investigate who shot Curtis. He’s her ex-husband and she wants someone to pay. Jordan says, Curtis could be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Whoever did that to him should be behind bars. Dante says he agrees, but the problem is, the Feds told her to back off and she went and got Anna involved. Anna says she didn’t need convincing. It could have just as easily been her that day instead of Curtis. Dante says he gets it, but he wishes they’d come to him, but Jordan says, they didn’t want to involve him or anyone else in a fight with the Feds. He says, it would have been better than this. Now they’re in a cell facing serious criminal charges, and Jordan says, if they’d had just a few more minutes with the gun dealer, this would all have been a moot point. He was just on the verge of talking to them when the FBI burst in. They were so close to identifying the person who shot Curtis. Dante asks if they got anything, and Anna says, they did get one piece of intel they can use.

Brick says, Sonny thinks he’s behind this? and Sonny says, wait a minute. They’ve known each other a long time. He can always count on Brick. That’s why he asked Brick to be second in command. Brick says, and he gladly accepted the position and all it entails, and Sonny says he knows that, but he’s been in this business a long time and he knows people have a breaking point. and if Brick was ever in a position like that, he hopes Brick would come to him before he did anything he shouldn’t do. Brick says, of course (🍷) he would. They’ve been through entirely too much together for him to even think of doing something against Sonny. Sonny says he didn’t think it was Brick, but he had to make sure. With all these people that are close to him, it’s making him question everything. Brick says he understands. If he was in Sonny’s position, he’d do the same thing. Sonny says, so they’re good? and Brick says, yeah, we good. But in the spirit of honesty, he has a confession to make.

Brick says he did a favor for Jordan Ashford, and Sonny says, since when does Brick work for the cops? Brick says he doesn’t. Never have, never will. But Jordan isn’t part of the PCPD anymore. She hasn’t been a cop for a while, and now she owes him a favor, whenever he asks, no questions asked. Sonny says, somebody in the mayor’s office owing him could be good down the line, and Brick says, that’s what he was thinking, but Sonny says, it still doesn’t help them with who the rat in his organization is. Brick says, no, it doesn’t. Based on the intricacy of the attack and how easily the shooter escaped from Puerto Rico, this isn’t the result of someone just shooting off at the mouth loosely or letting some information slip. Sonny says, this wasn’t a mistake or an accident. Somebody he trusts wants him dead.

Michael says, Sonny doesn’t know Dex is here? and Dex says, he doesn’t, but Sonny is going to tell him to keep this from Michael, so he’s not going behind Sonny’s back. Between the shooting and Spencer dying so unexpectedly, Sonny’s been going non-stop. He doesn’t think Sonny’s had time to process either of those things yet. Michael says, his first instinct is to go see his father, but he doesn’t think he’s welcome in Sonny’s house right now. Dex says he can’t speak on Michael’s relationship with his father. That’s between the two of them. Michael says, that’s why he made the decision not to turn Sonny in to the Feds. He started working on their reconciliation and they made it. He thinks they did. Things were good between them in Puerto Rico. That’s why he couldn’t bring himself to tell Sonny what Nina did. It would break his heart. He also thought Sonny would take it as him saying Sonny was wrong to choose Nina over his mom. Sonny claims he’s angry with Michael because he kept quiet about what Nina did, but he’s more angry because Michael was right about Nina all along.

Anna says, as they surmised, the shooting was an attempt on Sonny’s life, but it’s a smaller piece of a much larger case, and Dante asks how she knows. She says, because the agent who arrested them gave up a piece of intel. Apparently, the Feds are investigating this string of killings committed using the cache of weapons stolen from the WSB. They believe a single person is responsible for these murders and that all the victims have something in common, but he wouldn’t give up what that something is. Dante says, they should know as well that another attempt was made on Sonny’s life a few days ago on his island, and Anna asks if anyone was hurt. Dante says, everyone’s fine, but obviously whoever this is wants to finish the job, and Jordan says, and they’re stuck in this cell, unable to help. Can he get them out of here? Dante asks, why? So they can run around town, investigating again and putting themselves in harm’s way again? Jordan says, come on. The Feds don’t want to work with anyone else on this, and Sonny isn’t their favorite person anyway. Anna says, which puts them in a better position to help, and they can’t just sit in here while someone makes an attempt on his life. Dante says he knows. He’ll talk to Robert and see if he can get them arraigned and released tonight. Anna thanks him, and he says, don’t make him regret it.

John says, not Robert too. He’s the District Attorney. He should understand better than anyone that no one can be above the law. Robert says, look at this. Something they agree on. Anna is the mother of his child. They’re always going to have each other’s backs. So he’s asking John, let them go. John says he hears Robert, but he needs to know whatever Anna and Jordan are hiding. If he lets them walk, he ends up with nothing. Robert says, if John drops the charges, he’ll get them to share whatever they know with him, and John asks if Robert really thinks he can get them to do that. Robert says, Anna responds better to those who are on her good side.

Scotty says, Lucy can deny this all she wants, but there’s something between them. That spark that they had years ago, that’s still there. So why fight it? Him being with her is like him just breathing. She says, their history says otherwise, doesn’t it? How many times did they cheat on nice, deserving people with each other? How many times did they scheme? How many lies have they told? How much damage have the done everywhere, and how many times did they try to make this – what is this? – this relationship work? Every time, they fail. He says, maybe that’s because all of that didn’t matter… until now. Now, this is their time. She says she admits she feels close to him, and she’s more of her real self with him than with anybody else, and he says, then stop fighting it. He’s about to kiss her, when Martin walks in.

Lucy asks what Martin is doing here, and he says, apparently interrupting. Scotty says, yeah, they’re busy, and Martin says he can see that. He doesn’t have to ask what they’re doing here. Lucy says, you know what? Martin doesn’t get a say. He just broke up with her, remember? He doesn’t get to say what she does. Martin says, they just broke up fifteen minutes ago. Of course (🍷) what she does still matters to him. for her information, he came here to tell her that he was wrong, that he made a mistake when he said they were over. Because it turns out, all of their problems were manufactured by Tracy Quartermaine.

Gregory meets Tracy at the bar and says he’s sorry he kept her waiting. The call took longer than he expected. She says, it’s fine, and he asks if they’re still on for dinner. She says, actually, she’d rather not, and he says, if this is about him leaving her alone for so long, he apologizes, but she says, no. She just lost her appetite. He says, something’s going on here. If she wants to deal with it all alone, he’ll go, no questions asked, but he saw that she and Martin were having a rather animated discussion and he’s here for her if she wants to talk about what happened that got her so upset. She says she doesn’t have a problem with Martin. She has a problem with him.

John says he appreciates how close Robert and Anna are, and he appreciates Robert wanting to look out for her, but nothing Robert does will matter if Jordan and Anna keep interfering in his investigation. Robert says, if John releases them to him, he’ll take personal responsibility for their supervision, and John says he hopes Robert knows what he’s doing. Fine. He’ll extend Robert this one-time professional courtesy and drop the charges against Anna and Jordan, provided he keeps them in line. Robert says he knows John is in a tough position. He owes John one. John laughs and says he’s got to admit, if he’d been told when he was running around Port Charles causing trouble that one day the DA would ask him for a favor, he never would have believed it. Robert says, people change. John should be proud of the man he’s become. Dante says, sorry to interrupt, but can he steal the DA for a minute? John says, sure, and Dante and Robert step away. Dante says he wants to talk about Anna and Jordan, and Robert says he had a little talk with the FBI and they’re going to drop the charges. Dante says, that’s great, and Robert calls to John, saying they have to get together before he leaves town. John says, looking forward to it, and Robert leaves. Dante says, they haven’t met, and introduces himself to John. John says, he’s Sonny Corinthos’s son, and Dante says, yeah. Who is he? John says he’s Special Agent John Cates.

Brick says, Sonny was right to start by looking at the people closest to him. It takes people with the right kind of knowledge to pull a job off like this. He would start off with Frank, Gabe, and Dex. Sonny says, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t find anything on Dex, but Brick says, Dex hasn’t been the most transparent person with Sonny. Sonny says, Dex has been loyal to him repeatedly. He got shot saving Sonny’s life when they were ambushed. If Tony hadn’t come back, Dex would be dead right now. He also did a really good job in Puerto Rico. Dex let him know when the guard was knocked out, and it allowed him and Ava to take cover. Brick says, there could be a simple explanation for this. Whoever’s doing this, they have to deflect attention away from themselves, right? Sonny says, maybe, and Brick says, he put the wheels in motion, so he can come to the rescue and save the day for Sonny and Ava. That way, he looks like the hero, he provides himself some cover, and ultimately Sonny feels gratitude toward him, and maybe allows him even more access into his operation. Sonny says, that sounds like smart play, but the thing is, they don’t know it’s Dex and don’t have evidence of that, do they? Brick says, Dex was coordinating with the head of security on the island. Plus, he’s the one who found the shooter’s hideout. He’s just sayin’, it fits.

Dex says he’s not telling Michael that stuff’s not important, but Sonny is more worried about keeping his family safe, and Michael says, that means finding the person behind the attack. Any leads? Dex says, Sonny’s theory is that it’s someone on the inside, and Michael says, maybe there’s a way he can help his father. Dex asks, how? and Michael says, you.

Sonny tells Brick, it’s possible Dex is a traitor, but he doesn’t really know a lot about the business. That means he would have had to get access elsewhere. Brick says, he doesn’t need to know the inner workings of the organization. He just needs to know how, where, and when Sonny is most vulnerable. Sonny says, like he told Brick before, Dex has gone above and beyond. He offered Dex a job he wouldn’t trust many people to do because it would have bound him for the rest of his life, and he didn’t even blink. He would have gone through with it if Sonny hadn’t stopped him. Brick says he gets it. Sonny likes the kid. He exposed Dex to a lot of sensitive things and he came through, but here’s the question. Is it possible what Sonny is feeling is exactly what Dex wants him to feel?

Dex says he wants to find out who’s after Sonny just as much as Michael does. Because as long as Sonny is in danger, so is his family, and he doesn’t want anything to happen to Joss or anyone she loves. He’ll do anything in his power to keep them all safe. Michael says, good, because if Sonny is right and someone on the inside is working against him, Dex is in a perfect position to find out who it is. Dex says, Sonny hasn’t asked him to look at anyone in the organization yet, but Michael says, he can be discreet. Sonny never has to know. Dex says, it’s risky. If Sonny catches him, he could assume Dex is the traitor and trying to cover his tracks. Michael says, make sure he never finds out. Dex is the best at this, and he’ll gladly pay Dex extra for the risk he’s taking.

Jordan says she thought Dante would be back with an update by now, and Anna says she’s sure he’s moving as fast as he can. Robert comes in and says, they’ve got themselves in a bit of a situation, have they? Anna says, don’t gloat, please. Did he talk to Dante? Robert says, yes. He’s got good news and bad news. Anna asks, what is it? and he says, thanks to his incredible powers of persuasion, Cates agreed to drop the charges. Anna says, that’s great, and Jordan thanks him. Anna asks, what’s the bad news? and Robert says, they have to back off this investigation. Jordan says, they were just making progress, and Anna says, they’re going to find out who’s behind this entire operation. They can’t stop now. He says, they might as well stay in this cell, because Cates isn’t going to give them another chance. They’re civilians. They have no right being involved in this business. They have no power. What are they going to do if they catch this perp? They can’t do anything with him. They may as well cooperate with Cates. Anna says, maybe she’ll do exactly that, and Jordan says, meaning? Anna says, the conversation she had with Mayor Collins last week. Laura offered her a position in her administration, but the timing wasn’t right. She thinks the timing has just changed.

Gregory says he doesn’t understand how Tracy can have a problem with him. All he’s ever done is try to be a friend to her. She says, that’s her problem. His friendship is changing her, and she doesn’t like it. He says, changing her how? and she says, ever since she met him, she’s been getting… soft. She surrenders in feuds. She compromises with the Bensonhurst brigade. She’s trying to help people she doesn’t even like. He says, making donations to grieving widows? and she says, it’s poor form to ask a lady about her finances. But if she did, it’s a direct result of his influence. Being around him is making her nice. He asks if that’s really so bad, and she tells him, that’s easy for him to say; he doesn’t have to live with the consequences. She takes a sharp breath and says, oh my God, I’m so sorry. That’s not what she meant. It came out wrong. She wasn’t thinking. He starts to laugh, barely containing himself.

Lucy asks what Tracy has to do with any of this, and Martin says, for weeks now she’s been intentionally feeding him little tidbits of information about Lucy and her history and her relationship with Scotty, because she wanted to poison the well. She wanted him to doubt Lucy, make him believe that she was being unfaithful to him. Lucy says, what? and he says, that was his reaction when she accosted him in the restaurant just now. Some kind of attempt to unburden her conscience. She mentioned something about turning the tables on Lucy and Scotty because she realized they were plotting against her. Scotty says, their plan was foolproof, and Lucy says, that conniving snake. Martin says, ya think? Because from where he’s standing, she wasn’t far off. Obviously, Lucy has been hiding parts of herself from him and Scotty’s had full access. She and Scotty have been getting closer together while they’ve been drifting apart. Lucy says, that’s not true. He knows her really well, and they’re very, very good together. She doesn’t know what this was. It was just some sort of mistake, that’s all. It was a big mistake. Martin says, the mistake was him coming here to ask her for forgiveness. It was so easy for Tracy to manipulate them. All she had to do was use Lucy’s nature against her. Lucy says, that’s not true. Please. Can they just go somewhere and talk together? She knows she can make it right. She loves him. Martin says, that’s what makes this so sad, because he loves her too. But he’s all talked out. In fact, right now he doesn’t think he ever wants to see her again. He walks out.

Dante asks if John is any relation to Stone Cates, and John says he has a son named Stone, but he thinks Dante is referring to his younger brother. Dante says, so that’s how John knows his father. He used to talk a lot about Stone. He guesses they were really close. John says, they were, and Dante asks if John and Sonny go way back then. John says, they have plenty of history, and Dante says, now John is in charge of an FBI case against his father. Robert brings in Anna and Jordan, and John says he takes it this means they accepted his terms. Anna says, actually no. She’s not stepping back from the case. She’s going to continue to investigate… as the new Police Commissioner.

Lucy tells Scotty that Martin couldn’t even stand to be in the same room with her. He couldn’t even look at her. Scotty says, so what? He wouldn’t even hear her out. She deserves better than him. Lucy says, no, she doesn’t. He just broke up with her and somehow, she ends up in Scotty’s arms, so he’s right. She’s a horrible, horrible person. He says, that’s not true. Listen to him for a second. She says, will he please just leave? and he says, Lucy… but she says, get out now. Now. Please leave. He leaves, and she sits and cries.

Gregory tries to get ahold of himself and tells Tracy that he hasn’t laughed that hard in a long time. She says she doesn’t understand what’s funny, and he says, ever since he was diagnosed with ALS, people have been tiptoeing around him, being so proper and polite and handling him with kid gloves like he’s going to break at any moment. He hates it. He didn’t realize how much he needed someone to talk to him like he wasn’t sick. He laughs some more, and she says, he knows she didn’t mean it the way it came out. He says he knows, but even she did, he’s fine with it. He may have a fatal disease, but he’s still the same Gregory on the inside. It’s just so nice to have someone talk to him like he’s normal. He appreciates it more than she knows. So no matter how nice she may become, he hopes she’ll never stop doing that. She says she’ll do her best, and he keeps laughing.

John says, since when is Anna the Police Commissioner? and she says, Mayor Collins asked her if she wanted her old position back. Anna told her that she needed to think about it, which she did, when she was stuck in the cell. And she accepted that job. John says, so she can continue to undermine his investigation, but she says, no. So she can hunt down the threat to Port Charles in her new capacity as law enforcement, and no one can stand in her way. So if you want the PCPD’s help, Special Agent Cates, you’re going to have to give us the FBI’s help in return.

Sonny says, they can’t count anyone out as a suspect. He needs Brick to look into everyone in his organization, and that includes Dex. Brick says he’ll get right on it. He knows Sonny is fond of Dex. So for Sonny’s sake, he hopes he jumped to the wrong conclusion. But this is him. Sonny knows he’s rarely wrong about stuff like this. He’ll find out if Dex is hiding something.

Michael says, the money is in Dex’s account now, and Dex says he appreciates it, but this isn’t about the money. He just wants to keep Joss and her family safe. And stay in Sonny’s good graces. If he even gets a hint that Dex came on with an ulterior motive… Michael says, he won’t. They both want the same thing here. Just find out who the threat is to Sonny and his family and report back to him. Dex says, he can count on it.

At the door, Brick asks what Sonny will do to Dex if he finds out Dex hasn’t been loyal after all, and Sonny says, he’ll make Dex beg for death. Brick nods his head and says, yeah.

Tomorrow, Ava tells someone that they’re not welcome here; Michael asks what Willow’s secret is; Cyrus tells Laura that he wasn’t expecting quite that level of hostility; and Finn wants to take Gregory to the hospital.

😳 My bad, I got my days mixed up yesterday. Probably because I desperately want this season of RHOBH over. Tonight, it’s the awful people on VPR. Well, one anyway.

Vanderpump Rules

Nice update on the new beginning credits, showing the different restaurants.

The outcast is home and poor assistant Ann has to run interference between him and Ariana. In Sandoval’s interview, he says he came back from a competition reality show after being on the receiving end of more hate than he’s ever gotten. He wanted to punish himself, penance through pain. He’s brought a bribe of athletic shoes for Schwartz, and tells Ann that things are cool between them, but in his interview, he says, things are not okay with Schwartz. Schwartz talked sh*t about him on Jax and Brittany’s podcast, and he feels betrayed. Tomorrow is his birthday, and he wants to have people over. He’s open to having Ariana there, but Ann says she doubts Ariana would want to be there. He tells Ann to text Ariana that he’ll get her a nice hotel room, and in Sandoval’s interview, a producer asks what it’s like for exes to be living in the same house. He says, stupid, and in Ariana’s interview, she says, awkward. He’s done stuff like opening her mail and got a white noise machine that’s annoyingly loud. In his interview, Sandoval says he got it because Ariana would overhear what he was talking about, and in her interview, Ariana wonders if it’s psychological warfare. Ann presents the offer to Ariana, but Ariana says, that’s not happening. She thinks it’s disrespectful and inappropriate, and if they make noise, she’s going to call the cops. In her interview, she says she’s spiraling thinking about parties Sandoval used to have. Loud music and a mess. It was disgusting and would sometimes last until 6 am. Now that they’re not together, she’s not putting up that sh*t. Ann tells Ariana, everything is great, but when she’s out of earshot, Ann says she thinks it’s weird.

Villa Rosa! Hairstylist Patrick does Lisa’s hair for the last celebration at Pump. In Lisa’s interview, she says, Pump is closing after 10 years. The rent is going up, so it’s going to be more expensive, and Ken wants to retire. Ken will be stomping around West Hollywood when he’s in his 80s, and her in her… 40s. It’s just too old. She tells Patrick, sometimes it’s good to know when to walk away.  James and Ally discuss if they’re ready to get a dog, and we see clips of James with Graham. In James’s interview, he says he doesn’t know what happened with his dog. He’s never gotten over it and he’s heartbroken. He and Ally get ready to say bye-bye to Pump.

One of Sandoval’s few remaining friends, Jason, visits, and in Sandoval’s interview, he says, since the scandal, he’s lost friends, but Jason stuck around. He’s also the band manager and kept him from being in a bad place. Jason asks about Raquel, but Sandoval says he hasn’t heard from her in a few weeks. In his interview, he says he’s still in love with Raquel and hoping to give their relationship a real chance. He tells Jason that Ariana nixed the birthday party, but Jason says, what’s she going to do? Ann says, she mentioned calling the police, and in his interview, Sandoval says, obviously, Ariana is still very upset with him. (Yeah, obviously.) She thinks what he did makes him a criminal, but he doesn’t think the police would agree. He says, what if they’re out by midnight? and Ann texts Ariana with the idea, including more than one so sorry!

Lala and Ariana meet for smoothies, and Ariana tells Lala about squelching the party idea, but Lala says, he’s allowed to have a party. Ariana says, she’ll call about a noise complaint, and Lala says, what about if she compromises and everyone is gone by a certain time? Ariana admits the suggestion was made, and Lala says, it will be easier when Ariana moves out. Ariana says she will when the house is sold, and Lala says, Sandoval is getting off on making her uncomfortable. In Ariana’s interview, she says, Sandoval wants to buy her out, but she’s not going just because he offered her a measly sum. He f***ed this up, so he doesn’t get to do that and keep it. Lala asks what new boyfriend Dan thinks, and Ariana says, he’s looking forward to her getting her own space, since they’re paying to stay somewhere when Sandoval is in town. She says she thinks Dan has opened her mind to possibilities she couldn’t see with Sandoval. In her interview, Ariana says, being with Sandoval affected her about having kids more than she thought. We flash back to Sandoval saying he wants 3 or 4 kids, and Ariana saying she wants none. She says, Dan made her realize there can be more than just a 50/50 partnership. On a day where she can only give 10%, he can give 90%.

Lisa and Ken go into Pump amid cheers, and I wonder where Pride Day will be celebrated. The guests chant, Lisa! Lisa! and she says, 10 years ago, they had a dream to create the most beautiful garden in West Hollywood. We go down Pump Memory Lane, ending with TomTom. Lisa thanks everyone for their support, and says, that’s a wrap. Let’s f***ing party. Schwartz bartends, and in his interview, he says he feels more at ease than he did 10 years ago. We flash back to him having a panic attack, and he asks Lisa how she’s feeling about closing the restaurant. She says she has mixed emotions, but if it’s not carrying its own weight, it will be a drain. Schwartz says, Sandoval tainted their Schwartz & Sandy’s brand. Their partners said, if he comes in, they’ll close the doors. He’s not welcome. In Schwartz’s interview, he says he didn’t expect Sandoval to fully check out. He could have at least come up with ideas on how to weather this storm. Lisa says she thinks it’s time for Schwartz to reevaluate things, and in her interview, she says she thinks it’s unfair to blame Sandoval totally for the failings of the business. She tells Schwartz to tell Sandoval how he feels.

Scheana goes to the recording studio and says she’s going to be DJing with Ariana and Katie on Emo Night. In Scheana’s interview, she says, it’s a huge event. They listen to emo music and if you’re sad AF, you’re supposed to be because it’s Emo Night. But you’re sad in a happy place. She wants to do Good As Gold as an emo screamo cover, and in Brock’s interview, he says he loves this version of his wife. In her interview, Scheana says, in 2019, after the negativity about her One More Time song and video, she threw in the towel and moved on. But everyone loves a good reunion tour, so guess what bitches? I’m back. I actually have Good As Gold on one of my playlists, but I forgot all about One More Time. Apparently, it was forgettable. She tells Brock that the next thing she and her therapist are working on in exposure work is having someone else watch Summer Moon. In her interview, she says she was diagnosed with post-partum OCD, which magnified her worst fears. It took her almost a year to do anything alone with her daughter. She tells Brock that she’s known Tori since she was 16 and trusts her, and Brock says he’ll take anyone she wants.

Sandoval meets Schwartz at a place they don’t own, and Sandoval drinks a non-alcoholic beer. In his interview, Sandoval says, the catalyst in him getting sober was that he knew Raquel couldn’t drink where she was. He wanted to do it with her. They make small talk for a hot minute, and Sandoval says he knows he caused collateral damage. He can feel Schwartz is angry with him, but he had to tour because Ariana didn’t pay bills for 8 months. In Sandoval’s interview, he says he’s pretty much been paying for everything, and it’s like pulling teeth to get Ariana to pay him back. He says, Schwartz hurt his feelings, saying he was living his rock star dreams. Schwartz says he was dealing with Sandoval’s sh*tshow at the bar. Had he been in Sandoval’s position, he would have at least been pitching solutions. Sandoval tries to spin it six different ways, but Schwartz says, all he should be saying is that he’s sorry. Sandoval says he understands he f***ed up and he’s sorry. He wants to move on. Scwartz says, he’s going get there, and Sandoval asks if Scwartz is sticking with him. Schwartz says he’s doing what’s best for himself. I don’t want to say I like this new Schwartz, but I’ll go with disliking him less.

Tori comes over to Scheana and Brock’s, and Scheana’s mom says she’ll be there with Tori, but she has a torn rotator cuff and can’t be doing any heavy lifting. In Scheana’s interview, she says she absolutely trusts Tori. She’s hoping her OCD brain can take a nap tonight. Brock decides to be an agitator, not seeming to grasp Scheana’s issue, and wanting it to be done with; and this frustrates Scheana even more than she is already. In Brock’s interview, he says, before Summer was born, he and Scheana were a juggernaut of getting things done. Now simple tasks are overwhelming for her, and they get nothing done. Scheana’s mom tells Brock that he needs to validate his wife’s feelings, and in her interview, Scheana says she’s hoping to get to a place where she’s not afraid to do things alone with her daughter, and not worried about something bad happening. She wants to live in the moment without thinking it might be the last moment. Her mom says she’s proud of Scheana putting in the work.

Schwartz visits James and Ally, admiring their new house. In Schwartz’s interview, he says, it’s hard not to feel the sting of losing his dream home. In Ally’s interview, she says she started an astrology business. She did Schwartz’s birth chart. She feels like he could use a little direction. She tells him that it’s the most Libra chart she’s ever seen. He’s a peacekeeper. Sandoval texts James about the birthday party, and James says, if Sandoval comes at him, he’s egging the place when he leaves.

Poor Ann has to decorate too, and Sandoval says, it’s giving him baby shower vibes. He likes it. On the way there, Ally says, it’s not too late to not do this, but James says, he’s not mending things with Sandoval. He feels he needs an apology and Sandoval needs to mean it and show he’s a friend. Ally decides to wait in the car, and in her interview, she says she doesn’t have a relationship with Sandoval, but she does care about Ariana. She doesn’t see the point in forcing a relationship with him.  Meanwhile, Katie, Ariana, Lala, Scheana, and Brock go to Emo Night.

In James’s interview, he says, the party is like a who’s who. Like, who the f*** are you people? Sandoval used to be the coolest guy. Now look. A guy named Brett comes up to James and says he has a question about the friend group situation, and James wonders, who the f*** is this guy? He tells Brett that he came to talk to Sandoval, and he and Sandoval step away from the crowd. James says, he feels like a big brother got lost. He was waiting for a text that never came. Sandoval makes time excuses, but James says he’s seen him on Instagram. Sandoval says, sorry he didn’t reach out, and James says, it’s the ultimate betrayal. Sandoval asks why he’s so angry when James hooked up with Kristen. James says, that was 10 years ago, but Sandoval insists it wasn’t. We flash back, and yep, it was. James says, Sandoval is embarrassing, and walks out. In James’s interview, he says, Sandoval is bringing up the past when he’s looking for an apology. He was made to seem crazy when Sandoval was getting his d*ck wet. He pees on the bushes outside, and from the car, Ally says, those are Ariana’s bushes too.

I watched the later airing and there was no preview.

🥃 I keep trying to watch Southern Hospitality, the poor man’s Vanderpump Rules. Or Summer House in a restaurant, if you will. But the more I watch it, the less I care about it. I checked for recaps to include here, but none were posted yet. They’re probably staring at their screens, wondering how to write about this drivel.

🧀 Sweet Dreams Are Made Of Cheese…

Join me tomorrow for soap and RHOBH – for real this time. Until then, stay safe, stay not deciding on your order at the counter, and stay remembering that sometimes it’s good to know when to walk away.

December 8, 2023 – The Not Perfect Tree Is Lit, Her Return, The M.E., Side Gig, Barrier Breaker, Sisters, Problem, Hamster Wheel, You’re Fired, LVP Report, Hannukah Pups, Quote Octet & Hollis

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Elizabeth and Finn walk to his door, and he thanks her for doing this. She says she wouldn’t miss it, and from inside, Violet asks if it’s Finn. He says, it is, and she says, don’t come in until she tells him to. She says, he can come in now, and throws open the door. She says, look at her tree, and Gregory says, she picked it out herself. The tree isn’t quite Charlie Brown, but it’s pretty janky.

Molly is about to knock on Kristina’s door, when TJ asks if she really wants to do this. She asks if he’s having second thoughts, but he says, let’s call it an abundance of caution. Sometimes life doesn’t give you time to think things over. You make a snap decision and have to live with the consequences, but they have time to take a moment and review and reevaluate. She asks where he’s going with this, and he says, she’s the smart Davis daughter, Sam is the resourceful one, Kristina is the impetuous one. Are the 100% sure they want her to be their surrogate?

Anna goes to Valentin’s house and asks if Charlotte is here. He says, she’s with Laura. It helps her to spend some quality time with her grandmother. Anna says, that’s perfect really. Laura is a wonderful presence in Charlotte’s life. Charlotte’s lucky to have her. He says, she’s got a dad too, and asks what he can do for Anna. She says, nothing. She just came by to give him an update. He says, on? and she says, on the arsonist who set fire to her house. It wasn’t Charlotte.

Lois looks up the stairs and says, this is a disaster, and Olivia says she knows. Lois says, not one inch of this entire gigantic house has been decorated for Christmas.

On a plane, Tracy hears the stewardess say that they’re anticipating landing in an hour. She looks at her phone and sees her and Luke’s wedding picture. She starts to cry and puts on her sunglasses and a hat.

Lois tells Olivia that Lila would be so upset. She’d have Reginald… Olivia says, who? and Lois says, Reggie. He was the butler when she and Ned were married. She would have Reggie and the entire staff decorating this house by the first of the month. Everything would be out except for a few things that came out on Christmas Eve. She’s thinking of a specific train set that Alan was very fond of. It was a family heirloom given to him by his grandfather who was in railroads. Olivia says, like an engineer? but Lois says, no. Great-grandpa Quartermaine owned railroads going upstate into Canada, and this particular train set was an exact replica of one of his trains. Alan was so proud of it, but by then, it was an antique, so it only came out on Christmas Eve, but everything else was everywhere else. There were wreaths on the doors, there was a garland going all the way down the staircase, and everything by December 1st. She can’t believe Olivia wasn’t more on getting the decorations up. Her family’s house, her father’s garage was like a Christmas wonderland. Olivia’s own apartment… She could tell Olivia’s room on the street just by looking up. Olivia says she still enjoys Christmas decorating, but early on in her marriage to Ned, she and Monica sort of clashed over the Christmas décor. She wanted a fresh tree; Olivia put up something more… effusive. Monica made it very clear that this was her house, it was her choice, so Olivia just let it be. She let Monica take the lead with the Christmas decorating. Lois says she appreciates the sensitivity, but they can’t leave this house bare while they’re waiting for Monica to come back from her medical conference. Olivia says, okay, then let’s go for it, and Lois says, if her vote has any weight to it, she would appreciate a natural tree as well. Olivia says, she can do natural. Look at her fingernails. If they’re going to get a tree, they’d better get moving.

Violet says, it wasn’t as pretty as the others. If she hadn’t picked it, it might have not gotten picked at all. Finn says he thinks she chose the perfect tree, but Violet says, the whole point is that it’s not perfect. Finn says, but he thinks it’s perfect for them, and Elizabeth says she agrees. Violet is really getting into the spirit of Christmas. And she promises they are going to make this tree look spectacular. Gregory says, the first step is putting on the lights. Who’s going to do the honors? Violet says, daddy, and Finn says, how about a nice cup of hot cocoa first?

Molly says, from the moment she and TJ decided to have a baby, they faced nothing but setbacks. Sometimes she thinks the universe is trying to tell them something. Maybe they’re not meant to have children. He tells her, he never said that, and she says, so he does want to have a baby. He says, absolutely, and she says, so does she. Anytime she thinks about giving up and accepting they’re not going to have kids, she gets this pit in her stomach. That’s why she was crying in the park when Kristina found her. The thought of never having a family with TJ broke her. He says he’s so sorry, and she says, that’s when everything started to shift. Think about this. She’s never in the park in the middle of the afternoon. She’d be in her office or be in court. What are the odds she’d be there and so would Kristina? About a million to one. That’s got to be fate, right? Fate that her sister would find her. Fate that her sister would offer to carry their child again. And she has no interest in fighting fate. She can feel it in her heart that this is the right thing to do, and she’s 1000% sure about Kristina. He says, then so is he. Let’s do this. She knocks on the door, and Kristina invites them in. She asks what brings them over, and TJ says, this is more of a sister thing, so he’ll let Molly explain. Kristina says, spill it, sister, and Molly says she’s here to officially ask Kristina for a huge favor, one that will dominate her life for the next nine months… Kristina says, yes, she’ll be their surrogate, and Molly asks if she’s sure. Kristina says she’s never been so sure of anything in her life, and hugs Molly.

Valentin says, Charlotte has always denied burning down Anna’s house, but she lies about a lot of things. Anna says, she didn’t lie about this, and Valentin asks how she can be sure. She says, forensics collected some scraps of fabric in the bushes around her house and they all tested positive for the accelerant that started the fire. And they lifted some DNA which matched someone who isn’t his daughter. He says, thank God, and sits down. She sit’s next to him and says, it’s a relief. She didn’t want to think Charlotte had gone that far. He wonders why he didn’t believe her. Why didn’t he have faith in his own daughter? She said there’s a DNA match. Who’s the arsonist? She says she can’t tell him that.

Gregory says, the whole point is that it’s not perfect, and chuckles. He sits on the sofa, and Finn asks if he’s all right, but Gregory says he’s fine. He just sat down a little more quickly than he intended. He really wants this to be a good Christmas. Finn says, one to remember, when Elizabeth comes back with Violet and says, cocoa’s ready. They all take a cup, and Violet says, they should put up the lights. Finn says, since she did such a good job making the cocoa, it seems a shame to gulp it down, but Elizabeth says, don’t worry. She can make more. There’s a knock at the door and Finn answers it to Chase and Brook. Finn asks how Chase is with Christmas lights.

Anna gets up and says, she just wanted Valentin to know his daughter’s not responsible for the fire at her house, and he says, if there’s a DNA match, that means the arsonist is in a data base somewhere. So who is it? She says she can’t share that information with him, and he asks if it’s classified. She says she doesn’t know. She would imagine there’s someone somewhere who considers it classified. He says he’s not talking to them, he’s talking to her, so who burned her house? She says, he doesn’t need to know, and he says he doesn’t understand. She says, really? It astonishes her that he doesn’t understand, because she feels she made herself quite clear the last time they saw each other. She can’t tell him who burned her house down because she can’t trust him.

Kristina says, Molly was so emotional the last time she saw her, she wondered if, in thinking about it more, Molly might not want her to be her surrogate. Molly says, life’s been a roller coaster since she found out she can’t get pregnant, and when Andrea miscarried, she and TJ were devastated. TJ says he can quote her the odds on miscarriage, but none of that prepared him for when Andrea told him that she lost their baby or having to tell Molly. Molly says, when Andrea miscarried, she realized she needed to do some real soul searching. For the first time in her life, something she really wanted wasn’t going to come to her because she was smart and prepared and willing to work hard. She felt entitled to being a mom. Like whenever she and TJ were ready, whenever it fit into their schedules, she’d get pregnant, and they’d have a baby nine months later. But when that couldn’t happen because of her, because she’s basically infertile – she tears up – she jumped right into finding a solution, solving the problem. She could do that, so she picked Andrea to be their surrogate and she got pregnant. Everything was going according to plan… until it wasn’t. And it’s only now she realizes she has to do the thing that scares her the most. She has to accept that she’s not in control and ask for help.

Olivia and Lois come into the mansion, and Lois says, at least they made a start. Olivia says she’ll get the other garlands and wreaths from the florist, and Lois says she’s so glad they got the tree from PC Pioneers. It makes you feel so good knowing you gave back to the community, and those kids in their uniforms, so cute. Olivia says, it makes her think of little Dante when he was that age, and Lois asks if he was a Pioneer. Olivia says, no, he wasn’t, but it’s not for her lack of trying. She signed him up and took him to his first meeting. The kid jumped out the window and escaped before she even got her car out of the parking lot. Lois says, no, and Olivia says, hand to God. She got a call from the troop leader. He was apologetic, beside himself, and she told him, calm down. She went and checked the corner lot, and who is there playing baseball but little Dante Falconari. She wanted to grab that kid by the back of his hair and drag him home, but then she said, you know what? Who is she to dictate his dream? If her kid wants to play sandlot baseball and dream of a career in the major leagues instead of learning the fundamentals of camping, who is she to say? He’s her kid and she should support him, so that’s what she did. Lois says, that’s always been one of her favorite things about Olivia. She just takes people as they come and loves them for who they are. She doesn’t try to make them who she thinks they should be. Olivia says, it’s a fine line sometimes. With your kids, you’ve got to accept them, but you’ve also got to provide some guidance. Lois says, it’s like being a carpenter and a gardener, but Olivia says she doesn’t follow. Lois says, a carpenter builds a house based on his plans. The wood has no say. But a gardener is different because he raises what he has. He may tend the soil, fertilize it, pull the weeds, give it water, a little bit of love, but he doesn’t plant a pine tree expecting it to grow into an oak. He just raises the very best trees he can. Olivia says, Lois has definitely done that with Brook. She’s a spectacular young woman. Lois thanks her, and says, Olivia’s done a pretty good job with Dante and Leo as well. Olivia says, they’re both very good gardeners, and Lois says, that they are. Olivia says, Cody is going to be here with the tree any minute. They’ve got to get the Christmas ornaments. They both race up the stairs.

Molly says, people always tell her that she’s generous, and Kristina says, and humble. Molly says, what she never realized is that the person who is giving is in charge. They’re deciding when and how much, and hopefully, they’re doing good, but they’re in control. And they all know how much she loves to be in control. TJ says, she’s being way too hard on herself, and Molly says, asking for help means giving control to someone else. And that would be hard for her under any circumstances, but it’s excruciating when the person she’s asking for help is someone she’s treated unfairly. Kristina says, if Molly means her, she’s forgiven. Not that there’s anything to forgive. Molly says, what about the fact she was a total witch the first time Kristina offered to be their surrogate? but Kristina says she didn’t really think it through. She didn’t realize what was at stake. TJ says, he and Molly were pretty raw in those first weeks. Neither of them made an effort to see where she was coming from. Molly says, especially her. She realizes her reaction back then had less to do with Kristina and a lot more to do with her being messy and irrational, things she tries to avoid. It hurt that Kristina could carry a child and she can’t. It would be easy for Kristina, which doubled down on her pain, which makes no sense, she knows. Kristina says, please. She wrote the book on being messy and irrational, and if Molly had taken her up on her original offer, it would have been a huge mistake. They weren’t ready. As painful as it was going through this process, it made them ready. She is ready and she wants to do this. Molly thanks her and says she’s so lucky to have Kristina as her sister, and as her surrogate. Kristina says she’s the lucky one, and they hug.

Anna says she really does want to be clear on this. Valentin lied to her, and because he lied, she had no idea the intruder in her apartment was his daughter. He says, she’s right and he takes full responsibility, but she withheld information too. She’s far too good an agent to shoot at pointblank range without a confirmed target. She was gunning for someone that night, wasn’t she? Charlotte got in the way. She says she guesses they both have to live with that for the rest of their lives, right? She heads for the door, but he says, wait. He’s sorry. He wishes he’d told her. He didn’t tell her that Charlotte was stalking her because he was afraid. He was afraid if she knew, she’d leave him; she’d end their relationship. She asks why she would. She doesn’t know that she would have ended the relationship, but they’ll never know because he didn’t give her a choice. He didn’t tell her the truth, so she couldn’t make her own decisions. It’s too late for them, but it’s not too late for his daughter. He needs to focus on her and get her the help she needs.

About to plug in the lights, Chase says, everybody cross your fingers, but Brook says, wait. She brings Violet in front of the tree and tells her that if she makes a wish the moment before the Christmas lights come on for the first time, it’ll come true. Get her wish ready. Violet closes her eyes, and Brook says, okay. Chase plugs in the lights, and Violet looks at the tree. She says she knew it would be beautiful.

Olivia and Lois look through the Christmas ornaments, and Lois asks what this reminds Olivia of. She holds a silver ball by each ear, and Olivia says, how about St. Finbar’s their sophomore year? Sister Joanne Claire was so mad when she realized it was them sneaking into her office and moving around pictures of the saints. Lois says, they would swap Peter and Paul, and Olivia says, they got themselves detention and they had to decorate the auditorium for Christmas all by themselves. Lois says, they were there until 3 am, and Olivia says, 3:17, but who’s counting? Lois says, when they came out that morning and their parents were waiting for them, she doesn’t think she’s ever seen her mother so angry, but her father was disappointed. Somehow, that was so much worse. Olivia says she got a speech the whole way home. She can still hear it. Your cousin Connie would never do anything like this. Lois says, that’s because her cousin Connie never stepped a toe out of line. Although she’s got to say, she wishes she’d followed Olivia’s cousin Connie, because she was grounded with a 5 pm curfew until the following April. And by the way, Olivia was supposed to be grounded too. Olivia says she was, technically. Does Lois remember her bedroom window? It was a joke. Lois says, Olivia snuck out of that bedroom window so easily, she might as well have been on the ground floor. Oliva says, right out the window and into the nightclubs in the city all night long. Lois says, her poor parents, and Olivia says, honestly, she looks back and feels bad for all the worries she gave them, but at the time, she really enjoyed herself. Lois says, yeah, she did, when Cody comes in. He says he grabbed the tree and got some garland. Where do they want them? Lois says she’s so glad he asked.

The stewardess gives the spiel to prepare for landing, and Tracy buckles her seatbelt. She looks at her phone and says, damn you, Luke Spencer. I miss you.

Valentin says he doesn’t think Anna is in a position to tell him what Charlotte needs right now, and Anna says, she needs counseling. Charlotte was stalking her for months. That is not normal behavior. He says, she saw the letter from Victor. She knows Charlotte’s actions weren’t malicious. She says, maybe not, but they are unquestionably illegal, and he says, Charlotte thought she was protecting him. She thought Anna was a threat. Anna tells him that he’s not doing Charlotte any favors by making excuses for her. He’s enabling her. He says, she was manipulated by a master manipulator. Victor exploited her love for her father and need for a family. She thought Anna was dangerous. Then of course (🍷), when he released her file, and the world knew Anna had been acting as a double agent… She says, don’t throw that in her face, please, and he says he’s not, but she can’t refute it; it was true. Charlotte thought she was protecting him. Think about that. A teenage girl standing against a master spy. So they can say what they will about his daughter, but she’s not a coward. She did what she thought she had to do. Anna says, he’s proud of her? but he says he’s appalled at what she did, but he’s proud of her courage and determination. He’s sickened that Victor twisted her for his purposes. She says, he didn’t tell Charlotte to write the word murderer on her door or break into her hotel suite and trash her clothes and write a threatening message on her mirror. Charlotte came up with that all on her own.

Molly says she can’t believe this is actually going to happen, and TJ says, sometimes the universe finds a way. She says all she knows is, she’s grateful. This feels right. Kristina comes out with three filled champagne flutes, and says, it’s time the expectant parents celebrated up.

Cody, Olivia, and Lois all help with putting a fabulous garland on the staircase banister. Lois says she’s been meaning to ask Cody, why does he call Olivia Mama Q? He says, she’s Dante’s mother. What else would he call her? Olivia says, if Lois tells him zia, she’ll murder her where she’s standing. Cody asks, what’s a zia?

Violet says, they need tinsel and ornaments, and Chase says, before they get to the real decorating, he and Brook have an announcement to make. Violet asks if he can announce fast. They have to decorate. Elizabeth says, it might be important. Don’t rush them. Violet apologizes and tells them to take as much time as they need. Brook thanks her and says she thinks Chase should do the honors. Chase says, okay. Dad, Finn, Violet, Elizabeth, Brook has agreed to be his wife, and they’re getting married. Everybody is all, yay! and Brook and Chase kiss.

Kristina hands out the glasses and says, to the baby to come. No child will ever be more loved or more welcome. TJ says, hear, hear, and they clink glasses. Molly says, it’s ginger ale. Not that there would be anything wrong with drinking right now, and TJ asks if Kristina is jump starting a healthy new lifestyle or is this the only thing with bubbles she had in the fridge. Kristina says, both. She had a friend bring a really nice bottle of champagne over actually, but it didn’t last very long in this house. Maybe she should get an early start and indulge in all the caffeine and alcohol while she can. TJ says, they know she’s giving up a lot, but Kristina says, it’s well worth it. TJ says, to Molly, to Kristina, and to this… Kristina says, to this expanding family. They all say, cheers, and clink glasses.

Valentin says, it’s true. Victor never told Charlotte how to stalk Anna. He imagines she got that off the internet or some book. Anna says, he imagines? Did he question her about this? He says he hasn’t interrogated his teenage daughter, no. She’s been traumatized. She’s recovering from a gunshot wound. Anna says she’s aware, and he says, she needs time to heal. Anna says, she needs her father to stop making excuses for her. He’s not protecting her. He can’t keep blaming Victor for what happened. He says, Victor’s to blame, and she says, if Charlotte had been arrested for the crimes she committed, what was she going to plea? My dead grandpa made me do it? It doesn’t matter what Victor wrote to her. It doesn’t matter what lies he told her. Charlotte is responsible for her own actions, and he has to make her understand that. And he has to get her the help that she needs, before she does something irrevocable.

Everyone congratulates Chase and Brook, and Gregory says, Chase is a lucky man. Brook says she’s the lucky one, but Chase says, they both are. Gregory says he wishes them both a lifetime of love, and Violet asks if Chase gave Brook a ring. Chase says he did, and Brook says she kept it hidden as to not ruin the surprise. She takes it out of her pocket, and Chase asks if Violet wants to see him put it on her finger. Violet says, yes, please, and Chase takes the ring. Violet says, wait. He’s supposed to get down on one knee. Brook says, he did when he asked her to marry him, and Violet asks if he can’t get down on one knee again. She wants the complete picture. Finn says, him too, and Chase says, of course (🍷) he can. He does and puts the ring on Brook’s finger. They kiss and everyone applauds. Violet asks when Finn is going to give Aunt Elizabeth a ring, and Finn is like, uh… Elizabeth says, time to decorate the tree.

As they decorate the tree, Cody asks, what’s so bad about being called a zia? Olivia says, nothing… or everything, depending on your circumstances. He says he doesn’t get it, and Lois says, zia means auntie, which could refer to your mother or your father’s sister. Olivia says, or your sister-in-law, and Lois says, or it could be distant cousin or any female relation. But it could also be a term of affection. Olivia says, or someone, a woman, who you’re close with, but aren’t actually related to, and Lois says, but there is a generational aspect to it. It’s for somebody older. For example, you would never refer to her Brookie as zia. He says, but he could call her zia, and she says, no. Technically yes, but absolutely no, he cannot. She would prefer it if he’d continue to call her Lois. He says he totally understands, and Olivia says, this tree looks so beautiful. It’s so nice having Cody to help out. Cody says, it’s his pleasure, and Lois asks how he likes working for the Quartermaines. He says he really likes it. It’s the first place in a long time that feels like home.

Olivia thanks Cody and says, they couldn’t have done it without him. Lois says, he gets extra points for patience, and he says, it was a lot of fun. He learned a new word, although he’ll never call either of them zia. And it got him into the spirit of the season. He might grab a tree for the stables. He thanks them for a fun time, and leaves. Lois tells Olivia, you know what? She’s got to say, this looks a lot better than the auditorium at St. Finbar’s. They laugh and clink glasses.

Anna tells Valentin, Charlotte has to know what she did was wrong, and that she can’t solve her problems by breaking into people’s houses and writing threatening messages. He says he agrees. Charlotte needs limits, and she’ll get them. She needs counseling and she’ll get that too, but they have a big problem. Victor convinced Charlotte that Anna was dangerous, and Anna shot her. So in Charlotte’s mind, Victor was right. Anna chokes up and says she hopes he gets through to his daughter, and that he gets her to understand that Victor was never right about anything. She walks to the door, and he says, wait. She turns to him, and he says he’s sorry. She says, so is she, and leaves. When she gets outside, she cries.

Brook says, that is one gorgeous tree, and Chase says, it might be the best tree he’s ever seen. Elizabeth says, it certainly is lovely, and Violet says, Brook was right. When you make a wish on a Christmas tree, your wish comes true. Hers already did. Finn asks what she wished for, and she asks if it’s okay to tell. Brook says, absolutely, and Violet says, she wished for this to be the best Christmas ever and it is. Their tree is beautiful, Uncle Chase and Brook are getting married, and she has a present for all of them. Gregory asks, what kind of present? and she says, stay here. She’ll be right back. She winks at Chase and runs off. Gregory asks if Chase has any idea what this is, and Chase says, it could be beaded necklaces. Finn says, he’s kind of secretive. Is he sure he doesn’t have any idea what this present is? Chase says he can neither confirm nor deny, when Violet comes back with a guitar. She hands it to Chase and says she’s going to sing a song that she wrote herself, and Uncle Chase will accompany her. Chase plays, and Violet sings about, when there are no lights, I want to shine for you. She’s very good for one so young. They applaud and cheer.

Kristina asks, what happens next? and Molly says, they talk to their fertility specialist, let them know they have a surrogate and they’re ready to move forward. TJ says, once they have a more concrete timetable, they’ll get back to her about scheduling, but they’re hoping it will be soon. Kristina says, the sooner, the better. Now that they know what they’re doing, there’s no point in waiting around. TJ thanks her, and they hug. Molly says she’ll be grateful to Kristina forever, and they hug. Kristina says, it’s her great honor, and Molly and TJ leave. In the hallway, TJ says, this is really happening, and Molly says, they might just get their miracle after all. They hug, and inside, Kristina sends a text to Blaze: Want 2 talk I have big news.

Olivia says, they do good work, and Lois says, Sister Joanne Claire would be proud. Olivia says, they’ve got a lot of house to go, but these two rooms look beaut-tee-ful, and Lois says, they do. They hear the front door slam, and hear Tracy say, no. Olivia and Lois go to the foyer, where Tracy is walking through with her luggage carrier, saying, no, no, no, no. She tells them, this will not do. Not at all. Lois and Olivia look at each other.

On Monday, Curtis tells Marshall, if he gets his wish, he’s never going to ask for anything again; Josslyn tells Dex not to joke about this; Tracy says, she’s home in the nick of time; and Sonny says he’ll talk to Michael on Nina’s behalf, but she says, no.

💝 Revisiting Irene…

All about Marshall’s first love.

🔬 Livingston We Presume…

I thought I’d seen him around.

🚗 Drive She Said…

When she’s not singing, she’s driving a Honda.

🥀 Goodbye To a Game Changer…

Farewell to a soap legend.

💎 Shoots Own Foot…

If she knows it’s going to cause her angst, why does she keep talking?

🍊 Spilling On Shannon…

It wouldn’t surprise me.

💐 Exes With No Charm…

These people are too weird. Although I wish I’d been a fly on the wall at BravoCon.

🍹 Not So Hospitable…

I watched this. Coupled with her poking the bear on Southern Charm, I’m starting not to like Leva so much.

🍸 All About That Pump…

I can’t wait. Chateau shenanigans

She’s basically pleading the fifth.

Six degrees of LVP.

🐶 Festival Of Dogs…

Furbabies ready for the holiday.

You, too, can include your pup.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/celebrate-hanukkah-dog-220838396.html

🐧 Quotes of the Week

Get up. Bring your butter. – Heather Gay, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City

Vision without action is daydream. Action without vision is nightmare. – Japanese Proverb

Healing comes from taking responsibility: to realize that it is you – and no one else – that creates your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions. – Peter Shepherd

We can have peace if we let go of wanting to change the past and wanting to control the future. – Lester Levinson

The opportunity of a lifetime is to pick yourself. Quit waiting to get picked; quit waiting for someone to give you permission; quit waiting for someone to say you are officially qualified… and pick yourself. – Seth Godin (For those who were always picked last in gym class.)

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. – Anatole France

True progress quietly and persistently moves along without notice. – Saint Francis of Assisi

You know what a gift card says? You do it. – Carl MacMillan (Reno Wilson), Mike & Molly

🤹🏽‍♀️ Jingling Only Partway…

Make a return trip on Monday really Tuesday for soap and what little the Med has to offer. Until then, stay safe, stay extending acts of kindness to those with no family, and stay taking people as they come, loving them for who they are, and not trying to make them into who you think they should be.

April 19, 2023 – Michael Invites Sonny To the Wedding, Raquel Is Shocked That Oliver Misled Her Because She’s Hella Stupid, Five, Twinsies & Convenient

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Esme checks out of the hospital, and Elizabeth says, she’s had a head injury. She wants Esme to call if she has any of these symptoms. Is there anything else she can do for her? Esme says she needs to speak with Dr. Gatlin-Holt. It could be a matter of life and death.

Laura asks if Portia’s heard any more from Trina, and Curtis says, no, but Jordan has IT monitoring Portia’s phone in case she calls again. But it’s not enough. He’s going down to the PCPD and find out what’s taking so long to find the Haunted Star. Laura tells him that he can’t do that. It’s not going to help anyone; least of all Trina.

Trina sneaks back into Spencer’s stateroom, and he hugs her, saying, he was going crazy. He asks if she’s okay, and she says she’s fine. She’s sorry his uncle is denying him food. She can try to get him something… He says, it’s not worth the risk, and she says, they’ll leave soon enough. It worked. He says, she made contact in the communications room? She says she did, and more. She holds up the walkie.

Watkins tells Victor, the nurse says the baby is sleepless and constantly crying, and Victor asks what he’s supposed to do about it. Ambrose walks in, and Victor asks what he’s doing here. He’s supposed to be guarding Spencer’s room. Ambrose says, the deadbolt’s locked, and Victor says he’s heard that before. Why did Ambrose leave his post? Ambrose says, there’s a walkie-talkie unaccounted for. It’s most likely misplaced, but… Victor asks why he’s being bothered with these mundane details. Ambrose is supposed to be guarding his nephew, not counting inventory. Now get back to doing just that. Unlocked doors, mislaid equipment, inept nurserymaids. What is he running here, some kind of sloppy clown show? It’s unacceptable. He runs a tight ship. This carelessness will not be tolerated. They might have walked on as crew, but he can see to it they’re carried off as cargo.

At Windymere, Avery does a jigsaw puzzle, while Ava supervises. Ava says, well done, and Avery yawns. Ava says, it’s past Avery’s bedtime, but Avery says she can’t go to sleep yet. If she does, then Ava will be lonely. She hopes Daddy Nikolas comes back soon. Ava says, all she needs is Avery. How about if they read a bedtime story to each other? Avery says, yeah, and hugs her. The doorbell rings, and Carly says she knows Ava’s home. Avery says, that’s Mama Carly, and I say, pretty impatient since this is a 46 room house. Ava opens the door, and Avery runs over to hug Carly, saying, she’s so happy to see her.

Sonny and Nina go into the chapel, and Nina asks if it’s more bad news about Willow, but he says, no; nothing has changed about her health. Brook told him that Michael and Willow are moving up the wedding, and they’re getting married tomorrow. That’s a good thing, right? They have a baby, and deserve to be happy. She says she wishes she could see it that way, but there’s nothing to celebrate about this wedding. It’s the beginning of the end.

Carly asks if Avery has grown another inch, and Avery starts dragging her to the living room to look at her puzzle, but Ava suggests she work on it some more. They’ll be right in. Avery runs to the living room, and Ava asks, what’s going on? Carly says, Willow’s moved her and Michael’s wedding up. They’re getting married tomorrow. Ava says, why the rush?… Oh, she sees. She’s so sorry. Carly says, Willow would like Avery to be part of the wedding party. She’d like it to be a family affair.

Sonny asks why Nina says this wedding is the end, and she says, doesn’t he see why they’re doing this? He says, they love each other, they just had a baby… She says, and they’re running out of time. He says, giving your life to another person is a beautiful expression of love, and Nina agrees, even if that life is nearly over. Saying I do might be the last thing that Willow does. His phone rings, and she tells him to get it. It’s Michael, who asks, where is he? and Sonny says, the hospital chapel. Is everything okay? Michael says he needs to see Sonny, and Sonny asks if he’s at the gatehouse. Sonny will come to him. Michael says, Willow is resting with the baby. He’ll come to Sonny. Sonny says he’ll be here, and tells Nina that Michael’s coming here. Does she have any idea what that’s about?

Carly looks at the puzzle, and says, Avery is almost done. Avery asks what’s in the bag Carly is carrying, and Carly says she’s glad Avery asked. She takes out a white basket adorned with ribbons, and asks if Avery knows what this is. Avery says, it’s so pretty, and Carly tells her, it’s so pretty because it’s special. Ava says, only for flower girls, and Carly says, Donna has one too. And this could be Avery’s if she accepts a very important job. It’s for Michael and Willow’s wedding. Avery says, yes. She’s always wanted to be a flower girl.

Laura tells Curtis, the crime is taking place in international waters, way beyond the scope of the PCPD. They’ve reached out to the appropriate authorities, and also managed to freeze Victor’s assets, which should make it a little more difficult for him to operate. Curtis says, that doesn’t get them any closer to finding the Haunted Star, but she tells him to think about this for a moment. Jordan is being pulled in every direction imaginable; with Anna being shot, Laura’s grandsons being kidnapped, Esme being attacked, and Trina a stowaway. If Curtis goes marching down to the PCPD demanding answers… He says, then he’ll just be another distraction, and she says, exactly. She suggests they put their heads together and come up with a way to help where they’re not getting in the way.

Austin says he hears Esme suffered a head injury. How is she feeling? Esme says, never mind her. She’s fine, but her baby isn’t.

Trina tells Spencer, her mom, his grandmother, Jordan, and Curtis know they’re on the boat, and Laura was familiar with this boat and the communications room. Laura talked her through so she could find the heading on the radar screen. Spencer wonders if there’s anything his grandmother can’t do, and Trina says she just hopes she gave them enough so they can find them. He asks why she took the walkie, and she says, so they can know what the guards do. So now they just have to sit tight and wait to be rescued. He says he hopes they can find them in time, and she asks what he means. He says, while she was gone, he found out a few things himself. He always knew his Uncle Victor was a very powerful man with all kinds of connections, and knew he could be ruthless. But that man is more dangerous than he ever could have imagined. He has this plan that could endanger millions of lives, and if they don’t stop him before they make landfall, it will be too late for all of them.

Trina says, Spencer’s uncle wants to reduce the global population? and he says, yes. His uncle has made this his life’s mission, like some maniacal zealot. He only intends to clear out half the world’s population. The Cassadines are excepted, of course (🍷), so he can convince them to come over to the dark side. He wonders if Esme and his dad found out about this, and his uncle did something with them. Trina tells him, they can’t say that for sure, but they do know his uncle is insane. No one can engineer the future of humanity. He asks if she wants to be the one to tell him that. The captain talks on the radio, and she says, they can’t be allowed to reach wherever they’re headed. This might be her only chance. She knows where the engine room is. He says, she’s taken enough risks already, and she says, but what if their families don’t find them in time to stop Victor? She can buy them some time, so they can catch up to them. He says he knows that she’s smart and brave, but be careful. Promise him that she’s not going to take any unnecessary risks because he doesn’t know what he’ll do. She promises, and says she wants to come back to him. He kisses her, and she says, this is about more than just them now. They have no choice. They have to do something. It’s up to them. She peeks outside, locks the deadbolt, and jets. I have a vision of Victor tied up, saying, those meddling kids!

Esme says, her baby’s been kidnapped, and Austin says he knows. It’s terrifying. He hopes it’s some comfort to her, but he was once close to someone who had a baby kidnapped too. She was told to stay strong and keep it together. He thinks it’s really important that in moments like this they remain hopeful that Ace is going to be fine, and he’ll be back in her arms really soon. She asks if his friend got her baby back, and he says, she did. Elizabeth says, the PCPD is on it, and they’re going to find her baby, but Esme says, Ace’s cholic isn’t being treated. The stuff Austin gave her was in his diaper bag, and the kidnapper just left it. Austin says, if she’s concerned Ace’s cholic is going to turn into a serious health crisis, she doesn’t need to be. It’s not life threatening, and will probably just resolve itself. Elizabeth says, Ace isn’t going to suffer any lasting harm from cholic, but Esme says she hates the idea of him suffering at all. Austin says he knows, but these things have a way of working out. She says, but who’s rocking him to sleep at night? How does she know he’s eating properly if she’s not there to do it? Elizabeth says she heard that Spencer was also kidnapped, so they’re probably together. She knows Spencer will do whatever he can to comfort his baby brother and protect him. Esme asks if Elizabeth is saying she shouldn’t worry because her baby doesn’t need her.

Carly thanks Ava for letting her tuck Avery in, and Ava says, it was the only way they were going to pry the basket out of her hands. Carly says she should have known Avery would want to practice her flower girl duties, and Ava says she’s sure it will be a lovely ceremony. Carly says, aside from the fact that the bride may be dying, and Ava says, no one can predict the future. Her current feelings about love and marriage aside, she thinks this wedding is a great idea; life affirming even. Carly agrees, and says, celebrating with family and friends is the perfect medicine for Willow. She tells Ava that she’ll see herself out, and Ava says she wants to be clear on something. Carly said earlier that the wedding was going to be a family affair. She’s just curious. Does that include Nina and Sonny?

Sonny tells Nina, they’re moving up the wedding because of Willow’s condition, but that’s not the only reason. They’re saying to the world that they love each other, and that love should be celebrated, despite any situation. She says, he’s right, and despite her differences with Michael, she has to admit, his son loves her daughter. He says, more than anything, and she says, they’ll celebrate them getting married even though they can’t be there with them. Michael walks in.

Ambrose opens Spencer’s door, and Victor comes in carrying Ace, and looking like he’s never carried a baby before. Spencer says, Victor brought him. Is he okay? Victor hands Spencer the baby, and says, he’s fussy and restless, and he thought a visit with his brother would do them both some good.

The engine room guard gets called to the deck, and Trina runs inside.

Elizabeth says she wasn’t suggesting Esme’s son doesn’t need her, but Esme says, please, people have been lined up to take Ace away from her since the moment he was born. Austin says, she’s Ace’s mom, and from what he’s observed, she’s a conscientious and loving parent, so give herself a break. Don’t let people get in her head. She says she’s sorry, but he says, she doesn’t need to apologize. They’re all just really hopeful that Ace returns safely. She says, they’ve both been a great comfort, thanks them, and leaves. Elizabeth says, he handled that well, and he says, she did too, so thanks for that. Elizabeth says she didn’t want to get into that with Esme, but she’s lived through that trauma. Everything turned out okay, but when she didn’t know what was happening to her child… it’s indescribable terror. He says he’s glad she came through it okay, and he hopes Esme gets through it okay. She’s been through a lot, and he really feels for her. She tells him that she never thought she’d say this, but so does she.

Laura tells Curtis that she and Doc have a friend who’s a brigadier general, and he may be able to assist the coastguard. Curtis says, and he still has some contacts from his law enforcement and P.I. days. He wants to get a bead on Victor’s support personnel. From the description of the safehouse takeover, they sound like paramilitary. She says, that’s a very good point. He’s got a lot of resources. Esme joins them, and says she’s officially been released… although some may say she doesn’t deserve to be.

Carly says, the guest list is up to Michael and Willow, and Ava says she’s sure they took her feelings into consideration. Carly says, if Nina and Sonny aren’t invited, it’s not because of her, and Ava says she just knows Michael and Willow love Carly, and want her to be comfortable. And that might dictate who they include, and who they choose not to include. Carly says, Michael and Willow have their reasons for who they choose to invite and who they choose to exclude, and Ava says, of course (🍷). She just thinks a health crisis of this magnitude would bring them all together, and not make a bigger divide. Carly asks, what’s it to Ava? Why does she care? Ava says, Nina. Nina’s her friend, and she’s devastated about Willow, the daughter Carly kept from her. So she can’t ask if her friend has been invited to her daughter’s big day? Carly asks why Ava and Nina are friends. What could they possibly have in common? Besides hating her.

Nina says she hears congratulations are in order, and wishes Michael and Willow the best on their big day. Michael barely nods, and Nina excuses herself. Michael asks how Nina… and Sonny says, Brook. Michael says he’ll have to thank her for saving him the trouble, and Sonny says, Brook felt terrible for letting it slip, but he’s glad she did. He’s really happy for Michael and Willow. Give Willow his best wishes. Michael says, or Sonny could do it himself, and Sonny asks what that means. Michael asks if Sonny would like to attend their wedding. He and Willow want this to be a family affair, so that includes Sonny. Sonny says, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for Michael or Willow, and Michael says, Willow wants to keep it simple, so it’s going to be intimate. The guest list is going to be small. Sonny says he’s even more honored to be included, and Michael says he hopes Sonny understands this invitation is for him alone. Sonny says, so Michael wants him to come to his wedding, but doesn’t want Nina to come, and Michael turns to see Nina in the doorway. Technically, I can see both sides. Not everybody gets a plus one, and Sonny isn’t engaged to Nina.

Ava says she doesn’t hate Carly, and Carly says, her friend Nina sure does. And here Ava is, doing her bidding. How is this so-called friendship even possible? The woman immobilized Ava, and forced her to give birth to Avery. Ava says, Nina has definitely benefited from forgiveness and grace, and Carly asks if Ava is telling her that when she looks at Nina, she doesn’t see what Nina did to her. All is forgiven and forgotten? Ava says, to be honest, she tries not to think about it; and when she looks at Nina, she doesn’t see the disturbed woman she used to be. She sees the woman who has gotten help; who has turned her life around, and yeah, she and Nina have become friends, as unlikely as that is. It feels a lot better than harboring bitterness and resentment. Carly thanks Ava for the inspirational talk, and says, next time, she’ll make sure to wear beads and bring a candle. Ava says she’s not trying to get into it with Carly. She just wants Carly to see how much power she has here. She’s on the inside, and that gives her the perfect opportunity to broker peace. Carly says, since when did Ava become an authority on peace? and Ava says she gets a lot of quiet in this old house, but no peace. She’s just trying to spare Carly her regrets. Carly says, what regrets?

Elizabeth thanks Austin for dropping everything to be with Esme, but he says he was happy to help. Amy glances at Austin, and when he looks at her, she turns away. Austin quietly asks if Elizabeth can tell him why Amy is looking at him like that; she’s been doing it all day. Elizabeth asks Amy if there’s something Austin can help her with, and I miss something here, but the gist of it is, Amy tells Austin to watch out for Ava.

Carly asks if there’s anything else Ava needs to say to her; any more insight into her behavior? Ava says, just one more thing. This may be the last chance for Nina and Willow. She knows Carly is capable of rising above; she’s seen Carly do it with her for Avery’s sake. Won’t she do it with Nina for Willow’s? Carly says, it’s not her call. It’s Willow’s choice to make. Whatever boundaries she’s set with Nina, it’s what she’s comfortable with. Ava says, she tried, and walks to the door. Carly says, maybe she’s trying so hard to fix Nina because she can’t fix Trina, and Ava says, what about Trina? Did something happen?

Laura introduces Curtis to Esme, and Esme says she recognizes the name, but… He says, they’ve met before, but he’s sure she doesn’t recall, and she says, something tells her it’s best she doesn’t. It’s nice meeting him again. She tells Laura that she’s going to grab a drink from the cafeteria, and leaves. Curtis says he doesn’t know how Laura does it. He doesn’t know how she has Esme under her roof. Laura says, Esme is the mother of her grandson. He can relate to this. Family is everything, right?

Victor says, cholic? and Spencer says, it’s a condition where perfectly healthy babies will sometimes cry for hours. It seems Ace is a little bit fussy right now. He’s surprised Victor’s nanny didn’t know this. Victor says, that’s why he brought the little tyke to Spencer, and Spencer says he’s happy Victor did. He’s happy to help. Ace can stay here with him. Victor tells him not to press his luck, and Spencer says, Victor may not believe him, but babies, especially infants, need routine and familiarity. Victor says he wouldn’t know anything about that. He hasn’t had any interaction with babies; not with Valentin, or any child. Spencer asks if that’s what this is about. Did losing Valentin finally push him over the edge? Victor says, this has been his plan all along. He did include his treacherous son, but it’s his loss. Spencer says, Victor said is. Is he saying Valentin is still alive? Victor says, the incident in Paris was just a ruse. It worked for a while. He was distracted with grief for a son who was alive and well. Meanwhile, Valentin and his allies were conspiring to keep him from the one thing he needed to complete his mission. Valentin betrayed him, and very nearly condemned this planet. Valentin’s alive, but when all is said and done, he’ll wish he was dead. As will anyone who stands in his way.

Victor says he’ll take the baby back to his nurse. Hopefully, she’ll know how to deal with this cholic. Spencer says, Victor didn’t give up on his father. Why should he give up on his own son? It’s not too late for him to put this plan of his on ice, and reconcile with Valentin. Victor says, nice try. Don’t make him regret allowing this visit. There’s a knock at the door, and Watkins asks to speak with Victor privately. In the hallway, Watkins says, there’s trouble with the engine. The electrical cable that supplies power to the motors is badly damaged. The engineer says, if he can’t fix it, he may have to call for an emergency tow vessel. Victor says to tell the engineer he’d better damn well fix it, or Victor will scuttle this ship with him on board.

Curtis asks if Laura really believes Esme doesn’t remember who she is – or what – and Laura says she hasn’t seen any signs that she does. But she can understand his reservations. What she did to Trina was a pretty serious thing. Honestly, she doesn’t feel like that person anymore. Even Trina argued for her to be released. He says, but what about when her memory returns? and Laura says, even if she does recover her memory, that doesn’t mean she’s going to revert back to who she was. She’s had so many conversations with Doc about this, and he’s made it clear to her that the mind and memory is an incredibly complicated thing. She witnessed that herself with Elizabeth. And what about Drew? He says, Drew. That’s right. She says, what’s right? The human mind is an incredibly complicated thing? He says, exactly. She just gave him an idea on how to find the ship.

Elizabeth says, that’s highly inappropriate, and Amy says she’s sorry, but she saw how chummy Austin was with Ava Jerome at the Nurses Ball. Austin asks if that’s an issue, and Elizabeth asks, what business is it of Amy’s? Amy says she just thinks he needs to know that Ava Jerome is someone to be careful around. She looks around, lowers her voice, and says, rumor is, she and her ex just went through a bitter divorce. Now he’s disappeared.

Ava asks if Carly is sure Victor has Trina, and Carly says, all she knows is, she was at Josslyn’s dorm when Dante wanted to ask Trina some questions. They all realized no one had seen Trina since the Nurses Ball. Josslyn said Trina was worried about Spencer, and they’re all just assuming Trina was with Spencer when Victor took him. Ava says, that son of a bitch. She has to go see Portia. She might have an update, and Ava should offer her support. Would Carly mind staying with Avery? Carly says she’d be happy to, Ava thanks her and runs out the door.

Victor asks, when exactly was the electrical cable damaged? and Watkins says, the engineer was alerted about 15 minutes ago. Everything was fine this morning. Spencer listens in, and Victor says, and Watkins recruited the engine room guard to look for the missing walkie? They hear the baby cry, and Spencer moves away from the door. He tells Ace, it will be okay, and Watkins says, when the guard was searching, the engine room wasn’t left unattended for more than ten minutes. Victor says, that’s plenty of time, and tells Watkins to listen carefully and follow his directions to the letter.

Nina says she forgot her purse, and as she goes to get it, Sonny says, Michael invited him to the wedding. She says, how wonderful, but Sonny says, he can’t do it. She says, no. Weddings are to be celebrated. She’s really glad he can be there to witness it. He says he wishes it was different, and she says, her too. Starting with Aunt Liesl. Nina wishes she was able to go through with the transplant, and Michael says he’s sorry about Liesl. Nina asks, how’s Willow? and he says, she’s weak, but planning the wedding has given her renewed energy. Nina says she’s sure there’s no shortage of people to help her. She’s glad Willow has people to support her. She definitely deserves that. Sonny says, everybody does, and Nina’s voice breaks as she says, just tell Willow that she’s thinking about her. Nina leaves, and Michael says, for a moment there, it sounded like Sonny was about to decline his invitation. Sonny says, that depends. Is this invite from the both of them, or just Willow? Does Michael really want him to be there?

Michael says he wants what’s best for his family, and that means having Sonny there. He also knows this could cause some issues with Nina, so no harm, no foul if Sonny chooses not to attend. Sonny says he also wants what’s best for his family, and Michael tells him, think about it and let him know. Sonny says he already made his decision. He’ll be there.

Amy says, Austin is a good doctor, and a good guy. Maybe he doesn’t know about Ava Jerome… Elizabeth says, that’s enough. Doesn’t she have charts she’s supposed to file? Amy says, no, and Elizabeth says, she does now. Amy jets, and Austin says he guesses it’s true. They say Elizabeth is going to make a great head nurse. She says, that’s not a done deal, but Epiphany wouldn’t allow this gossip mongering and neither will she. She’s really sorry about that. She doesn’t know what got into Amy. She apologizes for her. Austin says, it’s really okay. Amy just must have seen them at the Nurses Ball. She’s just jumping to conclusions. He sees Ava come in, and says, he can say for sure, things are not always what they seem.

Ambrose hears, all hands on deck, over the radio, and heads upstairs. Trina slips into Spencer’s room.

Carly picks up the basket, and flashes back to Ava saying, time is running out. This may be the last chance for Nina and Willow. She knows Carly is capable of rising above; she’s seen Carly do it with her for Avery’s sake. Won’t she do it for Nina with Willow’s? The doorbell rings, and Carly opens the door. It’s Nina.

Laura says she seems to have inspired an ah-ha moment. Does Curtis want to fill her in? He says, the human memory is complicated. It’s something he learned as a cop questioning witnesses. People remember more than they realize. Esme says she’s sorry to interrupt, and gives Laura some coffee. Laura says, that was thoughtful of her, and Esme says, Curtis is Trina Robinson’s stepfather, right? He says, right, and she says, she just had to tell him that Trina’s been very kind to her when from what she’s heard, Trina had every right not to be. She hopes he finds her soon. He thanks her, and says, same to her baby. He tells Laura that he’ll let her know what he learns, and leaves. Laura asks if Esme is ready to go, but Esme says she’s not sure. Laura asks if she’s afraid to go back to the apartment. Does she feel unsafe there? The city has beefed up our security, and Doc has made sure… Esme says, it’s not that. She’s sure Laura will protect her. Laura asks why she doesn’t want to go then, and Esme says, because Ace won’t be there, and Laura hugs her.

Watkins brings Spencer, still carrying Ace, to the main salon or whatever it is, and he asks what he’s doing here. Victor says he thought Spencer would enjoy a break from his close quarters, and tells Watkins to take Ace to the baby nurse. Spencer tells Watkins to be careful with him, and Watkins takes the baby. Victor says he decided to let Spencer eat after all, and Spencer asks, what changed his mind? Victor says, Spencer no longer has reason to pull those diversionary stunts of his. Victor holds all the cards. Spencer says he doesn’t know what Victor is talking about, and Victor says, no? He sees their dinner guest has arrived. Ambrose strongarms Trina into the room.

Tomorrow, Curtis says, Trina’s life depends on Drew remembering; Spencer says, Trina may have saved them; Victor says he knew Obrecht would rise to the challenge (and she looks like she might bite him); and Carly tells Nina that Sonny is finally choosing to put his family in front of her.

Vanderpump Rules

Get out your magnifying glasses and Sherlock Holmes hats.

Brock and Scheana do thank you cards, mostly Scheana. Ally asks if James has talked to Schwartz, and he says he can picture Schwartz and Raquel continuing to date, but she doesn’t see it. Raquel pretends to let Charli take photos for her Hinge profile. Katie visits Schwartz to pick up the dogs, and he tells her that he’s stressed out. They don’t have a kitchen staff, and they’re supposed to open. In Katie’s interview, she says, it’s liberating to know she doesn’t have to deal with this anymore. This mess isn’t her mess. She says, see you, and jets with the pets. Schwartz calls Sandoval during his interview, and says he and Katie usually catch up when they exchange the dogs, but Katie was only there 30 seconds. He did nothing wrong. Sandoval says, Schwartz is a single guy; they broke up. He was on vacation. In Schwartz’s interview, he thinks Katie is blowing this kiss out of proportion more than anything she’s exaggerated in the history of their relationship. He feels like he cheated. He thinks she’s more upset than he would be if the shoe was on the other foot. He says, if Sandoval and Katie got married, he would support that, and Sandoval says, funny he should say that… (🚩) Schwartz says, shut up, dude.

Charli and Raquel sit in the park after their photo session, and Charli says, Katie invited her to brunch, but she was disappointed with the information she was given. We see a clip of Katie telling her about the crowd cheering Raquel and Schwartz’s kiss, and Charli says, that they cheered was distasteful. It also happened to be Katie’s wedding anniversary. Raquel says, they’re not together anymore, and Katie chose to go on the trip when she wasn’t invited. Charli says she wouldn’t do that to her worst enemy, and would have respect for their 12 year relationship. She would have expected better from Raquel than that. (Wow. Just wait.) Not that she wouldn’t be friends with Raquel, but it’s not a cool thing to do. Well, kudos to Charli. I haven’t liked her very much, but that was definitely women supporting women. Raquel says, it’s not like they’re going to be dating, and in her interview, she says, if Schwartz showed interest, she would date him, but she’s not trying to be Debbie Desperado. She tells Charli that she’s going on a date with Oliver; he’s picking a spot. Charli says, that sounds like so much fun.

In Schwartz’s interview, he says he has a newfound sense of optimism and determination, even though he knows they’re not going to open. We flash back to Lisa calling them when they were at the wedding, and he says, it was tough; a jagged, bitter pill to swallow. They were trying to speak August 31st into existence. They were putting in the work, and had momentum, but now it’s not happening. General manager Brett meets with them, and tells them, the booth guy quit. A machine cut pieces for it, and they didn’t fit. The machine broke, and the guy quit. I have no idea what he’s talking about, but it seems like just one more thing to add to their pile. Sandoval asks if Brett tried offering him more money, but Brett says, absolutely f***ing not. They’re spending too much on things like this. Sandoval asks what they  besides kitchen staff, and Brett says, that’s most important. He feels like he was pushed into hiring the kitchen manager, and he’s letting him go. He’d had to perfect some dishes, and didn’t cut it. The dishes fell short; he’s not the right fit. Schwartz tells Sandoval, saying they have to open is pointless, and Sandoval says, they either open or they’re f***ed. If they have to serve potato chips, they’re going to do it. If they don’t, they’ll lose this place. In Sandoval’s interview, he says, they’ve invested a million dollars. He could lose his house and his mom’s retirement. Schwartz and Greg don’t have those stakes. Brett says, he’s worried about a guy who can’t make anything. It’s not his fault. Let the Toms work with them. In his interview, Sandoval says, he loves Brett, but at this point perfectionism is death, but he’ll be happy with a B+. Nobody ever performs at A+ level. Schwartz says he thinks their opening is closer than they think.

Katie goes to Ariana’s house bearing a basket of weird cheeses, since they’re going to make sandwiches. Sandoval tells them, congratulations, and Katie says, they paid the rent deposit, and bought out the previous owner’s setup. In Sandoval’s interview, he says he’s stoked for them, but he’s jealous of the low rent. It’s small, contained, easy, and no partners. He’s envious. Katie says, when she went to Schwartz’s to get the dogs, he was saying how Schwartz & Sandy’s wouldn’t be able to open, and he was stressed. She said, sounds awful; see ya later. They’re not friends. Sandoval asks if this is because of Schwartz making out with Raquel, and she says, it is. Sandoval says he doesn’t think it’s a big deal. They’re two single people who are decent looking (why this has anything to do with it, I don’t know) in Mexico who decided to make out. Katie says, they had multiple conversations about it, and Schwartz said it would never happen. It’s too close to home. Ariana says, it would be different if Raquel wasn’t in the friend group, and Katie calls her a whore. She says, Schwartz has the habit of sticking his tongue where it doesn’t belong, so it shouldn’t surprise her. Sandoval says, they’re not together, so if Schwartz wants to do something stupid… (🚩) Ariana says, he and Katie made a deal, and Katie says, he doesn’t see her hopping on his friends. In Katie’s interview, she said, they agreed and had an understanding. She could try to forgive, but she’s not betraying herself. She says she’s been respectful in her dealings with Schwartz, and Sandoval says, Schwartz has had no other girlfriend, and when his friend Jo stayed with him, she called crying that Katie was leaving her messages. It isn’t crossing line for him to have a female roommate. Katie said he’d never mentioned it, and Ariana says, he was being oddly secretive. In her interview, Katie says, Jo was Kristen Doute’s crazy friend, which says a lot about her. Jo texted her after the divorce, and said she’d always love and respect Katie, then moved in with her ex two seconds later. She’s that kind of bitch. Sandoval says, they need a healthy separation, and Katie says, it was something they decided together. Sandoval says, she decided, and Schwartz agreed. Ariana says, Schwartz wanted to be friends, and Katie says, and if he’s f***ing their friends, she’s not going to be his friend. If someone doesn’t understand that, she hopes it never happens to them.

James tells Lisa about the kiss heard round the world, and wonders, who’s next from the SUR crowd? Lisa says she thinks he’s jealous, but he says, definitely not. In James’s interview, he says he doesn’t care who Raquel makes out with. She made out with sweaty Peter after a six hour shift and move on to Schwartz. He’s over it. The Toms meet Lisa at SUR, and Schwartz says he’s relearning to communicate; he used to have a brain. Lisa asks what they’re snooping around here for, and Raquel comes over to the table as a server. She and Schwartz high-five, and she says they haven’t seen each other since Mexico. In Schwartz’s interview, he says he wouldn’t mind kissing Raquel again, but he doesn’t want another relationship after 12 years . He wants minimal feelings and all fun. Sandoval says he talked to Katie today, and she wasn’t happy. She called Raquel a f***ing whore. In Raquel’s interview, she says, Katie is so rude and bitchy. She’s trying to grow and be a better version of who she was. Lisa asks why Sandoval told her that, and Raquel says, now kissing people makes you a whore. In her interview, Raquel says, it’s a big roadblock for her, trying be liked. She gets all weepy, and says, people either charge or drain her battery, and she doesn’t want have the battery drainers in her life. Raquel wonders why Katie assumes they’re f***ing, and leaves with their orders. Lisa says, she’s probably upset. Nobody wants to hear that. Sandoval calls Raquel back, and she says she doesn’t appreciate being slut shamed; it’s not cool. In Sandoval’s interview, he says he didn’t anticipate Raquel being upset. He thought she’d shrug it off, and she’d want to know what people are saying. He tells Lisa, to him, it’s an eyeroll and a laugh, and Lisa tells him to take responsibility. In his interview, Sandoval says he feels like not many people are in Raquel’s corner. She’s a sweet girl, and there’s not a bad bone in her body. (🚩)

Ally, Kristina, and Katie visit Lala, who says, her upcoming birthday is a special birthday. It’s a completely new chapter for her. In Lala’s interview, she says, she’d rather live in this apartment for the rest of her life, feeling safe and surrounded by people she loves, than the house in Bel Air, which more like a torture chamber. She tells the girls that she’s invited everybody except Raquel, Schwartz, and Charli. Katie says she’s bringing a guy. In Katie’s interview, she says, Satchel is a sweet guy she met when she was out with Kristina. She tells the others that he was named after Satchel Page, and in her interview, she says, she just thought this could be fun. She didn’t anticipate staying. She came for the D, and stayed for the conversation. Katie says, no one’s met him, and Kristina says Katie has been living her life being too sensitive about others with her actions. Lala tells her to do what she wants. It is what it is.

It’s Villa Rosa time. Ponies! Swans! Puffy! It’s a sad time though, as pony Rosé has died. The Toms visit, and Lisa tells them that she’s very upset. Rosé was only six. They got her as a baby, and she never had a day’s illness in her life. In Lisa’s interview, she says, suddenly, Rosé was lying down, and in pain. Ken put her in the truck, and took her to the vet, but she died before they got there. The Toms give her flowers, and they toast to Rosé. Lisa says she feels emotionally depleted, but they need to talk. She assumes they’re not opening, and it’s giving her anxiety. Sandoval tells her that Brett and Greg fired the chef, so now they’ve lost all their kitchen staff. They’re tired of being nickel and dimed, and want to just f***ing open. Schwartz says, Sandoval huffs and puffs, but it doesn’t matter how loud he is if it isn’t backed up with action and effort. Lisa says, that’s a big accusation, and Schwartz says, when they were supposed to submit a menu, he was at band practice, and was late for the meeting because he was getting his nails done. In Sandoval’s interview, he says, band practice had been scheduled weeks in advance, and he’s not walking around with grubby-ass nails. (He has priorities, people!) Lisa says, it’s giving her terrible anxiety, and Sandoval says, one person is pulling the brakes. Schwartz says, they’re not ready, and Sandoval says, they’ll never be ready.

Sandoval tells Ariana that he’s starting his cleanse, and they talk about him making his deposit. In Ariana’s interview, she says, two years ago she froze her eggs, and has 26 that are viable. Good job, ovaries. She reads from a list, and says, don’t drink or smoke for five days, and in her interview, she says, her stance on all this being pregnant hasn’t changed, but she doesn’t like the idea of a biological clock running things. She tells Sandoval, manage stress, and he says he’s at peak anxiety. They were supposed to open on the 31st. She tells him that he can only do what he’s in control of, and in Sandoval’s interview, he says, last year, Ariana asked him to fertilize her eggs, and he was excited. We flash back to the Reunion when they’d discussed it, but he wonders why he wants to fertilize eggs when they might or might not have kids, if Ariana decides. He’s not thrilled about not drinking, and Ariana says, he needs to work on more healthy coping mechanisms. Not taking a shot isn’t hard. Sandoval says, it’s tough to talk to her, since she never agrees with him, and she says she agrees plenty, but he says, this summer especially. He says, if he explains a situation or point-of-view, he feels like she’s quick to take the other side. He doesn’t want anyone to have his back unconditionally, but he feels like she questions his intelligence. Ariana says she wouldn’t be with an idiot, and if she thought he was an idiot, she’d be nice to him all the time, poor thing. Tom says he feels like he annoys her, and Ariana says, he does it on purpose. They’ve been together a long time. She can only imagine how annoying she is.

Garcelle and Oliver meet Lisa at PUMP, and Lisa says, she gets worried when someone asks her to give their son a job, but in this case, she lucked out. They order drinks, and Garcelle says, Lisa’s rosé beats everyone else’s. In Lisa’s interview, she says, her rosé is much better than any rose your friends might try to create. This makes me want to try it, even though I’m not a fan of rosé se all day. Lisa says, the last time she saw Oliver, he was hanging around the girls, and Garcelle says she saw the photo and wondered if she should be worried. Oliver says, it was an eventful night, and Garcelle wonders if she should be here. Lisa says, Oliver had a snog, and Garcelle says, it sounds dirty, but Lisa says, it’s a kiss; a make-out. Oliver says, it was nothing serious, and Lisa says, the girls were all like, take me, take me. Oliver says, Raquel was super sweet, and they had a great time. They’re having a little rendezvous tonight. Lisa asks if he split up with his wife, and Oliver says, they’ve been separated for months now. They’re working on co-parenting in a healthy way. She’s a great mom, and her kids are fantastic. They’ll always be family. Garcelle says she thinks her ex-husband Michael modeled what a stepdad does.

James tells Ally that he’s been invited to a lot of Lala’s birthday parties, and disinvited to a lot of Lala’s birthday parties. Ally says, she’s scared she started something, and in her interview, she says she mentioned to the girls that she’d seen Sandoval and Raquel dancing at The Abbey after See You Next Tuesday at 1 am. (🚩) Personally, she wouldn’t be comfortable if her boyfriend was out with someone else at 1 am. James says he noticed Raquel was hanging out more with both Toms (🚩), but he wouldn’t put too much into it. Kristina brings Lala flowers, and in her interview, Lala says, it’s her motherf***ing birthday. She’s having the best day. It’s the first birthday she’s celebrate single in a very long time. She’s feeling like she also wants to end the night with birthday sex. Whoever is ready and willing, come to her bed. Kristina says she has so much to tell Lala. Oliver’s wife saw a picture he’d posted of him and the girls in Vegas, and he’d said he and Raquel made out and he was coming out for a date. Raquel knows none of this. Meanwhile, Raquel visits Scheana and Brock, and says, apparently, Oliver isn’t separated from his wife. His wife posted that he was cheating on her with multiple women, specifically Raquel. Scheana says, no way he’s not separated, and Raquel says, the way he was making out with her in Vegas, they definitely seemed separated. Huh. Maybe she is a dummy. She says she’s going to confront him about it, and Scheana suggests Raquel talk to his ex. Raquel agrees to do it, and say she’s terrified, and Brock says he doesn’t want be here. Raquel tells maybe ex, Samantha, that she’s so sorry. She read Samantha’s posts, and had no idea Oliver was still committed to her. In Raquel’s interview, she says, he made it seem like they were at least going through a divorce, and she tells Samantha that it was f***ed up of him to do this, and now he put her in this position. In her interview, Raquel says she’s pissed off. He was talking to Samantha like he’d made promises to work on their marriage, and they’re living in the same apartment. It seems manipulative and selfish. I laugh, and Raquel says she hates being in this position. Raquel tells Brock and Scheana that Oliver went home and slept with his wife after making out with her. Scheana says, now Raquel will be labeled the other woman, and it never goes away. <snort> Lala tells Kristina, it’s what’s called a mistress.

They meet at I don’t know what restaurant because I had a problem with my computer for a moment. Katie has brought her new squeeze, and in her interview, she says, it’s hanging out with Satchel, who’s sweet and shows her affection. It’s a nice change. We flash back to her misery with Schwartz, and she says she won’t be complaining about how his d*ck doesn’t work either. In Scheana’s interview, she says, it’s weird seeing Katie with this mactor shaggy dog motherf***er who looks like he just got groomed at Vanderpump Dogs. James asks if Schwartz is coming, and we see Schwartz wishing for a cup holder while soaking in the tub. They discuss the latest headlines about Oliver cheating with Raquel, among others, and Lala says she thinks they’re on a date tonight..

Oliver and Raquel meet at a restaurant, and Oliver says he’s sure Raquel knows there’s a lot of stuff going on in his life. His son’s mom put him on blast, and it’s been a rough day. Raquel says she felt she owed it to him to hear his side of the story. She had a conversation with Samantha, who said he cheated with multiple women, and she’s one of them. It was shocking the way he made it seem like they were separated completely. He says, they have been. He’s had his own place for 8 months. Sometimes he still sees her. Things happen, and sometimes people feel lonely. This is new, and he also wants to be around his son. He’s not excusing it, just putting it on the table. They’re getting divorced. Raquel asks where he stayed the night they kissed, and he says, at his own house, by himself. Raquel says, Samantha told her that they had sex, but he says, they didn’t that night, but maybe a few days later. She asks if he doesn’t think that’s confusing, and he says he’s sorry. This is messy and he brought her into it. That wasn’t his intention, and he feels horrible. She says she appreciates the apology, but it doesn’t make up for the bashing she’s getting on social media. People are saying she’s seeing a married guy, and it wasn’t presented to her that way. It’s unfair. He says he understands if she’s mad, and she says she is. He says he doesn’t blame her. It’s super messy, and wasn’t the foot he wanted to start out on. In Raquel’s interview, she says she’s furious. This made her look a certain way that’s not representative of her. It make her think he wants his wife to feel that. She tells him that they would have had a great time if he was divorced, and leaves. I’d cheer if it wasn’t Raquel, who is possibly the biggest hypocrite ever in this moment.  

Raquel calls Scheana, and says she needs to talk to Lala. Scheana asks if she isn’t on a date, and not knowing who Scheana is talking to, Lala says she wouldn’t be so quick to throw daggers. She bets Raquel’s mom is proud. Kristina says, it’s Raquel they’re talking about. Why would they expect her to make a wise choice? Raquel sends Lala a text, asking to meet her outside. Scheana goes out to see Raquel, who tells her that Oliver didn’t even stand when she left the table. They go back in, and Raquel approaches the table. Lala says, what’s up, mistress? and in Lala’s interview, she says, she’s not surprised. Of course Raquel would show up on her birthday. Raquel says she’d love to chat if Lala would hear her out. They go outside, and Sandoval says, it looks like Katie is getting joy from this. In his interview, he says, she’s proactively vindictive. It’s like she’s savoring the best piece of wagyu steak.

Outside, Raquel tells Lala, happy birthday, and Lala says, Raquel gave her the best gift already. Raquel says she wants to apologize for calling Lala a mistress. Her world turned upside down today. She had no idea Oliver was still with his wife. Lala says, Raquel should have asked how long it had been. She asked Randall, but he lied. Raquel says, that’s why she’s apologizing. She didn’t realize how easily a man could mislead a woman, saying it one way, and it’s the opposite. Yep. She is both dumb and dumber. Lala says, now Raquel knows how it feels. And he’ll get away squeaky clean while the woman takes the brunt. She suggest this be a learning experience for both of them. Lala doesn’t want beef with Raquel, and Raquel says, neither does she. Lala says she’s been called a homewrecking whore and a mistress, and they rise above because they know the truth. Raquel says, they were misled, but know their worth now. In her interview, Raquel says, she’s single for the first time in her adult life. She’s allowed time to reflect on who she is as a person. In the past, she’s limited herself, basing her worth on how other people valued her. Now she’s ready to break that. Lala says, Raquel’s not a mistress, and don’t let anyone say she is. I’m sure Lala is banging her head against the wall if she’s watching this. They hug, and Raquel says she’s really sorry. Lala says she forgives and forgets, and they go their separate ways. Inside, Ally is talking about seeing Raquel and Sandoval dancing at The Abbey.

Next time, James says, it sounds like Katie is saying Ariana and Sandoval are in an open relationship; Sandoval says, Ariana is always at him; James tells Schwartz to take a look at his own life, and throws a drink on him.

📺 On Watch What Happens Live, the Watch What Happens 5 segment was the top 5 cringeworthy Scandoval moments in tonight’s episode. They were adequate, but I think they missed some better ones.  

🍹 It happened. They were showing a rerun of Southern Hospitality, and I got confused for a moment, thinking I was watching Vanderpump Rules. My allegiance will always lie with VPR though, because, LVP.

👟  Taking Off My Blue Suede Shoes…

Swing back tomorrow for more soap and a dip in the teapot. Until then, stay safe, stay learning from your mistakes, and stay celebrating love, despite any situation.

December 2, 2022 – Victor Meets Cyrus, Absent, Jackie’s 45th, Remembrance, Cover Boy, Rudest, Sailed, Amends, That Cake, Only a Donor, Daryl’s Spin, Holiday Horror, First List, New TV, a Handful of Quotes & 1963

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Dante walks into Pozzulo’s and knocks on Sonny’s office door. On the phone, Sonny tells Brick to let him know what he comes up with. He asks Dante, what’s up? and Dante thanks him again for Thanksgiving. They had a great time seeing everybody, and he thinks it must have meant a lot to Gladys and Sasha to be included. Sonny says, his commitment is always to his family, no matter what Michael thinks, and Dante says, that’s the real reason he’s here. They both know Michael was right about Sonny.

Drew goes into Sonny’s ex-kitchen to visit the moss bowl🎍, and sees Michael. He thanks Michael for meeting him, and Michael says, it sounded urgent. He asks why Drew asked to meet at his mom’s house, and Drew says, this conversation has to be completely confidential, and there’s too many potential eavesdroppers at the Quartermaines, and probably at Aurora too. Michael asks, what’s going on? and Drew says, they have to be prepared, because he and Carly could be facing criminal charges.

Josslyn checks out a shirtless Dex (another possible drinking game!), and says, his wound is almost healed. Dex says he told her he was fine; nothing to worry about. She says, that sounds so familiar. That’s what he said when he was bleeding and fighting a 104 fever in her dorm room, so excuse her for checking it out herself. He says, so she just came to provide medical attention? and she asks what else she’d come here for. He says he thought maybe she wanted to see him.

Sam struggles to put up a wreath, and Sasha helps her. Sam says, Sasha’s timing is impeccable; good reach. Sasha says she appreciates Sam helping, and Sam says, Dante texted her, and said she was helping with the community decorations. Sasha says, it was Nina’s idea. Nina thought she might be at loose ends as the holiday approached. Sam says, good for Nina, and good for Sasha too, and Sasha says, Nina really deserves all the credit. Not only is she a good person, she’s thoughtful and generous too.

Willow tells Nina, Sasha was just the latest excuse for Nina to get closer to her, and scheme her way back into Wiley’s orbit. Which after the lies Nina spread, is just ludicrous. Nina says she didn’t spread any lies, and Willow says, so Nina didn’t tell Michael that she and TJ were having an affair, when nothing could be further from the truth? Nina says, she made that one mistake. Can Willow calm down? And when she apologized, Willow told her to drop dead. Willow says, that’s because nothing else gets through to her. She doesn’t listen. She doesn’t stop; she just keeps pushing and pushing. Go away, and leave her family the hell alone. Carly walks in, and Willow drops to the floor. Carly and Nina run to her, and Nina says, she’ll call 9-1-1, but Carly says, no. Help her with Willow first.

On the phone in the hallway at Pentenville, Victor says he needs to know what happened to that necklace. If it burned up in the cabin, sift through the ashes. He must have those diamonds. They’re pivotal to his next step. He goes into the visitor’s room, and Nikolas is there. Nikolas says he thinks this is a bad idea; his son doesn’t want to see him. Victor says, Nikolas is Spencer’s father. Spencer misses him, even if he’s angry. The guard lets Spencer in, but Spencer says he wishes to return to his cell. Victor asks if that’s any way to treat family. No matter how many times they might disagree, Cassadines always come together in the end. Nikolas says he’s glad to see Spencer, even if Spencer doesn’t feel the same.

Sonny tells Dante that he can’t believe he’s hearing this. They both know Michael’s anger is out of control. He keeps trying to reconcile, but Michael doesn’t bend. Dante says he’s not condoning the way Michael is treating Sonny – he doesn’t like it – but Michael was telling the truth when he said Sonny abducted Dex Heller and had him beaten. He saw some of Dex’s injuries, and the only reason he didn’t arrest Sonny is because Dex lied and covered for him. Sonny says, that was after Brando’s funeral, months ago. Why is Dante bringing it up now? Dante says, because he looked the other way. Sonny committed a felony, and now he’s doing it again. He does know what Sonny does for a living, right?

Josslyn tells Dex that he can put his shirt on now, and he says he didn’t mean to make her feel uncomfortable, but she says she’s not uncomfortable. He says, true, she’s seen him in less, and she says, he slept in her bed. He says, too bad all he did was sleep, and she says, wow. He really went there. He says he can’t help it. Of all the rotten luck to be lying in her bed, too feverish to do anything but sleep. She says, there’s always next time.

Sasha says, Sam must be on decoration overload. She’s helping get Rice Plaza ready for Christmas, and also has her own house to decorate. Sam says she does have three elves to help with that; she hopes anyway. Scout’s down to help, but she doesn’t know if Danny and Rocco will think they’re too old for decoration. Sasha says, too bad if they are. At least Scout is on board. Christmas is magic at any age, but especially for the little ones. She used to… How about adding some ribbon to this? Sam says, Sasha doesn’t have to edit herself with her. Whatever she was going to say, whatever she’s feeling, she can say it.

Drew tells Michael, he spoke to his legal team, and they think there might be a case against him and Carly for insider trading; even though Carly didn’t make any money, and the merger between ELQ and Aurora didn’t happen. Michael asks if Drew really thinks Ned would go to the SEC, and Drew says he doesn’t think Ned would go that far, but he can’t afford for it to happen. They shared pizza together at Thanksgiving, but he can’t assume that peace offering is going to make Ned forgive and forget. Michael says, the Quartermaines are famous for holding a grudge, and Drew says, exactly. That’s why he has to back way off. He can’t afford to provoke Ned more than he already has. Michael says, given Ned’s anger at feeling they abandoned him, he doesn’t blame Drew, and Drew says, in addition to Leo’s sweet desire for family peace, it’s in their best interest for him and Carly to mend fences with Ned. Michael says he will too, and Drew thanks him. Michael asks what else Drew and Carly can do to protect themselves, and Drew says, they could stop seeing each other.

Nina brings in a cold towel, while Carly props up Willow’s feet, and tells Willow to open her eyes. Willow opens her eyes, and Carly tells her to take it easy. Nina says she’s going to call 9-1-1, but Willow sits up and says, no.

Victor says, Nikolas is Spencer’s father, and Spencer is going to need his father’s support when he’s released, but Spencer says, not if Victor fulfills his end of the bargain. Nikolas says, what bargain? and Spencer says, Victor didn’t tell him? Victor says, he didn’t see the need, and Spencer says, if he agreed to keep his mouth shut about Nikolas sleeping with Esme, Victor promised Spencer would get his birthright ahead of schedule. So he doesn’t need Nikolas anymore; he’s obsolete. Uncle Victor made sure of it. Nikolas says he can’t say he blames Spencer. He hasn’t been a good father, and doesn’t deserve Spencer’s forgiveness, despite his mistakes. Spencer is a better man than he is, and he envies how Spencer gives his whole heart. He hates that he broke it. Spencer says he’s used to it, and Nikolas says he hates that too. Spencer has no reason to trust him, but if Spencer lets him in his life, he gives Spencer his word that he’ll never hurt him again. Spencer says he’d settle for not having to listen to another of these disingenuous speeches, and Nikolas says he told Victor this was a bad idea. He leaves, and Victor tells Spencer, sit down. Spencer sits, and Victor says he’s so disappointed in Spencer. Spencer says, Victor and his father both disrespected his wishes, but Victor says he’d do it again, even though Spencer squandered the time he bought, so Spencer could realign with his father. Spencer says, Victor may be all powerful on the outside, but he has competition in here. Cyrus walks in.

Michael says he didn’t know Drew and his mother were seeing each other. Although the looked cozy at the Quartermaine picnic, and Drew did go to Florida to help his mom with her adoptive mother’s grave, which was above and beyond. Drew says, to be honest, he’s had a thing for Carly for a while now, and Michael says, since they came back from Jacksonville, he just got a friendship vibe. Drew says, the point is, if he and Carly are going to openly be a couple (or perhaps a throuple with the moss bowl🎍), it could strengthen the SEC’s case that he gave her privileged business information. So they’ve got to be casual in public, and probably in private too. How uncomfortable is this conversation making Michael right now? Michael says he knows Drew and his mom are adults, and he’s got to admit, since his mom came back from Florida, this is the happiest he’s seen her in a long time. Drew says, Carly makes him happy too. Unfortunately, this relationship may be short-lived. Michael asks if it has to go that far, and Drew says he thought they could meet in private, but it isn’t fair. They can’t meet at the Quartermaines because he lives there, and there’s always someone popping in and unexpected moments in that house. Like when Olivia walked in on Chase in Brook’s bedroom, for example. Michael says, he heard about that? It was a moment. Drew says, if they meet here in Carly’s house, they have to time their visits to when Donna and Joss aren’t here. It seems dishonest. Maybe he has to accept the timing isn’t right. Michael asks, what if this is the only time they’re going to get?

Tucked in on the couch, Willow says she’s fine. Please don’t call an ambulance. Carly feels Willow’s forehead, and asks if she still feels dizzy. She going to check Willow’s temperature. Willow says she’s not dizzy, and she’s not running a fever, but Nina says, at least let them take her to the hospital, so she can notify her OB. Willow asks, what part of I’m fine doesn’t Nina understand? She’s not in pain; she just needs to rest. Carly gives her some water, and says she needs to stay hydrated. She asks Nina if they can chat outside.

Sonny says he thought things were good with him and Dante, and Dante says, maybe they’re too good. They spend holidays together; they’re neighbors. It seems like the further apart Sonny and Michael get, the closer they get. Sonny asks, what’s wrong with it? and Dante says, there’s been this boundary that he’s always had to keep, between his love for Sonny as a son, and his duty as a cop. And that line is starting to blur. Sonny asks, how so? and Dante says, if this was anyone else, he would pursue the case into Dex’s abduction. He’d get more evidence, and talk to witnesses. He’d build a case, bring it back to Dex, and try and get him to cooperate. And instead, he called Michael a liar. He did that for Sonny’s benefit. He wanted Sonny to know he knew what Sonny had done, and had to tell him to his face that he knows Sonny is behind what happened to Dex. Sonny says he’s never asked Dante to cover for him, and never would, and Dante says, that’s good. Maybe Sonny can tell him about Anna’s escape then.

Josslyn tells Dex to take it easy, and limit all activity for one more week. He says, no offense, but how does she know? Did she consult a medical professional about him? She says she’s been doing some research online, and he asks, where? BulletWounds.com? She says, GH’s website. She went through all this trouble to take care of him, so it woudn’t make sense to bail before he’s healed. He says, that’s exactly what she needs to do – bail.

Cyrus wonders when Spencer is coming back to their chess game, and Spencer tells Victor that he’s improving his game in here. Victor says he’s glad Spencer’s not without friends, but Cyrus says, they’re not just friends; they’re family. Victor says he’s Spencer’s actual family, and Cyrus says he knows who Victor is. Victor says, and he is? and Cyrus says, Cyrus Renault. He’s sure Victor’s heard of him. Victor says, so he’s the famous Cyrus Renault, and Cyrus says, same name, different man, but the Bible says, the memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot.

Dante says, less than an hour before he found out about Anna’s escape, he heard Sonny on the phone, asking someone how it went with Anna. Sonny says, he told Dante, he provided her help when she reached Pentenville. He walks out into the restaurant, and Dante follows, saying, the guy who was supposed to be driving the van was found in the parking lot, tied up with a bag over his head; he was unharmed. Sonny says he’s happy to hear that, and Dante says he’s sure Sonny is. Because whoever conducted Anna’s escape, clearly didn’t want to hurt anyone else. All they wanted was for Anna to get out of there. Sonny sips his espresso, and Dante asks, what happened to Anna? Where is she? Who else has a whole bunch of safe houses in the area? Sonny doesn’t say anything, and Dante says, see what he’s talking about here? It all adds up. Sonny broke Anna out of police custody, and he’s not doing a damn thing about it.

Michael tells Drew that he doesn’t want to be too involved in his mom’s personal life, but he knows from experience, you have less time than you think. He’s sure Drew would like to believe he has years and decades to spend with the person he loves, to do what he dreamed  of. He hopes Drew gets that time, but it’s not guaranteed. Drew asks if this is about the tension between Michael and his father. Is he worried Sonny is going to retaliate?

Josslyn says she’s sorry if her medical skills don’t meet Dex’s high standards, but he says she knows better. If she’d taken him to a hospital, the ER doctor would have had to report the bullet wound, and he’d be behind bars. He owes her. She says, he’s welcome, and he says, she asked him before how he got shot, and she says, and he didn’t tell her. He says, she doesn’t need to know the details to know it was something illegal, and she says, he works for Sonny. Of course (🍷) it’s something illegal (ha-ha!). Dex flashes back to Michael telling him, none of this is fine, and that Dex needs to find a way to keep Josslyn at arm’s length. He tells Josslyn, that’s why he needs her to leave now, and never come back.

Sasha tells Sam, it’s not easy for her to acknowledge her feelings. It’s something she’s working on in therapy; taking time to process her emotions, instead of bottling them up until the overwhelm her in a public and messy explosion. Sam says, it can be really scary, admitting to yourself how you really feel; revisiting dreams for someone whose gone that you know aren’t going to come true. She’s learned, the more time passes, the more she’s able to accept those dreams, and even smile a little. Sasha asks what Sam dreams about, and Sam says, her first child, a daughter, was stillborn. Sasha says she had no idea. She’s so sorry. Sam says she thinks about her all the time, and Sasha says, Liam would have been about a year; he was born near Christmas. He’d have been too young to understand who Santa was, but she thinks she and Brando would have still taken him to see Santa. It never happened, but the thought of it still makes her smile.

They walk outside, and Nina tells Carly that she doesn’t need another lecture. She didn’t come here to pick a fight with Willow. She didn’t come here to orchestrate a run-in with Wiley. She just came her to reach out to Willow on Sasha’s behalf. Carly says she believes Nina.

Willow says she’s sorry to the baby. She should have been more careful. She didn’t mean to get so upset. She’s afraid they’re in for a bumpy ride, but they’re going to make it. She’s their mommy, and she’s going to bring them safely into this world. She promises.

Spencer says he may not have a father he can count on, but he’s lucky to have uncles that look out for him; Cyrus and Victor, and of course (🍷) Uncles Sonny and Martin. Cyrus says, Victor knows his brother Martin, and Victor says, Martin is his son’s attorney, but Cyrus says, they both know Martin is much more than that. Victor gets up, saying, he doesn’t want to interrupt Spencer’s game, but he hopes Spencer reconsiders mending fences with his father. Cyrus says, Victor Cassadine mediator? and Spencer says, Uncle Victor wants peace for their family. Cyrus asks if that’s why Victor tried to kill his. Victor caused his brother great harm. Victor says, the implication that he had anything to do with Lucy Coe’s disappearance is unfounded, and frankly insulting, but Cyrus says he’s not talking about Ms. Coe. He’s referring to the attempt on his brother’s life, and that of their sister Laura.

Carly says, she and Nina aren’t friends, but she doesn’t think Nina came here with the intention of upsetting Willow so much, she fainted. But she has to stay away and accept the fact that seeing her upsets Willow so much, and they both know that’s not good for the baby. Nina says she’d never hurt that baby, and Carly says she believes Nina. Nina says, all right, she’ll go. If Carly will just tell… don’t tell her anything. Nina leaves, and Carly goes back inside. She tells Willow, Nina’s gone, and Willow thanks her. Carly says, but she’s not wrong. Willow needs to see her doctor. Let Carly take her to GH.

Sonny says he doesn’t need Dante’s protection. He can investigate and act on whatever he wants. Dante says, he’ll do that. He just hopes Sonny covered his tracks this time. Because next time – and there will be a next time, and a time after that – he might not have an employee who lies to take a beating. Sonny might slip up, and then Dante will have to do something he doesn’t want to do. Sonny says, so Dante feels the same way Michael does; that he should lose his family, that he should have everything he loves taken from him? Dante says he’s not Michael. He’s not out to get Sonny. He loves Sonny, but he took an oath to uphold the law, and he’s going to keep that oath. Sonny says he doesn’t expect anything less, and if it gets worse, and Dante is forced to arrest him one day, he won’t love Dante any less. Dante says he woudn’t blame Sonny if he did, but Sonny says, it’s not going to happen… ever, and they hug.  

Sam says she can cover if Sasha wants to take a break, but Sasha says she’s having fun. It feels good to be doing something useful and positive. Not that putting up Christmas decorations is going to change the world. Sam says, maybe not, but people seem to take extra care of each other this time of year. She sees a lot of smiles at the decorations and the trees lit up. Sasha says she’s grateful to be part of it, even if in a small way. It turns out what people have been telling her is true. Helping others is a great way to help yourself.

Michael tells Drew that he doesn’t believe he’s in any physical danger from his father, and the emotional damage has already been done. But this whole rift with his father has made him value his family even more. He spent the first year and a half of Wiley’s life believing Wiley was dead. Now he has Wiley… he has Willow and a baby on the way. Every day is precious to him. He wants to freeze time, and live in this place of joy with Willow and the kids. Drew says, if only they could, and Michael says, life has a way of messing up your plans. When it happens, all he can do is deal with it the best he can. Drew says he can’t argue with that, and Michael says, what he won’t do is waste any more time, or overlook the little things. Like the look of wonder on Willow’s face when she feels the baby kick. Or Wiley insisting he read Willow’s baby bump a bedtime story. Drew says, which of course (🍷) he does, and Michael says, those things only come around once. You don’t get do-overs. So if Drew and his mom feel the need to hide, then hide, but don’t pass up the chance of something really good. Now he’s going to go home to Willow.

Spencer asks if Cyrus is talking about the attack on his grandmother and Uncle Martin at the safe house last year. His Uncle Victor had nothing to do with it. Cyrus says, his sources don’t lie, nor do his instincts. Victor tells him, says the man who held Trina Robinson and her mother at gunpoint, and tried to kill Spencer’s friend Britt Westbourne. Or does the attack on Dr. Westbourne not count because Cyrus sent his minions to do his dirty work? Cyrus says he doesn’t hear Victor denying what he did to Laura and Martin, but Victor says he doesn’t answer to Cyrus. Cyrus says, Victor will if he goes near Cyrus’s family again, and that includes Spencer. Victor says, Cyrus doesn’t want him as an enemy, and Cyrus says, or he’ll go on Victor’s hit list too? Victor tells Spencer, don’t let this man manipulate him, but Spencer says he doesn’t get manipulated, and he won’t again. If there’s nothing else Victor has to say… He points toward the door, and Victor tells Spencer, like he said, he doesn’t want to interrupt his game. But remember, your pawns need to be guarded, and you won’t always have a knight to ride to your rescue. He leaves, and Spencer tells Cyrus, could he be more obvious? Cyrus says, instantly, there dropped from his eyes what seemed to be scales, and he could see once more. He’s sorry Spencer had to learn about Victor this way. Spencer says he’s not in the mood to play chess. He’s going back to his cell.

Willow thanks Carly for hooking her to the portable fetal monitor and checking for herself. Carly says, the baby’s heartbeat looks fine, and Willow’s blood pressure is good, but she’s no OB. She’s not going to insist Willow go to GH, but she wants Willow to promise to see her doctor in the next couple of days. Michael walks in, and asks, what happened? but Willow says, it’s nothing. Michael asks why she needs to see her doctor then, and Carly says, because she fainted. Willow says, she’s fine. Once again, she forgot to eat. Carly says, Willow didn’t want to call an ambulance, but she thinks Willow should see her OB. Willow needs to rest, and needs some TLC. Michael says he’ll make sure of it, and Carly leaves. Michael takes out his phone, and says he’s going to call Terry. She needs to know Willow fainted.

Nina goes to Rice Plaza, and Sasha asks what she thinks of the progress so far. Nina says, it’s great; everyone is doing a fantastic job. Sasha says, Nina doesn’t have to pretend with her. Did something happen? Nina says, sometimes she’s afraid that she’s really as awful as Willow thinks she is.

Dante tells Sam that she’d better pace herself; she has a penthouse to decorate. She says she was just telling Sasha that Scout will definitely want to help decorate, but does he think the boys will think they’re above it all? He says, Rocco seems like he’s going through something right now, but Danny will step up for Scout’s sake. The minute the ornaments and candy canes come out, they’ll get into it. Their boys aren’t as old as they think they are, thank God. Sam wonders where that came from, and he says he loves his father, but their relationship has always been a bit of a minefield. He’s hoping he and Rocco don’t turn into that when he’s an adult.

Josslyn says, Dex is out of bandages and antibiotic ointment, so she’s going out to get some. He tells her not to bother. He can order that stuff online. He doesn’t need her to come back. She says, skip it. It’s not going to work. He says, what? and she says, the big speech. He tries to warn her about how dangerous he is, and tries to push her away for her own good. She knows he’s dangerous. He was beating up some guy under Sonny’s orders the night they met. He can do so much better than Sonny. He’s resourceful; he keeps his head in a crisis. He’s loyal, and doesn’t complain even when he’s hurt. He says, Dex Heller, hero, and she tells him, stop it. She found him bleeding. She nursed him through a fever. She sat up with him all night to make sure he was still breathing. So she’s not going to walk out and pretend what they went through doesn’t mean something.

Sam says, most of the tension between Dante and Sonny is because Dante’s a cop, and Sonny is… Sonny. As long as Rocco doesn’t want to grow up like his grandfather, she doesn’t think Dante has anything to worry about. He says, fathers and sons butt heads about stuff, and she asks if she looks worried. She sees him and Rocco interact every day, and she sees love. Not only Dante’s love for Rocco, but Rocco’s love for him. You know what that tells her? He says, that they’re love is so strong it can survive anything, and she hugs him, saying, don’t make fun of her. He’s so smart. He says he just gets it through osmosis living with her. He thanks her for making him look forward to Christmas, and for their blended family. For the traditions they’re going to make. He’s already got his Christmas presents. She says, her too, and they kiss.

Nina says, too bad she doesn’t have a flask of brandy to go with this hot chocolate, and Sasha says, that bad? Nina says, it’s her fault Willow fainted. She never should have gone over to Willow’s place. For a smart women, she does a lot of stupid things. If something happens to Willow and that baby, she’ll never forgive herself. Sasha says, Nina made a mistake. Welcome to the club. The important thing here is to take a breath, figure out how it happened, and how to avoid it happening again. Nina says, she knows the answer, and oddly enough, got it from Carly. Sasha says, Carly’s a smart lady, and Nina says, even though it galls her to admit this, Carly helped her to see that the only thing she can do for Willow is stay away from her.

Willow thanks Michael for the soup, and says she’s feeling much better. Staring at his phone isn’t going to make Terry call back any faster. Michael says, maybe they should go to GH. If the chemo is causing her to faint… She says, it’s not the chemo. It was Nina, or rather her response to Nina. He says, Nina was here? and Willow says, Nina volunteered Sasha to oversee the decorations in Rice Plaza, and showed up to ask her to help. When she tried to decline, Nina said she was selfish. Things went downhill from there. She snapped and started screaming at Nina, and next thing she knew, it was lights out. He says he’ll make sure Nina never comes here again, but she says she doesn’t think that will be a problem. She thinks her fainting scared Nina more than it scared her. Michael says he doubts Nina would have gotten in an argument with Willow if she’d known Willow just had chemo. They need to find Willow a bone marrow donor, and need for people like Nina to treat her with consideration. They need to tell people Willow has leukemia.

Drew surprises Carly with a kiss as she walks into the kitchen. She says not that she’s complaining, but what’s going on? He says he has it on good advice that they should take full advantage of their time together while they’re lucky enough to have it. She says she’s not arguing with that, but she thought they were staying away from each other. He says he can’t stay away from her. And they’re lucky enough to have this big house on acres of grounds, with secluded nooks and crannies, and the moss bowl🎍. They kiss, and his phone chimes. She insists he get it, and he says, good news. They have a lead on Willow’s birth parents.

Josslyn tells Dex, she won’t hang around where she’s not wanted, but she’s not going to deny what’s standing in front of her, and neither can he. It’s like this wall went up between them, and Dex remembered he had to protect little old her from big bad him. She calls BS on that. She makes her own decisions, and knows the risks she’s taking. If he doesn’t want her, just say that. He says he’s trying to do the right thing here, and she suggests he try being honest instead. He says, she wants honest? and kisses her. There’s a knock at the door, and Sonny says, open up.

On Monday, Cody tells Britt, it’s more than that and she knows it; Willow tells Michael that she needs to do this on her terms; and Valentin says, if Mac has evidence, he’d like to hear it.

🤷🏻 Where In the World…

God forbid she gets some free time.

🏥 Happy Anniversary…

More pictures would have been nice.

🌱 A Mother’s Memories…

This is still just the saddest thing.

🧼 Wait, What…

I never knew he was on the cover of Playgirl, but then again, it was never on my list of publications to buy.

👠 Love Bubble My Foot…

No surprise whatsoever. I love how Andy says she must have been provoked. Yeah, they said her name.

🍹 Ahoy…

Leva dishes on Southern reality.

💞 Aww…

I’m sure it won’t last for long.

👰🏾 Speaking Of Which…

The cake is ridiculous, but I love the traditional theme.

https://people.com/food/porsha-williams-husband-simon-guobadia-wedding-cake-sword/

🍼 No Chances…

Can’t say I blame her. Randall wasn’t much of a step up from James. As a matter-of-fact, aside from the money, he was a step down.

⚰️ Resetting Daryl…

More on viva le Daryl.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-daryl-dixon-norman-reedus-reset/

🎄 Sub-Genre…

I never thought of The Thing as a Christmas movie, but why not? I have my own cinematic quirks.

https://ew.com/movies/best-christmas-horror-movies/

🥀 Early Roll Call…

Those we’ve lost.

https://ew.com/celebrity/stars-we-lost-in-2022/

📺 Rushing the TV Season…

What’s coming up next year.

https://ew.com/tv/2023-tv-premiere-dates/

📬 Quotes of the Week

Medicine is not only a science; it is also an art. It does not consist of compounding pills and plasters; it deals with the very processes of life, which must be understood before they may be guided. – Paracelsus

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

Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.Lou Holtz

You get to decide where your time goes. You can either spend it moving forward, or you can spend it putting out fires. You decide. And if you don’t decide, others will decide for you. – Tony Morgan

Compassion is the ultimate and most meaningful embodiment of emotional maturity. It is through compassion that a person achieves the highest peak and deepest reach in his or her search for self-fulfillment. – Arthur Jersild

I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.Aristotle

I have forced myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste. – Marcel Duchamp

If a zombie bear isn’t the problem, what is? – Doc (Russell Hodgkinson), Z Nation

🕰 Time Keeps On Tickin’…

Boomerang back on Monday really Tuesday for soap and my favorite Boat Daddy. Until then, stay safe, stay never settling for less than, and stay helping others. It’s a great way to help yourself.

November 28, 2022 – Ava Pays a Visit To Ryan, Playboy Debauchery On Deck, About That Reunion, New Reality Down South & Late

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Guard Craig lets Dante in to see Heather, who’s doing some painting. She tells him, hello again, Detective Handsome, and asks if he’d like to model for her.

On the phone at the MetroCourt, Mac asks how his brother is, and at the hospital, Jordan says, TJ is with him right now. Mac says he should be with Robert too, but she says she needs him to stay on task. He knows how important this is. He says he’s on it, and looks at a table where Doc and Ava are sitting. Ava tells Doc that she’s officially all his, and he says he appreciates her meeting at the last minute. He wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t important. She asks, what’s up? and he says he’ll let Mac explain. Mac sits down, and she says, now she’s doubly intrigued. What would the Chief of Detectives and GH’s top psychiatrist want with her? Mac says, they need her help catching Esme Prince.

Esme screams, then apologizes for waking Ace up. She still can’t believe Ace is moving around. Elizabeth walks in, and Esme asks why she’s here. Elizabeth says she’s here to help Esme.

Nikolas leaves a message for Ava, saying he loves and misses her, when the doorbell rings. It’s Victor, and Nikolas says, it’s not a good night, but Victor says he’s here to move in.

At Rice Plaza, Scotty tells Laura that Obrecht is with Britt, and Laura says, it’s nice Obrecht can spend the holiday with her daughter. He asks, what about her and Doc? and she says, they’re not going anywhere because she doesn’t want to leave her brother Martin alone right now. She knows it’s affecting Scotty too, and promises she won’t rest until she’s brought Lucy’s real shooter to justice. Holly sits at a bench nearby.

Elizabeth takes Esme’s blood pressure, and Esme says, Elizabeth was misleading. She thought Elizabeth was here to help her. Elizabeth says she is helping Esme. The baby is fine, but she’s got to stop with the screaming; it’s stressful for her and the baby. Esme says she’s locked in a tower, and Elizabeth covering for Nikolas doesn’t help. Elizabeth says she’s doing the best she can to help Esme have a healthy pregnancy. She assumes Esme’s had no prenatal care. She should take pregnancy seriously; there could be complications. Esme asks if she shouldn’t be under a doctor’s care then, and not under house arrest, but Elizabeth says, Esme will have to make do with her. Don’t worry. She knows what she’s doing. Esme asks how she can’t worry. She’s locked in here with no idea what’s to become of her. Elizabeth has to convince Nikolas to let her go. Elizabeth says, even if she wanted to, she doubts Nikolas would listen, not after Esme attacked him, but Esme says, Nikolas is making that up. Elizabeth says she’s not making up Esme attacking her, and Esme says she was in fight or flight mode. Elizabeth asks if she’s making up Esme filming revenge porn, and victimizing Josslyn and her son, and Esme says, so that’s it. Elizabeth is committed to being Nikolas’s accomplice. Elizabeth asks if Esme would rather have her baby in prison, and Esme says, this is a prison, with no oversight or chance of parole. And what happens to her after she gives birth? Did Nikolas tell Elizabeth that? Elizabeth says, he did. Esme will be taken to Greece, where she’ll live a life of luxury on Cassadine Island. Esme asks if Elizabeth really believes Nikolas is going to take care of her for the rest of her life.

Ava tells Mac that she wants Esme to rot, but she’s already told the cops everything she can think of. She hasn’t seen Esme in months. Mac says, they know Esme’s back in Port Charles, but the trail went cold after she crossed paths with Elizabeth Baldwin at the docks. Ava says, if she knew where Esme was, she’d serve her up, head on a platter… figuratively speaking, of course (🍷). Doc says, they don’t think Ava knows where to find her, but they think she knows someone who does.

Ryan’s new caregiver tells him that he doesn’t see any new articles about The Hook killer, but how about this? Prisoner Anna Devane remains at large after escaping a prison transport. Ryan blinks twice, and the caregiver says, how about sports? There’s football, basketball… Oh look, they’ve got pickleball.

Dante says he’s there to ask Heather about the prison transport crash, but she says, that’s old news. He says, it’s an ongoing investigation, and she says, right to business, huh? Not even a, hi, how are you? He asks how she is, and tells her that he’s here on official police business, but if she doesn’t want to cooperate, he’ll go. She says, cool your jets, Mr. Serious. I’ll tell you everything you want to know… for a price. Quid pro quo, Clarice; she does her best Anthony Hopkins impression.

TJ tells Diane and Jordan that Robert’s okay; he’s sleeping it off. Diane asks if she can see him, and TJ nods. She goes into Robert’s room, and Jordan asks if TJ really thinks Robert had too much to drink. He says, could be. They ran a tox screen, and he’s waiting for the results. What is she thinking? She says she thinks the DA was drugged.

Nikolas asks, why the urgency? Why does Victor have to move in tonight? Victor says, there’s been a development in his plans, and Nikolas says, plans that necessitate Victor hiding out on a secure island. Victor says, it had better be secure. He needs to prepare his family for what’s to come. It seems Nikolas and Spencer are the only Cassadines he can trust right now. Of course (🍷), the snail’s pace of Nikolas’s divorce from Ava is a continuing cause of concern. Now more than ever, Nikolas needs to get his house in order. He hands Nikolas a drink, and Nikolas says, if Victor is moving in to ensure his cooperation, he already told Victor that he agrees to his terms. Victor says, forgive him if he needs more assurance than Nikolas’s word, and Nikolas says, the house is still undergoing renovations. It’s not prepared for Victor yet. Victor says, then prepare it. Tonight the tide turns for this family.

Holly says, she just saw an enormous woodchuck floating up to the sky, and Scotty says, she probably hasn’t seen a parade in a while. Laura says, the mayor gets priority seating, and Holly’s welcome to join them, but Holly says, it sounds lovely, but she has somewhere to be. She told her Ride Share to pick her up at the Plaza. Laura asks if she has plans with Robert, but Holly says, not tonight; it’s business, not pleasure. Scotty says he didn’t know Holly had a job, and Laura says, the night before Thanksgiving? What kind of business?

Dante tells Heather that he’s not authorized to make a deal, but if he was her, he’d want to assist them. Who knows how it will work out for her down the wire? She tells him, if he wants her help, come back with someone who can make a deal, and he says, good luck with her painting. She’ll have plenty of time to get good at it. He leaves, and Heather has an epiphany. She knocks at the window, and thanks Craig for letting in the charming detective. She asks if he’d be an absolute dear, and escort her to make a teeny weeny phone call

TJ tells Jordan that he won’t know anything until the tox screen comes back. He’ll put a rush on it. She asks him to keep her posted, and he leaves.

Diane says, oh good; Robert’s up. He asks where he is; it looks like a hospital. She asks if he doesn’t remember, and he says he remembers tequila. She says, he and Holly shared some tequila shots, he had a bad reaction, and Holly took him back to his room. She asked Diane to give his WSB contact a message. He asks where Holly is, and where’s his briefcase? She says, he didn’t have it on him when he stumbled out of the elevator, and she hasn’t seen Holly since she left the MetroCourt to take him back to his room. He tells her, get Ashford here – now.

Holly says, unfortunately, some work won’t wait. As mayor, she’s sure Laura understands more than anybody. Laura says she absolutely does, with the ongoing hunt for Anna, and the search for Lucy’s real shooter. She imagines she’ll be working tonight, but she’ll find some time to spend with Martin, since they both saw their holidays going very differently. Scotty’s phone rings, and he steps away. Heather says, it’s his old pal, and he says, for cryin’ out loud. What does she want? She says, don’t be a grouch. Come to Spring Ridge, visit her, and find out. She promises it will be worth his while.

Esme tells Elizabeth, think about it. She gets whisked away, and holed up on some foreign island, with no one looking for her. Does Elizabeth really believe Nikolas is going to keep her around indefinitely? Once she gives birth to his child, she’ll be completely disposable. Elizabeth says, what Esme is suggesting won’t happen, but Nikolas is loyal to the people he cares about. So her advice is, make sure Nikolas cares about her. Esme says, like Nikolas cares about his son? and Elizabeth says, Esme is behind in her bloodwork; she’ll be sure to do it next time. Esme asks, which is when? and Elizabeth says she’ll come every couple of days until Esme delivers. She gives Esme a bottle of prenatal vitamins, and tells her to take one every day. She’s guessing Esme hasn’t taken them before, and Esme says she’s been a little busy. Elizabeth says, now she has the time. They’ll make her baby healthy and strong. Esme says, getting out of this room would work wonders in that regard, but Elizabeth tells her to take her vitamins. She’s not getting out of here any time soon. She leaves, and Esme looks at the bottle.

Ava asks why Mac is wasting time talking to her when he knows someone who can find Esme, but Mac says, she’s a pivotal part of their plan. Doc says, and she has the right to refuse, and Ava says, refuse what exactly? Doc says, Esme is cunning and dangerous, and Mac says, they’ve questioned everyone Esme has had a relationship with in Port Charles. Doc says, except one – his brother. Despite his best efforts, Esme forged a connection with Ryan when she was interning at Spring Ridge. Ryan will know how to find Esme. Mac says, Ryan refused to communicate with Doc, and it’s unlikely he’ll cooperate with the police. They thought if they gave him some incentive to cooperate… and Ava says, they want to use her as bait. Mac says he understands the gravity of what they’re asking her to do, and it’s completely up to her. Doc says, she’s the one person Ryan is likely to communicate with, but it’s not worth it if it’s going to cause her trauma. She tells them, say no more; she’s in. Doc suggests she take some time to think about it, but she says, they don’t have time. Esme terrorized this town long before she started her murderous rampage. They have to get to her before she gets to Trina. That’s the theory, right? That Esme is the killer and her ultimate target is Trina. Mac says, it is, and Ava says, then they have to find Esme and stop her. If she has to see Ryan to get it done, so be it. She’ll do whatever they ask. When do they need her? Mac says, right now.

Esme says, come on, think. What would daddy do? Ryan appears on the bed, and says he thought she’d never ask. She says, did he hear Elizabeth? She calls herself a nurse, but didn’t even help her. She’s too busy holding a grudge because of that stupid sex tape. He says he told her; don’t get distracted by Spencer… She says she has no time for I told you so. Help her figure a way out of here. He says he gets so tired of repeating himself. Use the baby. She asks, how? and he says, the baby’s health is dependent on her. She saw how frightened Nikolas was when he thought she was in distress. She says, until Nurse Baldwin threatened to do a C-section with no anesthesia, and he says, Elizabeth called her bluff, but that’s no reason she can’t build on a successful tactic. Throw out the vitamins Elizabeth gave her. She asks, what good that would do? and he says, refuse to take care of herself. If her health suffers, the baby suffers. She says, but if she harms the baby, she could lose…. her only leverage, and he says, the baby is her only leverage. She doesn’t have another option. Make sure Nikolas knows what’s at stake.

Craig lets Scotty into Heather’s room, and she says, it’s good of him to come. He says, hiya, Heather. He’s here because she’s Franco’s mother, so what does she want? She tears up and says, their boy was such a beautiful soul. She hates that he was taken in such a violent, cruel way. He says he knows. He sees she’s still painting, and she says, it’s what she and Franco shared in common. These works lack her usual depth. He asks how she can she tell, and she says, because of her neck. He asks, what’s wrong with her neck? and she says, didn’t he hear? Her prison transport van crashed, horribly. She’s been in agony ever since; she can hardly paint. He says, for cryin’ out loud, that’s why she’s in rehab, and she says she has half a mind to sue the city of Port Charles and the PCPD for physical and emotional distress. Isn’t that his area of expertise? He says, no judge is ever going to sign off on an institutionalized crackpot, but she says, what if she was a free woman? He asks, who’s going to let her out? and she says, he is.

Victor says, think of the perks. This way, Nikolas won’t have to spend Thanksgiving alone. Nikolas says he’s not in a celebratory mood this year, and Victor asks if that’s because of Spencer, Ava, or both. Nikolas says, among other things, when Elizabeth walks in. Victor says he’s sorry. He doesn’t remember Nikolas saying he had company, but Nikolas says he recalls telling Victor that it’s not a good time. Elizabeth says she’s sorry to interrupt, but Victor says, she’s not. The staff is moving him in; he’s the one interrupting. She says, he’s moving in tonight? How cozy. Victor says he’s sick and tired of living out of suitcases, and found himself craving family. He’ll start unpacking, and not detract from their evening any further. He’ll pick out a suite in the north tower. Nikolas says, no. The repairs aren’t finished yet; it’s not safe. Victor will have to stay in the south tower. Victor says, that’s a pity; the views are so much nicer in the north tower. He tells Elizabeth that it was a delight to see her, and leaves. Elizabeth says, what the hell? He’s living here now? Is Nikolas trying to get caught? In the foyer, Victor calls Gavin, and says, he’s arrived on Spoon Island. What did Gavin find out about the necklace, and where the hell is Holly Sutton?

Laura tells Holly that she can’t believe Scotty went to see Heather. Whatever she’s up to can’t be good. Holly wonders what happened to her Ride Share, and Laura asks where she’s going. Holly says, her meeting is out of town, and Laura says, it’s going to cost her a fortune. Why isn’t Robert taking her? Holly says, Robert doesn’t know. She’s going back to doing some contract work for government agencies, and she knows he wouldn’t approve because of her memory issues and how her last assignment ended, but she’s as sharp as ever. She needs purpose. Laura says she’d be happy to take Holly wherever she’s going, but Holly says she couldn’t trouble Laura. Laura says she insists. She won’t take no for an answer. Robert is a good friend, and she knows he woudn’t want Holly taking a Ride Share out of town tonight. Unless of course (🍷) Holly wants to call him. Holly says, thank you, she’d love a ride, but Laura says, no thanks necessary. It will give them a chance to talk. Holly picks up the briefcase, and follows Laura.

Nikolas asks how the baby is, and Elizabeth says, fine, for now. Esme has had no prenatal care, and she doesn’t know how they’re going to accomplish it with Victor here. It’s only a matter of time before Victor figures out he’s holding Esme prisoner here. He says, the north tower will be locked at all times, and Demetrius will be keeping an eye on Victor. He’s going to put his uncle in the south tower, which is on the opposite side of the house. He even soundproofed Esme’s room. Don’t worry; he has it under control. She says, this whole thing is going to blow up in their faces. It’s bad enough what they’re doing, and now Victor is going to be looking around. Victor comes back in, and Elizabeth says she was just on her way out. It’s good to see them both. Nikolas says he’ll walk her out, but she says, no need. Happy Thanksgiving. She leaves, and Nikolas tells Victor, she’s going through a tough time, and came here to talk. Victor says, stop lying to him. He knows exactly what’s going on.

At Spring Ridge, Mac thanks Dante for joining them, and asks how his conversation with Heather panned out. Dante says, not really, but they can talk about it later. What’s this all about? Mac says, Ava agreed to speak with Ryan, and Ava says she wishes Doc could be here. Mac says, him too, but Doc’s right; Ryan might not want to communicate in his presence. They walk into the rec room, and Mac asks if she’s sure she wants to do this now, but she says, no time like the present. Ryan’s eyes follow her as she walks over to him, and she asks if he’s still locked in. He blinks once, and the caregiver says, one blink for yes, two for no, but she says she’s familiar. Is he Ryan’s new caregiver? He says, one of them, and Ryan does a bunch of blinking. The caregiver tells her, he says… but she says she doesn’t care what he’s blinking. She’ll do the talking. She sits down, and asks if Ryan remembers his little friend Esme, his protégé. It turns out Esme is the one who attacked her. The audacity. How would he like the chance to get back at her for trying to take what’s his?

Scotty asks why Heather thinks he can get her out, and she says, it would behoove him. Once she’s a free woman, the judge will find her more credible when she sues the pants off the PCPD and the city. They’ll find her the victim of gross negligence, not some loon. It’ll be ka-ching, ka-ching for the both of them. He says he has a news flash for her. There are a lot details involved. He doesn’t know why she thinks he can get her sprung. She says, Detective Falconari was just here, and wanted to interview her about the crash, and the prisoner escape. He says, so? and she says, clearly her eyewitness testimony is very valuable to them. He says, that depends on the testimony, and she says, what if she can ID who helped Anna Devane escape?

Robert says he has to get out of here, and TJ says he appreciates the urgency, but Robert can’t leave. Robert says, TJ doesn’t understand. Holly is missing and could be hurt. There’s a $35 million necklace out there, and he has to make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Diane comes in with Jordan, and Robert asks if she found Holly or the necklace; somebody might have hurt Holly. Jordan says she wouldn’t worry. She took a look at the security footage, and Holly appears to be fine. He asks if she saw who took his briefcase, and she says, yes, and it’s someone he knows very well.

In the car, Laura tells Holly that her mother’s new place is in the center of town, near her favorite cafes and restaurants. Holly says she feels awful. Laura just came back, and she’s keeping her away from Doc. Laura says, Doc is working tonight. Besides, it gives them a chance to catch up. Holly says, without memories, there won’t be much catch up on her end, but Laura says she’s sure they’ll come back. So what agency did Holly say she was meeting with tonight? Holly says, Laura knows that’s classified, and Laura laughs, saying, she never assumes. She likes to keep her mind open to possibilities. Holly says, the mark of an effective mayor, when Laura’s phone rings. Laura says, and duty calls, and stupidly puts it on speaker. She tells Jordan that she can’t really talk. She’s sitting here with… Jordan says, it’s important. Robert Scorpio was mugged tonight. He’s all right, but the attacker stole his briefcase containing a necklace of diamonds from the Ice Princess. The suspect is Holly… The phone disconnects, and Holly takes out a gun. She tells Laura, no more questions. She’s so sorry it’s come to this.

The caregiver asks, what’s in it for Ryan? and Ava says, for every interview he gives, she’ll be there too. He can bask in her presence while he gives law enforcement the information they need to take that wretched Esme down. So he gets her company, and gets credit for doing a public service for once in his life. The caregiver says, maybe he doesn’t understand, but Ava says, he understands all right. He’s toying with her. She tells Ryan, just imagine how much more toying he could do with her as a captive audience. Enough stalling. Do they have a deal or not?

Heather tells Scotty, she reads the papers. Everyone is hot to trot to find Anna, from the WSB to the PCPD. And who’s the only one who can put them on the right trail? Little ol’ her. Strike this bargain with her. Free her, and they can squeeze this city for a tidy sum. He says he doubts anybody is going to make that deal, but she says, he’ll never know until he tries.  Doesn’t he want a windfall to ease his grief? Anna killed Lucy Coe, the woman who was the mother to the only child he has left. He can get revenge and strike it rich at the same time. What does he say? He says, no. Nein. His German girlfriend taught him that.  She says she can’t believe he’s turning down a way to make a fast buck, and he says he’s got a full life right now. He’s not going to let her screw it up. She says, is this all because of his new girlfriend? Why did he come here if he didn’t want to help her? He says he wanted to see if she was up to anything crazy, so he could tell the cops. She says, think it through. She never forgets her friends, or her enemies. He says, neither does he, tells the guard to let him out of this nuthouse, and leaves.

Nikolas says he doesn’t know what Victor thinks is going on, and Victor says, the loaded looks, the hesitation about him moving in? He wasn’t born yesterday. He’s not shocked. He’s rather relieved Nikolas is behaving like a single man again. Nikolas says, it’s not what Victor thinks. He and Elizabeth are just friends. She’s been going through some things. Victor says, it’s nice they can comfort each other. He won’t cramp Nikolas’s style. Nikolas tells Victor, just do him a favor. Ava can’t know Elizabeth has been coming over. Victor says, of course (🍷) not. No need to make this divorce more complicated than Nikolas has made it already by sleeping with Spencer’s girlfriend. Nikolas thanks him for his discretion, and Victor says he’s on Nikolas’s side. All the more reason to put an end to this marriage once and for all.

Holly says, do as she asks, and no harm will come to Laura, and Laura says, like no harm came to Robert? She knew Holly wasn’t to be trusted, and hates that she was right. Holly says she doesn’t want to hurt Laura, and Laura says, Holly has a funny way of showing it. Put the gun down. Holly says she wishes she could, and Laura says, she can; just do it. Holly tells her to take the next exit, but Laura says, no. Holly says, they have a long history, but that won’t save her. She has no choice in this. Laura says, she always has a choice, but Holly says she doesn’t, and she will do what she has to. Laura says, why? Because she’s working for Victor Cassadine? Is that why she was whispering to Eileen Ashby? Is that why she stole Robert’s briefcase? Holly says, here’s the exit. It’s now or never.

Jordan says she thought Holly and Robert were friends. Why would she do something like this? He says, you tell me, and she says, if there’s something she should know, now’s the time to tell her. Her phone rings, and she steps outside to take it. Diane says, it seemed like he wanted to say something to the Commissioner. Why didn’t he? He asks what she means; he’s an open book. She says, come on. Holly is his ex-wife, but it’s obvious she stole the necklace and drugged him. He says he hasn’t had tequila in a while, and she says, he’s going to be in a lot of trouble with the WSB, but he says he can handle it. She tells him, said every cocky defendant she’s ever represented. She hopes he won’t mind being one of them, but her rates are exorbitant. She hopes whatever Holly got herself into doesn’t drag him down as well.

Nikolas tells Victor, they’ve been through this. He’ll divorce Ava, it’s complicated, he needs some time. Victor says his patience is wearing thin, but Nikolas says he’ll do what he must. He knows what’s at stake. Victor’s phone rings, and he says he hopes for Nikolas’s sake that’s true. They’re already on the launchpad. He goes out to the foyer, and tells Gavin, talk to him. What’s the status?… What does he mean, she’s disappeared?  

Outside of the car, Laura asks Holly if this is the end of the line. Is Holly going to kill her and leave her by the side of the road? Holly says, there’s been enough death. She punches some numbers into Laura’s phone, and says, perfect; there’s some recent calls. Laura asks what she’s doing, and Holly says, Laura’s family needs her, throwing the phone toward Laura. We hear a ring, and Doc says, hello? Laura picks it up, and says, help her please. She’s on Route 31 by the side of the road, near mile marker 35. Call Jordan. Tell her that Holly stole her car, and that she’s armed and dangerous.

The caregiver tells Ava that Ryan says, I can’t wait to see you again, my love. Mac says, tell him they’ll be in touch to schedule the first interview. They start to leave, but the caregiver says, he wasn’t done. He said, never fear, Ava. We’ll find Esme together. Ava and Ryan lock eyes (no pun intended) and Ava leaves with Mac and Dante.

Esme comes out of the bathroom, and says, that’s that. She shakes a few vitamins into her hand, and tosses the empty bottle on the bed. She says, don’t worry, Ace. Elizabeth will be back soon. They’ll tell her that they trashed the vitamins, and she’ll bring them more before these run out. She looks at the few vitamins in her hand, and says, all they have to do is scare her. Show her and Nikolas that they can’t be steamrolled. She knows what Ace’s grandfather would say, but she can’t risk hurting Ace, and being at Nikolas’s mercy. She’ll do what it takes to survive. She swallows a vitamin.

Heather walks into the rec room, and sees Ryan. She gasps, and the caregiver asks if they know each other. She says, everyone knows Ryan Chamberlain, and the caregiver says, the same could be said of you, Heather Webber. Heather backs up a bit, and the caregiver wheels Ryan out as Ryan stares at Heather.

Tomorrow, Olivia says, they’re still waiting on the man of the hour; Sonny asks if Nina wants to make new traditions; Laura wants the police to make sure it ends peacefully; and Alexis says, Jordan promised her, but didn’t deliver.

Below Deck

Alissa harps on Camille stocking the refrigerator, and in her interview, she says, Camille should respect her second stew position. She’s just doing her job, and getting bad vibes. Camille says she’s going to lose her sh*t, and on deck, Tony works out. In his interview, he says, working out is how he deals with stress. In 2011 he got depressed when his dad got sick, and tried to find a healthy way to deal with it. Working out is replacing soul pain with physical pain. In Fraser’s interview, he says, day one was bad, and he’s not feeling good about things, including his future in yachting. They need to work harder, better, and smarter. How? He’s not sure, but he needs the enthusiasm first. Guest Chad is up and looking for coffee, and Hayley tells Fraser that Chad looks incredibly hung over. In Hayley’s interview, she wonders, who the hell gets up that early after getting sh*tfaced night before? Fraser serves breakfast, and tells the guests they’ll be going to be beach later. Alissa tells Fraser that Camille stomped feet when she said Camille needed to back up the crew. In his interview, Fraser says he appreciates Alissa’s communication, even though it’s not the best news. In his last stint as chief stew, he let people off too easy. He needs to be more of a bitch. In Katie’s interview, she says she’s never worked on a boat this size, but she’s hardworking wants be doing the same as the guys. Owning her own boat is her goal. Rachel discusses the beach picnic with Fraser, and tells him that she’s making up serving boxes. In Rachel’s interview, she says, primary Peng is from Thailand, and she can’t wait to make the lunch. She lived in Thailand for a while, near the clubs where the ladyboys party. Fraser tells Camille, there’s a Reiki sound bath person coming to the beach, and she leaves with Alissa and Katie to help with service. At the beach, Camille says she can’t wait to get in the water, and Katie wonders if that’s allowed. In Camille’s interview, she forgets this is a job, and says, yachting is supposed to be fun. She and Ben get in the water, and Fraser radios that the guests are on the way. In Alissa’s interview, she says, they’re supposed to be working, but apparently Ben and Camille don’t give a f***.

Katie and Ben greet the guests, and Dr. Tanya arrives to do the sound bath thing. One of the guests – Ben? Chad? I don’t know – tells Camille, being gay is exhausting, and Camille says she should try it sometime. Dr. Tanya does her thing, and on the boat, Fraser helps Rachel pack the lunches. He heads for the beach with the food, and Captain Lee tells Rachel that he’s hoping to get rid of his crutches soon. In the captain’s interview, he says, the pain is gone; he just doesn’t look pretty walking. But he was never going to be a runway model anyway. Lunch is served on the beach, and the guests are thrilled with Rachel’s choice. Peng says, it’s like what his mom would pack him for a school lunch, and he got made fun of. Another guest – Chad? Ben? Jared? I don’t know – says, the kids with the bologna are teasing me. The guests return to the boat, and demand to see Tony’s abs. In Fraser’s interview, he says he’s a perfectionist. Mummy loves a challenge. In Rachel’s interview, she says, it’s important the dinner go well. She can’t have a repeat of the day before. When the guests’ experience is sub-par, you have to work harder to make them think it’s good. Fraser radios the crew to tell them, dress-up clothing for the Playboy mansion debaucherous evening is available. Hayley says some things in her interview that I’m not even repeating, and Rachel realizes the fish smells bad. In her interview, she says she ordered 45 pounds of frozen fish, but it wasn’t not frozen fresh. Dinner is f***ed. She calls Fraser to the galley, and says, the branzino is off. F*** my life.

Calling it the deadliest snatch, Rachel wonders how she’s going to pull off surf and turf without the surf. She hates her f***ing life. The captain asks what the dinner dress attire is, and Fraser says, debaucherous playboy. The captain is less than happy. In Tony’s interview, he says he likes his abs, but because of what he can do. We see clips of his various athletic talents, and he says, sometimes he feels like a piece of meat, but for the family, he will do it. In Ross’s interview, he says he enjoys the company of the fairer sex; sex being the operative word. Ugh. Hayley and Alissa discuss who fancies who, and Captain Lee mumbles that he’s being tossed to the wolves, as he gets ready to join the guests for dinner. He thanks them for the invite, and apologizes for being absent. He says, it’s a nerve issue, which will hopefully be resolved quickly, but until then, he’s the best they’ve got. In his interview, he says, it’s uncomfortable, but he can’t toss in the towel. Suck it up, cupcake. Truffle fries are served, and the captain says, Rachel is a treasure. In Rachel’s interview, she says, somehow, some way, she pulled it off. Per the guests’ request, Peng’s face is everywhere in the décor. The guests take photos and drink shots, and Camille radios the crew that they’re asking for exotic dancers. Ben wakes up Tony, and says, they have to dance. In Tony’s interview, he says, whatever the guests want, they get. Peng sits in a chair, while they do what maybe could pass for a lap dance at a distance. In his interview, Tony says, he doesn’t know what to do. He’s got nothing. He’s the worst Latino ever. Alissa tells Camille to clean the salon, and when Camille is eating something in the crew mess, Alissa tells her what she didn’t do. She says she doesn’t want any pouting, and Camille says, it’s her delivery.

Tony makes a lot of noises while he works out. The sea is rough, and Captain Lee says, don’t f*** with him; he’s not in the mood. In his interview, he says, the weather there in unpredictable. It’s called Windward Islands for a reason. The docking is going to be challenging. The wind is at 29 knots, and he says, the boat is like a pinball in a machine. WTF? Camille delivers the captain’s laundry, and Alissa calls her mother. Fraser says, her mom sounds adorable, and she tells him that she’s closest with her mom. When her parents divorced, she lived with her dad, and he was pretty negative. He had primary custody, and her mom would get them on weekends. Her dad was mean, and was hard on her. In Alissa’s interview, she says, her dad was a strict, devout Christian, and having a controlling parent caused her to become soft and submissive. Her mom was inconsistent. One time, she said she’d see them next weekend, and they didn’t see her for two and a half years. Being a kid, she automatically forgave, but it feels like standing up for herself is important now. Captain Lee’s shirt is way too tight, and he tells Fraser, it’s the wrong size. Fraser gets Camille, and they search for a large, but can’t find one. The captain tells her that he should have three, and she apologizes. He calmly dons a polo. Ross goes over anchoring with the deckhands, and in his interview, he says, they have great attitudes, and he loves them, even though Tony is green. It’s a load on him, and he hopes to spread his load… his work load. He laughs at his own awful joke, and I’m not liking him a whole lot. In Captain Lee’s interview, he says he’s as nervous as a whore in the front row pew at church. The have mountains all around, and a pass that the wind funnels through. They’re big sail. It’s a tricky dock, but you get paid the big bucks to make the hard calls. The wind is at 37 knots, and the captain curses his life.

At 27 knots, the captain heaves a sigh. He calls the deck crew to the wheelhouse, and in his interview, he says, Mother Nature is a bad ass bitch. He tells the deck crew that they’re going to find a spot for the guests to disembark, and ferry their asses in. In the captain’s interview, he says, it’s a 200 foot boat, and a lot to spend if they f*** up. They anchor outside of the marina, and Captain Lee tells Fraser, they’re going to launch a tender. The guests pack, and guest Jared thinks he’s leaving with more than he came with. I identify. Captain Lee radios the crew to be on the aft deck in five minutes in their whites. Camille asks if the captain is upset, but he says, if he was, there would be no doubt in her mind. Fraser promises to fix the situation. Peng tells the crew that service was great, except for having to find the soap and toilet paper. But they were brought all the alcohol, and they love to drink. They did feel bad waking Tony up, and Tony says, it was a new experience. Peng gives the captain the tip envelope, and the guests get in the tender, yelling, wooooo! as they leave. The crew changes, and Captain Lee radios them to meet in the Sky Lounge. He says, the guests loved the crew’s involvement, and thanks them for going above and beyond. The tip is $25K, or $2100 each. The captain says, it’s a healthy start, and in Hayley’s interview, she says, she’s already envisioning the Louis Vuitton handbag she’s buying in the airport on the way home. Captain Lee says, that put some smiles on their faces, and the crew gets ready to go out. Tony tells Ben that the girls are all beautiful, but he’s not vibing, and Ben says he likes Camille. He wasn’t keen on Allison, but he’s starting to warm up to her. In the galley, Fraser hands Rachel a cucumber, and says, sometimes you don’t need words. In Camille’s interview, she says she wants to know Ben more. He’s a little shy, and she wants to open up so he can come in. I’m not quite sure what she means by that. Alisson tells Hayley that she knows Camille likes Ben, but Camille’s been a bitch to her, so she’s going to flirt with him. She doesn’t owe anybody anything. As usual, the yachting industry finds the least likeable and most immature people.

The crew heads out, taking a tender to shore. At the restaurant, Camille asks everyone to join hands, and says she hopes they all have a great season and stay safe. They’re going to get f***Ing slammed tonight because they had great charter. She makes small talk with Ben, but Alisson tries to block her with some flirting, and telling him that she should have worn underwear. In Hayley’s interview, she says, as uncomfortable as this is, she’s enjoying watching it. Who should she put her money on? Ben says he thought his last girlfriend was serious, and he ended up heartbroken. In his interview, he says he lost her to drugs and alcohol. So he got out, and came to join the big white boats. Camille asks, what do they call the guys in yachting? and Ben says, sluts? She says, lost boys, and in Camille’s interview, she says, she dated a big deal quarterback who cheated on her. She was depressed and anxious, and just wanted to get away. She didn’t want anyone to know her. A lot of people get away from their demons in yachting. Fraser tells Hayley that yachting is misunderstood, and she says, people assume they work on cruse ships. He says he’d rather his funeral be rotting in a car park than setting foot on cruise ship. The crew goes back to the boat, and they change to get in the hot tub, but it’s cold, so they go back downstairs. Camille twerks, and gives Ben a lap dance. In Alissa’s interview, she says, she’d never chase a man. Camille is a man chaser, but she’s not. If you don’t have a brain, you have to use something, and Camille uses her ass. Camille asks if Ben enjoyed it. He gets up, and… OH MY GOD, MY EYES!!!! Yeah, he liked it. In her interview, Alissa says, Camille lowered her value. She’s a dirty, disgusting, trashy, swampy bitch.

The morning dawns in a gorgeous place, and it’s 31 hours before charter. Captain Lee says, f*** me, and in his interview, he says, everything is numb. He’s not progressing at the rate he anticipated, and the pain is worse. He can barely stand. In fact, he can’t stand. He says, mother***er.

Next time, a charter of medical doctors; Fraser mistakenly calls the doctors nurses; Alissa and Camille clash; and Camille says, Alissa isn’t her boss. I wonder if that’s the actual problem, since Camille is a floater. Technically, Fraser and Ross are her bosses.

⛴ Oh yeah, the Below Deck Mediterranean Reunion. It was boring AF. Natasha and Jason weren’t there. No doubt with Jason it was sour grapes, since he didn’t end on a great note. Tasha said she was working, but hard to buy that, since almost everyone else was too. Nothing was new news, except there was a show of hands for who thought Tasha did Dave dirty. Everyone raised their hands except Kyle, who said they were both at fault, and that gets my vote too. Tasha had no business stringing Dave along, but he did get overly aggressive, which wasn’t cool when you’re trapped on a boat. Oh, and it was revealed Natalya and Storm got busy in a secret location during charter. The show was one of those Watch What Happens Live virtual things, which I think takes a lot away from it, but maybe no one was that interesting to start with.

🥃 Southern Hospitality is worth a look. It’s like Vanderpump Rules, but in the south. Seriously, it’s not much different. If you like one, you’ll like the other.  

💳 Black Friday For Days…

Join me tomorrow for more Thanksgiving in Port Charles, some tea, and music. Until then, stay safe, stay being open to new viewpoints, and stay finding healthy ways to deal with heartache. Like replacing soul pain with physical pain.

November 10, 2022 – The PCPD Hunts Three Fugitives, Can’t Unsee That House, Solo Charm & Soldier

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Nina and Ava clink martini glasses at the PC Grill, and Nina asks what they’re drinking to. Ava says, roommates, and her gratitude to Nina for taking her in. Nina suggests they drink to Ava’s freedom, now that she’s declared her new independence from all things Cassadine. Ava says, freedom isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, is it? and Nina says, Ava misses him. Ava says, she does; Victor, not so much. She thinks they should drink to love, since Nina has found it with Sonny, and Nina says, things with Sonny have never been better, even though she tests the relationship by getting into everyone else’s business, but she’s only doing that because she’s trying to help his family. Ava asks what Nina did, and Nina says, Willow is spending more time with her hunky doctor friend than she does with Michael. Ava says, and what is a well-meaning woman like Nina to think?

Michael says he wants to ask Willow a favor, and she says, whatever it is, she’ll do her best. He says, she’s in the fight of her life right now, but she’s not in it alone. Their baby is with her, he’s with her, and Wiley is with her. So please, from now on, can she be honest?

At the gatehouse on the phone, Josslyn says, four bedtime stories later, Wiley’s finally asleep. Still at work, Cameron says, she’s such a good big sister to babysit at the last minute. She says she babysat for one night. Meanwhile, he’s been babysitting Jake and Aiden for half his life. He says, they’re not always thrilled about that, but she says, they’re lucky to have him. And so is she. He says, just for that, he’ll come over and help her babysit, but she says he doesn’t have to. He says he wants to. He’ll finish up at Kelly’s, and he’ll make his way over to her. She says, all right. She’ll see him whenever. He comes out, and sees a woman sitting at one of the tables. He says, the kitchen is closing up, and asks if he can get her anything. Heather says she hears the BLTs are to die for.

On the phone at the crash scene, Jordan says, check all the locations in the file, and report back. She tells Dante that she has a patrol car checking out all prior locations listed for Heather Webber, but it’s going to take a while. She has a long history in Port Charles. Him? He says, nothing. No Anna, no Heather, no driver. She says, according to Mac, they found Jack Hicks, the intended driver that was supposed to take Anna to Pentenville. He says, alive? and she says, alive and completely unharmed. They found him tied up in a vacant lot with a bag over his head. His license and ID badge were missing, and it seems he was grabbed from behind; he never saw who did it. Dante says he knows Hicks. He’s telling the truth. Jordan says, which means someone planted a phony driver, and Dante says, the guard must have caught on to what was going on, pulled the wheel, and caused the crash. She says, now they have two fugitives, and he says, but not remotely equal threats, right? Anna has an agenda, but Heather Webber is capable of anything.

Josslyn sits down to study, and someone lurks outside.

On the phone at the docks, Elizabeth asks, how long before the launch returns?… She needs to get to Spoon Island immediately… Okay. She’ll call Mr. Cassadine herself. She hears something, and asks, who’s there? She’s not alone. Esme comes out from behind a crate, and says, true; she’s not alone. It’s just you and me.

Nina tells Ava, Willow’s been spending so much time consulting with TJ Ashford, always whispering with each other. It’s weird. She had to speak up. Ava tells her, admit it. After the way Michael and Willow shut her out of Wiley’s life, she couldn’t wait to get in there and stir that pot. Nina says she doesn’t know that that’s it… All right. In retrospect, maybe she misinterpreted their relationship. Ava says, if that’s the case, Nina should have no problem setting it right, and Nina says she’d love to do that. She just doesn’t know how to. Ava says, Nina starts by swallowing her pride, and apologizing for misjudging Willow.

Michael says he understands why Willow didn’t want to tell him when she was first diagnosed, and he’s not asking for or expecting full disclosure. If there’s something she doesn’t want to tell him, he can accept that, but when she does tell him something, he needs her to be honest. She says she honestly needs him to hold her, and he does.

Someone walks around the gatehouse, and Josslyn wonders if Annabelle got out. She opens the door, and sees Dex wandering around. She asks what the hell he’s doing here, and realizes he’s bleeding.

Jordan says, it’s hard to believe Heather Webber has an accomplice capable of breaking her out of custody, and Dante says, her last connection to the outside world was Franco. Jordan says, which means someone set this up for Anna to escape. The judge got one thing right when they denied bail; Anna has the skills to disappear. Dante says, and the motivation to prove her innocence, whether she does that by finding Lucy, or finding out who made Lucy disappear. He wonders who arranged the whole thing, and Jordan says, Valentin Cassadine. Dante says, he’s not in his office, he’s not in his MetroCourt hotel room, and he’s not answering the phone number they have for him, and she says, if it wasn’t Valentin, someone else helped Anna. He says, like who? and she says, his father and Anna are close, aren’t they?

Cameron says he knows Heather; she’s Franco’s mom. Isn’t she supposed to be… someplace else? She says, aren’t we all? It’s Cam, right? She remembers when he was just a lad, playing games with that sweet little Emma. He says, she’s still sweet, but she’s all grown up now, and Heather says, and that privileged brat, Spencer Cassadine. Did he grow up to be more obnoxious than ever? He says, Spencer hasn’t had it as easy as she thinks, and she says, good. She remembers chasing the three of them all over Spoon Island, as if she was some kind of monster. Imagine. He says, who could forget? and asks if there’s someone he should call for her. She asks him to come closer, and when he does, she says, yes. She can see Franco in his eyes. He says, she does realize they’re not related, right? but she says, the good live on because we keep them alive. But the bad, they get what they deserve.

Elizabeth tells Esme that Nikolas said she fled the country, and Esme tells her, Nikolas says a lot of things… all of them lies. And if she knows Nikolas, he’s made sure the launch stays on the island. Elizabeth says she’s calling the police, and Esme says, why? She hasn’t done anything. Elizabeth says, she tried to poison that bartender to keep him from testifying for Trina, she took that video of her son and Josslyn; she’s sick. She tells the operator that she just spotted a fugitive. Esme Prince is on Pier 55. Esme lunges for Elizabeth, grabbing at the phone, and Elizabeth falls, hitting her head. Esme bends down, and Elizabeth opens her eyes for a moment, but everything is fuzzy, and she blacks out.

Willow says she wants a favor from Michael too. She doesn’t want to tell anyone yet. He says, his family is her family. They love her, and will support her. She says she knows they will, but they’ll also treat her differently. They won’t see her anymore; they’ll see her with leukemia. She’s just not ready for that. He says he gets it. She’s the one with leukemia, so she gets to fight the way feels is best, but how long can they keep this a secret when they need to find a donor match?

Nina finishes her martini, and gets up. Ava asks where she’s going, and Nina says, Ava suggested she apologize to Willow. Ava tells Nina not to do it on her account. She doesn’t want to be the one to lead Nina astray. Ava tells the waiter, two more, but Nina says, just one more, and says, Ava only pointed out what she already knew. She needs to make almonds amends, and own up to her mistakes. Ava says, good luck then, and Nina says she has the feeling she’s going to need it. She leaves, and Victor is outside. He says, how unexpected. No Mr. Corinthos to protect her? Nina says she doesn’t need Sonny’s protection from the likes of him, and keeps walking. He chuckles, and looks inside to see Ava draining her martini. He takes out his phone, and says, any word yet on his son?… Keep looking. If you find Valentin, you’ll find Anna, and whoever else aided and abetted her escape.

Josslyn helps Dex to the couch, and asks, what happened? Breathing heavily, he says, he can’t… and she says, he can lie to her later. She asks to see his wound, and he says he doesn’t lie to her. She says, okay. He can refuse to answer her later. Let her see his side. She pulls aside his shirt, seeing his bloody T-shirt, and he says, it’s just a crease. No internal bleeding; no bullet to get out. She says, he’s shot, and he says he shouldn’t be here. She says, but he is, and he’s bleeding from a gun wound. Give her one good reason not to call the cops. He says he’s asking her not to.

Cameron puts a BLT and fries in front of Heather, and she says, no ketchup? He goes to get some, and she tells the sandwich, I’ve missed you. She takes a blissful bite, and Cameron brings the ketchup. She bangs on the bottom of the bottle to get it out, and talking with her mouth full, she says, so he must be in college by now. He asks how she knows, considering she’s been away. She says, Franco came to visit Her at D’Archam a few times. He couldn’t stop talking about Cameron and his brothers. Cameron says he misses Franco every day, and she says, you and me both. She never had the chance to say goodbye. She picks up a steak knife, and says, Cameron never told her, what’s the latest on his royal highness, Prince Spencer? Cameron says, he’s in Pentenville, and she says, really? With his connections? He must have committed a major felony. Homicide? Grand larceny? It doesn’t matter. It’s nice to know he’s in the same club. He asks if she likes it behind bars, and she says, it’s home. He asks what exactly she’s doing here, and I gotta say, I’m loving this Heather.

Dante tells Jordan, it’s no secret Anna and his father are friends, and it did occur to him that Sonny might be involved in this. She says, she doesn’t expect him to bring in his father for questioning. She’ll speak to Sonny herself. Her phone rings, and she says she hopes it’s Mac with a lead. She answers, then says, send every unit in the area. They can’t let her get away. Dante says, Heather? but she says, Esme Prince was spotted on Pier 55. He says, copy that, and she says, wait here. She’ll handle Esme.

Nikolas grabs Esme from behind, and asks what she did to Elizabeth. She says, nothing. She tripped. Nikolas says, she’s lying, and asks if Esme stabbed her. Is she bleeding? Esme says, no. She just fell down. Elizabeth sees a fuzzy Nikolas become clear, and he says, trust me. She passes out again.

Willow says, Terry has already put her in the registry, and is searching for a donor, and Michael says, maybe there’s more they can do. The best donor would be a relative. She says she doesn’t have any. Her father could be anyone, and her birth mother vanished without a trace. There’s a knock on the door, Michael says, come in, and Nina walks in.

Josslyn says, Dex is lucky Willow is a nurse. She has way more than bandages in this thing. She opens a first aid kit, and he asks if there’s a suture kit. She asks if he means like needles for stitches, and he says he can use a sewing needle, but it’s better if it’s sterile. She says, better is he’s in a hospital, but he says he can’t. She says, he won’t, and those are two different concepts entirely. He says he never should have come here, and she asks why he did. He says he’s not thinking clearly; he just got shot. He doesn’t want her involved in this, but she says, it’s a little late for that. He says he knows it’s too late. He messed up. The less she knows, the better. Give him the kit. She asks if he’s going to sew himself up, and he says, it’s better than continuing to bleed. She says, okay, Jason Bourne. She’s not going to stand here while he sews himself up. He says, then leave the room, but she says, no.

Heather shovels fries in her mouth, and tells Cameron, there’s nothing like this back at D’Archam. She told JoJo, you use too much grease. You should try the duck fat. But he thinks she’s crazy. Cameron asks how she got here, and she says, field trip. As good as these fries are, she’s going to need a soda to wash it down. A can, but put ice in a glass. He says, coming right up, goes in the back, and calls Dante.

Dante asks, what’s up? and Cameron says, Heather Webber is at Kelly’s. Dante says he’s on his way, and Cameron brings Heather’s soda and glass of ice to the table. He says, anything else? and she picks up the knife again. She says, he called the cops, didn’t he?

Ava is working on her second martini, and Victor says, may I? He sits across from her, but she says she’s here with a friend. He says he’ll keep her seat warm. Just because Ava and Nikolas have finally seen the light, and agreed to divorce, doesn’t mean they have to be enemies. She tells him, says man the holding Nikolas’s confession over his head, and he says, we use the tools we’re given. He’s sorry things between her and his nephew didn’t work out, but honestly, it’s better for everyone if it’s over. She says, the divorce isn’t final; nothing’s over yet. He says, she has far too much going on to be dragged down by a marriage that can only end one of two ways – badly or very badly. She says, don’t be so sure, and he says he’s very sure she and Nikolas bring out the worst in each other. Just ask the late Esme Prince.

Esme struggles with Demetrius outside of Windymere, and Nikolas says, if she’d be good enough to step inside. She says, tell his Greek freak to let go of her, and Demetrius pushes her in the castle. Nikolas thanks him, and says he’ll remember Demetrius at Christmas. Demetrius leaves, and Esme says, every time she thinks Nikolas can’t sink any lower, he proves her wrong. Is this really how he treats his friends, leaving Miss Baldwin out on the pier? He says, Elizabeth was safer there, waiting for the authorities, than being with Esme another second. Esme says, when Elizabeth wakes up, he’s toast.

Deanna tells Elizabeth, try to relax, and Elizabeth says, and let the IV do its work. Deanna says, she’s got it, when Jordan comes in. Deanna says she needs to wait outside, but Jordan says, it’s a police matter. How is she? Deanna says, the attending says she has a mild concussion. They’re monitoring her. Jordan says she needs to ask some questions, but Deanna says, it’s not a good time. Jordan says, she’ll make it brief, and Deanna says she’ll see what Dr. Westbourne has to say, but Elizabeth says, it’s okay. Deanna says she’ll be right outside if Elizabeth needs her, and tells Jordan, brief questions. She leaves, and Jordan says, she was on Route 55 when she heard Elizabeth had been brought in. She needs to know who did this to her.

Nina says she needs to speak to Willow, but Michael says he doesn’t care. She needs to leave now, or he’ll have security escort her out. Willow says, it’s okay. Is this about TJ and her? Their secret affair? Nina says she needs to apologize. She completely misinterpreted the situation. Michael says, she saw a chance to cause trouble, and she took it, but Nina says, believe it or not, she was thinking about Wiley. She didn’t want him to deal with the pain of a broken home. Michael says, Nina wasn’t thinking about him. She barges in, tears the family apart, and takes what she wants. Nina says, for once, this isn’t about Michael and his endless grudge. She came here because she’s truly, truly sorry. Willow says, how dare Nina imply she’s ever be unfaithful? That she would jeopardize the family that means everything to her? Nina says, she was wrong. She wants to make almonds amends. Is there anything she can do? Willow says, there is something she can do – drop dead. She walks out, Michael following.

Josslyn cuts Dex’s shirt off, but the part over the wound is stuck by the blood. She says, this part’s sticking, but he tells her, just pull it off. She says, on three. One… two… She rips it off, and he yelps, saying, she told him three. She says, sorry. She thought it would hurt less if she surprised him. He says, no more surprises, and she says, this is disgusting; she’s never done this before. He says he told her, he’ll do it, but she says, no. She asks if he thinks he could stand. She thinks she’d have a better angle. She helps him up, and says, maybe he should lie down, but he says he’ll be fine. Just give him a chair or something to lean on. He feels dizzy, and might lose his balance.

Cameron asks why Heather thinks he’d call the cops, and she says she  tries not to raise her expectations. Dante looks in the window, and she says, people are flawed, and she’s learned to accept their failings, for the most part. Didn’t Franco ever tell him the story of Pinocchio, and what happened to the little wooden boy when he told a lie? Cameron says, his nose grew, but she says, no. He was carved into little pieces and turned into sawdust… Just kidding. She laughs, and Dante comes in. He says, police. Hands where he can see them. She raises her hands, and asks, what took him so long?

Elizabeth says she was on her way to Spoon Island, to Windymere, and Jordan asks, what happened? She says, Esme happened, and Jordan asks if Esme attacked her, but Elizabeth says she’s not really sure. She knew Esme was coming toward her, but the next thing she knew, she was on the ground. Jordan asks, what prevented Esme from doing worse? and Elizabeth says, not what; who. Someone else was there.

Nikolas says, Esme doesn’t know Elizabeth. She won’t give him up. Esme says she woudn’t be too sure about that. Before she could stop her, Elizabeth called 9-1-1 and told them she’d seen Esme Prince. He says, Elizabeth was disoriented; she could have imagined it. She says, keep telling himself that. And what happens when Elizabeth’s head clears, and she realizes Esme was there? And what happens when the cops get wind of her being back in Port Charles? Where does he think they’ll look first? Here, her last known residence. So face it, when Elizabeth starts talking, his days are numbered. He says he woudn’t gloat. If his days are numbered, so are hers.

Esme says she bets Nikolas is thinking of all the ways he’d like to dispose of her. Toss her off a parapet; been there, done that. Shoot her; guns can be traced. Knife, ax, chainsaw; ugh, the mess. His dry cleaner would never forgive him. Or she supposes he could go all Borgia on her and poison her soup, but then what becomes of the next Cassadine? He says, she’s right; it’s quite a conundrum. And if she’s also right about the police, he can’t keep her here, especially after she tried to kill him. She says, really? and he says, as real as the hook she tried to use. She says she doesn’t know who attacked him, but it wasn’t her, and he says, right. Like she didn’t try to kill Ava and Diane Miller. Or succeed in killing Brando and Oz Haggerty. She says she didn’t hurt those people. She’s innocent. He says, she may be many things, but innocent is one thing she isn’t.

Elizabeth tells Jordan, her head was spinning. All she could see was Esme standing over her. Jordan asks if she was holding anything, and Elizabeth says, like a hook? No. Or if she was, Elizabeth didn’t see it. Jordan says, but she did see someone else on the pier. Who was it? Elizabeth says she doesn’t know, and Jordan asks if she can describe them. Elizabeth says, all she knows is, somebody was there. Then she heard sirens, and she must have passed out. She’s sorry she doesn’t remember more. Jordan says, she’s been helpful, but if she remembers anything else, call her. On her way out the door, she radios for a BOLO out on Esme Prince; consider her armed and dangerous.

Dante says he needs Heather to drop the knife please, and she says, since he asked so nicely… She drops it on the floor, and asks if he wants to share the rest of her sandwich. He says, no thanks, and picks up the knife with the hanky he apparently carries. I don’t know one human who carries an actual hanky, and this has been two in two days. He says, a lot of people are worried about her, and she says she’s sorry to hear it. She was on her way home to D’Archam, and found herself by the side of the road, feeling hungry, and she found herself at Kelly’s with little Cam. What are the odds? He says, life is pretty funny, huh? About the accident, does she know what caused it? She says, not a clue. Sure he doesn’t want to split the sandwich? He says he wishes; he’s on a diet. He asks Cameron to wrap up the sandwich, so Heather can take it with her, and Heather says she wants the fries too. Cameron takes them to box them up, and Heather says, both handsome and kind. The quality of the public servants in Port Charles has definitely improved.

Ava says, Victor must be frantic, searching high and low for Lucy. How does he find the time to meddle in her love life? He says his heart yearns to be with Lucy again, no matter how futile the longing. But seeing her eases the pain. He sees a bright future ahead for her. Nina comes back, and Ava says, Victor was just leaving. Johann, wearing a new beard, peeks in, and Victor says, perfect timing. Always a pleasure. He leaves, and Nina sits down. Ava asks, how’d it go? Tell her what happened. Putting her elbows on the table, Nina cups her chin with her hands.

Victor says, any news about his son? but Johann says, nothing. Victor says, what about Anna? and Johann says, not a trace. There’s a family matter of particular importance to Victor.

Josslyn says, if Dex passes out, and rips this open, this is all for nothing. He says he’s not passing out; it hurts too much. She tells him, talk to her. Say anything. Talk to her as a distraction. He says he doesn’t want her distracted, but she says, no, not for her; for him. As she works, he says, someday, he’d like to live by the ocean and learn to surf. She asks, why surfing? and he says, it just seems peaceful to be out on the water, with no distractions – he winces in pain – just sky, and the waves, and the sound of the ocean. She says, it can be like that, and he says, she knows how to surf? She says, her dad’s Australian. She didn’t really have a choice. He asks if it’s hard to learn, but she says she doesn’t remember learning. She just kind of always knew how. He asks if she could teach someone, and she says, that depends. He says, on what? and she says, on who wants to learn. It’s all done.

Josslyn comes out with a shirt, and tells Dex, this is Michael’s. Dex says, he won’t miss it? and she says, he has a lot of shirts. She helps him up, and into the sleeves, and they share a lingering look. He says he’s got it, and buttons the shirt. She gathers up his clothes in a sheet, and says she’ll take this stuff to the car until they can figure out what to do with it. She leaves, and he says, unbelievable. The room lights up with the headlights of a car pulling into the driveway.

Ava tells Nina that she’s sorry. She never should have suggested it. Nina says, that’s okay. It was her bright idea to go rushing out and apologize to Willow. She was not open to it at all. She was offensive and offended. Can Ava do her a favor? The next time she decides to reach out an olive branch to Willow, tell her to forget about it. Victor approaches, and says he apologies for the interruption, but he’s just been given some important information. Ava says, about Lucy? but he says, sadly no; about another missing person. The police have issued a be-on-the-lookout for a Miss Esme Prince. Apparently, she’s been spotted in Port Charles alive and well. He says, ladies, and leaves, Ava possibly swallowing her olive.

Deanna says, any pain? and Elizabeth says, a slight headache. Deanna says, dizziness, nausea? and Elizabeth says, no. Deanna says, blurry vision? Sensitivity to light? Elizabeth says, no and no. She thinks the attending is just erring on the side of caution even calling it a minor concussion. She’s pretty sure it’s just a bump on the head. Deanna says, nice try. Elizabeth is still going to stay here for monitoring. Jordan comes back, and Deanna says, she thought the questions were finished. Jordan says, they are. She just wanted to give Elizabeth an update. Deanna says, make it fast, and leaves. Jordan says, she’s very protective, and Elizabeth says, she’s an excellent nurse. Jordan says she doesn’t want Deanna throwing her out, so she’ll make it fast. She’s issued a be-on-the-lookout for Esme Prince. There have been no other sightings yet, but thanks to Elizabeth’s quick thinking, she won’t get too far. She’s glad Elizabeth is okay. She really had a guardian angel looking out for her tonight. Jordan leaves, and Elizabeth flashes back to Nikolas saying, trust me.

On the phone, Nikolas says, that’s great news, and tells Esme, Elizabeth is okay. She says, he has all this concern for Elizabeth, yet he keeps the mother of his child prisoner. He says, she won’t be locked up forever. Once she gives birth to his child, he’s done with her. He takes her sheets, and leaves. She says, we’ll see about that.

Cameron brings out Heather’s to-go bag, and she says, thank you, sweet boy. He says, she’s welcome, and Dante asks if she’s ready to go, holding out his arm. She tells Cameron, it’s a delicious sandwich, and such generous portions. She always likes when there’s some to take home. She feels awful not being able to pay, but he says, it’s on the house. She says, how lovely, and takes Dante’s arm. In a Southern accent, she says, I always have depended on the kindness of strangers. Back to her normal voice, she says she doesn’t want Cameron to be a stranger, and Dante leads her away.

Outside the gatehouse, Michael asks if Willow is tired, and she says, exhausted. Also relieved. They go inside, and Michael calls for Josslyn. Josslyn dashes in, and Michael asks, where was she? She says she was just checking on Annabelle, making sure she didn’t mess up any of the flowerbeds. Willow says, bless you. Annabelle is a sweet dog, but no garden is safe when she’s around. Michael asks why there’s a chair in the middle of the living room, and Josslyn says she had to study, and all of their furniture is so comfortable. She pulled that chair over. She sees a bloody cotton ball on the floor, and grabs it, as Michael puts away the chair, stashing it in her backpack. He asks how Wiley was, and she says, he’s great. She read him four bedtime stories, and he passed out. He thanks her for filling in, and she says, of course (🍷), but if he wants to thank her, he should take Willow to bed. She’s exhausted. Willow says she heard that, and Michael and Josslyn say, goodnight. Josslyn leaves, and Michael sits next to Willow. He asks if she needs anything, but she says, just him.

Outside, Josslyn sees fresh blood on a leaf, and says, he’s still bleeding… Dex.

Tomorrow, Britt says, there’s a bomb in her brain; Josslyn hopes it’s worth it; Sonny says, Dex could be anywhere; and Cyrus says, if Anna is on the run, it’s best she stays that way.

❄️ On Winter House, the worst reality show ever made, at least recently, Paige wept to Amanda about Craig’s a-holeness. Amanda said, boys are just annoying in general, totally missing the point that these boys should have turned to men a good decade ago. In their joint interview, the Toms said they’d been so busy opening the bar, they needed this, as Sandoval twirled his Barnum & Bailey ringmaster moustache. Sandoval said he’d packed some amazing LEDs, and Schwartz said, it would be open to interpretation. Sandoval blew a bugle to begin the festivities, and started everyone off with a buzz button shot. I’d never heard of this, but according to specialtyproduce.com,  Buzz Button™ flowers contain a grassy, citrus-like flavor with mild astringency. When consumed, the flowers release an active compound that gives the mouth a numbing, tingling sensation and stimulates the saliva glands inducing a natural cooling effect. Apparently, you eat the flower first, then have the shot. I will be giving this a hard pass should I come across it. The Toms had done up the basement, giving it a disco in your grandma’s basement vibe. As is often the case, the whole thing ended up being creepy unappealing, kind of like the ghost of a high school dance without chaperones. Paige told Craig that she didn’t like feeling like she was involved in a confrontation that she wasn’t personally involved in, and tried to explain that being a couple meant you were an extension of the other person. In Craig’s interview, he said, Paige had patiently sat through days of him fighting with her friends, and never said anything. He was relieved, but nervous, since he didn’t know how many chances he’d be getting. He would have run out after the first time if I was dating him. Seriously, what the hell? Paige can’t find someone who isn’t volatile and unpredictable? Amanda asked Schwarz about Katie, and he said, it was complex. He hadn’t been present in his marriage, and couldn’t imagine his life without her. In his interview, he said he wanted to respect Katie’s privacy, and wasn’t ready to talk about their divorce. Rachel kissed Jason, Kory got busy with Jess, and Amanda dressed like a polar bear. I heard things I didn’t want to hear, and saw things I can’t unsee. To his credit, Kory finally covered the camera, but it was too late. My eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

The Toms had to take off early in the morning, and Kyle and Amanda were taking a day trip to see Kyle’s grandmother, who was turning 99. I have to say, she looked damn good for nearly 100. In Paige’s interview, she said she was fine once Craig admitted he was an a-hole. As long as he knew he was doing wrong, and took an ounce of ownership, she was a peach. I felt like I was being punked within a punk, because I just don’t get it. Jess told Rachel details about Kory that I can’t unhear, and said she thought Paige had wanted to hook him up with Ciara, and was holding it against her. It seemed like Paige liked her when she first got here, but not now. Rachel said her night was PG, and Jason told Luke that if Rachel had a hook-up in mind, he was there for it, but he was glad she wasn’t in a rush. Austen told Luke that he’d come to have fun with his friends, get drunk, and escape, and his plan was a success.  Luke asked how it was hanging out with someone he had a history with, and Austen said, the last person he’d slept with was Ciara. In Austen’s interview, he said, Ciara was pretty, but he had real feelings for Olivia. She was everything. He was happy that he was getting along with everyone, but would like the girl he was dating there so he could enjoy it to the max. He called Olivia in Vegas, and said she should join him, but she was happy being in a warmer climate.

In Amanda’s interview, she said she’d been off birth control since after the wedding, and hadn’t had a period. We flashed back to her saying that she wasn’t sure if she could have kids, and she said she was happy just being married. They weren’t ready to have kids, and she had her dogs. This is probably the only thing she and I will ever correlate on. Craig, Paige, Kory, and Jess went bowling, and in Jess’s interview, she said she was glad Kory was competitive like herself. She couldn’t date a loser. Rachel told Paige that Jess was feeling left out, and Amanda said, every time she looked for Jess, she was hanging out with the guys. In Paige’s interview, she said she was dumbfounded. She even said Jess could shower in her bathroom; that was inclusive. Austen told Amanda that he was thinking about asking Olivia to join them, and Amanda thought it was a great idea. In Amanda’s interview, she said, based on what Ciara had said, she thought Ciara and Austen could be friends and move on. Luke put some nails in the top of a stump of wood, and everyone took turns whacking them with a hammer. I’m not sure if it was a game or a competition, but it was pretty boring. Except for Craig missing the nail totally, and dropping the hammer. Amanda told Ciara that Austen was possibly inviting Olivia to the house, saying, she couldn’t hold on to that knowledge. In other words, because she’s 12, she couldn’t wait a minute, and let Austen discuss it with Ciara. Amanda said, Austen missed Olivia, and Ciara seemed bummed. Amanda wondered if she’d misread the situation, and Ciara said, Austen would hate it if she was here with someone else. In Ciara’s interview, she said, Austen was jeopardizing their friendship, and his relationship. He hadn’t been on his best behavior, and can’t help flirting with her. Go ahead and f*** it up early; do her a favor. Ciara tells Paige that if Olivia comes, she’s going to leave, and Paige says, if Austen was her boyfriend, she woudn’t be happy about how he’s been acting toward Ciara.

Paige said she’d thought Ciara was more over it, and Amanda said she felt like a bad friend. She asked if Ciara was upset, and Ciara said she was ready to go home. Amanda wondered if it would feel different if Austen had said he was serious about Olivia, and Paige said, it might feel different if Austen hadn’t been eyeing Ciara up and down. We flashed back to that, and Amanda said, if Ciara wasn’t going to enjoy her vacation, it wasn’t fair for Austen to bring someone in. Kyle wondered what was on the agenda for tomorrow, and suggested they do oysters and Viagra. Rachel said she was having her garden party, and in her interview, she said she has a relationship with flowers. They helped her get through the hardest things. She was okay with being alone; she has a cat. In a side moment, Jason dropped a potato chip, and threw it out, saying, normally, he’d eat a chip off the floor, but not here. I include this because it seems like a good metaphor for the show as a whole. That chip you dropped in the one place you’d never apply the five-second rule to. Like maybe a pig sty. There were more sounds I didn’t want to hear, and it again reminded me so much of The Real World, except with older people who shouldn’t be acting like they’re 18-23. Or 15. Luke couldn’t seem to pronounce bagel properly, and kept saying baggle, pissing Paige off. Jason said he’d had a request for chicken parm, and would be cooking tonight. The guys went to a bar, while the girls went to a flower shop with Rachel, who schooled them in the art of flowers. Back at the house, Ciara bitched to Paige about Austen in the bedroom, and Amanda blocked Craig from coming in. She told them that Jess had let Craig know where Paige was, and she told Jess that if Craig couldn’t find Paige, it was for a reason. Jess joined them, and Paige said, she’ll learn.

Everyone dressed garden-ish costumes, looking much like the fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Jess told Rachel that she couldn’t connect with the other girls, and it was like the mean girls club. In Rachel’s interview, she thought Jess was intimidated. She had to knock on the door. These girls weren’t the type to coddle her. Jess asked if Rachel could pass them a note see how they felt without being weird.

Rachel had floor to ceiling flowers going on, and told the group that she appreciated them welcoming her to their world. Now she was welcoming them to hers. Craig said he loved the party’s trippy nature, and everyone took an absinthe shot. Bleh. Jason served dinner, and they all agreed it had been a great day; the guys drank and the girls were productive. There were lots of thanks and compliments, and they took pictures. Alone in the kitchen, Ciara and Austen split off to talk. Austen told Ciara that he’d mentioned to a few people about Olivia possibly coming, but he’d always planned to talk to her before doing it. She said she’d heard it from other people, and her first reaction was, he doesn’t give a f*** about her at all. He already put her in a situation over the summer. We flash back to him flirting with her, then Lindsay, and Ciara said he’d made her look like an idiot, and he acted insane. He’d be sh*tting himself if she was hooking up with someone there. He said, it wasn’t up to him anymore, but she said she wouldn’t bring someone else around; they woudn’t be comfortable. Would Olivia? Austen said, Olivia would probably want to crawl in a hole and die before joining them, and in Austen’s interview, he said he was oblivious sometimes. He thought, since things were going well, it wouldn’t be an issue. Now that he’s seeing it is, he doesn’t know what he was thinking.

Paige asked for a girl pow-wow, and Rachel said, Jess felt like they were being mean girls and ignoring her. Ciara said she thought Jess was isolating herself, and Paige said she didn’t need a Lindsay 2.0. In Paige’s interview, she said, when people first meet her, she’s quiet, and they can think she’s a bitch. They think she’s Regina George when she’s not. The girls gathered in a bedroom, and  Paige said she felt like she went out of her way to be nice to Jess. Jess said, it wasn’t like she was going around, running her mouth, but she felt like when she walked into a room, there was a different vibe. It was a feeling she had, whether it was because of her own insecurity or not. She felt like she was walking into high school, and didn’t fit in. In Jess’s interview, she said, her childhood best friend switched to private school, while she was still being homeschooled, and the friend turned on her. It was painful. Paige said she’d just met Rachel, and Rachel didn’t feel left out. She asked if Jess had ever checked on her, and answered her own question; no. But she’d checked in on Jess. She said she was done with this mean girl sh*t, and being called out for it. You want to see a mean girl, I’ll show you a mean girl. And with that, she stomped downstairs.

Next time, ice skating; Jess is in love; Lindsay and Karl arrive; Ciara says, Austen dropped a bomb, and it’s about to get huge awkward.

🍹 Hospitable Reality…

This looks pretty good. It always seems to work better when there’s also a business involved, since the focus isn’t solely on the cast.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1353649/southern-hospitality-get-the-party-started-with-these-first-look-images-at-the-bravo-spinoff

🍽 Reserving a Table…

Make a return trip tomorrow for soap, tea, insightful words, and miscellaneous track. Until then, stay safe, stay being able to admit when you’re wrong, and stay appreciating those who welcome you into their world, and welcome them into yours.