Tag Archives: Sutton Stracke

February 21, 2025 – GH Weekdays, Cyrus Meets His End, This Week’s Reality, Weekend Watching, Watching Soon, Last Release, Those Who Merit, Turning It Around, Pithy Quotes Of 8 & Christmas

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What I Watched Today

(The whole GH enchilada & entertainment minutiae on Fridays)

🛁 The Weekdays…

General Hospital

Sonny told Carly about the shared custody. She asked if he was going to tell her what was really going on. Kai texted Trina asking if she was free tonight. Laura was meeting with Drew about eminent domain and asked Curtis to sit in. Laura felt Drew was using the esplanade plan to retaliate against Jason through Sonny. Anna told Mac that while Jason was at the station, he couldn’t kill Cyrus. Elizabeth snuck into the interrogation room to see Jason and told him that she and Lucky found evidence against Cyrus.

Curtis gave a bunch of reasons Drew’s idea was a bad one, including a lawsuit from Sonny. Laura said Drew wanted to bring in Sidwell. Mac said with Cyrus gone, he couldn’t hurt anyone, but Anna said she’d rather bring Cyrus to justice. She felt they were getting closer. Elizabeth told Jason that they didn’t know Cyrus’s motives and she wasn’t sure the PCPD was up to the job. Cyrus consulted the Bible.  

Trina said it was Josslyn’s first Valentine’s Day without Dex, and she missed Spencer, but Josslyn told her to go with Kai. It was time for her to get back out there. Carly thought there was a reason behind Sonny’s reason for the compromise and he said he had to find where the threat was coming from and wanted to help Michael when he came home. She asked if Jason had mentioned Sasha. Sasha went to see Jason at the station. Martin told Willow that Elaine was out of commission, and he still needed dirt on Michael. Willow didn’t want to blame Michael or hurt him. Laura said Jordan would be at the meeting and Curtis said he’d seen her with Sidwell. When Jordan arrived, she said Sidwell could be legit, but they needed more information. She was going to get it. Drew showed up and said he could tell it was going to be a tough room. Elizabeth told Anna how she and Lucky collected evidence against Cyrus.

Carly said Drew accused Jason of fathering Sasha’s baby, but she didn’t know if it was true. Willow said maybe there was a way to make peace, when Nurse Mindy called her. Her car had been impounded. Laura said Drew gave her a lot to think about and he said there would be matching federal funding. He said if Sonny using piers for criminal activity was the priority rather than the esplanade, let it ride. Elizabeth told Anna about everything that happened at Turning Woods and GH with Cyrus, and said Anna had the authority to exhume the bodies. Sasha went to see Jason, and he said Anna was just trying to keep him away from Cyrus. She said she thought Willow suspected Michael was the father of her baby. Kai told Trina to meet him at The Savoy dressed to impress.

Willow told Mac that Tracy had her car towed after she’d put it in the street. She was starting to see how much she’d lost in becoming a part of Michael’s family and was done letting the Quartermaines run her life. Sasha told Jason about Elaine and said she didn’t want her child raised in the Quartermaine environment. Letting people draw their own conclusions wasn’t enough. She wanted Jason to come out and say the baby was his. Jordan said it could cost jobs, and the project could get tangled up for years, and Curtis said the city shouldn’t get entangled in Drew’s personal vendetta. Drew asked if the potential benefits were worth the risk. Elizabeth brought Anna a bag of stuff and said they’d gone through Cyrus’s trash in the dumpster. Anna saw an order of syringes from Paul Damascus, and Elizabeth said it was a biblical reference. It made sense for Cyrus to use it as an aka. Elizabeth thought digitalis had been in another box, but they couldn’t find an invoice. Meanwhile, Cyrus readied a syringe.

Carly said, if it was true, she needed to support Jason, but Sonny suggested they stay out of it. Anna said Elizabeth was good as an amateur detective, but they couldn’t link Cyrus to anything. Laura said it would be easier if she didn’t have to consider Sonny. Sonny said Jason would tell them if they needed to know, and Carly agreed to wait until Jason said something. Trina left to meet Kai and Josslyn brought out a box with a gun in it. Cyrus put the syringe in his pocket and called GH. He asked to talk to Elizabeth, but she was gone for the day. He said he was sure he’d run into her later. Drew brought roses to the hospital, but Willow wasn’t there. Willow saw Jason and Sasha talking, and Sasha said go with her on this and kissed him. Anna told Mac that they might have a new lead. He saw Sasha and Jason kissing and said, no, no, no!

Tuesday:

Valentine’s Day was happening at The Savoy and Curtis said they had a special surprise performer, when Trina walked in with Kai. On the phone, Spinelli told Maxie that he’d play cupid for Lucas since she was under the weather. He told Lucas that he was pinch hitting for Maxie, and she’d found him the perfect guy. Carly was cleaning up the cookie baking mess in Sonny’s old kitchen, saying, it’s the memories, not the mess. Jack came in bearing roses. Lulu was leaving Eckerd’s Valentine’s Day cupcakes for Rocco in the nook, when Dante came down. TempLucky went to Elizabeth’s, and she said Anna listened to her and was going to arrest Cyrus. She thought they should celebrate, and they discovered Aiden had made a cake. Mac had a migraine, and Anna was working on one. She told Jason that she had to release him, but wanted to convince him not to kill Cyrus the minute he left.

Portia said Trina seeing someone was a big deal, and Curtis said it was one they’d have to watch from afar. Trina asked if Kai had to pull strings to come, and he said, a few. Spinelli introduced Lucas and Gunther the model, and Brad saw them sit together. Carly’s faucet went nuts, spraying water everywhere. Dante told Lulu that Rocco was ice skating and crashing at a friend’s, but he’d barely touched the cupcakes Dante brought home years ago because they reminded him of Lulu. Aiden introduced Tobias to Elizabeth, and she asked if they wanted to join her and Lucky. Aiden said they were going to the Valentine’s Day skate and asked to talk to Elizabeth in private. Mac didn’t buy that Jason was the baby’s father, but then he saw Sasha kiss him. He thought Jason took advantage of her hurt over Cody, but Felicia said, the heart wants what the heart wants.

Anna asked for a BOLO on Cyrus and told Jason. She had enough evidence to connect him to multiple murders, including Sam’s, and hoped the judge would sign off on it right away. She could get justice, but only if Jason let her do her job. She asked him to stay away from Cyrus for her sake. Jack turned the water off and said luckily for Carly, her knight in sopping wet armor had arrived. Spinelli told Maxie that the chemistry between Lucas and Gunther was palpable, and Trina told Kai that she had a confession to make. The owner of The Savoy was her dad. Elizabeth told Aiden that she liked spending time with his dad and to go enjoy himself. Lulu said she didn’t know their son, but Dante said she did and told her to ask questions. She asked about Rocco’s first crush, if he was hard to wake up, how was he doing in school, and did he have friends. He knew about Rocco, and she didn’t. He said she’d catch up, but she said she’d neglected the child she had and was failing as a mother. he said that wasn’t true. Aiden left with Tobias, and Elizabeth said he’d offered to be their chaperone. Anna said she and Jason were friends and people noticed. If Cyrus disappeared, it would perpetuate the idea that there were people above the law who got away with it because of their friendship with her. Jason said he understood, but it didn’t matter when she was talking about the sick bastard who murdered Sam.

Kai complimented Curtis on the club and Curtis said they had to stick around for the surprise musical act. Anna asked Jason to trust her that they’d get justice. She’d taken chances on him, and she was asking him to take one on her and have faith. He wouldn’t regret it. Felicia said she and Mac had their ups and downs over the years. Mac had even left once, but he was her happily ever after. It wasn’t for them to decide who Sasha’s was. They’d make sure the only way Scorpios could. Lucky wondered if Aiden was worried that he and Elizabeth were getting too close, but she said Aiden just wanted to make sure she was treated well. She’d make it clear that she didn’t need protection from him. Dante said Lulu was a good mom. He shouldn’t have made it seem like she was choosing between Charlotte and Rocco. She said she didn’t know what Rocco needed, and Dante said, his mom. She’d made his pain and sadness disappear.

Lucas said the only reason he was on the date was because of Maxie, and Gunther said he understood Lucas wasn’t ready. Get his number from Maxie and tell him when he was. Gunther left and Brook and Chase showed up. Jack fixed Carly’s sink, which surprised her, and he said his father was a plumber. She said she’d envisioned him descending from a long line of super spies, but he told her that his dad always said, even if the world ends, you’re always going to need a plumber. She asked if anyone else knew. She liked knowing something about him that no one else did. He said, knowledge is power. Anna said the trust she and Jason had was unexpected, but real, and also obvious. No one would believe she hadn’t looked the other way, or worse they’d think she helped him cover it up.

Lucas asked if Brad wanted company. Spinelli told Brook that Gunther ditched Lucas, then saw Brad with Lucas. Chase left to check on Brook’s surprise. Curtis told Portia that he loved The Savoy, but Aurora presented a challenge, and he felt like he was growing there. N’neka said it was time, and Curtis introduced Chase. Dante promised to guard the cupcakes with his life, but thought he should take a couple off of Rocco’s hands. Lulu said, don’t you dare. Jack said he’d learned to expect the unexpected with Carly. Lucky said Elizabeth was as beautiful as the day he met her, and they kissed. Anna found out the warrant couldn’t be signed until the morning, and Jason said whatever happened to Cyrus, her office would respect her for the same reasons he did – her strength, courage, and willingness to put herself on the line. He knew she understood why he wanted to kill Cyrus, but didn’t think anyone else did. She said it was because they were alike, and he agreed. She asked him, as her friend, please don’t kill Cyrus, and he said she was a good friend, and he appreciated her friendship. She said that wasn’t an answer.

Chase told the audience that his singing career had been brief, but he’d met his wife through it and was grateful. He said the song was for her and sang one she’d written (Won’t You Stay with Me). As he sang, Lucky left Elizabeth’s, Jack and Carly had champagne, Felicia fed Mac Valentine cookies, and Lulu smushed a cupcake on Dante’s face, then helped wipe it off. Jason left the station. Elizabeth noticed that Lucky left the piece of cake he was taking home. There was a knock at the door, and she assumed it was him, but it was Cyrus.

Wednesday:

Cyrus told Elizabeth that he had an urgent matter that couldn’t wait and walked in. She’d been asking around about him and now had the opportunity to ask questions to his face. Emma asked Josslyn to be part of the benefit. Lulu was rude to a client on the phone in Helsinki and said he’d specifically asked for Brook or Maxie. It was Maxie and Spinelli’s first Valentine’s Day together and she didn’t want to ruin it. Brook said Lulu had no problem ruining it for her and Chase. Drew showed up at The Savoy with Willow, and Portia said, that’s a choice, but Curtis said it was beyond disrespect. It was a throwdown. Portia wondered how Willow couldn’t see through Drew (me too), but thought they should let it go. Willow wondered why Lucas was with Brad. Seeing Willow with Drew, Brad told Lucas that he was in no position to judge, but… and Lucas said it wasn’t their call. Cyrus asked what Elizabeth was trying to find out, and she said, fine. She’d start at the beginning. Why did he try to kill Lulu?

Donna called for Carly, interrupting a kiss with Jack. Emma wanted Josslyn to be an underwriter, but Josslyn said she had no time. She was going through a lot, but she’d be more than happy to donate. Emma argued with her, but Josslyn was unrelenting. Chase told Dante that he couldn’t give Brook the family she wanted to have. Curtis told N’neka that Drew was no longer welcome. Willow said she’d never forgive Brad (wow), and Curtis told Drew that he didn’t want him there. Cyrus said there was no sign of Lulu having an improvement. Just because someone could be kept alive didn’t mean they should be. Elizabeth said she’d watched families make that decision and it was awful, but in the end, it’s a gift. He said she understood, and she asked, what about the others? He said they were all God’s children, and she said, so from one family. He said he’d seen people trapped in their own hell and God gave him a mission to free imprisoned souls. He wept as he asked if Lulu wasn’t entitled to that, and she said, that’s why he turned off the ventilator, but he said, no, that was much later.

Brook said, the client threatened to cancel the shipment of the key ingredient in their cream. Lulu couldn’t talk to people that way. Lucas said he wasn’t sorry for Willow, but they all made mistakes. Curtis told Drew that Michael’s wife was more than welcome to stay, but he reserved the right to refuse service. They were playing the same game. Brad said, once the denial goes away, Willow will be miserable. One thing he’d learned was, lonely is lonely, whether deserved or not. Drew told Willow that he had a surprise for her, and they left. Donna asked why Jack was out so late and suggested he go to bed. She wondered why we have bad dreams, and Jack explained dreams to her. He said when we had bad dreams, something was bothering us. Cyrus told Elizabeth, in his first attempt to free Lulu, he used the wrong medication and drew unwanted attention. She said, that’s why Lulu’s liver failed. He freed Lulu, just not in the way he intended. She understood that, but why kill Sam? He said, Sam got in the way of him carrying out the Lord’s. Her donation would keep Lulu going, but not free her from her prison. Elizabeth asked if it was punishment, but he said it was a consequence of obstructing the Lord’s will. He also discovered that digitalis was the best way to free everyone else. She said it was fast, effective, and relatively painless. But what about Dex? He’d been young and healthy.

Cyrus said, Dex had been in the vicinity of Sam’s room and seen him, and Elizabeth said, it sounded less like God’s will and more like something the old Cyrus would do. He said Dex almost killed him on Sonny’s orders, but he had no malice in his heart. Cyrus flashed back to taking Dex’s hospital wristband when Dex was in the morgue. He said he had to remove Dex, and Elizabeth said, because of his mission. What would happen to the souls that needed to be freed? He said she understood, and she said he was able to help try to free Michael. He said he wanted to liberate Michael from his physical suffering, and she asked if there wasn’t another reason. He’d spoken about how his mother was suffering. He said, that’s what awakened him to his purpose. Martin had her living what barely qualified as a life. If he could set her free, he would. She said, it was a different type of healing, and he thanked her for understanding the importance of his mission.

Emma thanked Josslyn for her donation, but pressure her again for her presence. A worker came in to relieve Josslyn and she left. Gio told Emma that her approach needed work, and Emma said, friends speak the truth. He said she was a great salesperson, and he appreciated her passion. Chase told Dante that it wasn’t Brook, it was him, but Dante said there was more than one way to have a family. Chase said Brook deserved to be a mom and he’d do anything to be a dad.

Elizabeth said Cyrus’s purpose was not unlike hers, to help and heal, and he said nothing was going to jeopardize his mission. She should understand why he had to do this. He brought out the syringe and came toward her, when Lucky burst in. He told Cyrus, get away from her!

Lucas left and Brad sighed. Curtis told Portia about asking Drew to leave. There were no threats, but he wanted to make it clear whose club it was. He didn’t need Drew to ruin his evening. Drew showed Willow his new house and she said she loved it. Brook said it was part of Lulu’s job to answer the phone and be warm and courteous, especially to those who had a rare ingredient that was impossible to get. Lulu said she was at first, and Brook asked if she ever thought of anyone besides herself. Lulu said Brook got everything she wanted. She had the perfect life, job, and husband, and would have the perfect children. If she wasn’t getting what she wanted, it was her own fault. Dante walked in and asked, what’s going on?

Cyrus told Lucky not to get in the way, and Elizabeth broke free. Cyrus tried to stab Lucky with the syringe, and they struggled.

Dante told Brook where Chase was, and she left. He asked what Lulu said, and Lulu told him that she’d said Brook’s life was perfect. If she wasn’t getting what she wanted, it was her own fault. Dante suggested she back off, and Lulu said, all Brook did was complain about her perfect life. She woke up after four years in a coma to a life she didn’t recognize. By comparison, Brook’s life was heaven. Dante told her to cut Brook some slack. She found out she and Chase couldn’t have children. Emma thanked Gio for his patience, honesty, and commitment to the cause, and he said he enjoyed her company too. Portia asked if Brad had a nice Valentine’s Day and he said, better than expected. She said she was glad to hear it and would see him at work. She told Curtis that she wanted to put the bad stuff behind her and was focusing on what was right in front of her. Willow said she was sure Drew wanted to find a home for Scout, and he said, also for you and our kids, and asked her to move in with him.  While Carly put Donna back in bed, Jack’s phone rang. By the time Carly returned, Jack had his coat on. She asked if something was wrong and he said, unfortunately, something came up at work. They agreed to another time and kissed.

Lucky got the better of Cyrus, but Cyrus stabbed Lucky in the leg with the syringe. Elizabeth called 911 as she came down the stairs and saw the syringe sticking out of Lucky’s leg.

Thursday:

 Brook came home to find Chase, rose petals, and champagne. Dante told Lulu that there was a fertility issue with Chase.

Lucky slugged Cyrus and got a syringe in the leg for his trouble. Cyrus jumped up, tried to strangle lucky, and fled, while Elizabeth called 911. Jordan met with Laura, who wanted to make the esplanade happen, but still protect the city. Anna joined them and Laura said, in a potential battle between Sonny, Drew, and Sidwell, who was the biggest threat? (It’s like, Superman vs. the dinosaurs.) Drew asked Willow to move in with the kids. Jason went to Sam’s grave and said he needed to make a choice between what he wanted and what he thought she wanted. Josslyn snuck around Cyrus’s apartment and looked through his stuff.

Stella came to The Savoy to have a nightcap with Curtis, who had a special Valentine’s Day cocktail for her. Portia left and Stella asked if there was something else going on. He said there may be a favor only she could provide. Lucky was unconscious and Elizabeth did chest compression. Brook and Chase kissed, but she pulled away and said she couldn’t believe she was so lucky. He said, but he couldn’t give her a baby. Lulu felt terrible for Brook and Chase, and Dante said Brook had been nothing but supportive. He said being a father was one of the greatest joys of his life and Lulu said, the same for her with being a mother. Laura asked if Anna would bring Sonny down if she found evidence to do it, and Anna said, Drew was encouraging it. Jordan said that worried her because Drew wanted to align himself with Sidwell. Anna and Laura agreed and said he wanted the port to move his illegal merchandise. Jordan said Drew had a lot of influence, but she’d rather deal with the devil she knew than Sidwell. Willow thought the kids had been bounced around enough and Drew said he wanted all the kids to have stability. He tried his best to talk her into moving in.

Jason told Sam that he could kill Cyrus and get away with it, and he wanted to kill him. One thing held him back. He knew Sam wanted him to put their son before his need for vengeance. Josslyn continued to toss Cyrus’s place. Lulu said Brook knew things about Dante that she didn’t and it was hard, but he said, it shouldn’t be. Carly used their history to break them up, but Brook knew it was wrong and still felt terrible. It was a long time ago and time to let it go. They were friends and that was it. Brook said she meant their vows from the bottom of her heart, but Chase said she couldn’t have expected this. She said it was hard, but sometimes plans changed. It didn’t mean they still couldn’t be parents. Willow told Drew that nothing about their situation was perfect. For one, she was still married. Drew said Michael had filed for divorce and was out of the country, and Willow said he was fighting for his life. Drew said she was alone with the kids, and she said Wiley adored his father. She hadn’t told Wiley that they were splitting up, so moving in felt wrong. Jason promised to always put Danny first.

Josslyn almost left, but kept looking until she found an envelope with hospital wristbands in it, particularly Dex and Sam’s. Laura said they couldn’t have Port Charles in a territory battle and Jordan said Drew was different and not in a good way. Anna said Drew’s willingness to align himself with Sidwell was worrisome, and Laura asked if they could no longer trust him. Anna left to take a call about Cyrus, and Laura got a call from Elizabeth, who told her to get to the hospital right away. Lucky was in trouble.

Curtis said he understood Stella was friends with Congressman Douglas Henderson and she said they went way back. They agreed he was a good man and influential in Washington. Curtis said he needed Stella to introduce him, and he needed to develop a relationship before Drew destroyed everything he was building. Willow said she cared about Drew so much and he said he didn’t want to pressure her. They had the rest of their lives. He thought when she was ready, they should tell the kids about their relationship together, but she said she didn’t want to talk to them while Michael was recovering. Lulu said part of her was threatened by Brook. Not because of Dante, but she lost four years, and it was like Brook stepped into the important parts of her life. Dante suggested she felt like Brook took her place in all their lives and she said, maybe. She was starting to wonder if she had a place there at all. Chase said Brook was a natural at being a mom and she said, however they brought a child into their lives, it would be together, and it would be a part of both of them. Anna arrived at Elizabeth’s where an officer filled her in on what happened and said Cyrus fled the scene. They had an APB out on him and Lucky was in the hospital. Elizabeth told Isaiah that Lucky had been given digitalis and Laura showed up at the hospital. Josslyn said, Dex didn’t deserve this, and took photos. Cyrus walked in.

Lulu said she sounded selfish, but Dante said she wasn’t. She said it was hard to realize the family you wanted wasn’t going to happen and wanted to apologize, but he said Chase told him in confidence. Her phone rang and she told Dante that it was Lucky and ran out. Anna said they’d waited too long to arrest Cyrus and now Lucky could die. On his way in, Aiden overheard. Elizabeth told Laura about Cyrus attacking Lucky because she and Lucky suspected him of killing people, including Sam. He’d said it was a divine calling, saving them from their suffering, and he was the reason Lulu’s liver failed. Cyrus got an ax and said Josslyn shouldn’t have come. Josslyn said he’d killed Sam and Dex and wasn’t getting away with it. He said they’d gotten in the way of his mission, and she had too. He came after her and she shot him.

Cyrus said now Josslyn was the murderer and died (I think). Anna brought Aiden to the hospital and talked to Elizabeth. Chase said if they adopted it wouldn’t be fair to Brook, but she said she didn’t look at it that way. Families were created all different ways, and none was better than the other. He said he was robbing her of the experience. Curtis said Drew was gunning for him and wouldn’t hesitate to stop projects from going through at the federal level, even if they helped his constituents. He’d changed and become vindictive. Stella said he’d backstabbed Curtis and Curtis said Drew would bring the same dark energy to Washington. Would she help him?

Drew came home and Jason was there. Lulu and Dante arrived at the hospital, and Lulu went to see Lucky. Dante wanted in on finding Cyrus and Anna said okay. Josslyn moved the ax, then checked Cyrus’s pulse. She looked at Jason and Jack’s numbers, then made a call. She said, I need your help.

Stella said Drew was gunning for Curtis and she needed to let Doug know what a snake Drew was. There were few people she held in as high a regard. Curtis could count her in, but a word of advice. Drew didn’t like a mirror held up to him. She asked why he was coming after Curtis. Drew said he wasn’t in the mood for another battle, but Jason said he was here to make peace. Drew asked why the hell he would want to, and Jason said, for Sam. Chase said it was because of him that Brook wouldn’t experience a miracle growing inside her and she cried for him to stop. She’d had a baby. She’d been pregnant before. Isaiah came out and Laura asked if her son was alive. Anna found out Cyrus was heading southeast in his car. Josslyn paced the apartment when someone came in. It was Jack. 

🫔 Friday’s Enchilada:

Chase says, what does Brook mean, she had a baby? Is she talking about Bailey Lou, when she pretended to be pregnant? She says she wasn’t pretending. She got pregnant in high school and had a baby. She gave the baby up and never told anyone except her ma, not even the father. Chase asks if Ned knows, but she says, no. She knows it’s a lot to take in. He says, she got pregnant when she was a teenager and has been carrying the secret ever since.

Tracy wants to go over the menu for the library board dinner with Sasha and asks for some tea. Sasha asks if she wants her special blend, and Tracy says, yes. Sasha says, but first, she thought Tracy should know a P.I. has been snooping around. She’s pretty sure it’s to get dirt on Michael. Tracy asks, what makes her say that? and Sasha says she had an encounter with a woman named Elaine and her dog outside Bobbie’s and then in the park. Eventually, Elaine told Sasha herself that someone was looking into her. Tracy asks what Sasha told Elaine before she knew.

Drew says, Jason, of all people, walks into his house demanding peace, and Jason says he wants to respect Sam’s wishes that Danny and Scout stay together, but it’s never going to happen when they’re at each other’s throats. So he’s here about a truce for the kids. Drew says, now he wants to honor Sam’s wishes? He’s just asking because Jason clearly didn’t care when Jason ambushed him the night before the funeral and he’s trying to figure this out. What changed?

Isaiah tells Laura and Lulu that they were able to stabilize Lucky, but he’s in guarded condition. Aiden asks what that means, and Isaiah says he gave Aiden’s dad medication to counteract the digitalis. Since they don’t know how much digitalis is in Lucky’s system, it’s too soon for a definite prognosis. Aiden asks if that’s bad, but Elizabeth says, they can’t say yet. Aiden says, dad might not make it, and she hugs him.  

Portia tells Lucky, hang in there. He made it all the way home from Africa in one piece. Now he has to make it through this.

Anna tells Dante that they tracked Cyrus’s car to Route 41, and Dante wonders why he’s headed in that direction. There’s nothing out there. Does she think Lucky will be okay? She says she doesn’t know. She hopes so. She’s just grateful Elizabeth wasn’t hurt. Dante wonders, why go after Elizabeth, of all people? and Anna says, Cyrus found out that she and Lucky were asking questions at GH and Turning Woods. He didn’t want them to connect him to the murders. He says, did they? and she says, they found evidence that proves it, and he admitted to Elizabeth that he killed Dex and Sam, among others. She asks if Dante is all right, and he says, yeah, because they got him. Anna says, they did, and Cyrus knows that. If he doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life in prison, he’s going to disappear. Dante says, he can run, but there’s no way that bastard can hide.

Jack walks into the cabin and tells Josslyn to hand him the weapon. Josslyn gives the gun to him, and he checks it over. He checks Cyrus’s pulse, and Josslyn says she already did that. He’s dead. Jack says, yes, he is, and she says, Cyrus tried to attack her. He was going to kill her. Jack says he knows. He was outside when it happened. Did she call anyone else? She says, no, just him, and he says, good. They still have a small window in which to clean up. She asks if they shouldn’t call the police, and he says, they could. Or they could take care of it themselves.

Brook says she’s so sorry she never told Chase. It was a strange time. When she realized she was pregnant, she was terrified. She didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t ready to be a mom. Chase says, of course (🍷) not. She was just a kid. He can’t imagine how scared and alone she felt. She says, at least she had her mom, and he asks if Lois stepped up. Brook says, big time. She was incredible. She wasn’t thrilled Brook got pregnant in the first place, but once the shock wore off, Lois was in her corner 100%. He says he’s glad, but not surprised. Was it hard to decide? She says, terminating the pregnancy didn’t feel like an option at the time. She knew she’d be having the baby and the decision not to keep it came to her pretty quickly. There was just no way she could be a mom. He says he gets it, and she says, when it came down to it, she knew the rest of the family could never find out. She was already so overwhelmed, the last thing she needed were the judgements and opinions of the family. So she went on tour with her mom for five months, had the baby, and went back to her life. Her mom made all the arrangements. He says he assumes it was a closed adoption, and she says she never even saw the baby. She was afraid if she did, she couldn’t give it up. He says, so she doesn’t know if she had a boy or a girl? and she says, no. He says, it must have been insanely hard, especially at that age, and she says, he isn’t angry with her?

Isaiah says he wishes he could promise Aiden’s dad was going to be okay, but they just don’t know. He’s in ICU and being closely monitored. Elizabeth says, they’re doing everything they can, and Isaiah says, they know how strong Lucky is. Lulu says, the absolute strongest, and Aiden says he’s sorry for freaking out. Isaiah says he gets it. Lucky is the best friend he’s ever had. Laura asks if it’s possible for someone to sit with Lucky now, and Isaiah says, absolutely. Laura tells Elizabeth and Aiden to go first and tell Lucky that his mother and sister love him. Aiden and Elizabeth leave to go to Lucky’s room, and Lulu says, Lucky is going to be okay. Laura says she knows. He’ll survive Cyrus like Lulu just did. They hug.

Jason says, Scout and her siblings just lost their mom, and Drew says he’s aware. Jason says, they need to be together, so he and Drew need to work together. Drew says, Jason doesn’t play well with others, and Jason says, Drew doesn’t like how he lives. He doesn’t like how Drew lives. But it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that it’s okay for the kids because they’re family. Drew says, and Jason knows all about family.

Sasha says she told Elaine her approximate due date. That’s it. She’s not sure what Elaine was looking for, but she assumes Willow’s lawyer hired her. Tracy says, good guess, and Sasha says she just thought Tracy would like to know that somebody is being investigated. Tracy thanks her for the intel, and Sasha says she’s welcome… Tracy is holding something back. She can tell. Tracy says she’s been known for that, and Sasha tells her, say it. Tracy says she promised not to ask invasive questions, and Sasha asks if she has one. Tracy asks, if Jason is the father, are they planning on getting married? and Sasha says she gets it. Tracy wants to know what she’s looking to make off the Quartermaine name.

On the phone, Anna says, let her know if they turn up anything, and Dante says, it was smart of her to contact Pentenville. Cyrus was in there a long time. He must have made connections. Anna says she was thinking a former associate could tell them where Cyrus might go. The longer they’re without a lead, the less likely they are to track Cyrus. He asks if Elizabeth said why Cyrus killed the patients, and Anna says she thinks it was some kind of divine mission to release them from their suffering. From what he told Elizabeth, he’s been doing it since he got out of prison. Dante says, it doesn’t make sense. Dex and Sam were healthy. Why target them? She says, they got in his way.

In Lucky’s room, Elizabeth asks how he’s doing, and Portia says, he’s holding his own. Elizabeth says, that’s good news, and Portia says she’ll let them have time alone with him. Portia leaves and they go over to the bed. Elizabeth says she’s here. So is Aiden. He needs to hang on and come back to them. She’s going to say it again when he opens his eyes, but she thanks him for saving her life tonight. Aiden says, mom’s safe now and he has to wake up.

Jack says, they don’t have to call the police, and asks where Josslyn got the gun. She says, it’s Dex’s. Everybody knows how much she hates Cyrus and that she thinks he killed Dex. Now she killed him with Dex’s gun. Who will believe it was in self-defense? Jack says, coming in the cabin with a gun does imply intent, and she says, he knows what happened. He says he wasn’t in the room. Technically, people could say he didn’t see what happened. She says, he doesn’t believe her, and he says he does, but it won’t hold up in a court of law. He can take care of it, but once the WSB is involved, no one can know what happened, not even her mother. Can she do that? If not, they’ll call the police right now. She looks at Cyrus’s body and nods. She says she can do it. Stay quiet. Jack says, they’re leaving… and she says, but her fingerprints… He says, now. If anyone asks her, she was never at the cabin. Does she understand? She nods and they leave.

Drew says, ever since he found out he and Jason were twins, his whole life hinged on one moment. What if Susan Moore had brought him back to Port Charles instead of Jason? He would have grown up with Monica and Alan and would have lived the life of luxury as a Quartermaine. Instead, he got Betsy Frank, a group home, and he was on his own at 18. Jason says he had no control over that, and Drew says, they loved Jason, despite his never having appreciated it and hurting their parents, breaking their hearts over and over. He had no need of anything Quartermaine. Jason says, they’re done, but Drew says, it’s his house. He’ll tell Jason when they’re done. Jason wants to come back home? Now that Drew has made a place for himself and took the Quartermaine name. Now he wants to come back? That’s perfect. He and the Quartermaines can have each other. He’ll be over here with his daughter. Jason says, he’s okay with Scout losing Sam, Danny, and Rocco all at once? and Drew says, what Scout is going through breaks his heart, but as her father, he’ll do what’s best for her – always.

Jordan asks if Anna had any luck, and Anna says she had them run the name Paul Damascus and Cyrus never used it before, but when they were running the DEA list of Cyrus’s associates, a name jumped out – Gatlin. Jordan says, Cyrus has a connection to a Gatlin family based in Pautuck, and Anna says, a deep connection? Jordan says, decades, and Anna says, a doctor at GH was shot dead in 2023 who was from Pautuck. Dante says, the murder was never solved, and Jordan says, the doctor had several properties in Pautuck. Anna makes a call, and says she’ll need a list of properties southeast of Port Charles rented or owned by a Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt.

Josslyn walks into Jack’s office, and he asks if anybody saw her come in. She says, no, and he tells her to go to the bathroom and shower. Wash away all the evidence. Leave her clothes, jewelry, and phone, anything she brought to the cabin, in the bathroom. There’s a change of clothes for her in there. Can she handle that? She says, yeah, and when she leaves, Jack takes out the gun, wipes it, and puts it on his desk. Colette comes in and says she got his message. Jack says, Cyrus Renault is dead, and she asks, what the hell happened?

In the bathroom, Josslyn flashes back to Cyrus coming at her and her shooting him. She throws up.

Jack tells Colette that Josslyn had a gun he wasn’t aware of, but it’s fine. She only called him. She says, still, the clean-up might not be as easy as he thinks. Renault attacked Lucky Spencer and Elizabeth Baldwin tonight. Lucky is in the hospital and there’s an APB out on Renault. Who knows how long it will take Anna to find the cabin?

Laura says, does Lulu remember her saying how Cyrus visited her? and Lulu says, it was too creepy to forget. Laura says, Cyrus told Elizabeth that he had plans to free her from her coma, and Lulu says, aka kill her. Laura says, something went wrong, and it only affected her liver, and Lulu says, Cyrus caused her liver failure? Laura says, yes. She’s very sorry. Lulu says, why? and Laura says, because Cyrus is her brother. Lulu says, it’s not exactly her fault, and Larua says she knows that, but in retrospect, she can see that strange fascination he had in her. Lulu says, no one could predict he would do this, and Laura says, he’s a very sick man, but if Lulu hadn’t woken up when she did… Oh my God. Laura hugs her, cries, and says, they would have lost her.

Aiden says, it’s been cool having Lucky home. It made him realize how much he missed him. Thanks for showing up and being on his side. And grandma and Aunt Lulu want him to know they love him. Elizabeth says, they all think he’s had enough beauty rest now. Come out of this. Aiden says, he has to wake up. He just has to. Suddenly, an alarm goes off.

Jason asks if Drew is really going to keep Scout from her brothers, and Drew says, Scout’s got him. And they’ll have Willow and her kids. It’s all the family they need and she’s going nowhere near the Quartermaines. Jason says, because Drew got his feelings hurt? but Drew says, because the Quartermaines are terrible people. He did all he could to fit in. He did everything he could to keep the family going. The second he does something for himself, they can’t turn their backs fast enough. Because he fell in love with the wrong woman. Compared to what they’ve done? To a murderer hitman, it’s always home. Jason says, Drew is making a huge mistake, but Drew says he doesn’t think so. The Quartermaine name, he’s got it. The Quartermaine money, it’s in the bank. He doesn’t need the people and headache that go along with it. We’re done. He opens the door and says, get out of my house. Jason walks out.

Sasha says she is not discussing her personal life, and Tracy says, good. Just listen. She didn’t get knocked up by some random guy at a bar, a one-night stand with a Quartermaine. Sasha says, allegedly, and Tracy says, allegedly a Quartermaine, but not just any Quartermaine, a family favorite. Sasha says, not hers, and Tracy says, absolutely not. She’s wanted nothing to do with him for years, but her mother adored him, as did Monica. He could do no wrong in their eyes. Sasha asks how many times she has to say it. She doesn’t want or expect anything from the family. Tracy says, what does the family expect from her? and she asks, what happened to her right to make decisions for her own baby? Tracy says, she does, but she can’t keep going ahead like the baby is exclusively hers. Not if it’s a Quartermaine.

Chase tells Brook that he’s not angry with her. Just the opposite. He hates that she had to keep the secret for so long. She says she hated keeping it from him, when she let herself think about it. She trained herself not to. He says, she compartmentalized, and she says she put it in a box and rarely took it out. He says, it makes sense. How is she supposed to move on? She says, the baby was with her for 9 months technically. She loved him or her so much. She wanted to give them the best life possible. He says, she has no idea where they went? and she says, no. She trusted her mom, who worked with the agency to find a good home. She’s so sorry for lying. He says, show him the lie. All she did was keep part of her past private. Just because they’re married, she doesn’t have to share every little thing. She says, it’s not little, and he says, maybe not, but she gets to choose who she shares it with and who she doesn’t want asking questions. He does want to know one thing.

Josslyn wipes the steam from the bathroom mirror. She flashes back to looking at dead Cyrus and leans on the sink.

Jack says, Anna’s not aware of the cabin, and Colette says, not yet, but it’s just a matter of time. He asks if they’re monitoring the PCPD radio, and she says, Renault was spotted on Route 41. The police know his direction and it’s not a densely populated area. He says, the cabin is one of the few options, and she asks if he honestly thinks Josslyn can keep quiet. She’s just a kid. She’ll want to tell someone. He says, let him worry about Josslyn. It’s her job to get a team to the cabin before Anna finds it. She says, a total clean-up? and he says, with one exception.

Isaiah runs into Lucky’s room and Elizabeth hustles Aiden out. Isaiah uses the defibrillator on Lucky.

Lulu tells Laura that Dr. Gannon said her body’s reaction to the liver transplant could be why she woke up after four years. If Cyrus hadn’t tried to kill her, she probably wouldn’t have woken up. Laura says she guesses Lulu is right, and Lulu says, if she hadn’t needed a liver transplant, Sam would be here. Laura says, they’ve been through this. She can’t let herself think like that. She’s not responsible for Sam’s death. That’s on Cyrus. She doesn’t care about his crazy savior story. He’s been killing people. If she needs to point a finger, put the blame where it belongs, on Cyrus. And the people he paid off or blackmailed to get out of prison. He never should have been let out.

Elizabeth and Aiden come out and Elizabeth says, Lucky’s heart stopped. He’s in defibrillation. Aiden says, his dad is dying.

They continue to use the paddles on Lucky, and Isaiah says, come on. Don’t do this to me. He begins chest compression.

Jack puts the gun in a bag, then in a bin. Josslyn comes back and he tells her to have a seat. She asks, what happens now? and he asks if she told anyone where she went. She says, no, and he asks if she told anyone the address. She says, no, she didn’t tell anyone. Why did Colette give her the address? He says, she set everything in motion when she asked to see the footage from Rice Plaza, and she says, when she was finding out who killed Dex? He says, it was strategic thinking on her part, and she says, it got her nowhere. The footage was gone. He says, no, it wasn’t, and shows her a still shot of Cyrus. He says, it shows her instincts were spot on, and she says she doesn’t understand. He knew the whole time and didn’t go to the police? He says he wanted to see what she’d do.

Brook says, ask anything, and Chase asks if she’s okay. She says, that’s his one question? and he says he can’t imagine going through something so huge. In high school, his biggest stressor was if he’d make varsity or not. She had to choose a future, not just for her, but her child. She’s amazing. He was already thinking she’s so strong and he didn’t know the half of it.

Isaiah says, Lucky never quit on him before. Don’t quit now.

Anna suggests Dante go see Lulu and find out how Lucky is doing. He says, she put him back on the case, and she says she told him that he could work on the case, not personally apprehend Cyrus. He asks if she thinks he’d go rogue and kill Cyrus. He’s thought about it and death is too easy an out. He’ll follow protocol. Anna’s phone rings and she asks, what’s the address?… Send units. She’ll be right there. Dante says, that’s off Route 41, and Anna says, let’s go now. Dante asks Jordan to keep them posted on Lucky, and she says, will do. Good luck.

Portia says, they got him back. Lucky is stable. Aiden says, he’s going to be okay? and Portia nods. Lulu says, his dad is strong and hugs him. Elizabeth hugs Aiden and Laura hugs Lulu.

Sasha says, privacy is starting to be impossible in this house, and Tracy says, starting? Too funny. Sasha can keep playing the who’s-the-daddy game all she wants, but she’s inclined to believe Cody. Sasha says, fine. Jason is the father. Happy? Tracy shrugs, when Jason walks in. Sasha says she is so done with this day and walks past him and out. Tracy says she guesses congratulations are in order.

Josslyn says, Jack knew Cyrus killed Dex and did nothing? but he says, on the contrary. He fed her clues and followed her. She asks if he’s playing some game because he’s into her mom, but he says, it’s got nothing to do with Carly. It’s clear Josslyn is special. She’s got all the qualities necessary to make a great agent – ingenuity, initiative, willing and able to do what’s necessary. She asks, necessary for what? and he says, for the WSB. He wants her to become one of them.

Brook says, truly, Chase isn’t upset? If he were, she would understand. He says, stop and think. Would she be? She says, so many of their past problems were because of her lying, and this is another one of those times, but he says he doesn’t consider this a lie. He’s curious. Why tell him now? She says, he was beating himself up about her not getting pregnant naturally. She couldn’t stand it. He says, once it had a bearing on their relationship, she told him. She can tell him anything. She says she kept it buried so long, and he thanks her for sharing such an intimate part of herself. She says she loves him and trusts him with her life, and he says, right back at her. They kiss.

Laura says she can’t thank them enough, and Portia says, Lucky is still being monitored closely, but the danger has passed as of now. Aiden thanks her for saving Lucky’s life, and she says she had a lot of help. Isaiah says, Lucky refused to give up, and Aiden says he wants to thank Isaiah too.

Isaiah goes into Lucky’s room and says, it’s not cool making him sweat like that. He guesses it wouldn’t be Lucky if he wasn’t a colossal pain in the ass. He thanks Lucky and says he doesn’t know what he would have done if he’d lost him.

Tracy says, Jason isn’t planning on moving out. This is Danny’s home, and he needs stability. Jason agrees he does, and he’ll do whatever it takes to give that to Danny. Tracy says she knows the living situation is not his first choice – or second or third – but she’s glad his priority is Danny. It shows his loyalty is to the family, because they are family. Despite the past, he’s one of them. Jason says, just not one she wants around. Drew is coming for him.

Josslyn says, Jack set her up to kill Cyrus so he could hold it over her head to join the WSB, but he says he didn’t know she had access to a gun. Did anyone else know? She says, no, and he asks why she brought it. She says, to protect herself – obviously – which does not make her a spy. He says, it does. She shields herself not by hiding, but by acting. What happened in the cabin? Tell him. Josslyn says she found the patients’ ID bracelets and saw how many Cyrus killed. There was one for Dex. Cyrus was going to attack her with a hatchet and she shot him in self-defense. He says, if Cyrus hadn’t attacked her, would she have not pulled the trigger, and Josslyn cries and says she doesn’t know. He says, good thing they didn’t call police then.

Anna’s team approaches the cabin. Anna nods and Dante kicks in the door.

Brook says, it was stupid not to tell him sooner, but Chase says, she told him when she was ready. He wonders if she’s judging herself for her decision, and she says, a decision that shouldn’t have happened in the first place. What if she gave up the baby and it didn’t give them a better life? He asks if she wants to try and find her child, but she says she doesn’t know. He asks if she ever tried, and she says, no. He asks if she thought about it, and she says, of course (🍷), but wouldn’t it be unfair to crash into the child’s life after letting them go? He says, having Brook in their life could only make It better. Trust him. It’s 100% her decision, but if she decides to try to find them, he’ll help in any way he can.

Tracy says, Drew is coming after all of them. She assumes he’s the one who convinced Willow to hire a P.I. to find something that she can use against Michael in the divorce. Jason says, Drew blames the whole family for turning against him, and she says, they’ve made Drew the enemy. She can’t believe she’s saying this, but she’s so glad he’s here. They need him. Welcome home. She pats his shoulder and leaves.

Aiden says, they’re all here. Laura and his mom are here. Lulu says, hey, big brother, and Aiden says, they love him and can’t wait for him to wake up. Lulu tells Lucky, hurry up. Patience is not her strong suit.

Jordan says she heard Isaiah saved another life. Congratulations. Isaiah says, it was a close one and he’s not responsible. It was difficult and he thought he’d lose Lucky. Jordan says she speaks for all Lucky’s loved ones. She’s grateful he fought so hard for his friend. Isaiah says, he’s grateful to Lucky. He’s too stubborn to die.

Inside the cabin, an officer tells Anna, the surrounding area is clear, and Anna says, expand the radios. She tells Dante, aside from everything being completely dust free, no one has inhabited this cabin lately. Dante says, there’s no sign of anything, and Anna tells the officer, get forensics here asap. He leaves, and Anna says, if Cyrus was in the cabin, he left something behind. They have to find what it is.

Josslyn says, what about the evidence in the cabin? and Jack says, it’s been taken care of. Josslyn says, even if she doesn’t accept the offer? and he says, even if. But he strongly urges her to consider it. She’d make one hell of an agent. As far as tonight goes, she needs a story. He hands her some cash and says, buy herself a new phone. Say she lost hers. Her car was driven here. Can she drive home? She says, yes, and he says, be in touch. She leaves, and Colette comes in. Colette says, she gets to walk out, just like that? and Jack says, yes. When she comes back, it’s better if she thinks it’s her idea.

On Monday, Anna needs someone at the station right now; Kai says Trina is the only reason he’s not losing his mind right now; Kristina tells Molly that she’s never going to believe in the system again; and Brook tells Lois that she told Chase everything.

🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…

I was kind of surprised they didn’t go the whodunit route, but it was still a great end. Loved him pouring his heart out to Elizabeth. We’ll miss you, Jeff Kober!

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/behind-the-scenes-of-cyrus-death-with-eden-mccoy

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/jeff-kober-says-goodbye-to-gh-with-the-best-death

Maybe Lucky will be waking up a different man.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/general-hospital-temporarily-recasts-lucky-with-guy-wilson

Finally, we meet Tobias.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/charlie-besso-cast-as-tobias-on-general-hospital

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/colin-cassidy-thought-he-blew-his-audition-for-aiden-on-gh

It does really sound like a goodbye.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/tajh-bellow-shares-a-special-message-for-his-gh-fans

Picking up the pieces.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/cameron-mathison-shows-off-his-new-house

She left behind a body of work to be proud of.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/gh-and-oltl-alum-alice-hirson-dead-at-95

Beyond the usual soap.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/jon-lindstrom-and-cady-mcclain-join-the-cast-of-beyond-the-gates

How they celebrated with their sweeties.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/see-how-the-stars-and-their-sweethearts-spent-valentines-day

💉 A Dose Of Reality…

Below Deck Down Under

While I didn’t watch this, I did read about Harry’s accident. Yikes!

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

The trip to see Sutton’s mom ended, and Sutton finally heard I love you from Reba. In Sutton’s interview, she said she hadn’t felt like this with her mother since her sophomore year in college on Mother’s weekend. Dorit was having a 4th of July barbecue, per tradition with her kids, but adding the women. In Dorit’s interview, she said it felt like there was definitely something missing because PK wasn’t there, and she wanted to have fun with her friends and kids. Good luck with that first one. Sutton got there first, and there were zero people to greet her, a huge party faux pas, no matter who you are. You don’t just leave people to wander around on their own. Kyle came next, Dorit still nowhere to be found, and they noticed a table of framed photos that they dubbed a shrine to PK. It was 40 minutes before Dorit made her appearance. Although she still couldn’t be bothered to greet Sutton. When she finally did, she snatched Sutton’s bag and insisted Sutton give it to her, literally not giving it back. In her interview, she said it was about Sutton interrupting her talking about Jagger – we flashed back, and Sutton had good reason – but giving her the bag would equal forgiveness. It was a hard no.

The spread was amazing, and things were good for like, five minutes, until Dorit made a jab at Sutton about drinking alcohol. What is wrong with that woman? Sutton said she was a bitch, which caused Dorit to spiral because Sutton had called her a bitch in her own home. Here’s a hint. If you don’t want to be called a bitch, don’t be one. In her interview, Sutton said Dorit had never apologized for insinuating she had a drinking problem, and we flashed back to Dorit’s various comments about it. Sutton decided she was going to jet, and in the bitch’s Dorit’s interview, she intimated that there must be something to it if Sutton was making such a big deal. No. She’s just sick of you calling her an alcoholic. In Kyle’s interview, she tried to compare her tirade and walking out of Boz’s spa day, even though it was not at all the same thing. Boz thought Sutton leaving was rude, and Garcelle told Boz to quit being Dorit’s spokesperson. Kyle was also irritated with Dorit agreeing with everything Boz said, but they ended up hugging it out. For now.

Where are they now?

Let’s talk about the husband.

Summer House

They toasted to how mature they were. Here’s where I would look at the camera if there was one. Ciara brought up West’s New York Times article at dinner, which is where sensitive, anger inducing topics are always broached. Lindsay broke the tension by needing to run to the bathroom. West kinda sorta apologized to Ciara, Paige avoided getting together with Craig, and it was the same old except for Lindsay being pregnant.

This picture is so weird. It’s like they were suddenly plopped in from different climates.

Southern Charm

Molly, Taylor, and Rodrigo did flamingo yoga, which is like goat yoga but with flamingoes. Biggest reveal? Craig watches a lot of 90 Day Fiancé. Me too! The biggest non-surprise? Sienna is so not interested in a relationship with Shep. I would say it was painful to watch, but seeing him get a taste of his own medicine was too delicious.

Southern Hospitality

It was back from Vegas and back to reality after Maddi and Joe’s fake wedding by Elvis impersonator. She seemed to be wearying of Joe’s attention. The best quote: I’m the bitch that runs the bitches who think they run the bitch.Michols Peña

Random Reality Items

Now there will be no let up about him proposing. Not from Dolores, but everyone else.

Do we really need another branch of the franchise? They’re always intriguing in the beginning. Then they degenerate into a screaming match.

In a surprise twist, Lady Gaga has time to watch TV.

👀 Last Weekend’s Watch…

Cassandra. Netflix. My favorite horror genres are in this order: Zombie apocalypse, any zombies, any apocalypse, technology is evil, large monsters like Godzilla and/or dinosaurs, and sharks. This imported miniseries from Germany falls under technology being evil, but with a twist. Cassandra is the face behind a smart house and she’s out of control. The surprise is, she has a backstory, that’s told parallel to the nightmare of the family who moves in.

Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End. Amazon Prime. And in my favorite genre, reveled clearly in the title, this was one exciting zombie romp. A Spanish thriller based on a book, the story revolves around a man and his cat who are trying to make it to a safe place. The action and the special effects were impressive. It wasn’t 2 hours of my life I wanted back and it gave me the zombie fix I so desperately needed. No spoilers here:

Lots of spoilers here. Turn back if you do not want to be spoiled.

https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/i-watched-amazons-new-zombie-movie-holy-cow-i-have-things-to-say

👍One To Watch…

While the words love story aren’t usually in my viewing queue, these two make it look like it will be a fun time. This show also looks like an enriching learning experience about those who are different. One of the things reality TV should foster more.

🌁 Upcoming Watch…

It’s been decreed. The second season of The Last of Us will premiere on April 13th.

https://winteriscoming.net/the-last-of-us-season-2-release-date-revealed-and-we-called-it

🏆 Awards Corner…

BAFTA winners.

https://deadline.com/2025/02/bafta-film-awards-winners-list-conclave-emilia-perez-2025-1236291491/

Warming up for the Academy Awards on March 2nd.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/oscars-2025-red-carpet-events-parties-pictures-1236141330/

https://people.com/oprah-selena-gomez-and-ben-stiller-and-more-announced-as-2025-oscars-presenters-11682130

A new addition to the Daytime Emmys. Actually, it’s more of a pivot.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/daytime-emmys/the-daytime-emmy-awards-adds-a-new-category

It’s definitely her year. You’ll have to wait until June to see her Tony hosting skills though.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1413663/cynthia-erivo-set-to-host-2025-tony-awards

🐶 It’s Not How You Start…

Dog makes better than good.

https://people.com/abandoned-puppy-left-to-die-makes-finals-most-prestigious-dog-show-uk-crufts-11681282

🍯 Quotes Of the Week

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. – Laozi

I pay no attention whatever to anybody’s praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings. – Mozart

Freedom from desire leads to inner peace. – Lao Tzu

You’re only as young as the last time you changed your mind. – Timothy Leary

Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going. – Sam Levenson

The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it. – Niccolò Machiavelli

If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not making decisions. – Catherine Cook

You know what they say, candy is dandy, but yay weed. – Victoria Flynn (Katy Mixon), Mike & Molly

🧊 Colder Than a Well-Digger’s…

Until next week, stay safe; stay dressing for the weather, not the runway; and stay remembering, friends speak the truth.

September 6, 2024 – There For a Payday Not Romance, Last Dream, New Series, Fancy Move, For Lease, Heavy Edit, Mob Slam, WWDD Et Al, Be Quiet, Chinchilla Rock, Just Past 10 Quotes & Song

Standard

What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Brook listens at the living room door and says, nothing. Olivia says, no rains in Spains falling down the plains or whatever? and Ned says, falling mainly on the plain. Olivia says she doesn’t care. This whole thing is ridiculous. Brook says she can’t believe granny would hire some elitist drill instructor to fix ma’s speech, and Olivia says she’s going to kick that fancy pants nutjob out on her butt. Ned says, Lois ultimately agreed to a lesson, and Olivia says, she was coerced. Tracy comes by and asks if they’ve been lurking here this whole time. She’s getting a speech lesson, not being debriefed after an alien abduction. Robin opens the door and says, they can hear them. Come in. They’re finished for today. Brook asks Lois, how’d it go?

Jordan asks a CSI guy what he thinks, and he says, she’s right. Something to do with that tattoo might identify their John Doe. She says, that’s great news. Can he forward the photos to her too? With Commissioner Devane’s permission of course (🍷). He says, will do, and leaves. She goes into Isaiah’s room, and Sidwell’s thug peeks out from around the corner.

Dante joins Jordan, and she tells him, the photographer was just here taking photos of the tattoo. Dante says he saw. Maybe that will get them something. Did she reach the WSB? She says she’s waiting to hear from Brennan. What’s he doing back here? Shouldn’t he be upstairs with Lulu? He says, if he sits around, he’s going to lose his mind. He knows she’d want him to keep her in the loop. She asks if that means he found something. Is he closer to identifying this man?

A guard brings Holly to where Lucky is, and Lucky says, Sidwell’s not here. Holly tells the guard that she’ll be fine with this one, and the guard leaves, closing the door. She asks if Lucky is all right. She heard he was stabbed. He says he’s fine. What is she doing here? She says, don’t worry. Jenz is out inspecting the mine. He won’t find them here together. He asks why she’s at this compound. Does she need help escaping? She says she’s perfectly safe, and he says, so she’s here with Sidwell? What the hell is she doing? She says she couldn’t resist. The heart wants what it wants.

Josslyn slams into her apartment, and two seconds later, Carly says, let her in. She bangs on the door and tells Josslyn to open it. Josslyn knows she’s not going to leave. Open this door now. She’s not going anywhere. Josslyn opens the door and asks if Carly spent the night with Sonny last night. Carly says, yes, and Josslyn tells her, then there’s nothing more to say. She starts to close the door, but Carly stops her. She says, don’t shut her out. She’s not going to let her.

Elizabeth takes Ric to her office and says, they’ll have some privacy in here. He tells her, there’s not much to say. When John Cates was shot and killed last night, they saw Alexis drop a gun off the bridge into the water off of Blackstone Canyon. She was obviously trying to destroy evidence. It’s pretty simple. They need to tell the police what they saw. She says, they don’t know what they saw because it was dark, and they were kind of far away. She’s not even sure it was a gun. Alexis said it was her phone. He says, she didn’t believe that then, and she doesn’t believe it now. She even said it was a gun. She says, because that was her first impression, but right now, she’s not so sure. He says he doesn’t believe it. He never thought he’d see the day when Elizabeth Webber refused to do the right thing.

Chase asks Dex how it feels to be part of Port Charles’s finest, and Dex says, pumped, proud, nervous. Chase says, he’s got this, and Dex says, during graduation, he thought about how good it felt to be a part of something bigger, something important. Just like it felt when he joined the service. Anna comes in and asks if it’s Dex’s first shift, and he says, yes, ma’am. He’ll leave them both to it. Anna says, why doesn’t he stick around? She might need him. Chase asks, what’s up? and she says, a development in the homicide of Agent Cates.

At the penthouse, Jason says, so Sonny is missing a gun, and Sonny asks if Jason took one of his 9 millimeters. Jason says, no. Who has the combination to the lockbox? Sonny says, no one that he knows of, and Jason asks, when was the last time it was opened? Sonny says, a couple of weeks ago. He was off his medication, and he was making sure the guns were safely locked. Jason asks why he opened it now, and Sonny says, because the door where he keeps the lockbox was ajar. That’s not a priority. This is. Sonny unwraps a gun in a bandana, and Jason says, he heard about Jagger. Sonny says, that bastard isn’t going to mess with his family again. This is the only thing tying him to the murder. Get rid of it.

Tracy says, would you repeat that please? and using standard American speech, Lois says, the lesson went very well. It was really quite enlightening. Robin says she’s never had such a diligent student, and tells Lois, it was a pleasure. Lois says, the pleasure was all mine, and Tracy says, amazing. Olivia says, put her back, and Robin says, I beg your pardon? Olivia tells her to wave her wand and do her little magic voodoo witchcraft and do whatever she does. This is not the Lois Cerullo that she loves. Change her back. Lois says she’s fine. Doesn’t she sound like everyone who’s on the news? She really didn’t think she could do it, but she must have a knack or something. Olivia tells Tracy, this time you‘ve gone too far.

Carly says she knows Josslyn is upset, and Josslyn says, upset doesn’t even begin to cover it. How can Carly be so stupid and clueless? What happened to her self-respect? Is she really that desperate? Carly says, knock it off. Josslyn gets to be angry and disappointed, but doesn’t get to disrespect her. Josslyn (who can’t buy a clue) says she has to respect Carly when Carly clearly doesn’t respect herself?  Maybe just go. Carly says she’s not going anywhere. She might remind Josslyn that she’s a grown woman and makes her own choices, like she’s allowed Josslyn to do. Josslyn says, right. Like Carly would have allowed her to go back and forth with an abusive, toxic man, and she’d just sit back and watch that happen. Carly says, she’s right, but they’d talk about it. Not yell, scream, and slam doors. Josslyn says she can see Carly yelling and slamming the door or ten. Carly says, maybe, but then she would hear Josslyn out. Is Josslyn going to let her do the same?

Elizabeth says, first of all, it’s Elizabeth Baldwin, not Webber, and Ric says, slip of the tongue. She says, no. Just a sign of how long it’s been since he actually lived in Port Charles. He thinks he knows her, but he doesn’t. He asks if she’s turned to a life of crime now, and she says she’s been through a lot. She made some questionable choices that she’s had to own. She’s also learned that everything is not black and white. She’s pretty sure Ric knows that too. He says he went into some areas of grey, and she says, maybe it’s just been too long for him to know her or Alexis. Maybe he’s making assumptions off of past grievances. Alexis would never kill anyone. That much she knows. So she can’t swear that Alexis was destroying evidence. He says, maybe she doesn’t know Alexis as well as she thinks she does or maybe he knows sides of Alexis that others don’t. She says, that’s exactly her point. He hasn’t seen sides of her or Alexis in over a decade. He says, they’ll agree to disagree, and she says, what about Molly? How’s Molly going to feel when her mother gets arrested based on something her father said? He says, Molly would want to know the truth, no matter what it was, and she says, agree to disagree. He says, bottom line, a federal agent is dead and he’s an officer of the court. And he’s obligated to report any pertinent information whatsoever in regard to any kind of murder… She laughs and says, give her a break.

Dante tells Jordan that he found a cellphone on the side of the road near the site of the hit and run. It was smashed up, but the fingerprints pulled match the John Doe. It leads him to believe it’s his phone. She asks if he thinks IT can access any of the phone’s data, but he says he doesn’t know. It was pretty smashed up, so he’s not holding out much hope. She says, it would be easier if this guy would just wake up and tell us who he is.

Lucky says, Holly expects him to believe she’s actually attracted to Sidwell, and she says, why not? She’s always had a thing for bad boys. As he well knows. He says his father never strip mined the resources of a war-torn country, and she says, true. Luke was never in the same league as the darling Mr. Sidwell. But his father was a scoundrel. One of a kind. Lucky was missed at the memorial Tracy held in Amsterdam. He says he was on his way, but help was needed in the Sudan… She says, he’s so like his father, and he says, and like him, he can smell a con a mile away. Dad always said she was the best con artist he ever knew. She says, such a flatterer, and he asks her to be straight with him. This is about a payday, not a romance. It must be a pretty big score, huh? She says, yes. So it would be a pity if he blew her cover before the goods were in her pocket.

Anna says she checked the firearms registry and there are 178 nine millimeters registered to Port Charles residents, and Chase says, that’s quite a list. and Dex says, that doesn’t include the unregistered ones, and Anna says, very good point, but one of those registered ones just so happens to belong to Sonny Corinthos. Chase asks if it’s enough for a search warrant, and Anna says she’s going to try and convince Judge Windsor that it is. Dex says, if she doesn’t mind him saying, the sooner she does that, the better. If Sonny hasn’t gotten rid of the gun already, it’s only a matter of time until he does.

Jason asks if it’s unregistered, and Sonny says, there’s no way to trace it back to him, but he wants it destroyed just in case. Jason puts the gun in the back of his waistband, and Sonny says, and these too, handing him the bullet casings. Jason says, consider it done, and puts them in his pocket. Any other problems he should be aware of? Is Sonny sure nobody saw him going to the boathouse? Sonny says, no one saw him going, but there was a witness. Michael. Right after he killed Jagger, Michael was there. He’s not going to say anything. Michael let Sonny get to the main house, then he found the body. Jason says, Michael covered for him. Okay, so what’s his alibi? Sonny says, Carly. She swore she was with him. Jason says, Carly, and Sonny says, yeah. Jason asks why they didn’t call him last night, and Sonny says, it was at the Quartermaines. They needed an alibi. She didn’t know why she needed it at the time. Jason says, he didn’t tell her about Cates? and Sonny says, there was a lot going on, but she gets it. Jason says, okay. So their immediate problem is the missing gun. Sonny says, fully registered, completely legit, waiting to implicate him if it’s in the wrong hands. They’ve go to find it and they’ve got to find it fast.

Elizabeth says, Ric’s feeble excuse and shocked expression doesn’t play with her, and he says, she hasn’t lost her directness. She says, the main reason for him doing his civic duty is to stick it to Alexis. And the only reason he needs her to back him is because his take on things is a little suspect, considering how toxic his relationship is with her. He says, she’s right. He doesn’t like Alexis. Maybe they even hate each other, but you know who else Alexis hated? John Cates. Elizabeth as a mother would do nearly anything to protect her child. She says, nearly. He’s accusing Alexis of murder. He says he’s merely suggesting they go to the police and tell them what they saw, and she says, they don’t know what they saw. He says, fine. Let’s say you’re right. Alexis didn’t kill Cates. What’s the harm in coming forward and putting it on the record? She says, maybe implicating an innocent woman in a crime she had nothing to do with? and he says, if she’s so positive Alexis is innocent, why doesn’t she put her money where her mouth is. Tell the truth and let that be that.

Carly asks what Josslyn was doing at Sonny’s this morning, and Josslyn says she’d just heard Carly and Sonny had sex in Tracy’s bed. And of course (🍷) she never believed that Carly… Anyway, Carly wasn’t answering her phone and Pilar said she didn’t come home last night. Carly says, so she’s done some checking around, and Josslyn says she went to Sonny’s to prove to herself that Carly wouldn’t be there. It was like a punch in the stomach when she saw Carly coming out of that apartment. After everything Sonny did to her and their family, and the horrible ways he treated Carly, how does she go back to him?

Jason says, let’s go over it again. It had to be somebody who has access to the penthouse. Who’s been in the penthouse lately? Sonny says, Dante, Lois, Brook Lynn… There was Natalia, Pilar with Avery, but they don’t know where the lockbox is, much less the combination. Jason says, what about Ava? and Sonny says, she might have seen him use the combination once when she was living with him. As a matter of fact, Diane told him that Ava recanted her statement that Kristina tried to kill her. Does Jason know anything about that? Jason says he’ll give Sonny the short version. He saved Ava’s life last night.

Lucky says, Isaiah’s returning with back-up, and he’d advise Holly not to be here when that happens. She thanks him and says, but she’s going to finish what she started. It’s just taking her a bit longer than she’d hoped to get the combination to Jenz’s safe. Lucky asks, what’s in it? and she says, nothing he needs to concern himself with. He says, doesn’t sound sketchy at all, and she says, her plans for tonight should give Jenz the incentive that he needs. He says, but the clock’s ticking. Isaiah has probably contacted the WSB by now.

Dante looks at his phone and says, nothing on the tattoo, and Jordan says, these are his clothes, right? She takes the bag of Isaiah’s things and says, what about the labels? Can they pin down where he got them? He says, look at this. Working together again, huh? Is she getting tired of sitting on the sidelines? She says, at first. Then she gets caught up in the projects. Right now, it just feels good to be able to help somebody. He says, with everything happening with Molly, TJ, Kristina, and now Lulu, he doesn’t feel like he’s doing a whole lot to help anybody. He feels especially helpless when he’s sitting with Lulu. She says, still no change? and he says, nope. It’s not looking good either. Laura is looking for Lucky. He’s the best chance they have at a donor match. She says, knowing Laura, she will move heaven and earth, and he says, but what she has to move is in Africa and she’s got to find Lucky fast or they’re not going to be able to save Lulu.

Olivia says, Robin broke her best friend, and Lois says she’s fine, but please continue. Olivia says, Lois lives in a house with this sanctimonious snob. She’s going to tell Monica to kick Tracy out on her bloomin’ arse. Tracy says she’ll triple Robin’s fee if she can fix that one too.

Holly asks, when was the last time Lucky was back in Port Charles and saw Laura and Aiden? and he says, it’s been a while. There’s no shortage of places that need the help. She says, and only he can solve their problems, and he asks if his mother sent her here to guilt trip him. She laughs, and says, no. She just figured it must be hard for him, being away from his family for so long. He says he’s sure they’re getting along just fine without him, when they hear footsteps. Holly says, someone’s coming.

Carly says, first of all, she’s not back with Sonny. Last night was a one-time thing and she’s annoyed with herself because she let it get as far as she did. But she and Sonny understand what it was and they’re able to move on because ultimately, they mutually respect and understand each other. Josslyn says, all Sonny has done is hurt Carly over and over again, and Carly says she knows that. She and Sonny have been through a lot. They’ve survived things she prays Josslyn never has to experience. They have children together. They’re a family. It’s an unbreakable bond. Josslyn says, so she’s getting back with him, but Carly says she’s not. She just told Josslyn. She’s not getting back together with Sonny. It was a one-time thing. And she’s trying to make Josslyn understand because she wants Josslyn to know that she knows what she’s doing. She’s not trying to justify her actions, and she certainly doesn’t need Josslyn’s approval here. (No, she doesn’t, and Josslyn needs to keep her opinion to herself.) Josslyn says, Carly knows who he is and what he does, and she was finally free of all of that. She doesn’t understand. Carly says she knows, and Josslyn says, he’s a dangerous man. Carly says she knows, and Josslyn says, with a dangerous lifestyle. He attacked Dex. He would have killed Dex if Jason hadn’t stopped it. And Jagger Cates was killed here last night at the boathouse. Carly says she’s aware, and Josslyn asks if she was there when it happened. Carly says, yes. She was with Sonny. Josslyn says, oh my God, and Carly says, whatever she’s thinking, stop. Josslyn asks, did she sleep with Sonny last night or did she give him an alibi for murder?

Jason says, so once they got Ava to the police station, she admitted that Cates forced her to sign a false statement against Kristina. Sonny says he warned her not to go with him, and Jason says, Boyle came clean too. She said that Cates blackmailed her and made a deal with her to kill Ava. Sonny says, slimy piece of work. Thank God Kristina is free of him. He tried to break her. He tried to end Sonny’s family. And he failed. I won. He thanks Jason for everything, and Jason nod and says he’ll get rid of the gun and casings. Then they’re done with Jagger. There’s a knock at the door, and Jason opens it. Anna is there with Dex and another officer, and Sonny asks what brings her by. She says, warrant to search the premises, and Sonny says, for what? She says, among other things, she needs to see Sonny’s weapons.

On the phone, Sidwell’s thug says, not yet… He’ll take care of Gannon. No problem… He just needs to wait until no one is in his room. (Well, yeah. You’d think that would be a given.)

Dante says, all right. They made the serial number of John Doe’s phone. That means if they can figure out where it was purchased, they can figure out where he comes from. Jordan says, or at least where he’s been.

Josslyn says, no. She doesn’t want to know. And she doesn’t know what’s worse. Carly falling for Sonny again, or her helping him get away with murder. Carly says, she has to know… but Josslyn says she doesn’t want to hear it. Because a week ago, Carly was telling her how horrible she felt facing prison because she made a terrible choice, and how that risky last-minute decision almost cost her kids, her job, her freedom. And if that evidence against her hadn’t miraculously disappeared… Carly says she knows, but Josslyn says, she doesn’t know. Because here she is again, a few weeks later, doing it again. So whatever this is, however she’s let Sonny back in her life, she’s back to risking everything for him.

Anna says, they’ll start with the main bedroom, then go to the office. She asks if Kristina or Avery are here, and Sonny asks if they can make sure not to mess up Avery’s room because she’s just a kid. Anna tells them, go easy on the kid’s room. She doubts Sonny would stash a smoking gun in her room. Sonny asks what smoking gun she’s talking about, and she says, the one used to kill Agent Cates. Sonny says, she’s wasting her time, and Anna asks why he doesn’t make it easier for everyone and produce his registered 9-millimeter gun. Just for laughs. He says, because he doesn’t want to make it easier, and Dex says he knows where Sonny keeps his lockbox. Sonny laughs, and Anna thanks Dex. Dex walks over to the credenza, and Sonny suggests Jason go. He doesn’t want to see this play out. They’ll keep in touch. Anna says, just a minute.

At the station, Ric introduces himself to Chase, and says, we were told you’re in charge of the John Cates murder investigation. Chase says, we? when Elizabeth joins Ric and says, hi. Chase asks what this is about, and Ric says, good. They know one another. He forgot what a small community Port Charles is. Chase asks if he has information regarding the Cates investigation, and Ric says, yes, but Elizabeth says, maybe. She’s not sure… Ric says he and Elizabeth were walking in Blackstone Canyon last night and they saw something suspicious. Elizabeth says, more like odd, and Ric says, semantics. Chase asks what they saw, and Ric says, when they got to the bridge, they noticed a woman at the railing, and she had a gun, and she dropped it into the water. Chase asks if they can describe the woman, and Ric looks at Elizabeth. She says, it was Alexis Davis.

Brook asks if Lois is really into this. Does she like the way she sounds? Lois says she’s still getting used to it. It’s fun. It’s like she’s pretending to be somebody else. Now she understands why Meryl Streep always picks the roles where she has to learn accents. Robin says, yes. Meryl Streep is a wonderful role model. Emulate her by all means. Brook says, they’re talking here, and tells Lois that she doesn’t want her to feel like this is something she has to do just because of some hateful comments on Home & Heart. Lois says, that’s not the only reason, and Brook says, there are a lot of idiots who hide behind the anonymity of social media and their presumed superiority. (Truth!) She loves Lois just the way she is, and so does everybody else. Lois thanks her and they hug. Tracy tells Robin that she’s stunned by Lois’s transformation after just one lesson. Does she have a magic wand or is she just that good? Robin says, the latter. Lois is an exceptional student. She has a virtuosic ear and an aptitude for linguistic convergence. She thanks Tracy for bringing Lois to her. Tracy says, what about the other one? Bensonhurst to the bone. Robin says, anyone can overcome their beginnings. Take Tracy for example. Tracy says, come again? and Robin says, she lived abroad for many years, did she not? In Amsterdam? Tracy says, amazing. She really knows her stuff. Robin says, Tracy’s upstate New York accent has almost been completely replaced by a mid-Atlantic or transatlantic one. She can still hear traces of… New Jersey. Hoboken perhaps. Tracy says, get out, and Robin says her work here is done. She tells Lois that they’ll be in touch, and flounces out.

Sidwell comes in and Holly says she was bored without him. He says, so she came here to amuse herself while he was away, and she says, he piqued her curiosity about this one’s poker skills, so she thought she’d test them out for herself. He says, and? and she says, lost every hand, which is worse than being bored, but now he’s back. She gets up and says she’s going to get ready for their special night. Is he coming? She might need some help with her zipper. He says he’ll be there soon. He and Lucky have yet to play a hand today. He has to win his rights to keep breathing.

As Chase records the statements, he says, so when they encountered Alexis Davis, she was out for a walk? Ric says, yes, at night, and Elizabeth says, so were they. Chase says, and she told them that she just dropped her phone, and Elizabeth tells him, she said her phone had been acting up. It wasn’t taking or receiving calls, and she got frustrated, so she just dropped it in the river. Ric says, as anyone would with a phone if they can’t make phone calls, and Chase says, but they believe it was a gun? Ric says, yes, most definitely, and Chase looks at Elizabeth. He asks if she’d like to speak somewhere privately, but she says, no. Last night, she got the impression that Alexis was holding a gun. But she’d like to go on record and say that she doesn’t believe for a second that Alexis had anything to do with the death of John Cates.

Carly sits next to Josslyn on the sofa and says she’s sorry to worry her. About what happened between her and Sonny, at the time, she wasn’t thinking about long term ramifications. She just truly thought she was doing what was best for her and Sonny. Josslyn says, no, she didn’t. She put Sonny ahead of herself, again, and ahead of everybody else. Carly says, what happened was consensual. Two consenting adults. Josslyn says, right, adults. Not two teens in the back of a movie theater. She knows Carly and knows what she’s doing. Carly says, and Josslyn knows there are people in her life that she won’t give up on. People she loves, and Sonny’s one of them. With that love comes loyalty. Josslyn says, nobody who truly loves Carly would ever ask her to sacrifice herself for them. Carly says she’s not sacrificing herself for Sonny, but Josslyn says, yes, she is. If she is his alibi and he did kill Jagger Cates, then she’s an accessory to murder. Murder. She can’t lose Carly. She’s scared. She just faced this. She can’t keep doing this with Carly. She can’t keep picturing living her life without her again. Carly says, she doesn’t have to do that. She’s going to be okay. She promises. She reaches to hug Josslyn, but Josslyn pulls away. She says, Carly can’t promise her that.

Anna says she assumes Jason’s presence here means he’s back working for Sonny, and he says he and Sonny are partners in Corinthos Coffee. That’s never changed. She says she enjoyed working with him. She can see that’s over now. He says he’s the same person he always was, and she says, he needs to stay out of her way from now on. She has a job to do. He says he was actually on his way out, and she says she would think as Sonny’s righthand man, he’d want to stay. Dex brings out the lockbox and puts it on the table. Anna thanks him and asks if Sonny wants to open this or give her the combination. He says he’ll open it, and she thanks him for his cooperation. He opens the box, and she says, he appears to be missing a gun.

Tracy says, that’s done. Good riddance. Lois says, good riddance, changing Tracy’s pronunciation. Riddance. Shall they decamp to the dining room? Brook says, excellent idea, and Olivia says, indubitably. They leave, and Ned and Tracy are left alone. Ned says, hoisted by her own petard springs to mind, and follows. (I love that phrase.)

Ric and Elizabeth sign their statements, and Chase says he appreciates them both for coming down. Elizabeth says she’s sure there’s a perfectly innocent explanation for Alexis’s actions, and Ric says, they’ve done their civic duty. Now whatever happens is up to the PCPD. They leave, and in the squad room, Ric says, that wasn’t too painful. She says, then why does she feel nauseous? and he says, sorry. He thinks he left his pen in the room. It’s expensive. She says she has to get back to the hospital, and he says he’ll catch up with her later. She leaves, and Chase comes out holding Ric’s pen. He says, looking for this? and Ric says, yes. Thank you. He takes the pen and says he just… never mind. Chase asks if there’s something he wants to add, and Ric says, it’s been bothering him. Alexis was so angry about Agent Cates trying to railroad Kristina. Chase says, and? and Ric says he knows Alexis would do anything to protect her daughters. Chase says, that’s right. He’s Molly’s father. Ric says he and Alexis go way back. That’s why this is so upsetting, considering that she’s killed before… He’s sorry. He thought Chase knew. It’s in her record. Chase asks if there’s anything else he’d like to add, and Ric says, no. It’s just such a shame, especially since she just put her life back together. She got her law license back. Chase says nothing, and Ric leaves. (Oh ho, so Ric is afraid of competition too. I’m wondering if Chase is already onto Ric really wanting to stick it to Alexis.)

Carly says her actions aren’t going to affect Josslyn. She’ll make sure of that. She promises. She needs Josslyn to trust her. Josslyn says, she’s making that very hard, and Carly says she knows. There’s one more thing. She would appreciate if Josslyn didn’t share this with Dex. The last thing they need is him getting the wrong idea and bringing Josslyn in for questioning. That would not be good for either one of them. Josslyn says she’s not going to tell Dex anything. She doesn’t want him involved. He just got on the force. Carly says, good. The bottom line is, it’s her personal choice. It’s not his business or anybody else’s. Josslyn says, the sleeping with Sonny part, and Carly says, yes. She loves Josslyn and she’s going to be okay. Josslyn says she loves Carly too. It’s Carly’s loyalty to Sonny that she doesn’t love. Carly says she knows, and Josslyn says she’s scared that one day Sonny is going to ask Carly for a favor and it’s going to cost her life. Carly says, that’s not going to happen, and Josslyn says, what if it already has happened? What if this is that favor?

Anna says, they understand Sonny has a registered 9-millimeter, and Sonny says, it should be right there. She says, he hasn’t reported it missing? and he says he didn’t know it was gone until right now. She says, that’s very interesting. Agent Cates was killed with a 9-millimeter last night. Sonny says, and now it’s missing. Should he call his lawyer? She says, it’s up to him really. Everyone knows he had reason to want Cates dead. He says, it’s a good thing he has an alibi, and she says she heard. Some kind of tryst with Carly. It’s really a coincidence that he’d reconnect with her just around the time of the murder even though she insisted the two of them were over. He says, she’s going to have to talk to Carly about that, and she asks if anyone other than his ex-wife saw him around the time Cates was killed, but he says he doesn’t think there was an audience. She says, that’s a shame, because unless he can produce this registered 9-millimeter of his and they can run tests on it, there’s no way to prove that it wasn’t involved in the homicide of Agent Cates.

Back at the station, Dante comes out with a folder, and Jordan says, anything? He says, IT traced the serial number of the damaged phone. It was purchased at the airport in Nairobi. She says, that’s where Laura and Doc went to look for Lucky, and he says, that’s correct. She says, this can’t be a coincidence, and he says he agrees. That’s why they have to figure out how their John Doe is connected to Lucky.  

Sidwell shuffles the cards and says, Holly is quite the woman, isn’t she? Lucky says, she is. A poker player, she ain’t. Sidwell says he’ll try and give Lucky a bit more of a challenge, and Lucky says, bring it. Sidwell says he knows Lucky has been biding his time, waiting for his friend to arrive with help. He hates to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s not going to happen.

Sidwell’s thug quietly goes into Isaiah’s room. He walks to the bed and takes a syringe out of his pocket.

On Monday, TJ tells Ric that if he lets his anger out at Kristina right now, he’s afraid of what he’s going to do; Curtis asks if Portia is sure she wants to put her life on hold for that woman; Jordan asks what someone is doing (probably Sidwell’s thug); and Anna tells Jason that he has to come with her.

💼 Gone But Hardly Forgotten…

Sounds like he had a tough last few days. I remember Ilene Kristen talking about what a pain out of sync filming is when I went to a soap workshop.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/adam-j-harrington-opens-up-about-his-last-days-at-gh

🎬 Living His Dream…

The best Nikolas of all the Nikolases has a new gig.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-adam-huss-to-begin-work-on-a-new-dream-series

🍊 Please Don’t Go…

I wouldn’t put it past Fancy Pants to have a house in both places just so she could do both shows. And I hate to admit it, but I’d be interested in seeing that.

💎 It’s Avi’s Fault…

If it’s by appointment, that means you can’t afford it.

🧂 Tuning Up…

She looks like she could be related to Beyoncé. Sign me up.

👠 Fuggedaboud Those Housewives…

No receipts, proof, timelines, or screenshots for Renee. Another confession, I loved Mob Wives.

⚰️ Dead and Company…

The latest on the Daryl Dixon front.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/the-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-season-3-changes-location-and-adds-new-cast-members-01j6yeyfw9yf

This time, the focus is not on GH’s ex-Spencer.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/walking-dead-s-dallas-roberts-jason-butler-harner-in-monsters-the-lyle-and-erik-menendez-story-01j6dn2xsgqt

The busiest man in Dead business.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/colman-domingo-shares-first-look-photos-of-his-new-series-the-madness-01j6kbadbrrf

🛸 Yeah, There Will Be Spoilers…

I watched this last weekend, and it wasn’t what I expected, but that wasn’t a bad thing. I love films that take place in NYC because it’s familiar territory, and you also get to see a lot of the creatures this time around. Definitely one to watch.

https://screenrant.com/a-quiet-place-day-one-leave-new-york-time/

🐹 Bringing Joy To the People…

Who doesn’t love a chinchilla wearing a crown?

https://people.com/hilarious-chinchillas-rock-tiktok-exclusive-8700508

🏹 Quotes of the Week

Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. David Ogden Stiers

Aggressive is protecting your rights, but hurting others. Assertive is protecting your rights and not hurting others.Dr. Phil McGraw

That’s the trouble with your whole MTV, microwave dinner generation. You want it all now. You think you deserve it just because you want it? It doesn’t work like that. You have to earn it, you have to take it, you have to make it yours. but before you do that, Guy, you need to decide what it is you really want. – Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey), Swimming with Sharks

Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. – Joshua J. Marine

Hand me my bird. – Mina (Hannah Dargan), The Watchers

You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. – Albert Einstein (The first guy to figure out Survivor.)

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest steppingstones to success. – Dale Carnegie

Don’t worry about being worried. You’re heading out on an adventure, and you can always change your mind along the way and try something else. – Tracy Kidder

Live your vision and demand your success. – Steve Maraboli

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

When life gives you lemons, just say, f*** the lemons, and bail. – Chuck (Paul Rudd), Forgetting Sarah Marshall

🍁 Waiting For Fall To Fall…

Have a glorious, or at least above average weekend. Then circle back on Monday for soap and what’s stewing on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay using the strength of your feelings to change your situation, and stay not reading your mom the riot act if you don’t like her choice of a one-night stand.

July 25, 2024 – Carly Tells John To Come & Get Her, Ric’s Return, Her Experience, Sutton Stops By the OC, They’re Here, InstaNepo & Soak

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Anna goes to visit Jack at Pentenville, but the warden tells her, there’s no prisoner here by that name.

Carly tells desk clerk Rick that she doesn’t want John’s luggage cluttering up the lobby. If he doesn’t them within the hour, put them in the street.  

Diane meets Sonny at the MetroCourt, and she says she wishes she had better news. Ava has a court order for visitation. As soon as Sonny filed for custody, she filed a counter motion, which allows her visitation. He says, so Ava can see Avery anytime and they can’t stop it? and she says, that’s it.

Ava tells John, it’s not that she doesn’t want to see Sonny brought to justice, but others have tried and failed. What makes him think he’d win? He says he has what he needs, a linchpin witness, someone who knows everything. They’re refusing to testify, but they’re about to change their mind because he’s sending them as far away from Port Charles as possible.

At the bus station, an announcement comes over the loudspeaker that the bus to Alexandria leaves in a half hour. (Which is funny, since yesterday, it was 15 minutes.) Jason looks at his ticket, when Danny walks in. (Told you.)

TJ finds Molly in an empty courtroom, and she asks if they have plans that she forgot about, but he says, no. They need to talk. She asks, what’s wrong with Kristina? and he says, Kristina and the baby are fine, physically at least. Did she know Kristina and Blaze were doing an interview with Perez Hilton? She asks, when? and he says, this morning. It’s already happened. She asks what Kristina did, and he tells her, see for herself.  

Sonny asks if they can stall and get supervised visits, but Diane says she recommends against it. Her advice is to cooperate with the court, lest Sonny appear to be punishing Ava by keeping her away from her child. He says his objective is to keep Avery safe, but she says, the court takes a dim view of using a child for leverage. He asks if she doesn’t think Ava is going to use Avery. She’s going to fill Avery’s head with lies about him. She says, they have to take the high road or Ava will play the victim, and he says, Ava is playing the damsel in distress for John Cates.

Ava asks how John sending his witness away is good news, and he says, they don’t want to leave Port Charles, and he’s giving them a compelling reason to stay. With the leverage he has, odds are, the witness is going to break and give him what he needs. Just sending him away will knock Sonny off-kilter and make him more unstable. (Apparently, John is a stupid, stupid man who doesn’t do his homework.) Ava says she likes the sound of that, and he says, Sonny won’t be able to control himself and will show the court that he’s unfit as a human and a parent. She says she can’t thank him enough. Who would have thought they’d go from their first meeting to this? He says, a lot has changed, and she laughs. She says she’s remembering him bursting in, all self-righteous, barking orders, and giving her the third degree. He says, she was quite the stonewall and lied to his face. Unless she does like Texas Hold ‘Em. She says, like she told him, she plays every chance she can get, and they kiss. (My stomach literally turns over.)

Jason asks how Danny found him, and Danny says he heard the announcement about the bus departure, and thought it was his best bet. Jason says, he’s a good detective, and asks if Dante drove him. Danny says, Yuri did. He’s outside. Is Jason mad that he’s here? Jason says he’d never be mad at Danny. He’s glad to see him, but he can’t tell Danny where he’s going. Danny asks if Jason can tell him how long he’ll be gone.  

Anna asks where Brannan was transferred to, but the warden says, there’s no record of him ever being here, but she says, that’s impossible. She has the dates. She checks her phone and says, December 9th, 2023, Brennan was sent to Pentenville. That’s here. He says he knows where he is, and she says, January 30th was her first visit. On April 5th, there was an altercation, and Brennan was transferred to GH because he was injured. On May 17th, she saw him there, and on June 11th, he was transferred from GH back to here. The warden says, his apologies, but their records don’t match. She says, this is insane. What if she subpoenas the guards and the inmate who stabbed Jack? Are they going to say she’s fighting a ghost? He says, she’s free to ask, but they may or may not remember. She says she’s going out on a limb here and saying, probably not, and he says, there are no supporting documents. According to their records, the guy was never here.

Sasha gives Violet a dish of Ants on a Log, and Violet says she doesn’t eat ants. Sasha explains that it’s celery, peanut butter, and raisins, and tells her to try it. Violet takes a bite and says, delicious. Maybe she does like ants. Sasha says, it was one of her favorite after school snacks, and Violet asks if her mom made it for her. Sasha says she lived with her grandmother. She was an amazing cook who taught her a lot. Violet says she doesn’t have a grandma. Sasha says, lots of people don’t, and Violet says, or a grandpa anymore. Sasha says she’s so sorry. She must miss him. Violet says, and her dad. Why does everybody have to leave?

Drew sees Willow with Wiley at the boathouse and says he didn’t mean to sneak up on them. He went in for a quick dip before he goes to Sawyer for a town hall event. Willow says, it’s really happening, and he says he’s nervous no one will show up. She asks, what’s the topic? And he says, an increase in funding for the libraries. She says, that’s important, and Wiley says he and his friends love the library. Drew says he wants to highlight that libraries foster communities and there’s more that unites us than divides us. Michael arrives, and I feel awkwardness in the air.

Ava says, this is a celebration that calls for a real cocktail. Martini? John says he’s a scotch guy, but she says she only has vodka. She offers to call downstairs, but he says he has a bottle in his room, and leaves. Ava sips her martini and says, really? An FBI agent? At least she keeps things interesting.

Jason says he doesn’t know when he’ll be back, and Danny says he believes Jason. He doesn’t just say things to say them. Jason says he wishes he could tell Danny everything. Remember when Danny found him in the boathouse and he said he needed help, but didn’t want Danny to tell anyone? Since then, they’ve gotten closer and spent time together. He’s grateful for that, but doesn’t want Danny involved in that part of his life. Danny asks if Jason is still in trouble, and Jason says he is. He made choices before Danny was born that are still affecting his life. Danny asks if he regrets them, and Jason says, in some ways, yes, in some ways, no. He regrets that he was taken away from Danny and wishes he could stay and be the father Danny deserves, but he can’t and that’s on him. He sighs.

John’s keycard doesn’t work. He tries it a bunch of times, then stomps off.

In the MetroCourt lobby, Josslyn thanks Gio for the ride. He sees Sonny with Diane and asks if she knows the woman Uncle Sonny is with. She says, that’s his lawyer Diane Miller. He says, they look serious, and she says, under normal circumstances, she’d tell him to go say hi, and he says, but not today. Got it.

Diane says she doesn’t like the sound of that, an FBI agent on Ava’s side who’s willing to testify against Sonny. Sonny says, John would love nothing more than to tear his family apart.

Josslyn tells Carly that she’s about to head out. Is she okay? Carly says, no. Physically, she’s fine, but she got bad news and she’s having a hard time dealing with it. They’ll talk at home. Josslyn says, now please, and they sit down. Carly says, Jason has to leave again. He doesn’t want to and she’s having a hard time. She’s sad and angry, but there’s nothing she can do. She has to deal with it.

Diane says, if the agent is willing to testify, he can tip the scales in Ava’s favor, and Sonny says, they can’t let that happen. She says she has no intention of it, and he says, speak of the devil. (I don’t get how John could testify on Ava’s behalf when he’s known her all of five minutes and hasn’t seen Sonny in 30 years.)

John tells Rick that his key card stopped working, and Rick says he’ll issue John a new one. Carly tells Josslyn to stay there, and goes over to the desk. She tells Rick that she’ll take care of it and to take a break. She tells John that his key doesn’t need reprogramming. He’s no longer a guest at the hotel. Take his luggage and get the hell out.

Michael says he got their note, and Wiley says he drew the pictures. Michael says, they’re almost professional, and Willow says, Amelia is asleep in her stroller. He sees the table is set, and asks, what is this? Willow says, a surprise picnic, and he says he loves it. Wiley asks if Drew wants to stay, but Drew says he’s got to get to Sawyer. Enjoy it, but save him a cookie. Wiley says he makes no promises. Willow tells Drew good luck, and Drew leaves. Michael asks, what’s in Sawyer? and Willow says, a campaign event. He says, so it begins, and she says she feels bad for Drew. He’s worried no one will show up. Wiley drags her over to the lake to look at minnows, and Michael gets on the phone. He says he’s going to need a favor.  

Molly tells TJ, when Perez mentioned Kristina’s bump and said, congratulations, she didn’t say the baby wasn’t hers. She said, thank you, and that it was a part of her, and Blaze’s lives that they wanted to keep private. The perfect couple committed to each other and the baby. TJ says, she just claimed their child on live TV. (I must accept this show is just going to annoy the hell out of me today. In addition to John and Ava, now these two, who overreact to pretty much everything and fill in the blanks with their own fantasy scenarios.)

Danny asks if Jason can call him once in a while, but Jason says he can’t. He’s sorry. But he’ll think about Danny and do his best to get back as soon as he can. Danny says, okay, and Jason says he hates this too. Danny says, they already did this, and he doesn’t want to again, and Jason says he knows. At least they can say goodbye this time. Even though Danny won’t know where he is, Danny knows he’ll be out there. Danny says, it’s better than nothing, and Jason says, this isn’t his choice. Danny asks, whose choice is it?

John asks if Carly is kicking him out, and she says she’s evicting him. He asks if someone complained, and she says, no. He asks, on what grounds she’s evicting him, and she says she’s co-owner of the hotel. She has the right to refuse service to anyone she likes… or hates. He says he thought they were friends, but she says, not so much. Sonny asks Diane if Carly is kicking John out, and she says, she sure is. John suggests Carly call her buddy Jason. He’s sure Jason will tell her to be accommodating. She says he doesn’t speak for Jason, and he says, she’d be surprised. She says, at this moment he has zero leverage over her. Does he think he can charge her with RICO violations because she’s a big bad mob boss? Here she is. Come and get her.

Sasha says, it must be a very confusing time for Violet, and probably scary and lonely. Violet says, it doesn’t make sense. So many people live here. Sasha says, but not the one person she’s missing the most. Violet says she can’t wait to see her dad, and Sasha asks if she’s keeping track of what she’s doing so she can tell him. Violet says she’s been writing in her diary every day, and Sasha says she lived for her diary when she was Violet’s age. Violet says she can’t let him read it because there are secrets there too, and Sasha says, as it should be. Does she feel lighter after she writes? Violet says, sometimes, but sometimes she’s more sad. Sasha says, it’s normal to have ups and downs, good days and bad days, and Violet says, Brook and Chase tell her the same thing. They told her that she can talk to them about anything. Sasha says, she can, and can talk to her too. The house is filled with people who love her and want the best for her. Violet says, that makes her pretty lucky, and Sasha says, the luckiest.

Willow says, rose and thorn, and Michael explains to Wiley that it’s the worst and best part of the day. Willow says, her rose was planning and setting up the picnic with Wiley. Her thorn was stepping in goose poop on their hunt for minnows. Wiley says, his thorn was a bug bite, and his rose was coming here. What about Michael? Michael says he has no thorn today, and Wiley says, boring. Michael says, waking up to his alarm was rough. His rose is this. Being with family is the best most important thing always. He takes Willow’s hand, and they kiss. Drew walks past.  

Molly says, Kristina led the public to believe the baby is hers and Blaze’s. She didn’t come out and say it, but she didn’t say it wasn’t. It’s out there now and as public as ever. TJ says, that was the goal, right? and she says she’s sorry. It’s what he’s been afraid of. She was afraid too, but didn’t want to admit it. Now it’s actually happening. She never believed her sister could actually do this. TJ says he didn’t want to believe it either. It’s not Molly’s fault. This is on Kristina. Molly says, she wants their baby to be hers, and now the whole world thinks it is.

Jason says he can’t tell Danny who’s calling the shots, and Danny says, but if not for this person, he wouldn’t be leaving. If he knew who it was, at least he’d have someone to be mad at. Jason says he doesn’t want Danny to be mad be. He wants him to be a kid, go to school, hang out with his friends. Danny says, Jason wants him to be distracted from missing him, and Jason asks if he’s wrong. Danny says, no, but it might be impossible. Jason says he’ll miss Danny too – he puts his hand on Danny’s shoulder – more than Danny knows.

John says, Carly doesn’t want to do this, and she asks if he’s speaking for her now. She’s not a mobster, isn’t involved in criminal conspiracy, and has nothing to do with RICO violations. She’ll be happy to prove it. Diane tells Sonny that she should intervene, but he says they should see what Carly has up her sleeve. Gio asks Josslyn if everything is okay, but Josslyn says, definitely not. John tells Carly, stand down, and she says she’s been standing down. She’s been biting her tongue, but she’s done. He’s a vindictive bastard with an ax to grind. He says, tell him how she really feels. If she wants it, he’s placing her under arrest. She holds out her wrists, and he reads her rights.

Drew says he’s sorry to interrupt. He hopes he left his watch here. Otherwise, it’s lost for good. Willow finds it, and their hands touch as she hands it to him. He thanks her and she says, of course (🍷). Michael says, Willow told him about town hall, and Drew says he’s hoping people show up. Michael says he wouldn’t worry. ELQ has manufacturing plants in Sawyer. Drew says, so? and Michael says he may have talked to the plant supervisors, asked them to spread the word, and instruct everyone to bring friends. Drew says, Michael has gone above and beyond. He appreciates it. Michael says he may have brought people to fill the seats, but Drew has to win them over. Drew thanks him again and leaves. Willow says, that was kind of him, but Michael says he didn’t do it for Drew.  

Molly says she knows her sister better than anyone. She has a flair for the dramatic. She loves the idea of being a mom, but has no appreciation for how to be one. She was asked a question about expecting, and she leaned in. She can’t resist the attention. If she’s not joining a cult, she’s having a baby. It’s not a trophy or an important cause. It’s a lifelong commitment. Kristina has gone too far. (Maybe it’s the water and everyone has gone insane.)

Carly says, go ahead and make sure he puts the cuffs on tight. John handcuffs her, and Sonny says, someone’s got to stop this. Diane says, let her handle it, and Josslyn says, what the hell? Carly says, it’s fine, and Diane asks, what’s going on? John says he thought it was obvious. Carly is under arrest for running a criminal enterprise. Josslyn says, she can’t go to prison. What about Donna? Carly says, Josslyn needs to find Jason. He’s at the bus station. Don’t let him leave. Josslyn asks Gio how fast he can drive, and he says, they’ll find out. They leave, and Anna walks in. She asks, what happened? and Sonny says he should have known she was in with Jagger. She says, just the opposite, and he says, coming at him is fine, but don’t come at him through his ex-wife. Anna says she’s not on board with that, and he says, then stop it.

Jason says he knows Danny is too young to ride his bike, but the key is in his room and Carly can give it to him. Danny says, the last time, his mom took care of the bike, and Jason says, it’s going to be Danny’s someday. Does Danny think he can maintain it while he’s away? Danny says he’s on it, and Jason says, maybe mom will take him out for a ride. Wear a helmet. Danny says, like mom would let him ride without one. Jason never wears one. Is this a do as I say, not as I do thing? Jason says, always, no matter what, and Danny promises, but says he thinks he’ll wait until Jason gets back to ride. He’d rather ride with him. The loudspeaker says, the bus to Alexandria leaves in five minutes and is now boarding. Danny asks if that’s Jason, and Jason nods and sighs.

Violet thanks Sasha, who says, next time, she’ll make Fish in a Stream with hummus and goldfish crackers. Maybe Violet could help her in the kitchen some. Violet says she could be Sasha’s apprentice, and Sasha says she can teach Violet some simple snacks and maybe a few meals. They can make a recipe book and leave some blank pages for Violet to fill in when she’s older. Violet says, Sasha can be like the cool grandma and teach her everything, but Sasha asks if she can’t be the cool aunt instead. Violet says, deal

Michael says he called in a favor for Willow. He knows how much Drew’s candidacy means to her, and she says, of course (🍷) she wants Drew to be successful. He says, a happy, lit up Willow is his favorite kind of Willow, and she says she lights up for him too. She loves him so much and family means everything to her too. Wiley says, Amelia is awake, and Michael asks if it’s a happy or grumpy awake. Wiley says he thinks happy. He gave her a cookie. Michael suggests they head back to the gatehouse, and Willow says she takes it back. This is her rose, the four of them heading home together. It’s everything she cherishes under one roof.

TJ says, Molly’s not going to talk to Kristina? but Molly says she knows what will happen. Kristina will get defensive and tell them that their assumption is way off. There’s only one way to handle this, through the law. (Wonderful. Open that can of worms and see where you land.)

Diane says, the time to drop this is now before it blows up in John’s face, and she assures him it will. Anna says, Carly isn’t a mobster, and it’s ridiculous to suggest otherwise. Diane asks if John was always this smug, and Carly and Anna say, yes, in unison. He says, Carly’s jail cell awaits, and Diane says she’ll see Carly there. It won’t stick. John says, want a bet? and on their way out, he locks eyes with Sonny. He says, let’s go, and he and Carly leave.  

Jason tells Danny to take care of himself, and Danny says, if Jason does too. Jason says he will, and Danny hugs him, trying not to cry. Jason tells him that he said it before, but he’s proud of him. The way he conducts himself is going to serve him. Danny says, he did it again, and Jason says, what? Danny says, he’s acting like it’s the last time they’re going to see each other. There will be a next time. Say it. Jason says, there will be a next time, and Danny tells Jason, you don’t just say things to say them. Jason picks up his bag, and Josslyn runs in. She says he can’t go, and he asks what she’s doing here. She says, Agent Cates just arrested mom.

Tomorrow, Dante asks Anna why the PCPD cares about Brennan; Sonny says, there’s no way in hell they’re sending his little girl’s mother to prison; and Jason asks Diane if they can undercut Carly’s case.

⚖️ Daddy’s Home…

My guess is that he’s going to be Molly’s counsel regarding the surrogacy.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/rick-hearst-returns-to-general-hospital

A refresher course, or just a course if you’re new to Ric.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ric-lansing

💔 Haters Gonna Hate…

It’s disgusting that a gorgeous, talented young woman has to deal with this kind of lunacy. I don’t know if she’ll be successful in turning minds around, but not engaging is wise.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-tabyana-ali-opens-up-about-the-online-racism-she-experienced

🍊 Single Orange Female…

The best part was Sutton meeting with new Housewife Katie and Gina. Katie was on the fence about Heather, and Sutton said she wouldn’t go up against Heather. She’d hide under the table. Well, if Sutton feels that way about someone, I’d listen. In her interview, Gina also pointed out that Sutton did way better in her divorce than she did. Sutton did better in her divorce than all of them put together, and maybe even Heather if she got divorced. We should all have such generous exes.

https://people.com/rhoc-recap-shannon-beador-calls-out-alexis-bellino-eerily-similar-relationship-with-john-janssen-8684059

🦸🏻‍♂️ The Futurepool Is Now…

No surprise, it’s already a box office smash.

https://deadline.com/2024/07/box-office-deadpool-wolverine-1236022761/

It’s always nice to have supportive friends, and it doesn’t hurt if they’re Taylor Swift either.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/taylor-swift-praises-ryan-reynolds-deadpool-wolverine-blake-lively-1235958388/

All the extra stuff.

https://www.ign.com/articles/deadpool-wolverine-every-marvel-easter-egg-cameo-reference-mcu

What to watch in preparation. The first two Deadpool films should go without saying.

https://www.thewrap.com/deadpool-3-what-to-watch-before-deadpool-and-wolverine-movies-shows/

🐕 It’s Not What They Know…

Ha-ha! Nepo pets. Claudia Schiffer’s cat carrier is everything.

https://nypost.com/2024/01/25/lifestyle/meet-the-nepo-pets-who-reached-celeb-status-thanks-to-their-famous-owners/

This never gets old.

https://www.eonline.com/photos/19657/celebrity-pets-on-instagram

🎣 Watching the Tide Roll Away…

Come and unwind from the week tomorrow with soap, what’s watchable (or not), quotable quotes, and a tune. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping the peace on social media, and stay not just saying things to say them.

April 5, 2024 – Anna Visits Brennan In Pentenville, Come Monday, New Manager, Their Portrayal, Buddy Project, Poor Ann, Mutual Admiration, Dead Talk, Happily Ever Afters, X Quotes & Clearly

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Lois touches up her manicure in the nook, and Brook says, thank God she’s still here. She needs Lois. Lois asks if it can wait. She’s already late. Brook says, it’s about the wedding, and Lois says, whatever it is, they’ll fix it later. She promises. She starts to dash off and Brook says, fine. She’ll just have to get married without a wedding dress. Lois says, okay, you win.

Sonny sits at the MetroCourt bar and sends a text to Lois: I’m here. Where are you? Natalia comes up to the bar and says, Mr. Corinthos, we meet again.

Molly goes into Bobbie’s and Carly says, she just missed the lunch rush, so take a seat anywhere. She’ll have someone bring out a menu for her. Molly thanks her, and Carly says she wanted to tell Molly she did a great job in court the other day… at Jason’s arraignment. Molly says she’s surprised to hear Carly say that. She thought Carly would hold prosecuting Jason against her. Carly tells her, who says she doesn’t?

In his office pretending to be working, Drew picks up the phone and says, send her in. Jordan walks in, and he asks, what brings her by? She says, when they spoke the other day, he said he’d be open to Aurora promoting the city of Port Charles. She’s here to follow up.

At Pentenville, a guard brings Brennan to the visitor room, and Brennan says, look who it is. Anna says, good afternoon, and he says, it is now. She asks, why is that? and he says he likes being right. He told her that she’d be back to see him, and here she is.

Sam brings Dante into the apartment, and he says he’s got this as he slowly walks to the sofa. She asks if he’s sure about that, and he says he might need a little help. She helps him to sit, and he takes her hand and says he just wanted her to sit next to him. She says she’s missed this, and he says, him too. She says she was afraid she’d never have him here again in their home, and he says, see? All that worry was for nothing. She says she loves him so much, and he says, him too. She says, welcome back, and they kiss.

Sonny asks what brings Natalia to the MetroCourt, and she says she has a meeting and they’re officially late. He says, the person he’s meeting is late too, and asks if she wants to wait with him. She says she would like to, and takes a seat. She’s always surprised by people who just don’t respect the value of other people’s time, but it doesn’t seem to be bothering him. He says he’s just waiting for a friend. Business is business. He asks what she’s drinking, and she asks what he’s having. He says, scotch, and she tells the bartender that she’ll have the same. He says, she doesn’t seem like the white wine type, and she says she’s found that business rivals don’t really respect a Sauvignon Blanc. He says he’s sure her rivals are impressed by her, and she thanks him. She asks if she can make a personal observation and he says, no… He laughs and says, go ahead, and she says, since they last met, he seems lighter, happier. He says, is that right?

Lois says, sit. Tell her everything. Brook says, when they decided to downsize the wedding, she called Sandrine and told her to stop working on alterations on Lila’s dress. But now that Dante’s feeling better – Lois says, thank God – and they’re having the wedding they originally planned, she called Sandrine back and told her to start working on the dress, and she said… Lois says, there was a fire, but Brook says, no, and Lois says, a broken pipe flooded everywhere. Brook says, ma, no, and Lois says, oh God, it’s squirrels again. Brook says, worse. She said the fabric is too old, that it’s falling apart, it won’t hold a seam. Bottom line, the dress cannot be altered. Lois says, that is a setback for sure, but Brook says, it’s more than a setback. The dress can’t be worn. Game over. Lois tells Brook to bite her tongue. She knows when things are impossible, that’s when they start to get creative. There’s got to be some way to salvage some part of Lila’s dress.

Rocco comes in with Scout, and says, Dante’s home. Dante says he is. He told them he was coming back, right? Rocco says, but now he’s here, and Dante says, he’s right, and Rocco’s here too. Sam asks, where’s Danny?

Molly tells Carly that she was assigned the case. She had to make the best argument she could. Carly says she knows Molly was just doing her job. If Jason didn’t make bail and Dante hadn’t woken up to exonerate him, she wouldn’t be in this good of a mood, but that’s not what happened. Jason’s free, Dante’s home with Sam and Rocco, and Molly’s niece and nephew. Molly says, and they’re crazy about him. She just hopes they’re not so excited to see him, they pop Dante’s stitches and Sam has to take him back to the hospital. They laugh, and Carly says, that would be awful. Kristina comes in and says, guess who’s on time? Molly says, not just on time, but early, and Kristina says, the end times must be upon us. She says hi to Carly, who tells them to take a seat – clearly, they can sit anywhere – and she’ll bring them menus. Molly sits, and Kristina tells Carly that she knows Nina is back at Crimson. Is she okay? Carly says she’s better than ever, and Kristina says, really? Carly says she’s busy enough here, and Drew’s a savvy businessman. She’s sure he had a reason for taking Nina back.

Jordan says, since Aurora is headquartered here, it benefits his company for Port Charles to be seen as the vital, thriving, culturally rich city it is. He says, as opposed to the smuggling mecca with outbursts of violence from organized crime get away from, and she says, that’s the image they’re trying to get away from. He says he’s sure the shootings at Selina’s warehouse didn’t help any, and she says she’s really glad they’re having this chat. He asks, why is that? and she says, there are some days she really misses being Police Commissioner, but he’s made it so she doesn’t miss law enforcement at all. They should do this more often. He says, they’ve got to find a way to make that happen. Starting with cleaning up the city’s image. She says she’s hoping Aurora Media will play a pivotal role in rebuilding the city’s image, from the streets up.

Brennan says, they told him that the Police Commissioner was here to see him. When did Anna take back her old job? She says, it’s been a couple of months, and he asks if Police Commissioner wasn’t a come down. International spy to small town cop. (Wow. It was a mecca just two seconds ago.) She says she could do worse. She could be wearing one of those jumpsuits. He laughs and asks if she doesn’t miss working intelligence, and she says, sure, but she actually enjoys doing local police work. He asks how that’s even possible. He remembers her back in the day, the ambition. She was downright scary. She asks if she’s scary now, and he says, she’s not not scary. She laughs and says, he was always such a smooth talker. He says, all Australians. It’s in the genes. He asks why she’s here, and she says, a name came up that made her think of him – Pikeman.

Jordan tells Drew that she wants to rebrand this city. Emphasize the art scene, their gorgeous location, its architecture… His phone rings and he says he thought he told his assistant no interruptions. He’s so sorry. The door opens and John walks in. He tells Drew not to blame his assistant, and Drew says he won’t. Who the hell is he? Jordans says, this is Special Agent John Cates with the FBI, and John says, Deputy Mayor Ashford, always a pleasure. She says she’s sure it is, and Drew says, as John can see, he’s at a meeting right now. What does he want? John says he needs Drew to answer a few questions about his brother Jason Morgan.

Molly asks if Kristina can be any more insensitive, but Kristina says, Carly is fine. Molly says, if she weren’t fine, does Kristina think she’d let on? This is Carly, for God’s sake. Kristina says, honestly, she doesn’t think Carly is crying many tears over her breakup with Drew, and Molly asks how it’s her business. Kristina says, admit it. She’s just as curious. Know how she knows? Molly hasn’t even asked her about… Molly says, oh my God. How’d it go at the doctor? She’s sorry she and TJ couldn’t be there. Kristina says, it’s totally fine, honestly. She’s laying there in what they have the nerve to call a gown. They put that goop all over her belly and roll that electric eye over it, and that’s it. She was totally fine doing it on her own. Josslyn comes in and Molly says, hi. Josslyn says hi back and goes to the counter. Carly asks if she isn’t sick of this place, and Molly asks Kristina, what’s up with her and Joss? Kristina says she has no idea what Josslyn’s problem is.

On the phone, Lois says, the bodice is completely unsalvageable?… How about those gorgeous pleats?… How popped and yellowed?… And the crinoline?… Oh no… Wait. What? They’re intact? Are they sure?… She’s going to put her daughter on the phone with them right now. She hands the phone to Brook, who says, yes? Hello?… Uh-huh… Oh my God, yes. That would be amazing… She can come in for a fitting anytime… Oh no. She’s so sorry. She can’t come in right now. She has a crucial meeting right now. She hands the phone to Lois, says, sorry, and leaves. Lois sees a bowl of ice cream on the counter and says, ooh, strawberry. She sits down, eats a spoonful, remembers she’s late, and runs off.

Sonny says he’s in the mood to celebrate a little bit, and Natalia asks, what is the special occasion? Sonny says his son is a cop, his oldest son, and he was shot in the line of duty. It was touch and go for a bit, and they thought he wasn’t going to make it. She says, but he did, and Sonny says, yeah. She raises her glass and says, to his son. He says, to Dante, and clinks his glass against hers. She asks if he’s still in the hospital, but Sonny says, he’s home today, and it’s going to take him a while to make a full recovery. She says, okay, but that’s wonderful. She’s happy for both of them. He says, thank you very much. He’s so happy. She says, that reminds her of something he said, that there is nothing more important than making sure your child knows you love them. She’s been thinking about that a lot lately. He asks if things are better with her and Blaze, and she says, yeah – she takes a sip of her drink – and no.

Scout tells Sam, Danny said he had to do something, and Sam asks if he mentioned what that was. Rocco says, no, but that’s just how he is. He’s not big on explanations. Sam says, all right. No big deal. She’ll just shoot him a text. Scout says, she can’t, and Dante asks, why not? Scout says, mommy took his phone when she grounded him, and Sam says, ouch. Scout’s right. She did do that. All right. She knows where to start. Dante says, she thinks he went to see… She shoots him a look, and looking at Sam’s phone, Scout asks why Carly would know where Danny is. Danny walks in with a bakery box and tells Dante, welcome home. Dante says, there he is. He’s back. Sam asks where he’s been, and Danny says, Eckerd’s. He wanted to get some donuts to celebrate Dante’s homecoming.

Natalia tells Sonny that she doesn’t want him to think less of her for saying this, and he says, there’s only one way to find out. She says she’s still struggling with mixed feelings about Allison, and he says, being gay. She says, yeah. She wishes she could wake up tomorrow morning and just feel enlightened and comfortable with the way she is. He says, it takes time, and she asks if it took him time with Kristina. He says, no, not really, but he thinks with Kristina, it took her so long to tell him because she was afraid he’d reject her, which he would never do. Natalia says she feels like it’s a little bit different with Allison, because she’s not altogether convinced that it’s not a reaction to the harassment and abuse she got from her former manager. He says, Linc Brown, and she says, that’s the one. She knows Sonny accepted her right away, but did he ever wonder with Kristina? Did he ever ask why? He tells her that he’d be lying if he said he never wondered if her bad experiences changed her and made her who she is. Know what he learned? That happens to all of us. Kristina was, is, and always will be Kristina. Natalia says, and she’s charming and beautiful, and he says, she gets that from her dad. She laughs, and he wonders if he can ask her something he thinks she may not like. She says, hold on, and takes a sip of her drink. All right. He asks if she thinks she knows what her daughter wants more than her daughter does, and she says, of course (🍷) she thinks that. Of course (🍷) her daughter doesn’t always agree with her all the time. He says, to daughters, and they clink glasses. Lois and Brook arrive and see Sonny with Natalia.

John says, if Jordan wouldn’t mind, but Drew says he wants her to stay. He’s got nothing to hide. John says, it’s fine by him. Has Drew heard from his brother? Drew says he has not, and John says, not since the charges were dropped? Drew says, nope, and John says, what about before? Drew says, the only time he saw Jason was at his arraignment, and John says, and they didn’t speak then. Drew says, actually, no, and John says, to his own brother? Drew says, they’re not that close, and John asks, then why go to the arraignment? Drew says, they have people in common. He was there for them. And that is the extent of their contact. John says he’s sorry, but he finds that hard to believe.

Brennan says, Pikeman, and Anna says, come on. Don’t tell her that he doesn’t know what that is. He says, of course (🍷) he knows. Armaments, defense systems, skilled mercenary soldiers. She says, very lucrative business, and he says, it was. He’s sure it still is. They were investigating them. She says, he was? and he says, the WSB was. Sadly, he no longer considers himself part of that institution. She says, what really amazes her is the fact that he was able to be the director of the WSB and head up Pikeman at the same time, and he says, what? She says, that was terrible, that look of astonishment. He’s not even trying. He says he doesn’t see how one can head a global law enforcement agency and a paramilitary defense contractor at the same time. But the fact she thought he could have, he’s quite flattered. She says, Pikeman has weapons. WSB needs weapons. That way we were able to… She keeps referring to the WSB as we. He says, institutional espionage is addictive. It’s a hard habit to break. She says, a partnership with Pikeman gave the WSB access to untraceable weapons, which allowed them to meddle in countries they were supposed to leave alone. He set it up perfectly. He says he did? He must be really good. She says, he’s one of the best. Then he got himself caught because he couldn’t leave Port Charles alone. Why? What’s so important here?

Kristina says, Molly was in the courtroom, so she didn’t see it, but she and Josslyn got into it before Jason’s arraignment. Josslyn went on and on and on about how Jason just had to be innocent. Molly says, which it turns out he was, and Kristina says, yeah, but no one knew that at the time. But did Josslyn listen? Nope. She was being totally unreasonable.

Josslyn sits down at the counter and says, Dex is becoming a cop, and Carly asks if she’s sure. Josslyn says, yes. He was here and he was reading the paperwork right over there. So what happens when Sonny finds out? What happens if Sonny takes him to the Pine Barrens and Carly isn’t there this time to stop him? Carly says she could try to talk Dex out of it, but if he’s that determined… Josslyn says, Dex should be able to do whatever he wants to do, but he can’t because of Sonny. The FBI should be investigating Sonny, and they should put him away in jail until the end of time like he deserves. Kristina gets up, and Molly says, no, just leave it, but does Kristina listen? Nope. She says, Josslyn is talking trash about her dad, and Josslyn says, in a private conversation. Kristina says, their voices carried. She might want to walk that back. Josslyn asks why she’d want to do that, and Kristina says, a lot of reasons. Everything her father’s ever done for Josslyn.

Josslyn says she’s sorry. What is she supposed to be grateful to Sonny for? Kristina says, he’s been wonderful to Josslyn. She grew up in his house. Josslyn says, he was her stepdad. She was a child. She had to live there. Kristina says, Sonny has always loved Josslyn and treated her like she was one of his own daughters, and what does she do? She tears him down behind his back. Josslyn says, call him over. She’ll say everything right to his face. It wouldn’t be her first time. Kristina says, Josslyn hates him like he is some terrible person. Her father has donated wings to hospitals… Josslyn says, where’s the money coming from that he donates these wings? His coffee imports? Kristina says she’s not discussing what her father may or may not be doing with his business… and Josslyn says, may or may not… Kristina says, about which none of them has firsthand knowledge. Josslyn says, Kristina might not, and Kristina says, Josslyn does? Carly walks over and says, they’re not having this conversation here. They need to take a step back. Kristina says, no, please, enlighten her. She can’t wait to hear this. What does Josslyn think she knows about what her father does? Josslyn says she knows Kristina’s father is a vicious thug and a murderer.

Brook hugs Sonny, and he says he didn’t know her mom was bringing her here. Lois says she wasn’t, but Brook was meeting someone here, and Natalia says, that would be her. Lois and Natalia introduce themselves, and Lois says she’s sorry they’re late. They had a wedding dress emergency. Sonny says, that happens, and Natalia says, does it? She’s never heard of a wedding dress emergency. Lois says, now she has, and Brook suggests she and Natalia chat somewhere more private. Sonny says he hears Blaze is the new Face of Deception. That is exciting. Natalia says, we’ll see, and Brook says, let’s take that table over there and let them catch up. Natalia says, have a nice lunch, and goes with Brook. Lois tells Sonny, she seems… nice.

Sam says, since they eat donuts with their hands, why don’t Scout and Rocco go upstairs to wash up? Scout asks if Danny is in trouble, but Sam says, no. Rocco tells Scout that their business is upstairs. Let’s go mind it. They go upstairs, and Sam tells Danny that she needs him to tell her the truth. No matter what, he’s not in trouble. When he went to get the donuts, did he go and see his father? Danny says, no, and she says, okay. He asks if she believes him, and she says, shouldn’t she? He says, yeah. He just didn’t think she would. She opens a drawer and says, how about this? She’s actually going to give him his phone back. She takes out the phone, hands it to him, and says, but under one condition. She is going to put the locator on, so she knows where he is. He says, so not only does she not believe him, she doesn’t trust him either, but she says she does believe him, and she trusts him. She just wants to protect him. He says, from his own father, and she says, his father isn’t someone he should be around right now. Jason leads a dangerous life. Danny says he’s got homework. He tells Dante, enjoy the donuts, and goes upstairs. Sam says, what? and Dante says, she’s the mom, so what she says goes, but respectfully, he thinks she might have made a mistake there.

John says, like Drew told him, he and his brother have people in common, most notably Sam McCall and Carly Spencer. Both of them were married to one, and both of them were involved with the other. Jordan says, none of which merits investigation from the FBI, and John says he was getting to that. She says, well, hurry, and John says, both Drew and his brother have been charged with a federal crime. His brother went to prison after a no contest plea, and Drew went to prison after pleading guilty to insider trading. He was granted early release, which means if Jason is involved in any criminal activities and Drew is implicated, he could be sent back to Pentenville. (Wouldn’t the FBI already know how close Drew and Jason are or aren’t?)

Brennan says he’s thought a lot about Port Charles. There’s so much to do in this city, so much to discover. Anna says, like a mission report on the defection they worked on together. Does he remember that? He asks, how could he forget? It was a dismal failure. She says, but then he found out she had a hard copy, and he couldn’t let that get out, could he? He says, because it went south? He’ll have her know that he’s been a part of more than one failed mission. She says, but none of those resulted in ten million dollars disappearing, and he says he remembers the ten million too. It’s funny, because back then they thought that was a lot of money. She says, they did, but it’s enough to provide seed money for Pikeman. That’s why he had to destroy the report and silence her in the process. He says, right. So if he’s such a diabolical mastermind, why is she still alive? If she’s the only person who can tie him to the missing money, why wouldn’t he just kill her? She says, it’s not for lack of trying, and he says, or maybe that’s what someone wants her to believe. She asks if he’s saying he’s being framed, and he says, like she hasn’t? She says, it happens to the best of us, and he says, someone didn’t like the direction he was taking with the WSB, and now he’s in here. Maybe she can help him get out. Maybe she can find out who framed him. For old time’s sake. She says she’ll consider it, if he gives her something in return. He says, such as? and she says, a name. With him in here, someone’s got to be running Pikeman. Who?

Josslyn says, Molly is the ADA. She must have access to the file on the assault of Cyrus Renault. Show Kristina. Kristina says, Josslyn wants to talk about thugs and murderers, Cyrus Renault is at the top of that list. Josslyn says, he used to be. Maybe he still is. It doesn’t matter. She should look at the file. And she should take a really good look at the photos and see what her beloved daddy did to a helpless old man who couldn’t fight back. Molly says, this isn’t accomplishing anything. They’re going to go. Josslyn tells Molly, show her. And then show her all of the information in all of the files on all of the lives Sonny has ruined and all of the people he has had killed. Carly tries to interrupt, but Josslyn says, then maybe Kristina will see him for who he really is. Kristina says she can’t be around Josslyn, and walks out. Molly looks at Josslyn, who says, if Molly wants her to apologize, she can’t. Molly says, Kristina is pregnant right now. She can’t handle this kind of stress. Even if she could, what good does it possibly do, rubbing her nose in how Josslyn feels about Sonny? He’s her father. She loves him. She has every right to. Molly leaves, and Josslyn looks guilty, as she should. She can be a mean girl.

Sonny says he thinks that’s a record. Two seconds, and Lois wrote Natalia off. Lois says, oh no. She’s as open as the next person. He says he can see that, and she says she means it. She’s willing to give anyone a chance, but come on. She’s been in the music business a little bit too long. She can spot a stage mother from a mile away, and she’s telling him, that Natalia is enmeshed in her daughter’s life. So much so, that poor kid isn’t going to be able to have a life of her own. He says, and no one can say that about her, and she says, there is no questioning how close she and Brook are. But her daughter is her own person, and she accepts the beautiful, brilliant, vibrant human being that she’s become. He says, and she is that, and Lois says, let’s see if that Natalia can say it about her own kid.

Brook asks what Natalia’s concerns are about Blaze becoming the Face of Deception, and Natalia says, she’s already a star. Brook says, she is, a rising star, and Natalia says, higher and higher every day. So forgive her if she questions some of Brook’s managerial choices. Brook says she’ll be happy to answer any questions Natalia may have. Fire away. Natalia suggests they start with the most obvious, which is that Brook has this wedding taking up all of her time. So will Brook even have time to focus on what’s best for her daughter? Brook says, yes. Next question. Natalia says, let’s just stick with this one. What if she had a wedding dress emergency and she had a meeting with a record label or a venue manager?

Dante says, the more Sam forbids Danny to see his father, the more he’s going to want to see his father. She says she doesn’t know what else to do. Does he have any suggestions? He says, talk to Jason? He doesn’t know. He may be biased right now because technically, the guy saved his life.

Brennan says he can’t tell Anna who’s head of Pikeman because he doesn’t know, and she says, might she remind him that she and Dante Falconari were targeted by Hume. Hume was employed by Pikeman, working under his orders. He says, if she has proof of that, by all means, show it to his attorneys. He’s sure they’d love to see it. As would he. Let him ask her. Does she have any evidence directly tying him to Pikeman? No? Then why does she think that is? She says she may not have anything to tie him to Pikeman now, but she can certainly tie him to it back in the day.

Sam says she’s grateful Jason helped save Dante’s life, but this isn’t about him and Jason. This is about her protecting Danny from Jason. She doesn’t want him to get sucked into Jason’s life more than he already has. Dante says, first of all, he’s not trying to make it about him. He’s with her. He’s just concerned that… She says, forbidding Danny from seeing Jason is only going to make him want to see Jason more. She knows that. She just doesn’t know what else to do. He says he’s going to do whatever it is Sam tells him to do to help her. She says, of course (🍷) he will. Because he knows what it means to be a father. And it’s more than biology. He’s the one who’s here. He’s the one who’s put in the time. He’s the one Danny can count on. He says he doesn’t know about that, but he knows he’s the lucky one, because he has her and those kids. She says, yeah, and they’re about to kiss, when Scout asks if they can eat now. Sam says, of course (🍷). Come on down. The kids all come downstairs, and Sam says she has some really good news. Olivia brought over some dinner, but she was thinking maybe they’d do something a little different. Since it is a celebration, maybe they could have dessert before dinner. Unless of course (🍷), they want to have dinner before dessert. Show of hands. Dinner first?… No? Dessert first? All the hands go up, and Sam says, dessert it is. Danny says, Dante gets first choice, but Dante says he’ll give his first choice to Scout. Scout asks if there’s a pink one with sprinkles and Danny asks what she thinks. She takes one out, and Sam asks what she says. Scout says, thanks Dante. Welcome home. Dante thanks all of them and says, this is the best welcome home ever. Now pass those donuts around.

Drew says, if John wants to investigate him, go for it. Sift through every detail of his life. John can audit his company. He has absolutely nothing to hide. He’s just going to give John a little bit of advice. Make sure he dots every i and crosses every t, because he’s going to make this very public. And he’s pretty sure the FBI doesn’t want John bringing on that kind of exposure for them. John thanks Drew and says he appreciates Drew’s time and cooperation. Drew says, he’s very welcome. So they’re done. John says, for now. If he does hear from his brother – Drew says he won’t – or obtain any information, give him a call. Drew says, John wants to bring down Jason, that’s on him. John leaves, and Jordan asks, who does Drew hate more, his brother or Very Special Agent (ha-ha!) John Cates? He says he definitely doesn’t hate his brother. It’s just, Jason brings on his own trouble, and he doesn’t want to be dragged down into it. She says, heard, and he thanks her for staying. She says she’s so glad she did. Drew tearing into Special Agent Cates was a thing of beauty.

Anna says, that mission report, and Brennan says, the one she believes he tried to have her killed over. She says, that one. It clearly states that he was instrumental in planning that operation where the ten million went missing. It put him in a perfect position to sabotage the op and abscond with the money. Everyone else involved with that op was either sidelined or demoted, but not him. His career skyrocketed. It’s almost as if someone in a much, much, much higher position at the Bureau not only approved of his actions, but was rewarding him for them. They were rewarding him with positions that were advantageous to him and to Pikeman. Pikeman is far too valuable to collapse in his absence. So who did he hand it off to? Who is running it now? He says he wishes he could help her, but alas, she’s wasting her time. He calls the guard and says, the Police Commissioner is done with him. The guard leads him away.

Brook tells Natalia, Blaze wanted to keep it at smaller venues for now, then move on to other ones once they sold those out. After all, it’s better to sell 300 tickets to a 200-person venue than it is to sell 500 tickets to one that holds 1000. Natalia says she happens to believe Blaze could sell out a 1000 plus seat venue, and Brook says, so does she, but this is Blaze’s choice and she backed Blaze because she believes in her. Blaze is her client. She and Blaze will decide what direction to take her career. Natalia says, Blaze might be Brook’s client, but this is her child. It’s her job to safeguard Blaze’s happiness. Brook says, Natalia’s not going to get an objection from her. They all want Blaze to be happy. Natalia says, to that end, she wants to make sure Blaze doesn’t publicize something she can’t take back later. So she wants Blaze’s private life to remain private. Are they clear? Brook says she doesn’t manage Blaze’s private life. And neither does Natalia. Whoever Blaze decides to spend her time with and whoever knows about it, that’s up to Blaze. A word of advice… Natalia says she doesn’t need Brook’s advice, but Brook says, trust her. She does. Sonny is Blaze’s girlfriend’s father, and he loves his little girl. He thinks she hung the moon. She doesn’t think he’d appreciate Natalia trying to keep their relationship a secret.

Lois says, thank God. She can see the relief in Sonny’s face. She can hear it in his voice. He says he’s been relying a lot on Dante lately. Not just as a son, but as a friend. Lois says, how so? and he says, Dante has a way of getting through to him – he lowers his voice – and he needs that in his life right now.

Carly says, Josslyn was right about Sonny, but Kristina refuses to see it. Of course (🍷) she does. Sonny is her father. Josslyn says, don’t tell her that she has to go apologize, and Carly says, no. She doesn’t have to apologize. Kristina isn’t a delicate flower, and she gave just as good as she got. But she’s worried about Josslyn. Josslyn is so angry about the situation with Sonny and Dex, and she gets it, but all that rage Josslyn has inside is only hurting her. Josslyn says, of course (🍷) she’s filled with rage. Sonny sent Dex to kill Cyrus and Dex was going to do it, but he felt like he didn’t have a choice. And she can’t be with someone who could do something like that. Carly says, that’s the choice Josslyn made and she’s proud of her for it. Josslyn says, even if she’s miserable? and Carly says, that’s how she knows it wasn’t an easy choice to make. And as far as if it was worth it or not, only Josslyn knows the answer to that. Josslyn says, all she knows is, she still loves Dex, and she misses him, and Carly says he understands. She’s been there. Josslyn says, but she’s terrified because Dex is going to become a cop, and there’s a real chance Sonny will have him killed.

On Tuesday (see below), Drew asks Nina what he gets out of this; Sonny asks Ava why Drew would hire the woman who put him in prison; Jason says he needs someone to do something else for him; and Carly yells for someone to be left alone.

👓 No Soap Monday…

It’s the solar eclipse, baby.

📋 Carly’s New Hire…

Meet Hunter.

🔬 A Little Mental Health On the Side…

When art imitates life. One of the reasons I love GH. They keep it relevant.

💣 Joining Forces…

I can see them as The Blues Brothers 2.0.

William deVry Updates Fans on His Project With Kin Shriner!

🍸 For Ann’s Sake…

But will she ever actually be working?

There’s no doubt it was stressful.

But apparently, the worm with a mustache doesn’t think it’s stressful picking up his dirty drawers and being a go-between for two people who shouldn’t be sharing a house in the first place.

💎 When Worlds Collide…

Definitely a meet cute.

⚰️ What’s Next In Dead…

New addition to the City.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/dead-city-season-2-update-sons-of-anarchy-actor-kim-coates-added-to-cast-01htqk16jafm

Thoughts on the Dead future.

🐶 Miracles Happen…

Best happy ending ever.

https://people.com/woman-viral-search-for-senior-dog-missing-from-animal-hospital-exclusive-8620174

That grasshopper must live!

https://people.com/zoo-vets-make-tiny-neck-brace-for-grasshopper-bug-8619996

He’s in love.

https://people.com/simon-cowell-cuddles-adorable-black-white-puppy-8620886

💡 Quotes of the Week

It’s not a lie if you believe it. – George Costanza (Jason Alexander), Seinfeld

I’d rather see my face aging than a face I don’t recognize at all. – Cameron Diaz (Thank you.)

Quitting can be a hard choice to make, but often it’s a brave one as well.Susan David

A polite enemy is just as difficult to discredit, as a rude friend is to protect. – Bryant H. McGill

The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you. – B. B. King (No one can take integrity away from you either.)

If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down. – Mary Pickford

Fear imprisons, faith liberates; fear paralyzes, faith empowers; fear disheartens, faith encourages; fear sickens, faith heals; fear makes useless, faith makes serviceable – and, most of all, fear puts hopelessness at the heart of life, while faith rejoices in its God. – Henry Emerson Fosdick 

People will always have opinions about your decision because they’re not courageous enough to take action on their opinion. – Steve Maraboli

The man who insists on seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. – Henri-Frédéric Amiel

And that, my dear, is how you run an asylum. – Matron Grady (Judith Light), Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story

⚡️Aftershocking…

Enjoy the eclipse then join me on Monday really Tuesday for what’s cringeworthy on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay opening/holding the door open for any human immediately before or after you, and stay celebrating with dessert before dinner on occasion. Unless of course, you want dessert after dinner.

March 14, 2024 – Jason Tells Michael Where He’s Been, Soap Suds, Reunion Ruckus, True Unhappiness, Everything Oscar, Messi Boy & You Don’t

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At the penthouse, Sonny thanks Lois for the ziti. It was just like her mom’s. Lois says, he liked it? and he says he loved it. She says she couldn’t tell; he barely had three bites. He says he wasn’t hungry, and she says, too worried to eat? He says, all the food tastes like cardboard. He doesn’t want to offend her mom’s recipe… She says she didn’t bring the ziti over so he could praise her cooking. She brought it over to keep his strength up. He says, is that all? and she says she wanted to check in on him too. He says he went to the hospital and sat by Dante’s bed and checked on Olivia. He’s terrified his son’s not going to make it.

Kristina taps on Dante’s window to get Sam’s attention, and Sam meets her in the hallway. Kristina wonders how it’s going, and Sam asks if she wants the cheerful and optimistic answer. Kristina says, if Sam’s feeling cheerful and optimistic, and Sam says she’s scared… and confused. Kristina says she doesn’t blame Sam. She would be too. Especially now. Mom said Jason is the prime suspect in Dante’s shooting?

Anna listens to Jason’s 911 call in the interrogation room when Molly asks if she has a minute. Anna tells her, come in, and Molly says, her office wants an update on the Dante Falconari shooting and how it relates to the shot that was taken at Sonny Corinthos earlier that evening. Should the individual face separate charges or do they make the warehouse and conspiracy charges lesser offenses included in the charge of first-degree murder? Anna says, the individual in question is Jason Morgan, but she’s not convinced he tried to murder anyone. Molly says she hopes Anna is right.

Drew goes to the gatehouse and Willow invites him in. He says he saw the light was still on and he was hoping to catch Michael. She says, he had to run an errand. She’s not sure how long he’s going to be. Drew might want to text him. Drew says, it’s not really something he wants to say in a text. He and Carly broke up.

There’s a knock at Sonny’s old kitchen door, startling the moss bowl 🎍and Carly. Carly sees it’s John, who asks if he can come in. She opens the door and asks if he has a warrant, but he says, no. He just wants to speak to her. She tells him, come in, and asks what he wants to say to her. He says he needs her help.

Jason sits up, hears something, and puts his hand on his gun. Michael says, it’s him, and tells Jason not to stand. He needs rest. Jason says, he’s okay, but Michael says he’s not. He will be. Let them take care of him.

Kristina tells Sam that she has to hand it to mom. She gave her and Molly a heads up before The Invader ran the story on Dante’s shooting. Sam asks what she said, and Kristina tells her, everything the article said, just more personalized. That Jason is still alive and he’s the prime suspect in Dante’s shooting. It was confusing to her then and it’s still confusing. She doesn’t know how Sam is holding up. This must be hitting her pretty hard. Sam says she’s still trying to process it all, and Kristina says, okay. Sam says, okay what? and Kristina says she expected Sam to say this was all a big mistake and there’s no way Jason could do this. Sam says, if that’s what she wants to hear, go talk to Carly.

Anna says she was just listening to the 911 call which ID’s Jason’s voice, and Molly says she’s heard it. Even without the tech, she knew it was Jason. Anna says, coupled with that, they have the DNA evidence on the sweatshirt that was used to bandage Dante, and Molly says, Jason’s blood. It appears he was shot while wearing the sweatshirt, then took it off and tied it around Dante’s wound. Anna says, they know he tried to save Dante, but did he also try to shoot him? and Molly says, their preliminary theory is, Dante was pursuing Jason and a second individual. Jason shot his pursuer, and then upon realizing it was Dante, tried to save him. Anna says, that certainly fits the evidence they have so far, and Molly says, but she doesn’t believe it. Anna says she doesn’t want to believe it. That is something else entirely.

Lois tells Sonny that Olivia said he’s been a rock, and he says he’s glad she thinks that. Lois says, he’s doing something wonderful for Olivia. He’s allowing her to pour all her love and hope into his son. But he has a right to his feelings too. Olivia might not be in a place to hear them and share them, but she can. He says, it’s just not fair. Does she know what he means? She says she does, but what’s fair? She loves him. He knows that. God forbid the situations were reversed and it was her child in a hospital bed fighting for her life, he’d be the first person she’d call. So she wants him to lean on her. He can tell her anything. He knows she’s not going to judge him. He says, if Jason was the one who shot Dante, he’ll never forgive him and never forgive himself.

Carly asks why she’d help John, and he says, she seems convinced Jason Morgan is innocent. She says, he is, and John says, help him prove it. The last thing he wants to do is waste Bureau resources by charging the wrong suspects. So help him out. Tell him why she’s so sure Jason didn’t shoot Dante Falconari. She says, because Jason isn’t reckless or stupid. He wouldn’t shoot at someone without knowing who they are, he wouldn’t shoot a cop, and he would never shoot Dante. John asks, why never Dante? Because he’s Sonny’s son? Carly says, that’s part of it, but the other part is, Dante lives with Jason’s ex-wife and they’re raising Jason’s son. He says, for some men, that would be a motive for murder.

Willow asks if she can make Drew some tea. Forget that. Can she pour him some wine? He says, if she joins him, and she says, absolutely. It has been quite a day. He asks how Michael reacted to the news about Jason, and as she pours the wine, she says, he’s thrilled that Jason’s alive. Of course (🍷). Drew says, and convinced he didn’t shoot Dante? and she says, yes. He says, so is Carly. All evidence to the contrary, she believes Jason is innocent and nobody and nothing can shake her faith in him. That’s why they broke up.

Michael tells Jason that Willow said he had to change into some clean clothes, and Jason asks when she got so bossy. Michael says, she’s always been bossy. She used to be a teacher, remember? Now she’s a nurse. The secret is, she’s very subtle about it. She’s so sweet and reasonable, you don’t even realize she’s ordering you around. Jason says, she’s a good nurse, like Michael’s grandmother. Michael’s mom told him about Bobbie. He’s sorry. Michael says, it happened on New Year’s. She was in Amsterdam sorting through Luke’s affairs, and she passed away in her sleep. They were all devastated, especially his mom. Jason says, you know what’s crazy? The first time he held Michael, Bobbie put Michael in his arms. He was a little premature and he had to be in an incubator. Bobbie brought him to the nursery and sat him in this rocking chair and put Michael in his arms. She told him how to hold Michael, how to support his head, and then she let go. That was the scariest moment in his life. Michael says he doesn’t blame Jason. He felt the exact same way the first time he held Amelia. He can’t wait for Jason to meet her. She’s so beautiful. She looks like Willow. Speaking of Willow, she wants Jason to get into some clean clothes, so let’s get on it. He brings out a duffel bag and asks if Jason needs help, but Jason says he’s good. Jason takes off his shirt, and Michael sees the sleeve tattoo. He asks, what happened to him? (Thank God. I thought maybe I was losing my memory or something.)

Drew says he didn’t stop loving Carly, he just realized that there’s no future there, and Willow says she’s so sorry. He says, so is he. She’s an incredible woman. She made him very happy, and he hopes he made her happy too. She says, obviously, he did. He’s been incredible. Generous, supportive, beyond forgiving. He says, not always. Not today. He came down her pretty hard for something he honestly doesn’t think she can help, not that she would want to. Carly’s first loyalty is always to Jason. He means more to her than anybody else, other than her kids. When they all thought he was dead, she was free to pursue other relationships, but now that he’s back, she’s not.

As Jason changes, Michael says he’ll burn the old clothes, but Jason says he needs them. Michael says, there’s a bullet hole in his shirt, but Jason says, when he leaves here, he needs to be wearing those clothes. There can’t be any evidence that somebody helped him. Definitely nothing that tracks back to Michael, Willow, or Danny. Michael says, okay. So when he leaves, where is he going? Jason says he hasn’t figured that out yet, and Michael asks if Jason can at least tell him where he’s been.

Carly says, clearly, that line about her helping John help Jason was just a line to get in the door, right? but John says he’s just pointing out that some men might have a problem when their ex-wife moves on and their kid is being raised by somebody else. She says, okay. So now instead of Jason shooting Dante to avoid arrest, he now lured Dante to the pier and shot him out of jealousy. John says, it’s just a theory, and she says, it’s a ridiculous theory. He says, it’s his job to entertain every possible scenario in the course of an investigation, and she says, really? Because she thought his job was to keep an open mind, to go where the evidence leads him. Is there any proof at all that Jason’s guilty? Because she’s pretty sure there’s evidence that Jason tried to help Dante. He asks how she’d know that.

Sonny says, when Ava showed him the freeze frame of Jason’s face from the drone, he couldn’t believe it, and Lois says, Ava? He says, she went with him to the warehouse. He knew something was going to happen, so he had Spinelli put cameras all over the warehouse. So he went to Dante’s, Ava went to Spinelli’s, she came back, and there was the picture of Jason on the roof with another shooter. She says she’s so sorry. That must have been surreal. He says, when he first saw it, he thought it was fake, but it was legit, and he just couldn’t believe it. She says, it seems impossible, and he says, for her, because they have history, but Ava is more objective. She asks where Ava is right now, and he says, she’s dropping off Avery at school. She says, so let her get this straight. Ava shows him the picture and he sees it’s Jason. He appears to be working with the sniper… Sonny says, no, he is working with the sniper, and she says, okay. He realizes Sonny is the target. Why is Jason trying to kill him? He says he doesn’t know, but maybe it’s been so long since they’ve seen each other, maybe Jason’s just forgotten what it’s like to be loyal to him. (Geez, it’s not like it’s been 20 years.)

Anna tells Molly that she has multiple conflicts when it comes to Jason. A few years back, Jason saved her life. That’s when she got to know him a little better than she had previously. He is… was… is remarkable. He’s cool under fire and a clear thinker, and someone she instinctively trusted. And of course (🍷) her daughter loves him. He made a crucial difference in Robin’s life. All of which makes her want to believe he did not shoot Dante. But of course (🍷) she cannot be in this job wanting to think the things she wants to think. She has to remain impartial, assemble the evidence, and trust the system. Molly says she thinks that’s why she’s really here, to see how Anna does it, stays impartial, because she doesn’t know that she can. Which would mean she’s in the wrong job.

Kristina says, it’s hardly a shock that Carly thinks Jason is innocent, and Sam says, don’t tell Molly that she’s telling her this, but Carly said Jason showed up at her place the night Dante was shot. Kristina says, again, that’s not a surprise that Jason would go to Carly, but why doesn’t Sam want her to tell Molly? (Duh…) Sam just looks at her, and Kristina says, because Molly is an ADA, and she would have to notify the cops, and the cops could get a search warrant for Carly’s house, and if they found any proof Jason was there, Carly could get charged with something like aiding and abetting. Sam says, yeah. Mom would be proud. Kristina says, the daughter of a lawyer, and Sam says she’s got to be honest with Kristina. She really can’t stand the sight of Carly right now. She doesn’t want Carly to go to prison or anything like that; she just wants Carly to leave her alone. Kristina asks if Carly said Jason told her that he didn’t shoot Dante, and Sam says, Carly told her that Jason showed up in her living room. They had a big reunion, the cops showed up, and no word was mentioned about Dante. Kristina says, he’d come from the pier, so even if he didn’t shoot Dante, maybe he was just there, saw it, and called 911. You’d think that would be top of mind and he’d mention it to Carly. (I’m all kinds of frustrated with these two. Jason is the father of Sam’s son, for cryin’ out loud.) Sam says, you’d think. Classic Jason. Never says anything. Kristina asks if Sam really thinks he did it, and Sam says, every minute that goes by, she’s afraid that he did it. Kristina says she’s so sorry. She can’t believe Jason would do that, especially since he’s wanted in connection to the rifle shooting at the warehouse. Her dad has a rip in his coat that… Hey. Danny is headed toward them, but turns around, and Sam says, Danny Morgan, what are you doing here again?

Jason says he didn’t get killed in the tunnel collapse on Cassadine Island, and Michael says, that much is obvious. (Thank you.) Jason says, the tunnel was blocked. He couldn’t get to Britt and the others. So he followed the tunnel out. It led him to the beach, and he was heading to the main house, but there were two guys there waiting with guns. Michael asks, who were they? but Jason says, that part he can’t tell Michael, but they took him prisoner. They flew him out of Greece and eventually, he ended up in a room with no windows, talking to a man who wanted him to do a job, and he had the leverage to force him to agree. Michael says, and Jason can’t tell him what that leverage was? and Jason says, no. Michael asks, what was the job? and Jason says he’d been working as a private military contractor, a mercenary.

Carly says she’s sorry to disappoint John. She hasn’t seen Jason. He didn’t fill her in on his version of events. If he checks his records, he’ll see that one of the people who found Dante at the pier was her daughter, Josslyn Jax. John says he remembers her name from the report, and Carly says, when she and her friend Dex showed up at the pier, they found Dante bandaged with a sweatshirt and a cellphone lying next to him, open to call with 911. That was Jason. Not because he told her, but because she knows Jason. And why the hell isn’t he going with the theory that this other, unidentified suspect was the one who shot Dante, and Jason was the one who saved him? John says, if she knows Jason so well, maybe she can tell him why Jason ran away instead of waiting for the first responders.

Lois says, remember when Jason first started working for Sonny? The Quartermaines were so upset, especially Alan and Monica, but Jason wouldn’t listen to anyone. As far as he was concerned, he liked and respected Sonny, and no one was going to stop him from being Sonny’s friend. Sonny says, there was a point where he didn’t trust anybody more than Jason. Maybe he trusted Jason too much. She asks what that means, and he says, when he was in Nixon Falls, Jason and Carly got together. She says she heard they got married, but Olivia told her that Sonny showed up on the same day and then they got it annulled. She thought that it was like a friendship thing; they were helping each other out. Sonny says, that’s what he thought. Maybe he thought wrong. She asks if he’s saying they were cheating on him behind his back, but he says, no. He’s not saying they slept together, but they were in love. He was the last one to know and he just felt like it broke some trust. She asks if that’s why he divorced Carly the last time. She thought it was because of Nina. He says he’s not denying his feelings for Nina, but he really wanted to make his marriage work. He tried, but Carly made it impossible. She says she’s so sorry, but he says, it really doesn’t matter right now. His son could be dying, and the cops think Jason is the one who shot him.

Carly tells John that she doesn’t know why Jason ran. Maybe because he didn’t want to be arrested for something he didn’t do, or get locked up by the FBI, who already presume he’s guilty. John says he thinks it’s because Jason wanted to remain undetected. Carly says, he’s going to have to explain that to her, and he says he wants to be clear that Jason and the other suspect didn’t know there were surveillance cameras at the warehouse or a drone hovering over the roof. They made no attempt to hide their faces. Which means, at the time Dante was shot, Jason was under the belief that his presence in Port Charles was undetected. He had no idea there was footage of his activities on the roof or that his picture was already in the hands of the authorities. Maybe she should be grateful to whoever shot him. If they hadn’t, he’d already be long gone.

Willow says, Carly and Drew have been through so much together. He went to prison for her. Drew says, taking the plea deal to protect Carly was the right thing to do. He’d do that again in a heartbeat. He doesn’t regret that. It’s just that he’d never want her to stay with him out of obligation and at this point, that’s kind of all it would be. She says she thinks he’s really underestimating himself and Carly’s feelings for him, and he says he knows Carly loves him, but not the way that she loves Jason. He didn’t want to drag it out and didn’t want to turn it into a test where Carly has to prove she’s choosing him over Jason, because they both know, the second there’s a crisis, she’s going to run straight to him. Willow says she’s sorry and takes Drew’s hand. She says, he deserves so much better, and he says he agrees with her there and intends to find it.

Michael asks how long Jason has been back in Port Charles, and Jason says, since yesterday. He was working with a sniper, Hamish. He already told Michael about him. But when he found out the target was Sonny, he made sure Hamish missed. He and Hamish were headed for the waterfront to get out by boat, and that’s when Dante caught up with them, and Michael knows the rest. Michael says, if he hadn’t been sent to shoot Sonny, would he have come back at all? and Jason says he doesn’t know. He’s thought about it every single day, but the job the man gave him in the room with no windows isn’t done. Michael asks what happens if Jason doesn’t finish, and Jason says, something he can’t live with. He has to finish it.

Sam says she can’t believe Danny snuck out for a second time, but Danny says he didn’t sneak out. Yuri drove him. Sam asks, what’s wrong with him? Doesn’t he realize Danny is too young to be ordering him around? Danny says he lied and said Sam wanted to see him, and she says she does want to see him. She loves seeing him, but he has to realize she’s going out of her mind with worry right now, and the only thing that’s keeping her calm is knowing Danny, Scout, and Rocco are safe at the Quartermaines. Kristina says, it’s just a thought, but maybe he’s here because his father Jason is alive and is a suspect in Dante’s shooting.

Molly tells Anna that she’s got her own conflicts of interest with Jason. Sam was married to him. They have a son together. Although she thinks it’s ironic that Sam has more doubts about Jason’s innocence than she does. Anna asks if Molly believes he’s innocent, and Molly says, three years ago, if Anna had asked her, she would have known he was. And no amount of evidence could have convinced her otherwise. She worshiped Jason. She thought he and Sam had to most romantic love story ever. And even after they broke up, Jason was someone that Sam, their whole family, could count on. Jason was an unconventional father, but he loved Danny. He was willing to do anything Sam thought was best for their child. Plus, he literally saved Kristina from a cult, so that’s another thing in the bonus column. Why wouldn’t she give Jason every benefit of the doubt? Anna says, they don’t know where Jason’s been or what he’s been through. What they do know is there’s footage of him acting like a spotter for a sniper taking aim at Sonny. Molly says, hence the conspiracy charges. You don’t just accidentally wind up on a rooftop next to a man with a high-powered rifle, helping him set up a shot. Anna says, if he was willing to participate in Sonny’s murder, why wouldn’t he shoot Dante? But the anomaly is the 911 call. Molly says she keeps thinking Dante was shot by the other individual and Jason tried to help him, and Anna asks, so why wouldn’t he stick around for first responders? All this could be a moot point because there’s been no sign of Jason since he jumped from the bridge. (Has anyone even bothered looking for Hamish???)

Sam tells Danny that she’s so sorry. She should have sat down and talked to him. Danny says, it’s okay, but she says, it’s not okay. She’s been so focused on Dante, she didn’t stop for a second to think he might have some questions himself. He says he’s not a little kid anymore. Dante’s been shot, so of course (🍷) she needs to be with him. Besides, it’s not like she can tell him anything about his father. Can she? Sam says, all she knows is what she saw in The Invader, that Jason is back and he’s a suspect in Dante’s shooting. He’s right. He’s not a little kid anymore, and to be completely honest with him, she has no idea where his father’s been or why he thought it was okay to let them think he had died. But Jason doesn’t think like other people. His father is drawn to danger. He chases it actually. Anyone else would have been trying to get home, but not Jason. Danny says, maybe he has a reason, and she says she’s sure he does, but Jason’s reasons aren’t like anyone else’s either. Kristina comes over and says she’s been quoting Danny’s grandmother a lot today. She’s taught Kristina a lot about law over the years – both of them – and one of the most important things she taught Kristina is that the defendant is innocent until proven guilty. So at the moment, it seems like all the evidence is pointing at Jason being the one who shot Dante, but he’s not guilty unless and until he’s charged and tried and a jury says so. She knows Danny has a lot of questions about why Jason stayed away, but his dad is really the only one who can give him those answers.

Michael comes into the gatehouse and sees Drew, who tells him that Willow said he was out running an errand. Michael says, yeah, like ten of them actually. What can he do for Drew? Drew says he’ll let Willow fill Michael in. He’s suddenly feeling kind of exhausted. He’s going to go back and check on Scout and probably go back to bed. He thanks Willow for the wine and for the sympathetic ear. She says, anytime, and just to be clear, no one will ever be better to Carly or better for her than he was. He says, that means a lot, and thanks her. He hugs Willow, tells Michael goodnight, and leaves. Michael asks, what was that about? and she says, his mom and Drew broke up. He says, that’s too bad, and she agrees. She asks if those are Jason’s, pointing to the duffel bag he’s carrying, and he says, yeah. She says she’ll wash them, and he asks if she’s sure she’s okay with this. She says, it’s nothing she would have chosen, but it’s where they are. All they can do is see it through, right?

Sonny says, the thing he feels really bad about is the regret he has because of the distance between them, and Lois says, the distance between him and Dante? Come on. They have a beautiful relationship. She saw it the second she got back to Port Charles, which is a little surprising, seeing Dante’s a cop and Sonny… does what he does. Obviously, they’ve been able to surmount those obstacles. The bond he has with Dante is full of love and mutual respect. Sonny asks if he can tell her something, and she nods. He says, for the last two years, Dante was the only one he could go to. Dante is the only one he can talk to who doesn’t judge him. Dante believes in him. That helps him. It does everything for him. Does she want to know what the last thing he said to Dante was? She says, what? and he says, stop being in my way.

Sam says, right. Danny’s father is innocent until proven guilty. They’re just going to have to hope there’s some explanation for all this. And when Dante wakes up, he can tell them what happened. Danny asks if the doctors know when he’s going to wake up, but Sam says, there’s no way to predict that. It could be today, or it could be another Lulu a while from now. He says he’s sorry he came and worried her, but she says, don’t be sorry. She’s sorry she snapped at him. She loves him. She needs his help. She needs him to promise her that he’s going to go to the Quartermaines, and please, please stay out of trouble. He says he’ll stay out of trouble. He guesses she won’t have to worry about the other two. She asks what he’s talking about. She worries about all of them. She loves all of them. She hugs him and asks him to give Scout a big hug and kiss from her. He says he will, and she asks fi Kristina can take him where he needs to be. Kristina says, of course (🍷), and Sam goes back into Dante’s room. Kristina asks if Yuri is downstairs waiting for Danny, but Danny says, Yuri dropped him off. She says she guesses he’s looking at his ride. Funny. She just got a sudden craving for a maple old fashioned. Does he want to stop by Eckerd’s all-night donut window on the way home? (Thank God we don’t have one of those here.) He says he could go for a chocolate with sprinkles, and she says, oh, he’s a chocolate with sprinkles kind of guy? Sounds pretty good. She thinks she’s changed her mind. She leaves, and he looks in the window at Sam sitting with Dante.

Anna tells Molly that Agent Cates was at one end of the bridge, and she was at the other. Cates told him to keep his hands where he could see them, which he didn’t really comply, but he didn’t pull a weapon. She told him to turn himself in so they could sort it all out and that’s when he jumped. But he did not look desperate. He looked determined, like he knew he could survive the drop in the river… and she thinks he did. Molly asks if the search parties turned anything up, and Anna says, no, but according to CSI, it has something to do with the currents in the river, that if Jason were dead, he’d have washed ashore by now, but he hasn’t. Ergo, he’s almost certainly alive. Molly says, so where is he now? but Anna says she doesn’t know. They’re continuing the search and proceeding with the theory that Jason’s injured and holed up somewhere in the area. Or that he was injured just slightly and got out of Port Charles. He could be out of the country by now, for that matter. He could be anywhere. Molly asks if she really thinks that could be just as likely, and Anna says, yeah. She worked for the WSB for years and she used to see these sniper teams operate and they were professional. They get in, they set up, they make the kill, and get out. And it does appear to be what was happening on the warehouse roof. In which case, Jason is long gone. He could be almost impossible to trace. Molly says, then she guesses she should be relieved. She won’t have to prosecute Jason, but disappearing is basically an admission of guilt, no? Anna says she’s not so sure. The more she looks at the evidence, the less sense it makes to her. Something else is going on here. Something that she’s not seeing… yet.

Lois asks if Sonny doesn’t think Dante’s said things about him in the last few years that he wishes he could take back. But Sonny still loves him, right? Sonny says, always, and she says, so why doesn’t he cut himself some slack? He says, it’s just difficult. Dante only went to the warehouse because of him. Dante tried to tell him about the cops. If he’d listened, Dante would still be home. She says, okay. She’s about to rock his world. He’s not God. He’s not responsible for Dante’s choices or Jason’s for that matter. He can’t control the outcome of events. But it doesn’t mean he’s powerless. He’s a parent and there’s nothing stronger than a parent’s love. That is what Dante needs right now and she knows he can feel it. She knows it like she knows her own name. He says he’s known her long enough that he’s not going to argue with her, she says, that’s good, and they laugh.

Carly says, this conversation’s over. She wants John to leave. He says he didn’t mean to offend her, but she says, yes, he did, and he succeeded. He says, for what it’s worth (🍷), she offended him too. The FBI doesn’t presume anyone’s guilty. They follow the evidence where it leads. His only goal here is to find the truth. She says, great. She can’t wait for him to find the truth and clear Jason’s name, but until then, she wants him to get out of her house and don’t come back unless he has a warrant. He starts walking to the door and stops. He says, it’s funny. Whenever he mentions Jason’s name, boy, does it get under her skin. He leaves, and now the moss bowl🎍is offended.

Jason remembers being cuffed to a table, and John walking in. He says, Mr. Morgan. Special Agent John Cates. Welcome to Quantico. He hopes Jason’s flight was enjoyable. Jason tells him that he has nothing to say without his attorney, but John says, Jason doesn’t have to tell him anything at this point. Just listen. John opens a tablet and says, he’s about to hear incontrovertible proof of RICO violations. Those are federal crimes. They carry a 20-year sentence. In the present, Jason stares at the ceiling in the boathouse.

Tomorrow, Curtis asks if Marshall was able to locate Dr. Braddock; Diane says, a lawyer can dream, can’t she; Heather says, no doctor has ever told her anything; and Dex tells Josslyn, what if it’s too late?

🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…

Zoom in on July 14th.

Almost all growed up.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/fans-barely-recognize-ghs-nicolas-bechtel-in-his-new-headshot

Farewell to a GH vet.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/general-hospital-actress-robyn-bernard-dead-at-64

New soap effort in the works.

💎 She Was Really Shaking…

What was up with Sutton at the Reunion.

https://people.com/sutton-stracke-health-emergency-rhobh-reunion-exclusive-8607642

Not a big shock that these two were unempathetic and rude.

https://toofab.com/2024/03/14/kathy-hilton-backlash-reaction-sutton-stracke-medical-emergency

🩸 Kinda Late…

Talk about Monday morning quarterbacking.

https://ew.com/joe-manganiello-not-happy-how-true-blood-ended-8608689

🏆 More Than Just a Doorstop…

In case you missed it, the winners.

https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2024

The best and the worst of it.

https://ew.com/oscars-2024-best-and-worst-moments-8606978

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-lists/2024-oscars-best-worst-wildest-moments-1234980192

Most important, the fashion. The good, the bad, and the WTF?

https://www.eonline.com/photos/36928/oscars-2024-red-carpet-fashion

https://wwd.com/eye/people/gallery/oscars-2024-worst-dressed-photos-1236254060

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-13180161/Oscars-2024-WORST-dressed-stars-Academy-Awards-red-carpet.html

https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/slideshow/2438217/oscars-shocking-fashion

Random events.

https://extratv.com/2024/03/11/michelle-yeoh-reacts-to-john-cena-s-naked-oscars-moment-exclusive

He’s just Ken and so am I.

https://extratv.com/2024/03/10/ryan-gosling-s-i-m-just-ken-oscar-performance-steals-the-show

🐕 Oscar’s Good Boy…

His bio.

https://people.com/all-about-messi-oscars-dog-anatomy-of-a-fall-8607453

He gets a seat. You don’t.

https://ew.com/messi-dog-anatomy-of-a-fall-oscars-2024-8607024

Pet fashion.

https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/messi-the-dog-oscars-costume-designer-bow-tie-1234963881

A slap at the slap.

https://ew.com/the-view-ana-navarro-says-messi-dog-better-behaved-will-smith-oscars-8607265

High praise.

https://ew.com/jimmy-kimmel-praises-messi-the-dog-for-peeing-on-matt-damons-hollywood-star-good-boy-8607862

🏋️‍♀️ Powering Through…

Stop in tomorrow for soap and a not quite wild rumpus. Until then, stay safe, stay taking out your AirPods when talking to others, and stay understanding that you’re not responsible for anyone else’s choices. You can’t control the outcome of events.

February 22, 2024 – Anna Gives John a Choice, Thoughts, A Little Bit Of Soap, Reunion Scare, Volcanic House, VanderFlat, Turning 40, More Awards, Pet (!) Friendly & Revolution

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly says, Drew threatened to blackball writers and photographers if they worked with Nina on her new magazine, and he says, Nina tried to ruin both of their lives. The least he could do is return the favor. Carly says, but they’ve already gotten their revenge. He fired Nina and hired her as Editor-in-Chief of Crimson magazine. He knows it’s killing Nina to see Carly take her place. Drew says, she bounced back as the editor of a new magazine and he had to shut her down, and Carly asks, why take the bait? What is the benefit of one-upping Nina? They already have everything they want. Their happiness and success is the best revenge. Why can’t he just ignore Nina? (Because apparently, Drew doesn’t have an actual job himself and has a lot of free time.)

Sasha and Maxie come into Charlie’s and Sasha asks what Cody is doing here. She thought he had to work at the Quartermaines tonight. Cody says his plans changed. He would have let her know, but she said she was staying in to watch a movie. Sasha says she and Maxie had to blow off some steam after the day they had at work. A latte and streaming service wasn’t cutting it, so they decided to come here for a drink or two. Cody says, looks like they had the same idea, and Spinelli says, what a fortuitous happenstance. Maxie says, her mom took the kids for a movie and ice cream, so she thought she’d take advantage of a free night and let loose a little bit. Sasha says, this is perfect timing, and asks the guys to join them. Cody says, they would, but Spinelli was just about to bail on him. Sasha says, what? They just got here. Stay a little bit. They all had so much fun together at the Hatchet Range, she feels they should keep that going. She and Maxie could really use it. Maxie says, definitely. Please stay. Spinelli says, slumber can wait, and Cody says, great. The ladies need drinks. Does Sasha mind helping him? She says, sure, and they go to the bar. Sasha says she brought Maxie here like Cody asked. What tricks does he have up his sleeve?

Dante says, while they’re getting Cyrus mic-ed up, why don’t they go over the plan one more time? Anna tells Cyrus that he’s at Pentenville to preach a sermon as a volunteer chaplain. The arms dealer they’re very interested in, Philip O’Neill, is in protective custody, but they’ve made a deal with his guards to attend the sermon. So Cyrus is going to strike up a conversation with him… Cyrus says, wait. He thought time was of the essence here. He’s already agreed to their plan. Why is she talking to him like he’s an idiot? She says, maybe it’s because he likes to exploit loopholes and she doesn’t want him to weasel out of what they’ve already agreed to. So although she might have made a deal with the devil, she refuses to be damned.

Sonny approaches a house in a woodsy area with Selina, and says he thought he was supposed to come here and question her guard who betrayed her, not take a scenic tour around the property. She says, with everything that’s gone on recently, she prefers to be surrounded by security, and that’s easier on her estate. But don’t worry. His patience is about to be rewarded. He says, how so? She says she doesn’t imagine he cares about her gardening, and opens the door. He sees Li, tied to a chair and gagged, and she says, but she does all her best work here. (I’m like, whoa. Li.)

Drew says, the day after they agreed not to engage with Nina, she tried to sabotage Carly’s first issue as Crimson’s Editor-in-Chief. Is he supposed to let her get away with that? Carly says, no. He’s supposed to have faith in her, because she handled it. That magazine made it to the printer on time despite Nina’s dirty tricks. He says, that’s a testament to how good Carly is already at her job. It doesn’t excuse Nina from her behavior. Carly wants her out of their lives, but Nina has made it very clear that she isn’t going to disappear, no matter how badly they want it. She says, so what? Let her play her games. The only thing Nina wants is a reaction from them, and the best way to fight her is to not give her that reaction. He says, she doesn’t really believe that, does she? Nina was standing right here in Carly’s office, gloating about her next strategy on how to take them down. Doesn’t that infuriate her? She says, yes. It took everything in her not to smack Nina, but she knows and has learned that every time she stoops to Nina’s level, it only causes more conflict. And come on. Sonny’s dumped her. Michael and Willow don’t want her anywhere near them or their children. Nina is almost disconnected with everyone in Carly’s life, except Drew apparently. He says, she’s got a near bottomless bank account. She’s got nothing else to lose. That is a dangerous combination. He did what he did to try to get her out of their lives quicker and to minimize the damage she can cause in the meantime. She says, he just wants to humiliate her, and he says, that, too.

Cyrus says, at least let him reassure Anna that he knows what he’s doing today. After his sermon, Mr. O’Neill’s guards will delay returning him to his cell, allowing him to enlighten O’Neill as to the healing power of confession and how it frees the soul. Anna says, that’s a good start, but the goal is to get him to give up the name of whoever it is he sold the WSB stolen cache of guns to. He says, she does realize she’s asking him to betray his values and his sacred duties as a man of the cloth, and Dante says, Cyrus might want to dial back just a little bit. He’s not even ordained. Cyrus says, there are people at Pentenville who actually see him as a chaplain, with all the responsibilities that entails, and Anna says, he believes they all get closer to God by admitting their sins, right? He says he does, and she says, that’s exactly what he’s doing for O’Neill. Regardless of the motives, Cyrus is giving him an opportunity to change and be a better person. Dante says, that’s right. O’Neill isn’t talking to them. He hasn’t got a plea deal and he’s going away for a long time. They’ve got him dead to rights on an illegal weapons trafficking charge, so nothing they do today, none of the information they’ll be getting, will cause any more trouble for him. Cyrus says, and this may help others, and Dante says, 100%. Anna says, for sure, so much, and Dante says, it’s going to be putting less people in harm’s way, innocent people like Curtis Ashford, who may never walk again because of the guns that O’Neill sold. This confession they’re going to get will help a lot of innocent people. Cyrus says, the Lord does work in mysterious ways, and Dante and Anna agree. Anna says, it’s time. Is he ready? Cyrus says he is. He just hopes his Lord and his Police Commissioner remember his sacrifice. He leaves.

Selina says, Curtis Ashford’s warning that she might be open to assassination came just in time. Sonny asks, how so? and she says, between Curtis’s information and the failed attack on her, she realized she was in greater danger than she thought. He says, that’s been made clear to them already, and she says she needed to start asking questions, and wouldn’t you know, discovered that Li here had just bought a new car, a luxury vehicle. She dug a little deeper and found out he’d recently come into quite a large and unexplained sum of money. She puts her hand on Li’s shoulder, and he flinches. She says, after some convincing, Li confessed that he’d agreed to share her whereabouts, putting her in a very vulnerable position. Her loyal men also recovered a gun that was in Li’s possession, and her people examined it closely. No serial number, but there was a marking on it. Sonny says, let him guess. It’s another one of the missing guns that was stolen from the WSB. Li looks at him and he says he’ll take that as a yes. Li’s been working for the people who took a shot at him – twice.

Cody tells Sasha, so Spinelli used to sing karaoke to Maxie back when they were dating, so he figured, what better way for them to remember their history then for Spinelli to serenade her again. Sasha says, that makes sense. He wants to remind them of all the good times they had together as a couple. Smart. He’s the best.

At a table, Maxie tells Spinelli, Tracy is out of control. She’s trying to make all the decisions at Deception. Tracy thinks she knows better than her or Brook or anyone else who works there. Tracy even suggested she quit and go back to Crimson. Not that she would ever do that. She’s completely committed to Deception. Also, she can’t give Tracy that satisfaction. Spinelli says, that’s egregious. Without Maxie, Deception would crumble faster than if Thanos snapped it out of existence. Maxie thanks him and says she is working really hard to make Deception successful. They all benefit. Tracy’s just not making it easy. The MC comes by with slips of paper and pencils and tells them to remember to put in their song choices early. Maxie says, they have karaoke here now? and Spinelli says, apparently, Kristina just started it. It reminds him of their wedding. Remember? She says, how could she forget?

Sasha says she hopes getting Maxie and Spinelli together here tonight works, without betraying girl code or telling Cody anything they talked about. Cody says he would never disclose the conversations he and Spinelli have had, and Sasha says, they’re keeping their friends’ confidences, but they can have eyes. He says, they do have eyes, and she says she’s keeping her fingers crossed that a night of karaoke with Spinelli will give Maxie the clarity she needs on her feelings for him. He says, once the music starts, who knows what will happen?

Drew says he doesn’t want to fight with Carly, but he’s not going to apologize for wanting justice for what Nina did to him. He thought she would actually back him up on this. Normally, she’s the first person to want to get even with somebody who wrongs her. She says, he’s right. Payback has been her go-to reaction for most of her life. If someone hurt her, she was going to hurt them back twice as bad, but most of the time, that reaction has caused more conflict and life is short. Losing her mom so unexpectedly just brings it home all over again and she’s happy now. She’s so happy with him. They have a great life. Isn’t that enough? He says he thought it would be and it would have been if he didn’t find out who turned them in to the SEC, but he knows and he can’t pretend it doesn’t affect him. He just came back from Pentenville with so much rage. Does she have any idea what it feels like to be beaten within an inch of your life? He was lying on the floor of that shower, and he was in so much pain, he wished he was dead, but he was praying for someone to come save him. She says she’s so sorry that happened to him. That was horrible. He says, then he was freed, and he had nowhere to go with that anger. He had no one to blame until he found out who sent him there. She says, seeing Nina must be so hard every time, and he says, every time he does, he feels the rage boiling inside of him, and he thinks about how much time he lost with Scout when he was in prison. He thinks about being beaten and the pain and the recovery, so yeah, sometimes he feels like he’d like Nina to feel a little bit of that humiliation as payback. That’s true. She says she’s not asking him to forgive Nina. She would never ask him to forgive her. But this anger scares her. He hasn’t been the same since he went to prison. He says he went to prison for… She says, he can finish that sentence. He went to prison for her.

Sonny says he’s done playing games here, removing the gag from Li’s mouth. Who hired him? Selina says, unfortunately, Li seems quite loyal to his other employer. They haven’t been able to get a name out of him yet. She uncovers a table of garden tools and says, perhaps Sonny can get him to be a little more forthcoming. She tells Li, Sonny can be very persuasive, and Sonny says, Li’s working for people who are trying to have him killed. People who would put his family and the people he cares about in the crossfire of an assassin’s bullet. Whoever did this is gonna pay. He picks up a pair of shears, and Li moves around. Sonny says, hey. He usually has people who do this sort of business, but since Li’s friends took a shot at him while his little girl was nearby, he needs a more personal touch. He moves closer to Li and says, whoever did this is going to suffer; he can promise Li that. And whoever’s helping them is going to suffer unless Li gives Sonny a compelling reason to spare him.

Cody asks if Maxie and Spinelli have decided what they’re going to sing yet, but Maxie says, not her. Spinelli is the singer. Cody says he has to check something out. He’ll be right back. He leaves, and Spinelli says, if Maxie isn’t going to grace them with the dulcet tones of her voice, he’s not going to sing either. Maxie says, he can’t sit it out because of her. She knows how much he loves karaoke. He says he does, and the MC takes the mic and says, they’re going to get started, so drink some liquid courage if they need it and get ready for some great tunes. Their first singers tonight are Cody Bell and Sasha Gilmore. There’s applause, and Sasha looks surprised. Maxie tells her, get up there, and Sasha tells Cody that she hopes he knows what he’s doing. He says, she trusts him. Come on. She says, he’s never heard her singing voice, and he says, she’s never heard his, and she gets on stage with him. They sing like a pair of professional singers who’ve been singing together all their lives. They finish to lots of applause.

Anna, Dante, and some other guy listen in as Cyrus says, when we confess our sins, we’re not punished, but rewarded for having the courage to bear our souls. With penance and absolution, our conscience is freed and we’re able to step forward with a clear heart.

Sonny says he doesn’t see Li’s lips moving, so he guesses Li’s made his choice. Li asks what Sonny wants, and Sonny says, a description of the man who hired him to betray Selina and his name. Li says, he didn’t give his name. He said it was better Li didn’t know. Sonny moves the shears toward Li’s face and says he guesses Li’s out of luck, but Li says, no. That man doesn’t matter anyway. He was just a go-between working for who’s really in charge. Sonny says, that’s convenient, isn’t it? and Selina says, and Li’s telling them he never met his boss? Li says, no, never, and Sonny says, so let him guess. He never gave Li his boss’s name. Li says, the guy didn’t trust him enough, and Sonny yells, come on! Li says, but he overheard one of his phone calls. His boss goes by the name Stone. (I’m like, double whoa.)

John walks into the room where Anna and Dante are and says, starting without me?

Sasha tells Maxie that she never thought she’d like doing anything like that in front of a crowd, but it was so much fun performing with Cody. Maxie says she’s not surprised Sasha had such a great time. The two of them make a great team.

Cody asks if Spinelli isn’t glad that he stayed tonight, and Spinelli says, it has been illuminating. Cody says, Maxie looks like she’s having a good time too. Maybe Spinelli can convince her to sing a duet with him after all. Spinelli says he knows what Cody is doing, and Cody says, having a fun night out with his friends? Spinelli says, Cody is trying to get him and Maximista to spend as much time together as possible in the hopes it will lead to something, but he’s already told Cody that he has no intention of pursuing his unrequited feelings for her. Cody says, what if it isn’t unrequited? What if she feels exactly the same way he does? Spinelli says, what’s wrong with him? Please stop. Let this go. Cody says he’s just trying to help out, but Spinelli says he didn’t ask for Cody’s help. This is none of his business. Why does he care so much anyway? Cody says he just wants Spinelli to be happy. Okay, maybe he does feel bad about the way he treated Spinelli when he first came to town. Spinelli says, when Cody was blackmailing him? and Cody says he knows. He’s trying to be a better person. He feels like he owes Spinelli one. Spinelli says, then he releases Cody from that debt, making a releasing motion with his hands, but Cody says, that’s not the only reason. He cares about Maxie and her family. They mean a lot to him. And he sees how much Maxie likes Spinelli. He just wants her to be happy. Spinelli says, it’s a touching tale, but Cody isn’t that altruistic. He thinks Cody realizes the longer he plays Cupid with him and Maxie, the more time he can spend with Sasha. Cody says, Sasha is smart, fun, and he’s not going to deny he likes spending time with her, but that’s not the reason he wants Spinelli and Maxie to get together. Spinelli says, tell himself whatever he wants, just butt out of his life, and Cody says, fine. Spinelli says, now that they have that settled, he’s leaving. He gets up as Sasha and Maxie come back, and Maxie asks where he thinks he’s going. He’s not going to sneak out before he sings, is he?

Drew tells Carly that he’s sorry. He didn’t mean that. He doesn’t feel like he went to prison for her. She says, he did. He paid for her crime by losing time with his family and he almost died, and her life basically stayed the same. He says he made a choice to cop a plea to protect her and he doesn’t regret that for a second. He would do the same thing in a heartbeat because he loves her. She says she loves him too, and he says, that’s all that matters. She says, is it? She’s not so sure anymore. He asks what that means, and she says she understands his desire for revenge against Nina. If she had to go to Pentenville and found out it was because of her, she’d feel the same way. She would want to kill her. He says, it’s nice to hear her acknowledge that, and she says she knows her situation is very different. She didn’t have it as bad. She lost some money and a business, but she wants him to know she understands and truly appreciates his sacrifice. He says he knows she does, and she says, but she can’t move on with her life unless Nina is behind her. She doesn’t want to think about Nina anymore, she doesn’t want to argue with Nina anymore, and she doesn’t want to hurt Nina anymore. Because it always comes back to bite her. Nina suffers, but she suffers, and she doesn’t want to do that to herself anymore. She doesn’t want Drew to do that anymore, but she can’t make him feel the way she feels. He says, it’s obvious they’re not on the same page about Nina, but they can keep talking. They can figure things out as they move forward on how to deal with her. She says she wants Nina out of her life completely and she doesn’t know if he can do that. She doesn’t know if he wants to do that. He says he understands, and he wants her to know that he hears where she’s coming from, but he’s not just a passenger here for the ride along with her life. He’s in this relationship just as much as she is, and he gets to have just as much of a say about what to do about Nina as she does.

O’Neill sits at a table, and Cyrus introduces himself as the honorary chaplain at Pentenville. He and O’Neill shake hands, and Cyrus sits down. He says he hasn’t seen O’Neill at any of their services. He wanted to introduce himself and see if there was anything he could do for him. O’Neill says he appreciates that. He thinks he’s good. He’s only recently become incarcerated here. Cyrus says he’s sorry O’Neill finds himself behind bars. As a former inmate, he knows how disconcerting that can be. O’Neill says he didn’t realize a former felon could be a chaplain, and Cyrus says his journey has been an enlightening one. He spent years making all the wrong choices, and finally he decided to listen to what God had been trying to tell him all along. That he was not beyond saving if only he would trust in Him to guide him. And now that he’s been given a chance at redemption himself, he tries to pay it forward by helping other lost souls. O’Neill says, that’s quite a transformation, and thanks Cyrus for sharing. Cyrus says, it turns out it’s his calling, helping others find a way forward when all seems lost. He can see something’s troubling O’Neill. Maybe he can help.

Selina and Sonny come out of the house, and Selina says, from Sonny’s reaction, she gathers that name means something to him. Sonny says, it was somebody he knew a long time ago who was very important to him. He’s gone now. She says, then it can’t be the same person who’s targeting them, and he says, but that name is also very important to somebody else who just arrived in Port Charles.

John says he’s disappointed in Anna. He thought they’d come to an understanding. She says, so did she. She doesn’t think she’s violating that in any way. If he’ll excuse her, she and her detective are in the middle of an operation. He says, one that was never cleared by him. Imagine his surprise when he found out Philip O’Neill isn’t available for questioning tonight because he’s in a religious service, on Anna’s orders. She says she stands on her decision, and might she remind him, this is her jurisdiction and O’Neill is a possible witness. So she’s at liberty to conduct her investigation any way she chooses. He says, she’s not at liberty to keep the FBI in the dark, which is why he’s shutting this operation down.

Dante asks if they don’t want the same thing here, to stop the attacks on these mob figures? and John says he gets that they’re all invested in this case. But it’s their methods he’s got a problem with. They’re trying to get his witness under a wire and extract information without looping him in. He can’t allow that. Dante says, so he wants to tank the entire investigation because his pride’s hurt? John says he’s been working on this case for months. He’s put everything into it. So he’s not going to allow them to blow the whole thing because they have a bias toward Sonny Corinthos. Dante says, and there it is. This whole thing, right? It’s the vendetta John has against Dante’s father. Anna says, Sonny’s been targeted twice. It’s not a bias to find out who’s responsible. It’s literally their job, and O’Neill is the best lead that both of their cases have. And the federal prosecutor couldn’t convince him to talk, so she’s taken matters into her own hands. John says, by acting without authority and going behind his back? and she says, but this could work. Why is he so willing to shut it down?

Sonny tells Selina that Stone was a kid he took in back in the 90s who was very, very important to him. He had a brother, John. After Stone died, John had a son and named him Stone in memory of his brother. John is a Fed. She says she sees, and Sonny says, they never got along. As a matter of fact, John hated his guts. The only thing they had in common was Stone, and after Stone died, he hadn’t seen John in years, until recently. And John still has it in for him. John is the agent investigating all the attacks on organized crime figures. She says, that seems like suspiciously convenient timing, and he says he feels the same way. So if whoever is coming after them is named Stone, it can’t just be a coincidence. She says, it does raise a lot of pressing questions, and Sonny says, and he’s going to get the answers.

The MC says, Damien Spinelli, you are up. Amid pats on the back and cheers, Spinelli takes the stage. He sings It All Comes Down To You to Maxie, who looks enraptured. He finishes to applause and goes back to the table. Sasha says she and Cody are going to get some fresh air, and they go outside. Spinelli and Maxie look at each other.

Carly says she doesn’t mean to make Drew feel like it’s her way or no way. He’s completely justified in wanting to make Nina pay for what she’s done to him. But not if it’s turning him into someone that the people he loves don’t recognize. If Nina accomplishes that, then she wins. He says, that’s the last thing he wants, and she says she knows. And she hates that this is where they are. When they talked about her taking the job at Crimson, her condition was that he end his war with Nina, and he agreed. She picks up the magazine and says, so consider this her first and last issue. She hands it to him and walks out. I’ve never been a huge Carly fan, but I’m liking this new Carly.

Maxie says, that was a beautiful song, and Spinelli says, maybe he should have gone for more of an up tempo, more of a crowd pleaser. She says, the song was perfect. It reminded her about how he’s been singing Lullaby and Goodnight to Baby Lou every night for the last two months. He says, two months? Time flies when you’re crashing in someone else’s abode. She’s not getting tired of that bedtime song? She says, no, never. She loves hearing him sing to her. Almost as much as she loves having him at the house and seeing him with the kids every day. They adore him and they’re all happy to have him. He’s the one who hasn’t been able to be in his own space for so long. He says, it appears the repairs have taken longer than expected, but she says she doesn’t mind. If it didn’t mean his apartment would look like a scene from Avatar: The Way of Water, she would say he should never leave. She’s sorry. She didn’t mean to… He says, no. Don’t take it back. He feels the same way. Living together the last couple of months felt so right. She says, for her too, and he says, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her. He’s here for whatever she needs. She says, whenever her life was falling apart, he was always there for her. She knows she can count on him. He says, always. She’s one of his closest friends… Actually, he considers her more than a friend. She says, how so? and he kisses her. (Aww!) She kisses back.

Outside, Cody says, this was really fun. He’s glad they did this. Sasha says, her too. She has to admit, as much as they always say you regret your past, it’s fun watching him scheme for a good cause. He’s very good at it. He says, it’s easy when you have a great accomplice.

Maxie suddenly pushes away and picks up her stuff. She says she’s got to go, and jets, telling someone she passes that she’ll see them at work tomorrow. She comes out, and without even stopping, she tells Sasha, we have to go. Sasha says, o…kay, and shrugs at Cody, who says, bye.

Li says he told Sonny everything he wanted, but Selina says, it’s not enough. Li says, but it’s all he has. They know everything he does; he swears. Please. Sonny says, then he’s got one shot to save his life, and Li says he’ll do anything. Sonny and Selina look at each other, and Sonny says, anything.

Cyrus asks O’Neill to tell him what’s weighing him down, so they might pray on it together and find him some peace. O’Neill says he’s worried about his safety. He hasn’t slept in days and feels like there’s so many people in here who are out to get him, after all the things he’s done and the people he’s mixed up with. Cyrus says, his past doesn’t define him. He can move forward in his life. It begins by telling the truth. So give himself a chance. Tell him everything.

John says he is lead agent on this case. He doesn’t have to explain his actions to Anna. He answers to a higher authority. (So does Cyrus. ha-ha!) Anna says she wants them to work together. She’s not the enemy here. Her daughter thinks the world of him, and that’s worth something to her. He says, personally, he has no problem with her. Professionally, that’s a different story. She’s standing in the way of him tracking down a large shipment of stolen guns and possibly stopping whoever’s murdering mob bosses from consolidating their power. This ends now. Dante says, yeah… Something doesn’t feel right about this. It almost feels like John is having a personal issue with Anna or something. John says, that’s big accusation with no proof, and Dante says he’s got proof. They’ve come this far, and he can’t believe John wants to stop them from questioning this witness. Anna says, neither can she. Something else is going on here. If John forces her to shut down this operation, then her hands are tied. She’s going to go to his supervisor and tell them that he’s not fit to investigate this case. So what’s it going to be? It’s his choice.

Tomorrow, TJ asks Molly if it’s him or that was weird; Kristina tells Blaze, in that moment, she felt like the baby was hers; Elizabeth asks if Sam is worried something deeper is going on; and Cyrus asks O’Neill, who is this man who’s worth a lifetime in prison?

💭 Thoughts. This was a good one. I made noises out loud at the Li and Stone reveals. Since I remember squat about Spinelli and Maxie being together, his beautiful singing voice was a surprise too. Although seriously, the most unrealistic karaoke ever. Sasha was surprised when Cody asked her to do a duet, yet they looked and sounded like they’d practiced the song a million times. Even more unrealistic, they put on a show rather than their eyes being glued to the lyrics screen like their lives depended on it. The general consensus in my karaoke group is, if we had to sing Happy Birthday there, we’d need to see the lyrics.

Also, and hear me out here, I’m not sure if John is the man behind the shootings or they just want us to think that. Somebody could have set him up. Even though he hasn’t been in the opening credits yet, they don’t usually bring on a guy like that just to show him the door five minutes later. Just a thought.

🧴 All the Soap That’s Fit To Print…

I wonder if she gets to pet the chihuahua.

She’s living the dream.

Feelings.

Up for tons of awards, but they change the team. Go figure.

🚑 It’s Not About the Esophagus…

This really just describes the scene, but gives no new info.

🤽‍♀️ Sorry, Hamptons…

Those awful people are back for another season. No recap online yet. Maybe no one wants to watch it.

🍸 Falling Rules…

I don’t know if I agree. Certainly not that Raquel is needed. Got along without her before we met her, we’ll get along without her now.

🩰 Kick Off Your Sunday Shoes…

Iconic.

https://people.com/footloose-40th-anniversary-lori-singer-kevin-bacon-chemistry-electric-exclusive-8584419

🏆 Rewarding Their Work…

BAFTA winners.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/18/entertainment/bafta-award-winners-nominations-live/index.html

More important, BAFTA fashion.

https://www.theroot.com/our-favorite-black-celeb-outfits-from-the-2024-bafta-aw-1851272322

Everything about the Golden Globes. My dream is to get ahold of one of those swag bags.

🐶 Award Worthy Pup…

But did he pee everywhere?

https://people.com/host-david-tenant-brings-dog-named-bark-ruffalo-to-2024-baftas-8584703

💎 Shining Bright Like a Diamond…

Stop in tomorrow for some pre-weekend soap, interesting tidbits on the famous and furry, and quotes to ponder. Until then, stay safe, stay assuming three pieces per person for a pizza, and stay not reacting to someone only trying to get a reaction. It’s the best way to fight them.

January 29, 2024 – Esme Fakes Out the PCPD, Talk to Nik, Returning Soon, A Loss, Chef Slam, She Sipped, VanderSoon, Live Reading, New Captain, Dolly’s Gala & Gloom

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Paris, France. Trina and Spencer are seated at a restaurant that looks suspiciously similar to the PC Grill. Trina says, Spencer said thank you, and the waitress said… something right away. He says, very good. She said she’ll be back right away. She says, this place is incredible. This is one of his favorite spots? He says, actually, he’s never been in this restaurant before. He wanted to go to a place that’s new to both of them to start their new beginning together. She says she loves that. She loves everything about Paris so far… except, tonight, considering he’s left her completely in the dark about what he has in store for them. So let’s hear it. He says, and spoil the surprise? No.

Portia and Laura go into Doc’s hospital room, and Laura says, he’s asleep again. She should have been here when he woke up. Portia asks, how are his vitals? and the nurse says, the same. He’s been in and out. Portia suggests Laura speak to him and let him know she’s here. Laura sits by the bed and says, it’s her. She’s here. She doesn’t know if he can hear her, but she really needs him to wake up. Can he do that? Can he open his eyes for her? He does, and she thanks him for coming back to her.

Toronto, Canada. Dante and Chase approach an apartment where a Canadian officer stands guard. Dante introduces himself and Chase, and the officer says, they were told the detectives were coming. Chase says, any updates? and the officer says, they’ve been monitoring the apartment for 24 hours. No one matching the nanny’s or Esme Prince’s description have exited. Dante says, so the apartment’s still occupied? and the officer nods. Dante thanks him for holding off and waiting for them. This could be trouble. Dante and Chase put their hands on their weapons, and the officer knocks at the door. He says, police. Open up.

PT therapist Ben asks if Curtis felt that as he squeezes Curtis’s leg. Curtis says he felt a pinch, and Ben says, so far, so good. The surgery confirmed Curtis’s body is capable of healing from his injury. To what extent, they’ll find out. Curtis says, yes, they will. He’s guessing physical therapy is going to change now that he has feeling in his legs. Ben says, yes, but keep in mind, they still have a long road ahead, and Curtis asks, how long exactly? Ben says, each patient is different, so it’s hard to say, and Curtis says, fair enough. Stella walks in behind Curtis, and Curtis suggests they see if he can stand, but buttinsky Stella says, oh no he won’t.

Tracy walks into the courtroom, and says she gathers court is in recess. Finn says, the prosecution just rested their case, and Tracy says, then he’s up next, but Finn says, Diane already called him as a witness. His time on the stand is done. Alexis comes in and says she’s sorry she’s late. How did it go? Tracy says, Finn just told them that he was called as a witness for the plaintiff, and Alexis says, and? Finn says, eh, and she says, that good. Elizabeth says, it was bumpy, but Sam may have saved the day, and Alexis says, Sam? Where is she? Martin says, chasing down more information, and Alexis says, pertaining to? Finn says, Muldoon saw an oncologist weeks before Muldoon came to see him, and Alexis asks how an oncologist could miss late-stage cancer. Gregory says, he didn’t.

Martin tells Alexis, the theory is, after losing his shirt in the market and cashing in a life insurance policy, Muldoon finds out he has late-stage cancer, not much time left. Rather than bankrupting his family with medical bills, he goes after Finn for malpractice. Tracy says, total con job, and Finn asks what Alexis thinks. She says, the reasoning is sound. What kind of circumstantial evidence did Sam uncover? Elizabeth says proof that Muldoon went to the medical pavilion where he saw an oncologist before he ever went to see Finn, but there are other medical offices in that building. Alexis says, so it’s far from conclusive. And even if Muldoon did set Finn up, they don’t know if the wife had knowledge of it. Elizabeth asks if it isn’t enough for the judge to throw out the case, and Tracy says, correct her if she’s wrong. If they don’t have hard evidence of Muldoon’s cancer diagnosis, they’ve got nothing. So put her back on the stand. Make her crack. Make the attempted fraud public record.

Stella says she’s sorry to interrupt like this, and Ben says, as she can see, they’re in the middle of a therapy session. Curtis asks what she’s doing here, and she says, just peeping in since she was here at the hospital. Is this his first session since the surgery? Curtis says, she knows good and well it is. She doesn’t have to check on him. He’s got this. She says, that’s what he’s been saying since he was a little boy, always getting ahead of himself, and Ben says he’s got to get some more towels, wisely making himself scarce. Curtis says, she doesn’t need to check on him and she doesn’t need to worry, but she says, it’s too late for that. She’s been doing that all his life. Does he remember when he insisted that he could play basketball with the neighborhood teenagers? He was eight years old. He says he knows Tommy made those kids let him play, and she asks, does he remember how many times he limped home with a skinned knee or a bloody nose when an elbow went awry? (Oh, like all kids?) He says, yeah, and she always patched him up and he lived through it. He didn’t give up then and he’s not going to give up now. He just wants to assess how the surgery went. She says, he needs to do that today? and he asks if that isn’t the point of physical therapy, to get him walking again. She says, and they call her stubborn. She calls to Ben, asking if he’s got enough towels yet, and he comes back. She says she can’t tell her nephew what to do, but please… Curtis says, that would be a first, and she says, hush. Please tell them, isn’t it dangerous for Curtis to try and push himself to stand too quickly?

Trina says, coq au vin is a classic. She thinks she’ll try that. What kind of vin does he think they should drink with it? Rouge or blanc?… Monsieur Cassadine? He says he’s sorry, and she asks, what’s on his mind? He says, they have black caviar here. When he was younger and a little bit more… She says, cute? and he tells her that he was going to say pretentious. He once went to a restaurant with his father, and they had black caviar and he asked if they could get it. His father said, no, so he asked if they could have it at home. He asked and asked and asked, and eventually his father gave in and had it served. And he loved it. Trina asks how old he was, and he says, young enough to be served black beans and believe it was caviar. (True story. For my sister’s 18th birthday, she was having a dinner party at home and had caviar. I was still in elementary school, but insisted on trying it and promptly spit it into the sink as she said, what are you doing? That’s stuff’s expensive! My tastes have, however, changed since then.) He says he hopes Ace grows up a bit more grounded than he did, and she says she’s sure his father has learned a lot since him. Maybe even from him. He says, they don’t have to talk about that. He doesn’t want to ruin their night. She says, he’s not ruining her night by telling her his feelings. She wants to hear his stories, share his troubles. That’s what couples do. He takes her hand and says he guesses he’s still getting used to being in a healthy relationship. She’ll have to be patient with him. She says, of course (🍷). She loves him. He kisses her hand and says he loves her too.

Portia asks if Doc can tell them where they are, and he says, General Hospital. He assumes on the 10th floor. She says, that’s correct. What about what year it is? He says, 1912? and Laura laughs. He says, 2023… No, 24. Sorry. He’s still getting used to saying it. Laura asks, who did this to him? and he says, it was Esme.

Maggie opens the door with the chain lock still on it, and the officer says, Miss Fitzgerald? She asks what he wants, and he says, these are American law enforcement officers. They have questions for her. She says she doesn’t have to answer them, but the officer says he’d cooperate if he was her. She’s an Irish Nationalist, not a Canadian citizen. American law enforcement is looking for her. She recognizes Dante, and he asks if they can come in and talk with her a minute. She lets them in and asks, how’s Dante’s lovely lady friend? Dante says, Sam is doing great. Thanks for asking. She says she’s doing great too. Shortly after they came to see her in Devon, she started a new position here with a family in Toronto. Things have been quiet for her. She’d like to keep them that way. He says, they’ll make this quick. They’re not looking to cause her any trouble. They’re just looking for Esme Prince.

Laura says, when they found Doc on the floor of Alexis’s office, they assumed it was Esme, and he asks if she’s in custody. She says, no. Esme is gone, but Dante and Chase got a lead that Esme traveled to Toronto. She has an old nanny there that she was going to see. They’re looking for her now. Does he have any idea why Esme attacked him? He says he found her in the office. They were talking. He thought he was getting through to her. They were seated, and she started pacing when she was talking about her hopes for Ace’s future. Then the world went black. Laura says, that’s probably enough for right now. He should probably get his rest. She looks to Portia for confirmation, and he says, actually, he’s kind of hungry. Portia says, that’s a good sign. She’ll let the nurse know. Laura’s right though; get some rest. He says, what else is he going to do in here? and Portia leaves. He tells Laura not to look so worried, but she says, it was so scary finding him on the floor like that, unconscious. And she couldn’t wake him. He says he didn’t survive Ryan all these years just to be done in by his daughter, but all that concern isn’t just for him, is it? She says she’s really upset about Esme. She believed in Esme. She really believed Esme’s love for her baby Ace was going to be the thing that gave her the strength to turn her life around. And it did. She was doing so well. She was a good mom, and then she got her memory back. She thinks Esme didn’t have a chance to reconcile her two identities before Nikolas came back and took her son. Ace is a grounding force for Esme, and she thinks Esme losing her son pushed her over the edge. He says, love is a powerful motivator… both for good and ill. (That Doc is a real philosopher.) She asks if he’s in pain, but he says, no, but he’s bothered by the assumption that Esme went to Toronto to see her nanny. He thinks she’d go after Nikolas. Laura says, her too, but she thinks Esme doesn’t have anything to go on. She has no resources and Toronto isn’t very far and wouldn’t put too much strain on Esme’s credit card to travel there. He says, Esme’s credit card? and she says she forgot to tell him. The PCPD found out Esme charged a bus ticket to Toronto. He says, something’s off. It’s like something happened in Alexis’s office that he can’t quite remember.

Maggie says, Dante is telling her that he doesn’t want to cause trouble, but there are three police officers from two countries in her apartment. Chase and the Canadian officer go into another room, and she asks what those two are doing. Dante says, like he told her; they’re not here for her. They’re looking for Esme. She says, they’re looking in the wrong place. She hears a noise and yells, don’t go throwing things about! Dante tells her, if she’s saying Esme isn’t here, then she’s got to come clean. She’s got to tell them where she is. She asks how she would know that, and he says, they have reason to believe Esme came her to see her. She says, that’s pure rubbish. She hasn’t seen Esme in years.

Trina says she thinks shell try every coq au vin to see which is the best one in Paris, and Spencer says, that’s a good idea. Considering the fact he doesn’t know how to cook, he thinks they’ll be doing a fair amount of dining out. But if she only has coq au vin, won’t she miss out on a lot of other fantastic French food? She says she thinks she’ll have plenty of opportunities to try other tasty dishes, and he says, there’ll be a lot more to this trip than just food. She says, like what? Studying? He says, very important, and she says, dancing? He says he’s sure they’ll wander into a club or two, and she says, starting tonight? Is he going to tell her what he has planned? He says, she’ll certainly be getting the VIP treatment, and she says, he’s enjoying this secrecy a little too much. he says, maybe… Okay, fine. He doesn’t want to drag it out if she really wants to know. She says, and ruin the surprise? How dare he? He says, she certainly keeps him on his toes.

Curtis tells Stella, it won’t be dangerous. Ben is right here. Ben says he supposes there’s no harm in trying. He’ll be with Curtis, and Curtis will have the parallel bars to stabilize him. Curtis says, let’s do it.

Curtis hoists himself out of the chair, grabbing onto the parallel bars. Ben tells him to align his hands above his hips and use his arms to push his way up. Three, two, one. Curtis stands for a moment, then falls back into the chair. Ben says, good work. Curtis wanted a gauge and now they know. Curtis wheels himself away from the bars, and Ben asks if he wants to get to work, but Curtis says, no. that’ll be it for today. Ben asks if he’s sure. There’s still twenty minutes to their session. Stella asks if they can have a moment, and Ben leaves. Curtis says, she was right. It was a mistake to try and stand so soon. She asks if he made a slam dunk on the first try. No. So why did he think this was going to work on the first try?

Martin says, Alexis is right. At this point, their first step should be to compel the oncologist to expose that Muldoon had a cancer diagnosis prior to his visit with Finn. That would establish intent for Muldoon, but to accuse his wife of complicity with circumstantial evidence, that’s risky. They have no way of proving she had prior knowledge of his condition. To point a finger at her and start ranting about fraud would be a complete Hail Mary on their part. Tracy asks if that’s not what lawyers are supposed to do, throw out alternative possibilities. At least if the accusation is out there, the GH lawyers can run with it, especially if she has anything to say about it. Elizabeth asks what Finn thinks, and Finn asks, what will happen to Mrs. Muldoon if they accuse her of fraud? Tracy says, who cares? and Gregory says he could use some water. He asks Tracy to come with him, and she says, if he insists. They leave, and Martin says, in answer to Finn’s question, she’d be charged with fraud. If those charges are proven, she’d be looking at jail time. Elizabeth says, if she knew her husband was lying. That’s the question, but how do they know if Mrs. Muldoon was in on the fraud or not? Martin looks over at Diane and says he’s got one idea.

Trina says, Tuesday will be non-stop, but she thinks she can meet Spencer for a quick dinner, and he says he’d love to spend every single day with her here if he could. But he understands that she’s here first and foremost for school. So if she needs to prioritize her classes, that’s okay. She doesn’t have to worry about him. He’ll keep himself busy. She asks, how? and he says he’s been giving it a lot of thought. She’s so passionate about art, the way she talks about it and lives her life for it. He’d like to figure out what that is for him, what his passion is. Maybe he’ll figure that out in Paris. She says, there’s always Le Cordon Bleu, but he says he doesn’t think even they could help him with his cooking skills. Maybe it’s a good option, but he thinks there are a lot of things here for him to explore. So they’ll have to see. He just hates that he wasted so much time when he was here… before. Being angry with his father and planning to get back at Ava… She says, he had help. Esme stoked his anger and did everything she could to manipulate him. He says, first Esme, then Uncle Victor, but he’s just very glad they can finally put that all behind them. He’s very sorry he dragged her into all that. She didn’t deserve it. She says, neither did he, and he asks how she does that. She’s so supportive and so sweet. And she’s so hot. She makes him want to be better. She says she thinks he’s pretty amazing (ugh), and he thanks her, but he thinks there’s still plenty of room for improvement. (Agreed.) She says, he’ll get there.

Dante says, Esme hasn’t reached out to Maggie? Called her, texted her, mailed her a letter? Maggie says she wrote Esme with her address here in Toronto, but that was months ago. Esme never wrote back. She hasn’t heard from her. He says, they’ve got a letter that Maggie wrote to Esme, inviting Esme here to see her, and she asks if he had the handwriting analyzed, because she never extended any such invitation. The family she works for now are very private, very security conscious. Esme’s a troubled girl with a criminal record. She feels terrible for Esme, but she doesn’t want to jeopardize her current employment. Writing letters is one thing. Seeing Esme face to face, she’d never do it. Chase and the officer come back out, and Chase says, there’s no sign of Esme, nothing to suggest she’s ever been here.

Stella says she knows Curtis is disappointed, but he’s got to be patient with himself. He says he’s been nothing but patient. He feels like he’s been beating back this feeling of powerlessness forever, doing everything he can to make things better. He was at that point of acceptance, but this procedure has renewed his hope. Now that it has, he wants to move forward. She says, but he is moving forward. Just slower than he’d like. He says, so slow, he’s standing still. Oh, his bad. He can’t even stand. She says, now he’s feeling sorry for himself, and that’s not like him. Listen to her. He’s going to keep at it and he’s going to get this one effort at a time. What’s the alternative? Giving up? He asks if she wasn’t the one saying pushing it was a bad idea, and she says she’s always offering her two cents where it’s not needed, but the last thing she wanted was to undermine his belief in himself. He says, that wasn’t her; his legs did. She says, he’s always exceeded people’s expectations. Wasn’t he the only freshman who made varsity basketball in high school? He says, the coach didn’t even want him to try out, and she says, but he proved the coach wrong, didn’t he? She guesses all those skinned knees playing street ball eventually paid off. He proved everybody wrong. He says, what if his streak is over? but she says, it’s not. He just needs to pace himself. He’ll get there. She believes that, and she believes in him. Portia comes in and says she’s glad Stella is here too. Doc is awake and he’s doing better. Stella says, praise be, and Curtis says, good news. Portia asks, where’s Ben? Is his physical therapy session over? Stella looks at Curtis and says, is it?

Back in the courtroom, Gregory sips some water and says he needed this. He thanks Tracy, and she says, anything for a friend. He asks if that’s what they are, and she says she only allows friends and family to manipulate her, so she guesses so. He says he really did need the water, but she has to admit, she wasn’t exactly helping. She says, yes, she was. This is no time for Finn to be noble or selfless. He’s losing patients because of this groundless lawsuit, and he’s such a good doctor. Gregory says, no argument here. He’s just glad Finn has her on his side.

Mrs. Muldoon tells Diane, her children not only lost a father, Dr. Finn has jeopardized their future. Without Dennis, how is she going to pay for their schools, their college? Diane says she’s doing everything she can to get a settlement that will meet the needs of her children, when Martin asks if he can have a word. Diane says, of course (🍷), and tells Mrs. Muldoon that she’s going to confer with Martin. She’ll be right back. Take this moment for herself. Do some deep breathing. It sounds trite, but it does help. And whatever she does, do not engage with the defendant.

Finn asks Alexis what she thinks. Should he let Martin accuse Mrs. Muldoon of fraud? Elizabeth says, heads up. She’s coming. Instead of listening to her high-priced lawyer, Mrs. Muldoon makes a beeline for Finn. She says, if he had any shred of decency, he would change his plea to guilty and end this right now. Alexis says, they shouldn’t be speaking, but Finn says, it’s okay. He wants to hear what she has to say. Go ahead. Let’s talk about decency.

Curtis says he’s just on a break and asks Stella to find Ben and tell him they still have work to do. Stella says she’d be happy to, and leaves. Portia asks what she missed, and Curtis says he messed around and pushed too hard, but nothing was hurt except his ego. He’s really glad Doc is okay. Has she heard anything about Esme? She says, nothing yet. She’s hoping Dante and Chase find her in Toronto, apprehend her, and put her in prison where she belongs. She’s absolutely done with Esme and never wants to worry about Esme Prince again.

Dante tells Chase that it looks like Esme played them. She gave them a false lead. Chase says, if Esme didn’t come looking for Maggie, where did she go? Dante tells Maggie that he’s not sure if she knows, but Esme’s regained her memory. She just assaulted a man and put him in the hospital, nearly killed him. So any insights into Esme would be greatly appreciated. Places she would go, people she’d want to see. Maggie says she doesn’t know. She did her best by Esme. She tried to steer her right, but nothing would sway her. She was dead set on reuniting with her family. Dante says, her family. Maybe that’s the key.

Detective Bennet asks, what happened when Doc arrived on the scene? and Doc says he came into Alexis Davis’s office, and Esme was already there. She was seated, she had her laptop open, and she startled when she realized he was there. It was like she thought he caught her doing something. He flashes back to that, and says, Laura told him that Esme used her credit card to purchase travel to Toronto. Her own credit card? Laura says, yeah, and he says, then what was she doing with The Invader’s corporate card? She had it in her hand. He saw it when he came into the room. Laura says, they’d better call Alexis, and takes out her phone.

Spencer says, they should get the check. He doesn’t want them to be late. Trina says, late for what? and he says, she’ll see.

Martin says he’d like to add someone to the witness list, and Diane says, it’s a little late in the game. He agrees, it is and apologizes for the short notice, but some new information has suddenly come to light. She asks, who’s the witness? and he says, Dr. Powell. Doesn’t ring a bell? She says, no. Should it? He says he guesses they’ll find out, and walks off.

Mrs. Muldoon whines to Finn that they’ll have to sell their home, when Alexis gets a text from Laura: Call me, 911. She tells Elizabeth, and Mrs. Muldoon says, their futures were all planned. Her husband went to Finn and now he’s dead. (Um… Apparently, they didn’t plan that well. Sounds like they played fast and loose with the kids’ college fund.) She asks if he was just another faceless patient to Finn, but Finn says, none of his patients are faceless, not ever. He’s very sorry for her loss, but he did tell her husband that he needed follow-up testing and he failed to do that. She says, that’s not Dennis. He’s wrong. Dennis would have taken proper steps if he’d understood something was seriously wrong. He never would have left her and the children. Even at the very end, all he could think about was the kids. That’s why he told her to sue, so he could make sure his family was taken care of. Finn says, so the malpractice suit was her husband’s idea, and she says, that’s how much he loved them. And when he was in terrible pain, he didn’t worry about himself; he was worried about his family. It’s not right a man that loving should die so young. Finn says, no, it isn’t.

Diane comes running in, saying, no, no, no, no, no. She thought she asked Mrs. Muldoon not to talk to Dr. Finn. What did Finn say? Finn says, not much. Her client, however, said plenty. Diane leads Mrs. Muldoon to the other side of the courtroom, and Gregory asks what she said to Finn. Martin says he’d like to hear the answer to that question himself, and Elizabeth says, she made a lot of accusations, but Finn says, it doesn’t matter. She’s in pain. How did it go with Diane? Martin says, Diane has the best poker face he’s ever seen, but he honestly thinks she doesn’t know why he’s calling a late witness. He mentioned the oncologist’s name and there was nothing. No indication of recognition whatsoever. Tracy asks if Martin mentioned he was an oncologist, and he asks if he looks like an idiot. She says, well… and Gregory clears his throat. Elizabeth says she doesn’t think Diane would be an accessory to fraud, and Finn says, probably Mrs. Muldoon isn’t either. He didn’t get the feeling she knew. Elizabeth says neither did she, and Tracy says, that is for her lawyer to prove. Finn says, if Mrs. Muldoon goes to prison, what will happen to her kids? and Tracy says she thinks the question he should be asking is, if he doesn’t win this case, what will happen to his kid?

Dante asks Maggie to excuse them for a minute, and steps into the hallway with Chase. He says, they have to explore the family aspect, and Chase asks, what family? Esme’s mother is in Pentenville, and since Esme attacked Doc, that rules out any support she’d get from him and Laura. Who else is left? Dante says, her son, and takes out his phone. He looks at Laura’s number.

Laura says, Alexis should be here any moment now, when her phone rings. She says, this is Dante, and tells Dante that she’s here with Doc and Detective Bennet and he’s on speaker. Dante asks how Doc is doing, and Doc says, his head hurts. Otherwise, he’s okay. Dante says, good to hear, and Laura asks if they’ve found anything in Toronto, but Dante says, it’s a dead end. He thinks Esme was just trying to buy some time. He was wondering if she heard from Nikolas. Laura says, the last person to speak to him was Spencer. Why? He says, they were thinking Esme might track down Nikolas to reclaim Ace before she goes into hiding, and Laura says she’s sure that’s what Esme would like to do, but she has no means of tracking down Nikolas. However, they might have a new lead on their end. There’s a knock at the door, and she says, actually, Alexis just walked in right now. She tells Alexis that she has Chase and Dante on speaker phone from Canada. Did she find anything? Alexis says she had her assistant email every charge on the corporate credit card in the last 72 hours, and Bennet asks if she was aware the credit card was stolen. She says, no, but Esme, as her assistant, had the authority to use the card and she continually used it. She looks at her phone and says, here’s the email right now… Whoa. What is this here?

Spencer says, shall we go? and he and Trina get up. She asks where they’re off to, and he says, the rest of their lives. He kisses her hand.

Elizabeth tells Finn, as much as she hates to say it, Tracy has a point. if he doesn’t push this fraud angle, he could lose this case and his position at GH. He says he could always go back to research, and she says, really? Here in Port Charles? Or would he and Violet have to move away from everyone who loves them? Is that really what he wants to do? He says, no, of course (🍷) not. But he doesn’t want to see Mrs. Muldoon go to prison for fraud. Those kids already lost their father. She’s all they have. Believe it or not, he can almost understand the desperation Dennis Muldoon was feeling. He was in an impossible situation and made the only choice he thought he could to take care of his family. She says she gets that he was in an impossible situation and just trying to take care of his family, but for Mr. Muldoon to use Finn as a scapegoat, someone who was only trying to help him, and make Finn pay for his misfortune? He asks if it’s any better to throw a grieving widow under the bus. It seems like no matter what, someone’s going to get hurt.

Ben tells Curtis, good work today, and Curtis thanks him for letting the session run over, especially since they ran him in and out of there for an hour. Ben says he’s glad they got it all in. See him next Thursday? Curtis says, you bet, they fist bump, and Ben leaves. Portia says, it looks like Curtis had a pretty good workout, and he says he sure did. Stella says, his first step to a first step, and Curtis says he sees what she did there. He will be walking when Trina comes home from Paris.

The bailiff says, court will reconvene in five minutes, and Mrs. Muldoon says she’s going to splash some water on her face. Diane asks if she’s sure she doesn’t know a Dr. Powell, but she says, no, and leaves.

Martin tells Finn that his assistant is drawing up a subpoena to have the oncologist testify. He got the motion to add a late witness. Finn says, already? and Martin says, if they’re going to do this, they’ve got to get the ball rolling. They’ve got less than five minutes here. How would Finn like him to proceed? Gregory says he’ll support whatever decision Finn makes, and Finn says he doesn’t want to risk Mrs. Muldoon going to prison. Martin says, he may have to, to clear his name.

In the hallway, Tracy tells Mrs. Muldoon that she needs a word, but Mrs. Muldoon says her attorney advised her not to speak to Dr. Finn or any of his supporters. (Like she listened before.) Tracy says, that’s okay. She’ll do all the talking.

The bailiff asks everyone to take their seats, and Gregory asks Elizabeth, where did Tracy go? Martin tells Finn, all right, doc. It’s go time. What are we doing?

Alexis says, there’s an airline charge on the corporate credit card, and Esme’s name is on the ticket. Dante says, ticket to where? and Doc says, Paris. She was booking a flight to Paris. (Okay, so Esme didn’t save Alexis money.) Alexis says, he’s right. Esme’s ticket was to Paris. Laura says, oh my God. She’s going after Spencer and Trina.

Spencer and Trina leave the French PC Grill restaurant, and Trina says, he’s too cute. He tells her that she’s beautiful. Take it all in. It’s all for them. She says she can’t believe this is all happening, and he says, she’s too cute. (All right already with cute.) Is she ready for her next surprise? She says she doesn’t need a surprise. She’s got him. That’s all she could ever need. He kisses her and they continue walking. Apparently, Trina needs some Spidey-sense too, since Esme steps out of the shadows and follows them.

Tomorrow, Martin tells Finn, they go with what they planned, or go with this new theory; Anna tells Jordan that someone is playing games, and she wants to find out why; and Sonny tells Ava, things have changed and so have the threats.

🍼 Ask Where Ace Is…

IMO, the best Nikolas of them all. Wednesday, January 31, 3 pm.

🚑 She’ll Be Back…

OG Josslyn is getting there.

🥀 Way Too Soon…

It doesn’t give details, but regardless, so sad.

🛸 Bring On the Space Cake….

I’m not saying anyone is wrong here. Maybe Denise is owning what’s hers; maybe she’s a big a-hole. It’s hard to tell judge everything that’s going on in two minutes of film out of an entire evening. But in regard to her saying she might have been slipped something, until this chef went apesh*t, I didn’t think for once she meant him. I thought she was inferring it might have been one of the other cast members. Which, considering past behavior, isn’t a stretch.

💎 She Knows Nothing…

I’ve been leaning this way too. Only because the whole thing looks so awkward. Mauricio is so high all the time, it doesn’t seem like he gives a flying what’s going on, and Kyle seems like a bad actress in a script she wrote herself.

🍸 Latest Rules…

But is it still the best time of our life?

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/something-about-her-in-vanderpump-rules-season-11-intro-details

🎬 Très Amusant…

Because sitting through the reality of it wasn’t enough.

https://ew.com/all-star-live-reading-of-vanderpump-rules-scandoval-8551139

New Boat Daddy…

Sorry, Captain Kerry, I will forever miss Stud of the Sea, Captain Lee. It’s nice to see Ben again though.

🐩 Furbaby Fête…

Spoiler: They’re all cute.

🍳 Putting All My Eggs In One Frying Pan…

IKR? Early today. Come back tomorrow for soap and VanderTalk. Until then, stay safe, stay not being that person in the express checkout lane, and stay always exceeding people’s expectations.

January 26, 2024 – Sprina’s First Day In Paris, Side Gig, He’s Serious, Random Wives, VanderComeback, Too Soon For Awful, Trailer For Ones, Puppy (!) Party, Practically 10 Quotes & Key

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Paris, France. Trina and Spencer are shown to their hotel room, and Trina says she didn’t think anything could be nicer than their hotel room in New York, but this… They’re literally on the Sienne. It’s incredible. (A slight exaggeration. They dressed up a decent room with champagne bucket and a bunch of peonies.) He says, she’s incredible. He thought they deserved the very best to welcome them to the next chapter of their lives. They kiss.

At the hospital, Chase tells Jordan that they pulled Esme’s credit card records. There was a bus ticket bought yesterday, destination Toronto. She says, any stops along the way? but he says, straight shot. If Esme’s hiding out at her former nanny’s, they have the address of where to find her.

Anna runs over to Laura and says she just heard about Kevin. How’s he doing? Laura says, he’s stable. He’s in and out of consciousness right now, but they’re doing more tests. Anna tells her to hang in there, and she says she is. Anna says, he’s so strong; he’ll pull through this. Laura thanks her, and Anna says she wishes she could do more than give her just words. Laura says she thinks Anna can. She can come back to the PCPD.

Nina sits at Charlie’s looking at The Invader headline: A CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT CRIMSON; NINA REEVES OUT, CARLY SPENCER IN. Ava calls, but she doesn’t answer.

Ava leaves a message asking Nina what she’s seeing in The Invader. Call her. She’s worried about her. Sonny asks who she’s talking to, and Ava says, Nina’s voicemail. Has he seen this? She shows him her tablet, and he says he hasn’t read the article, but he knows there’s a transition. She says, a transition. Otherwise known as an ousting. He asks if that surprises her after what Nina did to Carly and Drew. She says, even so, someone has to check up on her. She’s not picking up. Is that a problem for him? He says, Brick is on his way up here with an update, and she asks if he’s learned anything about the threats against her. He says, the sooner they can stop this, the sooner they can end this living arrangement they have.

At the courthouse, Martin apologizes for his late arrival. Miss McCall was keeping him apprised of her investigation. Finn asks how that’s going, and Elizabeth asks if she found anything that could help the case. Sam says, it’s going, and yes, she did.

Brick knocks on the penthouse door, and Sonny says, it’s good to see him. Brick says, it’s always good to be seen. He asks Ava, how’s everything? and she says, fine. She asks if he’d care for an espresso, but he says, no thank you, and Sonny asks him to have a seat. Brick says, unfortunately, he has to keep this brief. He has a meeting this afternoon. Sonny says, as long as he’s caught up, Brick can make it as brief as he wants. He looks at Ava, and Ava says, if he’s waiting for her to make herself scarce, that’s not going to happen. This concerns her. He says he knows that, but as soon as it becomes business, leave, and she says, okay. They sit, and Sonny says, fill him in. Brick says he couldn’t pull any prints off the photograph or notes sent to Ava, but he was able to trace the weapon. It was part of a set of unmarked weapons from the Bureau… Yeah, he knows. Ava asks, what’s the significance of the gun being stolen from the WSB? and Sonny says, it means it’s connected to the rifle that shot at him a year ago at the MetroCourt pool.

Sam says she was able to access Muldoon’s EZ-Pass records and cross-reference them with the security cameras from the gas station across the street from the oncologist’s office. Elizabth says, tell them there was something on that footage, and Sam says, a big something. Muldoon entering the medical pavilion long before his meeting with Finn. Gregory says, there they have it. Proof that he was being treated for cancer. Martin says, maybe, but unfortunately, it’s circumstantial, and Finn says, it’s a medical pavilion. There must be dozens of specialists working out of that building. Martin says, exactly. A dentist, and ENT and an allergist, just to name a few. Finn says, Muldoon could have been going to see any one of them, but Gregory says, he wasn’t. He was there to see the oncologist. Finn asks how they prove that, and Martin says, that’s the number one question. The second being, if he was being treated by that oncologist, why wouldn’t he tell Finn that? Elizabeth says, it doesn’t make any sense, and Sam says she has one more lead to follow up on. If she gets results, she’ll be in touch ASAP. Finn says he really appreciates it, and Sam tells him, good luck, and leaves. Martin says, shall we? and Finn says, no time like the present. Let’s do this.

Spencer asks the bellhop for a converter because his phone died, and the bellhop leaves. Trina says, that accent is to die for, and Spencer says, mine or his? She says, his. Spencer’s is decent though. Spencer says, moi? Blah-blah-blah Française? (I took two years of French and still know nothing but how Jean Paul and Pierre pack a suitcase and how to curse someone out.) She says, mais oui, and that’s about as much as she knows. Thank God for the translator app though. He says she doesn’t have to rely on a translator app. He’s happy to give her French lessons. She says, he’s going to teach her, huh? and he clicks on the remote, turning on some music. He says, to start, and speaks French like Gomez Addams as he kisses her neck. They work their way over to the bed and get busy.

Jordan asks if the Toronto authorities have been notified, and Chase says, they have, but there’s another way. Dante has met Esme’s former nanny. They can reach out to her. Keep things nice and clean. That is, if the department can spare them. She says, absolutely. She’ll make arrangements with their superior. She does know it’s his brother’s trial today, so if he wants her to send someone else with Dante… He says he’ll go, and she asks if he’s sure. He says, Finn understands that this is important. She says, okay. Good luck and keep her posted. He says, copy that, and leaves.

Laura says, Anna looks shocked, and Anna says, because she is. Laura says, the PCPD has been without an active Commissioner for months now. It’s been chaotic and confusing. It may even be part of the reason Esme was able to slip between the cracks. (Huh?) Anna says she thought Mac was doing an excellent job, and Laura says, he is, but not only has he made it very clear he’s not interested in the position full-time. He’s been out of the country for she doesn’t even know how long now. The department needs stability and Anna could provide that. Anna says, Laura… but Laura says, just hear her out. Next to Jordan, who’s made it very clear to her that she’s happy in her new role as the Deputy Mayor, Anna is the next, most qualified candidate. Anna says, and the most controversial. Forget about her public humiliation. What about what happened with Laura’s granddaughter? Laura says she doesn’t blame Anna for that, and Anna says she shot a child. Laura says, but she was being manipulated by her former director, Brennan. And on top of that, Valentin chose to keep her completely in the dark about what was going on with Charlotte. This was a horrible accident, but it’s one that doesn’t change the fact that she believes Port Charles would be safer under Anna’s leadership. Jordan comes over and says, and for what it’s worth (🍷), she agrees 1000%. Anna says, they have no idea what this means to her, but she’s sorry. She can’t. What happened with Charlotte makes her feel like she’s not ready. She doesn’t deserve the badge. Laura says she understands what Anna is going through, but she’s asking Anna to take some time to consider this offer. Laura sees Portia coming their way, and asks if she’s heard anything about Doc. Is he going to be okay?

The bailiff says, all rise. The honorable Judge Arnold presiding. The judge tells them, be seated, and Elizabeth mouths I love you to Finn, who winks at her.

Portia says she just spoke with Doc’s doctors and they’re still running some tests, but they’re cautiously optimistic that his prognosis will be good. She’ll know more when he wakes up. Laura says, thank God, and Portia says, if Laura hadn’t found him when she did, this could be an entirely different conversation. Laura says she doesn’t want to think about that, and thanks Portia for keeping her in the loop. Portia says, of course (🍷), and Anna says, that’s great news, hugging Laura. She’s sorry. She’s late for a phlebotomy treatment, so she has to go. She’ll catch up with Laura later. She says goodbye to them and leaves. Jordan says she has to go as well, but asks Laura to let her know if she needs anything. They hug and Jordan says she’s really glad Doc is going to be okay. She leaves, and Portia asks if Laura has heard from Spencer at all. Laura says she hasn’t. She’s a little surprised since she thinks she may have sounded a little frantic in her message, but maybe his plane hasn’t landed yet. Portia says she tracked the flight; it landed. Maybe she should call Trina again. Laura says, don’t bother. Esme is in Canada and Doc is out of the woods. Spencer will call her when he calls her. Let them have a good time. Portia says, they’re in Paris. How could they not be?

Basking in the afterglow, Trina kisses Spencer, and he says, champagne toast? He gets out of bed and takes out the bottle of champagne. He says, it’s a good year, and starts to unwrap the foil, when the bellhop walks in. They don’t knock in Paris?

Diane says, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the name Hamilton Finn – Dr. Hamilton Finn – may be all over the docket in this case, but make no mistake, the story belongs to Dennis Muldoon, deceased husband of the plaintiff. You’re going to hear how Dennis Muldoon sought the help of a trusted doctor in his time of need, and how that doctor, through sheer negligence, failed to order a test which could have caught the cancer in time. This story is by no means uncommon. Medical practitioners make mistakes all the time. Which is why it is of the upmost importance that we hold them accountable. Not just for the error itself, but for the birthdays, weddings, graduations, everything that Dennis Muldoon will now sadly, tragically have to miss. She indicates the grieving widow.

Martin says, I can, and will, prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Dr. Hamilton Finn did encourage Dennis Muldoon to follow up with further testing, and that far from being in error with medical negligence, this was an error of personal responsibility… as tragic as that may be.

Ava asks if they’re saying the same person that killed Austin shot Curtis, and Brick says, in a botched attempt to assassinate Sonny. Sonny asks if Brick thinks this theory has anything to do with the anonymous bid on Windymere. Can Ava do him a favor? Can she give Brick all the information she has? She says, on the shell corporation. She doesn’t have much, but she’ll get what she has. She leaves, and Sonny says he wants Brick to coordinate with Dex as far as stepping up surveillance. Brick says, all the usual suspects? and Sonny says, Carly, the kids, Olivia, and now Ava because she’s in the middle of all this. Brick says he’s on it, but he doesn’t have a question. Does Nina get added to that list?

Sitting with Nina, Valentin asks if she’s all right, and she says she’s pretty sure she lost her husband and her daughter. And the final kicker is, Drew and Carly want to take everything else from her too. He says, otherwise okay? and she laughs. She says she brought it on herself, right? At least that’s what everyone tells her. He says, she may be down, but at least she’s not down for the count. So what’s the plan? She says, for what? and he says, for taking back what’s yours.

Averting his eyes, the bellhop tells Spencer that he’s very sorry. He knocked on the door and there was no answer. He assumed they’d stepped out. He holds out a bag, and Spencer takes it, thanking him. The bellhop says, his converter, and leaves. Trina says, if he’d shown up a few minutes earlier, he would have gotten quite the show. She asks for his phone to charge it, and tells him to open up the champagne. He asks if she heard the bellhop knock, and she says, in all fairness, they could have put up the Do Not Disturb sign. He says, that would have kind of killed the romantic flow, and she says, option A, take a two-second break from making out, or option B, getting caught by the bellhop in your underwear. He says, fine. Next time, they’ll put up the Do Not Disturb sign. She says, there’s going to be a next time? and he says, oh yeah. And a next time, and a next time, and a next time… He kisses her with each next time. He sees the turtle dove sticking out of her purse, and he says, she brought it with her? She says, there might be weekends where he’s going to be back home, and she’ll be here. It’ll be like they’re still together. That’s what this thing is for, isn’t it? He says, it sure is. That’s pretty cute. He takes the other turtle dove out of his bag, and she says, he has his with him. He says he takes it with him everywhere he goes. Once he gets his apartment here, it will have a permanent place on his bedside table. He kisses her and his phone dings. He looks at it and says, his grandmother left him a voicemail.

Brick says he doesn’t mean to bring up a tough subject, but he doesn’t know where Sonny and Nina stand right now. Sonny says, she’s his wife legally, so she’s going to be a potential target, and Brick says he’ll make sure to keep eyes on her. Ava comes back and says she made copies for Brick. This is it. She gives him a folder, and Brick says he’ll look into it. He tells Sonny to let him know if he needs anything, they shake hands, and Brick leaves. Ava asks how seriously she needs to take this. Stay vigilant or complete lockdown? He says, they’re not there yet, and she says, thank God. Because nothing good can come of them stuck in this penthouse. On that note, what does he say they get out of here?

Nina asks if Valentin thinks she has a leg to stand on, and he says he thinks she has two gorgeous legs to stand on. (BA-DUM-CHH!) She’s Nina Reeves for God’s sake. She built Crimson into the empire it is today. He can’t imagine her advertisers and top designers are thrilled with what Drew has decided. She says, it doesn’t matter, but he says, of course (🍷) it matters. She says she doesn’t have any recourse, and he says, how about if she gives him a number. How much would it cost to create a rival publication and poach every top staffer at Crimson that would give Drew and Carly a fighting chance at success?

Diane asks Mrs. Muldoon if she ever got a sense that there were any health concerns prior to this diagnosis, but Mrs. Muldoon says, no. They were shocked when they learned he had Stage IV cancer. He seemed totally fine. It’s like they blinked, and he was gone. Diane says, the doctors who took care of her husband in hospice, were they able to provide any insight? and she says, they told her any physician who would have run even the most basic tests would have seen the cancer. If only someone had. She looks at Finn and says, a few months would have made the difference. Her children would still have a father. Martin says, objection, your honor. That calls for speculation. Diane says, Mrs. Muldoon’s testimony will be corroborated by Dennis Muldoon’s oncologist, but Judge Arnold says, then they’ll hear it when he or she takes the stand. Sustained. Diane says, no further questions, and the judge says, Martin’s witness. Martin says he’d just like to start by saying how sorry they all are for her loss. She thanks him, and he says he’d just like to know one thing. Was she there when her husband met with Dr. Hamilton Finn, when he was told he needed to go for further testing? She says, no, she was not, and he says, so her opinion on Dr. Finn’s urgency, or lack thereof, is based solely on how her husband described it to her. She says, yes, but… and he says, thank you. That’s all. No further questions. The judge says, she may step down, and Mrs. Muldoon leaves the stand. Gregory whispers, that’s it? to Martin, and Martin says, no one ever won a civil trial by ripping the grieving widow to shreds on the witness stand. The jury is right there. She has her story, we have ours. Diane says she’d like to call Dr. Hamilton Finn to the stand.

Laura puts Spencer on speaker and thanks him for calling her back. He says, of course (🍷). What’s going on? She says she has good news on both fronts. First of all, Doc is going to be okay. He says, thank God, and she says, and they’ve tracked Esme to Canada. The authorities there have the address where she’s staying, and Chase and Dante are on their way there right now. He asks what she needs from him, but she says, nothing. Just stay right where he is. She’s sort of comforted by the knowledge that there’s an entire ocean between him and Esme at the moment. Portia says, Laura is right. They’re far safer there than they would be here in Port Charles. Just let the police handle Esme. Spencer promises to look after Portia’s daughter, and she says she’s going to hold him to that. She asks for Trina, and Trina says, hey. Portia says she wants Trina to be safe. She loves her. Trina says she loves Portia too, and she will. Laura says she’ll keep them posted if she hears anything, and Spencer says, sounds good.

Nina says she didn’t agree to have lunch with Valentin to take his money, but he says she wouldn’t be taking it. He’d be investing it – in her. With her prowess, and the help of her editors and advertisers, he thinks any new publication she launched would bury anything Drew and Carly could cook up at Crimson. They don’t know publishing and she does. Sometimes the best revenge is good business. She says, if she does this… He says, she’s considering it, and she says, maybe. If she does this, this war with Carly will only escalate until one of them surrenders. He lifts his glass and says, to it not being you. They clink glasses, when Sonny walks in with Ava.

Brick says, he’s got to admit, he didn’t think the hospital is where his meeting with Jordan would take place, and she says, if he gives her something she can use, maybe she’ll give him an upgrade. He says he can dream, and she asks if he traced the number that called her. He says he went through some backchannels, which he’s guessing is why she reached out to him in the first place. The call came from a burner phone, one of those prepaid deals you can get it at any gas station. She says, so it wasn’t registered, and he says, hold on. The phone pinged a cell tower a stone’s throw away from Pentenville the night the call came in. No residents or roads nearby. She says, Pentenville, and he says, they know better than anyone how to smuggle phones in. She thanks him, and he says, no sweat. He starts to leave, but comes back and says he hasn’t lost her number. He hopes she’s not going to lose his. She rolls her eyes as he leaves.

Diane asks how long Finn has been a department head at General Hospital, and he says, seven years and eleven months. She says, that’s a long time. And in that time, he found a cure for Blackwood’s disease, which was ravaging certain oceanic regions. Is she correct? Finn says, that is correct, and she says, that’s quite a feat, to use deductive reasoning and applied science to find a cure. Finn says, it’s part of the job, and she says, it is. So what went wrong on the day Dennis Muldoon came to visit him? Martin says, objection, and Diane says she’ll rephrase. How did Finn not catch the Stage IV cancer that other doctors insist would have been blatantly obvious at that time? Finn says he’s an infectious disease specialist. Mr. Muldoon came to see him for treatment for a tapeworm, which he had. However, Finn knew something else was wrong, so he suggested Muldoon have some more tests run. Diane asks if there was any urgency to this suggestion, a bit of a warning that he might be dealing with something more serious, perhaps life threatening. Finn says he recommended Muldoon have further tests run. He doesn’t recall the level to which he stressed urgency. Diane says, so it’s his contention that another infectious disease specialist couldn’t have deduced that cancer was at play, but Finn says he can’t speculate on other doctors, and her statement does not equate to malpractice. Diane says, even if he wasn’t at the top of his game, shall they say? and he says he doesn’t know what that means. She asks if he was suspended from General Hospital six years ago, and Finn says he was. She says, care to tell the court why? and Martin says, objection. Medical privacy. Diane says, withdrawn. Would Finn agree that a doctor at the top of his game could have suspected cancer? Could have ordered the proper tests and could have conveyed to Mr. Muldoon the gravity of his situation? Finn tells her, like he said he can’t speculate… She says, yes or no will suffice, and he says, the expectation that a doctor in another field could immediately catch everything wrong with a patient is not only unreasonable, it’s completely absurd. He did what needed to be done on the day. (Apparently, Finn forgot the number one rule here.) Diane says, just what needed to be done, and Finn tells her, that’s not what he said. She says, no further questions. Martin asks if Finn ever told Dennis Muldoon that a tapeworm wasn’t the only cause of his symptoms, and Finn says, no. Martin says, and did he in fact advise Muldoon that further tests were necessary to achieve an accurate diagnosis, and Finn says, yes. Martin asks if he took that advice, and Finn says, no, he did not. Martin says, so conveyed urgency aside, does he as a physician have the authority to compel a patient to undergo a test they do not wish to have done? and Finn says, no, he doesn’t. Martin says, no further questions, and Judge Arnold says, Finn can step down. Finn goes back to his seat, and Elizabeth says she thought Martin told them that Diane would talk about Finn’s past drug use, but Martin says, she didn’t have to. She did more damage by hanging it in the window. Finn says, and she knows it, and Martin says, up to this point, he’s kept his questioning brief because he honestly believes the facts are on Finn’s side in this case. But he has to be honest. That little tit for tat with Miss Miller just now? He doesn’t think Finn did himself any favors.

Diane thanks a doctor on the stand for his input and expertise, and says, the prosecution rests. The judge calls for a brief recess and says, court will resume at 1:45. The bailiff says, all rise, the judge leaves, and the bailiff says, the jury is excused. Sam comes in and asks how it’s going. Martin says, all is not lost, but he’s not going to lie. He could use some more help. Sam says she did some more digging and found out that several debt collectors have placed liens on the Muldoons. Finn takes an envelope from her and looks at the paperwork. He says, it looks like their house is about to be foreclosed on. Elizabeth says she thought they were wealthy, but Sam says, they’ve been cash poor for a while now. Gregory says he’s sure cancer can get expensive, and Sam says, this has actually been going on for a while. The Muldoons were heavily invested in Aurora. When the stocks went down, they pretty much lost everything. Finn says, that was eighteen months ago. Soap looks all around.

Jordan sees Anna and asks if her phlebotomy went okay, and Anna says, everything’s fine. What’s going on? Jordan says she traced the number for the source who called about the unmarked gun, and Anna asks if she has a lead on who shot Curtis. Jordan says, Sonny may have been the intended target, but she thinks Anna is still connected to this as well.

Nina tells Sonny that she heard about Ace. Is Spencer okay? He says, that’s none of her business (harsh!), and keeps walking. Ava says she got Nina’s voicemail. She’s so sorry to hear about Crimson. Call her when she gets a chance, and they’ll talk. Nina starts to respond, but Ava joins Sonny, and Nina goes back to her table. Valentin asks if she wants to go somewhere else, but she says, Phyllis told her that she’s always welcome here. She won’t be run off with her tail between her legs. He says his offer still stands. What does she say? She tells him that she says the two of them have a bad habit of bringing out the worst in each other.

Portia says she’s got some good news, and Laura says, that’s her favorite kind. Portia says, the doctors think that Doc should be waking up very soon. They’re going to be moving him to his room and Laura should be able to see him shortly after that. Laura cries and thanks her, and Portia says, Doc’s going to be okay. The kids are safe. They’re lucky, all things considered. Laura says she agrees, but if she could only stop blaming herself. Portia says, blaming herself for what? and Laura says, Esme. She knew what Esme was capable of, but Esme is her husband’s niece, she’s the mother of her grandchild. She thinks she just wanted so badly to see the good in Esme, she let it blind her to all the horrible things Esme has done that she never paid for. She did awful things to Portia’s daughter. Portia must be so angry with her.

Spencer tells Trina that he wishes he could say he was wrong, that Esme hadn’t gotten her memory back and that Ace could still be safe with her. But he guesses he did the right thing giving Ace to his father. If anyone has a knack for disappearing, it’s him. There’s no way Esme’s going to… Trina is preoccupied with her phone, and he asks what she’s doing. She says, there’s a flight back to New York in two hours. He can make it before midnight. He says, she’s telling him this because… and she says, Doc just got attacked and his brother is in danger. She appreciates him coming with her, but his family needs him now.

Sam says, looks like Muldoon has been trying to stop the bleeding for months. He even cashed out a life insurance policy to pay his bills. Martin says, before or after he saw an oncologist? and Sam says, before. Martin says, thanks to Sam, they now have one hell of a theory to present to the court, and Elizabeth says, Muldoon came to Finn on purpose. The whole malpractice suit… Finn says, it was part of his plan. Muldoon set him up.

I called it at the beginning. And I have receipts! Proof! Timelines! Screenshots! Not really. Just one message to a fellow GH watcher, but I called it pretty early on.

Spencer says, Trina heard his grandmother. Doc is on the mend, and Esme’s in Canada, and the police are on her trail. Trina says, and if any of that changes? and Spencer says, then he’ll get on a plane and go home, but she heard him promise her mother that he’d look after her, and they both know he’s on her hit list. So he thinks it’s best he keeps his word. She asks if he’s sure. Don’t stay for her. He says, of course (🍷) he’s going to stay for her. And for him, for them. Now is she ready for the best weekend of her life? She says, so ready, and he says, very good answer. He kisses her and pops the champagne cork. They kiss some more.

Portia asks why she would be angry with Laura, and Laura says, at the very least, Portia must think she’s naïve. Portia says she thinks Esme is that good of a liar, and Laura says, except Portia never believed it. Portia says she never truly bought into the idea that Esme had changed (more history revision!), but she thinks it’s a little different with her. Laura asks, why is that? and Portia says, because Esme hurt Trina in a very specific, targeted, vindictive way. It’s hard to see your child suffer like that. It leaves a mark. Laura says she’s so sorry, but Portia says, she doesn’t have to be. There’s nothing wrong with hoping someone can change, if and when they take accountability for their actions, but Esme never took accountability for anything. So right now, there’s only one path forward for her. Laura says, absolutely. Agreed. Esme must be found. Esme must be brought to trial for the things she’s done.

Toronto, Canada. Dante and Chase arrive at an apartment, where a Canadian officer stands outside the door. Dante introduces himself and Chase, and the officer says, they were told the detectives were coming. Chase says, any updates? and the officer says, they’ve been monitoring the apartment for 24 hours. No one matching the nanny’s or Prince’s description has exited. Dante says, it’s still occupied? and the officer nods. Dante thanks him for holding off while they waited for him and Chase. There’s going to be trouble. The officer knocks at the door, and Chase and Dante put their hands on their guns.

Nina says she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t tempted by Valentin’s offer, and he says, but? She says, but she has to try and control these impulses she has if she’s going to have any hope of salvaging a relationship with Willow. He says, okay, but if she changes her mind… She says she knows where to find him, and he says, they have a long history of twisting themselves in knots, pretending they’re something they aren’t for other people. She doesn’t have to do that with him. He’s on her side, no matter what. She puts her hand on his and thanks him. Sonny watches.

Sonny tells Ava that he was thinking, and she says, uh-oh. He says, there’s still a threat out there against Ava. Esme’s on the run. Maybe she should spend some time on his island. She says, the gallery is being refreshed this week. She supposes there are worse places to stay vigilant. He says he and Dex will get her settled in and make sure she’s protected. She says, okay. Because going to Puerto Rico is all about her and her safety, right? He asks, what else would it be about? and she says, maybe getting as far away from Nina as possible.

Anna says, so the call that attempted to give Jordan information on the gun came from Pentenville? and Jordan says she’s been looking into this for months and gotten nowhere. Dead end after dead end. So what’s changed in the past few weeks? Who’s new to Pentenville and knew about a shipment of unmarked guns meant to be in the Bureau’s possession? She knew she recognized that voice from somewhere, but she couldn’t put her finger on it until she overheard Anna and Laura talking. Anna says, the person who called Jordan was John Brennan.

On Monday, Portia tells Curtis that she never wants to worry about Esme Prince again; Martin tells Diane that he’d like to add someone to the witness list; and Tracy comes to the courtroom, saying that they should make the fraud public record.

👬🏻 Whole Different Brother…

It’s great how the cast is given wiggle room to do other projects. A happy employee is more likely to stick around.

💻 Not Kidding…

It’s awful how scammers get away with this stuff, but it’s also shocking to see how many people fall for it. One rule of thumb is, if you’re a 2 and they’re a 10, and you don’t know each other personally IRL, it’s not happening.

💎 Diamonds In the Rough…

Hey, she did finally get that second date.

We’ve all been there. The one that just doesn’t go as planned.

This one’s diamond should be repossessed.

🍸 Back To the Rules…

Here’s a thought. If the rest of the cast doesn’t want to film with them, replace them. Or just work with two fewer cast members. People thought Charlie Sheen and Roseanne couldn’t be replaced either.

🏊‍♀️ Awful Summer People Return…

How is this back already? It might be worth watching for the big break-up though.

⚰️ Dead Coming Soon…

The final trailer for The Ones Who Live.

https://people.com/the-walking-dead-the-ones-who-live-trailer-rick-and-michonne-search-broken-world-8550132

🐕 Bowling At Home…

You, too, can be host of your own Puppy Bowl.

https://www.dogtv.com/blog/how-to-throw-a-puppy-bowl-party-dogtvs-guide-to-tail-gating

https://wearwagrepeat.com/puppy-bowl-party/

🎋 Quotes of the Week

I’m not Dr. Phil. – Judge Marilyn Milian, People’s Court

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a manner that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. – Indian Proverb

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

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. – Leo Buscaglia

The healthy being craves an occasional wildness, a jolt from normality, a sharpening of the edge of appetite, his own little festival of Saturnalia, a brief excursion from his way of life.Robert MacIver

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. – Mae West

Peace is not absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means. – Ronald Reagan

If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. – Bruce Lee

The best way to learn how to enjoy life is from a dog. – Nils Sandmann

🪗 Making My Own Kind Of Music…

Come back on Monday really Tuesday for soap and whatever the future holds. Until then, stay safe, stay parking between the lines, and stay remembering that sometimes the best revenge is good business.

December 19, 2023 – Brennan’s Secret Is Out, Erika’s Update, A Farewell, Getting Ready, All About Emmy, Don’t Sell, Rude, Menu Reveal, Thirsty Or Not, Married, Surviving, Santa Pets (!) & Farm

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Lucy meets Doc at the PC Grill. She says, no wine? and he says he thought he’d wait to order. Aren’t Laura and Martin joining them? She says she doesn’t think they’d mind them having a pre-dinner cocktail. She could use one. It’s been a rough day… week… month… year. He says, that’s a bad time. They see Scotty sitting at the bar, and Doc says, looks like Scotty’s had a rough day as well. Before she says, it, he knows the decent thing to do is to invite him over. She says, Good God, no.

Tracy holds a snow globe and says she misses Luke so much, when Lois walks in with Brook. Tracy puts the snow globe behind her back, and Lois says she spies Tracy looking at that, but don’t worry. They won’t tell anyone that they saw her showing some Christmas spirit. Tracy asks why Brook hasn’t responded to her texts, and Brook says she was Christmas shopping with Chase and Leo and Violet. Tracy says, of course (🍷). Her phone doesn’t work in the proximity of small children. Brook says, she stops looking at it when she’s celebrating the joy of the season, and Tracy says, they have a business meeting tomorrow morning to figure out how this arrangement with Deception works. Brook says, tomorrow’s Christmas Eve, and Tracy says she’s well-aware, but now that Brook is going to be her business protégé, she’s going to have to change her priorities. Ned comes in and says, what’s that? Brook says, it’s true. She’s going back to work at Deception. Tracy says, but this time, it’s going to be different. This time, she’s going to be the boss. He asks if Lois knew about this, and she says she did, and she thinks it’s great.

There’s a knock at Ava’s door, and she opens it to Nina. Ava says she thought they were meeting at Rice Plaza to watch Avery and Donna in the Living Nativity, and Nina says she knows, but she needed to see Ava in private, without Sonny and the girls. Ava asks, why? and Nina says she needs Ava’s help before her whole world comes crashing down.

Just when you think Donna can’t get any cuter, they put her in a lamb costume. She asks if she looks okay, and Sonny says, she looks amazing. Michael joins them, and Donna asks if he’s here to watch her and Avery. He says, of course (🍷) he is. She’s going to be an amazing lamb. Donna says, Avery’s a shepherd, and he says, she’s going to be amazing too. He asks if she’s excited about being in the Living Nativity, and she nods. Cyrus approaches and says he is too.

Carly pours coffee for Sam and sees the headline about Brennan being head of the WSB on Sam’s phone. She asks if that’s the guy Sam and Dante are investigating, and Sam says, yes. He’s the new head of the WSB. Carly says, really. Because he told her that he was a security consultant. Sam says, she knows him? and Carly says, John Brennan. He’s been here in the diner a few times. He was here a half hour ago. Sam asks if he said where he was going, but Carly says, no. He got a phone call, and he took off.

At the pier, Anna says her Interpol contact is going to be here in twenty minutes, and Dante asks if she’s sure she can trust this guy. She says, absolutely. She’s confident they’re on the up and up. He says, it wouldn’t be a stretch for the head of the WSB to request interagency cooperation and make them disappear, but she says, not this time. Brennan’s been trying to ruin her life for months, but that all changes tonight. He’s going down.

Lucy tells Doc, sorry. It’s just that Scotty’s been pushing her to travel with him to Florida at Christmas to see Serina and the manatees. He says, Christmas with her daughter. What’s wrong with that? She says, nothing. She’s very tempted, but Scotty didn’t bother telling Serina about his plans and she found out Serina has a brand-new boyfriend… first Christmas and all. Fortunately for her and Serina, Scotty saw reason, and decided not to make the trip. He says he’s sure it will be nice for her and Martin to spend the holidays together, and she says, yeah. Together.

Ava says, Ned is blackmailing Nina too? and Nina says, it’s like a line is forming. If she doesn’t tell Ned information on Aurora, he’s going to tell Sonny that she’s the one who reported Carly and Drew to the SEC for insider trading. Ava says she guesses Nina better find some information that Ned will find useful, but Nina says she doesn’t have access to the inner workings of Aurora. Let’s just say in a perfect world she magically comes up with something and she tells Ned, and Michael finds out. He’s going to retaliate and tell Sonny. This is an impossible situation. Ava says, it is and she feels for Nina, but she’s got problems of her own.

Cyrus tells Sonny that he’s going to be one of the Wise Men. Melchiore, he believes, but they won’t be wearing nametags. He’s just on his way to pick up his crown and robe. Michael says, Cyrus isn’t coming anywhere near his little sister, but Sonny says, that’s all right. He’s taking care of it. Michael says, Sonny knew about this? and Sonny says he’s watching Cyrus like a hawk. No robes or crowns for him today. Cyrus asks Sonny to be reasonable. It’s a Christmas pageant. Sonny asks Michael to take Donna to the Nativity, and they leave. Cyrus says he doesn’t understand. What is the harm in him participating in the celebration of the holy season? Sonny says, celebrate on his own. He’s already been replaced. (Aww.) Laura and Martin join them, Martin wearing a robe, and Cyrus says, et tu, brother? Martin says, the name’s Melchiore, and Laura tells Cyrus, please don’t make a scene. Cyrus says he’s just surprised. Martin’s been averse to Christmas pageants ever since second grade when he tripped on the robe and knocked over the manger. Laura laughs, and Martin says he’ll make sure to watch his step this time. Laura asks if Cyrus will do this for her. Not as the mayor, but as his sister. Cyrus says he wishes them all the joys of the holiday season, and he leaves. Martin says, that’s what he’d call a Christmas miracle, and Laura suggests they be grateful he decided to play nice for whatever reason. Sonny says, thank you, Lord, for making the Wise Man swap, and Martin puts on his crown. Laura says, it looks like the other kings are gathering over there. Perhaps Martin should join them. Martin asks them to say a prayer he doesn’t trip over something, and this is over before they know it. He tells Laura to remember Lucy and Doc are waiting dinner for them, and he leaves. Laura asks if Sonny thinks Cyrus knew Avery and Donna were in the Living Nativity or it was just a coincidence, and he says he’s not sure, but he’s not taking any chances. Like he said before, he doesn’t think Cyrus killed Austin, but he’s not going to trust Cyrus anywhere near anyone he cares about.

Ava brings out the locked box and puts in the combination. It opens, and Nina says, she bought another gun? Ava says she didn’t buy it. It just appeared. She found it in the drawer the day she moved in, along with an ominous note saying, you’ll never know when you’ll need it. Nina says, so someone’s stalking her, and Ava says, or trying to frame her. They’re getting bolder.

Ned asks what Brook is thinking, and Lois tells Tracy that she’s going to need Brook all day tomorrow for last minute Christmas details. Unless of course (🍷) Tracy would like to help. There are cookies to bake, presents to wrap, and then of course (🍷), she got everybody matching PJ sets. She hopes she got Tracy the right size… Tracy says she can move the business meeting to December 26th. The pajamas? That’s a hard pass. She leaves, and Brook says, matching PJs? Really? Lois says, it worked with Tracy, didn’t it? and Ned asks if Lois has lost her mind. How can she, of all people, be happy that their daughter is giving up music to be a corporate executive. Lois tells him to use the good sense God gave him. Obviously, there’s an angle. He says, what angle? and Lois says, Brook isn’t going back to work at Deception for herself. She’s going back to outsmart Tracy and make things right with her friends.

Sam asks if Brennan said why he’s in Port Charles, and Carly tells her, he just said he was a security consultant here on business. He never said he was head of the WSB, but why would he? Sam asks if he said how long he was planning on staying, and Carly tells her, he said he’d be here for a little while. He was a little flirtatious and he seemed harmless. Does Sam know different? (Seriously? Have all those years with Sonny taught Carly nothing?) Sam says she doesn’t have all the facts, but if Carly sees him again, keep her distance and call Dante. Sam jets.

Anna tells Dante, if Forsythe hadn’t come after that report, she doesn’t know if she’d have realized she still had it. It had been stuck in that trunk for decades. But Brennan sending Forsythe is kind of like he dug his own grave. Hume listens from the shadows.

Carly looks at the article again on her phone and sets it on the table. She starts to clean up when she hears the door open. She says, we’re closed, and sees it’s Brennan. He asks if she has time for one more.

Lucy says, Doc is too compassionate for his own good, and he always has been. He says, okay. He’ll bite. What does she mean by that? She says, he really doesn’t understand that they’re completely surrounded by cutthroats and thieves, and sometimes, just sometimes, you really need to look out for number one. He says, just an observation, but it seems like she’s talking about something specific. Care to share? She says, Quartermaines. They never change their spots. He probably knows Tracy stole the company from her, but now she’s given Brook a job at Lucy’s company. This is the very woman who stole all the proprietary information on Lucy’s Deceptor, so she could give it to her grandmother to allow Tracy to file this pernicious lawsuit against them. He asks if it’s possible she’s more hurt than she is angry, but she says she’s so angry… but he’s right. She’s also very, very hurt by the whole betrayal. She trusted Brook. She let Brook in on the team and she turns out to be worse than her grandmother. Even more than Lucy imagined. He says he’s glad she’s getting these feelings off her chest, rather than keeping them bottled up inside, and she asks how he does that. He’s always such a good listener. She thanks him for letting her vent, and he says, she’s welcome. It’s what he does. Just a thought, but isn’t it better that Brook is in the office every day rather than her having to deal with Tracy day in and day out? She says, good point. She guesses she could rise above it, sort of, maybe. Try to make the best out of a bad situation. Scotty comes over to the table and says he can’t believe his ears. Is Lucy going to roll over and let Tracy win?

Lois asks if Ned really thinks she’d be encouraging their daughter to work in an office instead of following her dreams if there wasn’t a hidden agenda. Brook says, mom’s been hounding her for weeks to give in to Tracy. Once Tracy hands over the company to her, then she can give it back to Maxie and make things right. He says, if she thinks her grandmother is going to make this easy, she’s in for a very rude awakening, but Brook says she knows exactly what she’s in for. She either has to convince granny that she’s totally on board, making her completely comfortable enough to give her controlling interest, or due to their close proximity, she’ll have to dig something up in order to blackmail her with. He says, spoken like a true Quartermaine, and Lois says, not that that’s always a good thing, but in this case, Brook would be blackmailing for a worthy cause. He says, as long as her grandmother doesn’t figure it out and turn the tables, and Lois asks if he’s doubting their daughter. He says, absolutely not.

Nina asks if Ava still thinks it’s Nikolas sending her these notes, and that, and Ava says, well, who else? She left him for dead. He’s not going to let that go. Nina asks why he’d send her a gun if his plan is to attack her, and Ava says, or to frame her. For all she knows, this is the gun that killed Austin. Nina says, Ava thinks he’d go that far. That he’d come all the way here just to kill Austin to frame her for murder? Ava says she doesn’t know what to think anymore. For months, she thought Nikolas was dead and she was the one that killed him, and she thought that she could trust Austin. Nina says, she needs to calm down a bit, but Ava says she doesn’t have anyone to talk to about this. Her head has been spinning since Austin died. Nina says she thinks Ava needs a distraction. Why don’t they go to Rice Plaza? Ava says she thinks that’s a good idea. She thinks seeing Avery in that Living Nativity will make her feel better.

Michael tells Donna that she’s all set, and she thanks him for fixing it. He says, of course (🍷), and she asks if they’re going to see Wiley and Amelia on Christmas. He says, yeah, and she wonders if they can hang their stockings together. He says, it’s a great idea, but he thinks she’s going to be at her mom’s on Christmas Eve, and she says, daddy says Michael’s going to be with him and Nina on Christmas Eve. Cyrus watches from the shadows, and Michael says, he, Willow, Wiley, and Amelia and daddy and Nina. Donna tells him, daddy said this is going to be the best Christmas ever now that Nina’s part of the family.

Sonny asks how Laura is holding up, and she says she’s still worried about Charlotte. Physically, she’s on the mend, but emotionally, she’s struggling. He says he thinks she’s old enough to benefit from therapy, and Laura says she agrees. What about Anna? Has he spoken to her? He says, she’s very hard to get in touch with. She blames herself for what happened to Charlotte. Laura says, it was a terrible accident, and he says, they know that, but Anna just blames herself.

Anna tells Dante, the irony is, Brennan covered his tracks so well, he didn’t even realize he was implicated in the report. He kind of just brought this on himself. Dante’s phone rings, and he says he should take this. Hume stands in the shadows, holding a gun, and Dante asks Sam, what’s going on? She tells him, Brennan is in town. Carly saw him in Kelly’s. He must have come into town to take care of Anna himself. He asks if she can call the PCPD and tell the desk sergeant what’s going on, and she says she will. She tells him to be careful, and he says, always. He tells Anna that they have to get someplace less exposed, and they start to walk, but Hume pops out and shoots at them. They duck behind some crates.

Carly says, look who’s back, and Brennan says, apologies. That call pulled him away before he could even put in an order. Now they’re closed and he’s missed his chance. She says, he can stay. The cook is gone for the night, but she can heat up some meatloaf. It won’t be fancy… He says, simple works for him. She’s very kind.

Lucy tells Scotty that she took the deal for Maxie and Sasha’s sake. And besides, 49% of a viable company is a heck of a lot better than 100% of nothing. He says, but she gave away her ELQ tie-breaking vote, and she says she did not. It was extorted out of her by Tracy. If she hadn’t given up her precious share of ELQ, Tracy would have blown the whole deal, and she, Maxie, and Sasha would have been completely bankrupt. He says, so she’s just going to let Tracy trample over the company she built, but she says, absolutely not. She has just begun to fight back. He says, it doesn’t seem like it, and Doc says, what it seems like is Scotty rubbing salt in the wound. Maybe it’s time to head home. Scotty says, all right. He’s not going to justify having to take flack for doing his job. Doc says he doesn’t even know what that means, and I’m glad he said that because I don’t either. Scotty says he’s not going to apologize for representing Doc’s wife’s criminal brother Cyrus or for representing Elizabeth. His Liesl just won’t give him a second chance. Tracy blows in and goes to the bar, where she puts down her bag. Scotty follows and Lucy gets up, but Doc says, Lucy… Stay. She sits back down, and she asks if he isn’t going after Scotty, but he says he doesn’t care about Scotty. He cares about her. Besides, he wants to watch this.

Tracy orders a dirty martini, top shelf vodka, no such thing as too dirty. Scotty sits down near her, and she says, go away. He says, as she can see, his coat was here – he indicates the coat on the back of his stool – so if he’s going to bother her, he suggests she vamoose. She says, nothing he does has any effect on her at all, and he says, fine. She says, fine.

Ava says she’s going to see Avery and will catch up with Nina later, and Nina joins Sonny and Laura. She says, nice to see them. Rice Plaza looks amazing. Laura thanks her, like she did it all herself, and says she’s very proud of their town. It’s really good to see Nina, but she has some things she needs to attend to. She leaves, and Sonny asks why Nina is so late. She says, she and Ava had some girl talk. Why? Did he miss her? He says, always, and kisses her.

Ava says she understands Martin has to learn his Wise Man duties on the job, and Martin says he was a last-minute substitution. Michael joins them, and Ava sees Cyrus going by. She asks, what is that monster doing here? She doesn’t want him anywhere near Avery. Michael says, don’t worry. His dad took care of it. She says, good. Because she doesn’t believe that man’s conversion for a second. Ava flashes back to Sonny telling her that Austin’s boss is Cyrus Renault, and she says she knows Cyrus is as dangerous as he always was.

Carly says she’s glad Brennan is okay with meatloaf. Although it’s going to take a while to heat up. He says he hopes he’s not putting her out. He can just come back another… She says, that’s okay. She wasn’t done closing down the kitchen yet, so she’ll be right back. It’ll just take a minute. She heads for the kitchen, but says, oh, her phone, and turns around. He says, is this it? and picks it up. He sees the article about himself and tells Carly that he sees she knows his secret.

Anna and Dante draw their guns, and Hume says, there’s no way out. Give him what he wants and nobody else gets hurt. She tells Dante, that’s not Brennan, and Hume says, is she willing to add Detective Falconari to her long list of collateral damage? She says she wants to talk to Brennan, and Hume says he’s here to help her before this all gets worse. He hears her latest shooting victim is out of the hospital. Charlotte Cassadine? A child? Really? I say, really? to Hume trying to psyche Anna out. He says, all because of something that happened in the 80s? Let’s end this now. Anna tells Dante, he’s right.

Brook tells Ned that she can’t let granny push her around. The only way to deal with Tracy is to face her head on. He says, sadly, it took him a few more years before he learned that particular lesson, and she says she knows working back at Deception will temporarily take her away from her music career, but she won’t let down her clients. She’ll work 24/7. She’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that granny is out of Maxie’s company. Lois says, Maxie’s company? What about Lucy? Brook says, Lucy has made it perfectly clear she won’t work with her, and Ned says, sounds like she’s facing an uphill battle. Brook says she’s not scared. Nothing is going to stop her from making this right.

Anna says, don’t shoot. She’s coming out. She stands up with her hands in the air and puts her gun down. She says she knows where the evidence is. It’s in a safety deposit box and she has the key right here. She points to her pocket, and he says, slowly. She takes a key out of her pocket, and he says, toss it to him. She says, he knows Brennan’s just tying everything off right now. Forsythe’s dead. Does Hume think he’s going to be next? He says he’s not worried. He earns his keep. She says she’s sure that’s what Forsythe thought too, but Brennan only keeps people who are useful around him. Everyone has a sell by date. Doesn’t he think his is up? In the meantime, Dante has run around behind Hume, and clocks him in the head. Hume goes down, and Sam comes out. Dante asks what she’s doing here, and she says, checking on him. Is he okay? He cuffs Hume, and Sam says, they don’t know who this is. Dante takes out Hume’s wallet and looks at his ID. He says, Roman Hume. It says he works for Pikeman. Hume comes to, and Dante hoists him up. Anna says, where’s Brennan? and Hume says, make him a deal. Dante says, not a chance, and Anna says, they have to find Brennan before he realizes they’ve got his lieutenant. Sam says she thinks she may know where he is.

Carly says, if Brennan had told her that he was the director of the WSB, she would have thought he was a liar, and crazy. He chuckles and says he’s curious as to how she figured it out. She says she looked it up on the internet. (How is he director of the WSB? Not exactly the brightest bulb in the box.) There’s many John Brennans, but only one director of the WSB. She clicked on the link and magic! his picture popped up. Anyway, she’s going to go heat up the meatloaf. He says, Hume told him that her former son-in-law was involved. Falconari, right? The connection’s in there somewhere. She asks how he knows Dante, and he says he’s director of the WSB. If there’s something he wants to know, he knows it. Just as he made it his business to know about Sonny Corinthos, his operation, the people he holds dear. There’s just one thing he doesn’t know. What is he going to do with her?

Nina sees Michael buying cookies and says, they need to talk. In private. They walk off together.

Laura tells Ava that Avery looks adorable, and Ava says, doesn’t she? She’s been talking about her costume for weeks. Laura says, she’s taking her role so seriously, and they laugh. Ava says she knows it’s a difficult topic for both of them, but does Laura have any more information about Nikolas’s whereabouts? Laura says she doesn’t unfortunately, and Ava asks if she thinks she’ll keep looking for him. Laura says she wanted to stay in Europe and keep looking, but she got that call from Valentin about Charlotte and knew she was needed at home. Also, Doc told her that Nikolas will come home when he’s ready to face the people he left behind.

In a more private area, Michael asks what Nina wants, and Nina says, Ned knows she’s the one who tipped off the SEC. He asks what that has  to do with him, and she says, he wants information on Aurora to use against Michael and Drew, and if she gives him that information, he’ll keep taking the blame. He says, she doesn’t know anything about Aurora. What was Ned thinking? She says, he’s thinking she’ll find a way. That’s why she’s talking to him. He needs to help her get Ned off her back. He asks why he’d do that, and she says, think about it. This is like Blackmail 101. If Ned tells Sonny, Michael will have nothing to hold over her head. If he wants her to continue keeping her distance from her daughter and grandchild, he’ll help her out. He says he only kept quiet to protect Willow. She’s going to be devastated when she finds out what Nina did, but maybe it’s best to get it all over with. Nina says, all right. She’ll play his game. If Ned tells Sonny the truth, then guess what? She’ll tell Carly the truth that he knew she was the real informant this whole time and he never said anything. (Wouldn’t a better idea be to tell Willow?)

People run past, startling Ava, and Sonny says, why so jumpy? She asks if he really needs her to answer that question. First of all, they still don’t know who killed Austin. Then there’s the fact that Nikolas is alive and out there somewhere. She can only assume he’s plotting his revenge against her. He asks what she’s not telling him. Did something else happen? Donna runs up and asks if Michael is back with the cookies, and Sonny says, not yet, but he’ll be here any minute. Ava asks if Donna is having fun with Avery. They’re not too cold, are they? Donna says, no. They’re having a great time. Only one thing could make this Christmas even better. Sonny asks, what’s that? and Donna says she wants to open presents with Avery on Christmas, but Avery has to be with her mom. Can Avery and Ava come over to join them? Sonny and Ava look at each other.

Scotty says, that’s a stiff one. How come Tracy is drinking alone? She asks why he cares when he’s clearly doing the same thing, and he says he just figured she’d be at the mansion with the servants and the family. Of course (🍷) they don’t like her any more than he does. She asks if he’s been overserved. Maybe he should go home before he embarrasses himself further. He says, all right. He’s going to raise the white flag right now. It wasn’t that long ago that he was her lawyer. They thought she’d killed that guy, but his assistant had done it. Then remember? They got hot and heavy. (I don’t remember. When was this???) She says she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. That doesn’t sound like something she’d do. He says he can’t believe she’d forget the look on Lee and Gail’s face when they came in and caught them going at it on top of his desk. The look was priceless. She says, the only thing she remembers was them asking her why she was slumming with him, and he says, so she does remember. She says, correction. She’s trying not to remember. He says, why the high hat all of a sudden? She’s the one who was married to Luke, that no good, criminal jackass. She throws her drink in his face.

Carly says, Brennan has seriously miscalculated. If anything happens to her… He says he knows all about the mobster ex-husband, and she says she’s talking about the Navy SEAL boyfriend, but Sonny will kill him too. He says he was really starting to like her. Now that he’s seen how she parades under duress, he likes her even more. Sadly, they seem to be the victims of rotten luck. He takes out some brass knuckles, and she says, get away from her. She grabs something off the counter and whacks him with it. He stumbles back, as Anna and Dante come in, guns drawn. Anna says, hands where they can see them, and Brennan puts his hands up.

Ava says she knows Donna wants to be with her sister on Christmas, but her family is so big and family gatherings can be tricky. Sonny tells Donna, that’s a great idea, but why doesn’t she let the grown-ups talk? Go find Avery at the Nativity. Donna says, yay! and skips off. Ava says she knows the girls want to be together on Christmas morning, but she knows the situation is prickly. So please don’t do this for her. Sonny says he’s not doing it for her; he’s doing it for his daughters. She says, right. Of course (🍷). But they won’t stay long. She knows this is his first Christmas with Nina as husband and wife. She wouldn’t want to intrude on that. He says he doesn’t think Nina would mind at all. They’re going to have so many Christmases ahead of them.

Michael says he can explain to his mother what he did and why. Can Nina do the same thing with his father? Nina says she’s sorry. She shouldn’t have said that. It doesn’t have to be this way. Willow doesn’t need to know. Can he just make up something about Aurora so she can pass it on to Ned? It helps both of them if Sonny never finds out. Cyrus listens from the shadows, which seems to be the trend in Port Charles, and Michael says, okay, fine. He’ll take care of Ned.

Ned pours some wine, and Lois says, their marriage might not have worked out, but they did raise one hell of a daughter. He clinks her glass and says, agreed. Brook comes in and asks, what’s going on? What did she miss? Ned says, she didn’t miss anything. He and her mom were just having a nice conversation. Brook says, nice conversations and Quartermaines do not go together, and Lois says, but she’s not a Quartermaine. They were just talking about how much they love her. Brook says, is that all? and Ned hugs her while Lois smooths her hair.

Detectives arrive and Brennan is cuffed. Carly asks how Dante knew to come here, and he says, Sam told him about the conversation they had about Brennan. Carly thanks Sam, and Sam says, of course (🍷). She’s just glad they got here in time. Anna hands a detective the folder, and says, this is the evidence Brennan was so desperate to get ahold of. He asks, what’s the significance of the wallet? and she says, if he pulls back the lining, he’ll see a sequence of numbers that lead to a Swiss bank account. She goes over to Brennan and says, long time, huh? She calls him ex-director Brennan and asks if he thinks they’ll invite Frisco back to clean up his mess. He says, at least she’s been exposed as a double agent. Now everyone knows who she is. She says, that’s right, but her past can’t come back to hurt her anymore. He says, she almost killed a child. What does she have left? She says she has herself, and he says, good luck then. She’ll need it. Brennan is led out, and as he goes past Carly, he says, rotten timing? Dante says, it looked like Anna was willing to risk her life for his back there, and Anna says, if it had come to that, she would have. Brennan is right about one thing. She won’t allow anyone else to get hurt because of her mistakes.

Doc tells Lucy, as if on cue. Scott Baldwin can get under someone’s skin unlike than anyone he’s ever known.

Tracy tells Scotty that she’d say she just wasted some premium vodka, but when a better use comes along, you go for it. She walks out, and he says he’ll send her the dry-cleaning bill.

Lucy watches Tracy leave, and Doc says, don’t. Whatever she’s thinking, whatever she’s scheming, he promises her it will not end well. She says, who, me? She doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He really does worry too much. Laura comes in, and asks, was that Tracy Quartermaine she just saw storming through the parking lot? Doc says, yes, and kisses her. Lucy says, so good to see her, but she thought Martin was coming with her. Laura says she’s so sorry, but Martin is still participating in the Living Nativity at Rice Plaza. Lucy says, that’s great. When Laura asked him, she encouraged him to do it. She just didn’t think it would go so late. Laura says, sorry about that. She’s afraid he’s not going to be able to join them for dinner.

Michael gives Donna the cookies and says, she did a great job being in the Living Nativity. She asks if she can share them, and Michael says she can. She goes over to Martin, who says, it’s so nice of her to offer, and takes one.

Nina runs up to Sonny, who says he was just about to look for her. She says she’s so sorry. There was a minor crisis at the MetroCourt, but she handled everything. He asks if she’s okay, and she says, everything she could possibly ever want is right here.

Martin says, serving as a Wise Man was more arduous than he thought. Donna did a stellar job as their lamb tonight. She was better behaved than the angel. He thinks the angel had a dented halo. Cyrus watches from a distance as Martin talks to Donna.

Tomorrow, Portia asks what Spencer really knows about love; Finn tells Elizabeth that he doesn’t know what to do at this point; Charlotte asks Laura, what could he possibly be doing on Christmas Eve; and Anna tells Valentin that she can’t be part of his family.

💝 Erika Thanks You…

I still miss One Life To Livesniff…

🥀 Best At Bad…

The soap world loses a great villain.

🎄 Christmas Prepping…

How the soap stars are doin’ it.

🏆 Best In Daytime…

Daytime Emmy winners.

What you didn’t see.

The fashion. Again, so much black. Thank you, Susan Lucci.

Here, I expected black.

Daytime Emmys 2023: The Guys

🏰 We’re Not Ready…

I see her point, but I’d hate to lose that house. Oh wait. I don’t really live there.

💎 In Agreement…

I’m sure Annemarie wants to be relevant, but she came across as a bully. It’s like when you have a disorder that’s not visible, and someone says, you don’t look sick.

🍔 Something About a Menu…

Now if they’d only actually open.

🫦 Giving You Lala…

While I begrudge Ariana nothing, Lala’s not wrong. I think what’s happened is, Ariana is being looked upon as an Everywoman. I also think it’s exaggerating to say her posts are thirsty. And if they are, then she’s always been thirsty.

👰🏻‍♀️ Wishing Them Happiness…

I wouldn’t have thought of pairing them up, but they’re two of my favorite celebrities. I’m a huge 2 Broke Girls fan and I’ve loved Andrew W.K. since Party Hard. I’ve often suggested he run for President. Mazel tov!

https://www.buzzfeed.com/larryfitzmaurice/kat-dennings-andrew-wk-married-wedding-details

🤪 All Those Shrinks Can’t Be Wrong…

Some practical tips to get you through the holidaze.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/life-without-anxiety/201212/10-tips-surviving-the-holidays

🎅🏽 If All Else Fails…

Dress your pet up like Santa or one of his elves or one of his reindeer. And if you don’t have a pet, get one.

https://people.com/celebrity/santa-pets-your-cats-and-dogs-in-holiday-style/

👖 Sisterhood Of the Homebody Pants…

Join me tomorrow for soap and whatever annoyances I can point out during RHOBH. Until then, stay safe, stay recognizing the beauty in imperfections, and stay watching your step if you’re a Wise Man in a Christmas pageant.

November 14, 2023 – Charlotte Wants Anna Arrested, Deep Dive, Going Country, Salty Talk, Winter Mess, Vegas Fail, Kyle’s Rant, Way To Go, Random Pups (!), Don’t Bother & Who Says

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Finn and Elizabeth get in the elevator, and he asks, what’s with all the paperwork? She says, the hospital is facing budget adjustments, and she has to get it in by the end of the year. He says, budget adjustments such as staff cuts and supply shortages? and she says, hopefully, it’s not as bad as last year, but they’ll get through it. He says, they always do. When they come out, Portia says she needs to speak with Finn, calling him. Dr. Finn. He says, that’s very formal, and she says, actually she and Dr. Randolph need to meet with him. He says, of course (🍷), and she says, Dr. Randolph is waiting in her office. She leaves and he follows her.

Carly comes to the penthouse and Sonny asks if everything is okay. She says, you tell me, and he says, everything is okay with him. She says, really? Then why is Nina offering to sell her back her half of the MetroCourt? He says he doesn’t know. It’s the first he’s hearing about it.

Valentin thanks Nina for coming over and says, Laura will be here any minute. Nina asks if something happened with Charlotte, and he says, she’s recovering. She seems to think Anna shot her intentionally. Nina says, no. Charlotte told him that? He says, no. She told Laura that last night. Nina wonders why Charlotte would think that, but he says he doesn’t know. He didn’t get much of a chance to talk to Laura before she was called away on official business. When Charlotte was removed from ICU, the nurses convinced him to go home and get some sleep. He’s going back to the hospital as soon as Laura tells them what happened. There’s a knock at the door, and Valentin opens it to Laura. She says she wasn’t expecting Nina to be here.

Spencer walks into Alexis’s office and finds Esme there. She says, his Aunt Alexis isn’t here, but he says he came here to see her.

Trina walks into the gallery, and Ava says she thought Trina had classes today. Trina says, she did, but she came straight from her last one. Ava says, she’s not on the schedule, and Trina says she just didn’t want to go back to the dorms. Ava asks if everything is okay, but Trina says, no. She got into a big fight with Spencer yesterday. Ava says she’s sorry. It seems like a pretty serious fight. Trina says, it was. He gave her an old tomato ultimatum. Ava asks what she did, and Trina says she got up and walked out on him. She’s been avoiding him ever since.

Dante goes to Austin’s office and says he wants to ask Austin a few questions about his cousin Mason. Austin says he already spoke to Chase about this, and another detective, and Dante says, and he told them to speak to his lawyer. Austin says, exactly. So he doesn’t have anything else to say to Dante. Dante says, that’s cool. Maybe he can listen. He closes the door.

The guard lets Cyrus into Mason’s room, and Cyrus says, nice talking with him. He says, hello, to Mason, and tells him, the Lord instructs us to comfort the sick and the prisoner, and in Mason, he has both. Mason asks if that’s how Cyrus convinced the cop to let him in, and Cyrus says, he’s a man of faith. Mason asks what he’s doing here, and Cyrus says he’s here to show Mason the path to his redemption.

Terry thanks Finn for giving them some time, and he asks if he had a choice. She asks him to have a seat, and he says, this must be serious. Terry says, very serious. He’s going to need to hire an attorney. He and GH are being sued for malpractice.

Esme asks if this is about Ace, but Spencer says, he’s having a ball right now in daycare; he just saw him. She says, in that case, she’s working, so if there’s anything he needs to talk about, they can talk about it at dinner… at his grandmother’s apartment. He tells her that she was going to say dinner at home, and she says she was, but she didn’t. She and Ace are currently staying with his grandmother and Doc. Home will be the apartment they move into.

Ava says she’s surprised Spencer doesn’t know Trina isn’t the kind of woman who would take kindly to ultimatums, and Trina says, who would? Ava says, right on. So why does she think he did it? Trina says, they were talking about his relationship with Esme and Ace, and how it feels like there’s no room in his life for their relationship. So she spoke up and told him how she felt. Ava says, good for her.

Dante says, it sounds like Mason’s been hanging around Austin’s office and the ER for the past year. He sits down, and Austin says, please have a seat. His cousin Mason suffers from the misconception that they’re close. Dante asks if that’s why Mason has been bringing third parties into the ER for treatment, but Austin says he has no memory of anything like that. Dante knows how busy and crazy the ER can get. Dante says, right, and it helps if you’re not keeping a record of treating your cousins, friends, and co-workers. Maybe even treating them for injuries they sustained during criminal activities. But that would make him an accessory after the fact.

Cyrus says, all he has to do is confess his sins, and Mason says, that’s a long list. Cyrus says he’s talking about Mason’s very specific, very recent sins. Abducting Ava Jerome, intending to hold her for ransom, and reconsidering that option. Ava was in Mason’s car as he tried to decide his next move. He was confronted by Dex Heller. During the struggle, he was shot by Detective Dante Falconari. Mason will still be on the hook for the kidnapping charge, but the attempted murder charges will be dropped. All Mason has to do is admit he acted alone. Mason says, but he didn’t.

Laura says she thinks Valentin might prefer this conversation be private, but he says, Nina is fully involved. She took an enormous risk, deleting the security footage of Charlotte breaking into Anna’s room at the MetroCourt. She loves Charlotte. Nina promises Laura that her only concern is for Charlotte, and Valentin says he’s already told her that Charlotte thinks Anna shot her intentionally. Laura says, so she guesses he hasn’t spoken to Charlotte yet today, and Valentin says, no. He wanted to hear what Charlotte told her last night first. Laura says, she admitted to trying to push Anna out of Port Charles and away from Valentin, and he says, why? Did Charlotte tell her? Laura says, yes. It is exactly as they suspected. He says, Victor, and she nods.

Carly says, so Nina didn’t tell Sonny that she was selling her half of the MetroCourt, and he says, no. They don’t talk much about business, but it surprised him, since she loves running the place. Now she’s better friends with Olivia, so he doesn’t know. Carly says, something’s changed, and he asks if Nina told Carly why she wanted to sell it back. Carly tells him, Nina said that she was busy, but it was really strange, so she’s not buying it. Sonny says, they’ve got a lot going on, and Carly says, Nina’s got something going on. And she’s going to find out what it is.

Valentin says, so Charlotte confirmed to Laura that Victor convinced her to go after Anna? and Laura says, she said that her grandfather had written to her, and that he came to visit her at the boarding school. She got the impression they’d had some really long conversations. Valentin says, and Victor did most of the talking, and Laura says, she seems overly obsessed with protecting Valentin… from Anna. Nina says, so Victor convinced Charlotte that Anna was a threat to him. Charlotte did everything that she did because she thought she was protecting him.

Sonny tells Carly, let’s not jump to conclusions. He and Nina just got married. She has a relationship with Willow now. Maybe she just wants to spend more time with Amelia and Wiley. Maybe it’s that simple. She says, nothing is ever that simple with Nina. Ever. He says, like it is with her? (touché!) and she says, at least with her, you get full disclosure and transparency, whether you like it or not. He says, that’s true enough, and she thanks him. She says, is Crimson losing money? and he says, not that he knows of, but even if it was, why would Nina want to sell her half of the MetroCourt? Carly says, maybe she needs money to shore up the magazine, and he says, money’s not an issue for Nina. But let’s say Carly accepted her offer. Where would she get the money?

Finn asks if Terry can tell him the name of the patient who’s suing him and what the complaint is, and Terry nods to Portia. Portia says, the patient in question has died. His wife is the one filing the suit. Terry gives Finn the patient’s file, and he says, Dennis Muldoon. Terry says, they’ll need all the notes he has on the patient, and also everyone on staff who worked on the case with him. He says, of course (🍷). Does this mean he’s suspended? Portia says, he’ll still be able to practice, and Terry says, with some restrictions. He asks what they are, and she says, the hospital’s policy in a case like this is to allow the staff member to practice, but if it’s a potentially fatal case, he’ll need to request a second opinion before he can offer treatment or prescribe medication. Portia says, and because of his history of substance abuse, he’ll be required to do drug testing on a weekly basis. He says he sees. And he understands. That will be the easiest part of this process for him. Terry says, good, and Finn walks to the door. He asks how much time he has to find an attorney, and Terry says, he should start looking immediately. Finn leaves.

Ava puts two chairs near each other, and tells Trina, sit down. She says, Trina’s been a saint when it comes to Spencer spending time with Esme and Ace. She couldn’t stay quiet that long. No way. Sure, she has a history with Esme and this amnesia thing of hers is hard for her to swallow, but that aside, Trina’s in love with Spencer. And here he is, spending so much time with his ex and her baby, a baby that happens to be his brother. Trina says she does understand why he’s being so protective of Ace though, and Ava says, so does she. God knows where Nikolas is, so he’s no help at all. And he made a lot of mistakes with Spencer. She’s sure Spencer just wants to make sure Ace isn’t shortchanged the way he was. Trina said that herself. Trina says, she’s tried to justify all the time he spends with Esme and Ace, and Ava says, she’s been very patient, very understanding. Trina says she has, hasn’t she? and Ava says, she has, so what changed?

Spencer says, he doesn’t want Esme and Ace to move out, and Esme says, he’s made that perfectly clear, but it’s not up to him. He says he just doesn’t understand why she’s leaving all of a sudden, and she says, it’s not all of a sudden. It’s what’s best for her and Ace. He says, how? Right now, Ace has everything that he needs. He doesn’t understand how her taking him and moving in to a different apartment is going to be better for him. If she does that, she’ll have to take care of him all of the time. The only time she won’t have to take care of him is when he’s here at daycare. She says, that’s what mothers do, and he says, when they’re on their own. But she doesn’t have to be. He’s more than willing to step up and help her take care of him. His grandmother and Doc love spending time with Ace, so they’ll have a back-up if they need it. She says she can still drop Ace off to Doc and Laura whenever they’re available and he can help take care of Ace. He says, okay, so what would be the point in her leaving? She says, because she and Ace need to get away from him.

Austin says, Dante asked him to listen, and he did, but Dante says he’s not quite finished. Austin says, Dante doesn’t have anything. If he did have any proof of what he’s talking about, he wouldn’t be here fishing. Dante says he’s not fishing. Security footage is proof. Sworn affidavits from GH staffers who saw Austin and Mason and his friends is proof. And now they have his cousin handcuffed to a bed upstairs, and the more they get to know about his criminal activities, the easier it’s going to be to prove Austin was working with Mason in the kidnapping and attempted murder of Ava Jerome. Austin says he’s the one who saved her.

Mason says, Cyrus ordered him to abduct Ava, and Austin would be forced to testify at Cyrus’s medical hearing so he could get himself out of Pentenville. But the moment he’s on the hook, and Ava can ID him to the cops, Cyrus tells him to let her go. With all due respect, he couldn’t take that chance. He had to get rid of her. Cyrus says, these heavy drugs they have Mason on must have addled his brain to come up with such wild and false allegations, but he understands. Mason must be frightened, but tell him, did those drugs make Mason forget his last visit and how he explained to Mason exactly how it could end for him? Mason flashes back to Cyrus telling him, the pain you felt when you were shot, any pain you’ve felt during your entire life will pale in comparison to the pain you will feel during your long, excruciating journey into death, if you ever betray me again. Cyrus says he believes Mason remembers now.

Terry says, Finn is a good doctor, and Portia says, he’s a good friend. She hated seeing that look on his face. Terry says, her too. It’s hard enough losing a patient, but then to be accused of malpractice? Portia says she’s sure he took copious notes, and Terry says she hopes Portia is right. They need Dr. Finn and GH to be cleared of any wrongdoing.

Elizabeth sees Finn at the reception desk and asks, what happened? What did Terry and Portia want to talk to him about? He says, every doctor’s nightmare. I worked for a medical clinic for a while, and I can vouch for the fact malpractice insurance is astronomical.

Carly says she doesn’t know if she wants to buy back the MetroCourt, and Sonny says, Carly loves that place. She says, but she loves Kelly’s. She’s made some great changes, and in some ways, she thinks Kelly’s is a better fit for her than the MetroCourt. He says he doesn’t see it, and she says she knows the MetroCourt seems like it was better for her, but she loves both. She knows she can’t run both and own them, so she’s going to have to make a choice. He says, seems like an easy choice to him, and she says, but it’s not. Her mom gave her Kelly’s when she was in a really bad place. It was really generous of her. He asks if Bobbie is still away, and she says, yeah. She’s in Amsterdam, taking care of Luke’s affairs, and the last thing she needs is for Carly to abandon Kelly’s. Sonny says, Carly could always find somebody dependable to run the place, and she says, but if she decides to buy back the MetroCourt, she has to find someone to finance it. He says, I can – she says, nohelp – she says, do not offeryou.

Laura says, when Charlotte first woke up after the surgery, she asked where Valentin was, and she told Charlotte that he’d gone on a walk with Anna. Charlotte seemed to be genuinely frightened for his safety. He says, and that’s when Charlotte told her what she did, and Laura says, yes. She admitted to trying to push Anna out of town and away from Valentin to protect him. He says, they know she trashed Anna’s hotel suite. Did she admit to anything else? Laura says, she didn’t get into any specifics, and after what she’d been through, Laura didn’t think it was a good time to question her. Valentin says, of course (🍷), and Nina says, when Charlotte is a bit stronger, maybe Doc can talk to her again. It seems like she opens up to him. Laura says, he’s already agreed to come and visit her whenever they decide she’s ready for it, and Valentin says, good. Nina says, this whole thing is awful, but at least they know Charlotte wasn’t acting on her own. She was motivated by Victor’s hatred of Anna. Laura says, and he knew she was at a very impressionable age. He arranged to get her far away from home and all alone. Valentin says he should have never let her go to that damn place, but Laura says, he thought he was doing something good for her. And they all did at that time. Valentin says, Charlotte told her that he wrote a letter? and Laura says, yes. He says, excuse him, and goes to Charlotte’s bedroom.

Valentin looks around the room, touching nothing yet. His eyes light on Charlotte’s journal, but he keeps looking.

Elizabeth says she remembers finding Finn on the roof the night Mr. Muldoon died. He was devastated. And now his family is suing the hospital and Finn? Why? Finn says, they believe he was negligent in not diagnosing his cancer in time, and she asks if his symptoms indicated cancer. Finn says, he had a tapeworm he picked up traveling abroad. He traveled for work extensively, mostly in third world countries. So he ordered bloodwork, and the results came back with anomalies. Anomalies consistent with a lot of causes, tapeworm among them. G.I. distress, fatigue, weight loss. So he sent Muldoon home with a plan of treatment and a request for further testing. He called a few days later and said he was feeling much better. He went on another trip, and Finn had requested further testing, including a colonoscopy. He didn’t come in for two months, and that’s when Finn expanded the scope of treatment in order to get more testing. Elizabeth says, that’s when he found the cancer, and Finn says, yeah. He didn’t see it coming. Muldoon thought he’d be here for a couple of hours and then Finn had to tell him that he had cancer, and it was too late to start any treatment. He never left this hospital again. She says, Finn didn’t do anything wrong, and Finn says he believes he didn’t, but that may not matter.

Valentin checks under the mattress, and we see he’s rifled through the drawers. He spies a pile of books and takes down the top one. He opens it and sees it’s hollowed out. The tarot cards are inside, along with the letter, which he opens and reads. He says, Victor.

Spencer says, Esme is going to take Ace and leave because she doesn’t want him growing up thinking the three of them are a family? She says, that’s right. Because the longer the three of them live together, the harder that’s going to be on Ace when it ends, and it’s going to end. Spencer asks, what makes her say that?😐and she says, because it has to. He wants his own life, and she really understands that. He wants to travel when he wants to travel. He wants to spend time with the people he wants to spend time with. And sooner or later, he’s going to want to spend all of his time with someone. He can’t have that life and Ace. He asks, why not? They don’t have to be in a romantic relationship for him to commit to Ace. Or her.

Trina tells Ava, what changed was, she said one word. And Spencer lost it. Ava says, there’s got to be more to it than that, and Trina says, when Laura and Doc came back from their trip, Esme thought it was too crowded. So she decided to rent a place for her and Ace. Ava says, so far, so good, and Trina says, that’s what she thought. And Laura supported the idea. She even offered to co-sign the lease. Ava says, go, Laura, and Trina says, but when Spencer told her that Esme was moving out, she just said exactly how she felt. She said, finally. Ava tells Trina, that sounds perfect to her, but Trina says, it didn’t sound good to Spencer.

Mason tells Cyrus that he can cut a deal if he gives up Austin. He’s the dumb henchman, and Austin’s the smart doctor who planned everything. There’s plenty evidence to back it up too. Lots of people have seen them together, and Austin slept with Ava. He can tell the cops that Austin seduced Ava to get to her money, and when that blew up in his face, he asked Mason to take her. Cyrus’s name will never be mentioned. Cyrus smiles.

Dante says, Austin saved Ava? and Austin says, what he means is, he would never hurt Ava. Dante tells him, that’s not what he said. Austin said he saved her. Austin says he did save her that night at Windymere. Ryan Chamberlain was running around like a lunatic, Heather Webber’s got a great big hook… He’s sure all of this is in Dante’s files. Go read his files. Dante says he’s read the files. The thing he can’t figure out is what Austin was doing at Windymere in the first place. What’s the nature of his relationship to Ava Jerome?

Valentin comes out with the letter, and says, it’s all Victor. There’s no question; it’s his father’s handwriting. He hands it to Laura, and she says, oh my God. She reads: My dearest Charlotte, It is with a heavy heart that I must write to you and share my concerns about our family’s future. A family I cherish and would give my life for. I’m afraid your father has gotten weak, Charlotte. I had so much hope for him, but he’s forgotten how truly important family is since he’s fallen in love with Anna Devane. Anna has completely manipulated your father… Her extensive training in espionage has afforded her the ability to mask who she really is. Nina says, no wonder Charlotte was confused, and Valentin says, he weaponized her. Laura continues: Anna Devane is not who she seems; do not trust her. Not for a minute. And it is imperative you never forget… You must use any weapon you can to defeat Anna, because your father clearly will do whatever she asks. And she will use his feelings, she will use your father, and lead him into danger. She will lead him to his death. Nina says, oh my God, and Laura reads: My dear Charlotte, you are the only one who can protect your father from Anna Devane. You, his most cherished possession, must save him. To guide you, I’m giving you these very special tarot cards. They’re powerful tools, Charlotte. You’ll find them helpful. Use them wisely. Use them to protect and save your father, a man we both love dearly. Your ally and loving grandfather, Victor Cassadine. Nina says, sick bastard, and Valentin says, Victor found the perfect revenge.

Sonny asks when Carly said Nina made her the offer, and Carly says, this morning at Kelly’s. Nina said she’d been at the hospital all night with Charlotte. He says, that was a tragic accident. Anna’s torn apart by it; so is Nina. Charlotte is like a daughter to her. Maybe it hit Nina a lot harder than he thought. Carly says, maybe, but would he think that’s the reason she wants to sell the MetroCourt?

Trina asks if it’s bad for her to think Spencer is too attached to his little brother, but Ava says she thinks this is more about Esme than it is about Ace. What was Spencer’s ultimatum? Trina says, he warned her that if she made him choose between her and Ace, she wouldn’t like the choice, and Ava says, ouch. Trina says, they were closer than ever in New York, but it never seems to fail. Something like this will happen, then they’re further apart. It’s like they’re doomed to fail.

Cyrus says, Mason is a lot smarter than he thought Mason was. That’s a very creative solution. Mason says, it’ll work, but Cyrus says, not for him. He doesn’t want Austin tainted by Mason’s crime. He’s a respected doctor and Cyrus needs to avail himself of Austin’s services and support if necessary. Mason says, so he gets to rot in prison while college boy gets everything he wants, and Cyrus says, don’t be so resentful. College boy will get everything he deserves in good time. Meanwhile, Mason will be well-protected in Pentenville and lead a very comfortable life. And who knows? He might be eligible for release sooner than he thinks, provided he does exactly as he’s told.

Austin says, he and Ava are very close, and Dante asks if she’ll corroborate that. Austin says, what relationship doesn’t have its ups and downs? and Dante says, he’s looking at a lot of downs. They have a laundry list of charges they could file against Austin. Collusion, kidnapping, attempted murder… Austin says, come on. Dante said himself, he’s got Mason handcuffed to a bed upstairs. Dante caught him red-handed. Dante shot him. Dante says he did. Does Austin think it was Mason’s idea to kidnap Ava? Austin says he doesn’t know. Ask Mason. Dante says, come on, doc. He’s not the brains behind this thing; he was the muscle. He was following someone’s orders. Maybe Austin’s. Austin says, no, but Dante says, he’s the smart guy. Come up with the name of Mason’s boss. Maybe he’ll have a chance to save himself. He walks out of Austin’s office.

Sonny tells Carly, maybe Charlotte getting shot made Nina rethink her priorities. Maybe she wants to spend less time working and more time with the people she loves. Carly says, when she heard about Charlotte, all she could think about was Josslyn and Donna. If something happened to them, it would kill her. He says, nothing’s going to happen to the kids. They’re settled, and he’s got everything under control. Carly asks if he’s sure about that. Because Cyrus is walking around scot-free, and Sonny doesn’t have Jason watching his back anymore. He says he thinks about Jason every day, but he has eyes all over town, including Dex and Brick. She says she knows how important Brick is to him, and he says, Dex actually stepped up. If it wasn’t for him and Dante, Ava would be dead. So he doesn’t want her to worry. She’s got Drew back, so just enjoy each other. She thanks him and says, maybe he’s right about Nina. He says, she should think real hard about taking Nina’s offer, and she says she will. She tells him, watch your back, and goes to the door. He says he always does, and she leaves.

Laura gives the letter back to Valentin, who says, Victor turned his daughter into a weapon. He’s weaponized Laura’s granddaughter. He convinced Charlotte to target the woman he loves. How can he fight back against a child? Nina says, Victor’s dead, and now that they have proof he was behind all of this, they can just talk to Charlotte. They tell her that Victor was wrong about Anna, that nothing in that letter was true. Laura says, yes, but they have to look at this from Charlotte’s point of view for a moment. Her grandfather told her that Anna was dangerous, that she was a threat, and now in Charlotte’s mind, Anna has proven that by shooting her. Nina says, but it was an accident, and Laura says, yes, of course (🍷), and they all know that, but because of Victor, Charlotte actually believes that Anna shot her intentionally. She believes Anna wanted to kill her, and she wants Anna arrested for it.

Esme asks exactly what kind of commitment Spencer is willing to make, and Spencer says he has money. He can see to it she’s financially taken care of. She can quit this job if she so chooses, and he can share in the childcare responsibilities with her. He just wants to make sure his little brother is happy. Does she really think moving Ace out of his grandmother’s home is what’s best for him right now? No. They’re a team. They’re just not a romantic one. She says, that all sounds great, so let’s go for it. Why don’t they get a nice little house somewhere for the four of them? He says, for the four of them? and she says, her, him, Ace, and Trina. She bets Trina will think this is a wise plan. He says, come on, but she says, no, you come on. The longer she lives in that apartment with him and his grandmother, the longer she’s putting her life on hold, and that’s not fair to her and it’s not fair to Ace. He isn’t the only one who deserves to have someone special in his life. He says, so this isn’t really about Ace at all. He didn’t realize she’s so desperate to find someone new. She says she’s desperate to start her life again. She doesn’t have to defend herself to him or anyone else. She’s going to do what’s right for Ace, and yes, what’s right for her. If he’ll excuse her, she has work to do. She picks up some files and leaves the office. He makes a call and leaves a message. Please call him. He needs them. Things have gone from bad to worse.

Portia tells Terry that she’s never been in any malpractice lawsuit situation before. What’s the next step? Does the hospital have the same lawyer Dr. Finn does? Terry says, in her experience, hospitals are advised to have a separate lawyer. Dr. Finn will need to prove he didn’t do anything negligent, whereas they’ll have to prove it was a good decision to employ Finn. And they’ll have to prove they have a solid system of checks and balances, and that they don’t have a history of malpractice suits. Portia says she wouldn’t want to be in Finn’s shoes right now. A case like this could ruin your whole career. Terry says, and lawsuits like this have taken down bigger hospitals than GH. Let’s hope that’s not the case this time.

Elizabeth tells Finn, once we find you an attorney, they’ll tell you what you’re up against and how we need to proceed. He says, we? and she says, yeah. She’s going to help him with this. She was with him the night Mr. Muldoon died. She can testify to his state of mind, and the fact that he never said anything that would indicate he might have made a mistake with his diagnosis and treatment. He says, she doesn’t have to… but she says, please don’t argue with her. She’s going to help him do everything he can to clear his name. He says he doesn’t want her risking her position, but she says she’s not risking anything. And as Head Nurse, she wants the truth to come out. So moving forward, she suggest they get back to work, and tonight, they’ll start going over his notes. He thanks her and says, maybe they can start tomorrow. He needs a day to process this. His career’s in jeopardy… She takes his hand and says, we’re not going to let anything happen to you. He says he’s lucky to have her, and she says, yeah, he is. It goes both ways. She leaves.

Trina asks what she should do, and Ava says, it’s not like she’s talking to an expert in relationships here. She’s had her share, and none of them have gone the distance. Not that she’s giving up. She still believes happy endings are possible. Trina’s just at the beginning. Trina’s phone dings, and Ava asks if she thinks that’s the same person who just tried to call her. She thinks she can guess who it was. Trina says, Spencer. She doesn’t want to talk to him right now. Ava asks how long she plans to avoid him, but Trina says she doesn’t have a plan. She just doesn’t want to argue anymore, and she’s not giving in to his ultimatum. Ava asks if Trina has told him how she feels, the way Trina just told her, and Trina says she guesses not. Ava asks if she still loves him, and Trina says, yes. Ava says, sit down with him. Talk to him and keep cool and don’t point fingers. Just tell him how she feels and why she feels that way. Then listen to him and be respectful of how he feels. Trina says, okay, and thanks Ava, hugging her. She says she knows Ava would tell her the right thing, even if it was hard for her to hear. Ava says, what are friends for? Maybe Trina should reply to Spencer’s text. Trina picks up her phone.

As Austin goes by the reception desk, Elizabeth gives him a message left for him. He opens it, and it says: DON’T BE FOOLISH. IT CAN BE DEADLY. He crumples it up, and then sees Cyrus across the hall. He continues to watch as Cyrus waits for the elevator. When it comes, Cyrus winks at him before getting in.

Tomorrow, Portia tells Curtis that she got some news today; TJ needs to talk to someone right away; Sasha says she’ll walk off the set; and Cyrus brings Austin tidings of great joy.

🧜‍♀️ Finding His Siren…

Can’t say I pictured it as a tank. Impressive.

🚜 Literally Buying The Farm…

Looks idyllic.

🧂 A Pinch Of Salt…

Since the recap isn’t out yet, here’s a few tidbits.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1389773/rhoslcs-monica-garcia-fiercely-confronts-mom-linda-for-kidnapping-her-car

🏂 Apology Tour Already…

No recap yet for this awful mess either.

https://www.distractify.com/p/casey-craig-apology-winter-house

https://stylecaster.com/lists/tom-schwartz-katie-flood-still-together-winter-house/

💎 Magic Mike Meltdown…

Fact correction: It was Crystal and Erika on the stage (Kyle came later and Sutton was nonplussed), and really Erika that she freaked about.

🤺 Rehashing The Deck Fight…

I can’t say I mind a repeat of Kyle insulting Natalya. She’s such a piece of work. Max is just clueless.

👰🏼‍♀️ She Finally Did It…

Kudos to Tinsley for finally making it to the married lady status she’s always wanted. But was he Dale approved?

https://people.com/real-housewives-new-york-city-tinsley-mortimer-marries-robert-bovard-8363397

🐶 A Tale Of Two Pups, Really Three…

I’d want this dog too.

https://people.com/kaley-cuoco-adopts-adorable-new-dog-8400793

The two that got away. Yes, I know Halloween is over.

https://people.com/kim-kardashian-dresses-dogs-sushi-sake-as-actual-sushi-for-halloween-8384168

🪧 Should Have Stayed Closed…

I watched The Open House on Netflix last weekend. Most of it wasn’t bad, but nothing stellar. Kind of like a Lifetime thriller with a bigger budget. I would have been fine with that, except the ending was like a big F-U in exchange for the time I spent watching it. Before the credits, it said the film was in loving memory of someone, and I wondered if it was the guy who was supposed to write the ending.

🦃 Tofurkey Trotting…

Stop in tomorrow for soap and snipes at Beverly Hills. Until then, stay safe, stay asking the host before bringing plus ones or more to Thanksgiving dinner, and stay not being foolish. It can be deadly.