Tag Archives: television

April 12, 2021 – Peter Threatens Anna, a Return Guest On Deck & Sometimes

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Anna thanks Peter for coming back, and he says, it sounded urgent. She says, it is. They’ve reconsidered his offer. Peter says, the offer ended when he walked out the door. It’s too late. Valentin comes downstairs with a gun, and says he couldn’t agree more. Peter asks what Valentin is going to do; shoot him? In front of Anna, the one person who doesn’t want him dead? Valentin says he wouldn’t be so sure.

Britt goes to Maxie’s hospital room, and asks how the patient is. Maxie says, better. She’s finally feeling like she can breathe. Britt says, breathing is good, for Maxie and the baby. Maxie says, Britt’s idea was inspired, and Britt says, of course (🍷). She also told Peter that him pressuring Maxie is dangerous for the pregnancy, and Maxie needs bedrest, so he’s convinced her condition is serious. She’s laying the groundwork for Peter to believe the baby died. Maxie asks if it’s weird to fist bump over something like this, and Britt says, it is, but they do.

Jordan goes to the club, and asks if Curtis is there. He comes out from behind the bar, dripping wet, and she says, the place looks so good. He looks good. He says, so does she.  

Portia walks into an examining room, introducing herself, and realizes Taggert is there. He says, it’s not just her next patient; it’s her ex. Once again, Taggert isn’t Taggert. <sigh>

Michael knocks at Willow’s door, and she invites him in. He says he’s happy to ignore the mattress in the middle of the room, but there’s a mattress in the middle of the room. She says, it came in a weirdly small box. She was curious, so she opened it. She thought it might unfold gradually. He says, but it didn’t? and she says, no. It exploded in the middle of the living room. As usual, his timing is perfect. She asks if he thinks he can help her lug it upstairs, and he says, of course (🍷). He’ll be happy to. They get on either side, and Michael stands the mattress up. He says, before they do this, there’s something important he needs to tell her.

Finn goes with Chase to his apartment. He says he knows it didn’t go as planned, and Chase says, dinner is over. They survived. Can they just leave it at that? They go inside, and Finn asks if Chase is okay. Chase says he’s just tired… and hot. Is Finn hot? Finn says, no. He says Chase looks pale, and clammy. Chase says his stomach is hurting too. Finn tells him to sit down, and Chase says Finn doesn’t think he got food poisoning at the restaurant, does he? He wonders if they all got it, and says, it would suck.

Anna tells Peter, Valentin isn’t going to do anything to him. She is. She puts a stun gun to his neck, and he falls to the floor.   

Jordan says, so this is the new club. She can’t believe she hasn’t been there yet. Curtis asks what she thinks of the name, and she says, The Savoy; she likes it. It looks so beautiful. Congratulations. He thanks her, and she asks if he was holding out on her about his plumbing skills. He says if he had any plumbing skills, he wouldn’t be soaking wet. She picks up a towel, and starts to dry him off, but he stops her. He asks what she’s doing there, and she says, when he stopped by, she could tell he wanted to talk, but Taggert was there, so he left. She was just hoping he’d tell her now, since they’re alone. She takes his hands.

Portia says she’s surprised there isn’t a guard with Taggert, but he says they’re keeping tabs on him, showing her the ankle monitor. She asks if he’s sick, but he says he just wants his gunshot wound checked, in case there’s anything that will cause him grief. She says, like his death caused her and Trina grief? and he asks if she wants him to apologize again. She says, he’s forgiven. She can get him another doctor if it makes him more comfortable. He shakes his head, and she asks if he has a problem with her drawing blood. He says, if he recalls, neither one of them had a problem with that. Oh, snap. 

Michael asks Willow if they can put the mattress down, and she says, of course (🍷). What’s going on? He says, he and Sasha broke up. Maybe that’s not the right way to put it, since they weren’t fully back together. Willow says, they were trying, and he says, they mutually decided there was no future for them. She says she’s so sorry, and he says he is too. Sasha is an amazing person. They tried to make it work, and have what they used to have. She says, but they just couldn’t? and he says, no, so they’ve moved on. Now Sasha is a good friend, and he’s hoping to be that for her too. She says, wow. She thinks it’s awesome they were able to figure things out. It’s good to know where they stand. She asks if there’s something else, and he says, last night, they almost kissed. She says she remembers, and he says he completely respects that they’re at different places in their lives, but he’s leaving out a major part of the reason he realized things aren’t working out with Sasha. It’s because of her. They started with friendship, and taking care of Wiley together. They’re still both of those things, but it turned into more for him… a lot more. He had to tell her how he felt. He’s not putting any pressure on her, and he’s not asking her to make a choice between him and Chase… She says, stop. Just stop.

Finn gives Chase a bottle of water, and says he wants to take Chase’s temperature to see if he’s not coming down with something, but Chase says he needs sleep; he’s exhausted. Finn says, all right. He can take a hint. Chase says, thank God, and Finn asks Chase to promise he’ll call if it gets worse. Chase promises, and Finn says, drink a lot of water. Chase says, got it, and Finn tells him, feel better, and leaves.

As Valentin ties Peter up, Anna says she’d rather have Peter arrested and pay for his crimes, but he’s so skilled at covering them up, it’s not an option. Which brings them to this situation. Peter needs to know her priority is to keep Maxie and the baby safe. Peter says he’d never hurt Maxie and the baby, and Anna says she heard that from Faison all the time. Peter is turning into his father. His obsession with Maxie, he’s mistaking it for love, and it isn’t. It’s on her; her refusal to see him for who he really is. It’s her responsibility to fix it. Valentin says, no. He’s not letting her do that.

Britt asks if Maxie has thought about what happens next, and Maxie says, it’s all she thinks about. Britt asks, what’s the plan after Maxie gives birth? Who is she giving the baby to? Maxie says, she actually thinks she has the perfect solution. I think, hmm… Spinelli?

Portia tells Taggert, she’ll send his bloodwork off to the lab, and he says, great. She asks how he is otherwise, and he says, does she mean in general? She says, yeah, and he says he’s trying to get a semblance of his life back, and he’s meeting with his lawyer. He heard Trina got accepted at PCU; can she believe it? Portia says she believes Trina got in, but she can’t believe Trina is old enough for college. He says, it’s a trip for sure. He’s grateful for the job she did with Trina; he’s so proud. She says, her too. She guesses they did something right. She asks how it is living with Jordan, and he says, it beats the hell out of lock-up. It reminds him of old times when they were working on a job. She says she’s glad it’s working out, and he says it is for him. He’s not so sure about Curtis.

Curtis tells Jordan, when they decided to separate, he wanted to figure things out. What’s next, not just for him, but them in general. He was right in thinking they were due for a change, and when he got out of P.I. business, he bought this place. He’s excited to be prepping for opening day. He finally found his stride, and needed to see her to find out what was up between them. Jordan says, but Taggert was there. They could have gone somewhere else. He didn’t have to leave. Curtis says, he did.

Michael says he’s sorry, and Willow says she’s sorry to interrupt him, but she needed him to stop. She needs to say this while she still has the courage. From the moment they slept together in the nursery (which sounds kind of distasteful), it changed everything. He says, for him too, and she says she hasn’t had the guts to say it, or even admit it to herself until now. She doesn’t want to let go of what they have. She doesn’t want them to be friends or co-parents. She wants them to be together for real.  

Britt says she’s sorry. It sounded like Maxie said Spinelli. (Ding-ding-ding! I guessed right.) Maxie says she did, and Britt says Maxie wants to stash her baby with Spinelli? He’s the father of her other child. Maxie says, correct; it’s the perfect solution. Britt says, hello? Maxie isn’t getting over on a mean girl in high school. Maxie says she was the mean girl in high school, and Britt says Peter is obsessed with her. It’s like she pushed a button on his heat-seeking missile, and he’s locked in. Does she think he’ll buy what she’s selling? With all the work they’ve done, Peter will still be suspicious. They need to make sure the baby is unfindable. Maxie says, that’s not a word (FYI, it is according to spellcheck), and Britt says, Spinelli will be the first place Peter will look. Maxie will have to come up with someone else. Maxie says Britt is being bossy right now, and Britt says she’ll wait.

Valentin says Anna saw what she wanted to see, but he did too. He knew what Peter was capable of, but still let Peter manipulate him. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how they saw it. Peter is the reason they’re there. Peter chose to kill those people. He takes no responsibility, and lies. He’s trapping and manipulating Maxie, proclaiming his love for her. Peter tells Anna, they’re family, and Valentin says, shut up. Peter says he knows Anna cares about him; she knows him. Anna says she sees clearly now how he played them. She’s not interested in his phony act. The fact is, the man he held prisoner for five years, is being held in prison for something he didn’t do. She tells Valentin, let’s do this, but the doorbell rings. Valentin asks if she’s expecting someone; don’t answer. Anna says her lights are on, and her car is in the driveway. They’ll know she’s there. She goes to the door, and opens it to Finn.    

Maxie asks, what’s wrong with Robin? and Britt says, where to start. Maxie says, Robin and Patrick are amazing parents, and Britt says, Robin is Maxie’s cousin. Maxie says, so? and Britt says, if Spinelli is the first place Peter will look, Robin is the second. Besides, does Maxie really want her baby to be raised in such a sanctimonious household? Maxie says, Robin is like a sister, and it sounds like Britt is being judgy. She loves Robin and Patrick, and they’ll be great with Louise. Britt says, no; it won’t work. It can’t be someone Maxie knows. Maxie says, too bad they can’t wait. Britt could impregnate herself, and no one will know. Britt says she sees the gloves are off, and Maxie says, they were never on. Britt says she misses Rocco every day. She might be a sneaky bitch, but she doesn’t want Maxie to go through missing a child from her life, or be pulling out her hair if Peter gets his hands on the baby. They need to put on their thinking caps, okay? Maxie says, fine. She’s sorry. Britt says she knows.

Finn says, sorry to bother Anna, but Violet needs Bella… Her stuffed pig? Anna says she meant to bring it to the MetroCourt when they decided it would be a bad idea for Finn to come and get it. He says, it’s not such a bad idea. Can they talk?   

Valentin drags Peter to the basement, and duct tapes him to a chair. Peter says Valentin is a fine one to be lecturing him about obsession, when he was drooling the whole time. He should thank Peter. Valentin asks, why? and Peter says, Anna is finally game. She’s leaning on him, when she couldn’t stand the sight of him before. Now she’s his sidekick. How long before Valentin beds her? When he does, Valentin will know he owes it all to Peter. 

Anna asks how Finn is, and he says, okay; her? She says, okay, and he says, it was a strange night. Anna finds Bella behind a pillow on the couch, and gives the toy to him. She says, strange how? Was it a patient? He says, strange as in his family. He guesses she doesn’t read the paper, and she says she’s been a bit distracted. He says, Peter’s rag put their whole story on the front page, and she asks, why? What happened? He says, Chase is his son.

Chase sleeps, and opens his eyes to see Willow sitting on the end of the couch. She says she’s sorry she woke him, and he asks, what’s going on? She says she was wondering if she could move back in with him. She wants to pick up from where they left off before everything went wrong. Is it possible?

Willow tells Michael, as misguided as Chase was, it was still an honorable sacrifice. He was trying to help. He’s a good person, and she wanted to make it okay for him, but the truth is, she changed. In their time apart, her heart changed, and the way she saw Michael changed. There’s no going back, because when she’s alone and daydreaming about the future, she doesn’t see Chase; she sees Michael. It’s him. He’s the one.

Taggert tells Portia that he and Jordan were going over Cyrus’s file, when Curtis showed up. He seemed surprised, Portia says, which makes sense, since he was living there until recently. It was Curtis’s home with his wife, and Curtis and Jordan are still married. Taggert says he knows what she means; it had to be difficult. Curtis seemed like he had something to say, but backed off because he was there. She says, they split up because Jordan lied about Taggert, and he asks if that makes it his fault, but she says, it just makes it messy. He says he doesn’t want to get in the way of Curtis and Jordan patching things up, but it does make him wonder. She says, wonder what? and he says, would Portia feel the same? She says she has no idea what he’s talking about, and he says he knows she cheated on him, and he’s pretty sure it was with Curtis.

Jordan says, if Curtis thinks there’s something going on with her and Taggert, he’s wrong. It’s all work. He says, that’s the problem. She and Taggert share a closeness, an easy intimacy that he knows has nothing to do with sex or romance. It’s just two people with the same goal, and their eyes on the same prize. She asks, what’s wrong with that? and he says, nothing, but it’s a stark contrast. She and Taggert don’t have to keep secrets; there’s nothing they can’t share. He’s started to realize that will never happen with them. They love each other, but that level of trust and ease… He doesn’t think he’s ever felt that with her. She asks what he’s saying, and he tells her that he’s saying he thinks it’s time they got a divorce.

Portia says Taggert knew about her and Curtis? and he says he suspected, but how long had it been going on? She says, it was when Taggert took his last trip, when he was still undercover. Taggert says she was different when he got back. He knew her heart had been with someone else. He doesn’t blame her. The fact is, he wasn’t a good husband. Even when he was with her, he was absent. She says she never got the best part of him, and he says he left it open for her to look elsewhere. She tells him, Curtis never said anything, but put the blame on her for their split. Taggert says, it was his fault; he’s sorry. She says, her too, and they hug.    

Jordan says she never wanted to let work come between her and Curtis. They have everything else. He says, it’s not enough. Haven’t they proven that? He can’t withstand the secrets she’s forced to keep, or chooses to keep, thinking she’s protecting him. He loves her, and that will never change, but the trust is gone. He doesn’t see another way around it. To be perfectly honest, she never trusted him either. If she had, she wouldn’t have shut him out. She asks if he thinks she liked doing it, but he says he thinks she hated it. But he also thinks if she had to, she’d do it again, the first time something big pops up. It’s torture for both of them, and for both their sakes, he thinks it’s best if it ended.

Anna says, it’s quite a situation, and Finn says, it’s been interesting. She asks how he feels. Chase is his son. He says he should get back to Violet; he wanted her to have Bella before bed. She says, sure, and he starts to leave, but kicks something. He wonders if someone lost a wallet, and when he picks it up, Valentin’s driver’s license falls out. He says, never mind.

Valentin says Peter really is Faison’s son, trying to manipulate him with what he loves. Peter believes he’s a good guy, and always gets his way, but not this time. Peter is going to pay the price. Peter says Valentin thinks he knows Peter, but he’s about to learn something in a big way. When it all falls apart, Valentin will try to blame him, but he has an insurance policy.

Michael tells Willow, it changes everything, but they don’t have to change anything. If that makes sense. They have all the time in the world. She asks if he wants to take it slow, and he says he wants to be with her; however it works for her. She says he didn’t answer her question, and he says he doesn’t want to take it slow, but he can. Willow says she thinks they’ve both proved that, but now they don’t need to anymore. He says, they don’t, and they kiss.

Portia says she didn’t leave Taggert for Curtis. Curtis took off when she finally told him that she was married. They ran into each other again when she transferred there from Mercy. How did he figure it out? He says he is trained to notice these things, and she says, she and Curtis are friends now, and she’d never come between him and Jordan. She’s rooting for them, and wants them to make it. He says, him too.

Jordan says she adored being married to Curtis, and it kills her know he wasn’t happy. He says, sorry, but… and she says, don’t. Even if she disagrees that their problems are insurmountable, she’s not letting go of her career. He says he’d never ask her to do that. He truly believed him switching jobs and changing his life was the fix they needed, but when he saw Taggert at the house, it hit him that… She says, it’s not him; it’s her. They stand there, facing each other.

Michael gets up, and holds out his hand. Willow takes it, and they kiss. There’s a song part, and they get busy. Zzzzz…

Chase tells Willow, he’s been dreaming about this moment, and she says, her too. He asks, what about Wiley? and she says she can still be Wiley’s mother a few minutes away. It will be good for Wiley to have a mother who is truly settled and in love. He says he can’t argue with that. Welcome home. They almost kiss, but Chase wakes up.   

Finn asks if Valentin is there, but Anna says he’s not. He says, Valentin will probably be missing his wallet. Should he let Valentin know? She says, she will, and follows him to the door. She says she and Valentin have been working on a plan to stop Peter to prevent him from doing more harm. He says, good. He’s sure that’s as specific as she’s going to get. He tells her that she looks pretty, and starts to leave, when she says his name. He turns, and she says, tell Violet that she misses her, and sorry about Bella. She’s sure Violet missed Bella too. He says, don’t worry. Violet is getting used to it. He leaves, and Anna closes the door, outing her back against it.

Britt tells Maxie, okay, here’s the deal. When Louise is born, Britt will take her. Maxie says, perfect. Is Britt insane? Peter will see right through it. Britt says, let her finish. She’ll  make sure the baby goes to a good place, far away, with someone who knows it’s not an adoption, and at some point, will have to give the baby back. Most important, someone no one in Port Charles knows. Maxie says, where? How is she going to find that kind of person? Britt says she doesn’t know yet, but she’ll figure it out. When she does, she’s not telling Maxie. Maxie can’t know; it’s the only way for her to answer Peter honestly if he suspects the baby survived. Maxie says, what about Britt? She’ll know, and Peter will strangle the truth out if has to.

Valentin says he and Anna are going to make Peter disappear, and stay gone, as long as they need him gone. He’s going where no one will find him. Anna comes downstairs, and Valentin says, all clear? She says she has it covered, but she found this. She gives Valentin his wallet, and he says, it must have fallen out when he and Peter were struggling. Peter had some objections. Through the duct tape covering his mouth, Peter says, they’re making a fatal mistake. Anna rips the tape off his mouth, and he says, they think their plan is foolproof, but it’s not.

Portia says, even if Taggert wasn’t there – he says, he wasn’t – at least she had Trina. Trina is so happy Taggert is back in her life. Taggert says, for now, and Portia says, despite everything, she truly wants the best for him. She wants him to be happy. He takes her hand, and says, I got you, kid.

Jordan says she guesses this is goodbye, and Curtis says he wishes it wasn’t, but he doesn’t see it any other way. She starts to leave, and he says, wait. Can they have one more dance before they go their separate ways? She takes his hand, and they slow dance. There’s another song part, and she looks at him sadly. She holds him close, and cries.

Maxie tells Britt, if Peter even suspects the baby is alive, he’ll know Britt is in on it. What is she going to do if Peter comes after her? Britt asks if Maxie trusts her, and Maxie says, it shocks her to say it, but yes. Britt says, Peter will never know; she’ll never tell him. Maxie says she doesn’t think Brook is grasping the point she’s trying to make. Peter will kill Britt if has too. Britt says, then the secret dies with her.

Anna asks Peter what they forgot, and he says they’re not the only ones who can make plans. She asks what he means, and he says, if they go through with this, someone she cares about will die. I think Peter forgot something. Plans don’t always go as planned.

Chase calls the station, and says he’s not feeling so hot. He’s going to use a sick day tomorrow. He goes back to the couch, and gets under the blanket.

Willow and Michael bask in the afterglow. Willow says she almost didn’t buy the mattress. She went back and forth, but she’s glad she decided to get it. It’s now her most favorite mattress of all time. He says, his too, and they kiss.  

Tomorrow, Michael suggests he and Wiley move in with Willow, Curtis knows it’s the right decision, Brook could use a friend, and Peter says the only way it can be stopped is if they let him go.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht

Marina Lav, Croatia. We revisit Gary, Sydney, and Alli – the girls half-nakey and Gary full nakey – jumping off the side of the boat. They’re being loud about it too. Glenn hears the splash, and in his interview, he says, this is the reason he never had children. Sydney says, it’s effing cold, and Gary asks, who’s getting towels? The girls tell him that he has less to hide, and he makes a mad dash for the boat, hiding his weenie. He dries himself off, and gets towels for the girls. Back on the boat, Sydney looks for her phone, and Gary flirts with Alli by the indoor bar. No surprise, Sydney’s radar goes off and she finds them, and asks if they’re being mean to her. In Gary’s interview, he says he’s in a tight place. Sydney has feelings for him, but he doesn’t feel the same for her as he does for Alli. What does he do now? He doesn’t know. I suggest maybe keeping it in his pants. Sydney tells Alli that she likes Gary, but she’s not stupid; she knows they flirt. Alli says when they flirt, there’s a chemistry there , but then she’s… Sydney says Alli likes him, but Alli says, not that much. It’s not her thing, and it’s totally Sydney’s thing. Seriously, this is how they’re talking, but in their defense, they are drunk. Alli says she didn’t realize Sydney liked Gary as much as she does. She’s so sorry. They hug, and Sydney says she loves Alli. I think they’d probably be better off together than either one of them would be with Gary. Sydney wonders if they should wake up Gary, but Alli says, no; just you and me.

This doesn’t stop Sydney, who admits to being a terrible person. She stands at Gary’s cabin door, saying she shouldn’t do this. She looks in and says, they’re asleep. Since it’s 3 am, that shouldn’t be too much of a shock, and Colin asks, what’s going on? as Sydney climbs into Gary’s bunk. Gary is like, WTF? and she says she was told to come there. Is this how she usually gets a boyfriend? It’s very unattractive behavior. And desperate. Gary says he wants to f*** Alli, which can’t be any more clear, but Sydney says Alli doesn’t want him. He should give up on that. She says she hates that she likes him, and tells him that he could make the same money as he does in yachting. He can go to Florida and work for her, and have a family. I’m not sure if she means have children with her, or she wants him to be a part of the family she already has, but he says, okay. Now I’m not so sure he knows what he’s saying okay to.

The next morning, Gary asks what Sydney is doing in his bed, and JL (officially calling him that now, since it’s easier to type) sees all the clothing and mess they left behind on deck. He says, oy-yoi-yoi. Sydney says she doesn’t know why she’s in Gary’s cabin, and JL says, the boat is an effing wreck. Sydney says she hates herself; she has no self-control, and Gary says he’s going to lose it. Alli asks if they had sex, but Sydney says they just fell asleep.

JL tells Dani that he got woken up last night, and we see a clip of Alli bouncing into his cabin, and being loud. In Glenn’s interview, he says he’s not the most sympathetic to self-inflicted wounds, like having to work hard with a hangover. They can’t be dragging their asses. Daisy tells Sydney, all guys are idiots, which about sums it up.

They dock, and the guys stand on shore, having a smoke. JL tells Colin that he had a wild night, and Colin says he was in bed, then got woke up. On the boat, Sydney says she hates herself. Colin tells JL, there was some skinny-dipping fun last night, and Gary says he woke up with someone next to him. JL says Sydney is cling level 1000. In Colin’s interview, he says, Sydney is falling in love with Gary or something. it’s only been three weeks. He doesn’t get it. It’s Gary. Me neither, Colin. Sydney tells Alli, you can’t help who you fall in love with, and she and Alli whisper in their cabin. Gary comes by and listens in, and Alli says she doesn’t want Sydney to feel bad later. They see Gary, and tell him to go away. He says he’s starting work, and Sydney leaves. He tells Alli, Sydney was being silly last night, jumping in his bed while he was sleeping. Alli says, bullsh*t, and in her interview, she says, back in Australia, when someone is upsetting her, she eliminates them. I’m hoping she means figuratively. She says she’s strong in doing it, but in this environment, there’s no escape. She tells Gary that he slept with Sydney, and she knows how that makes a girl feel. Gary says, he told Sydney to go, but Alli says she knows Sydney likes him, and she went to his bed. Gary says he’s effing pissed off, and Alli tells him to f*** off, calling him a POS.

Gary tells Sydney that he’d like a quick chat. He went to bed alone, and woke up with her next to him. She says he didn’t, and he asks what gives her that right? She says she thought they had a conversation, but she doesn’t remember. Gary tells her, he’d said it was his cue to go to bed, and he woke up with her there. It won’t happen again. She says, sorry, and in Gary’s interview, he says he put himself into this situation, by hooking up with his deckhand, but he thought he’d made it clear where they stand.

Glenn calls Daisy, Gary, and Natasha to the crew mess for a preference sheet meeting. The primary is Frank Marini. Glenn says, he’s been on board before, but the charter was all guys, and it was like a testosterone competition. We flash back to shrimp cocktail guy, and Glenn says Frank was the most chilled of the group. This time, he’s bringing his wife Jessica, who’s a proudly self-proclaimed trophy wife. Natasha reads that Frank’s favorite cuisines are Italian, American, and Japanese, and he’s fond of an American style breakfast. Glenn says, that’s an Important point, and Natasha needs to nail it. She also reads, don’t feed him any of Aiden’s (another guest) vegan food. Daisy reads that he wants a night of Black Jack and poker, and wants the crew to join in. Gary says he loves gambling, and Daisy says he can host it.

The boat is cleaned, and Glenn says he’s going to check the tender hose. Daisy tells Dani, she feels bad for Natasha, but she’s embarrassed about the egg thing. She’s going to try to be more constructive. In the galley, Natasha says she’s overthinking things. In her interview, she says she felt a bit defeated by the second charter. When she left for Europe, her grandma had just died, and she’d been like Natasha’s mom. Natasha was starting a new journey, and didn’t have her. It was tough. She almost cries, and does that hand wave thing. She says she’s no longer a scared girl, and can chose to be positive or negative. She’s ready to kill the next charter. Provisions come in, and Colin gets parts for the tender. He hopes to have the tender up and running, and works on it with Gary. Gary says what happened with Sydney was his fault in the first place. He needs to have a proper word with her. Colin finishes up with the tender, and says he’s proud of himself for the repair job.  

Dani asks JL if he needs a hug, but he’s not ready for that right now. He tells Alli that he values his sleep when he gets it, and she says she’s sorry, but she didn’t know he was asleep. She says she didn’t appreciate it when he told her, f*** off, but he says he told her more than once, and she kept egging him to come out. He says he’s all good, but it seems like she’s not happy. She tells him that she’s saying she’s sorry, but he’s still going, wah-wah-wah. He asks if he’s supposed to say he’s sorry, and she says, yeah, for telling her to f*** off. He says he’s sorry for the language he used, and goes upstairs, saying, feelings are too tight around here. Alli says she doesn’t want issues, and goes to the bathroom, where she cries, and says she’d struggling. Gary finds her, and suggests they just get through the charter. She says, the negative energy is weighing on her, and she just wants to be friends. He says, no problem.

Colin tells Gary that Alli was spewing all this stuff, and Gary says she told him to f*** off. Colin says, she’s crying now, and we hear Alli in the bathroom, saying she feels like she’s at her breaking point.

3 hours before charter. Alli tells Daisy, the interruption with Gary was so effing uncool. Her pa has been on her mind, and she’s been on the brink of tears. Daisy hugs her, and Alli says she just needs a moment. She’s been holding it in. Daisy says she’s brave, and in Daisy’s interview, she says, Gary is a sh*thead for stirring drama. It’s going to be a long day. Alli says she’s totally present, and they jump around saying they’re okay.

Everything sparkles. Gary asks Alli to come up and talk, and she says she was pissed off earlier because she’d been holding in her grief. That’s why she had a disagreement with him. It’s the last thing she wanted when she was feeling vulnerable. He says he felt bad; he knows she’s going through a tough time. Friends? They hug, and I can’t believe the lines that come out of this dude’s mouth. He says he’s there for her, and I roll my eyes. Glenn tells the crew to be ready to go in twenty minutes. Gary tells Sydney that he’s sorry for how he spoke to her. He shouldn’t have talked like that, regardless of how pissed off he was. Sydney says, no excuses. She fully apologizes. It’s a line they shouldn’t have crossed. They agree they’re okay, and Gary pats her on the shoulder, a step down from the hug-pat. Everyone goes out to meet the guests.

Glenn welcomes the guests back, and everyone introduces themselves. Daisy gives the tour, and Natasha says she’s upset. She thought they’d have eye-candy. Dani says she thought they were both personal trainers, and in Alli’s interview, she says she’s usually attracted to the guidos. They’re usually a little wild, then turn out to be a bit much. Guest Aiden says, if he orders a white wine spritzer, punch him in the head. Daisy serves drinks, and the boat goes out to sea. Glenn puts the sails up, and says, the further up, the smaller the gap between islands. They might have to do some funneling. I love how they always play cliché seafaring music in the background when they boat sails. Natasha tries to field whatever is falling in the galley, and Daisy says, the guests are the reason she doesn’t date Americans. She won’t be finding the love of her life on this boat.

Aiden calls guest Anthony an ignorant idiot for not remembering Daisy’s name. He said it, not me. Some of the guests jump off the side of the boat, and everyone gets ready for dinner. Daisy tells Dani, the mindset is different. It feels totally calm. Natasha tells Colin that her spirit animal is a phoenix; it rises from the ashes. In her interview, Natasha explains that the plating isn’t her idea, but was inspired by her favorite chef. She wants to exhibit the art of presentation with her plating skills. The table is really pretty, with tiny white lights in the centerpiece. The guests are seated, and service begins. Natasha says she’s displaying the colors of Italy with the deconstructed salad, and Jessica says it looks like art. Aiden says he might propose to her. Frank says, they’ve been on other cruises, and it’s by far the best food they’ve had. In Natasha’s interview, she says she’s back in her zone. Colin wonders who Gary’s next hook-up is gong to be, and JL says, Alli. He tells them that he made out with Danni, and Gary slaps his hand because we’re in middle school. Colin says he’s embarrassed at how much he’s enjoying this gossip sh*t, and leaves to see if the girls need help. Gary says Colin is making him feel like a d*ck, and follows. They do dishes, and Daisy tells Dani, it’s helpful having so much help in the galley. Thanks, Captain Obvious. She says, Colin took the initiative, and didn’t even offer; he just did it. Colin tells Gary that he doesn’t want to end up being the dishes guy, and I tell him, too late for that. You helped. Now it’s your job. He wonders if they should lock the door to keep Sydney out.

Alli and JL talk, and she says she thinks it’s best if Sydney doesn’t continue down this path. In Sydney’s interview, she says, it’s a sucky situation. It hurts. You break up with someone and you still have feelings, and it’s hard. I try to figure out how it’s classified as breaking up when you were never really dating. She tells Alli that she’s closest to Gary on the boat. She works with him the most, and she likes having someone. Alli says Sydney needs to change that. The guests hang out in the hot tub, and Dani asks JL who he would pick; Sydney or Alli? He says he already picked her. Good answer for a middle schooler. He tells her that he’s more comfortable on a motor yacht. There’s not as much sh*t to do. In Dani’s interview, she says she likes working late with JL. It’s just them, and they don’t have to hide anything. They kiss on the steps.  

Ciovo, Croatia.  Sydney replaces JL on deck duty. She says, the boat is filthy. JL is supposed to be doing a full rinse down, but nothing on the list is getting done. She’s not sure what he’s doing, and we see him sleeping. Natasha makes a coffee cake ring. Mmm… Daisy tells Alli that their service is so good, but Natasha doesn’t listen. She wants to tell Natasha about the portions being too large. Anchor is home, and Frank asks Glenn if it’s always this quiet in the morning. Glenn says, it is, and Frank asks if his guys are giving the crew a rough time, but Glenn says, they’re great. The guests sit for breakfast, and Daisy takes orders. Jessica orders, one egg over easy, and I wonder, why bother? Daisy gives Natasha the orders, and Frank says, the chef is probably cursing him right now. Instead of over easy, Natasha gives Daisy a scrambled egg. In Daisy’s interview, she says she should put her foot down, but Natasha won’t listen. She could make Natasha’s life easy. She knows the answer, but they’ll do it Natasha’s way. No surprise, the egg comes back, and in her interview, Daisy says, another sh*t breakfast with sh*t eggs. Natasha tells Daisy, it’s over easy to her, but Daisy says, to her, it’s scrambled. In Natasha’s interview, she wonders why breakfast is stigmatized with eggs. I don’t think that word means what she thinks it means. She says let her make them something to eat that’s not effing eggs. Jessica says the new egg is perfect, and Anthony thinks the chef forgot about him. She’s probably using a single skillet. He says he’s going to head down to the galley in a little bit, and ask what’s going on. Eggs are a staple. I’m with him on that. I eat them every day, and make them for my dogs every day.  

Anthony starts to wonder if the eggs are being hatched (ha-ha!), and Daisy finally brings his order. Jessica says she’s getting on her bathing suit, and leaves the table. Anthony says he’s easy going, but likes his eggs every day, and Aiden calls him a diva. The water toys are put out, along with the NautiBuoys. Anthony and Aiden take out the jet skis, and Anthony stalls out. When they come back, Aiden asks Daisy if it would be a problem for them to look in the galley, and Daisy gives them a behind-the-scenes tour. She takes them to the galley, and says, this is where the magic happens. She shows them the crew cabins, and the laundry, where Dani says, exciting stuff. Aiden says they’re seeing how the other half lives, and in Daisy’s interview, she says, God, let this be over with. She forgets to leave the trap door open, and locks Colin in the engine room, which everyone finds hysterically funny. Okay, it is, kinda.

Frank asks if they can move dinner up to 8:15 from 9, and Daisy asks Natasha, who says, no problem. Gary hugs Alli, and she says he’s good at hugs. Bleh. He tells her that he’s trying to make her feel better. Please. Stop. Daisy tells Natasha, her only constructive criticism is that the portions should be smaller. Natasha says the portions weren’t too big, and Daisy tries to explain that the guests thought they were, but Natasha won’t have it. In Daisy’s interview, she says, Natasha is obnoxiously confident, and she hates it. Natasha gripes to Dani that Daisy claimed she was giving constructive criticism, and saying Natasha was making too much food. She can f*** off. In her interview, Natasha asks, who told Daisy this? (Um… the guests?) She’s worked in restaurants that served twenty-course meals; she knows what portion sizes the guests need. She tells Dani, she’s not down for this bullsh*t. If Daisy wants her to be a bitch, then she’ll be one.

Natasha will still never hold a candle to Rachel’s batsh*t craziness.

Next time, Dani and JL make out some more, Sydney says she’s constantly picking up after JL, and Dani tells Gary to go f*** himself.

Rollin’ On the River…

A cup or two of tea at the hospital tomorrow, since I’ve given up on ever being able to watch The Real Housewives of Dallas. However, Pooch Perfect is on Tuesday night, followed by a two-hour Big Sky. I’ll be DVR’ing those, since my TV watching will be rudely interrupted by the weekly meeting of MupoEntertainment.com. If you’ve got a minute, take a look at the site. My articles on entertainment can be found in the magazine section. You can also see some great interviews with some very interesting people on Mupo and Friends, both at the site, and on YouTube. Okay, that’s a plug for me too, since I write the interview questions. But no matter what, stay safe, stay supportive, and stay away from giving Natasha constructive criticism. She doesn’t respond well to it.

April 11, 2021 – John Looks For Meaning, a Dead Morsel, Joining the Fear, Dead Info, Anniversary Of Thrones & Gloomy

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

John cleans his gun while he watches Meet John Doe. He loads the chambers with bullets. He messes around with some Scrabble letters, and sees a zombie outside. He shoots it through the open door from where he’s sitting, and takes a slug of whiskey. He spells out goodbye June, and puts the barrel under his chin. He shoots another zombie, and takes another drink. He repositions the gun, and says he’s sorry. Yet another zombie toddles along the shoreline, and he shoots it. He puts his head down on the table, and bangs the table with his fist, scattering the letters.

John paddles a canoe under a bridge where a bunch of zombies are contained by blockades. They look down at him like they’re watching a parade. He takes a look at the blockades, then walks to a boarded up gas station. He sees a few zombies bouncing against the side of the building, and shoots them. He looks inside, then opens the door. He says, I don’t want no trouble, but it’s trouble you want, I got some for you. Cowboy talk. He quietly walks through the mini-mart. It seems empty, but he sees some blood on the floor near the restroom. Dakota comes out, and he asks what the hell she’s doing there. She says, running from her sister; him? He guesses he could say the same thing, and asks if she passed the crowd on the bridge. She pushes open the restroom door, and John sees Morgan sitting on floor. He says, hey, John, and Dakota asks how John found them. He says the path to the bridge kept washing up to his cabin. The river has a way of bringing people back to life. He tells Morgan that he looks better, and Dakota says she put up the barricades, and patched Morgan up as good as she could. She heard shots, and didn’t think they’d make it. John says, neither did he, and she asks how he survived. He says he had help. He doesn’t know who, but when he came to, he was patched up and they’d moved on. Somebody else helped him later, and now he has to add Dakota to the list. Dakota says, it wasn’t hard. Somebody stocked the shelves with everything they needed. (Trivia: It was June a long time ago.) Morgan says, it’s good to see John, and John says, he feels like he’s looking at a ghost. Morgan says, Virginia sent the Rangers after them, and they ran. He, Alicia, and Charlie got separated by the herd. He should get back on the road. John says Morgan’s not going anywhere, not like that. Where is he going? Dakota says, Morgan has a place he’s rebuilding, and they hear something at the front of the store.

Dakota moves toward the front, taking Morgan’s battleax pokey weapon. John pulls her back again, and Ranger Marcus walks in. He says, anybody home? but they stay quiet. Marcus walks toward the back, grabbing a candy out of a dish as he walks past. He looks at the old VHS tapes, and looks at a chart on the wall. He sees John’s name, and gets on his radio, asking Hill, does he copy? He’s not going to believe this. He thinks Ranger Dorie has been there. He tells Hill, stand by. He’s coming for higher ground. John motions Dakota to go further back, and Marcus leaves.  

John tells Morgan, he’s gone, and Morgan gets up. Dakota says John should have shot him, but John says he didn’t need to. Morgan says, he’d be like the men they’ve tried hard not be, and John suggests they get out of there. They’ll be safer in his cabin.

John gives Dakota and Morgan dinner, and Dakota asks how John learned to cook. John says he spent summers there when he was a kid. When in Rome… He tries to replace the door with a new one, but it doesn’t fit right. Morgan says, the place they’re going is in a dry river bed. There’s water nearby, and plenty of fish. They need someone who knows how to cook. John says June cooks better than he does, and Morgan asks, how long has John been there? John says, a couple of weeks, and Morgan asks, where’s June? Why isn’t she with him? John says, it’s not worth talking about, and asks where the place is that Morgan settled. Morgan says, it’s 40 miles north, and John says, that’s a ways to go on foot, but he has enough gas in the truck to get them there. Morgan says he was hoping John would come. They could use somebody with his skills. John says, what might those be? and Morgan says, the plan keeps shifting. They can’t make clean trade with Virginia, but she’s going to want her sister back. Dakota asks if he wants to use her as bait, but Morgan tells her not to worry; he’s not going to let Virginia get to her. This means a fight. John says, it’s going to be difficult… Oh, that’s why Morgan needs him. Morgan says, it will be different this time. They’ll be fighting on their own turf, and on their own terms, for their family. Dakota holds up a piece of something, and asks what it is. John says, nothing, and she says, it looks like blood. He says, it’s part of a knife handle, and she asks, what knife? He says, the one that killed Cameron, and Morgan says, the Ranger that Janice was with? John says he thought if he could find the rest, it might lead to who killed Cameron, but he couldn’t find it. Dakota asks why he still has it, and Morgan says John is doing it again. John says, what? and Morgan says, what John told him that he did before, when he was a cop. He hid himself away. John says, the world is different this time, and Morgan asks, why is that? Ginny’s voice comes over the radio, asking if Morgan is there, and John says, don’t answer. Grace says, it’s me, and Morgan says he’s there. Ginny says she thought that would do the trick, and he says he wants to talk to Grace. He asks if Grace and the baby are okay, and Grace says, she’s okay; so is the baby. We see Ginny has a gun on her, and Grace says, it’s been about seven months. She thought he was dead; they all did. Ginny takes the radio back, and asks if he heard that. Grace is fine. Morgan tells her, call the Rangers off. She’ll get everyone killed, including her sister. She says the Rangers are going to find him, but in the meantime, she wants to know her sister is safe. If anything happens to her, it’s not just Grace and the kid; it will be the whole damn coop. We see Sarah, Luci, and June in some kind of jail, and Ginny says, they’ll talk soon. Morgan tells John and Dakota, they need to get out of there. Get to Virginia before she does something. June washed up the last time John holed himself away; now they did. If that’s not the universe telling John to come back, Morgan doesn’t know what is. John says he doesn’t care to kill anyone, and Morgan says, call him a ghost, and he is, but he’s only there to free Grace. He wants to give this baby a chance in the next world, where life might be precious. He thinks they can do it. It won’t be the way they want it, but they can end it. John says, it ain’t right; it just ain’t. He’s sorry. He can’t do it, but he’ll help them cross the bridge. It’s the only way. Morgan tells Dakota, they’ve got to pack up.

They load truck, and Dakota asks if John has enough ammunition to kill all the chompers. He says her guess is as good as his; there’s only one way to find out. Someone shoots at them, and Morgan slides under the car, while John and Dakota fling themselves into it. Morgan comes back out, and sees it’s Marcus on a horse. Before Morgan realizes it, he’s lassoed and being drug through the woods, bouncing behind the horse and rider. John tells Dakota to turn the car around, and shoots at Marcus. She tries to start the car, but says she thinks a bullet hit the engine. John shoots again, and Marcus falls from his horse. John and Dakota run to Morgan, and John asks if Morgan is all right, then checks on Marcus. Marcus looks dead already, and John shoots him in the head. No zombification for you.

John buries Marcus, and Morgan says he’s sorry. John says, what for? Morgan is the one who got dragged through the woods by his neck. He’s racking up a lot of miles, and almost got killed. Morgan says, but he didn’t; John stopped it. John says she should have taken a shot at Marcus earlier. Morgan says, but he didn’t. John has to know why Morgan needs him. He needs John to keep them from becoming like Ginny. John says, that’s not the only reason, and Dakota says, they’re going to need another car. John says he saw another vehicle by Bill’s, but Morgan says, not with the Rangers looking. There might be more when Marcus doesn’t check in. He points, and says, what about that one? and John says, it’s been collecting rust since he was a kid. Morgan uncovers an old truck, and Dakota asks where it came from. John says, it belonged to his dad. They were going to fix it up together. Morgan says he’s spent time in one garage or another making cars in worse shape than this run again. It needs a battery and a distributor cap, but he thinks he can get it running. John says, it’s not too late, and Dakota asks what he means. He says, it’s something his daddy used to say. It’s not too late to learn something, to do the right thing, to fix a mistake, and apparently, it’s not too late to get an old Chevy truck running. Morgan says he saw some cars one cabin over. It’s less likely the Rangers will be there. Morgan tells John to take Dakota, but John says he can handle it. Morgan says he’s not sure if he can. If Virginia comes looking for Dakota, and brings more Rangers, he might just get everyone else in trouble.

Dakota sits on the roof of the truck, while John fiddles with the engine. She asks if John got his tools from the warehouse, but John says they belonged to his pop, who sent them to him the summer they were supposed to fix the Chevy. Dakota asks why his dad didn’t bring them, and John says, he never showed up. He moved to a cabin of his own up north, away from everybody. John got the occasional birthday and Christmas card, and a phone call once in a blue moon, but John never saw him again. He asks her to hold the battery, and she asks why John’s father left. Did he kill someone like John did? John says, no. He did the wrong thing but for the right reasons. She says it seems like his dad was punishing self, and John says, may be. She says, just like him. Morgan is right, isn’t he? That’s why John is there. John tells her, come on. He’s got to get one more thing. He calls her a know-it-all, and she says, what happened with Janice… He doesn’t have to feel bad about how life is now. People kill; people die. He says, it should mean something, and she asks, why? He says, if it doesn’t mean something when you die, it didn’t mean much when you were alive, and she says, so? He says he’s glad Morgan is taking her to that place. She’s starting to sound an awful lot like her sister. They get to a big shed, and John knocks on the door. When he doesn’t hear anything, he opens it. She says there’s nothing in there they need for the truck, and John says, who told her that he needed something for the truck? She asks why he needs a door if he’s coming with them, and Morgan appears. He says, John isn’t coming; is he right? He shows John the Scrabble letters, and says he found these. There are only so many words they spell out. John says they weren’t meant for Morgan, and Morgan says he knows they were meant for June. John says he was going to tell Morgan after they cleared the bridge. He’s going to keep his word, and get them across, but then he’s coming back. Morgan says, because of what he had to do to Marcus? but John says he doesn’t know why he didn’t kill Marcus before. He doesn’t know why he’s not meant to live in this world. If he’d only kept his nose out of it, Cameron would still be alive, and so would Janice. Morgan says, it will be okay. John went looking for a door to shut himself away, and found them. Does that tell him anything? Like the man who walked halfway around the world and found himself at John’s campfire. Morgan found John, and everyone he thinks of as family. He found Grace, and that wouldn’t have happened if John hadn’t insisted he sleep in the truck bed that night. John gave him a family, and has to help him get back. John says he will, the best way he knows how. He’s going to get them across the bridge, and stay out of their way. Morgan says there’s no door that’s going to keep them away, not him or June, and John says, it’s not a door to keep people out. It’s to keep the past from getting at him before he does what he needs to do. He just wants it to be over.

John sits with his gun, and Morgan comes in. He says he got the truck running, and John says, that’s good. Morgan sits, and says, it wasn’t that long ago, he was in a place like John is now. John says, when he works himself up to it, the past washes up, and steals his nerve. Morgan says it’s not John’s time; it’s not how should go out. That night at the gulch, whoever saved him, left him that. He shows John a note that says he still has things left to do. He says, it wouldn’t mean anything unless it was all of them. If he’s going to get everyone there, he had to make a change, or he’d lose all of them. John knows he’s not his dad. He doesn’t have to make the same mistakes his dad made, but he can come with them. Morgan found his way to keep going, and thinks John will find his. John says, don’t count on it, and shoots a zombie through the open door. He says they better get up there, and he and Morgan start to go outside. John sees the discarded doors, and says they might need the doors after all.

At the bridge, we see the front of the truck is rigged with the doors to keep the zombies at bat. John says, they could get tangled in the wheels, and asks if Dakota can get it across. She says her daddy let her drive in the church parking lot on Sunday afternoons, and he says he’ll talk her through it. He leaves her a gun in case the zombies get lucky. John goes to the truck bed, and Morgan unties the blockade. John says, ready, and Morgan opens it. John shoots the zombies as they come through, and Morgan runs back to the truck bed. John says, now, and Dakota starts the truck. She drives to the blockade, pushing it down. Zombies clamor at the car windows, as John hits them back with the butt of the gun. He and Morgan get as many as possible, and John tells Dakota keep going. She continues on, and Morgan gives a zombie a nice spike though the mouth. The doors help shovel them back, and John tells Dakota, pretend it’s one of those Sunday drives. Morgan pushes them back, and the truck stalls. Dakota asks, what’s going on? and we see a zombie wedged under a back wheel. John tells her to put it in first, and clear it. Now the zombie’s arm is getting ground into the wheel well, and John shoots it. The rest of the zombie follows its arm, and is now wedged above the tire. I say, oh, fu…dge.  

Dakota asks what’s wrong with the engine, and Morgan says, it’s the alternator. He’ll go. John says, Morgan is in no shape, and moves to the front of the truck, while Morgan whacks stray zombies away. John gets between the doors and fencing attached to the front, and opens the hood. He says he’ll tell Dakota when. We can see Morgan is in pain, but he still fends off the zombies. One gets near John, and pins him half into the engine. Dakota grabs the gun, and tells John to move. She shoots the zombie through the windshield, and John pushes it onto the ground. He jumpstarts the engine, and tells Dakota, now. The truck starts, and John closes the hood, jumping on top of it. He shoots whatever zombies get through, but one pulls at him, and he smashes it with the gun butt. There are two clingers on the car, and Dakota tells Morgan to get down. She takes off, telling John to hang on, and hits the side of the bridge, knocking the zombies into the river, John kicking the last one off. Brilliant scene. Morgan stabs a few stragglers in their wormy little heads. Success!

They look back at the zombie carnage on the bridge, and John says, that is ugly mustard. Morgan says, yes it is, and they sit for a moment. Morgan gets out of the truck bed, and comes around the front. He tells John, when he was working on the truck, he found something. He hands John a photo of a little boy with a grown man, and Morgan says, that’s John isn’t it? And his dad. John says, his dad was more in his life than he cares to admit. He wonders why his father didn’t come by that summer, but thinks he’s starting to get it. He’s not coming. Morgan says, then John is stuck making the same mistakes as before; the same mistakes his father made. It’s like a loop. Morgan takes out the radio, and John asks what he’s doing. Morgan asks if Virginia can read him, and Virginia asks, what’s the plan? Is he ready to talk? He says he is, but not like this. He wants to meet in person. There’s a general store called Bill’s… John tries to grab the radio, telling Morgan, stop it. Morgan says, there’s a cabin John told them about, and Ginny says, she’s been there; John has terrible taste in movies. Morgan says he’ll wait there for her. He tells John, now he can’t go back, and John says Morgan had no right to do that. It’s not his choice to make. Morgan says it wasn’t his choice to have John chase him down the road when he had a busted leg, but John did it all the same. He’s alive now because John did. John can hit him if he likes, but he’ll be damned if he’s going to stand by and let his best friend kill himself.  

Morgan says he’s going to try and get a signal; hear where Virginia is. He doesn’t want to cross paths with her on his way out. John continues to work on the engine in silence, and Dakota says he’ll have to talk to Morgan eventually. John says, the clip that was holding the wire fell off. That’s why it stalled. He wants to fix it before they get back on the road. He tells her, it’s a little red clip, and they both start looking. She picks up his hat, hands it to him, and thanks him. He asks why she’s thanking him, and she says, for letting her drive, and trusting her with a gun. She doesn’t feel like she needs to be behind locked behind walls all the time. She casually kills a zombie, and says he should come, but he says, it’s not a good idea. She says she thinks it would be; she likes being around him. He can’t go back to the cabin. He says, sure he can, but she says her sister will be there. He says if Morgan leads her to the place he’s working on, it could get messy real quick. He can be waiting for Ginny, and end this. Dakota says he can’t do alone, but he says Ginny won’t be expecting it. Dakota says, she would; she is. She’ll have Rangers with her. Even if John kills her, the Rangers will kill him. He says, then his death will mean something. He finishes the zombies off who aren’t quite undead dead, and says, as it should. Dakota sees the red clip on the ground, and says she found it. She picks it up, and a zombie grabs her ankle, causing her to fall. She stabs it with a knife she has handy, and tells John, it’s okay; she’s got it. He sees the knife, and asks, what is it? What is she hiding? He walks over, and pulls the knife out of the zombie, and asks where she got it. She shakes her head, and says she found it, but he says, don’t lie to him. Oh my God. She killed Cameron; Virginia was covering for her. Dakota says she didn’t know Ginny was going to kill Janice, and John asks why she pushed him to investigate. She says she knew Ginny wouldn’t let it get back to her, and if it seemed like Ginny was hiding something, people would start to doubt her. John asks why she killed Cameron, and she says he figured out how she was sneaking in and out, and he told Ginny. He took away the one way she had to get out of Lawrence. John says, and she thought he deserved to die for that? She says, it’s no different than what everyone else is doing to get what they want. It’s what her sister does; it’s what the Rangers do. He understands. John says he doesn’t understand, but she says, it’s how things are. She can’t. She turns the gun on him, and says he ruined this for her. He says he’s not going to tell anyone. He’s not going to hurt her. He puts his gun in his waistband, and she says he’s lying. He says he knows she’s been through a lot. He gets why she wouldn’t believe him, but give him a chance to show her they can get past this. He can help her. Morgan said he needed a reason to live, to keep going. Maybe it’s her. Put the gun down; she doesn’t want shoot him. She doesn’t want to do that to herself. She doesn’t want to live with that. It’s not what he wants for her.

To the surprise of all of us, she shoots him, and he staggers back. She says, she’s sorry. It doesn’t always have to be something. She pushes him off the bridge. What a fu…dge.

He’s going to live somehow, right? Right? And am I wrong that this was totally out of character for what we know about Dakota? A hot minute ago, she was telling John that he needed to make up with Morgan, and she liked being around him.

John hits the water, and we see blood run from him. He floats to the bottom, and there’s a song part. I feel cheated. He sees the photo on the floor of the river. and picks it up. He looks at the sun above the water, and swims up. He pulls himself onto a door floating in the water, and says, not today. He floats down the river.

When Morgan comes back, Dakota turns the gun on him. He asks what she did, and she says she didn’t want to do it; she had to do it. He asks where John is, and she starts to cry, because she’s an a-hole. He asks her again, and she says, John is floating down the river with a bullet in his chest. Morgan sees the knife in Dakota’s hand, and says, it’s her knife. She killed the Ranger. She says he’s going to take her to the place he’s building, and let her be a part of it, like he was before. He grabs her, and puts his battleax pokey weapon up to her throat. She says he’s not going to hurt her, but he tells her not to be so sure. She says she’s the reason he’s alive. She saved him at the gulch. He says, that’s not what happened. She says, Virginia left him to die, and he dragged himself to the church. The dead followed him, and were on top of him, about to eat him, but she was there. She killed them. He says, that’s not possible, and she says she followed Ginny and the Rangers to the gulch. That’s a good thing, right? She fixed him up, and stopped the bleeding. She gave him antibiotics and painkillers. He says, no more lies, and she says he doesn’t know her, but she heard his message. He needed to do this thing. He still has things left to do. She wrote the note and left it for him, and she was right. She’s seen it. He has to. She had to do it. He says, now what? and she says, he has to kill her sister to have the silly paradise he has to build. He’s grieving because he’s the only person left who can end her. He says, that’s not what he’s about, and she says, it is. It’s the  only reason he’s still there.

Ginny gets to the cabin, and says they cleaned the place out. Where the hell are they? She asks June, where? but June says she doesn’t know. A Ranger asks if she’s sure she doesn’t know their whereabouts, when Morgan radios Ginny. She tells him that he’s late, and he says, John has been hurt, and needs help. Her sister did it. June asks where John is, and Ginny asks where her sister is. Morgan says, John is coming down the river. Help him if Morgan can’t find him first. He’s trying to get to him. Please help. Then they can talk. Ginny tells her Rangers, find Ranger Dorie.

Alicia is walking with Charlie and Dwight, and says, this is it. Morgan comes over the radio, and tells Dwight, get the damn wall ready. They might be bringing the fight with Virginia to their own doorstep. He needs to get Shari. They’ll need all the firepower they can get.

June tells Virginia, send more Rangers, and Ginny say she already has. June says, if Virginia wants her to help, she needs to know what happened. Morgan comes on the radio, and June grabs it. She asks, what’s going on? June looks out the door, and Ginny grabs it back. John has washed up on shore, and June runs out, calling to him. She stumbles, and falls to the ground just as she gets to him. He pulls himself along, and we realize his eyes are milky. He reaches for her, and puts his hand on hers. She stays there a moment, then stabs him in the head with a knife. I guess that’s love?

This season, Virginia says, bad things are about to happen, Daniel says it’s not safe, we meet a new group, John Glover joins the cast, and says Alicia doesn’t know what he’s setting out to do. He looks kind of like a mad professor.

👌🏻 Interesting tidbit. Jenna Elfman was on Talking Dead tonight, and said because of the pandemic, they had to sit on this episode for a year and half before it was actually filmed.

📰 Latest Additions…

New blood will be coming to FTWD this season.

https://www.cbr.com/fear-walking-dead-john-glover-keith-carradine-nick-stahl-cast-season-6/

⚰️ Dead News…

What’s to come in season 11.

What came last week with Here’s Negan.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-season-10-finale-recap-heres-negan-origin-backstory-1022/

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/negans-last-name-revealed-on-the-walking-dead-heres-negan-smith-robert-kirkman/

🐉 Celebrating the Game…

HBO has plans.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/game-of-thrones-iron-anniversary-hbo-celebration/

🎉 After the Party’s Over…

Whether you called it a weekend, or just another two days on the calendar, I hope you changed it up a little. Until it’s time to sail away, stay safe, stay keeping it simple, and stay making sure it all means something.

April 9, 2021 – Jason Has Two Visitors, Heather Versus Leah, Shah Sentence, Lu’s Solution, Jill Pivots, Shame On Shamers, Chrisley Who, Holly Begs To Differ, Another One, Enough Quotes For an Octopus & In Here

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Nikolas and Ava sit at a table in the MetroCourt, and Ava says, it’s vintage Ryan. The creepy gifts, the cryptic notes. Nikolas says Doc told her that Ryan’s condition hasn’t changed; he can only communicate with his eyes. She says, if it isn’t Ryan, it’s someone who wants to emulate him. That doesn’t make her feel any better. She asks why Nikolas keeps looking at the door. Is he expecting somebody? He says, his mother’s brother, and she says she knows he wants to keep Alexis safe in Pentenville, but she’s warning him not to get involved with Cyrus. He says, not Cyrus. His mother’s other brother, Martin Grey. Ava says, whatever. If Laura knew what he was planning, she’d agree with Ava, and say, no way in hell.

Laura opens the door to Scotty, and asks what brought him by. He says, things have been going crazy in his head; he needs a reality check. She asks, what happened? and he says, Jason Morgan didn’t kill my son Franco; Peter August did.

Anna asks Valentin, how’s Brook Lyn? No adverse effects from the fall? He tells Anna, she says she’s fine, and Anna says, okay, and him? He says he’s fine. He was just thinking how ironic it is, you bring a life into the world, and because of that, a huge chunk of you becomes your biggest vulnerability, walking the world, becoming the target of threats, real or imagined. She asks if he’s talking about Peter, and he says he gets it. Peter needs to be locked up. It’s the only way to keep him safe from himself. The only way to keep any of them safe; Anna, him, Maxie, the baby. They’re the ones who’ve enabled him all these years. She says, it’s up to them to stop him, and the doorbell rings. Anna opens the door to Peter, who says he hopes he hasn’t come at a bad time. He wanted to talk to her about Maxie. Valentin joins Anna, and Peter says he apologizes for his abruptness at the hospital. He never congratulated Valentin on becoming a father again. He hopes Valentin has more luck with the baby than Valentin had with him.

At the hospital, Josslyn lies on a bed in the ER, and Jax asks Elizabeth if she’s sure the ankle isn’t broken. She says, according to the X-rays, it’s just a bad sprain. Josslyn says she told him, and he says, it’s nice to be wrong, for once. Elizabeth says she bets his heart skipped a beat when he heard she got injured at volleyball practice, and he says he almost got a speeding ticket coming to pick her up. Josslyn says she’d be flattered if she didn’t know he speeds all the time. Elizabeth says she’ll talk to the doctor, and see when Josslyn can go home. She leaves, and Jax asks, so what happened exactly? The coach told him that Josslyn went for every point like it was her last. Like she had something to prove. She says, because she does. Southern Coastal University waitlisted her. She has to prove she belongs there.

Chase and Gregory are seated at an Italian restaurant, and Gregory tells the waiter, they have two more coming. We know it’s an Italian restaurant because of the red and white checkered table clothes, the giant fork and spoon hanging on the wall, and the standard Italian music playing in the background. I’m surprised the waiter doesn’t look like the guy on the pizza box. Chase says, having second thoughts, dad? and Gregory says, if Chase can still call him dad, he supposes he can sit down with Jackie and Finn. Jackie comes in and says, good; they didn’t start.

At the phone at the hospital, Finn says he’ll tell grandpa that Violet said hello… and Jackie… and Uncle Chase. Okay, no more stalling. It’s time to go to bed. He tells her that he loves her. Elizabeth is at the reception desk, and he says, please tell him it gets easier. She says, just wait until Violet is old enough to criticize everything he does, and he asks which one is causing problems now. She says, Cameron. He thinks she’s being disloyal to Franco’s memory. Finn says, he’s just hurt. He couldn’t be more wrong. She says, Cameron is convinced that Jason killed Franco. He says, and she has doubts?

Jason sits down for a visit with Carly behind glass, and she asks if he’s all right. Are any of Cyrus’s men harassing him? He says he’s fine, and she says, which tells her nothing. He says he’s good. He can protect himself for as long as he needs to. She says, for how long? Weeks? Months? You’d think she’d know the drill, being married to Sonny. She says she’s being pressured from all sides; Cyrus, the Five Families artichoke hearts, and now, Peter August. He says, Peter’s giving her trouble? and she says, that’s what she’s trying to tell him. She needs him. So she’s getting him out of there. Whatever it takes.

Jason says, they talked about this, and Carly doesn’t make a move without him. She says, that was before he went to prison, and he says, it’s just until trial. She says, the case against him is getting stronger every day. Elizabeth, the grieving widow, insists he’s guilty, and their plan to get Gladys to recant her story is going nowhere. He asks how she thinks a plan to get him out is going to go any better. He gets it. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is wait, but for them right now, it’s the only way. She says, it’s his way. She knows he believes this, because he’s been to prison, but everything is different. Sonny is dead. He can’t call in a few favors. He can’t pressure a judge or the warden. They’re on their own.

Elizabeth tells Finn, her house feels like an armed camp with a tentative truce. Jake and Cameron are polite at dinner, then they just go to their own rooms. While Aiden just tries to keep the peace by making his brothers’ favorite desserts. He says, sounds like a house divided, and she says, for or against Jason. He says he’s sorry she’s going through that. He thinks he can relate just a little. He’s supposed to be going to this family dinner tonight, hosted by Chase. They’re supposed to be figuring things out; seeing what they’re family looks like going forward into the future. She asks, what does that look like? and he says he doesn’t know. He just knows that he has to do better. For Chase, and especially for Violet. Otherwise, he’ll just take the coward’s way out, and not go at all. She says, someone who faces down infectious diseases for a living, could never be a coward. He says, infectious diseases are easy. Families are hard. But he doesn’t have to tell her that, does he?

At the restaurant, Jackie thanks Gregory for taking her suggestion, and he says he thinks they should set some ground rules. He didn’t come here to rehash arguments or point fingers. He understands the marriage is over, even though it wasn’t his choice, but he loves his granddaughter, and wants Violet to have the family she deserves. Jackie says, so does she. She wants them to be more than a family in name only. That’s why it’s important they discuss the situation, and decide where they go from here. Chase says, there’s just one thing missing, and Gregory says, he guesses they’d better order.  

Nikolas says he told Ava, Cyrus promised to protect Alexis if he found Cyrus’s mother, but Ava says, Florence is safer away from her son. Has he forgotten what Cyrus did to her brother? Julian made a deal with Cyrus, and in the end, Cyrus forced Julian to do his bidding. Nikolas’s sister is in a coma because of Cyrus. Nikolas says, Cyrus will pay for his crimes – someday – but right now, if finding Florence guarantees Alexis’s safety, he’s willing to make a deal with the devil.

Laura says Scotty was so convinced Jason killed Franco. What changed his mind? He says he and Obrecht had a heart to heart talk, and she asks, since when does he rely on Obrecht’s judgement? He says, since… they ran into her in Switzerland, when he was there with Franco to see the doctor.  Like Elizabeth, Obrecht was convinced that Franco would not return to his former self. Laura says she also doubts Jason is guilty, but that’s not the same as relying on Obrecht’s opinion. Scotty says, it’s not just Obrecht’s opinion. It’s a fact that Peter was trying to kill Franco and Andre, because Franco might remember that Peter was the one who snatched Drew from the post in Afghanistan. She says she’s not a fan of Peter’s, but he prevented the assassination, and Scotty says, maybe he changed his mind, or was trying to make himself out to be a hero. He still put the article out about Franco’s tumor. She says, it wasn’t one of Peter’s finer moments; it made Franco a target, and Scotty says, if Dante hadn’t gotten in the way, Alexis would have killed his son. Instead, she almost killed Dante. So what happened? Peter finished the job. She says, and he’s going to let Jason pay for his crimes, and Scotty says, yeah; that’s what Peter does. It’s what he did to Obrecht. What he’s doing is looking for someone else to put on the hook, so he can get off the hook. She says she sees how it makes sense, but Obrecht isn’t a reliable source. There must be some compelling reason that Scotty suddenly trusts her.

Peter says he looks forward to his and Valentin’s children growing up together. Maybe they’ll be as close as he and Valentin once were, before lies got in the way. Anna asks what he wanted to say about Maxie, and he says, not so much Maxie as her former mother-in-law. Obrecht is spreading some vicious lie about him murdering Franco. They wouldn’t happen to have any idea where she got that from, would they?

Jax tells Josslyn, there must be a mistake. She’s at the top of her class, and was heavily recruited for academics and athletics. He’ll call the Dean of Administration and find out. She says, no; that’s so dad of him. Southern Coastal has the best volleyball program, and they have their pick of girls. She needs to try harder so they’ll choose her. Elizabeth comes in, and says the doctor wants to check Josslyn out one last time before she goes. Jax says he’ll be right back, and when he’s outside, he takes out his phone.     

Carly says she knows Elizabeth came to see Jason at the PCPD lock-up before he was transferred there, and Jason says, she brought Jake to say goodbye. She says, that’s great. Elizabeth never would have brought Jake to see him if she believed he killed Franco.  She must have doubts. He says he told Jake that he didn’t kill Franco, but he’s not going to convince Elizabeth; she’s entitled to her own opinion. Carly says, but she’s not entitled to punish an innocent man. They don’t have time to wait for Diane to prove Gladys is lying. They’re going to have to take Cyrus up on his offer. They’re going to have to give back Florence. Jason says, no. Then they have nothing. Does she think Cyrus is going to keep his word once he gets what he wants? Florence is the only leverage they have. Carly gets a text, and says, Josslyn is in the ER.

Valentin tells Peter, it’s too late to deny he’s a murderer; he already confessed. Peter says, it’s Valentin’s word against his. He supposes those playdates aren’t going to happen after all. They don’t have to be enemies. Peter pours himself a drink, and says, despite what Obrecht believes, he didn’t kill Franco. Anna says, he just expects them to believe that? and he says, for the sake of their children and loved ones, they should. He’s offering both of them a fresh start. It’s in both their best interests to accept. Anna says, that doesn’t sound like a peace offering. That sounds like a threat.

Scotty tells Laura, Obrecht loved Franco like a son. They were doing a lot of… grieving together. Why can’t she just believe him? She says she’d like to believe Obrecht is telling the truth, but she has two witnesses who say it was Jason, and one of them is the mother of Jason’s son. Scotty says he knows. He was convinced that Jason did it too. He  was the one who attacked Jason, going after him. He was going to choke him to death at the PCPD. She says Scotty made a lot of threats, and he says, he thought he was doing it for Franco, but now what he wants for his son is the truth and justice. He wants Peter in a courtroom, facing a judge and jury. He’s been a lawyer all of his life, and it’s about time he used the law in his favor.

Ava tells Nikolas, if he’s determined to help Alexis, don’t play by Cyrus’s rules. Ask Carly; what Jason knows, she knows. He asks if she thinks Carly is going to tell him. Jason may be in prison, but he’s still calling the shots, and Florence is the best leverage Jason has. The second Carly realizes Nikolas has an interest in Florence’s location, Carly will tell Jason, and he’ll move her to a new one. There’s only one way to find out what he needs to know. Martin approaches the table, and says, forgive him for being late; he was held up in court. He didn’t realize Nikolas’s lovely wife would be joining them. Nicolas says Ava was just leaving, when Ava gets a text, and says, yes; actually, she was. She leaves, and Nikolas thanks Martin for agreeing to meet. Martin says Nikolas strongly implied it was something important, and Nikolas asks, what could be more important than a man and his mother?

Chase says he didn’t think Finn would show, and Finn says, neither did he, but he realized Violet would be disappointed in him. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but when she’s older, she’ll wonder why he didn’t try to mend the rift in the family. Gregory lifts his coffee cup, and says, to the smartest person in the family – to Violet. They clink their cups, and Jackie says they’re off to a good start; they agree on something. Finn says, maybe they should quit while they’re ahead. If he goes now, he can be home in time to read Violet a bedtime story, but Jackie says he doesn’t get off that easy. Gregory asked them not to dredge up the past or assign blame, and she agrees with him.  They’ve all had a chance to express their feelings, so let’s move on from there. Chase says, feelings don’t just go away because you want them to. He’s trying to move on, but it’s not that easy. Gregory says, they’re all trying to move on, and as Chase said, it’s not easy, but they have to at least try. Jackie asks, where do they go from here? Will they be a family? Or do they tell one another, you go your way and I’ll go mine?

Carly tells Jason that Josslyn hurt her ankle at volleyball practice, and he says, go. She says she will, but they’re going to finish this. When he gets out of there, he can handle Cyrus any way he wants, but the first step is to get the charges dropped. He says, no deals, not with Cyrus, and she says she hates when he does this. He locks in, and he won’t change his mind. He tells her, go; Josslyn needs her. She says she’ll go, but she’ll be back. 

Nikolas tells Martin, he knows Martin’s last meeting with Laura was disappointing, and Martin says, try humiliating. They were moving toward becoming two sibling, until Cyrus crashed the party and ruined things. Nikolas says, Cyrus saw an opening to make himself look better by making Martin look worse, and Martin says, exactly. Nikolas understands what he’s up against. The more he tries to prove he’s not like Cyrus, the more Cyrus paints him to be as corrupt and immoral as he is. Nikolas says, it doesn’t have to be that way if he intercedes on Martin’s behalf. Martin asks why Nikolas would do that for him, and Nikolas says he’d be doing it for his mother. Family means everything to her. Martin says he knows the feeling, but not when it comes to Cyrus, and Nikolas says he bets Martin’s mother is someone whose happiness means everything to him. Martin says, more than he can ever say, and Nikolas says, from what he’s heard, if Cyrus had his way, he’d keep her to himself, and shut Martin out completely. Martin says, but that’s not going to happen, and Nikolas asks if he’s sure.   

Ava comes by Laura’s house, and says she was surprised to get Laura’s text. What’s up? Laura says she just wanted to check in. She heard Ava had quite a shock. Ava says Doc must have told Laura about the lovely gift she received at the gallery. Laura says, if it’s any comfort, Doc doesn’t believe Ryan was behind it. I’m not sure how that would be a comfort, since they know Ryan is a psychopath already, and it would be par for the course. She’d rather they wonder? Ava says she knows Doc does his best to be objective, but she’s not sure Doc sees Ryan for the awful person he is. She’s not falling for it. Sure, locked-in syndrome would present a problem, but Ryan is nothing if not creative. She’s sure he found a way to communicate with the guard. Blink three times if you want me to send Ava a disgusting, severed, phony hand. Anything is possible with Ryan. Laura says, for Ava’s sake, she hopes Ava is wrong, and Ava asks if that’s what Laura wanted to see her about. Laura says she wants to talk about Nikolas, and Ava says she hopes this isn’t the part where Laura doesn’t think it’s a good idea for them to renew their vows, but Laura says, not at all. When Ava and Nikolas first got married, it was for all the wrong reasons, but in watching them, she’s seen a change in them both. She thinks they’ve fallen in love for real. Ava says, for real, and Laura says, it’s great. That’s why she’s counting on Ava to help her stop Nikolas from making the biggest mistake of his life. Ava says, by getting involved with Cyrus?

Gregory says, before they think of how they’re going to move forward as a family, or even if they want to, he’d like to share a lesson he tried to teach his students. Finn says, not a lesson. Isn’t this bad enough? and Chase says he thought Gregory was all lessoned out when he retired, but Jackie says she’d like to hear it. Gregory thanks her, and says, everything worth knowing comes at a cost. After hearing their groans, maybe there’s a second lesson – you can’t erase you past as a family. His lectures at the dinner table made them cringe, but the fact is, they sat and listened anyway. The bedtime stories, and pancakes on Saturday morning, and all the other rituals of their childhood and growing up; he wouldn’t change it for the world. Finn says Gregory is more forgiving and generous than he deserves. Chase says he remembers another lesson from the dinner table – always take the high road. He’s trying to; he really is, but he doesn’t know if he can. Not after all the secrets and lies that brought them here tonight. Jackie says she thought they weren’t rehashing old feelings, but Finn says, they’re not old, are they? Maybe that’s the real lesson. They can get past everything except the past.

Peter says he’s offering Anna and Valentin an olive branch. Why would Anna interpret that as a threat? Valentin says Peter’s not all that subtle for one thing, and Anna says if Peter thinks he can walk out clean, there are other people believe he’s guilty; he knows that, right? Valentin says Peter needs to turn himself in and serve a sentence, so he can start down the road to redemption. If he stays on the road of whatever fairy tale he thinks this is, it will end bloody, at the hands of any of the countless people he’s screwed over. Peter says he offered them both a choice, and it seems they made it. Now they have to live with it. He leaves, and Valentin and Anna look at each other.

Elizabeth tells Josslyn that the doctor said she’s free to leave. He also said to take it easy with her ankle. That means no volleyball for the next one or two weeks. Josslyn says, but the state tournament is coming up. College scouts will be there. Elizabeth says she loves Josslyn’s dedication, but the surest way not to play in the tournament  is to aggravate that sprain. 

Carly runs into the hospital, and asks Jax, what happened? Is Josslyn okay? He says, she sprained her ankle in volleyball; it’s nothing serious, but he thought Carly would want to see her. Carly thanks him, and starts to go into the ER, but he says, Josslyn didn’t want to go to the hospital. She insisted it didn’t hurt, but he has the feeling she’s not as tough as she thinks she is. Carly asks what he’s talking about. Is something else going on?

Scotty visits Jason at the prison, and thoroughly cleans the phone before he speaks into it. I can’t say as I blame him, even on a good day. He says he’s not there to threaten Jason. For years he was afraid Jason would do Franco in, even though Franco turned his life around, and became a loving father and a good guy. He knew Jason didn’t care, and wanted to kill Franco anyway. He was convinced Jason did kill Franco, but now he has to admit, he knows Jason didn’t kill his son.

Laura tells Ava that Nikolas thinks he can protect Alexis by returning Florence to Cyrus. Ava says, Nikolas trusts that Cyrus will help Alexis in Pentenville, but she’s concerned it will open the door to Cyrus expecting more from him. Laura asks if Ava told him, and Ava says, yeah, of course (🍷). It didn’t get her anywhere. Nikolas is determined to protect his aunt, and doesn’t see that he’s likely doing the opposite. Because from now on, when Cyrus wants anything, he’ll just threaten Alexis, and pretty soon Nikolas will be under Cyrus’s thumb. Laura says, no. They can’t let that happen. How can they stop Nikolas from making this mistake?

Nikolas tells Martin that Cyrus threatened his aunt. Does Martin know her? Alexis Davis? Martin says, know her? he was her attorney for her drunk driving case, and again when she was arrested for assaulting Dante, before Diane got involved. For the record, he thinks Alexis made a mistake. She talked to him about pleading guilty, but he was shocked when she followed through with it. He was sorry to hear she got three years in Pentenville. Nikolas says, so was he, and Martin says he’s not sure what that has to do with Nikolas’s mother or his… Ah-ha. He sees. So he was right; Cyrus made Nikolas an offer. Let him guess; Alexis’s safety for their mother’s whereabouts. Nikolas says, Alexis is very important to him, and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her. Martin says tell him that Nikolas didn’t agree to help Cyrus, and Nikolas tells him, let’s just say the man knows where he stands. And it’s in Cyrus’s best interest not to cross him, but the conversation got him thinking. There could be a workaround. A way to bring Martin and Laura together, and keep Florence far away from Cyrus.

Chase says, this was a mistake, and starts to get up, and Finn says, there’s no dishonor in that. Jackie says, please, and Gregory says he has one last remark, cringeworthy or not. He tells Chase, when his mom and Finn told him the truth that they slept together, and he found out Finn had fathered Chase, he admits he wallowed in self-pity for a while. But while he thought back on his life, and it was a good one. He looks at Jackie, and says, they had a great run, didn’t they? She says, damn right, and Gregory says, he’s not a victim. He raised two intelligent, capable men who make a significant contribution to society every day. He remembers lots of laughs, and lots of tears, with both of them, and the icing on the cake is his granddaughter. She was a gift he never expected, and he’ll never give up on her. Finn says, that’s good, because she’s not giving up on Gregory either, and Gregory asks that they not argue. They came there tonight to find a way forward as a family. He suggests they order dinner, make a few more toasts, and get on with trying. Where’s their waiter? Chase smiles.

Their waiter is meeting Peter underneath the restaurant. Peter says he sees the waiter got his message. Don’t worry. No one will find out. He’s just doing a favor for a friend, and in exchange, his problem with the parole officer will go away. He hands the waiter a vial, and tells him, make sure Dr. Hamilton Finn gets a taste of his own medicine.   

Carly comes in with Jax to see Josslyn, and Elizabeth says Josslyn will be fine, as long as she follows the doctor’s orders. She knows it’s tough, but Josslyn will have to let someone else be the star on the team for the next week or two. Josslyn says she’ll be rusty for the tournament. Carly says Josslyn’s dad said something else is going on, and Josslyn says she’s just frustrated. This is the worst possible time for this to happen. Not that it’s serious; she’ll still be able to practice though. Carly says they’ll discuss the pros and cons of that on the way home. She asks if she can talk to Elizabeth, and Elizabeth says, sure. They leave, and Jax asks why Josslyn didn’t tell her mom about being waitlisted.

Carly says she thought Elizabeth would want to know, when Jax called to tell her about Elizabeth, she was at Pentenville with Jason.

Scotty tells Jason, Obrecht told him that Peter shot Franco, but there’s no proof, and who’s going to believe Obrecht when they have Elizabeth and another eyewitness? Jason asks why Scotty is there to see him, and Scotty says, he’s there to honor his son. He was told Franco made a deal with Jason to kill him if he resorted back to his former self. Scotty knew Jason would do it, and promised Franco that no harm would come to Jason. Jason says, that’s not necessary, and Scotty says, it was to Franco. He knows Diane is top notch, but if there’s anything he can do for Jason, he’ll do it.

Laura tells Ava that she has a pretty good relationship with the Pentenville warden. She can intervene on Alexis’s behalf. Ava says, that’s the perfect solution, but Laura says, she can’t promise anything; all she can do is try. She’s asking Ava to keep reminding Nikolas that he can’t trust Cyrus. He loves Ava, and will listen to her. Ava thanks Laura for having faith in her, and Laura says she also has faith that Ava brings out the best in her son. Don’t ever let him give in to his dark side. Ava gives her word. She’ll see to it that Nikolas does the right thing.

Martin says he’d greatly appreciated Nikolas bringing Laura and him together, but his own mother is safe; he might say, thriving. Nikolas asks how he knows, and he says, because he enjoys one advantage over his brother. Their mother can actually tolerate his company. He was allowed to see her, and she’s happy. She’s having the time of her life. Nikolas says, really? and Martin says, oh yeah, but because of Cyrus, she had to be relocated, and for his own safety, he wasn’t told where. He won’t be able to see her again for a while to spoil her and bring her favorite treats. Nikolas asks if she has a sweet tooth, and Martin says, always has. Chocolate, pastries… He had to scour Vermont to find a hummingbird cake for her birthday. Cyrus never even thought about it. Nikolas says, of course (🍷); Cyrus only thinks about himself, and Martin says Nikolas’s mother is unique. If Nikolas would put in a good word for him, it would be most appreciated. Nikolas says, of course (🍷). He’s confident all this will work out.

Valentin asks if Anna spoke with Robin, and Anna says she did, but tried not to alarm her. He says he told the school not to let Peter near Charlotte, and got private security for Brook. There’s nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal. She says, Peter is definitely wounded. It’s just a matter of time. He says they can’t afford to wait any longer. 

The waiter that Peter met with asks if anyone wants dessert, but everyone is too full. Finn says, he’s good with coffee, and the waiter puts a cup in front of him. We assume the drug is in it.

Ava asks Nikolas how it went with Martin, and he asks if she knows where to find a hummingbird cake in Vermont. She asks what a hummingbird cake is, and he says it’s Florence’s favorite dessert. She asks why that’s important, and he says Martin ordered one for Florence’s birthday when he visited. He found a baker in Stowe from North Carolina, whose specialty is hummingbird cakes. She asks if he’s feeling okay, and he says, never better. He’s going to track down Florence, and he might even say, it will be a piece of cake. BA-DUM-CHH!   

Laura gets a delivery of flowers, and says Doc didn’t have to do that, but she loves him for it. She reads the card, and realizes they’re not from Doc. She reads, I miss you grandma, and can’t wait to see you at my graduation. Love, Spencer. She says, so sweet.

Josslyn tells Jax that her mom has a lot on her mind. If she tells Carly that she’s been waitlisted, Carly will go into overdrive, and try to fix it and make her feel better. He asks if that would be so bad, and she says she doesn’t want her mom to fix it. She wants to prove to Southern Coastal that she belongs there, both academically and athletically. And step one is getting back on the volleyball court

Carly tells Elizabeth that she appreciates Jake being taken to visit Jason. It gave Jason a chance to tell Jake he’s innocent, and Jake believes he’s innocent. Elizabeth tells her, stop there. She knows where this is going. Carly says she’s not going to ask Elizbeth to lie or cover for Jason, just think about that night and what she actually saw. If she comes to believe what her son believes, that Jason is innocent, then she needs to tell the police. 

Jason tells Scotty that he can do something for him; look out for Jake. Scotty says he will do that, but what about Peter? Jason says, Peter has been lucky a long time, covering his tracks, and blaming other people. His luck is about to run out.

Peter goes to Anna’s house, and she thanks him for coming back. He says, it sounded urgent, and she says, it is. They’ve reconsidered his offer. He says, sorry. The offer ended when he walked out; it’s too late. Valentin comes down the stairs, and says he couldn’t agree more. We see he’s holding a gun.

Finn almost drinks his coffee, but Chase asks if they remember when he was little, and they went to a restaurant with a lazy Susan on the table. Gregory says he thought it was a merry-go-round for food, and Jackie says, they all put their glasses on it, and spun it around just to make him happy. Chase thinks they should do it again for old times’ sake, and I wonder who thought this one up. They put their coffee cups on it, and spin them around. They each take a cup, and Gregory says, to the future, whatever it holds. They clink their cups and drink.  

On Monday, Maxie asks Britt if it’s weird to fist bump about this, Willow tells Michael that she can’t let go of her feelings for him, and Anna tells Peter that Valentin isn’t going to do anything to him, but she is.

🗽 Not More Comfortable the Second Time Around…

Apparently, there’s been a mini saga on RHONY regarding not-quite OG Heather.

https://pagesix.com/2021/03/29/why-the-rhony-cast-didnt-want-to-film-with-heather-thomson/

Could they find a worse picture of Heather?

https://pagesix.com/2021/03/30/rhony-star-leah-mcsweeney-doubles-down-in-feud-with-heather-thomson/

The plot thickens.

⚖️ Not What She Meant By Wanting a Stiff One…

She’s surpassed Teresa. Congratulations.

https://extratv.com/2021/03/31/real-housewives-star-jen-shah-arrested-faces-a-stiff-prison-sentence/

🛍 It’s Better Than a Bender…

Ice cream, shopping, it works for me.

😳 Lotsa Juice…

I’ll bet awkward doesn’t begin to cover it.

RHONJ’s Joe Giudice Talks “Awkward” Meeting With Teresa Giudice’s Boyfriend Luis Ruelas, Says Joe Gorga “Never Helped” His Parents, and Slams Him and Melissa Gorga as Fake, Plus Announces New Business Venture

👕 The Face of Adaption…

Pandemic or no, Jill has something to sell you.

https://pagesix.com/2021/04/03/as-pandemic-wanes-jill-zarins-mask-empire-pivots-to-loungewear/

🤰🏻 You’re Supposed To Get Fat…

While anyone who fat shames anyone should be ashamed themselves, fat shaming a pregnant woman is a new low.

https://pagesix.com/2021/03/26/pregnant-brittany-cartwright-defends-herself-from-body-shamers/

🤷🏽 It’s Those People Again…

I’m still not sure why they’re famous.

https://extratv.com/2021/04/07/todd-chrisley-s-son-kyle-weds-gf-ashleigh-nelson/

🐇 Not Next Door Anymore…

Would you like some sour grapes with that whine?

https://people.com/tv/kendra-wilkinson-speaks-out-after-holly-madison-discussed-sex-playboy-mansion-former-friendship/

I see no reason for Kendra to lie. It’s not like she’s ever held back before.

https://people.com/tv/crystal-hefner-responds-kendra-wilkinson-holly-madison-feud-hugh-hefner-playboy/

🥀 Another Legend Fallen…

Is it me? Or are there an inordinate amount of deaths overall so far this year?

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9550921/dmx-rapper-ruff-ryders-dead-dies

🐳 Quotes of the Week

Though nobody can go back and make a new beginning… anyone can start over and make a new ending. – Chico Xavier

If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?Rumi

There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man [and woman] which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.Blaise Pascal

Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. – George Addair

We need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we’re more than the mistakes we made yesterday. That we are all our next choices, too, all of our tomorrows. – Fredrik Backman

We’re a society that demands electricity 24/7. This is very difficult with sun and wind. – Vaclav Smil

Electricity is really just organized lightning. – George Carlin

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. – Chief Seattle (Once again, don’t step on any butterflies.)

🌛 The Sun Ain’t Up Quite Yet…

It’s the weekend, and time for me to switch gears until the Dead walk. Whether you’re in drive or stuck in neutral, stay safe, stay unrehearsed, and stay not making your olive branches sound like threats.

April 8, 2021 – Alexis’s Last Day Of Freedom, Nancy’s Perspective, Worst House In the Hamptons, Real Love, the Real Behind the Real & Money

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Alexis listens to opera and looks at the watch her mother gave her. She remembers watching her mother and Mikkos from the stairs as a little girl, when Sam comes in, and asks why music so loud. Alexis says she didn’t know it was still playing. It’s her last night of freedom and all. Sam asks if it’s Alexis’s mother singing, and she says, yeah. She had a beautiful voice, didn’t she? Sam says she’s not a fan of opera, but her voice was amazing. She asks Alexis if she’s wearing her mother’s watch, and Alexis says she was putting things away to store in the attic for when she’s gone, and it was there. It’s still broken. Sam says she thought Alexis had it fixed, and Alexis says she did, twice. It’s frozen in time, like she will be for three years.

Outside, Molly asks Kristina if she was able to get things ready for tonight. Kristina says, it’s all set, and asks Molly to go in the backyard with her.  

Alexis tells Sam, it just hit her how much she’ll be missing. She won’t see Scout or Danny for three years. She gets up, and Sam says, please… but Alexis says she can’t talk. She’s feeling so scared right now, and she doesn’t want to do that. She’s going to run errands, and see some people. She thinks Sam was right. She needs to talk to someone about this.

Hours later. Alexis goes to Doc’s office and thanks him for seeing her. He says, anything for a friend. What can he do for her? She says she’s turning herself in tomorrow, and she needs help. She’s starting her prison sentence. He asks if she wants him to ask the question everybody hates, and she says, how does she feel? She prides herself in being a fighter, an idealist, and an advocate. Now she’ll be prisoner number whatever. He says she’s more than that, and she says she’s a disbarred, out of control addict. She’s not a lawyer anymore, and that’s how she defined herself. She doesn’t know who the hell she is anymore. He suggests they begin there. Who is Alexis Davis?

She says, who is Alexis Davis… anymore? He says, how about who Alexis Davis is right now? and she says, that’s easy. Alexis Davis is going to prison in the morning. She’s got be honest; she didn’t think she’d get a prison sentence. She knew it was a possibility, but did she think it through? It happened, and like it or not, it’s here. Her last day of freedom. He asks where else she’s been, and she says, what? He says she’s clearly terrified, and she asks if that’s baffling to him. He says, no, but tell him how else she’s been spending her last day of freedom so far.

Earlier that day. At Kelly’s, Ned, Jax, and Finn toast to Alexis with their coffee. Finn says, ten years will fly by, and she says, it’s only three. He says, that helps with the silver lining, and she says she won’t miss him. Ned says she won’t miss any of them. They’re going to visit every chance they get. Valentin comes in, and says, good. He didn’t miss them. Alexis tells him, pull up a seat. She’s glad he could make it. She says, I trust you gentlemen can get along for one meal, right? Valentin says he hasn’t seen her wear the watch in a while, and Jax asks if it’s an antique. She says it belonged to her mother. Valentin found it and gave it to her, but it’s stuck again. She thought she’d give fixing it one more try before she goes off to the hoosgow. Valentin says he’s proud of her for taking responsibility and owning her mistakes. It’s more than any of them, including himself, have done. Ned says, for once, he and Valentin agree. They could all learn from her example. They lift their cups to her.   

Alexis tells Doc, it felt good to see her friends; it reminded her of better days. Before she threw her career away for Neil. Can he tell her why she did that ? She doesn’t really know. When she was an attorney she always stood for something. When she was on her game, and doing the right thing, she felt like a superhero. Ridiculous, she knows. Doc says he’s seen her in court, and it isn’t, and she says she was a fighter, and idealist and an advocate. She asks if that’s what he’s writing now, and he says she knows he needs to take notes. She says, what notes is he taking? and he says, that’s the second time she’s used those words to define how she sees herself; a fighter, an idealist, and an advocate. Alexis says, when she’s nervous she repeats herself, and he asks why she’s nervous. She says, maybe she doesn’t want a shiv in her side, and he says he can recommend a prison consultant, but she says she already did that. He asks what they said, and she says, don’t joke, keep cigarettes as currency, and find a purpose. He says, that’s sound advice, and she says her purpose is gone. She needs help getting it back. Isn’t that part of his job? To help her find her purpose? He says, let’s do that then, and she asks, how? He asks where they left off in their last session, and she says, it was a while ago.  The British were coming, and tea was in the harbor. He says, good thing he keeps detailed notes. He looks through her folder, and says, where were they? When they ended their last session, they’d just touched on her relationship with her father. Alexis flashes back again to being a little girl, watching her parents from the stairs. Doc asks if she’s still with him.

She tells Doc, she doesn’t have many memories of her father. He was barely present in her life or her mother’s life. She looks at her watch, and he asks if there’s somewhere she needs to be. She looks at her little girl self, sitting on the floor of Doc’s office, and remembers again. She says, there isn’t much unpack about her father. He was a married man, and kept her mother as his mistress, in a gilded cage with beautiful clothes and on a short leash. But she didn’t get her tendency to self-sabotage or make mistakes because of him. Even when she was spinning out of control, those were her choices. He asks when she started spinning out of control, and she says she thinks the turning point was when Julian took a knife to her throat; the same knife Helena used to kill her mother. The circle of life… or death. Doc says, it was Julian’s decision, not hers, but she says it was her decision to let Julian in her life. She let him in because she loved him. One in a long line of toxic men. He says, they weren’t all toxic, were they?  

Earlier that day. Alexis sees Ned outside of Kelly’s, and he says he’s worried about her. She tells him, stop that, but he says he can’t help it. She says she doesn’t even know why he’s still talking to her after what she did to his marriage. He says, it’s his fault, not hers, and she says, what’s with the two them? Why did she walk out of the wedding? He says her timing’s not always great, but her instincts are spot-on. They were wrong for each other. She asks what that has to do with now, and he says, not a damn thing. She’s his dear friend, and always will be. They’ll always have each other’s backs. Alexis tells Doc, Ned was stable, kind, and treated her with respect. No wonder she left him at the altar. He says, it’s not a bad decision if you know it’s wrong, and she says he makes a valid point. She and Ned didn’t belong together. Of course (🍷) that didn’t stop her from hopping in the sack with him when she knew he wasn’t available.

Earlier that day. Alexis rings the bell at the Quartermaine mansion, and Olivia tells her, Ned isn’t there. He’s supposed to be with her. Alexis says she came to see Dante, but Olivia says, he took the boys for ice cream. What does she need him for? Alexis tells Olivia, she wanted to say that… never mind. She starts to leave, and Olivia says, for the record, she’s still furious, beyond furious, at Alexis, but she’s terrified for her. She doesn’t hate her. Alexis says she’s really sorry they’re not friends anymore, but she’s glad Olivia doesn’t hate her. Olivia says, a long time ago, she met someone named Alexis Davis. Ever heard of her? Alexis says, it rings a bell, and Olivia says, when a lowlife had her arrested for feeding her kid in public, that’s who she turned to, to defend her rights, and did she ever. Alexis says, she remembers, and misses her. Olivia says, so does she. Go where she needs to go, and do what she needs to do to find the Alexis she used to know.

Alexis asks Doc, how low can she go? She slept with her friend’s husband, and almost killed her friend’s son, yet Olivia was able to show her the kindness and grace she didn’t deserve. He asks if she thinks pleading guilty and serving a sentence is penance for the steps she’s made since Neil died. Is the goal to punish herself?

Alexis says she’s been punishing herself her whole life. She doesn’t even know why. She just knows she needs to be accountable. Doc asks, to whom? and she says, everyone for everything. He asks, why? and she says it’s her job to hold all things together for all people all the time. He says, she couldn’t if she tried. She made the right choice with Neil. She asks if that’s supposed to be a solution. Neil died; he OD’d in her bed. Doc says she didn’t put the needle in Neil’s arm, no more than she put the knife in Julian’s hand. How is she responsible?

Earlier that day. Alexis goes to Charlie’s, and sees the bartender from the back. For a moment, she thinks it’s Julian, and Nikolas asks if everything is okay, all things considered. The bartender turns around, and she says, sorry. She hands Nikolas a photo album, and says she found it in storage. It’s a family album with some nice pictures of him and Stefan when Nikolas was little. She’s sure he’ll get a kick out of looking at them. He says she doesn’t need to make up excuses to say goodbye. She’ll be okay; he promises. She asks if he guarantees it, and he says he’ll be right back. He goes to take the phone from the bartender, and Ava comes over to Alexis. Alexis says she heard Julian left the pub to Ava in his will, and Ava says, he did. Just so Alexis knows, Kristina has a job there for as long as she wants it. Alexis says, that’s good to hear, and Ava says, although the clientele has dwindled. People probably don’t want to go to a place that was owned by the mad bomber. Her brother was a terribly flawed man, but his love for Alexis was real. She hopes Alexis knows that. Alexis says she knows how flawed Julian was; that’s exactly the problem.

Doc asks if this is upsetting her, and Alexis says, yes. Julian is not the root of her problem. Neither is Rick, Jerry, or the rest of them; they’re just a symptom. He says, of what? and she says, her tendency to self-sabotage. At some point, for some reason, she decided she’s not supposed to be happy. He asks, what’s wrong with happiness? and she says, it’s fleeting. It comes in and out of your life like people; like the men in her life. He says, like her father? She sees herself as a little girl watching from the stairs as her parents argue. Her mother says she doesn’t need Mikkos. She’ll be nothing and have nothing? He’s nothing but a boring cliché. Mikkos calls her an ungrateful bitch. Doc asks where Alexis went just now, and she gets up. She says, this isn’t working. She came because she needed him to soothe her anxiety about going to prison. He’s yet another man who defines women by their daddy issues. Not all of her actions are defined by men, and what he’s doing is insulting and offensive. He’s not helping.

Doc says, now they’re getting somewhere, and she says she doesn’t want the men in her life to define who she is… whoever that is. She looks at the watch.

Earlier that day. Alexis leaves the pub, and Valentin says, hello again. Did she get the watch fixed? She says they couldn’t even get it to start ticking. Her mother thought it was beautiful; she lived for trinkets like that. It’s a lost cause; alas, something they both know about. Valentin says, on the contrary. She taught him that as long as they’re true to themselves, they’ll never be lost. She asks when she taught him that, and he says the night she cleaned his clock at misery poker. Doc tells Alexis, it’s twice now that she’s mentioned her father. She went somewhere. Did she remember something? She says, it’s not important, but he suggests she run it by him to make sure. She says, fine. She told him that she doesn’t have many memories of her father; she blocked most of them for decades. One keeps coming back though, like she’s seeing it for the first time. He asks, what happened just now; she was looking at the time. She says, actually, she was looking at her watch. She must have been five or six at the time. We see little Alexis looking at the Christmas tree, and there’s a knock at the door. Her mother runs to let Mikkos in. Alexis tells Doc, her father would stop by every few months, and shower them both with gifts. Christmas Eve was no exception. Mikkos hands Kristen a gift, and says it must be for her. Alexis says, her father brought the watch. She remembers thinking how beautiful it was, and that it must have cost a fortune; several thousand dollars. That’s how he showed affection. It was a wonderful night, and her mother asked him to stay over. She wanted to spend Christmas morning as a family, but he refused. He had to get back to his real family. Alexis was sent to her room so they could argue, but of course (🍷) she didn’t go. She stayed hidden, and they tore into each other. Mikkos tried to leave, but her mother wouldn’t let him. They argued some more, and it got intense. Her mother threated to tell Helena about them, then… We see Mikkos hit Kristen, and she falls. Alexis says, her father hit mother, and kept hitting her. He wouldn’t stop, and there was nothing she could do about it. She cries.

Alexis says she Idolized her father. She yearned for his affection, and in the rare moments when he gave it to her, she cherished it. It wasn’t until she saw him in that moment, when he hit her mother over and over, hand over hand, that she knew he wasn’t who she’d imagined him to be. He was a monster. She watched him abuse her mother, and she was powerless to stop him. Alexis sees Mikkos drag her mother up from the floor, and smack her around. She runs downstairs, saying, stop it, but her mother tells her to go back upstairs. She tells Mikkos not to touch her mother, and her mother tells her to go to her room. She tells Mikkos, please don’t hurt her, and picks up the watch. She tells him that he broke it, and he storms out. She hugs her mother. Alexis tells Doc, she knew her mother was done with Mikkos and the Cassadine family, and Doc says, but that didn’t happen. She says, he came back New Year’s Eve, contrite. He apologized for losing his temper, and begged forgiveness, promising to never do it again, and then… Mikkos gives Kristen the watch, and says, just like new. He puts it on her, and says, like nothing happened. Alexis tells Doc, she took him back. He fixed her pretty watch, and put it back on her pretty wrist, and after everything he’d done, she took him back. She watched him shower her mother with gifts and brutality, and her mother was never free of him again, until she died.

She tried help her mother, but she couldn’t. Doc says, it’s a pretty heavy burden to put on a child, doesn’t she think? Alexis says, it’s all she had, and he says, she was a child. She flashes back to Mikkos beating her mother again, and Doc repeats, she was a child. Alexis looks at her child self, sitting on the floor of Doc’s office, and goes to her. Little Alexis says she couldn’t stop him. She’s sorry. Alexis says, don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. You’re just a little girl. Little Alexis says, if he loved her, he wouldn’t hurt her mother, but Alexis says, he didn’t love anybody; he was damaged and cruel. Little Alexis asks why her mother stays, and Alexis says, she’s damaged too. You’re such a good girl, Natasha, and you deserve to be happy. And all the bad things that happened to you, never should have happened. It shouldn’t have been your burden to carry; it’s too much to handle. No one was there when they should have been, but Alexis is here for her now. She knows who she is – Alexis Davis – and she is a fighter, an idealist, and an advocate, and she can handle this for her, if she lets her. You can let this go now, Natasha. I’ve got this. She hugs her child self.

Doc says, you got this. She may have felt helpless that night, but she found it within herself to stand up for the voiceless. Isn’t that what she’s done her entire life? Be the voice of others in ways she never realized?

Later that night. Alexis comes home to a small surprise party. Kristina says she knows Alexis told them not to have a big party, and it’s not. Sam says Alexis can’t go without a celebration, and Kristina says, not everything is about her. She plays Pomp and Circumstance on her phone, and Molly comes down the stairs in her cap and gown. Kristina says they didn’t want Alexis to miss Molly’s graduation from law school, and now she won’t. Molly says, even though it’s officially next month. Sam says, they’re all together, and she thinks that’s what’s important, and Alexis says she’s so proud of Molly. She hugs Molly, and says, they’re her life raft. Molly says Alexis doesn’t need a life raft. She’s unsinkable. The girls gather around Alexis for a group hug, while Ned films. Ned tells everyone, say cheese, and takes a group selfie.

Doc tells Alexis, several times she used three aspects that she felt defined her; fighter, idealist, and advocate. Either by fate or luck, she has three daughters; a fighter (Sam), an idealist (Kristina), and an advocate (Molly). She didn’t need a law degree to impart those gifts on her daughters or the world. All she need was to be… She says, Alexis Davis, and he tells her, she said it, not him.

After the party, Alexis starts to clean up, but Sam tells her, don’t. Go get some rest. Alexis says, her last night in a cozy bed? and Sam says that’s not what she meant, but yes. Alexis says Sam can stop worrying. She’s all right. She’s scared, but more at peace than she’s been in a long time. Sam leaves, and Alexis looks around. She flashes back to when she first came to Port Charles, telling a law firm that she heard they were looking for a good attorney. Saying, she’s better than good. She’s the best. She remembers almost marrying Ned, and running from the wedding. She thinks about getting pregnant, and pretending to be the Quartermaine’s butler. She recalls explaining to Sam how Sam’s father sent her away as a baby for adoption, but she’s not going anywhere. She flashes back to having lung cancer, saving Kristina, and running over Kiefer with the car. She remembers Sam telling her that being hungover is becoming a pattern, Jax telling her that she’s so torn up, she’s drinking until she blacks out, and hitting Julian with the car. She recalls going to AA for the first time, her relationship with Finn, and Valentin giving her the watch. She flashes back to being disbarred, and hugging her daughters. She looks at the watch, takes it off, puts it on her desk, and goes upstairs.

The next morning. Alexis is led to her cell. Her roommate is at a desk, and jumps when Alexis says, excuse me. Alexis says she didn’t mean to startle her, but she says Alexis isn’t the first, and won’t be the last. She moves some books off the bunk, so Alexis can move in, and Alexis asks what she’s working on. She says she has a parole hearing coming up, so she’s brushing up, since she wants to do everything right. Alexis sits next to her, and says, my name is Alexis Davis, and I can help you.  

The house is empty. We see the watch, now running.

This was an incredibly touching episode. It brought tears to my eyes while watching it, and again while editing it.

Tomorrow, Chase asks if Gregory is having second thoughts, Finn asks Elizabeth if it gets easier, Nikolas tells Ava that he’s willing to make a deal with the devil, and Carly tells Jason that she’s getting him out, whatever it takes.

🙇🏻‍♂️ Feelings…

Nancy Grahn talks about Alexis’s very special episode.

🏖 When we last left Why Am I Watching This Trash? Summer House, Stephen was standing outside Lindsay’s window, in the heart of electric tealights spelling out, I 🤍 You. Kyle told everyone to bask in the moment, but I wasn’t sure if he meant the romantic moment, or a moment where he wasn’t complaining. Supposedly, Stephen was reenacting a scene from his and Lindsay’s favorite 80s movie, but if it was talking about Say Anything, why didn’t dude use the boombox he had sitting there? I give it a 3. Lindsay came down, and Stephen presented her with flowers. He said he was scared of losing her, and wanted her be his girlfriend again, but she didn’t have an answer for him. Even so, she deigned to give him a hug, which led to making out, which led to them having sex. Carl missed everything since he was in the shower. The next day, Lindsay told Stephen about her pregnancy scare, and to his credit, he didn’t even flinch.  

Hannah had been holding off inviting Des to the nightmare house, until she saw what happened in the house with Luke, which she said was a mistake on her part. Paige said she felt like she had a penpal instead of a boyfriend, and was practically single without the fun of being single. Hannah suggested Paige actually ask Perry to come out, and what a shock, when she did, he did. Des also arrived, and having gone back to being the adult in the house, Carl told Des that he’d be an ally if need be. Kyle negated that with several crude remarks that Hannah was dating his dad, since he and Des resembled one another. At dinner, Des told everyone that he and Hannah had sex on their second date, which you’d think would be rude, but this bunch talks about their sex lives like it’s the weather. In Luke’s interview, he thought this meant he couldn’t possibly have been leading Hannah on. Because she couldn’t possibly have had a casual relationship while waiting for him to make up his dimbulb mind. To prove my point, in Hannah’s interview, she said that it was quarantine, she hadn’t had sex in 6 months, and it felt like 6 years. Carl extracted himself quickly from that conversation. Luke said Des rubbed him the wrong way, and I’m now at the point where I just want to smack Luke whenever I see him. Paige thought Des was the male version of Hannah. Danielle’s boyfriend Robert also showed up, so it was all coupley. In Carl’s interview, he said he was in a better place, but still had work to do, confirming his status as grown-up of the week.   

Next time, labor Day, Danielle doesn’t think Stephan is the guy for Lindsay, and Hannah gets defensive about Des.

🎥 I finally saw the Addicted to Love episode of For Real: The Story of Reality TV. Andy said The Dating Game (circa 1965) looked like preschool compared to today’s love connection shows. Clips were shown from Millionaire Matchmaker, Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire – which ended up with a scandal attached to it – and Temptation Island, which ended up with a lawsuit. The Bachelor was discussed, and Andy interviewed Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney. I don’t watch The Bachelor, Temptation Island, or The Bachelorette, since I can’t endure the embarrassment I feel for the contestants who leave their dignity at the door, but Bachelor viewers might remember Jason as the bachelor who dumped his choice for the choice he dumped. To his credit, they’ve been together 11 years now, and have two children, so I guess the dumped choice was the right choice. The Bachelor franchise is nothing to sneeze at, having borne 8 Bachelor/Bachelorette spin-offs, and 37 versions throughout the world. The Lifetime fictional series UnReal (which I loved) was also based on The Bachelor, and the whole thing has culminated in Bachelor Nation, where all things Bachelor can be found. One of the producers felt it was the combination of soap opera, the competitive element, and the element of suspense that made it a successful collective viewing experience.

Flavor of Love was one of my favorites, and another producer said, if you you’re a woman, there’s a very good chance you’re attractive to Flava Flav. Bret Michaels pitched his own Rock of Love, which I also watched, where he wasn’t so much looking for love, as a good time. Several girls quit early on when they realized they were more likely to be objectified than be going on the road with Bret. There were more mentions of spin-offs, including another favorite of mine, I Love New York. I think Tiffany Pollard is the best! Another scandal was born from Megan Wants a Millionaire. Megan literally dodging a bullet when the contestant she wanted to choose was thought a poor choice by producers. She’d planned on calling him on the DL after eliminating him, but he ran off and got married to a model in Vegas. No harm, no foul, until the model was found dead. While her murderer was on yet another reality show, I Love Money. He, too, ended up dead by his own hand. Hmm… Maybe the love of money is the root of all evil…  Andy moved on to more current programs like Catfish, and my all-time favorite – the show I love above all other reality shows – 90 Day Fiancé. The beauty of it was that it was rejected all over the place, until a bigwig at TLC asked the producers to show him what they thought they couldn’t sell, and promptly ordered six episodes. Dr. Drew Pinsky, also of reality fame (Celebrity Rehab), said the show is like reality on steroids. The viewers wanted to see more of the cast outside the window of the K-1 Visa, and the franchise was born. For Real is a really well-crafted series. Andy definitely gets a bravo.

😲 Really Real…

On Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire, one of those millionaires didn’t have quite as much bank as he said. In addition to lying about pretty much everything else.

https://www.fame10.com/entertainment/who-wants-to-marry-a-multi-millionaire-7-shocking-behind-the-scenes-secrets/

The lawsuit against Temptation Island only gave them more publicity. They tried to pretend they didn’t want to break up a family.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1251517.stm

The ups and downs of The Bachelor’s Jason, and contestants Melissa and Molly, along with a few other Bachelor tidbits.

The scandal beyond all of them, involving a murder/suicide.

The Basics:

The Grisly Details:

https://ew.com/tv/2020/01/30/ryan-jenkins-jasmine-fiore-megan-wants-a-millionaire/

🌬 Off Like the Wind…

Brewing the tea for tomorrow, but in the meantime, stay safe, stay in good health, and stay being a fighter, an idealist, and an advocate.

⚠️ Warning: Possible Bad Words Ahead…

April 7, 2021 – Nikolas Strikes a Bargain With Cyrus, a Memorial in New Jersey, Marge’s Book, Jen’s Troubles, Two Season Twos, Name Change, Not Her Too, Essential BS & Midnight

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Alexis moves her household files to her desk, and answers the door. Kristina is there, and hugs her, crying. Alexis says, it’s going to be okay.

At the hospital, Finn thanks Violet for being so patient, and she says she likes coming to his office. She thinks it’s cool. He says, it is cool. Maybe someday, she’ll want to be a doctor like her dad. She says, sure. She used to listen to Bella’s heart with her doctor set. They’ve got to get it from Anna’s. Can they go tonight? He says, he doesn’t… but she sees Chase, and runs to him. He picks her up, says it’s good to see her, and asks what she’s doing there. Finn says the nanny had a family emergency, and dropped Violet off with him. He asks what Chase is doing there, and Chase says, working a case. Finn asks if there’s anything he can help with, and Chase asks if he knows of any missing prosthetic hand models. Finn says, no; why? and Chase looks at Violet. He says he’ll tell Finn later. Can they talk about something else?

Cyrus and Brando walk into the mysterious new fancy restaurant, and Cyrus says, good; he isn’t here yet. He could use a drink to take the edge off. Carly clearly hasn’t realized her protectors are all gone. She better learn to speak to him with more respect. He sees Brando isn’t paying attention, and says he expects his bodyguard to be alert, not lost in thought. Brando says, sorry, and Cyrus says, pressing dilemma? Brando says his mom and Valentin were having a drink at the MetroCourt, and Cyrus wonders what Valentin could want with Brando’s mother.

Britt hands Maxie her sonogram photo, and says, ultrasound looks good, a strong heartbeat; her niece is a superstar. Maxie says, good. So that’s that. Britt says, the check-up is done. It’s time to put their plan into motion. Maxie says she’ll have to call, and they hear Valentin outside, saying, this woman requires immediate medical attention. She’s in her third trimester, and had a traumatic fall. Britt goes out, and sees Valentin with Brook in a wheelchair. Brook says, there was nothing traumatic about it. Her heel broke, and she tripped. The baby is fine. He says they’ll let a doctor tell them that, and Britt asks, what’s going on? Valentin says, she fell. She lost her footing, and fell directly on the baby. Brook says, he’s overreacting. She’s not in any pain, the baby is moving around, the fall looked worse than it was. Britt suggests they take a look. She’ll do a quick exam and assessment, and make sure. She wheels Brook away, and Anna asks if Valentin wants her to wait with him. He says he does, and please pretend she doesn’t see he’s terrified.

Finn gives Violet something to do, and says he’s going to talk to Chase for a moment. He’ll be right back. He goes over to Chase, who says he was thinking a family dinner might be a good way to break the ice. His mom already agreed to it, and he knows how much Finn loves talking about feelings. Finn says he’ll be there, but it’s too soon for Violet. Chase says, of course (🍷). He hasn’t told their dad yet. Who knows if he’ll even be up for it? How are things between Gregory and Finn? Finn says he hasn’t spoken to Gregory since he found out… Violet says, grandpa! And Gregory picks her up. Finn smiles.

Kristina says she’s such a coward. She wanted to be there for Alexis’s court appearance, but she knew she couldn’t listen to Alexis plead guilty, or listen to people saying horrible things about her. Alexis says, if it makes her feel any better, it was very simple and straightforward. There were no fireworks, and Dante even asked for leniency on her behalf. Kristina says, too bad the judge didn’t listen, but Alexis says, actually, she did. It could have been a lot worse. Molly comes in, and says they missed Kristina in court. Kristina says she already apologized for being a hopeless coward, and Molly says Kristina makes it difficult to stay mad at her when she’s humble and contrite. Although she is sorry Kristina missed Alexis’s elocution. Kristina says, her what? and Molly tells her, her speech to the judge. It was really powerful. Sam thought so too. Kristina asks, where is Sam? and Alexis says Sam was there, but she left. She was there when Alexis met with the prison consultant Diane arranged. Molly asks how that went, and Alexis says, she was very thorough. She gave Alexis the information she needed while she’s in prison. One of the most important things was to get her affairs in order, which is why she wanted to see them. She wants them both to move in there.

Maxie says Baby Lu is about to see her in action. She has major skills as a liar and manipulator, and will do anything to keep her baby safe. Peter whips open the curtains, and says, Maxie? Thank God she called him. What happened?

Britt tells Brook that she’ll check the fetal heartbeat, and then do an ultrasound. She hands Brook a hospital gown, and says, change into this; open at the front. Brook says, there’s something Britt should know.

Anna tells Valentin that she was just there for an appointment. He brought Brook in? He says he practically had to kidnap her to get her there, and Anna says, she tripped? He says, that’s her story. He saw her fall face first onto the baby. Her lack of concern is very disappointing. He knows Anna is thinking it, so she might as well say it. He brought this on himself. She says she doesn’t see how Brook falling is his fault, and he says, for getting her pregnant in the first place. He doesn’t regret it. He’s amazed at how quickly he’s grown attached to this baby, but Brook seems oblivious to the realities of motherhood. She says she sees, and he’s qualified to speak on the realities of motherhood? He says, parenthood, but he’s not going to sit idly by while Brook endangers his child. Anna says, she fell. It’s not like she threw herself down a flight of stairs, or jumped off a building. She fell. So maybe we’re not going to spin out of control until we hear what the doctor has to say, eh? He says, listen to her, so calm and logical, and she says she’s so much better at telling other people how to conduct their lives. It’s hers she has trouble with.

Brando tells Cyrus, his mother has been gushing about how Valentin rushed to her defense from Carly the other day, and saved her from public humiliation. Cyrus says, there must be something else. Valentin always has an angle. Brando says he doesn’t know what it could be. His mom has nothing Valentin could use to his advantage. Cyrus sees Nikolas, and says, he made it. Cyrus and Brando get up, and Cyrus says he was pleased to receive Nikolas’s call. He started without Nikolas, but why doesn’t he have a seat?

Gregory says he wasn’t expecting to see Violet, but he’s glad he did, and Chase asks if everything is okay. Gregory says he was just picking up some medication from the pharmacy, and Chase says he was working on a case, and ran into Finn. Finn asks how Gregory is, and Gregory says fine, and Finn? Finn says he can’t complain, and Violet wonders why everybody is acting so funny. Chase says he acts funny when he’s hungry, and asks if she wants a vending machine snack. Violet asks Finn if she can have one, and he says she can have anything she wants. Chase takes her to the vending machine.

Alexis says, Molly and TJ are starting a new chapter. TJ is going to be an intern, Molly is starting a job at the DA’s office, and Kristina has a roommate moving out. Kristina says, next month, and Alexis says, so she can pack up and move. Sam will be handling the finances, and will cover the mortgage, and the utility bills. They won’t have to pay for anything. They’ll save a bundle, and he helping her. They can act as caretakers for her house and each other. Molly says, it’s an amazing offer, and she’ll talk to TJ, but Kristina says, sorry. Not going to happen.   

Nikolas meets Cyrus at the MetroCourt, and says he’d like the conversation to be private. Cyrus tells Brando to take a walk, and Nikolas sits down. Cyrus says Nikolas’s call was welcome, but not a complete surprise. He senses Nikolas is not a man who lets his mother talk for him, even if she’s the formidable mayor Laura Collins. Nikolas says he’s not there to talk about his mother. What are Cyrus’s terms? Cyrus says he wants his mother back, and Nikolas says, or Alexis will have an accident. Cyrus says, accidents can happen anywhere at any time, but they happen more frequently in prison. He has certain connections, and a few words to the right person can shape an inmate’s experience for better or worse. Nikolas says he wants his aunt protected, and Cyrus says, of course (🍷) he does. Find his mother, and they can come to an understanding. He’ll give Nikolas what he wants. Nikolas tells him, says the man who put his sister in a coma.

Brook tells Britt that she has on shapewear. It’s perfectly safe for pregnant women to wear. Britt says she knows, and Brook says it will take her some time to wriggle out of it. Britt has time to see other patients. Britt tells her to take her time; she’ll be back. She leaves, and Brook says, the one thing this belly doesn’t have is a heartbeat. She starts looking around at the equipment.

Anna asks Valentin what Charlotte thinks about having a new sibling. He says, to say she’s enthusiastic would be an overstatement, and Anna says Charlotte is the apple of his eye. Of course (🍷) she doesn’t want to share him with a hypothetical baby. He might like the baby more. He says, never, and she says, they know, but Charlotte has to learn for herself. He says he’s open to suggestions, and she says she wouldn’t force it. Don’t worry. Even if Charlotte is cool in the beginning, the baby will win her over. He asks how she can be sure, and she says, most humans are hardwired to love babies. Put a baby in their arms, and there’s a chemical reaction. He says, Charlotte is difficult. He can see her making a contest out of it, even if it’s just in her own mind. She says his daughter is a prickly one, but she has courage and can be surprisingly generous. It was kind of her to offer to have a playdate with Violet. Valentin says he called Finn, but he never heard back, and Anna says, her point is, Charlotte will come around. Give it time, and reassure her that although he loves the baby, it doesn’t mean he loves her any less. He says that’s exactly what he told Charlotte, but he’s glad Anna told him, since it sounds good coming from her. He’s on the right track with Charlotte. Brook might be a different story

Britt tells Maxie that the baby has a strong heartbeat and there’s no distress. Maxie says she was scared. She thought the contractions would never stop. Britt says Maxie shouldn’t be alone, and wonders where the doctor is. She starts to leave, and runs into Peter. She asks what he’s doing there, and Maxie says she called him. Britt asks, why? and Peter says, this is his child. Maxie says, he needs to know what’s going on; she and the baby were in crisis. Britt says, it appears to be over, the baby seems fine, but Peter says she’ll have to do a helluva lot better than seems. Britt tells him to hear for himself, and turns on the ultrasound. Brook listens in from behind the curtain, and the baby’s heartbeat is heard. Britt says, see? Nice, strong heartbeat.  

Brook peeks out, and sees Valentin sitting with Anna. She says, come on, girl, think. She’s got to make this work.

Finn asks if Gregory wants to come to his office so they can talk privately, and Gregory says, sure. He thinks it’s time. Finn leads him to the office, and Gregory says he hasn’t heard from Finn since they got the news about Chase. Finn says he wasn’t sure Gregory wanted to talk to him, and Gregory says, so he kept his distance; some habits die hard. Finn says he supposes, and Gregory says, you have to learn that, sometimes as a parent, you need to wade through troubled waters. Finn asks what Gregory was doing on this floor, since the pharmacy isn’t there, and Gregory says, Finn is still his son, even if Chase isn’t. Finn says Gregory will always be Chase’s father, and he doesn’t want to interfere. If anything, he’s grateful. He’s not sure he could have been the father Gregory has been. Gregory says, that’s something they’ll never know, and Finn says he hates that he missed Chase’s childhood, but he’s comforted knowing Gregory was always there for Chase. Gregory is a good man and a better father. He made Chase the good man that he is.

Britt tells Peter, see? Strong and steady. She asks if Peter minds having a word with her outside, but he says he’s not leaving Maxie. Maxie asks why Britt needs to talk to Peter. Is something wrong? Britt says, Maxie’s overactive imagination is the only problem. Everything is fine, but she’d like to keep it that way. Chill. Peter tells Maxie, Britt is right. The baby is fine, and Maxie needs her rest. He’ll be right back.  

Brook goes in to see Maxie, saying she thought she heard Maxie’s voice. Is the baby okay? Maxie says, the baby is fine. Why is Brook there? Brooks says she tripped and fell, and Valentin got hysterical. She and the baby are both fine. She’s just glad their little ones are doing well. She could hear the monitor in her cubicle. Maxie says, it’s a huge relief that the baby is okay, and nurse comes in to take Maxie’s blood pressure. Maxie says, okay, but Britt just took it. While they’re talking, Brook takes the sonogram picture, hides it behind her back, and says, bye.  

Peter asks Britt if Maxie is all right. Is there something she hasn’t told him? Anna comes over, and asks if Maxie is all right, and Britt says she can’t speak about Maxie’s medical condition to Anna, but she and the baby are fine. Peter asks why Anna cares, and Anna walks away. Britt says there’s something Peter needs to understand. Maxie had another close call. For a moment, Britt didn’t know if she needed to prep Maxie for the OR and premature delivery. Her blood pressure is too high. She needs bed rest and no stress. Peter says, fine, he’ll move back in, and Britt says, absolutely not. What part of no stress does he not understand? His unexpected drop-ins and constant pressure contributed to this incident.  

Maxie tells the baby, Auntie Britt can do this. She’ll convince Peter to leave them alone. Anna asks if she can come in. 

Kristina says she’s not about to be third wheel in TJ and Molly’s domestic partnership, and after the tofurky incident, she vowed never to share a refrigerator with Molly again. Molly says, like Kristina was the wronged party. That container was clearly labeled. It’s not her fault Kristina wasn’t paying attention. Kristina says maybe she just got confused by all the fermented probiotic products in the refrigerator. Molly says Kristina does realize that sustainable agriculture is their best hope of saving the planet, and Kristina says, can’t she just have a snack or a sandwich without being reminded about the future of the planet? Molly looks at Alexis, and says, sorry; they’ll stop. Kristina says, what they’re doing is ridiculous, and Alexis says she’ll miss their bickering. She’ll miss everything about them. Kristina says they’ll miss her too, but they’ll visit all the time. Molly says Alexis won’t be able to get rid of them, and Alexis says, part of her wants that to happen. Another part wants them to live their lives, and not feel the need to drive to Pentenville for an obligated visit. Kristina says she won’t mind. She’ll just be happy to see her. She hugs Alexis, and Molly comes in for a three-way hug. Alexis tells them, take care of each other, even if it involves friendly bickering. They’ll be okay.

Cyrus tells Nikolas that Julian planted the bomb at The Floating Rib. Sadly, Nikolas’s sister was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Nikolas says, it’s Cyrus’s standard answer. It rolls off his tongue like a well-crafted talking point. Cyrus realizes no one is buying it, especially him, right? Cyrus says Nikolas’s aunt is headed to Pentenville. It can be a dangerous place. Three years is a long time, and anything can happen. Nikolas says Cyrus makes a good point. It could play out in any number of ways. For example, Nikolas could find Cyrus’s mother, and keep her for himself. I say, nicely played, Nikolas!

Cyrus tells Nikolas to be careful. They’re family, but they’re still getting to know each other. The last thing Nikolas wants is to make an adversary of him. Nikolas says they’re playing an unproductive game of what if, and Cyrus suggests, now that they’ve gotten that out of the way, they focus on what they can do for one another. Nikolas says he wants Alexis protected the moment she gets to Pentenville, and Cyrus says, Alexis is going in next week. Does Nikolas think he can find Cyrus’s mother that quickly? Nikolas says, in all likelihood, no, but it can’t wait that long. Those are his terms, and they’re non-negotiable. Cyrus says Nikolas may be a Cassadine, but he sees a lot of Laura in Nikolas. Very well, but he advises Nikolas not to try his patience. Find his mother quickly, or Alexis might find prison is a very dangerous place.

Alexis and Kristina sit on the couch, and Molly says, Diane thinks Alexis is a perfect candidate for parole, and could be out in two and a half years. Kristina says, that doesn’t sound… too bad, and Molly says, considering what the sentence could have been, it’s kind of a best case scenario. Kristina says, let’s not get carried away, and Alexis says, what’s going to be tricky for her is missing Molly is graduating from law school, which she worked so hard for. Alexis is so proud of her. Molly sits on the other side of Alexis, and says she’s proud of Alexis too. Alexis says Molly is proud of her after everything she’s done? and Molly says, of course (🍷). Alexis took responsibility for her actions, and while she hates the thought of Alexis behind bars, she admires her commitment and courage. Kristina says, they all make mistakes, but that’s the thing about the Davis women. We come back even stronger. Alexis says she’s in the mood for hot cocoa. Anybody else? The girls say, yes, and Alexis goes to the kitchen. Kristina says she has an idea. Alexis won’t have to miss Molly’s graduation.  

Chase asks if Violet enjoyed her ice cream sandwich, and Violet nods, saying, daddy never lets her have ice cream before dinner. He says that’s why he’s cooler than her dad, and she laughs. He asks how she’s doing. She probably misses Anna. She says, sometimes she wishes her dad wasn’t so sad, and Chase says, it’s okay to be sad. He bets Finn will start feeling better soon, especially with a ray of sunshine like her around. He tells Violet, if she ever gets sad, she can always call him, and she says, sometimes she wishes she had a brother or sister to talk to. At least she has her Uncle Chase.   

Anna says she heard Maxie was there, and wanted to see how she and the baby were doing. Maxie says she’s fine but she’s supposed to be resting, so if Anna doesn’t mind… Anna says she doesn’t have to be alone, and Maxie says she’s not. Anna says, Robert told her that Maxie was working on a plan to distance herself from Peter, but Maxie says she doesn’t know what Anna is talking about. Anna says Maxie doesn’t want to risk antagonizing Peter, Wait. She’s working on something herself. Maxie says she’s supposed to trust Anna now? Her godmother and super spy, who loves her and would never let anything happen to her? Except she encouraged Maxie to love Peter. She said he’d changed, and Peter was a man she could trust with her heart, and her kids would be safe around him. Oops. None of that was true. Anna knew for long enough that Peter was too good to be true, but didn’t want Maxie to know, so no; she won’t wait. Whatever Anna is working on, Maxie is pregnant with Peter’s child. It’s up to her to handle it. Anna says, hear her out, please. Maxie says she needs to rest. Please just go. Anna says, okay, but if Maxie needs anything, just call her. Please. On her way out, she runs into Peter, who asks what she’s doing there.    

Britt goes back to see Brook, and says she’s still dressed. Brook says it took Britt long enough. She already had her ultrasound. That guy came in with this machine, that doctor, and squirted cold goo on her. Then he told her what she already knew; her baby is perfectly fine. No signs of distress, strong heartbeat, the usual. She’s good to go, which is what she’s going to do. Britt looks at Brook’s chart, and says, there’s no indication an ultrasound was done. Who treated her? Brook says she doesn’t remember. Doesn’t Britt know who’s working in the ER? Isn’t she Chief of Staff? There’s nothing wrong with her baby, except the level of incompetence at GH these days. She’s out of there. Britt says, wait one damn minute.

Finn tells Gregory that Chase would like to share a meal as a family. Maybe try to heal. Jackie said she would come; what about him? Gregory says he doesn’t think he’s ready just yet. He understands it’s important to Chase, and thinks they should go on without him. Finn says, don’t pull away. He’s the one who distances himself, not Gregory. Gregory says he’d never abandon Chase, but he’s not ready to see Finn and Jackie together. Given the circumstances, he thinks he’s allowed to take his time. Doesn’t Finn? Finn’s phone dings, and he says, it’s the ER; he has an emergency consult. Gregory says he’ll wait there for Chase and Violet, and tell them where Finn is. Finn thanks him, and starts to leave, but turns and asks Gregory to reconsider dinner. Not for his sake, or Jackie’s, but for Chase’s.

Brando approaches Cyrus’s table, and asks if his guest is gone. Cyrus says they’ve concluded their business, and gestures for Brando to sit. He says he believes Nikolas is smart enough not to cross him, and asks if Brando found out why Valentin is interested in his mother. Brando asks if Cyrus wanted him to, and Cyrus says he didn’t realize he needed to spell it out. He’s disappointed in Brando. He seems to have a deficit in imagination and drive. Maybe being a chauffeur is as much responsibility as Brando can handle. Since he’s made absolutely no progress in finding Cyrus’s mother, he can consider it off his to-do list. Brando protests, but Cyrus says he’s already put the matter in more competent hands. He tells Brando to bring his car around, and Brando leaves.  

Peter asks what Anna is up to now; feeding Maxie more lies? Anna says, Maxie doesn’t need stress, and he says she’s the one who’s been spinning her paranoid, delusional lies about him turning into his father. Maxie tells him, calm down; she can’t take all this anger. He apologizes, and says he didn’t to mean upset her. He’s going to protect her and the baby. If that means giving her more space, he will, for now. He wants her to know that he loves her and the baby with all his heart, and would never let anyone hurt them. Anna tells him, let’s go; come on, and tells Maxie to look after herself. She follows Peter out.  

Outside, Anna asks what’s wrong with Peter. For God’s sake, Maxie is terrified. She’s exhausted, and still worried about the baby. She’s afraid she’s going to go into premature labor. If he just has one shred of compassion and feeling for Maxie, he’ll back the hell off. The only thing that could make this terrible situation any worse, is if something happens to that baby. Anna walks away, and Peter’s phone rings, and he says, it’s not a good time.

Cyrus says, hello to Peter too. He has news. Peter asks, what about? and Cyrus says, Valentin Cassadine. Peter says, what about Valentin? and Cyrus says apparently, he’s taken an interest in their star witness. Peter says he’s aware. He saw Valentin step in to defend Gladys at the MetroCourt. Carly was going off on her because she found out Gladys ID’d Jason. Cyrus says, they were also together today. One meeting is a chance encounter; two is a pattern.

Anna goes back to sit by Valentin, and he asks how Maxie is. She says she’s not even sure. How’s Brook? He says he has no idea.

Britt tells Brook to give her a moment, and she’ll figure out where they stand. Brook says she knows where she stands. She and the baby are fine, and they need to go home now. Britt asks where the sensors for the fetal heart monitor are, and Brook says she doesn’t know; the doctor probably took them. They better not have lost her info, or Valentin will have a fit. She’s glad she got a picture of her sonogram. She shows Britt Maxie’s sonogram, and says, here’s her little darling. Britt looks at the picture, and looks at Brook.

Molly says their landlord is the worst. It’s freezing in winter and sweltering in summer, and now they have new neighbors above them who are midnight thumpers. She and TJ don’t know what their deal is, but two or three times a month, in the middle of the night, they move furniture, the couch and who knows what else. They’ve tried to guess why they redecorate at this random hour, but they haven’t decided if the neighbors are deliberately  torturing them, or oblivious to time. Alexis says she’s glad  they’ll have a nice place to live. Nikolas knocks at the door, and says he was just checking in. He’s sorry; he obviously interrupted. Kristina asks what he’s doing there, and Molly says they were just having cocoa. She’ll make him a cup. She drags Kristina to the kitchen, and Nikolas tells Alexis that he doesn’t want to cut in on family time. She says, he is family, and it means everything, and he says he intends to keep an eye on the girls while she’s away. She asks if he’s sure they shouldn’t keep an eye on him. Molly will be graduating law school soon; he might need them. He says, Molly is following in her mother’s very able footsteps. He’s sure she’ll be as loyal and fierce as Alexis is. He was thinking about when they were growing up, and how Alexis was the one warm, loving relationship in that den of vipers. She got him through a rough time, and kept him from turning into a complete Cassadine. (I think up a new word – Casshole.) She says he helped her too, although she’s not sure if those were his true intentions or not.

Gregory tells Violet, her daddy was called away to the ER. He has a consult, but he’ll be back shortly. He said he’d wait and tell them. Chase asks if he can talk to Gregory for a second, and asks if Violet wants to play the game he was showing her earlier. He gives her his phone, and she runs with it. He says he and Gregory will be right outside the door if she needs them, and they go out to the hallway. Gregory says, if this is about dinner, he talked to Finn. Chase says he knows its a big ask, and Gregory says, and likely to be incredibly awkward, but they’re family, so count him in. Chase thanks him, and says he thinks it’s an important step in their move forward, once they get past the initial… weirdness. Gregory says they need to reset expectation levels. He promises he’ll do everything he can to help Chase readjust to his new family situation, but as much as he loves Chase and that little girl in there, he has no idea what his relationship with Finn will be like moving forward.

Alexis says she hopes Nikolas’s offer of help doesn’t involve a jailbreak. He says, been there, done that. No. She’ll be protected in Pentenville; the other inmates will know she’s off limits. She asks what he did, and he says, let it suffice to say he’s taken steps to make sure his favorite aunt is safe. She’s his family, and he loves her. She hugs him, and says she loves him too.  

Cyrus tells Peter, he thinks there’s only one reason Valentin is interested in Gladys. Peter says, Valentin suspects Gladys is lying, and Cyrus says, but why? Jason and Valentin are hardly allies, and Valentin couldn’t care less about getting justice for Franco. Where is this curiosity coming from? Peter thinks he knows.

Valentin sees Brook, and asks if she should be walking. She says she’s perfectly fine, and the baby is too. She got him a little present. She gives him Maxie’s sonogram picture, and says, here you go, big daddy. She hopes he’s satisfied. He says he’ll drive her home, but she says, there’s no need. She has a car ready. She says, see ya, and walks off. Valentin smiles.  

Britt tells Maxie, Anna and Valentin are here, and Maxie says she knows. Anna actually helped her get Peter out of the room. Britt asks how it went with Peter, and Maxie says, good, she thinks. Peter promised to stay away for her and the baby’s sake. Britt says, good, because she’s admitting Maxie for observation. Peter will be convinced that the baby is in danger. She’ll get Maxie’s chart, and get her set up. She looks through Maxie’s paperwork, and asks if Maxie has seen the sonogram photo. Maxie says, it was right there. Was it misplaced? Britt says, there’s a lot of that going around tonight.

Valentin shows Anna the sonogram, and says, amazing. She says, it is, but they’re attracting too much attention. She’s going to leave, and she’ll see him back at her house where they’ll go over the next steps.

Peter tells Cyrus, Jason and Valentin have one person in common – Anna. Anna would want to exonerate Jason, and Valentin will do anything Anna asks; that includes cultivating Gladys. Cyrus says he’s done his research, and Anna and Valentin are professionals. They’ve obviously figured out what’s going on. That’s going to be a major problem. Peter says, there will be no problem at all. He looks at Finn, and smiles.

Tomorrow, a (coffee) toast to Alexis, Ned says they can all learn from someone’s example, and Valentin tells Alexis, as long as they’re true to themselves, they’ll never be lost.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Still nowhere near the ocean at the Jersey shore, Melissa wondered how it was going to go with Jennifer and Marge. Bill warned Jennifer not to start anything, like she’d listen. Everyone got ready for the dinner, and in her interview, Marge said she’d never met anyone with diarrhea of the mouth like Jennifer, and if Jennifer started something, she’d finish it. They went to a restaurant, Dolores wearing a wildly age inappropriate frilly mini dress. As I’ve told my friends, if I ever start wearing Baby Jane hair bows, take me out back and shoot me. The group couldn’t sit with more than eight at a table, so the guys sat at separate table, for which I’m sure they were grateful. In her interview, Teresa said she was glad she and Joe #2 got their sh*t together, but hoped everyone else could behave. In no time, Jennifer brought up Marge saying Bill was her meal ticket. In Jackie’s interview, she said sometimes it’s easier to go to a job than stay home taking care of the kids. Marge said Jennifer threw Marge sleeping with her boss in her face, when she’d been a victim. She said Jennifer would reprocess when she read it in the book. I can’t wait to read her book – Caviar Dreams: Tuna Fish Budget, How To Survive In Business And Life. It comes out April 13th.  

Joe #2 argued with Melissa for not waiting for him when they walked back to the car. In her interview, Melissa said the fight was really about her having her own success in business. She wasn’t home as much, and needed to go to Fashion Week and trade shows. If it was up to him, she’d cook, clean, and be his love slave. She told him that he was spoiled, and she’d kissed his ass for years. She’d been dealing with it for years, and she was tired of it. After they got back, Joe #2 brooded on the deck, and Marge sent Joe #3 out to talk with him. Joe #2 said, Melissa had just changed a little, but it bothered him. Then he said some weird crap about how, when you change, you get the devil in you. Huh? Marge said Joe #2 was old school and sensitive, and took Melissa walking ahead of him to a new level. Melissa said when they got married, she was 24, and she thought his jealousy meant love. She didn’t want to feel guilty for having achievements. Joe #2 said their marriage had reminded him of parents, and Evan said Joe was acting like it was over. Jackie said Melissa wasn’t old school anymore, and Melissa said she wanted Joe #2 to be supportive and trust her. Marge said it was about Joe #2, not her. Joes #2 and #3 came back in, and Melissa asked what she’d done wrong. Joe #2 said she’d changed, and it was little things. She said she was different from the 24 year old he’d met.  

The next morning, Marge wondered if it had just been emotional because of the memorial, but she thought Joe #2 was too caveman. Delores wore a wildly age inappropriate Daisy May outfit. Marge asked how Melissa was feeling, and she said it wasn’t easy. Joe #2 told Joe #3 he was upset, and Joe #3 suggested talking it out. What a concept. Joe #2 apologized to Melissa, who said marriage was work. You got that right, sister. The others made themselves scarce, and Melissa said she knew she was different from when they met, but that didn’t mean she didn’t love him. Joe #2 told her not to feel bad; they were just going through some issues. He was cool. In her interview, Melissa said she and Joe would talk it out, but not today. Today was about her father-in-law.

Joe #2 and Melissa’s kids arrived, along with their au pair. In his interview, Joe explained he’d hired the au pair so Melissa could spend more time with him. Frank took everyone out on the boat, and they went to lunch. Teresa thought if Joe #2 wanted more attention, Melissa should give it to him, and in her interview, she said Joe adored Melissa, and there weren’t many men like her brother around. Jackie said she thought Joe #2 was anxious about the memorial, and had been triggered. Delores said Joe’s mom had lived for their family, but Melissa wasn’t as old school anymore. Melissa said Joe #2’s phone was always ringing, and realtor Giselle had called six times in a row. She wondered what was going on. Frank thought Joe seemed absent minded lately, and Delores said she knew where he was coming from. He wanted to be the only one to take care of Melissa. Joe said they’d had 15 effing amazing years, but now Melissa was working more than ever. Delores said Melissa was crazy about him, and not to waste their best years worrying about stuff that didn’t matter.

When Giselle kept calling, Melissa said Joe was trying to make her believe he was cheating, but she wasn’t being punked. She called back, and it turned out to be Frank. We saw a clip of Joe #2 plotting with Frank, and saying, no one pulled a fast one on Joe Gorga. Melissa said he couldn’t play a player, and if he was cheating, she’d throw him in the bay. In Joe #2’s interview, he said Melissa still had the fire. She picked up when Giselle/Frank called, and it showed him she cared. Evan had to get back home, and everyone took a break. Melissa’s hairstylist showed up, and Melissa told Joe #2 that they had a florist, caterer, and bartender coming. Tons of food arrived, and Delores put on a prom dress. It was set up beautifully, with photos interspersed among flowers and candles. In her interview, Melissa said she and Teresa had always taken a ridiculous amount of pictures, but now it paid off. She was happy that they had so many memories.

Melissa told her mom that she was appreciated since she was the last standing grandparent, which I’m sure made her feel old wonderful. In Jennifer’s interview, she said it made her think of her own parents, and she wished things were better between them. Frank took a family photo, and two swans swam up, which Teresa declared were her parents. Teresa said everyone there meant a lot to her dad. Joe #2 said their dad had loved their mother, and Teresa interrupted, saying, they’d ever seen a love like that. Joe said every time he tried to talk, she jumped in, and everyone laughed. He said it’s what their father would have wanted – laughter and fun. Gia recited a speech she’d delivered at her grandfather’s funeral. She thanked him for being the glue, and having them stick together. As his first granddaughter, she thanked him for being her best friend, and for being the rock. He showed them that they could overcome anything because they were strong. She told him to remember that they’d love him for the rest of their lives, and ended with the hope that he and Nona were resting in peace together.

The group threw rose petals into the water. I think they were rose petals. I was just glad it wasn’t something that was alive, or going to pollute the water. We flashed back to good times with Papa Gorga, and Joe #2 told Teresa that their father always said family is everything. He’d told Joe to take care of his sister, and make sure she’s good. Everyone did a shot. How they managed to get through the episode without a fight… Oh wait…

Next time, a psychic predicts love for Teresa, Melissa says she and Joe #2 are in a different stage of life, Delores weeps over something, and Jennifer’s mom says her husband never made her happy. To which he responds, bullsh*t.

📖 Caviar Versus Tuna…

I might even preorder this.

https://finance.yahoo.com/finance/news/rhonj-margaret-josephs-release-memoir-160025698.html

🎥 The Show Must Go On…

Neither rain, nor snow, nor arrest for fraud will stop the cameras from rolling at Bravo.

https://pagesix.com/2021/04/05/bravo-will-film-jen-shahs-legal-drama-after-fraud-arrest/

Hype? Is that what we’re calling fraud now?

https://pagesix.com/2021/04/05/rhoslc-star-jen-shah-breaks-silence-on-arrest-thanks-fans/

I’m not so sure we should consider oy vey breaking his silence.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1255635/andy-cohen-breaks-his-silence-on-real-housewives-star-jen-shahs-arrest

🗽 Million Dollar Return…

Million Dollar Listing New York will return on May 6th.

📿 Karmic Comeback…

It’s vague as to when, but Family Karma will return some time this year.

https://meaww.com/family-karma-season-2-release-date-plot-cast-trailer-indian-american-bravo

⌨️ Google Is Unaware…

It asked if I meant Thandie. I totally understand this. I did not change my last name when I got married. It’s my name.

https://film.avclub.com/thandiwe-newton-reverts-to-original-spelling-of-her-nam-1846620042

🦹🏽 Is There No End…?

Even Wonder Woman can’t get away from being hassled.

https://people.com/movies/gal-gadot-clashed-with-joss-whedon-on-justice-league-after-he-threatened-her-career-report/

💉 Celebrities, They’re Not Like Us…

What have I said about undue influence?

https://film.avclub.com/oh-great-oscar-nominees-are-essential-workers-now-1846629550

✈️ Departing At Gate I’m Outta Here…

See you tomorrow for tea and Oh-Lord-When-Will-It-End House. FYI, Bravo will be running Below Deck reruns from season one tomorrow today Thursday starting at 7 am. An hour I rarely see unless it’s from the other side, and I’m on my way to bed. No matter your time schedule, stay safe, stay reputable, and stay being responsible for your actions. Just make sure they don’t land you in Pentenville.

April 6, 2021 – Alexis Prepares For Prison, Tea Is a Drag, Kathryn Shows Off, Together Again & Started

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Willow tells Michael that she thought he said Sasha agreed with her. He says she did, but it made him realize how much more her opinion means to him than Sasha’s. She says, that makes sense. She is Wiley’s mom after all, but he says, she’s more to him than Wiley’s mom. How she feels matters to him. She says he matters to her too, and they’re about to kiss, when Sasha comes in. Sasha apologizes, saying, the housekeeper let her in. She knocked several times, but she guesses they were too busy to notice. D’oh!

On the phone, Brook tells her mother to stop with the prenatal vitamins. She’ll get some. Honestly, Lois is as bad as Olivia… Of course it’s awkward. Her dad left the house, Olivia is monitoring her every breath, Michael is completely obsessed with being a dad… No, she’s not avoiding anything. She already talked to Valentin. She looks at her fake pregnancy belly, and says Valentin has been refreshingly fine with everything. She thinks he’s going to make quite the good father. She tries to make the device more comfortable.

At the MetroCourt bar, Carly asks what Valentin’s guy had to say, and Valentin says, he confirmed what Valentin already suspected. Gladys has been calling a disposable burner phone, paid for in cash, and ID isn’t required for those kinds of purchases. She says, so they can’t trace the number back to Cyrus, and he shakes his head. She says, if they can’t link Cyrus to Gladys, they can’t prove he’s paying for her false testimony, and Jason is going to stay in Pentenville until his trial. He says, that means Peter has the last laugh, but she says, not just Peter. Cyrus too.

Nikolas asks what Cyrus wants with his mother, and Laura says, he wants his mother, Florence Grey, and he wasn’t very happy with her when she said she couldn’t help him. Cyrus says, fine. If she’s not motivated to protect the lives of their family, perhaps her son will be motivated to protect the lives of his. Nikolas asks if Cyrus is threatening him, and Cyrus says, threats are the resort of the uninspired and impatient. He likes to think of himself as persevering and imaginative.

Ava starts to open the package, and Doc says, maybe it’s a wedding present. Laura tells him that Ava and Nikolas are renewing their vows. Ava says, yes; that would be so exciting, but she thinks if it were a wedding gift, it would probably be wrapped in some pretty… She reaches in and stops. She pulls out a hand and flings everything to the floor. Doc picks up a note, and she says, what the hell? Somebody sent her a lopped off hand? He says, it’s not exactly a note of congratulations, and she asks what it says. He reads, an offering for my goddess. May you always feel my hand in yours. Forever, R.

Doc picks up the hand, and Ava says, obviously, it’s fake, but still. He says, it’s an anatomical model. The kind they’d use in an educational setting. She takes it from him, and asks if it’s supposed to be funny. He says he doesn’t think whoever sent it was going for a laugh, and she says, not whoever. They both know Ryan sent it. Doc says he’s not so sure.

Nikolas says Cyrus is obviously to cautious to spell things out. He’s not so careful. He wonders how much his mother has told Cyrus about his father’s side of the family – the Cassadines. They’re not afraid to use any means necessary to protect the ones they love. And if Cyrus doesn’t believe him, he’ll have him over at Windymere, and off of a turret. Cyrus laughs, and says while he admires Nikolas’s honesty, he advises Nikolas temper his attitude. Like it or not, they’re family. Nikolas says, his late grandmother, Helena Cassadine, loved throwing that in his face, until her untimely death. Cyrus says, well, here’s hoping Nikolas’s Aunt Alexis doesn’t suffer a similar premature fate.

Alexis lets Sam into her house, and thanks her for coming. Sam says, of course (🍷). She’s always happy to help. Alexis says she thought they could have dinner afterward, and Sam says, she means take-out? Alexis says, no. Go out to a restaurant. Sit down. Have a meal. Sam says, if she’s up for it. She was thinking more of a low-key kind of night. Alexis says she doesn’t have many more nights to go out and about. She wants to go out and about, have some fresh air, and be with her family. Have an overpriced meal, with exotic spices on it. Anything she didn’t cook. Sam says the only thing she can cook is popcorn, so she knows what Alexis is getting at. Alexis says it’s good to see Sam smile. It’s all she really wants. She has so little time before she has nothing but time.

Still on the phone, Brook tells her mother that Valentin has been relatively hands-off. Baby BLQ is well taken care of, and mommy BLQ is tired of hiding in Bensonhurst. Port Charles is really where she needs to be. The place really fell apart after she left. Everybody needs to get back on track now. Speaking of which, it’s really quiet. Brook puts her shoes on, and says she’d better go. That always means trouble.

Valentin sends a text, and Carly says she needs him to focus. They have a problem to solve. Without looking up, he says she has his full attention, and she says, come on; this is serious. They have to come up with another plan to counteract Gladys’s lie about Jason. He says, if there’s any misunderstanding, he’s interested in Peter; she’s interested in Cyrus. He starts to leave, and she stops him. She says she’s interested in both of them, because they’re working together. Peter shot Franco, Gladys saw him ditch the gun, and when she found out Jason was a suspect, she ran to Cyrus. Cyrus is the one who told her to lie about Jason. He’s the one pulling Gladys’s strings. Valentin says, if Cyrus wants Jason out of the picture, Peter is just a means to an end. He tries to leave again, and she stops him again. She says Valentin wants to prove Peter is guilty, which also means exonerating Jason, and Cyrus is going to do anything he can to stop that from happening, including targeting Valentin’s family.

Sasha says she’s sorry. It’s obvious Willow and Michael were in the middle of a conversation. Willow says, it’s nothing that can’t wait. She’ll catch up with the both of them later. Sasha says she hopes Willow means that, about catching up. She misses their friendship. Willow says she does too. She promises. She leaves, and Michael says it’s good to see Sasha. He was just talking to Willow, and hadn’t expected her. She says if he and Willow had known she was coming in, she doubts they would have gotten so close.

Brook sees Willow jetting out the door, and asks if everything is okay. Willow says she just has a lot on her mind, and Brook says, they might not officially be in-laws anymore, but she knows when Willow is upset. Tell her what’s going on. Willow says she’s fine, but Brook says she doesn’t have to be a detective to see that Willow isn’t fine. She takes Willow’s hand and brings her back inside, saying, come on in. They haven’t had a chance to talk since she got back. Why don’t they go to the den… Willow says, no! Brook says, fine. Sorry. She thought they were friends, but she’s sensing Willow doesn’t agree. Willow says, it’s not Brook; it’s the den. It’s… occupied. Michael is in there with Sasha.

Michael says he’s sorry Sasha walked in. It must have been a bit jarring. (Who says that?) She says, if she didn’t know better… She wants Michael to tell her; did she walk in on a moment, or does she just have an overactive imagination? He says she wasn’t imagining things. It was a moment. His feelings for Willow aren’t as resolved as he wanted to think.

Cyrus tells Nikolas, it’s a shame the court saw fit to remand Alexis to prison, when she’s clearly emerging from the throes of a disease. He read that she only did it to protect her family. It’s an instinct that he’s sure both he and Nikolas, if not Nikolas’s mother, can identify with. Nikolas asks where he’s going with this, and Cyrus says, if Nikolas can find it in himself to bring Cyrus’s mother back safe and sound, he’ll call upon his extensive list of resources and contacts at Pentenville, and make sure Alexis stays safe and trauma-free while she’s serving her sentence. Nikolas says, let him get this straight. If he helps Cyrus get his mother back, Cyrus won’t send his people after Alexis while she’s in prison.

Alexis shows Sam the mortgage and bank records, when there’s a knock at the door. Sam asks if Alexis is ready, and Alexis says she doesn’t think she has much choice. She takes a deep breath, and opens the door. A woman is there, and Alexis says she must be Irene Morton, and asks her to come in. Alexis tells Sam that Irene is the prison consultant that Diane arranged for her. She introduces Sam as her eldest daughter. Sam says her mom wanted extra ears, not to mention Sam did a stint or two in prison herself. Irene says they have a lot of ground to cover. Going to prison is one thing; preparing to go to prison is another. Alexis says, after that, it’s smooth sailing, right? and Irene says she sees Alexis has a sense of humor – lose that. Sam says Alexis’s sense of humor is kind of who she is, and Irene says she’s not trying to change who Alexis is. She just doesn’t want Alexis to offend the wrong inmate, before she learns which jokes land, and which ones don’t. The first few days are critical in shaping the next few years.

Valentin says Carly’s concern for his family is appreciated. Imagine how different their lives would be if she’d shown half as much compassion for Nina, instead of hiding the truth about Nelle. She asks if he wants her to apologize for not giving a damn that Nina’s psycho daughter is dead, or does he want her to help him get Nina back? If that’s the case, she’ll put it on her to-do list, right under getting Jason out of prison, so she doesn’t have to go up against Cyrus and the Five Families frozen lasagna all by herself.

Chase puts the hand in an evidence bag, and Ava says, it has to be Ryan. Doc says, but Ryan’s communication is limited to blinking. For him to write this note, find the model of a severed hand, and have it delivered, is… Ava tells him, she didn’t say Ryan didn’t have help, and Chase says he’s sending an officer over to the facility to check the time logs and interview the staff. If Ryan found someone to help him, they’ll find out. Doc says he’d suggest they not focus on Ryan to the exclusion of everyone else. Ava asks if he thinks someone else would send her a hand, and he says she would know better than him. He understands that she and Nikolas have no shortage of enemies.

Irene says it’s good they’re going over the bank documents, and asks if Alexis has a financial manager, and has transferred her power of attorney. Sam says she’ll be taking on those responsibilities, and Irene asks, how is Alexis’s health? Is she in good shape? Alexis says, sure. She just ran the dishwasher, and didn’t even break a sweat… Sense of humor. Losing it. Irene says she sees Alexis hired a trainer, and got in a couple of sessions with a boxing coach. It should have been enough to teach her to defend herself. Sam asks if Irene can ease up a little. She doesn’t have to make every situation the worst case scenario. While there’s violence in prison, she doesn’t have to make it sound like it’s the inevitable. Irene says Alexis was a trial lawyer, right? Trained to lean into conflict, right? Alexis says she doesn’t shy away from it, and Irene tells Sam that her mother has habits that have served her well on the outside, but behind bars, not so much. Until she unlearns them, she needs to know how to protect herself. Because she and Alexis both know, no one can do it for her.

Cyrus tells Nikolas, Pentenville is a dangerous place. It wasn’t that long ago that someone as lethal as Ryan Chamberlain was incapacitated, and he was left little more than an empty husk. Imagine what could happen to someone who lacks that natural born killer instinct. Someone who has no friends there, no protection, and no one to turn to. It doesn’t have to be that way for Alexis. Laura says Cyrus is using Nikolas’s love for his aunt as a weapon against him. It’s called extortion. If that’s the kind of family he wants… Cyrus yells, this is the kind of family he has, startling Laura. He tells Nikolas, think it over, but don’t think too long. He’s a patient man, but he’s no saint. He leaves, and Nikolas slams the door.

Carly shoves stuff around the bar, and Valentin says, this is new. He’s never seen this side of her before. She says, pissed off? and he says, no, afraid. She’s scared. He’s not judging. Fear can be a gift; it can be useful. It’s a good motivator, and teaches us when to act. And it’s not going anywhere, so she might as well embrace it. Fear is a gift. She asks if he read that in a fortune cookie, and he says he learned it through practical application. Fear came in handy the first time he stared down the barrel of a loaded 9mm. She says, because he knew to run? but he says, no. Because he learned to shoot first.

Brook asks Willow if Michael and Sasha are making up or breaking up. Whenever she asks Michael what’s going on, he gets all cagey, and she has no idea what he’s thinking. Willow says she doesn’t understand either, and Brook says, Willow doesn’t understand where Michael stands with Sasha, or with her? Willow says she and Chase are trying to figure things out, and Brook asks, then why is she so upset that Michael is behind closed doors with Sasha? Willow says, because it’s… complicated? and Brook says she’s sure it is. The four of them have a really difficult time telling each other like it is. Willow asks if Brook is saying they should act more like her, and Brook says, holding back has never been one of her problems. When Chase told her that his fling with Sasha was a lie, she told him to come clean. She thought he heard, and came straight to Willow. Willow says he found her all right, and flashes back to her and Michael hooking up having sex making love. She says, but by then, everything had changed.

Michael tells Sasha that she knows he and Willow had the marriage annulled, but remained good friends, and Wiley’s co-parents… Sasha says, but it’s more than that. He says, for him, yeah. He doesn’t know how Willow feels. When they got married, it was just about protecting Wiley from Nelle, but the more time they spent together, the more it felt like a real marriage. She says Chase told her that Michael and Willow slept together, and Michael says, they did, but sex is only part of it. For a while, they shared a life together. Turning off those feelings isn’t as easy as signing a legal document. She tearfully says she knows. She can tell. She saw it just now. The way he looks at Willow is way used to look at her. But not anymore.

Michael says Sasha makes it sound like he doesn’t love her, but she says she knows he still does. That’s what makes this so hard. When she was in the hospital, after her overdose, when she woke up, he was there. She knows he would stick by her forever if thought it was the right thing to do. But the real question is, does he want to? He says, it’s not just him. It’s Sasha too. Does she know what she wants?

On the phone, Carly says Diane needs to arrange a visit for her with Jason… She can’t tell Diane what it’s about. Call in a favor, or pressure someone. Do what it takes, but she needs to see Jason immediately. Cyrus pops out of nowhere, because he doesn’t have a real job, and says perhaps he can be of service.

Nikolas tells Laura, Cyrus threatening him; how did they get here? She says, it started when Jason took Cyrus’s mother in an effort to keep the peace. He asks if she calls this peace. Cyrus threatening to go after Alexis while she’s trapped in prison. She says, this is how drug lords operate. They use innocent people to get what they want. He says he understands Cyrus. What he doesn’t get is her. Cyrus came to her for help finding his mother. Why didn’t she do something? She says she doesn’t negotiate with terrorists, and he says, maybe she should start.

Irene says she did enough research on Alexis to know she’s progressive, but prison is no place to break down barriers. Sam excuses herself, and goes over to the laptop. Alexis asks Irene if they can have a moment, and Irene says, sure; she’ll take a smoke break. She goes outside, and Alexis goes over to Sam, who asks her where the insurance papers are. Alexis says, they’re around somewhere, but maybe she should rethink this. Sam says, Alexis going to prison? Let’s. She let Alexis plead guilty. She should have fought for her. Alexis says, it wasn’t Sam’s decision to make; it was hers. Sam says she thinks Alexis chose the wrong one.

Brook says, maybe she should have been more judicious in her advice giving, but Willow says, actually, she’s grateful. Brook says, for what? and Willow says, the way Brook looks out for Chase. Brook says, he means well, but let’s be real, he needs someone to check his work. Willow says, pretty soon, Brook will have her hands full. She won’t have time to keep an eye on Chase. Brook says, they’re Quartermaines. That’s what nannies are for. Willow says she thinks Brook might change her tune once she holds her baby. The doorbell rings, and Brook gets up to answer it, saying, no sacrifices for her. She intends to have it all. She opens the door, and says, parenting’s not going to make a dent in her lifestyle. Valentin is there, and says he begs to differ.

Sasha says, since she and Michael decided to try again, they went out of their way not to set expectation or making any commitments. He says, they’ve been trying, and she says, have they though? Have they seized every opportunity to grow their relationship, or even spend much time together? He says, no, they haven’t done those things, and she says she’s not judging, but why does he think that is? Are they going slow to keep the pressure off? Michael says, you go fast because you can’t wait for the next part. You spend time together, and feels good, and want more of it. He asks if she thinks they’re going slow because they’re waiting for their old feelings come back, and she says she thinks so, but if they haven’t by now… He shakes his head, and says, maybe they’re gone.

Chase says Doc knows how to reach him if he gets an update on his brother’s condition, and if Ava can think of anyone else who could have sent this, let him know. He leaves, and Ava gives Doc a painting wrapped in paper. She says, here’s his legacy from Franco. He thanks her, and suggests she lock up, and he can give her a ride to the pier. He can wait until she gets on the launch safely. She doesn’t say anything, and he says, Ava? She says, he was right. She and Nikolas do have their share of enemies. He says that’s why he’d like to make sure she gets on the launch all right. She says, that’s kind of him, but she still has work to do, and he says he really doesn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone. She says she’ll be fine. Besides, she never goes anywhere without protection. She shows him that she has a gun in her purse.

Through her tears, Sasha says when she decided to come there today, this is not what she expected to happen. He says, him neither, and she says, at least they’ve been honest with each other. He asks, how is it possible for two people to understand each other better than they ever have, and still, they need to break up?

Valentin says he and Brook need to talk, and Brook says she was talking to Willow. She starts to shut the door, but Valentin blocks it with his foot, and says, this can’t wait. They need to discuss the private security detail he’s hired to protect her and the baby. Willow asks why Brook would need security, and he tells her, calm down. It’s precautionary. Brook asks, why? She has nothing to be afraid of, and he says, they start tomorrow, and it would be useful to everyone if she just does as instructed. Brook says she doesn’t take orders from him, but he says he’s just doing what’s best the safety of her and the baby. She tells Willow, do you believe this guy? Just so he knows, she’s not some delicate flower. She’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She doesn’t need two bodyguards on either side of her. She wonders where her phone is; she wants to call her dad. She strides to the den, and trips, falling flat on her face. Willow and Valentin freak out.

Carly says she’ll call Diane back. She turns to Cyrus, and he says, as he’s sure she’s aware, he’s intimately familiar with Pentenville. If she’d like to visit Jason, he’d be happy to make a call on her behalf. She says she doesn’t want anything from him, and he says, what about Jason? He’s sure Jason would appreciate the visit. She says, Jason can take care of himself, and Cyrus says he’s sure she’s right. She and Jason are nothing if not survivors. Though Jason’s ability to support her is limited now that he’s incarcerated. Fortunately, there is an easy fix. Once his mother is returned to him, Carly’s best friend could be on his way back to her. Carly says, she has no doubt Jason is coming home, but who knows when Florence will?

Laura tells Nikolas, no matter what Cyrus thinks, she doesn’t have the power to return his mother to him. Even if she did, she’s not sure she would. Cyrus’s mother is safe, and the shooting has stopped. Nikolas says, only because he hasn’t found the right approach, and he has with Alexis. She says, and with him. He’s not actually considering working for this man, is he? He says, if he can find a way to return Cyrus’s mother, Cyrus will have no reason to go after Alexis. She says, it’s not just about Alexis’s well-being. Cyrus will bring in anyone he thinks is useful. Who’s next? Ava? Avery? Spencer? What happens to the town when Cyrus’s mother is returned? The violence that will ensue. He says she let Cyrus drag them into a war that’s not theirs to fight. Let the police sort it out. Better yet, let Cyrus and Jason kill each other. Maybe then there will be peace in Port Charles. He starts leave, and she tells him, don’t act out of fear. Don’t give in to Cyrus. He says, what becomes of Alexis if he doesn’t? He can’t have that on his conscience.

Alexis goes outside, and tells Irene, it’s getting tense in there. This is going to be really difficult. Irene says Sam will make a good advocate for her. She offers Alexis a cigarette, but Alexis says she doesn’t smoke. Irene says, good. Don’t start, but always keep them handy. Smokes are a useful commodity when the commissary accounts max out or run out. Alexis says, good tip, and Irene says, sometimes these meetings go down easier with drink. Alexis says she doesn’t drink, but she thinks Irene knew that already. Irene says she knows Alexis is newly sober. Alcohol isn’t supposed to be available in prison, but it’s easier to get than you’d think. Alexis needs to be prepared. Alexis says she appreciates the information. It’s bleak, but it’s good to be prepared. She asks if Irene minds if she asks a personal question, and Irene says, go for it. Alexis asks how Irene got in this line of work, and Irene says she shot her husband three times. He lived, unfortunately. Alexis says Irene doesn’t have to answer, but does she mind telling Alexis why? Irene says, because after he was done hitting her one night, he said the next time he saw streaks on the mirror, he’d kill her, and she was fresh out of glass cleaner. Alexis says she’s sorry, and Irene says, when she was on the inside, she met a lot of women who didn’t have the tools to survive, so she started helping them. She had a purpose. Helping them helped her get from one day to the next. Her advice, if Alexis wants to live through this – not just survive, but actually live – find something to do. Do something. Three years of doing nothing is a long time. Find a purpose, and carry it out. Alexis asks if Irene is ready to go back inside, and Irene says they’ll finish tomorrow. Alexis needs her daughter right now, and Sam needs her.

Doc gets home, and Laura says, thank God he’s home. He says, why? What happened? She hugs him, and says, Cyrus showed up. She thinks he was watching the house, and knew she was there alone. He says she’s safe now, and she says, then Nikolas showed up, and Cyrus is trying to pull Nikolas into his game, but Nikolas has no idea what he’s getting himself into. Doc says, something strange happened at the gallery as well. He thinks somebody is messing with Ava’s head. She says, what somebody? But he says he’s not sure. She says, this could be the beginning. Cyrus threatened her, and said if blood started to run in the streets, it would be on her hands.

Cyrus says he’d hoped Carly would be more reasonable than Jason, but clearly not. Oh well, her loss. She says, giving up so easy? and he says she’s not the only game in town. She says she’s not afraid him, and he asks why she should be? He had issues with her husband. Now that he’s dead – may be rest in peace – and Jason is in Pentenville, she’s free of the violence that surrounded them. She and her children can sleep easy at night, knowing she’s no longer threatened. He says she’s no longer a consideration, and leaves.

Ava is working on her laptop, when she hears someone come into the gallery through the back door. She reaches for her gun, and hides behind a partition. Nikolas calls out to Ava, and she quickly puts the gun back in her purse. She says he won’t believe the bizarre turn her afternoon took. He says his day wasn’t pleasant either. They’re in trouble. She says she knows, and they both say, you go first, in tandem. Ava says, go ahead, and he says, it’s his aunt… Alexis.

Alexis comes back in, and Sam asks where Irene is. Alexis says, she left for the day, and Sam apologizes for making things tense. Alexis tells her don’t do anything; the house, the car, nothing. She needs Sam to do one thing for her. When she’s in prison, she needs Sam to be okay. She doesn’t need Sam to be great or good, but needs to know Sam will manage when she’s in there. She won’t be able to get to Sam. If there’s trouble, she can’t make it better. She can survive prison, but she can’t survive that. Being helpless is something she can’t do when her children are in pain. Does Sam understand. Sam says, yeah. They’ll be okay. She promises. They hug.

Sasha tells Michael that she doesn’t know how to say goodbye to him. She gets up, and Michael says, before she goes, he needs to say, thank you. When he first found out about the affair being a lie, he was angry at her and Chase, but he was also moved. He was grateful, because who knows what would have happened if they hadn’t done what they did? The judge could have sided with Nelle, he could have given Nelle partial custody; it would have been a disaster. He didn’t have to worry about that. All he knew is, he had his son back. She smiles through her tears, and says, and he felt like he owed her another shot. He says, not her; us. Sasha says she thinks in the back of her mind, she knew that too. Maybe that’s why she hasn’t pushed harder for them. He says, three strikes, they’re out?, and she says, at least they went down swinging, and they hug.

Valentin and Willow help Brook up, and Valentin asks if she’s all right. Brook says, she has a broken heel, and she hasn’t even had the shoes a month. Valentin hands Willow his keys, and asks her to bring his car around front. Brook asks why he did that for, and he asks if she’s in any pain. She says, no, but the people at Windom’s are going to be when she gets through with them. He says he’s getting her some ice and a glass of water, and they’re out of there. She asks where they’re going, and he says, the hospital. She says she’s fine, but he says he’ll believe that when the doctor tells him. Until then, he’s not leaving her side.

Tomorrow, Violet wonders why everyone is acting funny, Britt tells Maxie that it’s time to put their plan in motion, and Cyrus tells someone, let’s focus on what we can do for one another.

🍸 Tonight’s guests on Overserved were Iggy Azalea and my favorite drag queen of all time, Trixie Mattel (sorry, RuPaul). The theme was Diva Tea, and LVP prepared a proper British tea for her guests, who were joined by Pandora, husband Jason, of course Ken, and precious Giggy (!) who was still with us at the time. Iggy and Trixie already knew each other pretty well, Trixie explaining that drag queens and female rap artists have lashes and wigs in common. But who knew Iggy was so funny? When LVP said she’d moved there from England, Iggy said she wasn’t sure if Lisa had moved there from the UK, or she just got rich and acquired the accent. They played a game of croquet while holding giant drinks, the twist of the game being if they spilled anything, they had to take a drink. When they sat down for tea, Trixie admitted she’d never been to one, and when she went to the UK, she went to Starbuck’s. Trixie also brought her autoharp and played beautifully, one of her many talents. They played the Get Pumped question game, and LVP brought out her RHOBH diamond, allowing her guests to hold it, and give some taglines. Lisa summed it up at the end, saying, this is the best sh*t ever. I love this show.

Next time, Tori Spelling and Jeff Lewis, which was already recapped from a Bravo preview.

👙 Charming…

I need to stop eating gummi bears.

https://pagesix.com/2021/04/01/kathryn-dennis-shows-off-her-body-in-first-bikini-shoot/

💋 Big Ang Has Company…

Another casualty of the pandemic.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2021/04/03/big-ang-star-linda-torres-dead-67-covid-19-complications/7074363002/

🌜 Off To Dreamland…

It’s been a long day, otherwise known as that 24 hour period that you used to work 8 hours of. Whether you’re back on the job on the regular or not, stay safe, stay seizing the day, and stay going down swinging if you have to go down.

April 5, 2021 – Ava Receives a Surprise Package, Barrie Is a Cheapskate On Deck, All About the SAG & Star

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At the Quartermaine mansion, Chase says he doesn’t want to dump all his problems on Willow, but she says she doesn’t feel dumped on. She’s flattered that he thinks she can help. Besides, he seems different today. Like there’s less of a burden on him. He says, it’s true. They’re having a family sit-down – him, mom, dad, and Finn. She says, that’s great, and he says they have to find a way to move forward. She asks what that looks like, and he says he honestly doesn’t have a clue. All he knows is, as mad as he is at his mom and Finn for lying to him and his dad, nothing will get better if he keeps avoiding them. She says she’s happy for him. Facing each other is the first step. The last time she saw him, he couldn’t even be in the same room as his mom. What changed things? He says, she did.

Michael picks up Wiley’s toys in the foyer, when there’s a knock at the door. He opens it, and Ned walks in. Michael asks if Olivia is expecting him, and Ned says, good afternoon to him too. He says he’s actually there to check on Brook, and Michael says, because Brook is his daughter, or because she’s using her unborn child to manipulate Valentin? Ned says, can’t he be worried about both?

Holding a plate of sushi, Brook puts her feet up, and says, finally, some me time. Olivia runs in, and snatches the plate from her, saying, whoa-whoa! Is she out of her mind?

Valentin opens his room door, and Carly strides in. She says she doesn’t know if he’s been keeping up with the local news, but Jason was denied bail, and has been remanded to Pentenville where he has to await trial. Valentin says, it’s not all that surprising, considering Jason’s reputation and extensive rap sheet. She says, Jason is innocent; Peter’s the killer. He says, that’s going to be difficult to prove, just ask Obrecht. She says, there’s no comparison, but he says, sure there is. They’re both notorious outlaws. Peter also benefited from Franco’s widow discovering Jason standing over the body. She asks if he’s going to help her prove that Jason is innocent, or just sit there acting like he can’t do anything. He says he wants Jason exonerated because he wants Peter convicted, but that’s going to take time. It’s going to take patience. Carly says, she knows Jason would tell her the same thing, and they’re both wrong. Cyrus doesn’t want Jason convicted out of the goodness of his heart. He wanted Jason in Pentenville because he’ll be an easy target. Valentin says he was under the impression Jason could take care of himself, and she says she’ll feel better when Jason is free, and the only way to do that is to prove Gladys is lying.

At the MetroCourt lounge, Cyrus looks at his phone and tells Brando, it appears justice has finally been done for once. Jason Morgan was denied bail at his arraignment, which means he has some business to attend to. Brando asks where he can take Cyrus, and Cyrus says, this is a personal matter. Why doesn’t Brando stay and have lunch? Put it on his tab.

Sasha runs into Gladys in the dining room, and says it’s nice to see her again. Gladys asks if Sasha is in a rush. There are a few things she needs to talk to Sasha about.

 Laura is concentrating on her laptop, and Doc sneaks up behind her, kissing her neck and startling her. She says he’s bad, and he says he could think of a lot more sinister activities to spend their afternoon with than going over proposals. She says, as much as she’d like to join him in those sinister activities, she’s really behind in her work. He says, that’s not like her. She’s the most efficient person he knows. She thanks him, and says her half-brothers have been distracting lately.

On the phone at the gallery, Ava says, Franco’s final works haven’t been evaluated yet. She promises she’ll call them, and thanks them for their interest. Nikolas walks in, and she hugs him, saying she’s happy to see him. She was afraid he was going to stand her up. She knows the centerpieces aren’t a favorite topic of conversation, but she wants everything to come together. She wants it to be perfect for their renewal ceremony. He says whatever she wants is fine, and she asks why she gets the feeling his heart isn’t in this anymore.

Willow gets nervous, and steps away from Chase, pretending to be busy with something. He tells her that he ran into Finn at the MetroCourt, and they had an almost normal conversation. When Finn left, he spotted his mom. He thought about sneaking out, but ended up saying hi instead. She says, good for him; that took emotional courage. He says he wouldn’t go that far, but talking to her helped. She made him realize that the only way to heal was to do it together as a family. Willow says she’s glad. However badly they messed up, Finn and his mom still love him. He says it’s only fair that he do for them what Willow did for him. She says, sorry. He lost her. He says, she forgave him when he told her that he and Sasha only pretended to be together. She heard what he had to say, and found a way to love him again. She gives him a nervous smile.

Olivia says, Brook is pregnant. She isn’t supposed to be eating uncooked fish, or cold cuts, or drinking alcohol… Brook says, actually, the doctor said it’s okay to have a glass of wine every now and then. Olivia says, not in this house, it’s not, and Brook says, okay, but this is a really good source of protein. She grabs the other side of the dish, but Olivia isn’t letting go, and says, so is a meatball. The plate slips from Brook’s grasp, and goes flying out of Olivia’s hand, flinging sushi everywhere. Ned and Michael walk in as Brook says, now look what you did. Olivia says, a broken plate is a small price to pay, and Michael says, see Ned? No reason to worry.

Carly says she thought Valentin had Gladys eating out of the palm of his hand, and he says they had a successful first date, but if he comes on too strong, he tips his hand. Gladys is unrefined, but she’s not stupid. Carly says, she’s not stupid, but she’s vulnerable. She wants to be on the inside; she wants to matter. If Valentin can make her feel that way, he’ll win her over. He asks what Carly would have him do, and she says her hotel staff has been discreetly following Gladys, and know exactly where she is. She hands him his jacket, and says, it’s time he and Gladys had another chance encounter.

Gladys says Sasha knows about Brando’s past history with drug abuse. As his mother, she’s concerned about him getting involved with someone who’s also in recovery. That’s why she was less than cordial with Sasha when they saw each other at Kelly’s. Sasha says, that’s okay. She’s actually involved with someone else. Gladys says, Michael Corinthos. She’s sure Sasha is aware of the family connection, although Michael isn’t really a Corinthos. He was adopted. Be that as it may, Sonny always treated him like gold, when he could have done more for his blood relations. Sasha says she and Brando are just friends, and Gladys says, as it should be. Brando walks in, and Gladys hugs him. She says she ran into Sasha on the way in. It’s so exciting that he knows a supermodel. She tells Brando that she hopes that nice boss of his gave him time for lunch. Can he join her? He says, sure, and asks if she can give him a minute. Gladys tells Sasha it was nice seeing her, and she’s glad they had a chat. She goes off to find a table, and Brando and Sasha walk into the hallway.

Brando asks what the chat was about, and Sasha tells him, let’s just say she gets the feeling his mother is sitting on a whole bunch of loaded emotions. She can see why he was worried she’d make a scene at his son’s funeral. She says she’s sorry; that was incredibly offensive. He says, it’s not that. He hasn’t been honest with her.

Doc tells Laura, so Cyrus is still playing mind games with her, and she says, he couldn’t wait to tell her it was naïve of her to think Martin was the good brother. Doc says, that’s because Cyrus likes to be the spoiler in other people’s relationships, and she says, to Martin’s credit, he owned up to it. Doc says, to what? and she says, apparently, after the bombing at The Floating Rib, Julian came to Martin. Martin didn’t want to help Julian, but Julian had some photo of Martin with Cyrus, and basically blackmailed him. He says she had to be disappointed, and she says, that wasn’t the worst part. After Martin helped Julian escape, he called Cyrus and alerted him. Julian could have gone to the police, and told them about Cyrus’s involvement. Cyrus would have been in jail. He says, there’s no point in speculating on what could have been, but she has good reason to be disappointed. She says she shouldn’t even be thinking about her brothers. She should be doing the work the good people of Port Charles elected her to do. He says he guesses he’ll put his nefarious attentions for her aside for the time being. He’s going to see about the painting Franco left him. She says she thinks it’s wonderful that Franco left something to him, but she’s not surprised. He’s the most compassionate man she knows. He says, you never know whose life you’re going to touch, and she says, as far as his nefarious activities, they’re not canceled; just postponed. He says he looks forward to that.

Nikolas tells Ava that he’s sorry. He didn’t mean to imply the ceremony wasn’t important to him. She asks, what’s going on? Why is he all doom and gloom? He says he tried calling Spencer, then tried calling again, and both times he got voicemail. Spencer isn’t a precocious ten-year-old anymore; he’s almost a graduate. He doesn’t have to like that they’re committed to each other, or approve of their vow renewal, but he needs to learn to give Nikolas a minimum of courtesy and respect. Spencer doesn’t get to hang up on him months after he’s heard about it. Ava says Spencer doesn’t want her in Nikolas’s life, and Nikolas says, at some point, Spencer has to get over himself. He certainly won’t feel right if Spencer isn’t by his side. She says she knows Spencer will come around. Maybe not tomorrow or next week, but sooner or later he’ll remember that Nikolas is his father, and family is everything. Martin walks in, and says, he for one, couldn’t agree more.

Ned tells Olivia, the broken plate is in the trash, and the sushi is literally down the drain. Olivia says, nothing is damaged, nothing is stained, and Brook says they’re acting like it’s wall-to-wall carnage; it’s not a big deal. Olivia says, Brook was about to eat raw fish, and tells Ned that his daughter isn’t taking care of herself. Brook says she doesn’t think one tuna roll is going to matter, and Olivia says Brook is very pregnant with her first child, and there isn’t one baby book or prenatal vitamin in the house. Ned asks if Brook is more interested in using the baby as leverage, or taking proper care of her health, and Olivia asks, what is he talking about? What leverage? Ned asks if Brook wants to tell Olivia, or should he?

At the MetroCourt, Carly watches Gladys sitting at a table, and Valentin sitting at the bar. Gladys gets up, and goes over to Valentin. She asks if he remembers her, and he says, Miss Corbin. She tells him to call her Gladys, and he says, as if he could forget her. Is she alone? Can he buy her a drink? She says he certainly may, and sits next to him.    

Brando tells Sasha, Dev wasn’t his son, and she says she doesn’t understand. He says, Sonny met Dev in Turkey. Dev helped Sonny out of a jam, and Sonny offered to do what he could for Dev. Dev took the offer literally, and made his way to Port Charles without papers or a valid visa. He risked being deported back to Turkey where his life was in danger. Sonny gave Dev a new ID, and because Brando’s mom told Sonny that he was dead, Sonny invented a story that Dev was his son. Sasha wonders why Gladys would tell everyone Brando was dead. Why would she do that? He says, it’s complicated and dysfunctional, like most things in his family. By the time he got to Port Charles, Dev was legally his son, and Sonny asked him to play along. She asks why he agreed, and he says, it kept Dev safe. He’s never been to Turkey, but knows there’s a lot of unrest. He couldn’t have looked at himself in the mirror if Dev had gotten deported. She says she doesn’t know what to say, and he says she shared her dirty laundry with him, and he wants her to trust him like he trusts her. She says he can trust her. She promises not to share anything he tells her. He thanks her, and she asks if this means Michael knew.

Michael sees Willow and Chase laughing together, and says, sorry. He didn’t mean to interrupt. Chase asks why Michael is apologizing; it’s his house. Michael says, don’t let his grandma hear that, and Chase says, because…? Willow says, because Alan built the house and gave it to Monica, and Michael adds that Tracy never forgave Monica. Willow says, everyone else who lives here are just guests, and Chase says, now that he’s been enlightened, he has to get to the station. He kisses Willow’s cheek, and leaves. Michael says, it looks like things are going well with her and Chase.  

Ava tells Martin that he intruded on a private moment, and he says he thought the gallery was open. She says, they’re on a break. Maybe he could come back later. He takes it he’s unwelcome, and Nikolas asks if he expected otherwise from family. Martin says, like it or not, it’s what they are. His half-sister is Nikolas’s mother, and that makes Nikolas his nephew. Nikolas says, as it happens, he and his mother spoke this morning. She told him what Martin did for Julian. Martin says he sees Laura told Nikolas everything, and Ava says, no one told her. What exactly did Martin do for her brother? Nikolas says, after Julian was linked to the bombing at The Floating Rib, Martin helped Julian get away.

There’s a knock at the door, and Laura wonders if Doc forget his key again. She opens the door, but it’s Cyrus, who says, hello, sis.

Olivia asks if Brook is using her unborn child as leverage in a stock maneuver. Has she lost her mind? Brook thanks Ned for throwing her under the bus, and says she already loves the baby very much. Ned tells Brook to stop feeling guilty for selling her ELQ shares to Valentin. He’s forgiven her. She says she won’t forgive herself if they don’t regain control of ELQ. She doesn’t see the problem. Ned tells her they’re just making sure her health is her first priority, and she says she knows they don’t believe it, but her baby is her priority. She storms out, and runs into Chase by the front door.

Michael asks if Willow has a second, and she says, sure. What’s up? He says he wanted to make sure they were on the same page as far as Nina not seeing Wiley for the time being. He apologizes for making the decision without her, and she says, apology accepted. She gets that it was right in front of him, and he had no time to call her for a consultation. She agrees that until Nina has time to work through her grief, and gain a more realistic understanding of who Nelle was, she shouldn’t see Wiley. He says, if Nina presses the issue, they’ll deal with it together, and she says, it’s a messy situation. She can’t help feeling bad for Nina. He says, Sasha said almost the same thing.

Brando tells Sasha that he’s sorry. He didn’t mean to cause trouble between her and Michael. She says she knows. The fact is, there were too many months when Michael couldn’t trust her with a revelation like that, but Brando did. He says, it was his secret to tell. Not that he can count on his mom keeping her mouth shut.

Gladys tells Valentin about Brando’s old heap of a car. She thinks he got all the parts from the junkyard. Even as a  teenager, he had an interest in fixing cars. Valentin says Brando has her smile, and she says, he thinks so? She always thought Brando had a nice smile. She shows him a picture, and he says, that’s not a car from a junkyard. She says, it’s hers. Sonny bought it for her as a gift. She hopes Valentin doesn’t hold it against her that she’s related to Sonny, and he says in the short time he’s known her, he can tell she’s not like Sonny, or anyone else in the Corinthos family. She says she heard Valentin snatched Michael’s business out from under him, so she guesses Valentin is no friend of theirs either. He says, it’s good for Michael to feel disappointment from time to time. It builds character. She says, maybe it’s not a good idea for Valentin to be sitting with her. The black widow is shooting daggers at them. Valentin suggests they finish their drinks and retire to a different venue that’s more private.

Martin tells Ava, he had no idea her brother had anything to do with the bombing. He thought Julian was fleeing in fear of Sonny, and for the record, he was coerced. He had no choice. Nikolas says If Julian hadn’t run, he could have testified against Cyrus, who was ultimately responsible. Martin says he’d never protect Cyrus if there was evidence of his wrongdoing, and Ava says, come on. Martin says he remembers she sheltered her brother to protect him from Sonny, but she says, that was before she knew the damage Julian had caused, and knew Lulu was a victim. Martin says he deeply regrets his reaction to her brother’s extortion, but that’s not why he’s there. He’s worried about Laura. Cyrus is about to pull her into his very dangerous orbit.

Cyrus says Laura has a beautiful home. He’s not surprised, since she’s a woman of taste and refinement. She says she’s also a woman with limited patience. Why is he here? He says now that she realizes Martin has his own closet full of skeletons, he hopes she renews her effort in retrieving his mother from Jason’s clutches. She says his mother isn’t really kidnapped. Jason moved her, but Martin is fine with it, and he’s in control of her medical care. Cyrus says his less than sainted brother can’t make those decisions if he’s not in their mother’s presence, and she says, his problem is with Martin and Jason, not her. He says, yet she has some influence over both of them, but she says there’s nothing she can do to help him find his mother. There is something he can do.

Martin says his brother has a certain amount of – for lack of a better word – charisma. Cyrus knows it, and knows how to use it to gain leverage in getting someone to do his bidding. Nikolas says his mother is immune to that, but Martin says Cyrus sees Laura as the flipside to his own coin. He sees Nikolas’s mother as a kindred soul; both of them rebellious and reckless. He sees them both as people who take chances, and are comfortable with a certain amount of risks. Laura takes risks for the common good, but Cyrus sees them as having the same wild streak. He’ll use his wiles and chip away at her defenses. He’ll find and twist whatever darkness he thinks is buried. Ava says, Laura isn’t like Cyrus, and Martin says he agrees, but Cyrus doesn’t. Therein lies the problem. Laura needs her family to protect her. Nikolas says, understood, and Martin says, it’s a charming gallery. He hopes Ava allows him to return one day, perhaps to buy some artwork. He leaves, and Ava asks if Nikolas thinks Martin is telling the truth that Cyrus is a threat to Laura, but Nikolas says he’s not sure.

Cyrus says he’ll take any advice Laura wants to give him, and she says, okay. Jason only took Cyrus’s mother as an insurance policy to keep his family and friends from being attacked. Cyrus has a reputation for going after families. Cyrus says, nothing but lies… and she tells him, stop it. Take responsibility for the crimes he’s committed, including the ones against her daughter. If he did that, Jason wouldn’t think he’s a threat anymore, and won’t hide his mother. He asks if she’s saying he should confess to his alleged crimes, and she says, yes, and serve the sentence he’s given. He says he’s not going back to prison, and she says, so his statement that he’ll do anything to protect his mother was just hyperbole. He says she just took sides in a real alleged turf war, and she asks what that means. He says he told her they were more alike than she was willing to admit. He’s made his case.

Brando thanks Sasha for understanding, and she says, the same to him. They see Valentin and Gladys clink glasses, and Brando asks if that isn’t Valentin Cassadine. Sasha says, it sure is. She didn’t know Valentin knew Brando’s mom, and says if she was him, she’d keep an eye on Valentin. He’s not dangerous per se, but she knows firsthand that he doesn’t do anything without an underlying agenda. She has to go, and Brando says he’ll see her around. Sasha leaves, and Brando watches Gladys laughing with Valentin.

Willow tells Michael that she’s glad she’s not the only one who’s sympathetic to Nina. She knows Nina will get in a place where it’s okay for her to have contact with Wiley, but hopes it’s sooner than later. She says, sorry. It sounds like she’s pressuring him, but he says, don’t apologize. He likes hearing her opinion. Willow says, if that’s true, Michael has a T-shirt with holes and grass stains on it that’s got to go. He says, it’s his lucky T-shirt. He doesn’t know how many games he’s watched in it. His team doesn’t always win, but they’re above the statistical average. She asks if he thinks the shirt helps, and he says, it can’t hurt. She says she’d never have guessed he was superstitious, and he says there’s a lot she doesn’t know about him. She says she knows he’s fundamentally a fair person, and she appreciates him keeping an open mind about Nina. He says, good to hear they’re both on the same side of the argument, and she says she’s glad Sasha got through. He says, it wasn’t Sasha. It was her.  

Ned and Olivia argue loudly, and Brook tells Chase, it sounds like World War III. He says, it’s none of his business, but she says their volume makes it everyone’s business. They were discussing her pregnancy. He asks if Ned and Olivia aren’t happy about it, and she says, it’s not the pregnancy; it’s her. And things are going just the way she wants. In the living room, Olivia says she loves Ned’s daughter, but this has to be the most irritating thing she’s done. Ned says he knows, and Olivia says they’ve got to stop shouting, and be the adults in the room. They’ve got to save Brook and her baby from Brook. He asks how she proposes to do it, and she says, march over to Valentin, and tell him what Brook is up to.

Brando goes over to Gladys, who apologizes for forgetting about lunch. She wonders where her manners are, and introduces Brando to Valentin. Valentin introduces himself, and says Brando’s mother says he’s into cars. Maybe he’s found a new mechanic. Brando says he’s always happy to have new customers, and asks if he can see Gladys for a second. She says, of course (🍷), and tells Valentin she’ll be right back. She steps away with Brando, and Valentin slides her phone over and looks at it.

Brando asks how Gladys knows Valentin, and she says, he’s just a new friend. Brando isn’t worried about her, is he? He says he only knows Valentin by reputation, and it’s quite colorful. She says, if it matters that much to him, she’ll let Valentin down easy, and they can have lunch, but keep in mind, she’s grown and makes her own decisions.

Valentin sends a text with a phone number. Then he reads, message blocked. Gladys asks what he’s doing with her phone, and he says she caught him. He was trying to sneak in his number, so they didn’t have to depend on running into each other. Did he overstep? She says she’ll forgive him this once, and he asks if he can buy her lunch to make up for it. She says she promised to have lunch with Brando. Another time? He touches her arm, and says he looks forward to it.

Olivia tells Ned, Valentin is staying at the MetroCourt; he’s not hard to track him down. He says, they can’t do that, and she says she understands that he doesn’t want to interfere, but that’s what family does. They stop the people they love from making dangerous choices… Wait a minute. They both agree that Brook using her baby as a bargaining chip for ELQ shares is a bad idea, right?

Chase tells Brook, he knows that look. She’s up to something. She says her dad and Olivia both agree that she’s not making her baby a priority, and Chase asks if that’s true. She says, of course (🍷) it’s not true. She might not be conventionally maternal, and she’s not devoting three hours to prenatal yoga, but if Olivia and Ned want to worry all day, having a common cause is good for their marriage. Chase says, she wants them together? and she says, of course (🍷). They belong together. Olivia gets on her last nerve, but she’s a great lady, and her dad is crazy about her. Brook deleted one voicemail, and her all of a sudden, her dad moves out. Chase says she can’t take the world one her shoulders; they bear the responsibility themselves. She says, maybe, but she has to help anyway. He says, good luck… as long as it doesn’t involve him arresting her again. She asks if he’d dare arrest a pregnant woman, and he says, try him.

Laura tells Cyrus, he’s said his piece; now it’s time to go. He gets up, and she opens the door, saying, she has to get back to work. He says, the fortunes of the Corinthos family are changing. Jason can’t run the businesses from prison. She has the opportunity and power to prevent an all-out war. If she chooses not to, any blood spilling on the street is on her hands. From the hallway, Nikolas grabs Cyrus, and shoves him up against the door frame, telling him, stay the hell away from my mother.

Gladys tells Brando that Valentin is a charmer, and he says, until he stabs you in the back. She says he shouldn’t judge Valentin so harshly. He’s allowing Carly and Michael to cloud his judgement. They’re hardly reliable sources. He says, Sasha warned him too, and she asks if Sasha’s opinion means that much to him. He asks if that’s a problem, and she says, no.

Carly asks what Valentin found out, and he says, Gladys has been receiving call from an unlisted number, starting the day Franco Baldwin was murdered. He did a quick online search, and it belongs to a disposable burner phone. She asks how much he wants to bet that phone belongs to Cyrus.

Cyrus tells Laura to tell her son to release him, or there will be consequences. Nikolas says he loves consequences; bring it on. Laura asks him to let Cyrus go, please, and he does. Cyrus says, isn’t this lovely? A family reunion. Nikolas asks what Cyrus wants with his mother, and Laura says, he wants his mother. He’s upset because she told him that she couldn’t help him. Cyrus says, fine. If she doesn’t want to help protect the lives of her family, perhaps her son will want to protect the lives of his.  

Doc comes into the gallery, and Ava says, what a nice surprise. He says Franco left a work for him, and she says, it’s in the back. She sees a package marked fragile in his hands, and she asks if he came bearing gifts. He says, maybe, but he found it outside. She says it’s probably name plates she ordered, or maybe it’s a wedding gift. She starts to open it, and he says Laura told him that they were renewing their vows. She says, yes they are. It’s so exciting, but she’d expect a wedding gift to be wrapped… She tosses the package onto the floor, and a hand falls out.   

Willow tells Michael that she doesn’t understand. He said Sasha agreed with her. He says Sasha did agree, but it just helped him realize that her opinion means more to him than Sasha’s does. She says, it makes sense. She is Wiley’s mom, which is exactly what I was just thinking. He says it means more to him than her being Wiley’s mom. How she feels matters. She says he matters to her too. They’re about to kiss, when Sasha walks in.   

Ned tells Olivia that he wishes Brook wasn’t in this situation, but like it or not, she’s having Valentin’s baby. She says, that doesn’t give Brook the right to use her unborn child to manipulate Valentin, and Ned says, he gets what she’s doing. It’s for the family. She says, spoken like a true Quartermaine, and he says, in this case, is it such a bad thing? Olivia says she was so heartbroken when Ned and Brook were on the outs. She hated seeing Ned put the company in front of family. She prayed like hell that he and Brook would find their way back to each other, but she never dreamed it would be because Brook started thinking more like him. God help Valentin. He has a helluva surprise coming.

Brook looks uncomfortable as she gets on her bed. She pulls up her shirt, and undoes her fake pregnancy belly.

Tomorrow, Sasha asks Michael if she walked in on a moment, Alexis says there’s not much time before she has nothing but time, Ava takes a gun from her purse and says she never goes anywhere without protection, and Cyrus says it doesn’t have to be that way.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht

The guests go to bed, and Daisy says, it was a sh*t show. She had to hunt down the boys to participate. Colin tells Gary, it wasn’t too bad. The things we do… Jean Luc flirts with Dani in the laundry room.

In the morning, Natalie suggests a surf and turf dinner, and Daisy says she’ll just write down what the guests want for breakfast, and basically that will be it. She doesn’t want a repeat of yesterday. In Daisy’s interview, she says now she knows she has to check every order. It’s pretty annoying. She tells Gary that yesterday was sh*t for her. If he sees they’re busy, he should ask the deck crew to help. It’s not just making her look bad, but the whole crew. In Gary’s interview, he says if interior needs a hand, and they’re not busy, fine; but if they’re busy, to give someone up would be shooting himself in the foot. If he says they can’t help, it’s for a good reason. Glenn tells Daisy about the city they’ll be docking at, and in his interview, he says, it’s not an ideal maneuver, but it’s the perfect backdrop for tonight’s proposal.

Daisy asks Natasha to make a fruit platter, and Barrie tells Tony, happy birthday. Daisy tells him that he doesn’t look a day over 40. I don’t know how old he is, but… no. Daisy fills Alli in on the birthday festivities, and says Barrie is also proposing to Scott. She takes breakfast orders, and Glenn tells the crew to take out snorkel gear and paddleboards for starters. Gary says he’ll get his swim gear. Breakfast is served, and Daisy tells Natasha that the guests are happy. Gary tells Sydney to go with the guests in case they need a hand, and take a pool noodle. Barrie asks Daisy to be there with the champagne when he proposes. She says she hopes they’re enjoying themselves, and he says, it’s amazing. Daisy goes over the evening’s logistics with Natasha.

Jean Luc watches the eight kids snorkeling, and counts them. I understand this, since at one point, I had 8 small dogs. I was constantly counting. Gary flirts with Alli, and Natalie goes over the dinner menu with Tony, who complains again that his last meal was cold. Natalie says she’s gotten Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, and a cotton candy machine. Gary tells Colin that he got an earful from Daisy. He knows she’s busy, but he can’t always help.

Jean Luc asks Natalie if she’s really whipping up cotton candy. Natalie tries to work the machine, and apparently it’s harder than it looks at the county fair. In Natasha’s interview, she says she has more important stuff to deal with than a candy fluff machine. The guests want steak and lobster, and all the shenanigans that go with it. I had no idea shenanigans went along with surf and turf. Have I been missing out on something? She says she’s over it. She’s not doing it. Glenn says the place where he wants to dock is busier than he thought it would be. In his interview, he says he’s concerned about the anchors being far enough away to do their job. He’s going to be dropping anchor a few meters away from a bunch of little boats, and from where he is, he’s flying blind. He’s relying on the crew. Barrie tells Scott, it will be a night to remember. He watches as Glenn docks, and says, it’s a tight hole the boat has to squeeze into. And it is. In Glenn’s interview, he says, you know what won’t make it the perfect evening? Crashing into one of these little boats while he’s trying to dock. Barrie thinks Glenn is going to make it, and Gary says, looking good. He tells the deck crew, golden team.

In Daisy’s interview, she says, there’s a lot going on. They have turn-downs, dinner, and a secret proposal on the fly bridge. And no one can know what’s going on. She tells Alli that she needs candles and roses. Natasha prepares the lobsters, and Daisy asks Gary for help. She hopes they never have nine guests again. The guests sit for dinner, and Alli asks Sydney to help her. They set up tealights on the bridge with rose petals in the middle. Daisy and Dani serve, and Jean Luc asks if he can help. Natasha says, everyone loves to see you, babe, and he brings some dishes to the table. When he’s done, he says, back to scrubbing, bitch.

Barrie thinks the food is delicious, but Tony gripes that the streak is a bit overcooked. While helping light candles, Sydney tells Dani that she doesn’t get big romantic gestures. She’s almost always attached. When she’s not, if her girlfriends are busy, she just goes through the roster to see whose available. She doesn’t know if it’s a need for attention. In Dani’s interview, she says she’s not that person. She values herself more than that. In Sydney’s interview, she says she and Gary work well together, but she’s glad for a day off, since she doesn’t know where they stand. The candles are lit, and Daisy calls the crew to the main saloon. Daisy asks Natasha where the cotton candy machine is, and Natasha says, it was too much. Daisy says the whole point was they were making a big deal of it. In Daisy’s interview, she says, Natasha went rogue and she’s angry. If you don’t want to do it, that’s fine. Just say so, but not after you’ve told the guests. In Natasha’s interview, she says, calm down; it will be fine. It was just a suggestion. It’s not an effing five-year-old’s birthday party; it’s adults they’re dealing with. The crew sings Happy Birthday (very lamely) to Tony, Natasha brings out the cake, and Tony cries. Barrie wonders about the cotton candy, and Daisy says she’s sorry. It’s unclear what she made up, if anything. In her interview, she says it’s time for her to put on her fake smile and distract them with drinks. Hopefully they’ll just forget about deserts. Vodka shots make it all good, and Daisy gripes that Natasha didn’t wait for her when bringing out the cake.    

Barrie asks if Scott loves him, and Scott says he does. They go to the fly deck, and see the rose petals and candles, and Daisy waiting with champagne at a discreet distance. Barrie says the reason he asked Scott if he loved him, was because… He shows Scott a ring, and says he wants to ask Scott to marry him. Daisy opens the champagne on the stairs, and the pop is loud. Scott says, yes, and Sydney runs to tell the others. Scott looks out over the water, and says, it’s effing beautiful. Everyone comes upstairs – kids and crew – and there are hugs all around. Dani tells Jean Luc about the ring, which is huge, and he asks if that’s love. In Alli’s interview, she says she thinks Gary is just horny, but at the same time, it’s nice to have attention.

Scott says he hasn’t done a shot in 8 years, and everyone drunkenly dances around. Barrie takes daughter Saffron to her room, where she promptly throws up. Behind the closed door, we hear Barrie say, good God. Dani kisses Jean Luc, and in her interview, she says, cute. They kiss some more in the galley, and Dani says, romantic night. Jean Luc says he’ll never finish with the dishes. In his interview, he just laughs. The stews gather up the candle/petal remains, and Sydney cleans the deck. Jean Luc tells Glenn, it’s going good. Dani says, for future reference, don’t use so many candles.

It’s the final day of charter, we see towels hanging up, with a post-it note that says, towels with vomit. Bleh. The anchors are home, and Glenn heads out. Barrie asks how Saffron’s head is, and Daisy tells him they’ll be disembarking at 3. She asks Glenn if they’re sailing, and he says, you almost always want to sail. She asks what they should do about service, and he wonders if they can just attach food bags to the guests like a trough. He tells her that he thinks they’ll sail gently. Barry announces to the family, Saffron was throwing up everywhere. Lunch is fabulous – muscles, pad Thai, and red curry. Glenn tells Tony and Barrie that they’re going to do more sailing, and the sails are put up. Natasha asks if there’s a lot of wind, and Colin says, a little bit. Stuff starts falling, and Natasha yells for help. Daisy says she told Glen, and service is in five minutes. Glenn radios the crew that they should be leveling off in ten seconds. Drawers start falling open, and Jean Luc and Colin help block things in the galley.

Glenn says they should be on an even keel for the rest of the meal, and lunch is served. Barrie says, it’s absolutely scrumptious, which sounds like something Mary Poppins would say. He says, it’s incredible, and Natasha did a super job. In Natasha’s interview, she says she finally likes him now, but she’ll be happy to see him leave. Natasha and Alli chant, we’re on the home stretch, and the boat docks. A drawer has opened in Daisy and Dani’s cabin, and it blocks the door from opening. There’s a lot of laughing and trying to squeeze in, but they finally have success. While bringing the guests’ luggage to the dock, Gary wonders how many pairs of shoes do you bring on a boat? Having been guilty of overpacking myself, I can answer that – a lot.

The guests say goodbye, and Tony says, it was absolutely amazing. He feels like he’s known the crew for years. Barrie says, and they want to pinch some of the crew (i.e. steal, but he probably means it the other way too). He gives Glenn the tip envelope, and thanks the crew for everything. Daisy says she hated them, but grew to love them. Glenn says they have a lot to get accomplished, and they start cleaning the boat. Glenn calls the crew to the main saloon for the tip meeting.

He says it was their third charter, and the toughest they’ve seen yet. The deck team did a good job with the toys, and helping out the interior. He appreciates it. He knows it was tough for the interior; having nine guests is usual.  Daisy says it was a challenge, but thinks with Natasha, it was just miscommunication. Going forward, whatever she says, goes. She’ll take responsibility for whatever goes wrong. In Natasha’s interview, she says they don’t need to air their grievances in front of everyone. Daisy says they physically can’t do it without the support of the rest of the team. If Gary sees something isn’t right, instead of her having to be the chief bitch, as per usual, he could jump in.  She’s not having a go at him, but when she needs support, she’d like some initiation on Gary’s part. Gary wonders when the deckhands are supposed to get a break. His department isn’t just doing nothing. Daisy says she doesn’t think his people aren’t busy, but she had to ask several times before Gary took action. In Gary’s interview, he says, it’s Daisy’s way or the highway. That’s bullsh*t. No one gets a break as it is. He didn’t join yachting to be a stew. He hates doing dishes.

Glenn says it wasn’t their best charter, and it’s reflected in the tip. It’s probably not as high, considering what they did for the guests. It’s $15K or $1660. Daisy says, it’s bullsh*t, 1000%, and Glenn says he has good news and bad news about tonight. Their next charter is tomorrow afternoon. Even I groan. The good news is, it’s only two nights and three days. They’ll have to turn over the boat tonight. It’s a legit school night. In Alli’s interview, she says she feels like someone kicked her in the chest. She’s exhausted, and was looking for a night to blow off steam. The stews get together in one of the guest cabins, and Daisy says, Gary is bad leadership. Gary tells the deckhands that it’s a safety risk. He’s getting six hours sleep as it is. Daisy says they’ll see how the next charter goes. If they’re not progressing… Dani says, she can take it to the next level. Dani confesses to kissing Jean Luc, and they all squeal like it’s a pajama party. Daisy says she’s not sure if Dani should be proud, or if it’s an achievement. They clean the boat, and Gary helps Natasha in the galley. They throw out the muscle shells and gag over the smell. Gary admits most of the pressure is on Daisy and Natasha during the charters.

Natasha listens music in her cabin, and Jean Luc is on anchor watch. In Natasha’s interview, she says she like to take off-time by herself. She doesn’t drink a lot. She doesn’t like having no control, and she feels like she’s losing it. Glenn tells the crew not to stay up late, or they’ll regret it. Alli tells Gary, she enjoys their flirtation, but that’s as far as it’s going to go. Sydney joins them, to no one’s surprise. Daisy and Colin agree whatever was said about helping was nothing personal, and Daisy is glad there’s no tension between them. In Dani’s interview, she wonders why everyone likes Gary (you and me both, sister), and Alli tells Dani, Gary is the person she’s most attracted to. Dani tells Alli, just have fun, and Alli says maybe she’s warmed up to the idea more than she expected she would.

The girls acts like idiots, yelling, party! and Colin tells them, Glenn is asleep. Alli begs Jean Luc to be a part of the party, and flips on the light in his cabin. His response isn’t a happy one, and she tells the others that he was dead asleep; it didn’t go down well. In her interview, Alli says she’s going to allow herself to explore something she’s enjoying. She’s allowed to get to know Gary more. They go out for a smoke, and Sydney smells it in the air. She comes out on the pretense of getting something, and Gary tells her to stay, confusing all of us. In Alli’s interview, she says, now it’s made even more awkward. Dani tells Colin, at least someone is getting busy on the boat, and he says she could be, but she says, no. Glenn, who apparently wasn’t sleeping, comes out and says he’ll see them bright and early at 7 am. Daisy goes to bed, and Alli, Sydney, and Gary keep having one more cigarette, and one more shot. In Alli’s interview, she says it’s impossible for her and Gary to get to know each other when they’re interrupted every time. And 90% of the time, that person happens to be Sydney. First of all, she has Gary to thank for that, and secondly, getting to know her isn’t what Gary wants to do. Unless she means in the biblical sense. At 1:30 Alli goes to the bathroom, and Sydney tells her to bring the final shot back. In her interview, Alli says, this is the weirdest throuple she’s ever been in. Oh, been in a lot of them, has she? In Gary’s interview, he says he has no objection, but no way is it happening. Daisy tells Alli that Sydney is being territorial, and Alli says she doesn’t know what’s going on.

Alli comes back, just wearing a big T-shirt, and Gary says, the Three Musketeers. He suggests they go swimming, clothes optional. I think about all the lectures given about swimming drunk on these shows, and have the feeling even Glenn wouldn’t sanction this. Sydney says, it’s naked or nothing. In Gary’s interview, he says he can’t let two naked girls just jump in the water. What if they start drowning? Helping them is his main concern. Alli jumps in first, and Gary sort of pushes Sydney, and then follows. Later, on Watch What Happens Live, Andy called it a three-way pants off cannonball, which sounds pretty accurate. Glenn hears the splashes, and is like, WTF?

To be continued.  

🎭 SAG This…

The most important thing…

https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/sag-awards-2021-best-dressed-celebrities

The winner’s list…

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/04/sag-awards-2021-winners-list

And the sad part.

https://people.com/movies/sag-awards-2021-chadwick-boseman-wins-lead-male-actor/

🚚 Movin’ Out Like Billy Joel…

Time to jet, but don’t forget about Pooch Perfect, on ABC, Tuesday at 8 pm. LVP, Rebel Wilson, and lots of cute dogs – it’s the best! Until we meet again at the corner of Port and Charles, stay safe, stay remembering your value, and stay out of whatever those shenanigans are that go along with steak and lobster.

April 4, 2021 – Here’s Negan (the moment you’ve been waiting for) & Amazing Mahalia

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

In a voiceover, Negan says he had a deal with Carol. She said if he did this for her, he would be thought of differently. So he disappeared, and wore a flesh mask. It was sick as all hell, but he gained Alpha’s trust. He found a way to steal her kid, and brought Alpha’s head back. He helped take out Beta and the horde, but nothing changed the way Maggie sees him. He understands; he really does. Some things can’t be forgotten.

Maggie walks with her son Hershel through Alexandria, and they chat. She asks if he remembers the song they used to sing, and he sings You Are My Sunshine. Negan looks at them, but Maggie ignores him, saying good morning to the woman working alongside him. Carol watches from the window.

Negan sees Carol in the woods, carrying a dead rabbit she’s trapped. He walks with her, and thanks her for getting him the hell out of Dodge. Things with Maggie are tense. He doesn’t mind lay low Negan, but there’s only so far he can go to get out of her way. He’s thinking maybe Carol could put in a word for him. At least get the ball rolling. Given their recent history, he figures she owes him that much. He follows her to a cabin outside of the town, and he asks if she knows this place. She says, mm-hmm, and goes inside. He says he sees he’s moved in, and she says, Daryl helped. The council voted to banish him. What he wants isn’t going to happen, and she knows it’s not what she promised, but given their less recent history, it’s better than he deserves. He says, it is what it is. If she doesn’t mind him asking, is it that the council banished him, or is it more like Carol is seizing the reins? She smiles, and says the rabbit is for him.

Negan looks into the fire, and has a drink. He hears, little pig, little pig, let me in, and sees himself sitting in a chair with his bat Lucille. He turns away, but illusion Negan says, it’s all right. He knows Negan can hear him loud and clear. Nobody likes to hear an I told you so. He must be a bit masochistic. The sad part isn’t that he ended up there. Face it. It could be a helluva lot worse. The sad part is, he thought for a second those folks would see him for anything except who he truly is… which is me. He’s a clown, a cultive personality with no cult. Negan can call him names, but he wants Negan to admit that he got further with a kind word and Lucille than just a kind word. It’s time to face the facts, old man. He’s nothing without her. Negan smashes the glass against the now empty chair.

We see the tree where the stained glass panels hang, looking a little worse for the wear. Negan remembers telling Rick that Carl said they didn’t have to be fighting, and Rick beating him down near the tree. He flashes back to being in his cell, telling Michonne that he needs to see her, and Michonne saying they don’t have his bat. He’s brought a shovel with him, and starts digging near the tree. He sees a zombie in the distance, shakes his head, and keeps digging. He digs in another spot, and another, and pretty soon, the area is full of holes. The zombie is closer, and he digs some more. He finally hits something, and scrapes away the dirt. He smiles, and pulls out Lucille, turning the bat in his hands.

Twelve years earlier. Craven from the Valaks Vipers biker gang walks over to a guy tied to a chair wearing a hood. Craven removes the hood, and the man is a younger Negan. Negan says Craven has to let him go. His wife has cancer and needs that. Craven  takes an IV bag out of a cooler filled with the medicine, and takes a bag out. Negan says, keeping him here, kills him and her, and Craven says he knows; Negan told him. His heart goes out to Negan. He can’t imagine what Negan is going through, just wondering if she’s ever going to get her treatment. He handles the bag, and says they drove out to where Negan told them the doctors gave him the stuff, but they weren’t there. Negan says it’s not his fault. He told them, the doctors move around, but Craven says, they were never there. It was so overgrown, they couldn’t get the pick-up down the road. He can’t get this stuff just anywhere; somebody took care of this for a long time, and probably has a lot of other stuff too. Tell him where he got it, and Negan can take it to his wife. Otherwise, he’ll pour it in the toilet, and make Negan watch. He punches Negan in the mouth, and Negan says, please put it back in the cooler. He’ll tell Craven what he wants to know; please keep it safe. He tells Craven, the medical part is true, and Craven says, they have a facility, right? and Negan says, they have a stockpile. Craven asks where they keep the drugs, and Negan says he doesn’t know where the stuff came from, but he’d been tracking them for weeks. He found them…

Two or three days ago. Negan hides behind a tree in the woods, holding a gun. He takes a quick look at a couple of trailers, then jumps out. He startles a man outside, and sees another one on the roof of a trailer. He says he doesn’t want to shoot, but he will, and the man says, take it easy. Negan’s vision is getting blurry, and the man says, don’t! A woman hits Negan over the head, knocking him out, and the man says she didn’t have to do that. (FYI, it’s Laura who will become one of the Saviors later.)

Negan is handcuffed to a chair inside the trailer. He tells the man that his name is Negan, and the man says he’s Franklin. Franklin takes out a key, and asks if they’re going to have any problems. Negan says, no sir, no problems, and Franklin uncuffs him. He gives Negan some pasta, and Negan wolfs it down. Franklin says, Negan is exhausted, add malnutrition, and no wonder a guy like him is in the state he’s in. He’s trying to rob a bunch of doctors with an empty belly. Negan says his wife has cancer. She was under treatment when the world went to sh*t. They’ve been trying to keep it going. Franklin asks if Negan is a doctor, and Negan says he’s a high school gym teacher. Franklin asks what he means by keep it going, and Negan says the doctor gave him a calendar of what was needed when. All he had to do was find it, and figured out how to do infusions. Franklin says, a doctor taught Negan how to give chemo? and Negan says, it’s not complicated, unless something goes wrong. Franklin asks if something went wrong, and Negan says, yeah, you could say that.   

Six weeks earlier. Negan goes to the refrigerator, and takes out a bag. His wife Lucille digs in a box, and says she’s trying to figure out what James Bond movie to watch. He tells her, the generator makes too much noise, and we hear a zombie outside. She says he’ll have to kill it, but he says if he turns the generator off, they lose interest; they always do. He puts two IV bags in the freezer, along with a thermometer. He goes outside to turn on the generator, but sees a zombie clamoring at the fence.

Back in the house, Negan reads out loud from Pride and Prejudice, and tells Lucille, this book sucks; he can’t do it. She says he won’t let her watch James Bond, so read. We hear the zombie again, and she says he’s got to take care of it. Outside, the zombie bangs on the house, and Negan comes up behind it, but as soon as it sees him, it grabs him. He swings a hammer at it, but it gets the better of him, and pins him against the house, snapping at him. He stabs it in the eye, but the knife doesn’t go deep enough to even slow it down. He says, seriously? and a shot rings out, the zombie slumping to the ground. Lucille stands there holding a gun, and still attached to her IV. He asks if she’s all right, and she tells him, turn the generator on so she can watch a movie. She goes back inside.

Negan tries to syphon gas out of a car, but gets nothing. He goes inside the car, and looks around. He finds a pouch, looks in it, and smiles.

Negan asks his wife how she’s doing, and she says, good. He says he’s got something for her. He found a stash. It’s a little dried out, but it will help with her nausea. She says he has to go out further every time, and he says, they need gas, and the place has been picked over. That’s what’s keeping them safe; there’s nothing there anyone wants. She wonders about reaching out to other people, but he says, it’s too dangerous out there. She says, that’s her point, and he says, they have three treatments left. That’s it. When they get her strength up, he’ll strap her to his motorcycle, and they’ll go wherever she wants; wherever she dreams up. He promises.

They lie in bed, and Negan sings You Are So Beautiful to her. We see them goofing around in wigs, and him giving her treatments. A zombie makes noise outside, and Negan says, dammit. She says, it’s not like killing a person. It’s kind of like killing an animal; don’t let it bother him. He says, it doesn’t. He’s just worried he’ll get used to it. She says, okay, then turn the generator on. He continues to eat, and asks, how’s her dinner? She says, really good. If she’d known dog food could taste like this, she would have been eating that sh*t all along. He laughs, and she tells him, happy anniversary, handing him a gift bag. He asks if she actually knows what day it is, and she says, no, but they had one coming up. He takes out a leather jacket, and says, holy sh*t. Where did she get this? She says, it was in the crawlspace the whole time. She was so mad that she couldn’t return it, she hid it. She’s sorry. If she’d known all this was going to happen, she wouldn’t have cared about the stupid credit card. He says he knows, but he doesn’t deserve anything from her. She shouldn’t be apologizing to him. He should be apologizing to her, for the man he was, and the pain he put her through… He lies awake at night wondering how he got so lucky she stuck with him. She laughs, and sits on his lap. She says she stuck with him because she’s always seen the man he is now, even when he wasn’t. And that a-hole really had it coming. He says, yes ma’am, and she suggests they go to bed. He says, no, and she asks if he has to go to work tomorrow. He asks if she’s sure she’s okay, and she kisses him.

They lie in each other’s arms, and Negan wakes to the sound of dripping. He jumps out of bed, and says, no! He runs to the refrigerator, and opens the freezer. Water pours out, and he looks at the thermometer, which is in the Fahrenheit 40s.

He looks at a map, and asks if she remembers a guy and his family who came through. Their kid had leukemia, and they were looking for a group of doctors who travel around. He showed Negan his map, and said they travel the same route, and make the same stops every time. He thinks he knows where they are. If he leaves now, he could catch them. She says, they could be dead, and even if he finds them, he has nothing to barter with. He starts to argue, and she says, stop. She has something to tell him.

Seven months earlier. Normal life is still happening. Negan is playing video games, and says, don’t be a p*ssy. You’ve got to take it. Lucille comes in, and asks if he’s playing with children, and he says they’re mostly over ten. She looks at the credit card bill, and says please don’t tell her that he spent $600 on this Happy Days bullsh*t. He says he’s got two leads, one of which is going to pay a lot. He’s celebrating early. She says he’s telling her about leads, but he can’t be a gym teacher anymore. He’s being charged with misdemeanor assault, and he refuses to go back to school. Tell her all about the job that’s going to pay for his legal bills. He doesn’t say anything, and she says she’s returning the jacket. He says he threw the receipt away.

We see Lucille on the phone with a friend, who says talks about it being cute when he was younger, but not now. Lucille says, it feels wrong to give up on him. He wasn’t in a good space. He loved his job and the kids. The friend says he put someone in the hospital, and Lucille says, that a-hole had it coming.

Negan and Lucille have dinner in silence. He asks how the food is, and she says, good. Did he do something different? He says he used rosemary instead of oregano, and a white wine reduction for the chicken sauce. She tells him that she has a 2:15 appointment tomorrow, and he asks, what appointment? She says she’s getting an MRI, and needs him to drive her home. He says he can’t tomorrow. He has a meeting with his probation officer. She’ll probably have to sit for three hours for them to tell her everything is fine anyway.

Lucille sits in the waiting room, and thinks about hearing, if it’s caught early on. She stares into space, and the doctor asks if she has someone to drive her home.

She gets in her car, and calls Negan, but gets voicemail. She tries calling her friend Janine, and the call also goes to voicemail. She calls the probation officer, and says, he should be there. He said his appointment was at 3; he should have been there 20 minutes ago. The parole officer says, sorry. He doesn’t know what to tell her. He’s not on the calendar for another two weeks. She cries quietly, and looks at her phone, she sees the call to Negan and Janine both went to voicemail at the same time, and realizes they’re seeing one another. She slams phone down, and pulls out, blasting rock and roll. I think AC/DC.

Lucille sits at home with a gun by her side. Negan comes in, and asks, what’s going on? What is it? Her hand moves slightly on the gun, but she throws cancer treatment pamphlets on to the table instead. She says she’s got cancer.

Back to where we were before, and Negan says, she knew about them the whole time? Just so she knows, he broke up with her as soon as they got the diagnosis. He never saw or talked to her again. He cries, and she says she knows. He says he doesn’t understand why she’s telling him now, and she says she wants him to know he made up for it. If he really wants to help her, just stay. He says they’re so close. It can work; the doctors said it could work. She says, no, they didn’t. Now it’s time for him to go on without her. Live life for her. Stay. He says, no. They’re not giving up. They’ve made it this far, and they’re going to see it through. He’s going to find the doctors, and they’re going to kick the cancer out of her. They’re not giving up. Not ever. She kisses him, and I’m feeling very sad.

About six weeks ago. Negan tells Franklin, he scavenged along the way, but it was worse than they thought. Then they had a problem with the dead, and here he is. Franklin says he sent his daughter Laura to the warehouse to see if they have what he needs. Laura comes in with a cooler, and says they had it all. Negan tells them, he doesn’t know what to say, and Franklin says they have a lot, and just want to help.

Outside, Negan says he came threatening their lives, and they patched him up, and gave him the first decent meal he’s had in weeks. They gave him everything he asked for, and haven’t asked for anything in return. Franklin says, what goes around, comes around, and Laura asks if the gun is Negan’s only weapon. He says he broke his knife on the way there, and she says, take this, handing him the bat. He says, the bat she hit him with? Damn, that girl packs a wallop.  

Craven tells Negan, enough. Tell him where he got the drugs. All Negan has done is told one stupid pointless story after another. First, he wouldn’t talk, now he’s begging Negan to shut up. Storytime is over. Tell him where he got the drugs, or he’s going to pull the trigger. Then Negan’s wife dies, and she’ll think he ran out on her. If Negan doesn’t start talking, he swears to God… Negan says bring him his map. Another man unties Negan’s hands, and he circles a spot on the map. Craven asks, what about security? and Negan says, it’s light. It’s just a guy and his daughter. The guards on top of the RVs are decoys, and there could be a couple of others, but they have no guns. Craven says, if they’re not there for literally any reason, he’ll come back and kill Negan, no questions asked. He tells the other guy to keep Negan locked in the storage room.  

Negan is told he’s good to go. He grabs the cooler, and runs outside to his bike. I feel sick. The trailer is in the parking lot, and Negan hears Laura saying, no! Stop! He gets on his bike, and rides out, taking one last look. There’s a scream from the trailer.

Negan arrive back home, and calls for Lucille. He heads for the bedroom, but the door is closed, and written on it is, please don’t leave me like this, with a heart. He opens the door, and hears zombie noises. He looks at the bed and cries. Lucille has restrained herself, and there’s a plastic bag tied on her head. She makes zombie gurgles, and reaches her free hand toward him. He takes out the bat. He’s obviously in anguish, but she’s nothing but a monster now. He comes closer, and we hear Joe Cocker singing You Are So Beautiful. Negan rips the bag from Lucille’s head, and cries some more, getting as close as possible.

He sits against the bed, and she reaches for him, still chained down. He rolls a bottle of scotch around in his hands, and looks at the cooler.

Outside, Negan cuts barbed wire from the fence, and wraps it around the bat.

He pours gasoline all over the house, stands in the bedroom, and lights a match. He drops it, and the room begins to burn. He looks at Lucille through the flames.

He busts out the front door with the bat, and leaves the house. He drives away on his bike, knocking the mailbox (which says Smith) down with the bat as he goes by.

The house burns.

Craven pummels Franklin, and laughs. He says, it’s been a long day; he didn’t get much sleep. This is the last time he’s going to ask. Tell him where they keep the good stuff or he’ll bring out the girl. She’s a little young for Franklin, doesn’t he think?

The other guy sits outside, and Negan comes back with his bat, and bashes the guy with it. A guard comes out of the trailer, and Negan shoots him.

Hearing the shot, Craven asks, what the hell is going on? Another guy says he’s checking it out, and Franklin works at the same screw in the chair that Negan did when he was in it. At the time, I thought it insignificant, since nothing came of it. I should have known better. There are more gunshots, and Craven ducks. He gets on his radio, and asks, will one of you idiots tell me what the hell is going on? He hears shots come closer, and looks scared. Franklin unties himself, while Craven is preoccupied with aiming at the door. Franklin gets free as Negan walk in and shoots Craven. Craven crawls for the gun, and Negan whacks him with the new Lucille. Franklin asks if there are any more of them, but Negan says he got all of them. Franklin says, damn, and Negan hands him a gun, telling him to take it and find his daughter; make sure she’s okay. Franklin leaves, and Negan pulls Craven up to his knees.

Negan sits and says, look at us; here we are again. Last time, Craven said he talks too much. The bad news is, he’s got stuff to get off his chest this time as well. This time, Craven best hope he never stops talking. When he does, something terrible is going to happen to Craven. He never killed a man before tonight. He came close once. There was a bar that he and his wife used to go to; it was their favorite bar. It was their favorite because it had their favorite jukebox that played their favorite song; You Are So Beautiful, by the one and only Joe Cocker. The greatest love ballad ever written; he’s sure Craven agrees. There was this guy there who had one of those voices you can’t unhear; it was like Negan’s brain had been hijacked until he couldn’t hear anymore. Their song was playing, and the guy was talking and laughing, so Negan’s wife Lucille goes over to where the guy is, and politely asks him to keep it down so she can hear her song. Let’s just say he chose poorly. So now, Negan has to get up, and go over. He says the guy owes him 50 cents, so they can play the song again, and he can shut the hell up so Negan’s wife can enjoy her song. Now here’s the important part – the part where he really wants Craven to pay attention. You know when people say they’re so angry, they see red? That sh*t is actually true. The a-hole comes at him, and all he sees is red; it’s like he’s looking through blood. He wailed on the guy until he wasn’t moving, reached out, grabbed his wallet, and took out a dollar. They played the song twice. It turns out, the pr*ck had kids who went to school where Negan taught gym. Needless to say, the school was unthrilled. He got fired, the guy sued him, and since he had no job, his wife had to pay the guy’s medical bills. The point of the story is, there are consequences to him seeing red. Seeing red meant bad things then; he was a bad man then. Now, nobody is suing anybody, nobody got fired, and nobody’s keeping score. Now seeing red is a question of what Negan is capable of. He hates to break it to Craven, but he’s starting to think he’s capable of damn near anything. So this is for not killing him. He beats Craven with new Lucille.

In the present, the zombie has finally reached Negan, and he whacks it twice. He looks at looks at the bat, breathing heavy.

Negan is back in the cabin, sitting in front of the fireplace, holding the bat. He says he’s sorry. He was a coward. He couldn’t face the pain he was in. He ran away, and made himself not feel anything. He didn’t want to feel shame; shame was the one thing he still felt. He’s sorry she went out like that; he should have been there. He’s sorry he named the baseball bat after her, and sorry for the pain he put her through. He hopes she found someone in the afterlife, and is screwing her brains out… Not really, but fair is fair. He misses her. He loved the sh*t out of her, and he’s going to do her fighting for her. He puts a cloth over the bat, and puts it in the fireplace. He watches it burn.

Negan walks back into town. Carol and Maggie see him, and Carol walks over to him. He asks where the A-team is off to, and she says, an Army base. If they find anything, they’ll bring something back to his cabin. He says, that won’t be necessary. The situation isn’t going to work out. Carol says, if Negan stays, Maggie will kill him. Carol didn’t want his death on her conscience; now it’s not. He says, fair enough. He keeps walking, and looks at Maggie as he goes by. He smiles, but with Maggie, it’s more like, if looks could kill…

This was the finale, and Fear the Walking Dead starts its new season next week.

This had to be the saddest episode ever.

💐 Happy Easter…

Hope you enjoyed whatever it is you enjoy on Easter Sunday, or if Easter is not your celebration, enjoyed whatever you enjoy on any Sunday. See you tomorrow for Sailing, and until then, stay safe, stay seeking wisdom, and stay not judging those who carry baseball bats covered in barbed wire. You might not know their whole story. Although then again, you might want to non-judgmentally run.

April 2, 2021 – Jason’s Goes Before the Judge, Roger Talks, a Return, Two Anniversaries, a New Puppy, Wife Arrests, About That Jen, AHS10 Hints, Daytime Awards, Concerts, 3×3 Quotes & Love

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Elizabeth is reading The Invader on her tablet, and the headline says, The End of the Terror, with Jason and Franco’s pictures underneath. Cameron comes downstairs, and says, he read that one too. Elizabeth asks what he thought, and he says, whoever wrote it came down pretty hard on Jason, so… She says, just like he did with Jake yesterday? and he says he apologized to Jake, and hopefully Jake feels better, now that Elizabeth took him to see his dad. She says, no one feels better. Not Jake, not her, and she’s pretty sure, not him. She says, they have to talk about this, but Cameron says, there’s nothing to talk about. He’ll watch what he says around Jake, but Jason killed Franco, and now it’s time for him to pay.

Josslyn walks into the gallery, where Trina is sitting on the steps. Trina thanks Josslyn for meeting her, and Josslyn says, like she’d want to do this with anyone else. Trina asks if she’s heard yet, but Josslyn shakes her head, and says, you? Trina shakes her head, and Josslyn says, she can’t believe this day is finally here. Trina says, what happens now will change the rest of their lives.

Peter sips coffee at the MetroCourt, while reading his own article. Jackie comes by, and says he must be pleased with himself. That editorial may be unsigned, but it has his fingerprints all over it. He says, The Invader is independent, and always will be, and she says, right. What he calls independent, she calls indefensible. She wants no part of him, and his so-called journalism. He says he’s well aware. Lucky for him, she gets no say in the matter.

Elsewhere in the MetroCourt, Finn reads the article on his phone. Chase approaches his table, and Finn asks how he is. Chase also has a new hair-do. Apparently, a stylist has paid a visit to the set. Chase says he’s been fine, and Finn? Finn says he’s glad he ran into Chase. Violet has been missing him. She’s been asking a lot, when can she see her Uncle Chase? Chase says he misses Violet too, and Finn says, she’s been going through a lot of upheavals lately. He’s just trying to keep things as normal as possible, especially now that they’re living at the MetroCourt. Chase says, what? They’re not living at Anna’s anymore? Finn says, no. He and Anna split up.

Robert sees Anna outside the courtroom, reading the article on her phone, and he asks what she’s doing there. She says she wanted to see him before the arraignment. He says, she’s come to give him a pep talk, huh? and she says, no. She’s come to ask for his help.

Scotty struggles to wake up, the morning light hitting his face. He looks around, and sees his and Obrecht’s clothes everywhere. He picks up a piece of lingerie from the bed, says, urg, and puts it back down. Obrecht comes out of the bathroom in a robe, drying her hair, and says, good morning. He says, good morning, and she says she trusts he slept well. He says he slept like a potato pancake, and I laugh. However, he didn’t mean to hang around… She says, is he sorry he did? He says, is she? and she says she asked him first. He says, nein, and she says, nein too, and smiles.

At the Tan-O, Sonny listens to an old song, and dances with a broom. Phyllis comes out, and says, she and Lenny danced to that song at their wedding. He says he bets they were quite a couple, and she says, they still are. He says, why doesn’t she show him? and she says, now? He says, why not? and sets the broom aside. He opens his arms and says, come on. They dance, and she says he’s crazy. He says he doesn’t know if he is, since he doesn’t know who he is. Nina comes in, stopping dead in her tracks, as Sonny spins Phyllis. He says, does he look ridiculous? Nina says, he looks happy, and he asks Phyllis, how about a dip? She says she was born ready, and he dips her. He says, one more, and they laugh.

Carly sits in the courtroom, reading a physical copy of The Invader. Jason is brought in, Diane following, and Carly asks Jason if he’s seen this trash. It should be Peter standing in front of the judge, not him. Diane is going to get him off on bail, right? Jason says, it’s not going to happen.

I note that Diane and Obrecht are now in the opening credits.

Cameron says he’ll make it up to Jake, but he won’t apologize for knowing Jason killed Franco. She was there. She saw him standing beside Franco’s body. Now there’s a witness saying they saw him ditch the gun. She says, she knows what the witness claims they saw… and he says, claims? Like they made it up? She says, they don’t have all the facts, and until they do… He says he’s not listening to this. He’ll see her there, and as for Jason, he hopes Jason gets what he deserves. He storms out the door.

Trina tells Josslyn, she’s glad Ava let her open the gallery this morning, or she’d be checking her email every two seconds. Josslyn asks if she’s heard from Cameron, and Trina says, no, but he’s meeting them there. Why? Josslyn says, no reason; just wondering. Both of their phones ding, and Josslyn looks at hers. She says, it’s from PCU, and Trina says, it’s happening. Josslyn says, here goes nothing, and opens the email. She says, she got in; Trina’s turn. Trina tells Josslyn to open it, but Josslyn says, absolutely not. It’s Trina’s moment. Trina says, what if it’s a bad moment? and Josslyn says, there’s only one way to find out. Trina opens it, reading that she got in. She and Josslyn jump up and down with excitement.

Finn tells Chase, it’s not like he and Anna stopped loving each other. It would have been easier if they had. The harder they tried, the less they could make it work. Chase says he’s sorry. He knows what it’s like to lose the woman you love, and wouldn’t wish it on anybody. Finn says, not even him? and Chase says, not even him.

Peter says Jackie signed a two-year contract with The Invader. No one forced her, and he’s not letting her out of it. She says, his lawyers made that crystal clear, and walks away.

Anna says Robert knows where she stands with all of this. Peter killed Franco, and he framed Jason for it. Robert says, look, nobody wants to lock up Henrik more than he does, but he can’t just drop the charges without proof. She says she’s not asking him to do that. She needs him to buy her some time. Get Jason out on bail. He groans, and she says, he knows it’s possible. He says, not only do the police have two witnesses, and the murder weapon, Jason has a rap sheet as long as a digeridoo. If he doesn’t argue for remand without bail, he sets himself up for charges of bias. She says, if he was the ADA, yes, but his reputation stands for something. He has integrity. He groans again, and she says, come on. If anyone can do this, he can. He says, flattery will get her everywhere, and she says she knows. Please? She really needs Jason out on bail, and it’s not just because Peter framed him. It’s this whole situation with Cyrus and the Five Families anchovy paste. That’s a powder keg waiting to blow. The only stabilizing force in all of this – like it or not – is Jason.

Nina applauds, and Phyllis says she hasn’t danced like that in years. She hugs Nina, and Sonny says, if Lenny doesn’t take Phyllis to the firehouse dance, he will. She asks if he likes country/western, and he says, yee-haw! Phyllis says, then don’t waste his time on her. Take Nina. Nina says, no, and Phyllis says, why not? Sonny says, yeah, why not? and Nina says she doesn’t even know if she’s still going to be there after Elijah takes her on the insider tour. There’s really no reason for her to stay. Phyllis says she can think of at least one. She puts her arm around Sonny, and says, and his dimples. They’re something else.

Carly asks why Jason would give up and not let Diane fight for his release? Diane says, of course (🍷) she’s going to fight for bail, but the fact of the matter is, the police have an eyewitness who says she saw Jason get rid of the gun, and lo and behold, when they search for the gun, it’s where she said it was. Carly says, but it’s Gladys. Is Diane kidding her? Can’t Diane discredit her? Can’t she prove that Gladys is a grifter that comes into town and takes bribes? It’s obvious that Cyrus has paid her off. Diane tells Carly not to get her legal procedures confused, and Carly asks what that means. Jason says, this is an arraignment, not a trial, and Diane says, if it were a trial, she’d gladly rip Gladys to shreds on the stand. Ultimately, Jason is going to go free, because there’s no case, but today, Carly isn’t going to get the instant gratification she so craves. Believe it or not, Jason’s record of alleged criminal activity, going back to 1996, requires a room at the PCPD. Carly says, every one of those charges were dropped, except for one, and Jason says, it doesn’t matter. Diane says, they’re going to paint Jason as a flight risk, with a long history of criminal behavior. She’ll take every legal trick she knows and throw it at the judge, but it’s unlikely he’ll go for any of it. So Carly has to prepare herself. Barring a miracle, Jason is going to remain in custody until the trial.

Sonny says, no one ever accused Phyllis of being subtle, have they? and Nina asks if Phyllis isn’t due at the clinic. Phyllis says she can take a hint, but one last thing. The fire house chili is to die for. Nina says, really? and Phyllis tells her, she’s just saying. She leaves, and Sonny says, sorry. Sometimes Phyllis wants everybody around her to be as happy as she is. Nina says she gets it, but for the record, she’s not looking. He says, him neither. Now that they’ve straightened that out, would she like some coffee? She says, only if she can get it herself, and he says, if she insists. He has to admit, he likes chili, and she says, so does she. I have to admit, I like them together, which I know is not a popular opinion, but I’m not a Carly fan, and this is really sweet.

At the gallery, Josslyn tells Trina, she can’t believe they both got into PCU, and Trina says she wants to celebrate them spending their freshman year together, but isn’t Josslyn going to Southern Coastal? Josslyn says she hasn’t gotten in yet, and Trina says, she will. They’d be idiots not to take her. Cameron comes in and asks, what’s the news? and Trina says they both got into PCU. College here she comes. Cameron hugs her, but looks at Josslyn.  

Scotty tells Obrecht, when he heard the charges against Jason, before he knew Franco’s blood was on Peter’s hands, he looked forward to seeing Jason look the judge in the eye and be denied bail. Obrecht says, and now? and he says, the mustard is off the hotdog. After everything she told him about Peter, Peter should be sent to Pentenville to rot and suffer. Obrecht says, he will, for taking Franco from them. He asks if she wants to talk about it, and she says, their plan for Peter? but he says, no, about what happened… He looks at the bed, and says, here. Obrecht points to the chair, and says, and here. She points to another chair, and says, and over there. Scotty says maybe they can figure out what that means.

Chase says, Finn is having a tough time of it? and Finn says, when he and Violet moved out of Anna’s house, Violet’s life was upended, and he won’t let it happen again. Chase says, it’s been rough on all of them, and Finn says, he’s not looking for Chase’s sympathy; he doesn’t deserve it. But maybe Chase could carve out some time to see Violet. Chase says, of course (🍷). Finn knows Chase loves her. Finn thanks him, and says he’s going over to see Elizabeth. Chase asks him to tell Elizabeth that he’s thinking about her, and Finn says, he will. He leaves, and Chase looks over at the bar where Jackie is sitting.

Carly looks at The Invader headline, and asks Diane if Peter thinks it’s going to work. Diane says, let’s hope Judge Pierce doesn’t read the tabloids. She leaves to talk to the DA, and Jason says he takes it Carly decided to trust Anna. Carly says she didn’t have a choice, but so far, so good. But whatever happens, she’ll be damned if he spends one more day than necessary in jail. He asks what she’s going to do, and she says, whatever she has to.

Elizabeth looks at the headline on her tablet, and flashes back to Peter saying she should tell her story to The Invader. Jason has been arrested, like, 100 times, and nearly every time, he walked. Does she want him to get away with Franco’s murder? She thinks about Finn saying he’ll throw Peter out of the hospital on his ass, and that it would make a great story for his rivals. She remembers telling Carly, in Jason’s mind, he was protecting her and her boys by killing Franco, and Carly asking if that’s what shaped her perspective. Is it possible Elizabeth saw what she expected to? Think. Go back there. Is it possible he was trying to help, and not hurt Franco? Elizabeth gets up, and grabs her car keys.

Cameron congratulates Josslyn (no hug), and Trina says Josslyn still has to hear from Southern Coastal, but Cameron says, she’ll get in. Trina tells him, that’s what she said, and Josslyn says Cameron knows how competitive it is, and there must be a thousand girls like her, but Cameron says, no one is like her. He says they’ll have to celebrate, and Trina says, first, she has to call her mom. She leaves, and Josslyn asks how Jake is doing. Cameron says Jake is still angry at him, but he’ll come around eventually. She says she hopes he knows that she didn’t come by yesterday to cause problems, and he says he does. She says she just came as a friend, and he says he understands. She was right. Jake is a little kid, and he has to think more about Jake’s feelings, but she has to understand about her defending Jason. Josslyn tells him to think about it. Really think. Jason has hated Franco for forever, so why, after all this time, would Jason, a professional killer, wait to do it in the sloppiest way possible? It doesn’t make sense. He says he understands that she loves Jason… and she says, Jason is his brother’s father. He says he’s sad for Jake, but the sooner people like Jake and Josslyn realize that Jason killed Franco in cold-blood, the better.  

Chase goes to the bar, and asks if the seat next to Jackie is taken. Jackie says, it’s all his, and he sits down.

On the phone, Nina tells Eli that they’re still on for the insider tour… Comfortable shoes and a good attitude; she thinks she can do it. She’s looking forward to it. She laughs, and Sonny says, he’s all for her writing the article, but why is Eli interested? She says, maybe he’s proud to show off his town, and Sonny says Eli tried to buy property there on the cheap. Why would he want attention raised? She says, it will raise real estate prices. Always on the lookout for an enemy. Sonny laughs, and says, out of curiosity, what makes her think she knows him so well?

Jason tells Carly, stick to the plan, and work with Anna. Don’t even think of going rogue. She says, Peter meant to influence the judge. If he can play dirty, so can she. Jason tells her, don’t react. Robert asks Diane what Peter is doing there, and she says, hasn’t he heard? Peter is the voice of the people. Robert says, not on his watch, he’s not. Peter comes in with a press pass, and sits by Anna. He says he didn’t expect to see her there, and she says, she was certain she’d see him. Jason was extraordinarily important to Robin, and she’s there on Robin’s behalf. The bailiff says, all rise; Judge Pierce presiding. The judge sits, and asks what the state says about bail. Robert gets up. 

Elizabeth opens the door, and runs into Finn. She says, weird. She was on her way to GH to find him. Come in. He says he figured she saw the cover of The Invader, and she says she did. He asks if she’s okay, and she says she doesn’t know how she is. Finn asks if something happened since they last talked, and she says she took Jake to see Jason in lockup. Jake is convinced Jason couldn’t have possibly killed Franco, but Cameron is convinced more than ever that he did. He asks, what about her? What does she think?

Cameron says, it blows his mind, and Josslyn says, what does? He says he was hurt and Dev was killed in an attack where Jason was the target. How many people have been hurt because of him? That lifestyle catches up with you, the same way it caught to Sonny. Maybe it’s time she stopped defending Jason, and realizes the type of person he is. She says she gets that he’s grieving, and feels the need to blame someone or he’ll explode. He says she’s not listening. He’s blaming Jason because he killed Franco. Why can’t she understand? Open her eyes. She says, that’s it. No more Cameron is grieving, so he’s allowed to say any stupid thing he wants to say. No more

Chase tells Jackie, part of him doesn’t want to deal with the anger and hurt; just stick it in a box, bury it, and never open it again. But he knows that’s the mistake Finn made. He ran, and built a wall to keep them out. He’s not doing that, especially since it’s not just his family; it’s dad’s too. She asks if he’s willing to get past this, and he says, no promises. She says she never asked for that, and he says, yeah. He thinks he is.

Obrecht says, a need, an itch, but Scotty thinks it’s the usual suspects; anger, grief, and loneliness. She asks who he’s calling lonely. In any case, it won’t happen again… unless he wants it to. Scotty says he could think of worse things, and she says he flatters her. He says, he’d be in, sometime. Her? She says, sometime. She smacks him on the head, and says, time to go. He wants to go to Jason’s hearing, doesn’t he? He says, not after he found out Peter killed Franco, but she says, all the more reason. For Franco’s sake, they have to see that justice is done. She leaves, and he follows her. These two are cute.

Nina says, Sonny is right. She’s not an expert on him, but she saw how protective he was of Phyllis and Lenny. Didn’t he step in when a thug tried to rob them? Normal people would turn and run, but not him. In that vein, she doesn’t need protection from Eli. She can take care of herself. Phyllis comes back, and says she got to the clinic, and realized she left her ID. She flips on the music, and tells Sonny, go ahead. Show the lady how it’s done. She goes to get her ID, and Sonny says, it’s hard to say no to Phyllis. Nina tells him, he can say that again, and he says, it’s hard to say no to Phyllis. She says, he’s funny, and he says they might as well, right? He comes around the bar, and says they don’t want to embarrass themselves at the dance. Might as well practice. She says, if he insists, and he smiles, holding out his hand. They dance.

Robert says he’d like to save the defense the time and trouble of requesting bail, and Diane says, it’s no trouble. He says, the state has no objection. Mr. Morgan has been part of the Port Charles community for the better part of his life. His business is there; his children are there. They don’t see him as a flight risk. Diane says, in light of the state’s sound and sensible attitude, she’d like to request that bail be posted immediately. They’ll post whatever bond the court deems necessary. The judge says he’ll take a recess and render his decision, and the bailiff says, all rise. Anna smiles to herself, and Carly smiles at Jason. 

Chase tells Jackie, his first priority is his dad. She needs to know, as far as he’s concerned, Gregory will always be his father. That’s how Chase looks at him and feels about him, and nothing will ever change that. She says, of course (🍷), and he says, as for her and Finn, he really doesn’t know where to start. She says, the best way to get help is to do it as a family. It wasn’t always like this; there was love and trust. He says, that’s what makes it so hard, and she says she believes if they want to get back to being a family, it has to be a group effort. They all have to put in the work. He says, maybe she’s right. The only way to do this is together.

Sonny laughs, and spins Nina. She says he’s good at this, and he says she seems surprised. She says she kind of is. He seems so serious, but when he dances, another side comes out. He says, maybe he was a dancer in his past life, but she says she doubts it. He says, him too. He keeps thinking about the dream he had. She says, the faceless blonde? and he says he thought it was her, but how could that be when they’ve never met? He just wonders if he’ll ever see that face. He looks a little sad, and they dance some more.

Carly asks Anna what Robert said, and Anna says he told her that he was going to buy time, but she didn’t know what he was going to do. Carly says, he must hate Peter too, but Anna says, he wants justice. Carly asks if Anna thinks the judge is going to buy Peter’s headline, but Anna has no idea. Diane tells Jason, game face on… like he actually has another one. It’s more than she hoped for. He says, it’s not a lot, and she says, it’s not. Jason says, so  they wait? and she says, they wait.

Elizabeth tells Finn, when she came to the studio, and Jason was kneeling by Franco’s side, what if she saw what she expected to see? He asks what she means, and she says, she automatically assumed Jason shot Franco, but if she’d walked in not knowing the players? She’d have thought he was checking Franco’s pulse. Finn says, he was trying to help Franco? and she says, what if he was? She just can’t believe something she was so sure about, is now up in the air. She’s really starting to worry she was wrong.

Josslyn says she has news for Cameron. He wouldn’t be standing there, screaming for Jason’s conviction, if Jason hadn’t save his life. He says, because Jason saved his life, this somehow gives Jason a pass to kill his stepdad? She says, Jason doesn’t need a pass; he didn’t kill Franco. He said he didn’t and that means he didn’t. Cameron says, so that’s it, and she says, it’s just the facts. All Cameron is doing, besides hurting all the people who love Jason, which includes his little brother, is helping whoever did kill Franco. They framed Jason, and expected people to buy it. She’ll give them that; it’s working. Cameron says, so he’s buying into a lie, and she says, yes. She hopes when he realizes he’s wrong, and he’s been demonizing a man who’s done nothing but good things for him, she hopes people can accept his apology.

Judge Pierce says, the DA makes a valid point. He understands they think Jason isn’t a flight risk, but that’s not the only reason to deny bail. There’s the argument of community safety. Jason’s record goes back decades, and he’s been a person of interest in multiple murders. While a man is innocent until proven guilty, the public feeling is high against him for killing another human being, and his record is undeniable. Jason is to be remanded to Pentenville while awaiting trial.  

Finn tells Elizabeth, he can understand feeling strongly one way, and then the dust settles, and you walk back. She says, she’s gone around and around, and ending up in the same place. He asks her where that is, and she says, if Jason didn’t kill Franco, who did?  

Josslyn tells Cameron that she’s been conflicted trying to make up her mind. Now she’s so glad she’s going to Southern Coastal; it means she’ll get away from him. He says, wow, and she says she means it. He’s so deep in this fantasyland, she can’t talk to him anymore, and that’s not a solution to his grief. It sure as hell won’t make him feel better. Trina comes back, and asks if everything is okay, and Josslyn says she needs a minute. She leaves, and Trina asks, what’s going on with them? but Cameron doesn’t want to get into it. Trina says, she got into it… college that is. So did he. What’s going on? Is he headed to the redwoods? He has to go; it’s his dream. He says, his mom needs him home. He’s going stay home until Jason pays for killing Franco.

Josslyn sits on the hallway floor, and looks at her phone. She sees an email from Southern Coastal, and opens it. They thank her for her interest, and she’s being offered a spot on their waitlist.

Chase tells Jackie that he wants to clear it with his dad first. If he’s willing to go along, they’ll find the time to sit as a family, and figure out where they go from there, if anywhere. Jackie asks if there’s anything she can do to help, but he says there isn’t. It’s between him and his dad. He tells her that he’ll let her know what they decide, and leaves.

Sonny and Nina are dancing, when Phyllis comes back. She says, now that’s what she’s talking about. Nina thanks Sonny, and he says if she wants to practice more, she knows how to reach him – at the Tan-O. He tells them that he’s got work to do, and leave. Phyllis says, see that smile? Nina says, what about it? and Phyllis says, it’s because of her. Nina says, come on, but Phyllis says, she means it. Nina is good for him. Nina asks how Phyllis can tell, and Phyllis says she just can.

A guard takes Jason out, and Carly tells Diane, start the appeal; whatever it takes. Scotty and Obrecht arrive, and Scotty asks, what happened? Peter says, Jason was denied bail and remanded to Pentenville, where he belongs. Obrecht tells Peter, enjoy his victory; it’s temporary. He pinned his crimes on her, but he didn’t get away with it then, and he won’t get away with it now. He says, as far as he can see, justice was done. He leaves, and sees Carly in the hallway. He says he’s sorry. He knows it must be an incredibly painful time, but thinks she’ll find Port Charles is safer now that Jason is in prison. She says, know what his problem is? He’s gotten away with every lie, so he keeps lying, but at the end of the day, the truth and facts will win out. Jason is innocent, and when it’s proven, Peter’s whole world will come crashing down. She can’t wait.  

On Monday, Doc tells Laura that she has good reason to be disappointed, Martin wonders if he’s unwelcome, and Brando says he hasn’t been honest with Sasha.

🎤 To Be Franco, Or Not To Be Franco…

An interview with the artist himself.

🏥 Sean/Shawn Returns…

TJ’s biological dad makes a comeback.

🩺 Happy Anniversary…

GH just keeps on going.

🌎 Another One…

ATWT celebrates it’s 65th anniversary.

🐶 Everyone Loves Puppies…

Cameron has a new cutie.

🗂 Arrest Record…

It’s not just Jen who’s worn the cuffs.

https://pagesix.com/video/jen-shah-and-the-other-housewives-who-have-been-arrested/

👮🏽‍♂️ Shahrested…

At least she dressed well.

https://pagesix.com/2021/03/30/jen-shah-seen-outside-utah-courthouse-following-arrest/

Heather weighs in.

https://pagesix.com/2021/04/01/rhslc-star-heather-gay-appears-to-respond-to-jen-shah-arrest/

🌊 Double Feature…

The latest on AHS10.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/michelelbird/what-we-know-about-american-horror-story-season-10

🏆 Televising Emmy…

You have time to prepare.

🎶 For the Music Lovers…

The latest on Bonnaroo.

And the shape of concerts to come.

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/touring/9549272/live-music-concerts-return-guide-faq/

📣 Quotes of the Week

The only disease that needs curing is us. – Philip Carvel (Tom Burke), Utopia

You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job and not be paid for it. – Oprah Winfrey

If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary. – Jim Rohn

The older you get, the less makeup, but the more underwear you wear. – Dolly Parton

Your story may not have such a happy beginning, but that doesn’t make you who you are. It is the rest of the story – who you choose to be. – Michelle Yeoh

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt. – Charles M. Schulz

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.Martin Luther King Jr.

I ‘d rather see my face aging than a face I don’t recognize at all. – Cameron Diaz

He’s a psychopath; they’re clingy. – Maxie Jones (Kirsten Storms), General Hospital (I couldn’t resist.)

🌷 Spring Has Sprung…

Here we are, closing out another week, or just keeping on keeping on. Until we meet with the Dead, stay safe, stay chasing your dreams, and stay not just seeing what you expect to.

April 1, 2021 – Britt Agrees To Help Maxie, More Reality, House of Bad Pennies & April Fool

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Josslyn visits Cameron, and says she hasn’t seen him since the memorial. He says he wasn’t really up for seeing anyone, and she digs in her bag. She says since she’s there, she baked him some chocolate chip cookies, and hands him a container. She’s sure they’re not as good as Aiden’s, but Cameron thinks they should grab some milk and do a taste test. Jake and Elizabeth come downstairs, and Elizabeth says she told Jake, no. He asks, why? and she says she doesn’t think it’s a good idea. He asks what that means. Why can’t he see his dad?

At the jail, Scotty tells Jason that he belongs in there. He can’t wait until Jason gets before a judge and a jury, and tells them how he planned to kill Franco if his tumor got worse; then reneged on the plan and killed him anyway. Jason has nothing to say to him? You’re just going to dummy up on me, you musclebound oaf? What about the final moments? Did he make Franco beg for his life, or did he just enjoy pulling the trigger?

Obrecht leaves a message for Britt to call her back. It’s about Peter. There’s no end to his crimes. They have to do everything in their power to keep Maxie and James away from him.

Britt tells Maxie that Peter is fixated on her as his great love and his salvation. He won’t give her up, and she’ll be stuck there, playing the loving, grieving partner. She has to ask herself, how far is she willing to go? Maxie says, as far as she needs to. There are no lengths she’s not willing to go to protect her daughter. Britt says, then she’s sorry. She can’t help Maxie.

Sonny and Nina walk into the Tan-O, and Nina says he’s right; the river is amazing, and the mill. He says, there is a certain charm to Nixon Falls, and she says, it does have that. He says if she and her magazine can write an article, she could bring some people there. It could be a destination. Isn’t that what they call it? She believes it is, and he says, nobody knows about it, so if she brought some people from her town, worst case scenario, they have a nice trip and a great meal; best case scenario, she could bring all these tourists there and save this place from extinction. Will she do it? Her phone rings, and she says she has to take it. It’s Obrecht, who asks how far out of town Nina is. Nina says, pretty far; what’s wrong? Obrecht says, for the first time in her life, she’s at a complete loss. She doesn’t know what to do. Nina gestures for Sonny to step away, and he laughs, but goes behind the bar. Nina asks Obrecht to calm down. What’s gotten her so upset? Obrecht says, what else? Peter August. Nina asks what he did now, and Obrecht says, in addition to his myriad of crimes, Peter murdered Franco.

At the MetroCourt, Peter tells Carly, despite the grandstanding, she’s all alone in a sea of predators. She says, don’t tell her she can’t protect her family. No one is getting the better of her; least of all, him. He asks if she’s sure about that, and she asks if he thinks she’s weak, and her family is vulnerable somehow. He’s mistaken. If he ever comes at her, or anyone she cares about, she’ll come back at him ten times harder. He says she’s quite the lioness, and Jax appears, and says, oh yes, she is. I wonder what the hell they did to his hair.

Britt says Maxie needs to cut Peter out of her life, and Maxie says, he’s a psychopath; they’re clingy. I laugh, and Britt suggests Maxie go into hiding and not come back until Peter is dead or in prison. Maxie says she can’t cut Peter out of her life right now. Right now, he’s all hearts and flowers, and she needs to keep it that way until she can hide this baby from him. Britt says, that’s all good in theory, but in reality, the more she gives, the more Peter will take. He’ll push and push, until he pushes her back to bed with him again. Maxie says, oh my God, stop, but Britt asks if she’s wrong. Peter is a very big, very strong man with no conscience, and he wants Maxie. So if her plan is to keep him close, how is she going to put him off?

Jax asks why Carly doesn’t have a drink with him, instead of wasting her time with this guy, and she says, just when the conversation was starting to get interesting? Not a chance. Jax says, he’s not worth it, and Peter says, thanks for the assist. That’s the second time today Carly needed to be pulled away from a victim. She says, don’t cross me again, you son of a bitch, and Peter says, what she lacks in elegance, she makes up for in gusto. She really is what one would expect from a mob wife. Without the mob, of course (🍷). He leaves, and Carly tells Jax, thank you. Don’t do that again. He says, he was just trying to… and she says, help her when she didn’t ask for it or need it. He says it looked like she did, and she says, he knows damn well she’s not some damsel in distress. He undermined her in front of Peter. He says, so now Peter will underestimate her. She’s ahead. She sarcastically thanks him, and he says she’s welcome. Besides, does she really want to make an enemy of Peter right now?

Nina tells Obrecht, that’s a really serious accusation. Is she sure? Obrecht says she’s positive, and Nina asks how she knows. Obrecht says, Anna told her. She knew of Peter’s treachery all this time, and every time, she tried to stop him. She failed, and now… She starts to cry, and Nina says Obrecht isn’t to blame herself. Obrecht says she blames Peter. He lured Caesar to Port Charles, where he killed her only son, and now Peter has killed Franco, who she loved as if he were her son. Nina says she’s sorry. Obrecht knows how important Franco was to her. Obrecht says she doesn’t know what to do, and Nina says she wants Obrecht to listen to her. She fights to get justice for Franco – the legal way. She’s to take all the anger, and guilt, and grief, and turn it into something positive. Obrecht asks if Nina took her anger at being kept from her grandson into something positive, and Nina looks at Sonny. She says she’s trying to.

Scotty tells Jason, when Jake spoke at Franco’s memorial, he said how much Franco had done for him. When Jason killed Franco, he also broke his own son’s heart. Does that mean anything to him? From one father to another, can he apologize to Scotty for what he did to his son? Jason says he can’t. He didn’t kill Franco.

Elizabeth says Jake’s father knows Jake loves him, but wouldn’t want Jake to see him in jail; it’s no place for kids. Jake says he needs to tell his father that he’s on his side, and Elizabeth says, he knows that, but if Jake wants, she’ll tell him the next time she sees him, okay? Jake says, it’s not okay. He needs to tell Jason that he knows Jason didn’t kill Franco. He just wouldn’t. Cameron says he knows Jake doesn’t want to hear this right now, but his father shot and killed Franco. Elizabeth tells Cameron, stop, but Cameron says, no. Jake telling himself that Jason didn’t kill Franco, is completely stupid.

Maxie says Britt is right about Peter, but she doesn’t need to worry. Peter isn’t going to blindside her; she sees the crazy now. She’s not falling for his charms again. Britt says she’s sorry. She’s upsetting Maxie. She wants to take Maxie’s blood pressure, and tells her to have a seat. Maxie sits, and Britt says she’s worried about Maxie. Peter keeps inserting himself into her life, and it just keeps getting worse. What is she going to do about it? Maxie says, what she always does; deal with it. Let’s be real. What choice do I have?

Scotty asks if Jason thinks they’re all idiots, and Jason says, it’s the truth. Scotty says, Elizabeth saw Jason standing over Franco as the life was draining out of his body. He doesn’t know why he’s bothering with Jason. Jason can’t give him what he wants. Jason can’t bring Franco back to him. Obrecht comes in, and says, nor to her. Nobody can bring Franco back to them, but someone will be punished for killing him. Scotty says, you’re damn right. Jason is going to pay for this. He asks Obrecht how she wants to kill Jason. Should he distract the guards? She says, no. Jason is telling the truth. He didn’t kill Franco. Peter did.

Elizabeth asks Cameron what he’s doing, and Cameron says, the sooner Jake gets it into his thick head, the better off he’ll be. Jason Morgan, Jake’s father, killed Franco. Jake says Cameron is a liar. His father didn’t do it. They got the wrong guy. Cameron says, ask mom; she was there. She saw Jason do it. Elizabeth says, not another word, and Jake says, Cameron is the one who’s lying. He hates Cameron. Jake runs outside, and Elizabeth asks, what got into Cameron? How could he do that to Jake? She follows Jake, and Josslyn tells Cameron that his mom’s right. He shouldn’t have said that to Jake. He supposes she thinks Jason is innocent too. Outside, Jake asks if Elizabeth thinks his dad killed Franco.

Carly tells Jax, Peter is already an enemy. That conversation was a warning shot, and she flinched. He says, it wasn’t because he showed up? and she says, it happened before he got there. She pours a drink, and she says, Peter really got to her, and does he know why? Peter got to her because he’s right. Jason’s in jail, Sonny is gone, and she’s the last line of defense when it comes to her family. She’s the one who has to keep the wolves at bay. She chugs the drink down, and Jax says she’s not alone. Sonny’s people are loyal to her, and will stop Peter if he tries anything. She says, Peter isn’t the only one she’s up against.

Sonny asks if Nina is okay, and Nina says she’s fine. Her aunt is upset about something that happened at home. He says she looks a bit worse for the wear, and she says, it’s a long story, and honestly, after she heard what her aunt had to say, she’s even happier that she decided to get away from it all. He says, what better place than Nixon Falls, and gives her a beer. She says, and after that call, she’s wondering if she should spoil this place with a bunch of people who will… just complicate things. He says, if she brings tourists in there, he doesn’t think they’re going to complicate things. They’ll just see the peace and quiet that he sees. She says he does seem relaxed, and he says, compared to who? She says, the people back home. Sometimes he must wonder who he is and where he came from. He says he’s not going to lie to her, he does, and she asks if he’s tried to find out who he is. He says, he wouldn’t know where to start, and she says, there are a million ways to research it. Everyone is on the internet and leaves a footprint. He must know that. He says, yeah, and she asks why he hasn’t tried harder to find out who he is. He says he’s hit a few snags along the way. She says, such as? and he says, there have been a few situations that made him wonder how complicated, or maybe dangerous, his life was. It could be a blessing. Maybe his life was a mess. She says he has history. He has people; everyone does. He says, where are they? He’s been looking; what about them? It seems like they gave up pretty easy. She says he can’t be sure of that, and he says he doesn’t want to chase after a life he doesn’t remember. He leans forward on the bar, and says, maybe he’s got a life right now that’s pretty good.

On the phone, Elijah says they’ve got nothing on this Mike guy? That can’t be, because he’s trouble. He looks in the window of the Tan-O, and says, dig deeper. He’ll see if he can find out more.

Jax says, Cyrus Renault? and Carly says, he’s circling like a vulture, waiting to take over Sonny’s whole territory. Jax asks what that has to do with her, and she asks if that’s an actual question. For the first time in a long time, Carly and I are on the same page. Is he kidding? He says she’s not running Sonny’s business, is she? Legit or otherwise. He thought that was Jason’s job. Has he been on another planet? Carly says, Jason is awaiting arraignment, locked up on murder charges, and Jax says, which doesn’t change the fact that Cyrus is Jason’s enemy, not hers. She says, Cyrus won’t hesitate to use her family as leverage to get what he wants. It was just a year ago when Cyrus attacked her family, including their daughter. He says, but Cyrus did that to get to Sonny, not her. I decide Jax took stupid pills today. He says, now with Jason and Sonny out of the picture, she’s irrelevant to Cyrus. She says she has every reason to believe the case against Jason is going to fall apart, and he asks if it’s a little bit of wishful thinking on her part. She says, Jason is innocent. Cyrus is framing Jason to cover for the real killer – Peter August.

Josslyn says what she thinks about Jason is beside the point, and what Cameron said wasn’t about Jake; it was about him. He hates Jason, so he wants Jake to hate him too? He says, Jake should hate Jason. He took Franco away from them, and she says he was cruel, and unfair, and he’s better than that. At least she thought he was.

Elizabeth tells Jake, they don’t have all the facts yet about who killed Franco, and he asks if she thinks his dad is guilty, and she says, what she knows is, a person in this country is innocent until proven guilty. Jake says, so his dad is innocent until then? and she says, that’s what she was taught. He asks if he can please see Jason. He needs to talk to Jason himself.

Obrecht tells Scotty, Peter framed Jason like he framed her. The difference is, Peter has no one to protect him anymore. Not even Anna. He asks why she’s so sure, and she says they came to a meeting of the minds. He says, her and Anna, the woman she hates more than anybody in the world? She says, the very one, and tells Jason, she came there to tell him that she’ll fight for his freedom, and Peter’s conviction. Frankly, he’s quite lucky to have her on his side. She tells Scotty, they’re done here. Let’s go and remember Franco. Scotty reluctantly leaves with her.

Britt tells Maxie, slightly elevated; she can’t imagine why. Okay, her fault. She’s sorry. Maxie says the pressure would go down if Britt agreed to help her hide this baby from Peter. Britt says, maybe they can come up with another plan, and Maxie says she’s open to suggestions. She’s heartbroken to be away from her little girl, even for such a short period of time. Someone bangs on the door. It’s Peter, who says he really needs to see Maxie.

Jax asks what makes Carly think Peter killed Franco, and she says, Jason figured it out. Franco kept having more of Drew’s memories, and Peter killed him to shut him up. Jax says, but there’s a witness, and she says, Gladys Corbin. She and Jason think she saw Peter ditch the gun, ran to Cyrus, and Cyrus told her to say it was Jason. Of course (🍷) Gladys was more than happy to. Jax says he wishes she wouldn’t get involved, but she says, it’s Jason. Jax knows she has to fight for him. He says she does understand Jason is a big boy who can fight his own battles, but she says, not all of them, and not from a cell. He tells her that he can’t say he’s surprised. If he’s being honest, he’s always admired her passion. She says, no, he hasn’t, and he says, he didn’t say he agreed with it, but he admires it. She says, fair enough, and he says, big difference. She says, okay, and asks if he’s had any luck finding Nina. He says, according to his sources, she hasn’t left the country, and Carly says, she forgot to tell him. Nina called her.

Elijah walks into the Tan-O, and asks how just Mike/Sonny is doing. Sonny says, Phyllis and Lenny went to the movies, and Elijah says it’s really a blessing Mike is there. Sonny says he can’t argue with that, and Elijah asks who his friend is. Sonny introduces Nina, and Elijah asks if she’s from around there. She says she’s just passing through, and he says he’s afraid a lot of people are just passing through. Not too many stop and stay. Where’s she coming from? She tells him, New York, and he says, the city? She says, they’re northeast, and he asks, what brought her there?. Sonny wonders if Elijah is going to ask her shoe size next, and he says, sorry. Nina says she and Phyllis go way back, and Elijah says, from the vibe he was getting, he thought maybe she knew just Mike. Sonny says Elijah just came in; what kind of vibe is he talking about? Elijah says he saw them from outside when he was on the phone, and they looked like old friends. He was hoping Nina could tell them something about their mystery man. Nina says, sorry, no. She and Mike just met.

Elizabeth and Jake go back inside, and Elizabeth says she’ll see what she can do to get Jake in to see his dad. Jake starts to head upstairs, and Cameron says he needs to tell Jake something. Jake tells Cameron to leave him alone; he doesn’t want to talk to Cameron. Cameron says he needs to tell Jake how sorry he is for the stuff he said about Jake’s dad. He was worried Jake would see it online, or his friends would tell him, and he didn’t want Jake to be hurt by it. Jake says, so Cameron decided to hurt him himself? and Cameron says, he wanted to protect Jake, but he can see now that he didn’t do a very good job. Josslyn helped him realize that the reason he said what he said was that inside, he still really misses Franco. Jake says he misses Franco too. Cameron says, now that Franco is gone, they have to stick together. Brother to brother, will Jake accept his apology? Jake asks if Cameron will take back what he said about Jake’s dad, and Cameron stammers that he can’t. Jake says, then he doesn’t accept Cameron’s apology.

Scotty and Obrecht have martinis at the MetroCourt. Obrecht says, now that they’re sufficiently lubricated, they can say things they would never utter when sober. Scotty says, okay… and she says she’ll go first. In addition to saving her from Dr. Kirk, she wants him to know how grateful she is for the hospitality he shared when she was in hiding. He says, now that she mentions it, sidestepping the law is his specialty. She says she needs to ask him for one more thing; hear her out. He wonders if he’s going to regret this, and she says she hopes not. He tells her, fire away, and she says, Franco’s death is her fault.

Maxie opens the door to Peter, and tells him to come in. He says, oh, Britt’s there, and Britt says she came to check Maxie’s blood pressure. It’s elevated, so please don’t upset her. He says he’ll give it his best. He just wanted to give Maxie this. He hands her a giftbag, and she asks, what’s the occasion? He says he just wanted to apologize. He’s sorry for crowding her at last night’s Lamaze class. He just wanted to be a good father, and promises he’ll back off moving forward, and respect that she needs some space. She thanks him, and takes a stuffed bear out of the bag. He says it has real sentimental value to him (I think, and probably a microphone inside). When Valentin took him from his adoptive parents, it was the only toy he brought with him. He cherished it all the years he was with his father. Britt says she’s surprised Faison let him keep it, and he says, Faison didn’t care much about him, and didn’t care about his keepsakes either. She, of all people, knows the drill. She says she does, and he says, this little guy kept him hopeful that there were better people in the world. People that would love him, like Maxie does.

Maxie says, this is really lovely, and thanks him. She says she hopes he can find it in himself to keep his promise, and give her what she needs to feel safe around her. He says, it breaks his heart, and she says, it’s not a picnic for her either, but she’ll get what she needs. He asks if he can see her tomorrow, and put together the crib he got for the baby. She says, Peter… and he says, or he could just give her a few days. She says, that would be better, and he says he’ll call her in the morning to see how she’s feeling. Maybe when she’s alone – he looks at Britt – they can really talk. She thanks him for the gift, and he leaves. She says she told Britt she could put up a front, and Britt says she sure did. Maxie says, even with all his faults – Britt says, they’re called crimesthis was a really nice gesture. Britt says, it would have been, if he wasn’t lying through his teeth. He didn’t get that from his adoptive parents. Faison gave it to him. Maxie asks if she’s sure, and Britt says, yes, because Faison gave her one just like it. Maxie drops the bear to the ground.

Carly tells Jax, she didn’t know where Nina was, but it sounded like a bar or restaurant. Jax asks what she wanted, and Carly says she assumed Nina wanted to threaten her with legal action over visiting Wiley. He must remember Ava going on and on about it. He says, he recalls; what did Carly say? She says she told Nina… not to, and he says he’s sure there’s a lot more to it than that. She says, there is, but that was the gist, and he says, after she got the gist, what did Nina sound like? Carly says, she sounded odd, really odd, and he says, in what way? She says, Nina told her that she’d made her bed, and now she’d have to lie in it – alone.

Sonny explains to Nina that Elijah is one of Phyllis’s strays. Lenny and Phyllis took him in when he needed help. Elijah says, they’re great people. It breaks his heart to see their business isn’t what it used to be. Sonny says, that’s why he’s trying to get Nina to write an article, so the tourists come in. Elijah says, so she’s a writer, and Sonny says, not just a writer. She’s the editor of Crimson magazine. He looked it up; she’s a big deal. Elijah says, Crimson, it’s a fashion magazine, right? and Nina says, that’s the one. He says, she’s thinking of doing an article on Nixon Falls? and she says, they do more than just fashion. Mike was showing her around town, the river, the mill; it’s a very special place. Elijah says, if she wants special, don’t just take a newbie’s word for it. How about if he gives her the insider’s tour?

Obrecht tells Scotty, it was her fault. Had she been more astute, she could have stopped Peter, or at least warned Franco. Close to tears, she says she’s failed, and she doesn’t know how she’ll ever forgive herself. Scotty says, if Peter did this… and she says, of course (🍷), Peter did this. Why is it so difficult for him to accept? He says, then she shouldn’t beat herself up. She’s not going to bring Franco back. Peter August will pay for this. They must make him pay. She says, of course (🍷) he will pay. Scotty has no idea how she will make Peter pay. Scotty says, fill him in on that. Franco was his last son, and he knows Franco had flaws… She says, flaws? Franco? How dare he? Scotty says Obrecht only sees the good in Franco, and she says, she saw much more than that. She saw his troubled soul, the devil he used to be, but was no more. Best of all, she saw his heart. Scotty says he saw Franco’s vulnerable side – a lot – especially when he needed help. She says, yes, she was particularly fond of that. She loved all of him. Scotty says, him too, and she puts her hand on his. She dabs at her eyes, and says she despises crying in public. He says, Fraulein, may I walk you to your room? and she says she would like that.

At Kelly’s, Josslyn says she knows it might not seem like it, but Cameron did good talking to Jake. He says he feels so bad. He should have never gone off on Jake like that. She says she’s glad he realizes that; that’s good. He says, come on. She has to know, deep inside, that Jason did it, right? She says, they’re really going there again? and he says, tell him she’s not wearing blinders, like Jake and everyone else who puts Jason on a pedestal. She says she’s not wearing blinders, and she’s 100% certain Jason didn’t do it. He says, his mom was there. She practically caught him in the act. Josslyn says, she didn’t see Jason kill Franco, because he didn’t do it. Cameron gets up, and says, he can’t believe this. How can she sit there and defend the man who murdered his stepfather? How can she call herself his friend and not be on his side with this?

Jake runs to Jason’s cell, followed by Elizabeth. He calls out, dad! and Jason says, this is a surprise. Elizabeth says, Jake needed to see him, and the Commissioner made it happen. Jake is carrying a drawing, and says he painted something for Jason. It’s from when they went to see the Woodchucks. So Jason can think of something else while he’s in there. Jason unrolls a painting of the stadium, and says, it’s great. Jake thanks him, and says he was hoping Jason would like it. Jason says, it’s perfect, and Jake looks around. He says he can see why his mom didn’t think it was a good idea to come there. It looks depressing. Jason shrugs, and says, yeah, but he’s fine. How is Jake doing? Jake says, not great. Cameron says Jason killed Franco, and says mom thinks he did too.

Josslyn says, who is he, and what has he done with Cameron Webber? Cameron says he’s right there, but she says the Cameron she knows is a decent guy. He’s so convinced he’s right, he thinks it’s his duty to trash Jake’s father. He says he apologized to Jake, and she says, but he didn’t mean it. Obviously, there are sides, and they’re not on the same one. He asks what she’s going to do, and she says, the only thing she can. She tells him that she can’t be friends with someone who’s so twisted up in what they think, they can’t even consider they might be wrong, and leaves.

Jason says he doesn’t want Jake to worry, but Jake says she is worried. Jason says, try not to worry too much. Things will work themselves out, one way or another. He gives Jake his word, he did not kill Franco. Jake says he knew it. He knew Jason didn’t do it. He tried to tell Cameron, but he wouldn’t listen. Jason says Jake doesn’t have to defend him. He wishes he could tell Jake this was going to be over soon, but the courts are slow, and it could take a while for the truth to come out. There are going to be a lot of people saying a lot of bad things about him; just let them. Jake doesn’t have to fight for him. Jake says, but he wants to, and Jason thanks him. He says, the best thing Jake can do for him is just live his life, try to get along with his brothers, and keep doing his art. Hold on to the fact Jason didn’t do this; he’d never hurt anyone if it meant hurting Jake. Jake says he knows Jason wouldn’t, and Jason puts his hand through the bars and on Jake’s shoulder. Elizabeth thinks about this.

Obrecht opens her hotel room door, and tells Scotty, everyone thought she was crazy when she hired Franco as an art therapist at the hospital. He says, he thought it was genius, using Franco’s talent to help people. She says, at one time, they were Franco’s only allies when everyone feared and hated him. He says he knows it, but he was always thankful that Obrecht was there for Franco, and she says she’s thankful Franco had Scotty in his life as well. She asks if he’d like to come in, and he says he believes he will. She smiles as she closes the door.

Britt picks up the bear from the floor with tissue paper, and stuffs it back in the bag. Maxie says, this doesn’t happen often, so she wants Britt to take it in. Britt says, take what in? and Maxie says she’s admitting she was wrong, and Britt was right. Peter isn’t going to stop pushing. Britt says, exactly, which is why she’s going to go along with Maxie’s plan. Maxie says, really? and Britt says they’re going to fake a stillbirth, and send that baby somewhere Peter can’t find her. Maxie thanks Britt, saying, she didn’t know how she was going to do this alone. Britt takes Maxie’s hand, and says, first things first. They can’t leave Maxie open to more visits from Peter. Maxie agrees, but wonders how they can stop him. Britt says, trust her. She knows how to keep Peter away from Maxie. All the way until the baby is born.

Jax tells Carly, he wishes there was something he could do, and she says, Cyrus, now Peter; they’re her problems to solve. He says he may not be a coffee importer like Sonny, or a business associate like Jason, but he is there. Which means she’s definitely not alone in this. He puts his hand on hers.

Elijah says, how about it? Will Nina let him show her around? She says she hasn’t even decided if she’s going to write the article, and Sonny says, she will. Elijah says, especially after his grand tour, and she says, all right. How about tomorrow? He says, tomorrow’s great, and tells Sonny, later, Mike. He leaves, and Nina says, everyone in Nixon Falls seems very nice. Sonny says, yeah. He’s a helluva guy, isn’t he?

Outside on the phone, Elijah says he has news. Mike isn’t their only problem. There’s a big shot here, Nina Reeves. She runs Crimson magazine, the fashion rag. Find out more about her.

Nina says Sonny doesn’t think much of Elijah, does he? and Sonny says it doesn’t really matter what he thinks. Nina says, tomorrow is going to be very interesting.

Tomorrow, Jackie asks if Chase is willing to get past this, Sonny asks Nina what makes her think she knows him so well, and Carly tells Jason that if Peter can play dirty, so can she.

📺 I caught For Real: The Story of Reality TV on E! tonight, and they covered secrets from the early days, how producers twist reality to stir the drama, and how stars turn the tables. Heather, Julie, Norman, and Eric from The Real World: New York were interviewed, and Andy said it was the first time they’ve seen each other in 20 years. I questioned that, since they’d filmed Homecoming last summer, and although this interview was virtual, it seemed later in the pandemic. Eric was also in the same room as the others, while on Homecoming, he didn’t stay at the loft because he had covid. Andy kept crying, and said as a young gay man in NYC, Norman was someone he could relate to. Besides The Real World, Survivor, Kid’s Nation, and Big Brother were among the shows discussed. Zeke Smith talked about being outed as trans on Survivor, but was good with it. He said that while before when you googled transgender, suicide stories came up first, but now, his story does. Richard Hatch also talked about how being a TV villain caused disruption in his private life. Next time, the topic is, reality love. 

🏖 On the God awful Summer House, a fistfight between Kyle and Luke was avoided, and Kyle went off mumbling that he was going to make a necklace out of Luke’s hair and feed it to him. Then he did some drunk eating, but it wasn’t Luke’s hair. Luke said they couldn’t fire him, he quit, but showed up again the next day. Ciara said he was a man-child, and she didn’t even want to hear his voice again. Carl confessed that he’d started drinking again after his brother died, and basically screwed up his chance to be the adult in the house. He did rally though, shaving off his Amish beard, and vacuuming his room. Hannah said the house was a full-on crazy ward, and I couldn’t argue with that.

Luke made apologies all around, and Lindsay took a pregnancy test. After hearing ad nauseum that she was 34 (i.e. her biological clock was ticking), she was glad to find out the test was negative. After pretending to stand up for women, Kyle asked if Ciara’s boobs were real. FYI, they are. In Paige’s interview, she said she wanted to fault Kyle for waking up that morning to hypocrisy, but Ciara did have fantastic boobs. Stephen sent Lindsay a daily bouquet of flowers, and showed up at the house when the housemates went out to eat (in a real restaurant!). He set tealights by the pool to spell out I 🤍 You, and stood in the middle of the heart with a boombox to greet Lindsay when they got back.  Lindsay was smitten. Next time, both Des and Robert join the housemates, and Luke is puzzled about how he’d been leading Hannah on, since she’d already been with Des. And of course more immature and horrific behavior.

🛶 Paddling Off…

Brewing a pot of tea for tomorrow, but for now, stay safe, stay making the most of every day, and stay away from psychopaths. They’re clingy.