(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
I shot an arrow into the air, and where it landed was on a GH Flashback from November 10th, 2004.
Sam was hooked up to machines in the hospital while Jason kept watch. Literal toddler Kristina was in the same position, awaiting surgery, while Alexis kept watch. Ric showed up with a restraining order to keep Sonny from seeing Kristina. Luke was still in the opening credits, but walked away in the group shot, but I don’t know if that was some kind of statement – about the show, Tony Geary, or both – or actually prophetic.
At first, I thought Nikolas had a twin, but it turned out to be lookalike Connor, who I remember zero about. Old Mike was working at Kelly’s. Courtney told Lois (I remember her!) that Sonny was really Kristina’s father, and Mike said Carly knew, but had kept it to herself. Sam was unconscious, and had lost a baby girl, and Elizabeth looked like she was twelve. Sonny tore up the restraining order, and told Ric that he’d wreck anyone who came between him and his daughter. He’d already lost one daughter, and wasn’t losing Kristina. Little Michael said he knew Sonny was sad about losing the baby, and Sonny reassured Michael that he and Morgan were safe. Michael asked if he was mad at God, but Sonny said he didn’t blame anybody, and told Michael, no matter how hard times get, family has to love each other. Michael asked how they could help, and Sonny said, be kind to each other. He told Michael, a way to respect losing someone precious was letting go, no matter how hard it was. He said, eventually they’d have to get on with their lives, but not today.
Alexis told Ric he was all kinds of wrong, and to focus on Kristina. Elizabeth told Jason that Sam’s feelings would be complicated, and not to let her deal with having planned for the baby’s homecoming alone. Jason said they already had a nursery set up, and Elizabeth said they’d prepared together, so they should mourn together. She said Sam was going to look for someone to blame, and hold herself responsible. Emily nursed Connor’s wound, and told him being a doctor was a dream of hers. He said he gave himself reasons for walking out of the military, but wondered if he really was just a deserter and his reasons were baloney. Courtney told Jason, when they’d lost their baby, he held her together and she wanted to help him now. Lois told Alcazar that Kristina was Sonny’s daughter, and Carly knew, but hadn’t told Sonny. She didn’t think Sonny was going to forgive Carly, and they’d be getting divorced, but Alcazar didn’t think Sonny was in a position to criticize. Kim was still old Carly, and Sonny told her that he was grateful Sam’s baby was going to give Kristina the stem cell infusion she needed. Carly said they were family, and she’d always want to help and support him, whether they’re married or not. Courtney told Jason that Elizabeth was right. He needed to help Sam, and they had to give themselves time to grieve. Potential parenthood had changed him, and Sam loved him. She said if he needed anything, she was there, and Jason said he’d be okay.
Lois told Alcazar that Sonny would go to the ends of the earth to protect his family, but she didn’t think he’d take Carly back. She’d broken a cardinal rule, and lied about family. She wondered if Alcazar would go back to Carly. Carly’s dad John, aka Corbin Bernsen, brought Carly and little Michael to a house, and tried to entice Michael with a skateboarding ramp in the backyard. Michael wasn’t having it, and said he’d wait in the car. Carly said she knew John wanted her to move away from Sonny. Jason told Sonny that Dr. Webber said Sam should have come out of it by now, but Sonny thought maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Jason said he wanted to be the one to tell Sam the baby was gone.
John told Carly that he bought the house for her. She said she wanted to take care of herself, but took the keys anyway, and John left. Sonny told Jason that he thought he’d had an understanding with Sam. She trusted him, even though he’d disappointed her. Jason said Sam always respected Sonny’s choice to stay with his family, and wasn’t angry about it.
Connor had a bad dream, and Courtney told him that he was safe. He said he was dreaming about his buddy Casey, who’d died because of him. He’d watched Casey die. Michael told Carly that he wanted to go home, and live with dad. Carly explained if she and Sonny couldn’t work it out, they would need to move out, and she thought this was a nice place. That was, until Alcazar called to her from the porch. Kristina made it through her surgery, and Sam woke up. Jason told her about the baby, as we watched (but couldn’t hear) through the window. Sam screamed, no! as Jason tried to comfort her.
🤷🏽♀️ If You’re As Clueless As I Am…
I don’t know if I wasn’t watching during these time periods, or I just wasn’t paying attention, but a lot of the characters are a mystery to me. So meet, or refresh your memory about, Connor and Courtney.
💰 On Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, we got another tour of the mountainside mansion known as the Razor House, that the Joshes described as not just architecture, but a piece of art. Some of the amenities included a smart home system – or as JoshF called it, an expensive light switch – an open floor plan, floor to ceiling glass (all of the windows had shields that could be brought down to cover them), a glass elevator, a subterranean garage, a rooftop terrace, and an infinity pool and hot tub. Going for a mere $25 million. They met with architect Wallace Cunningham, and we found out the house was the inspiration for Tony Stark’s house in Ironman.
James and David took on a listing for a house from 1914 that the owner had totally revamped, having to contend with the Historical Preservation Society, and being restricted as to what overlays could be used. The owner wanted $3 million because of the sweat and cash he’d sunk into it, but that brought the cost to $1250 a square foot, when most of the neighborhood was going for $800. It was one of those houses that doesn’t look like much from the outside, but is fabulous inside. David and James talked owner Joey into a price reduction, telling him that potential buyers didn’t care about the hoops he’d had to jump through to renovate. Joey was stubborn, but agreed to $2.495 million.
Tracy was ready for a new chapter in her life, and decided to sell her own house. Her divorce had been finalized, and they were sharing custody, so she’d only have her daughters 50% of the time. She explained she’d fallen in love with the house while showing it, and had thought it would be her forever home. They’d paid $13 million, but she wanted $24, and was tweaking it to perfection before putting it on the market. Thinking she’d be too emotionally attached, she told her team they would be taking the listing. In wanting to keep her family life private, she informed them that the kids were not going to be on the show. She did want them to be part of the process of looking for a new place though.
In their dual interview, JoshA asked JoshF what superhero he’d be, and JoshF said, Barbie. I’m not sure if Barbie applies, but he also said his superpower would be Ken. The Joshes got ready to hold a black tie broker’s open. In the meantime, David and James were offered $2.1 million, and talked Joey into countering with $2.3. It always amazes me when they dicker over $100-200K, when they’re ultimately talking millions. The buyer’s broker pointed out there was no garage, and gave a best and final offer of $2.25. A deal was made, and the guys made a commission of $56,250. While that could be a yearly salary for a normal human, they do put in a lot of work.
JoshA said they were pulling out all the stops for the brokers open, where both he and JoshF hosted. He said JoshF was an acquired taste, and just when you think he’s normal, something gets blurted out, and you’re like, what planet are you from? The Joshes chest bumped over their success. In his interview, JoshF enlightened us that few brokers showed trophy listings, so they had to bus them in like cattle, renting two party buses. When one broker told JoshF the house was amazing, he said, thank you; I built it, and I had to laugh, since that sounded like something I would say. David cornered Tracy at the open house, asking JoshA to give them a moment, and accused her of talking smack about him when they’d both been up for a listing. Tracy said she’d merely pointed out that she’d made an effort to show up to talk to the seller personally, rather than sending one of her team as he had. JoshA wondered what was going on, but James pleaded ignorance. In JoshA’s interview, he said, you can’t mess with Tracy; she’s a bad-ass bitch. He was sure David was going to tuck his tail and run back to England. Tracy told David, if he’d really wanted it, he should have gone himself. He said she’d also inferred that he wasn’t interested in properties that were less than $10 million, and she said it wasn’t smack; she’d just told the truth. The Joshes and James joined them, everyone talking at once, until JoshA put an end to it, by saying they talked sh*t about each other all the time; just never put it in writing. The Joshes high-fived each other.
Next time, a rockin’ house party in a house that used to belong Howard Hughes.
🎭 In Case It’s Still Important…
I haven’t watched the Oscars since… I don’t remember, but no judgement on those who still enjoy them. You’ll have to wait until next year though.
TV looks very not promising this week, but I’ll gather some tea leaves, opinions, information, and fun stuff, and see what sticks. But for now, stay safe, stay receptive, and stay reaching for the stars.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Today, when the GH Flashback wheel was spun, it settled at December 3rd, 2003.
Sam and Jason had both been arrested, and were put in the interrogation room. This episode is so old, they introduced themselves (no doubt, this is Jason and Sam week). They discovered they were both there for aiding and abetting Sonny, and Jason suggested the police wanted to get Sam’s testimony against him. On the pier, Faith told Zander that Sonny’s empire was going to be dust soon, and the territory would be hers, while Courtney listened in. Scotty gave a press conference, saying Sonny’s conviction for attempted murder and kidnapping would be a slam dunk. Sonny was in the hospital, and Scotty expected a speedy conviction. Behind the scenes, Scotty was worried if they didn’t get Sam’s testimony, Sonny would walk. At this point in time, Kim was Carly, and went to visit Sonny, who was in custody in the hospital. Elizabeth and Ric were at a cabin for five minutes, when a cop showed up saying Ric was wanted back to help with Sonny’s conviction. Sam told Jason she wouldn’t be manipulated, and He said he appreciated her standing up, and would foot the bill. Jax came to see Sam, and Emily (who was with Nikolas) showed up to bail out Jason. Sonny told Kim Carly that he’d done what they said. He’d tried to kill Alcazar, and when that didn’t work, took him hostage. She said there were extenuating circumstances. Sonny had been provoked, she was going to get him out of this, and they’d work things out. Scotty said he couldn’t wait to get Carly on the witness stand, so the jury could hear about how Sonny shot his own wife in the head. I don’t know what that was about.
Jason told Nikolas to have a meeting with Faith in public, and tell her that he wanted to make peace. He wanted Nikolas to listen hard, since Faith loved to hear herself talk, and he might pick something up. Jax told Sam that Jason wasn’t a nice man, and just wanted to buy her silence about being taken hostage by Sonny. Georgie went to the Quartermaine mansion to see Dillon, but Tracy walked in, and told Georgie to stay away from her son. Tracy thought military school was a good solution, but Dillon was sick of her holding that over his head. Dillon told Tracy, if he needed to leave to be with Georgie so be it. Sonny told Scotty he had nothing to say without his attorney. Scotty said Sonny was finished in Port Charles, but Sonny said he’d plead entrapment. It was obvious Scotty and Alcazar set him up.
Elizabeth told Emily that she wanted to tell Ric about being pregnant with Zander’s baby, but she was afraid of losing him. Courtney showed up to post Jason’s bail, but Brian (who I do not remember at all) told her she was too late, and he thought she should cut ties with Jason. She told him not to put himself in the middle of her marriage. Jax told Sam that she was being manipulated, and Scotty wanted Ric to rattle Sonny’s cage and get a confession. Sonny told Jason that what he’d done was a lesson on what not to do. Don’t lose your temper, don’t pick up a gun when you’re hurting, don’t act in the moment, and most important, think with your head not your heart. All he heard was Carly didn’t love him, and he took the wrong action. Jason blamed himself, but Sonny told him a man had to be responsible for his own actions. As long as Sam didn’t incriminate him, everything would good. Jason told him Scotty was punishing Sam, but to sit back and let him do his job. Alcazar told Carly that Sonny should pay for what he did, but Carly said Alcazar had kidnapped and stalked her and he hadn’t paid. Unless he admitted to setting Sonny up, he was never going to see her again.
Nikolas met Faith at Kelly’s. Zander was tagging along with Faith, and Elizabeth told him that he was in with the wrong crowd. She said they had a connection, but he told her they’d had some fun together, and not to try saving him from himself. Nikolas offered Faith some of his ships, and she told him to wait for her call, spilling no beans whatsoever. Jason went to see Courtney who told him she loved him. She wanted to go somewhere their differences didn’t matter. Alcazar said, if he did what Carly wanted, would she leave Sonny for him? She said he was nuts, and he said he’d do what she wanted. He’d drop the charges, and if he was called as a hostile witness, he’d admit to entrapment. He loved her that much. Ric paid Sonny a visit, but Sonny said he wouldn’t answer questions without his attorney present. Ric said Sonny would probably walk, but Sam would be prosecuted and probably convicted. The only way for Sonny to prove she did nothing wrong, was to admit to kidnapping.
Jax told Sam that Sonny acted like mobster with heart of gold, and people would sacrifice for him. He didn’t want her to be one of them. Scotty asked if Sam was going to file kidnapping charges, so they could all go home. Ric asked Sonny what the real story was, but Sonny said Sam was innocent and he wasn’t. Carly burst in, asking what he was doing, and Ric said he just confessed to kidnapping. Courtney told Jason, there was going to be no end to the fear and violence, and she didn’t want him to die in her arms, or have some horrible accident happen. Jason said you couldn’t count on anything except how you feel. He’d love her forever (apparently not), but couldn’t leave. She let him know Faith was landing a shipment at the pier that would finance her takeover. There was Courtney and Jason music like there’s Sam and Jason music today, Courtney said there was nothing left to say, and Jason left.
Jason told Nikolas that he knew what Faith was planning, but would need his help. Ric bragged to Elizabeth that he got Sonny to confess, and the best part was revenge complete. It still didn’t take away the pain or make things right. Elizabeth said he was becoming the man she knew he could be, and it was a lesson in not giving up hope. Jax told Sam that Sonny wouldn’t give a damn about her helping him, but Sam said let Scotty try to convict her for something she didn’t do. Scotty popped in, and said she was free to go; Sonny confessed. Sonny told Carly that he had to pay for what did, and Carly wondered if Sonny was trying to punish her, but Sonny said he’d always love her. Courtney took her ring off, and there was a knock at the door. She hoped it was Jason, but it was Zander. Nikolas showed up as Faith was about to make her deal on the pier, and said he’d changed mind. The pier belonged to Sonny, and she was surrounded by Sonny’s men. Jason lurked in the shadows.
There was some stuff with Georgie, Dillon, and some girl I didn’t remember, so who cares?
Below Deck Mediterranean
Last week, when trying to make a comrade of Captain Sandy didn’t work, Lara realized she’d actually have to work, and left the Wellington in the lurch. Captain Sandy got pissed about Pete continuing to call Malia sweetie, and called a meeting of the deckhands.
The captain tells Malia, because she’s kind, they don’t know a definitive line. The deckhands come to the bridge, and Captain Sandy says she forgives everything for charter one, but charter two is another story. She knows it’s hard for them with a woman in seniority, but they have protocol. Malia is their boss, not their friend. No calling her sweetie, sweetheart, or dear. They wouldn’t call a guy any of those things. She wants them to be professional, and she’s not their friend either. Don’t call her sweetie; she’s their captain. Malia seconds all that, and the captain tells them to enjoy the rest of their day. Pete says they really like respect, don’t they? and in Rob’s interview, he says the meeting was mostly about Pete. He’s so narrow-minded. Calling Malia sweetie isn’t right. Malia joins the deckhands, and Pete says he’s trying to figure out who called the captain sweetie. Malia says he knows who was calling her sweetie, right? and Pete acts ignorant. She says he does it every day, and he excuses it by saying he’s an old country boy from Virginia, and that’s how he was raised. Wouldn’t that be darlin’ then? Malia says women don’t love it, especially when they’re your boss. Kiko asks Rob what the meeting was about, and Rob says the women are tired of being disrespected. He’s staying quiet, and letting Malia deal with Pete. When Malia leaves, Pete tells Alex that he thinks everyone should just do their job, and stop talking about everybody.
Hannah books a tour of the cathedral in Parma, and goes over the picnic with Malia. She tells Malia, if the weather turns to sh*t, they’ll get everyone back in the van. Hannah tells Jessica to set up, and she’ll come later. In Hannah’s interview, she says she was blinded during charter one because Jessica wasn’t spitting venom at her. Now she’s realizing Jessica’s not very good.
The guests go on the tour, and Malia tells the deckhands that they’ll have to hustle to get things set up. In Kiko’s interview, he says it’s his first picnic on a boat. No one ever asked for one on private charters, and in Brazil, they don’t do picnics; they just go to the bar. The guests go the cathedral, and in Malia’s interview, she says she’s hoping the weather holds up. A picnic is so much work, and she hopes it’s not all for nothing. The deckhands set up the table and chairs, and Hannah arrives with the food. Malia tells Pete to fix the table the way he had it the first time, and he says, there are too many chiefs. Malia tells Alex that Pete takes everything personally. The table falls, and takes the glasses along with it, and they shatter on the ground. Everyone helps clean up, and Pete puts the garbage bag behind a bush; a move that I’m sure is going to come back to haunt him later. Pete gets in the van and goes back to the boat, while the others stay.
Hannah sets up the food, and Malia wrangles the guests, leading them to the picnic. Quiche is served, and one of the children suggests Hannah take the green stuff out of it; he likes the one with meats. Alex tells Malia that Pete is a little odd, and she says, it’s alarming. The wind picks up, and the guests head back to the boat. The crew packs up everything, and Malia find the bag. Glass pokes through, cutting her leg, and she says, effing Pete. What did I say? In her interview, she says, it’s Deck 101. When it’s broken glass, you double stuff it, but it was just thrown in the bag.
Back on the boat, Rob tells Malia that she misunderstood, but she says, a lot of the meeting wasn’t directed at him. He says it triggered him about the pack mentality, and she says, it’s a process. She thinks he’s respectful, and he says he appreciates that. Roy III, who looks to be about four, sings Pretty Woman, and it’s very sweet. In Rob’s interview, he says he’s seeing someone, but it’s an open relationship. He’s been flirting with Jessica, but in the back of his mind is, don’t screw the crew; don’t sh*t where you live. A producer asks how far in the back of his mind it is, and Rob laughs. Pete tells Malia that they’re covering the deck furniture, but she tells him to wait. He relays the message to Alex, calling Malia his supreme commander. In Alex’s interview, he says Pete was his first friend on the boat, but he doesn’t like talking sh*t about people. Captain Sandy calls somewhere for a second stew, and asks if they can have someone there for the next charter. In Hannah’s interview, she says, having kids on board is mother training. She loves kids, and there are amazing moments, but they’re really dirty, and it’s sticky everywhere. Please wash your child.
Kiko feels like he’s getting better, and can’t wait to finish the charter perfect. I can’t watch while he kills some shellfish thing that’s probably a kind of lobster. Hannah tells Jessica that she’s been on break for an hour and ten minutes, and she’s late. In Jessica’s interview, she says she’s working two people’s jobs. Hannah says she gives Jessica breaks before she gives one to herself. Jessica complains that she had to change during that time too, and Hannah says she can’t have a break at all today, and she’s trying her best to give Jessica one, so please respect what time she’s supposed to come back. Jessica mutters she misses Lara.
Sandy asks the guests how their afternoon was, and tells them, if the weather is good, they’ll drop anchor. Pete plays with one of the kids, and in his interview, he says, when his son was born, he got meningitis and couldn’t hold him for quite a while because it’s so contagious. He’s not a guy who seems like a father, but when he’s with his son he’s a different Pete. Jessica can’t find her dress that has epaulets on it, and Hannah wonders how it went missing. Jessica sets the table for dinner, and Captain Sandy tells the deckhands that they’ll leave the dock at 8 am if the weather is okay. The guests are slow coming to dinner, and in his interview, Kiko says for once his timing is perfect, and the guests are making him wait. The guests are seated, and in Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, the first day, Kiko’s Brazilian cuisine was amazing, but he’s the chef on a super yacht, and needs to be good at all cuisine. He reminds her of Adam when he started. He was eager, but he hadn’t worked on a super yacht, and had a learning curve. Roy Jr. and company are impressed. One of the guests asks Ulf how he went from writing songs in the garage to being in a number one band (to refresh your memory, Ulf was in Ace of Base). Ulf talks about waves, and integral patterns, and some kind of esoteric nonsense. In Hannah’s interview, she says, his ego is pretty inflated for level of stardom he reached. Pete senses Hannah’s frustration, and asks if she’s understaffed. She says she can’t do the whole season like this. The guests retire, and everything is cleaned up. Pete hopes the new stew is fun, although what his definition of that is, I’m not sure.
The captain says the water was rough last night, but they can leave the dock. She tells Jessica that she doesn’t want the laundry to look like it is. When Lara left, it was organized. She points things out, saying, that can’t happen, and this can’t happen. She doesn’t want a slob in there. It’s a super yacht, and this pisses her off. In Jessica’s interview, she says she’s been avoiding laundry her whole career, under the guise of being eco-friendly. Her mom calls her lazy, but she thinks she’s smart. Captain Sandy wants to drop anchor, but she’s concerned about the swell. In her interview, she says it’s the last day of charter, and she wanted the guests to play on the toys. Since there’s no wind, anchor is dropped. Kiko makes breakfast, and the toys are put in the water. The captain radios the crew to make sure there are life jackets on the kids when they’re outside. Roy Jr. and wife Asa get on a jet ski. Pete asks if Malia is ready for kids, and she says, hell no. In her interview, she says she loves kids, but she’s not there. When she spends time with Tom, they like traveling; kids aren’t her thing now. The wind picks up, the waves begin to crash, and Captain Sandy tells Malia to start putting everything back. Malia clears the guests off the floating platform, and the toys are taken back out of the water. Hanna tells Jessica that she’s going to check Jessica’s cabin for the dress, so she can tell the captain that she looked everywhere. She finds it on the top bunk in a pile of clothes. In Jessica’s interview, she says her nickname as a kid was Messy Jessie. Pieces of that still live in her. She tells Hannah, mystery solved, and anchor is hauled.
Captain Sandy gets ready to dock, and Pete says the boat is rocking like crazy. Ulf can’t believe they’re going to get in that little space. It often amazes me how they get in there. It’s as bad as parallel parking in NYC. In Malia’s interview, she says the wind is blowing where they don’t want it to be. It makes it hard to maneuver when the wind pushing against everything they’re trying to do. She tells the deckhands, great job, and Alex says it was brutal. In the captain’s interview, she says, docking in swells is dangerous, but Malia is did an amazing job calling it. She’s a great leader already.
It’s time for the guests’ departure, and Captain Sandy tells Hanna that she’ll have a second stew for charter two. Roy Jr. tells them it was a wonderful vacation. The food and service were great, and the kids loved them. Asa says the kids played with all of them, and she was surprised. Roy Jr. says he hopes the tip reflects how much they loved it, and hands the captain an envelope.
Rob helps Jessica with stripping beds, and Captain Sandy calls the crew to the main salon for the tip meeting. She says, well done, and tells Hannah that she knows it hasn’t been easy. It was a challenge in a lot of ways. The weather was against them, and they had their first picnic, but the crew stepped in and killed it. Since they were down a crew member, they’ll each get more money. The tip is $21,000 (excellent!) or a little over 1700 euros ($1916) per person. She tells the, before the toast, she has news. She’s been working hard at getting a strong second stew, and it’s someone Hannah and Malia have worked with before – Bugsy. We flash back to Bugsy telling Hannah that she’s a lousy chief stew. Captain Sandy says Bugs is a chief stew, but she’s stepping in as second for them. She’s amazing. Hannah’s face isn’t saying she’s amazing though. The captain says they’ll toast to that. Alex asks Hannah, what’s with the face? and the captain tells her, it’s a good thing. They toast, and after a sip, Hannah jets, saying, f***. Malia tells the others that she’s good friends with Bugs, but Bugs and Hannah aren’t the best of friends. In Malia’s interview, she says she and Bugs got closer after their last charter together was over. She got to know Bugs’s family, and she’s excited. Captain Sandy tells Hannah that she should be excited; Bugs does great table settings, and Hannah won’t have to worry. Thankfully, Bugs was available. The captain tells the crew, there’s food in the crew mess, Jessica mumbles that she’s just invisible, and Captain Sandy wonders why nothing is easy. Hannah lies on the dock. The boat is cleaned, and the deck crew high-fives each other. Everyone gets ready to go out.
In Malia’s interview, she says, Rob has different layers. Jessica is probably deep in places… somewhere in her heart. She starts laughing. In the taxi, Hannah tells Malia that Jessica has a crush on Rob, and Malia tells Jessica, go for it. They go to a restaurant, and Jessica says tequila makes her act like an idiot. Rob tells her that he has a lot to give and say, but no one understands, and Jessica asks for a hug. In her interview, she says it’s nice to have a guy that wants to get in her mind, and not just stare at her boobs. Malia says, the guys are on the prowl. In Kiko’s interview, he says, Pete is trying to get with every girl; he’s a horny guy. In Alex’s interview, he says, they’re trying to find themselves a mamacita. All he knows how to say in Spanish is, I love you very much, mom. Malia tells Hannah things won’t change between them with Bugs coming, but Hannah thinks they will. They head back, and in the taxi, Hannah says, there was a lot going on tonight. She, Alex, and Malia wonder who will make the first move with Jessica and Rob. Alex says Jessica won’t. In his interview, he says he’s worked with her before, and never seen her hook up with a crew member. He also thinks Rob won’t cross the line, but time will tell. When they get back to the boat, everyone races to the bathrooms. Jessica asks to snuggle with Rob. Kiko peeks in, and sees them kissing. He says he guesses he lost his cabin. He and Pete giggle like elementary school children, and Kiko makes gestures outside of the cabin. Alex offers to tuck Kiko into Jessica’s bunk. Rob tells Jessica that he wants her to sleep with him, but not that way.
In the morning, Malia calls the deck crew. In his interview, Rob says he didn’t expect that happen. He’s never hooked up with someone on a vessel before, and he’s not sure what to do. Alex tells her that Kiko slept in Jessica’s room because Jessica was sleeping in Rob’s room. Malia asks if Rob doesn’t have a girlfriend, and Alex pretends he doesn’t know. Malia goes over what needs to be done with the deckhands, Kiko stabs a steak, and Hannah looks at a video on being an effective leader. In Malia’s interview, she says she can’t tell Hannah how she’s feeling about Bugs coming. She’s kidding. Things are going to change. The wind picks up again, and Rob tells Malia that he had a cuddle with Jessica. Malia says, everybody needs a cuddle. In Jessica’s interview, she says she’s trying not to have to too much expectation. She’s excited and nervous. She tells Hannah that she hopes it doesn’t get awkward, and Hannah says, it will when Bugs gets there. It starts to rain, and Captain Sandy says, they’re not leaving the dock. Jessica asks Hannah if there were issues with Bugs, or was she just annoying? Hannah says Bugs was pretty bad with her, but as long as she knows what she’s doing, Hannah doesn’t care.
Bugsy arrives, and Malia runs to meet her. Bugs says she’s bringing the thunder.
Next time, a group of pita guests, Hannah is apprehensive about Bugs, Sandy says the wrong groundline was released and it looks like it’s Pete’s fault, Hannah says there’s a difference between guests being demanding and being outright a-holes, there are twelve guests for dinner, and Kiko says he’s screwed. I like Kiko. He’s low key, and keeps smiling no matter what.
🛥 No Surprise On Deck…
While I do think some Bravolebrities were more ignorant than racist, I’m not sorry to see this guy go. It’s pretty obvious he’s sexist, so it’s not a shock that he would be posting something ignorant, racist, and sexist.
This photographer took her time in quarantine taking pictures of others in quarantine. The photo with the senior Pug is the best. It will do your heart good.
Whether you’ve lost track or not, another week has begun. New TV episodes are still up in the air, while some things have returned to sort of normal, and others are developing into a new normal. So stay safe, stay evolving, and stay looking toward the future. Even if the furthest you can look is tomorrow.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Today, GH closed its eyes, and stuck a pin in October 12th, 2016. Morgan had gotten blown up getting out of Julian’s car (that he’d stolen). Drew still thought he was Jason, and was working for Sonny. Tracy was on the scene, and told Monica that she’d been barred from the board meeting, and they wanted to sell the hospital to investors who would put up luxury condos.
A huge fishing hook had been found in the boathouse door, and Kiki thought it was Morgan because he’d seen her with Dillon, but Olivia thought it was Julian, who she assumed was mad because he’d seen Olivia with Ned. Ava told Kiki about Morgan, and Kiki thought she was making it up. Bobbie tried to help Carly, who said Morgan had been expelled from PCU, and she had to help him get through it. When Carly saw Sonny’s coat, covered in mud, Bobbie told her that Sonny had gone in the water after the accident, looking for Morgan. No pun intended, it all came flooding back to Carly.
In the middle of the station, Michael asked Sonny how a bomb got into Julian’s car, and Dante suggested they take it somewhere private. An officer gave Morgan’s phone to Dante, saying it had been recovered at the crash site. Michael wondered if Sonny had sent a message to whoever was trying to take over the business, and wanted to hear Sonny wasn’t the reason Morgan was dead.
Dante told Carly the car had exploded, and when she asked who’d want to hurt Morgan, he said it wasn’t Morgan’s car. He told Carly that the bartender had taken Morgan’s keys from him, and Carly asked if he’d been manic. Dante said TJ had tried to give Morgan a ride, but Morgan punched TJ, and saw a car with the keys in it. He had no idea it was Julian’s car. TJ told Jason, who went after Morgan, and saw the whole thing. Carly wondered why the car exploded, and Dante told her there had been a bomb in it, but it hadn’t been meant for Morgan. It had been meant for Julian. She asked if Sonny had anything to do with the bomb, but Dante didn’t want to answer, which told Carly everything she needed to know. Dante said he knew she was grieving, but he couldn’t say anything that would implicate his father. He gave Carly Morgan’s phone.
Ava told Kiki that Morgan had been drinking, but she didn’t know how he’d gotten into Julian’s car. Kiki was convinced Morgan had seen her and Dillon, but Ava told her that mental illness was hard to understand sometimes. Michael got seriously pissed at Sonny, saying Sonny had put it in motion by giving the order. He told Sonny that Sabrina had said vengeance would cost him the rest of his life, and asked Sonny if was worth it. Lulu, Laura, and Olivia were having lunch at the MetroCourt. Dante called Lulu, asking her to meet him, and she left thinking they were going to have quality time. Kiki told Dillon about Morgan.
Ned told Olivia that he thought Julian was behind the fishhook, but either way, Julian knew they were a couple. Olivia wondered why Ned wanted to keep their relationship a secret. Carly charged the phone, and saw Morgan’s screensaver picture of him and Kiki. Kiki told Dillon, Morgan must have snapped when he saw them together. Dillon said they hadn’t done anything, and not to put Morgan’s mental issues on herself. Drew/Jason visited the Quartermaines’ to tell them about Morgan. Tracy said, this is what happens when the city turns a blind eye to violence. It was the result of Sonny’s never ending pursuit of revenge. Drew/Jason tried to defend Sonny, but Tracy said he’d lost the right to an opinion when he turned his back on the family. Monica wasn’t having it, and said, enough.
Lulu went to the station, and saw Dante freaking out in the interrogation room. He told her that he might have to arrest his father for killing Morgan. Carly listened to the messages on Morgan’s phone. She heard her own voice telling Morgan, it was only a setback, and they figured he needed time alone. He could rise above it, and learn from his mistakes and move on. Sonny walked in while she was listening, and she said it was the voicemail she’d left for Morgan. He’d never gotten it because he got in a car, and a bomb blew him up.
Olivia told Ned that she thought Julian was just an excuse. If they tell people, it becomes real, and if it’s real, she can screw it up. Ned said screwing up was a two-way street, and he’d been known to do it himself. Then they publicly kissed. Ava told Bobbie that she was sorry for Bobbie’s loss, and Bobbie asked if Ava ever loved Morgan. He didn’t know any better. Ava said she loved Morgan very much. He was the only one who was good to her, and now everyone who was, was gone.
Lulu told Dante maybe it had nothing to do with Sonny, but Dante said it wasn’t the first time one of Sonny’s kids got caught in the crossfire. Morgan was the first Corinthos Dante met when he came to town, and he had his whole life ahead of him. Monica declared it a senseless tragedy, and Michael said they needed to be a family now, even Tracy. Tracy apologized for being harsh, but Michael said she was just being a Quartermaine. Michael told Drew/Jason that he blamed himself; he should have noticed Morgan was struggling. Drew/Jason said it wasn’t on Michael, but Michael said Morgan was manic because they weren’t paying attention. It contributed to Morgan spiraling, but whoever gave the order is the one who killed Morgan. Drew/Jason said Michael’s father might not have anything to do with it, but Michael asked if he really believed that.
Carly said Sonny couldn’t help himself. He had to finish Julian. She showed Sonny a picture of Morgan as a child, and smashed it, saying, now Morgan was dead, and Sonny killed him. Sonny wept alone.
🎇 Emancipation Celebration…
While Juneteenth was technically Friday, there’s no reason not to celebrate all weekend, so I’m giving over tonight’s blog to the topic of a holiday of the past coming into today.
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. – Henry David Thoreau
Don’t be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts. – Hopi tribe saying
Those who have one foot in the canoe, and one foot in the boat, are going to fall into the river. – Tuscarora tribe saying
When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. – Cherokee tribe saying
Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I’ll understand. – Tribe Unknown
The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today… The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately. – Seneca, on the Shortness of Life
For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful. – Annette Funicello, 1942-2013
The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not “get over” the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again, but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to. – Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and John Kessler
Learn to be quiet enough to hear the genuine within yourself so that you can hear it in others. – Marian Wright Edelman
Struggle is a never ending process. Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it in every generation. – Al Edwards
You have people walking around with all the knowledge of humanity on their phone, but they have no idea how to integrate it. We don’t train people in thinking or reasoning. – David Epstein
When we connect with others with their humanity, without the filters of race, nationality, gender, religion and so many other artificially constructed divisions, most of the world’s problems will be resolved. After all, we are all the same humans who have evolved through millions of years of evolution on this earth. All I am doing through my activism is showing the world that how we all share the same humanity regardless of our skin color, nationality or religion. Division only creates more division and inclusion is the only way we can move forward as a civilization. – Yeonmi Park, North Korean defector and human rights activist
If there is no struggle, there is no progress. – Frederick Douglas
📍 So Here We Are…
Things are starting to open up, people are venturing out, toilet paper is back in the store. Maybe at this point, you’re starting to question your very existence, or maybe you’re like, yippee, I can go get a beer not-to-go again. Whatever your position, stay safe, stay respectful, and stay letting whatever flag you like fly.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
And the GH Flashback roulette wheel says… October 15th, 2015. I heard on an ad that this week is the best of Sonny and Carly, which brings cohesion to the randomness. Sonny surprised Carly with a wedding in the hospital chapel, that Maxie jumped through hoops to put together in record time. Josslyn and Kristina looked like babies, Sabrina attended with Michael, and Josslyn played the Wedding March on the flute. I assumed it was actually her playing, and was impressed, since the flute is very difficult to master.
Paul showed up at the gallery, while trying to set up Anna via text using the name Sloane. Paul told Ava to be prepared for the dismantling of the Corinthos organization. His plan was about to come to fruition. He told Ava that Carrrlos’s fate and Anna’s were going to dovetail (who uses that word, except in reference to carpentry?). Ava asked if it was a coincidence, but Paul said it was careful planning. He wanted Ava to launder some money via art collectors he was going to send, but Ava wasn’t keen on the idea. Paul asked if she wanted to go to prison for Connie’s murder, since he had her confession on tape. Ava said she was afraid of losing Avery, and Paul relented, saying he wasn’t heartless, and Ava would be of no use to him if her mind was elsewhere. He told her to deal with the custody case first.
Old Jordan wanted to talk to Anna about Carrrlos’s disappearance, since Anna was the last one to see him. Jordan said her leads had gone cold, and Mayor Lomax was breathing down her neck.
While talking to Dillon at the pier, Maxie saw a body in the water, and Dillon called the police. Jordan determined it was Carrrlos, which wasn’t hard since he’d had his wallet on him. When Paul showed up, she said Carrrlos had been shot at close range. That explained why he avoided detection for so long – he was dead. Yep. That will do it. Paul suggested Sonny had gotten his revenge.
Sonny and Carly said their vows. Sonny told Carly that she saved his life every day, and he was blessed that she chose him. Carly said she’d had a taste of life without him, and promised that neither one of them was going anywhere without the other. Dante’s phone rang during the vows, and he stepped aside to take it. Bobbie suggested Sonny make a change, so no one else would get hurt. Dante told them that Carrrlos had been pulled from the harbor, and he was dead. Sabrina freaked, and Dante went to the station. Morgan told Sonny and Carly that Carrrlos had gotten what he deserved, and Sonny said he didn’t ask for retaliation. Morgan said they were looking at him like they thought he did it, and told them they could think what they wanted to; it was his wedding gift to them, and enjoy it while it lasted. When he left, Sonny told Carly that he thought Morgan wished he had shot Carrrlos, but he would have heard about it if Morgan had done it. He explained that Ava had let the Five Families (not a restaurant) that Carrrlos had shot Sonny and acted alone. The only one who could dispute it was Carrrlos, and he wasn’t talking. Carly said that was convenient for Ava, and Sonny said she was up to her lying neck in it. Sabrina told Michael that she’d known Carrrlos most of his life, and Carrrlos had done awful things, but didn’t deserve to get shot.
Anna went to the gallery, and told Ava that she knew it wasn’t Carrrlos who shot Sonny, since he was on the run for killing Duke. Why would he escape Port Charles, then come back to shoot Sonny? She said Ava claiming that’s what happened implied she had something to hide, and asked who Ava was covering for. Paul called Anna, and told her to meet him at Pier 54.
Nathan assumed that Valerie was pregnant after Maxie found a positive pregnancy test in the trash, and Valerie gave him the business about jumping to conclusions. Valerie saw Maxie in the interrogation room after she gave her statement, and Maxie told her it was like a scene from a scary movie, and kept playing in her head. She told Valerie that she knew Valerie and Dillon were having sex, and Valerie said Dillon was a great guy, but that was a no, and had never happened. Maxie asked whose baby Valerie was worried about carrying. Valerie said she didn’t know what Maxie was talking about, and didn’t think Maxie did either. Maxie said Valerie had thrown a positive pregnancy test in the trash, and Valerie said Maxie had assumed because she was near the trash can, it must be hers. She suggested the next time Maxie decided to go snooping, get her facts straight. In the meantime, Dante told Dillon to stay the hell away from his wife.
Sonny joked that he and Carly were going to Iowa for their honeymoon, and Lulu told Bobbie that she and Dante were in discussion about expanding their family.
Ava told Paul that Sonny knew she’d lied about Carrrlos, and was asking inconvenient questions, but Paul said he had everything under control.
Carly cuddled with Sonny in his hospital room, and Sonny said it wasn’t the way he’d pictured their honeymoon, but it did feel like Des Moines. She thought it was more like Cedar Rapids.
Top Chef – Finale
The chefs were challenged with cooking the meal of their lives. The final three were Bryan, who the crown had eluded for more than a decade; Melissa, who had more wins than anyone; and Stephanie, the private chef underdog, who had proven she had skills to be feared. The prize was a feature in Food and Wine magazine, an appearance at the Food and Wine festival in Aspen, and $250K. Not bad. I love that magazine, and that’s a nice chunk of change. Bryan said he’d slap them in the face with heart and soul, and we flashed back to the Italian chefs saying there was no soul in his food. Padma tasked them with making the best progressive four-course meal of their lives – no twists. They would be serving it to the best chefs from all over world. Kevin, Lee Anne, and Brian full of Malarkey came out to give their support as sous chefs. Gregory would have been there instead of Brian, but he was still battling back issues. The chefs drew knives for picking order, and Stephanie was first, choosing Brian full of Malarkey, for his enthusiasm and skills. Stephanie also admitted that during Restaurant Wars she fell in love with him. Not literally. Brian chose Kevin, who said, let’s get the band back together, which left Melissa with Lee Anne. Melissa said they’d never worked together, but Lee Ann knew Asian flavors, and was a beast in the kitchen. She thought they’d do well. Padma told them they’d be shopping in the food hub of Florence, and would have five hours to prep and cook back at the Renaissance Tuscany. They were to make the meal as cohesive as possible, and Tom said the judges expected nothing but the best.
Melissa said her mission was to marry Asian flavor with what she’d learned in Italy, bringing Italy to her heritage, so it would portray her adventure. While this isn’t ProjectRunway, I have to mention that Lee Anne was wearing the coolest fried-egg-and-bacon crocheted scarf. If I was crafty that way, I’d be making one starting tonight. Bryan said he and Stephanie were yin and yang; their minds were one. In the evening, the judges turned the tables, and Tom, Padma, and Gail did the cooking. The chefs were met outside by Tom, who was doing some rustic farmhouse cooking on the grill, which gave Melissa an idea for her main course. They all sat down to eat together, and Padma wished them luck, telling them to cook their hearts out. After dinner, Stephanie called best friend Kristen, who was also the Season 10 winner. Stephanie said she thought her chances of winning were one in three. Melissa called her mom, and Bryan called his brother Michael.
After three hours in the kitchen, the judges were served the first two courses. You knew it was good by the way they were shoveling it in, especially one guy who reminded me of the drive-in guy Joe Bob Briggs and was wearing a shirt with steer on it. Later, I found out he was an Italian butcher named Dario. Gail said Bryan was a great technician, but this time showed soul and love in his food as well. Drive-in Bob Dario said, mama mia! and the main course came out. Melissa made grilled squab; Bryan went with blackened monkfish; and Stephanie made a veal dish. Padma said the food was universally wonderful, and food editor Nilou Motamed said she didn’t like squab, but was now a convert. At this point, I was pretty sure Melissa was going to win. Then, OMG THE DESSERTS CAME OUT. They were all to die for, and I’m not sure which one I wanted more; Bryan’s dark chocolate and ice cream thing, to which Dario responded, mmm… cardamom; Stephanie’s sticky toffee pudding (I don’t know what the hell that is, but give me two servings); or Melissa’s tea-infused tiramisu with a crunchy topping. When the dinner was done, the chefs applauded themselves, and then the judges applauded them when they were called back out. During the final discussion, Dario teared up over how Melissa respected the Italian traditions with her dessert. He said, a butcher who cries, how embarrassing, prompting one of the other guest judges to come over and give him a hug.
When the chefs were brought out to meet with the usual judges, plus Nilou, for the final time, Tom said he thought they all cooked the best meal of their lives, and Padma said she saw the story of their lives on the plates. She relayed that Hunter Lewis from Food and Wine found Bryan’s beets beguiling. Say that three times real fast. Tom said Bryan had erased the impression that he couldn’t cook with soul and heart. Gail said that Melissa had joined the Asian and Italian cultures, and told her about Dario getting emo over her tiramisu. Melissa said they were all artists who loved hearing that their journeys were understood. Stephanie joked that she was going for fan favorite. She had done damage to people who loved her by being sad, and this showed them that she was okay. Tom said, sometimes the voyage is more important than the destination, because you find out what you’re made of. You have to go deeper, and what comes out is who you are. They all made that journey, but there could only be one Top Chef. Arriving for the announcement were Melissa’s mom, Bryan’s brother, and Stephanie’s husband.
With that, Padma told Melissa, she was Top Chef. In Melissa’s interview, she said it had been a wild adventure, but this time she’d done it for herself, and wasn’t trying to earn her father’s approval. She wanted to prove to herself that she could achieve a goal that she’d set. In Stephanie’s interview, she said she accomplished what she’d wanted to do. She hadn’t felt good about the mental space she was in since her brother died. This would give everyone something else to talk about for a while. In Bryan’s interview, he said he’d learned a lot about himself. There were sixteen Top Chefs, but he was the only one who’d done what he did. He’d been runner-up three times, but was never doing this again. Melissa said, once you believe in yourself, nothing can stop you. She knew it sounded cliché, but the world was her oyster. She could do anything now.
👓 On Watch What Happens Live(@home in the Hamptons – @must be nice), Padma and Tom were guests, and Melissa made an appearance. Padma announced Melissa was also the fan favorite, netting her another $10K. Melissa donated that win to Black Visions Collective, the Trevor Project, and Asian Americans for Equality. And for that, Andy gave the night’s mazel.
While probably none of us will ever have her closet, or will even be able to afford one of her shoes, Sutton sometimes reminds me of how the audience feels. Kind of horrified.
Candyman returns in a spiritual sequel. Tony Todd and Vanessa Williams will be making return appearances, and Jordan Peele wrote the screenplay, so that’s enough for me.
Father’s Day is coming up this weekend, and here’s hoping you have/had a good relationship with yours. My dad was the best. He had a wonderful sense of humor, was ahead of his time, and the fairest person I’ve ever known. Stay safe, stay celebratory, and stay in touch with your family, be they blood relatives or chosen.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
Today’s GH Flashback would have been from September 14th, 2015 (see below), but was preempted early on to inform us about charges being brought against the officers in the killing of Rayshard Brooks.
📜 Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. – Martin Luther King, Jr.
General Hospital
What happened on September 14th, 2015 was… Sonny and Carly were about to get married (again), when one of Sonny’s enemies kidnapped TJ, who at the time was working for Sonny, and lured Sonny into an ambush. Jake Doe saved the day, but Sonny ended up with a bullet lodged near his spine, and Patrick was waiting for him to improve before doing surgery. Everything pointed to Julian having set Sonny up, and even though he was in county, Morgan vowed to kill him.
Elizabeth came close to telling Jake Doe that he was really Jason, even though he eventually ended up being Drew. She was interrupted by son Jake having a bad dream, but did tell Jake/Jason/Drew that she’d done something terrible to Sam. Ric had conspired with Madeline to get Nina’s money, and tricked old Nina into marrying him. She and Franco tricked Ric back, threatening to expose him, and made him sign annulment papers, giving up the rights to Nina’s money. Nina also ditched Madeline, which probably wasn’t hard, since she was in prison.
Sonny was unconscious, hooked up to machines, and a pre-PTSD Dante paid him a visit. Dante wondered if Sonny’s lifestyle was worth it, and suggested he try living and being a dad. The machines went kooky, and Dante ran out, interrupting an argument between Morgan and Michael in the hallway. Michael ran to get Carly, who was in the chapel, reminiscing about her life with Sonny, and reading Sonny’s wedding vows.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Seeing that tonight’s episode was going to be Dorit and Garcelle commentating on the Season 7 finale (Season 7 was also Dorit’s first season), I was immediately disappointed, but willing to give them another chance. We revisited Lisa’s Diamonds and Rosé party, where Dorit wore liquid gold on her head. Or as LisaR said, it looked like a big golden goose took a big golden sh*t on her head. Erika showed up with pink hair, and Garcelle wondered (as did LVP in the episode) if the carpet matched the drapes. PK showed up with Jagger in Dorit’s square, although why anyone would allow a child to watch this show is beyond me. Garcelle said, swans, ponies, no underwear, and champagne; that’s a perfect party. I wasn’t sure if she should get out more, or just reassess the parties she’s going to. I’d forgotten Eden Sassoon was on Season 7, so I refreshed my memory with this:
As Eden, got more wound up during the party, I was like, oh yeah…Kim Richards was also still on the fringes of the show, and seemed to be okay with everyone except LisaR.
Garcelle noted that PK loves being in the mix, and yes he does. He should be granted honorary Wife status, along with Peter from RHOA. There was some bad blood between Dorit and LisaR because of Dorit inferring to Eden that LisaR had a substance problem. Dorit and Eden had been discussing LisaR, when Dorit wondered if LisaR’s personality issues were induced. This led Eden to tell LisaR that Dorit had questioned whether she had a Xanax problem. LisaR got all in Dorit’s face, but my advice to her is, don’t make jokes about all the pills you carry around with you. There. Problem solved. PK told Erika that she was inherently cold, to which she coldly told him, she was not. Eileen Davidson was still on the show, and defended Erika. From her square, Dorit wondered why she subjected herself to this. Um… the publicity? Garcelle felt like she was on the playground, or middle school, which is what I say every week
This was before Puppygate, but the group was still feeling the aftereffects of Pantygate. In case you weren’t there for Pantygate, Erika went to a group dinner sans underwear, and PK caught a glimpse. Dorit said something to Erika, who couldn’t see what the big deal was. I might not either, unless it makes someone uncomfortable, which it obviously did. I’ve said it before. I’m no prude by any stretch of the imagination. I’m pretty broad-minded, but I still don’t say the f-word in front of my in-laws or in front of children. This is one of the things I don’t like about Erika. I’m all for expressing yourself and being who you are, but it’s common courtesy not to deliberately make people uncomfortable, and she just does not care. And if she finds out, she’ll do it on purpose. Talk about middle school. Okay, rant over. As a joke, sort of, Dorit had gotten Erika a pair of underwear. Erika was all kinds of offended for ages about this, which I found very hard to believe. From her square, Dorit said, in looking for a silver lining, she and LisaR had come a long way. Back at the party, LisaR told Eden that when she’d talked to LVP – I have no clue about what, and assume it’s the induced personality issue, but it really doesn’t matter – she shut herself off to Eden. Eden had it with LisaR, calling her a bitch, and saying she was sick of LisaR walking all over her and using her as a scapegoat. I barely remember the deal with those two, but I’ve grown to dislike LisaR with a passion, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that was true. It’s a shame too, because I’d always liked her, but by her second season, I could tell she’d say and do just about anything for attention and camera time. But she owns it.
After Eden’s outburst, LisaR said she didn’t give two f***s what people thought about her, and when she said she wished Eden well, Garcelle commented that those words are the death knell. Dorit said it felt like a lifetime ago, but it was just four years. Garcelle said it was more fun than she thought it would be, and I’m sure had 100% more fun than I did. While the Eden thing was interesting, it’s hard jumping into an old season without prefacing it with some backstory. On top of it, Dorit and Garcelle either aren’t being compelling enough, or it’s being edited badly, because the commentary is boring as hell. Bravo can do better than this.
🌴 Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles began its new season this week. Joshes Altman and Flagg are back, along with Tracy Tutor, James Harris, and David Parnes. While my preference is for the New York branch of the franchise, I still love seeing the West Coast houses, which are always massive. The premiere episode focused on mountainside properties, and while I’m not so sure I could live in a place where vertigo is king, they were breathtaking. The Joshes joined forces again to co-list, even though they vowed never again the last time. My favorite house was the one Tracy looked at, with the most amazing vertical landscaping, but the house the Joshes checked out was also fabulous. As JoshAltman put it, hidden doors, the fake books, and underground lairs; I’m trying not to geek out right now. There was a lot of cracking up (dare I say joshing around?) during their dual interviews, leading me to believe what I’ve thought before. Much of the feuding between the brokers is for the camera.
🗽 New York Tease…
Tomorrow, Bravo has scrapped The Real Housewives of New York altogether to run a marathon of Top Chef, capping it with their finale. So in the meantime, here’s a mid-season teaser.
I actually watched this show. I think I was more fascinated with the house and clothes than anything else. They made Hef look like a benevolent, hapless father with a harem from who he required little but their company. But then I read Holly Madison’s book, Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny. Um… ew.
It looked like Andy talked to most of the world before deciding to rehome his dog. While he doesn’t give particulars, it sounds like it was the best decision. And I’m sure a hard one.
In the past few months, we’ve certainly been given a lot to think about and the time to think it. We’re sliding into the world opening back up, and with it, hopefully, our hearts and minds. So stay safe, stay centered, and stay doing the right thing.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Since GH is apparently using a Flashback dartboard, today’s episode was from September 24th, 2013. Morgan and Kiki (who had switched over from being Starr) had just gotten married. Starr Kiki really loved Michael, but Morgan had lied, telling her that she and Michael were cousins, when Kiki’s father was really Silas, but she didn’t know it. Sonny, who was off his meds, spilled the beans at the reception, even though Morgan had begged him to keep the secret. Sonny claimed he was doing it for Connie, who’d wanted him to tell the truth, and who he hadn’t protected. He told everyone that Morgan had tricked Kiki into marriage, and they all went in different directions.
Morgan told Ava that his family was a bunch of hypocrites, especially his father, and his father was dead to him. Ava told him that family stays together, and not to write Sonny off, but Morgan said he’d never forgive Sonny, who had never once backed him. Sonny had, however, stepped up to double-cross him, costing him his wife, who was off with Michael doing who-knows-what. Ava said she knew what it was like to be refused by the person you love, and told Morgan about how the man she loved went off with someone else. Morgan said Ava got him, and had always been on his side, prompting them to get busy.
What Kiki and Michael were doing was talking at the MetroCourt bar. Michael wanted Kiki to give him a chance, and they kissed.
In the meantime, Maxie had been a surrogate for Lulu and Dante, who named the baby Connie, but it wasn’t really their baby; it was Maxie’s baby with Spinelli. Maxie whacked Spinelli over the head, thinking he was a prowler, when he was picking up his gym bag from the apartment. Ellie had told Spinelli the truth, but Maxie thought she’d been given a second chance to make things right, since she’d lost the first baby she’d carried for Dante and Lulu. She figured Spinelli and Ellie would have their own family, and told Spinelli choosing Lulu was the least bad of two terrible options. She said there was no turning back, and she’d be sorry for the rest of her life. Spinelli said he hated what Maxie had done, but didn’t hate her.
Carly had gotten Sonny the hell out of the reception, and told him that his behavior was the result of him not taking his pills. The last time he’d done that, he’d been dangerous to everyone around him, even the people who love him. Sonny said he’d thrown the pills away, because he wanted to feel the pain; he owed that to Connie. Carly asked if he thought Connie would want him to hurt and want him to hurt others. Luckily, the pills were safely balanced on the top of the wastebasket, where no garbage had actually touched them. Carly gave them to Sonny, telling him that his kids needed their dad.
Silas (who would later become Finn) was dating Sam, and brought dinner to her while she was at the hospital with Danny.
Carly told Sonny that taking the pills was the right thing to do. He said he missed Connie so much, but Carly said, then he shouldn’t hurt himself and his family in Connie’s name. This convinced him to take his lithium.
Michael told Kiki, they didn’t have to figure it out tonight, that tonight was for them, and Morgan and Ava got busier.
Vanderpump Rules – The Endless Reunion – Part Three (@home)
I never noticed before that in the opening group pic, it’s a still shot except for Lisa’s hair blowing. I knew she was magical.
We wait for Tom, who had to pee. Ariana asks why Tom didn’t go during the break, and announces that she pooped. Thanks for sharing.
Andy say,s Stassi’s push to be engaged almost sent Beau to an early grave. We flash back to all that, including Stassi catching Katie’s bouquet. Stassi says she’s embarrassed. (FYI, I’m totally refraining from any and all jokes, and working on something about the whole Bravo brouhaha.) Stassi does a mini PSA, saying, if you know you’re asking your SO to marry you, don’t torture them, just tell them. Andy says Beau went to great lengths to make Stassi think he wasn’t proposing, and we flash back to him avoiding the subject, and telling her not to rush him. Beau says the dinner where she thought he was going to propose was the worst night all year. Stassi says Beau put on a mic pad that looked like the shape of a ring box. It convinced her they were getting engaged, and she lost her sh*t. Schwartz asks, what’s sexier, a penis bulge or a ring bulge? Andy brings up Carter texting them not to forget that Kristen introduced them, and asks if Kristen agrees. She says she doesn’t, and if Carter had wanted to say that, he should have waited. Stassi says Kristen defended him in every interview, but Kristen says she doesn’t respect what did, and Lala tells her, leave it there.
Andy says, Lisa has dealt with unruly bartenders and defiant waitresses, but this season, she had to manage the managers. We flash back to Danica getting suspended for putting her hands on the other Brett. Andy asks what makes Max a good manager, and Lisa says he puts in a lot of hours, he’s a great bartender and can step in when he’s needed, and the staff loves him. He fits in perfectly. She wishes he wouldn’t bang her staff though. She thinks Danica needs to grow up and soften up. She sees things in black and white, and gets it wrong sometimes. Raquel says Danica is the best manager. She gets the job done. Lisa says Danica has been rude on many occasions, and she has a personal issue with her. That Danica claimed she was having an affair with Brett, pisses her off. In all the years she’s been in the business, she’s never put a finger on anyone. Danica asks when she said that, and we see a clip of the after-show where she says she can’t see a mother/son dynamic with Brett and Lisa. They’re both hot, so you know they fantasize about each other. Lisa says she has children and a husband. Kristen says Danica is lucky she has a job. She should be thankful, grateful, and bow down. Danica says she’s sorry; it came out the wrong way. Lisa thanks her, and says she’s been married 37 years, and has two children. She doesn’t need to hear stuff like that. Andy asks Max if banning someone for talking sh*t is the manager’s job, referring to him wanting to ban Danica from TomTom. Max says he thinks he handled it incorrectly, and he already apologized. Lisa says Danica felt backstabbed, since she thought they were friends. Danica says whenever she introduced Max to her friends, he’d screw them, and she has to work with him. Max says she’s the one who hooked them up. Kristen thinks there’s a problem because Danica wants to sleep with Max, but Danica says, no way. Andy leaves it there and takes a break.
Brittany’s dog barks, and she gets criticized, which is ridiculous. She says, since there’s a pandemic, she couldn’t get a sitter. I say, bring the dog into the discussion. He’ll give just as coherent a contribution as the cast. Andy asks James what he thought about Scheana and Brett’s video, and he says he thought it was racy. Andy asks if that’s why Brett felt uncomfortable and violated. Brett admits he was being dramatic in saying he felt violated, but he was uncomfortable. Scheana says he should have explained that to her at the time, instead of being a p*ssy. Saying she’d give him a BJ was a joke. Lisa says Scheana did like him when they first met, and thought there was a possibility. Scheana says they clicked right away, and we flash back to her telling Lisa that she admits there’s a crush, but she doesn’t want to date him, then gets all teary. Scheana says she’s flirty by nature. Andy says Charli was completely over him before the first date. What turned her off so quickly? Charli says there was a lot going on prior to the date, and she felt awkward about Scheana. We flash back to Brett saying he can’t have friends that are girls. Andy asks how Scheana and Brett are now, and Scheana says, they’d been fine up until the last few episodes aired. Then Brett said he was going to be so far up her ass apologizing at the reunion, but she’s still waiting. Brett says he felt bad about some things, and Kristen suggests he just apologize for being an a-hole. Brett says he’s sorry he misled Scheana, but he tried to make it clear that he didn’t want anything. Scheana says she didn’t want anything either, and Ariana says, how about apologizing for saying one thing to his friend’s face, and something else behind their back? Brett says he doesn’t think he did that.
Andy says Ariana was forthcoming about her battle with depression, and asks how she’s doing. Ariana says she’s been seeing a therapist for the last few months, and she’s been working hard on herself. She’d be lying if she said it was all positive all the time, but she thinks she’s doing okay. Andy says Lisa had shared with Ariana that she’d also felt that way, and Lisa says she was more prepared for her mother passing away, but her brother’s death was a shock. That it was a suicide made it worse, and that’s why she understood, and didn’t think it should be minimized. Ariana says she’s grateful to Lisa, and thanks her. Lisa says Ariana can call her, any time of the day or night.
Andy says, Brittany and Jax had a fairytale wedding, but once they got home, Jax had left all traces of his Prince Charming persona in Versailles (pronouncing it Ver-sales). We see clips of Jax taking out his sh*t on Brittany, and anyone else in his path. We flash back to Ariana’s interview, where she says, unfortunately, Brittany is married to the problem, and we flash back to Stassi telling Jax, it looks like he’s losing his mind. We see one of Lisa’s interviews, where she says, it’s not just Jax now; that’s the difference. Andy says Jax seems to spiral at the end of every summer. Jax says it’s his downfall, and he’s still working on himself. Ariana says she doesn’t want to spend 45 minutes on the same sh*t. Every reunion, Jax says he’s a work in progress. I hate when people like Jax use that phrase as an excuse for bad behavior. We flash back to Jax saying the same things at every reunion. Jax says he’ll be working on himself for the rest of his life. Tom says, like his tweeting lies. Everyone talks at once, so you can’t understand anyone, and there’s a lot of bleeping on top of it. Jax says he knows they’re perfect and awesome, and he applauds. Ariana says she’s a garbage person. That’s why she’s here. Lisa tells her, calm down, and Jax says it’s not about her.
Andy reminds us, if we lost track, it’s Tuesday. He moves on to the beach clean-up, and Jax’s rage texts. Jax says it was nothing against Max. He just didn’t want to drive for hours to pick up one piece of paper, when there are three parks near him that are full of trash. Which might be a valid argument if he’d been at those parks picking up said trash. Stassi is like, come on. He just didn’t want to do it, and Kristen says, so it had nothing to do with the environment. He didn’t want to go. Jax says he apologized five hours later, and we flash back to more rage texting hours later. Schwartz says, it was personal and pointed, and Jax says he’s good at apologizing. I’m not so sure that’s something to be bragging about. Andy doesn’t think Jax is that great at it, since you can apologize a million times and not mean it. Jax asks if Andy hasn’t ever done that, and Andy says, not really. He asks Brittany if it’s daunting to have to apologize for Jax all the time, and Jax says, no one is perfect. Andy recalls that Jax said that at every one of eight reunions. Ariana makes fun of Jax, which is unbecoming, even if Jax is a total d-bag. Jax says he thought he was doing better, and still has bad days. Stassi says he instills fear in his friends. They have to be scared of pissing him off, and of hurting Brittany’s feelings. They need to be able to be honest, and can’t be in a situation they’re scared to have an opinion of. Jax told them about how depressed he was, and that he couldn’t control himself, so now they want to talk about it. Jax says, it’s fine coming from certain people. Andy asks for Ariana’s reaction to Jax admitting he had a mental problem, and Brittany says, he obviously does. Ariana says her best advice is to find a therapist he connects with, and work through his sh*t. He can’t let it fall by the wayside. It has to be a priority. Andy says, Rand recommended a therapist, and Lala says, he didn’t just recommend one. He paid for a session, and Jax didn’t show up. Tom says, Jax doesn’t want to get better or change, and he doesn’t want to hear that Jax is a work in progress. I totally get this. I know people who cry about needing help, but won’t take it because they’d rather keep using their illness to be a manipulative a-hole. They’re the worst. Brittany says the group obviously doesn’t love them, and Lala says she’d die for them. Brittany won’t look at anyone, and Ariana says she’s fully convinced nothing she said came from an ill place. Brittany says she’s turning her head because she’s trying not to cry. Tom says, after the end of the season, day after day, Brittany always takes up for Jax. Brittany says, everyone does stuff, and Ariana says it’s happening every week. Katie asks Schwartz, what’s happening? and I’m wondering too. Brittany says of course she wants Jax to be better, and Jax says he’s working on it all the time, but it seems like they’re just yelling at him. Schwartz says, it’s a productive thing. Jax alluded to having issues several times, and they’re being corrective. They want him to be proactive, and not do the same thing every time and expect a different result. Ariana says they love Brittany so much, and Tom says he’s wracked his brain for years, trying to help. Ariana says, and Jax acts like they don’t give a f***, and they’re full of it. There’s lots of bleeping, and I wonder what the hell is with Schwartz’s hair, and if he meant for it to look like that. Schwartz tells Jax, please effing do something.
Andy asks where everyone is going, but they’re just stretching their legs. Jax says Andy is always against him, but everyone tells Jax that Andy is on his side. Jax says he feels like Andy goes at him the hardest. He has thick skin, but it’s being worn away as the years go by. Andy says he actually likes Jax a lot, and Jax says he has a weird way of showing it. Andy says it’s his job to call them out. Jax insists he’s the best he’s been, except for three episodes spread apart. We see clips of Jax that would embarrass a normal person. Andy says Jax doesn’t watch the show, and he should if he wants to respond to sh*t. Jax says if he slips up, it’s all they talk about, and Andy says, watch the show; that’s what he’s working off of. Jax says, it’s the worst reunion ever.
Andy says Scheana’s surprise birthday present of a psychic reading for Dayna didn’t go well, and Scheana had first said she didn’t bring the psychic. We flash back to Scheana having the psychic wait outside. He asks, what really happened? and Scheana says she was going to text the psychic after talking to Dayna, and let her know if it was still happening. The experience for her was incredible, and she assumed it would be the same for Dayna. Andy asks why Dayna was bothered, and Dayna starts to cry. She says she knows Scheana meant it in a good way, but she felt put on spot. It’s been seven years since her mom passed away, and it’s still hard. She doesn’t know if she’ll ever be ready. It’s frustrating for her. She wanted to do it, but had to back out. She was scared of a response either way. She says, people think she’s a bitch, but it’s been her only option most of her life. Lisa asks, why? and Dayna says her dad’s not in her life. After her mom died, it was just her and her sister, and she was only twenty-two. She’s never felt at home for one minute since her mother stopped breathing, and she’s been looking for that. I totally get this, since I always say, I want to go home, but there’s no home to go to anymore. Kristen says she wishes they could hug Dayna. If it was a normal reunion, they would be in a giant circle. Jax says he lost both of his parents; he doesn’t speak to his mom. Unless someone has gone through that, they can’t understand the pain. Andy asks if Jax has considered the time he’s losing in not speaking to his mom, and Jax says, it’s been tough with the virus going on. Ariana knows they hate each other, but tells him to try and give his mom a call. Dayna says, people are quick to judge, and say life is short, but every situation is different. She tried hard to have her dad in her life, but it didn’t work, and she has to live with that.
Andy wants to switch topics to the girls. He asks how Ariana felt, finding out it was Lala who had been talking smack about her house, and not Stassi. We flash back to Scheana relaying the wrong shade to Kristen, and Stassi says she knows Scheana is a sh*t stirrer, but how could she be so messy? Ariana can say Stassi is Regina George or a snob, because that’s definitely true, but what she said came so easy, like she was waiting to get it out. She doesn’t know how many years it will take Ariana to understand that she likes her. Ariana says she felt like they’d worked hard on the friendship, and she lost it. She didn’t even know what she’d said until she watched the show. Lala asks on what planet Stassi would say she’s a grown-ass woman. It didn’t sound like her. Ariana says she’s pivoting everything she said about Stassi to Lala.
We see everyone texting in a group chat, and paying no attention whatsoever. Andy says, bromances over romances are easier said than done, and we see clips from the messy triangle that is Max, Dayna, and Brett. Andy says if Max decided he didn’t want to be with Dayna, why did he think he had a say in who she was with. Max says he didn’t. He and Brett were inseparable – he was the Sandoval to Brett’s Schwartz. Brett says Dayna knew he was skeptical to begin with since he was considering Max. Andy thinks Brett and Max should date, and Lisa says, cheers to that. Schwartz says it’s obvious Max’s feelings were hurt, and Stassi asks, why? Dayna went to him first, and he turned her down. Brett says he realized they were moving too fast. Dayna says they were hanging out a few times a week, and sleeping together (these people are so weird, I don’t know if she means having sex or just sleeping), then Brett said they were moving too fast, and she was over it. She has no more room in her life for one more person who’s not sure or not invested in a relationship. She’s learned about herself. She’s beautiful and she deserves it. Andy says he’s leaving it there.
Andy asks Danica what about the Scheana clone bothered her at the party? Danica says Scheana 2.0 was inserting herself in a conversation where she wasn’t welcome. She told her to bounce, and she didn’t want to. We flash back to their altercation, and Stassi says she wasn’t mad about it. Lisa says Danica is in hospitality, and has to check herself. She can’t have a loose cannon representing the business. Danica says she was completely wrong, and Lisa says she can’t afford someone on the floor who’s so explosive. They’re going to have to talk. Danica says Max’s plan worked out; congratulations. Andy asks how intense it was for James to see Rand, and asks how the relationship has been. James says, amazing, and we flash back to his apology and their bro hug. James says he’s come a long way, and he’s glad Rand pushed Lala back into his life. He’s a stand-up guy, and James hopes their friendship grows. Lala says, it’s been amazing to see James’s growth, and Rand is the most incredible human she’s ever met. She thanks James for his kind words.
Andy says before they have their final thoughts, he wonders if Kristen misses her friendships. Kristen says she doesn’t miss the sh*t, but she misses the friendships. She wishes she could have shared her relationship with new boyfriend Alex, her house, and the monumental moments she’s had. Andy asks, what about Jax and Tom? and Jax says he’s happy with the current status of how things are going. Andy says, the current status is on hold. Lisa says, all of their current status is on hold, and she hopes what the world has been going through in the past few months has given them perspective, and caused them to be reflective. She wants them to come back with the same cohesion they went into this with. Brittany thinks if they could have hung out, they could get through it, but she hasn’t seen any effort; it’s only been hearsay. Lisa says when they get back, she expects they’ll have made a concentrated effort to put it together. Andy says, that’s a good transition.
He thanks everyone for accepting the technology needed for the reunion into their homes. He welcomes Ken, Rand, and Scheana’s new squeeze Brock to the reunion. Lisa says it’s the first time she’s seen Ken in a shirt in two months. Everyone waves. Andy asks Ken how it is being trapped at Villa Rosa with Lisa for two months, and Ken says, it’s fantastic. He’s getting three amazing meals a day. Lisa says he’s missing going to work. Andy says Rand was reluctant to be on the show, and Lala didn’t even use his name in the beginning, calling him her man. He asks how the experience was, and Rand says he was petrified, but at the end of the day, this is Lala’s family, and it was time to jump in and support her. Everyone made it easy. Andy asks what Brock has learned about Scheana, and Brock says, Scheana is a good person. He digs her more all the time. He thinks they all really love each other; it’s somewhere in there. Lisa says she’s grateful for all of them. James’s sobriety is extraordinary. She wants to see them on the other side. Bless them.
Andy says what sounds like, to the Banana Republic, and everyone takes a drink of their cocktail or mocktail. Andy says he can’t wait to see them in person, and tells everyone, stay healthy.
If Loving You Is Wrong
It doesn’t say finale in the guide, which rubs me the wrong way, since it’s the final finale. I hope they wrap some things up, and we’re not just left hanging all over the place.
Marcie can’t stop whacking Randal in the head with the fireplace poker. If he’s not dead, he’s a host from Westworld. She bashes him a couple more times for good measure. She pulls a bookcase down, then hits him again, saying she hates him. She kicks him, and says, get up. If he wants to fight, then fight. Did he think it was going to be easy? It dawns on her that Randal is not getting up. Covered in blood, she grabs her bag, and jets.
Bennett comes home, but he doesn’t go home. Instead, he goes to Randal’s house. He sees Randal lying there, and says, no, goddammit. He kicks Randal, and says someone beat him to it.
Marcie goes to Brad’s house, where Alex is still passed out on the couch. Brad asks her what happened? and she says, Randal. He asks if they argued, and she says he attacked her while she was walking to the car. She was going to her car, and he grabbed her, and they fought. Brad asks if she’s okay, and says he warned Randal. He’s going to kill him. He tells Marcie, he’s going over there, but she says she killed him. He’s dead. Alrighty then.
Rick walks into Randal’s house, and draws his gun. He says, police; don’t move, and tells Bennett to put his hands on his head and get down on his knees. Bennett does, and Rick tells him to put his hands behind his back. Bennett says he didn’t do anything. He didn’t do this. He found Randal. Rick says he doesn’t want to hear it. Rick takes him to the squad car. Um… Rick, there’s no blood on him. I think there would be some. Rick calls for an ambulance, and CSI. Bennett repeats that he didn’t do it. He walked in, and Randal was dead. Rick tells him, be quiet, and goes back in the house. He radios that Randal has been beaten to a pulp. He has no pulse, and there’s brain matter. He needs the coroner.
Brad tells Marcie, calm down. We hear sirens, and she says, the police are here. He says, maybe Randal called the police, and she asks if he thinks Randal is okay. He says, why else would they be there? and tells her that he’ll go and check. He asks her again, what happened? and she says she told him. She grabbed a fireplace poker, and stabbed Randal over and over. Brad says he’ll go see; stay there. She tells him, just go, and he leaves.
Brad approaches Rick, who tells him, stay back. Brad asks, what happened? and Rick points to the coroner’s van, and says, that happened. Brad asks if someone is dead, and Rick says, yeah. Brad asks if he’s sure, and Rick says, there’s no way not to be. Brad asks, who is it? and Rick says, Randal. Brad asks, what happened? but RIck says he can’t tell Brad. From the car, Bennett says, he didn’t do it, Brad says, hedid it? and I gasp. I can’t believe Brad is going to let this be pinned on Bennett. Rick tells Brad, go back in his house, and Bennett says he’s telling Rick, he didn’t do it. Rick goes back to the car, and asks what Bennett’s name is. Bennett says, Rick knows his name, and he didn’t do it. He drove up, and a bloody woman in a blue dress was leaving. Rick asks what kind of car she was driving, and Bennett says take him to the station and he’ll tell Rick. He needs to get back to his wife. Kelly runs out, with Tyrell behind her, and Brad makes a return appearance. Kelly asks Rick, what happened? and Rick says, Randal; he’s dead. Someone killed him. Kelly asks, who? and Rick says he doesn’t know, but he has a man in the car. Kelly sees Bennett, and says, no way. What did Randal do to him? Brad says, whatever he did, Bennett got him back. Tyrell says, this neighborhood is crazy, and Kelly says, he’s right about that.
Lushion, Steven, and Natalie are at Esperanza’s house, along with a couple of uniformed officers. Lushion tells Esperanza, the FBI is all over it, and she says they better find her. Steven says, it’s all right, but she says, it’s not all right. Where the hell is Eddie? Lushion says he doesn’t know, and she says, it’s all Eddie’s fault. Natalie tells her, calm down, but Esperanza says she’s not calming down. If she doesn’t have her daughter back unharmed, she’s going to… Natalie pulls her back, and Steven and Lushion step aside to talk. Steven asks if Lushion heard the radio, and Lushion says, a homicide. Steven says, on his street, and Lushion says, that’s Randal’s address. Steven asks if Randal is dead, and Lushion says, that’s what he’s hearing. Steven says, no way it’s connected, but Lushion doesn’t know. Esperanza asks why they’re whispering, and Steven says, it’s nothing. She asks if it has to do with Mica, and he says, no. She wants to talk to the FBI, and tells Natalie, if something happens to Mica, she’s dead.
Rick tells an officer that Bennett says he didn’t do it, but he walked in and Bennet had a fireplace poker in his hand. Book himDanno. Kelly asks if Randal is really dead, and Rick says, yeah. She says, wow, and Rick says they really wanted him dead. There was a lot of overkill. He’s got to take Bennett in, but it’s good to see her out. He suggests they go out to celebrate, and she says, a guy just died. Rick says she didn’t like him anyway, but she says, he’s still a human being. Rick asks who the buff guy is who’s standing there, and she says, Justice’s father. Rick says she didn’t tell him. He thought they had… forget it. Kelly thanks him for everything he did, and he says he’s glad she’s out. Rick leaves, and Tyrell asks Kelly, who was that? She says, a police officer, and he says he can see that. She asks if he’s jealous, and tells him, go on in the house. Tyrell says, the way Rick was looking at her, and touching her shoulder; he obviously likes her. She tells him, go in the house, and he asks, how many men she has now. She says, a man just died, and he wants to talk about this? Show some respect. He asks if Randal was a friend of hers too. He’s a little concerned. She says, no; she hated Randal. He asks why she isn’t happy. Why is she acting all broken up? She says she can’t. She’s going to babysit. The same thing he’s supposed to be doing with their son. She tells him, go in the house.
Larry’s wife cries over him at the hospital. Ian comes in, and she leans on his shoulder. Ian asks how Larry is, and she says, he’s sedated. Ian asks what the doctors are saying, and she says, they have to remove his legs, and he has severe hematoma. Ian says he’s so sorry, and she says she wants them dead. He says he’s sure that’s been taken care of, and she says, Casey will do it; he’ll wipe them all out – and his daughter. She wants them to drain the swamp, and tells Ian to create a hashtag that its going. Larry calls to her, and tells Ian, you don’t want to mess with his wife. He asks if Ian is with them, and Ian says he is. Larry says, no more messing around, and Ian says, none. He’s sorry. Larry says, don’t be. Eddie’s not going to make it through the night. Ian asks where the kid is, and Larry says, get him out. Larry’s wife says, Ian played him; he played them. Get out. Larry calls Ian a traitor; after everything Larry did for him. He tells his wife, if he doesn’t make it, burn Ian. She says he’s going to make it, and Larry says, make sure it gets all the way done. He can’t feel his legs, and he’s going to get them.
On the phone, Lushion asks what Ian’s got, but Ian says he tried to get Larry to tell him where the kid is, but now he won’t let Ian near him. Lushion is going to have to find her. Send someone down to get the phone. Lushion says he’s doing it now, and Ian says, hurry up; he’s in bad shape. Lushion tells Steven to go get Larry’s phone. Steven says Esperanza needs him, but Lushion insists. Steven tells Esperanza, it’s a small lead; that’s all he can say. He’ll be back. Lushion tells her that they’re checking all the possibilities, and Esperanza says, they’re lucky it’s not happening to them. They can keep calm and collected. Lushion says, it’s all right, and tells Steven to go.
Brad – who I hate at this moment – runs downstairs with new clothes for Marcie. Marcie says they’re not hers, but Brad says they have to clean her up. She says she did it; she killed him. She really killed him. They’re going to come for her. Brad says, as far as they’re concerned, she did nothing. They already have a suspect. She says, no. She can’t let him take the rap for something she did. Brad says, it’s done. She did nothing. She looks at him, and he says she has to wash her hands and clean under her nails. Marcie keeps repeating, she killed him, and Brad says they have to clean her up. They can’t see her like this. She did nothing. She wonders what if they come over, and he says, it will be okay. She’s going to be fine. He asks if she’s okay, and she says, no. He tells her that Randal got what he deserved, and she says he made her so mad. Brad says, the bastard deserved it, and she says, he did, but Bennett doesn’t. Brad holds her, and says, everything is okay. She says she can’t let someone go down for a crime she committed, and Brad says she doesn’t know him, like this makes it okay. She asks who it is, and he says, the neighbor from across the street. She says, he’s a nice guy; she has to tell them. Brad says, she’ll tell them nothing. Let him do this. They’re going to swap her clothes for Alex’s. Alex won’t know, and they’ll ride off into the sunset with the kids. Marcie says, he’s that angry with Alex? A lawyer brought her there; this isn’t going to work. Brad says, she’s out of it. They’ll say they went to bed, got up, and found out she did it. Marcie says, he’s a lawyer, and Brad says, then he can get Alex off. He tells her to grab her makeup, and give him the dress. Make sure she covers the bruise on her face. Brad takes off Alex’s shoes.
Steven and Rick go to Larry’s hospital room. Steven tells Larry’s wife that he’s there for Larry’s phone, but she says he doesn’t have one. Larry opens his eyes, and Rick asks where his belongings are. The nurse said they’re in there. Larry says they can’t take his phone, but Steven says they can and will. Larry says they need a warrant, and Steven says he has it right there. Does Larry want to read it? Give him the phone. Steven tells Rick to find it, and Rick starts searching. Larry’s wife tells them, get out, and Steven asks if she wants to be hit with a thorough investigation. Rick finds Larry’s phone in the locker, and Steven asks what the passcode is. Larry says he can’t remember, and Steven grabs Larry’s hand, putting it on the phone. Steven says, got it, and Larry says he’ll sue their asses. They leave, and in the hallway, Rick suggests Steven hurry before it locks again. Steven asks if Rick doesn’t have something to do. Rick says he was just trying to help. He’s out, and hopes Steven finds what he’s looking for.
Natalie gives Esperanza some water, and Esperanza says she needs to move around. She wonders where the FBI is, and Lushion says, they’re on it. She asks why they haven’t called, and Natalie says, they will. Esperanza says she shouldn’t have hit Mica. They never tell you the person you love most in life, you’ll hate with a passion. Eddie poisoned Mica; his flesh and blood. Who does that to a child? Natalie says, Eddie, and Esperanza asks why he had to bring Mica into their problems. She tells Natalie, Eddie hit her too, today, and Natalie asks if that was the first time. Esperanza says, it was, and Natalie asks if she’s sure. Esperanza says, the only thing that matters right now is her daughter. She admits Eddie pushed her and got in her face, and Natalie says, that’s abuse. Esperanza says she knows. Why does Natalie think she left him? Their daughter is the only thing on earth she has. If Mica doesn’t come back, she swears she’ll kill him. Natalie says Mica will be back.
Eddie waits for Ian in the parking garage, and tases him for like, 30 seconds. He tells Ian, he has nothing to lose. Where is his daughter? Ian says he doesn’t know, and Eddie tases him again, asking, where is she? Ian had better think quick. Eddie tases Ian again, and Ian screams. Eddie asks where his daughter is. Larry wouldn’t tell him, so Ian had better think of answers real quick, damn him. Ian tries to get up, but Eddie gets some duct tape (he probably keeps a handy roll in his pocket), and tapes the taser to Ian’s back, so that it just keeps going. He asks if Ian likes it, and tells Ian to think about his daughter. Ian just lies there, and Eddie says he should have talked.
Unless the whole town and everyone in it blows up, there’s no way this story is ending neatly. They’ve only got twenty more minutes.
Eddie walks into Larry’s room, and Larry’s wife tells him, get out. He punches her in the face, and she drops to the floor. He asks if Larry thinks he’s done with him. He grabs Larry by the collar of his hospital gown, and says, tell him. Larry says he doesn’t know, and Eddie grabs a pillow. Larry insists he doesn’t know, and Eddie puts the pillow over Larry’s face, and pushes down. He says he can’t hear Larry. He lifts the pillow, and Larry gives him an address, saying she’s in a container or something; it’s hard to understand him. Eddie asks if she can breathe, and puts the pillow back on Larry’s face. He lifts it again, and Larry cries out. He says he doesn’t know, and Eddie resumes smothering him, and pressing harder. Eddie says, Larry can’t breathe. I’m not sure, but I think Larry is dead. Yep; he’s flatlining. Remind me not to go to this hospital. Ever. Their security is worse than at GH.
A security guard finds Ian, and asks if he’s all right. He removes the taser, and calls for a stretcher. He tells Ian, hang in with him. He sees Eddie coming, and says they need help. Eddie grabs his taser, and the guard says, someone did this to Ian. Eddie says he doesn’t give a sh*t. This wore his battery down. He kicks Ian, and walks off. The guard is like, WTF?
Rick knocks on Brad’s door, and asks for Marcie. I hate Brad and Marcie. Rick says he needs the body ID’d, and Brad asks if it has to happen right now. Rick says, sorry, and Brad says he’ll go with her, and Rick asks if he doesn’t have kids. Brad asks if Randal isn’t next door, but Rick says he’s at the morgue. Rick also has a couple of questions. Marcie asks, about what? and he says, an eyewitness saw a female leaving the house; bloody, and wearing a blue dress. He sees Alex, and asks, who’s that? Brad says, his ex-wife. He invites Rick in, and Rick asks if Brad minds if he asks Alex a few questions. This is probably because Alex is now wearing Marcie’s blue dress, with blood stains on it. Mind you, the dress looks like it has uniform splatters on it, and the rest of Alex is totally pristine. Which is actually hard to believe after the night she had. Brad says Alex is out of it, and Rick asks, for how long? Brad says, she came home drunk, and she’s been doing drugs. She blacks out, and does things she doesn’t remember. Rick rouses Alex, and she swats at him, saying, don’t touch her. Where is she? Rick asks, where was she today? and she says she doesn’t know. How did she get here? Rick tells her, come with him, and she asks, why? She says she doesn’t know what’s going on, and asks what happened to her? He says she doesn’t know? and helps her up. He steers her to the door, and she asks why they’re leaving. She calls to Brad, who doesn’t even react, and Rick tells Brad and Marcie to meet him at the station. He takes Alex out.
After they leave, Marcie freaks, but Brad says, be cool.
Esperanza paces, which has been her natural state lately. She hears over the radio, 187 on a female (187 is dead, for those who aren’t familiar with the lingo), and Lushion tells the officers to go outside. Esperanza asks if it was Mica, and Lushion says they don’t know. She says she wants to hear, but he says he’ll ask outside. She tells him to hurry, and as the officers leave, Eddie walks in, and I gasp. I’ve done that a lot during this episode. Esperanza pushes everyone back. Eddie is crying, and she says, son of a bitch. Did he see her? He nods, and cries some more, and she asks, what happened? He says, that son of a bitch; he did it. She says, that’s right. Eddie never does anything wrong. Eddie says, Larry did this, but she says, no. Eddie did this. He says he didn’t come there for this craziness, and she says, he’s crazy. And he’s going to take responsibility for what he did. She’s going to make him do it. He says it’s her fault. She made their daughter crazy. Esperanza calmly takes a gun out of a drawer in the coffee table, and shoots the sh*t out of Eddie. He slumps against the front door. I’m like, whoa. At least that’s done. Lushion tells Esperanza, put the gun down. Eddie looks at her one more time, and breathes his last. Esperanza cries.
🙋🏽♀️ A Note Of Farewell…
This sucks in the most humongous way. I love Tyler Perry, and I loved this show. Some of the plots may have seemed silly, but it’s soap in its truest form. The bad guys were the worst, and the good guys had blinding halos (I’m especially talking to you, Lushion), except for Brad, who’s halo got decidedly tarnished at the end. I’m not sure what happened to him, but I wasn’t thrilled with how he nearly pinned Randal’s killing on Bennett, and then pinned it on Alex. Although we won’t speak of how neither of them had a speck of blood on them.
I’ll never forget the moment I fell in love with ILYIW. Alex had just had the baby – who never even got a name, poor thing – and all the women were looking into the nursery. The baby was obviously Black, and Natalie said, so who’s going to tell Brad? In perfect soap timing, Brad had come in, and said, tell me what? For those who love soap, we’ve seen variations on that scene play out a million times. It gave the show the official soap stamp of approval.
While often called nighttime drama, I like to call a soap a soap, and Tyler evoked the vibe of the nighttime soap’s heyday, the 80s days of Dynasty and Dallas. I don’t know if it’s the type of film he uses, the way it’s written and directed, or a combination of things, but I was hooked on The Haves and the Have Nots right away, as well as If Loving You Is Wrong when it followed. I’m not even sure why I started watching them, although I probably saw an ad while watching OWN. It’s been time well spent. Only half-joking. The writing is awesome, and many scenes make me feel like I’m watching a play, they’re so tight. And I get the feeling the actors are allowed a little freedom. The casts are top-notch too.
Why this show isn’t making a return appearance, I have no idea, but my feelings tonight are conflicted. While I was thrilled to see both Randal and Eddie get what was coming to them – and by exactly the right people – too much was left unsaid. Like WTF Brad? How is Alex being arrested going to play out? Will Ian make it? Now what happens to Esperanza? It wasn’t like Eddie was being aggressive. And who will Kelly end up with? Tyrell, Rick, someone completely different, or will she take a breather and enjoy being single? What about Tanya? Did Brad and Marcie ride off into the sunset? Who the blip is Casey? Way too many unanswered questions. They should have at least given this a two-hour finale.
I’m going to miss this show… sniff…
⛴ Heard in passing. Yesterday in Below Deck Mediterranean‘s recap, I wasn’t sure if it was Captain Sandy’s father or brother who was a cop and hunter, but when I had a rerun on in the background, I heard her say it was her stepdad. Okay. I was close.
🥇 Tyler Steps Up…
The hardest working man in show business puts his money where his mouth is.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
In today’s GH Flashback, we left Nurse’s Ball territory, and moved to February 7th, 2007. Jerry Jacks was holding a bunch of people hostage, but didn’t seem to be very good at it. He kept shuffling people around, actually calling it musical hostages at one point. Sonny and Carly were in a separate room, and Sonny explained that Jerry had wanted to take him out of the equation, because if Jerry’s exit plan didn’t work, he might need Sonny. Spinelli, who had long hair, and Jason, who never changes, were working on a plan behind-the-scenes to free the hostages. Jason explained that Jerry kept moving everyone around because that made it harder for the hostages to work together and resist. Apparently, it still wasn’t a very good plan, especially throwing Sonny and Carly together. Also outside the action, Mac complained a lot to a worried baby-faced Patrick. Elizabeth was pregnant and divorced, and I was totally lost, since there were times when I wasn’t watching, and this must have been one of them.
Emily was still alive, and with Nikolas, who also had a baby-face. Alexis ended up in the hospital for dehydration, and Ric harangued her about wanting custody of Molly. She told him to get lost, and he said he’d let the courts decide. He still didn’t leave, and Dr. Ford ended up kicking Ric out because you really shouldn’t harass people who are in the hospital. The doctor told Alexis about his late wife using weed to help her cope with chemo, which Alexis found pretty amusing. Jason decided he was going in, and Spinelli insisted he was coming along, since Lulu would do the same for him – he hoped. We didn’t see Lulu, who was trapped in a room with Alan. Carly got Sonny’s handcuffs off, and Sonny said Jerry’s first mistake was underestimating her. Skye was still around, and visiting Lorenza in the hospital. I have no clue about either of those characters. Carly wanted to sneak up on Jerry, but Sonny said when he told her to go, she’d better get moving. He said he shouldn’t have tricked her into getting back together with him, but he didn’t want her to love Jax (Jerry’s brother, in case you didn’t know) because she was his whole life. Sam asked fellow hostage Father Ruiz if he could hold his own in a knife fight, slipping him a weapon, and Elizabeth tended to Robin, who’d been shot.
I was annoyed that we didn’t see Alan. I really liked him, and thought it was one of GH’s worst decisions to kill off his character. That was another time when I stopped watching for a while. Bringing him back as a ghost was an even worse decision. Who did they think they were? Passions?
Below Deck Mediterranean
Captain Sandy sits with Lara and Hannah. She says she doesn’t know what transpired, but Hannah is Lara’s boss, and tells her what to do. They all have a common goal. She tells Lara that she went through her own stuff with Hannah, and Lara laughs, saying, Captain Sandy too? The captain tells her to knock it off. If Lara is willing to reset with Hannah, she’ll let it go, but Lara has to respect Hannah’s position. When Lara laughs and uses sarcasm, that doesn’t work for her. Hannah says, if it’s not going to work, she needs to know now. Lara says, if they can be normal people and can collaborate. She admits she shouldn’t have spoken the way she did, and Captain Sandy tells her, leave the sarcasm in the cabin. In the captain’s interview, she says, Lara’s energy is f*** you energy. She tells Hannah to pull Lara close, so for the next charter, she can be Hannah’s second stew.
Alex and Pete clean the decks. The captain makes small talk with Lara in the crew mess, and we find out Captain Sandy’s family once had forty-two dogs. I’m so startled, I forget if she prefaced that with her father or brother being a cop. And here I thought I had a full house when I once pet peaked at fourteen many years ago. Kiko wonders where the crew is going tonight. Pete wants to get with Lara, who he keeps calling Lana. Jessica tells Hannah that the cabins are done, and asks if she can lay out. Malia tells the deckhands that they’re off for the night, and Jessica says she needs vitamin D. In her interview, Jessica says, based on the stereotype that you can’t be smart and pretty… She says she forgot the second half. She lies on her towel, and the deckhands can’t shut up about her.
At the preference sheet meeting, Captain Sandy says the primary is Roy Orbison, Jr., a business mogul, and son of the musician. He’s bringing his family, and a couple of the kids can’t swim, so the captain wants the crew to be on top of it. Nanny Agnes will also be there. Hannah looks at Agnes’s picture, and says she’d never have a nanny that hot. Roy is also bringing his best friend Ulf, from Ace of Base. In Kiko’s interview, he says he plays the guitar, and music is one of his passions. It’s super cool. Hannah reads that they want to picnic by Palma Cathedral. The captain is excited. On deck, Rob leers at Jessica. In his interview, he says, seeing her read adds to the attraction; that she’s absorbing knowledge. And the bikini is delicious. Jessica tells him that she doesn’t normally read fiction. Hannah calls her boyfriend, and wonders if yachting is what she wants to be spending her time on. Lara asks Pete about working out, and he shows her photos from his Instagram. I’m like, no, but in her interview, Lara says she’s definitely attracted to him. He tells Lara, he has a crazy pump. He shows her a picture of his dad, and says he was just diagnosed with cancer, and the prognosis is six months to a year. In Pete’s interview, he says, it hasn’t been easy. He wouldn’t be where he’s at or who he is – the man he is – without his dad. He wouldn’t know boats. It’s hard to see someone you love so much, so sick. He suggests they get dressed. Hannah tells Malia, tonight is going to be interesting, and Malia says, tonight is going to be sh*t.
They get in taxis; the women in one, the guys in another. At the restaurant, Hannah orders wine for the table, and they toast to charter one being down. Alex says he’s never worked for a female captain and bosun. He talks about a woman who’s the head of some company, saying, a woman in such a successful position inspired him. If she can do it… In Malia’s interview, she says, wait. What? Exactly.
Lara tells Pete that she’s been traveling, and asks what he’s doing after the season is over. He says, hanging out with her. The crew moves on to a club, and more drinking. Hannah tells Kiko that she’s been dating her boyfriend for about a year, and he says that he has a girl, Nicole, who’s in yachting as well. They’re letting things go with the flow. Malia is thrilled that Captain Sandy said she’s proud of her, since when she started, she was a green deckhand. We see a clip of the captain instructing Malia to practice with the tender. Pete flirts with Lara, and says his d*ck is called Peter. Kiko says he’s glad he and Hannah met, and Hannah says she can’t deal on her own. She doesn’t know how to deal with Lara. In Lara’s interview, she says, Hannah is rude. She thinks she can talk about Lara when she’s only two meters away. They go to another club where there’s a sword swallower on stage. Lots more drinking happens. Pete says Lara is effing adorable, which would be the last adjective pair I’d use for her. Jessica tells Rob to quit analyzing her. In her interview, she says she’s having a good time. She likes his company, energy, and attention. And he’s cute. Malia asks Lara about Hannah, and Lara says she doesn’t really know Hannah outside of the boat, but they don’t get along. Malia says Hannah might feel like she’s getting pushback, and for the head of a department, that’s not ideal. If she asked one of her deck crew to do something, and they told her no, they’d get fired. Since Lara can only be told what she wants to hear, she moves on, and Malia tells Hannah that Lara feels like she doesn’t know Hannah outside of the boat. Hannah says that’s because she’s been turning around a 180 foot yacht. In Pete’s interview, he says he has to get Lara in the game. She’s getting splinters on the bench. Malia tells Hannah that she made it clear, if one of her deck crew did the same thing, she would get rid of them. It’s time to go back, and Lara rides with Pete. And Peter.
Jessica screeches, Lara is a bitch, and her taxi chants. After they get back to the boat, Pete wants to give Lara a goodnight hug, and barges into the cabin she shares with Jessica, only to immediately retreat because Jessica is getting changed. In his interview, he says he and Lara aren’t going to have sex; they’re going to make love. It’s going to happen. I gag a little. Hannah tells Malia that she can’t put up with it, and Malia says she’s going to have to.
Lara quietly stumbles out in the morning. Pete says the boat is going to be his bitch today. Hannah makes a call, asking for a booster seat, a crib, and musicians. I guess it’s a one-stop shop. Malia meets with the deckhands, and Alex is late because he’s busy getting sick. He joins them, suggesting they not to walk downstairs for five or ten minutes. Malia tells them, when she says be on the deck at ten, be on the deck at ten. The crew gets the boat ready. Hannah asks Jessica where Lara is, but Jessica doesn’t know. Hannah is like, wtf? She radios Lara at 10:17, and wonders if Lara is playing hide and seek. She looks everywhere, and the captain radios the crew, saying, the charter starts at noon. Everyone up?
Lara radios the captain, asking to meet on the dock. The captain walks through the boat, and tells everyone, keep moving. Lara refuses to come to the boat, and Captain Sandy goes out to meet her. Lara says she’s not feeling comfortable anymore, and wants to leave. Thanks for everything. She’s sure the captain will be able to replace her. Translation: She realized she can get fired for insubordination, and wants to quit first. And she could give a flying about leaving them hanging. Captain Sandy takes Lara’s radio out of her hand, and says, she doesn’t know what happened. Lara says, it’s just not working. Translation: She can’t have her way on the job. The captain asks if the whole reset was for real, and Lara says, it’s just not working for her. Translation: She can’t get over on Hannah, and she’ll actually have to work. Captain Sandy says someone will bring Lara’s stuff out. In the captain’s interview, she says she’s not going to convince Lara to stay because of her attitude, and why would she want someone to stay when they want to quit? She tells Hannah that Lara doesn’t want to talk. In Lara’s interview, she says, sometimes you have to choose between your own happiness and a job. She’s choosing her own happiness. Translation: All of the above. Pete says he wants to see Lara, and the captain radios the crew to meet in the galley. She says, Lara left. Some people are cut out for the business, and some are not. She tells Jessica to pack Lara’s stuff, and Pete helps. Jessica tells Pete, maybe they’ll get someone cute and nice. Pete brings Lara’s belongings out to her, and they hug. He tells her, contact me, and she says, we’ll see. In her interview, she says maybe she’ll do long distance. Actually, that’s not true. She would never do long distance. At least this time she did her own translation. Pete tells Alex that he dropped his card in her bag, and she said she’ll contact him. Alex says they need him, and Jessica tells Hannah, a team effort is easier than, it’s not my job. In Hannah’s interview, she says, someone leaving is like being on ecstasy. When they go, you’re really high, but the coming down will be bad. Pete mopes and sniffles. In Alex’s interview, he says Pete knew her twelve hours. He didn’t even know her last name. I’m not so sure he even knew her first name.
Pete cries into his pillow, and I laugh. He says, the story of his life. Dramatic much? The provisions arrive, and Captain Sandy calls for a second stew, saying she’s in a jam. She asks if resumés can be texted to her. Hannah and Jessica try to put the crib together, and Hannah radios for someone to help who knows what they’re doing. Alex says, Pete is a dad, and Hannah says, that’s worrying. Pete says his son is almost nine. The captain radios for the crew to get ready to meet the guests. Warm towels are readied, champagne is poured, and the crew lines up.
Captain Sandy welcomes the guests, and says Hannah will give them a tour, then they’ll move on to their first anchorage, Calla Llamp. The kids swarm the bridge, and the captain tells Hannah to make sure the kids have life vests on when they’re outside. In Kiko’s interview, he says, so much drama. But with Lara gone, the atmosphere is good. He’s putting the focus on the food, and his passion. Jessica decorates the table with fishnets and shells. Captain Sandy tells Malia, there are big swells, so only launch the slide. They set the slide up, but Alex says the wind is blowing it around. The captain tells Malia to bring it back in. Malia keeps repeating, I love my job. Hannah tells Malia that the guests are having lunch on the aft deck shortly, and Malia says they need a half hour to bring in the slide. Hannah says, lunch is being served in five minutes. Malia goes to see Captain Sandy, and the deckhands make the executive decision to put the slide back in the water. The captain tells her to just leave it on deck, and Malia radios Pete, who says, it’s back in the water. Malia says if she asks them to do something, it’s for a reason. In her interview, she says she doesn’t have to explain herself. Just do it.
Kiko plates lunch. Roy Jr. says he wants to jet ski in the middle of Palma Bay, where there’s lots of traffic, and Hannah says, not if he wants to live. Captain Sandy says, the weather is moving in; they’re hauling anchor, and Roy Jr. says, whatever is safest. Lunch is served, and Pete hangs out with the kids. In his interview, he says, it makes him miss his son. Nanny Agnes asks if he’s okay, and he says, absolutely. Roy Jr. says, it’s Viking food, and Ulf howls. Malia tells Alex, if he wants to learn something, come to her. Hannah feels like she’s drowning, and hopes they get another stew soon. Rob helps Hannah bring up some snacks, and they have to walk backward against the wind. Malia says it’s nerve-wracking, since it’s her first time docking there; the weather is bad, and you never know what you’re going to get.
Agnes asks Hannah if someone can check on baby Bo, and Hannah volunteers. In her interview, Hannah says she loves kids, and she’s usually good with them, but when she’s down a stew, babysitting is really not ideal. The musicians arrive, and tell Hannah they have very bad English. She tells them, that’s okay, since she has very bad Spanish. She wants to surprise the guests, and stows the musicians in the crew mess. Kiko is saying, funnel, funnel, where are you, MF’er? In Kiko’s interview, he says he’s doing tapas per the guests’ request. He’s putting all his love there. Ulf watches Kiko work, and the guests already at the table discuss music. The food looks fabulous. I love tapas; it’s a Christmas Eve tradition in my house. Hannah suddenly remembers the musicians in the crew mess, and in her interview, she says she’s so busy; she needs another person. Alex tells the musicians, break a drumstick. They use a bagpipe, but it sounds different from the Scottish execution. The guests knock off early. Pete calls Malia sweetheart when they say goodnight. Ugh. He just doesn’t get it. You don’t call your boss sweetheart. Unless they are your sweetheart, and even then not at work. I hope.
In the morning, Pete pumps up on deck. In her interview, Malia says, it’s still a male dominated industry when it comes to the deck. She wishes Pete could see what she’s had to overcome to get there. Then call her sweetie. In the galley, Jessica accidentally squirts lemon in her eye. Been there, done that. Captain Sandy calls Malia to the bridge, and Malia tells the captain, she’s not asking again for the deckhands to show up on time. The captain asks how Malia likes the deck crew, and Malia tells her about being called sweetie. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, it’s not about gender; it’s blatant disrespect. She’s not having it on a vessel she runs. She calls the deck crew to the bridge.
The captain says she forgives everything for charter one. She knows it’s hard for them to have a woman in seniority, but there’s still protocol. Malia isn’t their friend, and not their sweetie or dear. They wouldn’t call a guy sweetie, and she wants it to stay professional. So no sweetheart or sweetie. She’s not their friend either; she’s their captain. Malia agrees, and says if they don’t like it, they can leave.
Next time, the boys are on the prowl, Kiko finds his bunk occupied, the picnic at the Cathedral, Jessica says she’s working two jobs, and there’s more wind. A lot of wind. Too much wind.
👠 Johannesburg Joins the Fray…
What kind of network is hayu? Is there one called hayuup?
Didn’t they wake up at 3:15 every morning? I can’t seem to get to bed before 3:15. Like I always say, I’ll sleep in the next life. In the meantime, stay safe, stay reasonable, and stay with your back to the wind.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
In today’s GH Flashback, the 2019 Nurse’s Ball kept going with an episode from May 22nd, 2019. Chase found out that Ryan had killed the owner of the cabin in Canada, and set a trap for Laura and Curtis. Ava said they all knew where he was headed next. Nina griped about Willow to Michael, while Shiloh accosted Willow in the hallway. Willow said she didn’t answer to him, but he got in her face, shaking his finger at her. She admitted that she was pregnant when she left Dawn of Day, but said she’d lost the baby. Olivia and Ned did a duet of Get Closer as themselves (no Eddie Maine this time). Sonny told Josslyn about Stone, and how Stone was still with him. He said when times get tough, Stone inspires him, and Oscar does the same for her. She just didn’t know it yet.
Backstage, Scotty told Ava that she deserved better, and asked her who was there when she came off the stage. (Hint: It was him, not Doc.) Ava called her Cedar Mountain house property managers, and asked that the property be opened, adding she’d pay generously for the inconvenience. Shiloh grabbed Willow, but Michael intervened, and said if Shiloh wanted to get to her, he’d have to go through Michael first. Michael decked Shiloh, and told him to get out of town, but Shiloh said he wasn’t going anywhere because he was a father. Back at the Ball, Lucy introduced Valentin, saying she didn’t know if he was the second, third, or fourth most infamous Cassadine, but she knew he was the most talented, and he sang Nothing Without You to his ladylove (old) Nina. Scotty confronted Ryan, who he thought was Doc, and when he grabbed Ryan’s arm, he ended up with Ryan’s fake hand in his. And I don’t mean they were holding hands; Ryan’s hand literally came off. Ryan knocked Scotty out with a wrench, saying, never let it be said he never had the upper hand. Freddy Krueger’s got nothing on Ryan. Shiloh told Sam about his child, but said he didn’t believe Willow had lost the baby, and he was going to find it. Sam pretended to be empathetic, saying she knew what it was like to have a child kept from you. Josslyn stalled, and thought she was letting everyone down, but Jax told her that she wasn’t, and the only opinion she should care about is her own. She didn’t have to prove anything to anyone, and if she followed her heart, she’d know what to do. She said doing the right thing is really hard, and Jax said he was in her corner, no matter what, and Oscar was too. Mac asked Lulu when she’d last talked to Laura, and Ryan watched as Ava slipped out.
Chase told Olivia and Ned that Ryan was presumed alive and on his way back to Port Charles. Epiphany found Scotty on deck, and thought he’d had too much fun. Sam used Shiloh’s own crap on him, telling him to breathe, and let peace flow through him. He thanked her for her commitment, and said he needed her to be in the Trust. Lucy was excited, happy, and proud that Josslyn decided to return, and Josslyn sang the song she and Oscar had written, A List of Things To Do. It kind of reminded me of Burn from Hamilton. Josslyn saw Oscar in the audience as she sang.
Ava went to her mountain cabin, and said, come and get me, Ryan. Lucy said Josslyn reminded her of why she’s honored to be part of the event. It makes you laugh, and makes you cry. It’s about great big feelings, and she hoped great big money. Shiloh told Sam there was a fight coming, and to give him her strength. Willow confessed to Michael that she told Shiloh that she’d lost the baby. Brad tried to get Lucas to leave, but Lucas had put two and two together, and said Willow and Shiloh were Wiley’s birth parents. Chase put out an APB for Ava, and Scotty said he wasn’t liquored up; he’d been clubbed over the head by Ryan. When Lucy called for the crew to bring down the rigging, along with the rigging came Doc, hanging there in a straitjacket.
At the cabin, Ava ignored her phone, and got her gun ready, along with a martini. No surprise, Ryan showed up.
📽 Reeling You In…
You can watch all the reels submitted by the actors for the Daytime Emmys here:
A retrospective and update on the couples of 90 Day Fiancé. According to his Instagram, Jesse is traveling as an actor, entrepreneur, and speaker. Translation: he doesn’t have a real job.
Pride month has gotten somewhat lost amid more immediate issues, but it can still offer another opportunity to broaden your horizons. On the entertainment front, from true stories like Prick Up Your Ears, Boys Don’t Cry, and Milk, to the brilliantly written Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and TLC’s latest effort Dragnificent, there’s a whole host of colors in the rainbow. At present, I think we could all use a pick-me-up, and while conventional romcoms are not my thing, one of my favorite films is Trick. I actually saw it by accident, stumbling on it when it was on rotation on LOGO years ago. The title might lead you to believe it’s on the sleazy side, but not at all. It’s about a poor young dude, living in NYC, named Gabriel (Christian Campbell), who’s just trying to get alone time with his date Mark (J.P. Pitoc). Gabriel is also a playwright, working to get his musical off the ground with the help of his best friend Katherine (Tori Spelling). Katherine has one of the funniest monologues about sh*t I’ve ever heard, and Enter You from Gabriel’s musical will be stuck in your head for days, if not for life. You can check out the particulars here:
Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn’t matter which color does the hating. It’s just plain wrong. – Muhammad Ali
No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them. – Elie Wiesel
Be genuine. The world is watching. – Tank Sinatra (aka George Resch)
Instead of looking at the past, I put myself ahead twenty years and try to look at what I need to do now in order to get there then. – Diana Ross
If no one has ever heard of you, can you really be canceled? – Anonymous poster regarding MTV’s cancellation of Taylor Selfridge’s special. I have no clue who she is either, so this resonated.
The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. – Alice Walker
What I don’t understand is why they had to dress like extras from Coming to America 2. – Trevor Noah regarding Nancy Pelosi, et al, wearing African kente cloths to a memorial for George Floyd.
You can’t make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen. – Michelle Obama
No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. – Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
If there is a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it. – Toni Morrison
🛴 Rolling Into the Weekend…
Yes. We still call it that. With things not back to normal – or whatever that’s going to be now – everyone is still figuring it out as they go. So don’t feel bad if you’re feeling bad, but if you’re feeling accomplished, roll with it. Regardless, if you’ve got the time, use it wisely. Stay safe, stay supporting one another, and stay finding the humor in things.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Today’s GH Flashback, from May 21st, 2019, continued with the 2019 Nurse’s Ball. After Finn’s ring went rolling out from the wings to Anna’s feet, Robert told Finn, don’t just stand there; go pick it up. Finn got the ring, then got down on one knee. He told Anna it wasn’t how he wanted to do this, and asked her to marry him. She said yes, and the crowd cheered. Cameron told Josslyn that Oscar had him record a message for her that he wanted her see tonight. He left the recording there, saying it had been Oscar’s last chance to talk to Josslyn. Since he’d recorded it, he already knew what it said, and thought Oscar would want her to hear it alone. My bad, Doc was Doc, and they were on to Ryan by this time, who had blown up a house in Canada, sending Laura and Curtis flying. (It’s all coming back now. Ava and Doc got together to try and draw Ryan out of hiding after he was discovered to be alive and well and killing again.) Doc agreed with Ava to stick to the plan. Kristina told Sam not to get too close to Shiloh, telling Sam that he was a cult leader, and more than a liar.
Josslyn watched Oscar’s recording, and he said he knew if she was watching this, he was gone. He wanted her to live life to the fullest, starting with tonight, and wanted her to sing their song for both of them. Obrecht sang Guilty, and Franco joined her on stage. Every time I hear this song, it makes me want to work out. It’s used in the background on one of my workout videos, and I’m like a trained pony. Josslyn got dressed, and went to the Ball, saying she was doing it for Oscar. Shiloh tried to smooth talk Kristina, and told her to come home, holding out his hand. In perfect timing, Sonny showed up at just that moment, and told Shiloh to stay away from his daughter. Shiloh told Kristina that she couldn’t let her father control her forever, and his door was always open. Sonny said Shiloh’s door was going to be permanently closed. He’d messed with the wrong family, and it was going to cost him everything. Alexis took Kristina away, and Kristina wondered why no one was doing anything about Sam falling under Shiloh’s spell. Without missing a beat, Shiloh moved on to Lucas, and tried to talk him into taking classes at Dawn of Day like Brad was.
Willow literally ran into Nina, spilling her drink, and Nina got pissed off. Willow said the one good thing about losing her job was that she didn’t have to take Nina’s crap anymore. Shiloh kept an eye on Willow, while Cameron practiced backstage, and thought about all the people not there tonight. Josslyn arrived, and told Jax and Carly about the message she’d gotten from Oscar. She said she didn’t know if she was there yet, but one step at a time. Cameron sang a song that may or may not have been called You’re My Star. Afterwards, Josslyn thanked him for bringing her Oscar’s message and being someone Oscar could trust. Kristina wouldn’t leave without talking to Sam, but Neil said that wouldn’t be wise. Since Kristina was still vulnerable, she couldn’t help Sam. She said she’d leave on the condition that Sonny stay and keep an eye on Shiloh, but Sonny said she didn’t even have to ask.
Lucy told Doc that two dozen roses had arrived, and he needed to sign for them. He said he’d gotten them as a tribute for Ava, but Lucy thought the only tribute Ava deserved was poison ivy. In Canada, Laura requested a helicopter, and told the Canadian cops to alert the New York state police about Ryan. Curtis called Chase, and let him know Ryan was on his way back to Port Charles. Finn and Anna celebrated with sparkling cider, and Finn told Anna the ring was a rare Monaco blue sapphire, He’d chosen it because Monaco was where Anna first blackmailed him, and changed his life. He said it wasn’t his perfect moment, but she didn’t care, and they got busy.
Nina eavesdropped on Willow’s conversation about the child she gave up for adoption. Willow said Nina had been making her life miserable since the day they met, and no wonder Charlotte was the way she is. Nina didn’t appreciate Willow’s judgement of her parenting, and said Willow couldn’t even take care of her own child. Nina left, and Willow discovered Shiloh had eavesdropped on her and Nina. Chase alerted the PCPD and the Canadian authorities about Ryan, and Laura tried to alert Doc, but he was already knocked out in the dressing room, as Ryan took a single rose from the bouquet. The episode ended with Ava singing You’re Just Too Good To Be True.
The Real Housewives of New York City
Dorinda visits a Halloween store, and tells the clerk that her Halloween theme is voodoo. The clerk helps her get into a corset. Ben and assistant Roger meet with meet with LuAnn. In her interview, LuAnn says they’re looking for comedians. Her act is a variety show, and variety shows need comedy. They’re waiting for Sonja, and LuAnn says, she probably lost her dress on the way over. Sonja comes in wearing jumpsuit, so she probably had to go to the bathroom. In her interview, Sonja says, LuAnn is so high on life, everything is funny. She wonders if she’s getting paid, and LuAnn says she was paid the last time. In Sonja’s interview, she says LuAnn paid for half of her hair and makeup, so she did her hair herself. The comics audition, and in LuAnn’s interview, she says they’re all good, but for Marry-Eff-Kill, they have to be specific about sex and relationships. Sonja says she’s glad LuAnn included her, and in her interview, she says she’s proud of what LuAnn has built, and excited to be involved, even if she’s not getting paid. Sonja and LuAnn go over their material for the show.
Tinsley calls Leah, who asks, what the hell is going on with her and Scott? Tinsley says, it was so good. In Tinsley’s interview, she says, even though everyone was saying, just get on a plane, she wanted to be cool. But when Scott said, get on a plane with Strawberry and Shortcake, she was all in. It sounds cheesy, but felt like home; like it was real. Leah says Dorinda is putting together an evening of going to a haunted house – Blood Manor – and then out to dinner. She said Tinsley can come if she wants, and Leah wants her to come. Tinsley says she wants to go. She loves stuff like that.
Tinsley and Leah arrive at Blood Manor first, where they’re accosted outside by a zombie and a clown. In Tinsley’s interview, she says she was expecting to be attacked by Dorinda at dinner, not by a zombie on the sidewalk. Elyse shows up next, followed by Dorinda. In Dorinda’s interview, she says she’s been trying to get the group to go to Blood Manor for two years. It’s an institution. It’s scary, and she doesn’t scare easy. She’s the scarer [sic]. She puts her arm around the zombie, and says she’s finally found the man of her dreams. Elyse says, the blondes always die in the horror films. If you’re blonde, and show your boobs, you’re dead. Speaking of which, when met by the zombie and clown, Ramona freaks out, and drops her shopping bag. In her interview, she says, if that’s what it’s like outside, what is it like inside? LuAnn joins them, dressed as a cougar. In her interview, Leah says she’s aspiring to be a cougar. Sonja gets there last. No surprise. In her interview, she says this isn’t for her. She’s already high anxiety, and they’ve had nothing to drink. They go inside, and Leah doesn’t think the clown is an actor. She thinks that’s really how he is.
They inch down a darkened hallway, and the clown opens a door. It’s a typical, albeit well done, haunted house – horror film type sets, lightening flashing, loud noises, and various horror characters jumping out at them. In Tinsley’s interview, she thinks the cackling twins are Sonja and Ramona. We flash back to the two of them at the banya massage, and Tinsley might be right. In Dorinda’s interview, she says, they drop from the ceiling, and come through the walls. They’re everywhere. Outside, Ramona says she’s exhausted and almost peed her pants. They head to dinner. In Sonja’s interview, she says she could use some tequila. Something she’s familiar with; not a haunted house.
The women sit down to dinner, and Ramona says Tinsley posted on Instagram about Scott. In Sonja’s interview, she says Tinsley posted to the world, then they find out. Leah suggests they toast to Tinsley and Scott, and Tinsley says they’re back together; wooo! Leah said Tinsley told her that she and Scott were getting married. We see a clip of Tinsley and Leah in the limo, and Tinsley saying, there’s no ring yet, but she just knows it. For whatever reason, Dorinda decides they should all ignore Tinsley, and in Tinsley’s interview, she says she expected Dorinda not to ask questions, but she’s disappointed that Sonja, Ramona, and LuAnn fell under Dorinda’s spell. Elyse thinks they’ve been hard on Tinsley, and it’s unwarranted. LuAnn asks Dorinda if the conversation is registering, but Dorinda says Tinsley is running game. She’s making asses of them. In Dorinda’s interview, she says she’s not judgmental (I choke on my coffee), but don’t pull the wool over their eyes. She tells LuAnn, don’t bring life to it. In Ramona’s interview, she says Dorinda is telling her not to listen to Tinsley, and she’s in a good place with Dorinda, so she’s sticking with her. What a tool. LuAnn asks where the ring is, and Dorinda says Tinsley will love Chicago. Since she’s living in a hotel, she can pack up and go tomorrow. Tinsley says she’s happy for herself and her dogs, and Dorinda says she’s got a turkey baster. Maybe Tinsley can have a baby. Honest to God, I don’t know how this woman hasn’t been punched in the face by now. Tinsley says Dorinda is mean, and in LuAnn’s interview, she justifies Dorinda’s remarks by saying it’s been overkill about Tinsley and Scott. Wait a second. Tinsley is the one who didn’t want to talk about it, and Dorinda kept hammering at her. W… T… F…? Elyse says she believes this is it for Tinsley, and she’s going to live happily ever after. In Leah’s interview, she says, the behavior is de classé. They should give Tinsley this one moment, but they can’t. I can tell Tinsley has had it.
Sonja goes with intern Lulu to meet with Michael and Heather from Century 21. In Sonja’s interview, she says, it’s only been phone calls up until now, but the last show blew them away. Now they want to sell her collection. She sent the pieces ahead, and Heather tells her, the quality is incredible. I’ve looked at her site, and the clothes are not only beautiful, they’re reasonably priced. In her interview, Sonja says she wants to pinch herself. Century 21 is known for luxury for less, and designers at a discount, which is what she’s all about. She says she’s so excited, and Michael says their flagship store downtown is going to make a space front and center for her collection. They also want to sell it at their Herald Square store. (For those unfamiliar with NYC, that’s where the big Macy’s is you see on the Thanksgiving parade.) In Sonja’s interview, she says she’s trying to be serious, but inside, she’s dying. This struck a chord with her, and has made her feel confident. Michael says, in the long term, they want to roll her collection out all their stores. It’s a huge opportunity for both of them. In her interview, Sonja says she needs to stay calm. Michael says they’re moving fast, and their buying team has been in touch with her people. They’ll be placing an order in the next couple of weeks. Sonja says she’s ready to start the next chapter.
Dorinda, Sonja, and Ramona share a limo. Ramona tells them that they’re looking at a warehouse, and meeting event planner Larry Scott. In her interview, Ramona says she’s having a birthday party to celebrate herself, and inviting all her girlfriends. Dorinda and Sonja realize they’re going to Long Island, when they thought they were staying in Manhattan. They go to the warehouse of Lawrence Scott Events, and in Ramona’s interview, she says he’s the premier party planner in NYC, Long Island, and the Hamptons. She tells Larry, last year, a friend made the invite list and excluded some of her girlfriends. We flash back to Ramona telling the list maker not to include Sonja. She tells him that she has 60 girlfriends to invite, and he’s shocked she has that many at her age. I’m surprised when she doesn’t react. In Sonja’s interview, she says, if Ramona mentions that she has 60 girlfriends one more time, she’s going to vomit. Larry asks what Ramona’s vision is, and she says, sophisticated jungle, or tropical. It’s her coming out party; she’s single. I guess three people in the world don’t already know that. Sonja says it’s her birthday, as well as Dorinda’s, and suggests they have a joint party, but Ramona immediately shoots that down. In Dorinda’s interview, she wonders why not a joint party? Sonja is Ramona’s real friend, and Sonja needs this. It’s an opportunity to be kind. (I choke on my coffee a second time, since that’s rich coming from Dorinda.) Ramona says she loves them, but it’s her party. In Sonja’s interview, she says, for the last couple of years, Ramona has wanted the whole spotlight to herself. How hard is it to share a party? Ramona says she’s giving back to the girlfriends she’s known for thirty years, and it’s costing a lot of money, but Larry is giving her a good price. In her interview, Dorinda says, Ramona likes to do let’s make a deal. Dorinda doesn’t do that. She just gives them a credit card. Dorinda says, it’s Ramona’s coming out party? The next thing she’ll be having is an I-got-my-first-period party. In Ramona’s interview, she says she’s chalking it up to jealousy, because they don’t have as many girlfriends as she does. Yeah. That must be it. They sit and go over ideas while stuffing their faces with cookies, and Dorinda suggests a woman covered in sushi. Both Ramona and Larry are like, eww! Ramona says there’s no formal theme, and she wants everyone to sit where they want, and mingle. Larry says people can sometimes get cliquey, and they want to make sure the attention is on Ramona. Like this would ever be a problem. He draws a diagram, and shows her where she’ll hold court. Ramona will be the chandelier. In Dorinda’s interview, she says, it’s always the Ramona show. Dorinda barely celebrates Jesus that much. She feels like she’s been kidnapped. How did this happen? They’re in a warehouse in Long Island, being ignored, and overdosing on sugar. Larry asks them to pose for a social media picture, and in her interview, Dorinda says, and now, they have to do a promo piece for Larry’s business. This has taken up a full day, and now they have to do a promo piece. Save the bullsh*t for your Hamptons friends. You’ve got the wrong audience here.
Rob brings Kier to Leah’s apartment. Leah says she’s testing recipes, and Kier makes a face. In Leah’s interview, she says, being the mom of a teen means you’re reminded every day of how you’re not cool. That’s basically what it’s like. She makes a green juice, and tries it. She says, it’s really healthy, and Rob takes a sip. He says it’s the first time he’s ever had one, and it’s not bad. In her interview, Leah says, it’s hard for a lot of people to understand their relationship. They’re like an amazing married couple, but they don’t live at the same address, and they don’t have sex. Leah asks Rob to throw out a giant plant that’s on its last legs, and Kier says she’s a waster. In Leah’s interview, she says Rob is good to have around to co-parent, but also do the man thing she doesn’t want to do. Except that one man thing. She has batteries for that. He leaves with the plant.
Ramona meets Tinsley for drinks, and says she wants Tinsley to be happy. In Ramona’s interview, she says she felt badly ignoring Tinsley at the restaurant. She suggested they meet for drinks at T Bar, and toast to her being back with Scott. Tinsley says, a lot happened really fast. She’s loved Scott for a long time, and they’ve been on this road before. LuAnn joins them, and in her interview, Tinsley says, it means a lot that Ramona and LuAnn reached out to her after their mean girls episode. If they want to talk about her happiness, she’s more than willing. Ramona’s friend Ron shows up, and in Tinsley’s interview, she says, typical Ramona, but at least she cares this much. Ramona says she’s happy for Tinsley, but it happened fast. Now she’s leaving New York. LuAnn asks if Tinsley is coming to her Halloween party, but Tinsley thinks she’ll be in Chicago; she’s moving tomorrow. In her interview, LuAnn says, it feels like it’s moving fast. She’s happy for Tinsley, but wishes she’d stay for a few days. The Halloween party she’s planning is over the top, and they could include celebrating Tinsley and Scott. Ha-ha-ha! Like that would happen. Nice of LuAnn to make it about her. Tinsley says Scott is building her a closet, and also a glam room, and Ramona says, that’s commitment. They clink glasses, and in Ramona’s interview, she says, when a man builds you a closet, that says a lot. She knows a woman who’s been dating a guy for seven years, and she still doesn’t have closet space in his house. This is real now. She hugs Tinsley, and LuAnn says she couldn’t be happier. They all want the best for Tinsley, and will miss her. They have a three-way hug, and LuAnn says they’ll want to see the ring. They toast, and Ramona says, to Tinsley’s happiness. May all your wishes and rainbows come true.
Tinsley packs, and Dale helps. She tells Dale that some things are going to Palm Beach, some to Newport storage, and some are going to Chicago. Dale looks at Tinsley’s baby cup, and starts to cry. She says Tinsley has always been on the east coast, and Tinsley says, it’s happy. She loves Chicago, and she loves Scott. Dale says, everything is changing. In Tinsley’s interview, she says, so much happened so fast. We flash back to her meeting Scott (and immediately making out with him), Scott bringing her a giant heart of flowers, break-ups, and make-ups. Tinsley says she knows if she doesn’t take this moment, she’ll regret it for the rest of her life. She’s going to listen to herself and what she wants, and nobody else. Leah come by, and says, oh my God, when she sees the dogs in tiny ruffled dresses. She opens some champagne. In Leah’s interview, she says, as sad as she is, she’s happy for Tinsley. She thought Tinsley was crazy for wanting to be the fairytale, and not the legend, but now she wishes she had ten percent of Tinsley’s optimism and belief in love. Sonja arrives, and Dale says, her favorite girl in the world. She hugs Sonja, who almost knocks over a lamp. In her interview, Sonja says she’s had her doubts in the past, but Tinsley is happy, and she only wants the best for her. Get ready, Chi-town. The Tins is on her way. Dale says Sonja took in her girl. She didn’t want Tinsley being by herself when she moved back to NYC, and Sonja said come and stay. We flash back to Tinsley living with Sonja, and Dale says she’s thankful. Sonja is generous and kind, and Dale loves her. Sonja says she loves Dale too. She only wanted Tinsley to be safe, get her own dog, and develop her brand again. Now she’s doing her charities and been in fashion shows, and a man has been thrown in the mix. In Tinsley’s interview, she says she’s glad for the pat on the back. Sonja says she loves that Tinsley’s fairytale is coming true. Leah toasts to Tinsley. In her interview, Tinsley says she’s changed so much since moving back to New York. She thought moving there would trigger her back to the old Tinsley from when she lived there before. It took time, but she feels like herself again, and she’s confident. We flash back to Tinsley performing in the Big Apple Circus, Tinsley dancing on a table, and the fashion show. She says she doesn’t think it would have happened without all the bumps in the way. Thank you, mug shot; thank you, Sonja’s townhouse; thank you, everyone she’s met along the way. It’s been a great ride, and she’s happy where she is. We read that Tinsley got her dream ring when Scott romantically proposed in front of Christmas carolers – with Dale’s approval. She’s in the process of planning her closet.
Coming up this season, Ramona terrorizes Sonja with a lobster, a tropical vacation, Ramona plunges a toilet, LuAnn gets back on a camel, LuAnn and Dorinda have it out, Ramona tells Dorinda to look in the mirror, Sonja tells Ramona STFU, Sonja tells Leah that she cheapens the group of friends, and Ramona tells the cameraman, we’re done.
🍽 We’re down to four on Top Chef, and tonight, Padma said they had one last journey. They were going to Parma, home of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Prosciutto di Parma ham. Tom – who should be on Jeopardy, he’s so full of facts – said that the town is protected by the Italian government, who make sure those products are legit and only come from Parma. Their tour guide was going to be Lorenzo Cogo, the youngest Michelin star chef in Italy. The challenge was to create two dishes – a primi and secondi course – featuring the two ingredients, and they would be serving them to sixteen of the most esteemed chefs in Italy.
The chefs went to the home of a billion cheese wheels, where we learned that with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, age is the most important factor, and only salt is added by immersion. The cheese is tapped with a hammer to see if it’s good. In her interview, Melissa said she grew up with that nasty grated parmesan cheese. Yep. You know the one. It tastes like childhood. Moving on to where prosciutto is born, we learned to never cook it. Lorenzo seemed like a super cool guy, and the grocery store was phenomenal, with an abundance of fresh produce. Stephanie said Parma was very meat forward, but she wanted her dish to be vegetable forward, so the judges would have nothing else to compare it to. Their last stop was a cured ham place that was like something out of Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Afterwards, the chefs reminisced about the season. In Melissa’s interview, she talked about mending her relationship with her father, and said she thought it affected her cooking; her confidence is better. He’d finally said he was proud of her. They stayed overnight at a farm, where Stephanie said she never felt more happy, and when you’re happy, your food tastes better. She was ready to crush it.
Raft: a combination of ingredients that are added to clarify broth by trapping the impurities and then rising to the surface in a floating mass (from RecipeTips.com). I looked this up because Melissa said she broke her raft, and would have to go through the process again. At first, I thought she was talking about a piece of kitchen equipment, but then when I read that, it made sense. She said it was a total rookie move, and she didn’t have time for that.
Padma told introduced guest judge, author and chef Evan Funke. Apparently, he has a huge hand in how pasta is made in the US. Evan thought the challenge was incredibly difficult, because both ingredients have strong flavors and are salty. Tom said he thought the chefs all did well, and Padma told them that Melissa and Stephanie stood out. Stephanie seemed totally shocked, and said earning her place there was humbling and a proud moment. Evan said they were all extraordinary chefs, but the shining star was Melissa. Padma pointed out it was Melissa’s third win in a row. In her interview, Melissa said she couldn’t explain what it felt like, but she had one more big challenge to conquer. Kevin and Bryan looked pretty sad.
Evan said Bryan’s pasta was cooked the best, but he screwed up with the cheese (my words – Evan was much more eloquent). Padma said there was no heart soul in the dish, which seemed to offend Bryan, who said he tried to push the envelope and try something new. Gail said Kevin was too heavy-handed with the cheese, it was agreed the pork in his pork and apple dish was too tough. (During the tasting, one chef had said the pork didn’t welcome you.) Kevin said it was the most soulful of all the food he’d made, and that’s all he cared about at this point in his life. Gail said both of them didn’t execute the challenge when it came to the ingredients.
Tom said he had a lot of empathy for them. Coming back showed what they were made of – as chefs, but more important, as people. Kevin had to pack his knives, which sounded like it was painful for Padma to say. In his interview, said he’d learned to be a fighter, and fight for what he wanted in life. He told Bryan to have a good time, and everyone applauded as he bid farewell. In his exit interview, he said he’d had a lot of hard times, but fought back and won. He wanted people who were struggling to have hope that there were great things on the other side. Bravo, Kevin!
Next time – the finale – the chefs are challenged to make the best four-course meal of their lives, get help from former contestants, and the judges take a turn at cooking.
👨🏽🍳 The Young One…
Read more about Chef Lorenzo. He’s quite impressive.
It’s been another one of them there long weeks. My dog Trinket (somewhat misnamed, since she’s kind of tank shaped) came through surgery fine, but is still out of it. I’ll have what she’s having. I don’t think she’s thrilled with the fashionable leopard neck pillow she now has to wear either. I got 99 problems, and at least that one is crossed off the list. Go forth and stay safe, stay moving forward, and stay curiouser and curiouser.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Today’s GH flashback episode was from May 20th (according to the digital guide), at the 2019 Nurse’s Ball. The nurses opened with The Best of My Love. Mike had given Yvonne the engagement ring Finn had intended to give Anna, that Robert was supposed to be holding. Backstage, Cameron made friends Budgie the llama, until Felix came to fetch him (the llama, not Cameron). Shiloh was Sam’s date, while Spinelli and Jason set up surveillance at the Dawn of Day house. Lucy was supposed to get Doc (who was really Ryan) in a compromising position, so she and Scotty could uncouple Doc/Ryan and Ava, but it didn’t work out. Josslyn and Kristina stayed home watching movies, until they looked at photos from the Ball, and Kristina saw Sam with Shiloh. At the Ball with Maxie, Peter suggested Lulu mentor Molly, and questioned Shiloh about leading DoD. Maxie pointed out that Shiloh’s self-given name meant he who has been sent, and thought it was the perfect name for the leader of a cult. Kristina called Jason about Sam, and he told her it would all work out, but she wasn’t having it, and headed for the Ball.
Chase told Willow not to let Shiloh and Nina get to her. Still pretending to be Nina’s daughter, Sasha attended with Michael, and Willow told them that she’d been fired. Confused as to why Robert was toting an engagement ring, Anna confronted him in the dressing room, saying she’d always love him, but she was in love with Finn. What they had was in the past. Sonny told Mike that the ring he’d given Yvonne was a fake, so he could get it back, and Finn gave Mike a replacement that Yvonne ended up liking even more. Chase performed Something Just Like This, and brought Willow up on stage. She miraculously became part of the performance even though she hadn’t rehearsed with them. Although now that I think about it, none of them really rehearse. Finn said despite Robert’s best efforts, he was still proposing to Anna. Robert wanted the replacement ring back, but Finn said that was a no. Robert figured Finn had lost it out of spite, but Finn said it had gone to a good cause. Mike reminisced about Summer Wind with Sonny, which pissed me off, since they skipped right over that episode. Willow told Chase groupies would be coming out of the woodwork, but he said she was the only fangirl he was interested in.
Lucy thanked Cameron for saving her llama, and Cameron left the Ball to see Josslyn. He told Josslyn that he had an Uber waiting if she wanted to go, but she said she couldn’t sing without Oscar. Cameron told her that he’d brought her a message from Oscar. Kristina showed up at the Ball, and told Shiloh to get the hell away from Sam, and Jason told Spinelli, this ends tonight. Anna made a speech about the importance of the event, and said passion, fight, and healing was what the Ball was about. She said when Robin had been diagnosed in 1995, it was considered a death sentence, but where there is life, there is hope, which was the true meaning of the night. Standing in the wings, Robert jostled Finn’s arm, and the ring rolled out to Anna’s feet.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
While I love watching people watch TV even more than watching TV, this was incredibly boring. I get that the networks want to stretch the seasons out because of the pandemic causing delays, but I would have rather seen a rerun of a show from Bravo’s infancy, or how about rerunning Odd Mom Out or Girlfriends Guide to Divorce? Or Real Housewives of Wherever-the-hell-it-was in England that I never saw? During the day, Bravo has been airing early Housewives and Below Deck episodes, an enjoyable trip down Reality Memory Lane. Tonight, it was mostly just Garcelle and Dorit literally staring at the show (they were not physically together, and I don’t think could hear one another). Bravo had the right vibe when Kate did commentary on Below Deck a while back. Between her acerbic wit, and being in quarantine at her parents’ house, where mom made guest appearances, it totally worked. This was mostly a nothing. Garcelle and Dorit watched episode six (with the astrologer; not that long ago), which Garcelle said she hadn’t seen yet. While I’d been looking forward to Garcelle entertaining me with droll bon mots, there was little commentary. I’m not sure why Dorit was chosen, since she’s not all that charismatic, so I didn’t expect much from her. Her comments were fluctuated between the generic, and talking to the TV itself. You know. Like how you tell that girl in the slasher film to look behind her. Or how I rail at the cast members of 90 Day Fiancé for the entire two hours. I don’t know if Garcelle was holding back, or just genuinely more interested in watching, but it wasn’t what I’d expected from her. She did immediately say nothing good was going to come out of this when she saw herself gathered with her girlfriends, and said she talks way too much when she heard herself mention she’d dated Will Smith, but after that, it was a let-down. Garcelle said she had Denise’s back as far as adult talk in front of the kids, but that wasn’t new information, and Dorit said she saw both sides. No surprise there, since she’s often a non-committal fence rider because she wants to be liked.
Erika’s Chicago dance rehearsal was revisited; LisaR and Harry discussed the kids; and Dorit and PK talked restaurant business with PK’s buddy. At Erika’s astrology get together, I once again had to suffer through LisaR’s screeching about her and Erika wearing the same thing. Although Tom’s bravery at sitting with this group for even an hour was commendable. As LisaR said in her interview, the night could be fun or an epic disaster, but I found it to be neither the first time around. The letters zzzz come to mind. Garcelle laughed at her own reactions, which was funny, and Dorit agreed that Kyle had to be the center of attention, saying, Kyle is a one-way street, which surprised me. They both overreacted when Kyle asked if Erika didn’t have any good friends, gasping as though she’d said Erika had ax murderers as friends. It wasn’t a nice thing to say, but I didn’t think it was that awful. I’ve certainly heard a lot worse on this show. At the end, Garcelle said she wouldn’t call it fun, but didn’t say what she would call it, and Dorit said she needed a drink. It might have been a lot more fun if she’d had one beforehand.
🗽 Remember Him…?
You should. He was hard to miss, and it was only last week. He’s the dude who Ramona targeted flirted with at the bar in Newport. The one with the fiancé. Or as Leah called him, the prize.
I have a lot to say about the recent heads on the Bravo chopping block, but I want to be thoughtful, so I’m taking a little time with that. My sweet pup Trinket also has surgery scheduled for today, so it’s been a little hectic. Please send her your good thoughts and prayers. And in the meantime, stay safe, stay fair, and stay looking for teachable moments.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 