What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Victor literally runs into Maxie as he’s about to leave Charlie’s, and she drops all her stuff. He tells her to let him get it; it was his fault entirely. He picks up her sonogram, and says, what have we here?

Esme sees Cameron sweeping up outside Kelly’s, and asks if he’s getting his blood pumped before they go to the great snowy north. He says he’d be more pumped if his majesty was pulling his weight, but alas, he feels he’s not experienced enough for exterior work. She says, now, now. Where’s her hard-working worker? Cameron says, he’s inside, warm and cozy with Trina.

Trina sits at the counter, and Spencer says he’s not super keen about the forecast. He sees frigid temperatures and a snowy drive in their future. She wonders why that’s a problem. She thought he was a ski bunny. He says he kind of lost his taste for it when he broke both his legs off-piece. In skiing parlance, that means… She says, that he’s pompous? She knows what off-piece means. She’s a snowboarder, not an idiot. She says she’d better get going. She’ll see him après ski. In skiing parlance, that means while she shreds the slopes, he’ll be making the cocoa.

Carly and Josslyn walk into the MetroCourt, and Josslyn says she wants to get the French onion soup. It’s her favorite on the winter menu. Carly says she’s not really hungry, but Josslyn says, they came to the restaurant because she says the cheese is never melty enough when she gets room service. Carly says she’ll have to tell the staff about that, and Josslyn says, and she hates the thought of Carly being alone in her hotel suite. Why is she the one who had to leave when Sonny messed up?

Curtis and Marshall clink glasses, and say, to The Savoy. Sonny approaches their table, and Curtis asks, what’s up? Sonny says, he wants Curtis’s club, and Curtis says he’s sorry. Maybe they can talk about this tomorrow; he’s in the middle of something. Sonny says, it’s important, and Marshall says, is that right? He knows how to occupy himself if Curtis needs a moment. Curtis says, no, it’s fine, and introduces Marshall to Sonny. Sonny asks if they can just go to Curtis’s office; he wants to sort this out. Curtis says he’s busy at the moment. He’s afraid Sonny’s business is going to have to wait. Sonny says he just wants The Savoy, and he’s not leaving until he gets it.

Victor says, a sonogram photo. What a miracle of modern technology these things are. He surreptitiously looks at the patient ID on the back, and asks if congratulations are in order again. She says she’s not pregnant, and he says he meant nothing by it. He just thought… She says, it’s her daughter, Louise. It’s all Maxie has left of her. He says he’s so sorry. Still no word on her whereabouts after all this time? She wonders why he doesn’t ask his friend Peter, and he says he can assure her, Peter is no friend of his. She says, really? Prove it. He asks, how? and she says, kill him. He laughs, and says, let him offer an alternative suggestion. How about if he offers all his resources to bring Louise home again? She says she would sooner wear socks with sandals, and he asks if he’s so objectionable that she would turn her nose up at his offer of help. She says, his help comes at a cost, and she’s already paid enough. She’ll get her daughter back herself. She heads for the ladies room, and Victor leaves.

Austin tells Britt, sorry to interrupt their conversation; it was the hospital. She says she was starting to think he slipped out the back, and he asks if she thinks he’d pull an Irish goodbye with his boss. She laughs, and says she knows what a ditch looks like. He says he finds it impossible to imagine anyone would ditch her, but she says, please. She’s the ditcher, not the ditchee. She could write a how-to about the best ditch techniques for any situation. He says, she’s an escape artist, and she says, he’s clearly not. So what happened? Why does one measly question about his private life have him all silent sad sack emo?

Sam comes into Charlie’s, where Kristina is bartending. Kristina says Sam is out late, and Sam says she’s waiting for mom; Sam can’t seem to drag her away from her desk. Kristina says, good luck. She hasn’t been able to get ahold of mom since she took on that sex discrimination case against the cigar cartel. Sam says, a week ago, Alexis’s life started to spiral and she had no direction, and now she has a job and a future. Kristina says, things seem to be looking up for her, and Sam says, now that she put Harmony on notice, nothing is going to hold her back.

Alexis is typing, when Harmony knocks at her office door, and says, stop the presses. Alexis says, unfortunately, this issue has already gone to the press. She was working late on a memo for the sports section. Harmony says, The Invader has a sports section? and Alexis says, yeah; they cover the Woodchucks. Harmony says, the minor league ball team. That’s it? Alexis asks if Harmony knew there was a minor league basketball team, and Harmony says, The Pride. Alexis says, that’s news to her, but it won’t be news to Port Charles unless she makes sure they have equal coverage. Harmony says, look at her. She’s glad Alexis is putting her stamp on the paper. The Invader and Port Charles will be better for it. Alexis thanks her for the vote of confidence, and says she’s very supported there. Harmony says Alexis has a big fan in Shawn, but Alexis says, it’s not just Shawn; Harmony too.

Carly says, isn’t Josslyn on the road a little early tomorrow? and Josslyn says, so? Carly asks if she doesn’t have to pack, and Josslyn says, it’s taken care of. Carly says, that’s a first, and Josslyn says, consider it an early return on Carly’s investment in her higher education. Time management is just one skill she’s picking up at PCU. Carly says, tell her another, so she feels like she’s getting her money’s worth, and Josslyn says, close listening. Carly says, as opposed to distant? She doesn’t get it. Josslyn tells her, it means actively listening to the information provided by the speaker, including what they don’t say, and the questions they don’t answer. Carly says, okay. She’s here at the hotel because Avery and Donna spent nine months without Sonny. They need to be with him. Josslyn says, it’s still not fair.

Sonny says, let’s make this happen, and walks over to the bar, taking out his wallet, but Curtis tells him to put his money away. Marshall says, Mr. Corinthos… but Sonny says he’s not talking to Marshall. Curtis suggests Marshall have Nika set him up, and it’ll give him and Sonny a few minutes. Sonny says, it’s not going to take more than a few seconds. What does he have to do to make this happen? Curtis says, the club is not for sale, but Sonny says he doesn’t want to buy the club. He wants to rent the club for a night to show Carly a good time. He wants to get a band and the whole thing. He’ll pay for the staff. Curtis says he’d lose money emptying out his club for two guests, and Sonny asks what Curtis made last Saturday; he’ll double it. Drew approaches, and says he was hoping Curtis would be there tonight, and tells Sonny, it’s good to see him. Sonny says, this has got to happen this Saturday, but Curtis says, that doesn’t work for him. He has an act booked, and tables paid for. Sonny says, he’ll refund the band, whatever he has to do; just tell him. Just take the money. He tries to hand Curtis a bunch of bills, but Curtis says, it doesn’t work for him, okay? Nina comes in and stands at the other end of the bar, and Curtis asks Sonny if he can suggest another nightclub. Sonny yells, nobody tells him what to do, but Curtis says, in his nightclub, he does.

Spencer tells Trina that he supposes he might be convinced to strap on some skis again, but she says, don’t do anything on her account, on or off-piece. He says he might as well get used to taking orders from her. He’s going to be at her beck and call at the gallery soon enough; making restitution and all. She says he’s right to worry. Cam takes things easy on him. She, on the other hand, intends to make him work for it. He says he’s up for the challenge, and she asks if he’d care to make things interesting, moving closer to him. He says, he thinks they passed interesting a long time ago, and she says, she plans to be tough on him, but fair. He says he wouldn’t have it any other way. Wow. He thinks that was five minutes. She says, five minutes of what? and he says, that he wasn’t thinking about going to prison. Esme watches them through the window.

Cameron says he doesn’t want to get involved in all the drama, but Esme says, there’s no drama. Trina and Spencer are friends. He says he knows, but sometimes it seems like she has a problem with that. She says, the more friends Spence has, the better. Besides, she knows for a fact Spence isn’t the one Trina wants.

Carly says she doesn’t want Josslyn caught in the crossfire. Sonny loves Josslyn, and Carly knows Josslyn loves him. Josslyn says, loving him doesn’t mean she agrees with the way he’s treating Carly, and Carly says, she gets that, but no matter what happens between her and Sonny, she doesn’t want Josslyn losing someone she’s close with. Josslyn says she didn’t need to go to college to learn that sometimes you can’t protect yourself from being hurt, but we can be there for each other when we feel it.

Sonny apologizes to Curtis, saying, he didn’t mean to yell like that, and Drew says, if Curtis can’t accommodate Sonny, they can put their heads together. They’ll find a place Carly’s going to like just as much. Why don’t they sit down… He puts his hand on Sonny’s arm, and Sonny yells, don’t touch me! Drew says, he’s just trying… and Sonny says, he understands that, but stay out of his business. Who the hell does Drew think he is? Drew says he’s Sonny’s friend, and Sonny says, Jason was his friend. Drew is just a knockoff, a poor shadow of his brother, not Jason. Sonny’s voice quivers with tears, and he says, now Jason is under a rock, halfway around the world, when he should have let Drew rot in hell. Curtis says, Sonny… and Sonny says, Drew’s not his friend. Understand him? Actually, Drew is his friend. When he was Jason, Drew was his friend. He was a much better man then. You know what he is now? NOTHING! Get out of his face. He walks past Drew, and puts his arm around Curtis, saying, hey buddy, you’ve got to give me this club. Marshall says Curtis gave him an answer, but Sonny says he’s not talking to Marshall. Curtis tells them, chill, and Drew comes over. Nina jets to Sonny, and says, let’s go. He says he’s not going anywhere with her, and she says, does he want to get picked up by the police? He says, the police? and looks around, then tells Nina, all right; let’s go. Nina tells Curtis and Drew that she’s sorry about this, and follows Sonny out. Marshall says, what the hell was that? and Curtis says, damned if I know.

Maxie comes back out, and sees Felicia at a table. She asks, how was the memorial? and Felicia says, it was a typical Luke Spencer affair, complete with an appearance from Helena Cassadine. Maxie says, please tell her that Helena’s not back from the dead too, but Felicia says, no, it was pre-taped. Ding-dong, the witch is still dead. Maxie tells her, if only we could say the same about Victor.

Kristina tells Sam, back up. What was this about Harmony? Sam says, don’t worry. She nipped it in the bud. Kristian asks, how? and Sam says, she simply sent Harmony a message. She said, we appreciate you helping mom out in prison, but she’s not in prison anymore, so you need to steer clear. Kristina says, who’s we? Sam never asked her about this. Did she ask Molly? Sam says, no, but she assumed Kristina, of all people, wouldn’t want to sit next to Harmony at brunch at mom’s house. Kristina asks if Sam did this for her or mom, and Sam says, both. Is that okay with her? Kristina says, Sam butting in on mom’s life on her so-called behalf without her permission? No. She’s not okay with that.

Harmony says she knows Alexis had to work late because she was attending a memorial service. Was it anyone she was close to? Alexis says, actually, yeah; Luke Spencer. They had a very unique bond. What brings Harmony by? Harmony says, like Alexis didn’t see this, and hands her a giftwrapped package and card. Alexis says she did notice; what’s in it? (Why do people ask that? That’s why it’s wrapped; so you don’t know until you open it.) Harmony says, it’s just a little something to mark the auspicious new beginning, and she’s hoping it will inspire Alexis. Alexis says, there’s only one way to find out, but Harmony says, please don’t open it now. She doesn’t want Alexis to pretend she likes it if she doesn’t. Alexis says she’ll love it, and thanks her. Harmony asks if Alexis wants to grab a coffee, but Alexis says she’s still working. Harmony says, maybe another time, but Alexis says she doesn’t think they can continue this friendship.

Austin says, there are parts of his life he’d like to keep to himself, and Britt says, she gets that. She’s not super proud of her family either. He says, he didn’t say he wasn’t proud of his family, and she says, or whatever. They laugh, and she says, it’s not her favorite topic of conversation. Her father’s been on every top 10 wanted list in the world, from before she was born until the day he died. And her mother likes to dress up as Krampus and terrify small children at the Christmas market. He says, good for them. They’ve achieved notoriety. She says she thinks he means infamy, but go ahead. He says, his family is the complete opposite. They’re intensely private people. And the one time he did invoke his father’s name, it got dragged through the mud, so he’s a little protective of them. She says she gets being protective, but from her? What is she going to do? Call a press conference? Alert the town crier? He says, probably not, but even so… She says, if he doesn’t trust her, he wouldn’t be the only one. Hell, sometimes even she doesn’t trust herself. He says, okay. The reason he has a personal connection to Leo’s case is, his brother is on the spectrum.

Drew says, Sonny just came in here, and demanded use of The Savoy? and Curtis says, pretty much. He’s never seen Sonny like that. Drew says he has, and it’s not pretty. Curtis says he heard what Sonny said to Drew, and Marshall says, if anyone had spoken to him like that, he’d have to pop them one, mob boss or not. Drew asks if they’ve met, and Curtis says, his bad, and introduces them. Drew says, his pleasure, and Marshall says, same here. Curtis asks if Marshall is okay, and Marshall says he is. Drew leaves to get a drink, and Curtis sits back down with Marshall, asking a waitress for some water. Marshall asks how Curtis came to cross the infamous Sonny Corinthos, and Curtis asks what Marshall knows about Sonny. Marshall says, enough not to cross him, and Curtis says, until now, he and Sonny have been cool. In fact, he was thinking of Sonny to take care of Marshall’s… problem. Marshall says, he’ll do no such thing. He won’t have his son beholden to Sonny Corinthos. We see Drew pondering at the bar.

Frank asks if there’s anything he can do, and Sonny tells him, yeah, take off. Nina says, Sonny… and Sonny says she should have stayed at the club. Go. He takes out the scotch decanter, and Frank leaves. He asks Nina what she’s doing. She didn’t hear him? Nina says she did. She just doesn’t feel it’s prudent to go. He laughs, and says, prudent? No one’s going to come to her for wisdom. She says, he’s right, because she makes terrible choices, but they can both say he nearly bought himself a world of trouble at The Savoy. He asks, what’s it to her? and she says he knows the answer to that. He says, it doesn’t matter, but she says, it does matter. He matters to her, and he’s not acting like himself. Sonny says she doesn’t know him well enough to ask him that, and she says, he’s right; she doesn’t know him. He’s made that abundantly clear, but she thinks she knows a manic episode when she sees one.

Felicia hands Maxie’s sonogram back to her, and says, Victor needs to keep his distance. She’s going to call Anna. Maxie asks, why? So Anna can tell him not to speak to her so politely? Felicia says she can’t believe Maxie asked him to kill Peter, and Maxie says she wasn’t serious. Okay, so she was, but she knew he wouldn’t go for it. And where were they? Felicia says, at Charlie’s, and Maxie says, where everything is fine. Felicia says Maxie doesn’t sound fine, and Maxie says, maybe she’s on edge because Felicia is on high alert to fix things. She can’t fix everything in Maxie’s life. Felicia says she has a point, and Maxie says, or maybe it’s just the prospect of going back to Pawtuck. Felicia says she’ll try not to be over-protective, and as far as their trip to Pawtuck goes, she thinks they can prepare for that, right here, right now. Maxie says, like coordinating footwear that’s insulated and comfortable, yet also fashionable? but Felicia says, no. She means like setting ground rules, so Maxie doesn’t feel the pressure. They can go slow, or stop altogether if it gets to be too much. Maxie says, okay, let her think, and Felicia says, rule number one. Maxie says, lay off talking about her and Austin, and Felicia says, why? Maxie says, she knows why, and Felicia says, about them having a soft spot for each other?

Cameron tells Esme that he and Trina flirted a little in high school, but they were clearly meant to be friends. Esme says, because it wasn’t what Trina wanted? and he says, because it didn’t work out. Why is she so interested? She says, she’s still getting to know everyone, and doesn’t want to step on any toes… any more than she already has. He says, here’s an idea. Don’t. She says she’s only asking because, as an outsider, it seems obvious to her the way Trina behaves around him and Josslyn. There’s this kind of tension or something. He says, there isn’t, and she says, forget she said anything. She just wants everyone to get along, with the five of them being cooped up in a cabin together for two days. She guesses she’s too sensitive for her own good. Cameron goes back to sweeping, and looks in the window at Trina and Spencer.

Spencer says, he must sound like a broken record, boo-hooing about going to prison, but Trina says he doesn’t talk about it that much, at least not to her. He says, he didn’t think she’d want to hear it. Or maybe he couldn’t bring himself to tell her about it. She says, why not? and he says, she probably thinks he had it coming, for one, and it’s embarrassing. She says, going to prison? but he says, to admit how scared he is; that he feels like a coward. She says, prison is scary, and she doesn’t think it’s cowardly to own up to your mistakes. In fact, it’s brave. He thanks her, and says, he hopes one day he can feel like that. Right now, he wishes he could go back to being the guy he was when they met; simple, uncomplicated Victor. She says, simple, uncomplicated Victor had a habit of asking her to lie to her friends, and vandalized an art gallery. He says he guesses Victor wasn’t so hot, and she says, not so much, but Spencer is starting to grow on her.

Carly tells Josslyn, she’s had enough Sonny talk for one night. About the cabin. She was in touch with the management company, and had the whole place stocked for their arrival. Josslyn says she didn’t have to do that; she’s got it taken care of. Carly says she’s sure Josslyn does, but she’s Josslyn’s mom. And as amazing as it is Josslyn supports her, it’s her job to take care of Josslyn.

Sonny asks, since when did Nina become an expert in mental illness? and she says, she never claimed to be an expert, but she remembers a time when Phyllis and Lenny told her about an incident with him in Nixon Falls, when Phyllis found out he was bipolar. They got him back on his meds, and he got better. And what she’s seeing right now seems like what they described. Is she wrong? He says, no; she’s right. She shouldn’t be here right now. She asks if he’s off his meds, and he says he’s fixing things. He’s trying to fix his life. The life she stole from him, remember? She says she has no intention of interfering with him and Carly ever again, and he tells her, then get out of here now. She says, it’s not just his house and his life. There are two little girls who share this house with him that might be afraid of how their father is behaving. Sonny tears up, and asks if she’s saying he’s going to hurt his child. She can’t trust him with his little girls? She says she trusts him with her life. It’s the bipolar disorder. She doesn’t trust that. He says he has things under control, but she says she doesn’t believe he does. He tells her, it’s none of her business, and he’s not going to tell her again. She says he doesn’t have to, and takes out her phone. She asks why he doesn’t tell Carly. She’ll call Carly right now. If she doesn’t know how to deal with him when he’s like this, she’s sure Carly will. He has to make a choice. It’s either her or Carly.

Carly says the house is fully stocked, but Josslyn’s gear is up to her. Does she have all her hats and gloves? Josslyn says she does, and Carly says, phone charger, snow tires on the car? and Josslyn says, check and check. Carly says, contraception?

Sam asks if Kristina is okay with mom hanging out with Harmony, the woman who drugged Kristina? Kristina says she knows what Harmony did. She also knows Harmony testified against Shiloh. She’s trying to rebuild her life like Kristina is. The last thing Kristina wants to do is be the reason their mother can’t be friends with someone who’s been good for her. Sam says, so Kristina is telling her that she’s okay with mom being friends with Harmony? and Kristina says she doesn’t know, but if it’s a problem, she’ll deal with it. Sam doesn’t need to take it upon herself to deal with it for her. Or mom. Let she who is without mess sweep the first broom. Sam asks if Kristina is saying she’s messy.

Alexis says she knows Sam said she would be okay with it, but she’s not sure Kristina will be, and Harmony says, it’s okay. She always understood and accepted that they couldn’t have friendship if it made things difficult with Alexis’s daughters. Alexis says she’ll still talk to Kristina; maybe she’ll be okay with it. Harmony says, she thinks they all know how Kristina feels about her. Honestly, she wouldn’t want to put Kristina in a position where she had to swallow her feelings for Alexis’s sake. Alexis asks if Harmony has met her middle child. She doesn’t swallow her feelings for her mother’s sake. Harmony says, that was before Alexis went to prison. Kristina is probably so grateful Alexis is back, she’ll just put up with anything, which isn’t fair to Kristina. Alexis says, it’s not fair to anybody, and Harmony says, no, but Alexis is a mom. Alexis says she is a mom, and her kids come first, so she’ll look out for what’s best for Kristina. Harmony says she’s sorry it didn’t work out, but she’s not sorry she got to know Alexis. Alexis says, back atcha. Absolutely. Harmony says, it’s funny. All she wanted to do was make amends for her mistakes. She didn’t think she’d get a friendship out of it, even for a short while. It’s all gravy. She tells Alexis, take care, and leaves.

Britt says, so Austin’s brother is on the spectrum. Is that a big deal? He says, it depends on the company; not everybody gets it. He can try to teach and enlighten, but his brother is a real person, not a visual aid, and has a right to privacy, a right to live his life; and his story isn’t Austin’s story to tell. She asks if he couldn’t do the teaching, and leave his brother’s name out of it. Neurodiversity and neurodivergence awareness is incredibly important work. He says, agreed. He walks the walk when he has to. She says, like with Leo, and he says, Leo is technically family. She says, and Leo, Ned, and Olivia could really benefit from Austin’s experiences. They don’t need to know how he come by  them. He says, maybe, but it’s private. She says, there’s private and there’s secret. What’s secret is misunderstood, stigmatized. Forgive her for saying this – she doesn’t think it’s how he feels – but a secret is often indicative of shame. He says, agreed. She’s not wrong, but he doesn’t feel shame about his brother; not at all. He’s not embarrassed. That’s his brother; he just sees him. If there was a complicated medical situation presented in Britt’s family, would she be open about it?  She doesn’t say anything, and he says he believes it’s her turn to open up. Victor comes in, and asks if he might have a word with Austin. Austin says, what about? and Victor says, a simple medical question about the ins and outs of a sonogram.

Sam asks, what part of her life is so messy? and Kristina tells her, she didn’t say that, but Sam says she implied it. Kristina says, fine. Did it ever occur to Sam that dating Dante might be a bit eyebrow raising? Sam says, because he’s a cop? and Kristina says, because Sam’s her sister and Dante is her brother. Sam asks if Kristina has a problem with it, and Kristina says, what if she did? Sam says, then she’d like Kristina to say something. Does she? Kristina says she doesn’t, and Sam says, okay then. Why are they having this conversation? Kristina says, because if she did have a problem with it, she would have hoped she kept it to herself. Her point is, it’s Sam’s life, not hers, and she doesn’t get a say. Capisce? Sam says, capisce, and Kristina says, for the record, she thinks Sam and Dante make a cute couple.

Alexis reads Harmony’s card, which says, Alexis, Congratulations on taking the reins of your own life again, and thank you for taking me along for the ride. Your friend, Harmony. Alexis opens the box, and inside, there’s a fancy pen. Above it is written, Truth never damages a cause that is just – Gandhi. She closes the box.

Cameron goes back inside Kelly’s and asks if Spencer filled the ketchup bottles like he asked. Spencer says he’s sure their customers can make do with half-filled ketchup bottles, and Cameron asks what Spencer was up to while he was working outside. Spencer and Trina look at each other, and Cameron says, okay, cool. So Spencer’s little hang out sesh with Trina will count as his break. Now, the ketchup bottles. Spencer gets to work, and Cameron says, can you believe that guy? Trina picks up her coat, and he asks if she’s okay. She says, yeah. She was just thinking about the trip; she better get going. He asks if she still wants to go, and she says, of course (🍷). He asks if she’s sure she’s okay being there with Spencer and Esme, and him and Josslyn, and she says she’ll be fine. He says, okay. He was just checking.

Esme digs in a bag outside, and takes out a Smartphone 5 box and a prescription bottle. She looks at them a moment, and puts them back. Trina comes out, and Esme says, see her tomorrow; she can’t wait. Trina says she’s hitting the drugstore for a last minute run before they meet up, and asks if Esme needs anything. Esme says she has everything she needs, and Trina leaves.  

Carly tells Josslyn, open lines of communication, remember? and Josslyn says, there’s open, and whatever this is. Carly says, they’ve always been able to tell each other everything. So? Josslyn says, so she’s being careful and responsible. Carly says, good. She loves Josslyn. Josslyn says she loves Carly too.

Nina tells Sonny, she can’t leave unless she knows someone who cares about him is close by or there. Can she call Michael? Or Dante, because she’s not sure Michael will return her call. Or anyone else? Just give her a name, and she’ll get out of his hair. He just looks at her, and she says, fine; Carly. He tells her, stop. He’s caused too much trouble for Carly already. She says, then who? and he says, she can stay or go; it doesn’t make any difference to him. Stay out of his way. He takes the decanter, and goes into another room, and Nina sits on the couch.

Curtis says, he’s assuming Marshall means well, and Marshall says, of course (🍷) he does. Curtis says, but he’ll decide who he associates with. He doesn’t take kindly to being told what to do in his own nightclub. Marshall says, Curtis is going do what he’s going to do, but don’t do it on his account. He gets in bed with Sonny Corinthos, Marshall’s got to walk. He leaves, and Drew sits down. He says, Curtis’s dad seems like a decent guy, and Drew tells him, if he says so. He wants to talk about Sonny and Drew, but Drew asks, what’s left to say?   

Victor tells Austin that he just stopped in for a little nightcap. How fortuitous to run into him here. Austin says, not really. He and Britt are both a little tied up. Britt says she’s got an early day tomorrow. She has an early day every day. She gets up, and says, enjoy their nightcap. As she walks away, Victor says, regards to her mother, and without turning around, she tells him, go to hell. Victor says, it’s a pity Dr. Westbourne had to leave, but this won’t take any time. He sits down, and says he’d like to draw on Austin’s considerable medical expertise. He takes out Valentin’s sonogram copy, and says, he found this sonogram in the street. He’s afraid it’s missing, and it’s torn; all the identifying information is gone. Austin flips it around, and says, see that right there? It’s the patient ID number.

Maxie tells Felicia, she’d much rather talk about anything else. If Felicia feels the need to sing Austin’s praises… Felicia says she’ll zip it, and Maxie thanks her, but Felicia says, can she just tell Maxie how much she likes him? Maxie says, they’re not going to Pawtuck for a day of antiquing, or to check out the scenery. They’re revisiting a crime scene. Felicia promises to stay on task, and says, she talked to Lucy. She says she has a very good feeling about tomorrow. She said it would be pivotal, and when Lucy has a good feeling about something, she’s usually spot-on. Maxie says Felicia is right. What did she say? Felicia tells Maxie, Lucy said, one way or another, Louise starts her journey back to Port Charles tomorrow.

Victor says, by using this number, he can return the sonogram to the right patient? and Austin says, that number is there in case the patient information goes missing or gets messed up. He can take it to GH, match it up, and make sure it gets to the right person. Victor flashes back to looking at Maxie’s patient ID, and says, that’s okay. He found this, and he’d like to see it through. Austin says, he really thinks it’s more appropriate if he does it. He holds out his hand, and says, he’ll make sure it goes where it needs to go, but Victor gets up, and says, no need to worry. He’ll do right by all concerned. Just imagine, mixing up one baby with another.

Tomorrow, Britt asks Victor what he thinks he’s doing, Felicia thinks this could be a breakthrough, Carly tells Ava to maybe think of someone other than herself, and Sonny says, stop telling him what to do.

Vanderpump Rules

I hate reunions. Everyone yells at once about things they supposedly let go of a year ago, and you can’t even hear what’s going on. Andy told us, the last time they were all on stage together was March 2019, and Lala, Katie, and Schwartz would be joining in later, remotely. Lisa talked about new grandson Theodore, and said he would call her Nanny Pinky. Andy remarked on Sandoval’s 1930s-ish suit and tie, and Sandoval pointed out he also had a manicure, calling his look, future retro. We relived Ariana literally falling down drunk at her birthday party, and Andy mentioned that Brock was the only one of Scheana’s beaus to make it to the Reunion. Charli showed Instagram posts of her at 45 pounds heavier during quarantine. She said she’d been binge drinking and eating – yes, she ate the pasta – but with a lot of work, dedication, and discipline, she was back down to where she was.

Right off the bat, Raquel said she and James were breaking off the engagement. Everyone was absolutely floored. Everyone. Raquel said she’d been having nightmares about the wedding, and thought that was a telltale sign something was wrong. James said, as heartbreaking as it was, Raquel wasn’t wrong. They’d worked on the relationship, and he thought not drinking would fix it, but it didn’t. They realized they weren’t soulmates, and the last thing he wanted was to be divorced with a child down the road. Sandoval couldn’t believe how mature and rational they were being. Ditto. James cried, saying, Raquel had been his best friend for five years, and we flashed back to their relationship over the years. James said, nothing was wrong, but they both knew it wasn’t right. Lisa asked, what changed? and James said, quarantine. Raquel said they hadn’t been having sex, and James asked if she wanted to get detailed. Raquel said, there were also those rage texts, but everyone was like, that was two years ago, and we flashed back to that. Since Raquel didn’t respond to that, I wondered if there had been more recent rages. James said it became official because of the Reunion. They didn’t want to fake their way through it. It was embarrassing, and he felt vulnerable; it brought all the emotions. Sandoval laughed about how big Rachella was, and Andy said he was thinking about all the money Sandoval spent. Sandoval said it was still worth it.

Andy asked if anyone was in touch with Jax and Brittany, and Scheana said they’d just gotten together with the kids. Sandoval said they were in different places, and Ariana said Jax hadn’t come to Katie’s Christmas party because Sandoval was there. It was agreed that Brittany was sweet and baby was adorable, and I once again wondered how much of a fan of irony Brittany is, that she married the most horrible human on earth. Andy moved on to James’s sobriety, and asked him to define California sober. James said you could smoke weed, and he was high right now. Lisa said that was probably why they weren’t having sex, but Ariana said weed made it better. We saw the worst of James in flashbacks, and Andy asked if James’s rage issues were part of him and Raquel growing apart. Raquel said she’d been living the L.A. life, and putting off being a pediatric occupational therapist, because she couldn’t do it when she was feeling drained. She then gave James his ring back, and said she’d envisioned a life with him, and it was like closing a book, and redirecting her energy. Brock suggested James learn from this and get help, but James was like, no, you. He said Brock had never been a good friend, and he was a loser. Then he walked off the stage.

Scheana said Raquel was a catch, and deserved better. Sandoval went to find James, and gave him a hug. James said they were making him look like the bad guy, but the truth was, he and Raquel loved each other, but were no longer in love. On stage, Charli said James didn’t want to admit it wasn’t his choice. James told Sandoval that it had never been easy. Raquel’s parents hated him. He gave up his lifestyle, but that wasn’t enough. While waiting on James to get it together, Andy said Charli had gotten a lot of positivity on social media from being open and honest about her food struggles. James and Sandoval came back, but Andy told Charli to continue, and she said the worst thing was people pressuring her to eat. It brought back the little girl who didn’t have a choice, and when a wrong decision led to bad things. Andy asked about Brock’s friend hitting on Charli, and we flashed back to that. Charli said he’d gotten handsy, and she would have liked her friend to step in, rather than being known as the one who was a bitch to Brock’s friend. Scheana said she wished she’d reacted the way Charli needed her too, but she hadn’t known what was going on. Andy said, Charli and Scheana had gotten close during quarantine, but Charli said being friends with Scheana came with expectations. The Danica thing didn’t sit well with her. Raquel said Scheana didn’t want her to be friends with Danica, but Scheana claimed she’d said, if Raquel continued to hang out with Danica, she’d be uncomfortable. Then Scheana told a detailed sad story about her miscarriage, that ended with her not wanting Danica in her inner circle, and Raquel was like, oh, I get it then.

After calling him Rob by accident, Andy applauded Brock for beating Rob’s TV hanging record by coming in at 5:35. I’m not sure it counts though, since one night, hearing a crash, Charli thought someone had broken in, but it was just the TV falling off the wall, taking the plaster with it. Scheana gave some excuse about the wrong tools, or parts, or something, and Charli said Scheana had sent out some mean tweets after she’d posted about it. Scheana had called her thirsty, but she didn’t need to do things for attention. She wasn’t Scheana, and people just liked to watch her. Charli said, things were never Scheana’s fault, and Scheana needed take accountability for the first time in her life. She said this last part while she clapped her hands in time to the words, which was incredibly annoying. Like something your fourth grade teacher would do. I liked Charli at first, but as time went on, I found her off-putting. I think she is a bit thirsty, and I’ve noticed how very often she talks over people. I hate that.

Schwartz, Katie, and Lala joined at this point, and Andy asked James to fill them in. James told them about the engagement being called off, and that he and Raquel came to the conclusion they weren’t soulmates. They were as stunned as the rest of the group, and Raquel said her heart was no longer in it. Schwartz said, some people never had that conversation, and twenty years later, it was, I hate you. He thought it was brave of them. Lala said it was sad, but she admired them doing it the right way. Raquel said they’d both grown since meeting, and had been in each other’s lives for a reason. Andy moved on to the topic of losing baby weight, and Scheana said she’d gained 55 pounds. She realized she’d been producing a whole other human, but it was a struggle afterwards. Andy asked Lala if her bounce back had been diet, exercise, or a pact with Satan. After saying, all three, Lala attributed it to genetics, but said, things were still sitting differently, and she had insecurities. They talked about Schwartz having his sperm tested, and he said they didn’t understand how hard it was to execute a sample with a full crew in the house. We also found out Ariana froze her eggs, and if she dies, they go to Sandoval. Scheana said if she had another baby, it would be via a frozen egg and a surrogate, since she’d had some dangerous heath issues with her pregnancy and delivery. Brock said the doctors were poor at explaining things during the delivery, and Scheana said, Summer didn’t make a sound for the first 45 seconds, and she’d thought Summer was stillborn.

Andy asked why Katie shared her abortion story, and Katie said, it could feel isolating and off limits. Schwartz said their relationship was a disaster at the time, and Katie said, a pregnancy wouldn’t fix a relationship. Sandoval said he had no idea, and Schwartz said they hadn’t told anyone. It wasn’t easy or a snap decision, but it was their decision. Andy steered the conversation to Schwartz and Sandy’s, and Lisa said she’d just wanted them to take this seriously. Andy asked Schwartz to sum up the vibe in ten seconds, and Schwartz said, a funky, vibrant, cozy, dive lounge, in his favorite part of Hollywood, Franklin Hills. He kept going, but the clock ran out. Andy asked how Lisa found out they were creating their own place, and she said Jax had told her. Sandoval said he thought they’d be open in spring 2022, and were currently below budget. We saw a video tour, and it was a vast improvement, but nowhere near done.

Andy said from the start, Katie had been critical of Sandoval’s ideas, but Katie said the criticism was really from Schwartz, who’d been airing his grievances to her. Andy asked why Katie being involved upset Sandoval, and Sandoval said they’d decided on no significant others involved, since the risk and business venture were stressful enough. Schwartz said he hadn’t anticipated Katie being so passionate about being involved, and Sandoval said he thought it was overwhelming. We flashed back to Sandoval telling Katie that he’d brought money into their house, and Sandoval said, while it might seem like he was pushing Schwartz, he was just trying to get them to the next level. Schwartz said he knew Sandoval was his advocate, but seeing the conversation with Katie, it was the most cocksure he’d ever seen Sandoval. Ariana said Sandoval wasn’t boasting, and at this point, Lala looked like she might go get a sandwich, or change the channel. Schwartz said, it looked condescending and patronizing, and Sandoval said he’d had propaganda spread about him. Lala laughed, and James said, Sandoval drove the motorcycle, and Schwartz was in the sidecar. Lisa thought what Sandoval had said wasn’t okay as a friend, and Katie said Schwartz was doing all the work right now, while Sandoval was sleeping.

Next time, the conclusion, who heard what about Randall, Scheana’s engagement party, James says he’d never do that to a friend, and Lala tells her break-up story.  

🚗 You Drive, I’ll Nap…

In a twist by Bravo, there will be no RHOC tomorrow, but the Reunion continues. It looks like it might get a wee bit nasty. Until then, stay safe, stay not being afraid to ask for help, and stay knowing, truth never damages a cause that is just. Gandhi says so.