Tag Archives: The Real Housewives of New York City

April 17, 2024 – Brook Has the Money Talk With Chase, Sudsy Stuff, This Week’s Top, An Exit, A Date Or Not, Melrose Return, OctoWonder & Day

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Laura says she hopes she’s not interrupting anything, but Anna says she could use the break. You’d think protecting a community wouldn’t require so much paperwork. Laura says, try getting the right colored trash cans to the right address. You’ll be buried under paperwork for weeks. She was just about to meet someone, but she wanted to talk to Anna first. Anna asks, what’s on her mind? and Laura says, justice. She thinks she and Anna have been standing in the way of it for too long.

As they put away chairs after a meeting, Finn says he and Alexis are in the room at the same time. She asks if he missed her chair stacking abilities, and he says, still not good. He hasn’t seen her. Has she been hitting another meeting or… She says she could give him a million reasons why, but it all boils down to other things taking precedence, and he says, it happens. She says she knows people slack off from time to time, but if she continues to do it this way for this long, she may risk everything.

Aiden tells Violet, dinner has arrived, as he walks into Finn’s apartment with Elizabeth and Jake. Violet says, good. She didn’t feel like cooking. Elizabeth says she’s glad they could help. How is she? Violet says, good, and Elizabeth asks Gregory, how’s his day? He says he’s fine, and she says, Finn’s not home? He says, not yet. The babysitter just left. Violet asks what they’re having for dinner, and Elizabeth says, they’re having turkey burgers, fries, and salad. And her dad better hurry up or he’s going to miss out. Aiden says, they’ll have fries if it’s okay for him to use the air fryer, and Gregory says, of course (🍷) it is. Just make sure to tell Finn how much he loves it. It’ll make his day. Elizabeth tells the boys to unload the stuff in the kitchen and get started, and Gregory tells them to help themselves to anything in there. Violet suggests she show them where everything is, and Gregory says, good thinking. Violet follows the boys, and Elizabeth asks if Gregory is okay with a turkey burger. He says, if she’s asking him if he’ll be able to hold it, or will he fumble it all over himself and the table and the floor, her guess is as good as his. She says she was asking him if he was in the mood for it, and he says, sorry. A burger sounds great. She says, and for the record, if he holds it, drops it, or wears it, it’s still going to taste really good. He asks, what’s going on with Jake? and she says, ugh. He says, never mind. He thinks he knows.

Chase comes out wearing an apron and carrying some plates, and Brook says, the smells coming out of that kitchen are driving her nuts. She can’t wait to dig into this very green… He says, chicken. He was very free with the spinach. He went with their honeymoon theme – chicken Florentine. He sets the plates down, says, Italy, and pulls out her chair. She sits and wonders how she got so lucky. First him, now this. He says he’s made dinner before. It’s not that big of a deal. He opens a bottle of wine, and she says she loves him for doing this. She loves all the extra work he did in the kitchen to make this happen. She loves him for selling his truck, but hates the fact that he doesn’t have it anymore.

Chase says, the truck was just a silly guy thing. He had no idea she was so attached to it. She says she’s attached to him, and he loved that truck, but he says, no. He loves her. Besides – he takes the apron off and sits down – it’s not like he needs the truck to haul lumber or bales of hay or anything like that. She tells him, whatever you say, and he asks if she has a picture in her mind of her standing in the truck bed, holding a Just Married sign, with tin cans hanging from the bumper. She says she does now. She would have loved that. Though at the moment, she would much love Lucy Coe dangling from that bumper. He says he saw what happened on Home & Heart. He’s sorry the video launch of Deception’s new cream was so problematic. She says, if Sasha hadn’t shown up when she did, they’d still be hearing about the trials and triumphs of Lucy Coe, and he says, Sasha’s pretty great. Brook says, because she’s gracious and charming, and she made it clear the viewers that they should buy Deception’s new cream. Lucy made it clear to the viewers that she needs therapy. He says, it got a little better when Scott got there. He at least mentioned the cream. She says, the Home & Heart new product launch was supposed to be another step in Deception’s financial rebound, and he says he’s on track to get a raise at the PCPD’s next fiscal year. She says, he’s on track? He should just get it right now. No one’s better at their job than he is and he works harder than almost anyone. He says, if he does get the raise – they clink glasses – he thinks that they should invest the money in some property, build a little forest getaway, and maybe that truck will come in handy. She says, he realizes they don’t have to wait, right? They could buy five new trucks, five forest getaways… They could probably buy five forests. He asks if they need to have the money talk again, as in, her family has all the money, and he has a decent government salary. She says, they probably should, but first, she just needs to take a couple of bites of this gorgeous, green chicken to fortify herself.

Alexis says she doesn’t know if Gregory told Finn, but she’s so sorry. She’s not going to be able to make Chase’s wedding. He says he’s sorry to hear that. Did she get a better offer? She says she got a different offer. Diane has made it her mission to get her disbarment fixed. He says, good news, and she says, shocking news. She would not have thought after all this time… She thought the chances of them wanting to review her disbarment highly improbable. He says, it became not so improbable, and she says, it became real. She has a hearing with the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan the day after Chase’s wedding, but she has to be there 24 hours in advance. He says he’s sure Chase and Brook will be disappointed, but they’ll be thrilled by the reason. She says, getting a hearing does say the court feels there’s sufficient grounds to take a second look. He says, if anybody deserves a second chance… but she says she doesn’t know about that. He asks why she says that, and she says, maybe she got the justice she deserved the first time when the court smacked her down. He says, the court smacked her down, but she’s doing a pretty good job of it herself, and she says she knows she didn’t support perjury and she didn’t perjure herself, but she did lie to the medical board, and she was under oath. So when the disciplinary committee took action, she didn’t think it was appropriate to contest it. He says he gets it. She needed to punish herself. If we don’t think we’re worth saving, we don’t even try.

Laura says she doesn’t think she or Anna were consciously trying to impede the pursuit of justice. She’s just saying that she knows she’s guilty of not seeing clearly what was right in front of her. She’s sorry. This has been weighing on her for a long time. Anna says she thinks Laura is going to have to be a bit more specific, and Laura says she’s talking about her friendship with Sonny. Anna says she knows he and Laura have a history, and Laura says, Luke and Sonny were friends. The club Luke owned was originally owned by Sonny. Anna says, Paradise Lounge, and Laura says, yeah. Anna says, such an ironic name in retrospect, and Laura tells her, to say it was a disreputable place would be a compliment. Eventually, they just shut it down, and then Luke and Sonny turned that space into Luke’s blues club. They really bonded over that. They became very close, and since then, Sonny has done a lot of things to help a lot of people that she loves. Anna says, he did for Robin. He was there for her daughter in ways she couldn’t be. Laura says, he’s done a lot of good. He really has, especially for the hospital. And the thing is, she really believed they had a bond. Anna says she did too. He listened to her when that double-agent thing came out. She considered him a friend, albeit an unconventional one. Laura says, considered. Past tense? Anna says, an individual walked through this door into her office and told her flat out that Sonny ordered him to kill someone, and Laura says, Sonny ordered a hit. She guesses she knew in theory what Sonny did for a living, but she guesses she didn’t allow herself to think about what it meant in practice. Anna says, he’s charming and generous and has decent impulses, no question. But charm has no moral weight and impulses aren’t character. Laura says she feels so ashamed that it took her so long to wake up and see him for everything that he is. Anna says, every time, she felt they shared this understanding of darkness that no one else shared. She didn’t allow herself to play out what that was, what that actually meant. Laura says her friendship with Sonny was never a secret. She’s just here to say, if Anna ever felt inclined to go easy on Sonny because of her, don’t. (Come on. These two aren’t stupid and they’ve been around the block and back. They knew Sonny was a mob boss, but thought all he did was import coffee?)

Laura says she realizes now that Sonny has a very dark side, one that he can keep hidden from most people, but she got a chance to see what that side was capable of when she saw her brother lying in that hospital bed, and she realized that Sonny is a violent and dangerous time bomb that could go off whenever he decides it’s necessary. Anna says, that sounds about right, and Laura says she knows Cyrus has done the same, probably a lot worse, but Cyrus is not as skilled as Sonny at not getting caught. Anna says, he’s not a generous philanthropist that has woven himself into the very fabric of the city for the past few years, and Laura says she’s still struggling with what Sonny is capable of doing. That he could do what he did to her brother with just his bare hands. Anna says, and in church. She talked to Cyrus, and he said he would not testify against Sonny. There were no other witnesses, and she knew that Sonny would lie about whatever charges she filed against him. Laura says, and as they’re learning, Sonny is really good at lying, and Anna agrees. Laura says she thinks she’ll be going. So if the opportunity presents itself for Anna to pursue this case… Anna says she’ll be ready. Laura can count on it. Laura thanks her and leaves.

Chase says, his wine guy had several choices to pair with tonight’s dinner, but he chose the pinot grigio because it’s Italian, and Brook says, like the chicken. He says, and the woman he loves, and she says she loves him too. And she loves this wine. She thinks she’s had enough of it to have the money conversation. So she and Tracy talked… He says, let him get a pen, and she says, for what? He says, so he can sign the prenup that Tracy drew up and they can get back to the wine, but she says, drink the wine. There is no prenup. He says, it’s fine. He thought about it and he’s fine with signing it. And he wants her to feel safe. She says she does feel safe, and he says he does too. Which is why he’s fine with saying that nothing is ever going to happen to their marriage. Which means this prenup means nothing. So they’ll put it in a drawer and pull it out in 50 years, and they’ll see how much his signature changed. She laughs and says, they both know his signature changes depending on his mood. Remember when his team lost and he had to sign the pizza delivery guy’s receipt? The pen almost went through his hand. There is no prenup. He got another bottle, didn’t he? He says, how about this? If for some reason their marriage falls apart, then he walks away with nothing more than he brought to the marriage. She says she appreciates the offer, and he says, but she’s not going to take it. Because according to Brook’s teachings, you never accept the first offer. She says she couldn’t be prouder. Their marriage isn’t going to fail. She knows it and he knows it. So the conversation they should be having isn’t about what happens when they split up. It’s about what happens when they don’t.

Finn says, good thing Diane is in Alexis’s corner, because it doesn’t sound like Alexis is, and Alexis says she’s just being cautious. She does have a history. He says, history is in the past. It’s done. She says her apologies to him and Mr. Faulkner, but the past is not dead. The past’s not even in the past. It’s right here. And that side of her that’s capable of doing horrible things or self-sabotaging may be in the backseat right now, but it’s always around there, lurking somewhere. He says, they’ve talked about this. They’re wired the same way. That’s what makes them always focus on the negative things first and the good things come in tenth place, but that doesn’t mean they’re to be ignored. Some really wonderful things have come out of her past. She says, her girls. Best thing that ever happened to her. Nothing else even comes close. She refers to them as little Roombas because they’re always wandering here and there and everywhere, but eventually, they always get back on track and come back to mom. He says, she must have done a lot of things right to have three daughters as great as the ones she has. She says, other than her girls, she feels like the most good she’s ever done in the world has been through her legal career. Because she’s been able, in some very small way, to move the needle of justice forward. She wants to do that again. She wants to feel good like that. He says, yes. And if the court case goes the way it should, she will. She says, so she just needs to not get in her own way and stay sober. And they both know if she loses this case, she’ll want a drink to console herself and if she wins it, she’ll want to celebrate. He says, life doesn’t make it easy, does it? and she says, Molly is already worried about her. If she slips up again, her girls may be done with her. He says, she’s not going to let that happen, and she says she’s here. And she’s going to be here tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day. And if she’s not here and he’s here, he better call her out on it. He says, okay. He’s watching his dad die slowly before his eyes. And after treating his dad poorly most of his life, he has a few months to make up for it. So he’ll be there for her if she promises the same for him. They shake hands, and she says, always my friend. She hugs him, and he thanks her.

Violet and Aiden come out of the kitchen, and Elizabeth asks, how’s it going in there? Aiden says, all good, and Violet says, it would be great if Aiden could make the cheese fries instead of regular ones. Gregory says he’s all for it if it’s okay with Aiden’s mom, and Elizabeth asks if they think she’d say no to cheese fries. Is his brother helping? Aiden says, he was, but now he’s on his phone, and Elizabeth says, just yell if they need anything. They go back into the kitchen, and Gregory says, it’s none of his business, but he’s guessing that the tension level has risen a few notches in her house since Jake’s father came back in the picture. She says, yeah. Actually, she was hoping to talk to him about this. She knows there was a time when Finn rejected him, and even though their situations are completely different, there’s a form of that happening with Jake. He doesn’t want to talk about Jason. He doesn’t want to acknowledge his name. He’s so, so angry. Obviously, Gregory didn’t just up and leave his kid without any notice whatsoever, so she doesn’t know. Maybe he doesn’t have any advice to offer. He says, it sounds like Jake’s not the only one who’s angry, and she says, no, he’s not, but he is the one most crippled by it. He says, sometimes he thinks anger is just our way of punishing ourselves when the one we really want to hurt is someone we love and can’t let go of. He can’t tell her how much he loved Finn’s mom. Watching her die was the worst thing that ever happened to him. Worse than waking up now each morning, wondering what ALS has stolen from him. But then he met Jackie. She was so young and vibrant, she made him feel alive again. Maybe it was a rebound. They loved each other and he wanted to be in love again so badly. It didn’t feel wrong to him. It didn’t feel like he was being unfaithful to his late wife. She says, but that’s how Finn saw it, and he says, that’s the way Finn had to see it. Otherwise, he would be being disloyal to his mother. The anger that Finn channeled his way… But like anything that hot and intense, it had to eventually exhaust itself and it did. And what remained is a loving father/son relationship that she sees now. So maybe Jake just needs to let his anger burn itself out so he can get to his own now.

Alexis says, Finn knows if there’s anything he or his father want or need, she’ll be there, and he thanks her. She says she just wants to let him know that she saw Gregory recently and he didn’t look very good. Finn says he knows. And like her, he’s struggling to hang on to his sobriety. When he reflects on his past, he was not a good son. His dad did nothing but good, and he treated him very badly. Alexis says, he’s changed. He’s made amends. He’s not the same person anymore. He says, yeah, but that person knows where he lives. Now his dad has turned inward. Gregory won’t let Finn go to any of his doctor’s appointments with him and won’t let Finn see any of his test results. All he does is give Finn these glowing reports about how well he’s doing, and all Finn has to do is take one look at him to know he’s lying. She says, being a doctor and his son, he picked the wrong guy to try and bluff, and Finn says, he’s holding himself together by sheer force of will so he can make it to Chase’s wedding. She says, it means a lot to him, and he says, it does. It’s going to, right? Chase is the good son. He’s the one who wronged his dad. He turned it around in his head to make himself right. It takes a lot of time and energy to convince yourself everyone else is the problem, but not you. She says she knows the syndrome, and he says he stays up at night thinking of all the time he lost his family, the lost days that became lost years. He doesn’t sleep much anymore. She says, nobody can punish us like we can, and he says, his dad was devoted to his mom. He was there for her. She died so young. Finn was just angry. He was angry at everyone. But when his dad met Jackie and she helped him move on and be happy, he found a way to punish his dad for it. Sleeping with her before the wedding, before their wedding. What kind of son does that? (I’m glad he mentioned this. When Gregory didn’t, I started to wonder if I’d made it up. I guess he felt it wasn’t his place to tell Elizabeth.)

Brook tells Chase that her mother kept them away from the Quartermaine money. She knew it was there, but she had a pretty good career as a music manager. The Quartermaine money wasn’t always a gift. He asks if Ned was around, and she says, enough. She’s pretty sure he paid child support. It’s not like she ever felt she didn’t have two parents. And her grandparents, her aunts and uncles, her cousins, all the people who might have been cousins, they were always around. He says, so that’s why the guest list for their wedding was so long, and she says, and she only invited the ones she likes. Some of her relatives had a house. Some of them had one gifted to them in a will, but none of them were rich. They were comfortable in Bensonhurst. He says his upbringing was probably quieter than hers, but they were pretty middle class too, and she says she wants that kind of life for their kids. A life full of love that makes them feel safe. She knows there are going to be bumps along the way, but they will be surrounded by family who will take them by the hand and help them. He asks if she doesn’t think there will be members of the family who will want to take their hand and put a bunch of money in it, and she says, there definitely will be. He knows her family. That’s going to happen, but there’s two of them and they can send them off. It’ll be a little tricky to have a normal life, especially in Port Charles, but it’s not impossible. He takes her hands and says, if they’re together, nothing is impossible, and she says, there you go. She thinks what granny was really after with that prenup wasn’t about protecting her trust or her inheritances from him; it was about protecting them from what the insanity of that kind of money can bring. He tells her that he never thought he’d say this, but he thinks Tracy has the right idea.

Chase hands Brook her glass of wine and says, here’s what he thinks, and he thinks Tracy would agree. They’re young, they’re healthy, they have careers that they love, and between them, they’re comfortable. She says she’s with him so far, and he says, they take the interest from her trust fund and any other funds she has and put them into a savings account for their kids. It’ll be for education… and shoes. She says, exactly what kind of shoes is he thinking? It sounds good. He says, it will be a safety net if anything comes up, and she says, like a shoe emergency. He says, a medical emergency. Or if they want to help out a loved one. And he’s sure there’s charities they’d like to support. She says she likes the sound of it, and he says, the only thing he cares about their kids inheriting is the good stuff they bring to their lives. Honesty, compassion, a strong work ethic. She says, he brings so much more than that. Granny told her that no one would want to live off their spouse’s money, which is a really weird thing for her to say, considering all the guys in her life did just that. He says he never understood her taste in men, but he understands where she’s coming from. He always wants to feel like he can serve and protect this family. See what he did there? She says she did, and he says he thinks he brings value to their marriage. He can sing. She says, yeah, he can, and he says he can cook. She says she can attest to that, and he says he can catch the bad guys. Some might even say, it’s her dollars against his collars. She tells him that she’d never say that, and they kiss.

Laura goes into the Bistro and says, she asked them to meet and keeps them waiting. She’s so sorry. Cyrus says he’s always happy to wait for his sister, and he used the time to try and figure out the reason behind her unprecedented invitation. She asks what he came up with, but he says, nothing. He decided to be grateful just to spend some time with her. She says she’s glad they’re doing this then. He’s looking well. He thanks her and says he’s feeling good. He’s getting stronger every day. He tries to look at his time at GH as just an extended spa stay. She says, he’s joking, but what happened to him in that church was no joke. He says, it’s in the past, but she says she’s been thinking about it an awful lot lately, and if he chose not to press charges against Sonny because of her, because of her friendship with him, she wants him to reconsider. He deserves justice. She doesn’t want to be the reason he doesn’t get it.

Detective Brennan says, Anna wanted to see him? and she says she wanted to know the status of Dex Heller’s application to the academy. He says, Heller aced the written exam. He’s got a physical and job standard test next. He’s got to say, the guy looks army ready. He can’t imagine there would be a problem with either one. She says, that’s great. Sounds very promising. He says, they don’t get candidates of this caliber very often, and when they do, the academy grabs them. She thanks him for the update, and he says, if he could be honest, he thinks though, in this case, they should consider passing on it.

Violet says, ladies and gentlemen, dinner is served, when Finn walks in. He hugs Violet, and Gregory says, your timing is impeccable, sir. Finn says, sir. He likes it. Jake says he hopes they made enough fries, but Finn says, don’t worry. He’ll just eat Jake’s. Aiden says, there’s another basket ready to go. His air fryer is amazing. Finn says he knows. He keeps telling people and they say he’s crazy. Gregory, Aiden, and Violet head for the kitchen, and Finn asks how Jake’s day was. Jake says, no complaints. How about him? Finn says, no complaints, and Jake says, they’re living the dream. Jake follows the others, and Finn apologizes to Elizabeth for being late. She kisses him and he says he had a meeting and he stayed behind for a little bit and talked to Alexis. She asks if everything is okay, and he says, just checking in with each other. How’s his dad doing? She says, he’s just the sweetest person. If it wasn’t for Finn, she’d be halfway in love with him already. Finn says he better not be late for dinner again, and they go to the kitchen.

Cyrus says, Laura isn’t the reason Sonny escaped justice for his assault. He is. She asks what he means, and he says, Nina Reeves came to see him when he was in the hospital. The Lord works in mysterious ways. Tell him, does she think people like Nina Reeves and the Quartermaines become phenomenally wealthy without breaking the law, or are they just phenomenally good at not getting caught? She says, if she had to take a guess, she’d think that over the generations it’s probably a bit of both. He says, Nina used some of that generational wealth to walk in and buy him a radio spot for his Scripture based show. She asks if that was in exchange for him not pressing charges against Sonny, and he says, yeah and he agreed. She says, now she knows how he got on the radio, and he laughs. He says, it’s over now. He got sick of hearing his own voice and some of his listeners told him they thought he sounded phony when he quoted the Bible. He was terribly offended until he listened to himself. She says, was it bad? and he says he has no standing and no business telling anybody how to live their life. He thinks that came through. He has a lot of work to do on himself, and it’s probably best he takes care of that before he presumes to shepherd a flock. She says, he seems different, at least more thoughtful, and he says he prays that he is. She says, now that he’s taken Nina Reeves payoff, would he consider pressing charges against Sonny?

Brook says she can’t believe how nervous she was talking money with Chase, and he says, she’ll get better with practice. Besides, he thinks they’re going to be having that talk every few years. She asks if he thinks they’ll change their minds, decide they want to buy all the trucks, and he says he’s pretty confident in saying no to that, but money changes. Banks close, markets crash, opportunities come up that weren’t there before. She says, they’ll cross those bridges when they get to them, and maybe they’ll buy them if they want to, but for now, they’re good. He says, she was nervous about having the money talk because of his fragile male ego, wasn’t she? Because if the shoe was on the other foot and he had the millions, he doesn’t think she’d like living off his money either. She says, probably not, and he says, that’s all he needed to hear. She says, he should have told her sooner; she would have said it sooner. He asks if they can be done with this money is a ruinous burden talk, and she says, yes, yes, a thousand times yes. He says he wants her to give him one practical good thing that money brings them, and she says orthodonture. Their kids are going to have beautiful teeth. He laughs.

Anna asks why Brennan thinks they should pass on Heller. He just said Dex was extremely qualified. He says, there’s some things the intake test can’t catch, and she says, for example? He says, Heller made a wrong turn in his life and he’s trying to make up for it, and she says, Brennan thinks Dex is trying to make up for the time he spent working for Corinthos. He says, yes, and penance is the wrong motivation for becoming a cop. When there’s a guy with a gun holed up somewhere, the cops who have something to atone for are the ones who run in too soon too fast. A lot of times, they don’t come out. She says, got it, and thanks him for the update and insight. He says, no problem, and leaves.

Cyrus says he doesn’t know if reinstating charges against Sonny would serve justice or not, and Laura says she saw him when he was lying in that hospital bed. He was unconscious, but that man could have killed him with his bare hands. He says, but he didn’t, thank the good Lord, and she says, yes, thank God, but she heard that Sonny wasn’t able to use his hand for more than a week. Cyrus says, but he was responsible for the circumstances that made his beating happen, and she asks what he means. He says, by dishonest means, he came to know certain things about Nina. And he followed Sonny into that church knowing full well how his ill begotten knowledge would hurt him, and he haunted Sonny with it. He knew the pain would make him crazy and it did. She says, so he goaded Sonny into a rage, and he says, yes. And he knew, even as his own blood was flowing down his face, he had won. With every blow, he had more leverage over Sonny, and it disgusts him. Everything he’s ever done involving Sonny disgusts him. It’s been so long, he doesn’t even know what it was he wanted from Sonny to begin with. But that night, it had to do with revenge. She thanks him for admitting all that to her, and says, but he still didn’t deserve to be beaten like that. He says, maybe he didn’t, but maybe he did. Maybe it would be good for Sonny to go away for a while. He doesn’t know. She says, well, she does, and he says, then he’ll let himself be guided by her, but she says, no. She can’t tell him what to do here. He has to decide this for himself. He says, what an irony. The one time he didn’t ask for it, he holds Sonny’s fate in his hands.

Tomorrow, Finn tells Dante that Chase’s bachelor party went sideways, and he doesn’t know what to do; Cyrus goes to see Anna; Michael tells Josslyn that they should keep an eye on that guy; John says, it’s time he finally gave Carly something in return; and Lois says, it wouldn’t be complete without Sonny.

🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…

I was surprised that this was the most difficult scene for him, since Jason got socked with a lot of surprises.

Grandpa Carmine has RSVP’d yes.

New gigs for three.

She deserves it, and she’s absolutely gorgeous.

🔪 Tonight In Chefs…

A Supper Club sounds amazing. I love this site’s blow-by-blow recaps.

💎 Because We Can’t Have Nice Things…

Is Bravo kidding? She was just coming into her own, and part of the trio of reason – Garcelle, Sutton, and Crystal. They never know a good thing when they have it and hang on to the bad things for far too long. She will be missed.

https://ew.com/crystal-kung-minkoff-exits-rhobh-after-3-seasons-8634000

🗽 No Boy Toy Here…

He looks too much like the Count. Methinks the Countess wants one a little younger too. And possibly more French.

No judgement on the age difference. I have zero against that whichever way it goes. But they literally look like a father and daughter when next to each other, especially when he’s holding her hand. I blame it on Mary Kate dressing like she’s 12.

💅🏼 Reviving Their Place…

It’s good to see Heather Locklear sharpening her claws again.

https://people.com/melrose-place-revival-in-the-works-with-heather-locklear-laura-leighton-daphne-zuniga-8629989

🐙 Just Marvelous…

After seeing so many videos of them doing things like playing with divers, I won’t eat octopus (or eel) anymore. Again, no judgement. You do you. I don’t think I could ever give up a tasty burger.

https://people.com/paul-rudd-marvels-at-mimic-octopus-8630194

🪣 Fighting Fire With Water…

Join me tomorrow for more soap and amusement. Until then, stay safe, stay turning obstacles into opportunities, and stay not wasting time and energy convincing yourself everyone else is the problem, but not you. It’s probably you.

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

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

💝 Erika Thanks You…

I still miss One Life To Livesniff…

🥀 Best At Bad…

The soap world loses a great villain.

🎄 Christmas Prepping…

How the soap stars are doin’ it.

🏆 Best In Daytime…

Daytime Emmy winners.

What you didn’t see.

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

Here, I expected black.

Daytime Emmys 2023: The Guys

🏰 We’re Not Ready…

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

💎 In Agreement…

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

🍔 Something About a Menu…

Now if they’d only actually open.

🫦 Giving You Lala…

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

👰🏻‍♀️ Wishing Them Happiness…

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

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

🤪 All Those Shrinks Can’t Be Wrong…

Some practical tips to get you through the holidaze.

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

🎅🏽 If All Else Fails…

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

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

👖 Sisterhood Of the Homebody Pants…

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

December 15, 2023 – Donna Wishes On a Star, PC Special, An Original, Nominee Fashion, Salty Talk, Boomerang In the House, And Stay Out, Theft Off Deck, Top 20, Holidays Are For Pets (!), Long Dozen Of Quotes & Wrapping

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Alexis says she has Jordan on record and the article will come out later in the week. Jordan thanks her and says, before she goes, she wanted to talk to Alexis about something else. This time off the record.

There’s a knock at Kristina’s door and she opens it to Blaze. Blaze asks, what’s her big news? and Kristina says, huh? obviously just waking up.

Brook brings Maxie some caffeine to start her day, and Maxie thanks her, but says, Lucy is going to lose it if she finds Brook here. Why is she stopping by so early? Brook says she’s not just stopping by. She’s coming back to work at Deception.

 At the stables, Cody finds a wrapped gift with a card that says, Merry Christmas Cody. He says, Santa? Is this from you? It’s a little early for Christmas. Sasha hides around the corner.

At the café, Diane does paperwork as she and Robert have coffee. Robert says, that bad, huh? and Diane says, what are they talking about? He says, their first time together and here she is, barely taking a second breath, and with her face in her work already. It’s hardly what you’d call a ringing endorsement. She swipes her work to the floor and says, he was magnificent.

Martin says, he’ll keep this brief because he knows Laura is a very busy civil servant, but he’s wondering if there are any updates in the Austin Gatlin-Holt murder investigation. She says, if he’s asking if their brother is still a suspect, he is.

Sonny tells Donna, that’s a big list, and she says, they’ve got a big family. He says, they do, but you know what’s great? She’s so generous in wanting to buy everyone something. She asks what he wants for Christmas, and he says he’s got everything he wants. She says she’s getting him a special present anyway, and he suggests they focus on other people right now. They’ve got a lot of shopping to do. She asks if Grandpa Mike took him Christmas shopping when he was little, and Sonny says, he did, all the time. Donna asks if she can see his picture, and Sonny shows her a picture of Mike on his phone. She asks if he misses him, and he says, every day. Every single day.

Donna asks, what kind of hat is that? and Sonny says, it’s called a cap. She says, that’s not a baseball cap, and he says, it’s a different kind of cap. His dad loved that cap, and after her grandfather died, he kept it. She asks if she can see it, but he says, it got lost. He kept looking for it, and even asked Donna’s mom if it was in her house, but she said, it’s gone. There’s a knock at the door, and Sonny says he bets that’s her brother. They go to the door, and Sonny opens it to Michael. Sonny thanks him for coming, and Michael says, of course (🍷). He heard they’re doing a little Christmas shopping. Sonny says, she’s got a big list of people she wants to buy presents for; he’ll text it to Michael. Donna asks if he won’t come with them, and Sonny says he wishes he could, but he’s got an important appointment. But go with Michael, and he’ll meet her there. Is that good? She nods and says, it’s a deal. They high-five, since apparently, Donna loves a good high-five. I have to say, she is one super cute kid.

Robert helps Diane pick up her paperwork, and says he really loves the grand gesture, but they’re not in school. He doesn’t need a pat on the head. He just needs to know that she enjoyed herself. She says, they’ve been around each other long enough now for him to know she doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He says he figured that one, and she says, and she’s perfectly capable of asking for exactly what she wants. He says he learned that last night, and she says, yes, he did, and laughs. For the record, she only exaggerates in court. He says, well then, let the record show, counselor, we both enjoyed ourself. He takes her in his arms, and they kiss.

Martin says, Cyrus told him that Laura came to see him, and she says she did. It was a very unsettling meeting. His passion and commitment for his family… Well, to their family… He says, it makes you want to believe in him, and she asks if that happens to him. He says, more often than he cares to admit. Their brother’s a very complicated man. He’s ruthless and manipulative, but he is doggedly loyal. He always goes about it the wrong way, but he’ll never give up on family. Which is something Cyrus has in common with her. She says, it’s true. She doesn’t give up on family, but she doesn’t turn a blind eye either. If Cyrus killed Dr. Gatlin-Holt, he must be prosecuted. Martin says, indeed. Far be it from him to give old Cy the benefit of the doubt, but there’s nothing on this earth Cyrus values more than Laura’s opinion. He got himself released from prison and has a chance to prove himself to her. Why would he throw that away?

Jordan tells Alexis that TJ stopped by her office last night to tell her that he and Molly are trying for another baby; this time with Kristina as the surrogate. She assumes Alexis already knew. Alexis says, the girls told her about it yesterday, and Jordan says she’ll be honest. She doesn’t know how she feels about this. Obviously, she’s excited about the possibility of having a grandchild, and she imagines Alexis is as well. Alexis says, very much, and Jordan says, this all came just a little bit out of the blue for her. She talked to TJ about it, so she knows how he feels, and she’s sure Alexis knows how Molly feels, but she wants to know how Alexis feels about this.

Blaze says, Kristina sent her a cryptic text saying she had big news, then went completely silent. Kristina didn’t answer any of her texts or calls. Kristina says she’s sorry. She should have answered Blaze. Blaze says, it’s okay. She was just worried something happened to Kristina. Kristina says, the day just got away from her, and it wasn’t something she wanted to talk about in text, or even on the phone really. Blaze says she’s here now. It can be in person. What’s her big news? Kristina says she’s going to have a baby.

Cody says, last chance to identify yourself. Otherwise, he’s going to have to assume they’re a secret admirer – he wanders around as he talks, but Sasha stays a step ahead of him – who doesn’t want him to know who they are. He almost catches her, but she dashes out of sight. He says, or they’re one of his many enemies and this present is somehow boobytrapped, and he will be forced to destroy it. Sasha comes out laughing, and he says he knew that would get her. She says, he may have a secret admirer, but the gift is from her, and no, it’s not boobytrapped. He asks if he can open it now or does he have to wait until Christmas? She says, it’s up to him.

Maxie says, Brook is coming back to Deception? Why? Brook says she has her reasons, and Maxie says, please clue her in. The first time Brook came to work at Deception, it was so Maxie could be closer to Baby Lu… Thanks for that, by the way; she’s still super grateful. Brook says, she’s welcome, and Maxie says, the second time, was to spy for Tracy. Not really a high point in their friendship, but she’s moving past it. Brook is a music manager now and she loves that job. Why come back to Deception? Brook says, so she can gain control of the company and give it to Maxie.

Cody tears the paper off the gift, uncovering a book, and says, oh wow. Monument Valley. This is great. He sits down and opens it, and she says she’s glad he likes it. He says, look at that sunset. Can she believe colors like this actually exist in nature? She says, she thought the same thing. It’s funny. She sits next to him, and he says he’s wanted to go here ever since he saw it in one of those old Westerns. It’s pretty ironic that his first trip there will be a photoshoot. The last thing he ever thought he’d be is a model. She tells him not to sell himself short. He’s really getting the hang of it. He says, she’s the expert, but he thinks he and these rock formations will just be a backdrop for her beauty.

Laura thanks Sonny for coming to her office. She knows it was a very last-minute invitation. He says he knew when she asked to see him, it was important. He doesn’t know if it’s a very good idea to do it here. She says she’s been to his office. It only seems fair to welcome him to hers. He says, it’s the public perception of what she does, but she says, if she’s learned one thing since becoming mayor, it’s that people are going to talk about her, regardless. He says he gets it, but they both know he has a reputation in this town, and her inviting him to her office opens her up to allegations of corruption. She says, if somebody wants to investigate her for something, she doesn’t care. She has nothing to hide. He says he just doesn’t want anything to happen to her job. This city needs her. The last thing he wants is for her to be investigated or thrown out of her office, especially because of him. She says, please don’t worry about that. She has no intentions of losing her office, but speaking of investigations, that’s why she asked him here. She’d like to talk to him about the Austin Gatlin-Holt murder case.

Donna looks out the window, and Michael says, they’d better get going. If she wants to get all the presents on her list, they have to get started. Donna asks, if you wish on a star, does your wish come true? and he says, that’s what he’s heard. She says, but there are no stars to wish on, and he says, there’s always stars. You can see them better at night, when it’s dark outside, but there’s stars in the daytime too. She asks if you have to see a star to wish on it, and he says, no. The star knows you’ve made a wish whether you see it or not. She says she’s going to make a wish, and he says, go for it. She looks out again and says, star, it’s me, Donna Corinthos. I can’t see you, but my brother says you’ll know I made this wish. I wish on you that I could find Grandpa Mike’s cap for daddy. This kid is killing me with her cuteness.

Alexis says she’s very happy at the thought of Molly and TJ having a baby, and Jordan says, they’re in agreement on this. Alexis says, then she started to make a list of everything that could go wrong, and how this could potentially end in tragedy. Then she spoke with a friend of hers and he shifted her perspective into a more positive place, tried to calm her down, and boy, being a parent is challenging, isn’t it? Jordan says, it’s been the hardest and best thing she’s ever done, and Alexis says, same. She’s proud of her three girls. She loves being a parent and wants Molly and TJ to have that experience. And Kristina wants to give it to them. Jordan says she agrees. She thinks it’s an amazing gift Kristina is offering them, but does it have to happen right now?

Kristina tells Blaze that Molly and TJ decided to have a baby, and they were super excited about it, but Molly found out she can’t physically carry a child of her own. It was awful. It completely blindsided her. Blaze says, that’s terrible. Of course (🍷) it did. Kristina says, they started exploring their options and felt really good about surrogacy. They found this woman they both really liked and she got pregnant, but then she lost the baby. It was devastating. Blaze says she can only imagine. She’s so sorry. Kristina says she was walking through the park and saw her sister, her super controlled Type-A sister, just absolutely bawling in a public place, not caring who was there or who saw. It just broke her heart. She’s assuming Blaze might know where she’s going with this, and Blaze says she does. Kristina says, it just became really clear to her, she genuinely wants to do this. She wants to give Molly and TJ the thing they want more than anything in this whole world. She can’t really tell what Blaze is thinking right now. Is Blaze about to tell her that she’s crazy for doing this? Blaze says, crazy? No. She takes Kristina’s hand and says she’s thinking Kristina is wonderful and generous, and anyone would be lucky to have a sister like her, but she’s talked a lot about being able to give Molly what she wants. What about what Kristina wants?

Cody thanks Sasha for the perfect gift, and says he feels terrible that he doesn’t have something for her. She says, he already saved her life and her sanity. He’s given her the best gift she could have asked for. He tells her, stop. Don’t say that.

Brook says she knows everything that happened because of her grandmother put Maxie in a bad placed financially. Maxie says she can’t deny that, but Tracy forced Brook to do it, so it really wasn’t her fault. Brook says, Tracy told her the reason why she got control of Deception was to give it to her. At first, she rejected Tracy’s offer, but she just told Tracy that she changed her mind. So the plan is, she’ll start working here again and she’ll convince Tracy that she’s grateful for the opportunity. Then… Maxie says, what then? What is she plotting? Brook says, the next part of the plan is still a work in progress, but she’ll either convince Tracy into signing over control to her or she’ll blackmail her into doing it. Either way, she won’t stop until Deception belongs to Maxie. So what does she think? Lucy walks in and says, who let the spy back in?

Kristina thinks Blaze isn’t so sure she should do this, but Blaze tells her, that’s not what she’s saying. But there’s a big difference between wanting to help her sister and wanting to be pregnant for nine months and give birth to a child. One is seeing Molly hurting and generously wanting to help. The second is a huge commitment and life-changing event. Kristina says she knows no one is going to know for sure how their body will handle a pregnancy, but she’s in great health and the odds are never going to be higher for her than right now to get pregnant and deliver a healthy baby successfully. She knows it sounds so weird to say this, but she knows in her gut that she’s supposed to do this. So Blaze is right that she’s doing this for Molly and for TJ, but she’s also doing this for herself.

Diane asks how they’re going to refer to each other moving forward, and he asks what she means. She says, when she gossips about last night with Alexis – and FYI, she’s gonna – he says, noted – how should she refer to him? Is he her boyfriend? He says, boyfriend, grey hair, long in the tooth, no. He doesn’t feel like he’s anyone’s boyfriend. She says, okay, lover, and he says, absolutely not. She laughs and says, okay, suitor. Main squeeze. How about this? Adult companion. He says, that seems to indicate that money may have changed hands somewhere along the line, and she chokes on her coffee, laughing. He asks if they can’t just say they’re involved, but she says she’d like it to be a little more definitive. How about, they’re just dating? That is, after all, what they’re doing. He says, dating’s good, and she says, good… Are they dating exclusively? He sits back in his chair. I’m laughing because it is a weird thing. Boyfriend sounds like you’re in high school, lover is corny and TMI. I like significant other, but it’s kind of long. So where do you go?

Laura says she knows Sonny is aware that Dante is assisting the Pautuck PD in its investigation of the murder, and he says he and Dante agreed a long time ago for the sake of their relationship, not to discuss Dante’s work. She says, or his, and he says, right. They try to avoid any conflict of interest. Laura says, except she does know he spoke to Dante at some point about Austin, and he asks, why is that? She says, because she asked Dante to give her an update about the murder investigation, and he told her, a reliable and confidential source had informed him that Austin and his cousin Mason were working for her brother Cyrus. He says, really, and she says, his son wouldn’t give up his source, but she knows it’s him.

Lucy says, Brook has some nerve stepping foot back in Deception. She should have Brook arrested for industrial espionage, or maybe intellectual property theft. Maxie says, it’s okay. Brook is here… Lucy says, because why? Does she want to sniff around some more to find out some proprietary information that she can steal from them? Brook says, it’s not stealing if you have a controlling interest in the company, which her grandmother does. Lucy says, Tracy doesn’t care about this company. Tracy doesn’t care about Deception, but she does, and Tracy needs to keep her filthy hands away from here, and Brook needs to stay away from here too. Brook says, it doesn’t matter what Lucy thinks. Tracy’s 51% says she has more of a right to be here than Lucy. Lucy moves toward Brook, but Maxie says, okay, putting her hand in between them.

Cody says, Sasha doesn’t need to thank him. He’s happy that for once he was able to get out of his own way and do the right thing. Trust him. That isn’t always the case. She says she doesn’t care what happened in his past. She’s just thankful for the man he is now, and she’s so grateful that he was able to come to her rescue. He says he doesn’t want her gratitude… What he means to say is, there’s a fine line between feeling grateful to someone, and feeling an obligation to someone. He doesn’t want her to owe him; he wants her to like him. She says, he already knows she does. He heard her say it to Maxie. He says he also heard her say she’s not ready to move on yet. She’s still grieving over the loss of her husband and child. The last thing that would be okay for him is for her to rush through that process because she’s trying to give him something she thinks he wants.

As they walk through Rice Plaza, Michael says, Donna got a lot of presents. Is she ready to take a break? She says, but they don’t have all the presents yet, and he says, they got a lot. Doesn’t she want to save something to buy with her dad? She says, what about daddy’s presents? What does she give him if her wish doesn’t come true? He says, sometimes wishes don’t come true exactly the way you expect, because wishes are magic, and magic is unpredictable. So how about if they buy a back-up gift just in case? She says, look! and runs over to a bench. She picks up a cap that looks just like Mike’s.

Laura says she didn’t ask Sonny here to put him on the spot. She asked him here because she trusts him. She needs to know. Did Cyrus kill Dr. Gatlin-Holt? He says he thinks that’s for the police to figure out, and she says, oh come on. He’s in a position to know things before other people do. She’s asking him, is her brother a murderer? He says, her brother Cyrus has murdered in the past, and he doesn’t for one second believe Cyrus’s religious reformation. But he doesn’t think Cyrus killed Austin Gatlin-Holt. She says, except Dante said Dr. Gatlin-Holt went to see him the night he was killed, and he was prepared to give up the name of his boss. Sonny asks if he gave up that name, but she says, no, he didn’t. He left to go gather proof. Sonny asks if she thinks Cyrus had Austin killed to shut him up, and she says, doesn’t he?

Robert tells Diane that he likes his women. He likes commitment. One woman at a time. She says she’s well-aware of that. She’s well-aware of his exceptional commitment to the women in his life. She’s witnessed it firsthand. Anytime Holly or Anna needed him, he was there. He says, they have a lot of history together. He can’t change that. They would do the same for him. She says she gets it. However, moving forward, if she’s to be exclusive with him, she needs to know that she’s his number one priority.

Sonny tells Laura that he doesn’t see how Cyrus would have known Austin was talking to Dante. Cyrus has no money. He has no manpower to keep Austin under surveillance. And he doesn’t think for a second Dante leaked out the information. Laura says, he wouldn’t do that, and Sonny says, if he doesn’t know, Cyrus has no motive to kill Austin. As a matter of fact, it’s the opposite because Austin helped him get out of prison. So he sees Austin as an asset. She says, that makes sense, and he says, if Cyrus thought Austin was a problem, there are other ways to deal with him. Murder is too risky. With all due respect, he despises her brother, but he’s not stupid. He just got out of prison and he’s going to do everything he can not to go back. She thanks him, and says, it’s really been weighing on her, the kind of man her brother is. It’s a huge relief to know that Sonny doesn’t think he killed Dr. Gatlin-Holt.

Blaze says, listening to Kristina talk about her decision is really inspiring. She doesn’t know if she’s ever done anything this selfless. It’s profound. Kristina says, Blaze is making her sound like a saint. Billions of women have given birth successfully, and she’s sure it’s as big and scary as it seems, but she feels like she’s got this. Blaze says, she might not feel the same way when she’s in labor, and Kristina says she plans on being in excellent physical condition and plan for every scenario. And when she goes into labor… she plans to ask for all the drugs. Blaze laughs, and Kristina thanks her for being so supportive. She knows this isn’t traditional. Blaze tells Kristina that she meant what she said. She’s in awe of Kristina for wanting to do this. Kristina says she really appreciates Blaze being so understanding about this, because she’s really committed to this pregnancy and it’s a big change in her life. And for me and you… If there is me and you.

Alexis tells Jordan, in a perfect world, yes. It would be better for them to wait six months or a year or longer for Kristina to become a surrogate. Jordan says, so they’re on the same page then, and Alexis says, yes, but the timeline becomes problematic, because they’re assuming Kristina gets pregnant right away. And they both know it doesn’t always happen like that. Jordan says, true. None of this is a perfect science. Alexis says, Kristina’s very committed to doing this, but it’s not fair to ask her to put her life on hold for another year or longer waiting to get pregnant. Jordan says she can’t argue with that, and Alexis says, the bottom line is, she and Jordan don’t get a vote on this. All three of them are adults, Molly and TJ want this baby, and they want this baby as soon as possible. They don’t get to just tell them to wait.

Lucy says, Brook doesn’t know half of the horrible, horrible things Tracy has done. She’s blackmailed so many people, she could fill out an entire punch card. Brook says, like Lucy is so perfect. She’s been known to scam rich men out of their money, and also secretly plotted to help Valentin gain control of ELQ. And how many times has she cheated on the loves of her life, huh? Lucy says, lots. Enjoyed it all. She’s made mistakes. She never said she didn’t. The fact of the matter is, she created Deception, and her vision is what made Deception successful. Brook says, and she almost ran it into the ground, almost bankrupt it, and Maxie too… Lucy says, because of Brook, and Brook says, Maxie is nothing but loyal and hardworking. Lucy shouldn’t be mad at Tracy. She should be thanking Tracy for stepping in and saving her and Deception.

Cody tells Sasha to take as much time as she needs. She’s dealing with enough in her life without him putting any pressure on her. And hey, if they’re never anything more than just friends and co-models, that’s good with him too. She says, really? and he says he promises. She says, okay. As her friend, he’s obligated to listen to her. He says, oh, is he? and she says, absolutely. He needs to stop being so hard on himself. He’s not nearly as bad as he wants to believe. As a matter of fact, most of the time he’s pretty great.

Lucy says she doesn’t owe Brook’s grandmother Tracy for anything. Never thank you. Certainly not. Because guess what? What matters is Maxie. And she knows the big sacrifice Lucy made when she took Tracy’s deal to keep Deception solvent. Maxie says she does. And Lucy knows she appreciates that. She’s so grateful for her job. Brook says, since Tracy owns this company and her grandmother wants her here, she’s staying. Lucy says, yippee. Super swell. This is Maxie’s problem now, because she will never ever, ever deal with someone who flat-out lied to her face and spied on her. She walks out, and Brook says she wasn’t expecting it to go well, but she certainly wasn’t expecting that. Maxie says, that was a lot, but Brook says, it’s okay. She’s a big girl and can handle it. Let Lucy go take it up with Tracy. They both know her grandmother will flatten Lucy. Maxie says she doesn’t understand. Why would Brook want that? Before Lucy came in here, Brook was telling her about how she was going to get the company back for them. Brook says she’s getting the company back for Maxie. Only Maxie. Promise her, when she finally gets this done, Maxie will have sole control of the company. Brook wants Maxie to be able to run this company the way she wants. Away from all of Lucy’s crazy shenanigans. Maxie says she thinks they’re getting a little bit ahead of themselves. Why don’t they get control of the company, then they’ll figure out how to divide it up? Brook says, they’ll get control of this company. Maxie knows she’s right. Because when the two of them join forces, they are unstoppable.

Cody says he actually bought Sasha a gift a few weeks ago. The first time in his life he’s planned ahead, but when he saw it, he knew he had to get it for her. She says she’s intrigued, and he says, as she should be. They promised it would be here before Christmas. He’s waiting for them to come through. She asks if she ever told him that she’s very bad at waiting for something she’s excited about, and he says, she’ll just have to be patient. She says, that’s not her strong suit, and she struggles with her coat. Cody tries to help her, and they end up close, face to face. She says she should get going. She’ll see him later. He says, see ya, and she leaves. He sits down, picks up the book, and opens it. It says: To my friend Cody, Thanks for coming to my rescue. Sasha.

Kristina says she likes Blaze, and she doesn’t want this to end. She knows this is early, so if Blaze wants to bail out now before she gets the size of a house, feel free. Blaze says she thinks Kristina will look amazing when she’s pregnant, but she always thinks Kristina looks amazing. Including right now. She takes Kristina’s hand and says she likes Kristina. She likes what’s happening between them, and she doesn’t want to cut it short before it has a chance to become something. She still wants to see where this goes. Kristina says she likes Blaze too, and they kiss. She tells Blaze, and now she’s really actually glad Blaze woke her up early. Blaze says, it’s not early. Kristina does realize she’s a musician and even she’s been up for hours. Kristina says, just her luck. She finds herself a singer who’s an early riser. Blaze says, this singer is about to be late for a run-through with her choreographer, but let’s touch base. Maybe they’ll meet up later? They need to celebrate Kristina’s decision with some wine before she has to give up alcohol. Kristina says, nooo, and Blaze says, for nine months. Kristina says she’d love that. Sounds perfect. They kiss and Blaze leaves.

Alexis tells Jordan, the kids are going to be fantastic parents. They’ll love the hell out of that baby and that baby’s lucky to have them. Jordan says she knows, and she can’t wait to see them holding her first grandchild. So she’ll try to adjust her thinking and be on board like Alexis. If this is what they want – and they are adamant that it is – then she’ll do her best to support it.

Robert tells Diane, Holly came to town largely to save Ethan’s life. It would have been remiss of him not to step in and help her. Not to mention, honor Luke’s memory. She says she gets it. That was a special circumstance. She’ll never appreciate the way Holly went about it, but Holly was desperate, and she understands. What about Anna? He says he and Anna are connected through Robin and the grandkids. That’s never going to change; they’re family. That hasn’t stopped him from getting closer to Diane and enjoying every minute of it. She says she’s enjoyed every minute of it too. All that aside, she needs to know that the next time Holly drops into Port Charles because of an emergency or Anna calls when they’re together, things will be different. He says, understood. The next time one of his exes needs assistance, he’ll have to point out that she’s his priority. She says, then here’s to our well-negotiated, hard-earned agreement, Mr. Scorpio, and lifts her coffee cup. He says, you are worth it, and she says, that’s right. They clink coffee cups.

Martin knocks at Laura’s office door and says, it’s him again. She says, back so soon? Please tell her it’s with some sort of proof of their brother’s innocence. He asks if she wants to run that by him again, how she wants Cyrus to be exonerated, and she says she guesses she does. He asks, what happened? and she says, Sonny Corinthos was just here, at her invitation, and she asked him straight up if he thought Cyrus murdered Dr. Gatlin-Holt. He said he didn’t think so, and right at that moment, she could feel the knot in her chest sort of melt away. She guesses it’s surprising for her to realize how much she doesn’t want him to be guilty. She does want him to turn his life around. Does Martin think it’s possible? Martin says, a hell of a lot more possible now that he has Laura to look up to.

Sonny finds Donna and Michael in Rice Plaza and asks Donna how the shopping is going. She says she didn’t shop for his present; she wished for it. He says, really, and Michael tells her, show him. She brings out the cap and says, this is for him. Sonny takes it, looks it over, and says, this is Mike’s. Angels We Have Heard on High plays in the background, and Michael says, Donna found it. It was sitting over there like someone left it. Sonny says, really? and Michael says, yeah. Sonny says he can’t believe that, and Michael says, neither could he. They were going to ask around and see if anyone lost a hat, but he checked it and it’s actually Mike’s cap. Sonny says he wonders where it came from, and Donna says she told him. She wished for it. On a star. Her wish came true! It’s magic! Sonny says, let him tell her something about her granddad. He believed in magic and wishes. He’d be very proud of her. She says, merry Christmas, daddy, and hugs him. Sonny says, merry Christmas, sweetheart, and looks at Michael. He looks up and says, merry Christmas, dad.

On Monday, Brook says, there’s one thing she and Violet agree on; Kristina tells Dr. Navarro that she’d like to get started as soon as possible; Anna tells Dante, don’t say she didn’t warn him; and Brennan says he’d like to get to know Carly better.

🏥 Port Charles Memory Lane…

January 4th, 10 pm, EST on ABC.

🎼 Adam’s Song…

While he doesn’t have Sonny’s dimples, he’s got the smiley eyes. It’s great how they give actors an opportunity to shine using their non-soap talents.

👗 Fashionably Soap…

Wow. There’s way too much black. Spoiler: Dex looks the same.

🧂 Needs Salt…

I didn’t really understand the desire for a pirate themed party. Did they confuse themselves with Below Deck?

I guess all losers was out of the question.

Back In the House…

Schwartz is welcomed back. After a week away. Seriously, I can’t.

🗽 She Who Won’t Be Uninvited…

No surprise here. She loves showing up where she’s not wanted. No doubt Brandi will follow suit, because ditto.

🛥 Worst Guests Ever…

Where do they find these people?

https://ew.com/below-deck-guests-accused-stealing-cast-identities-opioid-scheme-8416388

🎄 Filming Christmas…

All good choices, but not one traditional A Christmas Carol  movie? Really?

https://ew.com/movies/20-top-christmas-movies-ever/

🐶 Pets + Holidays…

The practical.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/11/health/pets-holiday-danger-wellness/index.html

The famous.

https://finance.yahoo.com/photos/12-celebrity-pets-totally-bringing-191259687/-photo-191409825.html

The rest of us.

https://www.cbc.ca/kids/articles/a-gallery-of-cute-pets-dressed-up-for-the-holidays

The DIY. I want the hat with the elf ears.

🥠 Quotes of the Week

Leaders who win the respect of others are the ones who deliver more than they promise, not the ones who promise more than they can deliver. – Mark A. Clement

The way to achieve your own success is to be willing to help somebody else get it first. – Iyanla Vanzant

Happiness is for dogs and Americans. – Dr. Liesl Obrecht (Kathleen Gati), General Hospital

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. – Albert Einstein

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.Antoine de Saint-Exupery

That food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison. – Ann Wigmore

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding. – Mahatma Gandhi

A man is whatever room he’s in. – Japanese saying

No matter what this study suggests, the best time to exercise is the time you will actually do it. – Keri Gans, M.S., R.D.

Persons of high self-esteem are not driven to make themselves superior to others; they do not seek to prove their value by measuring themselves against a comparative standard. Their joy is being who they are, not in being better than someone else. – Nathaniel Branden

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. – Harry S Truman

Nothing frightens me more than a person unwilling to learn, even at their own expense. That is a darkness I will never understand. – G.H. (Mahershala Ali), Leave the World Behind

He looks like a giant red flag. – Shekinah Garner, 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way

🪄 Tinseling Up…

Take a break on Monday really Tuesday for soap and Med absurdity. Until then, stay safe, stay focused on what you can control and let go of everything else, and stay remembering, sometimes wishes don’t come true exactly the way you expect.

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

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

🧜‍♀️ Finding His Siren…

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

🚜 Literally Buying The Farm…

Looks idyllic.

🧂 A Pinch Of Salt…

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

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

🏂 Apology Tour Already…

No recap yet for this awful mess either.

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

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

💎 Magic Mike Meltdown…

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

🤺 Rehashing The Deck Fight…

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

👰🏼‍♀️ She Finally Did It…

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

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

🐶 A Tale Of Two Pups, Really Three…

I’d want this dog too.

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

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

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

🪧 Should Have Stayed Closed…

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

🦃 Tofurkey Trotting…

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

November 3, 2023 – Charlotte Disappears From the Group, New Faces, 2 Grads, A Return, So Sad, Celebrations, Cancelled, Told You, This Week in Reality, Trixie’s Home, More, 11 Quotes For Month 11 & Candy

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly flips Kelly’s sign to closed and tells Regina that she can go home. She calls Alexis and asks if she’s heard anything about Drew’s case. Alexis says she’s afraid all she’s heard is silence from Judge Kim’s office, but she promises to let Carly know if she hears something. Carly thanks her, and Alexis says she’ll keep pushing. Carly says she knows, and Alexis tells her, have a good night. Sam comes into Kelly’s, and Carly asks if Scout forgot something, but Sam says she just wanted to check on her friend.

Alexis tells Molly that she’s sorry she’s late, but Molly says, five minutes is not late. She tells Alexis that TJ isn’t here. The ER is always busy on Halloween, so he probably won’t be back until early morning. Alexis says, poor baby, and Molly says, TJ loves being a doctor. Alexis says she knows he loves her daughter, and Molly says, Andrea was going to join them, but she’s exhausted after trick-or-treating with her son, so she had to cancel. Alexis is glad Molly has such a cordial relationship with her surrogate, and Molly says, her too. She and TJ were really lucky to find her. Alexis says she thinks that baby will be very lucky to have Molly and TJ as parents, and Molly asks if she’s hungry. Alexis says she’s always hungry, and Molly says she’ll unpack the food. There’s a knock at the door, and Alexis answers. It’s Kristina, and Alexis asks what she’s doing here.

Still dressed as Princess Leia, Willow finds a pirate hat outside Kelly’s, and picks it up. Harmony says she likes Willow’s costume, and Willow asks what Harmony is doing here. Harmony says she came to see Wiley and warn Willow. Willow says, warn her about what? and Harmony says, Willow can’t… She continues speaking, but there’s no sound, and Willow wakes up on the sofa. Michael asks if she had a bad dream.

Doc brings Laura a glass of wine, and she thanks him. He asks if Ace is asleep, and she says, yep and his mother too. He says, Esme is down for the night this early? and she says, Ace is teething. He kept her up all night; she’s exhausted. He says, she seemed fine when she was trotting him around in his costume, and Laura says, wasn’t he so cute? But just a little bit cranky. He asks if Spencer is out with Trina, and she says, yeah, and Charlotte should be out trick-or-treating by now.

Valentin parks the car, and the kids thank him. They start to get out, but he says, not so fast. Stay right where you are. He looks pointedly at Charlotte.

Anna says, it has to be here, and looks in a folder. She says, of course (🍷) it was you, you smarmy bastard.

Walking into Molly’s apartment, Kristina asks, what kind of greeting is that? and Alexis asks if she let Molly know she was coming. Kristina says, yes, when Molly invited her. She also brought pumpkin ice cream for Halloween.🤢Molly comes out and says she’s glad Kristina could make it. They hug, and Kristina says, sorry she’s a little late. She had to get someone to cover for her at Charlie’s, but here she is. Molly says, and she heard Kristina brought pumpkin ice cream, and Kristina says she did. Blaze turned her on to this new place. It’s totally organic and has amazing new flavors. Molly says she can’t wait to try it. She bets even mom will like it. Kristina says, she likes everything, and Alexis says, all right. Time out. Does someone want to tell her what she’s missing?

Sam says she hopes Carly doesn’t mind her dropping by, and Carly says, no, as long as Sam doesn’t mind helping her clean. Sam asks what she can do, and Carly says, crayon duty? Sam gets to work, and Carly says she just spoke to Sam’s mom. Sam asks if she had any news about Drew, but Carly says, no. She called to see if Alexis had an update because she just couldn’t help herself. Sam says she’s sure Alexis doesn’t mind, but she did tell Sam about Judge Kim’s record of giving overly harsh sentences if he thinks it will help him up the ladder. Carly asks if Sam can believe judges are still doing that, and Sam says, no, but her mom will see to it that she makes him answer some really tough questions if he doesn’t reconsider Drew’s sentence. Carly says she knows. It’s just, the waiting is driving her crazy. Has Sam told Scout what’s going on? Sam says, no. She doesn’t want to get Scout’s hopes up in case it doesn’t happen. Carly says, that’s smart. She keeps telling herself the same thing, don’t get your hopes up, but it’s so hard.

Willow asks, where’s Wiley? and Michael says he carried Wiley to bed. He didn’t even wake up. Willow says she’s sorry, but he says she has nothing to be sorry about. It looks like she had a bad dream. Does she remember what it was about? She says she had that dream about Harmony again.

Doc says, it’s good Charlotte’s out doing something with kids her age, and Laura agrees, but she’s just worried because Charlotte is obviously troubled right now. She thanks Doc for fitting Charlotte into his schedule, and he says, it’s a good first step. She asks if there’s anything he can tell her, and he says he can’t share what she confided, because she never opened up to him. Laura says, nothing? and he says, she was pleasant, articulate, and gave nothing away. The only real moment in the session happened when she began to talk about being protective of her father.

Valentin asks if their cell phones are fully charged. What about flashlights? They have candy bags there… Charlotte says, papa, please, and he says he’s almost done. Again, what’s the route? They all recite, Harbor Vista, Prince Street, Elmer Street, and back. He says, they’ll be back at what time? and they say, 9 o’clock. He says, they stay together. No one goes out on their own. Their parents are counting on him to keep them safe. Don’t make him look like a jerk. He puts his hand on Charlotte’s backpack, and she moves away. He says he’s helping her out. Did her father sufficiently embarrass her tonight? She says, he did, and he says, good. That’s his job. (He sounds like my father.) And to keep her safe and make sure she has a good time. She thanks him, and she says, tonight means a lot to her. He says, it means a lot to him too. Have fun. Valentin steps away, and Jake asks Charlotte, what made her change her mind about dressing up as the Hermit? She says, he doesn’t like her rah-rah costume? and he says he’s kind of surprised she does. She says she doesn’t, but she couldn’t get the other costume ready in time. Maybe she’ll dress as the Hermit next year. Georgie tells them, let’s go, and they leave as Valentin watches.

Anna tosses the unneeded folders back into the trunk, and calls Robert. He answers, happy Halloweeny, honey, and she asks where he is. He says, out tricking and treating with the rest of the kids, and she says, no, really. Where is he? He says he’s still in the office, and she says, stay right there. She’s coming over. He asks what this is about, but she says, it’s something he needs to see for himself. Stay in the office. She gathers up the papers she needs, puts them in her bag, and heads for the door. She pauses a moment, and goes back, taking her gun from the safe. She turns out the lights and leaves, locking the door behind her.

Sam says she was watching Carly with Nina earlier. Carly was very gracious to her. Nina says, it’s lucky she wasn’t bobbing for apples, and makes a pushing motion with her hands. Sam says, she’s really good at hiding her animosity, and Carly says, it’s exhausting. Sam says she gets that, and Carly says, fanning the flames of her hatred for Nina doesn’t help anything, and she’s Willow’s mother and Wiley’s grandmother, so… Sam says, and Sonny’s wife, and Carly says, yeah, there’s that. Sam says, Dante told her that Sonny seems to be happy, and Carly says, good. She wants him to be happy. Sam says, Sonny wants Carly to be happy too, and Carly says she knows. And Nina has been on her best behavior around the kids and Sonny. Sam says, but Carly doesn’t think she’s changed, and Carly says, no, not at all. For a long time, Willow didn’t want any relationship with Nina. Now, clearly, that’s changed, so if Willow’s happy, she’s happy. Sam asks, but what about Michael?

Willow gets up and says, so much candy, and Michael asks if it was the same dream or was it different this time? She says she was at Kelly’s, at the Halloween party. She was outside, and everyone else was inside. And suddenly, Harmony was there. It seemed almost normal. He asks if Harmony talked to her, and she says, yes. She asked Harmony why she was there, and she said the same thing as before. Harmony said she had to warn her, but when she goes on, her lips move, but there’s no sound. He says, so she still hasn’t heard an actual warning, and she says, but she thinks she knows what Harmony is trying to tell her.

Molly asks Kristina if Alexis missed something, and Kristina says she doesn’t know. Alexis opened up the door and there she was with her pumpkin ice cream. Molly says she came over, said it sounded really good, and here we are. Kristina says, there we are. Alexis is up to date. Alexis says, funny. They were hugging each other. Kristina asks if that’s against the rules, and Alexis says, they know what she’s saying. The last she knew, they weren’t speaking to each other. Now they’re acting like nothing happened, and they’re playing that little game, let’s make mom think she’s crazy. Kristina says she loves that game, and Molly agrees. Alexis says, spill it, and Molly says, after Alexis told them how disappointed she was in them, and how she’d do anything to have her sister back in her life, they really took it to heart. They got together and ironed things out. Kristina says, it was really more of a hammering thing, if you want to be accurate, and Molly says, sometimes it takes a hammer to get through to Kristina. Kristina says, Molly isn’t so easy herself, and Alexis says she really doesn’t need to know what happened. She doesn’t really need to know the details. Kristina says, Alexis always needs to know the details, and Alexis says, the two of them made up, and they’re very happy, and she’s happy that they’re happy. They’re all happy, and she’s very proud of them. Kristina asks if they can eat now, and Alexis grabs the ice cream and takes it to the kitchen. Molly says she actually thinks Alexis is proud, and Kristina says, of both of them. That’s got to be a first. Molly says she guesses hammering it out was worth it. Kristina says, definitely worth it, and Molly asks if Kristina will feel like that when this baby comes. Kristina says, Molly’s got her. Always. They hug.

Doc tells Laura, Valentin was badly injured not too long ago, and Charlotte is physically and emotionally dependent on her father. Laura says, but she also has them, and she has Sam and Dante. He says, she lived with Sam and Dante a month, maybe two. Before that, she lived with them for a few months, but if you take into context her entire life, as she remembers it, the one constant is Valentin. In other words, protecting her father is like protecting herself. Laura asks how that translates into breaking into Anna’s hotel room and vandalizing it or burning down Anna’s home – if it was really Charlotte who did that.

Jake wonders, what’s with the apples? and Georgie says she hates apples. Danny says, him too, and Jake says, some guy gave him money. Georgie says, her too, and Danny says, that’s why he likes going later. People run out of candy and feel guilty, then they give out cash. (Not in my neighborhood or I’d go out trick-or-treating.) While the others are busy talking, Charlotte slips away and goes down an alleyway to a hidden area. She opens her backpack.

As the Davis girls sit on the floor eating takeout, and Alexis tells them, she’s just saying that was her favorite year taking them trick-or-treating. Kristina says, she made them dress up as Supreme Court Justices, and Alexis says, because there were two women on the Court that year; that was the first time. Molly says, she had to wear those big glass to be Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Alexis says, she was shorter. Kristina says, but those little gavels came in handy when knocking door to door, and Molly says, and their costumes were unique that year. Kristina tells Alexis, be honest. Was that the last time she was proud of them? Alexis says she’s proud of them all the time… when they’re not annoying her. She’s proud of all three of her girls. Kristina says, just wait until she gets ahold of Molly’s little girl on her first Halloween, and Molly says, or little boy, but Kristina says, it’s the Davis family. It has to be a girl. Alexis says, good point.

Carly says she thinks Michael’s just trying to do what’s best for his family, and Sam says, that’s true, but she doesn’t think Michael is as open to Nina as Willow and the kids are. Carly says, maybe he’s just not as good at covering his feelings as his mother, and Sam says, but Michael was best man at his dad’s and Nina’s wedding, right? Carly says she thinks he did that because Sonny asked him to, and Sam asks if she still thinks Michael is wary of Nina. Carly says she thinks wary is an understatement. That woman let them all believe Sonny was dead when she knew damn well he was alive. So she thinks the real question is, why would Michael or any of them trust her? Sam says, that’s true. She’s just glad Michael and Sonny are close again. Carly says, so is she, and Sam says, Dante told her that he didn’t think they’d ever be able to reconcile. Carly says, her neither. They’re both stubborn, stubborn men, and after Sonny fell in love with Nina… Sam says, Michael couldn’t accept it, and Carly says, no. It was really tough on Michael. It was tough on all of them. Sam says, and now? and Carly says, and now, life goes on. Whatever happened in Puerto Rico seemed to have changed everything between Michael and Sonny.

Michael says, so Willow thinks she knows what Harmony is warning her about? and Willow says, not for sure, but she thinks Harmony is trying to tell her that someone close to her is lying. He says, lying to her? and she says, yes, and Harmony is trying to warn her that she’ll get hurt. He says, Harmony’s been lying to Willow her whole life. Maybe that’s what’s jumbled up in her head. She tells him, that’s what Liesl said. Liesl said she should just ignore it. But what if someone is lying to her? Michael remembers asking Nina if she thinks Willow will understand. Drew saved her daughter’s life, and she got him sent to prison. He was beaten so badly, he almost died. Does she think Willow’s going to forgive her for that? Willow asks if he thinks she’s just nervous about how well things are going with Nina.

Doc says, even if Charlotte didn’t burn down Anna’s house, knowing what she has done, she’s clearly in crisis, and Laura says she knows. That’s why she’s so grateful Charlotte is seeing him. She’s going to see him on an ongoing basis? He says, that seems to be Valentin’s intention anyway, and she says, good. The house phone rings, and she says, it’s Valentin. She asks if everything is okay, and he says he was just checking in like he said he would. She says, of course (🍷). He did tell her that. Is Charlotte having a good time? He says, she is. She’s trick-or-treating with Danny and Jake and Georgie. Laura says she’s glad Charlotte’s spending time with them. It will be good for her to be with her friends right now. He says, she really needed this, and Laura says she knows. Please tell Charlotte that she loves her. She thanks him for checking in with her and tells him to have a good night.

Now dressed in a black hooded robe, Charlotte hears Jake calling her name. Jake asks Danny and Georgie how they lost her, and Georgie says, no clue. They call for her, and Danny says, come on. Not funny. They continue to search, and Charlotte puts the hood up, covering most of her face. I guess this is the Hermit?

Kristina asks if Molly and TJ have come up with any possible baby names, but Alexis thinks it’s too early to be talking about baby names. (Is she kidding? Girls probably start doing that in high school.) Molly says she and TJ said the same thing – Alexis says, good – except then they realized they were talking about the most mundane things not to talk about the baby all the time. Alexis says, it’s almost impossible not to obsess about the first baby. Molly says, now it’s all she can think about, and she goes over to the bookcase. Alexis asks if that’s what she thinks it is, and Molly says, a book of baby names. Alexis says, here we go, and tells Kristina, be nice. Kristina says she’s always nice… mostly, and Molly says, so they were both thinking Albert. I literally lol at Alexis’s face, and Kristina says, Albert? For a baby? She asks if Alexis likes Albert, and Alexis says she thinks Albert’s perfect. She thinks any baby name they come up with is perfect, because it’s their baby to name. Molly says she wasn’t even all that crazy about Albert, even though it’s a good name. Then they were thinking Ferris. Kristina says, as in Bueller… Bueller… Bueller… Molly and Alexis tell her, stop, and Molly says, maybe it’s a bad idea. Kristina says, what about girl’s names? And Molly says she was thinking something classic, like Athena, Kristina says, why not name her Madea? And Molly says, very funny. Alexis says, how about if we just look through this book together, quietly, and keep our opinions to ourselves? but Kristina says, they’re her daughters. It’s impossible to keep their opinions to themselves. Molly says, well said, sis, and Alexis says, touché. They open the book.

Carly says she bets Sam didn’t expect to help her take out the trash when she came to check on a friend, but Sam says she’ll scrub pots and pans if Carly needs her to. Carly says, she already did all that, but next time, and Sam says, perfect. Carly says she bets if she had told Sam all those years ago that they’d have a night like this… Sam says she bets she would have told Carly, not in a million years could they be civil to each other, and Carly says, they’ve come a long way. Sam says she’s glad, and Carly says, her too. If Rocco and Scout are on the same sugar rush as her kids used to get on Halloween night, Sam had better get home fast. Sam says she’s sure Dante has downed most of the candy by now, and Carly thanks Sam for coming to check on her. She didn’t realize how much she needed the distraction. Sam says, of course (🍷), and Carly can call her anytime. And don’t give up, because her mom never will. Carly says she knows and tells Sam, happy Halloween. Sam says, happy Halloween, and leaves.

Michael says, so things are going well with Willow and Nina? and Willow says, he was there tonight. Maybe it’s because now they’ve shared some positive experiences? He says he knows she had a good time at the wedding, and she says, they all did. Until Michael got distracted by that business call. He says, sorry about that, and she says, since the wedding, she and Nina can talk about Wiley and Amelia, even about taking that trip to Montreal. He asks if she wanted to go on that trip with Nina to Montreal, and she says, yes, she kind of did.

Laura tells Doc that she knows Charlotte. She couldn’t do something like this without having some kind of help. He asks if she thinks Charlotte had help from Victor, and she says, remember when Valentin got hurt? It was Victor who arranged for Charlotte to go to that private school in Europe. He had access to her there for over a year. Doc says, an impressionable year, and she says, yeah. Who knows what kind of lies he filled her head with? He asks if Charlotte didn’t say she hardly saw him, but Laura says, that is exactly what Victor would have told her to say. Victor hates Anna, so whatever Charlotte has done to hurt Anna is born out of Victor’s own hatred. Why else would Charlotte do something like that?

Anna goes into Robert’s office, and he asks what he needs to see. She opens the folder and asks if he recognizes any names there, and he says, Forsythe. She says, exactly. This memo is proof of a colossal screw up, and Forsythe was right in the middle of it. It should have killed his career. Robert says, but it didn’t, and she says, no, because someone buried it. He asks if this memo is the only proof she’s got, and she says, no. She was there – she takes a volume out of her bag – and she wrote it all down in her notebook. She knows for a fact he was there, and Forsythe has always known that she knew.

The kids continue to look for Charlotte, and Danny says, she’s ruining everything. Georgie wonders, where is she? and Jake says, she has to be around here somewhere. Georgie says, is that her? as Charlotte ducks around behind them, and Jake says, no. They saw that girl before and Charlotte doesn’t have pom poms. Danny says, she must have gotten ahead of them, and looking intently at someone, Jake tells them to go that way. He tells Georgie to text Charlotte, and he’ll go the other way.

Anna tells Robert that she thinks Forsythe either does something with intelligence or the defense industry. Either way, if this came out, it would ruin his career. He says, or worse, and she says, no wonder she’s being targeted. He knows for a fact she witnessed everything that happened. Somewhere in that trunk is a long form copy of the incident. She took it, just for insurance. He says, smart, but she says, what good is it doing her? No one could blame her if she took a copy of this to Alexis at The Invader, before Forsythe finds out she has any actual proof. He says, maybe he should take her home to her place, but she says she doesn’t need a babysitter. If anyone is watching her, everything should seem really normal. (Well, she did just dash to the DA’s office. I’m not sure how normal that is.) He tells her, be careful. They know the lengths Forsythe’s prepared to go to keep this quiet. Anna asks if he thinks that’s why Forsythe burned her house down, destroying any evidence she might have, and Robert says, could be. If he knows she has that trunk, he could come after her. She says, let him. At least now she’s not fighting shadows. She knows exactly what she’s up against.

Valentin looks at his watch, when Georgie and Danny arrive at the designated spot. He says, they’re back early. Where are Jake and Charlotte? Danny says, they couldn’t find Charlotte, and Valentin asks what he means. They were supposed to stick together. Danny says, they were, and Georgie says, when they stopped to check their candy, Charlotte just kind of disappeared. Danny says, Georgie tried texting her, and Georgie says, now Jake’s gone too.

Charlotte knocks on Anna’s door a couple of times and gets no answer. She looks around, smiling, then takes out the keys she spends so much time looking at, and lets herself in, closing the door behind her. She looks around using a flashlight. She checks out the safe, then sees the trunk. She kneels down and opens it, looking at the contents. She flashes back to reading Victor’s letter: Anna Devane is not who she seems. Do not trust her. She takes out a folder and looks at it.

Michael says he had no idea Willow really wanted to go on that trip. She says she knows it’s extravagant; Sonny wanting to take them to Montreal, just so Wiley can prove to James that his grandpa has a private jet. Michael says, his dad will go to extremes just to make sure his kids and grandkids are happy, and she says she can see that now. And she thinks Sonny would be disappointed if he couldn’t do it. And she’s never been to Montreal. Going there with Sonny, Nina, and the kids would give them another positive experience they could share. What does he think?

Molly, Kristina, and Alexis sit on the sofa, and Kristina says, this ice cream is really good. Molly says, Blaze has got great taste, and Kristina says, she sure does. Molly asks Alexis if there’s any update on Judge Kim. Kristina asks if that’s the judge who gave that ridiculous prison sentence to Drew, and Alexis says, it is. Right now, there’s no actual news. There are rumors flying around at the courthouse that he’s going to reconsider Drew’s sentence, but they’re just rumors. Kristina says, poor Scout, and Molly says she saw Scout the other day. She’s old enough to understand what prison means. She misses Drew so much. Alexis says, so does Carly, and Kristina says she can’t believe the judge wouldn’t take Drew’s family into consideration, or his military record. Molly says she thinks the judge wants to be seen as tough on everyone, no exceptions. Use it as a path to bigger things. Alexis says, so they hope for a miracle.

Carly goes in the back, and someone approaches the door. Drew walks in, and she says, is it really you? She runs to him and they kiss. She asks why he’s here, and he says, all he knows is, they said he was free to go, and he came straight here. She says, he couldn’t, but he says he did. He’s here. They’re together and he loves her so much. She says she loves him too, and they kiss again.

Alexis asks if Kristina drove, but Kristina says, on Halloween night? No way. Alexis says, good. She’ll drop Kristina off, and Kristina thanks her. Alexis says, next time, they add Sam to make everything complete, and the girls agree. They say their goodbyes, and Alexis and Kristina leave. In the hallway, Alexis says, that wasn’t the evening she expected. Kristina asks if she’s disappointed, and Alexis says she’s thrilled. Inside, Molly picks up the book of baby names and sits down with it. She says, Romulus… Atlas… Percio… Maybe she shouldn’t show this to TJ.

Michael says he just assumed… He thought Willow only went along with the Montreal trip for Wiley’s sake. He thought she’d be dreading it. She says she would have been, before. She might have even found an excuse not to go. He says, that changed since the wedding? and she says she guesses so. And the more time she spends with Nina when they’re with the whole family, the more she thinks they might actually be able to have a real relationship. Does that bother him? He takes her hand, and says, the only thing he cares about is that she and the kids are happy. He kisses her and says, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she stays happy, and no one will ever hurt her. Wow. Is she gonna be mad at him when this all comes out six years from now.

Laura tells Doc that Charlotte reminds her a lot of herself at that age. She had a chaotic childhood too, and thought she knew better than all of the adults around her. He says, every teenager thinks that, and she says, yes, but she didn’t think of herself as a teenager. She thought she was more mature than the kids around her, and maybe she was. Maybe Charlotte is too, but Laura threw herself into some really adult situations that she didn’t know how to deal with. But that didn’t stop her from trying. He says, and look how well things turned out for her, and she says, but she didn’t have a grandfather like Victor Cassadine whispering in her ear that she should hate someone. Victor has convinced Charlotte that she should hate Anna, that she should hurt Anna.

Valentin says, it’s going straight to voicemail. She’s turned her phone off. Georgie asks why she would do that, and he yells, I don’t know! Sorry. She says, that’s okay. He’s worried about Charlotte. On the phone, Danny leaves a message for Jake that he and Georgie are with Mr. Cassadine, and he’s really worried about Charlotte. Is he with her? Call him. Valentin asks, when was the last time someone saw Charlotte? and Danny says, before they went into the alley, like they said. Valentin says, and no one’s seen her since? and Danny says, Jake thought he saw her. Valentin says, he did? and Georgie says, but it wasn’t Charlotte. It was some kid dressed as the Hermit in the tarot cards. Valentin asks why he would assume that was Charlotte, and Georgie says, because that’s what Charlotte said she was going to dress up as that, but she changed her mind. (Popular costume, is it?) Valentin says, tell him exactly what this costume looked like.

Charlotte looks through the folders, and Anna comes to the door. Anna puts her key in the lock, and realizes it’s unlocked. Charlotte braces the flashlight in the trunk in way that Anna sees the light, and she backs away from the door. The flashlight goes out, and Charlotte gets up. She taps at it, trying to get it to go on again. Anna sets down her bag and takes her gun out of her waistband. She quietly opens the door and sees the back of the hooded figure. She says, freeze, and Charlotte turns, pointing the flashlight at Anna. Anna shoots, and Charlotte falls.

On Monday, Drew doesn’t know how he got released from Pentenville; Sam says, they can’t jump to the worst-case scenario; Laura didn’t see that coming at all; and Elizabeth wonders where her son is.

🪢 As the Door Revolves…

Today, the new Molly debuted. I had a hard enough time not mixing up Molly and Kristina, but now they really look alike. I get that they’re sisters, but give me a break. We also got a new Georgie and Danny. So far, I’m liking them both.

🎓 And the Diploma Goes To…

How cool that Tajh Bellow (TJ) graduated with him. Two GH generations.

🗽 From the Old Neighborhood…

Gloria is in the building.

🥀 At Peace…

You probably know by now.

There were so many tributes. He was much loved.

🎃 Soap Or Treat…

How the soap stars spent Halloween.

🎱 Time’s Up…

She just got more and more obnoxious as the years went on. Remember that seder she caused a scene at? Oy. Good riddance.

https://www.etonline.com/ramona-singer-is-no-longer-at-real-estate-job-amid-bravo-controversy-214111

⚖️ As Predicted…

And I’m sure more lawsuits to come. Brandi also thinks she’s still 20. Shhh… Don’t tell her.

https://people.com/butler-from-bravo-s-rhugt-files-lawsuit-alleging-sexual-assault-8364873

👠 Recaps Of the House And Wives…

This is one I only watch peripherally – i.e. while I’m concentrating on something else at the same time.

Ditto. Except for when Trixie Mattel was on. I’m not sure why Mary is still in the cast. She seems like someone dropped in from another planet, and that’s saying a lot.

I can’t stomach this, but if you can, go for it.

I thought maybe these two were sane, but it looks like they’re sliding into wishy-washy territory. Sam shouldn’t be surprised. There are only 30- to 40-year-old boys on this show.

https://www.bravotv.com/winter-house/style-living/winter-house-recap-kory-keefer-samantha-fehers-relationship-update

🛠 Speaking Of Miss Trixie…

She is a Queen of many talents.

https://ew.com/tv/trixie-mattel-drag-me-home-hgtv-series/

🦇 You Didn’t Think I Was Done…

If you think you’ve seen them all, you’re wrong. Keep scrolling or swiping. There are definitely some repeats, but even cuter the second time around.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/celebrity-pets-best-halloween-costumes-over-the-years/ss-AA1jb9C6

🪗 Quotes of the Week

Infinitely more important than sharing one’s material wealth is sharing the wealth of ourselves—our time and energy, our passion and commitment, and, above all, our love. – William E. Simon (But a little cash never hurts.)

If you don’t believe me, then google it. – Cesar Faison (Anders Hove), General Hospital

There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them. – Ray Bradbury

It is mental slavery to cling to things that have stopped serving their purpose in your life.Chinonye J. Chidolue

Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress: Working hard for something we love is called passion. – Simon Sinek

Success is built sequentially. It’s one thing at a time. – Gary W. Keller

Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. – Carl Jung

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. – Maya Angelou

The differences that separate human beings are nothing compared to the similarities that bond us together. – Sophie Grégoire Trudeau

What did Columbus discover? People were already here. It’s like crashing your car into Starbucks & saying you discovered coffee. – Jimmy Kimmel

Magic is believing in yourself. If you can make that happen, you can make anything happen. – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

🪶 Shaking A Tailfeather…

Stop in for a quick dose of Fear on Sunday. Until then, stay safe, stay remembering there’s another holiday between Halloween and Christmas/Hanukkah/whatever winter thing you celebrate, and stay knowing that sometimes it takes a hammer to iron things out, but it’s definitely worth it.

October 13, 2023 – The Wedding Is On, Thought, Back, Fitting, MIA, A Goodbye, Salty Talk, Postscript, Hard Times, Back To the 80s, Dead Stuff, Costumed Pets (!), Totally Ten Quotes & Monster

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Curtis lifts weights, when there’s a knock at the door. He wheels himself over to open it, and Stella asks if it’s a bad time. He says, not at all, if she doesn’t mind waiting for him to finish another set. She says, not at all, and comes in. She asks if somebody else is here, but he says, no, just him, picking up one of the weights. He asks if she thinks they shouldn’t have left him alone, and she asks if she said that. He says, no, and she says, he’s been on his own for a while now, and he’s doing just fine. He works with the weight, and says, she’s been tracking him, huh? She says she always has; she’s not going to change now. He’s working hard; very impressive. He says he’s just trying to keep it all together, and she says, he’s doing more than keeping it together. She’s very proud of him. He thanks her and says, all these exercises, in fact everything he does, is for Trina and Portia and Marshall. She says, how’s that? and he says, every morning there’s a part of him that doesn’t want to get out of bed. Then he thinks about his family. They need him, and he will not let them down. There’s a knock at the door, and Stella says she’ll get it. She opens it to Selina and says, what do you want?

TJ tells Portia he heard a rumor going around. The buzz is totally positive. She says she has no idea what he’s talking about, but he says, spill. She says she doesn’t want to talk about it yet. Not until she gets a chance to tell Curtis, and she wants to tell him in person. He’s going to be so hurt if he finds out everyone at GH knew before he did. She’s trying to sneak out of here so she can see him. TJ says, he’s going to be thrilled.

Josslyn knocks on the door at Windymere, and Giles answers. He asks if he can help her, and she says, he probably doesn’t remember her, but she’s Josslyn Jax, Avery’s older sister. He says, of course (🍷). What can he do for her? She says she’s looking for Ava. She never picked Avery up from the nanny last night. Giles invites her in.

A guard walks Cyrus to the visiting room, and Cyrus says, another visitor during off hours? He sees Laura, and she says, hello, Cyrus.

Austin sits at his desk and flashes back to him telling the judge that Cyrus is weak because of his heart attack, and no longer a physical threat to anybody. He says, yeah, weak like a great white shark is weak. He remembers telling Mason that he did what was asked and to let Ava go, and Mason saying, neither one of them call the shots. There’s a knock at the door, and Dex says, sorry to bother him, but has he seen Ava Jerome?

Puerto Rico. Here Comes the Bride plays as Nina walks to Sonny, and everyone looks all happy. The priest welcomes everyone and says, they’ve been blessed with a beautiful day to witness the joining in matrimony of Michael Sonny Corinthos and Nina Reeves. This is a joyful occasion, and a solemn one. Marriage as a traditional ceremony is an honorable one, not to be entered into lightly, but a pledge between two people to honor, support, and love one another for the rest of your lives. Is that the pledge they’re willing to make? Nina says, we are, and Sonny says, yeah, we are.

Selina says she’s here to see her friend, but Stella says, she doesn’t have any friends here. And no way she’s buying any with that gift basket. Stella looks at the bodyguard holding a basket of fruit behind Selina, and Curtis says, it’s okay. Selina’s a business associate. Stella says, uh-huh, and Selina walks in. (Oooh. The bodyguard has a bakery box too.) Selina says, his aunt is very protective. She admires that in a family. Stella excuses herself, and Curtis asks what Selina is doing here. She says, he’s been back home for a while now. She thought she’d give him some time to get accustomed to his new life. He says, that was considerate, and she says she hopes now he’s come to his senses and is ready to sell her The Savoy.

Cyrus says, what an unexpected and wonderful surprise. He didn’t know Laura was back from her trip. She says, they just got back, and he says, and she chose to come and see him. He’s touched. She says, he cut his hair, and shaved, and… He says, since he found his true calling, he didn’t find the need to hide behind appearances, and she says, he looks great. So tell her, how is he feeling? He says, their brother told her about his little medical problem, and she says she doesn’t know that she’d call a heart attack a little medical problem, and she’s glad Marty told her. He asks if Martin also told her that it was her aura that pulled him through in his darkest hour, but she says, it was Drew Cain who saved his life. He says, without the will to live, his CPR might not have been effective, but he is a good man. She says, he’s a very good man. That’s why it’s such a shame he’s in here with… Cyrus says, with men like me. He gets the feeling checking on his health isn’t the only reason she’s here. She says she heard about his application for early release, and he asks if she’s here as his sister or the mayor.

Giles says he’s also concerned about Miss Jerome’s whereabouts, and Josslyn says, so she hasn’t been here? He says, she was home when he left. That was night before last. She didn’t mention any plans to be away, but when he came to work yesterday, she wasn’t here. She never came home. Josslyn says, so no maid or no housekeeper has seen her, and he says, no one on the staff has seen or heard from her, but he did find a broken martini glass on the floor here. He points near the fireplace, and says, it could have been an accident. Perhaps she’s staying with her friend Miss Reeves? Josslyn says, no. Nina’s in Puerto Rico getting married. He says, Dr. Gatlin-Holt’s been a frequent guest recently. He was under the impression the doctor and Miss Jerome might be close.

Austin says, recently, no, he hasn’t seen Ava, and Dex asks if he remembers the last time he saw or heard from her. Austen says, two or three days ago. Why is Dex asking him this? Dex says, she hasn’t been to her art gallery, and no one has seen or heard from her, and Austin says, Dex works for Sonny Corinthos; is he right about that? Dex says, yeah, and Austin says, a couple of days ago, Ava mentioned she was thinking of maybe taking a trip to New York. She said there was an artist she was interested in signing. Dex says, that could be very helpful, and thanks Austin for his time. Austin says, no problem, and as he walks past Dex, Dex punches him in the stomach and gets him in a headlock. As Austin struggles to breathe, Dex says, Sonny has a daughter with Ava Jerome, so he cares about her. If he finds out Austin has something to do with her disappearance, he’ll be back, and he won’t be asking questions. He lets Austin go and walks out.

In the hallway, Dex’s phone rings, and Josslyn tells him that she thinks she might have found something.

The priest says, it’s his understanding Sonny and Nina have elected to say their own vows, and Nina hands her bouquet to Willow. Sonny says he guesses Nina wants him to go, and she says, yeah. They join hands, and Sonny says he spent all morning writing his vows. They’re in his pocket, but when he looked in Nina’s eyes, he felt like he didn’t need to write his vows because he can always speak from his heart to her. He thanks her for trusting and loving him, and for seeing the better man in him than he ever saw in himself. He appreciates her kindness and her strength and her willingness to fight for their love, even though everybody was against them. When they doubted they should be together, they did everything they could to get through it, and here they are. He’s convinced more now that they belong together, because of how he feels right now in the moment. How he always does; she makes him secure. He knows she loves him and he loves her that much more, and he always will.

Selina asks Curtis to just hear her out. She’ll keep the entire staff at The Savoy – Stella walks back in – and the entire name of the club will remain. He and his entire family will have VIP memberships for life, and she’ll increase her original offer to twice what he paid for the club. He says, that’s an extremely generous offer, and she says she agrees. So what does he say? He thinks a moment and asks why she’s determined to buy his club. Why doesn’t she start her own and find a location that’s half the price? Stella says, good question.

Cyrus says, in case Laura is wondering, he has no idea how the judge is going to rule. He hasn’t heard anything yet. Now that she’s back, will she oppose his release? She says, he looks as strong and healthy as the day he got in here, but that said, she’s not a doctor. And as the mayor, she doesn’t interfere with judicial decisions. He says he supposes putting in a good word for her brother is out of the question, and she says, yes. He asks if Marty also told her that he gave away all of his money.

Dex arrives at Windymere, and Giles lets him in. Josslyn introduces Giles, and says, Giles told her that Ava hasn’t been home since night before last, and nobody on the staff has seen or heard from her. Dex says, she told him that she found something, and she says, this cellphone and this lollypop. The cellphone was under the coffee table, and the lollypop was just kind of sticking out of the couch. And Giles found a broken martini glass on the floor. Giles says, Miss Avery must have dropped the lollypop last time she was here, but Josslyn says, this isn’t Avery’s. Dex asks how she knows, and she says, because it’s grape and Avery hates grape. So somebody else had to have been here. And Ava would have never left her cellphone in case Avery needed to get in touch with her. Dex says he saw cameras everywhere as he walked up to the house. There have to be more, right? Giles says, yes, and Dex says he needs to see the footage from the minute Giles left Ava.

Nina says, to be honest, she never imagined she’d be here right now with Sonny. It’s actually the last thing she ever expected or wanted, and she fought it for a very long time. She kept telling herself that they would never work, and as she kept saying that, her heart kept falling deeper and deeper in love with him. And she couldn’t fight her heart anymore, could she? Or him. His charm, his humor, his compassion, his courage, his loyalty… his dance moves. What more could a person ask for in someone they love? Then she saw him parent his children, who he fiercely loves, and how he’s willing to fight for them, for their protection. She’s always wanted that family, since she was a little girl. Her daughter is now a part of her life – she looks at Willow – and the two of them are part of his family. He’s given her so much. He’s given her a family. And she wants to give him something. She’s going to surround him with love for his entire life; she promises him that. And they can leave all their mistakes behind them. She’ll walk with him, hand in hand, right beside him, loving him, for the rest of his life.

Selina tells Curtis that she doesn’t have the time or the inclination to open a new club. It’s too much work and she has a busy schedule. The Savoy is already established; that’s why she’ll be paying him top dollar for it. Stella asks if he heard how Selina made it sound like it’s a done deal, when Portia walks in. Selina tells her, good afternoon, and Stella says, she got here just in time. Miss Wu brought them a basket filled with treats. Why doesn’t Portia have a seat and she’ll make them some tea so they can all get to know each other better. She asks what kind of tea Selina would like, and Selina says, that’s kind of her, but she has another appointment. Stella says, that’s just too bad. Maybe another time then. She opens the front door, and Selina nods to her bodyguard. She tells Curtis that she’ll be in touch, and he thanks her for the basket. I want to know what’s in the bakery box. Selina leaves with the guard, and Stella closes the door, putting her back against it, and says, amen.

Dex looks at a tablet, and Giles says, he can see the front entrance is well-covered by several cameras. Dex says, there Giles is, leaving. This is the night before last. Ava was alone when he left? Giles says, yes. Feel free to examine the rest of the footage. He must check on a delivery. Please help Miss Jerome. He leaves, and Dex points at the tablet, saying, there. Someone’s coming in. Josslyn says she sees him, but she can’t see his face; he’s wearing a hood. They keep watching, and Dex says, they’re at about twenty minutes later. Josslyn says, there’s Ava. She’s with him, but Josslyn can’t tell if her hands are tied or if she’s just walking super close to him. Dex suggests they check the dock camera around that time… They didn’t use the launch. Josslyn says, he would still have to go back to Port Charles, no? and Dex says, right there. He has his own boat. That’s what they left on. If he and Josslyn want to see where they came ashore, they need to see the harbor security cameras and the traffic cameras from that time. They can’t do that without going to the cops. Josslyn says, there’s another way.

Josslyn knocks at an apartment door, and a voice asks, who knocks? She looks up at a camera and says, Spinelli, it’s Josslyn. You’re watching us through the security camera. Spinelli opens the door and says, greetings, clever girl. What brings them to his door?

Austin gives TJ a folder and says, the prognosis was very impressive. He coughs and drinks some water, and TJ asks if he’s all right. Austin says he’s fine. He went to a concert last night and he was very enthusiastic. TJ asks, who was the band? when Mason walks in. He says he’s sorry. His cousin here wanted to see him.

Cyrus tells Laura that he’s seen so much suffering in here, he thought his money could do more good trying to help these poor souls. She says, Marty did mention to her that he’d given some of his money to a recidivism organization, but he says, not some of his money, every dime. He says, she doesn’t believe that, and she says she guesses they’ll see, won’t they, if he’s granted his early release. He says, how little faith she has in her brother. They were ill-gotten gains. He’s come to realize and appreciate that. She says she hopes so, and he says, she doesn’t seem to doubt the generosity of her friend Sonny Corinthos when he gives away his dirty money. He’s not wrong.

The priest says, Sonny and Nina’s vows were so clearly from the heart. Now please repeat after him. They say the traditional vows; in sickness and health, forsaking all others until death do us part. The rings are exchanged, and the priest says, in the presence of God and these witnesses, they’re now husband and wife. What God has joined, let no one put asunder. He thinks they know what happens next. They laugh and Donna says, you’re supposed to kiss. They do, and everyone smiles.

Portia asks what that was about, and Stella says, that woman was trying… Curtis says, Selina came to talk business, but what is Portia doing here in the middle of the day? She says she wanted to tell him something in person, but she wanted it to be official. Stella says, for what to be official? and Portia says she’s been named Co-Chief of Staff at General Hospital. Curtis says, congratulations, and she says, it’s going to be a lot more administrative work and a lot of emails, but… Stella says, Portia knows she can handle all of that, and Curtis says, she’ll be great. Portia says, and it’s going to be a little extra money. Stella says, as it should be for all that extra work, and Curtis says, they’ll be very lucky to have her. He couldn’t be more proud of his intelligent, accomplished, and very gorgeous wife. She kisses him and says, thank you.

Dex tells Spinelli that they couldn’t download the video from the system at Windymere, so all they have is the footage he had access to. Josslyn says, they also found Ava’s cellphone at Windymere, but she doesn’t know how to get in. Can he break in? He says, he can, but it will take time Ava doesn’t have, and Dex says, let’s get back to what we’ve got. The butler departed the house at 10:57 that night. At 11:18, an unidentified figure, likely male, entered the house. There’s no footage from the interior, so we don’t know what happened inside, but at 11:59, the hooded figure left by the front door with Ava. They were close together. He appears to be leading her, and from her posture, it’s likely her hands were tied. They arrived at the docks at 12:03 am and left in a single engine outboard. That’s what we have. Spinelli says, well done, and Josslyn says, what they really need to know is where they docked the boat in Port Charles. Does he think he can get access to the harbor security and traffic cameras?

Austin tells TJ that the apologizes. His cousin is unaware of hospital protocol. Mason could have just interrupted a consultation with a patient. Mason says he’s sorry. He’s just a truck driver and doesn’t know anything about hospital protocols. So he hopes TJ can forgive him. TJ says, no problem. They’re finished. He thanks Austin and is about to leave, when he says, so Mason is a truck driver? and Mason says, used to be. Now he kind of does a little bit of everything. TJ says, it was good to see him again, Mason says, him too, and TJ leaves. He pauses for a moment outside the door, then walks on. Mason tells Austin, do not get high and mighty with him about manners. Austin said he needed to see him right away, so what’s going on? Austin says, Sonny Corinthos knows.

Laura says, Sonny has nothing to do with the way she views Cyrus, but he says he’s well-aware of that. He and Sonny were in the same kind of business for years, and he ever thought much about Sonny. But then he’d see Sonny treated with such reverence, an honored member of the Port Charles community with a respected family when he’s no better than Cyrus is. Again he’s not wrong.

Kristina congratulates Nina and welcomes her to the family, hugging her. Donna goes over to Sonny and says, her turn. He says, come here, girl. Give me a hug. He wants her to know something. Daddy always loves her. She knows that, right? She says she loves him, and they hug again. These two are too cute together. Donna asks Nina if she can call her Mama Nina now, and Nina says she would love nothing more. She hugs Donna.

Willow tells Sonny, congratulations, and hugs him. He says, her mother is the best thing that ever happened to him. He just wants her to know that she means everything to Nina. Willow smiles at him, and tells Nina, congratulations. Nina thanks her, and says, it means so much that she’s here. Willow hugs her, and I feel sick thinking about this all falling apart. Michael hugs Sonny and tells Nina, congratulations. Welcome to the family. He kisses her on the cheek.  

Stella says, this is definitely cause for a celebration, and Portia agrees. Stella says she’s taking the two of them out for dinner tonight to celebrate. Marshall and Trina too. Portia says, they can actually have dinner in here tonight, have some champagne. It’ll be a little bit more relaxing, right? Curtis says, no. Auntie’s right. This is a big deal and they should celebrate it, right? Stella tells him, you said it, baby.

Laura tells Cyrus that she supposes she and Sonny have the sort of friendship that surprises some people, but she had no idea it upset him that much. He says he’s sorry. He’s not upset at Sonny. He supposes he just envies Sonny’s life, and how Sonny seems to have a closer relationship with his sister than he does. She says she’s known Sonny for a very long time, and he says, he knows it’s unlikely, but if he does get his release, perhaps he and Laura can build a bond that’s even stronger than the one she has with Sonny. She kind of shrugs and smiles, and the guard says, time’s up. Cyrus says, wish me luck, and she tells him, good luck. He laughs and pats her hand. He thanks her so much for coming. He hopes to see her again very soon. He leaves with the guard.

Just for the record, I’m aware they spell the prison Pentonville on the show, but I think Pentenville looks more like penitentiary, so, artistic license. Like with Windymere.

Dex says, there. That was the boat. Josslyn is surprised he can see it, and Spinelli says, keen powers of observation. Here they are. Dex says, Pier 17, and Spinelli, the abductor, if that’s what he is, chose his spot well. See what’s around the pier? It’s all warehouses. They’d be deserted at that hour, so even if Ava were to call for help, he doesn’t think she’d be heard. Josslyn says, wait. He took off his hood. Dex asks if Spinelli can tighten it, and Spinelli says, yes, of course (🍷), but the cameras are not high res; it might be grainy. Dex says he knows that guy. That’s Austin Gatlin-Holt’s cousin… Mason.

Austin says, one of Sonny’s guys was here asking about Ava, and Mason says, so? Austin says, what does he mean, so? No one’s heard from her in a couple of days. Mason says, because she’s locked in a basement somewhere. Who cares? Austin says he cares. He cares very much. Mason says, that’s sweet. His cousin is in love. Austin says he’s not joking around here. Don’t you hurt her. Mason says, Austin knows better than to threaten him, and Austin asks if it isn’t enough that Ava spent all this time thinking she killed Nikolas, and Nikolas is alive and well. He’s fine; he’s in Europe. Mason says he didn’t tell the guy to take off. He and Cyrus were the ones who kept him alive in the first place. Austin says, Nikolas is Cyrus’s nephew, and Mason says, forgive him. Cyrus has never struck him as the sentimental type about family, but Austin says, maybe they’re wrong about that. Mason needs to convince Cyrus to leave Ava alone. If that guy comes back for him… Mason says, put him off, but Austin says, no. He thought he already had. He punched Austin in the gut and grabbed him in a chokehold. He said, if anything happens to Ava, he’s coming back for Austin. Mason says, looks like you’ve got a problem, cuz.

Sonny and Nina, and Michael and Willow slow dance, while Kristina dances with the kids. Michael’s phone dings, and he says he has to take this real quick. He’ll be back. Willow calls Wiley over to dance with her, and Sonny asks if he can dance with his little girl. Donna says, yeah, and much cuteness happens. Willow suggests Wiley ask his grandmother to dance, and Wiley asks Nina if she wants to dance. She says, does she? Yeah. They dance as much as you can dance with a three-foot height difference. On the side, Michael says he’s at a family function. He can’t talk long. So, they have the name of the person who turned Drew Cain in to the SEC?

We don’t see his face, but a man tells Michael, the SEC was contacted by a lawyer named Martin Grey, acting on behalf of a client. Michael says, Grey was just a go-between. He needs the name of the person who pointed the SEC to his mom and Drew… He turns around and looks at Nina having a grand old time with Wiley. Ugh. I mean, I get it. She did wrong, but I still feel badly about it since it all finally came together, and everyone is so happy.

Curtis reaches for his water, and Portia tries to help, but he says he’s got it. Doesn’t she have to go back to the hospital, Co-Chief of Staff? She laughs and says she does actually, and he says he’s going to take a shower and he’ll see her tonight. She says she can’t wait, and he wheels himself out of the room. Stella suggests Portia take the basket over to the hospital for the nurses to enjoy, and Portia says, okay. When she gets closer, Stella lowers her voice and says, Portia doesn’t have to do everything. She just got a wonderful well-deserved job and she’ll be making more money. Portia says, right, and The Savoy is making money, and Stella says, but Curtis isn’t there. In his mind, he’s not making a dime. Curtis needs her, he needs all of them, to live out their lives as normally as possible and not walk on eggshells around him. He can go out the restaurant and have a fine time. Portia says she was just thinking he’ll be more comfortable here, that’s all, but Stella says, if something is making Curtis uncomfortable, he’s a grown man and he can tell them himself. Believe her. She knows Curtis and he will. Portia says, okay, and thanks her. They hug, and Stella hands Portia the basket. Portia asks if she’s sure, and Stella says, absolutely. They don’t want nothing that woman has to offer, but she will be keeping the baked goods. Portia takes the basket and leaves.

Josslyn asks if Dex is sure that’s the same guy, and Dex says, positive. Maybe Mason has ties to someone working against Sonny; he’s not sure who yet. Josslyn asks how he can tell from this picture, and Dex says, when he was following Mason, he always had a lollypop in his mouth. Josslyn says, that would explain the grape lollypop at Ava’s, and Spinelli says, here we go. The vehicle that Ava and Mason got in is registered to a Pautuck Trucking Company, Pautuck, New York. Dex says he’s going to need a list of all the employees employed by the trucking company and their addresses, as well as any properties owned or leased by the trucking company. He tells Josslyn, that’s where they’ll find Ava.

Austin says, Mason’s right. He has a problem. Because for some reason, Cyrus hates Sonny Corinthos. Can Mason please explain that to him, because he doesn’t understand. Isn’t there enough to go around for everybody? There’s plenty there. At least there used to be. Mason says he doesn’t get it either. Honestly, he thinks the whole thing started when the boss found out Mayor Collins was his sister. Austin asks, what’s that got to do with anything? and Mason says he doesn’t know. He’s just telling Austin, that’s when Cyrus started mentioning Sonny more and more. He would rant on and on about Corinthos and the life he had. Austin says, what life? They both have the same life. They’re mob bosses. Mason says, he called Sonny respectable. It’s almost as if it’s something he wanted for himself and doesn’t have. Austin says, so his life is in danger because Cyrus is jealous of Sonny Corinthos, but Mason says he thinks it goes deeper than that. Austin says, if that guy comes back, Sonny’s guy, he’s going to spill his guts. And they’re next move is to come after Mason, and then Mason will be as dead as him. Mason tells him, don’t do anything stupid. Austin’s only protection from Sonny is the boss, so just do as he’s told. Let the boss handle Sonny. He leaves.

Wiley and Donna chant, cake, cake, cake, and pound on the table. Sonny and Nina get ready to cut the cake, and Michael watches from the sidelines.

The guard says, this is it, opening the door, and Cyrus goes out into the sunshine wearing civilian clothes. He takes an envelope of the possessions he came with from the guard, and the guard says, he knows his way out. Cyrus says he certainly does, and tosses the envelope into a trashcan on his way to the gate.

Sonny and Nina cut the cake, and Sonny feeds Nina a piece. Michael watches.

Before going through the gate, Cyrus takes a deep breath and smiles.

Sonny and Nina wipe icing off of Donna and Wiley’s faces. Michael glares at Nina. This is bad.

The prison gate opens, and Cyrus walks out. He turns to look back at the prison.

Sonny and Nina kiss and drink champagne. Michael glares some more.

Cyrus gets in a car, and it drives away.

On Monday, Cody wonders if Sasha is going to walk away from her life after just getting it back; Willow says, Michael never told her who he was talking to; and Kristina asks what someone is doing here.

💭 A thought: Interesting that Nina and Cyrus have parallel goals of wanting a family and are both going about it all wrong.

🩺 The Doctor Was Out…

This is embarrassing. He’s my absolute favorite soap actor and I didn’t even realize he’d been gone for so long. Well, nice to have him back.

🧳In Sonny’s Defense…

The punishment fit the crime; being exiled to Bridgeport. And one of the funniest interactions ever, starting with her opening the door to give Sam the boot and him standing there.

🕵🏾 The Latest in Waldos…

It’s time to put him back on the canvas. Taggert is definitely underused.

🥀 Ringing Down the Curtain…

He had a wonderful run.

🗽 Her Face Is Irrelevant…

Doubtful she was joking considering her ego. Tribecca does not need her endorsement.

🧂 Four Teaspoons Of Salt…

This week in RHOSLC.

The slam.

The non-clap back.

To be filed under don’t care.

https://people.com/jen-shah-husband-sharrieff-shah-sends-50th-birthday-well-wishes-prison-exclusive-8303004

🍊 Orange You Done Yet…?

Fancy Pants Heather’s hint.

https://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-orange-county/style-living/rhoc-season-17-reunion-recap-heather-dubrows-new-house

It was pretty bold for one just released from banishment.

Apparently not too bold though, since the status quo stays the same.

💎 Possible Final Word…

So, they’re separated, but not divorcing, and it’s no one’s fault.

👠 Those 80s Ladies…

Normally, this wouldn’t be my type of film, but I do like an 80s flashback.

https://ew.com/tv/ladies-of-the-80s-lifetime-movie-first-look-photos/

https://people.com/ladies-of-the-80s-a-divas-christmas-lifetime-first-look-photos-8305219

⚰️ News Of the Departed…

Reddest herring in the world.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-daryl-dixon-melissa-mcbride-season-2/

It makes sense since Jadis was a huge part of the Rick story.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-the-ones-who-live-adds-terry-o-quinn-pollyanna-mcintosh-teaser-photos/

There better be some good explanation of why Victor went from antihero to antichrist.

https://bleedingcool.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-season-8-scene-madison-victor-reunite-kinda/

Dead at the con.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/new-york-comic-con-2023-recap-the-walking-dead-universe-rick-michonne-daryl-dixon-carol-fear/#1

🐩 Best In Costume…

I could look at this stuff all day.

https://www.thelist.com/646383/the-best-celebrity-pet-halloween-costumes-ever/

https://www.hola.com/us/lifestyle/20211022325485/celebrity-halloween-costumes-pets-roundup-gallery-1/

📣 Quotes of the Week

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. – Bertrand Russell

If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content. – Leo Tolstoy

I could not tread these perilous paths in safety, if I did not keep a saving sense of humor. – Horatio Nelson

Compassion for animals is intimately connected with goodness of character; and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man. – Schopenhauer

Maturity is achieved when a person accepts life as full of tension. – Joshua L. Liebman

Our experiences don’t define us. It’s what we’ve learned from them that matters. – Monkey D. Garp (Vincent Regan), One Piece

A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave. – Mahatma Gandhi,

Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence. – Henry David Thoreau

Few things will make you feel better than a job brilliantly done. – Robin S. Sharma

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping. – Gertrude Stein

🪄 Putting a Spell On You…

Visit again on Monday really Tuesday for soap and what’s happening in the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay never blowing out a Jack O’Lantern before midnight on Halloween, and stay being aware of hospital protocol before you barge into a doctor’s office.

October 10, 2023 – Took Me a Minute, About Lois, Celebration, Sobering, Sharing, In NYC, Daryl’s Week, Reunion Talk, VanderDogs, AKC’s Finest & Watching

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

There was no GH today because maybe, kinda, sorta we might have breaking news. I thought I was losing my mind when I put it on, and Carly and Josslyn were talking about Trina getting back into PCU. I thought, wasn’t she just making a big deal about a paper for class? Then the lightbulb came on…

🎧 History Brush Up…

It’s been a while since Lois was in town.

How the stars aligned for her return.

🎉 Not Quite Italian…

Not quite Benard either.

☕️ Una Amiga Sobrio…

Not to be discouraging, but I think part of it is the company you keep. We’ll see how this goes with her palling around with Vicki and Tamra.

🍹 Watch What’s Not Charming…

For someone who wasn’t upset, he sure seemed upset. And his cheating is nuanced? What does that even mean?

🗽 Living the Dream…

What happened on RHONY this week.

⚰️ This Week In Daryl…

This is such a great show. It’s everything The Walking Dead should have been and Fear tried to be.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-recap-episode-5-deux-amours/

The surprise guest… sort of.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-daryl-dixon-carol-cameo-melissa-mcbride/

I don’t know about this theory. I figured she was talking about Rick and it was more of a set-up for The Ones Who Live.

https://screenrant.com/daryl-dixon-carol-cameo-walking-dead-season-12-setup/

👢 Could Happen…

People laugh at me, but I loved their music and they put on a great show. Back in the day, their concert was one of the few things I ever watched using pay-per-view.

https://extratv.com/2023/10/03/geri-halliwell-talks-spice-girls-reunion-and-reacts-to-mel-b-message-exclusive/

🐶 Pros and Controversies…

That whole thing with Dorit still annoys me. Knowing how rescue works, Dorit was in the wrong. Period. And the constant chatter about it wasn’t coming from Her Majesty. If anyone could single-handedly end the dog meat trade, it would be LVP.

👻 A Whole Lotta Treat…

These are some of the cutest costumes I’ve ever seen.

☎️ Hanging Up If the 90s Calls…

Take a break tomorrow for some soap (I think) and what I hope is the end of OC season. Until then, stay safe, stay not raining on anyone’s Halloween parade, and stay not hanging out with Vicki and Tamra if you want to curb your drinking.

September 29, 2023 – Nina Spills To Sonny, NuMolly, Hope, Revealing, Backtrack, Levi Rock, RHOP 8, Early Drama, Fakes, Her Stance, VanderWhiner, A Huid Ye, Last One, Newsworthy Pets, Tenner Of Quotes & When

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

New York City. Trina and Spencer are seated outside at an upscale restaurant, and Trina says, that was amazing. The set, the costumes, the music. She felt like she was actually at the Moulin Rouge, Didn’t he love it? He says he did, although he did have a little bit of trouble paying attention, because there was a pretty girl next to him who he kept stealing glances at. She says she’s definitely not as exciting as the Can-Can, but he says he disagrees. She says she’s not sure Toulouse-Lautrec would agree, and he says, it made him happy to see her so happy. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She says, how could she be anything but happy? She’s in the city with the most incredible guy. He says, who’s incredibly hungry, and she says she’s starving.

Nina lies in bed sleeping, surrounded by papers, when Sonny comes in. She says, hello, handsome, and he says he didn’t mean to wake her. She says, no apologies necessary. She loves waking up to him.

Drew dreams about the attack and wakes up with a start. Willow is sitting next to his bed, and she says, bad dream? He says, this kind of dream is his reality.

There’s a knock at the gatehouse door, and Michael opens it to Carly. He asks what she’s doing here at this hour, and she says she needs his help. She saw Willow at GH; she’s with Drew. He says he stayed behind with the kids. How is Drew doing? She says, he made it through surgery. He’s lucky to be alive. They almost beat him to death. Michael says, he shouldn’t even be in Pentenville. He doesn’t know what that judge was thinking. She says she does. Judge Kim used Drew to advance his career, and she needs Michael to help her prove it.

Finn asks where Elizabeth has been all night. It’s the first time he’s seeing her. She says, it’s been so busy. She’s been assisting in surgery for the past three hours. Why is he here so late? He says he couldn’t leave without saying hi to her.

Ava comes into Windymere, and butler Giles takes her umbrella. She asks, why is it only raining on this godforsaken island? Not a single drop anywhere else. Giles says, Spoon Island is in microclimate, and she thanks him for the science lesson. (Personally, I’d like to hear more on that, since I think I live in one too.) She says she’s obviously not meant to be dry today, so in keeping with the wet theme, she’s going to take a long, hot bath. He says, no, she won’t, calling her madam, and she tells him, stop it with the madam and tell her why she can’t take a bath. He says he’s sorry, but the hot water heater isn’t working due to intermittent power outages on the island from the storm. She says, like the microclimate, and he says, precisely. She says, please tell her the vodka and olive situation hasn’t been affected by the storm, and he says, not to his knowledge. She says, hot dog. Then fix her a martini. She’s going to get out of these wet clothes. He asks how she’d like her martini, and she says, dry, very dry.

Geneva, Switzerland. Laura and Doc walk into an office, and a man says, welcome, Miss Spencer. She shakes his hand and says, actually, it’s Collins now, and introduces Doc. The man says, Hans Mueller. Pleased to meet you. He and Doc shake hands, and he tells them to have a seat. Hans says he’s known Doc’s lovely wife for years, and Laura wonders how long they’ve been doing business, then says, don’t answer that. She doesn’t think she wants to hear that number, but Hans has been a friend of the family for a long time. Hans asks what he can do for her, and she says, he can help her find her son.

Elizabeth says she’s not buying it. There has to be another reason Finn is still here. His shift ended hours ago. He says he’s insulted. Okay, maybe he’s waiting around for some lab results, but seeing her is incentive for sticking around. She says, he won’t be seeing her around here at night anymore. The kids are done with camp and she’s switching back to days. He says he likes seeing her any way he can, but he has to admit these nights have been kind of special. She says she wouldn’t exactly call a 12-hour shift special, and he says, seeing her has been kind of nice, and their talks on the roof. She says, when he stole her spot, and he says he thought they cleared this up. She’s the interloper. She says she doesn’t think she’s ever been described that way, and he says, if the shoe fits. She says, whoever gets there first, okay? and he says, it sounds like a challenge. She laughs and says she should go. Goodnight, Dr. Finn. He says, goodnight, Nurse Baldwin.

Sonny asks how things went with Charlotte. He’s sure she was excited spending the night at Nina’s place. Nina says, she was, but things are difficult for her right now. She’s been acting out. He says, she’s what? Fourteen? Nina says, it’s hard for her to believe this, but she’s fifteen, and he says, acting out comes with the territory at that age. You’ve got to have patience. She says she is, but when she and Valentin were together, she was Charlotte’s stepmother for a while, and even though they’re not together now, she still thinks of Charlotte as family. He says, family is very important. It’s the most important thing. She says, since they’re on the subject of family, they need to talk about his.

Drew says, not that he doesn’t appreciate the company, but what is Willow doing here? She says, she and Michael heard about the attack. They were so worried about him, she had to come and see him, so Michael stayed home with the kids. He says, that’s very sweet, but she didn’t have to come, and she says, it’s the least she could do. He literally saved her life. If he hadn’t rescued Liesl, she wouldn’t have gotten the bone marrow transplant, and she wouldn’t be here. A visit from her certainly can’t compare, but she wanted him to know she’s thinking about him. He thanks her, and she asks if there’s anything he wants or needs to talk about? He says, no… Well, there is one thing he needs to know and it’s pretty important. She says, anything, and he says he needs to know how Wiley’s T-ball team is doing.

Laura tells Hans that her son has been missing for months now, and she’s afraid something’s happened. Hans says, he hasn’t contacted her at all? and she says, no. And he left behind two sons. One of them is just a baby, and she doesn’t believe he’d just abandon them. So she’s afraid maybe he’s being held against his will. She and Doc have been searching for him for weeks now, but they haven’t come up with any leads. Doc says, they’ve been to the Cassadine properties in Russia and Greece, but there’s no sign of him, and Hans says he’s happy to help in any way he can, but what makes them think Nikolas is in Geneva? Laura says, because his money is here.

Ava thanks Giles for making the fire. She knows it’s a bit early, but it was so damp. She feels better already, and she’ll feel even better when she gets that martini. She turns around to take the martini from Giles as there’s a clap of thunder, startling her. The martini sloshes onto her, and Giles says he’s so sorry. Let him get her a napkin. She says, no, no. It’s quite all right. She told him she wasn’t meant to be dry tonight. He hands her a manila envelope, saying, this came from the real estate agency. She thanks him, and he says he’s off this evening, but there’s plenty of food in the kitchen. She says she’ll be having a liquid dinner. Thanks so much, and get home safely. He leaves, and she sits on the sofa. She opens the envelope and takes out pictures of a house interior. She says she can’t wait to get off this island.

Trina says, what a beautiful night, and thanks Spencer. He says, no need to thank him. All he did was place a few phone calls; to the hotel, to the restaurant, and then the concierge. It’s not a big deal. She says, everything has been wonderful, but she wasn’t talking about the reservations. She knows how hard it is for him to get away. He has to deal with Esme and be there for Ace, and she wants him to know how grateful she is that he made time for them. He says, I love us, and she says, me too. And she loves him, so very much. I’m not sure why. He’s really good looking, but he talks too fast and too loud, and he’s still an entitled snob.

Carly tells Michael that she can’t believe it. This is all her fault. He says, it isn’t, but she says, it is too. She’s the one who insisted on investing in Aurora. She’s the one who took a chance and put all her money into that stock. That’s what led to the insider trading charge. Michael says, she had no idea that was going to happen. Someone is to blame, but it’s not her. Whoever called the SEC, they’re to blame. She asks if he still thinks it was Ned, but he says, there’s no way to know. Now Ned thinks he’s Eddie Maine and they may never know, but he’s working on it. She asks what he means, and he says he may have a lead on the whistleblower, but it’s not going to get Drew out of prison any sooner. He’ll tell her about that later, but right now they have to focus on getting Drew home. She says she spoke to Diane, and she thinks their best strategy is to put pressure on the judge; either get him to reduce or commute Drew’s sentence. He asks how they do that, and she says she has some information on the judge and she’s going to use it.

Willow shows Drew her phone, and says, these days, all the kids get a trophy. Wiley didn’t understand it at first, since they lost every game. He said he thought only winners get trophies, so she told him, everyone is a winner at T-ball. Drew says, has he maybe tried soccer? but she says, young Mr. Corinthos wouldn’t even consider it. She’s afraid Wiley takes after his dad. He is so stubborn. He’ll argue about it no matter how many times he strikes out. Nina came by last week, and she can’t believe how committed their slugger is. He says, wow. That must mean she and Nina are getting along. She says, it’s going better than she ever imagined. Nina’s respecting boundaries. She always calls to see if it’s okay to come over. She’s great with the kids. Wiley loves his grandmother. He lights up when he sees her. He says he’s so happy that things are going better. That’s great. How is Michael doing with all this? Has his opinion of Nina changed? She tells him, like she said, Michael’s stubborn.

Sonny asks if something happened between Nina and Michael, but she says, no. It’s not Michael, it’s… Gladys. He says, what’d she do now? and Nina says, she’s in serious debt. She owes a lot of money to Selina Wu. He says, that’s somebody you don’t want to mess with. How did Nina find out? She says, Gladys came to her. Gladys asked her for money. She wanted Nina to bail her out because she was too afraid to approach Sonny. Sonny says, let him guess how she got into this hole – gambling. Nina says, she lost a lot of money. Apparently, she’s been playing for months. He says, dammit, getting out of bed. What the hell is wrong with Gladys? Didn’t she see what gambling did to Mike? It pretty much destroyed his life. What was she thinking? Nina says, that’s the point; she wasn’t thinking. And she hates to tell him this, but it gets worse. Before Gladys came to her, she found another way to get the money. He says, how? and she says, Gladys was stealing money from Sasha.

Thunder rumbles as Ava raises her glass and says, here’s to the end of the Windymere era. Good riddance to this place and everything that happened here. She sips her martini, and flashes back to the argument she and Nikolas had that ended with her cracking him over the head and thinking he was dead.

Doc tells Hans, we have a saying in the US; follow the money. That’s what led them here. Laura asks if there’s anything Hans can tell them, and he says, Nikolas indeed has a substantial amount of money with them, but it’s separate from the Cassadine estate. Nikolas has several separate accounts. A large amount was sent to him by his Uncle Victor. His condolence on Victor’s death. Both Doc and Laura are like, no, and Doc asks if there’s been any recent activity in Nikolas’s accounts. Hans says, as a matter of fact, there’s been quite a bit. There have been several withdrawals. Laura asks if Hans has seen him, and Hans says, no, but he’ll print out the records for them. Laura thanks him, and Hans leaves. Doc says, this could mean Nikolas is alive, and Laura says she hopes so.

Spencer says he can’t believe it, and she says, that she’s in love with him? He’d better believe it. He says, no. That it took her so long to say it. He was just professing his love to her back in the hotel room and she didn’t say anything back, so he just assumed… She says, that she didn’t feel the same way? and he says he didn’t know. Why didn’t she say anything then? She says she learned a thing or two from Aunt Stella. She said, good things come to those who wait. He says he would have waited an eternity for her to say those words and he’s so glad she did. He doesn’t know if she’s noticed, but he’s not the most patient person in the world. She says, him? What is he thinking about? He says, that he’s the luckiest guy in the world, and takes her hand. He says he’s loved her for so very long. Since the day he met her. She says, that was a long time ago, wasn’t it? They’ve certainly been through a lot since then. We go down Spencer and Trina Memory Lane, but not too far, since it was another actress then, and there’s a song part. He says, the best is yet to come, and kisses her hand.

Sonny says, so Nina is telling him that Gladys is stealing from her daughter-in-law? and Nina says, yeah. Gladys has been syphoning money from Sasha’s bank account for months, until she drained it. And she was desperate because she still owed Selina Wu a lot of money. Then when Sasha came to Gladys and said she wanted to end the conservatorship, she panicked. Gladys doesn’t want anyone to know what she’s doing. He says, Sasha came to him months ago and said she felt stronger and didn’t need a guardian. Gladys told him that she was against ending the guardianship. Is Nina telling him that Gladys tried to make sure this didn’t happen? She takes his hand and says, Gladys did a lot more than just that.

Drew tells Willow that he gets where Michael is coming from. Everyone knows how Carly feels about Nina. But he keeps getting reminded, not only is life short, but it’s so fragile. They shouldn’t waste their time arguing with people and holding grudges. It just takes too much energy. Willow says she knows. After losing her mother, she realized how important family is. Harmony was never really her family, but the Quartermaines are. She feels so blessed to be a part of them. They’re so generous and loving… He says, and crazy, and stubborn, and combative. She says she knows, but she wouldn’t trade their money them for anything. He says, neither would he.

Elizabeth scrubs at her scrubs in the locker room, and sees Finn’s ID hanging from a locker. She looks over to see him in the shower. Since the doors are wide open. She leaves her ID on the table, and walks into the shower stall with him.

It continues to storm on Spoon Island. Ava turns around, and jumps, dropping her martini.

Hans comes back, and says, here are the current records for Mr. Cassadine’s accounts, handing them to Laura. She says, thank you so much. She looks through a folder and says, wow. There are quite a few withdrawals, aren’t there? Doc says, and these dates line up. They started just a few months ago. She says, right after Nikolas went missing, and Hans says, his colleagues tell him the withdrawals were made in person by Mr. Cassadine. As she can see, there’s a recent transfer for a substantial amount. He’ll leave her with these records. He has to attend to another matter. She says, he’s been so helpful. She can’t thank him enough. He says, always a pleasure, and says, nice meeting Doc. Doc says, they really appreciate this, and they shake hands. Hans says, of course (🍷), and leaves. Laura says, he’s alive. Her son is alive. Thank God. She and Doc hug, and he says, this might lead them to him.

The waiter asks if Trina and Spencer would like to see the dessert menu, and Spencer looks to Trina, but she says, no thank you. They have to get going. He says he’ll take the check, and the waiter leaves. As much as I’m not keen on Spencer, I’m glad Trina is looking forward to her first time with him. Usually, there’s all this angst surrounding that, so it’s nice to see the flip side.

Elizabeth goes to Finn, and they kiss. She asks what he’s thinking, and he says he doesn’t want to think anymore. I’m thinking, why is she still wearing her scrubs? They start getting busy.

Nina tells Sonny, Sasha needed to get out of Ferncliff now. She needed to get away from this so-called doctor that was taking care of her. And the only way to do that was to pay this guy off. Sonny says, son of a bitch, and Nina says, a lot of stuff happened, but the bottom line is, Cody Bell broke Sasha out of Ferncliff. He says, Dante’s friend? and she says, yeah. Somehow, he got into Ferncliff, and he took her with him. Gladys said that Cody kidnapped her, but she doesn’t believe that. He says he’s sorry that Gladys put her in this position, but she says, no. She’s sorry she didn’t tell him earlier; she was trying to fix it herself. Anyway, he doesn’t need to apologize. He says, Gladys is family, but he’s put up with this way too long. That’s on him. Gladys will be dealt with. He probably doesn’t know who to go after first, Selina, Gladys, or the so-called doctor.

Drew thanks Willow for coming to see him, and she leaves. In the hallway, a woman turns around and Willow sees it’s Harmony.

Carly tells Michael, Diane said this judge is hoping to get a seat on the Circuit Court, and it’s really important because it’s a steppingstone to the Supreme Court. (The stuff I learn from this show.) He asks what that has to do with Drew’s sentence, and she says, he was hoping to look good. He could have given Drew a harsher sentence because he wanted to look good to the Justice Department. She doesn’t know. It’s all speculation, and it’s going to be really tough to prove actual misconduct. He says, what if they don’t have to prove it? What if the appearance of misconduct is enough? She asks what he means, and she says, let’s say we get the story out to the press. Maybe Drew’s case would gain some traction. She says, they could get Alexis to run a piece in The Invader, and that will put pressure on the judge, but he says, they have to tread lightly though, because Alexis is a former attorney and she’s scrupulous. Alexis won’t run a hit piece on Judge Kim just because Carly asks her to. Carly says, Alexis won’t do it for her, but there’s someone else she’d do it for.

Ava asks what the hell Mason is doing here. Did Giles let him in? He says, the guy in the penguin suit? He’s long gone. She asks what he wants, and he says, it depends. What is she offering? She says, nothing. She said her piece yesterday, so get out of here. He walks closer, and she says she told him, get out of here. She’ll call the cops. He says, go for it. We’ll be long gone before the cops can get here. She says, we? and he says, yeah.

Spencer opens the hotel room door, and Trina sees red rose petals on the bed. She says, Spencer… and goes to him, kissing him. They get busy, and there’s a song part. Another minority I’m in is, no rose petals on the bed please. Wouldn’t they stick to you?

Nina says, Sonny can’t do anything tonight. He can deal with this tomorrow. The only thing that matters is planning their wedding. He says, no. Actually, the only thing that matters is getting married.

Willow asks what Harmony is doing here, and Harmony says she came looking for Willow. Willow asks, why? and Harmony says she came to warn Willow. Willow says, about what? and Harmony’s lips move, but we can’t hear the words. Willow wakes up on one of the couches in the waiting area at the hospital.

Trina and Spencer bask in the afterglow, and he says he has no words for her. She says, wow, and they kiss.

Doc asks if Laura sees anything, and she says she’s looking for a pattern; a clue as to where Nikolas might be now. But it’s this one very large withdrawal. Does Doc think he opened another account so he could maybe hide what he’s doing or where he is? He says, maybe, but they’re not going to figure anything out right now. He suggests they take these back to the hotel for champagne. This is information worth celebrating. She says, it is, and hugs him. She says her son is alive and they’re celebrating. And their search was not in vain. Again, if Nikolas wanted to let her know he was alive, he could have just picked up the phone instead of making her trot halfway around the globe.

Ava says she’s not going anywhere with Mason, and reaches for a fireplace poker. He says he wouldn’t do that if he were her, and she tells him, stay away from her. He says, she ratted them out. She wasn’t smart.

Elizabeth approaches the reception desk and asks if Amy has checked on the patient in 1002. Amy says she did and he’s fine. Elizabeth looks tired. Does she want Amy to get her a coffee? Nothing like a little caffeine to get you through the night shift. Elizabeth says she’ll never sleep tonight if she has one of those. Finn comes out, and Amy says, here are the labs he’s been waiting for, and asks why they both have wet hair.

Spencer tells Trina, you know when I’m happiest? When I’m with you. He means it. They kiss some more.

Someone walks into Hans’s office, and he says he assumes they’re here for more money. Nikolas closes the door and says, yes. He needs to make another withdrawal. Hans says, he just missed his mother, and Nikolas says, did he? Hans says, she was just here with her husband. They’re looking for him. His mother is a very gracious woman. She loves him and his disappearance has given her a large amount of pain. Be a good son and do the right thing. Nikolas says he plans to.

We see the living room at Windymere is empty.

Carly asks why Drew isn’t sleeping. He should be resting. He says he got some sleep. Then Willow came to visit and he’s sure he’s going to nod off again, so he’s good. She should go home. She should be with the girls. She says, Josslyn’s with them; they’re fine. She’s not going to stay long. She just needed to be with him, even if it’s just to watch him sleep. She loves him. She’s so sorry this happened to him. He tells her not to worry. Everything’s going to be okay. She says, he’s damn right, because she’s going to make sure.

Michael asks if Drew’s okay, and Willow says she thinks so. It looks like Drew will recover. The surgery went well. They had a good visit. She’s really glad she saw him. He asks her, what’s wrong? but she says, it’s nothing. He says, if she’s not feeling well, she has to tell him. She says, it’s not that. After she left Drew’s room, she sat in the lounge for a bit and nodded off. He says, she’s pushing herself too hard. She should have waited before going back to work. She says she guesses she was a bit more tired than she realized, but that’s not what’s bothering her. She had the strangest dream about her mother. He says, Nina? but she says, no, Harmony. But it was only a dream.

Nina tells Sonny that she doesn’t care about the dress and the flowers and the – she flips through some of the papers on the bed – cake. It doesn’t matter. He says, it seems like it matters to her because she’s doing a lot of planning, and she says she has, but it’s also insignificant right now. With everything that’s happened these last few months; with Sasha being committed, and Curtis getting shot. She feels really guilty about planning a big wedding because a lot of people that they love are suffering. He says he’s got an idea, and she says, what? He says, why don’t they elope? He’s serious. All they care about is to say their vows and become husband and wife. She even said she didn’t want to deal with this right now. She says, but Sonny… and he says, the planning’s going to be out of control. Olivia is going to keep coming to her with more options, and do they really care what icing is on the cake? (Well… yeah.) She says she doesn’t know, and he says, we will fly to the island tomorrow. We will get married. What does she say? She tells him that she says yes! throwing all the papers in the air.

On Monday, Sonny says, that’s exactly what he wanted him to do; Laura says she’s not giving up her search; Valentin tells Martin that Charlotte’s future depends on their conversation today; and Sasha says she plans to do just that.

👩🏻‍⚖️ Newest Of the New Mollys…

I didn’t even know how old they were supposed to be, and who cares anyway?

🚑 It’s a Match…

Weird how it’s sort of art imitating life.

💎 Fancy Pants POV…

Like we didn’t think she’d come back.

🧂 A Little Salt…

Zero sympathy about the ring, and she acted like a child because she’s an adult? What does that even mean?

🗽 New York Casual…

I love their Reunion pic. They’ve dressed like themselves; not like they’re having a quinceañera. One article said fans were angry about the jeans. What’s wrong with people?

🪙 Trailing the Potomac…

What’s to come for the Grande Dame and company.

https://www.essence.com/entertainment/rhop-season-8-trailer/

👠 What Happens In Jersey…

Jackie gives a tease.

When will Andy learn? When the lawsuit finally comes knocking?

🎪 Faux Housewives Of Bravo…

Kind of ironic, considering she looks nothing like she did when she was first on the show.

🍹 Dance Card Officially Filled…

She could use a break, but she should really let that Austen thing go.

🗑 Filed Under Who Cares…

What a big egotistical baby this guy is.

🎭 Farewell Old Friend…

I was sad to hear about his death. Although I’m glad they remembered he was in VR5. Blink and you missed it, but it was a great show and it started Michael Easton’s career. I knew he was going places.

https://people.com/ncis-star-david-mccallum-dead-7974574

https://people.com/david-mccallum-dead-ncis-costars-more-pay-tribute-7974806

https://people.com/david-mccallum-dead-ncis-costars-more-pay-tribute-7974806

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a45338401/david-mccallum-ncis-death-mark-harmon-tribute-statement/

📀 End Of an Era…

I’d keep that last one and sell it later on eBay.

https://www.today.com/popculture/news/netflix-stop-shipping-dvds-rcna80319

🐾 Paws In the Forefront…

If not at a Paw Patrol screening, then where else would they break records?

https://people.com/paw-patrol-the-mighty-movie-breaks-record-for-most-dogs-attending-film-screening-7974680

Adorable to the nth degree, especially in that tiny hat.

https://people.com/meet-wisp-the-persian-kitten-tiktok-is-in-love-with-8286012

🦆 Quotes Of the Week

No great discovery was ever made without a bold guess. – Sir Isaac Newton

The greatest deception [humans] suffer is from their own opinions. – Leonardo da Vinci

If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try. – Seth Godin

It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up. – Babe Ruth

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. – Mahatma Gandhi

We can’t be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don’t have something better. – C Joybell C

Action is the foundational key to all success. – Pablo Picasso

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear. –Mark Twain

They’re not on the same page. They’re not even in the same book. – Jamal Menzies, Pillow Talk: 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days

Crying and throwing a tantrum isn’t going to be a solution to the problem. – Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, My 600-LB Life

🛶 Building an Ark…

Stop in again on Monday really Tuesday for soap and what’s going on in the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay making requests instead of demands, and stay not wasting your time arguing with people and holding grudges. It takes too much energy, and life is short.

September 26, 2023 – Dead But Not Forgotten In Port Charles, Not Michael, Girl Power, Strike Deal, Salty Talk, New York Hour, Daryl This Week, Bowl Announcement & Crazy

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Elizabeth calls for an update on Drew and tells Carly, the doctor is here. He’s the best, and they’re going to start operating right away. Finn asks Jake if he’s okay and suggests Jake come with him.

Charlotte says she loves their new place, and Valentin says he’s glad. She says she could tell Nina knew about it already, and he says he told Nina this morning, so she could keep Charlotte distracted while he made it perfect. Charlotte says, she didn’t know until this morning? She thought Nina helped him decorate, but he says, no, it was somebody else. She says she knows it wasn’t Anna and laughs.

Dante looks on a tablet at the message left for Anna on the mirror, and Chase asks if he thinks it’s the same person who burned down Anna’s house. Dante says he doesn’t know. They broke into the suite, left a message on the mirror, and put ink on Anna’s clothes. It doesn’t seem like the same thing. Chase says, but the missing footage at the MetroCourt implies a sophisticated perp, when Cody walks into the station, saying, here he is. He surrenders.

Sam finds Sasha outside the cabin and asks if she’s getting some fresh air. Sasha says, the leaves are starting to turn; it’s beautiful. Sam agrees, and Sasha says she’s always loved being outdoors. Cody does too. Sam says, it’s pretty hard to ride horses inside, and Sasha asks, what if this doesn’t work? Cody might never be free again.

Sonny walks into the chapel and sees Anna. She says, they run into each other in the strangest places, and he says, that’s true. She says, maybe they both need to be here right now, and he asks if she remembers asking him if he thought it was worth it, the life he chose. She says, yeah, and he says he’s beginning to wonder. She says, he’s having doubts, huh? When she asked him before, he said he didn’t have any regrets. He says, before he came in here, he was leaving the hospital and he saw Curtis. Curtis is in a wheelchair because of him. Anna tears up and says she’s struggling with that too, but she doesn’t think Sonny can blame himself. He says, she even told him that she thought the bullet was meant for him, and now an innocent man is in a wheelchair and Drew is upstairs fighting for his life because of him.

Carly tells Elizabeth that the doctor explained to her what the surgery was about, but she still didn’t get it. Can Elizabeth go over it with her more? Elizabeth says, the piece of Drew’s rib that broke is lodged near a main artery and needs to come out as soon as possible. Carly says, or it will kill him, right? She wonders where the hell Austin is, when Ava comes out of the elevator. Ava asks Nina if she knows why Carly wanted her here, and Nina says, Drew was beaten up in Pentenville and he’s having emergency surgery to save his life. Did Ava tell Carly that she’s the one who put him there?

Sam tells Sasha to keep the faith. Dante’s not going to let anything happen to Cody. Sasha says, but it’s not entirely up to Dante, is it? and Sam says, not entirely, but… Sasha says, Cody is an escaped mental patient. He’s wanted for kidnapping her and assaulting Dr. Montague; even though Montague was drugging her and trying to kill her. Sam says, they’re going to prove that, and Sasha asks, how? Sam says, they have the evidence of the drugs from Montague’s own pocket, and they’ll prove he was conspiring with someone else. Sasha says, her own mother-in-law, and Sam says she’s so sorry, but Gladys will pay. The first step is establishing a legal record. Sasha says, and that’s why Cody had to turn himself in, and Sam says, exactly.

Chase asks, where the hell is Sasha? and Cody says he’s here to turn himself in. Chase says he asked where she is, dammit. He swears, if Cody hurt her… Cody asks if Chase really thinks he would, and Chase says, then tell him where she is. Cody says, all he’s telling Chase right now is that he’s here to give himself up, and Dante says, Chase heard what Mr. Bell said. Chase asks if somebody wants to tell him what’s going on, and Dante says he thinks Chase should book the suspect. Chase says he will. They’re going to do this completely legal, then Cody is going to go back to answering questions. Cody says, and he’ll get the same answer. He’s here to turn himself in. Chase cuffs Cody, and says, he has the right to remain silent. Cody says he loves that part, and Chase finishes giving him his rights. He asks if Cody understands them, and Cody says, sure do. He exchanges a look with Dante.

Valentin wonders why Charlotte would say she knows Anna didn’t help decorate, and Charlotte says, it’s not her style. It’s beautiful. Did he do it himself? He says, no. His decorator Jen helped him. Charlotte says, she did an amazing job. It’s more comfortable than Windymere ever was. He says he’s glad she likes it so much, and she says, when her friends came to Windymere, she could tell they thought it was creepy. He says, they can come here now. She can bring her friend Jake. She says, Jake? and he says, she told him that she was with Jake last night before she came to the MetroCourt. She says she was. She showed him all the pictures of them together. He says, it looked like she was having a good time. Is he a nice kid? She wonders if she can see her new room, and he asks if she wants him to go with her, but she says, no. She wants to see it for the first time by herself if that’s okay. He says, it’s down the hall, second door to the left, and she runs off. He flashes back to telling Nina that he doesn’t want Charlotte near Anna. He doesn’t want her out of his sight.

Anna says, Drew was beaten that badly? and Sonny says, Carly told him that Drew hasn’t regained consciousness since the fight. She says, that’s not good (like he doesn’t know that). It’s Pentenville. Prisoners are going to start fights for a myriad of reasons. He says he asked Drew to get him information, and she says, he agreed? Sonny says, he never should have asked him. He thought Drew was going to be discreet and he’d be safe. She says, he can’t be sure of that, but he says, yes, he can, because he ordered it. He let it be known Drew was under his protection in Pentenville. She says, someone defied his order.

Finn brings Jake to his office and asks if he’s okay. Jakes says he needs to know what’s happening with Drew, and Finn says, okay. Does he want to take a seat? Jake shakes his head, and Finn says, these things take time, so he’ll make some calls and find out what’s going on with Jake’s uncle. Jake leans against the credenza, and Finn picks up the phone.

Carly walks over to Ava, and Ava says she’s so sorry to hear about Drew. Carly says, is she? and Ava says, of course (🍷). She doesn’t know exactly what happened… Carly says she can tell Ava exactly what happened. Drew was set up, beaten, almost to death, and now he’s in surgery and he might not make it. Ava says, oh no, and Carly says, Ava’s not really surprised, is she? Ava says, what? and Carly says, cut the act. She knows exactly what Ava did.

Chase brings Cody into the squad room and tells Dante that he has Cody booked. What does Dante want him to do? Dante says, Chase could question him. Does Cody want a lawyer? Cody says, no. It wouldn’t do any good. Dante says, that’s not a positive outlook to have, and gets up. He suggests they all go into the interrogation room. Chase asks if Dante wants him to sit in, but Dante says he’s got this. Chase says he has no doubt, and closes the door as Dante uncuffs Cody.

Gladys runs into the station and tells the desk sergeant that she’s Gladys Corbin. She’s Sasha Gilmore’s guardian. She got a call saying they have her kidnapper in custody. Where’s her daughter-in-law? Chase watches her from across the room.

Sasha says she doesn’t understand why Cody is risking so much just to protect her, and Sam says, maybe he thinks she’s worth it. Sasha says, based on what? They’ve had a few nice conversations. She thinks he’s a nice guy. They were becoming friends, then she started so strange. Then she stabbed him at the MetroCourt pool. Sam says she saw Cody that night at the hospital, and they both agreed Sasha had no idea what was going on. Sasha says, those pills Dr. Montague gave her… Sam says, they made her delusional, and Sasha says she was so sure she saw Cyrus Renault when she stabbed Cody. Sam says, our minds can play terrible tricks on us when someone screws around with them. Cody knows that’s what happened with her. Sasha says, still, he’s putting everything on the line for her. What kind of person does that?

Finn says he appreciates the update, and tells Jake that Drew is still in surgery. But he knows the surgeon doing the operation and he’s excellent. Jake’s uncle couldn’t be in better hands. Jake says, what happened out there when Finn first came in… Finn says, what? He’s worried about his uncle, right? Jake says, yeah, but he shouldn’t have cried, and Finn says he doesn’t know about that. Not so long ago, he got some news about someone he really cares about, someone he loves, and does Jake know what happened? Jake says, what? and Finn says he cried. Man, he cried. He doesn’t think there’s any shame in that. Jake really loves his uncle, right? Jake says, yeah. He just needs him to be okay.

Sonny says, this would not have happened five years ago, and Anna asks what he means. He says, no one would have defied his orders back then. She says, something like that is happening to her too. She thinks things are impacting her more than they used to. He says, things like someone burning down her house? and she says she still can’t believe that happened. He says he feels like things are just out of control, and he used to feel like he could keep things under control. If she knows what he means. She says she does, and asks what he’s going to do. What do they do? Throw in the towel? He says, never, and she says she didn’t think so.

Ava says she doesn’t know what Carly’s talking about, and Carly says she’s a liar. Nina says, this isn’t the time or the place, and Carly tells her, you back off. This does not concern her. She can’t believe she was stupid enough to trust Ava. Ava says, trust her with what? What did she do? Carly says she told Ava that Drew was going to ask around Pentenville to find out who Ava’s boyfriend Austin was visiting when he was there. Did she call him right away? Ava says, no, and Carly says, did she meet up with him? Did they plan the hit on Drew together? Ava says, no. She had nothing to do with this. Carly says she doesn’t believe her, because she’s the only other person who knew about this. And how convenient that Austin isn’t working today. Drew could have been killed. Dammit. He shouldn’t even be in Pentenville. Ava says she’s not the one who put him there, and Carly asks what the hell that’s supposed to mean.

Finding Valentin on the patio, Charlotte says she loves her room, and Valentin says he knew she’d like it. She asks how the decorator knew everything she’d like, and he says, they looked at a lot of photographs and she asked a lot of questions. She says, it’s like she picked everything out herself. There are even new riding clothes in her closet. He says he wanted her first ride on Butterscotch to be perfect. If she looks down there, the bridle path comes along up here. She can ride right up to the door. She says, he’s thought of everything, and he says, she told him before that she doesn’t think this is Anna’s style, and she says, it’s not like her house. He says, she doesn’t think Anna is going to like it? and she asks, why? Is Anna going to move in here too? He says he doesn’t know. Maybe. She needs a place to live since her house burned down.

Sonny says he’ll find out who did this to Drew, and Anna says she’s sure he will. He says, it’s funny how life works. He didn’t know she was in here. She says, nor I, you, and he says, if she hadn’t been… She says she had the feeling he’d have come to the same conclusion. He’s not ready to turn the page. He helped her realize she’s not either. He says he guesses they keep fighting, and she says, they keep fighting. He needs to go see Carly. She’s so scared for the man she loves. She needs his support. He says he’ll go check on Drew and hopefully, she’s there. If she’s not… Anna says she’ll light a candle for Drew, he thanks her, and leaves.

Finn asks how Jake found out what happened to his uncle, and Jake says he was already here at the hospital talking to his mom. He saw Carly and wanted to ask her about visiting his Uncle Drew. Finn says, in Pentenville, and Jakes says, his mom told him that he could go, but then Drew got put in solitary before he could. Elizabeth is about to walk in, but waits, and Jake says, and now… Finn says, for what it’s worth (🍷), Jake can always talk to him, and Jake says, it feels like everyone he likes leaves. His dad died, Franco died, Cam went away to college, Finn left, and now… He sighs, and Finn says he knows it hurts. He’s still here and he’s not going anywhere.

Sam tells Sasha that she’s been trying to figure out who Cody is ever since he came to Port Charles last year. Sasha says, Cody and Dante are good friends, and Sam says, yes, but they haven’t really seen or spoken to each other since they were teenagers. And it turns out Cody has a questionable past, so she wasn’t really sure if she could trust him or not. Sasha says, but now she does? and Sam says she does. But who is she to judge anyway? She has a pretty colorful past herself. Sasha says, so does she.

Chase says, Gladys’s daughter-in-law isn’t here, and Gladys says she knows that. Where did they take her? GH or back to Ferncliff? He says, they apprehended Cody Bell, and she says, and he kidnapped her. If he doesn’t have her, where is she? Dante cracks open the door and gestures to Cody. Chase says, they’re trying to figure that out, and Gladys says, let her see him. She wants to see Cody right now.

Nina says she doesn’t know why Carly is blaming Ava for this, and Carly says, because she’s the only one who could have made this happen. Drew’s too smart to be sloppy and someone targeted him. And now Ava is trying to tell her that this is all her fault? Ava says, what? No. Carly says, Ava just said she’s not the one who put Drew in Pentenville. And Ava’s right; she is. Fine. She gets it, but how could Ava do this? Sonny comes out of the elevator and calls to Carly. Carly asks what Austin has on Ava, and Sonny asks what Carly is doing.

Sasha says she knows Cody isn’t the only one taking a risk for her, and Sam says, Dante’s not someone to sit on the sidelines when he knows someone’s in trouble. Sasha says, Sam’s taking a risk too, but Sam says she doesn’t see it that way. She thinks they’re all just trying to do the right thing. Sasha asks if that’s why Sam fell in love with Dante; he does the right thing. Sam says, it’s one of the reasons, and Sasha says she thinks they’re a good match. Sam agrees and thanks her. Sam’s phone dings, and she looks at Sasha.

Chase says, Cody’s being interrogated at the moment, and Gladys says, by his friend Detective Falconari? He says, that’s none of her concern, but she says, don’t think she doesn’t know what’s going on here. They’re protecting a dangerous man like Cody Bell, when who knows what trouble her poor daughter-in-law is in. He says, they’re doing everything they can to find her, and she says, apparently, it’s not enough. Sasha is in a very fragile state. He says, they know that, and she says she wants to talk to the Commissioner right now, but Chase says, the Commissioner isn’t in. She says, then she’ll wait. Cody kidnapped Sasha. he put her life in grave danger. He has to pay.

Dante closes the door, and Cody asks if he heard that lunatic. He put Sasha’s life in danger? Dante says, stay calm, but Cody says, it’s a little hard to stay calm with that performance Gladys is putting on out there. Dante says, that was a pretty good performance. He almost believes that she’s worried about Sasha. Cody says, the only thing Gladys is worried about right now is the truth coming out.

Chase asks if he can get Gladys coffee, but she says, no. Her phone rings, and it says, unknown. She answers, and a woman asks if this is Gladys Corbin. Gladys says, yes, and we see it’s Sam putting on a fake voice. She says, this is Mrs. Margis from Port Charles Savings & Loan. She’s calling about the accounts of Sasha Gilmore.

Elizabeth goes into Finn’s office and asks if Jake is all right. Jake says he is, and asks if Drew is out of surgery, but she says, not yet. She’ll be notified the minute it’s finished. Jake says, so they just sit around and do nothing? but Elizabeth says, not necessarily.

Carly tells Sonny, Ava did it. She was stupid enough to tell Ava what Drew was doing. She told Austin or his cousin Mason, and that’s why Drew was attacked. And that’s why he might not make it. Sonny tells Carly that she’s wrong, and Ava says she swears she didn’t say anything to anybody. Sonny says, she didn’t, and he knows for a fact she didn’t. Carly says she doesn’t know what to think anymore and heads for the waiting area. Following her, Sonny says, she has to focus on Drew. That’s all that matters. He’s strong; he’s going to get through this. She says she doesn’t know.

Anna lights a candle in the chapel, and she flashes back to telling Dante about the papers Valentin had from Pikeman, and Dante asking if she thinks Valentin could be working for Pikeman again. She wonders what else she doesn’t know about Valentin.

Valentin asks if Charlotte knows why he asked her to stay with Sam, Dante, and her brother Rocco, and she says, because he’s afraid she won’t be safe at Anna’s. He says, she’s right. He would have never forgiven himself if she’d been there the night of the fire. She says she was at camp, and he says he knows. Just so she knows, he’s made special precautions to make sure they’re safe here. His phone rings, and he says, it’s her Uncle Marty. He goes to the other room to take the call, and she flashes back to reading the letter that came with the tarot cards. She reads: Anna Devane is not who she says. Do not trust her. Valentin comes back in and says, Charlotte?

Cody says he can’t wait to get on the witness stand and testify against Gladys. She is going to prison for what she did to Sasha. Dante tells him, hold the phone. Right now, Cody is the one in custody and being charged with kidnapping and assault. Gladys isn’t in custody, and she isn’t facing charges right now. Cody says, but she will be as soon as Dante explains to the judge… Dante says he’s not explaining anything unless and until they have proof that Gladys and Montague were working together to hurt Sasha. If they don’t get that… Cody says he could be the one in prison.

Gladys says she’s sorry. She doesn’t understand why they’re calling her. Sam (as Mrs. Margis) says, she is Miss Gilmore’s guardian, is she not? and Gladys says, yes, but Sasha’s been kidnapped and she’s a nervous wreck about it. Sam says she’s sorry to hear that, but this is official business, and Gladys is listed as the responsible party for all of the accounts of Miss Gilmore. Gladys says, as her guardian, she only paid Sasha’s bills and provided money when Sasha needed or asked for it. And the medical bills. Sam says, none of that is of their concern. She’s just calling to advise Gladys, they’ve received a subpoena from the DA’s office. Gladys asks, for what? and Sam says, the banking records for all Miss Gilmore’s accounts. Gladys asks if those accounts aren’t private and confidential, and Sam says, under normal circumstances, yes, but if the DA has cause and a subpoena is issued, they have no choice but to turn over those records, and those records will be turned over today. Thank you. And goodbye, Miss Corbin. Sam crosses her fingers on both hands.

Charlotte says she hopes Uncle Martin comes to visit them, and Valentin says, it’s certainly possible. He’s been here before. Martin helped him find the place. She says, maybe someday mom will wake up and visit them too, and he says, she misses her mom a lot doesn’t she? Charlotte says, everyone acts like she’s gone, but she’s not. Charlotte likes talking to her. She feels like her mom can hear her. He says, maybe she can. What kind of things do they talk about? She says, everything. She’d love their house. He asks how she’d feel if Anna moved in with them, and she says, whatever would make him happy. But she needs to know. He says, she needs to know? and she says, if Anna moving in would make him happy. She needs to know for the reading. He says, what reading? and she takes the tarot cards out of her backpack. She says, the cards, and shows him the box. He flashes back to being with Charlotte in the Bistro, and her saying, the only thing that stays the same is things changing. He remembers showing Anna that MURDERER is painted on her door, and the fire. He flashes back to him and Anna discovering the trashed suite; then watching the security footage with Nina and finding out Charlotte was the one who broke in.

Anna leaves the chapel as Finn, Elizabeth, and Jake come by. Finn asks Jake and Elizabeth to go ahead; he’ll catch up with them. Jake and Elizabeth go into the chapel, and Finn asks if Anna is okay. She says, yeah. She heard about Drew. How is he? He says he hasn’t heard anything yet. Elizabeth thought Jake might find some comfort in being here. She says, poor kid. He’s been through so much and he’s so young. Finn asks, what about her? What brings her by? She says she had a phlebotomy treatment and there’s a lot of stuff going on in her head. He asks if it’s a good place for her to clear her head, and she says, always is. He says, she’s been through a lot. He called her a few times and left a message after the fire. She thanks him and says, that was very thoughtful. He says he thought maybe she’d give him a call and let him know she was okay, and she says she should have. There’s been a lot going on. She’s sorry. He says, it’s okay. He knows. She has a lot of people who are there for her, but don’t ever forget he’s her friend too.

In the chapel, Jake says he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do, but Elizabeth says, he doesn’t have to do anything. If he wants, he can light a candle for Drew. He lights one, and she sits down. He joins her and asks if they pray now. She says, they can, and they should think their most positive thoughts to bring Drew through this to recovery.

Sonny asks if he can get Carly anything, and she says, Ava’s right. Drew’s in that prison because of her. He tells her, stop it, but she says, it’s true. He never committed insider trading; she did. He pled guilty so she wouldn’t be tried. He tells her, listen to him, but she asks if she can’t just be alone, please, and he goes over to Nina and Ava. Nina says she’s glad he showed up when he did, and Ava says, her too. Carly was on quite a rampage. He says, that’s the way Carly gets when she lashes out. Something happens. Nina says, Carly needs to know that sometimes there are no answers.

 A doctor comes out and tells Carly that the surgeon wanted him to speak to her. Ava, Nina, and Sonny watch as he talks to her. He leaves, and Carly sits down again, her head in her hands. Sonny walks over, and Nina says, oh my God.

Nina and Ava join Sonny and Carly, and Sonny says, Drew made it through surgery. He’s going to be okay. Nina says, thank God, and Carly says, the surgery was a success. They expect him to make a full recovery. Ava says, that’s such a relief. She’s so happy for Carly and she’s sorry Carly had to go through this. Carly says she’s sorry she attacked Ava. She shouldn’t have done that. Ava says, it’s okay. If she were in Carly’s shoes, she would have felt the same thing. But the truth is, she thinks Drew’s a good man. He helped save Trina’s life in Greenland, and what he did for Willow… They all owe him. Carly says, they do, and asks to talk to Sonny alone.

Elizabeth’s phone dings, and she tells Jake, Drew’s okay. He’s going to make a full recovery. They hug.

Looking at his phone, Finn says, Drew’s surgery was a success, and Anna says, thank goodness. He should get in there. He tells her, remember what he said, and she thanks him. She leaves, and he goes into the chapel. Jake says, this is the best news, and Elizabeth smiles at Finn.

Carly says she wanted to thank Sonny for being here, and he says, she’s welcome.

Nina says, Carly really went after Ava, and Ava says, that was nothing compared to what she’ll do to Nina if she ever finds out who put Drew in prison.

Valentin asks where Charlotte got the tarot cards, and she says, a girl at camp gave them to her and showed her how to use them. She flashes back to reading the letter, and we hear Victor’s voice say, to guide you, I’m giving you these very special tarot cards. They are very powerful tools. You’ll find them helpful. She takes them out and looks through them. Back in the present, she lays out the cards on the coffee table as Valentin watches, looking worried.

Chase asks if Dante’s had any progress, and Dante says, it shouldn’t be too much longer. Chase says, right, and leaves. Dante looks at Cody.

Gladys frantically throws clothes into suitcase. She can’t get it zipped, so she grabs a few things, tossing them on the floor, and tries again. There’s a knock at the door, and she says, almost ready. She thought they were going to text. The knocking continues so she goes to the door and opens it. It’s Sasha, who looks mighty pissed off.

Tomorrow, Curtis says he’s glad to be back in the mix; Esme says, Spencer can’t go; and Cody says, what happens next is up to Sasha.

🏥 Bait and Switch Up…

Since Kristina ended up being his sister and a lesbian, it really wouldn’t have worked out.

🎉 Celebrating Their Girls…

Score one for the daughters.

🪜 Getting There…

They kinda sorta reached a temporary agreement.

🧂 Salting the Lake…

Usually, I just have this on in the background, but some of them were acting so stupid, I actually stopped doing what I was doing and watched. Who could waste time being awful while staying at the Trixie Motel? Once again, the wrong people have the money and amazing vacations. However, Trixie gave us one of the best quotes ever: There is no crying in makeup. PS – Monica needs to run.

🗽 Shining the Apple…

Not sure what to think about an adult who keeps a log of slights, so she can bring them up at a later date. Bring back the Countess telling us not to be all uncool. And then drunkenly falling into the shrubbery. Good times…

⚰️ The Best Of Daryl…

This show just gets better and better.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-episode-3-recap-paris-sera-toujours-paris/

🏉 Half the Story…

And I thought we were rushing the 2023 holiday season.

https://people.com/usher-announces-2024-super-bowl-halftime-show-gig-kim-kardashian-7973971

🛴 Not Bringing It On Home…

Join me tomorrow for soap and an RHOC episode aptly titled, Welcome to the Freak Show. Until then, stay safe, stay not giving advice unless someone asks or pays for it, and stay not throwing in the towel if you’re not ready to turn the page. Keep fighting.

September 19, 2023 – Anna’s Tormenter Is Revealed, Sad Goodbyes, Reunited, Holiday Romance, This Week In NYC, Salty Talk, What House, Second Dragon, Worthy Piece & Sun

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Marshall walks into The Savoy, and N’neka tells him that this is the slowest night they’ve had in months. He says he knows it, and wonders where everybody is. She says, not here, and he tells her, it’ll pick up. It has to. Selina comes in, and he says, oh God. Not what he was hoping for.

Trina walks into the house, and Portia hugs her, and tells Curtis, look who came to visit. Trina says she comes bearing a gift to christen the new gaming system. Curtis asks if that’s the new Sudden Death, and she says, they just released it Thursday, showing him the case. He says, they’ll play head-to-head, and Portia says, three heads are better than two. Trina says, she wants to play? and Portia says, of course (🍷) she does. Trina and Curtis look at each other and laugh.

Sasha thanks Sam for the clothes, and says she feels almost human again. She thanks Dante too, and he says, no problem. She tells Cody, your turn, and Cody says he’s all right, but the others loudly disagree. He says, no need for an uprising, and Sam pushes him toward the other room, telling him that he smells.

Dex walks into Sonny’s office and says, the knock off shoe shipment arrived; no problem. (Ah-ha! Something Sonny does that’s illegal.) Sonny says he wouldn’t be too sure about that.

On the phone, Anna asks if they have an ETA on the officers… No emergency. She just wants to start cleaning up. There’s a knock at the door, startling her, and she says she thinks they’re here. She opens the door, and it’s Charlotte. She asks, is papa here?

Valentin tells Nina, stop there… go back… freeze it. She says, oh my God. It can’t be. He tells her, play it through. He wants to see what happens. She says, they know what happens, but he says he needs to see it. She hits play.

Selina tells N’neka, what a lovely night it is, and N’neka tells her that she looks stunning. Selina says, so does N’neka, but then, she always does. She introduces a man, saying, this is her good friend Silas. She tells him that Marshall is watching the club for her and Curtis, and Marshall asks what they’re having to drink. Silas says, champagne? and Selina says, excellent call. Marshall says, one bottle of champagne for Miss Wu, but Selina says, just two glasses. They won’t be staying. They’re only here for a quick drink, out of loyalty to Curtis. They’re headed to the new club, Intrigue, downtown. Marshall asks if they have gambling there, and Selina says, not that she knows of, but it’s always jam-packed. She and Silas head for a table, acting like they’re drunk already.

Curtis thanks Trina for bringing the game over. He’s definitely down to play, but why doesn’t she tell him why she really came over? She just moved back into her dorm, and he knows she’s not homesick already. She says she doesn’t have to be homesick to come home. She just wanted to hang out with him and mom. Portia comes in with a bowl of popcorn and asks, who’s winning? but Trina says, the game just finished loading. They haven’t started yet. Portia sits down and says she doesn’t know if they noticed, but video games aren’t really her thing. Trina says, understatement, and Curtis says, especially Sudden Death. Portia says she did see on here that they have virtual tours where you can check out castles in Europe. Why don’t they try that? Trina says, that sounds really amazing, but they’re trying to get all Dirty Harry with the zombies in this game. Portia says, of course (🍷). As long as they’re having fun. Trina says, before they get started, how about if she gets them some iced tea, and Curtis says, the caffeine will give him some adrenaline for the game. Trina leaves, and Portia says, it was so sweet of Trina to come by. Curtis says, she knows why Trina came by, doesn’t she? To check on them. He doesn’t mind. She raised a very special young woman.

Sonny tells Dex, the charges have been dropped against him, but that raid, his arrest, that’s just the beginning. The Feds are going to be watching every move he makes. They’re going to be tracking whoever he associates with. Does Dex know what he’s saying? Dex says, live like he’s under a microscope, and Sonny says, right. They’ve been trying to take him down for years, but never for NSA violations. This is on a whole other level. It’s just going to get more complicated, and Pikeman isn’t taking no for an answer.

Anna says, when Charlotte comes in, it’s going to be a bit of a shock. Just don’t touch anything, okay? Charlotte asks, what happened here? Where’s papa? Anna says, it looks like they had a break-in, and her father’s gone to hotel security. What is Charlotte doing here? Charlotte says she took a Ride Share, and Anna says, by herself? Charlotte says she’s 15, and Anna says she knows, but even so. Do Dante and Sam know she’s here? Charlotte says, they’re out somewhere; it’s not a big deal. She just needed to see her father.

Valentin says, play it again, but Nina says, watching it isn’t going to change what’s there. He says, maybe there’s something there, something he missed that makes a difference. Play it again. She hits play, and he covers his face with his hands. She asks what he’s going to do, and he says, nothing yet. She says she can’t just ignore this, and he says he knows she can’t. He can’t either. But this is a volatile situation. Can she let him handle this? His phone rings, and he says, Anna. Anna says, Charlotte’s here. She wants to see him. He says he’ll be right there, and tells Nina that he has to go. He says, please don’t show this to anyone else, and leaves.

Cody says, they were all right. He’s very glad to be out of that creep’s clothes. Look what he found. It was in one of Montague’s pockets. He hands Dante a prescription bottle with no label, and Dante says he’ll have to have them analyzed. Cody says he’s guessing Montague wasn’t planning on taking those pills himself, and Sam says, Montague knew he crossed a line and Sasha was his only witness. A loose end. Sasha asks what Sam is saying. Does she think Dr. Montague was going to slip her an overdose? Cody says, he had those pills on him when he found them in her room, and Sasha asks if they think he was going to kill her.

On the phone in the back hallway, N’neka says she’s at the club. They’re going to need some help down here. Asap.

Selina goes to the bar and thanks Marshall for an enchanting evening. Too bad there were so few people to enjoy it. He says he’s sure it will pick up later, but she says, from what she’s been told, it hasn’t been picking up much this past week. If he was truly loyal to his son, he’d reconsider letting her take The Savoy off his hands before it’s worthless. He says, not a chance. She’ll see. They’ll survive and thrive. She says she wouldn’t be too sure. The club doesn’t have the same draw without his son’s charm. Something Curtis obviously got from his mother. He says, she knows nothing about his family, or loyalty, or even good champagne. So why doesn’t she go over to that club she’s so excited about and see if that’s for sale? Silas joins them and asks if everything is okay here. Selina says, Mr. Ashford’s son suffered a great tragedy. He’s obviously traumatized by it. It’s best they leave him to his misery. She thanks Marshall for the champagne, and saunters out with Silas.

Trina and Curtis are deep in the game, and Portia tells Trina, watch out! but Trina says, that’s the zombie ghost that comes out to collect the bodies. Portia says, of course (), when her phone beeps. She steps away, Curtis and Trina not even noticing, and listens to a message. She tells them that she has to go out for a bit, and Trina wonders if they drove her away. Curtis asks if everything is okay, and Portia says, everything is fine. She just has to help out a friend. Trina says, sorry if they left her on the sidelines, but Portia says, don’t worry about her. Just continue playing their video game. Neutralize those zombies. She’ll be back as soon as she can. She leaves, and Trina says, mom’s the best, but she is off when it comes to video games. Curtis says, Trina inherited her gaming gene from him, and Trina says, he got that right. They go back to playing.

Olivia and Eddie/Ned walk into Olivia’s office, and Olivia asks what Nina is doing there. Nina says she was checking the wedding bookings. She was checking on the date of her wedding and didn’t want to wrestle around looking for the binder they have. She’s just checking to see what was confirmed. Olivia tells her, the binder is right over here, taking it from the credenza and handing it to Nina. She says, they’re just heading out, and Nina says she heard Eddie had a great recording session. He says, the studio was great. Be sure to thank Sonny for hooking them up. Nina says she’ll do that. Sonny was happy to help him out. Olivia tells Nina to take her time. Just lock up when she leaves. Nina tells them to have a good night, and when they leave, she gets back on the computer.

Anna tells Charlotte that she’s so sorry. She’d take Charlotte to the restaurant for hot chocolate or something, but she’s got to stay here and wait for the officers. Charlotte says she’s not a kid anymore. Anna doesn’t have to keep her amused. Anna says, my bad. Charlotte’s almost an adult. Valentin comes in and thanks Anna for calling him. He asks what Charlotte is doing here, and she says she just wanted to see him. She didn’t realize he’d be busy. There’s a knock at the door, and Valentin opens it to a couple of officers. One of them says, they had a report of a break-in.

Dante tells Sasha, they can’t say Montague wanted to kill her, but maybe he wanted to keep her unstable enough so he could move her somewhere else and keep her recovery virtually impossible. Cody says, the fact Montague was bringing the pills into Ferncliff points to something extreme, right? Doctors don’t dispense medication from their pockets. This shows he had some kind of plan. Sam says, but what exactly, and how do they prove it? Sasha says, it all started when she petitioned to end Gladys’s guardianship, and the court assigned Dr. Montague to evaluate her. Cody says, that might be a coincidence, but they know Gladys and Montague know each other from the poker game at The Savoy. And granted, Montague’s debt isn’t as deep as Gladys’s, but every gambler needs a steady cash flow. Sam says, so Gladys ropes in Montague to make Sasha appear unfit to the court, but he pushes it too far, and she winds up stabbing Cody and gets into Ferncliff. Dante says, but then, Montague’s got another problem. What happens if Sasha regains enough clarity to the point where she can link her breakdown to the pills he was giving her? He’s got to cover his tracks. He’s got to make her look, not just insane, but hopelessly addicted. Cody says, he’s at least guilty of what? Covert drugging? Wouldn’t that be considered poisoning? Dante says, it’s criminal malpractice and attempted… Sam says, again, how do they prove it?

Dex lets Rowan Hume into Sonny’s office, and Sonny tells him to have a seat. He asks Dex to stay, and asks Hume if he minds. Hume says, whatever he likes, and sits down. He says, congratulations are in order. They were all very pleased to hear about the charges being dropped. Sonny says, really? and Hume says, of course (🍷). Pikeman regrets any trouble Sonny faced, and would like to offer him this as an apology. He puts a briefcase on the desk, and Dex opens it. He turns it around to show Sonny it’s loaded with cash, and Sonny asks if this is an apology or a downpayment for another deal.

Anna tells the officers, the room was like this when they got here. As far as she can tell, nothing is missing. Her tablet and computer are here, untouched. Officer #1 says, they can send forensics if she’d like, and she says, yeah. Valentin says, this is a hotel room. Forensics is going to find a thousand different fingerprints from a thousand different guests. How helpful is that going to be? (It doesn’t say much about the MetroCourt’s cleaning staff.) Officer #1 says, it might not yield much. They can pursue this if Anna likes, but it sounds like a case of malicious mischief to him. Does she want to file a complaint, start an investigation?

Curtis says, sorry, my friend, you just got slimed, and Trina says, not fair. She’s the one who got the wolfsbane. He asks if she’s ready for the next level, and she says, Marshall told her that Curtis went to the club the other day. Curtis says he did, and she says, Marshall told her that N’neka and the whole staff were excited to see him come back. He says he’s not sure he would consider it being back, and she says, but it’s his club. Doesn’t he want to get in the swing of things again? He says, a lot’s happened… it’s obvious. It was good to get out of the house, and going back opened his eyes to a lot. Some good and some that’s hard to admit.

Portia goes to the club and asks N’neka how it’s going. N’neka says, slower than her last relationship, and Portia says she can see that. Marshall comes out, and asks, what brings Portia down here? They hug, and he asks, where’s Curtis? She says, Curtis and Trina are at the house in their video game world. It’s too loud for her, so she decided to get some air and ended up here where it’s quiet. He asks if she doesn’t have an early start to work tomorrow, and she says she does, but her head is pretty full of all the dead zombies, so she thought she’d come here and be with them in the land of the living. He asks what he can get her, when Olivia and Eddie/Ned come in. Olivia says, it’s a ghost town, and Eddie wonders, what happened to this place? The last time he was here, it was hopping.

Dante says, according to the authorities, Montague is the victim here. He was beaten and tied up. Sasha says, he had a pocket full of pills that he was going to use to OD her, and Dante says he understands that, but they have no proof. These could have come from anywhere. Sam says, and right now, it’s just their word against his. Cody says, and they’re escaped mental patients, and Dante says, Sasha is either an escapee or a kidnapping victim. Cody on the other hand, is a felon, wanted for assault and kidnapping. Sasha says, Cody didn’t kidnap her; he rescued her. They have to stop this before it gets any worse. They can turn themselves in and tell the truth.

Sonny says, Pikeman wants another go around, and Hume says, absolutely. Sonny says, another shipment, and Hume says, most definitely. And this is a peace offering. Compensation for Sonny’s trouble. Sonny tells Dex to close the briefcase and give it back to Hume. Tell his boss, it’s no deal. When he was in custody, he got a lot of questions about Pikeman. So they know what’s going on. It’s got nothing to do with his people, because they didn’t do any talking. That means it’s on Hume’s side, and that’s a problem. Hume says, nobody in Pikeman would be that careless, and Sonny asks if he can guarantee that. Hume doesn’t say anything, and Sonny says he didn’t think so. It’s a big organization. So here’s the deal. Find the leak, and until they can assure him it’s plugged (is that a double entendre?), there’s no deal. He’s not going to let the Feds use Pikeman to get him.

Dante says, turning themselves in isn’t as simple as it sounds. They need proof to back up their story, and right now they don’t have that. Sasha says, Dr. Montague injected her several times with drugs. Wouldn’t the hospital have some sort of record? Cody doubts Montague went through the proper channels for that, and Sam says, what about the medication he gave Sasha before she went to Ferncliff? Does she have the prescription that he wrote? Sasha says, he never gave her a prescription; he just handed her the pills. She makes a frustrated sound and says she can’t believe she didn’t question that. Cody tells her not to blame herself. She was betrayed by the people she trusted, and no way is that her fault. Sasha says, Cody risked everything to save her. Now he’s the one facing charges. How do they prove he’s innocent? Dante says, they might have something going for them. Mac is the Commissioner, and he thinks Mac is going to see Cody’s innocence. Cody flashes back to showing Dante that Mac is really his father.

Trina says she can’t imagine how hard it must be to go back to The Savoy, but Curtis did it. He says he’s not going to lie. It was tiring, but he’s getting stronger every day. She says, Marshall told her that he was thinking about selling The Savoy, and Curtis says, it’s nothing she needs to worry her pretty little head about. She says, but it was his dream, and I can’t believe she let that remark slide, just like I can’t believe he said it in the first place. He says, The Savoy is a special place. It’s like a home away from home in all the best ways. Just imagine throwing a party every night – good food, good music, and even better company. Walking from table to table, fraternizing with people he wouldn’t have known otherwise. It was amazing. She says, was, and he says, sadly, sometimes in life, dreams can change. And he can’t imagine that same party under this current situation. She says, but he is the club. What’s going to happen to it? He says, let’s not talk about me. Let’s talk about you. She says, Curtis… and he says, don’t get all Stella on him now. He’s her dad and he wants to hear about her. She just started school and moved into the dorms. What is she looking forward to this year? And he does want to remind her, all work and no play. Have fun sometimes. She says, funny he mentions that, because actually, there is something she’s looking forward to that has nothing to do with school. She says she’s planning on taking a trip to New York for the weekend with Spencer, and he says, that’s something he’s surprised her mom didn’t tell him. She says she hasn’t told her mom yet, and he says, yet, but she does plan on telling her. Trina says she thought she should wait until she gets closer to the trip. Curtis knows how her mom feels about Spencer. He says he definitely does. The most important thing is how Trina feels about him, and that is… Trina says she thinks she’s in love with him, and Curtis asks if she thinks Spencer feels the same way. She tells Curtis, he hasn’t said, and Curtis asks, has she? She says, no, and he says, why?

Portia asks N’neka, besides it being dead in here, what’s the emergency? and N’neka says, not what, who. Selina was in here tonight, slinking around with some trophy date. She and Marshall had a face-off. Portia says, what kind of face-off? and N’neka says she didn’t hear all of it, but voices were definitely raised, and Marshall barely held it back. Portia asks, what set him off? and N’neka says, there was tension the moment Miss Wu walked in, but when she came back from leaving Portia the message, Marshall was basically kicking her out, and saying she should buy some other club downtown. Is she trying to get her hands on this place? Portia says she thinks so. She overheard Marshall talking to Curtis about it. N’neka says she doesn’t think Curtis’s father should be pushing her. Miss Wu is not someone to be toyed with (just as I think, Miss Wu would be a cute name for a toy breed dog). Portia says she knows exactly what Selina is, and N’neka did the absolute right thing by calling her. Miss Wu is dangerous. She just doesn’t think Marshall realizes how truly dangerous she really is.

Marshall asks Eddie/Ned what he was recording, and Eddie says, it was nothing really. He was just demoing a new song. (Is demoing a weird looking word or what?) It’s only half done. Marshall asks why he hasn’t finished, and Olivia says, that’s what she keeps asking him. Eddie says, it’s easier said than done. Creating a song isn’t like writing a term paper where you just power through to finish it. He needs to wait for the spark of creativity to ignite. Marshall says, de-bop-shu-bop-shebang (or something like that). This man speaks the truth. Sometimes you got to tune into a melody. Eddie says, exactly. The song came to him unexpectedly. It was just a little fuzzy. Like he could almost catch it, but not quite. So he just has to wait for the muse to visit him again. Olivia says, the ghost of Elvis Presley, and Marshall says, if Eddie needs any clarinet, he’s there. Eddie says, he might just take Marshall up on that. He’s worked with a sax before, but he’s never worked with a clarinet. Marshall tells him, you know what they say. Once you go with a clarinet, you just never forget, and they laugh. He says he has an idea. Why doesn’t Eddie finish his song and debut it here at the club next week? It’s a challenge. Eddie says, it may be a bit of a downer to play in a house this light. Does Marshall think there will be more people here next week?

Anna says she wants the officers to pursue the formal channels. Someone should tell her what they uncover and keep her in the loop. Officer #1 says, will do, and they head out the door. Before they leave, Officer #2 tells Anna, this may seem like simple harassment, but after the arson at her house, does she think the two incidents could be related? She says she doesn’t know. Yeah… Maybe. She doesn’t know what they’re going to find in here. She doesn’t know. He says, they’ll keep her posted, and leaves. Valentin closes the door and says, they’re not safe here. Anna says, obviously, and he asks Charlotte to get on the house phone and ask the desk to move them to a new suite. Charlotte says, sure, papa, and goes to the phone. Anna tells Valentin that she’s so sorry Charlotte had to see all this. It’s probably quite scary for her. Was he able to access the security footage?

Dex tells Sonny that Hume is gone. He got in a Range Rover with New York plates and drove off. Sonny says, so tell him. What’s Dex’s take on what just happened here?  Dex says he thinks it’s above his paygrade, and Sonny asks if Dex thinks he just hired him to open doors and call him boss? You want some life, you’ve got to grab it. What’s Dex doing here anyway? He knows Dex is smart; he pays attention. He doesn’t think Sonny sees his mind is always spinning? Because he’s not the boss, he has access to people and places Sonny doesn’t. So now’s Dex’s chance to show him how he thinks as a heavyweight. If Dex wants to move up in Sonny’s world, Sonny has to know if he can trust Dex’s judgement. So tell me what you think?

Marshall says, The Savoy is in a slump, and Eddie/Ned says, that’s putting it mildly. Marshall says he wouldn’t want to play for this crowd either, but the one thing that’s been missing tonight, the one thing that’s been missing every night is his son Curtis. If Eddie’s looking for a promoter, look no further. Curtis will pack this place. He just needs to give Curtis something to promote. He’s thinking, the return of Eddie Maine? Whoo! That might be just the ticket. Marshall gets up, and says, think about that, while he sends over two drinks for Eddie and his lovely date.

Trina tells Curtis, maybe she’s not ready to say I love you first. Or maybe she’s waiting for Spencer to say it first. (That’s the one!) She doesn’t know. He asks if she’s having any doubts about Spencer, and she says, no doubts. She just feels impatient and annoyed, disappointed at times. He just does the stupidest things, but then he does the sweetest things. Curtis says he hasn’t spent much time with Spencer, but he thinks she knows from early on he wasn’t a fan. But all that changed in Greenland. He has every respect for the way he cared for Trina. And he also respects the way Spencer lights up every time she’s in the room. But all that aside, is she sure she can count on him emotionally? She says, that’s what’s hard. At first, she would have said, definitely not. But then over time, she thinks, yes. He says, she and Spencer come from two different worlds, and she asks what he means. He says, she’s responsible and practical, and she’s grounded in the real world. Spencer comes from a crazy, rich family. He doesn’t have to work a day in his life. She says, it’s not his fault he was born rich, and Curtis says, no, it’s not his fault. But he’s learned this; people with too much free time and money, tend to get into a lot of trouble.

Eddie/Ned says, his beautiful date. Marshall’s right about one thing, but does Olivia think this is a date? She says, he’s giving them free drinks. She doesn’t see why not. N’neka sets down their drinks, saying, compliments of The Savoy, and they thank her. Eddie asks what they should toast to, and Olivia says, to Marshall’s challenge. He finishes the song, and comes back and sings it here next week. He says, why not? and they clink glasses.

Portia tells Marhsall that she heard Miss Wu was sniffing around. Something about buying the club. He says, she can sniff all she wants; it’s not for sale. Curtis built this place from the ground up, and he’s not going to let Selina Wu swoop in and take it.

Trina says, Spencer’s not like that. Curtis should see him with Ace; he’s amazing. Curtis says, her mom told him that Ace is always going to be part of the equation. Is she sure she’s ready to take on a child at this point in her life? And how is Spencer going to cope if Esme decides to take Ace and leave town? How is Trina dealing with Esme after all the torture Esme put her through? Trina says she doesn’t know. There’s a lot she doesn’t know, but she does know, they don’t know what the future holds. (That’s a lot of knows.) Curtis says, true dat. Look at him. Think about Epiphany. Sometimes you just got to live in the moment. She asks what he thinks. Is this her moment?

Dex tells Sonny, his impression is, Pikeman is a very efficient operation. They have legit government contracts, but obviously have a parallel operation going. Maybe it operates through a rogue offshoot. Hume seemed surprised when Sonny suggested he consider somebody on the inside, but as far as Pikeman itself, it wouldn’t make sense for them to jeopardize everything to leak to the Feds everything about their deal with Sonny. And he agrees with Sonny. It wasn’t one of Sonny’s men. Sonny says, damn. Turn Dex on and he just goes. Thanks for the insight. Here’s the thing. The Feds arrested him on false information; false information he planted. The thing he doesn’t know is the timing of, or the extent, of the FBI investigation. Do the Feds already know they made a move with Pikeman? Or are the Feds going by what they’ve already put out there? Dex says, with all due respect, he thinks the safest option is to cut ties with Pikeman, but Sonny says, that’s a problem because Pikeman isn’t taking no for an answer. So what he did tonight was buy time. Now he has to figure out how to move forward.

Cody tells Dante, they can’t rely on Mac’s good will to beat this. He still has to uphold the law. Sam suggests they give her and Dante 24 hours to see what they can dig up, and Dante agrees. He says, they’ll go back to Port Charles, while Sasha and Cody stay here. They do have to turn themselves in at some point, but that’s not now. Sam says, they’ll be in touch tomorrow, and Cody says, he can’t thank them enough. Sasha says, thank you so much, and Sam says she only did what she thought was right. Dante tells Cody that he’s sorry… but Cody says, Dante, as always, is the rock who kept him on the straight and narrow. He thanks them both for everything, and they leave. Sasha says she can’t believe what Sam and Dante are doing for them, and Cody says, they believe in Sasha; so does he. She says she guesses all they can do now is wait and see what they turn up, and he says, they do have one other option. She says, which is? and he says, they could just disappear.

Anna asks if there was anything on the tape, but Valentin says, there was nothing there. She asks how that’s possible; there’s cameras everywhere. He says, the footage from this floor was missing, and she says, okay. So someone forged a keycard to get in here and then they wiped the surveillance tape? So they could ransack a room, destroy her clothes, and write an intimidating message on the mirror. Charlotte says, the front desk wants to speak to Valentin, and Anna says, let her deal with that. He should just take Charlotte back to Dante. He says, he’ll call her when he’s on the way back, and Anna thanks Charlotte, taking the phone. Valentin and Charlotte leave, as Anna asks if they were able to find another suite… That’s perfect. That will be fine. Valentin closes the door, and in the hallway, Charlotte says, ready, papa? but Valentin just looks at her.

Back on the computer in Olivia’s office, Nina brings up the footage again. We see Charlotte approach the door and look around. She slips in a keycard, goes in, and closes the door. Nina says, oh, Charlotte. What have you done?

Smelled that one coming.

Tomorrow, Tracy says, Brook should be thanking her; Felicia says, Cody is full of surprises; and Valentin asks what Charlotte did today.

🥀 Tributes and Remembrances…

His colleagues.

His mom. So sad.

👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 In Happier News…

It’s a shame they had no scenes together, but there’s always another day. IMO, she’s the only one who’s had real chemistry with Roger Howarth.

☃️ At the Chalet…

I was starting to think there were no romantic holiday movies without Ryan Paevey in them.

🗽 New York Minute Or Two…

This week’s RHONY. Still not loving them. Except Jenna. Jenna’s cool.

🧂 Some Salt For the Table…

This week’s RHOSL. Heather gets less pleasant with every episode.

🍊 She Tried To Be Quiet…

She could possibly have been in shock, but how did they justify her being hurt, yet being caught while she was walking her dog?

https://people.com/real-housewives-of-orange-county-shannon-storms-beador-arrested-alleged-dui-hit-and-run-7971129

🐉 Enter the Dragon…

Maybe I’ll give this another go when Season 2 roles around.

☠️ Advocating For Piece…

You don’t have to love or even know about the anime. I saw a giant fish in the trailer and said, I’m game. One of the better choices I’ve made. Like Pirates of the Caribbean, but better.

https://www.avclub.com/one-piece-review-tv-netflix-live-action-adaptation-1850804738

⚔️ Maintaining Parameters…

Slide into this blog tomorrow for soap and throwing stones at the glass houses of the OC. Until then, stay safe, stay never double-dipping at a party, and stay knowing that you don’t know what the future holds. Sometimes you just got to live in the moment.