Tag Archives: The World Beyond

October 6, 2023 – Sonny Has Errands To Run, She’s Out, She’s In, Faux Housewives, Simon Says, Sharing, Stop It, Dead Talk, Turkey Time, Vintage Scares, Pets (!) In Costume, Just Shy Of 10 Quotes & It’s That Time

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sonny goes to Michael’s office, and Michael says he wasn’t expecting to see him. It must be important if Sonny decided to come all the way down to his office. Sonny asks if it’s a problem, but Michael says, no, just unusual. Sonny says he’s trying to be a little more spontaneous in his old age, and Michael asks what brings him here. Sonny says he knows he shouldn’t be asking this, but he has a favor that only Michael can do for him.

Moving right along, Sonny sees Anna at the MetroCourt bar, and thanks her for meeting him. She says she was a bit surprised by the invite, and he says he’s been looking out for her since the shooting at the MetroCourt. She says she appreciates that. She’s being very cautious, one eye looking over her shoulder, because apparently, she’s got a target on her back now. He asks if any threats have happened, but she says, no, and he says, that’s good to hear. She asks if that’s why he asked to see her, to check up on her, but he says he just wanted to let her know he’s going to be gone for a few days. If she needs anything, he’s just a phone call away.

Alexis says she can’t remember how long it’s been since they’ve visited her at her office. It must be important. What did she do to deserve this visit? We see it’s Sonny, and he says, it’s not what she’s done; it’s what she’s going to do. She says, typically, when someone wants her to do a favor for them, they ask her nicely and say please. What does he need? He says, put this paper to good use, and save a man’s life.

Setting a cup of coffee on the bar at Charlie’s, Kristina says, just tell her when and where, and she’s there. Sonny says, that’s my girl, and she says she’s actually pretty excited about it. After all he’s done for her lately, how could she possibly say no. He thanks her, and says he knows he can always count on her. She says, that’s not something she hears every day and it’s so nice. She hugs him, and Dante walks in.

Carly leaves a message for Diane to call her. She just wants some kind of update as to when they’re taking Drew back to Pentenville. Sonny knocks at his old kitchen door, and Carly says she just needs to know. She tells Sonny, hey, and he says he knows this must be difficult for her. Nobody wants Drew to go back to prison. She says she keeps hoping Diane is going to call and tell her they’ve figured out something, some kind of loophole to stop Drew from going back there. They’re looking into the judge to see if they can find some sort of bias, but it seems to be a longshot, so she doesn’t know. He says, she’s doing everything she can. There’s nobody more tenacious than Diane. She says, the girls are in school, and he knows that, so he must be here to see her, and he says, she guessed right. That, and to see the moss bowl🎍. She says, please tell her this isn’t bad news, and he says, it kind of depends on her perspective. She says, that’s cryptic. What’s going on? He says he and Nina are eloping.

Valentin is working on his laptop, when a message pops up with the number for a therapist in his area. He picks up his phone, but there’s a knock at the door. He opens it to Nina, who says she came by to see if things were any better with Charlotte. He invites her in, and she says, this place is so beautiful. Charlotte must be so thrilled to be in her own home with her dad… What’s wrong? What happened?

Robert meets Anna at the MetroCourt and asks, who’s the suit? She says, it’s a gift from Sonny, and he asks if she can send it back. She says, no, and he asks where Sonny gets off sending a goon over here to keep an eye on her. She says, he has a very caring side, and he says, so did Attila the Hun. She says, Sonny was worried about her and wanted to offer her protection, which she refused first of all; she didn’t think she needed it. He says, but now she does, and she says she changed her mind. He asks if something’s happened, and she says, other than the recent disturbing events, no. Nothing has happened in the last 24 hours since she’s had protection. He says, so she’s living in the MetroCourt, and she says, yes, until she moves into the new place. Valentin has bought a house for them. He asks when she went house hunting, but she says she didn’t. He bought the house on his own. Robert says, Valentin could have at least made her part of the process. Unless of course (🍷) she thinks he’s hiding something. She says, he’s always hiding something, but the house isn’t part of that. It was indeed meant to be a surprise. He says, Valentin is nothing if not full of those, and she says, he certainly is.

Gregory comes into Alexis’s office and asks how it went with Sonny. She asks how he knew Sonny was… Esme has to quit sharing every visitor that comes into her office. It’s not that she has anything to hide, Esme just needs to learn a little discretion. He says, Esme’s not to blame. When a notorious coffee importer shows up here, people tend to talk, and usually in hushed tones. Sonny’s good fodder for the water cooler. Alexis says, they’re going to be very disappointed. He just came to ask for a favor. Gregory says, he hopes nothing illegal, and she says, Sonny wanted to see if The Invader could help leverage Judge Albert Kim. He’s the judge who sentenced Drew Cain to three years in Pentenville. Gregory asks what outcome Sonny is hoping for, and she says, Carly thinks the judge’s sentence was unnecessarily harsh, and they’re hoping maybe they can get the sentence reduced or at the very least, have him moved to a safer facility. He asks just how Sonny suggests she do that, and she says, that’s what they have to figure out.

Carly says, eloping? What happened to the big blow-out wedding Sonny and Nina were planning? He says he wasn’t planning the wedding. He just told Nina that she can do whatever she wants with the wedding. Carly says she knows Olivia was helping, and he asks if that’s tough for her, but she says, no. She’s a big girl. Olivia can do what she wants, and they’re way too close for her to let something like that bother her. Sonny says, there were just so many details and things like that. A wedding should be about a celebration, not a deadline. She says, it’s just surprising considering all the noise Nina was making about her big wedding celebration, and he says, they’re just going to fly down to the island. It’s not going to be a big deal; just a small ceremony. It’s just going to be him and Nina, and whatever kids are able to go. She says, kids. That’s why he’s here. He says he would love if Donna could go. It would mean everything. If she’s okay with that.

Valentin tells Nina that he’s totally lost. He and Charlotte used to be so close, and now he feels like he doesn’t even know her. She says she knows this must be so difficult for him, but he says, not just him. Charlotte’s going to need professional help. He’s trying to find her a therapist. (I guess Montague is out.) She says, it might take him a while to find someone. Charlotte’s in a very serious situation, and he’s going to have to find the doctor who’s the right fit. He says he’s always been able to talk to her, hasn’t he? No matter how raw it gets. She knows him, maybe better than anybody; maybe even Anna. He doesn’t know how it got this way. This is his little girl they’re talking about. Nina says, they’re going to figure this out together. Where is Charlotte now? He says, she went on a bike ride. That’s why he’s doing research and making phone calls. Nina asks if he hasn’t said anything to Charlotte, and he says he just doesn’t know what he’d say if she lied to him, if she denied it. He doesn’t know how he’d react. Why is this happening? Did he do something to make her act out like this?

Kristina says, he told dad what? and Dante says he explained he couldn’t go to the wedding, but he’d go to the next one. She says, that’s not even funny, but he says he’s just kidding. She says, so he is going to go, but he says he’s not kidding about that part. She says, he has to go. Dad asked Dante to be his best man, didn’t he? Dante says, he did, and he’s honored. He just can’t go away right now. She says, that, she does get, because the PCPD softball team really need their star pitcher, and he says, they probably do, but he’s just got a lot of stuff going on here. She says, what stuff is more important than dad’s wedding? and he says, Charlotte was living with them; she’s moved out. They’re dealing with the fact Scout’s father Drew is behind bars, and it’s tough on her. His job… She seems more annoyed than Sonny did. He took this a lot better than her. She says she just thinks it’s important they be there to support dad, and he says he agrees. Dad knows he supports him. They’ve had their ups and downs, but he knows Dante’s behind his and Nina’s relationship. She says, nothing can keep her away, and he says, that’s good. She’ll be representing. She says she doesn’t think she’ll be the only one actually. Dad asked Michael to come. Dante says, that’s big. What did Michael say?

At the hospital, Michael looks for Willow, and a nurse tells him that she thinks Willow’s still on break. She’ll check. He sits down and remembers Sonny saying he wanted to tell Michael in person. Michael tells him, usually when somebody says that, it’s not good news, but Sonny says, it’s good news, for him at least. He and Nina are eloping; they’re going down to the island. Michael says, congratulations are in order, and Sonny says he knows times have been tough this year, but he thinks they’ve moved past that, and Michael says, with everything that happened with Willow, he realizes how important family is. Sonny says, Nina is Michael’s family. He knows there’s been a strain between them… Michael says, that’s an understatement, and Sonny says, she’s tried to make an effort between Michael and Willow. What makes her happy is spending time with Amelia and Wiley. Michael says he has to admit things have been better with Nina, and he knows she’s trying to respect their boundaries. Sonny says, nothing would mean more to Nina than to have Willow at her wedding, and it would mean a lot to him to have Michael there. So is there any chance he’ll go?

Nina says, this is not Valentin’s fault. She wishes she had the answer. Charlotte is a teenage girl, and teenage girls can be very complicated. He says, she’s a Cassadine. Cursed, isn’t it? None of this godforsaken family gets to be happy. Nina says, please, don’t go there. This has nothing to do with a curse. Charlotte isn’t doomed. She’s an adolescent who got herself into trouble. She’s struggling, but they will get her help. He says, it’s so overwhelming, and she says she’s sure Anna’s been supportive. What does she think? He says he hasn’t told her. How is he going to tell her that his daughter is the one who’s been tormenting her? Charlotte’s the one who set the fire; she’s going to be facing very serious criminal charges. Nina says, they have to just be very grateful no one was in the house. If Charlotte did do this, she made sure of that. He asks if that’s supposed to make him feel better, but Nina says she’s just making the point that Charlotte isn’t trying to hurt Anna. She’s not a murderer; she’s just crying out for help. He says, it’s more than that. Charlotte’s terrorizing the woman he loves, and he’s trying to keep that from escalating, but is he doing the right thing by not telling Anna?

Carly says, Sonny knows how much Donna loves weddings. Of course (🍷) she can go. Sonny thanks her and she says she knows how happy Donna was at Michael’s wedding. Hopefully, both girls can go. He says, that’s the plan, and she asks if he’s called Ava, because Avery wouldn’t want to miss it. He says he called Ava, but she hasn’t gotten back to him yet. He hopes there’s no problem there, because it would not be the same without Avery. She says, it looks like he’s thought of everything for his tropical ceremony, and he says he’s trying. He thinks he covered all the bases. Oh no, wait. The favor she asked for Drew? He’s working on it. She says, let’s hope it comes in time to save Drew.

Gregory asks if Alexis is sure she wants to get into this. He’s heard a lot of stories about people who do Sonny’s bidding and sometimes it doesn’t end well. She says, ya think? She’s very well aware of the methods Sonny uses to handle things. This time, he would like it handled legitimately. He asks if she’s sure that she and Sonny don’t share any similarities, and she says she thinks she’s offended. He says he doesn’t know Sonny well, but from what he hears, Sonny has reputation for ruthlessness. He knows firsthand how ruthless Alexis can be… when it comes to the pursuit of truth in journalism. She says, really? Do go on. He tells her that he’s just saying she’s a force of nature when it comes to business, and that’s a good thing by the way. She says, this is really very entertaining. Trying to compliment her after calling her ruthless. That is some fancy footwork. He says, unfortunately, that’s the only footwork he’s capable of these days.

Kristina tells Dante that she knows Michael wants to make peace with dad. There’s definitely been a lot less tension lately. Dante says, yeah, but that’s a far cry from Michael attending the wedding. They have to start somewhere to get back to where they were. She says she doesn’t know if they’ll ever get back to where they were, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. He asks, so is Michael going to the wedding or not? and she says, she doesn’t know. She hopes so. She’ll tell Dante one thing. She’s not excited to be on an island with him and Nina for the next few days. He says he thought she was Team Nina, and she says she is. She likes Nina a lot. Most important, dad loves her, but she hasn’t forgotten what Nina did to Michael and Willow. That’s some serous damage, and they both know their brother holds a grudge. He says, kind of just like… and they both say, dad. Blaze comes in, and Kristina introduces her to Dante. Blaze says, we meet again.

Michael remembers telling Sonny that he can’t give him an answer now. Not without talking to Willow first. Sonny says he gets it. He just hopes Willow does this for Nina, because the ceremony wouldn’t be the same without Wiley there. She wants Wiley to be the ring bearer, like he was at Michael’s wedding. He’s a pro now. Michael says, Willow has a lot going on right now and she just got back to work. He’s not sure she’s going to want to drop all that and get on a plane. Sonny says, okay. He just wanted Michael to think about it. In the present, Willow dashes over to Michael and says she heard he was waiting for her. Is everything all right? Did something happen with the kids?

Valentin tells Nina that he just doesn’t know what to do. They can’t involve the police. She says, no. They’re not bringing the police into this. She’s a teenager; she’s fifteen years old. If she did do this, and the police find out, they will send her away. He can’t let that happen. They’re just going to have to handle this themselves. He asks how they do that, and she says, they’re going to find a way to get through to Charlotte. They’re not giving up on her. He says he’s always appreciated her support, and she hooks her arm in his and says, even though they went their separate ways, she’ll always care about him. She loves Charlotte. He says he doesn’t know what he’d do without her help, and she says, about that. He’s going to have to deal with this on his own. That’s what she came by to tell him. She’s leaving town.

Anna tells Robert that she thinks Valentin feels this house is a way for him to focus on his daughter. He feels Charlotte needs a more stable environment. She’s had a very rough year. Robert asks if she didn’t tell him that Victor was keeping her at the boarding school, and Anna says, when she finally did come home, she’s been bouncing from house to house. First she was at Laura’s, then she lived with Dante. That’s not to say they weren’t there for her. They were very supportive, but Charlotte is fifteen, and along with that age comes anxiety and insecurity. He says, Mac was having a problem with Robin like that, and she says, Charlotte needs her father’s undivided attention. She totally understands that. She thinks maybe Valentin feels that buying a house for her is the first step in putting her on more solid ground. He says, in the meantime, Anna’s roughing it in the hotel, but she says she doesn’t call room service roughing it. She thought Robert didn’t want her with Valentin. He says he doesn’t. However, she should have the final choice in where she lives. She suggests they agree to disagree when it comes to the subject of her relationship with Valentin, and says she asked him here because she needs his help. He says, with? and she says, something crucial.

Sonny tells Carly that he pretty much politely demanded Alexis use that paper and her investigation skills to look into Judge Kim, because they have to figure out why he gave Drew such a harsh sentence. Carly says, they need to do more than look into Judge Kim. They need to get the judge to commute Drew’s sentence, or at least send him to a safer facility. Does Alexis understand that? He says, Alexis knows that the goal is to get Drew out of Pentenville, but it’s not going to happen overnight. The first thing she needs to do is a deep dive into Kim’s record. They have to figure out what makes him vulnerable. Then they have an opening. She asks if he thinks Alexis is going to come through, and he says he’s confident she’ll deliver for them.

Gregory apologizes to Alexis and says, that was meant to be a joke, but clearly it didn’t land. She says, he has every right to handle his disease any way he sees fit. If he wants to joke about it, joke about it. Go for it. He doesn’t have to edit his words with her. She’s going to follow his lead. He says he feels like he’s constantly thanking her for being understand, but thanks her again. She says, he doesn’t need to keep thanking her or apologizing. What’s that quote from that movie? Friendship means never having to say you’re sorry. He says he thinks that’s, love means… (Actually, I think her version makes more sense.) She says, he just doesn’t need to keep thanking her, and he says he still hasn’t told Chase. He knows she keeps telling him to wait until he’s ready, but when will that be? He can’t keep hiding behind his work here. He wakes up some mornings and he’s so determined to tell Chase the truth. Then he finds himself here instead. He used to lecture his students about procrastination. He’d tell them, putting off that term paper won’t make it easier. She says, this is a little bigger than a homework assignment. He’s going to tell Chase when he tells Chase. He says he’s just being selfish. He just wants more time with his son before his son looks at him with pity. Before he sees the disease, not his father. She says she thinks he’s wrong. She doesn’t think Chase is going to react that way at all, but Gregory will do what feels right for him and she’s not judging him. He says, speaking of judges, how are they going to handle Judge Kim?

Dante says, good to see Blaze again, and she says, good to see him too. She tells Kristina, Dante was her hero at the Nurses Ball, and he says he doesn’t like to brag. Kristina says, since when? and Blaze says, after Brook outed Linc on stage, Dante grabbed him and dragged him out of the MetroCourt. Nice work, detective. He says, just doing my job, ma’am, and Kristina says, that’s great. She almost forgot; her brother, the knight in shining armor. Blaze says, don’t think she’s forgotten how nice Dante was the day they ran into each other at Kelly’s, and he says, that was a few months ago. He saw Blaze at Kelly’s and Rocco had been watching her music videos; he’s a big fan. And they saw her at Rice Plaza years ago, and she was so gracious to them. Thanks. Blaze thanks him, and Kristina says, they’re practically BFFs. Who’d have guessed that?

Michael says, everything’s fine. He didn’t mean to worry Willow. She says, it must be something important for him to come all the way to GH, and they sit down. He says he wanted to tell her that Sonny paid him a visit earlier and apparently, he and Nina are eloping in Puerto Rico. She says, okay. The last time she spoke to Nina, Nina was knee-deep in wedding planning. It sounded like a huge event here in Port Charles. He says he guesses Nina changed her mind, and Willow asks if this means they get out of going to the wedding, but he says, no such luck. They’re definitely on the guest list. Sonny wants them to fly down to Puerto Rico.

Valentin says, she’s leaving town? but Nina says, it’s just for a few days. Don’t worry. She feels silly talking about it, given everything Valentin is going through, but she and Sonny are going to Puerto Rico; they’re eloping. He says he thought she was having a big wedding at the MetroCourt, and she says, that was the plan, but it got complicated, and it was really stressful. They just want to get married as soon as possible and the best solution was to have a small ceremony on Sonny’s island. He says, if that’s what she wants, he’s happy for her, and she says, he can always call her, but he says he’s not going to call her. He’s not going to interrupt her wedding. Unless she wants Sonny after him. Besides, Laura’s coming back from London. They’re going to figure out what to do about Charlotte together. Charlotte walks in and asks if Valentin is keeping things from her.

Robert says, Anna will do whatever she wants, so what does she need? She says, let’s just look at the recent events, starting with the shooting at the pool. She thinks that bullet was meant for Sonny, not her. Robert says, he’s got his fair share of enemies, and Anna says, so does she, but she thinks she’s being targeted in a completely different way. He says he doesn’t follow, and she says, after the shooting at the pool, her house was torched. Then her room here was vandalized. What does that tell him? He says, that her enemy is toying with her. They’re trying to break her down. What is she going to do about that?

Charlotte says, Valentin didn’t tell her Nina was coming over. She was putting her bike away, and she saw Nina’s car out front. She’s so happy to see Nina. They hug, and Nina says, it’s so nice to see Charlotte. How is she? Charlotte says, much better now that she’s living with papa, and Nina says, it’s a beautiful place. Is she settling in okay? Charlotte says, everything’s perfect. Can Nina stay and have lunch with them? Nina says, no, she’s so sorry. She just came over to tell Charlotte’s dad that she was leaving town for a few days. She and Sonny are going to Puerto Rico. Charlotte says, cool. She wishes she and papa could take a trip with Nina someday. Nina says she’s not sure Anna would be so thrilled with that, and Charlotte says she knows. She was just thinking how great it would be if they could go to Europe. Remember how they used to always talk about doing that? Nina says, that’s right. How about this? They plan a girls trip, just the two of them. Maybe she can convince Maxie to allow Georgie to come with them. She likes Georgie, right? (The way she says this, she may as well have been saying, Charlotte’s not going to set fire to Georgie, is she?) Charlotte says, yeah. She used to see Georgie a lot when her mom was still with them. But she’d rather just go with Nina if papa can’t come with them. Nina says, it’s a deal, and Charlotte says she loves Nina. They hug, and Nina says she loves Charlotte too.

Alexis tells Gregory, it looks like Judge Kim has a number of high-profile cases. His opinions that he wrote for his decisions read like bait for a promotion. Gregory asks, can you elaborate on that for those of us who didn’t attend law school? and she says, from what she can tell, it sounds like he’s trying to impress the Judicial Board in hopes of a higher appointment. Gregory asks how he goes about that, and she says, when judges are trying to climb the ladder, they set new precedents. And they do that with their opinions. And what they want is for those precedents to be appealed and upheld. So in simpler terms, it looks like Judge Kim is trying to get the attention of those above him. And if that’s the case, then maybe they can help him do just that.

Carly thanks Sonny for everything he’s doing for Drew’s case, and he says, Drew’s a good man. He doesn’t deserve what’s happening to him. And Drew being in prison affects her, and no matter what’s happened between them, she’s the mother of his children and he just wants her to be happy. She says, that means a lot. So from all the research Diane has gathered, it looks like Judge Kim is hoping for a promotion to the Federal Bench. She’s thinking he’d be more than happy to meet with the press and cooperate. He says, that gives Alexis a way in, and she says, that’s all they have for now. Sonny says, do him a favor and tell Drew to sit tight, because he’s doing everything he can behind the scenes to get him out of there. Carly says she will and asks if he ever found out who Austen was visiting in Pentenville.

Gregory tells Alexis, from the look on her face, he’d say she has a plan. What is she thinking? She says, her guess is, this guy has an ego; most judges do. He says he hears the same about lawyers, and she says she’s not sure who’s worse, but what she thinks is, this guy is really career oriented. He wants to get ahead which means he’ll be very susceptible to the lure of publicity. Gregory says, and that’s where she comes in, and she says, they call him in for an interview. They pump him up. They tell him that they’re interested in doing an article about his decisions, take some pictures, and hopefully he’ll eat it up. Gregory says, and then, she goes in for the kill and ask him about Drew’s sentence. She says, mm-hmm, and he says, good plan of attack. Like he said, ruthless.

Sonny tells Carly, unfortunately, they have no information on that yet. They don’t know who’s pulling the strings when it comes to Austen and Mason. She says, trailing Betty didn’t turn up anything? and he says he had Dex watching her every move, thinking she’d lead them to the boss, but that didn’t happen. They have someone watching Austin, and his guys are doing everything they can until he gets back from the wedding. She says, that’s what he should be concentrating on right now, and he says he knows. She says she’s going to have Donna packed and all ready to go. She can’t wait to see Donna’s face when she tells her. Please take a couple of pictures of Donna for her. He says, okay, and she says, let her know if he hears from Ava. She can just bring Avery here and he can pick up both girls at the same time. He says, thanks, that means a lot, and she says, it’s been a painful couple years. He agrees, and she says, and she just wants him to be happy too. He says, yeah. He feels the same way. They soap stare at each other for a moment, while the moss bowl🎍 yawns, and Sonny says he’ll see her.

Kristina says she’s flying down to Puerto Rico later for her dad’s wedding, and Blaze says, a destination wedding. How exciting. Dante says, they’re eloping, thank God, and Kristina says, Dante. He says he’s just telling it like it is. He thinks they’re being smart by keeping it a small, family ceremony. (Is that really eloping then?) Kristina asks why he says that, and he tells her, because he thinks if they had a big wedding in Port Charles, they’d be asking for trouble.

Anna says, this is where Robert comes in. She needs his help. Because she’s almost certain this threat is coming from inside the WSB. Or someone with access to the Bureau’s resources. He asks if she thinks this is the same person who outed her for being a double-agent, and she says she has her suspicions. Look at the timing; think about it. None of this started until she was exposed in the press. It has to be connected. It can’t just be a coincidence. He says, this is revenge from someone she’s wronged in a past case? and she says her actions hurt a lot of people who might want payback. He says, she hasn’t been an active operative in years. Could somebody hold a grudge that long? She says she doesn’t know. She just really needs his help to get some information from inside the Bureau. He tells her, as he said, since Frisco left, his influence there is limited. As for this new director, whatever influence he might have is going to be limited at best. She says, limited is better than non-existent. Please. Will he help her find out what is going on and who is after her?

Nina says, it was so good to see Charlotte. Does she remember their handshake? They do a fancy pattycake thing, and Nina says she has to go to the gallery. She’s been trying to get ahold of Ava with no luck, so she thought she’d try her there. Charlotte says she misses Nina so much. Please come over after her trip. Nina says she will, and kisses Charlotte’s forehead. Valentin walks her to the door, and outside, he thanks her for coming. It meant a lot to Charlotte. It’s good to see her smile. Nina says, they’re going to figure this out when she gets back, okay? and they hug as Charlotte watches. He tells Nina, have a nice trip, and Charlotte half smiles.

Willow says, fly to an intimate wedding? It would be one thing if it was 200 guests at the MetroCourt. They’d be able to blend into the background, but this… Michael says, yeah. It would just be family, so they’d be front and center. She says she knows she’s been pushing him lately to accept Nina, but this is a lot. He’s finally made peace with his dad and Nina, and it’s so new. He asks if she really wants to put it to the test.

Alone outside, Nina looks at a picture of Charlotte as a young child. She says, Charlotte, what happened to you? As she starts to go down the walk, her phone rings. Sonny asks, how is his bride-to-be? and she says she’s okay, but he says she doesn’t sound okay. What’s wrong? She says, it’s just been an emotional day. Where is he? He says he’s been all over town doing things, but he’s finished now. He’s all hers. She says, that’s all she’s ever wanted, and he says, then she better get packing. We’re getting married. She says, yes, we are.

On Monday, Nina says, this is the best wedding present she could ever ask for; Gregory tells Finn, now because of him, Chase is paying the price; Carly tells Alexis that there’s proof, and she can get it for her; and Cyrus asks what someone has in store for him.

🚗 Enjoy the Ride…

We say goodbye to Gladys. Her last scenes with Sonny were so much fun!

🎤 Old Is New Again…

We say hello to Lois. Brook needs her mom, and hopefully, she’ll go head-to-head with Tracy.

💰 Not As Rich As They Seem…

She has a point. It does seem like you get demoted to friend if you can’t keep up the image.

Case in point? She seems like the kind of person who would ditch her financial responsibilities.

🍊 Who’s a POS Cheater…?

I figured that’s what Jenn was referring to.

🍸 Something About Her Living Her Best Life…

Can’t wait to read her book. This has been one of those rare times we got to see karma at work immediately.

🍾 Words Of Wisdom…

She must be doing something right. She looks amazing. And what I said yesterday. It really is ridiculous how they all just keep circling the same dating drain.

⚰️ Put That Dead Thing Down…

I have to admit, I’m surprised, but he probably has a big fan base.

‘TWD Daryl Dixon’ Becomes Most Viewed Premiere and Season in AMC+ History (collider.com)

This sounds like a great convention.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/new-york-comic-con-2023-the-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-rick-michonne/

I knew it. I knew I saw this scene somewhere and there had already been a connection to France.

🦃 The Forgotten Holiday…

That holiday we jump over between Halloween and whatever December holiday you celebrate now has its own slasher film. If Eli Roth is involved, it’s bound to be good.

https://ew.com/movies/thanksgiving-trailer-patrick-dempsey-eli-roth-addison-rae/

🎃 Not Halloween Without It…

Weird-ass vintage costumes. Just remember, that bag is not a toy, or a costume.

https://www.travelchannel.com/ghostober/photos/13-iconic-vintage-costumes-to-recreate-this-halloween?xp=sistersite

👻 It’s That Time Of Year…

One holiday where celebrities are just like us.

👄 Quotes of the Week

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. – Lao Tzu

Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian. – Shari R. Barr

Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great. – John D. Rockefeller

The deeper the truth in a creative work, the longer it will live. – Sir Charlie Chaplin

It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it. – Abraham Lincoln

He ain’t no Christian; he’s a dope fiend. – Judge Mathis

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. – Vincent Van Gogh

True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us. – Socrates

October is the fallen leaf, but it is also a wider horizon more clearly seen. It is the distant hills once more in sight, and the enduring constellations about them once again. – Hal Borland

🦖 Main Character Energy…

Join me again on Monday really Tuesday for soap and yachting with awful people. Until then, stay safe, stay treating and not tricking (take that however you like), and stay making parties celebrations not deadlines.

December 5, 2021 – Alicia Comes Face To Face With Victor, Talk Tease, Walking Trailer, Ending the Beyond & Making It

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

In the past, Teddy tells Alicia, good luck, as he locks the door. She screams, he can lock her in, but she’s not going to make the world what he wants it to be. He says, that’s what he’s counting on, and leaves. She bangs on the door, and says, let her out. She rips off the ropes on her wrists, and cries.

Alicia sits on the floor in front of the door, crying. She walks through the halls, and a shower spray hits her in the face. She goes downstairs, and looks around. She opens a door, and cautiously goes in the room. She hears the click of a gun behind her, and a man’s voice says, don’t move; turn around. He drags her to the zombie tree, and she asks if he knows what Teddy is doing. He says he found another straggler, and moves her toward the tree, pushing her close to its snapping mouth, saying, fresh compost for their garden  Arnold comes in, and tells dude that Alicia is the one waiting they’ve been waiting for to lead them to a new beginning. Alicia says she’s not leading these psychos, and Arnold tells her, Teddy warned them that she’d say that, but he said she’d come around. Alicia pushes dude into the zombie tree, and the zombie is like, mmm, plant food. She gets dude’s gun, and holds it on the people in her way, making them move, as she goes out the door. Arnold says, let her. She’s not going anywhere.

In the present, Alicia yells for everyone to go; leave everything. Morgan says, they have to stay ahead of the smoke. Zombies come into the camp, and as they run, Morgan asks where Alicia has been. She says, it’s a long story, and now is not the time to tell it. She yells for her people to move.

On horseback, Sherry says, all clear, and Dwight relays that information, saying, masks off. She asks if he got a head count, and he says, twenty-eight, minus Mickey, who’s on patrol. She tells him to see if he can find Mickey before they get back to camp. Morgan tells Alicia, if the people who set the explosives are telling the truth, her camp is done. She says, food, supplies, everything they had is back there. He says he can’t stick around. He and Victor had a falling out, and he has things to take care of. Victor will let her and her people in. She says she doesn’t want to see Victor, and Morgan says, Victor didn’t think she would. Grace and the baby are there; he’s holding them hostage. She asks if he’s going hurt them, but Morgan doesn’t think so. Victor needs Grace to help him. Alicia says, then he can wait. There’s a reason she needed to find him. She needs his help. A guy comes out of the woods, pushing along a zombie on a stick lead. The zombie snaps at Alicia, and Morgan asks, who is that? He tells Dwight that he doesn’t understand: is it somebody she lost? Dwight says, she won’t tell them. The guy who attacked Victor didn’t want her finding him. Morgan asks, why? but Dwight says he has to ask Alicia. Alicia says, get him ready. 

In the past, Alicia is banging at the door with an ax. Will comes out, and tells her to wait. Don’t… She knocks him down, and he says, she’s not getting out that way. He lived before those a-holes found it, and he’s been trying to get out. Alicia lets him up, and he introduces himself. She asks if there is a way out, and he says, maybe, and starts to walk. She follows him, and they go downstairs. She asks how long he’s been there, and he says, since Senator Vasquez security detail brought them here. She asks who Senator Vasquez is, and Will says, the junior senator for Oklahoma. After the hospitals got crowded, the government officials regrouped here, but they never made it. They had protocol to ensure there was continuity in government, and were supposed to keep the door locked until it was safe  She asks where everybody else is, and he says, dead. They weren’t supposed to let anyone in, but it had been years since they’d seen the living when these people showed up, and they didn’t want to watch them die through the window. The senator opened the door, and they killed everyone. She says, except him? and he says, he was doing maintenance on the air filters and could hear everything from the upper level. He hid, which is what he’s been doing ever since. She asks, how do they get out? and he says, the people activated a time lock. She asks if there isn’t another way, and he says, there might be. She asks if he hasn’t tried, and he says he hasn’t been up there yet. She says, someone up there is trying to destroy everything. She tried to warned someone, but she’s not sure he’s going to come through. He asks what she means by everything, and they hear Arnold yelling, Alicia. Will tells her to go back to them, and she asks what he’s going to do. He says, find a way out, and she leaves.

In the present, they pour something that looks like glue or honey over zombie Senator Vasquez, and Morgan asks, what the hell’s going on, and what does it have to do with him? Alicia says she needs him to help her find a place called Padre, and he says, lots of people are looking for it. What does she know about it? She says, it’s someplace safe with plans to rebuild, and the resources to do it, and he asks if she knows where it is. She says, she doesn’t, but he does, indicating her zombie friend. Senator Vasquez is pushed along, and Morgan asks, what makes her think that? She says, he wouldn’t understand; no one has. He’ll just have to trust her. He says, okay, and zombies start arriving. Morgan says, everybody up, and he and Dwight stab a head or two. Sherry rides up, and says they’ve got company; rangers on horseback. Dwight wonders why Victor is after them, and Morgan says, they’re all dressed like the people who attacked the tower. Alicia says, they’ll find place to lay low, and Morgan tells her that Victor has room for everyone. She asks Dwight about Mickey, and he says, she wants no part of it; Victor is scaring their people away. He thinks they should get everyone moving, and Morgan says, this had better work. Alicia asks if he trusts her, and he says he does.

Alicia takes some guts out of a zombie, and explains to Morgan, it’s so they don’t follow. She tells him that he might want to cover his nose and mouth; she’s seen people get sick from less. Is he in or not? She holds out a gut smeared cloak, and he takes it. The senator is released, and walks past them. I deduce zombie life is boring, and they follow him.

In the past, they go into a room, and Alicia asks, what is this place? Arnold hands her a weapon, and says, Teddy wanted her to have this. She sees a folder marked, Padre, and asks, what’s this? He says, something the old-timers left behind for her. He listens on his radio, and says, in the service area? It must be one of the senator’s people. Send him back to the earth. The person on the other ends says, they’re one step ahead of him.  

As they’re about to feed Will to the zombie tree, Alicia says, they might want to listen to him. She throws something at the guy holding Will, and he lets go. She says, Teddy is right. She’s the person who’s going to lead them to a new beginning. It starts now, and no one gets returned to the earth. Let him go, and leave them now. They leave, and Will thanks her. She tells Will that she needs a way out, and he asks if zombies remember anything. He seems shaken (understandably), and she asks if this is the first time he’s seen one up close. He says, it’s not that. Senator Vasquez knows where Padre is. She says, they don’t remember anything; just walking. When you forget that, that’s when things become dangerous. She asks about the Padre binder, and he says, it was left by people who thought they could rebuild the future. The senator said it was stocked with everything they needed to start over. She asks if it’s Padre Island, but he says, it was classified; the senator was the only one who knew where it was. The senator who is now the zombie tree. He’d messaged his family, when it became clear they he couldn’t make the trip here. She asks if they made it, but he says, they don’t know if anyone made it. They could never got a clear signal there. She asks if he thinks they could find it if they got out of there, and he says, her guess is as good as his, but if they find a way out, he’s not going with her. She says, they’ll kill him if she leaves. She shows him the St. Christopher medal and gives it to him.

In the present, the senator walks, and Alicia and Morgan follow. Alicia wonders if Morgan needs the Geiger counter, since the senator will hear it, but he says, if they follow the senator without this, they could end up like him. She stops, and he asks if she’s all right; she’s sweating. She says she hasn’t eaten in a week, or slept in twice as long. It’s about 100 degrees out here, so she thinks she’s doing well. He asks if she has any idea where they are, but she says, it doesn’t matter. They’ll follow the senator for as long as he goes. Someone starts shooting at them, and Morgan says, if Victor knows she’s here, they won’t fire. She says she doesn’t want to see Victor, and Morgan says, he doesn’t want to get shot. He yells, these aren’t the people who attacked the tower, and Victor says he’s not here for that. He’s here for Morgan. He shoots at Morgan, and Morgan says, they had a deal. Alicia goes sprinting after Senator Vasquez, who’s started wandering, and Morgan follows. He says, they’ll kill her, and she says, they’ll kill the senator. He says they’ll find another way to Padre. He’s not letting her die for something that’s already dead. He can’t lose her. She says, he can do it without her, but he says he’s not talking about her; he’s talking about everyone. They get on either side of the senator, and run with him in between them to the edge of a cliff. Morgan says, this is going to get them killed, and Victor rides up. He says, move again, and he will shoot. Alicia pushes the senator off the cliff, and into the water below, and Victor says, Alicia. Sorry. He didn’t know she was with Morgan. She looks at the water, and he tells her, don’t do it, but she jumps in after the senator. Victor says he sees Morgan found her, and Morgan says, he did. Victor was right; she didn’t want to see him. Morgan jumps in, and Victor shoots at him in vain. Morgan finds Alicia with Senator Vasquez, and Victor asks what he’s men are looking at. Get down there. His men take off after Alicia, Morgan, and their dead precious cargo.

Alicia and Morgan sit on the shore, and Morgan asks what they’re doing here. She says she knows what she’s doing here; she’s not sure what he is. Did he really try to kill Victor? Morgan says, Victor tried to kill him. Now he’s trying to keep her alive. She says she didn’t ask him to, and he says, then what is he doing here? Why did she send Dwight and Sherry to look for him? She asks what he meant when he said he couldn’t do this anymore, and he says, he needs to stop doing what they’re doing; wishing a world into existence that doesn’t want to be. He needs someone to step in and help him. She asks, what makes him think she can? and he asks if she thinks they can do worse. She says, sorry, and he asks, why? She tells him, help her find Padre, but he says, they don’t know if it exists. She says, it does, and he asks, where is it? All he’s seen is this guy who seems to have been dead for a long time, that she’s risking her life to save. Alicia says, they’re not totally gone. There’s still an echo of who they once were. He says, no, but she says, there has to be. Morgan says he thought that back then, and his son died because of it. He’s going to kill the senator. He lifts an ax, saying, it’s not worth the risk, unless she tells him why. She says, it’s their only chance to find someplace safe, and they hear, drop your weapons.

In the past, Will leads Alicia to a room with cement tunnels in it, and a lot of rats running  around. He explains about the drainage system, but she’s hesitant, saying, it’s not going work. He says, the tunnels branch out. If they don’t get past the rats, they’re not going anywhere. She knocks the senator down, and rips him open. She tells Will to cover his nose and mouth; it could make him sick. She puts guts on herself, and Will tells the senator, he’s going to find his family, and grabs an intestine. Alicia tells him that she’s sorry for not remembering. She’s spent so much time out there, she forgets there are people still alive. He says, maybe that’s why he’s there. To help her remember how it used to be.

Senator Vasquez crawls into a tunnel, and Alicia tells Will, they’ll get out, and find his people, and stop it. They’ll find Padre. She crawls in behind the senator, and follows him, then Will follows her. The tunnel starts to crumble, and everything goes black. Will calls to Alicia.

In the present, Victor rides up on horseback, as his man is asking Morgan to tell him why they’re fighting over a skinbag. Victor says, get his friends up; they didn’t have to run. Morgan says, Victor gave his word, but Victor says, that was in the tower. Out here, words are just words, which means nothing Morgan says can change his mind. He asks who the zombie is, and Alicia says, no one. He says, why is it on a leash? Who was he? Victor unsheathes his sword, and she tells him, don’t make it worse than it is already. She know what he’s done, and what he’s built. He says, then she at least knows it’s worked better than anything so far. She says, she knows what it cost him, but he says he doesn’t think so. He thought he could do it alone, but now he’s starting to realize that he needs someone, and she’s the only person he can trust. She asks if he’s sure about that? She doesn’t need his tower or what he’s offering. He says, what does she need, Padre? It’s a myth. Many ended up on his doorstep looking for it; something someone made up. Don’t make the same mistake. She says she’s not settling for what he has, or how he got it, and he asks if she’s sure about that. She says she is, and Victor tells one of his men to kill the senator. She’ll come if she has no choice. Better yet, kill Morgan, then kill it. Alicia says, no, as Victor’s man shoves Morgan toward the senator. Alicia gets in between them, and the senator bites her arm. Victor tells his men, get back… Her arm… She says, she’s fine, and Victor says, it’s not the way he wanted… She says, leave now, and Victor, tells his men to go. He hesitates, then follows.

In the past, Alicia coughs, lying among the rubble in the tunnel. She hears the zombie senator, but realizes she’s trapped. She calls to Will, who says, he’s here. Hang on; he’s going to get her out. She says she doesn’t think there’s much time; the senator is in here. She shines the flashlight around, and says, he’s turned around and coming back. She tries stacking cement pieces to block the opening, but yells to Will that she doesn’t know if it will hold. She thinks she’s got it, and tells him to see if he can get through. He says he can clear the rest. Hang in there a little longer. She thanks him, and says, she couldn’t do without him. Senator Vasquez busts through the makeshift wall, and she hits him with a chunk of cement. He bites her arm, and she kicks him back. Will asks if she’s okay. He asks again, and she says, he bit her. He asks what that means, and she says, it means it’s over. He says, no, there has to be a way to stop it, and she says, there’s nothing here for her to save anyway. He says she doesn’t know that. The people down there need her. She says he thinks he needs her, but she couldn’t stop Teddy. She can’t help anybody. She looks at her gross arm, and says, it’s spreading. He says, there’s got to be a way to stop it. She doesn’t have to rebuild it the way Teddy wanted her to. She can rebuild it the way she wants to. She needs to survive. It’s a world he wants to be a part of . She says she doesn’t know if she’ll be here long, and tells him not to say something he doesn’t mean just because she’s dying. He says she won’t be dying because she’s going to survive. She looks at her arm again, and it doesn’t look good.  

In the present, Morgan tells Alicia that he’s going to keep asking until she lets him look. She got bit; she can’t ignore it. There still might be something they can do. She shows him that she has a mechanical arm, and says, she told him that she was fine. He says he’s so sorry, and she says, don’t worry about it. He asks how it happened. Is that why she’s following the senator? It’s okay, she can tell him when she’s ready. She stands, and says she still needs the walker.

In the past, Alicia is about to cut her arm, and tells Will to promise her. If it’s been too long, promise not to let her kill anyone. She has a fever, and if it looks like she’s going to turn, kill her first; promise. He says, that’s not going to happen, and she says, promise her that. He promises, and she looks at her arm again, and closes her eyes. She cuts through it, mid forearm, and passes out

Alicia sleeps. She opens her eyes to see her arm stump dripping, and hooked up to tubes. She calls to Will, who’s sleeping in a chair nearby. He comes to her bedside, and she says, thank God. What happened? Is everyone okay? He says, one of her friends tried to stop the signal; Victor got in the way. She asks how long she’s been out, and he says she passed out after her arm almost bled out. He brought her here, but now her fever’s broken. She asks, what fever? and he says, she ran a pretty bad fever. She says she didn’t get to it in time, and he says she amputated her own arm. The infection could be anything; sepsis, tetanus… She says, or the bite, but he says, her fever broke. She says she could have killed everyone. He promised; he said he’d kill her. He says, like it or not, these people are her responsibility. She says she couldn’t save everyone up there. She’s not making the same mistake again. He says, she’s here now, and still can. He can help her. She says, no, he can’t.

In the present, Morgan and Alicia continue to follow the senator. Morgan says she can tell him when she’s ready, and Alicia says, they can’t let him out of their sight. She sees a search light, and says, this has to be it, but Morgan says, no. That’s not Padre.   

We see Victor’s zombie parking lot, and Alicia and Morgan sit on the scaffolding under the callbox. Alicia says she was supposed to lead them to a place where everyone could be safe, and Morgan says, it’s not in there. He can take her back to the sub. She’ll be safe there. She says, he won’t, and he asks her to tell him what’s really going on. Does she want to tell him? She says she didn’t amputate arm in time. The infection is still inside of her; her body’s trying to fight it, but it’s only a matter of time before she loses. He tells her to have June look at it. June can give her antibiotics… She says she tried all that. That’s why she can’t help him. She can’t be the person he needs her to be. She cries, and says she doesn’t know how much longer she has left. She thought she could find Padre. He says they’ll find someplace else, but she says, the longer she looks, the more chance she has of hurting people. That’s why she needs him. A zombie toddles up, and he tells her to stay.

Morgan whacks a bunch of zombies, and says, the light is drawing them. There’s going to be more if they stay here. Victor rides up, and I say, ugh, out loud. He says, sorry, and Alicia says, for once, it’s not his fault. He asks. what happened to her arm? and she says, it doesn’t matter. He asks where her walker is, and she says, in his moat. He says he must have underestimated her. Her walker led her to where she’s supposed to be. Doesn’t she see? She belongs there. She asks, if she brings her people, will he take care of them? Morgan says she can’t trust Victor, and Victor says she’s not asking Morgan’s opinion. Alicia says, what if she’s not here? and Victor says, but she will be. She says, promise her, and he says he doesn’t understand; is she still sick? She says, promise her, and he says he promises. Alicia looks at Morgan, then sees a zombie crawling out from behind a waste can. She realizes it’s Will, and Morgan says he’ll take care of him, but she says, no, and walks toward him.

In the past, Alicia wakes up, and calls to Will. She says she thinks she knows what they need to do. She sees a note, and reads it. He says, sorry he couldn’t keep his promise to her. He said he’d help her remember how the world worked, but now he wonders if that’s what she really needs. if he stays, he’ll remind her of a way of life that no longer exists. She needs to build something better. Don’t worry about him; he’ll figure it out. Maybe one day he’ll get to see the world she lives in

In the present, Alicia stabs zombie Will in the head, and asks if Victor knows where he came from. Did he know she knew him? Why would Victor kill him? Victor says, because he knew it would hurt her. He wanted to keep her away, so he could build the tower the way it needed to be built. She asks why killing Will would help him do that, and he says, because Will told him that he loved her. She asks Morgan how long they can hold out on the sub, and Morgan says, a week; two weeks tops. She says, that’s long enough, and tells Victor, he’s taken so much from her. Now she’s going to take something from him. He says he doesn’t want to do this with her, but she says, it’s too late for that. She’s taking the one thing that matters to him the most. She’s taking that tower. He says he’ll protect it if he must, and she says, then they’re going to war.

Next time – on April 17, 2022 – Alicia and Victor go to war.

🗣 Talking Dead had a sneak peek of The Walking Dead – back February 20, 2022. Judith and Grace fight zombies in the flooded basement, and Judith loses her weapon in the water.

⚰️ Trailer 4U…

Another peek inside the upcoming Dead.

https://www.insider.com/the-walking-dead-season-11-returns-february-2022

The Walking Dead: World Beyond

Elton showed how Iris, Hope, and Silas how to sneak out. They’d decided all four of them were trekking 1100 miles. They agreed to have each other’s backs no matter what, and Elton, said, to the end whatever it turned out to be for them. He thought they should engage with the dead only as a last resort, but there was a lot of last resort engaging as they walked through the woods. Elton said, all things considered, it was still safer.

Jadis was over-confident, and gave orders to block for an 8 mile radius. Huck made it back to Dennis, who was still alive, and Dennis suggested they have an actual life together. Huck said it was a plan after they blew sh*t up. They had get the word out to the right people, and Dennis said, if anyone could do it, it was them.

Felix found Leo, but then Lieutenant Newton – I finally get his name on the final show – found the both of them. The kids got back to Huck and Dennis, and Dennis told Silas that what he’d done meant a lot. Huck told them to go meet Leo and the others. They’d be about 3 miles out when the place blew up. Hope wanted Huck to come, but Huck said the CRM didn’t know what the military had been doing outside their walls, but she was going to see to it they did. She said she was proud of Hope. Silas decided to stay, saying, Dennis and Huck would need someone to help get them there, and they had to get there.

Jadis gave the order to get her helicopter ready. She was going to find out where the gas had been moved. Elton told Silas that they’d found each other twice, and they would again. Will joined Felix, saying, he’d doubled back when he heard the distress call. Felix lured Newton away from the others, and Newton chased him through the woods. Felix ended up between zombies behind a fence, and Newton. In the meantime, back at the truck, Will tried to surprise the guard shooting at Leo, but his gun jammed, so they ended up fist fighting. Will won. Newton told Felix that people like him were worse than the dead. They were helping the dead win. He suggested they fight mano a mano. Felix said he’d kill Newton if he had the chance, and now he had it. He talked a bunch of smack about Felix and his parents, and in a surprise move, Felix opened the gate, letting the dead loose.

Huck said she had to find another way to set up the explosives, and asked about the emergency weapons cache. Silas offered to go with Dennis, and Huck said she’d stay there. She told Dennis that they’d take what they got, and make it work. Newton killed most of the zombies, and Felix did a two-for-one move with double pokey stick. He and Newton dueled with their pokey sticks, while the next bath of zombies got closer. They did a whole swordfight thing, with lots of twirling, but at the end, Felix stabbed Newton, basically disemboweling him. The zombies descended on Newton, and I thought it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

After Jadis landed, she told the guards to secure the containers, and went to the warehouse. Huck was waiting, and knocked Jadis’s gun out of her hand. They fought with some big pipes they grabbed, since the warehouse was like a poor man’s Home Depot. Jadis asked what Huck got for betraying the CRM, and Huck said they were supposed to fight for humanity, but there was nothing humane about what they’d done. Jadis said Huck couldn’t appreciate what they had or what they did, but her mother understood. Huck said her mother had lost her way, but it was always who Jadis was. Jadis said, people were a resource. She’d had someone special, who was an A, but she told the CRM that they were a B, so he woudn’t end up with Huck’s mother. She’d traded him to get into the city, and now she was going to do what Huck couldn’t.

Dennis dug around in an old, locked refrigerator, looking for a timed detonator, among other weapons. Huck told Jadis that the CRM had the blood of a hundred thousand people on their hands, but Jadis said, it was no more than Huck did. What had she thought the intel she brought back was used for? They knew where to hit thanks to Huck. They fought some more, using zombie pokey sticks, and Jadis stabbed Huck. Jadis said it didn’t have to be this way, and Huck fell to the floor. Jadis asked if Huck wanted her to finish her off, or did she want to die alone. Huck told this long story about her father’s gold watch, and said to tell her mother that it wouldn’t bring them back together this time. Jadis saw Huck’s wrist, where her watch was noticeably absent, and a lightbulb came on. She asked how much time she had, but Huck wasn’t telling, and Jadis ran out, telling the guards that they were leaving.  

The zombies just kept coming at Hope, Iris, and Elton, until Indira showed up with a machine gun on the top of a truck. She yelled for the kids to duck, and mowed all the zombies down. Huck bled out on the floor, thought about her watch, and smiled. Then everything blew up. Dennis saw the green mushroom cloud in the air, and knew he wasn’t going to be having a life with Huck.

The kids ran to the truck, and for some stupid reason (probably just because it’s the last episode), Elton and Hope paused for a hug, causing Elton to get bit by a random zombie. Silas told Dennis that Huck could still be coming, but Dennis said he didn’t think that was going to be happening. Dennis said he could still get Dennis to the Civic Republic, but Dennis said he wasn’t going to make it; he never was. He told Silas to take the truck and find his friends, but Silas said he didn’t want to give up their second chance. They heard a truck, and Dennis said he was dead one way or another. He wanted Silas to say he was a hostage who got the upper hand on his captor, and make the CRM see him as a hero. He handed Silas his gun, but Silas refused. Dennis said Silas wanted a second chance, and it was the only way. He hadn’t deserved what Huck did, or this. He deserved to have a life, and needed to convince the CRM that he was one of them. They were told to come out with their hands on their head, and Silas told Dennis that he’d find out what the CRM had done. Dennis told him, just do it, and Silas cried, saying he was so sorry. Then he did it.   

Everyone met at the rendezvous. Elton had lost a lot of blood, and was secured just in case. Hope said he’d saved her life, and Will gave Indira her medicine that he’d found in Elton’s bag. Iris decided to go with Indira’s people to warn Portland, but told Hope not to leave. The place wasn’t permanent, but it was safe. Cornell was close by, and she’d have the equipment she’d need to continue her research. Iris knew she was supposed to go with Indira, and Hope said it wasn’t about them, but the future. Will suggested he and Felix go too, but Iris said too much needed to be protected there, and Felix agreed.

Jadis met with Silas in her office, and said she bet Silas was wondering why she’d asked him there. She heard what he did, and it must have been an ordeal with Huck’s treasonous husband. She told him that his friends were part of the mutiny, but he said he didn’t want to be a part of it, and they weren’t his friends. Jadis said she knew Dennis had put him up to it, but he went through with it. He’d killed his father, and his mother had abandoned him for it. It took strength. She’d heard he was interested in the military. He said he thought he’d make a good soldier, but she said she thought he’d make a great one. She was taking him on as a special project. She saw him for who he really was, even if he didn’t yet. He would, and she couldn’t wait.    

Moving on, Jadis met with Elizabeth on a bench outside. Jadis said she hadn’t found the scientists yet, but she would. Elizabeth said she’d seen herself as an ancestor to a future world indebted to her for her sacrifice. So she’d done monstrous things in order for civilization to reign again, and others could ascend,  but what if it just wasn’t possible? What if it never was? Jadis said survivors didn’t break. Instead of making the weak strong, they waited for the strong to become weak. She’d seen the strongest person she knew become vulnerable, and used it. She was doing it now. Elizabeth was to be remanded to the health and welfare complex until she could be tried for treason. If she was looking for someone to blame, blame her daughter. Huck was a traitor, and Elizabeth should have seen it. She allowed the Bennetts to live there, and had allowed the Perimeter to be a threat. Elizabeth said she was the one who brought Jadis in for a security audit, and Jadis said she’s been brought into a world of sh*t, and Elizabeth left when it got out of control. She’d been brought in to take the fall, but as Elizabeth got worse, she looked better. Jadis didn’t have friends, or a child, but she had her ambition. Elizabeth said Bill would have her head, and Jadis asked who Elizabeth thought signed the arrest warrant. They were the last light of the world. The guards took Elizabeth away.

Iris said her goodbyes, and Hope said she’d been thinking back to how they were going to save the world together. They still would, even though they weren’t together. Iris said it didn’t change them; it had showed them who they were. They hugged, there were tears and I love yous, then they gave each other the finger, which I didn’t quite get. As Iris was about to leave, Elton woke up.

To wrap it all up, we heard Elton in a voiceover, saying, there was a time he’d thought they were all going to die, that he believed his was the last generation. We saw scientists working, and he said, for a while, he thought they were the beginning, but that ignored everything and everyone who came before. He knew for sure they were a lot tougher and harder than he thought. We saw Silas as a soldier, and Elizabeth in prison, and Elton said, most things left their mark on all of them, in a way he never expected. We saw Will and Felix holding hands, and Elton said, there was still a lot of good, a lot that was beautiful, and a lot to give them hope. Maybe there was no beginning or end. Maybe it just is. It was whatever they made it. There was no perfect model or predicting if it was the last day or they’d last forever. Maybe all they got to know was now. It would get them there in small steps, and keep them growing and evolving. Those moments put together were life, and that was everything.

We saw Iris, Hope, Elton, and Silas at the beginning, and Elton saying, they’d see who they really were. Elton opened the door.

But wait, there was more.

A woman hooked up a laptop in a decrepit lab. She copied some files, then brought up Dr. Jenner (from TWD) on the screen, talking about getting fresh samples. There were too many variables, and they couldn’t get an accurate biological picture. But in brighter news, the latest data on jumpstarting the circulatory system to cause confusion was promising. A man came in with a gun, and spoke in French, asking if she was one of those doctors. She said she was, and he asked if she’d been in hiding. She said, yes, and he asked if she was on the Primrose team. She said, no, Violet. She told him that Primrose wasn’t there when it happened. When they did what they did, they were at a conference. She’d hoped that somehow they came back; she was tired of running. She hoped they might end this after all this time. The man said, they should be dead, and if they’re not, they wouldn’t jail them like the others; they’d kill them. End this? They’d started this. Then, they made it worse. He shot her, and we saw Dr. Jenner say that he had faith the day would come when they’d beat this thing. The woman sat up, now a zombie, went to the door, and started to bang on it. We saw the sign that said La Biomedicine.

La Fin.

🌬 Blowing Out Like the Wind…

Join me tomorrow for some soap and to see what’s on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay not making the same mistakes twice, and stay being content in just knowing now.

November 29, 2021 – Thanksgiving In Port Charles, 80s Neon On Deck, How They Celebrated, Dead News, Final Bow & Remember

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sam says, Drew? and he says he’s sorry to just show up like this, but in all fairness, she never returned his call. She says, oh my God, and they hug.

Chase stands at the Quartermaine door. Brook tells Ned, it’s Thanksgiving, and Ned says, the day we remember the Pilgrims for taking advantage of people they should have respected. She says she thought he wasn’t going to blame Chase, and he says, he’s not, but he’s allowed to be disappointed, at Chase, and at Brook. Chase says, maybe this was a bad idea, but Monica comes out, and asks where are Ned and Brook’s manners. Invite the man in; he’s a guest. Olivia comes in, and seeing the door open, asks if they live in a barn. Brook tells Monica, actually, Chase is more than a guest. Monica says, a friend, but Brook says, he’s more than a friend too. As a matter-of-fact, he’s family.

Portia leaves a voicemail for Curtis, saying, she knows he’s going through a lot right now, but maybe that’s all the more reason for him to come to her house for Thanksgiving. There’s going to be tons of food, good wine… At least she hopes it’s good wine; that’s what the guy told her. But most important, being around friends and family. So just think about it, and she hopes she sees him soon. Elizabeth says, first Portia comes in to check on a patient, and now she’s racing home to prepare dinner for all of them. What is she? Superwoman? Portia says, hardly. Does Elizabeth want to know her secret? Elizabeth says, please, and Portia says, she hired a caterer. Trust her; it’s worth it. Elizabeth says she can’t wait to celebrate with everyone and count their blessings. Elizabeth gets in the elevator, and Portia says, her too.

TJ says, it sounds like Marshall has already spoken to his uncle, and Marshall says he gathers Curtis didn’t tell TJ about their conversation. He certainly made it clear he wants nothing to do with Marshall. TJ asks if he should call Curtis to explain what’s going on, but Marshall says, don’t call Curtis. Maybe his not reaching out is a good thing. Maybe he’s thinking things over, and hasn’t completely rejected Marshall yet. TJ says, his uncle is one of the smartest men he knows. If he rejected Marshall, he has his reasons. He’s tried to keep an open mind, but it seems Marshall is running some kind of hustle. If that’s the case, Curtis spotted it a mile off. Marshall says, he’s not hustling TJ, Curtis, or anybody, and TJ says, Marshall could have fooled him. He came there with a fake pain in his side. Marshall says, sorry about that. He truly regrets the way he’s gone about this. He regrets it all. He really should have done everything differently.

At the hospital, Carly gives some guys to-go bags from the MetroCourt, and says, when they’re done, come back; she has more. Elizabeth says, it smells great. It’s thoughtful of Carly and Olivia to do this. Carly says, no one works harder than the GH staff, and if they’re working on Thanksgiving and away from their families, they should at least have sweet potatoes and turkey. Elizabeth says, and MetroCourt turkey, and Carly says, a step up from the cafeteria? Elizabeth says, just a little. How about their kids, volunteering to pass out dinners? Carly says there may have been a little prodding on her part, and Elizabeth says she’s pretty sure Cameron just wants to be with Josslyn, but they’re doing it. They have a lot to be grateful for. Carly says, they do, and Elizabeth says she’ll let Carly get back to work. She leaves, and Britt comes down the hall, doing an about-face when she sees Carly. Carly notices her, and follows. She calls to Britt, and asks when she got back. Did they find her mom? Britt says, they did, and Carly says, it must have been quite an adventure. She can’t wait for Jason to tell her all about it.   

Sonny is cooking, when Anna comes to the kitchen, where we no longer have the moss bowl 🎍 to be thankful for. He says, long time, no see. What brings her by?  

Olivia says, run that by them again, and Monica says, it would seem Valentin isn’t Bailey’s father, and Chase is. Brook says, correct, and Olivia says, but Brook didn’t tell Chase, and made him sleuth it out for himself. Ned says, also correct, and Brook says, she knows this comes as a shock to everyone, but Monica says, not to her. Nothing about this family shocks her anymore, especially on the last Thursday in November. Chase wants them to know that he’s not going anywhere, and plans on being the best father he can be. Ned says, he’d better, and Chase says, he brought a pie. It’s a cake and a pie; it’s a hybrid. Olivia says, it’s a start, and takes the box from him. She says, maybe change will be the theme this year, and they’ll all actually eat some turkey. Valentin comes in, and says, that didn’t take long. Out with the old, and in with the new, right?

TJ asks what Marshall’s name is again, and he says, TJ can call him Marshall for now. TJ says, they seem to be at an impasse. Clearly, he’s distressed about something, but can’t tell TJ what it is. Marshall says, he wants to, but he’s second guessing himself in real time; everything is coming out wrong. He tends to do that. Jump in headfirst, and suffer the consequences later. He doesn’t blame TJ for being suspicious. TJ says, subterfuge is not Marshall’s game. It bothered him so much when Marshall took off, TJ mentioned it to his uncle and another doctor. Marshall says, Dr. Robinson? and TJ asks how he knew. Marshall says, he guessed. He wishes he had gone about this differently, but what’s done is done. He just doesn’t want TJ to react like his uncle did. TJ says Marshall is still talking in circles, and he’s getting frustrated. What does Marshall want? Marshall says, to be part of the Ashford family, and TJ says, he gets it. Thanksgiving can be rough. People rushing around, going to nice warm gatherings with family and friends. If Marshall is feeling lonely, the holidays can exacerbate that, but Marshall says, the holidays and loneliness have nothing to do with this. He’s finally able to reach out to Curtis, after being unable to for a long, long time. Maybe too long, and he’s going about it all wrong. He’s not sure what to do about it, but it’s not TJ’s problem, and it’s not fair to enlist his help. This is something Marshall has to do on his own. TJ asks what Marshall is talking about; just tell him who Curtis is to him? Marshall says, Curtis is his son.

Elizabeth asks Portia if she should bring anything for dinner, but Portia says, just her crew. Finn comes in with Violet, and Portia says, unless Miss Violet is allergic to pumpkin pie. Violet says, no, but her daddy says she’s allergic to bedtime. Portia says she’ll see them later, and leaves. Finn asks if Elizabeth is ready to head out, and Violet says, there’s no rush. This day is already great. They’re together.

Phyllis sees Nina at the hospital, and Nina asks what she’s doing there. Phyllis says she volunteered to in there today, and just finished. It doesn’t hurt that staying busy keeps your mind off… everything. She asks if Nina has Thanksgiving plans, and Nina says she got an invitation to join her friend Curtis, but she doesn’t know. She’s having a tough time. Phyllis takes her hand, and says, you and me both.

Sam says she can’t believe Drew is standing there, and invites him in. He says, it’s surreal for him too, and she asks if he’s okay. He says he’s in one piece, so there’s that. She says, that’s a plus, and he says, he owes her a huge thank you. He heard she dropped everything and came looking for him with Dante. She says, but they didn’t find him. How did he get back? He says he had a lot of help.

Anna says, it smells incredible, and Sonny says she can come there any   time she wants. She thanks him, and says he doesn’t think she came there to score an invitation. What’s going on?

Carly guesses the trip was a whirlwind, and asks Britt, how’s Liesl? Britt says, good. She’s actually here, getting her injuries looked at. Carly asks, what about Peter? and Britt says, he’s captured and in custody. Carly says, thank God that guy’s reign of terror is finally over. It’s long overdue, but it’s finally finished and everyone is safe… Everyone’s safe, right?

Brook thought Valentin moved out, and he says, don’t worry about it. He and Charlotte have vacated the premises. He’s there to pick up some things the movers overlooked. He pours himself a drink, and Monica says, she knows this has to be painful and shocking for him. Olivia says, all things aside, they know how much he loves Bailey. Valentin thanks her, and says, he’ll survive; he always does. He says, no Michael? and Ned says, he and Willow took Wiley to New York City for the holidays. Olivia says, they thought Wiley would get a kick out of the parade, and Valentin says, maybe they’ll be kind enough to fill Michael in. Ned says, on this, and Valentin says, yeah, be sure to detail the depths to which his daughter has sunk, but this is an ELQ matter. He’s filed a motion nullifying their agreement. Brook says, he can’t do that, but he says, he can and he did. She admitted Bailey wasn’t his daughter; that voided their contract. That makes her ELQ shares once again his ELQ shares. That gives him an insurmountable majority, and cements his position as CEO of ELQ. Happy Thanksgiving.

TJ asks if Marshall is really his uncle’s father, and his father’s father. Marshall says he is, and TJ says, that makes him… Marshall says, his grandfather. TJ asks if he’s telling the truth, but Marshall says, he wouldn’t lie about this, and TJ says, he supposedly died a long time ago. Marshall says, it’s a long story, and not a pretty one, but he’s not an imposter. He’s not playing TJ or Curtis. He’s TJ’s grandfather. It feels good to say that, and see this fine young man standing in front him. He hopes TJ accepts what he’s telling him; accepts him. He holds out his hand, and TJ takes it. Marshall laughs, and Curtis comes in, asking what the hell Marshall thinks he’s doing. Marshall says, Curtis needs to watch his language in the chapel, and Curtis says he was trying to get there first to prepare TJ, but TJ says, it’s all good. Now they can finally put a name to the face of the stranger they wondered about; he’s family. Curtis says TJ needs to do him a favor, and leave.

Sam says, Drew and Jason teaming up to take down Peter, that’s something she would love to have seen. Does Monica know he’s home yet? He says, not yet, but he’s heading over there, and Sam says, this is going to be the best Thanksgiving ever for her. Dante comes downstairs with Scout, and stops short seeing Drew. Drew says, Scout. Look at her. She’s all grown up. Sam says, she’s not all grown up, and Drew says he’s so happy to see her, but Scout clings to Dante.

Anna tells Sonny, she and Robert went to Greece. They got information that Peter was holed up on Cassadine Island. He says, Jason’s in Greece; he and Britt went looking for her mother. Anna says she knows, and asks if they can sit down.

Carly asks what Britt isn’t telling her, and Britt flashes back to the tunnel collapsing. She says she just wants Carly to know, if it wasn’t for Jason, she and her mom wouldn’t have made it home alive. Carly says, that’s great, but she’s more concerned about Jason. Where the hell is he? Britt starts to cry.

Ned says Valentin doesn’t honestly think this will work, and Valentin says he does actually. Detective Chase came forth and clamed Bailey as his own, which was very honorable of him. He tells Chase, a word to the wise; honor is in short supply in this house. He tells Olivia, brining the turkey was an inspired choice; very succulent. She says, he tasted it? and he says he got his before the dog descended on it. Annabelle II barks, and Valentin says, rave reviews all around. Brook says, really? and they all run out, except for Monica.

TJ says, obviously, he’s missing something, and Curtis says, Mr. Ashford and he need to talk alone. TJ says he’s sensing that’s not the best idea, but Marshall says, it’s okay. TJ’s uncle is right. They have some unfinished business. TJ starts to leave, and Marshall says, looking at TJ, who and what he’s become, his father would be proud. TJ leaves, and Marshall says, okay, it’s just us, son. Curtis says, stop calling him son. It’s a privilege that’s earned. Marshall got his chance and blew it. There’s no going back.

Phyllis says she wishes she had come magic words to explain why bad things happen to good people, and Nina says, they happen to bad people too. Phyllis says, Nina’s not bad. She’s had a wound inside her since her baby was taken from her; maybe before. Nina says, it doesn’t excuse what she did, and Phyllis says, no, but taking responsibility is the first step to redemption. Nina asks if that’s a quote, and Phyllis says it is. Nina asks who said it? and Phyllis tells her that she did. They laugh, and Nina says she’s putting her foot down. Phyllis isn’t spending Thanksgiving alone or at Charlie’s. She sees Portia, and asks if Portis thinks she has room for one more tonight. Portia says, absolutely. The more the merrier. Nina and Phyllis hug.

Elizabeth says she just needs to change out of her scrubs, but Violet says she looks pretty, and asks Finn, doesn’t she? Finn says she does, and Elizabeth says she won’t be long. Finn says, and then it’s turkey time, and Violet asks if she can have the wishbone. Finn thinks that can be arranged. Elizabeth asks if she has a special wish in mind, and Violet says it’s about Elizabeth and daddy. Finn says she has to keep it a secret, or it won’t come true.

Sam tells Scout, don’t worry; there’s nothing to be afraid of. Dante says, it’s her dad. Can she believe it? Sam says, he’s been gone for a while, but he’s back now, and Dante says, it’s amazing news. Drew says he knows she’s surprised; he is too. They don’t have to rush. They can take it slow, and get to know each other again. Scout nods, and he says, the good news is, they’ve got nothing but time.

Sonny says he heard talk that Drew survived the plane crash, and Anna says, there was no plane crash; it was staged. Drew was being held prisoner by Peter with Victor’s assistance. Peter is in custody, and Victor cut a deal. Sonny says, Drew’s coming home; two out of three ain’t bad. Anna says, while they were there, they learned Peter had Britt and Jason, and Sonny asks if they got them out. She says, actually, they got themselves out. They had Jason to help. Britt and Obrecht got home… He says, Jason didn’t? and she shakes her head.

Carly tells Britt to say it, but Britt says, she doesn’t want to. Carly tells her, say it, and I want to slap her. Britt says, Jason’s gone.

Monica says, Valentin is enjoying this, isn’t he? and he asks if she’d call him childish if said yes. She says, revenge can be sweet for the moment, but it’s not going to make Bailey his. Ned comes in, brandishing a turkey leg, and says he hopes Valentin is happy. This is all that’s left of a 25 pound turkey. Valentin says, what a shame, but there’s always next year, and Brook says, he waltzes in there, taking back ELQ, and ruins her family’s Thanksgiving, and he talks about her depths? He says she took his child, and she says, Bailey isn’t his; get over it and move on. He says he thought he respected her, but he really just found her moderately attractive.  Now he doesn’t have to stick around and watch looks go to ruin. Chase tells him, watch it, but he says he’s just getting started. Without her singing voice, she’s just the runt of Quartermaine litter. She has less class than the family dog. Chase says, that’s enough, and punches him.

TJ wants to talk to Portia about a patient; the one he treated a couple weeks ago who took off. He just saw him again, and she’ll never believe this. She tells him, he said he was TJ’s grandfather, and he asks how she knew. She says, Curtis told her. He was on his way to fill TJ in, but she guesses Marshall beat him to it. He says, they’re together in the chapel right now, and she asks if he thinks Curtis needs backup. He says, since he was ordered out of there, he’d say, leave them be. She asks how Curtis seemed, and TJ says, not good. He’s worried about Curtis. She says, so is she.

Marshall says, TJ is willing to give him a chance. Why won’t Curtis? Curtis says, Marshall doesn’t get to make him the bad guy, not after Marshall went behind his back to tell his nephew. Marshall says he thought Curtis already told him. If he overstepped his bounds… Curtis says, Marshall thought he’d already told TJ? Told him what? That they have the same DNA? That Marshall waited three years before he disappeared, and his family believed Marshall was dead? He grew up without a father, and grew up with a mother who was chronically ill because when Marshall left, it devastated her. Now Marshall marches boldly back into Curtis’s life, without a semblance of an explanation. Does that about sum it up? Marshall says, he told TJ the simple truth. He came back to reconnect with his family. Curtis says, they are not and never will be Marshall’s family, and Marshall says he doesn’t expect to be invited to dinner anytime soon. He knows he has a lot of work to do before he can earn Curtis’s trust, but TJ’s a grown, and unless Curtis is claiming to speak for him… Curtis says, TJ speaks for himself, and Marshall says, then they’ll keep the resentment there, between the two of them, where it belongs. You do you, and I’ll do everything in my power to prove myself, or die trying. He tells Curtis, happy Thanksgiving. He says, he doesn’t know about Curtis, but he’s feeling grateful, and leaves.

Drew says he bets Scout thought he forgot, and unwraps a glass unicorn. He hopes she still collects them, and Sam says, she does. Scout asks if she can take it, and Sam says, of course (🍷). Scout thanks Drew, and goes to show the boys upstairs. Sam tells Drew, she knows it doesn’t feel like it, but she thinks it went really well. Dante offers to leave, but Drew asks him to stay. There’s something the both of them need to know. It’s about Jason.

Sonny asks if Peter sabotaged the tunnel, but Anna says, no. He was trying to escape, using Britt and Obrecht as hostages. Jason and Drew were a formidable team, as she understands it, but there was a gun fight, and the tunnels were already unstable. He asks if they took Jason out, and she says, she had a rescue team within the hour. She promises him that they did everything they could.

Britt tells Carly, they did everything they could. If Jason had survived, they would have saved him. Carly says, no body was found? and Britt says, sometimes you don’t find a body. 50 tons of earth came down on him, and there was no sign of life detected. Carly says, no, not Jason. Jason has beaten the odds over and over again, and he’s going to beat the odds this time. She’s going to Greece. Britt says, listen to her. Jason is gone. Even saying the words makes her want to curl into a ball, but it’s true. Jason is gone and not coming back. Carly says, because of Britt, and now I want to slap and kick her.

Valentin tells the Quartermaines to enjoy what’s left of their dinner, and walks out. Monica says, this is why she has Luigi’s on speed dial.

TJ goes to the chapel, and asks if Curtis is okay. Curtis says he didn’t want TJ to find out from Marshall, but TJ says, it doesn’t matter. Curtis says, it does to him, and TJ says, at least they know who he is now, and why he’s been asking questions. God knows he has a ton of his own. Curtis says he understands why TJ wants to ask questions and find out more. Marshall is his grandfather; why wouldn’t he? TJ says, but Curtis doesn’t trust him? Curtis says he doesn’t, and doesn’t think TJ should either. Proceed with caution. TJ wonders if they can get out of there. Everyone is going to Dr. Robinson’s. Curtis says he doesn’t think he’d be good company, and asks TJ to send his regards. He’s heading to the club; he’s got some work he can do. TJ says Curtis can send his own regards. He’s coming. Curtis tells TJ to go hang with his colleagues and friends, but TJ says, not without Curtis. Curtis says TJ is as stubborn as a mule, and TJ tells him, they say it runs in the family.

Elizabeth meets Finn and Violet, and Violet says, that took forever. Finn says, it was worth the wait, and Elizabeth says, an upgrade from the scrubs? but he says she looks pretty amazing in those too. Portia comes by, saying, she’s glad she caught them. There’s been a change in plans. Nina and Phyllis join them, and Nina asks if dinner is off. Portia says, no. Same people, same food; just a different venue.

Sam says, so Drew is telling them that there’s no chance? and Drew says, not even Jason could have survived that cave-in. Sam looks at a photo of Jason and Danny, and says, it’s so unreal. Scout gets her father back, and Danny loses his. Drew says he’s sorry. If it eases the pain even a little bit, he owes his life to Jason. If Jason hadn’t shown up, he would be dead or still controlled by Peter. Jason is a hero. Dante says, that sounds about right, and Sam says, it means a lot, and thanks him. Drew says he’s got to go. He doesn’t want Monica hearing the news from someone else. He’ll leave his number, and if Sam needs anything, he’s only a phone call away. She doesn’t have to search for him this time. She says she’s glad he’s home, and he says, him too. He leaves, and she looks at the picture again. Dante says he’s so sorry, and she says, her too.

Anna tells Sonny, it’s so unfair. Jason worked hard to get back to his life, only to have it taken away again. Sonny says, this time for good. Carly… She says she thought they’d both be there, and she could tell them together, but he says he’s going to have to tell her. Did Anna tell Robin? Anna says she’s dreading this conversation, and he says he appreciates her coming by to tell him. He knows it’s hard for her too. She wipes some tears away, and says, she and Jason were often on different sides of the law, but she had respect for him as a person and a parent. Sonny says, it was mutual, and Anna asks if they can maybe just lean on each other about this. He hugs her, and she says he’s got this. She leaves and Sonny knocks some stuff around. At least the moss bowl 🎍 is out of harm’s way.

Carly says she gets that Peter set this whole thing in motion, and he’s going to pay, but Britt? Jason had feelings for her. Look what it cost him. Even when they ended things, Jason had this responsibility or guilt or whatever the hell she wants to call it. So much so, he went looking for her mom in Greece. So when Carly rewinds the tape, she wishes Jason never met Britt. The nasty bitch walks away, and Britt says she wishes that too. I gave she-devil Carly the benefit of the doubt for a long time, but she leaves herself out of every equation that she’s a part of. If not for Carly, Jason would be alive.

Anna calls Valentin, and says, guess who’s home? He says he looks forward to hearing all about Greece tomorrow, and she asks, what’s wrong with now? He says he’s in the middle of something, and she wonders if he’s all right. He says he’d rather tell her tomorrow, but welcome home, darling. He looks at a photo of Bailey on his phone, and his finger hovers over the delete button, but he doesn’t touch it. He takes a drink instead.  

Britt goes to the reception desk, and flashes back on Jason saying there’s no way to predict anything. That’s not how life works. The future is an idea; it’s not a guarantee.

Sam asks if Dante is disappointed they bailed on Thanksgiving, but he says, no. He can have pizza anytime he wants. She says, what about the kids? but he says, the kids are fine. They spend plenty of time at the Quartermaines as it is. They’re right where they’re supposed to be. She says she knows Jason lived a crazy life. She had a feeling this was going to happen. She just didn’t think it would happen so soon. Dante holds her.

Carly comes back and sees Sonny through the window. She sits at the patio table, and cries. Sonny looks out the window, and watches her.

As they arrive at the club, Curtis tells TJ that he talks a good game, but he really didn’t want to spend Thanksgiving alone. TJ says, that’s a relief, and Curtis asks, why? They go inside, and turn on the light. Everyone is there, and they yell, surprise! Curtis asks, what’s going on? and Portia says, since he wasn’t up to joining the celebration, they brought the celebration to him. She tells everyone, dig in, but Curtis says, hang on. If his Aunt Stella were there, she’d say they’re forgetting the most important part. Violet says, thank you for the food. Thank you for my family. Curtis says, amen, and everyone starts to eat. Curtis kisses Portia.

Monica looks out the front window, and sees pizza boxes. She says, look at that. She didn’t even have to order this year. They just brought the pizza. She opens the door, and Drew is holding the boxes. He says he rolled the dice, and brought some with him.

Tomorrow, Scotty tells his schnitzel, welcome back; Monica tells Drew, don’t ever say anything like that again; Britt tells someone, if they tell anyone what they saw, she’ll have them fired; and Carly tells Sonny, Jason could still be alive.

Below Deck

Eddie tells the deckhands that the wind is too strong, and tells Jake not to give the go ahead until everything is secured. He never wants to see something blowing off the boat again. In Eddie’s interview, he says he needs the deck team to step up, so he can focus on his job as first officer, and his education in the wheelhouse. He tells the deckhands, he doesn’t want one more effing thing falling off the boat. Jake says he hates the effing cushions. Heather calls the provider for neon décor and balloons, specifically a seven and a five. The guests lounge around, and Rachel demonstrates 80s dance, the vacuum cleaner, in the galley. She brings Captain Lee breakfast, and Heather tells him that they’re having an 80s party for Primary Ronnie’s 75th. The captain says he already did the 80s once. In his interview, he says he met his wife Maryann in the 80s. It changed his life. So in the 80s, he was changing his life. He was also trying to look cool, but that didn’t work out. We see a picture of him back in the day, but IMO, he looked pretty good.

Heather tells Captain Lee about Jessica’s grandmother having a procedure. I love this vague word, which could mean pretty much anything from an ingrown toenail to cancer. In Heather’s interview, she says she notices the difference in Jessica from day one to now, and we flash back to when Jessica was peppy in the beginning. Heather says she understands what’s going on with Jessica, but at some point, she needs to leave it in the cabin, and show up to do her job. The guests do water sports. In Rachel’s interview, she says she’s making Mexican food for lunch, and Mexican is up her alley. It’s great going in, and interesting coming out. Fraser asks if Heather missies her partner, and she says, definitely, but it’s something they’re used to, since the priority was always yachting. Fraser says he’s craving male attention, and in his interview, he says his first relationship lasted two and a half years. His partner was ten years older, and they were in different stages of life, so it had to end, and he was shattered. It feels like he’d better get back into it. Lunch served, and primary Ronnie says, if Rachel wanted to start a restaurant, she definitely could. In Heather’s interview, she says she’s looking forward to the 80s party. She was in the womb in the 80s, and doesn’t know much about it, but she can channel it. Rachel is told by the guests that it was the best meal ever.

Jake thinks Wes and Jessica should hook up. In his interview, he says, Wes has no game whatsoever, but he’s going to try and help him. He tells Heather that they need a push. Jake tells a TMI story about twerking, and thinking pushing out a fart would be funny, and ending up pushing out something else. Sh*t happens… literally. The trampoline goes flying, and in Eddie’s interview, he says, WTF? Wes goes out to get it on a jet ski, and in his interview, he says, Baywatch in action. He’s a skinnier version of The Rock. Call him Pebble. In Captain Lee’s interview, he says, in 35 years, he’s never seen wind blow with such intensity for so long. It’s Mother Nature giving you a wakeup call. Jessica irons, and Heather passes out 80s stuff to the crew. Rachel says she loves the effing 80s, and the captain tells everyone to be in their blacks by six. Jake comes out in a neon yellow… I honestly don’t know what it is. A bodysuit with cut-outs? Fraser thinks Jake looks like a figure skater or exotic dancer; he’s effortlessly chic. I wonder if we’re looking at the same guy.

Heather tells Rachel that Rayna has a sh*t attitude, and the guests get dressed for dinner. The five balloon flies away, and the wind also takes a glass off a table, and it shatters on the deck. The guests are seated for dinner, and a lot of lobster goes out. Captain Lee joins the guests, but leaves any neon behind. Rayna is helping serve, and Heather explains that the food can’t go out without tongs to serve it. Rayna mumbles about Heather needing to do her own damn job. She’s helping; she works outside. All Fraser can come up with are ice tongs, and in her interview, Heather says she shouldn’t have to explain they need tongs. She hates the way it’s going, and how no one has the initiative to come up with a solution. Rayna tells Rachel that she’s killing it, and Ronnie picks up a gigantic steak bone, eating off of it like a caveman. Heather tells the crew to get in their 80s attire to sing Happy Birthday.

Jake tries to deal with his wedgie. Heather tells at least three crew members to let Rachel know she’s clearing the table, but ends up having to tell Rachel herself. The crew dances around in their neon, spandex whatevers, and wigs. In Eddie’s interview, he says he guesses this is what being first officer is about – leggings and a tank top that belongs to an eleven-year-old girl. Guest Stacie raves about the cake, and Captain Lee thanks them for dinner, making his getaway. Although these are relatively lowkey guests, and not like that horrifying last group. Everyone heads to bed (what I said – I’m kind of disappointed in this party), and Rayna tells Jessica that Heather is hard-headed and rude. Fraser tells Heather that he doesn’t want to put up with Jessica anymore, and in Heather’s interview, she says, it’s not a test. Either she wants to be here or she doesn’t.

Friend Issa calls Rayna, and in Rayna’s interview, she says, yachting and relationships are like oil and water. She likes the feeling of knowing someone genuinely wants to talk to you. She’s not trying to rush into anything, but reaches out for attention. Breakfast is served – lobster benedict and French toast. I don’t even like French toast that much, and I think it looks amazing. And big. Like Texas toast times four. Guest Todd sticks to scrambled egg whites, and in her interview, Rachel says scrambled egg whites are the bane of her existence, and gives two middle fingers. Eddie tells Jake that they’re dropping anchor, and to secure everything. In Eddie’s interview, he says, the last time was a complete failure, and he’s too old for this sh*t. He needs someone to take over the deck. Anchor is pulled.

Ronnie says, it’s the best three days of food he’s ever had. Rayna asks Wes to think about when dinosaurs swam in the water, and Wes bets they still are. Okay… In Fraser’s interview, he says, on a scale of one to ten, Jessica is an 8.2 in clueless. She’s neither working harder nor smarter. In Eddie’s interview, he says he’s had enough of getting yelled at for the deck team’s mistakes. This time, they didn’t even break a sweat.

The captain calls the crew to the aft deck to say goodbye. Primary Jeremy says it was awesome, and the food was spectacular. Child guest Alexander is relieved of his locked box, and Jeremy hands it to Captain Lee. When the guests are gone, the captain says, they know the drill. Fraser reveals that he has two closets; one just for uniforms. Heather is at a loss for words. It’s time for the tip meeting, and the captain says, it was a great charter. It was nice to see Jessica come out of her shell for the 80s. Jessica says, it was the purple hair, and in Fraser’s interview, he says, go Jess, less than enthusiastically. Captain Lee says, it’s almost like they all knew what they were doing. He opens the case, and says, 25 large ($25K). The crew responds with applause. He doesn’t say how much per crew member, and I try to count them fast, but they’re already gone. The captain tells them, well done. Have a good time; they earned it. Rachel makes it rain, while Heather twerks. Fraser asks Heather to put him on laundry. He’ll do nothing and not smile, and get a mention from Captain Lee. Heather tells him, who said you have to sleep your way to the top? The crew gets ready to go out, and head to a restaurant. Rachel tells Heather, curry with white pants; it’s a choice. Jake flirts with Heather, and in Heather’s interview, she says, Jake is coming on strong. If she didn’t have a boyfriend, he might stand a chance, but the ‘stache looks prettier every day. Fraser and Jake take a smoke break, and in Wes’s interview, he says, Jessica gives him butterflies. She reminds him of a big crush who broke his heart. He stopped taking chances after that. In Fraser’s interview, he says he finds Jake attractive, and might have a crush on him, but Jake is straight and he’s gay, not stupid. Jake takes off his pants at the bar, and then his underwear. It looks like they have the place to themselves, but still. There is a waitstaff. Rayna tells the bartender, the naked one is her boss.

Jake dances around, then jumps in the pool. Fraser follows, but thankfully, keeps his underwear on. They head back to the yacht, and Fraser says he’s getting naked in the hot tub. Rachel says she was okay until saw Jake’s flaccid penis flopping about. In the taxi, Jake and Fraser kiss, while Heather films on her phone. Jake says he’s not bisexual; he’s just sexually comfortable. Rachel says, nothing phases Jake, and she thinks everyone will get a ride on the mustache. Back on the boat, Eddie decides to use a blowtorch to light a cigar, and ends up setting his hair on fire. It’s put out quickly, but stinks up the place. Jake and Fraser get in hot tub. Eddie says he’s stressed because he has to work tomorrow, and asks Heather what happened with Jessica. Heather says she’s trying to keep her team intact. Captain Lee’s comment affected Fraser, and he said maybe he’d get praise if he stopped working so hard. Jake says, hummus and muffins… Everyone is so boring… A bagel for the boys… I guess he’s pretty drunk.

In the morning, Jake is still drunk, and says he’s effing trollied. The captain pumps iron, and Eddie asks if Jake remembers making out with Fraser. He doesn’t. Heather shows Fraser the video, and in his interview, Fraser says he’s mortified. Now Jake possibly thinks he’s into him, and he’s put his relationship with his best friend on the boat at risk. He’s crumbling. He says, stupid, a dozen times.

Next time, Jessica gets put on service; Heather tells Jessica, training day is over; and Eddie says he’s going to rip someone’s head off, but Captain Lee says that’s his job.

🦃 Talking Turkey…

How the soap celebs celebrated Thanksgiving.

And how their small screen counterparts gathered together.

⚰️ Dead Talk…

A deadly anniversary.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-pretty-much-dead-already-10th-anniversary-rick-grimes-sophia-death-barn/

The twist in Fear.

A little bit of Mo in your life.

A preview of the end of Beyond.

https://bleedingcool.com/tv/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-finale-preview-a-fight-for-the-future/

After Dead.

🎭 Exiting the Stage…

My favorite musical writer/composer. Being able to write musicals as diverse from one another as Follies and Sweeney Todd, there was no one like him. May all the other stage greats who’ve gone before you, sing you to your rest.  

https://ew.com/theater/stars-pay-tribute-stephen-sondheim-death/

🚴‍♀️ Getting Out While the Getting’s Good…

Even though Black Friday has come and gone, you’d think there had never been a sale before. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw how much email I had this morning. Whatever the status of your inbox, stay safe, stay unpressured by the holidays, and stay knowing there’s always next year, if the dog descends on your turkey.

November 22, 2021 – Sonny Meets Nina In Charlie’s, Casino Royale On Deck, News Of the Dead, Winning Music, Award Fashion & Changes

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Brook says, there’s a legitimate reason why she didn’t tell Valentin the truth, when Chase walks in. Valentin says, just in time, and Chase says, for what? Valentin says, the latest bombshell. Brook’s been lying to him; he’s not Bailey’s father. Chase says he’s aware, and Valentin says, Brook told him? Brook says, no, never. She never told anyone. He says he knows Valentin isn’t Bailey’s father because he is. Valentin says he’s not, but Chase says he’s afraid it’s true. Valentin says, Chase was willing to let Brook trick him into thinking Bailey was his child? Chase expects him to believe that?

In the OR, Brando asks, what is it? What’s going on? Elizabeth says, it’s okay, and tells Sasha that her baby is having a hard time breathing. Sasha asks what they’re doing with him. Is he okay? The team performs CPR on the baby, and he’s wheeled out. Sasha asks where they’re taking him, and Elizabeth says he’s having a hard time breathing, so they’re taking him to the NICU. Sasha says she didn’t even get to hold him, and cries.

Sonny walks into Charlie’s, and Nina says she guesses they had the same idea. He says he doesn’t follow, and she says, who do they go to when they need to talk to someone? Phyllis. She has a way of putting everything in perspective. He asks if she’s there, but Nina says, actually, she’s not, and Sonny says then he’s going to go. Nina asks if he’s heard anything. She was waiting for any kind of news. He asks, what news? and she says, Sasha went into labor. She thought he knew. He says he went to see Brando at GH, and everything was fine. What happened? Nina says, Sasha had to have an emergency C-section.

At Rice Plaza, Carly calls to Bobbie, saying, text her when she gets home, and Jax comes along. He asks if that was Bobbie, and she says, they were supposed to go Christmas shopping, but her hard-working mother is dead on her feet, so she ordered a car service for her. What is he doing there? He says he was just out for a walk and got a coffee, and she says, a walk? It’s pretty cold out. He says he doesn’t mind it. He’s probably going to miss it. She says, miss it? and he says, Josslyn didn’t tell her? He’s leaving town.

Everyone in the tunnel on Cassadine Island lies unconscious. Peter pulls himself up. He sees Drew stuck underneath a beam, and picks up a chunk of rock.

On the phone with her mom, Maxie says she was going to talk to James and Georgie… Already? She guesses it’s past their bedtime, and says, thanks. She just wanted to know her children were safe.

Valentin says, Chase is there to help his friend. His chivalry is misguided. Chase says, it’s not chivalry. Brook lied to everyone, including him. He’s not there to help her. Valentin says, so he’s there to confront her, and Chase says he’s had his suspicions for a while now. He knew Brook was hiding something, so he did what any detective would do; he investigated. Brook tells him, stop it. She told him when she got back to Port Charles that Bailey wasn’t his. He says he has a DNA test that says otherwise. Without a doubt, Bailey is his. He thought they were friends. He had her back, and this is how she repaid him? By keeping his daughter from him for months? He will never forgive her for this.

Dr. Navarro tells Sasha, the baby is having trouble breathing and needs care right away. Elizabeth says, they’re taking care of him, and now they’re going to take care of Sasha. The doctor says, Sasha can’t feel it because of the epidural, but she’s in the middle of an operation. Sasha says she only cares about the baby, and Brando says he cares about the both of them. Look at him and breathe. They’ll get through this. She nods, then passes out. He tells her to wake up, and the doctor says, she’s hemorrhaging, and asks someone to take Brando out. Elizabeth pushes him out the door and into the hallway as he yells for Sasha. She tells him that Sasha will be okay, and runs back in.

Nina tells Sonny that Sasha had a placental abruption, and starts to explain, but he says he knows what that is. It’s very dangerous for the baby and the mother. Brando must be going through hell. She says, Maxie promised to text with any new news, and he says he should go to the hospital. She says, Brando is in the OR with Sasha, but Sonny should be there anyway, just in case Brando needs him. Sonny starts to leave, and Nina sits back down, and Sonny watches her looking despondent.

Carly says, Jax is leaving town? and he says, it’s just a business trip. Some things piled up in Sydney that he has to take care of in person. She says, piled up? It’s not like him to put things off. He says he didn’t want to leave while Sonny was gone, given how things escalated during Sonny’s absence, putting their daughter at risk. Carly says, Josslyn was fine; she wasn’t in any danger. He says, she was in danger of losing her mother to a bullet from Cyrus Renault, and she says, now that Sonny’s back, he feels that it’s safe, so he can go? He says, he thinks it’s safer. At least he hopes so. She’s stepped back from the organization, right? She and Jason no longer a thing? He means business partners. He knows Jason will always be front and center in her life. He walks away.

Peter is about to send the rock crashing down on Drew’s head, when Drew grabs his leg, sending him flying. Peter limps out, and Drew tries to move the beam off of himself. He manages to get his legs out from underneath, and calls to Britt. He goes over to her, and asks if she can hear him. Obrecht comes to, and crawls over to them. She says, Britt may have a concussion. She needs Britt to open her eyes. Britt says, Jason.

Valentin says, Chase has proof he’s Bailey’s father? and Chase says he does. And for what it’s worth (🍷), he’s so sorry. Brook tells him, all she can says is she did what she had to. She never meant to hurt Chase. He asks how she could possibly think this wouldn’t hurt him? and she says, when he was with Willow, he said he didn’t want kids. He loved Willow, and doesn’t love her. He doesn’t want to have a baby with her, especially after one night of fun when she was crashing with him. Valentin says, Brook lied to Chase for the same reason she lied to him, because she wanted to prove herself to her father by delivering the ELQ shares back to him. She says she didn’t do it for herself. She never meant to hurt anybody. For once in her stupid life, she was trying to do the right thing.

Maxie sees Brando, and asks if Sasha is out of surgery. She sees his face, and asks, what’s wrong? He says he doesn’t know, and starts to cry, saying, they have a son. Something went wrong. He didn’t cry, and they took him away. Sasha passed out, and he might lose them both. She says, oh my God, and hugs him.

Sonny goes back in, and motions to the bartender for a drink. He goes to the table, and Nina says she thought he left. He gives her a hanky, or maybe it’s a napkin, and says, she told him that Brando was in the OR, and Maxie is going to text her after the surgery is done. Sasha is young and healthy – he sits down – and they just have to hope for the best. She says, it’s everything she can do not to go to the hospital, and hover over Sasha like a mother. Sonny’s drink is brought over, and Nina says, but it’s not her place. He says she still thinks of Sasha as a daughter, doesn’t she? and she says, Valentin hired Sasha to pretend to be her daughter. You’d think she’d want nothing to do with Sasha, and for a while, she didn’t. In her head, she remembers everything Sasha put her through, but her heart sometimes forgets. He says, hearts tend to do that.

Peter limps into the house, and sees a gun on the floor. From the doorway, Robert says, freeze. Go for the gun. He’ll use any excuse he can find to shoot Peter. Peter dives for the gun, but Anna puts her foot on his hand. She says, hello, Peter, holding a gun on him.

Chase tells Brook, stop making excuses. What could possibly justify keeping a child from her father? She says, in the beginning, all she saw was a chance to make things right with her dad. It never even occurred to her that Valentin would be capable of falling in love with Bailey. Valentin says, and when she saw he did? She says, it was too late. She’s so, so sorry. He says, no she’s not. She got caught when Gladys exposed her, and what she’s done, he can never forgive. Chase asks if there’s anything else they need to say to each other in front of him, but Valentin says, they’re done here. Chase asks Brook to come with him. He says he’s sorry for Valentin’s pain, and Valentin nods.

Carly says she thought she made it clear, her life is none of Jax’s business. He says, it becomes his business when she puts their daughter in danger, and she says, they’re Josslyn’s parents. That’s a bond that’s never going to break, but he’s  not her friend anymore. He says he knows that, and he’s happy to stay out of her life. She says, for how long? Is he coming back for Thanksgiving or Christmas? He says he’s not sure. Josslyn can always come visit him in Sydney. She says, it doesn’t sound like he’s going to hurry back, and he says, besides Josslyn and Alexis, he’s kind of on the outs with everyone in Port Charles. She says, that’s what happens when he drops everything for Nina. He really let Nina screw up his life.

Sonny asks if Nina has forgiven Sasha, and she says, a long time ago. He says, how? That kind of lie. She says, Sasha may have claimed be someone she wasn’t, but the relationship that followed, the bond of mother/daughter love was real. Sasha truly came to care about her; she was just caught in a lie. He says, she could have spoken up and told the truth, and Nina says she knows she’s said that; all you have to do is tell the truth. All Valentin and Sasha had to do was say, hey Nina, Sasha’s not your real daughter. All Jax and Carly had to say was, hey, Nina, Nelle is your daughter, and I’m so sorry for your loss. When you’re the one being deceived, it’s easy to point a finger at your deceivers, and think they’re so evil. But when you’re the one lying, especially when you’re lying to someone you love… She almost starts crying, and says, she’s really, really sorry, and he asks why she kept doing it. She asks why anyone lies to anyone about anything. It’s because they have too much to lose by telling the truth. He asks what she had to lose. She knew the truth would come out sooner or later. She says, all she knows is that she was in so much pain, and he showed up out of nowhere… Mike. And he was kinder to her than anyone had ever been in her entire life. She wasn’t strong enough to give that up.

Maxie tells Brando, Sasha is strong and healthy overall. She also has Dr. Navarro, who’s the best. Sasha and their baby are going to be fine. He tells her, they said his little boy couldn’t breathe, and she says, babies are resilient. Look at James. He was born by the side of the road. He says his son can’t breathe, and she says, his son is in the hospital. Tell her about the first time he saw his son, before anything anyone noticed anything was wrong. He says, he was unforgettable. One moment, he was just this guy, this mechanic, and the next, he was a dad. When he saw his little head, it was like this rush came over him, hitting him like a ton of bricks. She says she remembers that feeling well, and he says, one glance, and he loved him more than anything, and would do anything for him. She says, of course (🍷) he will, because now he’s not the most important person in his own life anymore, and never will be again, and that is the best feeling in the world. From now on, it’s all about making sure that child is happy and safe and healthy. You’ll do anything to protect that child, no matter the cost.

Anna asks Peter where Jason and Britt are, and Robert says, Peter came in through the wine cellar. She says, so there’s an escape tunnel down there? and Peter says, not anymore. It’s all rubble now. She wants to know where Britt and Jason are? They’re underneath what’s left of those tunnels.

Drew calls to Jason, and Britt tries to sit up, but Obrecht says she might have a concussion; she needs to stay still. She says, Jason is right there. They have to help him. Obrecht says, how? There are several tons of rock in the way. The rest could come down on them any minute. She has to get Britt out of there. She tells Drew they have to move, but he says he’s not leaving without his brother.

Chase says, Valentin didn’t pull any punches, and Brook says, neither did he. He says he’s sorry for unloading on her, but he didn’t want Valentin to think… She hugs him, and says, thank you, and he says, wow. A hug like that, he’ll be terrible to her more often. She says, no one – and she means no one – can find out who Bailey’s real father is, and he says he understands. Because her real father is Peter August, her mother is Maxie, and Bailey is really Louise.

Maxie brings Brando some coffee, and says, something warm on a cold night. Even though it’s perfectly toasty in there, his body knows what time of year it is. He thanks her, and she asks if he and Sasha are going to move in together. He says they’ve been talking about it, and she says, just talking? Is he not sure about his feelings for Sasha? He says he’s never been more sure about anything. Sasha changed his life, and now they have a son. He chokes up, and Maxie says, he’s going to be all right, and he says, up until now, he’s felt like he’s been on the sidelines, while Sasha was doing the heavy lifting. Now that his son is there, he’s going to start pulling his weight. Maxie says he will. When in doubt, there’s always diaper duty. He laughs, and says, he’ll do it. Any and all of it. He doesn’t want to miss a moment of his son’s life, and can’t imagine it without Sasha.

Robert pushes Peter down into a chair, and Peter says, the tunnel collapsed. He guesses he’s the only one who made it out alive. Robert tells Anna, there you go. They can call off the search. The reliable source has just delivered terrible news. Anna’s phone rings, and Peter says, if that’s Maxie… She says, it’s not. She says she can’t talk right now, but wants to tell him Peter is in custody. Valentin says, that’s great, and she asks if everything is okay. He says, everything is fine; he’s just checking in. He’ll let her go. Hearing pain in his voice, she asks if he’s all right, and he says he will be. She says she’ll be home soon; they can talk then. He says, not soon enough. Do him a favor. Don’t turn her back on Peter. She says she won’t, and tells him, take care. He says, be safe, and Anna tells Robert that she’s going to the wine cellar. She’ll see if the agents located any the survivors Peter says aren’t there.

Jax says, not everything’s Nina’s fault, but Carly says, it is where he’s concerned. He got so caught up in Nina’s drama, that he ignored his own life. He says, Nina went too far and she knows it, and Carly asks if this is where he starts defending Nina. He says he’s not defending her, but he can’t believe she’d do something so unforgivable. Carly says, she did. She was supposed to be the poster girl for turning Jax’s life around, but she didn’t. She showed all of them her true colors, and Carly won’t be taken by her again.

Sonny says, Nina needs to understand, there was no Mike. She says, he’s right, but she cared about him anyway, and he says, if she cared about him, why did she keep him from his family for months? From his grandson, the same grandson Carly kept her away from. She says, that was wrong, and she knew it was wrong back then. She wishes she’d been stronger, but she hasn’t been that close to many people in her life. Growing up, love was more like an obligation. If she acted correctly, Madeline would love her. He says she told him her mom was cold to her. Was that a lie too? She says, everything she told him about herself was true, and he says, just everything about him was lie. She says she knew she should have told him the truth, but if he knew the truth, he would have had no choice but to leave her. He asks if that’s how she treats someone she loves. She controlled him. She says, yes. That’s what she did because that’s what she knows. Madeline was always trying to control her, Valentin was controlling her with Sasha, and Jax was controlling her with the information he and Carly had about Nelle. Every single time, it broke her heart. He says, and every time, she walked away, and she says, she did. Just like he walked away from her.

Obrecht tells Britt to come; they have to get her to safety. Britt says she has to help Jason, but Obrecht says, if he’s alive, he won’t be happy to know she’s dead. The tunnel isn’t going to last much longer. Anna yells to them, and Obrecht asks if she wants the ceiling to collapse. Anna says, good to see her too, and shines the flashlight around. She asks if Britt is all right, and Obrecht says, of course (🍷) not; she has a head injury. Britt says she’s fine; they need to help Drew. Anna sees Drew, and says, the last time she saw him, he was heading off a bridge. He says, not his decision, and Anna says, he was under Peter’s influence; that explains a lot. Obrecht says, perhaps Anna would like to ring for some tea and crumpets, or she could continue this conversation where the ceiling isn’t going to collapse. Drew says he’s not going without his brother. Anna goes over to him, and he tells her, Peter got away, but she says, he didn’t. They have Peter in custody. Obrecht says she’ll kill him herself, and Britt says, they have to help Jason, but Anna says, they’re not going to help him if they’re crushed under there. More of the ceiling comes down near Drew, and he tells them, go, and they leave, Drew staying behind.

Elizabeth comes out, and Brando asks, how’s Sasha? She says, out of danger. Dr. Navarro was able to stop the hemorrhage. She’s weak because she’s lost a lot of blood, but she’s stable. Maxie says she told Brando that Sasha would be okay, and he asks if he can see her. Elizabeth says she’s been transferred to the ICU so they can monitor her, and he asks how his son is. She says, Dr. Fleming is with him now in NICU.

Brook asks how long Chase has known, and he says he just found out. She says, how? No, don’t tell her here. She can’t risk anyone else following the breadcrumbs to Peter. He says he doesn’t think anyone did, and she says, great. She’s actually pretty relieved that he knows. He asks, who else knows? and she says, Maxie and Nina. He says, that’s it? and she says, it better be. Gladys knows Valentin isn’t really Bailey’s father, but that’s all she knows. Brook really wanted to tell him. She came close, but she and Maxie agreed, the few people to know, the safer Bailey is. He asks why she wanted to tell him, and she says, he’s one of the two and a half people in the world she trusts. He asks if he’s the half, and she says, of course (🍷) not. He says he understands why she kept it under wraps, but wishes she’d told him. She says, Peter was poisoning him, and there were a lot of other things going on at the time. He says, like Willow, and she tells him that she didn’t want to say it, but he had other things on his mind. He says he got better, and she says, then things got a helluva lot worse. They didn’t intend for this lie to go on for so long. They thought Peter would be caught months ago, locked away, and then Maxie could claim Bailey as her own. He asks how she thought Valentin would react, and she says she was hoping once he found out Peter was involved, he’d understand why they had to do what they did. He says, Valentin might still think that way, and she says, think? Yes. Feel? Who even knew Valentin Cassadine had feelings? Turns out, there’s a pretty decent and loving father in there. She hates the fact that she hurt him, and Chase says, Valentin lost his daughter today. He can’t imagine what Valentin is going through.

Valentin looks at Bailey’s picture on his phone, and cries.

Nina says she’s not telling Sonny that he was wrong to walk away. What she had with him… He says, listen to him. What they had in Nixon Falls wasn’t love; it was a lie. She says she knows that’s how he feels, and he’s probably right, but it was close enough for her. Can he believe they still don’t know anything? She gets her phone out of her bag, and says, maybe she should just call the hospital. They’re not going to tell her anything, because Sasha’s not her daughter. He says, no, she isn’t, and Nina says, sometimes she thinks about what her life would be like if Sasha was her daughter; if she was telling the truth. Then tonight, her grandchild would be coming into the world. She knows it’s wrong to focus on what might have been, and he says, we do that sometimes. She says, she hates the waiting around. She feels helpless. If anything happens… that sweet baby. He says, hey, listen to him. It’s going to be all right. Understand him? Jax walks in.

Brando asks if Elizabeth will check on his son. He wants to tell Sasha that he’s all right. Elizabeth says, of course (🍷), and leaves. Maxie asks if she can get him anything or call anyone, but he says he just wants to be with Sasha. She says she’s praying for him and his son, and they hug.

Brando goes in, and Sasha is still unconscious. He tells her that he’s there for her and their son. They need her with them. He can’t bear to lose her, and their son needs his mom. She wakes up, and she asks, where’s their baby?

Ann comes back with Drew, Obrecht, Britt, and a few agents. She says, they need to get checked out, and Peter says, they’re still alive. They feared the worst. Drew heads for Peter, who’s restrained in a chair, but Robert intervenes, and says, let the law handle it. Drew says, it’s so much better than he deserves, and Robert says, if it was up to him, it would be a trip to a black site, and that would be the end once and for all. Drew says, they could find one somewhere, but right now they have to focus and concentrate on finding Jason. Anna says she’ll contact search and rescue, and Peter says, whatever they find underneath all that rock, it’s not going to be a pretty sight, is it? Britt asks if anyone has a syringe, and Peter asks what she has in mind. She says, bleach, drain cleaner… and he says, it’s a pity she took an oath, isn’t it? Obrecht says, if it were not for that pesky medical license… Wait. She no longer has one of those. Drain cleaner it is. Robert says, enough, and Britt says, is it? Drew says, Jason could have separated from them, and found his way out of the tunnel, and gone down to the docks. Robert says, they’re looking all over the island. If he’s there, they’ll find him. Peter says, maybe they’ll find a unicorn too while they’re at it, and Drew says, if Jason is dead, Peter is going to join him.

Chase says he doesn’t want to worry Brook, but she says, she’s way past worried. He says he’s got this. He’s going to do or say whatever makes people believe he’s Bailey’s father. She says, it’s very admirable that he’s willing to lie about this, but him of all people… Actually, she thinks this might work. That sweet as pie face, who’s going to believe he could do such a huge deception? They can use this. He says, the only thing that’s important is protecting Bailey from Peter, and she says she has to worry about Valentin now too. Valentin is ruthless and she hurt him in his heart. He will not let that go unpunished.

Valentin sits up, and makes a call. He says, I have a job for you.

The agents walk Peter out with Robert, and Robert says, try anything, and Peter knows he’ll shoot him. Peter says he wouldn’t dream of giving Robert the satisfaction, and Obrecht yells something at him in German. Drew tells Anna, sorry for losing it, and she says she would have joined him. She doesn’t know if it’s any comfort to him, but they have so much evidence against Peter and all of his crimes. she doesn’t think he’ll ever take another free breath if she can help it. Starting with faking Drew’s death and keeping him prisoner for two years. He says he was there the longest, but there were other prisoners. She says she knows; they have Chloe Jennings. He says, there was another woman. They found her, right? She says, no. They swept the entire compound, but there were no other prisoners. He says he only heard her for a couple of days; they must have moved her. She asks if he saw her, and he says, no; neither did Chloe. She says, they’ll do a complete debrief as soon as they get him to the Consulate. Does he need any medical attention? he says he’s fine, and Robert comes back. She asks if there’s any word on the search. 

The agents slam Peter against a wall, telling him to stay there, and he says he doesn’t know if they’ve noticed, but he is injured. An agent tells him, says the murderer, and he says he’s not asking them to take his cuffs off. Just move them around front, so it doesn’t make the injury worse. The agent says, no, and Peter says, he’d hate to see the WSB get accused of mistreating a prisoner. The agent says they’d hate to see Peter use the cuffs to choke one of them out, but Peter says he’s cuffed, he’s injured, and he’s surrounded. Come on. The agent nods, and one holds a gun on Peter, while another unlocks the cuffs. Peter says, thank you, and while they’re at it…  

Brando tells Sasha that the baby is having trouble breathing, and she says she should be with him. They both should. He says he feels the exact same way, but she just got out of surgery. She needs some rest, so she can hold him when he gets better. Dr. Navarro comes in, and Sasha says she wants to see their baby. The doctor says she knows, but unfortunately, that’s not possible right now. Brando asks, why? and Sasha says, their son is in an incubator and can’t be moved, right? Which means they have to go to him. She asks Brando to get a wheelchair, but he says she can’t even sit up right now, but she says she’ll do whatever it takes to be with her son. If he can’t come to her, she’ll go to him. Dr. Navarro says, that’s not the problem.

Maxie’s phone rings, and Peter says, it’s good to hear her voice. We see him on the phone, the guards surrounding him with their guns aimed at him. She says he needs to stay away from her, and he says they both know she doesn’t mean that. She says she loathes him, and prays she never lays eyes on him again. He says he wanted her to hear it from him. He’s coming home, for her. They’ll be together again soon.

Jax goes into Charlie’s, and Sonny tells Nina that he’s going to check on Brando at GH. She thanks him for waiting with her, and Sonny leaves, saying hey to Jax on his way out. Jax tells Nina to be careful; don’t let Sonny pull her back in. She says Sonny doesn’t think about her that way, and he asks what he just walked in on. She says, he saw a man comforting someone in need. She and Sonny don’t have a future.

Carly leaves a voicemail for Jason, saying, he’s obviously busy. She misses him, and hopes he’s staying safe. Come home soon. She needs to talk to him.

Robert says, there’s no sign of Jason anywhere on the island, and Anna says, that means he’s still in the tunnel. Drew says, Jason is not dead. His way out might be blocked or he might be trapped, but he is alive. Anna says, that’s why she has an excavation team flying in, but until they get there, it’s too dangerous for them to go in. Britt says, no! The longer they wait, the less of a shot he has. He could run out of air, or whatever’s left of the tunnel could collapse. Drew promises her, nobody is giving up on Jason. Nobody. They’re going to find him.

We see the part of the tunnel where Jason is blocked in, and pieces of ceiling are still falling.

Next time, Brook asks if Chase is ready to tempt fate again, Anna says she was the target, Sasha tells Brando to do what she can’t, and Britt wonders how she can live with that.

Below Deck

Christophe Harbor, St. Kitts. Everyone is hungover, and Heather says she doesn’t know what got into her. She never drinks like that. Rayna can’t believe Jake is engaged, and Eddie says, it was an epic night. Jessica brings Captain Lee’s breakfast to the bridge, and he asks how her night was. She says she turned in early, and he says, he’s the one who’s old; she’s not. She says she’s feeling it though. Heather has a meeting with interior, and they talk a little about the night before. Heather says she found a bagel in her bathroom. In Fraser’s interview, he says he saw another side to Heather. It was nice watching her have a good time, and he hopes she keeps it up. Heather tells them to make up the beds as best as they can. On deck, Jake says his relationship is non-monogamous, and it’s not a big deal. In Rayna’s interview, she says, it’s something you bring up first. She asks him how this happened; give them a play-by-play. He says his girlfriend Paris needs a British passport, so they haven’t seen a lot of each other. When they’re not together, she’s not his girlfriend. In his interview, he says, he cares for her, but they’re nowhere near marriage. She knows what he’s like, and that he does crazy sh*t. Rayna doesn’t understand.

Jessica does her laundry thing, and Fraser says, there’s romance on the horizon. Everyone is after Jake. Rachel says, not her. Jake is so cute, but she’s just out of a long term, very serious relationship. Her ex blindsided her, telling her that he didn’t think it was working. In Rachel’s interview, she says, she loved, adored, and respected him. She’d planned on a future with him, and had to regroup. She tells Fraser that she didn’t have the ability to process it until she’d finished the charter season. In her interview, she says, she’s happy being by herself. When she was with him, she’d put his needs before hers. When she hears people talking about their relationships, she’s like, f*** that. Eddie says, being hungover is not fun, and on that, we are in agreement. Rayna asks about his girlfriend, and he says she’s very sweet. In his interview, he says he’s bummed his girlfriend is pissed off. It’s frustrating, but forming a new relationship is tough. You have to trust the other person not to burn you or cheat on you. This is how his life is going to be.

The captain has a preference sheet meeting with Eddie, Rachel, and Heather in the crew mess. Jeremy and Ronnie are the primaries, and they’re bringing their families together, including Jeremy’s sons, who are 16 and 6. Captain Lee says, there’s going to be baby sh*t for someone, and in Heather’s interview, she said she loves having kids on board. Sometimes it’s a pain in the ass, but it’s five-star service, and a nanny. The new charter wants a Casino Royale party, and for Ronnie’s 75th birthday, he wants an 80s dance and fitness party. They also want the captain to join them for dinner.  In Fraser’s interview, he says it’s crucial with a small team that everyone carry their weight. Jessica seems miserable and run down. She needs to man up, do her job, and stop complaining. Heather calls provisioner Naydene to order stuff for the casino party. Jake wants to deckhands to get a move on, and in Wes’s interview, he says, Jake brings up petty stuff. And if they’re not on charter, what’s the rush? He wants to flirt with Jessica, but has a fear of rejection, since he was rejected a lot in high school, and some in college. It hurts. He has no game. He’s a big nerd, and gets awkward. I dunno. He’s cute, and seems like a nice guy with a good sense of humor. It’s sad how that stayed with him. Heather says, everyone is awesome. She asks how Eddie thinks Jessica feels about Wes, and Eddie says, he thinks Wes would be good for her. Fraser says, anything to make her smile. Eddie says they’ll have to plant the seed, and Heather says, and hope the flower grows. Fraser tells Heather that Jessica mopes around like she’s in pure misery. He can’t keep pulling her up, only to get shut down. In Heather’s interview, she says she thinks Fraser’s concerns are valid. One bad apple can affect the others. If Jessica takes Fraser out at the knees, then what? She tells Fraser that she hopes for a better charter or they’ll have issues.

Jessica sighs over the dishes, and Jake tells Eddie that he just wants to get the work done. Eddie suggests getting Rayna to be more hands on. Heather asks to talk to Jessica, saying, she just wants to touch base. She feels as if Jessica is under the weather or down, but Jessica says, she’s good. Heather says she doesn’t want whatever it is to affect Jessica’s work. The more she knows about things… Jessica says she found out that her grandmother needed to have a procedure, and in her interview, she says she doesn’t want to cry on the boat. Her grandparents’ health started to decline, and she’d taken the opportunity to come back to land. She likes being there for them. Heather says she wants to know how to better help Jessica, but Jessica says she’s good. She would tell Heather if it was otherwise. Jake talks to Paris on the phone, and Heather organizes her cabin.

Jake and Fraser clink beers, and Jake asks when Fraser came out. Fraser says he came out to his mom when he was 19, and heard a story on the radio about a guy who murdered people and ate them. His mom said she’d love him even if he ate people, so being gay seemed minor in comparison. In Fraser’s interview, he says, it was hard to get up the courage, but all it took was a little push to get it off his chest. Thanks, mom. He tells Wes that he’s happy in life. In Jessica’s interview, she says she’s going be happy or miserable today. She chooses to be happy. She smiles. Heather puts, let’s do this, on the whiteboard. In his interview, Fraser says, effing hell. He had one job, to hold on to his radio, and he can’t even do that. We flash back to the captain saying, if one of the crew is looking for their radio, he probably already has it. Fraser starts to hunt. Provisions come in, and Captain Lee calls Eddie to the bridge. He asks how things are working out, and Eddie says, good. The captain asks how Jake is doing, and Eddie says, he’s a damn hard worker. He tells the captain that the run times are short, and asks if they can drop back a little bit, so the deckhands have time to get ready. In Captain Lee’s interview, he says, every charter is like their first rodeo. Eddie needs to get their attention. You can play with the big dogs or keep your puppy ass on the porch. The captain radios the crew that they have 15 minutes until the guests’ arrival. Fraser is still looking for his radio.

Heather tells Fraser to pour the champagne, and the captain wonders for what reason he’s the only one out there. The crew dashes out, and see that one of the guests is a child with a locked box handcuffed to his wrist. Young guest Alexander says he’s a mini primary, which I’m sure the crew is thrilled to hear. In his interview, Captain Lee says, it’s not a group you’d think you’d see together; they’re all different. This is going to get interesting. Alexander shows them there’s cash in the box, and everyone goes, wow. In Rachel’s interview, she says, screw the adults. That kid is her primary. Heather gives the tour, and Captain Lee says, let’s see if we can get out of here without spending any money. In his interview, he says he has a knot in his stomach. The prevailing winds are constantly blowing them to the dock, which is concrete, with shallow water all around. He’s as nervous as whore in the front pew at church. They pull out, and into the water.

Co-primary Jeremy tells Alexander not to wander, and Heather says they’ll have eyes on him like a hawk. In Fraser’s interview, he says he used to be a nanny. To be honest, he doesn’t like kids. The way they eat, the sounds, it’s a bit gross. He discusses LEGOS with Alexander, and Heather goes over lunch with Rachel. The captain says, they’re going to get some weather; it’s annoying as hell. It starts to rain, and Eddie leads everyone in. In Jake’s interview, he says he’ll have Rayna responsible for more, and maybe it will make the job more appealing. He wants to be friends, not the villain. If that doesn’t work, he’ll make her walk the plank. They drop anchor, and the guests sit down for lunch.

Shitten Bay, St. Kitts. I shitten you not. That’s the name. In his interview, Fraser says, growing up, he was terrible in school. Moving around the country every few years made it difficult. He found something he loved, and learned to be good at, and he’s failed at the basic capacity of keeping his radio with him. It’s making him feel like sh*t. It’s not effing rocket science. The guests think lunch is amazing. Fraser tells Heather that he thinks he’s lost it, and in Heather’s interview, she says, it’s vital that Fraser find his radio. Not just for safety, but she needs to communicate with him. They have to find it right now. They look literally everywhere.

The captain says he’s in a silly mood, but doesn’t know why. I wait for him to jump up and do a somersault or something, but that doesn’t happen. Fraser opens a door in the floor of the deck, and says, the panic is over. In his interview, he says, it’s crazy how much this piece of plastic means to him. He radios Heather to tell her. They meet to discuss casino night. In Heather’s interview, she says the first time she gambled, she lost it all, and learned to take just a little tip money, not the whole tip. It’s easy to get caught up in. She and Fraser set up the table. In Eddie’s interview, he says he learned from his mistakes in relationships. His girlfriend is the most loving woman he’s ever met. This was just a speedbump, and doesn’t define the rest of their relationship. He talks to her on the phone, and says, I know it’s hard, but be cool, honey bunny, referencing Pulp Fiction, which I don’t feel Eddie is cool enough to reference. In Rachel’s interview, she says, tonight is casino night. She lived in Italy for 8 months, and it was a wonderful experience, so she’s making a nice Italian feast. Wes asks when Rachel found her passion, and she says she was 18. She was running her mouth to a bartender, and the guys in the kitchen told her to put her money where her mouth was. Alexander plays video games with Rayna, and the guests sit down for dinner with the captain.

Heather finds the cabins are untidy, and in her interview, Heather is concerned about the lack of attention to the cabins. Cheap ass hotels do a better job, and it’s not okay. At the table, the guests ask about pirates, and the captain says they’re still out there. For them, it’s a career. In her interview, Heather says she’s sympathetic to what Jessica is going through, but you have to leave your emotions at the cabin door. She goes over the cabins with Jessica, pointing out where the upkeep was lacking, and in Jessica’s interview, she says, she’s pissed; this sucks. Heather tells Fraser about it, and says, it was all three rooms. She wants to coach with inspiration, but it’s coming to, training day’s over. The guests tell Captain Lee, the chef is amazing, and he says, she’s extremely talented. Jessica pretends to work, and the captain tells the guests that he left Michigan when he was 25. Guest Jodi says, he must be 45 now. The captain says he loves her, and she says she loves him too. She’s not kidding. Guest Ronnie asks if he has family in Fort Lauderdale, and the captain says, a wife and four kids. Jodi is like, damn, and in the captain’s interview, he says, it’s making him uncomfortable. He tells the guests, somewhere, his wife heard that, and she’s laughing. Jake asks Rayna if his new approach is working. He’s trying to be more chill and laid back. He thinks she has so much potential. The next course of a fabulous pasta comes out, and in Rachel’s interview, she says, nothing compares to homemade pasta. She likes to take the time to make it authentic, and hates using boxed. Guest Stacie says she’s never seen Alexander eat chicken tenders that fast. Alexander falls asleep at the table with his headphones on.

Alexander is put to bed, tiramisu is served, and the guests get ready to turn in. Jodi asks where the captain’s cabin is, and Stacie says, don’t tell her. Eddie, Fraser, and Wes have a confab, and Eddie says, everyone is getting along, but someone is going to pop at some point. Jessica calls her grandmother to check-in, but Grandma Marion says, there’s nothing to worry about. In Jessica’s interview, she says her grandparents played a secondary parental role in her life. She gets concerned, since you never know how much longer you have with them.

Salt Plage, St. Kitts. Jodi asks if the captain will have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with them, and Stacie says he has to come to Ronnie’s birthday dinner. Jodi grumbles that he’s going to be 75, and follows the captain, who tells her that her room is downstairs. In his interview, he says, where are you going? He’s going to his room – alone. He tells Jodi, have a good night, and goes to the bridge. Captain Lee tells Eddie that she was going to follow him, and Eddie dies laughing. The captain says, laugh it up, funny boy. The night crew cleans up.  

The next morning, the wind is relentless. Captain Lee tells Eddie that he wants to get out some time today, and breakfast is served; avocado toast on a hash brown cake with a poached egg. I die. Anchor is home, and cushions go flying. The captain says, bleepity-bleep-bleep-bleep. In his interview, he says don’t tell him he has to go back to get cushions. That’s going to upset him. It’s a common sense thing. He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and he can figure out if the wind is blowing, make sure they’re secured. They could screw up a two-car funeral. Eddie tells Captain Lee that the deckhands need time for pulling anchor, but the captain says, they have plenty of time. In Eddie’s interview, he says, it’s the deck crew’s first responsibility to take care of the exterior. Now he’s being reamed out by Captain Lee. It’s serious. No more f*** ups. The tender goes out to get the cushions, and in the captain’s interview, he says, the hammer needs to drop, and it’s up to Eddie to do it. If Eddie doesn’t drop it on them, he knows goddam well the captain will drop it on him. Eddie tells the deckhands, he’s tired of getting yelled at. He doesn’t want one more effing thing falling off the boat.

Next time, a water toy blows off the boat, the 80s birthday party happens; Jake flirts with Heather, Jake kisses Fraser, and Captain Lee says, in 45 years, he’s never seen such intense wind.

⚰️ All the News Too Dead To Print…

Releasing the Walking Dead:

Wrapping up the World Beyond:

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-penultimate-episode-trailer-death-and-the-dead-209/

Jadis, with a foot in two Dead worlds:

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/what-happened-to-heath-the-walking-dead-world-beyond-jadis-project-votus-a-and-b/

Both a reunion and a farewell on Fear the Walking Dead:

https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1525465/Fear-the-Walking-Dead-Althea-Maggie-Grace-exit-fan-reaction

🏆 They’re the Best…

The AMA Winners:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/21/entertainment/amas-2021-winners-list/index.html

And as always, the most important thing of any awards show. The fashion:

https://fashionista.com/2021/11/american-music-awards-amas-2021-best-dressed-fashion

👞 Shuffling Off, But Not To Buffalo…

It’s a flip of the coin what tomorrow might bring, but as always, there will be soap and a song. Until then, stay safe, stay unburdened by things you can’t control, and stay never making love an obligation, or allowing someone to obligate you to it.

November 15, 2021 – The Mystery Man Reveals Himself, Total Idiots On Deck, News Of the Dead & Joe

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Outside Kelly’s, Brook asks if Chase is accusing her of lying, and he says, Brook Lyn… She says, don’t Brook Lyn her. She thought they’ve reached a point in their relationship where they actually consider each other friends. He says, they have, and she says, friends who not only puzzle together, but also watch movies together, because it’s an act of trust. Chase and I both look confused, and she says, there’s nothing worse than watching a movie with someone who doesn’t like the movie you picked, and the whole time just makes snarky comments and complains. He says he doesn’t do that, and she says, that’s exactly her point. They have a good thing going. Why mess it up? He says, he doesn’t want to mess anything up, which is why she has to tell him exactly what happened the night the baby was born.

Gladys sees Brando and Sasha at the hospital, and asks if the baby’s okay. Sasha says, everything’s fine. She just had to pick up some prenatal vitamins, but what is Gladys doing there? Gladys says she’s picking up something for her migraine, and Sasha asks if it’s the office lighting. Gladys says, it’s her demanding job. BLQ’s piling on the work like there’s no tomorrow. She even insisted Gladys eat lunch at her desk, and stay until five. Brando says, despicable, and Sasha says she thought Brook was rewarding Gladys with some me time. What changed?

On the phone, Valentin tells Charlotte that he’ll be home in time to see her and Butterscotch win their competition. Before she goes will she do him a favor, and put Bailey on the speaker, so she can hear his voice? Anna walks out of the room behind him, and he speaks in French to the baby. He tells her to be a good girl. He misses and loves them both.. Anna says he’s so good at that; he was born to be a father. He says he’s made plenty of mistakes, and she says, her too. She doesn’t want to make anymore. At the risk of sounding redundant, but they have to find Peter, and they’ve got to stop him. Robert comes along, and says, from what he understands, there’s a way… but Valentin says, the WSB can’t grant Victor immunity. There’s got to be another way.

Scotty is outside the PCPD cell area, and says he demands to see his client. Victor sits up, and he says, tell the guard they have things to discuss. Victor says he and Scotty have a right to privacy, and asks the guard to please leave. The guard lets Scotty in, and Victor says, they hardly know each other, and he certainly hasn’t hired Scotty as his attorney. Scotty says, true, but they have one thing in common – Liesl Obrecht – and Victor is going to help him find her.

The Photo Ark exhibit has begun, and Nikolas hands Ava a glass of champagne. He tells her, good luck, but doesn’t think she’s going to need it; she has a hit on her hands. She says, thanks to Trina. She’s just glad she gets to share it with him. When she thinks about how close they came to losing each other… They see Spencer walk in with Esme.

Esme asks if Spencer is sure he’s up for this, but he says, it’s not about them. They’re here for Trina. This is her big night.

Trina walks in with Cameron, and says, Joss is coming, right? He says, she’s just at volleyball practice right now, and Trina asks if they’re okay. He says, things are good, when Portia approaches, and says, this show is spectacular. She can’t believe she’s the mother of its curator. Trina says, well, Ava deserves the credit for hosting it, and Mr. Quartermaine for underwriting it. Cameron says, and Trina, for coming up with the idea and making it happen. Portia says, amen. There is no need for false modesty here. Trina says, speaking of spectacular, Portia looks amazing. Is Curtis joining her? Portia says, Curtis is coming. He probably just got held up at the club.

Curtis asks Marshall who the hell he is, and what does he want? Marshall says, Curtis really doesn’t know, does he? and Curtis wonders why he should. Marshall says he guesses he’s the man Curtis has been searching for his whole life. Now Curtis has found him.

Chase says, just talk him through it, step by step. How did she manage to pull a fast one and slip away, then have her baby in a hotel? She says, this is none of his business, and Chase says, whatever’s going on has to do with Bailey. Valentin is going to start suspecting something sooner or later. She can talk to him; what is she hiding? She asks if he really wants to have this conversation right now; it’s kind of cold. He says, fine, and opens the door to Kelly’s. Let’s go inside. He has time.

Robert says, Valentin has no say in what the Bureau will or will not do for people, and he says, neither does Robert. Anna asks if Robert talked to the mercenary that they have in custody. He’s just down the hall. They had him airlifted in from Greece, and he’s lucky to be alive. She’s sure he’d be cooperative. Robert says, nice try, kid. That guy’s a guppy and she knows it. Victor’s the big fish. They get him to flip, and they might actually lay their hands on Peter. Valentin says, at what cost? Are they going to let Victor set his own terms? Robert’s phone rings. He answers, and says, he’ll be right down. Anna asks, what is it? and he says, seems that Victor’s got himself a visitor. He’d like to check it out. And by the way, the Bureau has accorded him and Anna to make a recommendation on Victor’s behalf; a courtesy call, if you like. They’re going to do what they want to do anyway. He leaves and Valentin says, translation: we can’t stop the WSB from making a deal with the devil. Anna says she has an idea.

Victor says he knows Scotty by reputation, and Scotty says, ditto. And what he knows about Victor, he doesn’t like. He’s not fond of criminals who hijack him, drug him, and throw him out of a plane. Victor says, yet here he is, and Scotty says, and here Victor is in jail. Funny how that worked out. Victor says, had it not been for him, there would have been no parachute, but Scotty says he doesn’t think Victor will be getting a thank you card from him. Did he really do that out of the kindness of his heart? Victor says, no. He did it for Liesl’s heart, so Scotty’s right about that. They do have that in common. They both care for Liesl very much. Scotty suggests they not compare obsession with love, and Victor says, they’re not friends and he didn’t hire Scotty, so why is he here? Scotty says he already told Victor; Victor is going to help him bring Liesl home. As far as hiring him, does Victor want to walk out of here, free as a bird? Then Victor needs him.

Trina asks Portia to promise she’ll chill; Spencer cut ties with his dad. Cameron says, Spencer didn’t like that Ava was in charge of his trust fund, so he told both of them that he didn’t want or need the Cassadine money. Portia asks if they’re telling her that Spencer Cassadine is in the wild on his own, and Trina says, he’s independent and working at Kelly’s. Cameron’s his boss. Cameron says, that’s a fact, and Portia says, that’s a step in the right direction for Spencer. She just hasn’t forgotten how he treated Trina, and hopes Trina doesn’t forget either. Trina says she doesn’t have time for Spencer. She has a show to run. Portia says, that she does. She’ll let Trina get to it.

Spencer tells Esme, good. Trina’s mom left. Now they can go over and wish her good luck tonight. Esme says, then again, she bets Trina would rather be alone with Cameron.

Brook looks at the menu, and Chase takes it out of her hands, saying, enough stalling. What’s going on? She says he’s right; she gave Yuri the slip. She had no guarantee that she was going to give birth that night, but she knew she wanted to do it alone. He says, without the father’s knowledge? Why? She says, she and Valentin weren’t on the best of terms at the time. They had that one night, but didn’t exactly trust each other. That’s why he put a bodyguard on her to watch her every move. He says he remembers when she came to his apartment with Yuri, and also remembers her being stressed about the pregnancy. She says she was looking at a lifetime of being chained to Valentin, and didn’t want to be controlled. Chase knows how Valentin is. He takes ownership over everything. They had an agreement, but she had no guarantee he’d honor it. So as her due date rapidly approached, she felt like she had to get away, send a message that Valentin couldn’t control her or her baby. Given Valentin’s history, can Chase believe her?

Curtis picks up the sketch, and says Marshall should take a look at this. It’s a sketch of a man who’s been going around town, asking questions about him. He started with Curtis’s nephew, and moved on to his friend. He even asked Curtis’s bartender questions. He opens the sketch, and says, this is Marshall, and he comes in there saying Curtis is looking for him? Make it make sense. Marshall asks if Curtis went to the cops. Is that a police sketch? Curtis says, that’s what concerns him? What is his deal? For all he knows, Marshall is the one who scared off the band he had booked the other night. Marshall says, so what? A talented artist showed up, and Curtis had a great night. Curtis says, luck had nothing to do with it. Marshall’s boy Linc said he owed Marshall a favor. Linc also claimed that he wasn’t mobbed up, but maybe Marshall is. Don’t think Curtis didn’t notice that Linc double-timed it out of there when Marshall told him to kick rocks. That’s the same night Joey Novak got jumped, because he was trying to muscle in on something Marshall wanted. It’s all connected, isn’t it? Marshall says, it’s connected, but not like Curtis thinks. Curtis says Marshall has about ten seconds to clarify things before Curtis throws his ass out of here.

Chase says, Brook and Valentin have some binding agreement where he gave up his shares in ELQ, and she says, so he could share in Bailey’s life. He asks if that didn’t include Valentin being present at her birth, and she says, it did. The problem is, as soon as the ink dried, everyone told her not to do it. Her family… He says, Maxie too? and she says, Maxie was very persuasive, and as her due date got closer, the more unsure she got. She knew she couldn’t back out of the deal, but she couldn’t share the birth with Valentin. It was too intimate; she would be too vulnerable. So she told everyone she was going to Brooklyn. Her friend CeCe helped her cover, and she got a room in a hotel. He says, in Ithaca. Why a hotel and not a hospital? She says she couldn’t risk Valentin tracking her down, so she had the doula meet her in the hotel, and she ended up giving birth that night. That’s when she called Michael to pick her up. He came with Willow to take her and the baby home. When they arrived, Valentin swooped in, and became immediately involved, but at least she had that time with Bailey to herself. End of story. He tells her, what she’s saying makes sense from her point of view. He gets her family history, and knows Valentin’s history. It’s a good story. It’s almost too good.

Gladys tells Sasha, the only thing that’s changed is Brook started treating her like dirt. So much for her raise or promotion. Now she’s back to shopping at Soles for Less, and settling for last year’s markdowns. Sasha says she and Brando better get going, or they’ll be late for the opening, and Gladys says, what opening? Sasha says, Ava Jerome’s art gallery; there’s a new exhibit. Gladys says, la-di-da. Have fun. She’ll just go back to the apartment, microwave something, and deal with the pile of paperwork she brought home. Sasha tells her, as senior partner, she says Gladys will do no such thing. She’s coming with them. Right, Brando? He says, she’s the boss, and Gladys says, thanks, but Sasha knows she doesn’t deserve that. Brando says, probably not, but it is rude to turn down an invitation. Gladys says they wouldn’t want that, and asks if they can stop by the office, so she can pick up some makeup. It’ll just be a quick stop. Brando says he thought she had a headache, but she says she’s starting to feel better.

Spencer says, this exhibit is amazing. Kudos to Trina. How was she able to land this? Cameron says, what Trina is too modest to say is, when she puts her mind to it, she’s absolutely unstoppable. Esme says, Cameron would know, right? He says, what? and Spencer asks where Josslyn is. Trina says, she’s at volleyball practice and will be here later. Esme says, hopefully, she’s not too late.

Portia tells Ava and Nikolas that she’s glad she was able to clear her schedule to be there tonight to be there for Trina’s sake. Nikolas says she probably has yet to forgive him for what happened between him and Spencer, and Portia says,  what happens between Nikolas and his son is really none of her concern, but those things affected her daughter, and Trina is always going to be her priority. Trina tells her that Spencer is trying to change, and she honestly wishes him well. She sincerely hopes he sets a good example for his father.

Valentin goes into mercenary Lex’s room, and leans over him. Lex opens his eyes, and says he knows Valentin. Valentin says he thought Lex might. He was a prisoner at the compound, and Lex was a guard. He doesn’t care about Lex, he’s looking for Lex’s boss. Lex says he’s not talking, and Valentin tells him, he was expecting him to say that, and takes out a syringe. Lex asks if it’s truth serum. How did Valentin get sodium pentothal? Does he have a doctor in his pocket? Valentin says, this is a reputable hospital. You don’t just get truth serum. This is a syringe full of air. You know what it does when it enters the bloodstream? It makes a bubble that will go straight to your heart, or your brain, and you die. Lex looks at the call button, but Valentin snatches it away, and asks if he wants to try again.

Curtis says Marshall has about five seconds, and Marshall says, maybe that’s why he’s here; to answer all of Curtis’s questions. Curtis asks him to stop talking in riddles. What is he doing here? Is he trying to ruin Curtis? Is he after Curtis’s business, or is it personal? Marshall says, it’s personal, but it’s not the way Curtis thinks. Curtis has to believe him. He’s not Curtis’s enemy. Far from it. Curtis asks, then what the hell is he? He says his name is Marshall… Thomas Ashford. Who he is, is Curtis’s father. Curtis says, he’s lying. HIs father died of a heart attack when he was a kid. He’s asked why Marshall is here, and Marshall won’t tell him, so get the hell out before Curtis physically removes Marshall himself. Marshall says he knows it’s hard to accept. He must seem like some distant memory to Curtis; something he can’t fit in in the life he has now. He gets that, but look at him. Look at him through a son’s eyes, and tell him he can’t see it. That Curtis can’t recognize him.

On the phone, Portia asks how the gunshot wound patient is responding to treatment… Did they ever receive Mr. Fraser’s medical records from Crete?… She guesses it’s enough he was airlifted there… No. The last thing he needs is to be questioned about Peter August and Victor Cassadine right now. He needs to rest. No visitors. Nikolas listens in, and Ava gives him the side-eye.

Cameron says he’s not sure where Esme is going with that. To be clear, he and Trina are friends, first, last, and always. Trina says she needs to circulate, and they leave. Esme tells Spencer, methinks the gentleman protests too much.

A waiter walks around with champagne, and Sasha says, none for her, but Gladys says she’d love some. The waiter tells her, enjoy, and Sasha says she has a confession. After weeks of bedrest and resting, she missed the glitterati. Gladys says her too. If it were up to Miss Bossy Pants, she’d never get to attend a function like this again. Brando says he’ll get Sasha a glass of sparkling water, and Gladys asks him to grab another glass of champagne while he’s at it. She’s planning on a fun night. A waiter bumps into her, and she says, excuse her. She looks at him weird, and Brando asks, what’s wrong? She says, for a second, she thought she knew him. It must be the bubbles. Speaking of the bubbles… Brando says, one sparkling water and one glass of champagne coming up. We see the waiter who bumped Gladys is Kip.

Brook says she had to keep what she did secret, even from Chase. She couldn’t risk anyone giving Valentin doubt in her story, for fear he’d cry breach of contract, and take back the ELQ shares. She’s sorry, but she couldn’t let that happen. He says, so she came up with a lie. She gets up and says she did what she had to ultimately to protect the people she loves. If he wants to arrest her, go ahead, but he’s really ruining their movie night. She holds out her wrists.

Victor says, there’s a surprising amount of merit in what Scotty is suggesting. If he’s willing to make good on his claims, it’s possible Victor might retain his services. Robert comes in, and asks what Scotty is doing there. He’s a bit out of his depth, isn’t he? This is a bit bigger than a slip and fall. He tells the guard, show this man the exit, but Victor says, Scotty is his attorney. Robert says Victor is more desperate than he thought, and Scotty says, listen here, Mr. DA. He knows Robert is no longer with the WSB, but he does have a direct line there, so he might want to give them a heads up. Robert says, about what? and Scotty says, in about an hour, he’s going to host a press conference with every major outlet. He’s going to tell them how the WSB goofed up. They could have had Peter August’s head on a platter, but instead, they dropped the ball. Robert says, Scotty might get The Invader to turn up to something like that, but no one else is going to care. Scotty says, he’s not finished. Then he’s going to tell them how the WSB is afraid of his client. Not just because of what he knows about Peter August, but all the dirty dealings that went on in the WSB when he was the director. Robert says, Scotty will be tied up in espionage suits for the rest of his life, and Scotty says, that might be true, but the damage will be done. Robert says, this smells like Victor’s idea, but Victor says, actually, Scotty came up with it. Kind of brilliant for an ambulance chaser, wouldn’t Robert agree?

Lex says, Valentin can’t do this. Help! Anna comes in, and asks what Valentin is doing. He’s just supposed to talk to him. Lex says, he’s crazy. Valentin is trying to kill him. Anna says, that’s not what they discussed, and Valentin is about to put the syringe into Lex’s intravenous tube. He says, all he has to do is push in the plunger, and Victor sends one less holiday card this year. Lex says, Valentin has it all wrong; he quit Victor. Anna says, he got a better offer from Peter? and Lex says, he changed sides, and look what he’s got to show for it. Another inch, and they said the bullet would have hit his heart. Valentin asks if he knows where Peter was heading when he left the compound, and Lex says, possibly. What’s it worth to him? Valentin says, he wants to negotiate, and Lex says, let’s start with six-figures and a new identity. Valentin tells Anna, he guesses their hands are tied, and she says, she guesses so. She grabs the syringe from Valentin, and plunges it in Lex’s arm. Lex says, she’s crazier than Valentin. If this air bubble reaches his heart… She says, he’s going to wish the bullet had reached his heart. Lex says, do something, and Valentin says, there’s always a hyperbolic oxygen. It’s the only way he knows how to break up a bubble. Anna says, he’ll need a doctor for that, and Lex says he’ll tell them what they want to know. She asks where Peter is, and Lex says, help him, and he’ll tell them. Valentin says, let’s get out of here, and they start to leave. Lex says, Cassadine Island. Now help him. Get a doctor. Get the air bubble out. Anna says, what air bubble? and leaves with Valentin.

Victor tells Robert, he’s sure the press will be especially captivated by the details of the coup the WSB orchestrated in Central America. Remember that one? It’s up to you, amigo. Robert says, Scotty’s already pointed one thing out; he’s no longer part of the agency. Scotty says, but he’s the facilitator. Peter’s got Liesl. He knows Robert doesn’t care about her, but he does, and he knows Robert cares about Maxie, and as long as Peter’s out there, she won’t be safe. They can wrangle all day, but he thinks they should cut to the chase. There are lives on the line; loved ones lives. Robert says, for this to work, the info has to be legit or the Bureau’s not going to buy it. Victor says, it’s up to Robert to convince them. Make it happen. Get him released, or Peter is going to get away with murder – again.

Ava asks if Nikolas knows the patient from Crete, and he says, the airlifting aspect got his attention. He asks when the star of the evening is arriving, and she says, he changed the subject. She wonders why. Like maybe there’s an actual threat out there. Maybe from his own family?

Portia tells Trina, it’s official. The panda photo is her favorite. Esme says she’ll have to look out for it, and Portia asks Trina to introduce her to her friend. Trina says, Esme is Spencer’s girlfriend, and introduces them. Esme says she was just telling Trina how impressive all of this is. She’s sure Portia’s very proud. Portia says, that she is. She heard Esme’s been in town as long as Spencer has. Either she’s the angel on Spencer’s shoulder or something else altogether. Esme says she’s just the girl Spence loves. She’ll be looking for that panda. She leaves, and Portia tells Trina, steer clear of that one. Trina says she’s trying.

Curtis tells Marshall, his earliest memories of his mom and Aunt Stella, two of the most honest people he’s ever known. They took him and his brother to the cemetery to put flowers on his father’s grave. Why would they make that up? There was a plot and a headstone, and they stood wiping the tears from two little boys’ eyes. Why would they make that up if it wasn’t true? Marshall says he knows Curtis has a lot of questions, but it’s going to take time. Curtis says, forget time; it takes facts. The fact is, his father died just after his third birthday. He held on to the birthday present his father gave him for that birthday long after he’d outgrown it. Those are facts. Marshall says, the toy lawnmower, and laughs. He says he’s glad, and Curtis asks how he knew that. Who told him? Marshall says, no one had to tell him. He gave it to Curtis.

Curtis says, Marshall let his late mother and brother, and his Aunt Stella and him, believe he was dead, but the truth is… Marshall says, if Curtis will just give him a chance, he’ll try to explain. Curtis says, save it. He doesn’t need to hear it, because anything Marshall says will be about himself, not about Curtis. There’s nothing he can say to justify this. Marshall was right earlier. His father is a distant memory, and there is no good explanation for Marshall making his brother and him grieve their entire lives over a man who wasn’t dead. Marshall says he understands Curtis is upset, but Curtis says he can’t possibly understand. They thought he died of a heart attack. Does he understand what it’s like for a child growing up under that shadow? Knowing from the start that life is short and the good guys don’t always win. Does he know how hard it was to watch his mom and Aunt Stella scrape and save every penny to make ends meet, trying their damnedest to raise two little Black boys in Baltimore, Maryland, a complicated place to navigate? Does Marshall know what that’s like? Of course (🍷) he doesn’t. Does he know what he did? He put in motion, a lifetime of uncertainty, and instability, and pain throughout Curtis’s whole family. All because the man of the house, the breadwinner, their protector, their father, supposedly died and wasn’t there for them.

Chase tells Brook to spare him the dramatics. He’s not accusing her of a crime, he’s just trying to find Maxie’s baby. She asks, then why is he interrogating her? and he says, he put together all the steps leading up to the abduction, and stumbled on her giving her bodyguard the slip that night. Brook says she’s not sure how this relates to Maxie, and he says, he’s not either at the moment. But when a bell goes off in his head, he asks questions until he gets answers. She says he told her that he was rusty with his detective skills. Chalk this up to a night of her helping him sharpen them. She has to go; she’s going to Ava’s gallery opening. He says, nice try. He knows there’s something else she’s hiding.

Valentin says, when Anna picked up that syringe and shoved it in Lex’s arm, he thinks he was as shocked as Lex was. It was classic, gutsy, diabolical. She says, he’s such a flirt. Robert joins them, and says, word has it, their friend from Crete had a strange encounter with a syringe. Anna says, he must be delusional, and Robert says, whatever. He just doesn’t want to know about it. She says, great, because they got a good lead on Peter. Robert says, him too, but they’re not going to like it.

Nikolas hands Ava a glass of champagne, and says, she’s the toast of the town tonight, so let’s toast to that and forget everything else. She says, Victor is here in a PCPD jail cell, and now one of his mercenaries is at GH. Is she supposed to ignore the Cassadine stain that’s spreading to their doorstep? Maybe he can, but she can’t.

Kip is serving canapes, and Gladys says, she’ll have one of those. He turns around, and she says, hi, Pauly. What’s new?

Marshall supposes he deserves everything Curtis said. Maybe he shouldn’t have sprung things on him this way. Curtis asks, why did he? Even if it’s true, why now? Why today? Marshall says he wanted come before, but he couldn’t, and Curtis asks what he means. Marshall says, it wasn’t safe, and Curtis asks what he’s talking about. Marshall says, it wasn’t safe for all of them, but when he was finally able to show his face, he saw Curtis needed him. That’s when he came forward. If they could just take it a step at a time, he promises Curtis will understand. In time, he’ll understand everything.

Cameron tells Trina, this place is amazing. She crushed it. They hug, and Esme asks Spencer, so those two were almost a thing? He asks why she keeps bringing it up. Cam said it was no big deal. Clearly, they’ve moved on. She says, maybe, but from what she can see, the sparks are still lingering. Portia sends Curtis a text that says, where are you? I miss you.

Marshall wonders how he can get Curtis to trust him, but Curtis says he can forget that. He doesn’t know Marshall, and doesn’t trust him, and damn sure doesn’t need him. He can get the hell out, and don’t do him any favors. Marshall says, fair enough. He’ll go… for now. He takes something out of his pocket, and says he knows Curtis probably doesn’t have any family photos with him in them. Maybe this one with him and Curtis’s mama, Curtis, and Tommy will make up for that. He puts it on a table, and says, it’s precious memories… precious memories. He leaves, and Curtis sees the back says, June 1985. He looks at the photo, and gets tears in his eyes. Didn’t he wonder why there were no pictures of his father when he was growing up? Just asking.

Kip says he thinks Gladys has him confused with someone else, and she says, she’s confused all right. First, he scares her into keeping her trap shut about Brook’s baby, and now he’s a cater waiter? Another waiter comes up, and tells Kip, Billy just booked a commercial. Tomorrow, he’s going in as Nathan Detroit. Congrats. The waiter leaves, and Gladys says, Kip. He’s an actor? What else is fake about him? Like he’s the father of Brook’s baby for instance?

Chase tells Brook, sooner or later, the truth always comes out. He wishes she would forget he was a cop, and trust him as a friend. She says she’s got to go. Her father is underwriting the exhibit, and she doesn’t want to disappoint him. Chase says, that’s what worries him.

🤬 Unreal. Here is where there’s literally a minute of the show left, and there’s an interruption about the infrastructure bill being signed. This couldn’t wait a minute? I say, WTF? over and over. But I finish through the magic of  the internet.

Ava asks if Nikolas can blame her for worrying. As long as Victor remains in town, remains in his life, there’s going to be trouble. He says his uncle has no hold over him. He let the world believe Victor was dead, and Victor returned the favor. They’re even; all debts are paid. Besides, he’s behind bars; he’s about to be shipped off to the Hague, or some other WSB facility, never to be heard from again. She asks if he promises, and he says he does. He tells her, relax. Enjoy her big night. Everything is going to be all right.

Valentin tells Robert, don’t do this. They don’t need Victor. They can track Peter on their own. Anna asks, what happened? and Robert says, this isn’t just about finding Peter, and Valentin says, of course (🍷) it isn’t. Victor was director of the WSB. He knows where the bodies are buried. The things that can’t see the light of day. They just don’t want him to talk.

Scotty tells Victor, all the paperwork has been signed, sealed, and delivered. Now tell him where Liesl is, so he can go get her. Victor nods to the guard, and walks out past Scotty. Scotty says, they had a deal, and the guard closes the outside cell door in Scotty’s face. Victor walks down the hall, taking off his prison shirt.

Tomorrow, Esme hopes Trina has a night she never forgets, Ned asks what Olivia is hoping for tonight, and Peter says Drew will be the one to make it happen, or he’ll die trying.

Below Deck

When we last left guest Justin was getting aggressive with guest Terri, and told Heather, f*** you, after following her down the hall. Eddie stands in the doorway, keeping them from getting in, and Justin says, it’s the whole effing circus. Someone is getting shoved off the boat tonight. Eddie says, maybe it’s best that Justin and Terri stay away from each other. Terri tells Eddie, make it stop, and Eddie tells her, stop overreacting, and it will stop. It’s for everyone’s safety, including hers. Justin tells Rachel, it’s not his problem, and she says she doesn’t give a f***. Guest Colin shows up, and asks Heather what he can do to help. Heather asks him to get Justin into his room, and Colin asks Justin, now sitting down with a drink, what the problem is. Justin says, everyone can f*** themselves. Colin can f*** himself, and throw himself off the back of the boat. Somehow Colin persuades Justin to walk back to the room with him, telling him that he can bring his drink. Justin gets moving, but says, STFU, on his way downstairs. In Eddie’s interview, he says he can’t wait to tell Captain Lee. He doesn’t know what the captain is going to do, but it’s going to be priceless. Eddie tells Heather, if there are any issues, wake up him up. In the cabin, Colin tells Justin to stop acting like a stupid, self-centered POS. Justin says, well, that’s a bit much, suddenly sounding so rational, I laugh.

In the morning, Jessica wrestles with the laundry. In her interview, she says, the last boat she worked on was a cakewalk. She wonders when she gets a day off. Wes says, everything is all shiny, and the guests start to trickle out. Colin says he’ll be surprised if the others get up. In Rachel’s interview, she says, it takes several hours to roast a whole pig. It’s so effing gross. We see a pig sitting in the oven, and yeah, it is. I don’t eat meat that much anymore, but I did attend a pig roast once, and I can’t even begin to describe how heavenly the smell is. It also tasted amazing. Eddie asks if the captain heard all the yelling, screaming, slamming doors, and crying last night. Justin tells the other guests that they may get kicked off the boat. Eddie tells Captain Lee that Justin and Terri were arguing, and Terri was in tears. Justin told Heather to f*** herself. Heather comes to the wheelhouse, and the captain says he wants to discuss the elephant in the room. Heather says, Justin crossed the line hard core, and in the captain’s interview, he says, he’s livid. His crew isn’t there to be abused. He can’t talk to the guests right now because he’ll lose it, but it’s going to be a come to Jesus meeting. He tells Heather, he’ll have a discussion with them, and it’s not going happen again. Justin is unsure about what happened last night, and Jake has a meeting with the deckhands. He changes their schedules, and puts Rayna on nights. She says she’ll die if she’s up all night, but Jake says she’ll still get her eight hours. In Wes’s interview, he says, Jake is being bossy, and Rayna is overreacting, and he’s in the middle. Rachel’s breakfast special is lobster benedict, which sounds like my kind of breakfast. The captain tells Eddie that he’s going to be pulling anchor in a few minutes, and wants clear, concise direction. He’s going to let Jake take them out.

The guests have breakfast, and anchor is home. Primary Michael says it’s the best breakfast he’s ever had. Jake isn’t happy that Rayna is giving him sh*t, and she says she just needs alone time. He tells her that it’s nothing to be frustrated with; it’s work. In Rayna’s interview, she says, Jake is confusing, but she doesn’t know him. What if he’s a crazy person, and she kissed him too soon? She definitely kissed him too soon. Now he’s a jackass. IMO, he’s being a boss. I guess she thought she was going to get special privilege because she kissed him. Justin walks past Heather in the lounge, and she asks how he is. He says, other than a headache, not too bad, and in Heather’s interview, she says she never had a guest treat her like that. It’s reminding her of being bullied in high school in Hawaii. She had her arm broken, her face battered, and lunches thrown at her because she was the only white blond girl at the school. It was bringing up past trauma. Fraser tells Jessica about the screaming match.

Michael and Justin are summoned to the wheelhouse, and Eddie tells the deckhands, he would not want be them. In Captain Lee’s interview, he says, he’s not letting some a-hole insult his crew. It makes him want to take a sh*t in their mother’s dinner plate. He tells them that he wants to chat about what transpired last evening. Telling Heather to go f*** herself is totally improper. He doesn’t talk to his crew that way, and doesn’t tolerate other people doing it. Justin says, he doesn’t know what happened… and the captain says he doesn’t want excuses. Get his sh*t together, and if it happens again, their charter will be over. Make no mistake about it. Justin says he’s really sorry, and thanks the captain, and Michael apologizes for his friends. Outside, Michael says Justin was being a complete jerk. Captain Lee tells Heather that he doesn’t think there will be a repeat performance. If there is, the charter ends. She says they’ll see how the day goes.

Justin tells the other guests that he’s sorry for how this relates to them. Eddie tells the deckhands to pack the gear for the picnic. Heather tells the guests that since they’ll be cooking the pig on the beach, the meal will be around 3 or 4 o’clock. In Rachel’s interview, she says, she’s had experience cooking a whole hog. Logistically, it’s too long of a time to cook it on the beach, so she precooks it in the oven, then throws it in the pit. When the guests arrive, she pulls it out, and it’s done; fire roasted pig on a spit. Justin goes back to Heather, and says he sincerely apologizes, and she says, she appreciates it, but every day is a new day. Enjoy the blank page. In her interview, she says, but really, go f*** yourself. Ha-ha! For a second, I thought she was being overly generous. Rayna acts resistant to anything Jake has to say. Eddie says, it’s time to go, and they take the picnic supplies over. In Wes’s interview, he says he grew up in the Caribbean, and loves a beach picnic. It reminds him of home. In Heather’s interview, she says, it’s important that the luau go off without a hitch. She didn’t deal with everything yesterday to come out with sh*t tip. Even if it takes twenty tenders, they’ll give the guests what they want. There’s no room for error. She wants to do her people proud.

They take more stuff over, and Heather and Rachel go over to the beach. Wes curses the gazebo he’s trying to set up. In Jessica’s interview, she says, it’s exhausting being a stew all day. The money makes it worth it, but she’d rather be home driving around, eating a burrito, and listening to music. It would be less stressful. I see there’s a real work ethic among this bunch. The guests are taken over to the beach, and the pig catches fire. Rachel flies over to it, and in her interview, she says, this has the potential for ruining the meal. Thank God it was only the skin. She’ll put it upside down, and the guests will never know. The guests arrive, and Heather welcomes them to their beach luau. Colin says, everything is perfect.

Rayna calls her mom, and says she’s ready to kill someone. Jake has been a lead deckhand for one day, and talked disrespectfully to her. She gets all weepy, and in her interview, she says, connecting with new people on a boat is difficult, and the first one she connected with was Jake. Now he’s the one she’s having issues with. Today has been sh*t. She’s over it. Fraser is jealous of the guests; everything looks so good. The guests play corn hole. On the boat, Captain Lee threatens to get a shotgun to shoot the fly bothering him. In Heather’s interview, she says she’s thankful. For someone who’s not Hawaiian, Chef Rachel killed it. It’s the taste of home she needed. A luau brings people together, and it’s fun. Justin went from being an a-hole to a chill kitty cat on the beach. That is the power of a luau. Heather goes back to the boat, leaving them in Fraser’s hands. Jessica cleans a guest’s shower, and sings that it smells like pee-pee.

Heather tells Captain Lee that the luau was successful. He asks how Justin is doing, and she says, good. The captain says he gave Justin a shot at redemption, and Heather says, the deck team was awesome, and the interior was great. The guests come back to the boat, and drink some more. The stuff is loaded on the tender to go back. When it gets there, Jake tells Rayna to go as quick as she can, and she argues with him. He says she’s not pulling her weight, and she says, that’s not true. He needs to rethink the way he’s talking to her; she’s not the one. He tells her that she needs to start pulling her weight, and in Rayna’s interview, she says, calm down. Real life delusional. She can’t believe the way he speaks to her. That’s crazy. In Heather’s interview, she says, welcome to the newest trend of 2021 – linner. It’s jamming lunch and dinner into one, so the guests don’t want dinner and go to bed early.

Eddie tells Captain Lee that he’s proud of his team; they killed it today. The captain says he likes how Jake pays attention, and listens. He’s leaning toward them having made the right call. Rayna tells Jake that he’s crazy AF, and Jake says, it’s not the first time he’s been called crazy. He just wanted to get sh*t done as quick as they could, and she says she doesn’t have an attitude; she’s just not happy all the time. He says they’re good. Jessica tells Heather that she feels queasy, and Heather suggests she knock off a little early. Eddie asks Rayna, what’s wrong? and she says she doesn’t want to get anyone in trouble, but gives him an earful about Jake. Eddie says, he understands how it can be hurtful, and she says, everything would be fine if Jake would speak to her correctly. Eddie says, at the same time, remember Jake is the lead deckhand, and he’s taking his role seriously. Maybe she should try to absorb some of it. Jake’s doing a good job. She says, Jake was kind of aggressive, and he says, it’s an aggressive season they’re in, but she did a good job. Jessica tells Wes that she thinks she was a cat in another life. She can just lie around. In her interview, she says, Wes is a good, down-to-earth person. She tells him that she was in quarantine for a year, and lived in her bathrobe. This is kicking her ass. Heather tells Rachel that Jessica claimed she was sick, and she’s flirting with Wes in the crew mess.

In the morning, Rachel makes king crab, snow crab, and huevos rancheros. In her interview, she says, bump up the tip. Captain Lee says, he doesn’t need any f*** ups, and wants radio silence. The deckhands put out the fenders, but one loses a cover, and starts blowing in the wind. Eddie tells the captain, a fender isn’t secure; they lost the cover. In Eddie’s interview, he says, it’s frustrating. It’s little things like that, that show Wes is inexperienced on a mega-yacht. The guests start packing, and Captain Lee tells the deckhands to get the lines out. Eddie says, locked in, and the captain radios for the crew to get in their whites for guest departure. Everyone thanks the crew, and Justin apologizes again for his actions. Michael thanks them for being patient on the first night, and says, the pig roast was awesome. He gives the captain the tip envelope, to show their appreciation. We see the crew in Brady Bunch boxes, and Eddie says, all together now, and they give the finger. The captain radios for them to meet in the crew mess.

Captain Lee says, overall, he thinks the charter went pretty good, especially after dealing with the first night. This morning’s docking didn’t look coordinated, and they need to pay more attention to the fenders. Eddie says, it’s not acceptable for things to be flying overboard. In Eddie’s interview, he says, it’s embarrassing for them not to pay attention to detail on a mega-yacht. Get your sh*t together. The tip is $19,800; $1650 each. The captain says they deserve a celebration. In Jessica’s interview, she says, the guests can tell Heather to go f*** herself anytime if it leads to a $19K tip. Eddie tells the crew that it’s his fifth year working with Captain Lee, and Fraser asks what’s the last thing he did to piss the captain off. Eddie says his worst mistake was sleeping with a stew in the laundry room. The captain wasn’t angry, but he was disappointed. We flash back to that, and Eddie says he had a girlfriend back home. He f***ed up, and felt embarrassed. He destroyed a relationship he’d cared about, and took five years off after that. Everyone gets ready to go out.

They sit outside at a restaurant, and play truth or dare after they order. When Jessica is asked what’s in her bedside drawer, she says, it’s a drawer full of candy, and in Rachel’s interview, she says, that’s so sad. Wes is asked if he’s made out with anyone on the boat. He says, no, and Rayna asks who he’d like to make out with, and gets everyone to chant Jess, embarrassing both Wes and Jessica. In Jessica’s interview, she says she could show him a thing or two, and I think, her fuzzy slippers and robe? Jake has to give a lap dance, and gives it to Eddie, while Rachel films. In Eddie’s interview, he shows a fan of dollar bills, and says, he’s ready for Jake next time. Now they know why he’s lead deckhand. Fraser asks Jake what the game plan is for the rest of  the season; what about Rayna? Jake says, they’re just having fun, and asks if Fraser has his eye on anyone. Fraser says he doesn’t have much choice since he’s gay, and in his interview, he says he’s shocked it took Jake this long to piece that together. Me too. They go back to the boat, and get in the hot tub. Jessica finds a random sock a guest left behind. They drink and wiggle their butts. Jessica cuts out, and Eddie leaves next, saying, he’s going be hungover. He feels it. He goes into his cabin, and in the crew mess, Fraser says he needs a shower and a glass of champagne. Eddie calls his girlfriend, and tells her that the entire crew was in the hot tub. He hoisted the chief stew up, and dunked her in the water. That’s it; she has nothing to worry about. In his interview, he says, it’s not easy to have a relationship with someone who’s gone for weeks on end, and she’s handling it well. No, he’s lying. He tells her if it’s not what she signed up for, he understands. If she needs to take off, do what she needs to do. Jake, Rayna, and Fraser have three-way kiss. Wes jets, and the night starts winding down. Fraser and Jake have snacks in the crew mess, and Rayna joins them. Jake says he’s engaged, and in Rayna’s interview, she says, he’s a liar, and should have told her. She feels like an idiot. Jake says, they don’t understand the full story, and Rayna says she hates men. Jake wonders if he said something wrong, and in Fraser’s interview, he says, this is a classic example of why you shouldn’t do crew romances.   

Next time, a kid with a nanny, a female guest is enamored of the captain, Fraser doesn’t think Jessica wants to be there, and Eddie doesn’t want another effing thing falling off the boat.

⚰️ Dead Leftovers…

I was just too tired to scout for news last night, but here you go.

Walking Dead/World Beyond

https://screenrant.com/walking-dead-belshaw-death-rick-jadis-theory-wrong/

Fear the Walking Dead

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/fear-the-walking-dead-leaving-texas-for-georgia-season-7-season-8/

🌳 Going To Visit the Dreaming Tree…

Be here at the same time tomorrow, more or less, for some soap, some Rules, and as always, a tune. Until then, stay safe, stay appreciative, and stay being absolutely unstoppable.

November 7, 2021 – Morgan Visits Victor, Blackout At the CRM, Pollyanna’s Return, Valuable, Now They Did It, Pup Parade & Way

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

A zombie trips over a fallen warhead sticking out of the ground. Sarah opens her eyes, not sure of where she is. She goes downstairs and says, hello? She looks around at what seems to be a castle, and checks herself out in a mirror. A zombie wanders in, and she quicky grabs a rifle, but can’t get it to work. She says, hell, as the zombie gets closer, but a shot is heard and it drops. Al says, she’s awake, and Daniel, Luci, Charlie, and Wes come out. Luci says, welcome back, and Sarah asks how long she’s been out. Luci says, two days, and Wes and Charlie check the radioactivity coming from the zombie. Wes says, it’s off the charts. He wonders how it got there, and asks if Sarah brought any in with her. She says, no, and Charlie says, the zombies shouldn’t be able to go past the gate. She asks if Daniel closed it, and he says he did. She asks if he’s sure, but he says, no. Luci tells him not to worry, and Sarah asks where they are. Al says, Fort San Vincent, or it used to be before a rich guy bought it in the 60s and turned it into a bed and breakfast. Sarah wonders how she got there. She remembers the bombs going kablooey, and her engine overheated. What the hell was that? Al says, it’s better she doesn’t know, and Daniel says, she’s not only one Al isn’t telling what happened. Wes says, Sarah had a rough landing, and was knocked unconscious. Luci says, there are so many dead, and Al says, they took turns, but mostly Jacob was keeping an eye on her. He’s out working the east boundary, but he’ll be glad to see her back on her feet. Sarah asks if Wendell made it there, but Al shakes her head. Luci says they haven’t heard from him, and Charlie said when they went searching for him, the only thing they found was this. She hands Wendell’s cap to Sarah, and Sarah asks what they’re sitting there for. They have to find him. She starts to leave, but Luci stops her, and says, it’s not safe. Sarah tells her to step aside if she wants to keep her teeth, and Al says if Sarah goes past the safe zone, she’ll end up like that corpse. Luci says, if they go out, they’ll die, but Sarah says, however hard they think they looked, she’ll look harder. He’s alive, and she’ll find him.

Sarah sits on a hill with the radio, and some supplies, and asks if Wendell hears her. She’s trying every channel on this damn radio. She looks around with binoculars, and tries the radio again. She keeps repeating the pattern. She says, if you can hear me, give me a sign. If he’s out there, she wants him to know she’s still looking. She looks at a map, and says she’ll be riding the airwaves again tomorrow; over and out. She packs up. and a voice comes over the radio, asking if somebody is there. She says, Wendell? and Morgan says, is that her? She says, Momo? and he says, that’s what they call the baby. She says, whose baby? and he says, it’s a long story. She says, hearing his voice is music to her ears, and he says, it’s good to hear hers too. She says she thought he was dead, but he says he’s all right; Grace too. She asks if he’s seen Wendell, but he says, no. He’s holed up at the Pennsylvania. She says, she’s holed up with Al and the others; Al saved their keisters. She’s at a place called Fort San Vincent. Things look good in the immediate vicinity, but she thinks there’s a warhead dud somewhere near there. The radio goes dead, and she asks if he’s there. Morgan? She tries to charge the radio, but it’s not working. She says, sh*t in a sandbox, and throws it in her bag. She sees an SUV down on the road, and says, who might you be?

Sarah looks around the truck, and asks if someone is there. She looks inside, and a dog barks. She says, Rufus, and asks how he got there. Where’s MoMo? She lets Rufus out, and looks in the car. She sees the box with Emile’s head in it, and hears a gun cock. Josiah tells her, step away from my brother, and she asks, who the are hell you, and what’s your brother’s head doing in a box with my friend’s name on it? He says, his name is Emile. Her friend’s head is supposed to be in the box, not his brother. Mr. Jones killed him. She says, another psychopath who wants to try and kill Morgan. What’s his beef have to do with her? He says he wants her help finding Morgan, and she says, that’s kind of hard to do when she doesn’t know where he is. He says he heard her on the radio, and Morgan said he was in the Pennsylvania. What is that? A hotel? A restaurant? Wherever he is, she’s going to take him there. A zombie pops out, and Emile kills it. Sarah says she doesn’t rat out her friends, but he says he thinks she should reconsider. He’s the only hope she’s got of finding her brother. She asks how he knew about Wendell, and he tells her that he heard what she said on the radio. He suggests she accept his offer, unless she wants her brother to end up like this. He gestures toward the downed zombie, and holds out his hand. She gets up without taking it, and says, he can find Wendell? He says he and Emile share more than blood. When he needs to find somebody, he’ll stop at nothing, and he does mean nothing. Morgan in exchange for her brother. Tell him to meet her outside of the rest stop on 7489 at dawn. He holds out the car radio, and she says, find Wen first. He says that’s what he intends to do. He works fast. She asks, what’s going to happen to Morgan? and he tells her that she’s asking the wrong question. She should be asking, what will happen to Wendell if she doesn’t accept his terms? She takes the radio, and asks if Morgan copies.

Josiah stops by the side of the road, and he gets out of the car, along with Sarah and Rufus. He asks what makes Sarah so sure Wendell went this way, and she says, it’s the only place she hasn’t checked. He says, if he gets exposed, she has to give him the pills; the same for Rufus. She says she only swiped enough for her and her brother, and he says he agreed to help her look for her brother, not die for him. She asks what his name is, and he says, Josiah. She says, she’s Sarah Rabinowitz, and he says, well, Sarah, time to get to work. He dances through the air with a battleax, downing two zombies. He starts digging inside one, and Sarah says she doesn’t think he’s going to find Wendell in there, but he says, he will if they ate him. How long has he been missing? She says, 78 days, and he says she still thinks he’s alive? She says, he’s a fighter, and he says he’s warning her, if her brother is dead, they might not find him. Zombies can travel a mile and a half to 36 miles in a day; he’s a dead man walking. She says, he’d love that. He hasn’t taken a step in 40 years. He’s been in a wheelchair since he was a kid. Josiah asks if she has anything that belongs to him, and she gives him the cap. He whistles for Rufus, saying, Rufus is a cadaver dog; he can smell the living and the dead. Rufus sniffs the cap, and Josiah says, go find. Sarah asks if they should follow, but he says they need to give these two a proper rest first.

Josiah is tamping down the dirt over a grave, and Sarah says, things would go quicker if they didn’t have to bury every skinbag they came across. He tells her, the dead deserve respect, and she says, if he respected the dead, he wouldn’t be toting around his brother’s head like a pet rock. He says, it makes him remember what he promised his brother, but she says she doesn’t think his brother would hold him to it. He’s so full of sh*t. All he wants to do is kill, and he’s using Rufus to help him. She knows a psychopath when she sees one. He says she doesn’t know anything about him, and she’s got the nerve to call him crazy. She asks what makes him think he can do what his brother couldn’t? and he says, when you’ve been through what he’s been through, it makes you capable of doing things you never thought possible.

Rufus barks incessantly at a Stalker herding the dead toward a wagon drawn by horses. Josiah tells him, don’t move, and the Stalker says, he didn’t do nothin’, but Josiah says the guy put his dog in danger. He should kill him. The Stalker says Rufus came to him, and Josiah says he intends to find out why. He tells the Stalker to take his mask off, and the Stalker says his readings are clean, but Josiah says, that’s not what he’s asking. What’s he got in there; more like them? He looks in the back of the wagon, where there are a bunch of naked zombies. Josiah asks Sarah if any of them are Wendell, and she shakes her head. He asks the Stalker what the hell he’s doing. What happened to their clothes? He thinks the guy is hiding something, and tells him to take off his clothes. Sarah protests, but Josiah asks if she wants to find her brother or not. He tells the guy, strip now, and the Stalker takes his clothes off and stands there. Rufus smells the pile of clothes, and shows a particular interest in a red bandana. Josiah pulls it out, and asks if Sarah recognizes it. She nods, and takes it. Josiah tells the Stalker to show them where he found it.

They go to a barn where livestock were kept, and now zombies are in the stalls. Josiah says, this is what he does? Strip them and take their possessions? The Stalker says, something like that, and Sarah says, you’re a real twisted POS, know that? She says, Wendell’s not there, then looks hard at something. Josiah says, what? and she looks closer. She sees a wheelchair all mangled up and disgusting with guts, and says, that’s his chair. She asks the Stalker, where is he? The man in the chair. He asks if she means the skinbag tangled up in it? He had no use for him. He’s probably crawling around somewhere. She lunges at him, and he swings one of the gates open, letting loose a bunch of zombies. He takes off, and Josiah and Sarah run after him, but he’s way ahead. Josiah says they have to get out of there, and Sarah runs to the car and starts it up. She hears Morgan on the radio, saying he’s on the way to the rendezvous. Tell what this is about; is she okay? Does she copy? Please tell him what the hell is going on. She takes off just as Josiah gets to the car, but he jumps in. He asks if she’s lost her mind. He kept his end of the deal. She says Wendell isn’t dead, and pushes the passenger door open, tying to shove him out, but he hangs on. They crash through fence and over a cliff. Oddly enough, they land right side up.

They sit in the car for a moment. Josiah tries his door, but it’s not opening. Sarah says, sh*t, and he says, what? She says, it’s a goddam warhead. They’ve got to get out of there. Her door won’t budge, and she wonders where the hell her bat is. He asks if she’s injured, or punctured anything, but she says she didn’t puncture sh*t. She’s hyperventilating, and Josiah tells her, there’s no use having a panic attack over a warhead; her brother died. Zombies are starting to gather, and he says, they’ve got to get out. He promises, it’s what he does. He was a park ranger; search and rescue for fifteen years. It was only a matter of time. She’s got to call Morgan. She asks if he can’t call somebody, and he says he only had to be rescued once himself. He was searching for hikers trapped in a fire, and twisted his ankle. He didn’t think he’d get out alive. Emile wanted to look for him, but the other rangers said it was too dangerous; it was too late. Emile wouldn’t listen. Sarah asks how Emile found him, and he says, Emile didn’t; Rufus did. Later, his brother told him that he could feel Josiah’s heartbeat all the way across the woods. He thought it was bullsh*t until the day he felt his heart stop, and knew Emile was gone. He didn’t need to see it; he just knew. Maybe it sounds crazy, but that’s how he knows Sarah wouldn’t be looking if her brother was dead. She’d feel it; she’d know it. They can still find him. She radios Morgan, and says she’s in a little bit of trouble, a mile south from their rendezvous. Josiah tells her, be ready to honor their deal, and she says, they’re going to keep looking for Wen, and he’s not going to kill Morgan. He asks, why is that? and she says, he’s not a killer. He’s just mixed up because of his brother, like she was when she saw that chair. That wasn’t her back there, and this ain’t him. She tries the radio again, asking if Morgan heard her, but Josiah tells her, it’s safe to say the radio ain’t working no more. Zombies are starting to collect outside the truck, and he says, it’s time they take their chances. He gets out through the back, and does some slicing and dicing. Sarah jumps out, smashing heads with a shovel. They kill a dozen or so zombies. Sarah stands on truck, and puts the bandana over her nose and mouth. Josiah goes after a zombie, and realizes it’s Morgan.

Morgan and Josiah fight. Still standing on the truck, Sarah yells at them to stop. After a good headbutt, Josiah gets Morgan on the ground. Morgan punches him, but Josiah still has the upper hand. Sarah tells him that he’s not a killer, and he says, he’s not going to kill Morgan; his brother is. He takes out the head, saying, he made Emile a promise, and he’s going to keep it. He puts the head near Morgan’s face, but Morgan pushes him off, and the head goes flying. Rufus goes to investigate, and the effing head bites him. Now they did it. They touched the dog. Josiah says, what has he done? and cradles Rufus. Bastard. I hate him now. Sarah goes over to Emile’s head, and smashes it in two. Good.

Sarah and Morgan join Josiah at the campfire, and Morgan asks how Rufus is doing. Josiah says, he’s hurting pretty bad. Beans are his favorite, and Josiah thought they would bring him peace. Morgan says he’s sorry, but Josiah says Morgan didn’t do anything; he did. Morgan says he shouldn’t have to suffer, and offers to put Rufus down, but Josiah says he’s the one who has to do it. Rufus saved his life twice. He thought he was doing the right thing, keeping a promise. He thought it was about Emile the whole time, but it was about him. He didn’t want to let Emile go. Sarah says, she gets it. She and Wendell aren’t twins in conventional terms, but she was born prematurely. Her mom died, and she was in the neonatal unit. Every time they took the tubes out, she stopped sucking in air. When they put her next to a baby born on the same day, she started to breathe. She took her cue to breathe from Wendell. She knows why Josiah didn’t want to let him go. Every moment without Wendell, she can’t catch her breath.

Mercifully they don’t show us Rufus’s passing, and Josiah is tamping the dirt down on Rufus’s grave. He puts a bean can upside down on top of it. The three of them stand in front of one of the most incredible silhouettes of trees I’ve ever seen. Morgan says, sorry about Josiah’s brother, and Josiah says, he’s not like that. Morgan says, none of them were, and Sarah asks where Josiah is headed. Morgan says, Wendell needs a chair to get around; he needs help. He might know who would be helping him. Victor is collecting people because he wants to prove something to Morgan. If they leave now, they could make it by dawn. Josiah says he’d like to come. He can still hold up his end of the deal, and make sure Sarah sees her brother. Sarah asks if it’s okay with Momo, and Morgan says, yeah. Where they’re going, they’re going to need all the help they can get.

Standing on a wall outside Victor’s city, they look down to the zombie laden parking lot, then at Victor’s building. Sarah says, that it? and Morgan says, yep. On the wall, there’s a semi-enclosed guard post with a phone, and a sign that says,  history begins with a single step, will you take it? Sarah suggests Victor enjoys the smell of his own farts. Morgan says he’s got June and John’s dad, and Sarah says, let’s see if he has Wendell. She picks up the phone, and Howard comes up with a female guard. He asks why they’re here, and Sarah hangs up the phone. Morgan asks if Victor is too much of a coward to come himself. Victor comes up the stairs, and tells Howard, it’s okay. He’d rather have a face-to-face conversion to dispel any misconceptions. They were seen from miles away. He guesses Morgan came to see what Victor has that he doesn’t, but Morgan says, it’s not about him, and Sarah asks if her brother is in Victor’s town. Victor asks why she assumes he’s there, and Morgan tells him, because of what Victor said he was going to do, and Victor says, their instincts are correct; Wendell is there. Sarah asks if he’s okay, and Victor says, more than okay; he’s thriving. He has a knack for supply logistics management . He imagines it’s from his days of keeping Sarah on the road. She says she needs to see him, and Victor says, he remembers who stood by him when it mattered. She wasn’t among them. Josiah says, Sarah went through hell, and nearly died trying to find her brother, but Victor says, she’s not going in; none of them are, but Wendell can come out. However, it’s not a revolving door. If he comes out, he can’t come back in.

Victor asks if they think Wendell will make it out there, and Morgan says, they’ll manage. Victor says, like Morgan? Or didn’t he tell them? He, Grace, and the baby are barely scraping by. Howard says, it’s true. He saw it for himself. Sarah asks what he’s talking about, and Victor says, this new world is punishing. Does she really want what’s better for Wendell? He can protect Wendell from it. Sarah looks at the building for a moment, and says, don’t tell him she was there. If he knew, he’d come looking for her. Having been ignored since the beginning of the scene, Howard says, she’s in no position to be making… and Sarah says, please promise her that. Victor says, agreed, and leaves. Sarah starts to cry, and drops to her knees. Josiah tells her to breathe with him, and she says she didn’t want to let him go. Josiah says, she did the right thing. She did what he couldn’t do, and she’s still breathing. She says, yes, she is, and thanks him. He says, no, thank you; the both of them. She asks where he’s going, but he says he doesn’t completely know. There’s got to be other places. Morgan suggests Josiah come back with him; both of them can. What Victor said was right. They’re stretched thin, but they won’t always be. Josiah says he was exposed to the warhead for too long. They don’t want a sick man on their hands. Sarah says, he’s not getting sick, and gives him some medication, saying, she’d been saving it for Wendell, but she knows he’s save. Josiah says he still needs time before he’s ready, and she tells him, if he changes his mind, he knows how to reach them. He and Morgan nod to each other, and Josiah leaves. Sarah says she’d better get back to the fort, or they’ll wonder what happened to her. Morgan says, not for long. It can’t be safe there with the open warhead nearby. They need to keep everybody safe, and get ready for what happens next. Morgan goes down the stairs, and Sarah takes a last look at Victor’s building, then follows.

The Stalker with the wagon meets another Stalker on the road, who tells him, good job. The wagon Stalker says, they need to show Donald. He’s going to want to see this himself. The other Stalker says, what is it? and the wagon Stalker says, it’s the thing that’s going to get them exactly what they want. We see the warhead in the back of the wagon.

Next time, Victor says it’s a new world now, and wants to show everyone around; Teddi says, they’ve got to find Padre; and a boxing ring.

The Walking Dead: The World Beyond

Leo remembered trekking through the woods with Lyla, and other researchers, in his early CRM days. The guards with them were about to shoot a zombie, but Lyla said it was one of theirs, and it was corralled instead. Lyla told Leo, their geo-tracker was misfiring. She asked what Leo thought of research facility, and he said it was more than he imagined. In the present, Leo and the others looked at the paperwork Huck found, and Leo said it documented a large scale chemical event. They wondered if the CRM was covering up a chemical weapon, and Leo said, whatever it was, it was real, which sounds like something a genius researcher would say not at all. Felix said they had to make a decision or it would be made for them. Hope said they had to stay, and figure out what it meant. Iris said they’d told Silas not to wait for them if they didn’t show, and agreed Hope was right. They needed answers, and needed to make sure the CRM didn’t get away with it.

Huck said she was trying to find out if the research was part of something else, and admitted that her mother had overseen the Campus Colony and Omaha. Only Major General Beale could take on something that big, but her mother had to sign off on it. She explained that everything was kept in balance, and something must have jeopardized what the CRM had built. They must have thought Omaha and the Campus colony were a threat to the balance (sounds like Snowpiercer.) Leo told Huck that he needed more time, and the papers had to stay with Him. Huck told them it was smart having Indira turn them in, and they knew where to find her. Iris went off to send a message to Will.

Jadis ran into Huck, and said she was there doing a security audit. She took great satisfaction in investigating corruption and betrayal. She said Huck had been the one who trained her, and she hoped they could catch up. She saw Huck as her mentor, and the most dedicated soldier, who would slash her face and break her limbs for a cause. She asked Huck to come by for some rum later. She had weak links to find.

Percy helped Iris smuggle out a message to Elton. Lyla went to Leo’s lab, with some clothes for the Iris, Felix, and Elton aka Percy. They made plans for dinner, and when the tote bag holding the clothes fell off the table, Leo remembered Lyla dropping papers in the woods way back when. Papers just like the ones Huck swiped. The message was delivered to Elton, which he had to decode. Elton said the group wasn’t leaving the CRM, and Barca wondered what else they’d be doing. Will grabbed the note and instead of just saying their departure had been postponed, Iris said they were going to stop the CRM and burn this place to the ground. Indira said they were going to start a war.  

Leo met with Iris, Hope and Felix, and told them that he needed to know just how much Lyla knew. If she was there for dinner, she wouldn’t be in her lab, which was a broad hint that they should break in and look around. Felix went to Huck, who said it was way too dangerous, but he said she didn’t get to drop the problem in someone else’s lap, then walk away. In the middle of Huck trying to transfer Lyla’s information to her own keycard so they could get in her office, Felix wondered, what if what they were looking for wasn’t in her office? Huck looked on the computer, tracking where Lyla had been, and they determined her research was in a subbasement. Ah, the old using the subbasement that no one has access to as a hiding place trick.

Brody was not thrilled with Iris’s note, and said they had to take action. They should turn in the remaining two – i.e. Elton and Will – and warn the CRM, who had been their allies. Indira said she’d given her word to keep Elton and Will safe, but Brody said she’d given their word to keep the town safe. Indira said they’d been living with the CRM’s boots on their necks, and Brody said they needed to pick a side. He had no choice, but to vote no confidence in their chairperson. Outside, Will paced, and Elton said it was even worse than the note. Indira was sick, and needed dialysis and blood thinner to keep her alive. She got them from the research facility, and if they were planning on burning it down, they would destroy what she needed to live. Asha came out, and said they could stay for now, with zero explanation as to how that decision was made, since Brody was just saying Indira was incompetent. Will said, thanks, but no thanks. HE needed to get back inside the facility.

Felix said it seemed like Huck had done this before, and she told him about her husband making a mistake on the job training recruits because he’d been drinking. He promised to clean up his act, so she made the camera footage used to document the exercise he’d messed up couldn’t be used as evidence. Felix asked why, and she said she loved him; maybe she still did. She told Felix, once the power was cut, he’d only have two minutes inside. He wondered why he wasn’t the one cutting the power, and she said she knew where everything was, and could cover her tracks. What the CRM did wasn’t her, but there was nothing they could do to bring them back.

At dinner, Iris asked Lyla what she did before working there, and Lyla said she worked in Big Pharma. She’d worked on a variety of diseases, and Iris questioned her about animal testing, obviously being against it. Lyla asked if sacrificing a few mice wasn’t worth saving lives, and Iris asked, what if what they were doing was worse than the disease. In the end, it came down to how much of your own humanity and soul you were willing to sacrifice for the greater good. It was just life. Iris said it wasn’t just life; you always had a choice, and saying you didn’t was just an excuse, Hope suggested they go check on Felix, and Leo seconded that. Lyla wanted to jet, but Leo asked her to please stay.  

Iris walked outside, and Hope followed her, saying, Iris was supposed to stop her from doing stupid things, not the other way around. Iris said she didn’t know how Hope could stand it, but Hope said there were good people in there, helping with a breakthrough. It didn’t change what was done, but those people weren’t them. Iris told Hope that she’d killed a soldier because he was the enemy, and she’d do it again because that’s what they are. Everyone was ready on the outside. She told Hope what she’d written to Elton, that they were going to find out what the CRM was up to, stop them from doing it again, and then burn this place to the ground.

Huck radioed Felix from the roof, asking if he was ready, and told him that he had two minutes until the generator kicked in. She messed with the power supply, and it shorted out. Everything went dark, and Huck told Felix, go now. He went inside, and saw the zombie test subjects with patches of skin their missing, and the areas labeled in felt-tip pen. He went into another room, and found a cabinet with vials in it. He took one, and went into the next room. He radioed Huck, and said, whatever was used to take out Omaha, there’s more of it. He saw he had one minute and twenty-nine seconds, and heard an alarm. He ran to the door, but it had automatically locked. He frantically radioed Huck, but got no response.  

Will went over a map with Barca and Asha. He told them that when he got in, he’d let Iris know about their mom, and not to jeopardize her medicine. He owed Indira this. Asha asked him to take her and Elton, but he said if it went sideways, he needed them safe. Instead of Indira taking care of everyone else, someone was taking care of her for a change. Barca told Asha that he was sorry he broke his promise by telling their mom’s secret, but she said she was worried about her mom too. That was the thing about secrets, they didn’t stay secrets. She told Elton that she was going to pray, and he asked if he could come. The last time people left him who he cared about, they never came back, and he didn’t want be alone.

Lyla wanted to check on her lab, but Leo convinced her to stay, since the labs would be run by back-up generators. She said tonight brought up some things for her. There was something she hadn’t been honest with him about, but it was better if she showed him. He followed her out, taking the knife from the cheese board as he went past it. Just in case.

Felix kept trying to radio Huck, and said she couldn’t walk away from him, or what they did. Lyla brought Leo outside to a bench, and said he’d asked if she had a family before all this, and she should tell him what happened to them. At the start, she had a daughter, Mia, who was six. She was bitten by a zombie who’d gotten into the backyard. Her husband Kevin slept with Mia in her bed – she’d gotten so sick so fast, and he loved her so much. She went to check on them in the morning, and Kevin was on the floor, bleeding out, his neck almost chewed through. Mia… she’d changed. She wasn’t Lyla’s little girl anymore. A few hours later, Kevin wasn’t her husband. The phones had stopped working, most of the neighbors were gone, so she just kept them there. One day, she heard a crash, and found them pinned under a bookcase. That’s when she knew what she needed to do. She rigged up some extension cords and belts, so they couldn’t attack her, and found her medical kit. She did everything she could to fix them. She did things to them, horrible things; whatever she could think of to bring them back, but she couldn’t. She’d spent her life looking for cures for diseases, but couldn’t cure her family. They’re the reason she’s here doing this work. She couldn’t fix her family, but maybe someday she could fix the world.

Now freezing, Felix tried again to radio Huck, asking if she was okay. He needed her to say something. The door suddenly opened, and Huck said, let’s go. He asked, what hell happened? and she said, the back-up generator came on early. She needed to reprogram the card to open door. Now she had to wipe the access log, or she’d have a repeat of two years ago, but it would be worse. He handed her the vile, and told her, whatever it was, there was more of it. She said she’d give it to Leo, and to keep her posted. However it ended or whatever happened to her, she was with him.

Huck went to see Jadis, who said she’d been worried when Huck didn’t respond, and poured her a hefty drink. They sat down, and Jadis said she’d never talked about what she did get into the CRM. She’d been living by her wits in the wilderness, and had created a society. She told Huck, give them their own language, and give them theater, and it will bond them and separate them from everyone else. She loved her people, but lost them because she made the wrong alliances. Afterward, she had the opportunity to give the CRM something valuable, and got a new life. She felt she had safety, but her purpose was gone, then she realized it wasn’t; she’d just expanded her purpose. It was still to survive. Huck said Jadis was an ambitions survivor, and moving up. Jadis said her purpose was to create a new era. She said Huck’s mother had told her to keep an eye on Huck. She wondered if Elizabeth thought Huck had been out there too long and formed bonds. Before the world ended, she wasn’t Jadis, but the identity had helped her to live, so it’s who she is. Huck was stronger than most, and it was understandable if her mom was worried. Help her prove that her mother didn’t need to worry. Huck asked if she was under investigation, and Jadis said she could prove Huck was still herself, and Huck could talk her up to the people who mattered. She needed a promotion by the end of the year. Huck said she’d done everything to prove what she made of, and Jadis said Huck had done a lot, but there was always more.

Why anyone would slow walk through zombie laden woods at night, I don’t know, but Asha and Elton did. They fought off some zombies, and afterward, Asha explained her flower thing to Elton, saying it was to free their souls and hope their energy found its way back to creation. She had Elton place the flowers on their eyes, and they held hands to pray. Then there was an artistic shot of the moon…

Barca led Will on a path outside the Perimeter, saying, he knew the place from sneaking out. Will said he owed them everything, and Barca gave Will a gun that belonged to his dad. He told Will that his mom didn’t know the gun existed, and he’d never used it. Barca was suddenly shot from behind, and Will grabbed the gun and ran. Some guys on all terrain vehicles shot at Will.  

Next time, Silas claims he was lost, Iris asks why Hope is willing to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and Jadis says, something valuable is missing and they need it back.

🗣 Jadis Speaks…

The comeback of the season.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-jadis-return-pollyanna-mcintosh-rick-grimes-movies-interview-season-2-episode-6/

💰 The Value Of Rick…

What Jadis gave the CRM.

https://screenrant.com/walking-dead-world-beyond-crm-rick-fate-jadis-valuable/

🐶 They Touched the Dog…

Farewell Rufus. We barely knew ye.

🐕 And To Recover…

Some very cute doggos.

https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/photos-all-best-costumes-tompkins-square-halloween-dog-parade-2021

🎃 Turning Into a Pumpkin…

See you tomorrow for soap and the one and only Stud of the Sea. Until then, stay safe, stay wishing on stars, and stay never carrying around a zombie head. No good will ever come of it.

October 31, 2021 – Living Six Feet Under, Plan Fail, Brothers, Stop the Music, New Old Face, Still Busting Ghosts & Halloween

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

John Sr. and June listen to A Hazy Shade of Winter on the phonograph They have dinner, and John uses an exercise bike. He uses the radio, asking if anybody is out there. He polishes his gun. He and June play board games. There’s a chalk board where it says, Day 26; Days until opening 339. John gets on the radio, and says, they’re six feet under, but very much alive. They have plenty of food. They don’t know their exact location, but doesn’t think far from the coast. They play games and drink. John uses the radio again, saying they leave it on in the daylight; or what they think is daylight. If anybody is out there, give them a holler. Because it’s not too late. It’s never too late. He and June clink cups. The days change to 69 there, and 296 until opening.

John wakes, hearing a rumble. Everything shakes, and a bookcase holding battles falls. Behind it, there’s a hole in the wall. June runs out, and they both looks at it, wondering what it is. John looks deeper, and she asks if he sees anything. He says, it’s another room. He breaks the wall open, and goes inside. He opens a gate, and goes into a room where there’s an examining table with straps, and tubes going into jars. There’s blood on the table. He and June look around with flashlights, and June asks, what is this place? They see blood all over, and John says, it’s where Teddy killed all those women. This is where it all started. They could never find it, and it was under their feet the whole time. June says, Teddy can’t hurt anyone again. Forget the room, and pretend it doesn’t exist. He says, it’s not too late. It’s never too late.

June suggests they close the room up, but John says, no; leave it open for now. He has questions. He’s been looking for 40 years. Teddy confessed to 23 women, and kept doing the same thing since he went to prison, embalming them, so they’d never have a new beginning. She says, they stopped him, but he says, only for a spell. June says, going over it isn’t going to help anyone, but he says, it might. He didn’t find them all. He knew Teddy killed 23, but they only found 22 bodies. Teddy finally admitted he killed the last victim. That’s what cracked the whole thing open, but they never found the body. He looked her mama in the eye, and said he’d find and bury her baby. He couldn’t keep his promise then, but maybe he can now. June says, even if he figures it out, he can’t leave. Some plaster comes down from the ceiling, and he says they may not have a choice. He asks how the suits are coming, and she says she’s still making them airtight. They need a go-between; not just to protect them out there, but so they don’t drag anything back in. He asks why they’d come back, and she says they don’t know what kind of radiation is out there. He tells her to keep working, and he’ll buy time in case they can’t go out. He saw some 2x4s. He’s sorry. He knows he’s not the Dorie she thought she’d be spending her days with. She says she’s happy to be where she is, and hopes he feels the same, and he says he’s a guy who was alone for decades. He gets the wood, but stops by the room. He looks at the instruments, and sees a notebook. He nails up the boards to the ceiling, and says, that should do it. She says, lights out? and he says, yeah; another one off the board. He asks, where’s the hooch? and she says, it got smashed along with the preserves, but there’s plenty of Tang left. He says, that’s all right, as we all would, and she tells him, goodnight. She pulls the divider curtain over, and he says, goodnight.

John lies awake, listening to the groaning of the structure. He turns away from the hole in the wall, but then sits up and goes inside. He reaches for a box, hesitating to open it. He finds a news clipping inside, with a necklace attached. He says he’ll keep his promise. He calls to June, but she’s sleeping. He wakes her, and goes to where the access to the outside is. He goes up the ladder stairs, and bangs on the door, asking if anyone is up there. There’s silence, but then a voice startles him and he falls back to the floor. He sees the suits and masks, and puts one on. He goes out, and sees a wasteland. He pulls himself out, looks around. He asks if anybody is out there, and sees a skeleton. He wonders if this is the beginning Teddy had in mind. He sees a zombie, and picks up a knife, and says, Dakota, you poor girl, and stabs its head. He sees a woman, and says she shouldn’t be out there with no protection. She disappears, and he turns to find her right behind him, her mouth stitched shut. She struggles to speak, finally breaking the stitches apart. She grabs him, but a shot rings out, and she falls. June is halfway out of the hatch holding a gun, and asks, what’s going on? He says June shot her, and June says, who? What is he talking about? He looks on the ground, and only sees a zombie. He sees two more on their way, and June says, get inside. He also sees three people in protective gear with guns.

June tells John that she needs to check him over. It’s not just about him or the contaminant or whatever is out there. he could have been bit. He says he wasn’t, and she looks, saying, it was just a scratch. Why was he out there by himself? He says he heard her, and she asks, who? He says, the girl he never found. She says she doesn’t understand, and he says she was calling to him. He heard a voice, so he went up, and there she was, plain as day. June asks if he’s sure he didn’t hit his head, and he says he knows what he saw, dammit. He put Dakota out of her torment. What Teddy did to the state of the state ain’t pretty. She says, if they go out, they need to make the trip together out there. He promises he won’t do it again, and looks around the kitchen area. She asks what he’s looking for, and he says she thinks a drink might take the edge off. She says, they lost all the whiskey, and he tells her that Teddy stashed liquor around the place. Teddy liked to have a good time when he wasn’t causing a bad one for someone else. June asks if he’s been drinking without her knowing, and asks how much? He says he wasn’t keeping track, and she asks if he was drinking before. He says, he was alone a lot, and she says he needs to tell her exactly how much he was drinking. He says, a half a bottle a day of whatever he could find. She asks what about down there? and he says, here and there. He thought there was enough to get them through. She says, he’s shaking. When was the last time he had a drink? He says, the day before last, before the ceiling collapsed. There’s more banging, and dust comes down. He says, it’s a helluva time to go cold turkey, and wonders if it’s the masked folks; they don’t sound dead. She says, this is why she didn’t want him on the radio. He doesn’t know who’s listening. A voice on the radio says, open the door, and let them in. They know they’re in there. John says, they can’t just ignore it, but June says, he’s in no position to fight them, and it’s only going to get worse; fever, sweats, and he might see more than he did up there.

June hammers at the entrance, and John hears A Hazy Shade of Winter coming from the secret room. He turns on the light, and goes in. He sees the woman on the table. She tells him, please, he’s going come back, and he asks, is it now? She says, he’s here, and he takes her hand. He asks what he has to do for her to leave him alone, and she says, keep your promise. Find me. June says, John? and he quicky turns, drawing his gun. She asks what he’s doing in there, and he sees an empty table. He says he couldn’t sleep because of the hammering, and she asks why he’s in there. It can’t be helping. He says he needs something to occupy his mind. He didn’t solve it before, but maybe he can now. She asks if he’s still seeing things, and they hear pounding from outside. He asks if she’s checked the radio, and she tells him, it’ll hold. He says, no one was meant to be down there. She says, he saw up there. Getting through the fallout is not an easy journey, and with his condition, they might not make it far. Even if they did, the radiation would kill them. She tells him that some people find detoxing easer if they go through it under sedation. He asks if it will put him to sleep, and she says, for a couple of days; through the worst of it. He says he’s sure he’ll be fine, and she says she knows it’s hard being down there; being reminded of what Teddy did. He says, that’s not what this is, and she asks, then why does he want to run out to a world that’s going to kill him ten different ways? She knows he thinks he saw her, but June doesn’t think she’s the one who’s not at peace; he’s the one not at peace. He’s not going to fix it by leaving. He says, she’s right, and she says she thinks she knows something else that might help.  

She hammers over the hole, and tells him, go to sleep. He says, that’s a tall order, and she changes the days on the blackboard. She shuts off the lights, and John tosses and turns. He sees dust coming down from the ceiling, and the woman is there. She says, look what he’s doing to her, and John says, stop. He looks at the hold, and she says, find me. She disappears, and he sits up. June is sleeping, but hears him ripping the boards down, and tells him, don’t do that. He says he has to, and she says, he’ll bring the whole place down. He says he has to get her to stop. The answer is in there. Then he’ll be able to think straight. He pulls all the boards off, and she stabs him with a syringe. He asks what she’s doing, and she says, what she should have done. Part of the room collapses on the both of them.

A voice on the radio says, that place ain’t going to hold up. He know they’re listening. It’s their final warning. John calls to June, and sees the syringe in his arm. The woman says, June is still breathing; she’s not. It’s not about June; it’s about what Teddy did to her. He says he’s not going to leave June, and the woman says, no one is going to get in. Teddy built this place to withstand a nuclear blast. Teddy said, that’s why no one would hear her scream. She says, Help me, then help her, and he looks through the clippings in the box. He asks where Teddy took her from, and she says she doesn’t know. He asks if he took her from the diner parking lot after her shift? They turned the place over, but if he took her from somewhere else, that’s where her body would have been. June calls to John, and he says, she’s awake. The woman says, June can take care of herself; she can’t. He asks if she was wearing this necklace, showing her the necklace attached to the newspaper clipping. She says she only wore it when she saw her boyfriend; she told him that she was on her way. John wonders if that’s where Teddy nabbed her, and she says, maybe. He says, then maybe that’s where he dumped her. He looks at a map on the wall, and says, her boyfriend lived here; across from this abandoned lot. He remembers going there to talk to him. She says, then that’s where she is. She tells him, if people out there are still alive, maybe it’s not as dangerous as June says it is. He questions June, asking if it’s really as dangerous out there as she says, and she says, she doesn’t know. He asks what she means. Where did the numbers come from? He thought she said she got them out of a book. She says she did what she had to, and the woman says, June is lying. He asks if June found them in there or not? and she says she was being safe; cut her lose. He says, not until she tells him the truth. She says she made them up, and he says, why? She says she doesn’t want go out, and he shouldn’t either. She was lying to him, but not about the radiation. She knows what it’s supposed to look like in there, but not what it’s supposed to look like out there. She doesn’t know what anything looks like. He says, none of them do. He has to leave. She doesn’t have to. She asks where he’s going, and he says to keep a promise. She says, do not go out there, but he says he knows where Teddy dumped her. He can put her to rest. She says, there’s nothing left up there, but the woman says, she’s out there. Find me. John says he’ll come back for June. Just let him free her; then he’ll free June. She says he almost died last time. If the people on the radio don’t kill him, the dead will. He says, they’re already living six feet underground. He’s not sure what the difference is.

Outside, John sees nothing but desolation. He looks at the map. He says, which way? Where are you when I need you? He keeps walking.

Inside, June hears banging from outside, and dust comes down.

John hears banging, and sees people trying to get into the entrance to the hideout. He hides behind a car, and the woman asks what he’s doing. He says she’s not real, and she asks how he knows they are. He says, June is real, and he can’t leave her. She says they’ll come after him, and he says, June is still alive; he can save her. The woman says he can’t even save himself. He shoots at them, and they run for cover. He hits one, and they shoot back. His hand is shaking badly, but he steadies it. One of the men reloads, and John shoots again. It’s quiet, but then he sees one of them trying to get in the hideout, and says, no. June hears someone coming in, and sees the guy in the gear. Outside, John trips on his way to the entrance, and sees the women Teddy killed walking toward him. He asks the woman why she’s doing this. They didn’t stop Teddy; he still destroyed everything. The woman says he has to help her or he’ll just be another dead body in the ground, and she’ll be just like them. He says she’s not real. He sees how the women were when they were alive, and sees himself looking at the clippings. The women walk toward him, and turn into zombies.

Inside, the dude in protective gear sees June. She grabs a board. Outside, John slumps, and grabs a knife he sees on the ground. He closes his eyes, and says, they’re not real. When he opens them, he sees a group of full-on zombies coming toward him. He gets up, and gets to work stabbing heads.    

The intruder points his gun at June, and cocks it, but he’s shot in the back. He falls, and John is there. He asks if June is okay, and she says, yeah. Him? He says, yeah. She’s right. There’s nothing much up there. He frees her from the rubble, and sees an arm. It’s the woman’s body, and he says, Teddy must have still had her there, got too spooked, and buried her in the wall. June says, he kept his promise. She’s at rest. He says, not yet, and puts the necklace on her.

John and June are dressed in their June-made gear, and John says he knows June doesn’t want to go up. She says she’s afraid there’s not much choice. He says they’ll help each other see which way is up, and she nods. They go to the stairs, and suddenly a ton of dirt falls in on them.  

John opens his eyes, and June says, he’s awake. He’s been out for days. He collapsed, and had the DTs. She was afraid he wasn’t going to wake up. He asks where they are, and she says, not underground. She opens the blinds to let the light in, and he asks, how? She says, someone heard his radio messages. They only survived because they had masks on when the dirt collapsed on them. The only reason she’s alive is he talked her into leaving. He says he wanted to help her see which way was up, and she says, it’s pretty clear it’s not what they thought it would be. She opens the door, and Victor comes in. He says, good morning, and she says, Victor wanted to know as soon as John was up. John asks how Victor survived, and Victor says, better than him, but that will change now that they’re here. John says, does Victor think they’re going to join him after what he did to Morgan at the sub? Victor says, he did what he did, but he’s here, and Morgan is out there. John says, that doesn’t make it right, and Victor says, it does make staying here they’re only choice. June says he’s right. John can’t go out in his condition; in the condition anything is. He asks if Victor has any idea who the people in the masks are, and Victor says he’s been asking  himself the same question. They can answer it together, providing John’s sense of direction is good. He pours the three of them a shot, and says, to new beginnings; to doing whatever’s next. John hands it back, and says, no thanks. He’s off the sauce right now. Victor says, maybe later. He assumes John has many questions, but for now, rest. The grand tour is still to come. He leaves, and John tells June, they can’t stay. He’d rather face whatever’s out there. John joins June at the window, and they look down to the horde of zombies in the parking lot. She says, leaving’s not an option, and John says, he should have taken that drink.  

A man in protective gear stabs a zombie in the head. He’s at the entrance to the underground hideout, and digs at the opening. We see it’s Morgan, and he calls to June. He says he heard them on the radio, and needs them to tell him if they’re down there. On the radio, Victor says, they’re not, and Morgan says, where are they? Victor says, they’re with him, and they’re safe, which is more than Morgan had to offer. Morgan says, listen to him. Victor needs to tell him where they are. Victor says, he’s such a bore. How about if they do this every night, and it will put him to sleep? He’s done listening to Morgan; everybody is. Everybody tried it Morgan’s way, and look what happened; death and destruction. Face the truth. He failed. He’s a failure. Morgan says, they’re here because of what Victor did, but Victor says he doesn’t see it that way. Now it’s his turn to do what Morgan couldn’t. He’s going to rebuild the world, and help everyone who Morgan let down. The ones he sees fit anyway. All while Morgan watches from the outside. Morgan says he hopes Victor does, and Victor says he didn’t think Morgan would give up that easy, but Morgan says he’s not finished; he’s not going to stop. Victor should rebuild the world and help people, but if Morgan hears that’s not what he’s doing, if Victor hurts anybody Morgan cares about, he swears to god… Victor says, what? and Morgan says he’ll come for Victor, and do what Victor tried to do to him on that submarine. Only he won’t miss. Victor looks at the radio, and nods, and Morgan travels on with his super pokey stick.

Next time, Emile’s head in a box, Josiah wants Sarah to help him find Morgan, and Sarah drives her car off a cliff.   

The Walking Dead: The World Beyond

Iris, Percy, Will, Felix, and Elton were traveling together on a path through the woods. Iris told Elton, by this time tomorrow, they’d be talking to Hope. Will said he thought they were close, and Elton said it wouldn’t be long before the music flooded the area with zombies. Will said they needed an exit strategy, and Felix suggested he stay back, but Will wasn’t leaving him alone. Percy said, they’d go in, make contact, and get out. If it looked dicey, they’d just split. Felix told them to stay low, and keep to the shadows. He and Will stayed behind while Iris, Percy, and Elton ran for the decontamination site where Silas was working.  

They followed the music until they saw Silas. Elton went on ahead, and Percy told Iris to wait, but she didn’t listen. All three of them approached Silas, who was startled to see them, and wondered what they were doing there. Elton said he was glad Silas was okay, and tried to give him a bro hug, but it ended up being kind of half-assed. Percy said it was good to see Silas, and Iris just smiled.

After hearing what happened at the Campus Colony, Silas asked if they were all dead. Iris said they were, and they took Hope. Percy said the CRM had been playing them the whole time. Silas was sure Hope was safe. They treated him okay there, so maybe Hope and Leo were okay. Iris said, if they were right, it was genocide. If they were right, the CRM was guilty, and they weren’t wrong; not this time. Percy brought out a map, showing Silas a terminal on the outskirts of the CRM that was used for biohazard waste. They made a plan where Silas would ask to use Dennis’s car and card to get into the CRM, and open a door at 2 pm. Iris and Felix would talk Leo and Hope into coming with them, and all of them would head for the a CRM affiliated facility in Portland. Silas said, what if he couldn’t do it? They’d just starting trusting him. Iris said it was the only chance they had, and she thought Dennis would help. Percy said Dennis was one of them, but Silas said Dennis wasn’t like Huck, but he didn’t think Dennis would be okay with it. Percy said the CRM was the reason the only family Silas had was dead, and Iris said they couldn’t do it without him.  

Huck looked at a newspaper article titled, CRM Requests Emergency Delay of Civilian Oversight, where apparently the military was being slow to hand over governmental power as was promised. Dennis brought Huck coffee, and she thanked him for trusting her. He said they were still married, and he used to know what she  was thinking, but now he just had to trust her. Huck said everything was different now after Omaha; they were back to square one. He said there was and always would be friction between the military and politicians. She told him they’d bought into what the CRM was doing.

Iris wondered if Silas would help them, since they’d exiled him, but Elton said he exiled himself, and he’d come around. Silas told Iris, it was a lot, and she said they had to get Hope and her dad out of there; Silas too. They needed him. She begged him to help, and he agreed. He’d be at the terminal at 2 pm. Iris said, if anything happened to her and Felix, just go. Don’t worry about them; take care of himself. Iris gave him drawing of the four of them; him, her, Hope, and Elton.

Leo told Hope that raising hell had finally paid off, and he was going to look for Iris and Felix. CRM guards shot him in the back, and we saw it was just a dream. Hope hunted Leo down at a meeting with some professors, and Lila said they’d been discussing Hope’s yeast theory. She introduced leading researcher Amanda Segal, who said they’d ID’d three strains that might speed up the necrotic condition. She thought it would lead to neutralizing the dead. Hope remembered her dream, and pulled her dad aside. She told Leo about seeing Iris.  

Iris and company told Indira and Asha about her and Felix’s plan to turn themselves in and rescue Hope and Leo. Asha suggested Indira turning them in, and Indira said it would look less suspicious when they escaped. She thought it was dangerous though, since Hope hadn’t seemed eager to leave, but Will said that was before she knew the truth. They had a plan to head west when things blew over. Indira told them things didn’t blow over with the CRM, and asked if Felix was sure he wanted to do this, since he had so much to lose. Felix said it was the CRM’s turn to lose, and he was going to make damn sure they did. Percy wanted to go with them, but Iris said he couldn’t risk it. She’d see him on the other side. Percy asked Elton what was up with Asha, but Elton said there was no point in anything since they were moving on.

Indira drove the group in a wagon, but found Percy following them on horseback, wearing Elton’s jacket. He said he could pick pockets or locks, and begged to come. Iris wondered if it was about helping them or killing Huck, but Percy insisted that he didn’t want Huck dead if it meant putting others at risk. Whatever he had to do, he’d do it to get her out safe. It was a hard no from Felix, who said they couldn’t risk it. Indira said it was too late; they were coming. We saw headlights behind them.

Huck went through stuff in Elizabeth’s office, and found data sheets that she didn’t look too happy about. She left the office, and Elizabeth’s assistant said Huck’s mother was looking for her. Iris, Felix, and Percy (now Elton) were being contained, and Elizabeth stopped by to visit. Iris was indignant that they were being kept there, and said she wanted to see her father. Elizabeth said it was a process. Afterwards, she met with Huck, and asked if Huck still didn’t consider Iris and Felix a threat. Huck said they wouldn’t be happy to find out who she is, but when they realized Hope was there and they had no home to go back to, it would put things in perspective. Elizabeth told Huck to keep a close eye on them; trust needed to be earned. She said she knew Huck had been nosing around her office, and Huck said she was trying to find out Elizabeth’s dinner plans.

Leo told Hope that the CRM wasn’t a prison, and Hope said, it was, but it was also a future. Not the CRM itself, but the researchers and research. Hope and Leo were brought to see Iris and the others.  

Silas explained to Dennis that there were some empties he wanted to clear out. He asked if he could borrow Dennis’s truck to take them to the dumpsite, and Dennis gave him the keys, telling Silas that he’d been doing good work. It was going to be tougher when the rain came in come summer and new recruits were there, but it would all be old hat by then.   

Huck told Elizabeth that she was exhausted from the weight of everything, and was sorry she’d questioned her. Being undercover had taken more out of her than she thought; lying to everyone, all day, every day. Elizabeth said she could only imagine. She knew she favored the tough side of tough love, but when Huck had her own child, she’d want to make them stronger so they could do the hard things. She talked about summers pre-apocalypse when Huck was a kid, but Huck didn’t remember them. Elizabeth said Huck was so gentle and trusting, she couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else destroying that in her.

Felix and iris told Leo and Hope the plan, and Percy said if anyone noticed, he’d hang back and cover them. Leo said they could all be killed, but Felix said the CRM wanted Hope and Leo working for the future. If they were caught, they could use it as leverage for their safety. Iris said it was their best and only chance to be family again on their terms. Hope said it was about making choices, and right now it was the only chance they had. Leo said he wanted to say goodbye to Lila. Maybe she’d want to come; she was the only persona outside of them who he could trust. He had to talk to her first.   

Asha told Elton that her mom wasn’t thrilled about Percy coming along, and Elton said he wasn’t thrilled about it either. Asha admitted that it was Indira, not her, who was sick; she’d lied to him. It wouldn’t be good if people knew Indira was ill. There were people who had different ideas about how the Perimeter should be run, and if Brody, or anyone, found out about Indira’s private agreement with the CRM, they could use it against her. Elton asked if Indira was going to be okay, and Asha said, as long as she got what she needed. Maybe there was no avoiding it being a mess. She said, it was nice meeting him, and he said, likewise.

Silas drove Dennis’s truck into the facility, while idiot Leo was on his way to talk to Lila. Huck stopped him, saying she needed to talk to him; it was a matter of life or death. Silas went to waste processing, and saw the clock said 1:46. Leo told Huck that she had one minute, and she showed him copies of the data sheets she’d found. She said the military had brought the zombies to the Campus Colony. She didn’t know how it fit in in; she knew they’d been used for research. They needed to find out what was going on and who was involved, so they could stop it.    

Iris, Felix, and Percy got ready to make a break for it. Elton and Will waited in the woods. Suddenly, Silas was surrounded by guards, telling him to get out of the truck. He stands there with his hands up, the guards pointing their guns at him.

Next time, Jadis and Huck meet not for the first time, Iris says they have to find out what the CRM is up to, stop them from doing it again, and burn the place to the ground.

BONUS ROUND: After the preview, we saw Lila with her newest test subject – Percy. Lila was impressed that he was a soldier, and said they had to keep him sedated while she established his vitals. She knew it was her last chance to get this right. Jadis came in Elizabeth was called away on urgent business, and they’d be answer to her in the meantime.    

👬🏽 Quit While You’re Ahead…

It’s the old twin brother soap opera trick.

https://screenrant.com/fear-walking-dead-emile-josiah-laroux-bounty-hunter-mistake/

🎶 Turn It Off…

Grace had her reasons.

https://screenrant.com/fear-walking-dead-grace-song-not-listen-reason/

🚁 A Little Bit Of Jadis In Your Life…

So is Rick still single?

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-jadis-returns-world-beyond-easter-egg-new-name-father-gabriel-stokes/

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-jadis-returns-crossover-twd-world-beyond-season-2-episode-5-spoilers/

👻 Then and Tomorrow…

Who you gonna call?

🎃 Happy Halloween…

Whatever your Halloween proclivities, even if none at all, I hope it was a happy and safe one. See you tomorrow for some soap and OG Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping the hootch in a safe place if you’re underground, and stay not stealing all the good stuff out of your kids’ trick-or-treat bag.

October 24, 2021 – Grace Gets An Offer From Victor, Percy Tries To Kill Huck, Head In a Box, What Teddy Did, Easter Eggs, Credits & Well

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

Morgan runs with a Baby Moe, and tells Grace, go. In the submarine, Moe is crying, and Morgan turns on the light. He gets up, goes to the Moe, and picks her up. Grace comes in, and he says he thinks the baby is hungry.

We see The end is the beginning scratched in the side of the sub. Grace comes out in a mask and protective gear. She walks into the red dust, as a zombie claws at the ground. She keeps walking and goes into a store that rats are now populating. She calls out, asking if anyone is there, and sees blood on the wall; it’s still wet. She asks again if anyone is there. The stores shelves have almost nothing on them, but she finds a can of baby formula. She’s about to use her Geiger counter on it, when she hears someone coming. She gets on a shelf, but the shelf above it falls, making a lot of racket. Someone comes in with a flashlight, and says, over here. Grace uses the rogue shelf to hide herself, and kicks out a rat. A woman squeals, and a guy says, rats. Grace watches as much as she can. When it seems they’re gone, she slips out of the shelf, and uses counter on the food. It goes crazy, and she says, dammit. She throws the can, and says she’s right here. She goes outside and yells, asking if anyone can hear her. She screams that they can take everything from Her. She screams and cries in frustration, and says she doesn’t want to be there anymore. She passes the clawing zombie who reaches for her as she goes past.

When Grace gets back to the sub, Morgan looks like has headache. He says, his turn to go out. Maybe he’ll have better luck. She tells him, she’ll go again, but he says, there’s a reason why they limit exposure time. She was exposed before the fallout, and the weather patterns have changed the readings. She’d said six hours was the longest either of them could be out. It’s his turn. He’ll be back when the clock hits zero. He leaves, and she walks with Moe, who continues to cry. She watches the clock, and says, just for a minute. She puts the swaddled baby in a bed, and says she knows. It’s not fair. Moe didn’t ask to be there, and neither did she. She knows what Morgan said, but she can’t sing to the baby. She runs out, and gets a tape player, putting some music on, and the baby quiets down. I think, why didn’t she try this two hours ago?

Grace is sleeping. The clock says zero, and Morgan turns it off. He tells her, it’s okay; it’s just him. She says, he was right. Moe likes music. Did he find anything? He says, no, but to be honest, he didn’t look. He was working on something else. She asks, what? They go outside, Grace carrying Moe, and there’s a car, a luggage rack on top loaded with stuff. He says, it’s their way out of here. It’s safe. He made sure they’re protected from radiation. He puts Moe in the hatchback, and he says, the air in there is as clean as it is in the submarine. They should get in. Inside, he shows Grace a map, and points out how the warheads spread out. He says they can make it out, but she says, they don’t know what it’s like out there. Why is he doing this? He asks if it’s not what she wanted, and she says, it’s no place for a baby. He says they should go. They can build something someplace else that will actually last. She says he’s doing this for her? He says, and Moe. She can even pick the music. He hands her a cassette, and says, it’s a road trip, and it will keep Moe asleep. She puts in the tape, and they pull out.

Morgan drives, and Grace looks out the window. She says, the bombs detonated from the ground. Just because they can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. Morgan wonders if they’re headed in the right direction; that’s what matters. She says, she’s trying to tell him that he doesn’t know that, and he says, after everything they’ve been through, they deserve a break. The Geiger counter goes off, and he asks if she’s okay. Is she sure it’s the right road? She says, yeah.   

They drive through a messed up town, and Morgan says, things are gonna get worse before they get better. Grace wonders what happens when they get to where they get. She fiddles with the tape, not wanting to hear the song, and Baby Moe starts to cry. Grace gets upset, and Morgan swerves to avoid a truck, and they run off the road. Moe cries, the song keeps playing, and Grace tells him, make it stop. They get out, and Morgan looks at the back tire. He says, it’s flat; they can’t drive on it. He thought he saw a body shop, and asks her how much time they can spare. She says, thirty minutes, and he says, they’ve got to move. She walks off, and he asks what she’s doing. She takes off her mask, and says, the car will be lighter. He’ll get further, and the rations will last longer. He tells her to put her mask back on. There’s no time to argue. He says, he needs her, but she says, that’s not true. He’s been doing the heavy lifting on his own already. He says, she’ll die, and she says she knows; she’s okay with that. They didn’t want any of this, and she knew what it was going be like; how hard it would be. It will take longer and be more painful with the three of them. He says, they have to take care of Moe, but she says, he decided that, and she says, she doesn’t have to. She’s sorry, but she can’t. She doesn’t have it in her. They hear a gun cock, and a man says, sorry to interrupt their argument, but he doesn’t have time for this sh*t. A fire has started near the car, and a bunch of people come out. Morgan tells them to stay away from the baby. Take the car, but their little baby Moe is inside. They just want to take her someplace safe. A woman says, her name isn’t Moe, it’s Emma, and the man says she’s not their baby. The baby is his and the woman’s. The woman looks in the car.   

Moe cries, and the woman insists Moe is her baby. Grace looks at the clock, and whispers to Morgan. Morgan asks about their bandages; were they close to the blast? It doesn’t matter whose kid Moe is; they have to protect her. He’s hearing the clicking from the counter, and it wasn’t as fast before they showed up. They guy tells him, if he wants to help, just fix the damn tire, and Morgan tells Grace that he’ll get them out. He’s worried about Moe being exposed, Grace says she’s more worried about the time running out. Moe can survive this, but she can’t survive that. He says, they’ll get what they need out of car, and move; it won’t take long. Grace tells him that she won’t give up now, not when she knows he and Moe could end up dead too. She’s still here, and with the one she wants to be with. Morgan says he’s never apologizing again for giving her and the baby another day, and she says, they won’t be the same family with Moe, but he says they’ll be something different. Zombies scrabble at the garage door, and the man says, the baby has to keep quiet. Morgan says he’s going as fast as he can, and the man tells the woman to shut Moe up. She says she’s trying, and the man says, remember what happened last time. Morgan tells Grace to get the tape. The man goes over to the door, and Morgan asks, what happened to the zombies? The man says, they fell in the crater, and the woman says, be careful. They fall apart, and you don’t want them falling apart near you. Grace gives the woman the tape, and Moe settles down as soon as the music plays. Morgan doesn’t think the door is going to hold, but the man says, it will as long as more don’t show up. Grace says she helped the woman, didn’t she? What’s her name? The woman says, her name is Bee. Grace introduces herself and Morgan, and Bee says her husband is Fred. Fred says, it’s not a potluck in the church basement, and Grace asks if they lived there. Bee says, across the street, and Grace asks about the others. Bee says, they were people who lived in the buildings in town, and the man tells Bee to wrap it up. The others aren’t known for their patience, and Bee says they have to leave. It’s not safe here. Grace says, they weren’t lying when they said they know what’s best for Moe. They can all fit in the car, and leave together. Morgan says, he knows a safe path, and Bee says, they know about Padre? Grace asks, what’s that? and Fred tells Bee, be quiet. Morgan says his daughter might be out there, and need help. The car is ready to go. The man throws a duffel bag in the car, and tells Morgan and Grace, against the wall. He’ll never forget how they helped his family. Morgan says, at least let them get their stuff, and as Fred reaches into the car, Morgan grabs the gun, and shoots Fred. Fred and Bee take off in the car, driving right through the garage door. Grace wants to get Moe someplace safe, but Morgan says, it’s not about Moe, it’s about Grace, because she’s scared. He shoots the car window out, and Grace says, she lost child too, and he says that’s why he has to do this. He shoots again, and the car stops. He opens door and drags Fred out, tossing him aside. Bee jumps on Morgan’s back, while Grace takes out Moe, and runs back with her. Morgan throws Bee to the ground, and sees she has a messed up face. She says she’s not one of them yet, and he says he’s going to keep it that way, and drags her back up.

Morgan boards the door as best he can, and asks where Bee and Fred were when the blast happened. She says, a few miles away, and he asks if that’s how they got the burns. She says, no. When the bombs went off they were under cover; they got this later. She knows there’s not much time. Morgan says Moe isn’t her child, and Bee says she’s not his either. He says, not by blood, but he promised her father that he’d take her to a better world; at least someplace where that’s possible. Bee asks where they’re taking her, and Morgan says, outside the fallout. Fred says, after the bombs went off, a storm pushed it toward Louisiana. They scrounged enough gas to make the trip. At least they thought it would be enough. Bee tells them, keep driving that way, and  they’ll end up like her and Fred. Morgan asks where they were trying to take Moe just now. Fred says he’ll show Morgan, and points on map. He says, they know it’s safe. They know it’s better than here from the people on the radio. Morgan asks if Fred is sure where it is. Fred hesitates, and Morgan says, if Fred doesn’t tell him, he can’t help. Fred says he knows where it’s not, and there’s only one direction left. Grace says he’ll get himself killed that way, and he says, it’s too late for that, and she says, he’ll get Bee killed. She and Morgan have a place. It’s not much, but they’re protected. They left because they didn’t have enough food. If Fred and Bee come back with them, and bring their supplies, they can buy time. They hear a gunshot or an explosion or something, and Grace says, they can’t stay here much longer. Morgan says, he’ll get back to the car, fix the tire, and they can get back on the road. Moe starts crying, and Fred says she’s going to draw attention. Grace says, they need to get in the car now. They open the door and punch out some zombies and shoot others.  

Back in at the car, Morgan asks how they’re doing, and Grace says, they need to go back. It’s the only way make sure Moe stays safe.  Morgan asks, what is Padre? and Grace says, he told her that she was scared , he was right. She is, but she’s not the only one. He says he’s doing the only thing he can, and she says, that’s because he’s scared too. What he wants might not be possible. He says it’s close to what he once had. It’s not even much. He just wants to be sitting at the table with the woman he loves, sharing a meal, angry at their kid because he’s reading comic books and not talking to them. She says, she’s telling him, that might not be possible, and he says he doesn’t know what she wants him to do. She thinks they need to go back, and they hear something. Headlights come toward them, and Bee asks, who the hell is that? Morgan says, let’s not find out right now, and a spotlight shines on them.

Morgan tells everyone, take cover, and they get in the car. Grace goes back to the garage with Fred, and tells him to get in the back, and keep Moe quiet. Someone gets out of the mystery car, and stands in front of it. Morgan gets ready to shoot, while Bee cowers in the front seat. Morgan says, take another step, and he’ll shoot, but they keep walking. He shoots, and they keep coming, so he shoots again twice, and they fall. In the garage, Grace tries to keep the zombies from getting through where the glass is missing, and Fred paces as Moe cries. Bee says they have to get back to Emma, and Morgan asks if she hears something. He looks in the back, and sees the duffel bag move. He asks what really happened her baby. In the garage, Fred is getting frustrated, and Bee yells, no, no, no! Morgan shoots the bag, and says he’s sorry. She was already gone. Bee says, she wasn’t gone, and Morgan tells her that she has to admit it. That’s how you start saying goodbye, and stop repeating the same mistakes over and over. Bee says, Emma wasn’t doing well. She’s a baby, and woudn’t stop crying. Inside, Moe cries, and Morgan asks what Bee is saying. Bee says she didn’t want to see Emma suffer. Morgan calls to Grace, then yells into a tin can being used to communicate. He asks if she can hear him. She responds, and in the back, Fred tells Moe, it will be better this way. He moves to smother the baby, and Grace shoots him in the back. Grace paces with crying Moe, as the zombies stick their hands through the boards, and one pokes its head in. Grace remembers Athena, and rocks Moe, singing to her. Moe gets quiet. Grace hears a car horn, and looks out. Morgan drives into the building, and smiles, but behind him, there are headlights down the road.   

Morgan says, it doesn’t feel right, leaving Bee behind, and Grace says, she gets it. Bee wants to spend the time she has left with her husband and child. Morgan says he’s sorry, and she tells him that he doesn’t have to say it. He saved her chasing after what had should have listened wanted to give Grace and Moe what he had. She says he didn’t fail Moe or her, and he says she’d still rather die than live with him, and she says, not because of anything he did. He says, maybe they’re trying too hard. They’re trying hard to fix themselves, when it might be all right to be just a little bit broken. They’re not replacing Athena. He says she knows he’s right, and she puts her head on his shoulder. She says she knows, and he drives into the darkness.

Grace and Morgan got back to the sub, but just as they’re about to settle back in with Moe, they’re confronted with men in masks and protective gear, brandishing guns. Morgan says he doesn’t want any trouble, and the head guy removes his mask, and says, that makes two of us. Morgan says, it’s their sub, and the man says, the last time he checked, the USS Pennsylvania belonged to the Pacific Fleet. Morgan asks if they’ve been following him and Grace; were they the ones who came at them on the road. The man says he told Morgan that he doesn’t want trouble, and that sounds like trouble. Morgan says, they just thought they’d steal from them, and the man says, Morgan Jones? Morgan asks how the man knows his name, and the man says, Victor told them all about him. Morgan says, Victor’s alive? and the man says, very much so. And here they thought this scout was going to be a bust. He says, she must be Grace. Victor told them all about her too. How would she like to secure herself a place in the tower? Morgan says, the tower? and the man says, sorry. Morgan didn’t make cut. It’s safe, Victor has built an ark to carry them into the future. Morgan says, it’s actually safe? and the man says, Victor is doing what Morgan couldn’t do. They have food, water, and security. What does she say? They could use someone with her expertise. She says she knows what Victor did to Morgan. She’s not interested in what he has to offer. Morgan says she should think about it, but she says, it’s what she wants. The man says Victor is going to be disappointed, and tells his crew, let’s go. Morgan says, wait, and the man says, he already told Morgan that he’s not welcome, but Morgan says, what about the baby? The man says, Morgan would give her up? and Morgan says, she could use a good home. If Victor is building a place for the future, he’s going to need people to live in it. Grace says, Moe wouldn’t have what they can give her, and the man says, she’d have better. It’s the only chance for Grace and the baby. Grace says she’s staying there, and the man says, suit yourself.

The men leave, and Morgan asks if they raided the pantry, but Grace says, there was nothing left to take. She wonders if those guys didn’t run them off the road, who came after them? He says he’s not sure, but they have more immediate problems. Moe’s going to be hungry again soon. Moe crawls across the floor, and Grace gets excited, saying, she’s crawling. Morgan says, they’re going to have to baby proof a whole submarine, and she says, great job, Moe. She notices something with the flooring, and pulls up a corner. She tells him, look. There’s something under here. They find a trap door where tons of cans are stored. She says, it’s enough for months. Morgan laughs and says, powdered milk.

A dog eats out of can by a campfire. A guy sits down with a box in front of him that says Morgan Jones on it. He opens it, and takes out a zombie head. He tells the head, sorry. Mr. Jones got the best of him today, but there’s always tomorrow. The head gnashes its teeth.    

Next time, Day 69, June doesn’t know how dangerous it is, and Morgan says he’s coming for Victor.

The Walking Dead: The World Beyond

Huck flashed back to washing up on a dock in Omaha with a broken arm.

Iris and Hope were all happy to see each other. Felix and Will were headed back to town, when they saw Huck and Hope. Felix told Will to stay out of sight while he went back. He gave Hope a hug, and Huck said it was just like old times. Elton was hiding on the back porch, and Asha asked him why he wasn’t out there with his friends, but he said he didn’t know. Indira asked if Huck’s mother knew she was there, and Huck said, she doesn’t and she won’t. Indira reminded Huck that the Perimeter had not seen bloodshed since its founding, and she’d like to keep it that way. Felix asked what she wanted, calling Huck Jennifer, and Hope said they wanted Felix and Iris to come back with them

Silas and co-workers Webb, Tiga, and Grady, went zombie hunting to very loud, but not awful music. Dennis barked orders at them, and Silas noticed a CRM plane overhead. Dennis took this for daydreaming, and told Silas, cut the music and get ready to clean up, unless he wanted to end up at the wrong end of a kill stick. He said Silas was coming with him when he was done.

Iris asked Hope, what about being together, and being kept safe? Hope said their dad was safe, but he was worried, and it could get him hurt or worse. Felix said Huck’s mom had just been there with soldiers. He knew something was up, and wanted to know why Huck was there. He thought she wanted to use Hope to lure them out. Asha asked if Elton was okay, and he said he was afraid Hope sensed he was there. He jetted into the woods, remembering Hope saying she’d killed his mom.

Dennis stitched up a wound on Silas’s palm, and Silas talked about how his dad had been into music. Dennis asked how it happened, and Silas flashed back to helping Elton escape, while he turned himself in. He asked if music ever brought living people there. So I guess Dennis is a good guy? As good as he can be in the situation anyway.   

Huck said Felix would be safe. They just had to pretend they didn’t know she was with the CRM. It was just one lie. Iris said, what about their mom? and asked if that was one lie. Hope says she was going to tell them, and Huck said their mom had been lost with the Campus Colony. Iris said she believed the CRM was behind what happened at the Campus Colony, and Huck said, they were all about bringing the world back. Why would they do that? Iris said she couldn’t prove it, but there was no way in hell she and Felix were going. Hope said it wasn’t about her, but about her dad, and Iris said they’d be idiots to go back without a way out. Felix agreed, and Huck told them Silas was alive, and she’d made sure he was taken care of. They could come and see him. Hope said this was the first she was hearing about Silas, and Iris asked to speak with Hope alone. 

Elton snuck around, finding a bunch of medical supplies in a shed, and Asha startled him. He asked what the place had been, and Asha said it was an old hunting blind. Forget he saw it. He asked if there was a side deal going on there.

Silas’s co-workers saw him outside the Perimeter, and accused him of trying to bail on them.

Hope told Iris that she was starting to understand why their dad was into his research. She also told Iris that their dad had a girlfriend. She mentioned Mason, and Iris said it sounded like Hope was meeting guys. Hope said, if they went to the facility, they could think things through and plan, but Iris said they’d be prisoners. Hope said they were all they had, but Iris said she couldn’t. Hope said Iris could, but she wouldn’t.   

Huck was going for a walk, and Felix followed her. They had some words, and Huck walked away. We heard a zombie, and Felix came up behind Huck and cracked her over the head, which surprised me as much as it surprised her. While she was down on the ground, he grabbed the zombie and held it about six inches from her face, and said he would come looking for her and find her. He wasn’t killing her now, but he wanted her to know what it was going to feel like when he did. He tossed the zombie aside like an old shoe, then smashed its head in. He told Huck to enjoy her walk.

Silas’s co-workers took him to a warehouse, decorated like one part Hot Topic and one part Studio 54. They gave Silas a bat, told him to swing at anything that moves, and disappeared. A bunch of zombies came at Silas, but he held his own, picking them off one by one. Then a new batch replaced them, and Larry, Curly, and Moe Webb, Tiga, and Grady came out too. They told Silas that he’d almost broken the record. It was dine and dash; you dash or they dine. They were ready to jump in, but Silas had handled it. If he had their backs, they could have his. Silas thew the bat down, and walked out.   

Will told Felix that Percy was alive, and after Huck. Felix said he could get them all killed if he was caught, and they went after Percy.   

Dennis explained to Silas that it wasn’t the end. It was them saving themselves from the end. They had to accept basic training, and he needed Silas to step up. Silas said he was looking for his friends. They’d gotten split up, and someone in their group was a killer. The others might not know. Dennis said, maybe his friends could handle it, but Silas said Dennis didn’t know Huck (he does know Huck, but as Jennifer). Dennis said Silas wasn’t allowed to be afraid of someone whose name was Huck. His friends might be stronger than he thinks. Running away was giving up. Dennis told Silas to get some sleep, and gave him some booze to clean his hand <wink-wink>.

Percy aimed at Huck in the woods, but Will provided distraction, popping out when she’d thought he was dead. Elsewhere in the woods, Asha talked to Elton, explaining that she was on dialysis, and that’s what the medical supplies were about. She talked about what happens after death, and returning to the earth, but Elton said, just because our matter lived on, didn’t mean our consciousness did. She said she had faith that it did, and he said he thought she was brave.

Felix joined Huck and Will, and Will said he knew the truth about Omaha, and the CRM was trying to kill him. Huck said they’d keep Will safe, but he called bullsh*t, saying, if they destroyed Omaha, they’d do anything. Felix said Huck’s mother was lying to her. She’d spent her life lying to everyone else. Why would Huck think Elizabeth wouldn’t lie to her? Huck said they had her word that she wouldn’t tell, and like it or not, she was the closest thing to a friend Felix had in the CRM.

Everyone said goodbye, and Hope said that Iris should have told her; it would have changed everything. Iris said she’d wanted to, but didn’t know why she didn’t. She promised to get Hope and their father out of the facility, and wanted Hope to tell their father not to worry. Elton saw that Hope was leaving, but wisely didn’t make himself known.

Felix read Percy the riot act, and Will said he was just going on what Felix had said. Felix said they couldn’t stay there; it wasn’t safe, but Will said, if Huck told the CRM where they were, she risked exposing herself. Felix said he wasn’t losing Will again, and Will said they’d find a way out. Will wondered about Silas, and Felix said Huck claimed he was at an outpost. Will said, if Silas was where Huck said he was, he might know a way to get everyone out.

Percy woke Iris, and told her that he’d never wanted something so bad. She said he wanted justice, and she’d thought her sister was like that too. They kissed, which we all knew was coming.

On TV, we saw Elizabeth honor the fallen city of Omaha, saying the tragedy that befell it’s citizens was an immeasurable loss. It reminds them of how precious life is. She felt the loss personally and deeply, and now was not the time for doubt, and to question their resolve. Indira said they could lose everything if Elizabeth found out that she was the one who was sick, but Asha said she wouldn’t. Elizabeth said, now, more than ever, they had to stand strong and united. The tragedies would serve as a carrier call for the military to stand more firmly, and fight for the survival of humankind, and for the souls they’d lost. She told their allies in Portland to stay strong and vigilant, and in ending, said, God bless us all.

Apparently, Will and Iris had planted a seed of doubt in Huck’s mind, because she asked Elizabeth, how many survived at the Campus Colony? Elizabeth had said they were airlifted out. Elizabeth said it was confidential information. Huck had just gotten back what she’d lost after her horrendous error in judgement, and Elizabeth said she’d hate for someone to think she hadn’t learned her lesson. Huck remembers giving herself a scar, and having her arm broken before going undercover.

Next time, Iris and Felix take to the road together, and Leo isn’t taking no for an answer.

🤹🏽 Running the Show…

The mystery man at the end of FTWD explained.

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-season-7-episode-2-six-hours-emile-josiah-showrunners-interview/

🔥 Teddy’s Impact…

Trickle down madness.

https://screenrant.com/fear-walking-dead-teddy-nuclear-bomb-impact-area/

🎸 Wait, What…?

I love nerdy stuff. I never would have noticed this.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-beta-easter-egg-first-character-all-three-twd-shows/

⚰️ Nerd Extras…

More details you never knew you needed to know.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-credits-scene-stinger-season-2-episode-5-quatervois/

🧗‍♀️ Starting Again…

Monday’s back. See you on Deck tomorrow, and until then, stay safe, stay not letting the parade pass you by, and stay knowing things might get worse before they get better.

October 17, 2021 – Strand Leaves His Tower, Some Friends Are Reunited, Turning Over a Bad Leaf, Finale Talk & Wolf

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

In the aftermath of the bombs, a zombie crawls through the wasteland. A man in protective gear and mask stabs it in the head, and goes through its backpack, taking out some cans of food. He checks for radiation, and it’s off the charts. He considers a dead possum nearby, but decides against it. He looks dejected, but keeps walking. He goes inside a van, turns on a light, takes off his mask, and lies down.

The man gets back in his gear, and comes out of the van. He goes to a swampy area, and puts an X on a paper that has a grid with other Xs on it. He travels through the wasteland, and a few zombies toddle along. He waits as one approaches.

Back at the van. he peeks outside, seeing wandering zombies. Some people run out, and he draws his gun and listens.

He comes out again, and sees more zombies. He seems tired, and draws his knife.

The man walks along a path to a lighthouse, and goes inside. He hears a zombie, and sees it at the top of the stairs by the beacon. He goes up, and puts it out of its misery. He looks around, but there’s nothing worth taking. He goes back out, and back to where he’d seen the dead possum the day before. He roasts the roadkill in the woods, and cries. A zombie comes up behind him, but he does nothing, turning back to the fire. Someone shoots the zombie, and three people ride up on horses. One asks who the hell he is, and he asks if they’re the ones who have been stripping the dead. Another tells him, let’s go, but he runs. They shoot him, but not with a bullet.   

The man wakes, wondering where is, and several people in protective gear and masks strip him and hose him down, scrubbing him with brooms. Dressed again, they take him into an elevator. He asks, what hell is going on? Where are they taking him? He gets silence. The elevator door opens, and he runs, only to find a locked gate. He runs into the art studio Victor found last season, and grabs a sword. Victor says, magnificent, isn’t it? and holds a gun to the man’s head. He says, it belonged to a friend, and dates back to 1812. The man says he doesn’t want any trouble, and Victor laughs. He says, turn around slowly, and takes away the sword. The man asks, who the hell is he? and he says his name is Victor Strand, and who might he be?

A guy – Victor’s valet? – pours drinks, and serves the man a pasta dinner at a formal dining table that has a chandelier hanging above it. Howard has joined them, and Victor tells the man that he’s been given a meal and a drink. He asks, what’s in it for Victor? and Victor says he has some questions. The man dives into his food, and says, what’s that? Victor asks what his name is, and he says, Will. Victor asks what he did before, and Will says, before the dead were walking, or before they blew everything up? Victor says, both, and Will says he was a senator’s aid. Victor asks, which senator? and Will says, Elias Vasquez. Victor asks what Will did for him, and Will says, PR. Victor asks where Will came from, and Will says, originally, Oklahoma, but most recently he was at a settlement where they were protected from the blast. Victor asks who was with him, and Will says, the senator and a few other aids. Victor asked why Will wasn’t with them, and Will says, things went bad, and he wound up outside. Victor says, and the senator? and Will says, he didn’t make it. Victor asks how long Will has been outside, and Will says, 50 days, give or take. Victor asks what Will has seen and who he’s seen, but he says, not much, and Victor says, Will mentioned something about people stripping the dead. Will says he calls them stalkers. He saw them sneaking up on the dead. Victor asks why Will hasn’t figured out who they are, and Will says, there are no faces out there anymore; just masks. When was the last time Victor was outside? Victor says he has everything he needs there. Why should he? Let him show Will.   

Victor takes Will past a putting green, and tells the golfer, nice putt, Toby. Will asks where everything came from, and Victor says, department stores, homes, museums. His rangers scout out anything of value; anything worth preserving is there. They pass a yoga class, and Victor says the people were there before, and he brought them in and let them stay; they’re of value. Will asks what Victor means, and Howard says, Victor is asking the questions. Will looks at a wall of photos with memorial candles in front of it, and Victor says, they’re walkers his rangers encounter.  Even though they’re no longer walking, some have loved ones out there. Will asks if there’s anyone Victor is hoping to find, and Victor says he has everything he needs right there.

Victor says, everything Will sees there came after the destruction. The world gave them fire, ash, and devastation, but there they were given growth, vitality, and a new dawn. Everything he needed was there when he arrived, except Howard. They watched as the world was destroyed, and they thought it was the end. When the dust settled, they were still standing, as well as this place. Howard says, the weather patten took the fallout away from them, and Victor says, it’s the only inhabitable place for miles. They’re laying the foundation for a new civilization. Will asks, how? and Victor says, the same way he ended up there; instinct. He tells one of his people to bring Will’s things, and Will says, Victor is kicking him out? He answered Victor’s questions. Victor says Will’s not quite what he’s looking for. Take care, and good luck out there. Will’s things are thrown in front of him, and he says, please don’t do this. He won’t make it alone. Victor says, sorry, not sorry, and Will asks why Victor gave him the tour. Why go through the trouble? Victor says he wanted to share his vision. Will says he found this out there. It’s meant to help people carry heavy burdens. Victor needs it more than he does. He tosses Victor the St. Christopher medal Victor gave Alicia, and Howard says, let’s go. Victor says, stop. Where did he find this? He says he found it on one of the dead, and Victor says, don’t lie. Will says he’s not. He thought it would bring him good luck. Howard says, so much for that, and Victor tells Will to take him to where he found it. Maybe they can make a deal. Take him to where he found it, and help him find the owner. He can spare her the horrors of life out there, and he’ll let Will move in to his humble abode. Deal? Will nods, and Victor says, good. Give him his sword.

In the woods, Will says, the levels are low; they can take their masks off. Don’t worry. Almost all the zombies not killed in the blast, died from radiation. It’s not dangerous. Victor says, it’s not his first rodeo, and Will says he thought Victor hadn’t been out before this nightmare. Victor says, not this one. How much further? Will says, about a mile. Victor says he can see why Will had resistance to coming out, and Will says, it’s not spaghetti and scotch. Victor asks why Will didn’t return to the settlement, and Will says, Victor’s tower isn’t the only place he’s not welcome. His exit wasn’t by choice. He’s been trying to find a way to make it up ever since. Victor tells him, success is the best revenge. Don’t spend a moment trying to make it right. Focus on showing them how wrong they were. That’s how you win, and procure your place in the tower. He won’t remember his past. History is written by victims to assure them success. It begins to rain, and Will tells them to put their masks back on. He says, they won’t make it back to the tower, and Victor says, follow him, and they ride.    

They go to the underpass where Will’s van is, and Victor asks, what is this place? Will says, it’s been home for the last 50 days, and Victor says, cozy. One of his men takes pictures of the dead, and Victor looks at another body. Will asks what they’re really doing out here. Whoever the medal belongs to, Victor must know them. Victor asks what difference it makes, and Will says, Victor told him that he had everything he needed at the tower. Victor says he does, and Will asks why he’s out there looking for her. Victor says, he never told Will that he was looking for a woman. He believes they’ve been lured there under false pretenses. He suggests Will start talking, and asks, where is she? Will says, who? and Victor says, answer him. All of a sudden, some men start shooting at them, and Will says, stalkers. They duck for cover, and Will is hit. Victor grabs him, and pulls him behind Will’s van. He shoves Will into the van, and gets in the driver’s seat. Zombies have joined the fray, but the shooting continues. The zombies take the stalkers down, as Will watches. Victor tells Will to answer his question; where is Alicia? Will says he doesn’t know, and Victor pushes on his wound. He says he doesn’t know where Teddy took her. Teddy said she had to make the journey by herself. He wants to make things right with her, but why did Victor risk coming out to find her? Victor jumps out of the van, and closes the door. Zombies scrabble at the van.   

Victor rides to the lighthouse, lights a lantern, and goes upstairs. He looks at the double-dead zombie near the beacon, and picks up a map. He says, bingo, and goes back out. The fog is so dense, he can’t see, but he hears footsteps. It’s Will, who says, hold it, and trains his gun on Victor. Victor asks how Will found the place, and Will says, there are only so many places to hole up out here. Now Victor will answer his questions; sit. Victor sits, and laughs. Will says Victor tried to kill him twice today. He left the comfort of his humble abode, and sacrificed his guards to find Alicia to tell her that he was grateful. Victor says, Will knew who he was, yet lied; why? Will tells him, because Alicia said Victor wasn’t trustworthy. He was biding his time, testing Victor, to see if he was worth saving. What makes Victor think he can change Will’s opinion? Victor says, the tower succeeds because of him and his choices, all the people living there. Will says, they might give a damn about Victor, but them being afraid of what to do isn’t leadership. Victor asks if Will thinks he’s an authority because he worked for the senator, and Will laughs. He says he learned from the senator, but learned more about it from Alicia. Alicia didn’t want to be in the bunker, and locked up, while that psycho dropped bombs, so she could become a cynical a-hole like Victor. You can’t lead alone. If you want people to believe in you, you have to believe in them. Victor asks why Will isn’t with Alicia, and asks if Victor still has the medallion. Victor holds it up, and Will snatches it back, saying, he needs it as much as Victor does. She asked him to do something, but he couldn’t do it. Victor asks what it was, but Will says, it doesn’t matter. Victor asks why Will didn’t do it, and Will says, because it would have protected everyone there except her. Victor says, it must have been bad if they cast Will out, and Will says he’s been looking for a way back every day since. He thought he found it when he woke up at the tower. Maybe he could have brought Victor to her, but after what he’s seen today, he doubts she’d recognize Victor. Victor says he doesn’t think she would. He doesn’t know if Alicia told Will, but he was the one who gave her the medal. Will says, she did; she knew it would get Victor’s attention. Victor says, he gave it to her to remember who she was. He didn’t think he would see it for himself. He guesses they both held up their end of the bargain. May he? Will leans in to give him the medal, and Victor grabs him, slamming him against the wall. Will drops his gun, and they struggle. Will manages to get his gun back, and says, that’s three times now. He thought if he took Victor there, it would bring them together, but he’s better off without Victor. Victor says, everyone is, and opens the door. There are loads of dead outside, and they get close. Will is mesmerized, and Victor says, get inside, and shuts the door. He asks Will, what the hell was that? and Will says, he knows them from the bunker. Victor says, Alicia.   

The zombies scrape at the door, and Will says, it wasn’t passable. They had enough food for 10 years, water, a future to outlast all of them. Victor asks if she was gone, but Will says he didn’t see her. He suggests they find out, and they grab things for weapons. Will starts up a generator, and puts the beacon on. He tells Victor, go, and Victor stabs zombies with his sword. Will goes out on the walkway, and looks out, saying, follow the light. Victor continues slicing and dicing, and the generator dies. Victor yells for Will, who’s trying to get the generator going again. He calls to Victor, and goes out with a lantern, stabbing a random zombie in the head. More zombies are coming, and they surround him, but Victor flies out with his sword, doing all kinds of damage. Will lies on the ground, clutching his gun. He asks Victor, was she? and Victor says he didn’t see her. He helps Will up, and Will says, Victor could have walked away, but he stayed. Victor still cares about her. You don’t run into a fog like that because you want to see if someone’s dead; he ran like that because he wanted to save her. Victor says, let’s go.

Victor and Will ride to the bunker, Will riding on the same horse, behind Victor. They go inside, and check the room where the bunks were, but it’s empty. Victor says, it’s a ghost town, and Will says, whatever happened here, happened a while ago. Victor asks how many lived there, and Will says, 128; him, the senator, and some aids. Teddy sent some scouts who killed everyone there, and they stayed in the servants quarters. He yells for Alicia, but gets only silence. They turn on the lights in a conference room, and Will says, it wasn’t the stalkers; nothing was taken. Victor wonders if she panicked, and they see a note taped to the podium that ways, Will. Will looks at it, and says he thinks she did. All is says is, PADRE.

Victor asks, what’s padre? and Will says, it doesn’t matter. It will probably get her killed. Victor asks if it’s a person or place, but Will says he doesn’t know; nobody knows. It might not even exist. He always knew it was a possibility. He thought at first she wouldn’t have to. If anything happens to them, it’s on him. Victor says Will doesn’t know that, and Will says he should have been there and found a way to make things up to her. Victor says, Will loved her, and Will says, it doesn’t matter; it’s all for nothing anyway. Victor says, it wasn’t all for nothing. Will was right. This wasn’t about proving something to her; it was about proving something to himself. Will asks, what? and Victor says, that he didn’t need her, but he does, as does Will. Will says, maybe that’s the point of all of this. Maybe they’re supposed to find her together. Victor says, or perhaps she’ll find them. They walk out, and Victor draws his sword. They leave on the horse, the zombies pulling a wagon behind them with the lighthouse beacon on it. Good idea, putting them to work.

Back at the tower, the beacon has been set up on the roof. Zombies hang around outside, and Victor says, it appears his flame has already drawn moths. Will says, she’ll see it, she’ll follow it, and she’ll find this place. Victor says Alicia is the closest thing he has left to family. Will isn’t the only one who loves her, and he never had a chance to tell her, but would have if he’d found her. Will says, perhaps she would have reminded Victor of the man he was trying to be. She still can. She can help Victor be himself. Victor says, he never should have left. He almost got killed because he didn’t trust his instincts. He can’t let it happen again. It could destroy everything he’s doing. Will says, that’s not true. He’ll make this place even better; they both will together. Victor says, Will told him that he could leave because he woudn’t make it alone, but he was wrong. It’s the only way. Will says, that’s not true, but Victor says, it is. He watched others build things like he has, and they came close, but they fell short, all for the same reason; love. Attachments don’t make you strong; they destroy you. Will says, the light wasn’t to draw Alicia, and Victor says, no. It was to keep her, and everyone else, as far away as possible. Will says, it won’t work. She’ll find this place, and get through to Victor. Victor says, no, she won’t, and pushes Will off the roof, much to all of our surprise. Victor says, she won’t have anything to do with him after this. He and Howard look down, and Howard asks if Victor wants him to send someone down to take a picture for the wall, but Victor says, no. No one here is looking for him. Howard says, someone out there might be. This is going to draw more than the dead. Maybe the people Victor was with before, like Morgan. Victor says, don’t worry about Morgan or anyone else, and Howard asks, why not? Victor says, if anyone tries to get to him, they’re going to have to get through them. They look down at the zombies as they feast on Will, who’s all messy with a smashed in face.

Next time, Morgan says, they’ll build someplace else that will actually last; Morgan tells Grace that she knows why he has to do this; and Morgan rolls the car with Grace in it.

The World Beyond

A woman took the eyeballs out of a zombie corpse and replaced them with flowers.

Elton and Percy trotted down the road on a horse, Elton telling Percy that they could catch up with the others. Percy said, after what Huck did, he thought the odds weren’t good. They spied a young man and woman eating by a campfire in the woods, and remembered they were hungry.

Hope jogged around the CRM facility, checking out all the security. She also practiced some fighting.

Huck and Dennis got busy. She told him, after what he did, people got hurt. She questioned his employment choice, but he said he couldn’t move to active until he worked in decontamination.

Percy and Elton assessed the couple. Percy said there was no sign of guns, and only two sets of tracks; so they’re alone. They camped overnight, so that meant they were far from home. He could tell by the uniform shape of the turnips that they’d been harvested, and Elton suggested they grab a couple of turnips and jet. Percy said they were looking for people who could be anywhere; they might need all the couple’s food. Elton said he thought they were good people (using no reasoning skills whatsoever), but Percy said they’d thought Huck was too. Elton approached them, but the man quickly had Elton at knifepoint, while the woman patted him down. He told them that he had a traveling companion named Percy, and they were looking for their compatriots. Avoiding people was usually the smart move, but their stomachs were calling the shots. They seemed like good people. The man went to look for Percy, but couldn’t find him, and the woman told him, it seemed that Elton just wanted food. She handed Elton a canteen and a few turnips, and introduced herself as Asha and the man as Dev. Percy was caught rifling through their food stash, and Asha asked if they were conmen. Elton said, Percy had been one, but wasn’t anymore, and the two of them took off, leaving everything. The couple ran after them.    

Huck got commended for her work. The casualties had been limited, and she’d furthered the priorities of the CRM. She was cleared to resume active duty. Leo asked her about iris and Felix, and said he thought Huck and Elizabeth were lying. He asked if she’d been manipulating Hope, and she told him that Hope was there now, and Felix and Iris would be too. He said she and Elizabeth had taken their innocence, and they couldn’t get it back. He didn’t give a damn who Huck’s mother was, or what name she was going under. She was using them, and he wanted her to find his daughter.

Percy and Elton jetted through the woods with the couple in hot pursuit. The couple did martial arts moves on some zombies, which Elton and Percy admired for a while before they ran.

At CRM, Hope was in a class, the professor speaking about accelerated decay. He told the students that they should be glad they were studying decay, and not living it. Hope looked out the window, as you do in science class, and remembered good times with Iris and Felix. The professor thought she wasn’t paying attention, but she gave him an incredibly complex answer, adding that she thought making vodka out of the same properties would do more good. Why focus on the negative? This led to a debate between her and Mason, but the professor said Hope was right.  He thought she and her father should put their heads together father working on. After class, Mason asked if Hope was busy later, and did she want to join him and his friends. She declined, but he told her where and when, in case she changed her mind.

While he and Percy were running through the woods, Elton tripped and fell. Percy came back to help him, and zombies started coming up from under the ground, almost like it had been zombie quicksand. Then Percy tripped on one, and it was a losing situation, zombies grabbing at them every which way. Asha and Dev caught up to them, and killed the zombies, once again with impressive moves. Elton was still on the ground, struggling with one who had a grip on him, and he stabbed it in the head. Asha helped him up, but another zombie popped up, grabbed his arm, and bit. Asha grabbed Elton up, and tossed him aside. She was ready to kill him, but Elton told her that his jacket was bite-proof, and showed her his wound-free arm. He said, industrial corduroy. We saw Elton and Percy tied up, and Asha wearing Elton’s jacket. Asha took the eyeballs out of a dead zombie, and replaced them with flowers. She and Dev prayed over the bodies.

Leo discussed yeast in regard to decay with Hope. He thought she was trying to keep him distracted, and she said the whole place was a distraction. They’d agreed there was nothing they could do. They had to just wait and trust. Iris and Felix were okay. Leo said he knew there was something Hope wasn’t telling him. She said she’d talked to Huck, and Leo asked if Huck did something like threaten Hope. Hope asked him to do one thing; trust her. It was hard out there, but it was hard in there too. He said he understood. She hadn’t asked for this, and he wished he could give her a distraction from the distraction.

Mason toasted to those who had perished in Omaha. Hope decided to join the party, and Mason welcomed her to the bunker. He told her normally they were a fun bunch, and gave her the tour. 

Dev drove a wagon with Percy and Elton sitting in the back, their hands tied, Asha on horseback next to them. Percy told Elton that he should have listened. The world is a sh*t show. You’re going to get infected or going to die. That’s just how it is. They stopped at a sign that said, Danger Unseen Something-or-Other (okay, I wasn’t paying attention), and Dev put hoods on Percy and Elton. 

Mason told Hope that he was sorry about what happened to her. He said they’d built everything themselves in the bunker, and introduced Ian, who explained how he devised a game table. Mason said they’d been there three years, and had built a master control panel for all the labs. Everyone who did well on their tests ended up there. Getting to learn from her dad was an honor; he liked it there. She asked if he liked the soldiers, and he said his dad wanted him to go the military route, but it wasn’t for him. He decided to focus science because it would unlock the future.

At the Perimeter, Asha cut Percy and Elton free. Percy wondered how she knew his name, when Dev brought Iris over to them. She hugged them both, and said she’d thought Percy was dead. He said he thought he was too, and Elton said, Asha and Dev knew the entire time? Asha said her mom runs the place. They were going to just get them and bring them back, but when they tried to steal the food, she and Dev thought they’d have some fun. Percy said they had a screwed up way of having fun, and Elton wondered where Hope was.

Actually, Hope was playing Jenga. The blocks had tasks on them, but related to the game, not like the ones on Vanderpump Rules. Hope had to take a block out while blindfolded, which she did with ease. When Mason took his first one out, the whole thing fell. Hope flashed back it Iris saying they’d always protect each other. Hope went to Huck, and insisted Huck take her to Iris and Felix. Now. What had she been doing? Huck said it wasn’t as easy as Hope thought, but Hope didn’t give a sh*t. She needed Huck to take her, or they’ll probably try kill her. Huck said they’d go tomorrow. It was just one day. Hope said, in one day, a city of people got wiped out. If they didn’t go, her dad would start stirring sh*t up.  

Elton wondered how Hope could just be gone. Brody was pissed that Asha brought back more strays. It was putting them in danger with the CRM because of their agreement. Asha said they were there first, and screw the agreement, but he said that wasn’t for her to decide.

Dennis tried to chat up Huck, but she changed into her uniform. She said she’d left because of what he did, and when she was gone, she had to do some things she hated. She wanted to be okay, and maybe that would happen, but she was still figuring it out. She couldn’t be with him right now.  

Huck drove out, showing the guard some papers. Impressed with Huck’s name, the guard said, after Huck left, she’d been transferred there to assume Huck’s responsibilities. Her mother was an inspiration. Huck agreed, and the guard banged on the trunk, startling Hope, who was inside. After a tense moment, the guard told Huck to drive safely.

Asha showed Elton an artwork memorial to everything they’d lost, and said she was sorry for what he’d lost. She wished she’d known. He hoped he and Percy weren’t causing her any trouble, and Asha explained that the CRM supported the town in return for them encouraging people to steer clear. Elton called the zombies empties, but they called them vessels. They were holding souls, and killing them helped the souls move on. He said, and the flowers? and she told him they were her personal touch; a little beauty in the darkness left behind.

Iris tended to Percy’s wound, and needed him to take his shirt off, which I smelled coming. She thanked him for the night he surprised her, and he said, it wasn’t anything, She said he’d cut up his art books; it was. He said he agreed, and wished he could have been there, but she said he was there now. The CRM just kept taking; Hope, her dad, Silas. But he and Elton found them. It was a second chance. They just had to make it count. They heard the tinkling of an alarm.

Elton peeked out, and saw guards walking down the street. Iris saw Hope with them, and Percy had his knife at the ready.

Next time, Silas gets caught outside, Felix asks what Huck wants, and Hope tries to get Iris to come back with her.

😈 New Look…

Both Victor and the scenery got a makeover this season.

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-season-7-premiere-beacon-strand-will/

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-season-7-strand-becoming-villain-colman-domingo/

⚰️ Dead Finale…

You want insight, I got insight.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-for-blood-season-11-part-1-finale-leah-daryl-judith-angela-kang/

🛌 Full Sleep Ahead…

We’re another weekend closer to Halloween, otherwise known as Free Candy Night to parents of small children. See you tomorrow for some soap and a finale on Deck. Until then stay safe, stay not comparing yourself to others, and stay knowing success is the best revenge, but attachments won’t necessarily destroy you.

October 3, 2021 – Negan Teaches Maggie To Walk, Huh, Hope Makes a Choice & Stand

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

Maggie says they’re about three miles out, but Negan says Daryl told them to go home. Maggie says, Daryl knows she would never turn back, and Negan asks, with what army? He asks Gabriel to back him up, but Gabriel says his family is starving. Negan says, at least admit they’re walking to their deaths for a sack of beans, and Maggie says Negan has always been more interested in himself than helping the people back home. Go; she doesn’t need him. He says, they both know that’s not true. He wants her to make him a promise in front of the goddam priest that if he sticks around – if he does this for her – he won’t have to keep looking over his shoulder. She says they’ll never be even, and he says, then she’s down a soldier she desperately needs. It’s her call. She says he’d take a promise from her? and he says, yeah, who wouldn’t? Assuming she’s a woman of her word. He’s always been a man of his. He holds out his hand, and she barely shakes it, Gabriel tells them, listen, and they hear the traditional garbled noises of zombies headed their way. One comes closer, and Maggie stabs it in the head. She says, it was Elijah’s sister’s best friend; she was just a kid. They have to get them; all of them. More zombies come toward them.    

Stephanie and Eugene fight with some zombies in an empty building, and Eugene says Stephanie is doing great. She says she’s doing okay, not great. It’s not like riding a bicycle. He says it’s the cerebellum protecting her from unpleasant memories. He has to ask. She’s known Lance a long time… She says, pretty long, and he asks if Lance is capable of taking care of their transgressions. In other words, will their labor truly lead to their freedom? She tells Eugene, if Lance says it will, then it will. He has his own way doing things, but Eugene can trust him. He’ll see.

Ezekiel and Princess work together in another building. Ezekiel insists he’s fine, but Princess doesn’t think so. She tells him that they’ve got to get the space back, and need to clear the bodies. He starts dragging them out, but he’s having a hard time, and she asks if he’s okay. He says he’s fine, and she apologizes for snapping. He says, it’s cool, and starts coughing. She asks what she can do, and he says, it’s dusty. He’s sure that’s it. Eugene and Stephanie join them, and ask if they need help. Princess asks Stephanie, how much longer? and Stephane says she guesses a couple more. Princess says, Ezekiel isn’t going to make a few more days, but Ezekiel assures her that he’s fine. She says he needs to see a doctor, but he says he’s not leaving her to work alone. She tells him not to be stupid; they have real hospitals and sh*t here. She asks if Stephanie can make it happen, and Stephanie said she’ll talk to Lance right now. Eugene says they’re most obliged, but Ezekiel wonders if they’ll incur another debt. Princess says she’s not afraid of hard work, and a couple of guards come by with a young couple who look like Preppies from the 80s. The boy says they’re way too close to where the masses are working. The smell is revolting. Eugene says, who the hell was that?

A man tells Yumiko that the recruiters were impressed with her, and she says she thought they’d found her difficult. He says he expected someone with her pedigree to have high standards. She’ll have no trouble finding a position there. She says she’s happy to work for them, but she’s not staying there permanently, and wants to make that clear. He says, after meeting Ms. Milton, she might reconsider, but she says she’d rather see her friends. Can someone take her to where they’re working? He says, they broke the law, and Lance arranged for them to be released with a fine. They’re clearing the buildings. She says, of what? and he says, the dead. She says, they’ve been assigned to clear the buildings for days, weeks, months? And she’s expected to provide legal services for… He says, Ms. Milton and her cabinet, and she says she’d like to speak with Ms. Milton right away. He says, that would be difficult. Lance’s expectations of the timing were different. She asks if Lance is his supervisor? And he says, no. She says, then she’d like to speak to her right away.

We see a zombie tied to a tree, and Gabriel prays over a grave (we assume Elijah’s sister’s best friend). Maggie says if Elijah’s sister is out there, they’ll find her, and every last one of these murderers. Elijah says, but the one… is his. Maggie tells Gabriel, there are scouts everywhere. If he gets a chance to kill one of them, do it. If they’re alone, he has the advantage. Gabriel says, if he gets a chance to kill one, he will. He leaves, and Nathan asks if Maggie is ready. She says she’s not cutting up anyone she knows, and Negan says they just need two. He kept his mask for practical, sentimental reasons. She says, it’s not fun, and he says, not with that attitude. She tells him, let’s get this over with, and they walk, leaving the tree zombie snapping at the air.

Two soldiers return to the Commonwealth, and tell Pope, they’ve done three sweeps, but there’s no sign anywhere. Pope asks if they checked along the train tracks and the underpass. Come on. There are dozens of those a-holes out there, and their brothers are dead. They’re not ashamed? Leah says, they were following her recommendations. She told them where the team went, and where to go next. If he wants to scream at somebody, scream at her. Daryl watches, and Pope asks if she’s trying to be noble. Get them to like her? Try keeping them alive. She asks if yelling is going to help do that, and Pope tells her, take your boy out there, and find those goddam idiots. She tells Daryl, come on; we have orders. She leaves, and he follows her. Ever notice how no one goes, hang on, I have to go to the bathroom first? Like they would in real life?

Daryl and Leah walk, and he asks if she’s all right. She says she’s fine. He says he’s sure the guys are grateful, and she asks how he knows. He says, he’d be. She says she may have been stupid. Daryl has a good place. If he spends time with these people, she’s sure they have their side. Does he have something to say about it? He says he’s just surprised, and she asks, why? He says, they won. They have walls and food; why keep hunting? She says, they need to make sure they don’t come back. He says he doesn’t understand, and she says, it was easy for him on his own. He only had to worry about himself. They have a whole community to protect. They have structure and a leader, who got them this far. What happened back there isn’t normal. He says he’s met guys like that before, and she says, Pope has puzzles to solve; he’s riled up. How can their people be so hard to find? Daryl asks if Pope is just going to kill everybody, and go back to being a good guy, and she says Pope is like a father to her. He’s made her strong. He believed in her when no one else would, and it made her strong. Daryl says she doesn’t need anyone make her strong.

Maggie walks, wearing the mask, while Elijah watches, and Negan gives her instructions on how to walk. He unties the zombie, who walks up to her and keeps going. Maggie trips, and gasps. The zombie does an about-face, and she tries to get the mask off. It comes toward her, but Elijah gets it back to the tree. She says she hates this sh*t, but Negan says it’s not going to fit perfectly; it’s someone else’s face. This might actually work. If he can do it, she can do it. They’ll fix it, and try again. She did good.

Gabriel watches from the woods, as a guy in an old-fashioned cloak approaches a cemetery at the edge of the forest. He kneels for a moment, takes out a dagger, and gets back up. He  seems to sense Gabriel, and says, help me, father. You who guided me during the darkest of times. I treasure our conversation and the guidance you’ve given me. Is there anything I should know? He listens, and says, thank you, father. Gabriel has his sword ready, but the guy leaves.

Yumiko and Tomi walk into the terminal. She asks how long of a break he has, and he says, just long enough to show her his dorm room. She says she doesn’t understand why he wouldn’t want the life that comes with being a doctor there, and he says he doesn’t want to go back to how it was before. She liked that type of life; he didn’t. Everything moved too fast, and people burned themselves out working until they died or wanted to. He asks her to sit, and says, no one can know he was a doctor. Promise him. She asks what he means, and he tells her, trust him. He likes things the way they are. This place makes sense. She says, okay, fine and tells him that she has a meeting with Pamela Milton later. Is there anything she should know? He says it’s nice for her. Someone like him would never meet her. She asks, why not? and he says, they have to know their place. Some stormtroopers come out of nowhere and grab him, taking him away. He says he did nothing wrong, and Yumiko says she’s his lawyer. He’s entitled to his rights. We hear, the Commonwealth way, over the loudspeaker.

Maggie walks with a few zombies in the woods, as Negan watches. He says he told her that she’d get it right. Congrats and you’re welcome. She takes her mask off Elijah says, he’s changed, but Maggie says, they can’t believe that. He’s helpful, or would be if there’s something in it for him. Elijah says, so her promise? and she says she hopes she can keep it.

Yumiko tells Lance that she needs to talk to him. Where the hell is her brother? He says her brother is fine, and she says, that wasn’t her question. He says she has an appointment with Pamela Milton, even after he told her that he was taking care of things. He needs some time, and she says, for what? He says, it works like this. Her people need help. Her friends broke the law and she wants them free. Those are big asks, and he can deliver, but there needs to be something in it for him. She asks, what? and he says, a friend in a high place. Someday, he might need a favor and she might be favorably inclined. So what does she say to sitting tight a few more hours? She says, a few more hours, and he says, excellent. Lance continues smiling the way he does all the time, and she doesn’t like it.

Leah and Daryl walk. and he points to a cabin. She says, the patrol has been through; they’ve checked miles of trails. It should be cold. He says, it looks like someone’s been through here. They move closer to the house, and Daryl notices something. He says, come out with your hands up, and a guy steps out from behind a bush. He says, don’t shoot; his family needs him. Daryl tells him, stand over there, and Leah says, there are soldiers looking for people like him. How did he avoid them? He says, they don’t know what he’s been through. His wife is hurt, and he can’t care for her and look for food. Let him go. Daryl tells him to show them, or he’ll shoot the guy in front of his family later. The guy says, okay. Please don’t hurt them. Leah radios Pope, saying, they found a man in the woods… She’s not sure if he’s part of their target. He’s taking them to his people, and she’s not sure how Pope wants to engage… He tells her to kill them, and she says, copy that.

With a small bunch of zombies corralled in the woods. Negan and Maggie have something to eat. He says he feels for her in all this. She might think it’s bullsh*t, but it’s true. She says, how’s that? and he says, he’s not a robot. It sucks to see your friends as walkers, and that should be enough, but they’re about to do some crazy sh*t. She’s going to break into the community she built, and lost. He gets it. She says she and Negan lost their communities in different ways, but he asks if she thinks he doesn’t understand the losing side of a massacre. She says, there were no children or families at the Sanctuary, and he asks, where’d Aaron get his crazy from? Does she think he doesn’t know about that? She says, he can debate battle plans if he wants, and he tells her, all he’s saying is that he remembers his home was invaded, and people were killed. The men who were killed had friends, girlfriends, and people who felt a loss that he couldn’t heal. He had to explain why their leader failed to protect them. She says the people he killed had families, and he did it in front of their families, and he says he did, but the world is different now. There are fewer people to fight for, and fewer people to fight with. Hell, there are fewer things to fight over. She asks if he’s saying he’d do things differently if he could do them over, and he nods. He says, yeah. If he had it to do over, he’d have killed every single one of them. She asks why would he say that, and he says, it’s the truth. They’ve got to do what they can to protect their people. That’s why they’re here. That’s why they’re doing this. She asks why he’d say that to her? and he says they had a good day, her and him, and the only way this works is if they’re honest.

Eugene, Princess, and Stephanie pile up bodies, and Princess asks where they bring the dead. Stephanie doesn’t know exactly where, but says, somewhere far from the water supply. Ezekiel comes bouncing back with Lance, and tells Princess, much gratitude. They did the work, and he brought lollypops. He passes them out, and Princess asks if he doesn’t want one. He says he’s had several, and she asks how it was. He says he’s good as new. They gave him antibiotics, painkillers, and IV fluids. I’m thinking he’s had more than that, and wonder what’s in those lollypops. He thanks Lance, who says he was happy to do it. He’s just glad everyone’s okay. Do they feel up to a new assignment? Ezekiel says, bring it on, and Lance tells Eugene and Stephanie to clear out the north fence line; Stephanie can show Eugene where it is. He asks Ezekiel and Princess to come with him, and they follow him.  

Gabriel comes back, and tells Maggie, good news; they’re still there. Maggie asks if he ran into any of them, but he says, no.

The young entitled couple who’d passed by, are now making out in a lean-to by the edge of the forest. Eugene and Stephanie arrive just as a bunch of zombies come out of the woods. Eugene whacks zombies like never before, and Stephanie holds her own. Eugene says, teamwork, and he and Stephanie high-five. The boy asks what the hell that was about. Eugene and Stephanie disrupted their date. Eugene says he and Stephanie saved their lives, and the boy says they have private security for that. Stephanie says, let’s go, and the boy says, that’s the best idea they’ve had yet. Eugene says, there’s no reason to rude, hoss, and the boy says he’s not used to talking to plebians. Eugene says, someone used their dictionary. He and Stephanie have earned either gratitude or an apology. The boy asks who the hell they think they are, and Eugene tells him, hold his horses. The boy asks who Eugene thinks he’s talking to, and Eugene says, a tiny little man. While this is going on, a zombie has come out of the woods, and is almost on top of the girl. Stephanie whacks it down, and the blood spurts onto the girl, who squeals. The boy tells Stephanie, stupid bitch, look what you did to my girlfriend, and Eugene punches him in the face. Stephanie says, what did you do? and Eugene says, he was being an a-hole. Stephanie says she’s so sorry. They’ve been working without a break. Eugene didn’t mean to… Lance and Mercer appear, and Lance asks, what happened? The boy says, these lunatics attacked them. And where was Mercer? He had rotters up his ass, and this dumb sh*t rolled up and attacked them. Eugene says, that’s not the way it went, and Lance asks if it’s not true Eugene hit the boy? Eugene says he did, and Lance asks what he was thinking? Doesn’t Eugene know who this is? Let me just interject here. This obviously wasn’t in the employee citizen handbook, so what the hell? Isn’t that Lance’s fault?

Yumiko goes to Ms. Milton’s office, and the receptionist thanks her for being on time; Ms. Milton is fastidious about her schedule. She asks if Yumiko would like something to drink, but Yumiko says she’s all right. The receptionist asks her to have a seat, and Yumiko looks at a coffee table book about Italy. The receptionist says Yumiko is part of the new group who came in. Are they settling in okay? Yumiko says, yeah, but she hasn’t seen her friends in a few days. The receptionist says she’s sorry to hear that. Is everyone okay? The phone rings, and she says, of course. She’ll do it now. Yumiko asks if everything is okay, and the receptionist says, Ms. Milton will have to reschedule. Someone attacked her son.

Eugene sits in a cell, and Lance comes in. He says Eugene was supposed to save and protect the governor’s son. If he’d done that, he’d have been a hero. He could have asked for anything. Eugene and his friends want out, but now the price is higher. He needs the name of Eugene’s town and how to get there. Eugene says he’s been on his own, and Lance says, then welcome. This is home. He and his friends can keep killing walkers, and his people – whoever they are – can figure things out on their own. Eugene says, if he were to disclose the coordinates, what guarantee can Lance provide that his community will be safe? Lance says, look around him. Think of how they’ve been treated, all the chances they’ve gotten. Eugene says, that’s not a direct reply to his query, and Lance says, it’s up to him. Lance starts to leave, and Eugene says, wait. I say, dammit.

Maggie practices walking in the field with a small group of zombies, along with Negan. She and Negan split off, and go over to a building. They take the boards off a door, and open it. Zombies stream outside, and I wonder who was saving them up in there. Everyone wanders around a parking lot.

A storm begins, and the guy leads Daryl and Leah to a house. He moves some vent hoses aside in the basement, and reveals an entryway. He goes in, and a wounded woman sits on the floor with a little boy. He says he told them the truth. Please don’t hurt them. Leah tells him to take his son and run. Don’t come back. The woman tells the boy to go ahead with his father, and don’t be afraid. The guy cries and says he loves her. She says she loves him too. No one cares since we don’t know them. They leave, and the woman says they’re the answer to her prayers. He was never going to leave while she was alive, but it’s dangerous to stay. She’s ready. Please. Leah actually looks like she has an emotion, and the woman closes her eyes. Leah aims her gun, but can’t do it, wiping her tears away. Daryl shoots the woman, and asks if Leah is going to tell Pope. She says, that Daryl killed her? It will look good for him. Daryl retrieves his arrow from the woman’s forehead, and covers her face. He says there’s something he needs to tell Leah, but the radio crackles. Pope tells them to come back, and she says they’ve got to go.  

Maggie, Negan, and Elijah walk with a whole lot of zombies. Maggie sees Elijah’s sister among the dead, and it freaks her out a little. She surreptitiously takes Elijah’s hand, and they continue to walk, tons of zombies now behind them. They head toward Hilltop.

Next time, zombies attack Meridian and Alexandria; Pope says, the end is close, and they will not escape this time; and Virgil talks to Judith about Michonne.   

🔦 News flash: Walking Dead has an official whiskey.

The Walking Dead: The World Beyond

We flashed back to the Republic blowing up the Campus Colony. Elizabeth told Hope that she would be reunited with her father, so Hope got on a helicopter with Elizabeth and Huck. Instead, Elizabeth said, change of plan, and they landed on a rooftop in Albany. Hope asked if Elizabeth had lied about taking her to her father, and Elizabeth said, not yet. She told hope they were heading into new world, where clusters of the dead were roaming around the continent, and as far as they could tell, the world. There were columns of them so big, they’d run right over whole cities. Elizabeth then gave Hope a bullsh*t story about how one giant horde was headed for Omaha, and another to the Campus Colony, and they mashed together. They’d tried to rescue ask many as they could, airlifting out those still alive, but the Colony was gone. Elizabeth brought Hope to Albany because it had been her home. She’d been working in military defense, and realized how quickly any chance for a future could crumble. She asked if Hope still believed a future was possible, and Hope said, she does, she did, she should. Elizabeth said that despite the fallen cities, she was trying to get Hope to think more positively. That’s why she pushed Hope to go on this journey; to see how fragile civilization was. It took everyone coming together to give it a shot. Hope’s father was a genius, and valuable to their research, but he was also a troublemaker. They couldn’t risk bringing in someone who could jeopardize the community. She asked if Hope wanted to work with them. She couldn’t bring Hope in to join her father unless she knew that, despite Hope’s grief and anger, she was committed in being an asset to the future; committed to a life where she’ll consume knowledge to hand to the next generations. Hope needed more time to think, and Elizabeth told her to think about what she truly wanted. She gave Hope a radio, and said she’d need Hope’s answer by dawn. She thought Hope had every reason to walk away, given the extent she and her friends had been manipulated, but she’d be taking her chances alone on her own, and wouldn’t make it out of the city alive. Life was a gift, and Hope could choose to waste it alone or fight for a future with for others, making sure it never happened again. The choice was hers. Hope left, and Huck asked if Elizabeth was really doing this when Hope could die. Elizabeth said, or Hope could join them, but she needed Hope to choose.    

Will told Felix and Iris how he escaped CRM, who wanted him dead, and he would be if they found him. He told the two of them to a place called The Perimeter, where he’d been taken in. It had been an abandoned farm, and before everything fell apart, it was an artists colony. He introduced them to Indira, the head of the council. She told them that she was sorry about their home, but since Will was vouching for the, they had a home there until a more permanent solution presented itself. They could keep their knives, but were she asked that they surrender all other weapons. The council will ask them some questions, but she wants Felix’s leg looked at first. She asks what they have to live for. Living took effort. It took everything, and she needed to know their reasons if they were staying. Felix said, these two, indicating Will and Iris, and a few others. Iris guessed she lived for Hope, and Indira said the world was nothing without hope.

Will and Felix got reacquainted, and Felix had a good cry. Will explained that Indira was risking everything harboring them, and cautioned Felix and Iris against trying to rescue Hope just yet. This was about the long game. Not just how to keep them all safe, but what would happen afterward. One wrong move, and it was over for all of them.

Hope went into a school, and while she was exploring, it didn’t take long for her to run into a zombie and end up rolling down a flight of stairs with it. She managed to kill it for real, but got a nasty head wound bouncing off the wall. Zombies came at her, but she fought them all off. Then she thought she saw Elizabeth, and flashed back to Elizabeth telling her to think about what she truly wants. After killing the last zombie, she saw a poster for a missing woman named Candace Froder. She looked down the hallway to see a hooded figure, and said, hello? 

In the meantime, Elizabeth asked if Huck was thinking about going after Hope. Huck had insisted that Hope was worth the risk of this trip, and that it was the only way to change her. Huck said it had, and Elizabeth said, not enough, but it could still be a win. Elizabeth said she’d only wanted the best for Huck. Hope reminded her of Huck at the same age. She was lost and angry. Elizabeth thought Huck needed Hope to look up to her.

Hope flashed back shooting Elton’s mother.

Elizabeth told Huck that it was easy to form an attachment after being on assignment for an extended period. She wouldn’t stop going after Silas, but after he’d been captured, he was stonewalling. She was still focused on finding the others, but if they continued to be focused on finding Hope’s dad, they’d need to be dealt with. She asked how much Felix and Iris knew, but Huck didn’t say.

Hope ran to another building, trying the doors. After getting inside, and thinking she was alone, she opened a curtain, and someone jumped out, scaring her, me, and probably whoever else was watching. It was the hooded figure Hope had seen, who turned out to be the missing Candace. She fought with Hope, and Hope asked why she was doing this. Candace said she wanted what Hope had. Her group had helicopters, clothes, and food, and whatever they didn’t have, they took. Hope realized it was the same woman from the poster, and said she didn’t want to hurt Candace; she just wanted to go. Candace asked, go where? You didn’t just die. Someone else got your clothes, food, and supplies. What was Hope doing there? Hope said she was just trying to make it. Candace attacked Hope, who pushed her away, into the waiting arms of some zombies who have managed to get their arms, and mouths, outside of a barred gate. Hope sat on the floor, rocking back and forth, and when she opened her eyes, poof! They were gone, and it was all a hallucination. She remembered better times with her dad, and cried. She looked inside a book, and saw one of his secret messages to her. Once again, she recalled Elizabeth asking what she truly wanted.    

Hope called Elizabeth to come back for her, and Elizabeth said she was happy to hear from Hope. Hope said Elizabeth was right. She wasn’t going to make it alone, but she didn’t want this be all there was. She didn’t know if that’s what Elizabeth wanted to hear, but it was the truth. Did she pass? Could she see her dad? Elizabeth said it was okay to hate them; she should. But the bad things they did must be done. They carried the burden so others didn’t have to, so there would be good in the world. Maybe one day, this might not be all there is, but it would be if they didn’t have a world to go back to. She imagined Hope understood that differently now. Huck wondered if Elizabeth had wanted to see if she’d go after Hope, but Hope and the others had changed her. Elizabeth said she was glad she was wrong.  

Huck told Hope that she thought she knew what they could do about Silas. She’d found a settlement, but told her mother that she hadn’t found anything. It guaranteed all of their safety if they had to run. Hope wasn’t having it, and said Huck was just covering her own ass. How about if she told Huck’s mother how badly Huck had screwed up her mission? Since Huck screwed up her life, she’d do the same to Huck. Huck said the only way to stay safe was to lie to her mother. The place was safe, as long as they played by the rules, and didn’t screw sh*t up. Hope said there was no way she was working with Huck.

Iris wondered why the cover-up didn’t make sense, and Felix agreed. The only reason they weren’t dead was because they left. They’d taken a risk. Maybe that’s how they had to keep living. Do what they needed to do, no matter the risk. The council was letting them stay there, and the rules were different. They’d have to change how they played. Iris pondered zombie hordes, then went out sneaking around with a bow and arrow. She saw a CRM guard poking around.  

Hope was led down a long hall like she was going to prison, but she was taken to her father. She hugged him and cried.

A zombie came out of the woods, distracting the guard, and Iris shot the guard. She fought with him, finally knocking him down. She stabbed him, and removed his mask, revealing he was practically a kid, but there was no remorse. She said, it wasn’t the zombies; it was him.    

Kind of a filler episode, eh?

Next time, Elizabeth captures an enemy. Hope’s dad tells her that he’s working to stop the zombies, and Iris says, this is war.

🌬 Gone Like the Wind…

It’s late, but join me tomorrow on Deck and for some soap. In the meantime, stay safe, stay building your character, and stay having a good attitude, even if you have to wear someone else’s face.