Tag Archives: Tom Schwartz

April 28, 2023 – Anna Gets Some Familiar Help, It’s Crazy, Weird Reunion, Probable Return, Two Awfuls, Binge Wives, Pets (!), 8 Concise Quotes & Doctor

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Somewhere in Greenland. Curtis asks if Valentin thinks they were seen, and Anna adds, or heard. Valentin says, the Haunted Star is docked. Let’s hope their radar’s off. Drew says, If it’s not, radar is usually used to detect debris, other ships, icebergs, things like that. They came in low, beneath the hills, and landed on the opposite side of the island. Curtis says, they took the scenic route, and Valentin says, it’s the safest way to approach the island undetected. Curtis says, and for bringing home Trina and Liesl, and Laura’s grandsons.

Holly goes to Anna’s hospital room, and says, Robert’s busy lobbying the Bureau about stepping up the rescue. Anna says, whatever it takes. The island is in international waters, so not any government can claim it. Holly says, no sovereignty to answer to; you’d think that would make it easier. Anna asks if he said anything else, and Holly says she was hoping on reflection he’d decide they were crazy to think Victor’s in possession of a biological weapon, but he does think that is the likely scenario. Anna says, he’s going to have to convince them of that, and give them airtight evidence to convince them to take any action. Holly asks how they find airtight proof, and Anna says she called in a favor. There’s a knock at the door, and Holly opens it. Andre says, Anna Devane, what have you gotten yourself into this time. I love Andre!

Jordan calls Curtis, but gets voicemail. She says, it’s a long time to have his phone off. Call her.

Josslyn walks into the squad room, and asks Dante where her mom is. He says, she’s in the interrogation room with the SEC, and Josslyn asks if they said what it was about. He says, all he can tell her is, her mom’s in a bit of trouble.

In the interrogation room, Diane says her client is absolutely willing to cooperate, even though they dragged her out of her son’s wedding to bring her down here. SEC guy 1 says, they apologize, but it’s a very serious matter. They have reason to believe Carly colluded with Drew Cain to raise the stock price of Aurora Media. SEC guy 2 says, and it could send her and Drew to prison.

Michael says, how are you feeling, Mrs. Corinthos? and Willow says, happily married, Mr. Corinthos. How about him? He says, same. He’s just sorry this business with his mother interrupted their night. She says, interrupted, but didn’t derail. They got married; that’s what matters. She is worried about his mom though. He says he’s sure this will all get sorted out, when Sonny comes in, and asks if they spoke to Diane. The SEC got a tip that Carly colluded with Drew during the ELQ/Aurora merger last year. Michael says, that merger didn’t even happen. What’s the big deal? Willow wonders what it means for Michael. He had a division at Aurora, and he’s a major shareholder at ELQ. Will they bring charges against him too?

Frank tells Dex, sweep’s done. There are no bugs in the warehouse. Dex says, great. Boss wants him to check the perimeter while he gets everything set up. Frank leaves, and Dex takes out a tiny camera. Brick walks in and says, got you now, kid.

Portia looks at a photo of her and Trina from the wedding on her phone, and flashes back to Trina saying I love you on the phone call from the Haunted Star. Scotty says, Dr. Robinson, or is it Dr. Ashford? and Portia says, it’s still Dr. Robinson. She asks how she can help him, and he says, she’s here by herself. He thought she could use a little company, since they’re kind of in the same boat. She thanks him, and says, that would be lovely, and she’s told him before, please, it’s Portia. He must be so worried about Liesl. He says he is, but she’s a tough cookie, and if you cross her, she’s kind of dangerous. He finds that comforting right now. Not to make things worse… She says she doesn’t think he can, but he says he can. Just ask anybody. Trina’s not a mad scientist like Liesl. Those Cassadines… Portia must be scared about what they have up their sleeves. Portia says she is, and Scotty says, she must be worried sick, which brings him to his million dollar question. Why is she here at the hospital and not at home? She says, simply put, work is the only thing keeping her from losing her mind right now.

Anna introduces Andre to Holly, and Holly wonders why she knows that name… Oh, right. He was involved in the Anamnesis Project. He says, and he’s been trying to right that wrong ever since, and Holly says, he has her empathy. A short time ago, she got mixed up in something deplorable, and ever since, she’s been trying to help the Bureau in any way she can. Anna says, Andre’s been doing the same. Thankfully, he’s been backchanneling into the Bureau’s records without raising any alarm. Andre takes out his tablet, and says, unfortunately, he doesn’t have access to any files directly related to Project Demeter, but he’s hoping he got them the next best thing. Back when he was doing psyche evals for the Bureau, he had access to the complete dossier of the original operation against the Cassadines. Holly says, the crazy weather machine? That was… He says, forty years ago. Holly says she’s amazed they didn’t delete all those files with Victor in charge, and Andre says he’s sure they did. Fortunately, the WSB is an institution of many failsafes and redundancies. So he just downloaded it off the server. Holly asks if that isn’t traceable, and he says, oh yes. When they realize he did it, they’re going to come looking for him, and he’ll have a lot of questions to answer. Anna says, they’d better find something quick.

Jordan leaves a message for Laura, saying, she just called Laura’s office, and they said she was taking personal time. Give her a call back please.

Josslyn says, insider trading? and Dante says, in the Aurora/ELQ merger. She says, but her mom lost money; she lost her hotel. He says, the SEC doesn’t care whether her mom lost money or not. They care about the timing of the stock mergers. Jordan comes by, and Josslyn says, her mom didn’t do anything wrong. Jordan says she hopes that proves to be true, but at the moment there are far more pressing matters going on in Port Charles than some business deal. Josslyn says, exactly. Like finding Trina and Spencer and Ace, and nobody is sure how much longer Willow can wait for Liesl Obrecht. Jordan says, she’s right there with Josslyn, and hopes their colleagues at the SEC treat her mom fairly. Josslyn says, she does have Diane, and Jordan says, with any luck, and Ms. Miller’s skill, they’ll release her mother as soon as they’re done questioning her. Dante says, they’re looking for Drew as well. Carly’s not going to give him up. Jordan says, Drew went radio silent too? and Dante asks if someone else went off grid. Jordan tells him to hold down the fort here. She needs to go check in on somebody.

Dex says he thought Brick was overseeing things on the west coast, but Brick says, it wasn’t a problem to fly out. The deal’s important, and it’s a good thing he came; Sonny’s been delayed. Family matters. Sonny shouldn’t be too long, but he’s here just in case.

Sonny says, the tip that the SEC got only concerns Carly and Drew. They’re working under the assumption that Michael was in the dark about any conversation as far as the merger. He asks Michael if that’s true, and Michael says, of course (🍷). Willow says, maybe Michael should go to the station and be with his mother and Joss, but Michael says, there’s no way he’s leaving her side. She says she’ll still be here when he gets back, and Sonny tells them to have fun on their wedding night. Eat cake, do whatever they have to do. He’s going to see if Carly and Josslyn are okay. He leaves, and Michael looks guilty, as he should.

SEC1 says, Carly and Drew have a close relationship, and Carly says, they’re members of the same extended family, and Drew is her son’s uncle. SEC2 says, they look pretty friendly right here, handing her a picture. Diane laughs, and we see it’s a picture of them hugging. She says, as her client stated, they’re members of the same extended family, and another member of that extended family, namely her client’s daughter-in-law, was recently diagnosed with Stage IV leukemia. When did it become a violation of SEC standards for family members to comfort each other? SEC1 says, they’re not unreasonable – Diane says, yes they are – and they don’t want to make an example out of her. She’s a public citizen, and it will go easy for her if she cooperates, and tells them where they can find Drew Cain.

Michael says he’s sorry this went down on their wedding day, and Willow asks if he called in the tip. He says, no, and she says, then it’s not his fault. She kisses him and seems a little dizzy for a moment. He asks if she’s okay, and she says, he’s never made a woman swoon before? He suggests she go upstairs, and get comfortable. There’s still plenty of food and champagne. No reason they can’t still celebrate. She says she likes the way he thinks. Let’s do it. He helps her up, and she leaves. Ned says he’s sorry. He really hates that things went down like this today. Michael asks what he means. This is exactly what Ned wanted.

Carly asks if they’ve checked Drew’s office, and SEC1 says, they know where he isn’t. Tell them where he is. Carly says, go to hell, and SEC2 asks Diane if she has any advice for her client at this juncture. Diane says she thinks they all just heard her client make her position abundantly clear, and as for this tender moment caught by the GH security cameras, they could have footage of her client and Mr. Cain making out like hormonal teenagers, and they still have no indication of the actual substance of their conversation. So they’ll have to do a hell of a lot better than that. She slides the picture back across the table, and SEC1 says, her client, who had no previous investments in Aurora Media, made a seven figure stock purchase immediately prior to the proposed merger between Aurora and ELQ. The timing alone presents a strong enough argument of collusion and insider trading. Although they are within their rights to hold Miss Spencer for 24 hours without charging her. Diane asks, can her client at least get some coffee if this is going to turn into a staycation for her, or is that an upcharge? SEC1 throws up his hands, and Diane goes into the squad room with Carly.

Josslyn hugs Carly, and says she’s worried about her. Sonny walks in, and says, they all are.

Drew asks if Valentin has anything, but Valentin says he’s still trying to get a satellite signal; give him a second. Drew says, keep at it, but in the meantime – he unfolds a map – the plan remains the same. The Haunted Star docked here – he points – on the west side of the island about 14 hours ago. Curtis asks how far they are from the boat, and Drew tells them, he’d say less than an hour. The island is small; less than one square mile. They just have to cross the land mass without getting caught. Valentin says, good thing they’re dressed warmly, and Curtis says, just so they’re on the same page, they’re not here to take down Victor Cassadine. Whatever he has planned is between him and the Bureau. They have to stick to their original plan of rescuing Trina, Spencer, Obrecht, and the baby. This is no time for anyone’s personal vendetta. Are they clear? Valentin says, crystal.

Anna says, some of this is redacted, when there’s a knock at the door. Jordan walks in, saying, she needs to talk to Anna about… She stops short, and says, Andre. He says, it’s been a long time, and she says, years in fact. What is he doing in Port Charles? Anna says, he heard about her ordeal, and wanted to check on her. Jordan says, of course (🍷) he did. She’s sure this has nothing to do with the fact no one can reach Laura, Curtis, or Drew. And since Valentin isn’t here by Anna’s bedside, and Andre is, that means something’s going down. Please tell her that they haven’t gone off on some half-baked rescue mission of their own. Holly says, they can neither confirm nor deny a rescue mission, half-baked or otherwise, and Jordan says she was afraid of that. Anna says she should have looped Jordan in. Her bad. Sorry. Jordan says, so Valentin, Curtis, Laura, and Drew all went out to rescue Trina and the others, and cause an international incident in the process? Holly asks if it would help to know where they’re going doesn’t technically belong to a sovereign nation, and Jordan says, just tell her how she can reach them. Holly says, so she can wish them luck? and Jordan says, so she can tell them to stand down. Anna says, Valentin does have a sat phone, but the reception is dodgy at best, and Jordan says, give her the number. Anna says she will, but she thinks it’s important to let them at least try to bring the hostages back. Jordan says, convince her. Why is this their only option? Anna says, because while a world government is sitting around debating what they’re going to do and what action to take, they can run out of time saving them. Jordan asks what she means, run out of time, and Andre closes the door. Anna says, they believe that Victor has been searching for a weapon of mass destruction. Holly says, and she thinks she knows what kind of weapon… the end of civilization.

Michael ask if Ned remembers what he said to him and Drew last fall, and Ned flashes back to saying, Michael’s mother knew about the potential merger; that’s why she bought the stock. That’s called insider trading, and it’s illegal. Martha Stewart went to prison for much less. Luckily for them, no one’s looked into it. It’s something they need to consider. Michael says, Ned threatened Drew that he could tip off the SEC. Now he has. Ned says, if Michael really thinks so little of him that he would send Michael’s mother to prison while his wife is dying, then Michael doesn’t know him at all. Michael says he guesses Ned is right. He really doesn’t.

Diane asks if Dante has any idea where Drew is, and he says, Drew was supposed to be at the wedding, walking Willow down the aisle. He guesses Drew’s plans changed. She asks if he thinks Drew got wind of the SEC’s interest and bolted, but he says, Drew doesn’t strike him as the type. She says, at least Carly isn’t antagonizing two federal agents for someone who ran off and left her holding the bag.

Carly says, the SEC knows about her and Drew; does Sonny know who might have said something? He says, the only people he knows who know about this are Brick and Olivia, and they would not say anything. Josslyn asks if they’re still holding Carly, and Carly says, yes. They think she knows where Drew is. Sonny says, does she? and lowering her voice, she says, he went after Victor to find Liesl, so he can bring her home to save Willow. And if the authorities find him, and get in his way… Sonny says, excuse him for a second, and leaves.

Brick says, Dex was with Sonny when he was ambushed. What was his take on the shooter? Dex says, he was a pro. He only missed the first shot because Dex saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Once he had them pinned, he was methodical. Brick says, so ex-military, and Dex says, almost certainly. Brick says, but a ghost. No fingerprints, DNA, nothing showed up on the database. Someone invested a whole lot of money to make this guy invisible. Dex wonders why he was after Sonny, and Brick says, that’s what Sonny wants to know. Brick’s phone rings, and he says, speaking of the devil. He asks Sonny, what’s up? and Sonny says, Carly and Drew are in a jam. He needs a favor. Brick says, name it, and while he’s talking, Dex sets the tiny camera up. Brick says he’ll get his people on it asap. No problem. Brick tells Dex that he has to take care of something for Sonny. Is he good here? Dex says, all good, and Brick leaves. A guard or whatever comes in, and Dex looks around nervously. Remind me not to send him to spy for me.

Scotty tells Portia that he knows what it’s like trying to distract yourself so your mind doesn’t go to bad places. Hell, he hasn’t been able to sleep in a while. He also knows what it’s like not to be able to help your child. Not that this is the same thing. She says, he doesn’t have to justify his fear. He loves Liesl, and they’re both here because the fear for their loved ones right now. He says, it’s the helplessness he can’t stand. Ever since Trina and Liesl were kidnapped, he has the sneaking suspicion he’s been kept in the dark. Robert, Anna, Felicia, and Laura. He thinks they know exactly when Victor has his martinis, and this whole Holly coming back to town… He thinks it’s all connected to Luke Spencer’s death. She asks why he says that, and he tells her, because Luke ended them in ’81, and they’re sore losers. So Victor got rid of Luke, and now Luke’s family wants to get rid of Victor, but who’s their collateral damage? Her and him… Trina, Liesl. God forbid you cross the Cassadines or the Spencers. Portia says she wishes she didn’t agree with him, but she’ll tell him one thing. She’s going to do everything in her power to make sure Spencer Cassadine does not come near her daughter ever again. And when Curtis brings Trina home… He asks what she means. Does she know something?

Andre asks what Holly found, and she hands him the tablet. He looks at it with Anna, and Holly says, the original dossier on the Cassadines from 1981. It’s got conversations between senior directors at the Bureau that even Robert wasn’t privy to back then. Anna says, so what they’re looking at are the psyche profiles of the three Cassadine brothers; Mikkos, Victor, and Tony. Ha-ha-ha! Tony? Which one of these things is not like the others? Anna says, Tony was more interested in living his playboy lifestyle than pulling off any kind of grand scheme. Jordan says, so no mastermind, and Holly says, unlike Mikkos, who was a megalomaniac, entirely fueled by greed and power. Jordan asks how this is different from Victor, and Anna says, while their actions might be very similar, their motivations were very different. Victor has always been an idealist, and evil certainly. Where Mikkos wanted to control the world, Victor was always determined to fix it. He really believed that these weapons they were developing would curtail the developing population that he believed was draining the resources of the world. Jordan asks if this is what Victor is trying to do now, and Anna says, Project Demeter. Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, who was so brokenhearted over her daughter Persephone; that’s what gave us the seasons. Holly says, in Greek mythology, one prayed and worshiped Demeter because she was responsible for the weather, and Andre says, is that the threat they’re dealing with? Could Victor be trying to reverse the climate crisis, and if so, why would he need hostages? Anna tells them, it says here that weather related tech was only one of the brother’s endeavors… Could Project Demeter be the Bureau’s attempt at retrieving all those weapons forty years ago? Holly says, scroll down.  There’s another weapon that hasn’t been accounted for yet. Anna scrolls down, and Jordan asks what it is. Anna says, an engineered virus, one that only a small portion of the population would be immune to. Jordan asks, how many wouldn’t be immune? and Anna says, according to this, the pathogen would be lethal to 80% of the population. Holly asks if this is what Victor’s idealism has led him to; saving the planet at the expense of 80% of the population? They have to get the WSB. She takes out her phone, but Andre puts his hand over it, and says, no. They can’t.

Ned says, Michael is dangerously close to saying things he can’t take back. Things that will make him look very bad when the truth comes out. Willow and Brook walk in as Michael says, the truth is, Ned is the one who pitched coming together to force Valentin out. Then when Drew put his company on the line, Ned double-crossed him. But Ned still thought he was a threat, so he turned Drew over to the SEC, and Michael’s mom was collateral damage. They all know Ned has no qualms about selling any of them out if it keeps him in power at ELQ. He even threw his own daughter out. Brook says, that’s enough, and Ned says, she’s right, it is, and walks out. Brook follows him, and Willow looks at Michael.

SEC1 tells Carly, good news. She’s free to go. Diane wonders what’s prompted this sudden change of heart, and he says, they found Drew Cain. He boarded a flight from San Diego to Maui fifteen minutes ago. In the meantime, the investigation is still ongoing, and charges could be pending. Diane says, understood, and she leaves with the SEC guys to finalize details. Carly tells Josslyn, the hell? Why does the SEC think Drew’s on his way to Maui? Sonny walks back in.

Valentin says he’s going to scope the area to see if he can find a satellite signal, and Drew says he’ll go to, to keep an eye out for Victor’s men. They leave, and Curtis asks how Laura is holding up. She says she’s cold, but also sort of energized. He asks if it takes her back to a more adventurous time, and she says, something like that. She’s trying to remember a time before all this madness began. Before the Cassadines infiltrated her life and tried to take it over. The first time she crossed paths with Victor and his brother, she was Trina’s age, and now Trina is on the Haunted Star. That’s the ship Helena gave to her and Luke for a wedding gift and then she cursed it, and she liked her curses. He says he’s not sure he much believes in curses, and she says she didn’t think that she did either, but Helena’s words have been looming over her for decades, and every time she thinks she’s gotten past it, it comes right back to haunt her again. He says, okay, so Helena’s dead. Hasn’t she won? Laura laughs and says, has she? The Cassadines keep finding ways to hurt her and her family, and now it’s her grandsons. It’s got to stop. Curtis says, then they stop it. If she says it’s a curse, it’s a curse. Then they break it, once and for all. She says she likes the sound of that.

Andre says, they can’t share their theory with the Bureau. Not now. Anna says she thinks they have more than just a theory, and Holly says, there’s a biological agent that could wipe out most of the world’s population. If not now, when? Andre says, let him put it like this. If she were the WSB and received this intel, what would she do? How would the Bureau react and respond to this information? Jordan says, clue her in, and Anna tells her that she thinks what Andre is saying is, if the Bureau finds out there’s a large scale weapon on the island, they’ll do everything in their power to neutralize it. Jordan asks if that’s not what they want, and Andre says, not if they send an aerial assault team to contain the virus. Anna says, they have to make a choice between saving eight people – Jordan says, including a babyand saving eight billion. They’ll just bomb it. They’ll just wipe that island off the map, killing everyone. But might that not release the weapon? Just saying.

Carly asks what Sonny did, and he asks what she means. She says, the SEC found evidence that Drew’s heading west? Sonny says he hopes Drew can stay ahead of them, and she says, Drew wasn’t in San Diego, and he definitely wasn’t headed to Maui. He says, as long as it keeps the SEC busy, that’s all that matters, and she says, he didn’t have to do this. He says, do what? He knows things haven’t been great between them, but they’re still family; all of them. He tells her to keep him posted, and leaves.

Michael says he’s sorry he lost his cool like that, and Willow says, he’s worried about his mom, for good reason. He says, she’d be the first one to tell him not to waste this precious time, and Willow says, she’d be right. Willow wants to get back to the gatehouse, and spend some time with Wiley and Amelia. Let’s celebrate the start of our marriage with them. His phone rings, and he says, it’s his mom. Carly asks, how’s Willow? and he says, she’s fine. She’s just anxious for Carly. Carly says, it was dicey for a while, when they asked her where Drew was off to, and he asks what she said. She says she didn’t have to say anything. They’re under the impression Drew is headed to Hawaii. He asks, how? and she says, Michael’s father.

Jordan says, they couldn’t possibly, but Holly says, the Bureau’s focus is the greater good; protecting the many over the few. And as heartless as it may sound, they’d consider Trina, Spencer, and the baby expendable. Anna says, they must remember though, that Victor did take Obrecht to that island, presumably to make the pathogen viable. If she knows anything about Liesl, she won’t make it easy for him. Andre says, which means they have some time, and Jordan says, time for what? Holly says, time for Laura and the rest to bring the hostages home before they alert the Bureau to the situation. Andre says, it’s a calculated risk; Victor could still release the pathogen. Jordan says, well what’s the point in saving the world if they can’t save the people they care about?

Portia tells Scotty that she doesn’t actually know much. She just knows Curtis left town because he left her a note. Scotty says he doesn’t think Curtis would leave town by himself. Who went with him? She thinks he should speak to Anna, and he says he will. He thanks her, and leaves.

Valentin and Drew come back, and Valentin says, good news. He got a sat signal. They’re about half a mile from the Haunted Star. Curtis says, that’s good. Let’s go. They start to walk, when Drew says, whoa, and they all stop. He says, footprints. Would Victor have his guards patrolling this far? They hear voices, and hide behind a huge rock. A man says, so far no timetable on how long this thing is going to last. Two men come by, and one says, it’s deserted. The other says, we’re getting paid a lot more than a standard fee. We see Valentin’s phone in the snow.

Carly asks if they’re done here, but Diane says, not quite. There’s another matter Carly needs to be made aware of. Pending the SEC investigation, all of Drew’s accounts and assets have been frozen. Carly says, that’s ridiculous, and Diane says, so have Carly’s.

Ned says, can Brook believe it? For Michael to accuse him like that? Insinuate that he would… She says, double-cross Drew? Secure his own position as CEO and make sure Drew isn’t a threat? Sounds like his standard tactics to her. She walks off.

Willow says, Sonny sent the SEC down the wrong trail to buy Drew time, and Michael says, he really stepped up for her. Willow says, not just for her; for Michael too.

Dante says he’s got the feeling Sonny had something to do with this hit on Drew’s location, and Josslyn says, no comment. He asks why she’s not celebrating then… because it was Sonny. She says, no comment, and he says he knows she thinks Sonny did wrong by her mother and Michael, but maybe this is a sign that one day he’ll make things right.

Brick says, they’ve got company, and Pikeman’s guards come in. In a low voice, Brick tells Dex that their boss is fashionably late. Dex says, we’re ready. Where’s their boss? A guard asks, where’s his? and Sonny says he’s here. Are they going to get this started, or what? Dex glances at the camera. Again, he is no spy.

Anna says, so they’re in agreement. They’re going to wait for Valentin and  the crew to bring everyone back. Jordan asks, how much time? but Anna says she doesn’t know. They’ll have to figure it out. They can’t stall forever obviously. Andre says he has some contacts in the Canadian military; people he trusts. He’ll get word that they might want to get within striking distance. Anna thanks him, and Holly says she’ll try to reach Valentin. He needs to know about this. They leave, and Jordan asks if Anna needs something else. The worst she can say is no, so ask. Anna says, the Bureau is probably going to run its investigation through Jordan’s department, and if they find out the location of the island or what Victor’s really up to… Jordan says she’ll run interference for as long as she can, and Anna thanks her.

Anna’s room door is open a crack, and Scotty listens outside. Jordan says, they have to keep this under wraps. People would panic if they knew Victor had a biological weapon.

Jordan looks at the picture of her and Trina from the wedding, and says, come home, baby girl. Please, please come home.

On the phone, Holly says, come on Valentin. Please pick up.

One of the Greenland guards suggests they go back, and the other says, sounds good to him. They start to move on, when Valentin’s phone rings. A guard says, hear that?

On Monday, Laura says, they give Victor exactly what he’s looking for; Anna says, Scotty does understand people’s lives are at stake; Martin asks, what was so important Nina needed to see him the moment he landed; and Victor has complete faith that Obrecht can do just that.

🥳 Like a Bad Penny…

I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to run against Betty White for anything either.

👠 Bursting the Bubble…

Of course it would be weird. Most people don’t act like total lunatics when it comes to their brother, especially after they’ve served a prison term.

💎 All Hail the Queen…

Actually, I think she’s too good for RHOBH, but whatever she wants.

🍸 Can’t Look Away…

When the worst human being on earth has something to say about his competition, even I have to listen. I disagree though. I don’t think Katie would have stood for Schwartz’s wishy-washiness forever. At least I hope not. He was a terrible husband.

🦘 Coming Soon To an Australia Near You…

I remember being surprised this even existed the first time around. Secret Housewives.

🐕 Let’s All Squee Together…

There’s some serious adorableness going on here.

https://www.rover.com/blog/favorite-celebrity-pets/

🐳 Quotes of the Week

Quitting can be a hard choice to make, but it’s also a brave one as well.Susan David

The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket.Kin Hubbard

The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress. – Frederick Douglass

I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.Abraham Lincoln

You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist. – Indira Gandhi

Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest. – Mark Twain

When you change your thoughts, remember to also change your world. – Norman Vincent Peale

He’s a Libra moon. That says a lot. – Alice (Rachel Sennott), Bodies, Bodies, Bodies

🎋 Seeing If the Grass Is Really Greener…

Circle back on Monday really Tuesday for soap, Sailing, and the never-ending reality of the House that shall not be named. Until then, stay safe, stay giving more than receiving, and stay never hiring Dex to be your spy. His face is a dead giveaway.

September 20, 2022 – Portia Suspects a Sinister Explanation, Unexpected Exit, a Scare, New Gig, Yummy Preview, Protective Bro, Revenge, The Queen’s Corgis & Breathe

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly puts flowers on Virginia Benson’s grave, and says, it’s been so long since she’s been here; too long. She meant to come by many times, but something always came up. Excuses, excuses, right? It seems so fitting that after everything she’s been through, she would end up here in Jacksonville with her mother.

Jordan says she doesn’t even know how to respond to this, and Curtis says, the truth would be a great start. She asks if he thinks she’d sabotage his happiness and his upcoming wedding like that? and he says, if she still had feelings for him, maybe. She says, of course (🍷) she still has feelings. They just don’t up and disappear. He’s moved on with his life, and he and his fiancé are sharing a new home now, so… He says he’s still not hearing an answer; yes or no?

Elizabeth says she’s scared, and Doc says he understands. It’s all right. He’s here with her. She was talking about the staircase. Is the woman still at the bottom? She says, yes. Elizabeth was so angry with her, telling her to stay away from her father. Now she’s not moving. Elizabeth gasps, and Doc asks what she sees.

Gregory says he knows Finn’s thoughts are with Elizabeth, and Alexis says, she’s in really good hands with Doc. Finn says he knows, but Alexis has her own stuff going on. How is Kristina? She says, Kristina’s unsettled, but she’s not hurt, and Brando seems to be out of danger, so she’s grateful. Gregory says, but it won’t stop there, will it? and Alexis says, not if the same person who attacked Brando attacked Ava. Finn says, the real question is, does the public have the right to know a lunatic is out there with a hook, and could very well strike again?

Nina says, Sonny can finally breathe, and he says, Brando is out of surgery; he’s going to be okay. She says, he’s a strong guy; it’s probably in the genes. He says, his dad loved Brando. Who wouldn’t? Brando is amazing, loyal, generous… Gladys joins them, and says, and he’s alive. She’s never been more relieved. She thought she lost him. She thought she lost her boy. Sonny says, Brando is with them right now. He’s where he belongs. He hugs Gladys.

Sasha runs out of Brando’s room, yelling, please help! She tells Brando, it’s okay, and Portia, Deanna, and another nurse run in with a crash cart. Sasha says she thought everything was okay. What’s happening? Portia tells Deanna, get her out of here, and Deanna gently pushes Sasha out the door. She tells Sasha, they need room to work, and Sasha asks, what’s happening? Please save him. Deanna closes the door, and Portia says, check his stats. The other nurse says, his pulse is 30 and dropping, and Portia says some medical stuff, and asks for lorazepam.

Carly says she couldn’t wait to get away. From Virginia, the condo, all the mistakes she made. Get to Port Charles and claim the life she knew was hers. She had it for a while. A husband, family, money, a career. Even that social status she was so fixated on. She had the right car, the right clothes, and the right address. No condo for her. She had an estate on the lake, until it all came crashing down like a house of cards. She’s fine; she’s not destitute or anything. But she’s here, back in this place; like a round trip ticket to where she started.

Jordan says, she signed the papers, put them in an envelope, and left them on her desk, and Curtis says, but they never got them. Jordan flashes back to Stella, saying, she took the papers, but doesn’t know what happened to them, and Jordan and Curtis are still married. Jordan tells Curtis that she never saw them again. They can sign new ones and move forward. It’s what she wants. He says, okay. If she says she doesn’t know what happened to the papers, he believes her. She says, hallelujah, and he says, but he does have another question. If there were no papers, and he hadn’t asked for a divorce, would they still be married? Again, Superman fighting the dinosaurs.

Stella sees TJ in his lab coat, and asks if he’s wearing his dinner attire or is dinner off. He says he meant to text her back; it’s been crazy around here. She asks if everything is all right, and he says, it is now. She knows his friend Brando… She says, of course (🍷), Mike’s cousin, and he says, they almost lost him tonight, but he pulled through. She says, thank goodness, for Brando and his family, but also for TJ. Good friends are hard to come by. He says, so are wonderful aunts.

Alexis says, on one hand, there’s the people’s right to know, and Gregory says, on the other hand, there’s getting involved in a police investigation, and everything that comes with that. Finn says, and here he thought medicine was complicated. He looks at his watch, and Gregory tells him to go meet Elizabeth. We’ve got this. Finn says he’ll check in later and leaves. Alexis asks, who is this we that Gregory is speaking of?

Doc asks if the woman is someone Elizabeth knows, and she says she thinks so. He says, but Elizabeth still can’t see her face, and Elizabeth says, no. He tells her, it’s all right; she’s safe. She’s doing great. Look up at the top of the stairs. Is someone there too? She says, yes; someone’s there. In her mind, she runs up the stairs, and sees Peter lying on the landing. She says, no! and Doc asks who else she sees.

Sonny leaves a voicemail for Carly, saying, the kids are fine. There’s a lot going down right now. Can she call him as soon as she can? A man sitting nearby says, bad news? but Sonny says, no; just the opposite, really good news. The man says, at his age, you have to wonder if there’s a difference, and Sonny laughs.

Portia says, Brando needs another round, and Deanna says, his heart rate’s plummeting. Portia says some more medical stuff, and that he has to be prepped for a dopamine drip. Outside, Sasha is looking through the window, and says, fight for us. Remember what we mean to each other. Everything they’ve been through, good and bad. There’s a song part – Sia’s Breathe Me – and Sasha goes down Brando Memory Lane. She remembers them meeting, Brando saving her after her overdose, a kiss under the mistletoe, their first time having sex in the garage. She flashes back to telling him she’s pregnant, and Brando saying he wants be part their child’s life. She remembers Liam being born, and the end of Liam’s life, telling him, Liam Mike Corbin. You were here for such a short time, but you made quite the impact. She flashes back to Brando saying he loves her, getting married in Niagara Falls, and telling him that he’s her family. He’s all the family she needs. (breathe me)

Portia says, this makes no sense. Brando was trending up after surgery. It’s like his body’s been hit by something else, and it’s wrecking his whole system. Deanna says, they’re losing him, and she says, the hell we are, and tells them to start chest compressions. Brando flatlines, and Portia says, come on, as Sasha watches.

Carly says she’s never going to escape it, is she? It doesn’t matter that she clawed her way to the top in Port Charles. In Jacksonville, she’s always going to be Caroline Benson from the wrong side of town. The tacky little wannabe, trying to pretend she belongs with the kids who go to the country club. She can hear Virginia now; be content with what you have, Caroline. It’s more than what you think. As a kid, she resented that. She took it as though Virginia wanted to hold her back; that Virginia didn’t think she was good enough to want more or better. But she understands now what Virginia meant was, she was wonderful just the way she was. She’s sorry she couldn’t hear it, for Virginia’s sake and hers.

Doc brings Elizabeth out of her hypnotic state, and she says she’s sorry. She can’t do this. She gets up, and he says, it’s all right. Is she sure she doesn’t want to try again? It seemed they were getting somewhere. She says she’s positive, and he says, they’ll pick it up again on Tuesday. She can’t get out fast enough, and closes the door behind her.

Curtis says he’s not accusing Jordan of anything. This is a legit curiosity. If things had been different… She says, yes. As far as she’s concerned, they’d still be together, but she’s not the one who ended their marriage. And it’s not an accusation or condemnation; it’s just a fact. Despite all the things that pulled them apart, she still loved him. He says he loved her too. It’s just… She says, there were things he couldn’t live with, and he says, the lies, the secrets. He knows that goes into marrying a cop, but it was bleeding into their personal life. He just never felt like he was on solid ground with her. She asks if that’s how he feels with Portia; like he’s on solid ground? He asks if she’s saying he’s not.

Gregory hands Alexis some coffee, and says, his treat. She says, big spender, and he says, that’s him. She says, he can spend a lot of money on her when they attend the panel at PCU, and he says he’s so glad she agreed to attend with him. She says, actually, she’s speaking on the panel, and he says, she just forgot to mention it? She says she’s mentioning it now, and he says, of course (🍷) she is. Always in a position of control. She says, look who’s talking. Finn, go take care pf Elizabeth. We got this. We? Who is this we? As in, we work on the paper – her paper – together? He says, she doesn’t value his opinion? and she says, when she asks  for it. All right. She’s asking for it. Don’t gloat. He tells her, stick to the facts. She doesn’t want to frighten her readers, just inform them. Appeal to their reason, not their emotions. She says, that right there is the problem; this is emotional. His son was thisclose to the boathouse where Ava was attacked. Her daughter was in the alley where Brando was hurt, so this is scary. And it’s making people angry. They need to channel those feelings into action. He says, such as? and she says, they write an open letter to whoever is terrorizing the town. They appeal to that person’s sense of vanity. He says, and then what? and she says, they wait for them to write back.

Elizabeth sees Finn, and hugs him. He asks how it went. Learn anything new? She says, she did. That she’s an excellent liar.

Sonny asks if he knows the man. He reminds Sonny of someone. The man says he gets that a lot. He’s George. And he is… Sonny says, his friends call him Sonny. He notices a racing form in George’s hands, and says, George may know his old man. He used to bet on the horses. George says, he just found it in the trash. He’s never been to a racetrack. What was his old man’s name? Sonny says, Mike, and George tells him, what he said before about good news? Don’t mind him. He’s overstayed his welcome, and should have checked out a long time ago. Sonny tells him that he shouldn’t say that. Everybody’s life matters. George asks if Sonny is a priest, and Sonny laughs. George asks, what’s so funny? and Sonny says, he’s not a priest.

Gladys asks if Nina wants to find Sasha, and join the party. Nina says, let’s do it, and they leave.  

Sasha looks at pictures of her and Brando on her phone. She says they wasted so much time together… No, actually she’s wasted it. She closes her eyes, and says, please give her another chance. Stay with her and she promises they’ll have a beautiful life together, making only happy memories. Please. She opens her eyes, and the lights dim for a moment. She says, Brando? and Portia comes out of his room.

Carly says, Virginia will never believe who she ran into; Reese’s mom, Mrs. Roberts. Of course (🍷) she goes by Mrs. Wade Honeycutt now. Carly didn’t recognize her (me neither). She has a different name, and she’s older, but there was something familiar about her. Carly remembers how she used to talk about her. Her car, how a great a tennis player she was, the amazing parties she used to have. She prays she never said the words she’s better than you, but that was the message. She was so wrong. Oh my God. She was so wrong about so many things. She’s so sorry. Sorry she didn’t see how amazing Virginia was. A light shines in Carly’s face, and a man asks what she’s doing here. She says, visiting her mom. Can he get the light out of her face? Who is he, and what is he doing here? He says he’s the night watchman, hired by the developers, and she asks, what developers? He says, she’s not from around here, is she? The land has been repurposed. The city declared eminent domain. Ugh. Don’t get me started on that. She says, they can’t just shut down a cemetery, but he says, it’s already happened. The graves in the north section have already been moved. They’ll move this section soon. She asks, why? and he says, to put in a parkway for better access to the beach. She says, can’t they just go around the cemetery to get to the beach? and he says he guesses not. She says, that’s crazy, and asks if the Jacksonville Beautification Guild is involved in any way. He says, they got the ball rolling, yeah, and she asks what’s going to happen to her mom. He says, Carly will need to move her.  

Jordan says she’s not trying to cause trouble for Curtis and Portia, but can you ever truly know a person to their absolute core? He says, maybe not, but you can sure get damn close. She says, believe it or not, she’s rooting for him. She hopes he gets everything he wants. He says he hopes the same for her.

Finn asks if Elizabeth wants to elaborate on this lying thing, and she says, Doc helped her reconnect with her memory. He says, on the staircase, and she says, not only the one from when she was a teenager, but a more recent one. He says, Peter, and she says, when her mind went there, she shut it down. Obviously, it’s not like she can tell Doc about that. Finn says, it’s his fault, but she says, no. He says he pushed Peter down the stairs, not her. If that’s preventing her from getting the help she needs… She says, he’s missing the point. She thinks the incident with Peter triggered her memory from when she was younger. He says, so she thinks she witnessed who pushed this woman down the stairs, and what happened with Peter brought it all to the surface, and she says, doesn’t he?

Sonny looks at the racing form, and tells George, his dad and Brando understood each other, despite the age difference. Or because of the age difference. That’s life. The longer you live, the more lives you touch. George’s eyes are closed, the lights dim, and he opens them. Sonny says, welcome back, and George asks Sonny, what’s his cousin’s name? Sonny says, Brando, and George says, don’t ask him how he knows, but Sonny is needed, and Sonny jets.

Sasha says, no… no, and Portia says she’s so sorry. Sasha says, no. They don’t get to take both Liam and Brando. They just don’t. Portia says, they did everything… but Sasha says, no. He was fine. He was laughing and talking. Brando wouldn’t leave her. Nina and Gladys arrive, and Gladys asks, what’s going on? Portia tells Gladys that she’s so sorry. There were complications. Her son didn’t make it. Sasha starts to cry, and Nina says, what? Portia says, she was telling Sasha, they did everything they could. Sasha falls to the floor, crying and calling out, Brando! and Nina runs to her. Everyone is crying, and I want to cry. Not that I’m particularly attached to Brando, but poor Sasha.

Sonny gets to Brando’s room, and sees everyone distraught. He says, Brando… and Nina says, she’s so sorry. Gladys tells Portia that she doesn’t understand. His eyes were open. He regained consciousness. Sonny asks, how did this happen? and Portia says, there were unforeseen complications. They might never know what really happened. Sasha says she can’t believe it. She doesn’t want to believe it. Nina says she knows how much Brando meant to Sonny, and wishes there was something she could say or do to help him. Portia goes back to Brando’s room, and Sonny says he wants to see Brando.

Gregory says, Alexis is actually going to invite a killer to write a letter to the editor? She says, it worked for Jack the Ripper, but Gregory says, except they never caught Jack the Ripper. It’s the longest cold case in history. She says, think about it. His ego wouldn’t allow him to remain silent. He was proud of his craft. He boasted about the killings. He taunted the police to the point where he dared them to catch him. He says, and she thinks she’ll have success where Scotland Yard couldn’t, and she says, it’s a different time now. Law enforcement has a lot more tools at their disposal. They’ve got DNA; they’ve got digital footprints. That sort of thing. He says, she’ll either get a Pulitzer or get indicted. He honestly doesn’t know which. She says, but he’s intrigued, and he says he is.

TJ and Stella see Curtis and Jordan, and TJ asks if everything is okay. Curtis says, they were catching up, but at the same time, Jordan says, they were consulting. TJ asks, which was it? and Jordan says, a bit of both. She was picking Curtis’s brain; drawing off those rusty P.I. skills of his. Curtis says, rusty? TJ’s mom is determined to find who tried to kill Brand. Jordan says she will. She looks at Stella, and says, even the darkest secret can’t stay secret forever. Portia runs up to TJ, and says she’s been looking for him. There’s something he needs to know.

Sonny goes into Brando’s room, and Deanna says she’s so sorry about his cousin. He thanks her, and she says, she knows it’s cold comfort, but that doesn’t make it any less true; Brando’s at peace now. He says he’s just worried about the rest of them, and she says she’ll give Sonny some time with him. The nurses leave, and Sonny tells Brando that he left them way too soon. Him, Liam, and Mike, take care of each other, up there, and he’ll take care of Sasha and Brando’s mother, and everybody else. He promises Brando that.

TJ says he should call Molly, and fumbles to find his phone. Curtis says they can take that off his plate, but he says, Molly should hear it from him. It just doesn’t make any sense. Stella says, what doesn’t? and he says, the surgery was successful. The damage to his lung was repaired, and all the bone fragments removed. And the symptoms Portia described weren’t even consistent with sepsis. Jordan asks what he thinks went wrong, but he says he doesn’t know, and leaves.

Elizabeth tells Finn, she could see the woman at the bottom of the stairs. She just couldn’t see who pushed her. He says, there’s no pressure, okay? It’s like a hike or climbing a mountain. You don’t race to the top; you take it one step at a time. She asks what he just said, and he says, mountain climbing. You put one foot in front of the other, and that’s… She says, how you reach the summit. He says, what just happened up there? and Portia runs up. She says she’s so sorry to interrupt, but she needs a consult. It’s very important. Elizabeth says, it’s okay. They can finish this later. There’s something she has to take care of anyway. She leaves.

Carly tells the watchman, she’s sorry, but this is insane. Her mom gets dug up like she’s some kind of potted plant? He says, most of the families have already made arrangements, and she asks why she wasn’t notified. He says, Virginia Benson, and takes out his phone. He says, the records on file have Jason Morgan. They reached out, but never heard back. She says, Jason is no longer with them, but she’s here, and these people aren’t going to get away with this. She strides off…

And walks right into the hotel restaurant, where Peyton is on the phone. She whips the phone out of Peyton’s hand, and Peyton says, what on earth…? Carly says, if Peyton thinks for one second her mother is leaving her resting place, she’s lost her mind.

Elizabeth knocks at Doc’s office door, and walks in. She says she thinks she remembered something.

Finn asks, what’s going on? and Portia says, it’s about Brando Corbin. He asks how Brando is doing, and she says, they lost him. Finn says, what? and she says, she’s hoping he can tell her why, handing him her tablet.  

Sonny comes out, and Deanna tells the others that they can go in now, but Gladys says she doesn’t know if she can. Sonny says, no one’s making either of them. If they want to take their time before they go in, or if they decide they don’t want to go in, that’s fine. Deanna leaves, and Sasha says she’s ready. Will Sonny come with her? He holds out his hand, and I love Sonny at this moment. He takes her in, and Gladys and Nina follow them.  

Peyton says, Carly is invading her personal space, and backing Peyton up while she talks, Carly says, and Peyton is invading the cemetery where her mother is buried, but of course (🍷) she is, because all the good people are buried at Briarcliff. She doesn’t see Peyton trying to dig that place up. Peyton says, Briarcliff is not blocking beach access, and Carly says, Peyton is unbelievable. She’s so bizarrely entitled, she actually thinks it’s her right to trample all over people, anything to get what she wants. Peyton says, I don’t know what to tell you, Caroline, and Carly says, it’s Carly. Peyton says, everything was done according to the bylaws. She’s sorry Carly is upset by this sudden shocking news. Maybe Carly should have come back and seen her mother in the last ten years or so. Do herself a favor, and hop on that flight to Aruba, and never come back. Carly says, screw Aruba. She’s staying right here and fighting for her mother. She dares Peyton to try and stop her.  

Doc says, have a seat and take a breath, but Elizabeth says she’s fine. Doc says, if he’s being candid, she doesn’t seem fine, and she tells him, Finn just said something to her, and it’s like she was struck by lightning. Doc asks what Finn said, and she tells him, Finn mentioned mountain climbing, something she used to hear a lot in Boulder. Doc says, there are a lot of mountains in Colorado, and she says, those exact words were spoken by someone else – her father. What if it was him? What if he pushed the woman down the stairs?

Alexis tells Gregory, maybe this open letter strategy is wrong. Maybe she should just write an article. Let people know the weapon used in both attacks was a hook. He says, letting people in on there being a potential serial killer is a big deal; one with reverberating consequences. She says, but there’s consequences if they sit on information. If Gregory lived in this town where this were happening to people he loved – he says, which he does – wouldn’t he want to be informed so he could be prepared? He says, and if being informed comes at the cost of a police investigation? and she says, maybe it will help the investigation. Isn’t that what they want? Assuming any of this would help. Deanna is walking by with the other nurse, and says, watching Sasha Gilmore walk into that room… she was about to say goodbye to her husband. Alexis and Gregory listen, and the other nurse says, it was just so wrong. Brando Corbin seemed fine, like he was going to be okay. Deanna says, then suddenly he wasn’t. They go into the elevator, and Alexis says she’s running with the article. Does he still object? He says, hell no. They need to nail this bastard before another family has a funeral.

Finn tells Portia that he’s happy to help, but his expertise is in infectious diseases, not forensics. She says, that’s exactly why she came to talk to him. Even the most experienced medical examiner might assume that Brando died as a result of his wound… Or they were led to think so. The symptoms he had at the time of his death… Finn says, the seizures, the coughing up blood, and she says, which came out of nowhere. They don’t track with his injuries. She can’t help but think there might be another, more sinister explanation.

Jordan hugs TJ, and asks if he talked to Molly. He nods, and she says she hates that he’s hurting. Is there anything she can do? He says, what he’s feeling is nothing compared to what Brando’s family is going through. He doesn’t understand how it happened or why it happened, and Stella says, sometimes there’s no reason. The Lord give, and the Lord taketh away. She hugs him, and suggests they pray for his friend, and for all those who loved him. They join hands, Jordan and Curtis exchanging glances before they do, and Stella says, dear Lord… Grant Brando eternal tranquility, and relief from all pain and suffering. We see Sasha bending down to Brando on the bed, and Gladys sitting on the other side; Sonny and Nina standing. Stella says, and relief from pain and suffering. Let light perpetual shine upon him, and may his soul, and all the souls of the departed, rest in peace. Amen. Sasha strokes Brando’s face.

Tomorrow, Brook asks if she’s being fired; Valentin tells Victor, it would be a mistake to provoke Sonny Corinthos; Selina says, it seems things are getting dangerous in Port Charles; and the hook strikes again.

🚑 Like You Didn’t Know Already…

About Brando’s exit.

And why… maybe.

https://soapdirt.com/why-is-brando-leaving-general-hospital/

🏥 The Long Fight…

Now we know why OG Michael keeps coming and going.

💉 Life After GH…

V.C. Andrews, the cash cow that keeps giving milk even after death. This does sound pretty good though.

🥪 Something About Sandwiches…

They look mighty tasty, but what’s with the twine wrapped around them? Do I have to unpack the sandwich?

https://www.bravotv.com/vanderpump-rules/style-living/katie-maloney-ariana-madix-show-something-about-her-sandwiches-preview

🍸 Family No More…

One question. How expensive was that whiskey?

🥊 Duking It Out Socially…

Is it me? I’m Team Joe here. Teresa has acted like a lunatic as long as Joe and Melissa have been on the show. She topped herself this season though. I think her love bubble destroyed what little brain cells she still had.

🐶 About the Dogs…

In case, like me, your first question was, what happens to the dogs?

https://www.today.com/pets/pets/queen-corgi-funeral-windsor-castle-rcna48347

👑 The lessons from the peace process are clear; whatever life throws at us, our individual responses will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load. – Queen Elizabeth II

🍡 Blowing This Pop Stand…

Luring you back tomorrow with promises of soap, my disgust with Beverly Hills, and of course some music. Until then, stay safe, stay not making snap decisions unless you have to, and stay not keeping secrets. Because even the darkest secret can’t stay secret forever.

June 3, 2022 – Sonny Won’t Let Nina Go, Why, Opening Up, Joining Salem, a Farewell, So She Claims, Reaction, VanderNews, Premieres, New Motel, Quotes of Eight & Somebody

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sonny picks up Nina’s necklace from in front of Nelle’s gravestone. I knew it!

In a cab, Nina tells the driver that she’s going to the airport; the international terminal. Her phone dings, but she brushes it aside.

On the phone, Sonny tells Phyllis not to worry. He’s going to find her.

Sam says, when Cody said, partners in crime, is he talking about Detective Falconari? Cody says he can’t wrap his head around the cop part. This guy’s mom sent him to summer camp to keep him out of trouble, and he got in a lot more while he was there. Dante says, that was because of Cody, and Cody says, right. He’s the one who led Dante astray; Dante’s the innocent one. Sam says, they’ve known each other that long? and Cody says, we were twelve? Thirteen? Dante says, twelve. He came home from school one day, and his mom had a bag packed. He was going to camp for the summer. Stay out of trouble and get into nature. Sam says, and Cody was the bad influence that corrupted Dante? Cody says he was a bad influence, but so was Dante back in the day.

Josslyn sees Cameron at the pool, putting out towels, and says, two shifts? Kelly’s, now here? He says, with everything going on with his mom, he figured he could use the extra work, and she asks if they can talk about what’s going on with them.

In front of her house, Trina says she can’t believe she and Rory stayed out so long, and he says he guesses that means they were having a good time. She says she guesses so, and thanks him for everything back at the pool, and for dinner, and for ice cream. She’ll pay him back for everything. He tells her not to worry about it, and thanks her for introducing him to that amazing food truck. She says, right? She only knew about it because it goes by PCU on certain days. He says, another testament to her incredible taste. Good art, good food. He can’t wait to see what else she introduces him to.

Spencer says he promises whatever Esme has to say, he’ll listen, but can he please go first? He’s had a lot of time to think about what she said to him; how he takes her for granted, and how Trina gets under his skin. But he evades every time she calls him out on it, and he realized she’s right. She deserves some answers.

Ava says, don’t tell her that he hired a divorce lawyer already, and Nikolas says, no, but he was ready to give up on their marriage. She says she was too. She drew a line in the sand, and she was ready to walk away. Thankfully, she realized it was the last thing she wanted. They can find their way back from this, can’t they?

Dante says, Cody didn’t corrupt him, but he definitely coerced Dante into going along with his more harebrained schemes. Cody says, like Dante didn’t have any suggestions, and Dante says, Cody knows it wasn’t his idea or choice to take a canoe out in the middle of the lake, and tip it over on purpose. Cody starts laughing and banging the table, and says, they pretended they were drowning, and yelled, help! help! until the prettiest CIT came over. Dante tells Sam, that’s Counselor-in-Training, and Cody says, she swam over. She – air quotes – rescued us – end air quotes – and boy she was mad. Dante says, they got banned from the beach for the rest of the summer, and Cody says, then Dante stole all the camp director’s cigarettes out of his cabin. Dante says, and why did he do that? and Cody says, because he dared Dante to. Dante says, they got busted because this guy smoked every cigarette in the pack, and started puking all over the place, and Cody says, nothing like a little adrenaline rush to let you know you’re alive. Sam says, it’s like jumping out of a plane and crash-landing on an unsuspecting woman, and Cody says, talk about mad… and pretty. She actually reminds him of that CIT. Still, if she hadn’t been there, it would have been a perfect landing. Dante says, instead of a potential negligence lawsuit, and Cody says, look at Dante, former renegade, embracing the straight and narrow path to a humdrum life. Dante says he doesn’t know if staring down the barrel of a loaded gun is as dangerous as jumping out of a plane, and Cody says he’s just messing with Dante. He’s going to get another round for that dinner Dante is going to buy him. He gets up, and puts his hand on his back. Sam asks if he’s okay, and Cody says, that tumble just fired up some old injuries. He’s good. A little pain just lets you know you’re alive. He goes to the bar, and Sam wonders why Dante never mentioned him before. Dante says he doesn’t know. They saw each other at summer camp, had a helluva time, but they lost touch after Dante stopped going. Sam says, that’s too bad. He seems like a good guy. Dante says, he is a good guy. Good at getting in trouble.

Josslyn says she feels like she and Cameron should be able to tell each other everything by now. Unless this is something bigger. Does he feel like they need time or something? He says, no. He doesn’t want that. Does she? She says she doesn’t know what else to do. Clearly, something is going on. Cameron flashes back to telling Spencer that he’s not going to lose Josslyn because Spencer can’t keep his head in the game. Make it happen, or he will. Cameron says, Josslyn is right. There’s something he has to tell her. She says, okay, when Adam walks in. Cameron says, isn’t that…? and she says, the creep who tried to hit on her when she thought they were just study buddies? Adam says he’s sorry to interrupt, but he really needs to talk to her.

Taggert tells Portia that he was hoping Trina would get home before he left, and she says, Trina is actually supposed to be back by now, but she has been working a lot. Dealing with everything hanging over her head, Portia doesn’t blame her. She wishes there was something she could do to make things better, and Taggert says, she will. He asks her to give Trina a big hug from her dad, and she says she sure will. Trina’s still a daddy’s girl; don’t worry. Taggert opens the door to find Rory and Trina standing there, and asks, sweetheart, who’s your friend?

Nikolas downs a drink, and Ava says, they had a fight; so do most couples. She just had to remember everything they’ve shared. How they’ve survived, despite everyone’s predictions to the contrary. Because they love each other. Because they understand each other. It’s going to take a helluva lot more than an argument to sever that bond. He flashes back to… I don’t want to talk about it, and says, to be fair, it was more than one argument. There are things between them that aren’t easy to resolve. She says, nothing between them has been easy, and it hasn’t stopped them yet, but he says, she walked away from him; from them. He thought it was over. She says she thought so too, but it’s because they’re both stubborn, passionate people. When they’re at odds, things can get really ugly, but when they’re together, they’re unbeatable. That’s the problem. They stopped working as a team. They started to let their own agendas drive them, and forgot to protect this life they’ve created together. That life is beautiful. It’s remarkable, and utterly their own. And she’s not going to let Spencer and Esme tear it down.

Spencer says he’s so sorry for how bad things have gotten between him and Esme. He’s so sorry for the way he treated her. He takes her hand, and asks if she’ll please forgive him.

On the phone, Sonny asks if Brick can track down Nina for him. She’s not returning his calls, his texting, or nothing… He’s just afraid she’s not in a great state of mind, and she might do something she’s going to regret.

Nina thanks the driver for making the stop; she left her passport in the office. She realizes her necklace is gone, and asks him to wait. They have to make another stop before he drives her to the airport.

Cody comes back with beers, and says, to Port Charles finest. That means Dante. Dante says, to unexpected reunions, and they clink bottles. Sam says, no wedding ring; he’s not married? He says, free as a bird, and she says, no kids? He says, no, and she asks if there’s anyone special in his life. He says, she asks a lot of questions, and Dante says, Sam is a private investigator; occupational hazard. Sam says, it’s like jumping out of a plane and landing on a roof. It’s sort of like skydiving. Is that what Cody does for a living, or is it his side hustle? Cody says, actually, for a long time, he was a stunt horseback rider, and Dante says, cool. Cody was always good with horses. Cody says he grew up around them, and when he moved out west, he worked on ranches. That’s where he learned stunt riding, but after too many tumbles, he had to hang up his saddle. Now he makes a living doing short term gigs. Sam asks if dropping out of the sky isn’t hard on his back, and he says, yeah. He’ll probably have to quit that too. So how long have Sam and Dante been together? Dante asks if Sam wants to take that one, and she says, they’re coming up on a year. Cody asks how they met, and Dante says, Sam has been a family friend for years. Sam says, her ex-husband was best friends with Dante’s father. Cody says, Dante found his father. He remembers Dante wanted to know who he was. Dante says he got to know his father a little over 10 years ago, and Cody says, that’s significant; tell him about him. Dante says, he’s a businessman in Port Charles, and Cody asks, what’s his business? Dante says, Corinthos Coffee, and Cody says, his dad is Sonny Corinthos?

Sonny tells Brick, talk to him… a plane ticket, where?… Dammit. Milan?… How soon?… All right. He’s on it. He starts to leave, but meets Nina, who’s coming into the cemetery.

Cameron says, if he was Adam, he’d get the hell out of here, but Josslyn says, it’s fine. Let’s hear what he has to say. Adam asks if they can talk in private, and Cameron says, he’s joking, but Josslyn says, it’s fine. He’s got a minute. Cameron steps away, and Josslyn says, one wrong word, and he’s in the pool, and she’s pretty good at it. He says he’s been afraid to talk to her at school, but he saw her come in there, and figured it’s now or never. She says, for what? and he says, an apology.

Nikolas tells Ava, as convenient as it would be to blame Spencer and Esme, they’ve struggled with trust and honesty from the beginning, and he takes his responsibility in that. Ava says she knows they have legitimate issues to work through, but despite that, there’s love here. There’s a kinship even, and there’s certainly no denying their attraction. Surely those things can see them through. What does he say? Is still in this with her? He says, don’t call him Shirley.

Esme says she appreciates Spencer’s acknowledgement that he’s treated her badly, but it’s not that simple. She removes her hand from his, and gets up. He follows and says, he knows he messed everything up. He’s trying to work it out. He wants to be the man she deserves, but in order to do that, he may need a second, third, or fourth chance, and he doesn’t even know which one he’s on now. Just believe he’s trying to do better by her. She says she needs more than trying, and from where she’s standing, it doesn’t look like he’s trying very hard, except to justify his behavior. She’s been willing to stand by him, no matter what, but she hasn’t gotten anything close to that from him. She deserves better. His father reminded her of that.

Nikolas says he’s with Ava, always and forever. She moves to kiss him, but he backs up a little. She says, forever lasted all of four seconds, and he says she just surprised him. She says, and his instinct was to recoil; that’s not very reassuring. He says he’s as in love with her as ever. He wanted to grab her in his arms so many times, and he had to restrain himself. They came so close to the edge of giving up. It might take time for him to feel normal. She says, there is still one giant thing between them. If they really want to move forward, they have to settle it once and for all.

Spencer says, Esme talked to his father about him? and Esme flashes back to – oh! My eyes! She says, among other things. Nikolas saw her suitcase, and she accidentally broke the news about Ava’s offer for them to move out of Windymere in exchange for an allowance from his trust fund. One thing led to another, and she told him they fought, and she was on the verge of walking out on him. Spencer asks what Nikolas said to make her stay, and she says, Nikolas cares about Spencer and doesn’t want to see him hurt, so he talked her down. He gave her a new perspective on relationships. It was a lot to take in, but it made her realize she has to be honest in what she needs from Spencer. He says he knows their relationship has been rocky. He’s been in a bad head space ever since he came back from Spring Ridge, but he’s ready to do whatever it takes to make this work between them. She asks if he really means that.

Portia asks if she can get Rory anything to drink, but he says he’s fine. Trina asks if Taggert wasn’t supposed to be leaving, and Portia thinks she remembers Rory. Wasn’t he at the courthouse at Trina’s arraignment? He says, yes. It was the first day he officially met Trina. Trina says, Rory got her a soda when she was in the interrogation room. Portia says, well, that’s an interesting story, and the three of them force a laugh. Taggert says, mm-hm, and Rory says he heard how Taggert and Commissioner Ashford took down Cyrus Renault. Great work. Taggert says, ya think? He broke the law. He had to convince his ex-wife and daughter that he was dead for nearly six months. Trina says, which she had a problem with at first, but then she realized he was just doing what he had to do. Rory says, it sounds like Taggert did what he needed to do to protect his family and community. He admires that. Taggert asks if Rory likes breaking the rules. Is that the real reason he’s hanging out with Taggert’s daughter?

Josslyn says, Adam wants to apologize? and he says he does. He’s sorry for being a total jerk. He had no right to say the things he said. She says, no, he didn’t; so why did he? He tells her, he’s ashamed to say it now, but all he saw was a hot girl in a video. He didn’t think about how it felt to have her privacy violated. Then he read her article in The Invader. Reading about what she went through, it was seriously messed up, and made him check himself. If someone did that to his sister, he would be furious. He’s really sorry, and sorry he made it worse for her. She thanks him, and says she accepts his apology. He asks if they should hug it out or something, and she says, remember the pool? Don’t push it.

Dante says he’s guessing Cody knows the name Sonny Corinthos, and Cody says, he knows Sonny roasts a mean bean. Can Dante hook him up with some free coffee? Dante says, some things never change; always looking for an angle. Cody says, it’s not what you know, and Dante says, it’s who you know. Cody asks what Dante is up to tonight. Does he want to raise a ruckus to honor the old times? Dante says he has an early morning, and Cody says, Dante has to keep those bad guys off the street. Dante says, and get his kid to school. Cody says, look at Dante. He’s a dad with a great job, and a cool girlfriend. He didn’t think Dante had it in him. Cody is happy for him. It looks like he grew up to have a full life. Dante thanks him, and says, it looks like Cody got the life he wanted too. Cody says, more or less. He’s glad they had this chance to catch up, even if it’s just one night. Sam says, they’re having dinner at her place tomorrow night. Why doesn’t Cody come by?

Sonny says he was worried about Nina. He called and texted, but she didn’t return his calls. She says she put her phone on silent; she wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. He says he heard her petition to see Wiley was rejected. He’s sorry. She asks if he’s upset about how she let Scotty go after Michael, and he says he doesn’t like to see Michael in pain, but can’t he feel for her too? She says she won’t be hurting Michael or anyone anymore. She’s headed to the airport as soon as she finds… He says, this? holding up her necklace. He won’t give it to her, and she says, she’s running late; there’s a car waiting for her. He says, too bad. He’s not letting her go.

Ava says, her offer to Spencer wasn’t only to get him and Esme to move out; it was for her and Nikolas. Nikolas says, she wanted to give them space to work on their marriage, but it hurts that his son chose money over their relationship. Ava says she means no disrespect, but in Spencer’s eyes, Nikolas did the same thing. As a gesture of good faith and to show him she’s committed to their marriage, she won’t make Spencer choose. He says, if she reneges on their deal, Spencer will be furious, but she says, no. She’ll still give him the money, on the condition he remain here. Of course (🍷) she’ll still have to put up with Esme. He says, not necessarily. Esme and Spencer might be breaking up. Esme seems to think so. Ava says, maybe that’s why Spencer was looking for her. Maybe she’s gone already. This calls for a toast. Things are looking up already.

Spencer tells Esme, he means it with all his heart. He wants them to make it. Can she please accept his apology? She takes his hands and says she loves him. She wants to make this relationship work, so yes, she forgives him. She hopes this can be a new beginning for them. He says he wants that too. He’s ready for all this drama to be a thing of the past. She says, the best part is, she knows he means that.

Portia tells Taggert, this isn’t an interrogation, but Rory says, it’s a fair question. Actually, he’s a by-the-book guy. That’s why he looked it up, and there’s no rule he’s not allowed to be friends with Trina while she’s awaiting trial. Taggert says, he’s a rookie, right? There’s something Rory needs to understand about law enforcement; there’s written rules, and unwritten rules. Rory says, yes, sir. He takes that seriously. Just like he takes seriously their oath and motto, to protect and serve; that’s why he was drawn to the job. He’s not violating the oath or motto by hanging out with Trina. If someone has a problem with that, it’s on them, not him. Portia asks what Rory likes to do in his spare time, and he says, Trina is teaching him about art; she has a great eye. Trina says she keeps telling him, art is subjective, but she guesses she’s been around it more. Rory says, no false modesty; own it, lady. Trina says she guesses she’s pretty good at it, and Rory says he likes to keep active; play sports, swim, work out when he can. The job keeps him pretty busy, and the whole work/life balance is tough. Portia says, let her know when he’s got that figured out, and he says, right now, he’s trying to remind himself to make more time for the things he enjoys. He and Trina smile at each other.

Cody tells Sam, he appreciates the offer, but he’s got to hit the road tomorrow. She says, no way. He’s only there for the day? He says, life in the gig economy. His next job’s in the Finger Lakes area, but Port Charles seems like a nice town. Sam says, it is. Too bad he can’t stick around and get to know the place. Cody says he never gets too comfy in one place; got to pay the bills. Sam asks if he’s looking for something long term, and he says, since he quit riding, he just goes where the wind blows. He’s open to opportunities. Why does she ask? She says she might know of a job that’s a good fit, if of course (🍷) he’s interested.

Nina tells Sonny, she can’t stay here. She hates losing him, leaving him, but she can’t keep doing this. Her mistakes have cost him everything, and they’ve finally caught up with her. He says he meant what he said on the stand; he forgives her for what she did to him. She thanks him, and says, it means everything, but it doesn’t change the fact she lost Wiley, her grandson, her flesh and blood, the last link she’ll ever have to her daughter. He says, she doesn’t know that for sure, and she says, Michael and Willow won’t let her see Wiley after everything that happened in court today. He says, Michael and Willow can’t keep her from her grandson forever, but she says, they can. They won’t let that little boy see anything redeemable in her. Willow accused her of being exactly like Nelle. And Nina said terrible things. She has a habit of lashing out when she feels cornered. She missed her chance at getting what her mother stole from her. She won’t know Nelle, and now she won’t know Nelle’s son. The only thing she has left of them is that necklace. Please give to her so she can go. It hurts too much to stay here. He puts the necklace in her hand, and asks her to do him a favor. Before she leaves; let him ask her one thing. How does she think Wiley will feel when he finds out she gave up on him?

Sam tells Cody, her kids spend a lot of time at their grandmother’s. They have stables and horses. They just got a new horse, and they’re actually looking for another handler. Cody says, so old money? New? She says, does it matter? He said he worked on ranches. Does that mean he has experience in managing and grooming horses? He says, yeah. When he was a kid, his family tended to some horses that were on an estate near the camp. He helped out, and even took over for a couple years before he went out west. She says she can’t promise anything, but she and Dante can get him a foot in the door, but Dante says, he thinks it’s a good idea, but he doesn’t think it’s the right one for Cody. Never too comfy in one place, right?

Cameron gets a text from Spencer: All good. Plan on track. Josslyn comes back with Adam, and Cameron says, everything okay? She says, yeah, and Adam says, he was telling Josslyn that he read their article in The Invader, and how sorry he is everything went down the way it did. They’re really brave, and he appreciates them both. Cameron says, cool, thanks, and Adam leaves. Cameron asks if he’s legit, and Josslyn says, actually, yes. He apologized, and told her that when he read the article, he changed. They changed his perspective. It’s just more validation that they made the right decision in agreeing to do the article. He says he guesses they did. He’s glad she’s finally getting some closure. She tells him, she wouldn’t say that. She won’t get any closure on any of this until Esme gets what she deserves.

Spencer and Esme walk in, and Ava says she’s glad Spencer is here. She has some news. She’s decided to amend their agreement. Spencer says, she’s giving him full control of his trust fund? but she laughs, and says, no. She’s still giving him an allowance like they agreed, except Spencer won’t be moving out. He’ll stay, and work things out with his father. Spencer says, she wants him to stay here? and she says, yes, and it seems the timing has worked out perfectly. Nikolas told her what happened. Esme looks at Nikolas, who gives a small shake of his head, and Esme asks Ava, what was that exactly? Ava says she understands Esme and Spencer have been having some difficulties, and are looking to take a break. She’s not going to insult Esme’s intelligence by saying she’s sorry to hear that. She’s sure Esme will land on her feet; find some other family to terrorize, as long as it’s not hers. Esme says, that’s where Ava is wrong. She and Spencer worked everything out. He stays; she stays. Does that alter Ava’s terms? Ava looks at Nikolas.

Nina tells Sonny, she’s not giving up on Wiley; she’s fighting to stay in his life. Sonny says, until now. She had one setback, and she’s going to throw in the towel? She says she can’t sit on the sidelines and watch that little boy play out the rest of his life without her, knowing his family poisoned his mind against her. It just hurts too much. He says, if she runs away, Wiley is going to believe the lies. He’s going to grow up, and want to know his mother and her family. He’s going to seek Nina out, and maybe want a relationship with her when he finds out how great she is. She says she doesn’t see that happening, but he says, they don’t know the future, but he can tell her right now, she’s not going to have a relationship with Wiley if she’s not here. She says she just feels hopeless, and he says, so she’s going to run. That’s what she does; it’s her pattern. She has to break that pattern. Otherwise, Wiley is going to grow up believing all the lies people are telling him. She says, what if it’s too late? but he says, that’s her fear talking. Remember what she said to him? The only way she could make it up to Wiley is to prove how much she loves him. She believed that then, believe it now. She says she doesn’t know what she believes, and he says, stay here. She has a life here. She could have one with Wiley, but she’s never going to know if she runs away.

Cody thanks Sam for the offer, but says, it’s not the right gig for him. Dante says, ever since they were kids, Cody’s had adventure in his veins, and Cody tells Sam, he’s right. Dante’s always had his number.

Cameron says his break’s just about over, and Josslyn says, he was going to tell her something before Adam interrupted them. He says, it’s not really important; it can wait. She says, really? Because she can’t shake the feeling he’s hiding something from her. He says, no. He’s sorry. He’s probably giving off weird vibes; he’s worried about his mom. She says, right. She’s sorry, but he knows he can tell her anything, right? He says he loves her, and she says she loves him too, and they hug.

Ava says, the most important thing is that Nikolas and Spencer work out their problems. If Esme and Nikolas are back track, it seems that Esme will be sticking around. Nikolas says, that is if Spencer decides to stay; the decision is his. And Nikolas supports whatever he decides. Esme says, seems like win-win to her, and Spencer says, how can he refuse such a generous offer? but the look on his face is skeptical. Ava says, then it’s settled. As a welcome home gift, she’ll wire his first payment. She jets, and Spencer says he’ll come too. He follows Ava out, and Esme tells Nikolas, she thought they’d never leave. In the hallway, Spencer asks if Ava is really okay with Esme staying here. She says she’s committed to her marriage, just like she’s committed to Spencer and his father moving forward. If that means putting up with Esme, Ava will do her best to tolerate her. She walks away, and inside the room, Esme says, so Nikolas didn’t tell Ava? She doesn’t suspect? Nikolas says, no, and what happened between them can never happen again. They’re back together with their partners, and have another shot at making it work. He thinks it’s best if Spencer and Ava never find out, and Esme says she totally agrees. Ava and Spence never have to find out. Nikolas leaves.  

Rory says, it’s nice meeting Portia and Taggert, but unfortunately, he has an early morning. Portia says, it was nice meeting him too, and Taggert says he was just leaving; he’ll walk Rory out. Rory says, see Trina soon, and leaves with Taggert. Trina laughs, and picks up her phone. Portia says, he was nice, and he was cute too. She picked up a little connection. Trina tells Portia, like she said, he’s a nice person, but she barely knows him, and Portia says, okay. Whatever Trina says. They both squeal.

Nina touches Nelle’s gravestone, and tells Sonny, okay. She’ll stay in Port Charles, for Wiley. He says, she’s making the right choice, and she says, she’ll watch that sweet little boy become a stranger to her, or worse, afraid of her because of what his family has said about her. She’s not sure how she’s going to handle that. He says, she’s not going to handle it alone. She has him, Phyllis, her family and friends. He takes her hand and says they’re here for her, and she says, that’s a good thing. He says, every step of the way, and she says, because she doesn’t know how she’s going to watch Wiley grow up without her, or how she’s going to live without him. Sonny holds her, and she cries

On Monday, Portia asks if Marshall gave Curtis a reason to trust him; Valentin tells Ned, everything has a price – what’s yours; Willow tells Carly that dealing with Nina helped her come to a big decision; and Elizabeth tells Finn that he’s hurting her more than he realizes.

⌨️ Why the Temp…

It was a little startling. The weird thing was, I kind of thought he made a better Michael than the regular Michael.

🏍 It’s All Good…

I’ll bet it was nothing in comparison to his wife having a baby with another dude.

🧼 Joining Beyond…

The latest actors to jump onto the Salem bandwagon.

🥀 Goodbye Too Soon…

I vaguely remember him from Melrose Place. It was sad to read he’s leaving behind a wife and 8 children.

https://people.com/movies/brad-johnson-always-and-melrose-place-actor-dead-at-62/

🍷 Have Some More…

So how many f***s do you think she gives now?

🚗 Smarter Than the Average Car…

I don’t get the attraction either.

🍸 At the Pump…

Is this the royal we, or is she having a change-of-life baby?

We’re not sure how Lisa can show a text that [neither PK nor Dorit] can show on their phone, so we don’t know, [Kyle] Richards, 53, told us last week.

Unhinged? More like the worst human on earth.

Aww! They’re all growed up.

📺 Coming Right Up…

TV premiere dates for 2022.

https://ew.com/tv/2022-tv-premiere-dates/

👠 In the Pink…

I can’t wait to see this show. I love Trixie.

https://www.queerty.com/trixie-motel-book-queer-5-reasons-tune-discovery-pride-season-20220602

🏓 Quotes of the Week

Trust is lost in buckets and gained in drops. – Judge Faith Jenkins

The hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax. – Albert Einstein

If I were to search for logic, it wouldn’t be among the English upper class. – Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith), Downton Abbey

I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles. – Audrey Hepburn

I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers. – Kahlil Gibran

Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them. – Orison Swett Marden (Or smack them out of the way.)

There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.Nelson Mandela

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

🧍🏽‍♀️ Just Taking a Step To the Right…

Come hither again when the Dead are Feared. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping your priorities straight, and stay not letting your pattern be running away. And if it is, break it.

April 14, 2022 – Spencer Goes To Cameron For Help, Prayer Request, Reasoning, Reflection, Where Are They, Greatest Hits & Let’s

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Nina walks to lock the door at Charlie’s when two masked gunmen bust in. One of them says, don’t do anything stupid and you might live through this. Sonny says, everything’s fine. Take what you want and we’ll stay out of your way. A gunman says, shut up. Stay right there. Sonny says, nothing has happened and nothing needs to happen. Turn around and go, and this will all be over.

Dante comes up behind Sam, seeing her with his phone, and asks what she’s doing. She says she was forwarding his forensics file to her email, and he takes the phone out of her hand, saying, forwarding the PCPD confidential file to her email? She says, he’s mad, and he says, of course (🍷) he’s mad. What was she thinking? She says she doesn’t know. She did it for the right reasons. He asks, what reasons? and she says, Trina and Joss. Drew gets off the elevator, and Carly notices that Sam and Dante are having a conflict. Sam says, Dante told her that he didn’t think Trina did it, and he says, they have to do a legal investigation, and he doesn’t remember hiring her for her P.I. services on this one. She says she wasn’t doing it as a P.I., and he says, then in what capacity… Carly runs over, and says, it’s her fault. She’s the one… Drew drags her away, and she asks what he’s doing.

Drew brings Carly to a private area, and she asks what he thinks he’s doing. He says he knows exactly what he’s doing. Saving her from herself.

At the gym, Austin asks Chase if he can help with wrapping Chase’s hands, but Chase says he’s good. Spinelli says, as it stands, it would be wise for Austin to keep his hands free, and Austin asks, why is that? Spinelli says, because insulting a woman’s honor does not go unnoticed. Not by him. Brook and Maxie come in, and Brook says, they had champagne this morning and now they’re working out. They’re doing this day backwards. Maxie says, Brook will do so much better once she gets her sweat on. She sees Spinelli, and says, then again, cardio is way overrated.

Josslyn goes to the gallery, and asks if Trina is okay. They hug, and Trina says, she didn’t have to come, but Josslyn says she did. She could tell Trina was upset. Trina says, from her text, and Josslyn says, that’s how well she knows Trina. Trina asks if Josslyn wasn’t hanging out with Cam, but Josslyn says she was already on her way home. Stop asking her questions; what happened? Trina says, Spencer happened.

Cameron opens the door to Spencer, and says, what do you want? Spencer says, wow. Welcomes don’t come warmer than that. Cameron asks if he was expecting something different, and Spencer says, he knows Cameron is pissed at him – Cameron says, that would be an understatement – but he could really use a friend right now. Cameron says, he’s come to the wrong place.

Sasha and Brando head back to Charlie’s, Sasha saying, she can’t believe Brando forgot to invite Sonny. They see what’s going on through the window, and Brando tells Sasha, call the police.

Brook says, Maxie invited her boyfriend, her baby dad, and Chase? Maxie says, to a dance cardio class? She most certainly did not. She goes over to them, and says, this is certainly quite the trio. Brook joins them, and tells Chase, hi. Spinelli says, had he known Maxie was going to be here, he’d have taken this elsewhere. She says, taken what? What is he doing? Austin says, defending her honor apparently, and Spinelli says, the doctor has to answer for his transgressions. Maxie says, let’s have a little chat. Come on. Austin and Spinelli follow her, and Chase tells Brook, he heard the Deception IPO launch was a success; social media went crazy and the stock price went through the roof. She says, yeah, thanks, and he asks how she is. She says she’s good. Him? He says, not so great, and she asks, what’s wrong? Is he feeling okay? He says he’s feeling terrible that he let her down.

Carly tells Drew that she was just trying to explain she was the one who put Sam up to it, and Dante was getting twitchy… Drew asks if twitchy is a technical term, and she says, she wanted Dante to know it was her fault; Sam didn’t do anything. He says he understands, and she says, great. She starts to leave, but he pulls her back, asking where she’s going. She says she’s going back out there, but he says, she’s not. She’s going to sit right here. She sits, and he says, here’s the deal. Dante and Sam are in a relationship. She says she’s aware of that. She was just trying to explain… and he says, what’s happening out there, Dante getting twitchy or angry or whatever it is, that’s between them. He sits across from her, and says he realizes she was just trying to explain, and that’s very well-intentioned, but when has inserting herself into another couple’s problems ever worked out? She says, never. Okay, he’s right. She made things worse, didn’t she? He says, it kind of surprised him that she wanted to get involved at all, and she says, really? After the whole Victor/bridge debacle? He says, this was a little bit different; Sam’s not in danger. She says she feels like she’s losing her mind. With the whole Josslyn video tape scandal, Trina getting arrested… He asks, what’s happening with that? and she says, he doesn’t want to know, but he says, yeah, he does.

Josslyn says, Spencer said he was worried about Trina? Really? After all he did was accuse her of being guilty? Trina says, it was kind of like whiplash. One minute, he was like, concerned, and the next minute, he was talking about how she can’t blame Esme for everything. Josslyn says, like hell they can’t, and Trina tells her, go on, say it. Josslyn tried to warn her about him. She said Spencer was sincere in the moment, but at the core, he’s a shallow and easily manipulated person. The only thing he has mileage for is being a lost little rich boy, and when it matters, there’s no there there. Josslyn tells her, if she said that, she didn’t say it nearly as well. She probably just called Spencer a tool. Trina tells her, she said that too, and Josslyn says she doesn’t want to be right. Trina says, and she doesn’t want to care about Spencer. Josslyn says, but she does, and Trina says, if she didn’t, it wouldn’t hurt as much.

Cameron says, Trina was already having a hard time as it is, then Spencer accused her of Esme’s crimes. Spencer asks how Cameron heard about that, and Cameron says, about Spencer’s little trip to the PCPD? Trina’s his friend, the real kind, the kind that shares stuff and have each other’s backs. Spencer says, it’s not what Cameron thinks, and asks if he can come inside. Please? He hates that Trina thinks the worst of him. That’s why he’s here. Cameron steps aside, and Spencer walks in, thanking him. Cameron says he hopes Spencer isn’t expecting any sympathy, because it’s not his fault Spencer turned his back on Trina and spawned this baby with the devil. Spencer says, Esme isn’t pregnant, and Cameron says, too bad. Spencer deserves to be tied down to that nightmare for life. Spencer says, okay, fine. So, no baby, but the other thing Cameron said is true; he let Trina down. Cameron says, big time.

Sonny tells the gunmen, leaving is still an option. They can’t ID them, even if they tried. One of the gunmen says, shut up and open the till. They want their wallets and jewelry. Nina hands over her purse, and Sonny says, tonight’s profits have already been deposited, so it’s only petty cash. The guy says, get it, and Sonny says, he’s going to go grab it, but the gunman says, not alone he’s not. He follows Sonny, and Sonny goes behind the bar, bringing the cash box out. Nina fingers her necklace, and the other gunman asks what she’s doing. Sonny says, he doesn’t want to touch her, and the gunman says, and if he does? pointing his gun at Sonny. Brando watches through the window, and Sonny says, he doesn’t want to find out. Take what they came for; get the hell out. The gunman by the bar tells Sonny, your watch, but Sonny says the guy’s not taking the watch. It belonged to his dad. The other gunman says, can you believe this guy? and Sonny says, if he wants the watch, he’ll have to rip it off him. Brando comes in, startling the gunman by the door, and Sonny grabs the other one. Brando totally kicks ass, slamming the guy on a table, knocking him out, and Sonny flips the other gunman over the bar. He asks if Nina is okay, and she says she thinks so. He tells Brando that he did good.

Chase says he regrets the way he responded when Brook asked him to sing her song, but she says she understands. Wanting to get off suspension is his priority, and she gets that. He tells her, she says it’s fine, but he’s getting the vibe that it’s not, and she says, his future as a detective is bright. Excuse her.

Dante says he never thought he’d have to guard his phone from Sam, and she says, come on. He says, it’s an official document meant for a police officer, him, for work. It’s not meant for a civilian. She sees that, right? She says, of course (🍷) she does, but it’s a report. Everything in it is eventually going to come out; it moves forward. He says, she’s right, but she doesn’t see where it’s a problem? She says, it’s not like she was stealing government secrets or tampering with evidence, and he agrees, it’s not. Her getting eyes on this isn’t a game changer. She says, all right. Then… He says, she went into his phone. She accessed private files without asking him. He thought they’d gotten to a place of mutual trust, and she says, they have. He says, it just doesn’t seem like it to him, or maybe she has a different definition of it than he does. He’s going to get privileged information, stuff she isn’t allowed to see. It’s that simple. It has nothing to do with how he feels about her. She says she understands, and he says, does she? HIs phone rings, and he looks at it, and says he needs to know he can trust her for this to work. He steps away to answer, and says, okay… He’ll be right there. She asks if he has to go, and he says, yeah, grabs his jacket, and leaves.

Drew says he doesn’t know if Carly got his message, and she says she did. She’s sorry she didn’t call him back. He says she doesn’t have to apologize. He knows things have been crazy. She says, he has no idea, and he says, so tell him. She says, so this tape gets out, and Josslyn is utterly humiliated. She knows Cam is too, but… He says, but it’s not the same. Both were victimized, no doubt about it, but at the end of the day, the guy ends up looking like a sex god, and the girl is labeled a slut. She says, pretty much, and he says he’s sorry, but he does give Joss and Cam credit for doing the article. She says, he has to throw some credit Alexis’s way too, and he says, wow, praising Alexis. She says, wonders never cease, but she really got the story, and the way we wanted the story to be told. He says, focusing on the victimization, and how much lands on the girl. Part of him wanted to get in to that with Aurora; pick up the story, give it more steam. But then he worried about piling it on, and she says she’s glad he stayed on the sidelines. Alexis was far enough removed that she could let Alexis handle doing the story, but with him, things could get tricky. He’s just too close. He says, in that case, he’s going to take advantage of that closeness, and she says, okay… He asks how she is. How is she dealing with all of this?

Spencer tells Cameron, he knows he said hurtful things to Trina. He doesn’t deny that, but it’s complicated. Cameron says, cry me a river. He misses the times Spencer was just an annoying snob and just pretentious. Now he’s a full-blown ass. Spencer asks if Cameron will please hear him out, and Cameron asks, why? So Spencer can bombard him with lies and excuses? Spencer says, no excuses, but he’s allowed to have problems, isn’t he? Cameron says, Spencer wants to talk about problems? He just lost his summer job that he worked years to get. And now there’s people on the internet critiquing his performance in bed, and he’s in a weird space with his girlfriend. Spencer says he’s sorry. Cam and Joss don’t deserve what’s happening to them. Cameron says, it didn’t just happen to them. A crime was committed against them. Spencer says he knows, but Cameron says he doesn’t know. Spencer’s not his friend. In fact, he wants nothing to do with Spencer. The way he’s jerked Trina around, gotten her to lie for him, and begged her to save him, and his disgusting girlfriend… Spencer says he knows Esme did it, okay? He knows she framed Trina. Now it’s his turn to try and save Trina.

Maxie says, Austin is a good man, and Spinelli would know that if he just gave Austin a chance. Spinelli says, Austin’s not worthy of her, but she says he doesn’t think anyone is worthy of her. She really likes Austin, and would like to see where this goes. Can Spinelli accept that? He says he supposes he has to, and she says, that’s the spirit, punches his shoulder, and walks over to Austin.

Spencer says, Trina is innocent; he’s always believed that. Cameron says, really? Or is Spencer just telling him that? Spencer says, really, and Cameron asks, then why is he pretending to be on Team Esme? Spencer says, he’s trying to get Esme to lower her guard, so that she can lead him to something, anything that will exonerate Trina. Cameron says, that sounds really shady, and Spencer says he’s sorry. Does Cameron have a better idea? Cameron says, no, but is it really worth hurting Trina? Spencer says, Cameron should have seen the look in Trina’s eyes when he just left her at the gallery. It gutted him. And he hasn’t been able to lose that feeling since he stupidly left with Esme the night of their ski trip. Cameron asks if Spencer means that, and Spencer nods. Cameron says, Spencer does have feelings for Trina. Okay. He thinks they both have problems.

Outside Kelly’s, Josslyn asks if Trina is okay, and Trina says, it sounded like a good idea at the time, but now that she’s here… Josslyn says, Spencer’s not working, and Trina says, it’s not that. Josslyn says she gets it. When the video came out, she didn’t want to go anywhere. She didn’t want to come here, she didn’t want to go to the MetroCourt, and especially not class. But then she realized hiding doesn’t help; it makes things worse. Trina says she’s not hiding per se. She just doesn’t want to feel like she’s being put under a microscope. Josslyn says, the microscope is not real, and Trina asks if she’s sure about that. Josslyn says, it’s good for them to be seen together. Would she really be hanging out with the person who made a sex tape of her and her boyfriend? Trina says, probably not, and Josslyn says, so let’s go inside, heads held high, order dessert. Trina says, speak for herself. She’s ordering potato wedges. Josslyn says, you rebel, and they go inside.

Carly says, how is she? and Drew says, that’s a bit of a loaded question. She says she just wants to come out swinging and fix everything, but it’s Josslyn’s fight, not hers. He says, still, it would feel pretty good to lay into somebody, and she says, not somebody; Esme Prince. He says, Spencer’s girlfriend? and Carly says, she made and sent that video, and framed Trina. He asks if they’re trusting her instincts on this, which he absolutely does, or is it based on fact? She says, a little bit of both, and he says, fair enough. She says, this girl has a history of deviant behavior; beyond sneakiness or manipulation. He says, straight up evil, and she says, yeah, and this so-called evidence against Trina? It’s all circumstantial, not to mention ridiculously convenient. She knows Trina. She’d never do something like this. So that’s where she’s at. She just wants all this to be over. She wants Josslyn, Trina, and Cameron to go on with their lives, and she wants Esme to go down. He says, meaning Carly wants to take her down, and she says, hell yeah. He says he gets it. That’s how he felt about Peter August. He wanted it to be him who got Peter, him who got the evidence to put him away. And after he escaped yet another conviction, he wanted to be the guy to shoot him, and end that miserable life, but it’s not how it panned out.

Brando comes out of Charlie’s, and hugs Sasha, as the cops take the gunmen away. He tells her that he’s fine, and she says, it was dangerous. He tells her, don’t forget sexy, and she says, he could have been killed. He says he had to do something, and she tells him, promise not to make it a habit. He says he promises. He’s not going anywhere. Inside, Nina says she’s glad Phyllis wasn’t here for this, and Sonny says, he’s sorry Nina was. She thanks him for protecting her, and he says, she protects him from Scotty; he’ll always protect her. They laugh, and Dante comes in. He asks if they’re up to answering a few questions, or do they need a minute. Sonny looks at Nina.

Dante says, so Phyllis and the bodyguard are outside being questioned. They were at the bank when these perps arrived? Sonny says, that’s right, and Dante asks if he thinks they knew he owned Charlie’s. If they did and they hit the place anyway, that’s a pretty bold move. Brando and Sasha walk in, and Brando says he should go talk to Dante so they can get out of here and go home. As soon as he’s gone, she digs in her bag, takes out her pillbox, and pops a pill. Nina says, Sasha, and Sasha turns around. Nina says she thinks Sasha knows what she’s going to say.

Spinelli sees Sam at the MetroCourt bar, and says, gracious greetings. She just looks at him, and he asks if something undesirable has transpired. She tells him, you could say that, and he says he certainly doesn’t want to push, but if she’s inclined to share… She says she just ruined her relationship.

Carly asks if Drew still thinks about the Peter thing, and he says, yeah, but he’s learning to be okay with it. Hopefully she can benefit from that experience, and prepare herself. Esme has wronged people she cares about, but it may not be her who puts her right. She says, that’s hard, and he says, it is. He has to remind himself not to go so far down that rabbit hole that it wrecks the things he does have. She says, Peter’s dead, so Drew can’t chase after him, and Drew says, that’s true, but there’s always somebody, right? He could go after Victor, and he will when the opportunity arises, but he’s not going to devote his whole life to it, because it’s not going to get him anywhere. She says she feels like that’s her problem. She’s looking at the rest of her life without Sonny, and she doesn’t know what that looks like, or what that means. He says, but that’s okay. She’s got time to figure it out. She says, but she’s not figuring it out. She’s pouring her energy into everything and anything else. Josslyn, Trina, Esme, and like he said, she’s getting nowhere. Maybe it’s time to pour that energy into herself.

Spinelli says, Dante caught Sam with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar, and she says, yep. He asks how they left matters, and she tells him, with Dante saying he can’t trust her, and without trust, it won’t work. Spinelli says, he’s afraid Dante’s not wrong.

Brook walks past, and gives Chase a look. Austin asks if Chase wants to talk about that, and Chase says, not with him. Austin says, fair enough. When they had that conversation about Chase’s marriage to Willow, he had an ulterior motive, and he regrets that. For what it’s worth (🍷), that’s not the kind of behavior he wants to repeat. Chase tells Austin, he said no to Brook, which he doesn’t do often, and Austin says he can’t imagine anybody does. Chase says, it’s not just that. He insulted her without meaning to, and it’s not the first time. Maybe Brook’s decided she’s done with him. Austin asks how Chase feels about that.

Brook tells Maxie, good thing Spinelli didn’t take Austin out. Not that she’d care, but Maxie likes the guy. Maxie asks if they should talk about the guy Brook likes, and Brook says, no thank you. Chase apologized. Not just for not singing her song, but the way he rejected her. Maxie says, that’s a start. Brook makes a disgusted sound, and Maxie asks, what’s really bothering her? That Chase said no to her song, or that he didn’t do what he normally does, come running when Brook called?

Cameron gives Spencer some water, and says, Spencer has to tell Trina that he believes her. Spencer says, he can’t, but Cameron says, she knows how to keep a secret. Spencer says, it’s not Trina who he doesn’t trust. What if she tells her lawyer? Scotty is also Ava’s lawyer, and with Esme living at Windymere, he can’t risk this getting back to her and tipping her off. Cameron says, okay. What if Spencer testifies at the trial? That would be a huge blow to the prosecution. Spencer says, true, but not foolproof. They need something that will guarantee Trina walks away from these charges. Cameron says, even if it means she hates him? and Spencer says, even if. Cameron says he’s sorry for blowing up earlier, but Spencer says, don’t worry about it. Cameron’s right; he’s been an ass. Cameron says, that’s because Spencer was protecting his friend, and Spencer says, just like Cameron. Which why Trina can’t know, and neither can Josslyn.

Trina asks how they’re going to nail Esme, and Josslyn says, a taste of her own medicine? Somehow record her confessing? Trina says, to who? The only person Esme would admit it to is Spencer, and he’s already gone to the dark side. Josslyn says, there has to be a way, and Trina says, Josslyn told her at the gallery that she left Cameron at his house, and Josslyn says, yeah. Trina says, that seems weird; kind of early for them to end the night. Josslyn says, everything’s fine. There have been a couple of bumps along the way – how could there not be? – but they’re going to figure it out. Trina says, they better, because Esme can’t take one more thing from them. Josslyn stares daggers at someone sitting at the counter, and we see it’s Rory in civilian clothes. Trina asks, what’s wrong? and Josslyn says, there’s this guy who keeps staring at them. She jumps up, and stomps over to Rory, saying, excuse me. Which one of us are you looking at, the video star or the criminal mastermind?

Cameron says, no way is he keeping this from Joss, but Spencer says he has to. He knows how Joss and Trina are. They tell each other everything; this will be no exception. Cameron asks, then why tell him? and Spencer says, Cameron basically forced him into it. Cameron says, so it’s his fault now? and Spencer says, no, but Trina can’t know, and if they want to keep it that way, neither can Joss. Cameron knows the saying about too many cooks in the kitchen. This needs to be a solo operation. Cameron says, this is unfair, and Spencer says he’s sorry he put Cameron in a bad position. Cameron says, well, he’s here, and Spencer says he needs Cameron to promise; swear right now to keep this between them. Cameron says he can’t tell if this plan of Spencer’s is noble or idiotic; it’s probably both. Spencer says, he’s just trying to redeem himself, but Cameron says, or maybe he’s trying to be Trina’s sole hero. Either way, Spencer is in way over his head.

Josslyn asks if Rory got his money’s worth, and Trina runs over, saying, it’s not what Josslyn thinks. She knows him. Rory says, sorry if he was staring, and Trina says she remembers him. Mr. Invisible, the cop who gave her a soda. He says he did give her a soda, but doesn’t recall wearing his Cloak of Invisibility at the time. She says, she wanted to be alone at the courthouse, and… He tells her, he said he would be invisible. Trina introduces her friend Josslyn, and says, this is Officer… He says she can call him Rory. Josslyn says, it’s nice to meet him, and she’s so, so, so sorry. She didn’t recognize him outside the courthouse, and especially not in uniform. Rory says, it’s cool. He gets it. He’s just glad Trina has friends to look out for her. Keep your chin up, okay? He says, it’s good to see Trina, and she says, him too. He says, it was nice to meet Josslyn, and leaves. Josslyn says, oh my God. She’s had a nice life, but can the floor just swallow her whole? She just reamed a cop. Trina says, she sure did, and they hug.

Drew says, Carly seems to be handling her divorce pretty well. She chose herself. She says she did. Her life; what’s right for her. Of course (🍷) that meant letting Sonny go. It wasn’t easy, but it was right. He says, she’s a survivor in the best possible way, not pushing people down and climbing over them, just resilient. He wants to be like that. She asks, how is he not like that? If anyone has been dealt crappy hand after crappy hand, and managed to get up and keep going, it’s him. He amazes her. She would hate the whole world. She’d be a horrible, vengeful person. He says, no, she would not. She would be who she is. She asks, and who is that? but he says he’s not going there. He’s not trying define Carly Corinthos. She asks, why? and he says, because she’s undefinable.

Spinelli says, what may have felt harmless to Sam, wasn’t harmless to Dante. She says she gets that now, and he says, so tell Dante. She appreciates the stability and safety she has with Dante. Then it stands to reason, he would appreciate the same. She says she thought she was giving that to him. She wants to give that to him. He says, she will. She made one mistake. Mistakes can be rectified. She says, but what if she doesn’t get another chance?

Nina says she’s so grateful Sasha and Brando came back. They really saved the day. Sasha says, it was all Brando, and Nina says, she must be proud of him. Sasha says, she will be, once her heart stops pounding. What about Nina? It must have been terrifying. Nina says, they wanted to take her necklace, and Sasha takes her hands. She says, even if they’d succeeded, a mother’s love can’t be stolen. Brando tells Dante, it seemed like amateur hour with those two yahoos. It could be a coincidence they hit up Charlie’s. Dante doesn’t think it’s any secret that Sonny is the owner. If they cased the place, they’d know for sure. A cop signals to Dante, and Dante says he’ll be back to take their statements. Sonny thanks Brando, but Brando says, Sonny would have taken them both down. Sonny says, maybe, but he’s glad he didn’t have to. Brando says, it’s just lucky they came back, and Sonny asks why they did. Brando says, it seems trivial now, but they forgot to invite Sonny to the wedding reception Deception is throwing for them. Sonny says, it’s not trivial because he can’t wait to celebrate with Brando and Sasha. He asks if Brando thinks those crooks didn’t know his connection to this place, and Brando says, it’s possible they didn’t care.

Chase suggests post workout smoothies to Maxie and Brook, and Maxie says, unearned? Brook says, the best kind, and Maxie asks if Austin is buying. Austin says he seems to have lost his wallet. Does she want to come help him look? She goes with him, and Chase tells Brook, come on. She can tell him how it felt to hear her song performed. She says, only if he’s buying, and he says, deal.

Trina thanks Josslyn, and says she was feeling sorry for herself. But tonight, the fresh air, the French fried the epic freakout, it made her feel normal again, if even for a minute. Josslyn says, if that’s the case, she should berate strangers more often, and Trina says, maybe just Spencer. Josslyn says, Spencer doesn’t deserve Trina’s friendship, and he can forget about ever having hers again. Trina says, Josslyn doesn’t have to ditch Spencer just because Spencer ditched her, but Josslyn says, she does. her loyalty is to Trina, always, and she knows Cam feels the same way. Their days of enabling Spencer are over.

Spencer says, so that’s a no? Cameron’s not going to help him? He knows he can be a really lame friend – Cameron says, the lamest – and he’s single-handedly trying to save the day, but he really thinks he can do it. It’s a lot to ask, but Cameron needs to trust him. Cameron says, fine. Spencer wins. He won’t tell Joss. Spencer thanks him, and Cameron says, he’d better find something that exonerates Trina. This is the last time he’s sticking his neck out for Spencer. Don’t make him regret it.

Drew raises his glass, and Carly asks what they’re toasting to. He says, resilience. Something they have in common. They clink glasses, and Carly says, wouldn’t it be nice if they didn’t have to though? If life could just be easy, once in a while? He tells her, who says it won’t be? They’re just getting started, right? She says she guesses they are.

Spinelli says, Dante will come around, and Sam asks how he knows. He says, because what mere mortal could stay angry at her? and she says she hopes he’s right. He says, don’t make the same mistake he did. Let Dante know he comes first.

Sasha asks if Dante knows how much longer. She’s not feeling so hot. He says, Brando can come to the station in the morning, and give his statement then. He tells her to have a better rest of her night, and moves on. Nina says, Sasha is really shaken up, and Sasha says she could have lost Brando. After losing Liam, she doesn’t think she can survive it. Dante tells an officer to let Jordan know he’ll have an update for her when he’s done here, and the officer leaves. Dante’s phone dings, and it’s a text from Sam: I messed up. I’m sorry and I promise to do better.

Brando tells Sonny that he’s heard some chit-chat at the garage. He didn’t think it was legit, but then tonight happened. There’s a perception that Sonny’s base of power isn’t what it used to be. With only two families to make marinara sauce covering the territories, and Jason gone, up and comers are sensing an opening. Just above a whisper, Sonny says, his operation is stretched thin, even with Brick stepping up. His business is vulnerable after these two clowns. Every lowlife punk will think it’s open season. Brando asks what he’s going to do, and Sonny says, he’s going to remind everybody that he’s the boss.

Tomorrow, Chase has it covered; Laura knows Lucy is still dating her brother; Finn asks how Elizabeth can think the threat is over; and Carly tells Sonny, his enemies will smell blood in the water.

🙏🏽 Love and Prayers…

I couldn’t find a follow-up, but I assume the surgery was a success.

🗑 Trashy Reason…

My guess is, because she reacts like a fourteen year old.

🌞 Alive Again…

I just figured they were so mismatched, it worked. Apparently not.

https://www.etonline.com/katie-maloney-reflects-on-buildup-to-her-divorce-from-tom-schwartz-i-was-just-dying-inside-182515

📀 And the Winner Was…

Life after Best New Artist.

https://ew.com/grammys/best-new-artist-grammy-winners-where-are-they-now/

🥀 Always In Our Hearts…

I probably couldn’t name one thing he was in, but it seemed like he’d always been around.

https://ew.com/movies/gilbert-gottfried-greatest-performances/

💻 Logging Off Like…

Come on down tomorrow for end-of-the-week soap, a spot of tea, some words to live by, and a tune that’s on my mind. Until then, stay safe, stay standing firm in the face of adversity, and stay not going so far down the rabbit hole of things that didn’t happen your way, that it wrecks the things you do have.

March 24, 2022 – It’s Like Old Times At Charlie’s, Return Tease, They Do, Old Rumors, Return Before Reboot, VanderDone, New Role & Glass

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Jordan tells the desk sergeant that Michael was just released on bail and they’re waiting for the paperwork. Michael sits, and she tells him, do everyone a favor. If that reporter gets in his face again, walk the other way. She sees Curtis, and asks if everything is okay. He says, that’s just what he’s trying to find out. He really needs her help. Willow comes in and hugs Michael.

Harmony shows up at Alexis’s office, and Alexis says, this is a surprise. Harmony says she just got off work, and wondered if she could pick Alexis’s brain about something. Only if she has a minute, and it isn’t an interruption. Alexis says she just put the last edition to bed. What’s this about? Is it about Willow? Harmony says, kind of. It’s more about Nina Reeves.

Nina walks into an empty Charlie’s and Sonny says, hey. She says she doesn’t know why she’s always surprised to see him here. He owns the bar after all. He says, that’s true. Phyllis had to see a distributor. Instead of closing down during the dead zone, which is between twelve and happy hour, he said he’d cover. She says, that’s sweet of him. Nostalgic for running a bar? He says, it’s better than sitting in his office all by himself; too many ghosts, especially with Jason gone. She says she hears him, and he asks if she’s there to see Phyllis. Does she want a drink? She says, actually, she was following up on something important. He asks if it’s anything he can help her with.

Laura hugs Spencer, and he says, it almost seems like she missed him. She says she did. A month in Spring Ridge didn’t hurt him at all. He says, except label him a convicted felon. He guesses he’ll be serving soft drinks and sandwiches at Kelly’s for the rest of his life, but Nikolas suggests Spencer worry about his future later, and they take a moment to celebrate his homecoming. Nikolas has dinner reservations at the MetroCourt, and hopes Laura and Doc can join them. Laura says she doesn’t know about Doc, but she’ll certainly try to make it. She asks Spencer if everything is okay, and Esme says she’s sure he’s wondering why she’s still here. Don’t worry. She was just leaving.

At the MetroCourt, Victor tells Yohan, if they want people to believe they’ve done nothing wrong, they must act as if they’ve done nothing wrong, and they haven’t. He showed Drew a tarot card, for heaven’s sake. If a crime was committed, it’s when Drew attacked Yohan. Yohan says, on Victor’s orders, and Victor says, which was a test… which he passed until the Corinthos woman showed up, and Drew was forced to reveal he was just playing along and the whole thing was a set-up from the start. That warning Victor was given about Laura being on to him seems like it must have some merit.

Sam opens the door to Anna, and says, welcome back. Drew says, long trip, and Anna says she got a cab from the airport. Felicia is filling Maxie in. Sam says, they were worried when they didn’t hear from her in Austria, but Anna says she didn’t want to call from an unsecure line. Drew asks if they found something out, and Anna says, yeah, proof that Luke’s death wasn’t an accident. He was murdered.

Esme says she won’t be joining them for dinner. Spence has made it clear he no longer wants her to be a part of his life. She’s leaving. Laura asks if she and Spencer would like a little time to talk this through. They don’t have to rush on their account. Nikolas apologizes for making dinner plans without checking with Spencer first, but he’s sure Spencer wouldn’t mind if Esme joined them. They all shared in Spencer’s ordeal at Spring Ridge, her especially. Esme says she’s not sure, but Laura says, please, come along. Nikolas says, the whole family will be there; Ava and Victor. Laura says, Victor, and Nikolas asks if that’s a problem.

Yohan says, the plan Victor put together relies on taking everyone by surprise, but Victor says he’s not overly concerned. The only possibly damning thing Drew mentioned is Operation Demeter, and if Drew has no memory of that op, he and Laura are going to hit a dead end. Yohan says, but Victor is concerned about something, and Victor says, Anna and Felicia’s investigation into the cable car accident that killed Luke. Yohan says, Victor had to kill Luke Spencer; he was getting too close to the truth about what Victor is planning. Victor says, nothing can be traced back to him, which is why he needs to find someone else to take the fall for Luke’s death. Yohan says he’ll do a lot for the cause, but he hopes Victor’s not expecting him to be his fall guy, and Victor says, don’t worry. He has someone else in mind. Ava approaches, and asks if she’s late for the big family dinner, or is Victor early? Is his friend going to be joining them?

Anna says, this employee at the Transportation Bureau did admit to sabotaging Luke’s cable car. There’s no indication as to whether he was acting alone, but her gut says he wasn’t. Unfortunately, before they could get anymore information out of him, the man took his own life in front of them. Sam says, okay, so technically they have one man’s confession, but no evidence to back it up, and Anna says, and so far all of their efforts to keep this quiet have failed. Now the Bureau is officially involved. Drew asks if the Bureau won’t have a better chance of finding a connection between Victor and Luke’s death, and Anna says, just because the WSB is investigating, doesn’t mean she’ll be privy to their intel. She’s been deemed to close to the situation because of her involvement with Luke. Sam says, basically, she’s iced out, and Anna says, yeah, but they do have to keep in mind the fact that Victor was director of the WSB for a time. That is something they don’t want to revisit; they don’t want his name to come up. They don’t want to draw any scrutiny, so she thinks it’s possible they’ll steer this investigation down a path that isn’t embarrassing to them. What she’s saying is, if they want to expose Victor, Drew is their best chance. Drew says, about that. They hit a little bit of a snag.

Curtis asks what TJ has told Jordan about their situation with Marshall, and she says, not much. She thinks TJ has been avoiding the subject, given her history with Tommy. Curtis says, okay. What did Tommy tell her about their father?

Willow says, one night in jail isn’t terrible, and Michael says he had a cell to himself, so no complaints. She says he doesn’t have to be a hero for her, and he says he always wants to be a hero for her, and it was worth it. That reporter got what he deserved for trash talking his sister. She says, at least Michael didn’t break his jaw, and Michael says he can’t be sorry he hit the guy, but he’s sorry Nina is probably going to use this against him when she petitions the court for visitation with Wiley. She says, let’s not worry about that right now. She’s sorry she wasn’t there when he was booked. He says he appreciates that, but there’s nothing she could have done. Diane handled everything, and Willow is here now. He heard from his mom that she was held up at work. She says that’s what she told Carly when she texted, but she wasn’t being honest with Carly, or with him.

Harmony tells Alexis that Nina is trying to enlist her help with Wiley without going to court. Alexis asks, how? and Harmony says, Nina wants her to influence Willow; she says Wiley’s grandfather is on her side. Alexis says, but Harmony doesn’t want to get involved, and Harmony says she thinks it will cause so much tension between her and her daughter. Alexis says she doesn’t want to get involved either because Wiley is Kristina’s nephew, so she wants to stay out of any potential conflict between Nina and Willow. She suggests Harmony do the same thing, and Harmony says she wishes it was that simple.

Nina says she’ll have a club soda, and Sonny laughs, putting some in a glass. She says, perfect, and he says, now that that’s taken care of, how about the help? She says, it’s not that she doesn’t want his help, but she doesn’t think he should offer it. He asks if it’s about Wiley. Is she going to file a petition? She says she hasn’t talked to the lawyer yet. Has he tried to talk to Michael again? Sonny flashes back to Michael saying he’s prioritizing Nina, and that a family man wouldn’t sabotage his family by putting the woman who blew their lives apart ahead of them. Sonny tells Nina that he couldn’t get anywhere with Michael because he’s very stubborn, and she says she wishes she could walk away for his sake. He says, she’s allowed to see her grandson. He’d do the same if he was in her shoes. She says she’ll try not to get him involved, but he says he’s already involved. The choices she makes and her pain matters to him, but she has to know, if she goes to court on this, lines are going to be drawn and sides are going to be taken. If he doesn’t take a side, that means he’s taking her side. She says she’d never ask him to choose her over his son, so if he has to go against her in court and support Michael’s attempt to block her petition, she’ll understand. He asks if they can just hope it doesn’t get to that, and she says, they can hope, but he needs to know that she’ll do whatever’s necessary to ensure she has a role in her grandson’s life.

Anna says, let her get this straight. In trying to save Drew… Sam says, Carly blew the scam wide open. Drew says, but they did get one piece of intel before Carly arrived, and Sam says, Victor mentioned Operation Demeter. Anna says she doesn’t know what that is. What is Demeter? The goddess of harvest? She presides over the cycles of life and death? Sam asks if it’s not familiar to Anna, and Anna says, no, but she can access the WSB file. Drew says, all the ops he did as a SEAL are classified, and Anna asks if he reached out to Kim, but he says she doesn’t remember him ever mentioning it. Anna looks at her phone, and says she doesn’t see an Operation Demeter here; there’s nothing. Sam says, so the operation probably initiated with U.S. Intelligence, and Anna says, or the operation is above her clearance, which is entirely possible. Or the operation went so horribly wrong, they’ve deleted all records.

Victor tells Ava that he and Yohan were catching up on some business while he was waiting for the rest of the family. He tells Yohan, that about covers it, thanks him, and says he’ll be in touch. Yohan pulls out Ava’s chair for her, and leaves. Ava says, Victor must have had some super pressing business to have a meeting at the MetroCourt before their family dinner. He says, pressing, yes, but before family, never. She completely agrees, and says she can’t recall what he said he was doing for work these days. He says, perhaps that’s because he never told her. Why does he get the feeling she’s playing him because she wants something? She says, because she always wants something, and usually she gets it.

Laura says she thinks Spencer and Nikolas both know Victor’s not her favorite person, and Nikolas says he hopes she’ll still join them. It wouldn’t be a family celebration without her. Laura’s phone dings, and she says she completely forgot. It’s the chairperson from the Traffic Commission. They have a meeting in ten minutes. It’s been rescheduled so many times, she doesn’t feel she can cancel. She’ll meet them over at the MetroCourt. She tells Spencer, welcome back, hugs him, and leaves. Nikolas asks if they should head out, but Spencer says, he and Esme have some things they need to say to each other first. Nikolas says, of course (🍷), and Spencer says, in private. Nikolas says, Spencer will still join them for dinner? and Spencer shrugs. Nikolas says he’ll hope for the best, and leaves. Esme says she was hoping to be gone before Spencer returned, but his grandmother convinced her they could talk things out. He says, really, and she says he saw her earlier. Apparently, Laura is warming up to her. Spencer asks when that happened, and she says, Laura thinks she might actually be a good influence on him. Unlike what his friends think.

Jordan says, Tommy is just a couple of years older than Curtis. His memories of their father were vague; he rarely mentioned them. Curtis says, maybe Tommy remembered something he didn’t think was important at the time, and she says, if he did, he never shared it with her. Besides, Tommy was way too young for Marshall to confide in him about entering Witness Protection. He says, if that’s what really happened, and she asks what he’s saying. He tells her, Marshall didn’t outright say he was in the Witness Protection Program. (Thank you.) Curtis inferred, and Marshall didn’t deny it. She asks if he learned something that contradicts that, and he says, possibly. That’s why he needs her help to shed some light on it. She asks, how? and he says, Marshall applied for a job, and confided in him that he had an arrest record; a sealed arrest record, which might explain why he disappeared and let them think he was dead. Jordan has access to that record. She can unseal it, and let him know anything important Marshall might be keeping from him. She says she’s sorry, but there is no way.

Nina tells Sonny, how about this? They stop talking about Wiley, they stop talking about competitions, they stop talking about family feuds. He says he seconds that motion, and they clink glasses, saying, cheers. He asks if she wants more club soda, but she says, no, she’s got to drive later. She asks if he refilled the decanters at his penthouse, but he says, no. She says, he’s not tempted by the display of all the bottles here? He says, baby steps, and she says, his baby steps are pretty big. She’s proud of him. He says, it’s not going to be easy, but the plan was to let Phyllis have the bar. She says, right, but life gets complicated. Does he still want to follow through on that plan? He says he has to convince Phyllis that it’s her bar, but Nina says she doesn’t think it’s going to take a lot of persuasion. Think about it. Phyllis owning the local watering hole? It’ll feel like old times… well, almost. He asks if she means when they were back in Nixon Falls; that was their home. She says, that life seemed real, but it wasn’t, because didn’t know the truth about himself. Now everyone knows the truth, and it’s up to them to decide what’s real.

Willow tells Michael, it was nothing serious, but she fainted in an empty patient room. He asks why she fainted; is she sick? Why didn’t she tell him sooner? She says she told him, it wasn’t serious. She hadn’t eaten all day and she was dehydrated. Between parenting Wiley and studying for nursing exams, she was running herself thin, but Epiphany took good care of her. He says he’ll have to thank her, but he wishes Willow had told him sooner. She says, he was spending the night in a cell. She didn’t want him worrying about her. It’s not like he could do anything about it. She didn’t go to Carly because she was dealing with Josslyn, and didn’t need to worry about her too. He says he hates that she was alone. Epiphany’s great, but she was on duty and couldn’t stay with Willow. Willow says she wasn’t alone. Her mom showed up for her.

Alexis asks, what’s so complicated about Harmony staying out of Willow and Michael’s business? and Harmony says, things are always complicated when it comes to her grandson. She thanks Alexis for the advice about Nina, and says she’s going to get out of Alexis’s hair.  Alexis asks if there’s anything else Harmony would like to talk about, but Harmony says, no, and asks if Shawn is around. She’s like to avoid him. Alexis says, she doesn’t think that’s going to be a problem because Shawn went to San Francisco, and she doesn’t know when he’s going to be back. Harmony asks if Alexis okay about that, and Alexis says, things got a little tense before he left.

Curtis says Jordan isn’t going to help him? and she says, hunting down sealed records and unsealing them without a court order is illegal. He was in law enforcement and knows that as well as she does. He says, the man is lying to him and TJ. He has questions and needs answers, and she has the ability to get them. She says, unethically, and he asks when that’s ever stopped her. She didn’t think twice about getting Laura’s sealed arrest record for Cyrus Renault. She says, that’s not the same. She was being blackmailed; TJ’s life was at stake. She had no choice. He says, because TJ is family, and they’re not that to each other anymore. Is that how it is? Curtis is pissing me off. He wanted the divorce, and so, no, they’re not family anymore. Way to pressure her when she just got back from a long stay at a hospital.

Nina looks down the bar, and asks if those are 45s. What are they doing here? She goes over to look at the stack of records, and he says, Phyllis wanted to add a vintage jukebox to the place, but then she figured out it would block the customer’s path to the tables and bar. Nina says, that’s too bad. She loved it when they played music at the Tan-O. He laughs, and she picks up one of the 45s, saying, she remembers when they danced to this song. She picks up another one, and says. she can’t believe Phyllis has a copy of this; this is a great song. She forgot about it. She says she knows how it goes, and starts to sing,  I woke up in the morning… Sonny says, she’s doing good, but that’s not quite it. He brings out his phone, and puts on the song. She says she loves this one, and he goes around the bar. He holds out his hand, and they dance.

Jordan says, he’s not being fair, and Curtis whines, what’s not fair is that she’s doing this to him after all she put him through. She says she knows he’s going through a lot right now, and knows they have a lot of unresolved issues from their marriage, but do not equate the two. And do not, under any circumstances, come in here and tell her how to do her job, or what code she can or cannot live by. She thought they were in a good place, but he’s come too close to destroying all that good will they built up. She’s not the bad guy here. He says, so she really won’t get the records for him, and she asks if he’s heard a single word she said. She can’t, but she’s willing to help him in any way she can. He tells her, don’t bother, and slams out like the big baby he’s being.

Laura sits down with Sam, Anna, and Drew. She says she’s due to have dinner with Victor and the family. Is it too much to hope they found something to put Victor behind bars? Anna says, she and Felicia were able to access the files at the Transportation Bureau in Innsbruck, and a certain Kurt Markovich, and employee there, became suspicious of them. But eventually, he did admit to sabotaging Luke’s cable car. Laura says, it was not an accident; he was murdered. Sam says she’s so sorry Laura found out this way. She wishes it could have been different. Anna says she’s sorry. The crash was deliberate, but this Kurt didn’t admit to targeting Luke, and unfortunately, they couldn’t get anything else out of him because he took his own life there. Laura says, but they know it was Luke, don’t they? and Anna says, unless the Bureau finds evidence to the contrary, they’ll proceed as if Luke was just another victim that day. Laura says, collateral damage? and Anna says, yes, to Kurt’s fanatical cause. Drew says, whatever that was, and Anna says, unfortunately, they weren’t able to connect this crash and Luke to Victor. Laura says, maybe not yet, but knowledge is power, and they’re off to a good start.

Ava says, she suspects when Victor finally reveals his big plan for the family, it’ll behoove her to remain in his good graces. He says, so her friendliness toward him has a more selfish motivation, and she says, he knows better than anybody they all have selfish motivations. She’s just up front about hers. Besides she and Nikolas are married; she and Victor are family now. They’ll be in each other’s lives from now on. Shouldn’t that make them allies, able to enjoy each other’s company? He lifts his glass, when Nikolas arrives. He says he hopes they didn’t order without him, and she says, of course (🍷) not. She was beginning to think he’d stood them up. Where’s Spencer? Nikolas says, things were a little tense between him and Esme. Spencer wanted some time to talk to her. Victor hopes they’re coming; this celebration is for Spencer. Nikolas says, Spencer woudn’t make any promises, and Ava says she’s sorry. She knows how anxious Nikolas has been to make almonds amends to him. Nikolas says, the reality is, he and Spencer have a long way to go before any healing takes place, but Victor says, no. That is absolutely unacceptable.

Spencer says he’s glad Esme didn’t leave before he returned home. They left a lot unsaid. In fairness, it’s not like he could have chased after her with twelve hours left on his sentence. She says she didn’t like how they ended things either. She tossed and turned all night, wondering if he meant all the horrible things he said to her; that he actually believed she was the one responsible for filming Joss and Cameron doing the dirty. Thank you for realizing that wasn’t true. She moves closer to him, but he backs up and tells her, he never said that. She says she’s a little confused. If he doesn’t believe her, then what’s been left unsaid? He says he wants to believe her. He wants to believe in her, but right now she’s blaming Trina for something he knows she couldn’t possibly… Esme says, but she could, and he says he doesn’t know. What he does know is, she was at the cabin, and she has a side to her that is capable of going to extremes. She says, he means like what she did to Ava: setting her car on fire, planting her dead daughter’s hospital ID badge beneath the car. She’d never even heard of Ava Jerome until Spencer decided to frighten her away from his father. How does she know he’s not the one capable of filming his friends without their consent? He was at the cabin too, but he doesn’t see her going around accusing him. How do they know it isn’t all his doing?

Nikolas says he knows Victor is invested in healing the rift between him and Spencer, but it’s going to take time. Victor says, Nikolas doesn’t understand. He gave Nikolas room to take this process as slowly as he needed to bring the family together, but he trusted the wrong people, and now they’re running out of time. Valentin and Alexis will most likely never want to have anything to do with him again, but the rest of the family might come together while they still can. Nikolas says, while they still can? What’s that supposed to mean?

Harmony tells Alexis not to pressure herself. She’ll know when it’s time to move on. Alexis says, what she wants to move on from is this office. And since she’s the boss, she can declare the work day over. So she declares the work day’s over. Molly and TJ are making her a feast tonight to thank her for letting them stay with her. Harmony says, are they moving out? and Alexis says, they are. They found another place. She’s sad and she’ll miss them, but it’s good they have their own space. Harmony says, it must be nice to have a home cooked meal. Her motel room doesn’t have a kitchen. Alexis asks if she said motel room. She’s staying in a motel? Since she left prison? That’s a year ago. Harmony says, yeah. It’s tough to save up for a deposit on what she makes at Spring Ridge. Alexis says she’s sorry. Would it help if someone co-signed a lease for her? Harmony says, someone like Alexis?

The desk sergeant tells Michael that they need Commissioner Ashford to sign off on the paperwork before he leaves, and goes in the back. Michael says, while they wait, Willow can tell him about Harmony. Willow says, her condition wasn’t serious, but when Harmony heard she was in the hospital, she couldn’t get there fast enough. Michael says, that’s what parents do; they move heaven and earth for their kids. She says, easy for him to say. He knows her history. Her mom is a seeker, and her love for Willow always came second place to enlightenment. Michael says, and last night was different, and Willow says, yeah. It was like the mom she’d always hoped for showed up. She was so loving and concerned. He says, it must have been nice for her, and she says, it was the first time her mom put her needs ahead of her own, or some spiritual leader’s. She’s grateful, even if she doesn’t know what inspired this new Harmony.

Sonny and Nina slow dance, and flash back to slow dancing at the Tan-O. He spins her, and they get closer. He says, she has to admit, he’s pretty good, and she says she gives him an A for effort. He says, what about execution? and she says he’s a little rusty, but she can whip him back into shape. They have all the time in the world… except… that’s the one they thing don’t have. I can tell you this, what they do have is Sonny’s dimples.

Alexis says she’s not necessarily saying it should be her, and Harmony says she has the feeling they’d be crossing a line. Alexis says, what if she helps Harmony with a security deposit; a loan. Harmony says she wouldn’t want to jeopardize their friendship by owing Alexis money, and Alexis says she has an empty house, and Harmony needs a home. So why doesn’t Harmony take the next few weeks, save some money, and stay with her?

Jordon tells Michael, he’s good to go. Make sure he makes his court date. He says, understood. Jordan’s phone rings, and she steps away. Michael asks if Willow is ready, and she says, let’s go. He takes her hand, and says he owes her a second apology. In addition to decking that reporter, he delayed their vacation. She says, turnabout’s fair play. She delayed it first with the search for her birth certificate. Now he’s out on bail, and has to stay in town. He asks if she’ll settle for a candlelit dinner, and she says, with coq au vin, mousse au chocolat, and a lovely Bordeaux? See? She already speaks the language. He tells her, you know what they say, we’ll always have Paris, and they kiss.

On the phone with Robert, Jordan says, the judge set a date for the trial. Diane Miller is gearing up for a fight. There’s been no additional pressure from the Quartermaines or Sonny Corinthos. No special requests… Right. She’ll keep him posted.

Sonny says he’s got to go, and Nina says, her too. Curtis walks in, and says, Sonny’s office said he could find Sonny here. He asks if he came at a bad time, but Nina says, no. She came to see Phyllis, but she’s not here, so she was just leaving. She grabs her bag, and Curtis asks if she’s sure. She says, she and Curtis will catch up soon, and she leaves. Sonny asks what he can do for Curtis, and Curtis says he needs to ask Sonny a favor.

Spencer tells Esme, knock it off. She knows he was in Spring Ridge and couldn’t have posted the video. She says, he told her that he was able to sneak in and out of Spring Ridge thanks to Uncle Victor, and she knows he and Cam were enemies when they were kids. Maybe that sex tape was payback. He says, that is not at all… and she says, calm down. She doesn’t actually believe he did it; she was just making a point. He had motive and opportunity, but he doesn’t see her accusing him, because she has faith in her partner’s character. She has faith in them, or at least she used to. But he can’t seem to extend that same grace to her, can he? He doesn’t answer, and she says she guesses there’s nothing more they can say to one another. She drops her purse going out the door, and quickly moves to retrieve it, but not before Spencer picks up a pregnancy test that’s fallen out.  

Anna says, Tracy and Bobbie will be informed that the crash was deliberate, but Sam wonders if they should tell them the truth. Laura says, she’d rather not. Bobbie already suspects Luke was targeted, but she doesn’t know Victor might be a part of it. Tracy’s in the Netherlands. Drew says, the less they know the safer they’ll be, and Laura says, exactly. Drew says, especially after that scam on the bridge. Victor now knows Drew is coming for him. Anna says, he’ll realize the walls are closing in on him, and Laura says, anyone he suspects is working to expose him will be in grave danger now.

Victor apologizes to Ava and Nikolas for his outburst. He says he supposes he was just airing his frustration with Valentin. Nikolas says, because Valentin doesn’t want Victor in his life? and Victor says not to let an old fool project his problems on Nikolas’s relationship with his son. Nikolas says, it’s not the first time Victor has alluded that something is eating him up, and Ava says, obviously something important, even dangerous, is happening. Nikolas says, Victor made it clear that he couldn’t or wouldn’t discuss it with them, but they are family. Ava says, they can’t help ease his burden, they can’t help him if he doesn’t share it with them. Nikolas says, perhaps it’s time Victor told them exactly what he’s been planning since before he was back in town. Victor rubs his signet ring, and says, maybe they’re right.

Tomorrow, Josslyn asks if Cameron is saying it’s her fault; Esme says Spencer has broken her heart; Victor asks if he has Nikolas and Ava’s support; and Sonny says, with all due respect, how is it Curtis’s business?

🥏 Spinning Back…

It’s not like Spinelli ever really leaves.

🤵🏻 Just Married…

I don’t remember him from AMC, but I love Halloween Wars

🍍 Clueless In Jersey…

Wrong answer. True friends do ask questions.

🗽 Reboot In 3… 2… 1…

How could she not be back? Someone needs to make it nice.

🍸 Pumping the Breaks…

The latest on the impending divorce.

https://people.com/tv/katie-maloney-files-for-divorce-from-tom-schwartz-a-week-after-announcing-split/

VanderSplits over the years.

🧛🏻‍♀️ Playing Normal…

Not Elvira this time.

https://comicbook.com/horror/news/the-munsters-reboot-movie-cassandra-peterson-elvira-role-rob-zombie/

🍜 Hasta Lasagna…

See you tomorrow for the wild card that is Friday, where you’ll find soap, tea, sage statements, and something to tickle your musical bone. Until then, stay safe, stay not changing lanes without signaling, and stay remembering knowledge is power.

March 18, 2022 – Alexis Answers the Question, Goodbyes, Staying, RSVNot, Eboni’s Why, It’s a No, Booted, Injured, It’s Him, Reactions, Where They Are, Merging, Choices, One Worthy Quote & Dance

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

On the phone in her office, Alexis says everything looks in order, so it should be good for an early morning release. Shawn comes to the door, and says, got time? She says, for him, always, and he says, good, because they have a lot to talk about. She asks, what is it? and he says, her friend Harmony, and the company she keeps.

Phyllis sees Nina at Charlie’s, and gives her a hug. She says she wishes Nina would have given her a heads up; she would have cancelled her plans. Nina says, Phyllis is a busy lady, and asks what kind of plans she has. Phyllis says she’s going to meet up with a friend of Lenny’s, and Nina asks if they live in Port Charles. Phyllis says, just passing through. Raincheck? Nina says, definitely. The truth is, she has a meeting herself, and no, not with Sonny. Phyllis says, see her soon, and leaves. Harmony walks in, and says, she hopes she didn’t keep Nina waiting.

Michael sneaks up behind Willow at the hospital, and she asks what he’s doing here. Did she forget date night? He says, she’s fine, and asks if she’s finished with her rotation. She says, yes. Can’t he tell by the circles under her eyes? If being a nurse is as exhausting as becoming one, she’s going to have to up her concealer game. He says, A, her eyes are perfect, and B, all she needs is a week in Paris and, viola. She says, he learned a new French word, and he says, oui, oui. She says she’s cleared the trip with her supervisor, and he suggests they get her home and start packing.

Jordan tells reporter Smalt (I didn’t realize it was the UFO guy from The Invader), if he wants an interview, contact her office. He says she must be aware there’s a video out there of Josslyn Jax and Cameron Webber doing the dirty. (Is everyone twelve?) She says, out there as in… He says, going viral, and he heard from unnamed sources that PCU has launched its own investigation. What does she think? With the Corinthos family involved, are they looking at a prank, or something more criminal?

Esme sees Spencer bear hugging the book, and asks if that’s the gift he gave Trina. He says, it was. Apparently, Trina doesn’t want anything from him. She says, not even friendship? Does that mean Trina’s out of his life? He says, if she is, will Esme be happy? She finally got what she wanted. She asks how he can say that. If he’s hurt, she’s hurting for him, but given the pain Trina’s inflicted on his two closest friends, maybe it’s better this way. He says, better for who? and Esme says, she finally did it, didn’t she? Trina has him believing she’s the one who made that awful video. He says, isn’t she?

At the Bistro, Sam says she can’t believe Carly just showed up like that, and Dante says, she didn’t just show up. She detonated their entire plan. Sam says, a plan that was actually working, and Dante agrees, but what can they do? She says she doesn’t know. What now? He says, now they figure out another way to find out what Victor is up to.

On the footbridge, Carly tells Drew, she’s so, so sorry that she completely and utterly ruined his plan. If she’d had any idea… He says, why? and she says, why is she sorry? He says, no. Most people who would have come up and figured out what was going on would have made an anonymous call to the cops, but she just stormed up to confront it head on. She says she thought he was about to pitch that guy over the bridge, and commit murder. That’s why she didn’t start filming right away; she didn’t want to capture that. Can he imagine trying to explain to a jury that he was conditioned, it wasn’t his fault? He says, the tarot card made me do it isn’t a good defense? He doesn’t get it. She says she couldn’t stand the thought of sitting in the gallery watching that, and he says, she’d be at his trial? She says, of course (🍷) she would.

Willow says, Michael wants to leave for Paris now? and he says, as soon as humanly possible. She says, there’s so much to do; so much to plan. He says, all she needs is her passport, and thanks to her mom, she has one of those, right? They’ll just throw some necessities in a suitcase, and as for the rest, the Parisian shops are calling their names. She says, that sounds… He says, incredible? and she says, yes, but what about Wiley? He says, who’s Wiley? Monica offered to watch him; she insisted actually. She says, that was before she had her hands full planning Jason’s memorial, and he says, he’d ask his mom, but her life’s kind of crazy right now. She says, there’s always her mom. She’d jump at the chance. And let’s face it, so would Nina.

Nina says she figured it was about time she and Harmony met. They do have someone in common. Harmony says, they do? and Nina says, their grandson. Who else does Harmony think she meant?

Jordan says, if and when the PCPD has something to say about this matter, Smalt can read the press release. TJ comes along and asks if everything is cool, and Jordan says, occupational hazard. Smalt says, if someone has targeted Sonny Corinthos’s stepdaughter, he’s damn well going to find out who, with or without Jordan’s cooperation.

Esme says she can’t believe Spencer is buying into Trina’s pathetic attempt to deflect suspicion. This is ridiculous. When she left a little while ago, everything was fine. Trina pays him one visit, and he throws this baseless accusation… He says, Cameron doesn’t think it’s baseless, and she says, who cares what Cameron thinks? He says, he does. Cameron told him to trust his gut. She says, and not trust her? Open his eyes. Cam’s always had it out for her. He says, not always. In fact, Cameron was on her side until she… She says, until she somehow taped him and his girlfriend having sex when she was miles away with Spencer? Does he hear himself? He says, she managed to torch Ava’s car without being there, and she says, she did that for him. He asks if she did this for him too, and she says, they succeeded. His friends set out to turn him against her, and they finally did. He says, they didn’t do anything. They didn’t have to. Not if she did it all for them.

Dante says, so Drew was part of this Operation Demeter at some point, and Sam says, and their chances of uncovering it are basically zero. He says, right, because Drew was a SEAL, and it was probably some black op. She says, Spinelli could get near it. Dante knows he has his ways, but she knows. She’s not allowed to ask him for help anymore. He tells her that she’s a real piece of work, and she says she knows that, but she also knows she’s right. She thinks it’s a mistake not to utilize Spinelli just because Dante’s ego can’t take it. He makes a pained expression, and says, can’t take it? and she says, yeah. He says she’s right, and she says, excuse me? He tells her that he said she’s right, and she smiles.

Carly asks if Drew thinks she would let him go to trial for a murder he committed against his will with no one in his corner. No way. The next call she would make would be to Diane, which by the way, if he wakes up one day and finds he’s committed a crime he doesn’t remember… He says, call Diane? but she says, call her; she’ll call Diane. He’s a nice guy and all… He says, but he’s not on the list? and she says, if it makes him feel better, it’s a very short list. There were only three people in the world who could call Diane, and no matter what she was doing or where she was, she would pick up the phone. Now there are only two. He says, her and Sonny, and she says, yeah. He says he still can’t believe her first impulse wasn’t to run, but instead, she just jumps right in to the mix. She says, it’s pretty on brand for her, and he says, none of the other stuff even crossed her mind? She says, like what? and he says, like her kids, her work, her life; all the stuff she told him not to jeopardize. For all she knew, he could have thrown her over the side next. She says, oh. She didn’t really think about that, but if she had… No. She doesn’t believe he would have thrown her over the bridge, conditioned or not. He says he’d really like to believe that, but that’s what’s so disorienting. When it is the right tarot card, there is no choice, there’s no conscious decision to do or don’t. He just wakes up and it’s done; he doesn’t remember anything. She says, that’s so scary, and he says, it’s terrifying.

Shawn tells Alexis, it’s been a while since he’s seen the guy, but when you’re as notorious as Bucky was, you’re not easily forgotten… and this isn’t news to her, is it? She says, no. Harmony told her about the forger. He says, so Harmony made her an accessory after the fact, and she says she advised Harmony not to do it, but at the end of the day, Harmony did what she was going to do, and she did it for her daughter. Is there anything he wouldn’t do for TJ? He says, now she’s just playing dirty, and she says, is there? He tells her to ask herself this. Is she sure Harmony was thinking about Willow, or was she just thinking about herself?

Harmony says, she and Nina are virtual strangers. She’s learned the hard way to guard against people who want to involve her in their own personal problems. Nina says, fair enough, and she doesn’t blame Harmony for being cautious, but in this particular case, Nina’s problem could also be Harmony’s problem. Harmony says, Nina wants something, and Nina says she only wants what Harmony wants she would imagine; to spend time with her precious grandchild? Or do Michael and Willow make her feel welcome when she’s around Wiley? Harmony says she gets to see him from time to time, when it’s convenient for them. Nina says, what if she told Harmony that she could change that? What if she never had to beg or grovel to see Wiley? What if they got Wiley’s parents to put him first, and give them what’s rightfully theirs?

Michael says, he and Willow agreed Nina gets nowhere near their son. Has that changed? Willow says, no. Nina forfeited her right to be in Wiley’s life as far as they’re concerned. The courts may have a different opinion. He says, Nina has the right to file a petition. Let her take her best shot, because they know they’re doing what’s best for Wiley. She says, and they agree that’s being surrounded by people who love him with no ulterior motive. He says, of course (🍷), and she says, could that list maybe include her mom? She knows her mom’s had her issues – no one knows that better than her – but she’s trying so hard to make up for her mistakes, which is more than they can say for Nina, right?

Jordan tells Smalt, careful now. It sounds like he’s more interested in selling a story than protecting two innocent kids. Smalt tells her, who says they’re innocent? and TJ asks, what’s going on? Jordan says, that’s what she’s trying to figure out. If what Mr. Smalt here says is true… Smalt says, gospel. His sources always check out. Jordan says she’s sure, and he says, if she refuses to give him the answers he needs, he’ll just find them somewhere else, and walks off.

Michael says, despite Willow’s mom’s sincere remorse, it’s hard for him to leave what she did to Willow in the past. Smalt sees Michael, and says, paydirt.

Spencer tells Esme to look him in the eye, and tell him that she had nothing to do with that video. She says, would it even matter? After all this time together, after everything they’ve been through, she can’t believe their history isn’t enough. He says he wants to trust her, and she urges him to sit with her. She asks if he remembers the first time they met in boarding school, and he says, of course (🍷) he does. She says, where were his friends then? He didn’t have any. The poor little rich kid was all alone until she came along. Then when he returned to Port Charles, and threw that big welcome home party, who wrote up the guest list? Who made sure every single person on it would fly in? Does he think they came all this way because they liked him? Please. They used him because his last name is Cassadine. All of them, except for her, because she saw the real him; his heart, his mind, his potential. True, he was just a boy, but she fell for him, knowing one day he’d be a man. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she was fooling herself this entire time.

Carly says, let’s be practical about this. He knows what tarot cards work on him, right? and he says, The Chariot puts him under; The Tower brings him out. She says, and he knows what words need to be used? and he says, you’re active, and stand down. She says, besides the two of them, who knows the whole sequence at this point? and he says he thinks a lot of people know it involves tarot cards, but only Jason and Britt knew the actual sequence. She says she’s had her mixed feelings about Britt in the past, but Britt would never use it against him, and she almost certainly wouldn’t. He says, almost certainly? and she says, now that she thinks about it, she should invest in a tarot deck just in case. You never know when it could come in handy. Like when Nina’s really driving her crazy… He says, oh my God, and she says she doesn’t want to wipe Nina off the map or anything, but maybe there’s a fire at the Crimson printing facility. No one’s hurt or anything like that, but the magazine fails, and Nina has to leave town… She doesn’t want him to make the mistake that she’s above that, because she’s not. He says, she is. She might despise Nina, but not for one second does he think she would take away his free will just to mess with her. She says, no, she woudn’t.

Dante tells Sam, he was wrong. They should have called Spinelli instead of letting his… She says, ego, and he cringes, and says, ego get in the way, and maybe they wouldn’t be in this position. She says, as much as she likes to be right, he’s wrong. He says, that’s what he was telling her, but she says she’s talking about being in this position. It has nothing to do with him or who put the microphone on Drew, and everything to do with Carly. The plan went sideways, but it wasn’t his fault. He’s actually doing a really great job. He asks her to say it again, she does, and they kiss.

Carly says, when Drew talked about taking away his free will, it made her think. He asks, what about? and she says, the worst mistakes she’s made in her entire life was when she went along with someone else’s choice, not her own. She loved Jason for a million reasons, but one that stands out to her is, Jason never did anything he didn’t choose to do. He did a ton of things he didn’t want to do, but Jason was the ultimate proponent of free will. She guesses that makes it easier sometimes when she’s so angry she wants to scream at the universe. No one made Jason go to that island. He chose it, just like he chose everything else. He says, that’s why she and Jason were so close. They were the same that way. In the end, she just does what she wants, and everyone else be damned. Jason apparently didn’t have a problem with it. She laughs, and says, sometimes he did… a lot of times. That’s why, as much as it hurt, she had to end things with Sonny. It got to the point where she was making herself small every day. She was lying every day; not just to the kids, but to him, the world, herself. She was swallowing so much resentment and anger, she was choking on it. He says, she made a choice, and she broke free, and she says, it’s going to take a while before she feels okay. She misses Avery so much it hurts, but she didn’t have a choice. Not one she could live with.

Esme says, this is what she gets for staying by Spencer’s side, when everyone, including his own father, was against him. She won’t be making that mistake again. She gets up, and he follows, saying, she knows what she means to him. He hasn’t forgotten all that she’s done for him. She says, it seems like it. It seems like he’s willing to believe everyone except her. He says he just wants to understand what happened. Someone made that video and sent it out to the entire school. Esme blames Trina – Esme squeals, because she did it – and everyone else blames Esme. They’re getting so loud, I’m surprised a guard hasn’t run in, and shouldn’t there be a guard in the room??? He says, so either everyone’s wrong and she’s right… who is he supposed to believe? She says, he’s supposed to believe her. Because that’s what love is, putting one person before everyone else. Either he can do that or he can’t.

Michael says, they do need to figure out Willow’s mom’s place in Wiley’s life, but can they do it on their way to the airport, on the plane, or at one of the amazing cafes they’re going to be eating at? He wants her to himself in the City of Lights. She says, they still have to figure out who’s going to watch Wiley, and he says he’ll call his grandmother, give her first choice… in the car. Willow says, let’s get out of here, and they walk to the elevator. Smalt appears, and says, Mr. Corinthos? Michael asks if he knows Smalt, and Smalt introduces himself, saying, Michael must have seen his work in The Invader. Does he have any comment on the video? Michael says they’re in a hurry; Smalt can contact his office. Smalt says, so Michael has no comment on his family’s latest brush with scandal? and Michael says, his family is well-versed in so-called scandals. The elevator doors open, and Michael and Willow get in. Smalt leans on the door, keeping it open, and says, even when it comes to Michael’s sister Josslyn? Michael says, what about Josslyn?

Alexis tells Shawn, sorry. He doesn’t want her to miss a deadline, does he? He says, always a master of deflection, and she says, the website called her. He says, even if they hadn’t, she’d find some other way of explaining why she’s covering for her friend. She says, they both know, this is not about Harmony. The last time they spoke, he said he was flying out to the west coast for some amazing job opportunity. He says, good memory, and she thanks him. He says, then she’d also remember him asking if he had a reason to come back in the next few weeks, and move the offices here. She says, the reason being her, and he says she’s been avoiding him ever since. She says, she hasn’t been avoiding him… Okay, maybe she’s been avoiding him. You want to talk about us. If there even is an us. He says, is there?

Spencer says he’s always put Esme first; ahead of his family, ahead of his friends, ahead of everyone. She says, then why are they fighting? She knows he likes Trina, and wants to believe she’s innocent, but maybe Trina did him a favor. He asks what she means, and she says, Trina returned that gift he got her. She picks up the book, and says, he can make a clean break and move on. She looks inside, and says, he wrote an inscription. We can tell she’s just seething, and he says, it’s nothing. She looks at it, and says, it’s not nothing. To Trina and our shared passion; Spencer. Isn’t that sweet? If she hadn’t come back when she did, would Spencer have kissed Trina to demonstrate all that shared passion?

Drew says, Carly makes a really good point. There is an upside to him coming back, having missed out on a couple years of his life. She says, there is? and he says, he has a completely clear slate. He’s free to set his own priorities, to trust his own instincts. To fill up his life in a way that feels best to him. Of course (🍷) he has obligations; Scout being number one. But it’s not like he’s in a situation where he made a promise he can’t keep, or he’s trapped emotionally and physically. She says, he’s free, and he says he’s grateful for that. He’s grateful to be home, but he’s been focused more on loss instead of freedom. She says she thinks he needs to shift his focus, and he says he thinks she’s right. Just let go of… whatever. The time he’s lost, the dreams he had; just put it down. It will free up so much space to move forward. Carly says, amen to that.

Nina tells Harmony, legally, grandparents are guaranteed access to their grandchildren, in the state of New York at least. Harmony says, even if she wanted to fight for those rights, she wouldn’t be able to afford a lawyer, but Nina says, she wouldn’t have to; Nina already has legal representation. But that’s not her point. They could come out swinging, and probably succeed, but a long contentious legal battle is not in Wiley’s best interest, or theirs. Harmony agrees, and asks, what’s the alternative to going to court? Nina says, separately, they’re in a weak position, but together they can represent a united front. Nina has Michael’s father in her corner, and Harmony has the woman Michael loves in hers. So she could put in a good word for Harmony, and Harmony can do the same for Nina on her end. It could work.

Michael comes back out of the elevator, and asks Smalt, what happened to Josslyn? Has she been admitted to GH? Smalt says, nothing like that, and Michael says, then start talking; his patience is running thin. Willow suggests they go home and figure it out there, but Michael says he’s not going anywhere until he finds out what’s going on. Smalt says, Michael really doesn’t know. Wow. He’d thought it spread like wildfire. Michael says, start talking, and Smalt says, there’s a video going around, and apparently his sister was caught in the act with her boyfriend. And by caught in the act, he means having sex. Michael says, Cameron and Josslyn? and Willow says, they have the general idea; let’s get out of here. Smalt says, and someone sent it to all the students at PCU. Michael asks, who was it? and Smalt says he was hoping Michael could tell him that. The video’s blown up on social media, but so far, no one has taken credit. It makes him wonder, was this their plan? Michael asks if Smalt is insinuating his sister purposely leaked the video, and Smalt says, maybe she wanted the whole world to rate her performance. She is quite the athlete. Michael punches Smalt in the face, and Smalt bounces off the wall and onto the floor. We see Jordan and TJ are standing there.

Alexis says, nothing has changed since Shawn decided to go to San Francisco, She loved when he was staying at the house, she loves working with him, He says, so does he, and she says, so he knows how much he means to her. He says he thinks so, and she says she doesn’t know if she would have survived Pentenville without him. She’s gainfully employed because of him. He says he’s not looking for gratitude, and she says she knows. He says he asked if she’s ready. If she wanted to give them another try, but he never got her answer. She takes his arm, and says, the answer is no. There are a hundred different reasons for that. They’re different people. She’s still mourning Neil, The timing is bad, but the most salient point is that they had their chance, and it didn’t work. To think they can go back, and there will be some magic redo is just… He deserves better than that. They both do

Spencer says Esme is taking what he wrote out of context. He was referring to the passion he and Trina share for art history, but to take it and twist it into something else to justify what she’s done… She says, she’s turning it into something else? That’s what he’s done every time he’s chosen to believe Trina over her, trust Trina over her. He’s had his little stolen moments with Trina when he could have been spending time with her, and by the way, what makes him think he knows Trina so well anyway? He laughs, and she says, don’t tell her they… He says, no, of course (🍷) not. You know why? Because Trina’s not like that. Esme says, and she is, and he tells her, did he say that? Esme says she’s capable of anything, right? Nothing’s too low, but Trina, innocent Trina, can do no wrong. He says she’s overreacting, but she says, no. She’s finally calling him out with the truth. He wants boring and basic? She shoves the book at him, and says, he can have that.

Carly asks if Drew has talked to Monica, but he says, they’ve been ships passing; why? She says, Monica has decided to have Jason legally declared dead, and he says, it makes sense from a legal standpoint. She doesn’t think Monica is going to have a memorial, does she? Jason would absolutely hate that. She says, he would totally hate it. A bunch of people saying nice things about him? But he’d tolerate it because it’s Monica, and he’d want to make her happy. Drew says, she’s right, and she says he has to do her a favor. He says, name it, and she says, they have to make a pact. If there is a memorial, and they’re forced to sit there and listen to people talk about Jason, people who never really knew him, he has to catch her eye. If she’s about to stand up and say something and they’re sitting next to each other, he has to kick her. He says, what if they’re not? and she says, he’ll have to give her a signal of some kind; pull his ear, blink a couple of times, whatever. He just has to stop her. He says, how about this? and breaths in deeply, holding up ten fingers. She says, take a breath and count to ten, and he says, is that good? She says, perfect. He says, four days, and she says, four days what? He says, the amount time he was on Cassadine Island, and got to know Jason as his brother. It came down to four days. Now he’s left grieving all the things they’ll never get a chance to do. She says she’s so sorry, but he says, what is he even talking about? That’s nothing compared to what she’s going through. She says she has this big gaping hole in her life that will never be filled, but she has Jason in her heart. The way he was; the way she knew him. She has to realize, everyone has their own version of Jason, and she has to let them have it. He says, she will. It doesn’t matter what anyone’s version is, she knew who Jason was… for real. She says, what a gift.

Harmony says she’d love to be a part of Wiley’s life, and not just on birthdays and holidays. Nina says, Harmony just wants to be involved, and Harmony says, doesn’t Nina? Nina says, more than anything. Harmony is lucky for what she has with Willow. She never got that with her own daughter. Nina never even knew who she was until it was too late. Harmony says, that must have been crushing, and Nina says, it’s the kind of loss you don’t get over, but learn to live with. Harmony wishes there was something she could do, and Nina says, there is. Not that Harmony owes her anything. Just to be close to her daughter’s child would mean the world to her, and she truly believes it will make a difference to Wiley.

Michael tells Smalt, say another word about his sister; he dares him. Willow pushes him away from where Smalt is still on the floor, being tended to by TJ. Jordan says, that was a stupid thing to do, and Smalt wails, that was assault. TJ says, let him take a look, and Smalt says, this guy went all Corinthos on him and broke his face. Michael says, Smalt is lucky it wasn’t worse, and Jordan suggests he stop talking. Willow asks Michael, can they go home now? but Jordan says, Michael isn’t going anywhere. He’s under arrest.

Dante says he thinks what Sam is saying is, he’s got skills, and she asks if he has skills she’s not aware of. Are they current skills? He says, fairly current, and she tells him, if he says so. He says he does, and she says, care to share? He says, not here, and she says, they could see what’s happening at her place. He says, here’s a preview, and they kiss.

Drew asks if he can give Carly a ride back to the MetroCourt, but she says she’s not staying at the MetroCourt. The divorce papers were signed; she got the house. He asks how she feels about hat, and she says, conflicted. Of course (🍷), what else is new? The house is great; it’s a fortress. She doesn’t know if she should keep the guards, although she knows Sonny would be fine with it. She just doesn’t know if it makes them more of a target. She thinks she’ll have Spinelli set up a new state-of-the-art security system, and Drew says he could give her a full assessment if she wants. She says, really? and he says, ex-Navy SEAL over here. She says, that would be great, and he says, back to that ride, but she says she has her car; she’s all set. She’ll see him soon. He says she can count on it, he leaves, and she looks all happy, little hearts popping out of her eyes.

Jordan reads Michael his rights, and cuffs him, and Willow says, he was provoked. Did she hear what this man said about his sister? Michael says, it’s fine, but Willow says, it’s not, and Jordan asks if he understands his rights. He says he does, and Smalt says, this is an attack on the First Amendment. What happened to free speech? Jordan says, he spoke enough, and tells Michael, let’s go, leading him into the elevator. Michael tells Willow, Paris will have to wait, and she asks if he thinks she’s worrying about Paris right now. All that matters is that he and Josslyn are okay. Michael says, he’ll tell her this much, whoever did this to his sister is going to pay. Smalt repeats it into his recorder, and says, now there’s the quote.

Esme starts to storm out, but Spencer says, wait. She never answered his question. She says, he wants an answer, and he says, yes, he does. She says, well, we don’t always get what we what we want.

Alexis says she hopes Shawn’s trip to San Francisco is everything he deserves, and he deserves the best. He says she keeps talking about what he deserves, and she says, because she knows him, and she’s always liked what she’s known. He says, always? and she admits, not always. He laughs, and says he wants nothing but good things for her too. She tells him, good luck, and he says, back atcha, but something tells him she won’t need it. He heads for the door, and she says, hey. He turns back, and they hug/ He tells her, take care, and leaves.  

Harmony says she can’t give Nina her daughter back, and Nina says, unfortunately, no one do that. Harmony says, but maybe they can share Wiley. Nina is right. He can’t have too much love. Nina asks if Harmony is in this, when Phyllis comes over to the table. She says, Lorraine Miller, as I live and breathe.

Hyperventilating, Willow goes into an examining room and calls Carly. But by the time Carly answers, Willow is passed out on the floor. Carly asks if she’s there.

On Monday, Epiphany tells someone that they’re about to reach their limit; Michael asks what Jordan is doing to catch the bastard who ruined his sister’s life: Carly says, if Alexis means that, she won’t publish the story; and Sonny asks what someone wants from him.

🖼 Sweet Sorrow…

From the hospital to the university.

And on a more personal note.

🧍🏻‍♂️ Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere…

No need to panic in the streets. Spencer will be sticking around.

💎 Skipping Out…

 Kim always looks like she’s just a step away from imploding. Or exploding. Or something.

🗽 Necessary Cast…

For all the whining about her being a schoolmarm, I thought she was a breath of fresh air.

👰🏻 Always a Bride…

She’s right about the dress, and I don’t think she was kidding either.

https://people.com/tv/rhonj-melissa-gorga-responds-after-learning-shes-not-bridesmaid-in-teresa-giudice-wedding/

👠 Queen Trumps Countess…

Shaking my head at the irony.

🏍 Norman’s Noggin…

Are you sure he wasn’t bitten?

🍸 Of Course He Is…

Let me count the ways. It started with him giving her a ring on a string, and his bromance with Sandoval always came first. Never mind the concentrated effort at lack of motivation.

💔 Nothing More Than Feelings…

Hint: No one was very original.

🍳 What Came Next…

These kids will probably all have their own restaurants by the time they’re twenty.

https://ew.com/tv/masterchef-junior-champions-where-are-they-now/

🚣‍♂️ Streaming Together…

HBO Max and Discovery Plus join forces. Whether this is a good or bad thing is yet to be determined.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/hbo-max-discovery-plus-streaming-combined-plan-platform-warner-bros/

🏆 Choice Awards…

Critic’s Choice Awards winners.

https://ew.com/awards/2022-critics-choice-super-awards-winners-list/

And the more important fashion.

https://www.eonline.com/photos/34120/2022-critics-choice-awards-red-carpet

🥇 Quote of the Week

I no longer have patience for certain things, not because I’ve become arrogant, but simply because I reached a point in my life where I do not want to waste more time with what displeases me or hurts me. I have no patience for cynicism, excessive criticism and demands of any nature. I lost the will to please those who do not like me, to love those who do not love me and to smile at those who do not want to smile at me.

I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to manipulate. I decided not to coexist anymore with pretense, hypocrisy, dishonesty and cheap praise. I do not tolerate selective erudition nor academic arrogance. I do not adjust either to popular gossiping. I hate conflict and comparisons. I believe in a world of opposites and that’s why I avoid people with rigid and inflexible personalities. In friendship I dislike the lack of loyalty and betrayal. I do not get along with those who do not know how to give a compliment or a word of encouragement. Exaggerations bore me and I have difficulty accepting those who do not like animals. And on top of everything I have no patience for anyone who does not deserve my patience. – José Micard Teixeira, author/life coach

🕶 Pulling Down the Shade…

It’s been a long week. Maybe for you too, so enjoy your time off, if you have it, and if not, know you’re not alone. See you when it’s Deadtime. Until then, stay safe, stay cautiously optimistic, and stay letting go of whatever. It will free up so much space to move forward.

March 17, 2022 – Victor Shows His Hand, Explanation, He’s Back, Hopeful, Catching Up, Salty Talk, VanderSplit, Sad Farewell & Pub Song

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

On the footbridge, Victor looks at the Three of Cups tarot card. He hears Drew coming, and slips it into his jacket pocket. Drew says, here he is. Why was it so important they meet in person? Victor says he sees they’re dispensing with the pleasantries, and Drew says he thinks he made it pretty clear what he thinks about Victor. Victor says, yet here Drew stands. Is he alone? Drew asks, why? Does Victor have something up his sleeve as usual?

Sam and Dante are in a nearby van with surveillance equipment. They’re having a problem hearing, and Sam asks if Dante wants to go over the checklist again. He says, the wireless transmitter is functioning, the firmware is current… She says, what about the software on his tablet? and he says he updated it this morning. She can’t hear anything? She says, no, and if she can’t hear Drew, he can’t hear them. He says, that means Drew is on his own with Victor.

Portia literally runs into Jordan at the hospital, and says she’s sorry; she should watch where she’s going. Jordan says, you and me both, and Portia asks if everything is okay. Jordan says she’s just there for a check-up; she feels pretty good. Portia says, that’s what they like to hear, and Jordan says she should be going. She starts to leave, but Portia asks if she has time for one question. There’s something that’s been weighing on her mind. Jordan says, sure, and Portia asks if she considers Spencer Cassadine dangerous.

Spencer says, Trina must be psychic; he was just thinking about her. She says she’s been thinking about him too, and he says he was hoping she’d visit. She says, life’s been hectic, and he says he heard about the sex tape. She says, it’s been rough on Cam, but she can’t even begin to describe what Joss is going through. He says, what about her? He knows she and Joss are best friends, so Joss’s pain must be her pain. She says, which is why she’s here, and he says, so her first visit isn’t a social call. She says, this isn’t a social call, and this isn’t just her first visit. It’s also her last.

At the hospital, Britt asks if Carly is okay, and Carly says she’s fine. Britt says she thought they made peace on Valentine’s Day, or was it just a temporary truce? Carly says, no, they’re fine. She just has a lot going on. Britt says, Jason, and Carly says, what about Jason? Britt says she thought Carly knew. Monica’s decided to have Jason legally declared dead.

There’s a knock at the penthouse door, and Sonny shuffles over to answer it. It’s Nina, and he says, she wants to know if he talked to Michael, right? She comes in, and says, he’s right. Did he? He says, yeah, Michael and Willow, and she says she guesses she’s too late then. She was having second thoughts. He asks, why? and she says she just didn’t want to cause him anymore trouble. She asks how it went, and he says, Michael and Willow don’t want her to see Wiley. End of discussion. She thanks him for trying, and says she’ll call Martin Grey and tell him to start the paperwork… Sonny swipes some stuff off the table, startling Nina, and tells her, he said he’d fix it, and he will.

Jordan says, if Portia is asking for her personal opinion on Spencer, she hasn’t really formed one. Portia says, and her professional one? and Jordan says, not so much opinion as fact. Spencer Cassadine is a convicted felon, currently serving a custodial sentence at Spring Ridge. He’s never been charged with a violent infraction. Portia says, he admitted to stalking, harassing, and damaging property. That sounds like someone capable of violence. Jordan says, if she’s talking about setting Ava Jerome’s car on fire, Spencer had an alibi. Portia says, which brings her straight to his girlfriend Esme Prince. Why exactly wasn’t she charged? Jordan says, it’s complicated, but may she ask, why all the questions about Spencer and Esme? Portia says she needs to know the risks involved for someone that’s in their lives. Curtis comes out of the elevator, and Jordan asks if this is about Trina. Curtis asks, what happened to Trina?

Spencer says, this is Trina’s first and last visit because he’s getting out soon, but she says, no, it’s because of his girlfriend. As long as Esme’s in his life – she takes the book he gave her out of her bag – she can’t be. He says he wants to discuss this with her, but right now is not a good time, and she asks, when is a good time? Joss and Cam told her that he avoided this conversation at the cabin too. They sit, and he says he’s not avoiding the conversation, but Esme is here. She interns at Spring Ridge for her psychology class. Trina says, he’s never going to change, and he asks what that’s supposed to mean? She says, it means, no matter how many horrible things Esme does, he keeps trying to make her happy. It’s been very apparent he’s made Esme the priority since she first got here. Correction, since she first showed herself. Esme is about to walk in, and stops. Trina says, who knows how long Spencer and Esme were lurking around Port Charles, leaving creepy things for children, and he says, that is not… He made some horrible mistakes. That’s why he’s in here, to pay for them. She says, Esme should be the one paying; she’s the one who torched a car. Esme listens from behind a door, and Trina says, Esme took a step back and Spencer took the fall, and he’s okay with that. Just like he’s okay with the fact that Esme taped Joss and Cam having sex, and showed it to the entire world. He says, she’s got it all wrong, but she says she has it all right. Which is why she’s giving him this. She holds out the book, and says, take it. She doesn’t want it anymore. Esme smiles.

Dante says he doesn’t understand. The Wi-Fi signal is garbage. He checked it yesterday and it was totally fine. Sam says she knew she should have called Spinelli, but he says, they don’t need Spinelli. He just needs some time to sort this out. She says, they don’t have any time. Maybe they should just leave; move the van, find a new spot. He says she’s right. It rained and the wet leaves are interfering with the Wi-Fi signal. She wonders why she didn’t think of that, and he says, he’ll move the van a few feet, and they’ll get the signal lout and clear. She tells him, hurry up. They need to know what’s going on between Drew and Victor on that bridge.

Drew says, Victor told him that he wanted to discuss ELQ. What difference does it make if he came alone? Why did they need to have this conversation in private? Victor says, they’re here to discuss sensitive financial matters, and Drew says, if Victor didn’t want an audience for that, why did he bring his attack dog? Yeah, he surveilled the area before he came out in the open; all that Navy SEAL training is pretty ingrained. Victor says, all right, Yohan, he’s on to you. Might as well join us. Yohan stands next to Victor, and Victor says, there are those who might mistake his motives, but Drew says he doesn’t think any of them are mistaken. Victor says, Yohan is his insurance policy. Victor flashes back to telling Yohan that they’ll have to lure Drew to a secluded location, and activate the condition, and Yohan saying Drew figured out what he was doing the last time. If it happens again, there’ll be no denying it. Victor says Yohan makes an excellent point. It will be a terrible waste, but if the conditioning doesn’t work this time, Drew will have to be eliminated. In the present, Victor starts to slide the card out of his pocket, and Drew says, Victor’s henchman is there to protect him, but if this meeting goes sideways, who’s going to protect Yohan?

Britt tells Carly, it’s not a done deal. Monica has to petition the court, and the judge might make her wait the full seven years before declaring Jason legally dead. Carly says she doesn’t understand. It’s only been three months; why is Monica doing this now? Britt says, Carly will have to ask Monica, but she thinks Jason’s kids need closure. Carly says, and Monica told her? and Britt says, only because she was on Cassadine Island when Jason was killed. Monica might need her to provide a statement for the declaration. Carly asks if she will, and Britt says, of course (🍷), whatever Monica needs. Carly says she guesses it’s official. She’ll have to live the rest of her life without her best friend.

Sonny says he didn’t mean to yell, and Nina says, they can talk about this another time. She has to get out of here. She heads for the door, and he follows, saying, it won’t happen again. She asks how she knows that. He’s obviously drunk, and angry. How does she know what he’s going to do? He says he’s not angry. He’s had a couple of bad days. Can she just come in? She says she doesn’t know what’s going on in his life. She wants to help him, but she can’t put herself at risk. He says she knows him… but she says, no. She knew Mike. He says she’s right. Mike would have never scared her like that. She tells him, she shouldn’t have said that, but he says, she was being honest. She misses Mike; so does he. She says, he misses Mike? She comes back in, closes the door, and says, what part? He says, Mike wasn’t very complicated; obviously he had no history. Mike didn’t have a best friend who was buried in rubble in a tunnel, never recovered his body, and now he’s being declared legally dead. She says she didn’t know… and he says, Mike didn’t have a wife who left him, and a son who blames him for the break-up of his family. Mike didn’t have a stepfather – he starts to cry, but pulls himself together and continues – who used to get drunk and beat his mother. Deke was an animal; Sonny never wanted to be anything like him. And now he can see Deke reflected in her eyes.

Jordan asks if Spencer and Esme were threatening Trina, but Portia says, no. She shouldn’t have brought it up. Trina wouldn’t appreciate Portia meddling in her life anyway. Curtis says, it’s not meddling to show concern. In fact, if Portia is worried, maybe Jordan can help. Jordan says she can at least look into Spencer and Esme, and Portia says, please don’t do that. It’s just that Trina is dealing with some friend drama right now. Curtis says, but she’s doing okay in classes, still enjoying her courses? and Portia says she is. Jordan’s phone dings, and she says her appointment’s been pushed back thirty minutes. She’s going to grab a bite in the cafeteria. Curtis asks if she’s okay, and Jordan says, it’s routine; everything is fine. She tells Portia to please reach out if she needs any help, and leaves.

Spencer says he’s not taking that book. Esme continues to listen, and takes out her phone. Spencer says, Trina loves Richard Molineux’s work and she says she did. (I honestly don’t know if that’s the right name for the artist, but close enough), Esme looks at the video of Cameron and Josslyn, and Spencer asks Trina, what changed? She says, her perspective, about a lot of things, starting with the fact she accepted the book under false pretenses. She thought they were friends. He says, aren’t they? and she says, friends have each other’s backs, no matter what the cost. He says he’d do anything for her, and she says, except stop asking him to lie for her, like she did to Joss and Cam and his dad for weeks, not telling them about him being in Port Charles before he said he was. And he swore that he was sorry, and would never put her in that position again, until the other day at the cemetery when he asked her to lie to the Police Commissioner for him. Which is bad on him, but worse on her because she did it. He says, but it all worked out, and she says, what if it hadn’t? What if she had gotten caught? He committed the crime, but his family has enough money to keep him out of trouble; Uncle Victor would have been there with the fix. But her future, her dreams, everything she’s worked so hard for, she put on the line to cover for him, and all he can do is get her a book? Well, no thanks. He wants to prove he cares? Leave his girlfriend. Esme keeps listening, and he says, she wants him to break up with Esme for her? She says she wants him to leave Esme because she’s responsible for filming Cam and Joss. He tells her, Esme says she is, and she says, he believes her? He says, no, he doesn’t, and Esme quietly comes in, but their backs are to her. He says, she would never hurt Joss and Cam that way, and Esme sticks the phone in Trina’s bag and slips back out. He says, she would never tape something that private and personal, much less post it. Trina says, he knows deep down that Esme would, and did, and yet he still chooses to be with her. And that’s not something she can respect. She tries to hand him the book, and he says, he told her, it’s hers. She says, fine, and gets up, leaving the book on the table. Goodbye, Spencer. He says, please don’t walk out on him. If she does, he’ll always wonder. She says, wonder what?

Britt says, accepting Jason’s death is hard, and Carly says, she’s just trying to adjust to the world without him, where she can’t turn to him or… There are so many times when it doesn’t feel like he’s gone, when it feels like he’s still here, and she has to remember all over again. Declaring him dead is like giving up on him. Britt says, they have to let him go, putting her hand on Carly’s arm. Carly says, has she? Britt is telling her to move on, but Britt’s not. Britt says, it’s a process, and they have to accept that what they had with Jason are now just memories. Carly says, what Britt had with Jason was a memory before she even left for Greece.

Dante gets goes to the back of the van, and says, anything? Sam says she’ll never doubt him again, and tells Drew, if he can hear her, cough. He does, and Sam tells Dante, okay. Now hopefully, Victor shows him the tarot card. Dante says, that puts them back in business.

Victor says, nothing is going sideways. They’re just here for a friendly, informative meeting. Drew says, that sounds lovely. Let’s get to it, shall we? He said he wanted to discuss Valentin’s ELQ shares. Now what? Victor says, when he called, Drew was adamant about not wanting to meet with him, yet here he is, eager to hear about voting shares. Drew says, ELQ is his daughter’s birthright. What concerns Scout, concerns him. Victor says, Valentin is in charge of the company. Brook deceived Victor’s son in the worst way possible just to get ahold of his shares. He wonders what other schemes the Quartermaines are hatching to get back ELQ. Drew says, does Victor really think if he knew that he’d tell him? and Victor takes out the card. Drew asks if it’s another tarot card. Did Victor go out and buy a whole deck from the local fortune teller? Victor chuckles, and says, this isn’t any old tarot card. This is the card. The one Peter August used to control Drew. He turns the card around, and says, you are active, and Drew says, reporting for duty. Yohan says, Victor did it, and Victor says, so it seems, but they have to be sure. He tells Drew, throw Yohan over the side of the bridge.

Sonny tells Nina, he never wants anybody he cares about to be afraid of him. Does she forgive him? She says she can forgive him, but it’s not the first time he lashed out. He says he knows; he grabbed her and hurt her. She says, he did, and he says he has no excuses. She says, he had to say goodbye to his friend Jason, on top of everything that’s happening with his family. It must be very painful. He says, ever since he came home, everybody he loves is just slipping through his fingers. He picks up his glass of scotch, and says, and this is not helping. She says, he’s right, and it’s good of him to recognize it doesn’t help, and he says, please don’t tell him that. Ever since he’s been taking bipolar medication, he’s been able to drink in moderation. She asks, what changed? and he says, ever since he came home, he’s been drinking a lot. She asks what he’s going to do about it.

Britt says, whatever. She thought Carly would want to know Monica’s plans. Carly says she’s sorry. She had no right to say that to Britt, and no right to take her anger and grief out on her. At the end of the hallway, Jordan stops and listens, and Carly says, she’s sorry. She’s just going through a lot right now. Hearing about Jason didn’t help. Britt says she’s sorry Carly is going through a divorce. She’s sure things have not been easy. Carly says, not for any of them. Josslyn is going through something really difficult, and she doesn’t know how to help her. This is the time she would turn to Jason. Britt says, Jason always had a way of making challenges seem easy to face, and Carly says, how many times she goes to call him, or a guy will come to the bar in the MetroCourt, wearing a black t-shirt. It just feels so final. Jordan walks up, and says, she’s so sorry about Jason. Carly thanks her, and says she’s going to go. She leaves, and Jordan tells Britt, it’s hard to accept the person you love isn’t coming back. Britt suggests they talk about happier news. She heard Jordan got a clean bill of health. Jordan says she did. Although she never would have chosen to go through it, her health scare was an important reminder, life’s not promised to everybody. Britt flexes her hand and says, doesn’t she know it.

Sam says, Victor just ordered Drew to kill Yohan. On the bridge, Yohan says, boss, don’t, and Dante says, Sam has to tell Drew to abort. Sam says, you mean blow his cover? No, they’ve got to see how this plays out. Dante says, they have no time, but she says, he’ll be able to sell this. He says, they can’t let this get out of hand, even if it does mean bringing down Victor. She says, it’s not going to come to that. They’re not going to another shot at this. She trusts Drew, and Dante has to trust her. On the bridge, Drew grabs Yohan, and shoves him toward the railing.

Portia and Curtis go to her office, and she says, now Esme blames Trina for filming Cameron and Josslyn, and putting it on the internet. He says, that’s insane; Trina would never do that. She says, of course (🍷) she wouldn’t. She doesn’t have a malicious bone in her body. He says, she’s kind, she’s generous, she’s just like her mother, which means she’s strong, and she can stand up to Esme. Portia says, she knows, but she can’t help wanting to protect Trina. She wants to put a smackdown on Esme, but she supposes it’s a bad idea. He says, sadly, yes, and she laughs. She says, there was some good news she wanted to share with him. She told Trina their plans to buy the beach house, and she seemed excited about it. He says, seemed, and Portia says, she told him, Trina is distracted. This whole friend drama thing, it’s taken its toll on her. He says, and Portia? but she says she’s fine. He says, what was done to Cameron and Josslyn was inexcusable, and Esme blaming Trina, despicable, but he knows her and he knows there’s something on her mind. What is it? She says, Trina’s inexplicable attachment to this Cassadine kid.

Spencer says he’ll always wonder… what Trina thought of the book. She says, it was inspiring, but she also felt let down. Esme listens again from behind the door and takes out her phone. Spencer asks, why? and Trina says, Richard Molineux is one of the reasons she got into modernism, even though Joss thinks his art is just a bunch of squiggles, which is what most people see. He says, but she saw beyond that; she saw beyond the squiggles. That is her talent, to understand true art. She says, the book allowed her to see pieces she never saw before. It was amazing; she felt closer to the artist. He says, but? and she says, but the book also provided professional criticism, very insightful stuff that exposed the artist’s limitations. He says, she once told him frailty is what makes us human. Isn’t there beauty in someone’s imperfections? She says, there can be. Only if someone recognizes those imperfections, and chooses to live up to their potential. He says, what if a person wants to do better, and just needs more time? It must seem so simple from the outside. All someone needs to do to live a better life is make different choices, better choices. But if it were that easy, wouldn’t the whole world be full of happy, fulfilled people? Esme looks confused, and makes a call to the PCPD Anonymous Tip Line. A recording says, all calls are confidential and will not be traced. Speak clearly after the tone. The line beeps, and Esme says she’s calling to report a case of revenge porn. She knows who uploaded the sex video of Josslyn Jax and Cameron Webber. I start laughing because, that’s really not how that works.

Sonny says, clearly he can’t drink like he used to. He guesses it just acts differently with the medication. I see an out of control plant on his coffee table, and think, if he just had the moss bowl🎍, his life would be so much better. Nina says, does the reason really matter? It seems to her, the important thing is, he can’t drink to prop himself up, or to dull his pain. He says, his stepdad used to just escape to the bottom of a whiskey bottle, and then that wasn’t enough. She says, he’s not his stepdad, and he tells her, like she said, he can’t keep using liquor as an excuse. He hands her his glass, and says, she can drink it, but she says, no thank you, and puts the glass aside. She asks if it’s going to be enough later. It’s not like Michael and Willow’s rejection is going to be the last piece of bad news he’s going to get. He says he can’t keep using booze as a crutch. He can’t do it anymore. He promises he’ll never hurt her again, and she says she wants to believe him, but it’s easier said than done. Can he dump the contents of the decanter in the sink? He says, there’s a first time for everything.

Portia says, Trina was twisting herself in knots trying to defend Spencer, and Curtis says, Trina’s loyal to her friends. She says, that’s the problem. Ever since Trina defended Spencer, she’s had to deal with all of his lies, and his vendetta against Ava, who just happens to be Trina’s mentor, and Trina’s own conflict, exposing him as the stalker. Spencer doesn’t deserve Trina’s loyalty. He says, and he’s sure Esme in Spencer’s life, makes Trina’s friendship with him even more fraught. She says, before Spencer came into Trina’s life, she was never self-conscious; she never second guessed her choices. Portia wishes Trina would just leave him alone and move on, but Curtis says, isn’t that Trina’s decision?

Trina tells Spencer, all the time in the world won’t help someone who’s not willing to grow. The book points out that Richard Molineux’s work stopped evolving in the last two decades of his career. He says, maybe something happened to him, something beyond his control, and she says, sometimes people are who they are, and they can’t change. He says, so that’s it then. She’s dropping her favorite artist and him. She doesn’t care about their friendship. She says, don’t give her those puppy dog eyes. She lied for him, she forgave him, she covered for him. She made stupid decisions for him, and he can’t even stand up for her against Esme’s ridiculous accusations. He says she’s right. He doesn’t deserve her friendship, but he needs it. He needs her not to give up on him. She tells him, it’s not too late to end things with Esme, and send her back to France or wherever she’s really from. He says he can’t do that. He’s all she has. Trina says, but if he keeps defending Esme, she’ll be all he has.

Yohan begs Victor to make Drew stop, and Victor says, all right. He tells Drew, enough; he’s proved himself. Let go. Dante looks at Sam, and Drew releases Yohan. Victor tells Drew that he needs information from Drew’s Navy SEAL days. He needs to know about Operation Demeter. Carly says, shut this down right now, and Dante says, what the hell is she doing here? Carly walks up to Victor, holding her phone out, and says, Drew won’t be telling him a damn thing. Let Drew go, or this streams live online. Victor tells Yohan, take Carly’s phone, but Drew steps between them, and says he doesn’t think so. Carly continues to film, and Victor says, Drew was never activated. Drew says, surprise, and Victor says, until next time, and leaves with Yohan. Drew asks what the hell Carly is doing here, and she says, you’re welcome. He says she has no idea what she’s done, and she says, besides saving him, what is he talking about? Dante and Sam run up on the bridge, and Dante asks where Victor is, but Drew says, he’s gone. Sam says, perfect timing, Carly, but Drew says, in all fairness, she had no idea. Carly asks if someone can please tell her what she’s missing here, and Drew says, their best chance to find out what Victor Cassadine is really up to. Um… you’d think that film might be worth something to the WSB.

Sonny walks out with the empty decanter, and Nina says, what he did wasn’t easy. He says he’s not an alcoholic, and doesn’t intend to become one. He’s going to keep drinking every so often, socially, but he just doesn’t want liquor in his house. Nina says he can fill the decanters up with candy, for Donna, Avery… and Wiley. She says she should go, and he says she doesn’t have to go. He can’t let her go… until he says this.

Jordan is approached by a reporter as she’s getting into the hospital elevator. He asks if she has any comment on the revenge porn story developing at PCU.

Spencer says he may not have Trina’s eye for art, but when he chose this book, he was struck by how rich the color palette was. It’s fun, exciting, fresh, like her. If she walks out on him, his world will turn grey. She says she has no choice, not if he refuses to see Esme for who she really is. He’s afraid of the truth, just like Richard Molineux was afraid to grow, and expand on his style. Esme stomps out, and asks if Trina is for real. How can she show her face here after what she did to her supposed friends?

Carly says she’s so sorry. Had she known she was stepping into an undercover operation, she never would have interfered. Drew says, forget it. He gave her enough information to get worried, but not enough for her to know they had it under control, but it’s not all bad news. They know what Victor is up to. Sam says, Operation Demeter? and Dante says, that’s something to go on. Sam says, and hopefully helps them stop Victor, and Carly says, before he realizes what hit him.

Spencer says, Esme, don’t, and she says, don’t what? Call Trina out? She tells Trina, the next time you have a fight with a friend, tell them to their face. Don’t tape them having sex and upload it. Trina says she’s not going to stand here and listen to this. She picks up her bag, and tells Spencer that she hopes he lives up to his potential. She walks out, and Esme says, can you believe her? She just ignored me and walked out. Spencer asks what Trina is supposed to say, and Esme says, how about I’m sorry or I’m wrong? Not that she would. She was way too focused on Spencer. She notices he’s holding the book, and asks if that’s the gift he gave her. He says, it was. Apparently, Trina doesn’t want anything from him. She says, not even friendship? and he turns away from her. She asks if that means Trina is out of his life.

Portia says, Spencer and Esme are trouble, plain and simple, and Curtis says he’s sure they are. And he’s sure she’s right, like his Aunt Stella was right about some of the knuckleheads he used to hang around when he was about Trina’s age. Portia says she bets Aunt Stella wasn’t shy about telling him what her opinion was, and he says, but he didn’t listen. He stayed close to those same knuckleheads, and didn’t care how much it dragged him down. She says, because he didn’t want to admit Aunt Stella might know better than him, and he says, after many hard knocks, he knew Aunt Stella was right, and he changed his class of friends. She says, message received, and thanks him. She says she’s going to keep her opinions to herself, and going to allow Trina to make her own decisions. He says, sounds good, but why does she look so worried? She says, mother’s intuition. She doesn’t know, she’s just afraid Trina’s in some trouble, and hopes she can protect Trina before it’s too late.

The reporter asks Jordan, is it true high profile individuals urged the PCPD to take over the investigation from the university officials? She tells him to contact the PCPD media liaison, and he asks if she can confirm Sonny Corinthos’s stepdaughter was the victim of revenge porn? The elevator opens, and he follows her in, asking her to give him something.

On the phone, Britt says she received a Society Set-Ups subscription as a gift. Her name is Britt Westbourne… No, actually she deleted the questionnaire; she never filled it out… No, she doesn’t need a refund. Actually, she was hoping they could resend the questionnaire. She’s ready to move forward.

Sonny says, the whole Wiley situation… and Nina says, they can revisit that conversation another day. He says, the point is, she can’t give up. Their grandson is lucky to have her in his corner. She thanks him for that, and he thanks her. He walks her to the door, they smile at each other, and she leaves.  

Tomorrow, Shawn says Alexis is playing dirty, Michael’s patience is running thin, and Esme says she’s finally calling Spencer out with the truth.

📚 A Study In Priorities…

I love this girl’s attitude and sensibility.

💖 Our Funny Valentin…

I’ve missed him.

🔬 Study Buddy Fail…

I’m not so sure I’d want my first recurring role to be that of a d-bag, but then again, there is Roger Howarth.

🎭 Try To Remember…

She went on to do great things, but at one time she was a resident of Pine Valley.

🧂 Choose Your Salt…

Recaps big and small for RHOSL’s Reunion Part Three.

🥓 Not the Bubbas…

It was bound to happen. Schwartz isn’t exactly a go-getter.

https://people.com/tv/vpr-tom-schwartz-and-katie-maloney-split-after-12-years-together/

🥀 It Hurts…

One of my brushes with celebrity was William Hurt. I was working at the theater where he was doing a play, and while we didn’t have a lot of interaction, he was always very kind, and acknowledged everyone. In a twist, both he and my acting teacher William Hickey were up for Academy Awards the same year. Hurt won, Hickey didn’t, and I never watched the Oscars again after that. I knew it could never possibly be more exciting.

https://people.com/movies/william-hurt-dead-academy-award-winner-mcu-star-dies-71/

🐑 Sheep Counting 101…

Drop by tomorrow for soap, tea, sage words, and a musical moment. Until then, stay safe, stay constructive with your critiques, and stay understanding, sometimes people are who they are, and they can’t change.

🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀

October 8, 2021 – No Queen, Grilled, Nasty, Worse, Unsure, Dirty, Salt Lake Woes, a Tease, Going Down, New Bar, L.A. Return, Tiger’s Back, Mistress Of the Book, Best Costumes, As Many Quotes As Lords Leaping & Magic

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly takes a sip of her coffee, and says, this never gets old. Sonny says, the coffee, or this? He kisses her, and she says, don’t make her choose. She suggests they stay home and shut the world out all day. He says, what world? It’s just the two of them. They kiss again, and a guard interrupts, saying, someone is at the gate to see Sonny.

Britt sits down with Nina at the MetroCourt, and says, welcome back. Nina thanks her and says, it’s been quite the homecoming. Any word on Liesl? Britt says, no, not a whisper. It seems her mother disappeared into thin air. Nina says she’s sorry. She can’t help but feel responsible. Britt says, Nina called and got her mother involved in a scheme to kill Peter. She’s sure it wasn’t a hard sell. Nina says, at the moment, it was the only way to protect Maxie and James. Britt says, if that’s all Nina was doing, she’d be on board, but they both know that SOS call was to protect herself.

Portia tells Trina that she likes their new tradition of weekly breakfast check-ins, and Trina says she does too. She’s not thrilled with the dining hall, and she’s already tired of take-out. Portia is glad to contribute to Trina’s healthy eating habits, and asks Trina to tell her about classes. How it is working at Ava’s gallery without Ava? Trina says, it turns out, Ava’s not leaving, and Portia asks, since when? Trina says she’s pretty sure Ava is staying there, and staying married, and Portia says, Trina can’t drop that kind of bomb on her and play coy. What happened with the stalker? Trina says, thanks to her, the stalker’s been unmasked.

Nikolas comes up behind Ava and kisses her on the neck. She says he’d better be her husband; he’s a very jealous man. He says he’s her husband all right. For now and for always. She says, it’s going to be a beautiful day, and he says, a beautiful life. He’s never letting her go again. That’s a promise.

The guard says, Mr. Corinthos is in the living room, and he leads Phyllis in, carrying a box. Sonny says, what a pleasant surprise, and she says, my goodness, look at you. He introduces her to Carly, saying she’s a dear friend of Mike’s and his. He and Phyllis smile at each other.

Josslyn tries to study at the Kelly’s counter, when Cameron brings her a glass of ice water. She asks if it has magical properties that will help her focus, and he says he can’t stop thinking about yesterday too. He can’t get over the fact that Spencer was the stalker. Trina was so right; he shouldn’t have given them so much pushback. She says, Trina was the one who figured it out, and Cameron asks how Trina is doing. She seemed pretty beat up about it. Josslyn says they were up half the night talking about it. She feels awful about setting a trap for Spencer. She’s not happy about it either, but if they hadn’t, Ava and Nikolas still wouldn’t know the truth. He says he guesses it was worth it, but she says he doesn’t sound all that convinced. He says, Nikolas has Ava back, but Spencer’s life just imploded. Did they end up helping that family, or just hurt them? She says, both.

Spencer walks into his and Esme’s hotel room. Still in bed, Esme asks where he was. He says, working out, and she says, so early? Did he sleep at all? He says, no. Every time he closed his eyes, he kept replaying the whole train wreck. It never should have happened. She says she doesn’t know what possessed him to confess, and he says his father was in danger. She says he had nothing to do with his Uncle Sonny turning up, and he says, no, but she did. Why the hell would she tell his uncle, the alleged mob kingpin, that his father was taking his daughter away?

Nikolas’s phone beeps, and he looks at it. Ava asks if something is wrong, and he says, it’s an alert he placed on Spencer’s credit card. Apparently, he’s holed up at the MetroCourt. She asks how he feels about that, and he says he’s glad Spencer didn’t spend the night on the street. But given the fact Spencer robbed them of months together, he can think of better ways of spending their first reunited morning than discussing Spencer. He’ll make breakfast.

Carly says, so she’s Phyllis, and thanks Phyllis for taking care of her husband when he was injured. Phyllis says, it was their pleasure. Mike… Sonny was a godsend to them in more ways than one. Carly says, it goes both ways. Sonny has told her a lot about Phyllis. She’s so sorry about Phyllis’s husband. She thanks Carly, calling her Mrs. Corinthos, but she says, call her Carly. Had they known she was coming, they could have spared her the security check. Phyllis says, it’s a beautiful home. Much different from his room at the Tan-O. Carly asks if Phyllis drove in, and Phyllis says she did. She was on the road too early to call. She hopes she didn’t intrude. She found some of Sonny’s belongings, and thought he might want them. Wow. His flannel shirts survived the fire?

Nina tells Britt, she feels terrible. If there’s anything she can do to help find Aunt Liesl, please let her. Britt says she’ll take the help; Scotty’s beside himself. Nina says she also got a voicemail from Valentin. He and Anna have a lead on Peter, but he didn’t give her any details. How is Britt otherwise? Britt says she’s busy. She’s throwing herself into work; restructuring the hospital budget, working with her new Co-Chief of Staff, keeping her head above water. Nina says, and Britt and Jason? Britt asks what she’s talking about. There is no her and Jason. Nina says, and that’s because of her.

Portia asks Trina, so the young man she met at the park was Spencer, not Victor, and Spencer was Ava’s stalker? Trina says, Spencer and his girlfriend, and Portia asks, which one drenched Trina in the fake blood? Trina says, Spencer, and Portia says, hell no. Trina protests, but Portia asks when all this went down. Last night? Trina says, yes, Spencer got kicked out of Windymere, and his relationship with his father is worse than ever, and it’s her fault. Portia says, in what universe? and Trina says she convinced Cam and Joss to set him up. If she hadn’t… Portia tells her not to finish that sentence. Trina’s not responsible, and it’s not her fault. This is Spencer’s mess; it has nothing to do with Trina. Trina says she just feels bad for him, and also guilty that she wasn’t honest with Ava. Portia asks why Trina would feel guilty? Thanks to her, Ava knows the truth now, and Ava can stay here with her husband and little girl. Although she might want to let that marriage dissolve. Clearly the Cassadine men are not to be trusted.

Esme tells Spencer that she’s sorry for how things turned out. She was only doing it for him. He says he knows. That’s why he defended her, but some of the ideas she came up with… She says, getting his father back in his life was what he wanted, so she did what she could to make that happen. She guesses she’s still learning how to make him happy. He says she really is the best, and nothing that has happened is her fault. But he’d be happier if they cut out the scheming, and did better. She says, whatever he wants. Too bad he can’t count on his so-called friends. What were they thinking, especially Josslyn? Doesn’t that girl have enough to worry about without setting him up and calling him out? He says, Josslyn is a real friend; so’s Cameron. They’re probably the only real friends he’s ever had.

Josslyn tells Cameron, they totally ambushed Spencer, but if his behavior hadn’t been so messed up, there’d be nothing to confess. Cameron says, her stepdad is one menacing dude. Spencer was absolutely terrified for his father. She says, everyone knows not to mess with Sonny, especially when it comes to his family, but none of that would have happened except for Esme. He says he doesn’t see how she’s to blame for the lie about Bora Bora, and she asks if he’s giving Esme a pass. He says, not at all. They both bear responsibility. She says, Trina told her that Spencer and Esme work as a team. Every team she’s ever been on has a captain. It makes her wonder if Esme is the one calling the shots.

Cameron asks what makes Josslyn think Esme is more involved than Spencer is saying. She says, Spencer admitted Esme was the one who torched Ava’s car, and Cameron says, he did at first, but then he walked it back. She says, to protect her. Does that surprise him? She’s seen the way Esme hangs on Spencer. No wonder he can’t think straight. He says, this is Spencer they’re talking about; he’s no angel. She says, this is so messed up. She knows Spencer set it in motion – everything he did was bad, but she still wants what’s best for him. He says, what if Esme is what’s best for him? but she says, no. Esme brings out the worst in Spencer.

Esme asks why Spencer isn’t furious. First, they set him up, then stand by and watch him humiliate himself. He says, he humiliated himself? and she says, he confessed and he apologized. He says she’s forgetting the part where they’re actually guilty, and she says, fine. They’re no innocents, but his real friends aren’t either. They lied to his face, and set a trap that almost got his father killed. His father kicked him out of Windymere, while his wicked stepmother gloats. If they expect Spencer to beg forgiveness, they’d better think again. They’re the ones who should be coming to him. There’s a knock at the door, and a woman asks if he’s Spencer Cassadine. She’s sorry, but his credit card was declined for the second night. Esme says, there’s more than enough funds… but he says, there’s no need. This isn’t a fund problem; it’s a father problem. The woman says, they contacted the account holder, Nikolas Cassadine, and the card’s been canceled. He says, checkmate, and Esme asks what this means. He says, it means they pack.

Nikolas tells Ava, breakfast is in the dining room, unless she would rather have it served in the bedroom. She tells him to choose, and he says, the bedroom it is. She asks what the call was that he made earlier, and he says he cut Spencer’s access to his bank and credit card accounts. She says she’s all for tough love, but if Nikolas cuts Spencer off, what will he do? He says, Spencer’s about to figure it out. His son’s been given every possible advantage. He’s bright, he’s willful, let him put that cunning to good use, and figure out how to support himself. She says, that sounds fine in theory, but the timing is terrible. Won’t Spencer see this as punishment, and won’t it further stoke his dangerous resentment?

Trina tells Portia that Ava told her to be careful of bad boys. Spencer falls under that definition, except he’s not that bad. At heart, she thinks he’s just lost. Portia tells her, says every woman in defense of a dysfunctional relationship with a bad boy. She was at the hospital that night when Ava’s car was burned. She sat with Ava afterward, and Ava couldn’t stop shaking. And to leave Kiki’s ID badge near the car? That’s just cruel. Trina says, Spencer didn’t do it. She doesn’t even think it was his idea. Portia says Trina certainly seems determined to let him off the hook, and Trina says she’s not denying Spencer’s made some seriously mess up choices. Portia says, anyone who asks you to cover for them isn’t your friend. Remember what Maya Angelou said, when someone shows you who they are… Trina finishes, believe them. She’s sorry she didn’t tell Portia about this earlier; there’s just been a lot going on. Portia says, even though Trina will always be her baby, she’s a young woman now, and she’s entitled to privacy. But Portia can proudly say, Trina has always had a good head on her shoulders.

Carly says Obrecht was devastated when she heard Jason got engaged to Carly because she knew how important Jason was to Britt. Britt says, that’s old news now, and Nina says, if she hadn’t kept Sonny away from Port Charles… Britt says Nina might have hurt a lot of other people, but Nina did her a favor. Carly will always come first with Jason, and she’s nobody’s second. Nina says, good for her. She hopes Britt doesn’t mind, but she doesn’t think she can stay for breakfast. She can’t justify paying Carly’s inflated prices for eggs and toast. Britt says, it’s Nina’s call; she’s not offended. Nina takes Britt’s hand, and says, it’s good to see her. If Britt hears from her mom, if there’s anything Nina can do, call her and let her know. Britt says, will do, and tells Nina to watch her back. She has the feeling Carly isn’t done with her yet.   

Phyllis sits down, with Sonny and Carly, and Carly says, may I? pointing to the box. Sonny tells her, go ahead, and she starts taking things out. She takes out a flannel shirt, and says she saw Sonny in one of these. She still can’t believe it. She takes out a few more, and asks how many he has. She says, wow, and takes out the cowboy hat. She says, Mike definitely had a distinct fashion style, and Phyllis says, not to mention a mean two-step. Sonny says, that’s high praise coming from the lifelong dance partner of Lenny Caulfield, the greatest dancer in the world. Phyllis says, that man was so light on his feet, he defied gravity. Sonny takes her hand, and I’m not sure how to read Carly’s face. Uncomfortable maybe.

Carly says, Lenny sounds like the best of men. Sonny told her that Lenny gave him a hard time when he first showed up, and wound up standing up for him, and treating him like a brother. She wishes she could have met him. Phyllis says, Lenny was one of a kind, and Sonny says, amen. Carly says she’s going to give them a chance to catch up; they must have a lot to talk about. Forget about her suggestion about staying home. She has tons of paperwork at the MetroCourt. Enjoy their time together. She tells Phyllis that it was a pleasure meeting her, and hopes Phyllis comes back. She’s always welcome. Carly leaves, and Sonny thanks Phyllis for bringing the box. Phyllis says she has a confession. That’s not the only reason she’s here. She wanted to meet him properly. He holds out his hand, and says, Sonny Corinthos. She says, Phyllis Caulfield, and shakes his hand. They turn the handshake into a hug.

Trina tells Portia that she and Josslyn have this code – sisters before misters. She feels like she’s breaking that code with Ava. Ava is her friend too. She feels bad that she kept it secret that Spencer was in town for weeks, but after everything that happened, she feels like it’s too late to say anything. What does Portia think? Portia says, the fact that Trina feels bad tells her something, especially now that she knows the damage secrets can cause. So what is she going to do? Trina says she thinks she’ll skip breakfast. Raincheck? Portia says, of course (🍷). She wants Trina to do what she’s got to do. She’s proud of Trina. Trina thanks Portia and says she loves her. Portia says she loves Trina too. Same time, same place next week? Trina says she wouldn’t miss it.

Nikolas says he can’t stand back after how Spencer treated his wife, and Ava says she appreciates his outrage, but she’s a big girl and can take care of herself. As he well knows. He says he’s aware, but in no way does it excuse Spencer for what he did. She says, Spencer has witnessed Nikolas’s plots and schemes his entire life. If Nikolas wants to punish Spencer for learning the behavior he’s modeled, don’t do it on her account. Her phone dings, and she says, breakfast and anything else will have to wait. She has a visitor.

Walking into the MetroCourt, Spencer tells Esme, there’s enough cash for breakfast, but after that, they’re broke. I thought she had money? Esme says, this is a temporary set-back. His father just needs time to cool off. He says, maybe Joss and Came will cool off too. One of the most annoying things about his friends is that he actually cares what they think. He sees Britt, and says he has an idea, but he needs to have this conversation alone. Esme says, no worries. She trusts him. Text her if he needs back-up. He goes over to Britt’s table, where she’s just finished with a call. He says, wheeling and dealing? Good. Does he have a deal for her.

Cameron tells Josslyn that he doesn’t know what to make of Spencer and Esme’s relationship, but so what? Who says they have to understand it? Josslyn asks when he got so wise, and he says when he started dating her. She says he really is wise; that was such a good answer. They kiss, and Nina walks in. Nina says she imagines she’s the last person Josslyn wants to see, and Josslyn says, good call. She asks if Cameron doesn’t have to go back to work, and he asks if she’s sure. She says, it’s fine, and he says he’ll go back to work… outside. Nina says she just came to get a bite to eat, but can leave if Josslyn is uncomfortable, but Josslyn asks why she would be uncomfortable. She’s not the one who stole 9 months of Sonny’s life, and left his family to grieve. She’s not the one who’s a total hypocrite.

Britt asks what the deal is, and Spencer says, room and board with her in exchange for his witticisms. She says, pass, and he says, and Esme’s French cooking techniques. She says, absolutely not, and he says, why not? They’ll be fun roommates, and Esme can cook dinner. Britt says she lives in a hotel room, and he says, she’s Chief of Staff, and still lives in a hotel room? and she says, demanding job, no pets, no kids, room service. Works for her, but not for him. He says she won’t even notice them. She’s at work all day, and he promises they won’t touch the minibar. She asks, what is going on? Why would he leave cushy Windymere for a rollaway bed in her hotel room? He says he and his father had a falling out, and Britt says, he left? Spencer shakes his head, and she says, Nikolas kicked him out? Why is Nikolas acting so self-righteous after all the crap he’s pulled? Spencer says, it’s a little complicated, and she says, please don’t tell her that he hasn’t done anything that will make her have to defend his father.

Ava sees Trina, and says, what a nice surprise. Trina says she’s glad Ava is still there. Does this mean… Ava says, thanks to Trina, she and Nikolas are back together. They’ll have a lifetime of mornings ahead of them. What Trina did was risky, and she doesn’t condone the plotting, but Trina did uncover the truth, and Ava is grateful. Trina says, don’t thank her.

Phyllis says Sonny’s coffee is delicious. He says, of course (🍷) it is. He’ll send her home with a pound. She looks at a photo, and asks who it is with him, and Sonny says, Mike, his dad. He died of Alzheimer’s a year ago. He was one of a kind. He and Lenny would have hit it off. Phyllis says she’s so sorry. He has a beautiful family; they must have missed him. She bets they’re happy he’s back, and he says, so is he; so is Carly. She says, Carly seems wonderful. It must have been hard on her. He says, yes she is, and yeah it was. Phyllis says she found pictures of him and Nina, but didn’t want to include them in the box. She wasn’t sure he’d want them. He thanks her, and she says she has another confession. She didn’t drive there to return the box. She thought he might need someone to talk to who understands. He says she’s still looking out for him, and she says, Lenny would call it putting her nose where it doesn’t belong. He says, Lenny loved that she did that; so does he. She says she knows he left a complicated situation in Nixon Falls. Is the situation there complicated too?  

Esme sees Cameron outside Kelly’s, and says she’s so glad she found him. She needs him desperately.

Josslyn tells Nina to consider a delivery app, if she has to leave every establishment where there are people who love Sonny. Nina says she’ll take that into consideration. She’s truly sorry. She starts to leave, but Josslyn tells her to wait. She has something for Nina.

Britt asks what Spencer was thinking, and he says he was saving his father from Ava. She says, so he could have his father to himself? and he wonders if that’s too much to ask. He thought his father was dead for three years. She says, Spencer claims he wants to make up for lost time, but what he means is, he wants to control who his father is with. What bothers her the most is the lengths he went to, the lies he told, and the people he hurt, including her. Nikolas accused her of being the stalker, and Spencer said nothing. He says, because Nikolas didn’t think that anymore, but she’s right. He’s sorry. It’s one of the many mistakes he made. She says she gets making mistakes. He knows she’s fond of him, while she’s not fond of his father, but he needs to go make amends. He says he can’t; his father doesn’t want to see him. Maybe he and Esme could just stay one night, until they can figure it out. Carly comes over to the table, and says, not in her hotel. He terrorized Ava by implying a threat to Avery, and manipulated Sonny the second he got home. It’s totally unacceptable. Spencer says Carly is right. He screwed up, and he doesn’t blame anyone for not wanting him around. She tells him, don’t play the martyr. Stand on his own two feet instead of waiting for someone to bail him out. That’s the problem. Someone has been enabling him his entire life. He says, again his apologizes, to them both, and leaves.  

Cameron tells Esme, he’s working, so… She says he’s the only one who can help her… and Spence. He asks, what’s going on with Spencer? and she says, Spencer has been tossed out and cut off. They’re almost with no money. Cameron says, first of all, they’re hardly starving and destitute, and second, they kind of deserve what they get. What Spencer did was terrible. She says, maybe she should have done more to rein Spence in, but he was in so much pain. He wanted his father back, and now he’s lost his father all over again. Cameron says, things are bad right now, but Spencer will bounce back. He always does. She says, not this time. I don’t know if she’s faking it, but I think it’s the first time Esme hasn’t smiled through a conversation, whether it was appropriate or not.

Trina tells Ava, the day she realized Victor was really Spencer, was the day she realized he’d been lying about how long he’s been in Port Charles. Obviously, he needed to cover for his creeping around, leaving nasty little threats. Ava says, then he convinced Trina to keep his secret, and Trina says, he told her he had troubled relationship with his dad, and that’s why he didn’t approach Nikolas right away. And she bought it. Ava wonders if there’s anyone in this town Spencer hasn’t deceived, and Trina says she helped him by keeping quiet. Ava says, Spencer deceived Trina too. He lied to her, he manipulated her, and took advantage of her trust. Trina says, if she’d come to Ava sooner, maybe they could have figured out Spencer was the stalker. Before her car got torched. Can Ava ever forgive her? Ava says, there’s absolutely nothing to forgive her for. She wishes she’d had a friend as loyal and trustworthy as Trina years ago. Trina says Ava has her now, and Ava says she’s sorry for what Trina lost. She remembers how excited Trina  was when Victor swept into her life, and she hates how he robbed Trina of that feeling.

Nikolas comes out of the elevator as Portia is waiting for it, and she says, perfect timing. If him or his son ever hurt her daughter again, they’ll regret it. He looks at her blankly, and she says, he needs reminding. His deviant stunts at the party at Windymere, Spencer drenching Trina in fake blood, pretending to be Victor, and convincing Trina to lie about his presence in Port Charles, so that he could stalk Ava. Nikolas says he’s so sorry. Last night, Spencer admitted he’d come home from school early, but he had no idea Spencer had deceived Trina in that way. She says, his son is walking through the world like he can do whatever he wants. And Nikolas, as the adult, needs to shut that down. Nikolas says he’s truly sorry, and she says, next time he sees his son, let him know if he knows what’s good for him, he’ll stay away from her daughter. I smell a romance in the works.

Sonny says, being home has been an adjustment, and asks Phyllis, what’s the deal with the Tan-O? She says she filed a claim with insurance, but the adjuster is still investigating, so the wait is on. He asks if she wants to rebuild, but she’s not sure. Without Lenny, she feels a bit at sea. He says, it didn’t help that he took off, but she says, he needed to get back to his family. He says he considers Phyllis family; whatever she needs, he’s there for her. She says he doesn’t owe her anything, but he says she saved his life. The least he can do is put her up, there or at the MetroCourt. And he’s not taking no for an answer. She says she appreciates that. She does have some unfinished business in town. He says she didn’t come just to see him? and she says, she came to see Nina.

Josslyn says she’s glad she ran into Nina. She holds up the journal, and asks if Nina recognizes it. Nina says, it’s the journal she gave Josslyn as a graduation present, and Josslyn says, she’d actually stopped writing, but didn’t tell Nina at the time because she was being polite. She tries not to cry, and says she started writing again after Nina gave it to her, and used it to process her feelings. She flips through it, and says, she wrote about Sonny’s funeral. She rips it out, and says, she wrote about the nights she heard her mom quietly sobbing. She tears that out too, and says, and she wrote about the good days where they still felt like a family. And the bad ones where all any of them could think about was missing Sonny. But Nina didn’t just lie to them, she lied to Josslyn’s father. He went to Nixon Falls to see her and try to win her back, but instead he got shot defending her and her friend. When Jax came to Nina, saying he thought he saw Sonny when he was on the gurney, and she lied and said he hadn’t. Nina deceived him too. She rips all the pages out, and says, it’s all there, updated as of last night. She’ll be keeping her thoughts, but this gift from Nina? She never wants to see it or Nina again. She hands the journal to Nina.  

Cameron says he has to get back inside, but Esme says, Spence needs him. He just lost his father, and now he’s lost Cameron too, and she can’t handle it. She doesn’t want to come between Spence and his real friends. That’s what he calls Cameron and Josslyn. They’re his real friends, and Spence is hers.

Trina tells Ava, she started off really liking Victor, but he was just a put-on, a façade. She can’t believe she let Spencer play her like that. She’ll never trust him again after what he did to Ava. Ava says, she’s not encouraging Trina to have a relationship with Spencer – far from it. She appreciates Trina’s loyalty, but what happened between her and Spencer is between them. Trina is free to do her. Spencer calls out for his father, and walks into the room. Trina gives him that look. You know the one.

Cameron tells Esme that Spencer hasn’t lost him; he’s still Spencer’s cousin. He really dislikes what Spencer did to his father, Ava, and Trina, but he doesn’t hate Spencer. She asks, what about Joss? and he says, she’s mad, but she’s also the kindest person he knows. He’s sure she’ll move past it. Esme says Cameron is such a good guy, when Josslyn comes out of Kelly’s. It looks like she’s not liking what she sees.

Carly tells Britt, breakfast is on the house. She apologizes for interrupting Britt’s conversation with Spencer. Britt says, it’s okay; she’d already turned him down. He made himself a hell of a mess and she can’t fix it for him. She hopes he figures it out. He’s a good kid in spite of everything. Carly says, technically, he’s an adult, but when she was his age, she didn’t behave like one either. Britt says, even as adults, we don’t always behave as adults, and starts to leave, but Carly says she knows Britt has a lot going on; so does she. She’d like to clear the air between them, and asks if Britt is ready for some radical honesty. Britt says she’s ready if Carly is.

Phyllis says she still has things she needs to say to Nina, and Sonny wonders why Phyllis would still want to talk to her after everything she did. She caused Phyllis to lose the Tan-O. She says, she thought about all the horrible things Nina did to Sonny and his family, and the lives she endangered, including her own. But she also knows Nina’s heart. All the things Nina did for her and Lenny, and their town, even for Sonny as Mike. A person has to be in a lot of pain and confusion to balance all that love and desperation. Lenny always said she had a bleeding heart, and maybe she does, but she can’t write Nina off just yet. Can he?   

On Monday, Alexis tells Nikolas that it’s no time for him to turn his back on Spencer, Jax asks Shawn how something circles back to him, and Britt tells Carly, it’s not going to happen.

👑 She’ll Never Be Queen…

Kyle stands by her good friend. Unless things start going bad.

She thinks they’re good.

She’ll walk away when they stop paying her.

🔥 On the Barbie…

I’m sure she had an answer for everything, but I’ll be on the lookout for squirming.

🍸 Belle Of the South…

Good. Erika has no business trying to intimidate the weak one because things didn’t go as planned. And I agree that no woman should ever say that to another woman. Actually, I don’t think anyone should use that word ever. And I have a potty mouth. What can I say? I was raised by a sailor.

😶 Can’t Read the Room…

I don’t even know what to say here.

💎 Don’t Fence Her In…

It would be a shame if Garcelle left. She’s the voice of reason, and of color.

🧹 On the Other Hand…

I’m all for LVP, Garcelle, and Sutton having a show.

⛪️ Meanwhile, In the Lake Of Salt…

Methinks they suddenly realized what a bad look it was.

Lisa tries to balance it with a good look.

🗽 Still Clueless…

I hardly think there was a stigma attached to single working moms in 2010.

⛺️ Downsizing…

I guess this is what happens when you do really, really stupid things.

💤 Uninspired…

Are they really going to name it Schwartz and Sandy’s? Will they be serving egg creams?

https://www.bravotv.com/vanderpump-rules/style-living/tom-sandoval-tom-schwartz-opening-a-new-restaurant-details

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/tom-schwartz-tom-sandoval-new-bar-lisa-vanderpump-reacts

🏠 Coming Back Home…

I loved the Homecoming show they did for Real World New York. I’m hoping this one is as good. I’d love to see San Francisco, but now that Pedro is gone, it would be sad. And I’m not sure if I could stomach Puck again.

https://ew.com/tv/real-world-homecoming-season-2-los-angeles-1993-cast/

🐅 Tiger Take Two…

I can’t imagine it topping, or even being equal to, the first one. I was mesmerized.

https://ew.com/tv/tiger-king-season-2-coming-to-netflix/

🧛🏻‍♀️ All In the Timing…

Why shouldn’t Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira have a memoir coming out when it’s almost Halloween? And who knew all this stuff? I can’t wait to read this.

https://nypost.com/2021/09/21/elvira-reveals-sexuality-wilt-chamberlain-encounter-more/

https://nypost.com/2021/09/23/elvira-reveals-photo-of-her-girlfriend-says-theyre-relieved/

🎃 23 Days To Halloween…

And so it begins.

https://www.glamour.com/gallery/best-celebrity-halloween-costumes

📣 Quotes of the Week

A good friend will always stab you in the front. – Oscar Wilde

The cure for anything is saltwater: sweat, tears, or the sea.Isak Dinesen, author of Out of Africa

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

Listening is where love begins: listening to ourselves and then to our neighbors. – Fred Rogers

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. – J.R.R. Tolkien

In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but the gratefulness that makes us happy. – Albert Clarke

There’s a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line. Oscar Levant

Your dream is a reality that is waiting for you to materialize. Today is a new day! Don’t let your history interfere with your destiny! Learn from your past so that it can empower your present and propel you to greatness. – Steve Maraboli

You’re only as sick as your secrets. – AA saying

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle. – Plato

👢 Walking Into the Weekend Like…

I have an early day tomorrow, but before we know it, it will be Dead time. Until then, stay safe, stay changing it up now and then, and stay believing them if someone shows you who they are.

September 28, 2021 – Carly Hunts Down Nina, New VanderBabies In Town, Times Two, Temp Nik, Special Guest, Frid Story, It’s Off, Dead Stuff & Jungle

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Crete, Greece. Anna and Valentin walk into a bar (not the start of a joke), and Anna says, that was totally unsatisfying. He says, just what every man wants to hear, and she laughs, saying, she meant retracing Chloe’s steps. They sit at a table, and Anna says she was hoping to find something more other than the site of the accident. He says they did find something more; they found a road to this quaint little town. He asks if they shouldn’t take a night off from sleuthing. Just one, and have themselves a little drinkie. She says she’s in, and he goes to the bar.

Drew is drowsing in his cell, when Russ comes in, and says he’s got company. Drew says Russ brought him a roommate; how thoughtful. Russ says, enjoy, and tosses Obrecht into the room, slamming the door behind her. She says, my God. Drew Cain? He’s alive? He says, Dr. Obrecht, right? She says he vanished; it’s been years. He says he’s guessing she’s not the reason he’s in there, which begs the question, who managed to capture her?

Michael and Willow sit with Wiley while he colors. Michael says his boy is the next Picasso, and she says, that’s his boy all right. He asks if she’s suggesting he’s not artistic, and she says she’s not saying he’s not not artistic. He says he’s wounded, but she says he’ll get over it. Yuri comes in, and tells them that Brook took Bailey upstairs for naptime, but he has a treat from Charlie’s for Wiley. He holds out a bag, and Willow says, how sweet. She thinks they’ll save it for dessert. Yuri lingers, and Michael asks if there’s something else. Yuri says, Wiley has a visitor, and Nina comes in.

Josslyn leads Maxie into the former home of the moss bowl🎍, and Carly asks, what’s up? Josslyn says, Maxie has something she wants to tell Carly, and Carly says, sounds serious. Josslyn says, it is, and Maxie says, she’s of two minds. A big part of her thinks, it’s not her business, just stay out of it (which gets my vote), but another part of her, also big, says she has information Carly has a right to because she’s Sonny’s wife. And if she were Carly, she’d want to know.

Jason tells Sonny, it was his idea to have the funeral. Carly wasn’t ready, nobody was ready, but he said they should do it. Sonny says he did right. Jason had to send a message that Sonny was gone, and he was in charge of the business. Jason says he hated every minute of it. He felt like he couldn’t actually grieve. Sonny says, the good news is, Jason doesn’t have to grieve anymore.

Valentin says, life is so strange, isn’t it? and Anna says, in what way? He says, it’s cyclical. It teaches us the most interesting lessons in the most unexpected ways. She says he’s in a mood, and he says he’s in an unburdening mood; is that a turn-off? She says, no. She likes it. Keep going. How is life unexpected and interesting? He says, being back in Greece for one. It helped him to see how after, in his mind, she rejected him because of the way he looked. She says, it had nothing to do with the way he looked, and he says, he told her, in his mind. He became obsessed with recreating himself, and getting his hands on the Cassadine inheritance. She says, and taking his place as that Cassadine, and he says, and all the evil crap. It was to pay for his expenses, his final surgeries, and also to fund his quest for the Cassadine fortune. It was also about circling back to her. He wanted to stand tall in front of her, and say, look at me, Anna Devane, I’m strong. And I’m rich. I’m a Cassadine. He doesn’t think he ever appreciated how much of a burden he was to himself.

Obrecht says, of course (🍷) she’s not the reason Drew is there. Does he think if she wanted to hold someone captive, she couldn’t come up with a better facility than this? He says he sees she’s not into the accommodations, but they grow on you. She says, that’s quite the professional beating he received, and digs in her bag, bringing out a syringe. He asks, what’s that? and she says, antibiotics. She’s been told to treat him for possible infection. He says he doesn’t think that’s a good idea, and she says, why not? He says, if memory serves – and he could be wrong about this – she was some kind of evil villainess, wasn’t she? She laughs, and says he has much bigger problems than her. He says, is that so? and she says, he really doesn’t know who’s holding him there, does he? He guesses she’s not about to tell him, but she says, on the contrary. She’d be delighted. She gives him the shot.

Michael tells Yuri, it’s okay; Nina is family. Yuri leaves, and Willow tells Wiley, look who’s here. Nina says she doesn’t know what kind of grow pill Wiley is taking, but it needs to stop right now. He’s grown a foot since she last saw him. She’s missed him so much. Willow says Wiley has missed her too, and Nina asks if she can have a hug. Wiley hugs her, and she says, it’s the best hug ever. She says she got him something, and hands him a box which probably contains toy trucks. He goes to the table with it, and Willow says, he loves it, although how she can tell, I’m not sure, because Wiley is not talking today. Nina says she heard Willow and Michael got back together; she’s so happy for them. Michael says they’re happy for them too, and Willow says, it seems like the whole family has been given a second chance now that Sonny’s home. Michael asks, what about Nina? Is this a quick visit, or is she back for good?

Sonny asks Jason for details of what happened when he was gone, and Jason says, ask him anything. Sonny says he knows Jason wouldn’t have had a funeral first of all, and he definitely woudn’t have gotten married to Carly if the situation didn’t require it. Jason says, they had no choice, and Sonny says, then Dante showed up when he came home. Was that as a policemen? Jason says, there was an explosion in a limo outside their wedding, and Sonny asks, who was in it? Jason says, Novak and Buscema, and Sonny says, what are the odds? He can’t see Jason inviting two guys to a wedding who he was going to blow up, but he could see them coming to a wedding to blow Jason and Carly up. He was one step ahead, right? Jason says, they owe it all to Ms. Woo, and Sonny says he always liked her. Jason says, him too.

Carly asks Maxie what it is they’re talking about. What does she know? Maxie says she’s going to tell Carly, and Carly says, then tell her. Maxie asks if she can do it her way, and in order. And please, try to reserve any judgement, which she knows will be difficult. It would be for her too. They’re kind of alike in that way. Josslyn says she gets that Maxie is trying to help, but the way she’s building this up is making it sound really bad. Maxie says, well, it is, and Carly says, what is it? Maxie says, fine. Nina has known for months Sonny was alive.

Valentin tells Anna, does he hate that Helena Cassadine is his mother? Of course (🍷) he does, but he’s free of it. She says, yes, he is, and he says he has two beautiful daughters that he loves and adores. He has money of his own; he’s his own man. Of course (🍷) they still have a messy history, and Anna says, so messy, but he says he’s not tethered by it. He doesn’t drag it around like a ball and… She says, chain? and he says, he’s free to pursue her because he wants to, because she’s gorgeous, and she captivates him, and he could make her dizzy with a dozen fancy words for why he just likes to be around her. She thinks that’s enough ouzo for him, but he says, maybe it’s not enough ouzo for her. She asks if he’s trying to get her drunk, and he says, hell yes. If she thinks he’s handsome now, wait until she gets a buzz going. She laughs, and he calls for two more. He says, this is the perfect atmosphere for this conversation. If they’d had this conversation back in Port Charles, she’d  be so guarded. She says she’s not guarded. She needs to keep up a professional demeanor. He says she’s guarded. She never lets her defenses down. Here, it’s just the two of them in the field. When the sun comes up, she can pretend this never happened. She can just dismiss his words as those of a drunken fool, but tonight, he’s saying everything.

Obrecht asks what was the last thing Drew did as a free man? and he says, he sent Andre Maddox back to Port Charles. He got on a charter plane to Afghanistan – at least he thought it was headed to Afghanistan. He was going to return the money his good buddy Archer stole, but somewhere along the line, they veered off course, and landed on some island. She says, then what? and he says, two guys with guns boarded the flight. He tried to resist them, then, lights out. For him, not them. He woke up in this place, and he’s been here ever since. She asks what that tells him, and he says she must really like the game Twenty Questions. It tells him that somebody wanted him abducted. He didn’t know who then, and still doesn’t. She says, it was two people, working in tandem, and he says, and those people would be…? She says, the first, the one who originally arranged for his abduction, is none other than Peter August.

Sonny tells Jason, he assumes with Buscema and Novak out of the picture, nothing ties them to their deaths. Jason says he and Diane will have to go down to the station for a while, but there’s nothing to find. Sonny says, good, that means they’re in a decent position, but Jason doesn’t know, because Buscema and Novak wouldn’t have acted on their own. Even from prison, he’s still connected. Cyrus is definitely not gone. Sonny says, they’d better work on a strategy, and Jason says, what? Sonny says he can just picture that bastard sipping coffee, learning about the two guys that died, and he’s alive. He laughs, and says he’s standing in front of his grave, and he’s not in it. He feels like a winner. He cannot be touched. Jason says, then they need to have this conversation.

Nina tells Michael, it’s a little early to say if she’s back for good. TBD, how about that? Willow says, but no more… Nina says, Pennsylvania. She said goodbye to her time there. Michael says, when one chapter closes, another begins, and Nina tells him, that’s what they say. Wiley looks so happy. Willow says, they’re trying, and Nina says, they’re succeeding. She says there’s something she needs to tell them.

Josslyn asks if Maxie just said Nina knew, and Maxie says, yes. Josslyn says, so when she went to pick up her dad in Nixon Falls, Nina knew Sonny was there? Maxie says, yes, and Josslyn says, she was hiding him away, letting all of them grieve, and putting her mother through hell? Carly says she wants to know what Nina knew, and when, and when Maxie found out. Maxie swears she didn’t know when she planned the wedding. She didn’t find out until this morning when Nina came to her. She was really upset and very remorseful. She said she made a terrible mistake. Carly says, mistake? Is that what we’re calling it?  

Valentin says, Anna’s turn, and she says, to drink or talk? He says, both. They don’t have to talk about him all night; they can talk about her. What does she think of him? She says since he’s not even going to remember his name in the morning, she’ll tell him. She missed him. She missed what they were to each other; their friendship. She knows it was her who messed it up, but then when everything happened, and he came back into her life, there was a problem. He asks, what was the problem? and she says she likes him. She doesn’t want to, and it keeps getting worse. She thinks, in a way, he understands her better than anyone else. Robert is the closest obviously, but he’s a good soldier. That’s the difference; he never sold out. Robert never compromised himself like she did. He says, they both did, and she says she’s not saying Robert looks down on her. She’s saying, she looks down on herself when she’s with him. Valentin asks if she’s with him because he’s so much worse, and she says he is, but that’s not what she meant. He says, the first thing that changed his life completely was the birth of his daughter Charlotte. And she knows the second thing. It was her.

Drew says, oh my God. Of course (🍷). Peter was in Afghanistan. Peter paid David Archer to hand him over to Helena. Obrecht says, something he didn’t remember at first, but when it started to come back years later… He says, that son of a bitch didn’t want him to rat him out. She says, Peter was anxious to keep hidden what a demented human being he is. Someone who stole Drew from his life, and scrambled his memory. He says, Peter saw him as a threat, and she says, specifically Drew’s standing with the people Peter holds most dear – Maxie and his unborn child. So Peter went extreme, as they say. Not that she hasn’t been there herself, but there’s a difference between doing nefarious things because you’re blindly in love with the person you’re doing them for, and doing them just because it’s expedient. He asks what Peter did to Maxie.

Jason tells Sonny, Carly wanted to be there to talk about it, but since the moment came up, he will. How’s Sonny doing with his bipolar disorder? Has he been on his meds? How’s he dealing with it, because he seems like he’s doing okay right now. Sonny says he was lucky, because one of the people who took him in, Phyllis, is a nurse. She noticed his erratic behavior from the beginning. Jason asks if it was bad, but Sonny says, it didn’t get really bad. He didn’t sleep a couple nights, and Jason knows how he gets when he’s having a manic episode. Anybody else would have thrown him out or call the cops, but they were fantastic. They just told him to go to the doctor and get treatment. Jason says, it sounds like a real blessing, but that doctor was treating a bartender named Mike, so Sonny should see his psychiatrist.

Nina says she can’t tell Michael and Willow how much it means to her that they gave her a second chance. To be able to be with Wiley is such a gift. Michael says, what it boils down to is, Wiley loves her, and she loves him, and Nina says, so much. Willow asks how they could take that away from him, and Nina says she’s so grateful. Not only for that, but also, that they’re Wiley’s parents. They’re really great parents. They put Wiley first, and you can tell. He’s such a happy, all-around awesome kid. She gives them all the credit. Michael says he doesn’t know about that, but Nina says she does. They’re decent, kind, good people. They didn’t have to let her be part of Wiley’s life, but they did it anyway. She knows there was a little coercion with Jax, but she believes if they thought she was bad for Wiley, there’s no way they would let her in his life. They gave her a chance. Willow says Nina is very kind to say all that, but Nina says she means it; she’s grateful. Michael says, so are they.

Maxie tells Carly, the situation with Wiley had gone bad, as she knows, and Nina wanted to get out of town to clear her head. She stopped by Nixon Falls to say hello to a friend, and she was floored when she saw Sonny. Carly says, so floored, she couldn’t tell them? and Maxie says, Nina told her that she did call to tell Carly that she saw Sonny, but they got in some kind of argument? Josslyn says, so now this is her mom’s fault? and Maxie tells her, she didn’t say that. Josslyn says her mom wasn’t nice to Nina, so that gave her the right to lie, and keep Sonny a secret for months? That is crap. Really? We can’t do better than that line?

Anna says she changed Valentin’s life? This should be good. He says it was miraculous seeing her again. She’d completely changed her life around. She’d gone from a sad, flawed, compromised sellout… She says, don’t hold back, and he says she’s become so much better. He admires her. He could never reach the level she’s reached, but she’s showed him that he can make better choices. She says she can see that; she sees him. He says he knows she does, and she says, she knows he sees her better than anyone does. He shakes his finger at her, and she tells him not to get all juvenile about this. He says, where has he heard this before? Not the juvenile part, but the other part. He knows – from himself. He’s been saying that all along. He gets her, right down to her socks. She says she’s not wearing any socks, and he says, that’s a good start. They kiss, and I’m so in.

Obrecht says, Peter and Maxie conceived a child together, and Drew says he thought Maxie had better instincts then that. She says, he won her over, and he was convincing. He completely sold Maxie on the fact that he was reformed. She fell for it too for a while. Maxie was her daughter-in-law, and Obrecht wanted to be on good terms with her. Drew asks how that worked out for her, and she snorts. She says, when Peter’s past was on the brink of haunting him, he framed her for his own crimes, and had her shipped off to Steinmaur. He says, so she was at Steinmaur, and they sent her here, but she says, there was this whole interstitial with Maxie realizing how despicable Peter was, rejecting him, and him arranging to induce her labor, so he could kidnap her and his child. Drew asks, what happened? and Obrecht says, it backfired. The woman he hired to preside over the birth, ended up stealing the baby, handing her over to someone else, and meeting an untimely end. So now that precious baby is out there, and Maxie doesn’t know where to find her. He says, so she thinks this was a set-up by Peter? and she says she’s positive. The only thing Peter cares about is finding his daughter. Which is clearly why he’s working with Victor. Drew asks, who the hell is Victor?  

Nina sits down, and Michael says, they’d forgotten how much Nina came through in the original custody hearing. She told the truth about Nelle, and he knows it made a huge difference. Nina says, at the time, she didn’t know Wiley was her grandson, and Michael says, he thought about that; if knowing what they know now would have changed what Nina said, but Willow says, it doesn’t matter. Nina came through for Wiley when he needed her, and they’ll always be grateful. Michael says, it was definitely a turning point in the custody fight, and Nina says, what she remembers about that day is, she just generally wanted to do the right thing. Even though in her heart she wishes things could have been different for Nelle, and for her, the fact that things turned out the way they did for Wiley, she’s thankful for. That part, she’ll never question or regret, because Wiley has them.

Josslyn says she’s sorry. She’s not mad at Maxie; it’s Nina she’s mad at. But she’s got to say, it kind of seems like Maxie is defending her. Maxie says she’s not defending Nina. What she did is indefensible, but does she feel empathy for Nina? Yes, because she’s been at a place in her life where she convinced herself – out of fear, anger, or pain – that doing something wrong was okay. She’s been there, and isn’t in a position to judge Nina. Is Carly? Right now I want to knock Josslyn and Carly’s heads together, so I vote no.  

Sonny tells Jason, he really hadn’t thought about it, since he was on his medication. He was doing well. Jason says he’s glad, and Sonny says, but Jason’s right. He’s got to check it out, take care of himself. Did Jason and Carly talk about this, about him? Jason says, of course (🍷). It’s a big deal that he’s back; it’s a lot to figure out. Sonny says, sorry Jason got stuck with this. All the hell Jason has been through, and he wasn’t there. Jason says it’s not Sonny’s fault, and Sonny says, no, it’s not. It’s Nina’s.

Valentin tells Anna that she’s a good kisser, and she says, they need to sober up. He says she told him that she wasn’t drunk, and she says, he needs to sober up. He asks where the fun is in that? and she says she’s going to get them a gallon of water and a gallon of coffee. Then they’re going to sober up, and go back to the hospital. He asks, what about her socks? and she says, oh boy. She goes to the bar and asks for water and coffee, but when she turns around, Valentin is passed out, his head on the table.   

Drew says, Victor Cassadine didn’t die in that explosion at Creighton-Clark? and Obrecht says, no, he survived, and he’s been pulling strings ever since. To what extent she’s not certain. All she knows is, on her way to St. Lucia… He says, St. Lucia? and she says, to take care of Peter, as he so richly deserved. She was abducted and wound up there, with a pit stop at Victor’s lavish compound. He says he bets she’s missing that place right about now, but she says, the company is better here. He says, let him get this straight. Victor and Peter are working together because Peter wants to find his daughter. She says, yes, and he says, but Peter is an incredible lowlife; Victor’s got to know that. She says, please. Anyone who’s met Peter for five minutes knows that, and he asks, what’s in it for Victor? Obviously, he’s not doing this out of the goodness of his heart, so what’s he getting out of this arrangement?   

Michael says Nina probably wants some alone time with Wiley, and suggests he and Willow take a walk. Willow says she’d like nothing more, and they leave. In the foyer, Willow asks if Michael got the feeling something is going on with Nina. She seems upset, or lost, or… Willow doesn’t know. He says, that’s probably part of the reason she’s here; seeing Wiley will be good for her. Willow says, it always does wonders for her. In the living room, Nina asks if she can help Wiley with his coloring and sits on the floor. She says she’s sorry she was gone for so long. They have to make up for lost time, right? Wiley says, yeah, and she says, lost time might be all we have left.

Jason asks what Sonny is talking about. Nina who? Sonny says, Nina Reeves, and Jason says he doesn’t understand. Sonny says, remember the Phyllis he told Jason about? She hired him to work at the bar. She was friends with Nina, and Nina left Port Charles to come and see Phyllis. She saw him, and knew that he was dead, but she saw him alive. Jason asks, for how long? and Sonny says, pretty much most of the time. Jason says, she knew and didn’t say anything to anybody? but Sonny says, it’s complicated. Jason says, it doesn’t sound that complicated to him, and Sonny says, what happened was, Nina was upset with Carly over the whole Nelle thing and Wiley… Jason says, he knows, but they went through hell. Carly and the kids were devastated. Now Sonny is telling him that they didn’t have to be devastated? That Nina held the key to all this pain, and didn’t use it? Sonny says he gets that Jason is angry, and he is also. Jason says Sonny isn’t angry enough.

Carly tells Maxie that she’s done terrible, questionable things, but that doesn’t justify what Nina did. She stole Sonny’s life for months, and for what? Out of spite? She literally took Sonny’s free will, and sat back and watched his family grieve, so no, Nina doesn’t get an excuse. Maxie says she doesn’t disagree with Carly, and Carly says, what Maxie did today was the opposite of what Nina did to Sonny. She kept him a secret because it suited her. Maxie told the truth because she believed Carly deserved to know. Maxie says she’s going to feel bad if she doesn’t say this, but she still loves Nina, even though Nina did something very wrong. Carly says, that’s the painful part of loving someone who messes up, but this was Nina’s choice, and she’s going to have to live with the consequences.

Anna tucks Valentin in. She smooths back his hair, and turns out the light. She leaves, and we see the tattoo of the Cassadine crest on his forearm.

Obrecht says Drew is a very shrewd man; he cuts right to the heart of it. Victor never does anything without an ulterior motive. There’s always a goal he’s working towards. He says, Peter is helping him achieve that goal, and she says, Peter has something Victor wants or needs, or plans to acquire. She hopes he gets it. When Peter is no longer of use to Victor, that will be the end of Peter August. He says, none of which helps them. He doesn’t know about her, but he can’t wait until it plays out between those two psychos. How are they going to get the hell out of here? She says, music to her ears, and they hear the door. Drew gets back on the cot, and Russ comes in, saying, time’s up. Obrecht says, this man is very ill. His kidney may be bruised, and she needs to see him again soon. Russ says he’ll tell the boss. Let’s go. Before she leaves, Obrecht turns and gives Drew a slight nod.

Anna asks the bar musician if he speaks English, and he says, yes. She says she’s headed to the U.S. Consul hospital to check on a patient there. Her friend is asleep upstairs, and she may not be back until morning. He says, not to worry. He’ll make sure her friend gets the message. She thanks him, and says she loved his playing. She leaves, and as he closes his guitar case, we see a tattoo matching Valentin’s on his forearm.

Jason says, Nina took nine months from Sonny. Nine months where he wasn’t living his life with his wife and kids. Why isn’t he furious? Sonny says he was furious, but what’s the point? Nina is a sad woman. Her mother screwed her over, she went through a bad period in her life. Then she finds out she had a child, and it’s Nelle. That would mess anyone up. He’s not making excuses; she absolutely should have told the truth. She made a bad decision. Jason says, it’s more than one bad decision. She took so much from Sonny. Sonny says he’s not happy about that, but he doesn’t see the point in wasting his energy on hating her. Maybe he doesn’t want to let himself get angry. He’ll have to talk to his psychiatrist about that one. Jason says, sounds like a plan, and Sonny says, let’s get out of here. He points at his gravestone, and says, get rid of it. It should have been gone yesterday.

Nina tells Wiley to say cheese as she takes selfies with him. Yuri comes in, and says, Wiley has another visitor. Nina says, of course (🍷) he does, because he’s irresistible. Carly walks in, and Nina suggests Yuri take Wiley. She thinks she and Carly will need time alone. She gives Wiley a fist bump as Yuri takes him. Carly closes the door and says, you stole Sonny’s life, and bitch, you’re going to pay.   

Tomorrow, Trina says, today Esme and Spencer are going to get what’s coming to them; Scotty tells Ava that it’s her call if she wants to stay married; Sonny asks if Jason left Britt for Carly; and Carly says Nina is going to pay (again).

Vanderpump Rules

LVP and Ken discussed reopening after lockdown, and met with Nick Alain. James practiced his DJ skills in the living room, using the applause button on his keyboard for response. We saw Lala’s daughter Ocean, and Lala putting breast milk in her coffee. Scheana was also a new mother to Summer Moon Honey. Wow. Pick a lane. In LVP’s interview, she said they’d been locked up for a year, and everyone wanted to come out and party. We’re back baby. Schwartz and Katie were trying for a baby, but so far, had no luck. Luckier on the business end, Schwartz was opening a new place with Tom. We saw clips of them in the unfinished space, and talking about the features they wanted to install. Since the two of them are d*cks, LVP had to be the one to ask about what she’d heard through the grapevine, and they were too scared to tell her. Puffy! They admitted they were going to open a new bar/restaurant, and Tom said they were thinking of calling it Schwartz & Sandy’s. In Katie’s interview, she said she thought the name didn’t convey the funky and fresh vibe the Toms were going for. She told Ariana that she wanted to get involved with the new bar, and in Ariana’s interview, she said, she and Katie had gotten close, but Katie and Tom had always clashed. She wasn’t too sure how he was going to feel about that. LVP told the Toms that she and Ken were supportive, and it was all good.

At SUR, LVP asked Raquel about James, and in Raquel’s interview, she said James was two years sober, and had made progress. He’d been sober since she’d given him the ultimatum. We flashed back to that, and she said, but he still smoked weed. He was California sober. James met with LVP, and told her that he’d been self-reflecting. In his interview, he said he was actually doing better without the alcohol; his DJ’ing was on another level now. He wanted to get back into SUR, and LVP asked if he understood the boundaries. He said he never saw everything as clear as he did now, but she had some receipts showing the opposite. He’d sent Max a series of rage texts, calling Max a pr*ck, and saying Max was fat and nobody liked him, using the word fat in nearly every text. James has zero body fat, which isn’t necessarily complimentary, but I don’t know if he just knows it’s an extremely hurtful thing to say, or he actually has some huge aversion to essentially a normal body type. Regardless, I guess he’s not seeing things as clearly as he thinks. He told LVP that he and Max had a big blow-out. The sad part was, he’d known Max for a decade, and this had to do with splitting a plate of food in a restaurant. James said it was one of those little bumps in a friendship, and Max had blocked him all over the place. LVP said she’d block him too. He acted like an a-hole.

In Scheana’s interview, she told us that she and Brock were seeing each other, the pandemic hit, they moved in together, and nine months later, they had a baby. She was sure he was the one, and knew she’d said that before, but she’d never felt this secure and in love. He is really cute with the baby, and just plain cute, so I think this is a win for her. In Lala’s interview, she talked about being pregnant, and how her kid just flipped out of the cookie. Yes, we saw pictures. She’d written a book, Give Them Lala, and said she’d been writing it for a year. We saw a headline where she talked about shoving Randall’s toothbrush up her butt when they’d had a fight, and she said Randall’s reaction had been, WTF? but now when she was pissed, he thought twice about brushing his teeth. She told Katie she’d had two babies this week, Ocean and the book. While visiting Lala, Katie got a text invite to Scheana’s hibachi birthday dinner, hosted by Tom and Ariana.

Brock asked Scheana if she was going to invite Lala, and Scheana said that it was upsetting that Lala hadn’t been there for her during her miscarriage. Instead, she’d gone out to dinner with celebrities. We saw a clip of Scheana’s vlog, where she wept while talking about her miscarriage, and she told Brock, it had been devastating. She’d needed Lala, but Lala was having dinner with Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly. At Lala’s place, Lala asked Katie, and where was Brock? Golfing. Scheana had gone on a podcast, and talked about Lala not being there for her, and Lala had gotten some intense messages. In Lala’s interview, she said she got DM’s saying she deserved to miscarry. She was having intense hormonal depression, and it sent her into a full-on spiral. Scheana told Brock, from day one, she had Lala’s back, while Lala told Katie that Scheana was not getting an apology. You could only smack the bee’s nest for so long before getting stung.

In Tom’s interview, he said it was going to be their first get-together in the new house. When they first moved in, people were judgy about them having no furniture, but now they could shut up. You get a chair! You get a chair! Everybody gets a chair! Scheana called Tom and Ariana to thank them, but really to tell Ariana that Lala had been talking smack about her on a podcast. Ready with the evidence, Scheana played a clip for Ariana, where Lala said, with Ariana, it is what it is. Ariana didn’t give a f*** about her, and vice versa. In Ariana’s interview, she said she didn’t give a f*** about 99% of people, but she’d gone out of her way to give a f*** about Lala. She’d opened up about her anxiety and body issues, and had let Lala eat her cookie. Tom wondered if Lala just wanted to be controversial, but Ariana said, if that was the case, don’t use her to get attention. She was over being chill and reasonable. F*** her.

LVP wanted Max to work it out with James, because Max was in the restaurant five days a week. She’d invited James over, and in James’s interview, he said it was like being called to the principal’s office when he was five. If that really happened, he must have been pretty mature at five. Most of us weren’t even in regular school yet. Is he Benjamin Button emotionally? In LVP’s interview, she said out of all the people on the planet, her son was the only person on James’s side. She thought it was a relationship worth saving. Discussing it in the kitchen, Max asked why James had been so aggressive, and James said Max complained about them charging $10 to split a plate. He went off because they’d taken a pre-workout supplement. Um… steroids? I don’t know many supplements that would jazz you that much. James said it brought out the Alpha male in him, and Max said he took the same thing, so why had he been chill? James said, Max hadn’t been chill. Max bummed him out over a ten dollar charge. Max said James was playing the victim. When James used to drink, it was an escapade of belligerence every time they went out, and now this. James said he didn’t mean any of it, but Max said he didn’t want James at SUR. Because James still can’t take any pushback, he told Max that he was just the boring little boy he’d always been – which was really smart to do in front of his mom – and Max walked out. LVP said, that didn’t go well, and James started crying, one of his go-to moves. LVP said he was responsible for the situation, and James wondered why he treated his friend like that. Seriously. It was one of those times where anything other than an apology is a bad idea.

Katie wanted be involved in the new restaurant, and told Schwartz, since they didn’t have a baby, that could be their baby. She wanted to be Hot Bitch in Charge. In Schwartz’s interview, he said, Katie didn’t like people, and the industry revolved around people. The theme for Scheana’s birthday was Mom’s Night Out, and she’d asked everyone to wear pink or black, because the only cute thing that fit her was a pink dress. Ariana was wearing pink, but said her soul was black. Tom made a special cocktail called Summer’s Eve, not knowing that was the name of a douche. Ariana asked if Scheana and Lala were going to duke it out. Magician Ben was introduced, and in Lala’s interview, she said, really? A magician for a grown-ass birthday party? She loved magicians, and thought they were super cool – when Randall got them for his child’s party. Ben’s finale was making Scheana’s ring disappear on a balloon that rose to the sky, then reappear in a wrapped box. In her interview, Lala added, okay. That was pretty dope. The chef and server, both Jonathans, appeared, and dinner was hibachied and served.

Katie told Tom that she wanted to be the maître d of the new place, and Tom said, okay, but it was one of those okays that doesn’t really mean okay. Schwartz said, Schwartz and Sandy sounded like they should be serving matzo ball soup. Agreed. It sounds like a Jewish deli. Katie said it was uninspired, and in Tom’s interview, he said he’d like to see the receipts of what she’s done, and her achievements of amazingness. Then there was this huge deal about the name, and Tom told Schwartz that he was done arguing with Katie; no more. James stood up like he was going to give a toast, and invited everyone to Palm Springs. There wasn’t going to be a Coachella this year, so he thought they could recreate it. Tom said they’d make their own Coachella. Scheana told Brock that she still needed to have a conversation with Lala, and grabbed Lala as she was going inside. She asked if Lala would sit down with her, and Lala was like, now? but Scheana was insistent. She said she’d needed Lala in Palm Springs. Lala didn’t understand how hard it had been for her. Lala said she’d answered every phone call, and offered to come. Scheana said she wanted to be by herself. When Scheana said she was ready to see Lala, she was on her way to dinner. She wasn’t there for Scheana the way Scheana wanted her to be, but she was there. She wasn’t apologizing. Scheana asked if Lala ever considered she wasn’t thinking clearly; she’d just lost a baby. Lala said she got that, but what Scheana had done wasn’t cool. The day she found out she was having a baby girl was the moment Scheana chose to publicly say Lala wasn’t there for her when she miscarried. She was already fighting depression, and got messages saying people hoped she miscarried Ocean. From the stands table, Ariana relayed to the others that Lala was crying. Something is happening. Lala says she gets what Scheana went through, but Scheana should have called and told Lala that she’d hurt her. Scheana said, that’s how she reacted, but she understood; from Lala’s perspective, she felt she was there. She was sorry she’d expected Lala to be a mind reader. Lala said they needed to get on the same page. She hated that they didn’t share their pregnancy experiences. Those were moments they couldn’t get back. She wanted their kids to be friends.

Raquel asked Lala if they were all right, and in Raquel’s interview, she said, time and again, she’d experienced the wrath of Lala. But she’d rather lead with compassion and empathy, than worry if Lala was going to lash out. Lala told Raquel that she hated how she and Scheana couldn’t get their pregnancies back, and weren’t communicating. She thought they’d had a breakthrough with their friendship, and wanted to stop with the pattern. Raquel said she didn’t know what to expect from Lala. She didn’t know where she stood. Lala said she liked Raquel her right now, and Raquel said she no longer felt she needed Lala’s approval, although she did for a long time. She was over it. instead of realizing Raquel was telling Lala that she’d grown as a person, Lala took it as an insult, and asked if Raquel was trying to battle her. Raquel said she wasn’t. She wanted them to be on the same page, but had felt attacked. Lala said she thought they’d moved on from that. Raquel needed to be babied more, so she’d baby her. Raquel said, just a little bit, making a joke out of it, and Lala said she’d baby the f*** out of her. The next time she wanted to rage, she’d redirect it to Charli. She seemed like a bitch who could take it. Ariana said Lala had raged about her out of nowhere on a podcast. Lala said she talked sh*t a lot because she wore her emotions on her sleeve. She and Ariana had been surface for a while, and she didn’t even hear from Ariana ever. Ariana said that wasn’t true, and Lala asked if It wasn’t true that Ariana didn’t give a f*** about her. Ariana said Lala wanted it to be, and it wasn’t true before, but it was now. Lala said she didn’t need this, and left. Ariana said Lala consistently gaslighted her, and never apologized.

Next time, Schwartz tells Katie that he and Tom have to present a united front; Katie could have sworn Schwartz said til death do us part to her, not Tom; the group goes to Palm Springs; Raquel does the bend-and-snap; and Lala and Charli go at it. And not in a good way.

🕺🕺 Here’s my take on the Toms. They were on Watch What Happens Live afterward, and Tom Sandoval is sooo full of himself. He says Tom Schwartz has a voice and can be aggressive, but I don’t believe that for a second. I think Sandoval steamrolls right over him, as evidenced during the name argument. Which, BTW, Sandoval won. The restaurant is going to be called Schwartz and Sandy’s. When there was a vote as to who was top guy now that Jax – still the worst human being in the world – is gone, Sandoval won that too. Schwartz said he was happy being number two, and I believe that.

🤵🏽 Nikolas For Now…

GH is temporarily recasting Nikolas. There’s no explanation, but I’m guessing positive covid test, or family emergency and his scenes were already written.

🦽 Keep On Wheelin’…

It took 58 years, but she finally did it.

🧛🏻 Good Vampires Never Die…

This sounds intriguing, and Ian Buchanan is the perfect choice.

💔 Real Break-Up…

I guess Vicki realized even a wedding wasn’t going to save her.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1304102/real-housewives-vicki-gunvalson-and-steve-lodge-break-up-2-years-after-engagement

⚰️ Playing Dead…

And just for the record, contrary to EW’s belief, the TWD episode using the subway cars was not like Train to Busan.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-on-the-inside-connie-virgil-daryl-angela-kang-interview/

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-commonwealth-out-of-the-ashes-angela-kang/

Starlight, Starbright…

Join me tomorrow for some soap and a look into the life of Erika Jayne Girardi, otherwise known as RHOBH. Until then, stay safe, stay environmentally conscious, and stay knowing that when it’s your choice, you have to live with the consequences.