Tag Archives: Tracy Chapman

February 22, 2024 – Anna Gives John a Choice, Thoughts, A Little Bit Of Soap, Reunion Scare, Volcanic House, VanderFlat, Turning 40, More Awards, Pet (!) Friendly & Revolution

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly says, Drew threatened to blackball writers and photographers if they worked with Nina on her new magazine, and he says, Nina tried to ruin both of their lives. The least he could do is return the favor. Carly says, but they’ve already gotten their revenge. He fired Nina and hired her as Editor-in-Chief of Crimson magazine. He knows it’s killing Nina to see Carly take her place. Drew says, she bounced back as the editor of a new magazine and he had to shut her down, and Carly asks, why take the bait? What is the benefit of one-upping Nina? They already have everything they want. Their happiness and success is the best revenge. Why can’t he just ignore Nina? (Because apparently, Drew doesn’t have an actual job himself and has a lot of free time.)

Sasha and Maxie come into Charlie’s and Sasha asks what Cody is doing here. She thought he had to work at the Quartermaines tonight. Cody says his plans changed. He would have let her know, but she said she was staying in to watch a movie. Sasha says she and Maxie had to blow off some steam after the day they had at work. A latte and streaming service wasn’t cutting it, so they decided to come here for a drink or two. Cody says, looks like they had the same idea, and Spinelli says, what a fortuitous happenstance. Maxie says, her mom took the kids for a movie and ice cream, so she thought she’d take advantage of a free night and let loose a little bit. Sasha says, this is perfect timing, and asks the guys to join them. Cody says, they would, but Spinelli was just about to bail on him. Sasha says, what? They just got here. Stay a little bit. They all had so much fun together at the Hatchet Range, she feels they should keep that going. She and Maxie could really use it. Maxie says, definitely. Please stay. Spinelli says, slumber can wait, and Cody says, great. The ladies need drinks. Does Sasha mind helping him? She says, sure, and they go to the bar. Sasha says she brought Maxie here like Cody asked. What tricks does he have up his sleeve?

Dante says, while they’re getting Cyrus mic-ed up, why don’t they go over the plan one more time? Anna tells Cyrus that he’s at Pentenville to preach a sermon as a volunteer chaplain. The arms dealer they’re very interested in, Philip O’Neill, is in protective custody, but they’ve made a deal with his guards to attend the sermon. So Cyrus is going to strike up a conversation with him… Cyrus says, wait. He thought time was of the essence here. He’s already agreed to their plan. Why is she talking to him like he’s an idiot? She says, maybe it’s because he likes to exploit loopholes and she doesn’t want him to weasel out of what they’ve already agreed to. So although she might have made a deal with the devil, she refuses to be damned.

Sonny approaches a house in a woodsy area with Selina, and says he thought he was supposed to come here and question her guard who betrayed her, not take a scenic tour around the property. She says, with everything that’s gone on recently, she prefers to be surrounded by security, and that’s easier on her estate. But don’t worry. His patience is about to be rewarded. He says, how so? She says she doesn’t imagine he cares about her gardening, and opens the door. He sees Li, tied to a chair and gagged, and she says, but she does all her best work here. (I’m like, whoa. Li.)

Drew says, the day after they agreed not to engage with Nina, she tried to sabotage Carly’s first issue as Crimson’s Editor-in-Chief. Is he supposed to let her get away with that? Carly says, no. He’s supposed to have faith in her, because she handled it. That magazine made it to the printer on time despite Nina’s dirty tricks. He says, that’s a testament to how good Carly is already at her job. It doesn’t excuse Nina from her behavior. Carly wants her out of their lives, but Nina has made it very clear that she isn’t going to disappear, no matter how badly they want it. She says, so what? Let her play her games. The only thing Nina wants is a reaction from them, and the best way to fight her is to not give her that reaction. He says, she doesn’t really believe that, does she? Nina was standing right here in Carly’s office, gloating about her next strategy on how to take them down. Doesn’t that infuriate her? She says, yes. It took everything in her not to smack Nina, but she knows and has learned that every time she stoops to Nina’s level, it only causes more conflict. And come on. Sonny’s dumped her. Michael and Willow don’t want her anywhere near them or their children. Nina is almost disconnected with everyone in Carly’s life, except Drew apparently. He says, she’s got a near bottomless bank account. She’s got nothing else to lose. That is a dangerous combination. He did what he did to try to get her out of their lives quicker and to minimize the damage she can cause in the meantime. She says, he just wants to humiliate her, and he says, that, too.

Cyrus says, at least let him reassure Anna that he knows what he’s doing today. After his sermon, Mr. O’Neill’s guards will delay returning him to his cell, allowing him to enlighten O’Neill as to the healing power of confession and how it frees the soul. Anna says, that’s a good start, but the goal is to get him to give up the name of whoever it is he sold the WSB stolen cache of guns to. He says, she does realize she’s asking him to betray his values and his sacred duties as a man of the cloth, and Dante says, Cyrus might want to dial back just a little bit. He’s not even ordained. Cyrus says, there are people at Pentenville who actually see him as a chaplain, with all the responsibilities that entails, and Anna says, he believes they all get closer to God by admitting their sins, right? He says he does, and she says, that’s exactly what he’s doing for O’Neill. Regardless of the motives, Cyrus is giving him an opportunity to change and be a better person. Dante says, that’s right. O’Neill isn’t talking to them. He hasn’t got a plea deal and he’s going away for a long time. They’ve got him dead to rights on an illegal weapons trafficking charge, so nothing they do today, none of the information they’ll be getting, will cause any more trouble for him. Cyrus says, and this may help others, and Dante says, 100%. Anna says, for sure, so much, and Dante says, it’s going to be putting less people in harm’s way, innocent people like Curtis Ashford, who may never walk again because of the guns that O’Neill sold. This confession they’re going to get will help a lot of innocent people. Cyrus says, the Lord does work in mysterious ways, and Dante and Anna agree. Anna says, it’s time. Is he ready? Cyrus says he is. He just hopes his Lord and his Police Commissioner remember his sacrifice. He leaves.

Selina says, Curtis Ashford’s warning that she might be open to assassination came just in time. Sonny asks, how so? and she says, between Curtis’s information and the failed attack on her, she realized she was in greater danger than she thought. He says, that’s been made clear to them already, and she says she needed to start asking questions, and wouldn’t you know, discovered that Li here had just bought a new car, a luxury vehicle. She dug a little deeper and found out he’d recently come into quite a large and unexplained sum of money. She puts her hand on Li’s shoulder, and he flinches. She says, after some convincing, Li confessed that he’d agreed to share her whereabouts, putting her in a very vulnerable position. Her loyal men also recovered a gun that was in Li’s possession, and her people examined it closely. No serial number, but there was a marking on it. Sonny says, let him guess. It’s another one of the missing guns that was stolen from the WSB. Li looks at him and he says he’ll take that as a yes. Li’s been working for the people who took a shot at him – twice.

Cody tells Sasha, so Spinelli used to sing karaoke to Maxie back when they were dating, so he figured, what better way for them to remember their history then for Spinelli to serenade her again. Sasha says, that makes sense. He wants to remind them of all the good times they had together as a couple. Smart. He’s the best.

At a table, Maxie tells Spinelli, Tracy is out of control. She’s trying to make all the decisions at Deception. Tracy thinks she knows better than her or Brook or anyone else who works there. Tracy even suggested she quit and go back to Crimson. Not that she would ever do that. She’s completely committed to Deception. Also, she can’t give Tracy that satisfaction. Spinelli says, that’s egregious. Without Maxie, Deception would crumble faster than if Thanos snapped it out of existence. Maxie thanks him and says she is working really hard to make Deception successful. They all benefit. Tracy’s just not making it easy. The MC comes by with slips of paper and pencils and tells them to remember to put in their song choices early. Maxie says, they have karaoke here now? and Spinelli says, apparently, Kristina just started it. It reminds him of their wedding. Remember? She says, how could she forget?

Sasha says she hopes getting Maxie and Spinelli together here tonight works, without betraying girl code or telling Cody anything they talked about. Cody says he would never disclose the conversations he and Spinelli have had, and Sasha says, they’re keeping their friends’ confidences, but they can have eyes. He says, they do have eyes, and she says she’s keeping her fingers crossed that a night of karaoke with Spinelli will give Maxie the clarity she needs on her feelings for him. He says, once the music starts, who knows what will happen?

Drew says he doesn’t want to fight with Carly, but he’s not going to apologize for wanting justice for what Nina did to him. He thought she would actually back him up on this. Normally, she’s the first person to want to get even with somebody who wrongs her. She says, he’s right. Payback has been her go-to reaction for most of her life. If someone hurt her, she was going to hurt them back twice as bad, but most of the time, that reaction has caused more conflict and life is short. Losing her mom so unexpectedly just brings it home all over again and she’s happy now. She’s so happy with him. They have a great life. Isn’t that enough? He says he thought it would be and it would have been if he didn’t find out who turned them in to the SEC, but he knows and he can’t pretend it doesn’t affect him. He just came back from Pentenville with so much rage. Does she have any idea what it feels like to be beaten within an inch of your life? He was lying on the floor of that shower, and he was in so much pain, he wished he was dead, but he was praying for someone to come save him. She says she’s so sorry that happened to him. That was horrible. He says, then he was freed, and he had nowhere to go with that anger. He had no one to blame until he found out who sent him there. She says, seeing Nina must be so hard every time, and he says, every time he does, he feels the rage boiling inside of him, and he thinks about how much time he lost with Scout when he was in prison. He thinks about being beaten and the pain and the recovery, so yeah, sometimes he feels like he’d like Nina to feel a little bit of that humiliation as payback. That’s true. She says she’s not asking him to forgive Nina. She would never ask him to forgive her. But this anger scares her. He hasn’t been the same since he went to prison. He says he went to prison for… She says, he can finish that sentence. He went to prison for her.

Sonny says he’s done playing games here, removing the gag from Li’s mouth. Who hired him? Selina says, unfortunately, Li seems quite loyal to his other employer. They haven’t been able to get a name out of him yet. She uncovers a table of garden tools and says, perhaps Sonny can get him to be a little more forthcoming. She tells Li, Sonny can be very persuasive, and Sonny says, Li’s working for people who are trying to have him killed. People who would put his family and the people he cares about in the crossfire of an assassin’s bullet. Whoever did this is gonna pay. He picks up a pair of shears, and Li moves around. Sonny says, hey. He usually has people who do this sort of business, but since Li’s friends took a shot at him while his little girl was nearby, he needs a more personal touch. He moves closer to Li and says, whoever did this is going to suffer; he can promise Li that. And whoever’s helping them is going to suffer unless Li gives Sonny a compelling reason to spare him.

Cody asks if Maxie and Spinelli have decided what they’re going to sing yet, but Maxie says, not her. Spinelli is the singer. Cody says he has to check something out. He’ll be right back. He leaves, and Spinelli says, if Maxie isn’t going to grace them with the dulcet tones of her voice, he’s not going to sing either. Maxie says, he can’t sit it out because of her. She knows how much he loves karaoke. He says he does, and the MC takes the mic and says, they’re going to get started, so drink some liquid courage if they need it and get ready for some great tunes. Their first singers tonight are Cody Bell and Sasha Gilmore. There’s applause, and Sasha looks surprised. Maxie tells her, get up there, and Sasha tells Cody that she hopes he knows what he’s doing. He says, she trusts him. Come on. She says, he’s never heard her singing voice, and he says, she’s never heard his, and she gets on stage with him. They sing like a pair of professional singers who’ve been singing together all their lives. They finish to lots of applause.

Anna, Dante, and some other guy listen in as Cyrus says, when we confess our sins, we’re not punished, but rewarded for having the courage to bear our souls. With penance and absolution, our conscience is freed and we’re able to step forward with a clear heart.

Sonny says he doesn’t see Li’s lips moving, so he guesses Li’s made his choice. Li asks what Sonny wants, and Sonny says, a description of the man who hired him to betray Selina and his name. Li says, he didn’t give his name. He said it was better Li didn’t know. Sonny moves the shears toward Li’s face and says he guesses Li’s out of luck, but Li says, no. That man doesn’t matter anyway. He was just a go-between working for who’s really in charge. Sonny says, that’s convenient, isn’t it? and Selina says, and Li’s telling them he never met his boss? Li says, no, never, and Sonny says, so let him guess. He never gave Li his boss’s name. Li says, the guy didn’t trust him enough, and Sonny yells, come on! Li says, but he overheard one of his phone calls. His boss goes by the name Stone. (I’m like, double whoa.)

John walks into the room where Anna and Dante are and says, starting without me?

Sasha tells Maxie that she never thought she’d like doing anything like that in front of a crowd, but it was so much fun performing with Cody. Maxie says she’s not surprised Sasha had such a great time. The two of them make a great team.

Cody asks if Spinelli isn’t glad that he stayed tonight, and Spinelli says, it has been illuminating. Cody says, Maxie looks like she’s having a good time too. Maybe Spinelli can convince her to sing a duet with him after all. Spinelli says he knows what Cody is doing, and Cody says, having a fun night out with his friends? Spinelli says, Cody is trying to get him and Maximista to spend as much time together as possible in the hopes it will lead to something, but he’s already told Cody that he has no intention of pursuing his unrequited feelings for her. Cody says, what if it isn’t unrequited? What if she feels exactly the same way he does? Spinelli says, what’s wrong with him? Please stop. Let this go. Cody says he’s just trying to help out, but Spinelli says he didn’t ask for Cody’s help. This is none of his business. Why does he care so much anyway? Cody says he just wants Spinelli to be happy. Okay, maybe he does feel bad about the way he treated Spinelli when he first came to town. Spinelli says, when Cody was blackmailing him? and Cody says he knows. He’s trying to be a better person. He feels like he owes Spinelli one. Spinelli says, then he releases Cody from that debt, making a releasing motion with his hands, but Cody says, that’s not the only reason. He cares about Maxie and her family. They mean a lot to him. And he sees how much Maxie likes Spinelli. He just wants her to be happy. Spinelli says, it’s a touching tale, but Cody isn’t that altruistic. He thinks Cody realizes the longer he plays Cupid with him and Maxie, the more time he can spend with Sasha. Cody says, Sasha is smart, fun, and he’s not going to deny he likes spending time with her, but that’s not the reason he wants Spinelli and Maxie to get together. Spinelli says, tell himself whatever he wants, just butt out of his life, and Cody says, fine. Spinelli says, now that they have that settled, he’s leaving. He gets up as Sasha and Maxie come back, and Maxie asks where he thinks he’s going. He’s not going to sneak out before he sings, is he?

Drew tells Carly that he’s sorry. He didn’t mean that. He doesn’t feel like he went to prison for her. She says, he did. He paid for her crime by losing time with his family and he almost died, and her life basically stayed the same. He says he made a choice to cop a plea to protect her and he doesn’t regret that for a second. He would do the same thing in a heartbeat because he loves her. She says she loves him too, and he says, that’s all that matters. She says, is it? She’s not so sure anymore. He asks what that means, and she says she understands his desire for revenge against Nina. If she had to go to Pentenville and found out it was because of her, she’d feel the same way. She would want to kill her. He says, it’s nice to hear her acknowledge that, and she says she knows her situation is very different. She didn’t have it as bad. She lost some money and a business, but she wants him to know she understands and truly appreciates his sacrifice. He says he knows she does, and she says, but she can’t move on with her life unless Nina is behind her. She doesn’t want to think about Nina anymore, she doesn’t want to argue with Nina anymore, and she doesn’t want to hurt Nina anymore. Because it always comes back to bite her. Nina suffers, but she suffers, and she doesn’t want to do that to herself anymore. She doesn’t want Drew to do that anymore, but she can’t make him feel the way she feels. He says, it’s obvious they’re not on the same page about Nina, but they can keep talking. They can figure things out as they move forward on how to deal with her. She says she wants Nina out of her life completely and she doesn’t know if he can do that. She doesn’t know if he wants to do that. He says he understands, and he wants her to know that he hears where she’s coming from, but he’s not just a passenger here for the ride along with her life. He’s in this relationship just as much as she is, and he gets to have just as much of a say about what to do about Nina as she does.

O’Neill sits at a table, and Cyrus introduces himself as the honorary chaplain at Pentenville. He and O’Neill shake hands, and Cyrus sits down. He says he hasn’t seen O’Neill at any of their services. He wanted to introduce himself and see if there was anything he could do for him. O’Neill says he appreciates that. He thinks he’s good. He’s only recently become incarcerated here. Cyrus says he’s sorry O’Neill finds himself behind bars. As a former inmate, he knows how disconcerting that can be. O’Neill says he didn’t realize a former felon could be a chaplain, and Cyrus says his journey has been an enlightening one. He spent years making all the wrong choices, and finally he decided to listen to what God had been trying to tell him all along. That he was not beyond saving if only he would trust in Him to guide him. And now that he’s been given a chance at redemption himself, he tries to pay it forward by helping other lost souls. O’Neill says, that’s quite a transformation, and thanks Cyrus for sharing. Cyrus says, it turns out it’s his calling, helping others find a way forward when all seems lost. He can see something’s troubling O’Neill. Maybe he can help.

Selina and Sonny come out of the house, and Selina says, from Sonny’s reaction, she gathers that name means something to him. Sonny says, it was somebody he knew a long time ago who was very important to him. He’s gone now. She says, then it can’t be the same person who’s targeting them, and he says, but that name is also very important to somebody else who just arrived in Port Charles.

John says he’s disappointed in Anna. He thought they’d come to an understanding. She says, so did she. She doesn’t think she’s violating that in any way. If he’ll excuse her, she and her detective are in the middle of an operation. He says, one that was never cleared by him. Imagine his surprise when he found out Philip O’Neill isn’t available for questioning tonight because he’s in a religious service, on Anna’s orders. She says she stands on her decision, and might she remind him, this is her jurisdiction and O’Neill is a possible witness. So she’s at liberty to conduct her investigation any way she chooses. He says, she’s not at liberty to keep the FBI in the dark, which is why he’s shutting this operation down.

Dante asks if they don’t want the same thing here, to stop the attacks on these mob figures? and John says he gets that they’re all invested in this case. But it’s their methods he’s got a problem with. They’re trying to get his witness under a wire and extract information without looping him in. He can’t allow that. Dante says, so he wants to tank the entire investigation because his pride’s hurt? John says he’s been working on this case for months. He’s put everything into it. So he’s not going to allow them to blow the whole thing because they have a bias toward Sonny Corinthos. Dante says, and there it is. This whole thing, right? It’s the vendetta John has against Dante’s father. Anna says, Sonny’s been targeted twice. It’s not a bias to find out who’s responsible. It’s literally their job, and O’Neill is the best lead that both of their cases have. And the federal prosecutor couldn’t convince him to talk, so she’s taken matters into her own hands. John says, by acting without authority and going behind his back? and she says, but this could work. Why is he so willing to shut it down?

Sonny tells Selina that Stone was a kid he took in back in the 90s who was very, very important to him. He had a brother, John. After Stone died, John had a son and named him Stone in memory of his brother. John is a Fed. She says she sees, and Sonny says, they never got along. As a matter of fact, John hated his guts. The only thing they had in common was Stone, and after Stone died, he hadn’t seen John in years, until recently. And John still has it in for him. John is the agent investigating all the attacks on organized crime figures. She says, that seems like suspiciously convenient timing, and he says he feels the same way. So if whoever is coming after them is named Stone, it can’t just be a coincidence. She says, it does raise a lot of pressing questions, and Sonny says, and he’s going to get the answers.

The MC says, Damien Spinelli, you are up. Amid pats on the back and cheers, Spinelli takes the stage. He sings It All Comes Down To You to Maxie, who looks enraptured. He finishes to applause and goes back to the table. Sasha says she and Cody are going to get some fresh air, and they go outside. Spinelli and Maxie look at each other.

Carly says she doesn’t mean to make Drew feel like it’s her way or no way. He’s completely justified in wanting to make Nina pay for what she’s done to him. But not if it’s turning him into someone that the people he loves don’t recognize. If Nina accomplishes that, then she wins. He says, that’s the last thing he wants, and she says she knows. And she hates that this is where they are. When they talked about her taking the job at Crimson, her condition was that he end his war with Nina, and he agreed. She picks up the magazine and says, so consider this her first and last issue. She hands it to him and walks out. I’ve never been a huge Carly fan, but I’m liking this new Carly.

Maxie says, that was a beautiful song, and Spinelli says, maybe he should have gone for more of an up tempo, more of a crowd pleaser. She says, the song was perfect. It reminded her about how he’s been singing Lullaby and Goodnight to Baby Lou every night for the last two months. He says, two months? Time flies when you’re crashing in someone else’s abode. She’s not getting tired of that bedtime song? She says, no, never. She loves hearing him sing to her. Almost as much as she loves having him at the house and seeing him with the kids every day. They adore him and they’re all happy to have him. He’s the one who hasn’t been able to be in his own space for so long. He says, it appears the repairs have taken longer than expected, but she says she doesn’t mind. If it didn’t mean his apartment would look like a scene from Avatar: The Way of Water, she would say he should never leave. She’s sorry. She didn’t mean to… He says, no. Don’t take it back. He feels the same way. Living together the last couple of months felt so right. She says, for her too, and he says, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her. He’s here for whatever she needs. She says, whenever her life was falling apart, he was always there for her. She knows she can count on him. He says, always. She’s one of his closest friends… Actually, he considers her more than a friend. She says, how so? and he kisses her. (Aww!) She kisses back.

Outside, Cody says, this was really fun. He’s glad they did this. Sasha says, her too. She has to admit, as much as they always say you regret your past, it’s fun watching him scheme for a good cause. He’s very good at it. He says, it’s easy when you have a great accomplice.

Maxie suddenly pushes away and picks up her stuff. She says she’s got to go, and jets, telling someone she passes that she’ll see them at work tomorrow. She comes out, and without even stopping, she tells Sasha, we have to go. Sasha says, o…kay, and shrugs at Cody, who says, bye.

Li says he told Sonny everything he wanted, but Selina says, it’s not enough. Li says, but it’s all he has. They know everything he does; he swears. Please. Sonny says, then he’s got one shot to save his life, and Li says he’ll do anything. Sonny and Selina look at each other, and Sonny says, anything.

Cyrus asks O’Neill to tell him what’s weighing him down, so they might pray on it together and find him some peace. O’Neill says he’s worried about his safety. He hasn’t slept in days and feels like there’s so many people in here who are out to get him, after all the things he’s done and the people he’s mixed up with. Cyrus says, his past doesn’t define him. He can move forward in his life. It begins by telling the truth. So give himself a chance. Tell him everything.

John says he is lead agent on this case. He doesn’t have to explain his actions to Anna. He answers to a higher authority. (So does Cyrus. ha-ha!) Anna says she wants them to work together. She’s not the enemy here. Her daughter thinks the world of him, and that’s worth something to her. He says, personally, he has no problem with her. Professionally, that’s a different story. She’s standing in the way of him tracking down a large shipment of stolen guns and possibly stopping whoever’s murdering mob bosses from consolidating their power. This ends now. Dante says, yeah… Something doesn’t feel right about this. It almost feels like John is having a personal issue with Anna or something. John says, that’s big accusation with no proof, and Dante says he’s got proof. They’ve come this far, and he can’t believe John wants to stop them from questioning this witness. Anna says, neither can she. Something else is going on here. If John forces her to shut down this operation, then her hands are tied. She’s going to go to his supervisor and tell them that he’s not fit to investigate this case. So what’s it going to be? It’s his choice.

Tomorrow, TJ asks Molly if it’s him or that was weird; Kristina tells Blaze, in that moment, she felt like the baby was hers; Elizabeth asks if Sam is worried something deeper is going on; and Cyrus asks O’Neill, who is this man who’s worth a lifetime in prison?

💭 Thoughts. This was a good one. I made noises out loud at the Li and Stone reveals. Since I remember squat about Spinelli and Maxie being together, his beautiful singing voice was a surprise too. Although seriously, the most unrealistic karaoke ever. Sasha was surprised when Cody asked her to do a duet, yet they looked and sounded like they’d practiced the song a million times. Even more unrealistic, they put on a show rather than their eyes being glued to the lyrics screen like their lives depended on it. The general consensus in my karaoke group is, if we had to sing Happy Birthday there, we’d need to see the lyrics.

Also, and hear me out here, I’m not sure if John is the man behind the shootings or they just want us to think that. Somebody could have set him up. Even though he hasn’t been in the opening credits yet, they don’t usually bring on a guy like that just to show him the door five minutes later. Just a thought.

🧴 All the Soap That’s Fit To Print…

I wonder if she gets to pet the chihuahua.

She’s living the dream.

Feelings.

Up for tons of awards, but they change the team. Go figure.

🚑 It’s Not About the Esophagus…

This really just describes the scene, but gives no new info.

🤽‍♀️ Sorry, Hamptons…

Those awful people are back for another season. No recap online yet. Maybe no one wants to watch it.

🍸 Falling Rules…

I don’t know if I agree. Certainly not that Raquel is needed. Got along without her before we met her, we’ll get along without her now.

🩰 Kick Off Your Sunday Shoes…

Iconic.

https://people.com/footloose-40th-anniversary-lori-singer-kevin-bacon-chemistry-electric-exclusive-8584419

🏆 Rewarding Their Work…

BAFTA winners.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/18/entertainment/bafta-award-winners-nominations-live/index.html

More important, BAFTA fashion.

https://www.theroot.com/our-favorite-black-celeb-outfits-from-the-2024-bafta-aw-1851272322

Everything about the Golden Globes. My dream is to get ahold of one of those swag bags.

🐶 Award Worthy Pup…

But did he pee everywhere?

https://people.com/host-david-tenant-brings-dog-named-bark-ruffalo-to-2024-baftas-8584703

💎 Shining Bright Like a Diamond…

Stop in tomorrow for some pre-weekend soap, interesting tidbits on the famous and furry, and quotes to ponder. Until then, stay safe, stay assuming three pieces per person for a pizza, and stay not reacting to someone only trying to get a reaction. It’s the best way to fight them.

April 12, 2023 – Trina Finds a Way Off the Ship, Scheana Gets Married As We Look For Clues & Fast

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly comes to Josslyn’s dorm room, and apologizes for not calling first. Josslyn says she was on her way to see Michael; she promised she’d babysit when Willow’s having her transplant. Carly says she’s glad she caught Josslyn before she left. Willow’s not having the transplant.

Sasha knocks at the gatehouse, and Brook lets her in. She asks how Willow is doing, and Willow says, hanging in there. Sasha asks if it’s a good time, and Willow says, it’s a perfect time. Michael says, they want to just chill out at home while they can. Once the police find Liesl Obrecht – which they hope will be soon – they’ll be back and forth to the hospital again. First chemo, then the transplant, then happily ever after.

At the station, Jordan asks, any word from the coastguard? and Dante says, they got a reading on the ship’s transponder, but by the time they got to it, all they found was a transponder sitting on a buoy. She says, the Haunted Star didn’t just disappear. Somebody must have seen something. He says, Victor wanted to make sure the boat can’t be found, when Gladys walks in. She says she’s here to give her statement. She had a very expensive piece of jewelry taken from her person last night. Maybe Dante can help her? He asks if she can come back later, and she says she’d be happy to, except Gillborn jewelers lent the bracelet to Sasha, and they’re not letting it go until Cody Bell pays for his crime. Jordan suggests they not get ahead of themselves, and Dante says, innocent until proven guilty, remember? Dante excuses himself, and Gladys asks if she gives Jordan her statement. Dante goes into the interrogation room and asks Cody if he ever plans on growing up.

Valentin says, nothing? No word on Anna? Felicia says, the surgeon said it could take some time, and he says, they’ve been here all night and not even an update. He walks away, and Felicia tells Laura that he’s feeling helpless. They all do. Laura says, right now she’s not just worried about Anna. Victor has two of her grandsons. She’d give anything to know where they are. All they can do is wait and pray.

Valentin sees Portia, and says, they’ve been waiting all night for word on Anna Devane. She says, someone from Anna’s team will be down shortly, but he says, that’s not good enough. There’s got to be a reason for this extended silence. Something’s gone wrong, hasn’t it?

Trina slips into Spencer’s room, and he says, thank God she’s safe, hugging her. He asks why she risked coming back here, and she says, some risks are worth taking. She thinks she found a way off this ship.

Valentin says he needs to know about Anna, but Portia says, as she stated, Anna’s not her patient. He says, Anna’s not her responsibility, so she’s not Portia’s problem? but Portia tells him, she didn’t say that. He says, she’s not saying much about anything. If she could just not give him a bunch of hospital policy, not give him a bunch of excuses, and just give him some answers. Curtis comes along, and tells Valentin, that’s enough, or Valentin will have to answer to him. Portia smiles a little.

Josslyn says, when Dr. Obrecht didn’t reappear in the magic act, that was real? and Carly says, it looks like someone kidnapped her. Sonny sent Dex to check, and he found this charm that looked like it belonged to a bracelet. She knows it belonged to Britt, and he found it in the crawlspace beneath the stage. Josslyn says, actually, she needs to talk to Carly about Dex, and Carly says, Sonny told her that he knows about them. Josslyn says, Sonny caught them, and told them that he’s known about them for months, and that he was just disappointed in Dex for lying to him. Thank God Dex saved his life. Carly asks what she means; when? Josslyn says, they went to a warehouse, and someone was taking shots at Sonny, when Dex stepped in and saved Sonny. He got grazed on the arm. Carly says she knew Dex was injured, but didn’t know he was shot. Why didn’t Josslyn tell her? Josslyn says she didn’t even know until the day after. And Carly knew something was going on with Sonny; he wouldn’t even let the girls up to the penthouse. Carly says, Sonny’s security issues are one thing, but when her daughter’s seeing a guy who gets shot, she wants to know about it. Like Carly wouldn’t guess Dex might get shot, especially after the talk she had with Josslyn about what to expect. Josslyn says she’s sorry. She should have told Carly, but she’s okay, really. She’s going to be more than thrilled when this whole thing is over, but right now, Spencer, his little brother, and Dr. Obrecht are all missing. And if Dr. Obrecht is missing, that means Willow can’t get the transplant. Carly says, the police are looking for Obrecht, and she prays they find her, but they’re going to have to prepare themselves.

Michael says he’s going to call Dante and see if there’s an update. He leaves, and Brook says, he’s really holding it together. Willow says, he’s been her rock, and Brook says, but…? Willow says, nothing, sorry. She fades in and out sometimes. Sasha says, they know she and Michael are being strong for each other, and Brook says, but everyone needs to vent sometimes, even Willow. So whatever she’s feeling, just say it. Willow says she knows Michael believes everything is going to be okay, because that’s what he has to believe, but at some point, they have to face facts. And the fact is, the PCPD may not find Dr. Obrecht. At least not in time to save her.

Dante asks if Cody called a lawyer, but Cody says he can’t afford one. A public defender is just going to try and get him to plead out, which he’s not going to do because he’s innocent. Dante tells him, the evidence says otherwise, and Cody says, Dante knows him. Even if he did try to steal that bracelet, does Dante think he’d hide it in his jacket pocket? Dante says he doesn’t know, but he has three missing people, and doesn’t have time to help Cody. Cody says he hears Dante. He’s going to sort this mess out himself. Dante asks, how? From a jail cell? Why doesn’t he call Mac? Cody says, Mac’s the one who arrested him, and Dante says, maybe Cody should have told Mac that he’s his son. Cody says, then what? He has the pleasure of putting his son in the slammer? It doesn’t really matter. He already made his one phone call; help’s on the way. Sam walks in, and says, good morning.

Spencer asks how they’re going to escape at sea. They have no way of communicating with anybody. Trina says, maybe they do. She was in the utility closet, and there were all these maps of the ship, so she got to studying them. He says, of course (🍷) she did, and she says, it showed the communications room on the map. It’s located at the front of the ship. Spencer says, the bow, and she says, whatever. She snuck out, and did some snooping, and managed to find the room. There has to be a radio there, right? There was somebody coming, so she had to get out of there as soon as she could, but if there is a radio, she could call for help. He says, she’ll have to find a way to sneak back in the room without someone noticing her. If his uncle finds her, he doesn’t need her as a hostage; he’ll throw her overboard. She says, it’s their only option. So here’s the plan…

Trina tells Spencer that she stayed in the closet until about 2 or 3 in the morning. She figured Victor would only have a skeleton crew on lookout, and she was right. He only had two on the left, and three on the other side, and they have zero visibility of the communications room. They all go on a smoke break at the same time. He asks how she’s going to get back, and she says she’ll stay out of sight until tonight, then make a break for the office and radio for help. They hear Victor coming, and Spencer says, hide. She says, where?

Josslyn says, Willow finally has a donor and she’s gone? and Carly says, it’s crazy. She can’t believe Victor took all three of them; he took Spencer, the baby, and Obrecht. She knows the police are going to follow every lead and talk to every witness, but she prays they find Obrecht. Josslyn wonders how long that’s going to take, because Willow gets weaker every time she sees her. Just like with Oscar. You try to stay positive, and you pray for a miracle, but what if that miracle never comes? Carly hugs Josslyn, and says, she knows.

Jordan asks Gladys to have a seat in the waiting area, and Gladys says she’s sure whatever everybody’s buzzing about around here is important, but she’s here about a very expensive bracelet. Jordan says, someone will take her statement, but they’re very busy. Perhaps Gladys should come back later. Gladys says, aren’t cops supposed to take statements from victims while the details are fresh? Who knows what she might forget about Cody’s crime?

Dante asks what Sam is doing here, and she says, Cody called her. He said he had no one to turn to. She hugs Dante, and Cody says he didn’t sound that desperate. She says, those were his exact words, but he says he doesn’t think she accurately captured his tone. She says she’s here, so how can she help? and Dante says, maybe Sam could convince Cody to hire a cheap lawyer. Cody says he believes she was asking what he needed, and Dante says he believes Cody has the right to remain silent. Sam says she’s got this. Go out and find Victor and those hostages. Dante kisses her and leaves. Cody thanks Sam for coming, and she asks how she can help. He says he needs her to bail him out, but she says she can’t just post bail. He has to see a judge first. He says he knows; he’s been arraigned before. He promises he’s good for the bail money, and won’t go anywhere, and she tells him, says the guy with the hot bracelet? He says, that was a frame. He doesn’t care what she heard; he’s being set up. She tells him, said every thief ever. Hell, she’s even said it she doesn’t know how many times, and she was guilty every single one of them. He says, allow him to be the exception that proves the rule. Someone planted that bracelet on him.

Gladys tells an officer, and that’s when Sasha noticed the bracelet was missing. At the desk, Jordan says, it’s like Victor, the ship, and the hostages all vanished into thin air, and Dante says he thinks he knows someone who might be able to help them. (Spinelli?)

Valentin says, this is a private conversation, and doesn’t concern Curtis, but Curtis says, it does when it concerns his wife. Show her some respect. Portia says, let her see what she can find out, and Valentin thanks her. Portia leaves, and Curtis follows her.

Victor says he wants Ambrose to keep a close eye on Spenc… He sees the deadbolt is open, and goes inside the stateroom. It’s empty, and he tells Ambrose to search the ship. Spencer comes out of the bathroom, wearing a towel, and we can see he’s been working on his summer body. He asks Victor if something is wrong, and we see Trina hiding under the bed.

Willow says she knows there’s a chance they’ll find Dr. Obrecht, and the transplant will happen, she’ll recover, and get to see her kids grow up. She wants that more than anything, and she’s holding out hope. But at the same time… Sasha says, in her experience, blind hope can get in the way of saying goodbye, and Willow says, exactly. She doesn’t want Michael’s last memories to be of her waiting desperately for the phone to ring. She wants him to remember them as a loving family. Brook says, of course (🍷) he will, and Willow says, Amelia won’t remember her at all, and Wiley’s so young. She wants Michael to be able to show the kids her picture, and say, that’s your mom. Amelia chooses this time to pitch a mini fit, and Willow says, and she loved us all so much, and always will. Sasha says, they can make sure that happens, and Brook says something I can’t hear because Amelia is making a loud fuss. Willow says, that’s why they can’t wait to throw some big wedding. They’re out of time.

Laura asks, when was the last time Curtis saw Trina? and he says, last night. He takes out his phone, and says, maybe she knows something that can help them track down Spencer. Portia joins them, and says she has news. Anna is just out of surgery, and they’re getting her set up in the ICU room as they speak. Valentin asks if he can see her, and Portia says, after a surgery like this, it may take a while before she wakes up, but yes, he can. Felicia tells Valentin to go in first, and he says he’ll let them know how she is. He apologizes to Portia, and says he shouldn’t have spoken to her that way. She says, apology accepted. Go see Anna. He leaves, and Portia says, let her know if there’s anything else she can do. Curtis asks if she can wait for a second, and goes over to her. She asks, what’s up? and he says he’s sure it’s probably nothing, but has she heard from Trina lately?

Carly says, Josslyn is going over to Michael and Willow’s. She thinks the more family the better. It’s good for them, so why doesn’t she go too? Josslyn says she’d like that, when there’s a knock at the door. Josslyn opens it to find Dante, who asks if they’ve seen Trina. Josslyn says, she’s not here, but come in. Carly asks, what’s going on? and Dante says, actually, he’s looking for Spencer. Josslyn says she thought Victor Cassadine had Spencer and his little brother, but Dante says, they don’t know that Victor has Spencer, but Trina and Spencer were together at the Ball, and probably hung out after the Ball. Maybe Trina could give them a timeline of his whereabouts. Josslyn says she hasn’t seen Trina since the Ball, and Dante says, but she’s staying at the dorms, right? Josslyn says, she was supposed to come back here; they were going to a party together. But she was worried about Spencer, so she went to check on him and see if she could help him out. Dante says, she hasn’t seen Trina since? and Josslyn says, no. Her mom came by here looking for her yesterday, but like she said, Trina wasn’t here. He says, so no one’s seen Trina since the Ball, and Josslyn says, not that she knows of.

Victor says, so Spencer’s been enjoying the sea air? but Spencer says he wouldn’t know. He’s been locked up in this stateroom. Victor says, an unfortunate, but necessary precaution until Spencer realizes everything he’s done is for Spencer’s own good. Spencer laughs, and says, that’s why Victor kidnapped him and his brother, for their own good? Victor says he didn’t kidnap Spencer; he invited Spencer here, and he accepted. Spencer says, Victor asked him to join him on the ship, and when he did, Victor stole the boat out of the harbor without asking him if he wanted to come. Victor says, he is the head of this family. He doesn’t need to ask anyone anything. And besides, even if he’d given Spencer a choice, the outcome would have been the same. Spencer wants to be where his brother is, and Victor needs Spencer’s brother with him, so here they all are. Spencer says, the point of bringing him along was so he could spend time with his brother, so why doesn’t Victor let Spencer see him? Victor says, all in good time, and Spencer says, he doesn’t work for Victor, and sure as hell doesn’t take orders from him. Victor says he suggests Spencer change that attitude. His son knows what he’s capable of when crossed. He hopes Spencer doesn’t have to learn the same lesson, the hard way. We see that, yep, Trina’s still under the bed.

Valentin looks through Anna’s room window, and sees her unconscious, all hooked up to machines.

Sam says, Gladys set him up? and Cody says, yes. Sam says, she’s a piece of work, and he says, so she believes him? She says she wouldn’t put it past Gladys, but why? and he says he told Gladys that he was going to tell Sasha that she – Gladys – wasn’t to be trusted. Sam asks, what did Gladys do that he needs to warn Sasha? but he says he can’t tell her. She says, why not? and he says, because he likes his kneecaps exactly where they are. They help him walk, kneel, and stay on a horse. She says, he’s being threatened, and he says, no. He’s not the one being threatened. Let’s just say, Sasha needs to be really careful about whose hands she puts her life in.

Sasha says, of course (🍷) Willow doesn’t want to wait to marry Michael. This is her family. She wants them to know forever and ever how much she loves them. Brook says, the best part is, Willow doesn’t have to do a thing. They’ll make sure this wedding happens. Willow thanks them, but says she hasn’t even discussed rescheduling the wedding with Michael. He would have married her at the hospital months ago, but she was the one who insisted on coming home, and getting married at the main house. Then they found out Dr. Obrecht was a match. She told him that she wanted to wait until after the transplant to dance at her wedding and celebrate. Of course (🍷) he agreed, and now she’s changed her mind again, and wants to get married immediately. Isn’t that the same as telling him that she’s given up hope?

Deanna comes out of Anna’s room, and sees Valentin. He asks if he can speak with Anna’s surgeon, but Deanna says, the procedure was very long. She won’t be available for several hours. He asks if there’s anyone else he can talk to, and she says, the doctor instructed her to inform him that she was able to remove the bullet. It missed the major organs and arteries. However, Miss Devane lost a considerable amount of blood. About an hour into surgery, she went into cardiac arrest. He says, again? She coded in the ambulance. Deanna says, fortunately, the team was able to get her heart back in sinus rhythm, and complete the surgery, and he asks, how long before she wakes up? Deanna says, there’s no way to predict. She was under a long time. Valentin says, so she should be awake by now… but she isn’t. He looks in the window again.

Felicia asks how Laura is feeling, and Laura says, uneasy, unsettled. It’s like everything that’s happening right now is strangely familiar. When she was a kid – we flash back to that – the Cassadines had her trapped on that boat, only back then, it was called The Titan. Is history repeating itself with her grandsons?

Portia tells Curtis that she had an extremely strained moment with Trina at the Nurses Ball, and he says, and after that? She says she stopped by Trina’s dorm room to check on her, but she wasn’t there and never showed up. He says, she didn’t call or leave a text? and Portia says, no, but Trina didn’t know she was going to be there. And it’s not like she’s calling or texting that much nowadays anyway. Why all the questions? What’s going on? He says, it’s probably nothing… and she says, he keeps saying that, but it’s clearly something. He can’t ask her questions about Trina and not expect her to ask why. He says he doesn’t want to worry her, but she says, it’s too late for that.

Josslyn says she texted Trina last night, but her mom was here, so maybe that’s why she never came back. She checks her phone, and Dante says he doesn’t want to worry them. There’s no reason to believe Trina’s in any danger. Carly says, him looking for Trina isn’t really giving off that vibe, and Josslyn hands Dante her phone, saying, look at these pics. He tells her, it says they weren’t delivered, and asks if he can call her. Josslyn says, he can. She didn’t notice last night that they weren’t delivered. It’s not that she didn’t respond; she never got them. Dante says, it’s going straight to voicemail. He has to get out of here. Carly says, he has to tell them what’s going on, but he says he’s literally told them everything he knows. Josslyn says, Victor Cassadine has Spencer, Ace, and Dr. Obrecht. Does he have Trina too?

Spencer says he knows exactly what Victor is capable of, and he’s seen the damage Victor has done. Trina sees her bag sticking out from under the bed, and reaches for it, but then pulls back when Victor gets too close. Spencer says, Victor kidnapped him… Relocated him without his consent because the only way he can have a relationship with another human being is if he’s in total complete control. For God’s sake, he abducted an infant. Victor suggests he send for breakfast. He’s sure Spencer will think more clearly on a full stomach. They can discuss the future, and he’ll answer any and all questions. Spencer says, not here, and Victor says, another complaint about his accommodations? This is a stateroom. Spencer says he’s been cooped up in it all night. They’re surrounded by open water, and he thinks Victor knows he’s not going anywhere without his baby brother. So Victor can trust him as far as the dining room. Victor says, perhaps for lunch, and Spencer says, Victor claims he’s destined for greater things, yet keeps him locked up in here. He can only think of one reason that might be. He thinks Victor is afraid of him. Is he right? Is Victor afraid of what he might do?

Valentin goes into Anna’s room, and walks to the bed. He tells Anna that she’s a fighter. She can do this. He needs her to do this. Deanna says she’ll give them some privacy, and leaves. Valentin sits next to the bed, and takes Anna’s hand. He says, wherever you are, come back to me.

Brook says, Michael’s been through a lot, but he’s survived all of it, and right now, he’s surviving this, out of love for Willow, Wiley, and Amelia. He loves them more than anything. Willow thanks her, and says, that’s why… Brook cuts her off, and says, Michael, as they all know, is a multitasker. So he can believe with all his heart that Obrecht will get back in time for Willow’s transplant and lead a long life. But at the same time, he can understand Willow needs to… Sasha says, Willow needs to tell Michael, Wiley, and Amelia how much she loves them. How much she’ll always love them. Willow says, even if she’s gone?

Sam says, assuming Cody’s story is true, she needs to know all the players. Who’s threatening Gladys Corbin? He says, she doesn’t want to know. Dante really doesn’t want to know. The cops cannot be involved. Sam says, here’s where she doesn’t understand what’s going on here. Cody is being threatened by some low life, and he’d rather skip town than ask his friends for help. He doesn’t have to do this alone. Just give her a name. He says, this isn’t about him, but she says, he’s the one in custody. He says, it’s about Sasha. Gladys is in trouble, and it can blow back on Sasha. She says, not that he shouldn’t, but why does he care what happens to Sasha? He says, they’re kind of friends. Please let him handle this his way. He knows these people and how they operate. All he needs to do is get out of this police station and he can help his friend. He promises he won’t go on the run. An officer comes in, and says, it’s time for Cody’s arraignment. He cuffs Cody, and Cody asks Sam to please back him up with the judge. Sam says, he’s literally given her no reason to trust him, but he says, there’s exactly one reason – Dante trusts him. He does, doesn’t he?

Dante says if he has any more questions, or Carly and Josslyn have any more information to share with him, they can call him, but he really has to get going. Josslyn stops him and asks where Trina could be. She didn’t just disappear. Dante says he doesn’t know what to tell them other than, when he knows something, they’ll know something. In the meantime, he wants Josslyn to keep her phone on, and if she hears anything, let him know. He leaves, and Josslyn says, what if she was with Spencer when Victor grabbed him?

In the hallway, on the phone, Dante says, no sign of Trina, and Jordan asks if he has anything else. Any physical evidence to connect her to Spencer’s or Victor’s disappearance? He says, nothing yet. He’s going to talk to Portia. He’s heading to the hospital now. She says she’ll meet him there.

Curtis tells Portia, as it turns out, Spencer went missing last night, along with his little brother. Since Trina was with him at the Ball, she may have been the last person to see him. Portia says she’s got to call Trina. She calls, and says, it’s going straight to voicemail; maybe she’s got her phone off. She leaves a message that she’s checking to see if Trina is okay. Give her a call. She says she’s going to text Trina too, and Curtis says he’ll call the university, and have them do a safety check. She says, the texts aren’t going through; they’re going undelivered. What does she do now? She can’t reach her daughter?

Laura says she has the feeling the answer to all of this lies in the past; a part of her history she hasn’t been able to connect with yet. Felicia says, let’s break it down. Victor finally has everything he’s after. He’s got the Ice Princess necklace and the decryption key. He’s got Spencer and Ace. Where would he go? Laura says, someplace isolated where he can protect himself if someone were to come after him. Felicia says, so if someone did come after him… Laura says she guesses it would have to be someplace where he has some kind of hold with the authorities, and Felicia says, exactly. So, thoughts? Laura says, a lot of the old Cassadine haunts come to mind. They’re all similar. They’re fortresses and compounds, and islands. They’re places where Victor could go and just do whatever he wanted. Felicia says, think. Where would the Haunted Star sail? Laura says she knows the Cassadines had some hideouts in Panama, Ecuador… There was one on the coast of Venezuela, and that one was completely isolated. It was cut off from everything by miles and miles of tropical rainforests. In fact, you couldn’t even get to it except by boat. Felicia says, they might have a lead.

Victor asks what Spencer might do, and Spencer says, anything if it meant being free. Wouldn’t Victor feel the same in his position? Victor says, Spencer makes a good point, but freedom is not a right; freedom must be earned. Spencer says, all he’s asking for is breakfast in the dining room and to see his baby brother, and Victor says he doesn’t suppose there’s any harm in Spencer getting a little air and nourishment, since they’re in the middle of the ocean. Spencer says, believe him, the sweet release of drowning isn’t the freedom he longs for, and Victor says, very well; breakfast in the dining room. It will take a while to make arrangements. Can he bear his confinement a moment longer? Spencer says he’ll survive. He always does. Victor says he’ll send for Spencer shortly. Outside, Victor locks the deadbolt, and tells Ambrose, if he finds this deadbolt unlatched again, Ambrose is going to find himself in some very deep, cold water, attached to a very heavy weight. Trina grabs her bag, and crawls out from under the bed. Spencer helps her up, and asks if she’s all right. She says, yeah. He was right. They’re so trapped here. He says, no, they’re not. His Uncle Victor thinks he has him all figured out, but he just made a terrible mistake.

Curtis tells Portia that Trina is one of the most practical, level-headed people they know, but she says, not when it comes to Spencer Cassadine though. That’s the problem. He says, maybe her phone is dead, and Portia says, that would explain the voicemail, but not the texts not going through. He says, maybe it’s just out of range, when Jordan and Dante walk up. Portia says, no, no, no. Not Trina.

Sam goes into the squad room, and seeing Cody in handcuffs, Gladys says she always knew Cody couldn’t be trusted. He’s spent time behind bars before. Sam says, maybe he has, but not today. He’ll make bail. Gladys says, she’s buying his act? Is she nuts? Sam keeps walking, and Gladys watches as the officer leads Cody out.

Brook says, a celebration is really all Willow’s asking for. So her advice is to just rip off the Band-Aid because Willow can really tell Michael anything. Sasha says, Brook is right. Michael will understand. Michael returns, and says, understand what?

Laura says, what they have is a theory, with no real evidence to back it up and show to the authorities, and Felicia says, they have to find something. Laura says, but how? They’re not going to be able to infiltrate that compound. Venezuela has a very different boundary now; it’s tough to get in to. More important, it’s tough to get out of. Felicia says, not to worry. She knows exactly who can help them.

Josslyn says, Trina is important to Spencer, and Carly says, and Victor would use Trina as leverage against Spencer. Josslyn says, in a heartbeat, but why would he have to do that? Spencer will do anything Victor tells him to do. Carly says, maybe he doesn’t have her then, and Josslyn says, then where is she? Carly says she doesn’t know, but she does know Dante has the entire Port Charles police department searching for her. At the very least, wherever she is, maybe she’s not alone.

Spencer asks if Trina is ready, and she suggests they go over it one more time anyway. He says he’s going to cause a diversion with his uncle, and that’s going to draw attention away from the deck. She says, then she’ll go in the communication office and radio for help. This better work. He says he thinks this diversion is going to be epic. She doesn’t have to worry. He’s had lots of practice at causing a scene. They laugh, and he takes her hands, telling her, in case he doesn’t get another chance to say this, he wants her to know that she’s the best thing that’s ever happened… She kisses him, and says, it’s not the end for them. They’ve got this.

Valentin says he’s been negotiating… maybe with God. Maybe the universe; maybe with himself. He’s been making a lot of promises in his head. One promise he can make her; his father will pay for this. He promises her, no matter what it takes, he’s going to put his father down. But right now, I need you to wake up, darling. He puts his head down on the bed and cries, saying, he just wants her to wake up. Slowly, Anna opens her eyes.

Tomorrow, Valentin says, Anna’s come back; Victor tells Obrecht, sometimes sacrifices have to be made; Sonny tells Laura that Victor is going to pay more than he’s ever paid before; and Willow tells Michael that she wants to get married today.

Vanderpump Rules

Get your baskets ready for egg collection. It was an extra long episode too.

Schwartz tells Raquel that the kiss was anticlimactic, and she says she thought it was pretty nice, and they should go somewhere private. They step away, while Katie and her dinner companions head for a bar, not knowing what just happened. Raquel and Schwartz kiss some more, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen less chemistry between two people. In Raquel’s interview, she says, Schwartz’s lips are soft, and they were sweet, delicate kisses. She feels giddy, happy, and excited. Maybe this could be something. Schwartz says, the moment’s passed. It feels illegal. Raquel calls him the kissing bandit, and says, Katie already hates her, so they might as well. He says he’s not telling Katie, but Raquel says, everyone knows. Lala, Kristina, Katie, Ally, and James gather in Lala’s room, and Scheana calls Lala. Lala puts it on speaker, and asks, what’s up? Scheana asks, what happened? Lala never showed up for the party, and Lala says, she had dinner and came back to her room. Scheana says, they’ll talk about it tomorrow, and says she saw where Lala was having dinner. Did she see Schwartz and Raquel make out? She heard about it, but didn’t personally see it. Lala asks where she’s hearing it from, and Scheana says, Brock’s friend Clint. She heard people cheering, but she thought there was more entertainment. Lala suggests she find out what really happened, and when she hangs up, James says, Schwartz and Raquel are finally going to bump peepees tonight. Well done. Because he doesn’t know the correct names for body parts. In Katie’s interview, she says she feels like she was punched in the gut, and kicked in the face. The people  who were cheering them on aren’t people who care about her. Scheana calls Lala back, and asks Brock if Schwartz and Raquel made out. He says, they did, and she asks if he saw it, because she didn’t. He says, they all saw it, and Lala asks why they were cheering. He says, they wanted to see Schwartz happy, and Lala says, Katie did nothing to them to deserve this, and Raquel is a disgusting swamp creature. Scheana says she’s not going there, and she’s bummed that Lala missed some special moments today. Katie says she’s going bed, and in her interview, she says she feels so much hate inside of her. She hates them both, but hates Schwarz more. F*** Raquel, but Schwartz owes her more. James says he’s known Schwartz had the hots for Raquel; who doesn’t? Lala says, James’s ex-fiancé is a f***ing whore; a cheap broke-down hoe. James says, Schwartz wants to f*** the sh*t out of Raquel, and Lala says, he’s disgusting. He and Ally leave.

There’s a party in Scheana and Brock’s room, and Sandoval chants, Raquel, Raquel, Raquel. Ariana asks why he’s being an a-hole, and oh my God, you can see it right there, the way Raquel and Sandoval – let me just say it, the overused buzzword – vibe. Raquel says she and Schwartz just had a moment, and the others cheered. In Ariana’s interview, she says, just when she thought it was safe. Katie was on her side of the resort, James and Raquel seemed cool, now this happened. They’re back where they started, 10 feet underground. Sandoval tries to give Schwartz’s room key to Raquel, but Ariana grabs it and throws it back. Some of the guests jump in the pool, many of them stripping off their clothes, but Raquel goes in wearing her party dress. Lala gets in bed with Katie and Kristina, and Katie says she has hate for Schwartz and Raquel unlike anything she could imagine. If he needed a date or a hook-up, there are a million other girls. They just got divorced after 12 years together, and are unpacking a lot. She hopes it was worth it.

Scheana, Raquel, Ariana, and Scheana’s sister Cortney go to a spa. Scheana says she’s disappointed that Lala didn’t come to the biggest event. She didn’t even say hi. It’s not a good look. At this point, she’s wondering if Lala is going to show up for the wedding. Raquel wonders, what if she walked down the aisle with Schwartz instead of Joey? and Scheana thinks that’s a great idea. Raquel calls Schwartz, and asks for his thoughts, and he says he’d love to. In Ariana’s interview, she says she thinks Raquel is starting to think she has feelings for Schwartz. Raquel thinks she’s living in a romcom, but she’s the only one in it.  They laugh, and Scheana hopes Katie has a good view. These people suck. James calls Ally Bubba, and I think, WTF? Is this an L.A. Thing? Is this Southern Charm? Schwartz comes over to sit with James and Ally, and James says, Schwartz made out with Raquel, but Schwartz says, they don’t have a thing. James says, it’s offensive, but go on, and Schwartz says, Katie forbid him to make out with her, and it was like middle school. He felt like he was sticking it to the man. Now Katie is livid. In Schwartz’s interview, he says, it’s like The Princess and the Toad. He’d never felt less desirable, and Raquel is a total princess. He thought the kiss would snap him out of it. A producer asks if it did, and Schwartz says he thinks so. They ask if making out with Raquel made him happy, and he says, temporarily. James says he’s not picking sides, but wonders if digging at Katie with his ex-fiancé is warranted. Schwartz asks Ally to back him up. James says, Schwartz doesn’t need to be asking his current girlfriend to back up him kissing James’s ex-fiancé.  

We get a Villa Rosa break. Swans! Ponies! Smootchie! Greg visits Lisa, and in her interview, she says she was worried about reaching out to Greg, that he might think she was overstepping the boundaries, but he was pretty amenable to meeting. He has to know what he’s doing, but does he know what he’s doing with the Toms. She asks if Greg thinks they’ll be ready to open on the 31st, but he says, no. They’re still working on the menu, and there’s still no drink menu. They have a list of drinks, but there’s no bar menu, no bar bible, no procedures, and no training. His role was to teach and mentor them, and explain how it works, but they haven’t listened to a single thing. Lisa says she gets that they bring something unique, and if they open, it will be a fun experience. In Lisa’s interview, she says, they wanted to partner with the Toms because they bring excitement and energy, but she doesn’t think Greg has it. She tells Greg that she’ll kick the Toms asses to get things done, but Greg has to promise if she does, they’ll open on the 31st. He says he can’t make that promise, and she says, open, right or wrong, but he says he doesn’t know.

Schwartz brings Tom a morning pina colada, and tries to get him up, telling him, the wedding started five minutes ago. He had a weird dream that he was wasted and made out with Raquel in the pool. Lala goes to Scheana’s room, and Scheana asks if Lala is coming to dinner, but Lala says, no. She’s going off the property for dinner. She can’t after what happened last night. Her life is intense, and she wants to be surrounded by women who rally around, support, and build-up each other. Raquel reminds her of the girls who would be with Randall; the dirtiness of it. Scheana says she’s wrong, but Lala says, no one can convince her otherwise. In Lala’s interview, she says, there’s a certain caliber of chicks who don’t think about anybody but their insecure selves. She tells Scheana that it takes her back to a place where she was disrespected, and in her interview, she says, they made Katie feel the way those bitches made her feel. She tells Scheana that she was triggered, and Scheana says, it’s not Katie’s vacation; it’s her wedding.  Lala says, everyone has things going on besides Scheana’s wedding. It might be the most important thing to her, but it’s not to everyone. In Scheana’s interview, she says she thinks she’s been a chill bride, and it’s not too much to ask Lala to spend three days making it about her. Lala says, they’ll all be at the wedding supporting Scheana, but can she imagine if she was separated, and someone in the friends group was hooking up with her ex? Scheana says, they’ll have to agree to disagree because her head might explode if she thinks of anything real. Lisa calls the Toms, and tells them that she and Greg had a sit down. Greg said there was no way they could open, and they didn’t even have a drink menu. Sandoval insists they gave him one, and in his interview, he says, they were looking forward to making their own decisions, and not being under Lisa. Greg talking to Lisa about the business and questioning them is defeating the purpose. She tells them to have fun, and give Scheana her love. She asks if everything’s been okay, and they say, uhhh… She asks what that means, and Sandoval calls her dude, mistaking her for a peer.  

Everyone gets ready for the rehearsal dinner, and somehow Raquel ends up seated between the Toms. Lala meets Katie and Kristina for drinks before dinner, and says, it’s been a weird day. She thinks it will be good to get off the property. At the dinner, James says, Raquel has made out with Peter and Schwartz, and asks if there’s anyone else in the friend group she’s made out with. She says she’s just living a little, and he suggests she get her own people. She says, those are the people around her, and he says he thinks she’s lost, but that has nothing to do with him. Since there’s obviously chemistry, she and Schwartz should stop lying to themselves and have the balls to have a relationship. In Raquel’s interview, she says she thought there was chemistry, but now Schwartz is minimizing it, and giving her high-fives. It’s a little heartbreaking. Yeah, she’s heartbroken the beard thing isn’t working out so well. James says, they were together for five years, but he doesn’t think he was ever in love, since now he is. Ally says she wants to say goodbye to Lala and Kristina, since they’re about to leave for dinner, and in her interview, she says, James needs to work on reading the room. She’s ready for the drama with Raquel to be over. She sits with Lala, Katie, and Kristina, and at the dinner, Scheana wants to have a quick run through, and an early night so they look good in the morning. James brings Ally her food, and they get ready to leave for dinner. Lala sees Schwartz, and goes over to him, telling him that making out with Raquel is not just some silly thing. He can’t get away from her scrutiny fast enough, and Lala tells Katie that he looks like a sweaty pig, while she looks smash.

James and Ally decide to go to dinner with the girls, and they go to this super cool restaurant inside a cave, lit up in multicolored lights. Lala welcomes James to girls night. After their seated, Katie says she wants to light both Schwartz and Raquel on f***ing fire. Lala says, they’ve crossed every line, and there’s no coming back. Katie says, she sat them both down, tears in her eyes, and we flash back to Raquel saying Schwartz respected Katie’s boundaries and Katie wondering why Raquel isn’t. We also go back to Katie meeting with Schwartz and saying just not in the friend group and how that would be painful. Katie says, it was just one request. They’re a pair of drunk imbeciles. James says, 100, and Lala talks about The Don, and how he was here last week. She tells them that she’s been d*cks-combobulated.  

Back at the resort, Scheana has the girls in her room, and says she and Brock have been married for a while. In her interview, she says, it was so hard not to tell everyone. Brock’s investors visa changed and she wanted him to get a green card, since they have a baby. She says, it’s actually their anniversary this week, and Ariana says, so many women want to get married because they want a wedding, but Scheana’s been living marriage. The wedding is icing on the cake. In Scheana’s interview, she says, they got married for themselves. They wanted a life together, and they have a baby. It didn’t matter if there were 100 or 4 people. Brock walks in, and Scheana says, they’ll have a group chat in the morning. Raquel asks if Scheana minds that she doesn’t want to walk with Schwartz anymore, and in Raquel’s interview, she says, as a pageant girl and model, any runway walk is important. Schwartz is so awkward, she immediately regretted her decision. Joey is a good walker. The girls leave, and Scheana asks if Brock is ready to do this tomorrow. He says he was born ready, and I realize I like Brock more than Scheana.

As they’re getting ready, Scheana suggests having a drink to take the edge off. In Scheana’s interview, she says, at her first wedding, she had a massive pit in her stomach, and we flash back to that. She says she thought that was normal, but now she knows this is what it’s supposed to feel like. She feels so lucky that she gets to be this happy. The guys drink out of their shoes, which makes me feel a little sick. In her interview, Scheana says she got so much sh*t for her crop top dress in 2014. We flash back to that, and she says she decided to go for more elegant, but it’s still sexy and see through. She loves her dress. It is beautiful, and much better than whatever that was the first time around. No surprise, Katie and Kristina’s balcony has a bird’s eye view, and Katie says, they’re going to be sweating their nuts off. Kristina says, if Scheana’s smart, she has a good seating chart. They decide to take a quick peek and realize Raquel is walking with Joey instead of Schwartz. I dunno. It doesn’t look like any special walk to me. Summer Moon is the flower girl, and looks like a little doll. When Scheana gets to the front, she has to take off her veil because of the wind, and in her interview, she says, with her first wedding, she was hyper-focused on every detail and what was going wrong. She didn’t realize the marriage itself was wrong. This time, it could be in the back alley behind SUR on Gay Pride Day, and she wouldn’t care. They read their own vows, and Brock says, she’s his true north. His cup overflows, and when he holds her, the world fades away. Zzzz…. She says, he’s her best friend, and even though she has a lot of those, he and Summer are number one. Katie agrees it was a beautiful wedding. She loves weddings. Just not that one.

Lala says, James said he’d marry Ally tomorrow, and asks if James still wants to get married in Palm Springs. He says he’s not into Palm Springs anymore, and in his interview, he says, Lala’s stupid questions are triggering him. Schwartz tells Raquel that he got into trouble with Katie, and we see some I hate you!!! texts. She said she never wanted to see him or talk to him again, but he hopes she doesn’t mean it. Raquel says, it’s not like they’re a couple, and she hopes there are no hard feelings about the last-minute switch. His walking skills aren’t up to her standards. Schwartz says he almost wants to meet up with Katie, and in Raquel’s interview, she says she thought there might be more, but the way Schwartz is playing it makes her curious as to why he made out with her to begin with. She says, he kissed her, but he says, no, you, and accuses her of revisionist history. The bridal party comes into the reception, and there are cheers as Brock dips Scheana. They have their first dance, and in Scheana’s interview, she says, everyone she wants is here witnessing this moment. It can’t be more perfect. Brock lifts her like Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing, and then brings out Summer. In her interview, Scheana says she doesn’t know what word describes her feeling. She’s so f***ing happy.

Kristina and Katie are having dinner, when Schwartz comes in, creeping around to their table. Katie just stares at him, and Kristina asks why he’s not at the wedding. He says he thought he’d come and say hi. He doesn’t want any weird tension. Katie says, they’re way past that, and he asks, how far? She says, the point of no return, and he says, they’ve been divorced for seven months. She says, he embarrassed her in a humiliating public way, and Schwartz insists he didn’t know anyone was watching. Kristina wonders how, since he was at a big party, and Katie says she hopes it was worth it. Schwartz says he was drunk, and Katie says, they’re done; there’s no friendship. In Katie’s interview, she says she has zero desire to talk to this shell of a man she used to love. She tells him that she thought he genuinely cared about her and her feelings, and they were keeping it amicable. He says, her feelings are exhausting, and in her interview, she says, he didn’t just burn his bridges, he nuked them; it’s vapor. She tells him that he’s a pathetic drunk and a loser, and in Schwartz’s interview, he says, after the kiss, something happened; a finality. He feels divorced. He tells Katie that she needs humility, and Kristina tells him that he should go. When he leaves, Katie says, WTF was that?

Ally catches the bouquet, selfies are taken, fireworks go off, and there’s dancing. Raquel asks to talk to Lala, and in Schwartz’s interview, he says, he’s realizing it’s not healthy to hang out with your ex after a divorce. It’s a good idea to take a healthy break. Raquel tells Lala that she feels bad about the comment she made at the party, and we flash back to her saying, Lala is giving off mistress bimbo vibes. Lala says she thought they had fun in Vegas, and a beautiful moment in the car. She’s not sure where the disconnect happened. Raquel says, they homed in on her, and Lala says she doesn’t think Raquel remembers Vegas very well. No one was judging her, and she was all over the place. Raquel says she felt attacked, and in Raquel’s interview, says she doesn’t know if Lala has a bad memory or she thinks this mean girl behavior is normal, but this gaslighting is exhausting. Raquel suggests they get a hobby besides talking about her, and Lala says she doesn’t care how Raquel feels; Raquel’s actions affected her friend. Raquel says she’s prepared to take accountability for making out with Schwartz, and Lala says, Raquel’s self-worth relies on the approval of a man. She thinks Raquel has a mental breakdown coming, and she’ll need love and support. Raquel says she always need’s love and support, and appreciates the people who give it to her. Lala says, Raquel appreciates people who bob their heads and tell her, it’s going to be okay. Raquel can’t compete with even the most minor complex thought, and says, nuh-uh, and they part company.

Katie and Kristina go to a bar, and Katie says she wants to get wine drunk. They look at Scheana’s Instagram, and Katie realizes the same guy that married Scheana and Brock also officiated at Scheana’s first wedding, and says, that’s f***ing odd. Agreed. Kristina says, since Schwartz is 100% out of Katie’s life, what’s next? Katie says, herself. Her healing’s been sped up. She needs a cute boy with emotional intelligence. In Katie’s interview, she says she’s slept with two guys since her divorce, and one is a casual ongoing thing. He’s 25 and she’s 36. Since she’s too young to be a cougar, she’s a puma. She wonders why they don’t have similar names for men, but I think they do. They’re just not as flattering. She tells Kristina that she’d been worried about bringing anyone around, but she doesn’t care about Schwartz’s feelings anymore.

Next time, Katie brings Satchel to meet the group; Sandoval says they have to open or they’ll lose the place; Lala invites everyone but Raquel, Schwartz, and Charli to her birthday; Garcelle and Oliver make an appearance; Raquel finds out Oliver wasn’t separated from his wife; and Lala says, that’s called a mistress.

🥡 Spring Rolling…

Come set a spell tomorrow for soap and a pot of sweet (or not) tea. Until then, stay safe, stay listening to others and not just waiting for your cue to speak, and stay knowing that some risks are worth taking.

February 15, 2022 – Willow Doesn’t Exist, Jackie Throws a Frat Party, Valentine Soap & Revolution

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly gets to her office, and finds a Valentine’s Day card that Donna and Avery made. There’s a knock at the office door, and Carly calls for them to come in. A woman introduces herself as Rebecca Diamond, Esquire, and says she’s there to discuss Carly’s divorce.

At the hospital, Nina sees Britt, who seems engrossed in a file. Nina says she takes it Britt has heard, and Britt says, that Sonny and Carly’s marriage broke up? Who hasn’t? So tell her, how did Nina do it?

Alexis finds a man standing in her office, and she asks if she can help him. He says, they’ve met; he’s one of her freelancers. She says, Smalt, right? and he says, she remembered. He sent her a bunch of pictures, but didn’t hear back. She tells him to check his email, and he takes out his phone to check. He says she didn’t take any of them, and she says, no, and here’s why. They’ve declared a moratorium on aliens in government, on severed heads in carry-ons, and that sort of thing. He says, not a problem. He’s there because he has a scoop. She says, crop circle? and he says, no. Classic noire love triangle, the mafiosi and high fashion worlds collide as Nina Reeves invades the marriage of Sonny and Carly Corinthos. Boom!

At the MetroCourt, Michael asks if something is on Willow’s mind, and she says, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arche de Triomphe. He says, they’ll get to Paris, even if he has to smuggle her, and she says, he might have to if she still doesn’t have a passport. He says, maybe they can get an update, when Harmony comes by. She says she’d love to stop and chat, but she’s in a hurry. Michael asks if she can’t spare a few minutes for her daughter, and she says she wishes she could, but she’s busy. Willow says, they’re all busy, but how hard is it to track down your daughter’s birth certificate?

Felicia goes to Mac’s hospital room, and says, look who’s awake. He seems to be doing better. He says he’ll be glad to get back to work, tracking Peter and finding their granddaughter, and Felicia says, Epiphany… Epiphany says, no, and Felicia tells Mac, she said no. Epiphany says she’ll be back, and tells Felicia to make sure Mac stays in this bed. Felicia gives her a thumbs up, and Epiphany leaves. Mac asks if Felicia has heard anything. Have they found Peter yet? She sits on the bed, and says, Peter’s still on the loose. She takes his hand, and says, and he’s taken a hostage. He says, please tell him it’s not anyone he knows.

Brook plays with Louise, and says, looking at her, you’d never know everything she’s been through. First, her psycho father kidnaps her right out from under them, then drops her at the firehouse, and gets away with Maxie. Chase says, they have to assume Maxie convinced Peter to leave Bailey behind, and agreed to go in her place. She says she’s just glad Felicia and Mac entrusted them with Bailey for the last two nights, but now that Mac’s on the mend… He says, they always knew they were just a placeholder until Maxie could be with her daughter again. Brook says, first they have to find her. What if Maxie’s gone for good?

On the phone, Victor says, they need to find Peter, so the authorities never do. Understood? And he’ll expect a progress report, which means he expects some progress. There’s a knock at his door, and he opens it to Austin, who says, where is she? Victor says he’s sorry, he’s rather busy at the moment, and tries to close the door, but Austin grabs Victor by the collar and pushes his way in. He says he’s asking one more time. Where did Victor’s pal Peter take Maxie?

Harmony promises she’s doing everything she can, and Willow asks, what’s the hold up? Harmony says, it’s like going to the DMV times a thousand, trying to get something from the Hall of Records, and they moved state to state, so… Willow says, maybe this will help. She looked into it herself. She contacted all the hospitals in Claiborne County, but there was no record of any birth certificate. Michael says he contacted somebody at the State Department, and they’re going to do a global search, and Harmony says she has to get to her appointment; she’s late already. Willow asks if she could just give them the name of the doctor, but Harmony is already gone. Willow says she can’t believe it’s this hard to track down her birth certificate, and Michael wonders if her mom is even looking for it. Willow says, he doesn’t believe her? and Michael says, does she?

Rebecca sets up a recorder, and Carly says, she’s recording this? Rebecca says, it prevents misunderstandings. It also helps her keep thorough track of her clients’ wish list. Carly says, wish list? and Rebecca says, houses, jewelry, other valuables, a portion of the portfolio, other assets which may be offshore, and of course (🍷) the children. Carly says she thought she made herself perfectly clear on the phone. She invited Rebecca here to discuss her options. Rebecca asks if that’s Carly’s polite way of saying she’s not ready to divorce her husband.

Britt tells Nina, last night she was at The Savoy, when Carly shows up, dressed to kill, her bestie Felix on her arm, and no ring on her left hand. Nina says, she already took off her ring? and Britt says, point being, she’s trying to get over Sonny. Nina says that’s not why she came looking for Britt, and Britt says, no? She has to get back to work. Nina says, Britt probably knows that Maxie’s baby was found, but Maxie is still missing. The police think that Peter took her hostage. Britt knows Peter. Does she have any idea where Maxie and Peter could be?

Smalt tells Alexis, he has it on good authority that the don of the eastern seaboard flew the missus to Martinique, where he played musical beds with the editor of Crimson. She says, A, he got his facts wrong, and B, they would never be able to do a story like that, because C, they’d get their butts sued. So she’s going to have to pass on that little gem too. He says, fine. He’ll just sell the story somewhere else. She says, good. She hopes they pay him a lot of money. He stomps out, passing Harmony in the doorway. Harmony says, he didn’t seem happy, and Alexis says, changing the perception of The Invader’s not as easy as it looks. Harmony says, sometimes the past is impossible to shake, and Alexis says she guesses they’re not talking about The Invader anymore.

Brook tells Chase, after everything Maxie did to keep this baby safe, she still had to let her go. For the life of her, she doesn’t know how Maxie did it. He says, because Maxie loved her little girl that much, and she says, they’ll have to love her enough to do the same. The doorbell rings, and Brook hands Louise to Chase. She opens the door to Ned and Olivia, and asks if everything is okay. Ned says they just came by to say hello to their soon-to-be former granddaughter. Brook says, of course (🍷), and invites them in. Ned says, there she is, and takes Louise from Chase. Olivia tells Brook, if feels more like a goodbye to her, and Ned fusses over Louise.

Victor asks what makes Austin think he knows where Peter is, and Austin says, Victor played him for information. He found out where Maxie’s baby was, and fed that information to Peter. Victor asks if Austin is accusing him of endangering a child, and Austin asks what he got in return. What’s the price on an innocent human life? Victor says Austin has a melodramatic way of asking a question, but he doesn’t have a shred of proof. Austin says, he doesn’t need proof; he’s not the police. Maxie’s gone. Peter has her. Tell him where she is. Victor says, or what? Remember, he took an oath to do no harm. Austin says he did; he took that vow. The problem is – he grabs Victor by the tie, and takes out a syringe – Victor isn’t his patient. Obrecht comes in and says, she’d put the syringe away if she were him, and Austin says, why would he do that? We see Obrecht is holding a gun, and she says, because he’s displeasing her good friend. Austin says, this manicured weasel knows where Maxie is. She brought a gun; go ahead and shoot him. Victor says, it wouldn’t be the first time, and Austin says, she shoots Victor, he’ll patch him up. How about that? She asks why she needs Austin when she can do both, backwards and in heels. Put the syringe away, or she’ll shoot him, and leave him to bleed out. (Perhaps a nod to Franco?) Victor suggests she do it anyway, and Austin caps the syringe, putting it in his pocket. Victor says, dear Liesl. He knows he can always count on her. Austin says he doesn’t know why she’s giving Victor a pass. She doesn’t care about Maxie? She says, if it wasn’t for Austin, Maxie would be safe and sound. Hasn’t he done enough, or does he want to make things worse? So by all means, stay. Victor says he believes Austin knows the way out, and Austin says he’ll reunite Maxie with her child, and Victor and Peter are going to share a cell. Austin leaves, and Victor hopes his bedside manner is better than that. Obrecht says she doesn’t know; she wasn’t listening. He says she came to his rescue. How can he ever repay her? He strokes her cheek.

Mac says he has to get out of here, and starts to get up, but Felicia says, no, holding him back. She says he has to stay in his bed, and Epiphany appears, and says, leave that bed too soon, and he risks a setback, maybe a fatal one. Then the bad guys win. Is that what he wants? He says, what he wants, is to get his daughter back, and Epiphany asks how he’s going to do that, staggering around and bleeding all over the place? Lie there and let his body heal, and she’ll let him know when he can go. Got it? He says, got it, and Felicia thanks Epiphany, and says she can take it from here. Epiphany tells her, good luck, and leaves. Mac shouts that he hates that he’s stuck in here, and Felicia says, maybe some good news will help. He says, please, lay it on him, and she says, their granddaughter Louise is alive and well.

Olivia holds out her arms, and tells Louise to come to her Grandma Olivia… She’s sorry; her Aunt Olivia. She takes Louise from Ned, and says, and her Uncle Ned. Olivia fusses over Louise, and Ned asks how Brook is doing all this. She says, it’s hard, but it really is for the best. Now she and Chase can go back to living their lives. They didn’t set out to be parents. Can he imagine the two of them at the PTA? Olivia says, she can imagine it real easily actually, and Ned says, he can too. He told Brook how proud he is of her for taking responsibility for this beautiful little girl, but there’s something else that still needs to be said. He had Chase wrong; dead wrong.

Harmony tells Alexis, she just ran into Michael and Willow, and Willow can’t understand why she can’t produce her birth certificate. Alexis says, here’s a really crazy thought. Why doesn’t Harmony tell the truth? Harmony says, that she forged it? and Alexis says, no, that she was lost, and she moved into this community, and the community didn’t trust the government, and so on. She’s sure Willow would understand that. Harmony says, maybe, but it still doesn’t give her what she needs; proof of birth so she can get a passport. Alexis says, speaking of which, she did speak to her colleague friend Diane, and she confirmed what Alexis suspected. There really is no avenue that will allow her to substitute a fake for Willow’s real birth certificate. Harmony says, she means no legal avenue.

Michael agrees, how hard could it be track down a birth certificate? and Willow says, here’s hoping his contact at the State Department can track it down. He says, he hopes so too, but it doesn’t change the fact that her mom’s been avoiding her. What’s the mystery? What is she so afraid of?

Carly tells Rebecca, her marriage is over and she’s ready to move on. What she doesn’t want, is to start a war. She’s not looking for a wish list or petty revenge. She wants this over as quickly and as painlessly as possible. Rebecca says, if Carly wants to expedite this, she needs to tell her everything. Unsanitized, unvarnished, unabridged. Every gory detail.

Britt tells Nina, she and Peter barely know each other, but she wishes she’d known he was an unstable psychopath. She would have warned Maxie. But then they wouldn’t have Bailey… or rather, Louise. Nina says, her heart just breaks for Maxie; just when she thought she could reclaim her daughter. But what she can’t figure out is how did Peter find out Bailey wasn’t Brook’s baby, but his and Maxie’s daughter? Britt says, who knew what Maxie and Brook were up to? and Nina says, she knew early on, but she’d rather die than tell Peter that information. She almost did. Britt says, someone else was not so discreet. Someone who had something to gain. Like Victor Cassadine. Nina says she doesn’t know about that. If Britt is right, and Victor told Peter, who told Victor? Austin comes by, and Britt says, speak of the devil.

Obrecht tells Victor, she remembers his affections fondly, but alas, she’s spoken for. Victor has no doubt Scotty offers her an amusing distraction, but so does an accordion if you’re in the mood. She says, he should know by now, he’ll score no points with her in disparaging Scotty, and he asks how he can score points with her. She says, by stripping down… He says, yes? and she says, and revealing… He says, and? and she says, your humanity. He asks if that’s what they’re calling it these days, and she says, deny it if he wants, but beneath his glib acerbic banter, and his world-weary savoir faire, he’s devoted to his own flesh and blood. He says, almost to a fault, and she says, then he must know how much Maxie’s disappearance pains everyone who considers her family. He says he hates seeing her in pain, and asks if there’s something he can do. She says, there is. If she ever meant anything to him, he’ll help her find Maxie. He says he knows what she’s doing, and she asks if it’s working. He asks what she thinks. His heart is pounding; feel it. He puts her hand on his chest, and she says, like a timpani solo at the Berlin Philharmonic, and he says, she knows how much he loves Philharmonic percussion. She says, then he’ll help her? and he says, that depends – he kisses her hand – on what’s in it for him.

Chase says, if he’s ever lucky enough to have a daughter of his own, he hopes he can stand by her like Ned stood by Brook. Olivia tells Brook that Chase likes her, and Brook says, he likes Bailey. She was just part of the package. Ned says, okay, his turn again, and Olivia hands off Louise. Ned sits down with her, and tells Louise, wherever she goes in life, no matter where she goes, she’ll always, always be a part of their family. Olivia says, she really is a miracle. She was born in the woods, she was rescued from a firehouse, and managed to bring out the best in every person around her. Ned says, even if they couldn’t see it at first, she showed them what was always there all along. Brook says, that makes her the biggest miracle of all.

Harmony asks Alexis if there’s a way around this or past it, and Alexis says, there is. Harmony admits she made a mistake, and let Diane negotiate on her behalf to keep her from being incriminated, and she and Willow generate a legal document that will certify her birth. Harmony says, right, and Alexis says, unless of course (🍷) Harmony doesn’t want her birth certified for some reason. She thanks Alexis, and says she knows Alexis is trying to help, but she can’t do this. Alexis says, Harmony sounds like her, when Harmony was trying to help her not drink, and she resisted. So why won’t she let Alexis return the favor?

Willow says her mother has constantly put her trust in the wrong people, and Michael says, Shiloh and Cyrus Renault; how could he forget? Willow says, she was taught to distrust everyone, even the government. Michael, on the other hand, has contacts in the State Department and the FCC. He contacts District Attorneys in other states directly. Not everyone can do that. He says, but he doesn’t think it’s unreasonable to expect transparency when it comes to something so straightforward as a birth certificate. She says, straightforward to him, but he’s always had a stable loving family – two stable loving families, that he knows he can count on. He says, loving maybe, but stable, he doesn’t know about that. Not anymore anyway.

Carly tells Rebecca, so at Sonny’s insistence, she showed up at the Haunted Star for a romantic evening, but instead of being in the stateroom waiting for her, he was in bed with Nina Reeves. Rebecca stops the recording, and tells Carly that she’s just said enough to take Sonny to the cleaners. Carly says, which is not her objective, and Rebecca says, she gets it; Carly isn’t after Sonny’s money. In regards to building a case, she wishes Carly had consulted her before moving out, but finding Sonny in the sack with the woman who kept his existence a secret more than makes up for it. Carly’s just gotten a lot off her chest here. Maybe she wants to press erase, and it all ends now, which is certainly an option. Or they just leave it here, in case she needs to use it. Carly says, Sonny’s a fighter. If she uses what’s on that recorder… Rebecca says, he’ll hit her? and Carly says, physically? No, but if she puts him on the defensive, Sonny’s going to make this divorce very ugly, which she said over and over again, she doesn’t want. Rebecca says, let him do his worst. Carly has the secret weapon. Carly asks, what’s that? and Rebecca says, Sonny himself. Let’s be honest. Her husband has a reputation. Carly says she knows that, but there are also children involved; children who love him very much. Rebecca says, that’s the beautiful part. They don’t have to make a single negative allegation, because any judge sitting on that bench, knows the name Sonny Corinthos, and will be predisposed to rule in Carly’s favor. Carly says, she means, they couldn’t get Sonny for an alleged crime, so they want to use her to punish him. Rebecca says, they got Al Capone on tax evasion, right? So you add on some lies, some infidelity, and other things a great P.I. can dig up, and she’s pretty certain she can get Carly sole custody of her minor child. Carly said her name was Donna? How does that sound?

Willow says, growing up, her life was so messed up and bizarre, when she got to know Michael’s family, she kind of idealized them. Maybe to the point of overlooking her own mother. She doesn’t always give her mother the credit she deserves for turning her life around. Michael says, even he has to admit, she’s doing her best, and Willow says, and she’s been respecting their boundaries; not coming around all the time, not arranging surprise visits in public places. He asks if she’s saying they should cut Harmony some slack, and she says, some slack. What are the odds that out of all of Wiley’s grandmothers at this point, her mom might be the most drama free?

Harmony thanks Alexis for trying, but… Alexis says, but what? Harmony asked her to help, then won’t accept her help, and she doesn’t know why. So why? Is she ashamed? Is she ashamed of her past? Because Alexis stabbed a cop in the chest with a syringe on a vodka-fueled rage, and the only excuse she had was, she was aiming for someone else. Harmony says, what she went to prison for was a helluva lot worse. She’s sure Kristina would agree. Alexis says, that’s a good point. Forging a birth certificate is not nearly as bad as what Harmony actually went to prison for. She tells Harmony, listen. She found a support system in her daughters, and she thinks Harmony is underestimating hers. From everything she knows about Willow, she is open-minded, she’s fair, she’s kind, she’s compassionate, and if Harmony would just tell her the truth, she’s sure Willow would understand. Harmony says, but she won’t, and turns to go. Alexis says, whatever it is she’s running away from, it will catch up to her. And then what?

Felicia shows Mac her phone, and says, this was taken just when Anna and Chase found her at the firehouse. As he can see, Louise is happy and healthy. He says, thank God, and Brook and Chase have been looking after her the whole time. Felicia says, and they’re bringing her here today. That will give Mac a chance to see for himself that their granddaughter inherited Maxie’s survival gene. He says, then they get to take her home? and she says, they do. He says, their newest granddaughter, under their roof with her brother and sister, and they get to spoil her rotten. She says, that’s a tall order. She’s been living with the Quartermaines all this time. He says, they’ll bring her back down to earth, and she says, that’s more like it. He says, they’ll give her everything she needs. Felicia says, all right, Commissioner, and he says, that’s Interim Commissioner to her. She says she sees he’s starting to get his old grumpy self back, and he says, he won’t be himself until Peter’s been caught, and Maxie has her daughter back in her arms again. She says, and that will be very, very soon.

Austin tells Nina that Britt is correct. It’s his fault that Victor figured out Maxie and Brook have been hiding Louise in plain sight. He starts to walk away, but Nina says she can’t believe he would give that information to Victor deliberately, and he says he didn’t. All he did was draw Victor a map with a great big X on it, and Victor figured out the rest on his own. Nina says, and then Victor gave that information to Peter, and Britt says, then Peter used that information to lure Maxie to him. Austin asks if they’ll just stop kicking him in the teeth. He’s done it enough to himself for the last couple of days. Nina says, she’s probably not in the best position to judge, because she could have told everyone Peter was alive and well when he showed up in Nixon Falls, but she kept her mouth shut. Britt says, not exactly. Nina did sic her mother on him. Nina says, that didn’t work, but Britt says, it didn’t work yet. Her mother is nothing if not persistent. She doesn’t relent; she adjusts and improvises. But Austin already knows that, doesn’t he?

Obrecht tells Victor that he’s incorrigible, but alas, her affections are off the table because she’s a one man woman. He says, how convenient; he’s only one man. She asks if he’ll help her for old time’s sake, but he says he needs more. She says, fine. If he helps her, it will enrage Peter, and they can both revel in the schadenfreude of it all, and he says, now she’s talking. He hates to see her suffer over Maxie, but he wouldn’t mind seeing Peter suffer because of her. She says she won’t be able to rest until Maxie’s home again, reunited with her beautiful little child. Victor says, the thing is, he has a long memory. He hasn’t forgotten all the times she’s hurt him, and she says, any more than she’s forgotten the times he’s kidnapped, tormented, and nearly killed her and the people she cares about, while aiding and abetting her enemies. He says she makes a fair point, and she says, please, for whatever good there was between them. He says he can’t promise, but he’ll do what he can. She says she knew she could count on him, and moves closer as if she’s about to kiss him, but suddenly grabs her coat and jets. In the hallway, she smiles.

Ned suggests they take a picture of the whole family, because dammit, that’s what they are. Chase volunteers to take it, but Olivia says he’s not getting out of things that easily, and pushes him behind the sofa. He says he’s not really family, and Ned says, he slept at Monica’s house. Olivia says, he got his heart broken there, and Brook says, and tried to get one Quartermaine to double-cross another. Olivia says, he’s part of the family, like it or not, and sits next to Ned and Louise, with Brook and Chase behind them. Olivia holds out her phone, and tells them, everyone say, we love you Bailey. They do, and she snaps the photo. Chase takes one of Ned and Olivia with Louise/Bailey, and we see one of Ned, Brook, and Louise, Chase with Louise, and Brook with Louise. Olivia says she wants to get one with Brook and Chase, and they pose for several shots.

Harmony says she’s the worst type of hypocrite, and Alexis says, if she really believes that, she should get out more. Harmony says she was doling out advice to Alexis about not letting her past define her, and here she is doing exactly that. Alexis says, yeah, well, they’re all hypocrites. She asks for help, and really doesn’t want it. She’d rather drown her sorrows in a bottle of booze, but they all make unhealthy choices. Let’s stop doing that, huh? How about you help me, I help you. That’s how friendship works. Harmony asks how she’s supposed to know that, and Alexis says she knows Harmony wants the past to be in the past for Willow’s sake, but if there’s more to this story than Harmony has told her, doesn’t she think it’s better Willow finds out from her than from someone else?

Michael says, all Willow’s mother did was misplace her birth certificate. Nina nearly blew up his parents’ marriage, and his dad seems just fine with that. She says, one more reason for them to expedite that passport and hop on a plane for Paris, far away from all this, and closer to each other. He kisses her, and his phone rings. He says, it’s his contact from the State Department. They may be one step closer to the Eiffel Tower.

Brook says she’s sorry to do this, but they’re on the clock. Ned asks if they can have five more minutes, but Chase says, unfortunately, Mac and Felicia are waiting, and Brook says, it will just make it harder. Olivia wishes she could say Brook was wrong, and hands Louise to Brook. He tells Louise that she will always have a home with them. Always. Olivia cries, and they leave.

Epiphany comes into Mac’s room, and says, sorry to disturb them, but the doctors ordered another test. He asks if they’re looking for a reason to keep him there, but she says, trust her. Nobody wants to keep him there longer than necessary. She asks how Felicia puts up with him, and Felicia says, on the bright side, he’s definitely feeling better. Mac says, there’s nothing wrong with him that seeing his granddaughter won’t cure, and Felicia says, they’re probably on their way right now. So as soon as he gets back from whatever this test is… He asks if they can’t take this test another time, but Epiphany says she’s afraid not. Now let’s get him out of this bed. No arguments. He says, yes, ma’am, and she helps him up.

Austin says he barely knows Britt’s mother, but Britt says, not true. She was there when Obrecht gave him hell for clearing the way for Peter to find Maxie’s baby. Nina says, Aunt Liesl knows? She hopes Austin’s affairs are in order. Britt tells him not to waste his time and energy on denials; hear her out. She strongly advises him not to engage in shenanigans or cahoots with her mother. He says, he’s not a shennaniganist and he’s not one to cahoot. Nina says, Britt is right; listen to her. With Aunt Liesl, there’s always collateral damage. Obrecht comes out of the elevator, and asks if either of them would mind if she borrows the good doctor.

Carly tells Rebecca that she and Sonny went through an ugly divorce years ago. They fought over their sons, Michael and Morgan. They hurt each other and hurt their children. She’s never making that mistake again. Rebecca says, that is very noble, and speaks volumes about Carly’s character; however, she has to ask. If she doesn’t want to punish Sonny, there are plenty of attorneys in this town who could get her out of her marriage with a shared custody agreement that Carly, on her nicest day, could call fair. So why turn to her? Carly flashes back to Nina saying that Carly wanted to hear that what happened between her and Sonny in Nixon Falls couldn’t happen again, but they both know it would be a lie, and Carly slapping her. Rebecca says, if Carly doesn’t want Sonny’s blood, what does she want?

Britt asks why Obrecht wants to borrow Austin. She thought Obrecht was furious with him. Obrecht says, of course (🍷) she was, but now they understand each other. Don’t we, Herr Doctor? She says, excuse them, and steers Austin away. Nina says, she and Britt warned him, and Britt says, speaking of warnings, didn’t anyone ever tell Nina that Carly is a bad enemy to have? Nina says, it’s been mentioned to her one or 853 times, and Britt tells her, she’s just saying, Nina did keep Carly’s husband hidden for close to a year, then turned around and slept with him. Nina says she’s confused, and asks whose side Britt is on. Britt says, hers; they’re family. And as family, she has to warn Nina. If Carly gets a chance, she’ll burn Nina’s life down. Nina thanks her for the heads up, and says, but it’s been a long time coming. If Carly wants a war, Nina will give her a war.

Carly tells Rebecca that she’d prefer not to fight with Sonny. She’s been down that road before, and knows it goes nowhere good. But the woman he cheated on her with, she’s the one Carly wants to fight. She wants Nina pay for every lie she told, for all the pain she caused, for everything she’s stolen from Carly and her family. Can Rebecca give her that? Rebecca says, that’ve got to start somewhere, and sits down. Shall they talk about her retainer?

Alexis says, if Harmony wants her help, Harmony has to tell her the truth. Both she and Diane think there’s more to the story, that there’s something Harmony’s not telling them. Is there? Harmony says, yes, there’s more.

On the phone, Michael says, thank you for looking into it, and Willow asks what he said. He says, it doesn’t make any sense. There’s no record of a birth certificate being issued to her in any of the 50 states, or anywhere else in the world, according to the US government. Willow says, she doesn’t exist?

Olivia tells Ned, Chase and Bailey weren’t here for very long, but it already felt like a home. Now it’s over. Ned says, one of the good things about what happened is, it brought them closer together as a family. And it taught them that Brook is far more selfless than they thought. Olivia is sure no one was more surprised than Brook was. They’ll be there for Ned’s daughter whenever she needs them. Ned hugs and kisses her.

Brook brings Louise up to Felicia, and Felicia says, hello there, beautiful girl. Louise smiles because she’s a 26 year old actress trapped inside a baby.

Obrecht and Austin go into an office, and Austin says, what’s up? She says, she persuaded Victor to let her get close enough to plant a tiny chip on his lapel. Shall they have a listen? He says, by all means, and she takes out her phone. Victor tells Yohan, too many people are on to them, and there are too many questions. They need to find Peter, and silence him once and for all. Obrecht and Austin look at each other.

Tomorrow, Curtis asks Portia, what if there was another option; Nina asks Willow if she’ll ever be able to see her grandson again; and Sonny says he needs to find her before she does something she’ll regret.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Gabby and Frank Jr. had moved in with Dolores temporarily. She wanted them to have a place to live where they didn’t have to pay bills (why was I not born into this family?), and Frank wasn’t finished with the house. Frank had plans to move into the new house with the kids, and in Dolores’s interview, she said, it had been Frank’s home for a few years. It didn’t seem right to say he was banished because the kids were moving in. Gabby thought she and Frank would butt heads, and in her interview, Dolores said she and Frank had divorced when the kids were little, and had lived separately. Gabby was a hothead, and Frankie was the opposite. He just wanted it calm and nice. Dolores thought they should sit down as a family and discuss it.

Gia and friends were taking photos at a boutique, modeling sportswear. In Teresa’s interview, she explained that Gia’s Sad Song had gone viral, and Gia had parlayed that into a sweatshirt line that was now in a bunch of boutiques. Teresa and her daughters posed together, and then Gia tried to talk Milania into coming to a pizza party Luis was throwing, but Milania was still pissed at Joe #2. Gia told Milania that she and Joe had made up, and in Gia’s interview, she said, Milania had a big heart, but don’t go after her dad. We flashed back to Joe #2 talking smack about Joe #1, and Teresa said Joe #2 was her only family. She wanted them to come to a happy medium and let it end.

Joes #2 and #3 met with Frank at the bar for drinks and food. Frank said, the house renovation was causing heavy conflict with the kids, and Gabby was mad at him. Now Dolores was calling a family meeting. Joe #2 asked why Dolores wasn’t moving in with David, and Frank said he thought there was trouble in paradise. They moved on to discussing Bill’s affair, or rather, the announcement of, and Frank said he didn’t think Bill was okay. Joe #3 said he liked Bill, but his wife had gone over the edge, calling Marge names. Joe #2 talked about his conflict and resolution with Gia, and said Luis had invited them over to make pizza. Frank said, Luis had been awesome to his son since Frank Jr. had been working for him. Joe #2 said there had been a lot of stuff on the internet about Luis, referring to the notorious video. Frank suggested they go on a retreat, get naked, go in the woods, and beat the sh*t out of each other.

Jackie and Evan went out for lunch after the kids left for camp. Jackie thought they should take full advantage of it, and wondered what they did before they had kids. Evan said they drank more, and Jackie reminded him they’d met at dirty bar. She said she loved frat party beer bars, but didn’t think many of the women had gone to college. She was the only one who had pledged a sorority, and Evan the only one who’d pledged a fraternity. She thought they should plan a frat party for everyone. Jackie brought up her eating disorder, and said she’d gotten to a place where she didn’t eat anything. We saw a wedding photo, and she looked scary thin. She said then she got to a place where she could eat, and thought she was cured, but she wasn’t okay. Last year was hard, and she’d lost some weight. Her eating was ritualized, and Evan said the kids noticed. They’d asked him why she ate the same dinner every night. Jackie said she was hungry all the time, and scared of gaining weight, and Evan said he thought she should see somebody. In Evan’s interview, he said he’d been concerned for a while. Jackie was always on the defensive, and she had food rules, but he didn’t want to judge. He was happy that she was opening up and letting him in. He told her that her realization was a great thing, and he was with her every step of the way.

Jackie called Jennifer to make sure she was okay. She’d cried her share last year, and if anyone got it, it was her. She said she and Evan were having a last hurrah party before the kids came home. She wanted to see it bring then all back together. She didn’t want to bring the sh*t between Jennifer and Marge back, and Jennifer said, if Bill couldn’t come, she wouldn’t either. Teresa and crew went to Luis’s house, where his brother Bill was cooking eggplant on the barbie. Teresa put herself on sauce detail, and it was all quite a production. In Teresa’s interview, she said Luis journaled and did positive affirmations. He was all about communicating, and not holding it in. He wanted to introduce her family to self-help, but they weren’t big on that, since their idea of communication was yelling and banging on the table. Joe #2 and family arrived, and Melissa said she was glad Teresa wasn’t holding a grudge against Jackie. Teresa said, everyone had seemed to have Jackie’s back, but now no one had Jennifer’s back. Marge had crossed the line. In Melissa’s interview, she said Teresa was blindly taking Jennifer’s side, when Jennifer had even gone after Teresa’s brother. It boggled her mind.

The spread was amazing – all the Italian food you can imagine. I had an aunt who married into an old school Italian family, and I went to Sunday dinners like that when I was a kid. Luis said he thought it was good when families collided; it lead to repair. He wanted everyone to write on a paper what they wanted to bring more of to their life in the group, and on the other side, what they wanted to let go of. Surprisingly, Joe #2 suggested they just talk about it instead. Luis said he wanted to trust more, since traumatic experiences had made him guarded. In Joe’s interview, he wondered what the hell Luis was talking about. This guy talked in code. Luis said he wanted to be less guarded, and Teresa said she wanted more loyalty and love. Luis asked what she wanted to let go of, and in her interview, Melissa said, Luis wanted Teresa to admit fault. They’d be there all night. Melissa said she wanted to lean more into the family; there was never enough time. Joe suggested not holding grudges, and Melissa told them, there were a lot of things she could say right now. In Gia’s interview, she said, Milania’s end goal was that everyone get along, and Milania said she wanted to let go of overthinking what happens next. Gia said she was always expecting something to blow up, and Milania said she wanted to lean into things being solid. Joe said he apologized, and didn’t want to argue, and in his interview, he said, for the first time, he understood how he was hanging onto his anger at Joe #1. He told them that they had to let go of the past; they’d all been through so much. It was okay to be angry, but he didn’t want to be that person. He thanked Luis for initiating the discussion, and Melissa said it was much needed.

Everyone got ready for Jackie’s party, except for Teresa, who was out town at a dance tournament for one of her daughters. I get them mixed up. I think it was Gabriella. Or was it Antonia? Jennifer called Bill, who was finishing up work, and he asked how she was feeling. She said she was reluctant, but having him by her side would give her strength. Traci told Tiki that she didn’t agree with what Jennifer had done, but she’d left two events in tears. In Traci’s interview, she said she knew how rumors affected a couple. When she and Tiki had gotten together, there had been lies spread that they’d had an affair while he was married, and Tiki got depressed. She told him she thought they should have empathy for Jennifer as a woman and a mother. Tiki said, you never wanted stuff like that to go public. Marge told friend Lexi that it was Jennifer’s own behavior that led to this, and she had a double standard. I see both sides. I absolutely have empathy, but I also think you can’t say sh*tty things about someone and not expect them to bite you back.  

The party was in a private room at a bar, where beer pong had been set up, along with a keg, and a pineapple ice sculpture that was a liquor dispenser. Jackie told the women that they could dance on the bar. Melissa told Joe #2 that it was vodka for him; he was a psycho on tequila. Jennifer hadn’t arrived yet, and Jackie said she thought Jennifer was reeling. Marge said, don’t come in crying, but Traci had enough, and called bullsh*t. Marge said it wasn’t like it was a shock to Jennifer, but Traci said, Jennifer hadn’t expected someone to throw it in her face. As a mother and a human, she had to empathize. In Marge’s interview, she said she’d talk to Traci in another month, and see how she felt about Jennifer. Jackie said she didn’t want Jennifer kicked while she was down, and Marge said she wouldn’t throw a drink; she’d throw a ping-pong ball. Jennifer and Bill came in.

Jackie said she wanted tonight to be fun, and went over to Jennifer, who was hugging the bar. Traci joined them, and Tiki told Bill that he’d heard there was drama. Bill said some skeletons had come out, and Tiki said it was unfair. Jennifer said what Marge had done was so hurtful, and at one of the tables, Marge said she was sick of talking about Jennifer, and asked Dolores how David was. Dolores said they weren’t together anymore. In Dolores’s interview, she said she’d only told Frank, and we saw a clip of her telling Frank that David was married to his job. He was smart enough to know he couldn’t change, and she was smart enough to know she wanted more. It wasn’t sustainable. She told the women, what finally got her was that she knew someone who had been on life support. Their family pulled the plug, and his girlfriend of 15 years had nothing. In her interview, she said, what if something happened tomorrow? He was supposed to be her partner. She’d wanted more, but hadn’t been demanding. He got used to it, and she got resentful. She told the group that David had been shocked. It hurt, and she didn’t want to talk about it.

Everyone took shots out of the ice pineapple, and the guys played beer pong. Dolores told Jennifer that what Marge had done was rough, but Marge told her what Jennifer had said about her. We flashed back to that, and Dolores said she understood why Marge was mad. Jennifer said she guessed Dolores was a better friend to Marge, but Dolores said she was friends with both of them. Jennifer said, not according to Jackie, and then Jackie got roped into the conversation. Dolores said she heard Jackie was questioning her friendship with Jennifer and it wasn’t cool. Jackie said she just thought Dolores was better friends with Marge, and Dolores asked why Jackie was getting involved. Jackie said she was just looking after Jennifer. All of this pissed Dolores off, although I’m not sure why. I’d also assume she was better friends with the person she’d known for years, than the person she’s known for five minutes. Jackie told Dolores that Jennifer had made videos of her – we flashed back to Jennifer making fun of Jackie – and she was the one comforting her. Dolores said, give her a break, and Jackie said Dolores thought no one should be upset about anything. Marge joined the fray, and pissed Dolores off even more when she said she thought they were better friends than Dolores was with Jennifer. Dolores said, Jennifer didn’t need to hear about it from this, pointing at Jackie, who said, don’t call her this. Dolores asked what Jackie was going to do about it, literally getting in Jackie’s face. It looked like it might be a knockdown drag out. SMH.

To be continued…

💟 My Soapy Valentine…

How the lovers you love loved on Valentine’s Day.

🎬 Curtain Down…

Come visit tomorrow for soap and what’s going on in the OC. Until then, stay safe, stay being kind to animals, and stay not letting the past define you, and extending the same courtesy to others.