What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Madison says, Nina’s lunch date is confirmed, the ad copy is on her desk, and her 9 am appointment with Enchantment has been canceled. Nina says, why? You don’t just cancel an appointment with Erica Kane. That woman is notoriously difficult. Erica made her last assistant wear burlap for an entire year just because she booked her a layover on her flight to Beirut. Madison says she didn’t know you could fly direct to Beirut, and Nina says, you can’t. That’s the point. Madison has left her in a difficult position. Why would she cancel a meeting with Erica Kane and risk her wrath? They walk into Nina’s office, and Michael is sitting in her chair. Startled, Madison drops everything in her hands, and he says, because your boss needed to talk to you.

There’s a knock at Kristina’s door and she opens it to Molly. Kristina asks if they had plans and she forgot, but Molly says, no. She just wanted to stop by. Kristina says, perfect timing, because she’s been dying to talk to Molly about the Perez Hilton interview. It’s been great to see how everyone’s been responding with such support. There’s this lesbian influencer who’s super powerful on Instagram, and she said this: Kristina and Blaze clearly love and support each other and are a great example of how to remain true to yourself while negotiating a difficult family situation. Isn’t that so empowering? Molly says, yeah, and Kristina says, so she saw the interview obviously. Wasn’t it great?

Anna opens the PCPD folder on Jack Brennan, and it’s empty. Dante comes in and asks if it’s a bad time, but Anna says, it’s fine. What’s up? He says, Sonny’s downstairs. Did she want to see him? She says she doesn’t have anything to charge him with, so no, and he says, fair enough. He starts to leave, but she calls him back. She tells him to shut the door. She has an update on Jack Brennan. He says, the guy they arrested at Bobbie’s last year, and she says, oh good. She wasn’t imagining him then. He asks what that’s supposed to mean, and she says, he’s disappeared from Pentenville. It’s as if he was never there.

Jason thanks Diane for coming, and she says, of course (🍷). She assumes this is about Carly. She’s doing as well as can be expected. He says he knows her arraignment is in a few hours. She’s pleading not-guilty, right? Diane says, she is, and he says he can help with her defense. She says, fantastic. How does she exonerate Carly? He says, by giving him up in her place.

Carly is brought to the interrogation room where Sonny is waiting. He tells the officer to take the cuffs off. She’s not violent and she’s not going anywhere. The officer says, those were the FBI’s orders. The prisoner is just with the PCPD until she’s transferred to federal holding, so they’ll be put on as soon as they’re done talking. He leaves, and Sonny says, Jagger has gone too far. He’s going to do everything he can to get her off. She says, no. Don’t do anything. Let Diane handle it. Please. How’s Donna? He says, Donna doesn’t know anything yet, and Pilar is there to make sure she doesn’t get upset. Carly says, good, and he asks, what’s going on? He saw her get arrested by Jagger. He wanted to jump in, but Diane said, don’t even think about it. She says, what’s going on? He died and she took his place.

Jason tells Diane that he’ll take responsibility for everything that happened at that meeting. He’ll say he fed Carly every word, that she was just a figurehead, and he was the one making all the decisions. Diane says, it’s a novel idea… and a complete waste of time.

Nina helps Madison pick everything up, and Michael says, sorry to spring this meeting on her at the last minute, but Nina says, it’s fine. As he clearly stated, he’s her boss and she’s at his disposal. He thanks her for being so accommodating, and she says, he did put her in a bit of a bind. When the subject of this sudden cancelation comes up, and it will, she’s going to forward Erica Kane’s calls to him. He says, that’s fair. He’s happy to handle it. She thanks Madison and asks her to hold her calls. And don’t go far. She may need a witness. Madison says she’ll be right outside. She leaves, and Michael says, it’s interesting that she warned her assistant when they struck a truce, and Nina says, they did, but if she’s learned anything, it’s that when they have a meeting together, it could go sideways very quickly. He says he can’t disagree. So he’ll get straight to the point. He needs her help.

Kristina says, Molly isn’t saying anything. Does that mean she disagrees? She doesn’t think it went well? Molly says, no. From what she’s heard, the response has been really good. She’s sure a lot of people found Kristina to be very sympathetic. Kristina says, huh. Interesting choice of words. People, but not her. Molly says, TJ had some thoughts about the interview, and Kristina says, about which part? And why isn’t he the one here talking to her about this? What’s TJ’s problem now? Molly says she’s not going to speak for TJ, but they talked about it last night, and in order to settle his concerns – she takes out a folder – she agreed to bring by these papers for Kristina to sign. Kristina asks what this is about, and Molly says, her giving up her parental rights.

Molly says, Kristina is functioning as a surrogate for her and TJ, but she’s also the egg donor. And as their mother so eloquently pointed out, according to the laws of the State of New York, she’s legally the baby’s mother until she relinquishes her parental rights. Kristina looks through the papers, and says, not relinquish – terminate. That’s what these papers say over and over and over again. Terminate. Molly wants her to terminate her parental rights? Something relinquished can be taken back. Something terminated can’t. That’s a pretty big difference, doesn’t she think? Molly says, in order for her to legally be the baby’s mother, Kristina has to terminate her rights. This is what they agreed to in the beginning. Kristina says, let her get this straight. Molly and TJ saw the interview she did where she poured her heart out to the entire world, and this is their response? Molly says she doesn’t understand what the issue is here. Kristina is about to give birth. She’s going to have to sign these papers at that time to give her and TJ the baby. Why not just sign them now, when things are calm and there’s time? What possible reason could she have not to?

Dante says, when Anna tells him that Brennan disappeared, she means he escaped Pentenville? How? She says, that’s a good question. How do you escape from somewhere when you weren’t there to begin with? He asks what she’s talking about. They arrested this guy. They put him in a car and watched him get taken to Pentenville. She says, and she visited him there more than once. According to Pentenville’s records, Brennan was never in their custody. There’s no digital record of him, no paper trail, no video surveillance. He was never in intake, and he was never assigned a cell. It’s like Brennan’s association with Pentenville has completely vanished. Dante says, there have to be witnesses there who saw him and spoke to him, and she says, you’d think. Maybe she can rustle up a CO or two, an inmate maybe that can place him there. But at the end of the day, it’s not proof. It’s just hearsay. She says she’ll show him the best part, and hands him Brennan’s folder. The PCPD’s records have been purged also, both physically and digitally. He sees the folder is empty, and he says, this is crazy. Who has the power to erase the records of an inmate’s entire existence and buy the silence of that many people?

Michael says he understands Nina has a long-standing connection with Congressman McConkey, and she says, he went to Princeton with her father. She’s known him for her entire life, but Michael’s family also goes way back with him. He says, Tracy and his grandmother do, but he doesn’t want to get Tracy involved in this because she has a tendency to stick her nose into things that are none of her business. And his grandmother isn’t doing well, so he’d rather not ask her. But from what it sounds, Nina’s connection with McConkey is closer. She says, that’s probably true, but he still hasn’t told her what he wants, and he says, an introduction. She asks if he didn’t meet McConkey at the 4^th of July party, but he says, it was very brief. All they really did was exchange small talk. What he needs is some face time. She asks, why is that? and he tells her that he’d rather not say. She says, he’s asking her to exploit a decades long family friendship with the congressman for his mysterious purposes? She’s sorry, but she’s going to need a lot more information before she puts McConkey on the spot. He says he needs to ask McConkey for a favor, and she says, is this for ELQ? Is ELQ in trouble? Is it Aurora? Should she be worried about Crimson? He says, no, don’t. They’re both fine. She says, then if it’s not a business matter, it’s personal, and he says he needs McConkey to help his mother.

Carly says, while Nina was keeping Sonny all to herself in Nixon Falls, the rest of them thought he was dead. And the Five Families (spaghetti sauce) were circling, ready to take over his territory. With him gone, they were racing for the opportunity. He says, anyone who would stake a claim on his business would be a target, and she says, that’s right. So she and Jason had to make a show of strength to prove to them that the territory was in safe hands. But Jason was hurt, and he couldn’t make it to the meeting with the Five Families (calzones), so she was the only option. He says he already knows all that. What he wants to know is how the FBI charged her with RICO violations. She says, someone at the meeting was wearing a wire. The FBI has a recording of her announcing that she was taking control of his entire organization. He says, that was a long time ago. Why are they digging in now? She says, because they have another use for the recording. They used it as leverage over Jason. The FBI played the recording for Jason and told him that they would charge her with everything they could unless he worked for them. That’s what Jason’s been doing, keeping her out of jail while working undercover for John Cates. (We see Sonny is starting to track.)

Diane says she was hoping Jason was going to give her documents or witnesses or, best case scenario, proof that the FBI’s recording had been improperly procured. Something she could actually use. He says, just use him, but she says, that’s a non-starter. The FBI’s evidence against Carly is hard. That recording is damning. He tells her, not if he says he coached her, and she says, that’s only going to tack on another conspiracy charge. It’s Carly’s voice on that tape. Carly was at the meeting. There’s no getting around that. He knows taking responsibility is only going to implicate him right alongside her. Who’s that going to benefit? He says, all he’s got to do is convince one juror there’s reasonable doubt and the whole thing’s worth it, and she says she promises that is not how this is going to work out. He won’t save Carly; he’ll condemn himself and strengthen the prosecution’s case against her. She knows he has the best of intentions, and actually, she could use his help in another aspect of this case. He says, what? and she says, her defense strategy will be to spin the story. She’s going to present Carly as a sympathetic defendant. Convince the jury that she lied at that meeting to saved herself and her children from a group of vicious mob bosses suspected in a wide range of crimes, including several brutal murders. That she feared for the lives of her children and herself, and that she literally bluffed to save her life, lying to these people to push them away. Jurors love stories like that. He says, Carly told him that Diane said her chance of acquittal is what? 30%? She says, they can do better than that… not much better.

Nina says, Carly was arrested? and Michael says, his mom was very publicly handcuffed down in the lobby. He thought the news would be all over the building by now. She says, her former MetroCourt employees don’t really have a reason to gossip with her anymore. What was Carly arrested for? He says, the charges don’t really matter. This whole thing is the work of this rogue FBI agent who has a vendetta against Jason and his mother and probably Sonny too. This agent needs to know he’s not above the law himself. She says, which McConkey can give him through congress, and Michael says, yes, exactly. McConkey is on the House selection committee for Intelligence. He could buy influence on his committee, but he feels a personal touch from Nina would be more subtle. She says, and safer. No money trail. It’s all very Watergate sounding, and they all know how that turned out. He says, according to the law, it’s only illegal if money actually changes hands, and she says, and they both know he’d do anything to save Carly. He would hand over that money in a heartbeat. So he’s asking her to potentially commit a crime to cover up Carly’s crime. Now is he ready to be labeled co-conspirator with her?

Sonny says, so Carly was arrested. Things must have broken down between Jagger and Jason. Carly says, Jason was supposed to do one more specific job for Cates, and then Cates was going to cut him loose. Jason kept up his end of the bargain, then Cates double-crossed Jason. He said he was going to send Jason to some prison somewhere to go undercover. He says, lying bastard, and Carly says, she and Jason got in a big fight. He said he’d rather keep working for Cates than see her tried and charged. He says, let him guess. Jason won. She says, he made her promise not to turn herself in, so she agreed, and he says, she lied to him, but she says she didn’t lie to him. She didn’t want to turn herself in, but when she saw Cates there in the MetroCourt, and he made a jab about Jason, she lost it. She couldn’t help it. He says he was there. He saw. She basically dared him to arrest her. She says, right. So here they are. He asks how she found out about this, and she says she found out about the recording about a month ago, and he asks if Diane knows about this. She says, Diane has to know because she has to work on a defense, and he asks what Diane says her chances are. She says, the odds are not in her favor, and he slams his hand down on the table.

Jason says he knows Diane will do her best and her best is better than anybody else’s. He just doesn’t see how Carly’s going to beat this. She says she’s sorry, but short of getting that FBI recording destroyed or having it deemed inadmissible as evidence, Carly will be arraigned and charged this afternoon. With any luck, she’ll be granted bail, and a trial date will be set. Then they prepare to go to war. He asks what she wants him to do, and she says she wants him to slap on a suit and tie and show up every day to that courtroom. Let Carly see him in her corner. He’s calm and he’s steady. Because the prosecution could clinch its case against her by provoking a courtroom meltdown out of her. They don’t want that. Are they clear? He says, they are, and she says, excellent. Now if he’ll excuse her, she has to go over her notes. He says, one more thing. Can they undercut Carly’s case by tarnishing Cates? She says, it could work. It’s worked before. But Cates’s testimony is going to carry a tremendous amount of weight simply because he’s FBI. There’s a presumption of authority and integrity. (Really? In 2024?) They’d have to come up with something substantial in order to make a jury doubt Cates. He says, it may be possible. He knows someone who can get them information on Cates. And she owes him.

Anna says, Brennan’s disappearance has the WSB written all over it, and Dante says he can see that, but to what end? Doesn’t this guy out of a prison cell open up a whole can of worms for the WSB? She says she thought that too, but then she’s wondering if freeing him solves more problems than it creates. He says he guesses so. But if they want to shut him up, he knows something they don’t want him to, why not just put him in a hole in Steinmaur and throw away the hole? She says, it’s possible. The only way of figuring this out is cornering the WSB with proof of their involvement. He says, Brennan was admitted to GH for a stabbing that happened in Pentenville, right? and she says, yeah. He says, the hospital has to have records of him being there, unless the WSB wiped those too, and she says, if he could check on that, that would be awesome. He says he’ll take care of it right now, and she thanks him. He says, this guy is the WSB’s problem, isn’t he? Why does the PCPD care what happens to Brennan?

Kristina says she’s kind of flying blind here, so can Molly just tell her what she said that upset her and TJ so much and gotten them so worried? Wait. This wasn’t because Perez asked her about the baby and she said it was private, was it? Molly says, it’s just common sense. You can’t sit down for an interview with Perez Hilton, be visibly pregnant, and when he asks about it, say, sorry, it’s private. (Um… yes, you can.) Kristina says, the interview wasn’t about the baby. It was about Allie and her and Allie’s mother. It wasn’t about the baby at all. Molly says, don’t act like she didn’t see those questions coming. She can’t be that naïve. Kristina says she’s not naïve. She was trying to protect Molly and TJ. She didn’t want to drag them or this baby into a mess that was really about Allie and her personal private life, and it’s now all over the news. Molly says, she made it seem like this baby was hers and Allie’s, but Kristina says, no, she didn’t. Molly says, there was a simple explanation that would have avoided all confusion. She only had to say that she was acting as a surrogate for her sister and left it at that. Instead, every lesbian on the internet is so excited about her and Blaze being parents, they’re all posting about which onesie they should buy them. Kristina says, that’s insane. That is not what’s happening. She’s shocked. She can’t believe Molly would misinterpret something she said this badly. Molly asks what she’s misinterpreting. It’s what they all heard. Kristina says, fine. Why doesn’t she call Kelly Ripa and tell her that she has an exclusive? Molly, her sister, has endometriosis and she was devastated to find out she can’t bear children, so she’s helping her sister and her partner by helping them become parents. Is that what she wants? Would she have preferred that? Would that make her happy? Because actually, she was just trying to take the attention off of Molly, but hey, if she really wants to become the public face of endometriosis, have at it. Molly says, she’s being ridiculous, and Kristina says, is she? Molly says, all she and TJ wanted was for Kristina to be clear about whose baby she’s carrying. Kristina says, then that’s what Molly should have told her before she did the interview. She’s sorry if anything she said was taken the wrong way, but this wasn’t her intention. This wasn’t her fault. Molly says, of course (🍷) not. Nothing ever is. Kristina didn’t even tell her that she was doing this interview, but they’re talking in circles, and she needs to get to the office. So can Kristina just sign these papers so she can go… Sign the damn papers. Kristina throws them down on the table and says, no.

Molly says, they have an agreement. Kristina has to sign these papers. Kristina asks if they can just talk about this for a minute, and they sit down. She doesn’t think it’s a good idea for her to sign the papers right now. Molly says, yes, it is. Kristina is about to give birth and she can’t legally adopt her baby until Kristina terminates her rights. Kristina says, there’s issues in play right now that weren’t happening when they agreed to this, and Molly says, what issues? Kristina says, her and TJ, and Molly says, what about them? Kristina says, what if they break up? and Kristina says she and TJ aren’t breaking up. That’s not even a question here. Kristina says, maybe Molly is too close to it and doesn’t want to see it, but things have been really rocky lately. Molly says, that’s so condescending of Kristina to think she can tell her about her own relationship, and Kristina says, maybe Molly doesn’t want to see it and she’s sorry to say this, but it’s true. She can’t deny there’s been so much tension between them lately. They can’t stop fighting. Molly says, all they fight about is her. So according to her, now she and TJ are going to break up because they fight? That’s what couples do. They fight and they make up and they wind up stronger for it. But Kristina wouldn’t know anything about that because she has never, not one single time, been able to keep anybody around long enough to form a real relationship. All she has is a string of embarrassingly misguided attempts with men, a crush that drove her teacher out of town, and a messed-up infatuation with a woman who was so ashamed of being gay that she was still in the closet until her mother caused a national uproar by publicly outing her. Look in the mirror. She’s not equipped to be a mother. She can barely take care of herself. (Needless to say, this doesn’t make me like Molly any more than I don’t already.)

Nina says, if this is found out, how does she know Michael won’t shift the blame entirely on her? and he says, nobody’s going to believe Nina cares enough about his mother to do something illegal to help her. Nina says she can’t argue with him there, and he says his mom is facing RICO charges because of the actions she did to protect her family when his father was in Nixon Falls. And that only happened because of Nina. His mother wouldn’t even be in this position if Sonny had been in Port Charles conducting business as usual. She says, so she owes him one? and he says, she owes his family. She can make this right with one phone call. All she has to do is get him a meeting with McConkey, and he’ll persuade McConkey into opening up an official inquiry into this FBI agent’s twisted vendetta against his family. She says, if she agrees to this, are they finally square? and he says he’ll give her something that’s even more important to her. When his mom goes free, he’ll make sure Willow knows all the credit goes to her.

Anna tells Dante that Brennan is also connected to this other case that’s unfolding right now, which is Carly’s. Agent Cates used evidence of Carly’s involvement in Sonny’s business to force Jason to work for the FBI. Dante says, okay. He knew Jason was an informant, and knew Jason was working for the FBI and they got him to flip. He just didn’t know how. It surprised him, but Carly explains it. She says, Agent Cates kind of showed interest in Brennan and implied at one point Brennan might have leverage over him. (I must have missed that, but they do have a tendency to make it up as they go along.) Dante says, and she wants to figure out what that leverage is? and she says, yeah. Either Brennan has committed such terrible crimes that the WSB just doesn’t want him to see daylight ever again, or he means something else to the Bureau entirely, and she wants to know which it is.

Sonny tells Carly that Jagger always had a chip on his shoulder because he took care of his brother Stone when he was dying of AIDS, and Jagger couldn’t show up. Jagger has been trying to take him down for 30 years. And you know why he can’t? Because he doesn’t know how. Now Jagger thinks he’s going to come at him through Carly and Jason? She says, he’s right. Cates is after him. But Sonny isn’t the only reason he’s here. He came to Port Charles for another job, something to do with Pikeman. Sonny says, that was his official reason, but Jagger will never pass up a chance to take him down. Does she know the way he does it? Jagger builds himself up by tearing him down. He started with nothing, he has nothing, and he’s going to die with nothing. He swipes a load of Styrofoam cups off the counter and says, no way in hell is Jagger sending his little girl’s mother to prison.

Kristina says, wow. Is that what Molly really thinks of her? Molly says she would feel infinitely better if Kristina would just sign the papers, but Kristina says, no. She can’t sign those papers right now. There’s too much uncertainty. If Molly and TJ break up, then she and TJ are the only ones with legal claim to this child. She has to be sure they’re going to make it before she signs those. Molly asks when that’s going to be. What’s the test? What criteria of commitment do she and TJ need to meet for her? Kristina says she doesn’t know, and Molly says she thinks when they do, Kristina is just going to come up with another reason not to sign the papers. This isn’t about her and TJ. This is about Kristina. She’s been lying to them this entire time and the truth is now coming out. She wants to keep this baby, doesn’t she? Kristina says she does wonder sometimes if maybe she and Allie would make better parents for this baby right now. Maybe they would be able to provide a more stable home than her and TJ. That’s all. Molly laughs, when there’s a knock at the door. Kristina says, let her get rid of them, but Molly says, don’t bother. This is going nowhere, and she needs to get to work. Kristina opens the door to Natalia, who asks if this is a bad time. She should have called first. Molly says, don’t worry. She was just leaving. Kristina says, wait. She thinks Molly forgot something. She indicates the papers, but Molly walks out without them.

Nina says, Michael sure knows how to sweeten a deal, and he asks if that’s a yes. She says, everyone knows that she’ll do just about anything to make sure her relationship with Willow is on track for good, but if she agrees to do this, it has to include peace with him as well. She’s sick of the ugliness between them. They have to put it behind them, in the past. He says, her getting him a meeting with McConkey will be a good start, and she says, if this is found out, it may or may not be bad for them. She doesn’t know, but does he know who it’s going to be bad for? Drew. Can he imagine the uproar if the media finds out that the nephew of McConkey’s handpicked successor leaned on him to tip the scales in his mother’s favor? It would be the end of McConkey’s legacy and the end of Drew’s campaign. He says, all he’s doing is bringing the acts of a rogue agent to McConkey’s attention. He’s sure he’ll be able to avoid even the slightest hint of impropriety. Drew will be fine. She says, he sounds confident about that, and he says, it’s just a conversation. One that will work to all of their benefit. So what does she say? Do they have a deal?

Kristina folds the papers and asks what she can do for Natalia. Natalia asks if Allison is here, but Kristina says, no. She’s out with Brook. Natalia says, that’s unfortunate. She was hoping to talk to them both together, but she can come back another time. Kristina says, no, don’t. She’s already here, and Kristina would rather they just have it out now. What is this about? Natalia says she came by because she wanted to… Saying thank you falls very short.

Carly says she knows Sonny is angry, but he can’t get arrested too. The officer comes in and asks, what’s going on here? Sonny says, Jagger is going to regret ever messing with him, and walks out. Carly tries to follow, but the officer says, she’s not going anywhere. It’s time to get her back to her cell. She says, not yet. He’s got to call Dante Falconari and have him come down here. She needs to talk to him.

Jason opens the door to John and says, he made a big mistake coming here. John says, what is he going to do? Beat him up? Jason says he was thinking more along the lines of reporting him for witness tampering, but John says, he still doesn’t get it. Jason is his witness. And when Carly’s trial starts, the US Attorney is going to put him on the stand, and they’ll produce a piece of paper with Jason’s signature on it, showing that they made a deal. Then the attorney will ask Jason why he agreed to work with the FBI. He can stonewall all he wants, but eventually, they’re going to get him to admit the truth, that he did it for Carly because he knows she’s guilty. Carly dug her own grave, but Jason is going to be the one who buries her in it. (I don’t see how this is going to make the FBI look any kind of good.) But there is still one way he can stop that from happening.

Natalia says she saw the interview Kristina and Allie did with Perez Hilton, and they were both very, very generous towards her. They were much more generous than she deserved. Kristina says she doesn’t really believe it’s right to police people’s speech or their perspectives, and Natalia says, that’s very big of her. Kristina says, don’t get her wrong. If someone refused to hire her or rent her an apartment just because she’s gay, she’d be livid, and honestly consider suing because that’s discrimination and that’s not okay. But someone just not approving of her or not agreeing with her lifestyle, she just doesn’t let it affect her because everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Natalia says she honestly doesn’t know what she believes anymore from one hour to the next, and it’s pretty disconcerting. But she has to say, Kristina’s live and let live attitude is a value she holds dear. She just needs to do better at living it. She’s just glad they can talk, and they can be honest with each other. Kristina says, okay, yeah. Just to be clear, she believes Natalia is entitled to her own thoughts and opinions, but she doesn’t have to like them, and she doesn’t. Natalia says, fair, and to be clear on her end, she admires Kristina’s principles and respects what she said.

Michael says he has McConkey’s office number pulled up. Do he and Nina have a deal? Nina says, he’s going about this the wrong way, and he asks if she’s turning him down. She asks if she said that. If Michael calls McConkey’s office, he’ll have to get through his bulldog of an assistant. He should call McConkey’s cell. Deal with him personally. She takes out her phone and calls McConkey. She says she’s calling because she’s going to be in DC next week and she thought they could go to that Italian place they both love… No. She insists that this time she’s paying… Okay, great. And she’s going to bring a friend. He’s a great guy, very interesting, very influential. You’re going to love him.

Dante says, Carly wanted to see him? and she says, Sonny’s lost it. He’s out of control. He asks what she’s talking about. What happened? She says, there isn’t time. He’s got to find Sonny. He says, where did he go? and she says she doesn’t know. But if Dante finds John Cates, he’s going to find Sonny. Sonny went after Cates, and God knows what will happen if Sonny finds him.

In his office on the phone, Sonny tells Brick to get him a location on Jagger Cates now… No. He’s not at the MetroCourt anymore. Carly kicked him out. He opens a locked box with a gun inside, and says, yeah, he’s sure. He loads the gun and says, do whatever you have to do. Find Cates for him. He practice aims the gun.

John says he has a proposition for Jason, but Jason says, no. John failed to honor their deal. He’s not taking any new assignment from him. John says, he doesn’t have to go undercover. He doesn’t even have to leave Port Charles. And in the end, he can run back to his beloved Carly, who will be out from under the threat of prosecution for good. All Jason has to do is deliver Sonny to him.

On Monday, Kristina tells Alexis that if she’s going to make a move, it has to be now; Ava says she needs to know that she can trust someone; Carly says, there’s something important she needs Michael to do; and Sonny tells Dante, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. (Truth!)

🔐 Going Dutch…

I’ll have to look for him the next time I watch The Devil Wears Prada.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/thats-dutch-johnson-playing-warden-hayes-on-general-hospital

👠 Another Kind Of Scary Island…

This just sounds embarrassing. Hopefully they don’t keep the title Love Hotel. That just makes it sound worse.

🥂 For the Food Win…

I didn’t really keep up with this, although there’s always Hulu. An extra congrats to LVP.

🍸 Speaking Of…

Maybe having kids knocks the voice of reason into your head. She and Lala have made more sense than anyone else lately.

👑 Back In the Game…

Maybe he knows a little something by now. The ad is really cute.

https://people.com/kit-harington-ad-for-game-of-thrones-mobile-game-8684224

🦸🏻‍♂️ At a Theater Near You…

It’s here and apparently doesn’t disappoint. I probably won’t go this weekend, but I’m not letting this one wait for streaming.

https://www.thedowneypatriot.com/articles/review-deadpool-amp-wolverine-is-exactly-that-and-its-awesome

Getting in the pool.

https://ew.com/chris-evans-deadpool-and-wolverine-johnny-storm-interview-exclusive-8684326

Missing the boat.

https://comicbookmovie.com/deadpool/deadpool-wolverine/deadpool-and-wolverine-bts-photo-reveals-one-cameo-that-didnt-make-the-cut—spoilers-a212334

The soundtracks have all been good. Since popular music isn’t often included on a soundtrack album, probably because of royalties, it’s great that we can just make our own now. Even better that someone compiled the titles.

https://www.thewrap.com/deadpool-and-wolverine-soundtrack-all-the-songs/

And last, but not least for the producers, the climbing box office.

https://deadline.com/2024/07/box-office-deadpool-wolverine-1236022761/

💥 From Gamer Screen To Big Screen…

Apparently, we’ve run out of original plot ideas, and are once again turning to video games. I haven’t hated it so far though, and this looks like another winner.

https://ew.com/borderlands-movie-adaptation-comic-con-2024-cover-story-8676778

https://ew.com/borderlands-cast-nothing-meaner-than-unhappy-gamer-comic-con-2024-exclusive-8684739

https://www.cbr.com/borderlands-final-trailer/

Just the facts, Jack.

https://www.space.com/borderlands-movie-release-date-plot-cast

🎬 Hardest Working Man In Hollywood…

I’d fight someone who put Tyler Perry down. I love his films, but nobody writes nighttime soap like he does. And he’s an angel to those who work for him.

https://ew.com/tyler-perry-blasts-highbrow-critics-of-his-movies-8683311

🦛 And You Get a Snow Day…

It’s kind of like a Christmas in July sale.

https://people.com/arizona-zoo-holds-summer-snow-day-for-animals-8682491

Pekingese In Snow

🐶 As It Should Be…

This is too precious. His wife is a definite keeper.

https://people.com/groom-surprised-by-dog-during-first-look-ahead-of-wedding-8680685

📢 Quotes of the Week

My past has not defined me, destroyed me, deterred me, or defeated me; it has only strengthened me. – Steve Maraboli

Fear imprisons, faith liberates; fear paralyzes, faith empowers; fear disheartens, faith encourages; fear sickens, faith heals; fear makes useless, faith makes serviceable – and, most of all, fear puts hopelessness at the heart of life, while faith rejoices in its God. – Henry Emerson Fosdick

Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one’s potential. – Bruce Lee

For most of us the problem isn’t that we aim too high and fail – it’s just the opposite – we aim too low and succeed. – Sir Ken Robinson

I did come for the flying squirrel, but I want to stay for something more. – Whitney Thore, My Big Fat Fabulous Life

There is only one question to ask yourself: What would you do if you were not afraid? – Unknown

🚶🏽‍♀️ On the Beaten Path…

Enjoy your weekend, whether in the sun or in the air con, then join me on Monday for soap and a cringeworthy Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay using sunscreen (yeah, I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again), and stay not policing people’s speech or perspectives, but fighting against discrimination.