Tag Archives: Walking Dead

Jan27

January 26, 2024 – Sprina’s First Day In Paris, Side Gig, He’s Serious, Random Wives, VanderComeback, Too Soon For Awful, Trailer For Ones, Puppy (!) Party, Practically 10 Quotes & Key

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Paris, France. Trina and Spencer are shown to their hotel room, and Trina says she didn’t think anything could be nicer than their hotel room in New York, but this… They’re literally on the Sienne. It’s incredible. (A slight exaggeration. They dressed up a decent room with champagne bucket and a bunch of peonies.) He says, she’s incredible. He thought they deserved the very best to welcome them to the next chapter of their lives. They kiss.

At the hospital, Chase tells Jordan that they pulled Esme’s credit card records. There was a bus ticket bought yesterday, destination Toronto. She says, any stops along the way? but he says, straight shot. If Esme’s hiding out at her former nanny’s, they have the address of where to find her.

Anna runs over to Laura and says she just heard about Kevin. How’s he doing? Laura says, he’s stable. He’s in and out of consciousness right now, but they’re doing more tests. Anna tells her to hang in there, and she says she is. Anna says, he’s so strong; he’ll pull through this. Laura thanks her, and Anna says she wishes she could do more than give her just words. Laura says she thinks Anna can. She can come back to the PCPD.

Nina sits at Charlie’s looking at The Invader headline: A CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT CRIMSON; NINA REEVES OUT, CARLY SPENCER IN. Ava calls, but she doesn’t answer.

Ava leaves a message asking Nina what she’s seeing in The Invader. Call her. She’s worried about her. Sonny asks who she’s talking to, and Ava says, Nina’s voicemail. Has he seen this? She shows him her tablet, and he says he hasn’t read the article, but he knows there’s a transition. She says, a transition. Otherwise known as an ousting. He asks if that surprises her after what Nina did to Carly and Drew. She says, even so, someone has to check up on her. She’s not picking up. Is that a problem for him? He says, Brick is on his way up here with an update, and she asks if he’s learned anything about the threats against her. He says, the sooner they can stop this, the sooner they can end this living arrangement they have.

At the courthouse, Martin apologizes for his late arrival. Miss McCall was keeping him apprised of her investigation. Finn asks how that’s going, and Elizabeth asks if she found anything that could help the case. Sam says, it’s going, and yes, she did.

Brick knocks on the penthouse door, and Sonny says, it’s good to see him. Brick says, it’s always good to be seen. He asks Ava, how’s everything? and she says, fine. She asks if he’d care for an espresso, but he says, no thank you, and Sonny asks him to have a seat. Brick says, unfortunately, he has to keep this brief. He has a meeting this afternoon. Sonny says, as long as he’s caught up, Brick can make it as brief as he wants. He looks at Ava, and Ava says, if he’s waiting for her to make herself scarce, that’s not going to happen. This concerns her. He says he knows that, but as soon as it becomes business, leave, and she says, okay. They sit, and Sonny says, fill him in. Brick says he couldn’t pull any prints off the photograph or notes sent to Ava, but he was able to trace the weapon. It was part of a set of unmarked weapons from the Bureau… Yeah, he knows. Ava asks, what’s the significance of the gun being stolen from the WSB? and Sonny says, it means it’s connected to the rifle that shot at him a year ago at the MetroCourt pool.

Sam says she was able to access Muldoon’s EZ-Pass records and cross-reference them with the security cameras from the gas station across the street from the oncologist’s office. Elizabth says, tell them there was something on that footage, and Sam says, a big something. Muldoon entering the medical pavilion long before his meeting with Finn. Gregory says, there they have it. Proof that he was being treated for cancer. Martin says, maybe, but unfortunately, it’s circumstantial, and Finn says, it’s a medical pavilion. There must be dozens of specialists working out of that building. Martin says, exactly. A dentist, and ENT and an allergist, just to name a few. Finn says, Muldoon could have been going to see any one of them, but Gregory says, he wasn’t. He was there to see the oncologist. Finn asks how they prove that, and Martin says, that’s the number one question. The second being, if he was being treated by that oncologist, why wouldn’t he tell Finn that? Elizabeth says, it doesn’t make any sense, and Sam says she has one more lead to follow up on. If she gets results, she’ll be in touch ASAP. Finn says he really appreciates it, and Sam tells him, good luck, and leaves. Martin says, shall we? and Finn says, no time like the present. Let’s do this.

Spencer asks the bellhop for a converter because his phone died, and the bellhop leaves. Trina says, that accent is to die for, and Spencer says, mine or his? She says, his. Spencer’s is decent though. Spencer says, moi? Blah-blah-blah Française? (I took two years of French and still know nothing but how Jean Paul and Pierre pack a suitcase and how to curse someone out.) She says, mais oui, and that’s about as much as she knows. Thank God for the translator app though. He says she doesn’t have to rely on a translator app. He’s happy to give her French lessons. She says, he’s going to teach her, huh? and he clicks on the remote, turning on some music. He says, to start, and speaks French like Gomez Addams as he kisses her neck. They work their way over to the bed and get busy.

Jordan asks if the Toronto authorities have been notified, and Chase says, they have, but there’s another way. Dante has met Esme’s former nanny. They can reach out to her. Keep things nice and clean. That is, if the department can spare them. She says, absolutely. She’ll make arrangements with their superior. She does know it’s his brother’s trial today, so if he wants her to send someone else with Dante… He says he’ll go, and she asks if he’s sure. He says, Finn understands that this is important. She says, okay. Good luck and keep her posted. He says, copy that, and leaves.

Laura says, Anna looks shocked, and Anna says, because she is. Laura says, the PCPD has been without an active Commissioner for months now. It’s been chaotic and confusing. It may even be part of the reason Esme was able to slip between the cracks. (Huh?) Anna says she thought Mac was doing an excellent job, and Laura says, he is, but not only has he made it very clear he’s not interested in the position full-time. He’s been out of the country for she doesn’t even know how long now. The department needs stability and Anna could provide that. Anna says, Laura… but Laura says, just hear her out. Next to Jordan, who’s made it very clear to her that she’s happy in her new role as the Deputy Mayor, Anna is the next, most qualified candidate. Anna says, and the most controversial. Forget about her public humiliation. What about what happened with Laura’s granddaughter? Laura says she doesn’t blame Anna for that, and Anna says she shot a child. Laura says, but she was being manipulated by her former director, Brennan. And on top of that, Valentin chose to keep her completely in the dark about what was going on with Charlotte. This was a horrible accident, but it’s one that doesn’t change the fact that she believes Port Charles would be safer under Anna’s leadership. Jordan comes over and says, and for what it’s worth (🍷), she agrees 1000%. Anna says, they have no idea what this means to her, but she’s sorry. She can’t. What happened with Charlotte makes her feel like she’s not ready. She doesn’t deserve the badge. Laura says she understands what Anna is going through, but she’s asking Anna to take some time to consider this offer. Laura sees Portia coming their way, and asks if she’s heard anything about Doc. Is he going to be okay?

The bailiff says, all rise. The honorable Judge Arnold presiding. The judge tells them, be seated, and Elizabeth mouths I love you to Finn, who winks at her.

Portia says she just spoke with Doc’s doctors and they’re still running some tests, but they’re cautiously optimistic that his prognosis will be good. She’ll know more when he wakes up. Laura says, thank God, and Portia says, if Laura hadn’t found him when she did, this could be an entirely different conversation. Laura says she doesn’t want to think about that, and thanks Portia for keeping her in the loop. Portia says, of course (🍷), and Anna says, that’s great news, hugging Laura. She’s sorry. She’s late for a phlebotomy treatment, so she has to go. She’ll catch up with Laura later. She says goodbye to them and leaves. Jordan says she has to go as well, but asks Laura to let her know if she needs anything. They hug and Jordan says she’s really glad Doc is going to be okay. She leaves, and Portia asks if Laura has heard from Spencer at all. Laura says she hasn’t. She’s a little surprised since she thinks she may have sounded a little frantic in her message, but maybe his plane hasn’t landed yet. Portia says she tracked the flight; it landed. Maybe she should call Trina again. Laura says, don’t bother. Esme is in Canada and Doc is out of the woods. Spencer will call her when he calls her. Let them have a good time. Portia says, they’re in Paris. How could they not be?

Basking in the afterglow, Trina kisses Spencer, and he says, champagne toast? He gets out of bed and takes out the bottle of champagne. He says, it’s a good year, and starts to unwrap the foil, when the bellhop walks in. They don’t knock in Paris?

Diane says, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the name Hamilton Finn – Dr. Hamilton Finn – may be all over the docket in this case, but make no mistake, the story belongs to Dennis Muldoon, deceased husband of the plaintiff. You’re going to hear how Dennis Muldoon sought the help of a trusted doctor in his time of need, and how that doctor, through sheer negligence, failed to order a test which could have caught the cancer in time. This story is by no means uncommon. Medical practitioners make mistakes all the time. Which is why it is of the upmost importance that we hold them accountable. Not just for the error itself, but for the birthdays, weddings, graduations, everything that Dennis Muldoon will now sadly, tragically have to miss. She indicates the grieving widow.

Martin says, I can, and will, prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Dr. Hamilton Finn did encourage Dennis Muldoon to follow up with further testing, and that far from being in error with medical negligence, this was an error of personal responsibility… as tragic as that may be.

Ava asks if they’re saying the same person that killed Austin shot Curtis, and Brick says, in a botched attempt to assassinate Sonny. Sonny asks if Brick thinks this theory has anything to do with the anonymous bid on Windymere. Can Ava do him a favor? Can she give Brick all the information she has? She says, on the shell corporation. She doesn’t have much, but she’ll get what she has. She leaves, and Sonny says he wants Brick to coordinate with Dex as far as stepping up surveillance. Brick says, all the usual suspects? and Sonny says, Carly, the kids, Olivia, and now Ava because she’s in the middle of all this. Brick says he’s on it, but he doesn’t have a question. Does Nina get added to that list?

Sitting with Nina, Valentin asks if she’s all right, and she says she’s pretty sure she lost her husband and her daughter. And the final kicker is, Drew and Carly want to take everything else from her too. He says, otherwise okay? and she laughs. She says she brought it on herself, right? At least that’s what everyone tells her. He says, she may be down, but at least she’s not down for the count. So what’s the plan? She says, for what? and he says, for taking back what’s yours.

Averting his eyes, the bellhop tells Spencer that he’s very sorry. He knocked on the door and there was no answer. He assumed they’d stepped out. He holds out a bag, and Spencer takes it, thanking him. The bellhop says, his converter, and leaves. Trina says, if he’d shown up a few minutes earlier, he would have gotten quite the show. She asks for his phone to charge it, and tells him to open up the champagne. He asks if she heard the bellhop knock, and she says, in all fairness, they could have put up the Do Not Disturb sign. He says, that would have kind of killed the romantic flow, and she says, option A, take a two-second break from making out, or option B, getting caught by the bellhop in your underwear. He says, fine. Next time, they’ll put up the Do Not Disturb sign. She says, there’s going to be a next time? and he says, oh yeah. And a next time, and a next time, and a next time… He kisses her with each next time. He sees the turtle dove sticking out of her purse, and he says, she brought it with her? She says, there might be weekends where he’s going to be back home, and she’ll be here. It’ll be like they’re still together. That’s what this thing is for, isn’t it? He says, it sure is. That’s pretty cute. He takes the other turtle dove out of his bag, and she says, he has his with him. He says he takes it with him everywhere he goes. Once he gets his apartment here, it will have a permanent place on his bedside table. He kisses her and his phone dings. He looks at it and says, his grandmother left him a voicemail.

Brick says he doesn’t mean to bring up a tough subject, but he doesn’t know where Sonny and Nina stand right now. Sonny says, she’s his wife legally, so she’s going to be a potential target, and Brick says he’ll make sure to keep eyes on her. Ava comes back and says she made copies for Brick. This is it. She gives him a folder, and Brick says he’ll look into it. He tells Sonny to let him know if he needs anything, they shake hands, and Brick leaves. Ava asks how seriously she needs to take this. Stay vigilant or complete lockdown? He says, they’re not there yet, and she says, thank God. Because nothing good can come of them stuck in this penthouse. On that note, what does he say they get out of here?

Nina asks if Valentin thinks she has a leg to stand on, and he says he thinks she has two gorgeous legs to stand on. (BA-DUM-CHH!) She’s Nina Reeves for God’s sake. She built Crimson into the empire it is today. He can’t imagine her advertisers and top designers are thrilled with what Drew has decided. She says, it doesn’t matter, but he says, of course (🍷) it matters. She says she doesn’t have any recourse, and he says, how about if she gives him a number. How much would it cost to create a rival publication and poach every top staffer at Crimson that would give Drew and Carly a fighting chance at success?

Diane asks Mrs. Muldoon if she ever got a sense that there were any health concerns prior to this diagnosis, but Mrs. Muldoon says, no. They were shocked when they learned he had Stage IV cancer. He seemed totally fine. It’s like they blinked, and he was gone. Diane says, the doctors who took care of her husband in hospice, were they able to provide any insight? and she says, they told her any physician who would have run even the most basic tests would have seen the cancer. If only someone had. She looks at Finn and says, a few months would have made the difference. Her children would still have a father. Martin says, objection, your honor. That calls for speculation. Diane says, Mrs. Muldoon’s testimony will be corroborated by Dennis Muldoon’s oncologist, but Judge Arnold says, then they’ll hear it when he or she takes the stand. Sustained. Diane says, no further questions, and the judge says, Martin’s witness. Martin says he’d just like to start by saying how sorry they all are for her loss. She thanks him, and he says he’d just like to know one thing. Was she there when her husband met with Dr. Hamilton Finn, when he was told he needed to go for further testing? She says, no, she was not, and he says, so her opinion on Dr. Finn’s urgency, or lack thereof, is based solely on how her husband described it to her. She says, yes, but… and he says, thank you. That’s all. No further questions. The judge says, she may step down, and Mrs. Muldoon leaves the stand. Gregory whispers, that’s it? to Martin, and Martin says, no one ever won a civil trial by ripping the grieving widow to shreds on the witness stand. The jury is right there. She has her story, we have ours. Diane says she’d like to call Dr. Hamilton Finn to the stand.

Laura puts Spencer on speaker and thanks him for calling her back. He says, of course (🍷). What’s going on? She says she has good news on both fronts. First of all, Doc is going to be okay. He says, thank God, and she says, and they’ve tracked Esme to Canada. The authorities there have the address where she’s staying, and Chase and Dante are on their way there right now. He asks what she needs from him, but she says, nothing. Just stay right where he is. She’s sort of comforted by the knowledge that there’s an entire ocean between him and Esme at the moment. Portia says, Laura is right. They’re far safer there than they would be here in Port Charles. Just let the police handle Esme. Spencer promises to look after Portia’s daughter, and she says she’s going to hold him to that. She asks for Trina, and Trina says, hey. Portia says she wants Trina to be safe. She loves her. Trina says she loves Portia too, and she will. Laura says she’ll keep them posted if she hears anything, and Spencer says, sounds good.

Nina says she didn’t agree to have lunch with Valentin to take his money, but he says she wouldn’t be taking it. He’d be investing it – in her. With her prowess, and the help of her editors and advertisers, he thinks any new publication she launched would bury anything Drew and Carly could cook up at Crimson. They don’t know publishing and she does. Sometimes the best revenge is good business. She says, if she does this… He says, she’s considering it, and she says, maybe. If she does this, this war with Carly will only escalate until one of them surrenders. He lifts his glass and says, to it not being you. They clink glasses, when Sonny walks in with Ava.

Brick says, he’s got to admit, he didn’t think the hospital is where his meeting with Jordan would take place, and she says, if he gives her something she can use, maybe she’ll give him an upgrade. He says he can dream, and she asks if he traced the number that called her. He says he went through some backchannels, which he’s guessing is why she reached out to him in the first place. The call came from a burner phone, one of those prepaid deals you can get it at any gas station. She says, so it wasn’t registered, and he says, hold on. The phone pinged a cell tower a stone’s throw away from Pentenville the night the call came in. No residents or roads nearby. She says, Pentenville, and he says, they know better than anyone how to smuggle phones in. She thanks him, and he says, no sweat. He starts to leave, but comes back and says he hasn’t lost her number. He hopes she’s not going to lose his. She rolls her eyes as he leaves.

Diane asks how long Finn has been a department head at General Hospital, and he says, seven years and eleven months. She says, that’s a long time. And in that time, he found a cure for Blackwood’s disease, which was ravaging certain oceanic regions. Is she correct? Finn says, that is correct, and she says, that’s quite a feat, to use deductive reasoning and applied science to find a cure. Finn says, it’s part of the job, and she says, it is. So what went wrong on the day Dennis Muldoon came to visit him? Martin says, objection, and Diane says she’ll rephrase. How did Finn not catch the Stage IV cancer that other doctors insist would have been blatantly obvious at that time? Finn says he’s an infectious disease specialist. Mr. Muldoon came to see him for treatment for a tapeworm, which he had. However, Finn knew something else was wrong, so he suggested Muldoon have some more tests run. Diane asks if there was any urgency to this suggestion, a bit of a warning that he might be dealing with something more serious, perhaps life threatening. Finn says he recommended Muldoon have further tests run. He doesn’t recall the level to which he stressed urgency. Diane says, so it’s his contention that another infectious disease specialist couldn’t have deduced that cancer was at play, but Finn says he can’t speculate on other doctors, and her statement does not equate to malpractice. Diane says, even if he wasn’t at the top of his game, shall they say? and he says he doesn’t know what that means. She asks if he was suspended from General Hospital six years ago, and Finn says he was. She says, care to tell the court why? and Martin says, objection. Medical privacy. Diane says, withdrawn. Would Finn agree that a doctor at the top of his game could have suspected cancer? Could have ordered the proper tests and could have conveyed to Mr. Muldoon the gravity of his situation? Finn tells her, like he said he can’t speculate… She says, yes or no will suffice, and he says, the expectation that a doctor in another field could immediately catch everything wrong with a patient is not only unreasonable, it’s completely absurd. He did what needed to be done on the day. (Apparently, Finn forgot the number one rule here.) Diane says, just what needed to be done, and Finn tells her, that’s not what he said. She says, no further questions. Martin asks if Finn ever told Dennis Muldoon that a tapeworm wasn’t the only cause of his symptoms, and Finn says, no. Martin says, and did he in fact advise Muldoon that further tests were necessary to achieve an accurate diagnosis, and Finn says, yes. Martin asks if he took that advice, and Finn says, no, he did not. Martin says, so conveyed urgency aside, does he as a physician have the authority to compel a patient to undergo a test they do not wish to have done? and Finn says, no, he doesn’t. Martin says, no further questions, and Judge Arnold says, Finn can step down. Finn goes back to his seat, and Elizabeth says she thought Martin told them that Diane would talk about Finn’s past drug use, but Martin says, she didn’t have to. She did more damage by hanging it in the window. Finn says, and she knows it, and Martin says, up to this point, he’s kept his questioning brief because he honestly believes the facts are on Finn’s side in this case. But he has to be honest. That little tit for tat with Miss Miller just now? He doesn’t think Finn did himself any favors.

Diane thanks a doctor on the stand for his input and expertise, and says, the prosecution rests. The judge calls for a brief recess and says, court will resume at 1:45. The bailiff says, all rise, the judge leaves, and the bailiff says, the jury is excused. Sam comes in and asks how it’s going. Martin says, all is not lost, but he’s not going to lie. He could use some more help. Sam says she did some more digging and found out that several debt collectors have placed liens on the Muldoons. Finn takes an envelope from her and looks at the paperwork. He says, it looks like their house is about to be foreclosed on. Elizabeth says she thought they were wealthy, but Sam says, they’ve been cash poor for a while now. Gregory says he’s sure cancer can get expensive, and Sam says, this has actually been going on for a while. The Muldoons were heavily invested in Aurora. When the stocks went down, they pretty much lost everything. Finn says, that was eighteen months ago. Soap looks all around.

Jordan sees Anna and asks if her phlebotomy went okay, and Anna says, everything’s fine. What’s going on? Jordan says she traced the number for the source who called about the unmarked gun, and Anna asks if she has a lead on who shot Curtis. Jordan says, Sonny may have been the intended target, but she thinks Anna is still connected to this as well.

Nina tells Sonny that she heard about Ace. Is Spencer okay? He says, that’s none of her business (harsh!), and keeps walking. Ava says she got Nina’s voicemail. She’s so sorry to hear about Crimson. Call her when she gets a chance, and they’ll talk. Nina starts to respond, but Ava joins Sonny, and Nina goes back to her table. Valentin asks if she wants to go somewhere else, but she says, Phyllis told her that she’s always welcome here. She won’t be run off with her tail between her legs. He says his offer still stands. What does she say? She tells him that she says the two of them have a bad habit of bringing out the worst in each other.

Portia says she’s got some good news, and Laura says, that’s her favorite kind. Portia says, the doctors think that Doc should be waking up very soon. They’re going to be moving him to his room and Laura should be able to see him shortly after that. Laura cries and thanks her, and Portia says, Doc’s going to be okay. The kids are safe. They’re lucky, all things considered. Laura says she agrees, but if she could only stop blaming herself. Portia says, blaming herself for what? and Laura says, Esme. She knew what Esme was capable of, but Esme is her husband’s niece, she’s the mother of her grandchild. She thinks she just wanted so badly to see the good in Esme, she let it blind her to all the horrible things Esme has done that she never paid for. She did awful things to Portia’s daughter. Portia must be so angry with her.

Spencer tells Trina that he wishes he could say he was wrong, that Esme hadn’t gotten her memory back and that Ace could still be safe with her. But he guesses he did the right thing giving Ace to his father. If anyone has a knack for disappearing, it’s him. There’s no way Esme’s going to… Trina is preoccupied with her phone, and he asks what she’s doing. She says, there’s a flight back to New York in two hours. He can make it before midnight. He says, she’s telling him this because… and she says, Doc just got attacked and his brother is in danger. She appreciates him coming with her, but his family needs him now.

Sam says, looks like Muldoon has been trying to stop the bleeding for months. He even cashed out a life insurance policy to pay his bills. Martin says, before or after he saw an oncologist? and Sam says, before. Martin says, thanks to Sam, they now have one hell of a theory to present to the court, and Elizabeth says, Muldoon came to Finn on purpose. The whole malpractice suit… Finn says, it was part of his plan. Muldoon set him up.

I called it at the beginning. And I have receipts! Proof! Timelines! Screenshots! Not really. Just one message to a fellow GH watcher, but I called it pretty early on.

Spencer says, Trina heard his grandmother. Doc is on the mend, and Esme’s in Canada, and the police are on her trail. Trina says, and if any of that changes? and Spencer says, then he’ll get on a plane and go home, but she heard him promise her mother that he’d look after her, and they both know he’s on her hit list. So he thinks it’s best he keeps his word. She asks if he’s sure. Don’t stay for her. He says, of course (🍷) he’s going to stay for her. And for him, for them. Now is she ready for the best weekend of her life? She says, so ready, and he says, very good answer. He kisses her and pops the champagne cork. They kiss some more.

Portia asks why she would be angry with Laura, and Laura says, at the very least, Portia must think she’s naïve. Portia says she thinks Esme is that good of a liar, and Laura says, except Portia never believed it. Portia says she never truly bought into the idea that Esme had changed (more history revision!), but she thinks it’s a little different with her. Laura asks, why is that? and Portia says, because Esme hurt Trina in a very specific, targeted, vindictive way. It’s hard to see your child suffer like that. It leaves a mark. Laura says she’s so sorry, but Portia says, she doesn’t have to be. There’s nothing wrong with hoping someone can change, if and when they take accountability for their actions, but Esme never took accountability for anything. So right now, there’s only one path forward for her. Laura says, absolutely. Agreed. Esme must be found. Esme must be brought to trial for the things she’s done.

Toronto, Canada. Dante and Chase arrive at an apartment, where a Canadian officer stands outside the door. Dante introduces himself and Chase, and the officer says, they were told the detectives were coming. Chase says, any updates? and the officer says, they’ve been monitoring the apartment for 24 hours. No one matching the nanny’s or Prince’s description has exited. Dante says, it’s still occupied? and the officer nods. Dante thanks him for holding off while they waited for him and Chase. There’s going to be trouble. The officer knocks at the door, and Chase and Dante put their hands on their guns.

Nina says she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t tempted by Valentin’s offer, and he says, but? She says, but she has to try and control these impulses she has if she’s going to have any hope of salvaging a relationship with Willow. He says, okay, but if she changes her mind… She says she knows where to find him, and he says, they have a long history of twisting themselves in knots, pretending they’re something they aren’t for other people. She doesn’t have to do that with him. He’s on her side, no matter what. She puts her hand on his and thanks him. Sonny watches.

Sonny tells Ava that he was thinking, and she says, uh-oh. He says, there’s still a threat out there against Ava. Esme’s on the run. Maybe she should spend some time on his island. She says, the gallery is being refreshed this week. She supposes there are worse places to stay vigilant. He says he and Dex will get her settled in and make sure she’s protected. She says, okay. Because going to Puerto Rico is all about her and her safety, right? He asks, what else would it be about? and she says, maybe getting as far away from Nina as possible.

Anna says, so the call that attempted to give Jordan information on the gun came from Pentenville? and Jordan says she’s been looking into this for months and gotten nowhere. Dead end after dead end. So what’s changed in the past few weeks? Who’s new to Pentenville and knew about a shipment of unmarked guns meant to be in the Bureau’s possession? She knew she recognized that voice from somewhere, but she couldn’t put her finger on it until she overheard Anna and Laura talking. Anna says, the person who called Jordan was John Brennan.

On Monday, Portia tells Curtis that she never wants to worry about Esme Prince again; Martin tells Diane that he’d like to add someone to the witness list; and Tracy comes to the courtroom, saying that they should make the fraud public record.

👬🏻 Whole Different Brother…

It’s great how the cast is given wiggle room to do other projects. A happy employee is more likely to stick around.

Nicholas Chavez’s Temporary Exit from GENERAL HOSPITAL Detailed

💻 Not Kidding…

It’s awful how scammers get away with this stuff, but it’s also shocking to see how many people fall for it. One rule of thumb is, if you’re a 2 and they’re a 10, and you don’t know each other personally IRL, it’s not happening.

Scott Clifton Shares a Serious Warning for Soap Fans

💎 Diamonds In the Rough…

Hey, she did finally get that second date.

Sutton Stracke’s Dating Dos and Don’ts

We’ve all been there. The one that just doesn’t go as planned.

Denise Richards Admits RHOBH Comeback Went ‘Sideways’

This one’s diamond should be repossessed.

Why Annemarie Will Probably Regret Becoming a Housewife

🍸 Back To the Rules…

Here’s a thought. If the rest of the cast doesn’t want to film with them, replace them. Or just work with two fewer cast members. People thought Charlie Sheen and Roseanne couldn’t be replaced either.

Season 11 Could Make or Break Vanderpump Rules

🏊‍♀️ Awful Summer People Return…

How is this back already? It might be worth watching for the big break-up though.

Everything We Know About Summer House Season 8

⚰️ Dead Coming Soon…

The final trailer for The Ones Who Live.

https://people.com/the-walking-dead-the-ones-who-live-trailer-rick-and-michonne-search-broken-world-8550132

🐕 Bowling At Home…

You, too, can be host of your own Puppy Bowl.

https://be.chewy.com/how-to-throw-a-puppy-bowl-party/

https://www.dogtv.com/blog/how-to-throw-a-puppy-bowl-party-dogtvs-guide-to-tail-gating

https://wearwagrepeat.com/puppy-bowl-party/

🎋 Quotes of the Week

I’m not Dr. Phil. – Judge Marilyn Milian, People’s Court

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a manner that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. – Indian Proverb

What I’ve experienced is that I can’t know the future. I can’t know if anything that I do will change what happens tomorrow. I can’t know with certainty, but what I do know is if I do nothing, nothing will change. – James Orbinski (Now if I could just figure out what the something is…)

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. – Leo Buscaglia

The healthy being craves an occasional wildness, a jolt from normality, a sharpening of the edge of appetite, his own little festival of Saturnalia, a brief excursion from his way of life. – Robert MacIver

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. – Mae West

Peace is not absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means. – Ronald Reagan

If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. – Bruce Lee

The best way to learn how to enjoy life is from a dog. – Nils Sandmann

🪗 Making My Own Kind Of Music…

Come back on Monday really Tuesday for soap and whatever the future holds. Until then, stay safe, stay parking between the lines, and stay remembering that sometimes the best revenge is good business.

Jan13

January 12, 2024 – Sonny Tests Dex’s Loyalty, Return Reveal, Supporters, A Legend Remembered, Absurd, Competent, No Drama, Next Us, The Ones, After, Bowling Pups, X Quotes & Dry

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Ava walks into the gallery and Nikolas says, good morning. She says, not anymore, it isn’t, and he asks if she’s sent out the invites to her little party yet. She says, nope, and he says, they agreed she’d throw a party and invite Esme. Ava says, Esme’s partying days are over. At least for now. She’s in jail. You’re welcome.

Spencer meets Esme in the interrogation room, and she asks if Ace is okay. Did he miss her? Did he sleep? Spencer says, Ace is okay. Of course (🍷) he missed her, but they were able to keep him preoccupied until he fell asleep. He’s comfortable at Laura’s place. After all, it was his first home. She says she doesn’t want him upset, but he says, it seems like she’s the one who’s upset right now. Did she sleep? She says, of course (🍷) not. She was too keyed up about the hearing today. He says he gets it. Facing prison time is frightening. She says, of course (🍷) he gets it; he’s done this himself. She’s not worried so much about her. She’s just worried about what will happen to her son.

Portia is snoozing with her head on Curtis’s hospital bed, when Curtis wakes up. He asks how he did, and she says, flying colors. One for the record books. Stella comes in with coffee and says, look who’s up… again. Curtis says he was up before? and Stella says, yes, and he promised to buy her a new car. He says he has no recollection of that, and Portia says, nice try. He’s been in and out, but that’s to be expected, and he seems fully conscious now. He says he’s slept enough and he’s ready to take on the day. Stella says, time to spread the good news.

Josslyn asks where Trina is off to, and Trina says, GH to see about Curtis. Is she okay? What’s going on? Josslyn says she’s just second-guessing herself. She told the RA about Adam. He was just so drunk on New Year’s Eve and so upset about his parents possibly pulling him out of PCU. She just wants to help. Trina says, Josslyn doesn’t have to justify it to her. Josslyn says, Dex thinks Adam’s emotional problems are too big for her to handle by herself. She agrees, but she still feels like she ratted him out. Trina’s phone rings, and she asks Stella if everything is okay… Really?… Okay. She’s on her way. Josslyn asks, is everything okay? and Trina says, everything’s great. Curtis is awake.

Diane meets Robert at the PC Grill, and he says he’s so sorry about last night, but she says she completely understands. She’s just curious as to who or what was enticing enough to lure him away from what would have been a wonderful evening. He says, Sonny Corinthos.

Sonny and Dex walk into Sonny’s office at Pozzulo’s, and Sonny says, anything? Frank says, crib’s clean, and runs a device over Dex. Dex asks, what’s wrong? Did they find a bug? Sonny says he’s just being careful, and Frank says, he’s clean. Frank leaves, and Sonny says, he and Dex need to have a conversation. Once they do, it does not leave this office. They sit down, and Dex says, understood. Sonny says he needs Dex to do something important for him. It’s sort of a crucial test, and once Dex does this for him, there’s no looking back.

Josslyn hugs Trina and says she’s so glad Curtis is awake. Trina must be so relieved. Trina says, Josslyn has no idea. Is she going to be okay, or does she need to talk some more? Josslyn says she’s good. Go see Curtis… Trina’s dad she means. Trina laughs and says, that’s okay. She trips up all the time. (Hey, what happened to Taggert anyway?) Trina tells Josslyn not to beat herself up for talking to Kylie. Adam is really lucky to have a friend who cares so much. Josslyn says, thanks, and Trina opens the door. Adam is there, and she says she was just on her way out. She leaves, and Josslyn invites Adam in. He says he was surprised to get her text. He figured after New Year’s, she wouldn’t want to talk to him again. He was wrecked. It turns out frat parties aren’t his vibe. She says she was really worried about him. Has he heard from his parents, or have they said anything more about him leaving school? He says, they really want him back home, but he’d rather be anywhere but there. She says she knows problems with parents can be tough, but they’re not insurmountable. He says he gets that she’s being kind and tactful. He knows he should stand up for himself, but he’s just not strong enough.

Deanna tells Curtis that everything looks good. Just buzz if he needs anything. They all thank her, she says, of course (🍷), and leaves. Portia says, Dr. Martel came by earlier and should be back a little bit later, but he said the surgery went very well. No surprises, no complications, and he says it’s looking very positive. Curtis says, that’s good to hear. Now they just wait for the swelling to go down and maybe he can dunk a ball again. Stella says, big talk. She’s glad she’s here and not TJ. She knows he’d have something to say about that. Does Curtis want them to call his dad and tell him that he’s awake? Portia says, they probably should, right? but Curtis says, not if it means waking him up. Let him rest. Portia should get some rest too. Portia says she’s fine. She’s fresh as a daisy. He says, and twice as beautiful.

Esme asks if Spencer saw Ace this morning. She normally feeds him and gets him ready for daycare. Spencer says he fed Ace, and she says, he’s going to be so confused. His whole schedule is off. Spencer says, he’s fine, but she says, he won’t be if she disappears from his life. Growing up without a mother is awful. Isn’t that what Spencer told her? He says, Ace isn’t growing up without her. He’s not. She’s a good mother. She says, does he really mean that? and he says, yes, but he’s got to ask. Why would she sacrifice his safety and security so she could break into Windymere of all places? Why did she go there on Christmas?

Nikolas says, why insist on pressing charges against Esme? and Ava says, because the opportunity to right a wrong presented itself. Esme should already be serving a very long sentence for what she did to Trina and to Josslyn and to Cameron. In an hour, she’s going down to the courthouse and watch their judicial system in action. He says, so Esme’s hearing is today, and she say she wishes she could bring popcorn. Nikolas suddenly jets, and Nina calls Ava’s name. She comes in the back way and asks if Ava is with a customer. She thought she heard her talking to someone. Ava says she was on the phone. She’s been trying to reach Nina. What happened after New Year’s Eve? How did Sonny find out it was her who went to the SEC? Nina says, Sonny told Ava, but Ava says, he hasn’t said a word, and she thought it best to just stay out of his way. When Sonny feels betrayed, he’s downright dangerous.

Sonny says, Dex is aware of his legal troubles. Cyrus brought cops into a situation that should just have been between them. He seriously miscalculated. Dex says, in what way? and Sonny says, the only thing Dex needs to know is, things are going to change around here. He needs to go back to focusing on the business. He hasn’t been doing that lately. Cyrus was released from prison, and now he’s causing trouble – again. Dex asks if Sonny wants to suspend business until after his trial, but Sonny says, there’s not going to be a trial. That’s where Dex comes in. Dex has to take care of Cyrus for him. Dex says, to keep him from testifying? Does Sonny want him to scare Cyrus? Sonny says, to death.

Josslyn hands Adam something to drink, and he says, thanks, but she didn’t ask him over here to check his hydration, did she? She says, he’s right. She didn’t. And what he said about not being strong enough to talk to his parents? She thinks he can. He needs to tell them what’s going on with him. But when she said that he should talk to someone, she didn’t mean just her. There’s a knock at the door, and she says she went to someone for help. She opens the door to RA Kylie, and Adam says, she’s a snitch.

Nina says she’s guessing Sonny doesn’t know that Ava’s the one who encouraged her to turn in Carly and Drew, and Ava says, what? They’ve been over this. She did not encourage Nina and Nina knows it. She was just calling Nina’s bluff to make her see reason. She wasn’t supposed to actually go through with it, which Nina did without her knowledge and involvement. But Sonny doesn’t know she knew it was Nina. She doesn’t think she’d be staying at his penthouse if he did. She and Sonny have reached a place where they can almost trust each other for Avery’s sake. Nina says, don’t worry. She’s not going to put Ava in the middle of this. She’s afraid Sonny hates her now and she’s just going to have to deal with it on her own. Ava says she doesn’t think Sonny hates Nina. He just goes to a dark place when he’s hurt. And you know what they say; hurt people hurt people. Nina says her earth shattered when Sonny slammed the door in her face, and Ava says she’s sure it was painful, but she’s talking about Cyrus Renault. Nina says, what about him? and Ava says, she doesn’t know? Cyrus is in the hospital. Sonny beat him almost to death.

Trina says she’s so happy to see Curtis and runs to the bed to hug him. He says he’s happy for the same, and she says, how is he? How is he feeling? He’s not in any pain, right? He says, no. Her beautiful mom and his doctor have his pain management under control. Enough about him. How about her? She’s back in school. Did she get the classes she wanted? Portia says, that and then some, and Trina gives her a look. Curtis says, okay, what did he miss? and Trina says she was accepted to study at the Sorbonne for a semester abroad. He says, that’s great. Paris, that’s wonderful, the Louvre, all the artwork. She’s going to be in heaven. Plus, Paris is beautiful in the fall. She says, the thing is, she was accepted to study for the spring semester, and he says, as in this spring? Why hasn’t she said anything? She says she found out over the holidays and thought she wasn’t going to go. Portia says, it’s just such a wonderful opportunity, and Stella says, the chance of a lifetime. Curtis says, it absolutely is. Why wouldn’t she? Trina says she just thought that right now wouldn’t be the right moment to be so far away, and he says, for him? She says, if he’d rather she stay, she totally understands. She wants to. He asks if Portia and Stella mind if he talks to his child, Stella says, absolutely, and she and Portia leave.

Spencer tells Esme, look at that. Coffee, something to eat. He puts it in front of her and says, the coffee’s terrible though. She says she’ll take the terrible coffee. She’s not hungry. She pushes the plate aside, and he says, she should eat something. She has a big day ahead of her. He sits down and asks if she’s going to tell him what she was thinking; why she broke into Windymere. She says she was lonely. They had Ace and she was confused about her life. Windymere was the last place she was before she lost her memory. He says, it sounds to him like she went looking for her old memories, and she says, so she can be the most hated person in Port Charles again? Sure. Why doesn’t she go back to a time when everyone was against her? He says, that’s really interesting because the old Esme had a persecution complex as well. Maybe she’s closer to her than she thinks. She says she doesn’t have to imagine much. Everyone has already told her how terrible the old Esme was. You know what they say about first impressions. Her first impression of her former self has been a lasting one. She really wants to be a good person, but he has no idea how hard it is. He says he gets it. He knows what it’s like to have people judge you for your past actions, but the bottom line is, he doesn’t want her to go to prison. He thinks that Ace is going to be a lot happier if she doesn’t go away. She asks if he’ll bring Ace to the courthouse. She already misses him so much. She needs to see her baby. Please. Will he do that for her?

In the hallway, Portia asks Stella if she just blew it, bringing up that news about Trina. He just woke up from his surgery… Stella says, take a breath. She wanted to give him some good news and this is good news. Portia says, it is good news, but she’s tired. She’s really not thinking straight. She just should have waited, that’s all. Stella says, it’s no wonder. They’ve all gone home to sleep, and she’s been by Curtis’s side since he went into surgery. She has to take care of herself. Curtis still has a long road ahead of him, and he’s going to need her to support him.

Curtis asks if Trina has accepted yet, and she says, not yet, but the deadline is approaching. She knows he’s going to tell her to go, but when she thinks about not being here when he gets back on his feet… He says, there’s no guarantee he will walk again, but she says she has faith. He’s one of the strongest people she knows, and she knows he’s going to do anything to get back on his feet. He says, whether he does or doesn’t, it’s not helping if she passes on this amazing opportunity. She should go. He’ll be here when she gets back. Not right here, but he’ll be here. Who knows? Maybe he’ll be on his feet in time to see her there in Paris. Unless he’d be cramping her style. Because he doesn’t want to interfere with her solo adventure. She says, actually, she won’t be solo. Spencer’s coming with her.

Nina asks if Cyrus went to Sonny, but Ava says she thinks it was a case of wrong place, wrong time. Sonny found out about Nina, he went to the church, and Cyrus showed up and said something that triggered him, and Sonny lost it. Nina says, at the church? It was Cyrus who told Sonny that she was the one who tipped off the SEC. Ava asks, how the hell did Cyrus know? and Nina says, because she was in church. She was confessing her sins to a priest, but it wasn’t a priest. It was Cyrus Renault. He knows everything. Ava says, he knew before Sonny knew. She can see why that might push Sonny over the edge. Nina says, bragging to Sonny when Sonny was at his lowest, he deserved whatever happened to him. At least now Cyrus doesn’t have anything that he’s holding over either one of them. Ava says, Cyrus went to the cops. Sonny is facing assault charges. Nina says, he was arrested? and Ava says, he’s out now, but he’s going to have to go to trial. Nina says, Diane will get him off, right? and Ava says, Diane is a very good lawyer, but Cyrus hates Sonny. He’s not going to let this go. And the PCPD has been trying to put Sonny behind bars for decades. They’re not going to miss this chance.

Diane says, Robert doesn’t want to appear overconfident. That’s going to make it all the more disappointing when her client walks, yet again. Robert says, these charges aren’t business as usual. Whatever it was that set Sonny off, he almost killed a man with his bare hands. He’s simply here to see that Sonny pays for it. She says, he’s unusually and unprofessionally gleeful about this, but she is a professional, so she’ll remind him that her client is innocent until proven guilty. This community loves Sonny Corinthos, an exceptional businessman, a wonderful father. Cyrus Renault on the other hand, is a career criminal with a rap sheet that stretches across Texas. She doesn’t know why he’s bothering to bring this to trial. Who’s the more credible witness here? He says, Cyrus Renault, he’s a criminal. Then again, so is Sonny. Diane says, well… and Robert says, the thing is, they now have DNA that puts Sonny at the scene of the crime, which is actually going to put him away, and there’s not a thing she can do about that.

Sonny says, Dex has always come through for him when he’s asked. Dex has proven his loyalty. Sonny thinks there’s just one final step. Dex does this for him, they’ll always have his back. He won’t have to ask for anything. He’ll always be there for Dex. Cyrus is an old man. Nobody’s going to be surprised when his heart gives out on him. Dex says he guesses that makes sense, and Sonny asks what he means. Does he have something on his mind? Dex says, it’s not his place, and Sonny says, it’s not, but it’s a big ask. So if Dex has something on his mind, go ahead and spit it out. Dex says, killing Cyrus Renault gets rid of the man, but it doesn’t necessarily get rid of the charges against Sonny. The DA might even up the charges from assault to manslaughter, saying that Renault died as a result of his injuries. Sonny says, Robert Scorpio can do whatever he wants, but his case is going to fall apart if Cyrus isn’t there. Nobody saw him at All Saints. There are no witnesses to testify against him. There are no cameras in the church. He wants to send a message – nobody crosses Sonny Corinthos. He wants people to remember that. Dex says he’s sure they will, but he’s concerned about Sonny. There’s DNA. He wasn’t wearing gloves; his knuckles are proof. Sonny says, that’s what he pays Diane for, because she can discredit any DNA evidence if she has to. Dex gets up, and Sonny asks if he’s satisfied, or does he have something else? Dex looks at Sonny and Sonny says, disappointing. He gets up and says, if he can’t ask Dex to do something for him, that means Dex doesn’t trust him, which means he can’t rely on Dex. He told Dex from the beginning that he needs loyal men by his side. Is he loyal or not?

Curtis says, Spencer cares a great deal about Trina. He’s going to give her his two cents. Spend it how she likes. He thinks Paris should be about her. It should be about figuring out who she is, and the woman she wants to become. It’s only a semester, right? And Spencer will be here when she gets back. Won’t he?

Spencer tells Esme, don’t worry. He’ll bring Ace to the courthouse. She thanks him and says she still doesn’t know what she’s going to do. Ava’s intent on throwing the book at her for what she supposedly did to Trina. He says, supposedly? and she says she doesn’t remember any of it. She’s not denying the things people have said the old Esme has done, but to go to jail for something she doesn’t remember doing, when she’s no longer that person? Even Trina didn’t want that. He says, that’s correct. Trina convinced them all that it wasn’t fair and that’s why Esme wasn’t charged. Esme says, and Trina said she did it for Ace, and she appreciates that, but Ava doesn’t see it that way. Why can’t she just let it go? Spencer says, Esme broke into Ava’s home and actions have consequences, and she tells him, says the person who’s skirted consequences his entire life. He says, she remembers, doesn’t she?

Adam says he can’t believe Josslyn would do this to him. How can she get him in trouble like this? She says she was just trying to get him some help, and Kylie says, he’s not in trouble. Josslyn did the right thing coming to her. It’s okay. They want to help him. Adam tells Josslyn that she had no right to say anything, but she says she knows he’s unhappy. All he does is study and push himself. He barely even goes out. He says, that’s because it’s all he’s got, okay? Or that he had. Kylie says, school can be a lot of pressure, and Josslyn’s just being a friend. She’s already spoken to Health Services, and someone can speak to him today. The counselor sent a form to his student portal. He asks why she’d do that. His parents are going to see it.

Nina tells Ava that Sonny could go to prison because of her. It’s all her fault. Does she know where he is? Ava says, in his office maybe? and Nina says she has to help him. She has to do something. Ava says, no. She doesn’t think Sonny wants Nina’s help right now. Nina says, he’s still her husband and she loves him. She has to try. Ava says, okay. Good luck. Call me. Nina leaves, and Nikolas comes back in. He says, so Sonny’s not so untouchable after all. It’s about time that sanctimonious hypocrite was taken down a peg or two. Ava says, he’s still here, huh? and he says, so Esme’s hearing is definitely today? She says, uh-huh, and he says he supposes his mother and Spencer will be there. She says, that’s very likely. Like she said, you’re welcome. He says, what for? and she says, once Esme is behind bars, he won’t have to worry about sweet little Ace. He’ll be safe and sound with Laura. He says, then he guesses this is goodbye.

Diane says, Robert wouldn’t be the first public servant to get giddy at the thought of taking down Sonny Corinthos. So allow her to point out a few things that others have learned at great cost. He says, that sounds like a threat, but she says, don’t be silly. She’s simply observing that if he were to bring this to trial, the defendant is going to be far more appealing than the alleged victim. Does he even think he can impanel twelve jurors who will find Cyrus Renault more credible than Sonny Corinthos? Even if he was able to prove that Sonny attacked Cyrus, no one’s going to shed any tears at the fact that Cyrus finally got a taste of his own medicine. Robert asks if there’s nothing to be said for redemption here, and she laughs. He says, Cyrus Renault is now a man of God, beaten within an inch of his life in a church. What does she think the jury’s going to make of that?

Dex says he is loyal to Sonny. It’s his job to protect Sonny and protect his interests. And that includes speaking up when he sees potential problems. Sonny says he knows. He hears what Dex is saying, but this is something Dex needs to know. He’s going to make this happen and he thought Dex was up to the job. It’s just a shame Dex is going to fall short of his expectations, but it’s better he’s hearing about this now than hearing about it later. So let’s just erase any doubts we have here. Is Dex with him?

Adam says, his parents will go crazy if they think he’s out partying. They’ll think he has a drinking problem. Kylie says, no. His student portal is confidential. He says, she doesn’t get it. His parents forced him to give them his password when they found out he lied about having an internship. Kylie says she’s sure the counselor will be willing to talk to his parents. Don’t worry. Everything will be confidential. There are so many students going through tough times these days. It’s not that uncommon. Josslyn says, please, just listen to Kylie. She thinks talking to the counselor is a good idea, and it could really help him. She’ll even go with him if he wants. Kylie says, they can go over to Health Services right now, and Josslyn says, come on, Adam, please.

Ava says, goodbye? and Nikolas says, it’s time for him to leave Port Charles. He’s a wanted man. He held Esme captive and it’s too soon to make almonds amends with Spencer and his mother. He doesn’t have a place in Port Charles right now. She asks if he’ll be back, and he says he’s not sure as to when. She guesses this is goodbye then, and he turns to leave, but she calls him back. She says she’s really glad she didn’t kill him, and he tells her that she says the sweetest things. He touches her face and tells her to take care of herself. She says, him too, and he leaves.

Sonny says, Dex told him that he wanted to advance. He said he wanted to do something for the organization. The way he sees it, this is how Dex does it. Dex says he agrees that Cyrus is dangerous, and Sonny says he has no doubt that Cyrus is going to come after the people closest to him. His kids, his grandkids, Sasha, Carly – he puts his hand on Dex’s shoulder – Josslyn. They’re all in danger and he doesn’t want them to live like this forever. Dex says, what about Mrs. Corinthos? Is she being protected? Sonny says he will deal with Nina. Dex deals with Cyrus. Dex asks when Sonny wants him to do it, and Sonny says, immediately. Cyrus is weak. He’s exposed. Anything can happen in a hospital. Dex says, okay. How do they make that happen?

Portia and Stella go back into Curtis’s room, and Curtis asks if Trina is going to the hearing. Portia says, Trina told him about Esme breaking into Windymere, and he says, he’s guessing she’s sitting with Ava. Trina says she thought about it, but she wanted to be here with him. He says, don’t worry about him. He’s not going anywhere. Besides, she needs to see this through. This could mean Esme’s finally out of her life. He’s glad Ava pressed charges. Trina says, her too, and he asks what Esme was doing at Windymere anyway. It just seems strange. Trina says, no clue, and Stella says she still doesn’t trust her. Trina says, neither does she, but she does feel bad for Ace. If Esme goes to prison, he’ll have no parents.

Spencer asks if Esme is starting to remember, but she says, no. She’s just going off everything she’s learned of his past from Laura and Doc. An officer tells Esme that her lawyer’s here. He’ll take her back to get dressed for court. She thanks him and says, Spencer is still bringing Ace to court, right? He says he is, and she thanks him for coming. She says, I really need you on my side, Spence, and leaves, and he flashes back to her calling him Spence, and saying, he’s even more pathetic than when she first met him. He says, Spence.

Trina leaves, and Portia asks if she told Curtis everything about Paris. He says, she did, and Portia says, he knows she doesn’t like the idea of Spencer going to Paris with Trina. He says, neither does he, but hopefully, they won’t have to worry about that. Stella says, why is that? and Curtis says, if Esme goes to prison, Spencer’s not going to want his brother to be alone. He’s going to stay right here in Port Charles and raise Ace. Portia says, fingers crossed.

Robert says, Diane hasn’t touched her food. She doesn’t like it? She says, no. She just seems to have lost her appetite. Clearly, Robert doesn’t want to litigate this case on its merits. He’s just someone else who wants to take down Sonny. He says, anything at all to rid this town of Corinthos. Although he will miss Sonny’s coffee. She folds her arms, and he says, come on. Think of all the extra time she’ll have on her hands now that her biggest client is going away for the rest of his life. Whatever will she do? She says, oh golly. She’s sure she can find someone or something to keep her busy. She gets up and says, she’ll tell him this though, she won’t be busy with him. She walks out and he looks perplexed.

In his office, Sonny looks at his bruised knuckles, then puts the picture of Nina on his desk face down. There’s a knock at the door, and he says, come in. Frank brings him the mail and asks if there’s anything else he can get Sonny. Sonny says, no. He thinks he’s got everything under control.

At the hospital, Dex makes a call and says, come on, Joss, pick up.

Josslyn ignores Dex’s call, and Adam says he’s not going to Health Services, and they can’t make him. This is none of their business. Josslyn asks him to just please calm down, but he says she doesn’t want to hear this. Both of them, just leave him alone. And take the damn counselor off his portal. He storms out, and Josslyn asks Kylie, now what?

Leaving a message, Dex says, Josslyn doesn’t have to call him back. he just wanted to hear her voice and tell her how important she is to him. And let her know that no matter what happens with them, he loves her, and he always will. He sees a text from Unknown that says: Room 1002. He says, gotta go, and walks down the hall, noticing Nina at the reception desk.

Nina asks what room Cyrus Renault is in, as Dex listens from around the corner.

Spencer tells the sitter to enjoy the rest of her day. He’ll be taking Ace to see his mother in court. She thanks him and says she hopes everything works out for him. He says he’s sure it will, and she leaves. He says, one way or another, and flashes back to Esme saying, no deal, Spence. He says, she was lying. She remembers everything. There’s a knock at the door and he opens it. Nikolas is there.

On Monday, Ava asks Laura why she would do that; Kristina says, this is exactly where she needs to be right now; Nina says, if Cyrus is truly sorry, prove it; and the judge asks how Esme pleads.

💝 Bringing the Surprise Twist…

I hadn’t realized the woman playing BJ was the child who played BJ. Very clever!

That Was Brighton Hertford (B.J.) Playing the Reporter on GENERAL HOSPITAL!
Brighton Hertford Says Her GH Return Was “Serendipitous”

🌷 Bobbie’s Last Save…

I swear they didn’t address Famke by name, but I might have blinked and missed it.

Who Are Cornelia and Famke on GENERAL HOSPITAL?

👩‍⚕️ Memorializing a GH Icon…

Taking everything into consideration, it was worth the wait. It must have been tough on the actors though, pretending she was still alive. Obviously, there was going to be no recast.

The Why.

Why Bobbie’s Memorial Was Delayed on GENERAL HOSPITAL

The How.

GENERAL HOSPITAL Spoilers: Remembering Bobbie

Memories.

Kin Shriner Shares Special Memories of Jacklyn Zeman

🪙 In Random Stupid News…

This is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard.

https://people.com/eminem-opposes-deposition-seeks-protective-order-against-gizelle-bryant-robyn-dixon-shady-trademark-dispute-case-8420744

⚖️ You’re All Out Of Order…

Who knows? It probably wouldn’t change the outcome anyway.

https://people.com/tom-girardi-deemed-competent-to-stand-trial-by-judge-reports-8421562

💤 For Those Who Still Care…

Teresa and Jennifer are so volatile, the rest of them can finally relax.

RHONJ Cast’s ‘Family Dinner’ Didn’t Include Teresa Giudice and Jennifer Aydin
Melissa Gorga Reveals Details Behind ‘Awkward and Weird’ RHONJ Cast Group Chat

🌁 News Of the Last…

What’s happened up until now. (First the earth cooled, then the dinosaurs came…)

https://www.gamesradar.com/the-last-of-us-season-2-release-date-cast/

I don’t think it’s necessary either. It was a great episode, but a spinoff would just be depressing knowing the ending.

https://www.themarysue.com/will-there-be-a-bill-and-frank-the-last-of-us-spinoff-explained/

⚰️ Next Dead Up…

This looks like another winner. In all these spinoffs, it’s like they finally got the idea that Walking Dead was too stagnant.

https://ew.com/walking-dead-the-ones-who-live-trailer-rick-grimes-action-8424639

https://ew.com/walking-dead-the-ones-who-live-terry-o-quinn-character-8421730

https://ew.com/walking-dead-the-ones-who-live-exclusive-first-look-pollyanna-mcintosh-jadis-8413410

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-rick-and-michonne-jadis-pollyanna-mcintosh-the-ones-who-live/

🎉 Not Letting Go Yet…

The overtime is probably pretty good.

https://www.justjared.com/2024/01/01/how-long-does-it-take-up-to-clean-times-square-after-new-years-eve-clean-up-details-revealed/

🐕‍🦺 Love the Players and the Game…

Who’s competing in this year’s Puppy Bowl.

https://www.discovery.com/shows/puppy-bowl/see/meet-the-players-of-puppy-bowl-xx

Mr. Bean!

https://people.com/puppy-bowl-2024-puppy-players-with-special-needs-8424973

🫦 Quotes of the Week

If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. – Michael Jordan (Or kick it down.)

Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people. – Spencer Johnson

It is better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you are not. – Andre Gide

It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something. – Franklin D. Roosevelt

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

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

I challenge you to let every day be a Friday. Permit yourself to be happy every day. – Joel Osteen

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

You don’t have to be great at something to start but you have to start to be great at something. – Zig Ziglar

I’d say he was lying through his teeth, but he ain’t got none. – Amy Slaton referring to Glenn, 1000-Lb. Sisters

😐 Feeling Mediocre…

Return to this spot on Monday really Tuesday for soap and the final Med charter. Until then, stay safe, stay making time every day to do a small thing that brings you joy, and stay having faith even when there are no guarantees.

Dec30

December 29, 2023 – New Year’s Eve In Port Charles, A Return, On Or No, Real Top, Dead Talk, He Can Dance, Eve TV, Something For Everyone, Zoo Baby, Pets (!) Of the Gram, 12 Quotes For 12 Months & Another

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At the Port Charles Heliport, jump instructor Denice tells Gregory that they have to get going before the sun goes down. Otherwise, they’ll have to cancel the jump. Is she coming? People cancel all the time. Gregory says, she’ll be here, and a man says, they’re losing daylight, when Alexis comes running up. She says she’s here, and the man asks if they’re doing this. She says, yes. She’s a woman of her word. She’s doing it. Even if it kills her.

Spencer knocks on Trina’s dorm room door, and she answers wearing a robe. He says, she’s not dressed for a party, and she brings him in, kissing him. He says, good point. What party? She says, they’re going. She just needs two more minutes. He says, that’s a big ask, and she says she’s sure he’ll be fine. Entertain himself. He picks up a magazine and flips through it, then sees a letter that’s been opened. Trina asks if he can zip her up, and he says, of course (🍷). If he must. She turns around, and he says, she looks perfect. So who is writing her from the Sorbonne? She says, he wasn’t supposed to see that.

Esme waits in the visitor room at Pentenville (?). Heather – our New Year’s gift! – joins her and says she knew Esme would be back.

Sonny goes to Nina’s office, and says, the party’s about to start, but she says she has to get these end-of-the-year bonuses done. She’s so sorry. It’s just a magazine; business is very difficult. Their team managed to keep their numbers up with online revenue, and she needs to show them that she appreciates them. He says, they’re lucky to have a kind-hearted boss, and she says she thinks he’s a teensy bit biased in her favor. He says he’s finding out what it means to be married to a generous, thoughtful woman, even though he’s not sure what her priority is tonight.

On the phone at The Savoy, Carly tells Sam, it’s okay. The flu is going around. Just give her love to Scout, and she and Dante take care. And happy New Year. Michael joins her, apologizing for being late, but she says, that’s okay. Where’s Willow? He says, she got stuck covering at GH. There’s a lot of callouts. Carly says, it’s the flu. Sam just called. Scout has it, and she and Dante can’t make it. He says, that’s unfortunate. So… She says, it looks like it’s just the two of them.

Olivia comes in with Lois and Ned, and she asks if it reminds Lois… What’s that place in the city they used to sneak in… Lois says, Area on Barrett Street. She can see the resemblance. Ned tells them to get a table while he gets the drinks. What would they like? Olivia says she’s a Cosmo girl tonight, and Lois says, champagne for her.

Carly says, it’s already New Year’s in Australia, and Michael says, it’s a shame Drew’s trip got extended. She should be celebrating with Drew, not him. She says, what about him? Willow’s at work. He’s spending New Year’s with his mother. They’re a pathetic pair, huh? He asks if she wants more champagne, and she says, yes, so he leaves to get it. She gets up and calls, make it a prosecco, please, when Ned passes by. She says she’s been waiting to talk to him, but he says he really doesn’t have time for this. She asks if he’s been busy since he got his memory back. Because ever since he pointed the SEC at her and Drew, and Drew went to prison, she’s been meaning to ask him a question. How would he like her to return the favor?

Nina says, Sonny is her priority – always. She promises she’ll hurry up and meet him way before midnight. He says, don’t worry about it. He was just being sentimental. She says, of course (🍷). It’s their first New Year’s Eve together as husband and wife. She wants to be with him too. She’ll leave this here and come in early tomorrow. He says, no. She’s going to wrap that up and she’s going to meet him at The Savoy. They’re going to have a midnight kiss… They’re going to have so many New Year’s Eves together. She says she likes the sound of that, and they kiss.

Heather says she knew Esme wouldn’t be able to stay away from her forever, but why is it today? Doesn’t she have plans for New Year’s Eve? Esme says, not really, and Heather says, there’s something different about her. Did she change her hair? Esme says, no, and Heather says, well, something’s different. Anyway, how’s her little grandbaby Ace? Baby’s first Christmas. She bets he got loaded up with presents from all those rich people, right? Esme says, probably. She doesn’t know. He spent the holidays with Spencer and Trina. Heather says, she’s always been cagey on the details when it comes to Ace. Now Esme is telling her that she let him spend his first Christmas without her? And that look just now on her face when she said Trina’s name. That’s not remorse. That was contempt… Oh, she remembers, doesn’t she?

Trina tells Spencer that one of her professors told her about this art program at the Sorbonne, and she just applied on a whim. She got waitlisted, then she got accepted. Let her just grab her bag. He says, wait a minute. This is a massive opportunity for her. She says she knows, but she can’t go. Not with Curtis about to start his treatment, and she’s really excited about her spring classes, and then there’s him. She’d miss him so much. He says, he’s going to miss her too (um… it’s not like he has a job; he could go), and she says she can travel when she graduates. Paris will always be there. She can wait. He says, this opportunity at the Sorbonne won’t be. She has to go. She has to do this.

Denice says, since this is a tandem dive, Gregory and Alexis will each share a harness with their instructor, and the instructor will release the parachute. Any questions so far? They need to get going. Alexis says she has a question. Did Gregory tell them about his recent stay in the hospital? Gregory says he did, and his doctor signed off on this. It was pure dehydration, that’s all. Alexis tells Denice that she’s done an extensive search on Denice’s safety records with this organization. Alexis knows pretty much all there is to know about her, but she doesn’t know much about the harness. Is it safe, and when was the plane last serviced? Denice promises to answer those questions on the way to the plane, but Alexis tells her that she just wants to say, the gentleman who showed her how to do everything seems very nice and very capable, and she thinks she’ll be safe enough with him. Denice says, that was Dan. He’s gone for the day. Alexis will be fine with Falcon. There he is. Falcon looks like the drummer in a rock band, and Alexis says, no. Gregory says, why don’t they switch? She’s already familiar with Denice. They’ll be fine. Alexis says, no. She’s sorry. Every molecule in her being is telling her not to jump out of that plane. Please forgive her. She said she could do it, but she can’t. She just can’t.

There’s a knock at Nina’s office door, and she says, come on, Sonny. She needs more time than that. She’s not a miracle worker. Cyrus walks in, and says, oh ye of little faith.

Olivia asks Lois, what was the name of that Russian place in Brighton Beach? Talk about dicey. Good vodka though. Hello? Is she talking to herself over here? Lois says, Olivia might have a problem, and Olivia tells her to forget about the secret and just have some fun, but Lois says, no. Look. They see Ned and Carly arguing.

Ned says, Carly wants to send him to prison? Take her best shot. Except he didn’t actually commit a crime, unlike her and Drew. She says, Drew was nearly beaten to death in prison, because of Ned. Ned has to live with that, but if he doesn’t care about that, maybe he cares about his precious company. Valentin Cassadine is MIA. Ned had amnesia, thinking he was some faded rock star. Maybe ELQ deserves a visit from the SEC. He says he doesn’t have to take this. She wants the truth? He’ll tell her exactly why Drew was sent to Pentenville. Michael arrives with the drinks.

Esme asks how Heather could tell just like that, and Heather says she’s been studying Esme since the first moment she laid eyes on her in Spring Ridge. She knows Esme’s face. She knows Esme’s mannerisms. Esme used to look so lost, but just now, she saw something in Esme’s eyes, a glint, a sense of purpose. It’s nice to meet the real Esme. She pats Esme’s hand, and Esme flinches. Heather says she didn’t mean to upset her. It’s a good thing. Esme says she’s just glad to be able to talk to someone about it, and Heather says, Esme has her. Trust her. Pour her heart out. Esme cries a little and says, it’s like she’s two different people. She doesn’t know what to do or what to think. Is she this horrible person who did these things to Spencer and Trina, or is she this mom who loves her son more than anything in the world? And she doesn’t know how she can be both. Heather says, everything’s going to be okay. Does Esme know how she knows? Because Esme did the right thing. She came to see her mother.

Spencer says, there’s so much for Trina to do in Paris when she’s not studying at the Sorbonne. It’s one of his all-time favorite cities, and the best part is that she’s in close proximity to so many other great cities. She’s next to Berlin, Copenhagen, Barcelona… It’s a train ride for her. She says, yeah, but she doesn’t have a command of the language, and he says, it’s not going to be a thing after the first semester. She’s going to be the toast of the town. Every guy is going to falling head over heels for her. Is she kidding him? As a matter of fact, why is he encouraging her to do this? Maybe she should stay. Never mind. Bad idea. She says, you know what could work? He could come with her.

Nina asks what Cyrus is doing here. Does he need something? He says, it’s not what he needs. He’s here to help her. She says she’s fine, and she’s very busy, so if he needs to talk to her for some reason, he should talk to her assistant, and she’ll set up… He picks up a magazine and says, isn’t it amazing how they distract themselves with the mundane in order not to ponder the great mysteries of life? Taking the magazine, Nina says, if they just sat around pondering that, they wouldn’t get anything done. So like she said, she’s busy. He says, very well. He’ll leave her to her work, but remember, she doesn’t walk alone. She flashes back to being in the confessional, and the priest saying, and remember, she doesn’t walk alone. God is always with her. Cyrus says, so, has she set herself free? and Nina looks like she might have a stroke.

Michael asks Ned, so what is the truth? Why exactly did he get himself involved, and more importantly, what exactly did he get out of it? Ned flashes back to Michael giving him the voting proxy on half of Michael’s ELQ shares for keeping his silence about Nina. At the table, Lois looks at Olivia, when Sonny walks in. Ned says, only the satisfaction of being a good citizen. He was looking out for the little guy. Carly says, come on. He was looking out for himself. He wanted power, and he didn’t care who he had to hurt to get it. Ned asks Carly, if he’s such a menace, why is she provoking him? and Michael says, watch it, but Carly says, don’t stop him. What is he going to do to her? Sonny walks up and asks if Ned doesn’t think he’s caused enough damage.

Lois says, great, now Sonny’s involved, and Olivia says, Lois told her that she wanted to stay out of the Quartermaine’s affairs, so why doesn’t she do that? Lois says, because she hates seeing Ned being called out in public for something he didn’t do, and Olivia says, it’s complicated. Lois doesn’t understand. Ned is doing what he thinks he has to do for the family. Could she please just accept that and move on?

Ned says, Sonny is going to lecture him about damage? The man who’s left a swath of broken lives and destruction in his wake? Michael says, this isn’t the time or place. They don’t want to make a scene. Can they all agree on that? Sonny says he’s good, and Michael suggests he and Ned talk in private. They leave, and Sonny asks if Carly is okay. She says she was. Now she’s not so sure.

Lois asks if that looks like positive momentum to Olivia? How is it that another war between the Corinthos and Quartermaine families better than the truth?

Gregory tells Alexis that he’s sorry. He thought this would be fun. She shouldn’t feel obligated to do something she doesn’t want to do. He tells the instructors, thanks. He appreciates the prep and the time, but he’s calling off the jump. Falcon says, it’s all right, but Alexis says, no, it’s not all right. Hold on. Don’t go anywhere. She tells Gregory that she’s all over the place. It’s not even just the jump. It’s the girls. She’s worried. She just has a lot on her mind. Does he think they could talk by themselves, just for a minute? Gregory asks if they can be given one more minute and gets the okay signal from Falcon. Gregory asks, what’s going on? and Alexis says, it’s the girls. She’s worried. There’s been a new development. Sam is savvy. If Alexis dies, she’ll be fine, but Kristina and Molly, no. They cannot exist without her. They need their mother. They need her to protect them. He says, so she wants to protect her kids and keep them from getting hurt if they jump, but they’re adults. And as adults, they can choose when and if they jump, and if they do, they’re going to have to pull their own ripcords. She says, did he just do a skydiving analogy? It was good. He says, letting their kids go is the ultimate test. He tried to shield Chase from his illness with disastrous results. Remember? But Chase forgave him. Their kids are full of surprises. They never know what they’ll become or what they’re capable of. He has to believe his kids are going to grow and learn and thrive and make mistakes, but survive. And that belief, that faith, gives him great comfort, and great courage. Alexis says, Denice, Marlon… Gregory says, Falcon, and she says, Falcon, let’s get a move on. Gregory asks if she’s sure, and Alexis says she’s sure… No, she’s not sure, but she said she was going to jump out of the damn plane, so she’s going to jump out of the damn plane. Damn it. They head to the damn plane.

Heather asks if anyone else knows about Esme’s memory coming back, and Esme says, not really. She tried telling… Heather says, but she didn’t, and Esme says, no, but… Heather says, absolutely not. Zip it and keep it zipped. Esme asks how she can go one pretending that she doesn’t remember anything, and Heather says, she inherited the familial talent for misdirection. Besides, she’s done it before. Esme says, but not like this. Pretending she’s sorry for all the bad things the old Esme did. Heather says, and she really doesn’t feel bad about it, and Esme says she did. When she didn’t remember any of it, it was horrifying. But now that she remembers why she did it and felt so justified, it’s because it was justified. Heather says, exactly. So just keep telling them exactly what they want to hear. She’s made a fresh start and now she’s a different person. Esme asks where that gets her. She’s still a single mom, Alexis Davis’s drudge, and a witness to Spencer and Trina’s insipid happily ever after. And she’s unable to do a thing about it. Heather smiles. (Just for the record, although I’m thrilled with the visit to Heather, I’m not loving Esme’s 180. Or is it really a 360?)

Trina says she knows Spencer can’t come with her, but when she opened it, she started daydreaming about how amazing it would be if they could be together. But she knows he can’t leave Ace, so just forget she said it. He says, she knows how much he loves her, and he’d never want her to think he’s prioritizing Ace over her. She says she doesn’t, and he says, but Esme’s moved out and she’s Ace’s primary caregiver. Maybe they can find a way. He can fly back on weekends as long as Esme will let him see Ace. She says, wait a minute. What is he saying? He tells her that he’s saying, when the woman you love invites you to go to Paris, you say yes. They kiss.

Nina says, Cyrus was at All Saints. That’s just so wrong. He’s not a priest. She doesn’t know what he thinks he heard… He says, more than enough. He and Drew Cain became friendly when they were Pentenville. Drew saved his life actually, and after Drew was attacked, he was able to return the favor. Drew had a very hard time inside. All he wanted to do was get back to the woman he loved, the woman he sacrificed his freedom for. Carly Spencer, formerly Carly Corinthos, her husband’s ex-wife, the mother of his children. She says, he’s a hypocrite. He listened to her confession? How could he be so dishonest? She thought she was talking to a man of God. He says, she was. Just as she is now. So how can he help her?

Sonny asks if Carly wants to tell him what that was all about, and Carly says she told Ned what she thought about him, for obvious reasons. Sonny says, good. Now it’s his turn. Carly stops him, and says, he’s not worth it. And she needs something stronger than this. She picks up her champagne glass and heads for the bar.

In the hallway, Ned tells Michael, it’s New Year’s Eve. He doesn’t want to talk about it. Sonny comes by and tells Ned, it’s not over between them, then disappears. Michael says, they had an agreement.

Lois tells Olivia, if Sonny thinks Ned harmed Carly, he’s not going to let it go. He’s going to finish it. Now what’s going on with those two? They look over to see Michael and Ned talking, and Olivia says, probably talking about ELQ. Lois says she thought Michael was trying to push Ned out, but Olivia says, quite the opposite. Ned has been taking on more responsibility. Michael’s even given him his proxy. It’s all good. Lois says, wait a second. Michael handed over his control of ELQ? Why would he do that? Olivia asks why she cares. She swears Lois always does this. She gets something in her head, and she can’t leave it alone. Like the time Lois’s mother was planning a surprise party for her for months and she ruined it. Lois says, okay. Let her think. Did Michael do this to keep Ned quiet? Because it must be something big… Ooh. Oh my God. Did Michael turn his own mother in to the SEC?

Sonny tells Carly that he’s sorry. He had to interfere. He just doesn’t like Ned treating her like that. He knows she can hold her own, but… She says, that’s okay. She needed the distraction. It stopped her from throwing her drink in Ned’s face. That would have been a perfect ending to a perfect year, right? He says, the night’s still young, and she says, not for her. She’s going to go. Will he tell Michael that she left and have a happy New Year? He says, she’s not going to stay for the countdown? Come on. She says, it’s going to make her miss Drew even more, so have a happy New Year. She leaves.

Olivia tells Lois, no. Michael did not turn his own mother in to the SEC. Lois says, then make it make sense. Why would Michael hand over control of ELQ to Ned? Does Tracy have something on Michael? Or are Ned and Tracy planning something? Olivia says, stop this. Stop overthinking it. Just let it go. Lois says she can’t, because it stinks to high heaven. But Olivia was right about one thing. She is overthinking this. She thinks the answer is right here in front of her face. And here’s what she thinks. She thinks Ned has something on Michael, and Michael is paying off Ned to keep him quiet. Is she right?

Nina asks what Cyrus wants. Money? He laughs and says, of course (🍷). No, he doesn’t need money. He has the riches of the kingdom of God. What he wants is for her to confess. Not to a priest in a cubicle, but to the people she hurt. She says, what good would that do? Drew is free, Carly is moving on, the Corinthos family is coming together. What good would it do dredging up the past? He says, did she or did she not send a good man to prison? Where he was beaten to a pulp. Did she or did she not try to separate a mother from her children and separate a man from his child, all out of spite and wickedness. She tells him, cut the sermon. Please. He’s more a man of the orange jumpsuit than a man of the cloth (ha-ha-ha!). He’s a criminal, a blackmailer, so what’s his angle? What is he planning to do with what he knows?

Basking in the afterglow, Spencer says, there’s a church over there that he and Trina should go to. It’s got a little walled-off garden next to it, then down the street, there’s this really quaint and cute restaurant. It makes the best crepes she’s ever had in her life. They’re simple, but they’re very delicious. He thinks she’ll like them. She says, sounds like heaven, but it’s one thing to daydream and another to live in reality. Maybe he should think about this. He says, no. They’re doing this. This is happening. He’s not letting them back out of this. She says, okay, and he says, because he was in Europe once and when he was, it was very, very lonely and depressing. So hopefully, this will give him a new opportunity or new chance to experience it with fresh eyes with someone he loves. So he doesn’t need any time to think about it. He knows exactly what he wants. He wants to be in Paris with her. She kisses him, and he says, fireworks. She says, he got that right… but he says, no, the real ones up there. They can make it if they hurry. He jumps out of bed.

Heather tells Esme, forget those twerps. She was always way too good for Spencer anyway. She won. She got Ace, and that’s everything. She’s still got the upper hand, so don’t blow it by admitting she got her memory back. She’s a really good mother to Ace, right? Esme says, yeah, she is, and Heather says, then just keep up the charade, for his sake. And be sure to practice a little self-care. Esme says, what? Like a spa day? Heather says, no. Like she’s young. She’s beautiful. Smart as a friggin’ whip. Go put on a party dress and get out there. Maybe she’ll meet somebody new. It’s New Year’s Eve. Meet somebody who’s worthy of her. Come and see her mother again. She’ll help Esme keep her head on straight. Keep her memories to herself. As much as she’d like to see more of Esme, she has way too bright of a future to squander it in this place. Esme takes Heather’s hands and says she will, and thanks her. Heather says, anytime. It was a pleasure to finally meet her daughter… all of her.

Ned says he and Michael may need to revisit the terms of their agreement if Carly’s going to start harassing him in public. Michael says, Ned is being well-compensated for his trouble. Michael’s proxy gives him controlling interest of ELQ. If that’s not good enough for him, he’ll go get Willow. Because she deserves to hear the truth about Nina before Ned announces it to the entire world. Ned says, you’re bluffing, and Michael says, try me.

Lois says, what on earth could Ned have on Michael that would make him give up control of ELQ? and Olivia shushes her and says, stop it. She calls over to Sonny, and he joins them. He says, you ladies look marvelous, and Lois thanks him. They hug, and Sonny kisses Olivia on the cheek. She says, he’s looking handsome as always. Where’s Nina this evening? He says, she’s working. She said she’ll be here by midnight. Lois says, no. He has to get her here, because the person you kiss at midnight is the person you’ll be with for the rest of the year.😱 He says, in that case, he should call and see what’s going on. He excuses himself, and leaves. Lois says, ho-ho. Like she said. Right in front of her face. It was never about Drew getting in trouble with the Feds. The intended target was always Carly. Olivia says, Lois… Lois says, Carly, who acted on inside information. So whoever tipped off the SEC had to believe that Carly would be the one who would wind up in prison. And who had the incentive of getting rid of Carly. How about the person who is currently married to her ex-husband? Nina. Nina’s the one who tipped off the SEC. Olivia looks worn-out, but Lois breathes a sigh of relief and drinks some champagne.

Out in the middle of somewhere, Alexis tells Falcon that her heart is still beating outside her chest. Will it stop? Will it be regulated? Or did she live so that she can die now? He says, probably. Pretty rad, huh? They do a fancy handshake, and Falcon starts to walk away. She asks, where’s Gregory? Did he jump? Is he dead? Falcon leaves, and Alexis calls to Gregory. Gregory says he’s here. Sorry he’s late. Traffic. She hugs him, and he says, easy does it. She says she loved it, and he laughs. She says, it was amazing. Soaring through the sky and the perspective that she saw of the world looking down. It was so beautiful. It was amazing. It was extraordinary. It was transformative. It was probably the most transformative moment of her… He kisses her. Then she kisses him.

Carly walks into Sonny’s old kitchen and throws her bag on the counter, knowing she’s never alone when the moss bowl🎍is there. She goes to the sink and is startled by an air horn. She moves toward the door, when Drew comes in. He says, happy New Year, and she runs into his arms. She says, it is now, and they kiss.

Nina asks what Cyrus is planning to do with this information, but he says, nothing. She says, so he doesn’t want anything in exchange for him keeping quiet, and he says he’ll settle for her redemption. She asks if he knows that Carly and Drew aren’t the only injured parties here. She almost lost the only daughter she had left before she even knew she was her daughter. He tells her, look at what a tangled web she’s woven. Did she really think it would never unravel? The guilt is already weighing on her and pulling her down closer to the gates of hell. Hell is a state of mind. It robs you of your peace and your chance to experience real joy. All this bartering and deal making to avoid telling the truth. She asks why he’s here. He doesn’t know her. He doesn’t give a damn about her. He says he’s been her. He’s justified his lies, and it only makes for more lies and moving further away from everything that matters. That’s why he tries only to tell the truth now. She tells him, so this is his way of saying, if she doesn’t confess, he will, and he says, karma, fate, providence, they all point to the same thing. That is, your actions determine your life’s destiny. Just think of all the hurt she can undo with just a few simple words. All the clarity she can give to Carly and Drew and her husband, Sonny Corinthos. Nina’s phone rings and she sees it’s Sonny. She picks up the phone, looking pained.

Olivia says she’s begging Lois, please do not say a word about this to anyone. Lois says, how could she not have told Sonny this? Nina, his wife, called the cops on Carly and Drew. Why hasn’t Ned said anything? Olivia says, because he knows how many people would be hurt if he did. Sonny is happy with Nina. Nina and Carly have a truce off sorts. Drew is out of prison and his life is back to normal. What good could it possibly do to dredge all this up again? Ned comes back and asks if Olivia is ready to go. Olivia says, they’re in the middle of a conversation here, and Ned says, let’s take that conversation on their way to the docks. They’ve got fireworks. Lois says she’ll meet them out there. She’s going to powder her nose. Ned says, see her over there, and steers Olivia out. Sonny comes over to Lois and says, he left a message for Nina. She’s going to meet them. Does Lois want to walk with him over to the docks? She say she’s sorry, but he’s going to miss the fireworks this year.

Drew and Carly kiss their way into the bedroom as the fireworks go off. The real ones, outside. They get busy.

Gregory and Alexis smile at each other and look up at the sky. She puts her head on his shoulder.

Spencer and Trina watch from the rooftop. He says he’d follow her anywhere. Esme watches from behind them, her hand balled into a fist.

Cyrus says, Nina didn’t answer her call, and she says she should have handed him the phone. It was Sonny. He says he won’t tell Sonny. He wouldn’t want to rob her for her chance at salvation. She has to confess; no one can do it for her. She says she didn’t want him to know. It’s going to hurt him. She prayed that he would never, never know. He says, try praying for the truth to set her free, and she says, if anyone should tell Sonny, it should be her. He says, that’s right. That’s good. That’s all he wanted to hear. New year, new beginnings. He says he has faith that she’ll do the right thing. Until then, he won’t be far.

Sonny asks if Lois has something on her mind, and she says, he has a right to know what’s going on. He says, get to the point, and she says, they’re lying to him. He says, who? and she says, his family. They’re all lying to him.

Next week, Carly says, this is gonna be a good year; Olivia tells Ned, get back there, now; Brook tells Chase, better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission; Willow asks for Nina’s help; and Lois tells Sonny that she knows who really ratted Carly and Drew out to the SEC.

🥜 Sometimes She Feels Like a Nut…

She’s back and brought her crazy with her.

Alley Mills Opens up About Her Return to GENERAL HOSPITAL

🧼 Who’s Ringing It In…

Spoiler: GH is not on.

Find Out if Your Favorite Soaps Are Airing on New Year’s Day

🎪 Matter Of Opinion…

And were there really any top moments?

#RHOA’s Divorce Drama, #RHOP’s Hotel Room Receipt Ruckus & The Other Wildest Reality TV Moments Of 2023

🪦 What’s Up With the Dead…

Coming in February.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/is-the-rick-michonne-series-the-walking-dead-the-ones-who-live-a-limited-series

It’s coming. They just don’t know when.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/12/10/walking-dead-city-season-2-whats-coming/

Sometime in 2024.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/12/18/walking-dead-daryl-dixon-season-2-premiere-2024/

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/the-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-wraps-season-2-cast-post-images

And the rest.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/the-walking-dead-universe-what-s-to-come-in-2024

🩰 Something Random…

You can’t blame her for taking a shot at relevance.

https://ew.com/dance-moms-abby-lee-miller-travis-kelce-better-dancer-taylor-swift-8418858

📺 Give Me the Remote…

Coming to a small screen near you on New Year’s Eve.

https://nypost.com/2023/12/29/entertainment/how-to-watch-the-ball-drop-on-new-years-eve-a-guide-to-all-the-tv-specials/

How To Watch The New Year’s Eve Specials On TV & The Times Square Ball Drop Live Online

🎊 All About Eve…

If you’re going to a party or giving one.

https://www.southernliving.com/holidays-occasions/new-years/new-years-eve-party-guest

https://bestlifeonline.com/new-years-eve-party-etiquette/

New Year’s Eve Party Etiquette: Dos and Don’ts for Hosts and Guests

For party goers or not.

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/holidays-celebrations/g42099986/things-to-do-new-years-eve/

But I’m not going around the block with an empty suitcase.

https://www.womansday.com/life/g34886062/things-to-do-on-new-years-eve/

https://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/fun-ways-to-celebrate-new-years-eve-at-home-48052534

If you’re spending it alone.

https://www.verywellmind.com/how-do-i-cope-when-i-am-alone-on-new-years-eve-3024303

Keeping it stress free for the pets.

https://www.four-paws.org/our-stories/publications-guides/new-years-eve-minimising-your-pets-stress

https://barkio.com/en/blog/article/how-to-spend-a-stress-free-new-year-s-eve-celebration-with-your-pet

🦏 Born On Christmas Day…

Unbelievably cute. Those little ears!

https://people.com/zoo-atlanta-welcomes-first-white-rhino-calf-ever-on-christmas-eve-8420147

🐩 Slide Into Their DMs…

Pets are influencers too.

https://people.com/celebrity-pets-with-their-own-instagram-accounts-7567698

https://influencers.feedspot.com/pet_instagram_influencers/

🦜 Quotes of the Week

A good education is not so much one which prepares a man to succeed in the world, as one which enables him to sustain a failure. – Bernard Iddings Bell

You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins. – Jim Stovall

If you don’t sleep, you go loco. – Max Salvador, Below Deck Mediterranean

In our world, old friendships are hereditary. – Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski), The Gilded Age.

If you hear a voice within you say, you cannot paint, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. – Vincent Van Gogh

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. – Robert Brault

There’s not much to see actually. We’re inside a Chinese dragon. – Howard (Ryan O’Neal), What’s Up, Doc?

Maintain composure in times of heightened emotion, reacting only when thoughts are calm and clear. Being sensible will open doors for solutions and creativity. – Jaren L. Davis

You know how to stop this? Stop it. – Dr. Phil

Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor. – Sholem Aleichem

I don’t want to be a man. I want my cereal – Jordan Thomkins (Jeremy Suarez), The Bernie Mac Show

Sometimes a person has to go a very long distance out of his way to come back a short distance correctly. – Jerry, The Zoo Story by Edward Albee

El Wray sez: Happy New Year!

🥂 Auld Lang Syne-ing Off…

Wishing you all good things in the New Year and no pressure on the Eve beforehand. Make a resolution, don’t make a resolution; party, don’t party. You do you. Join me for going back to the old soap grind after New Year’s Day. Dare I say it? See you next year. Until then, stay safe, stay following your own path, and stay remembering, your actions determine your life’s destiny.

Dec6

December 5, 2023 – Brennan Reveals His Intentions, Thanks, Happy Anniversary, Who He Is, Leads Lunch, Still Closed, Stupidity, On the House, About Us, Winging It, Check That Tree & Good

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Laura and Esme carry some boxes into the living room, and Esme wonders how everything is going to fit in her new place. Laura says, she can always leave some stuff here. That way it will be here when she visits, which she hopes Esme is going to do often. Esme tells Laura that she knows she doesn’t say this enough, but she’s really grateful for everything Laura’s done for her and Ace. Laura says she’s going to miss both of them, and they hug.

Mopping the floor at the PC Grill, Cyrus hears someone come in. He says, we’re closed, and Ava says, then he ought to lock the door. He says, when the restaurant’s closed, that means the bar is no longer serving, so… She laughs (me too) and says she sees his newfound devotion to the Lord hasn’t dulled what’s meant to be his wit, but he says he wasn’t joking, and he is busy. So if she’s not here for the cuisine… She says she came here for a little bit of his wisdom, and he says he’s but a simple man of God, but if he can help her on her way… She says she only has the one question. Austin Gatlin-Holt is dead. Why did Cyrus kill him?

Blaze asks if she overstepped, and Kristina asks if Blaze didn’t notice her kissing back. Blaze says she noticed, and Kristina says she’s glad to know she’s still got it. Blaze says she didn’t mean to ambush Kristina like that. The last thing she wants to do is make Kristina feel uncomfortable. Kristina says she’s not uncomfortable. In fact, she’s just the opposite.

Felicia says she’s glad Anna could make it, and Anna thanks Felicia for having her over. Felicia asks how she’s doing, and Anna says, okay. Robert surprised her for Thanksgiving with Emma. She’s so smart. She’s studying dark matter and subatomic something or other. Anna doesn’t understand any of it. Felicia says, as long as she’s not majoring in the didgeridoo, they can count their blessings, and they laugh. Anna says, Emma’s back at school now. She could really use a friend. Felicia says, she’s come to the right place.

Sam sees Dante holding an evidence bag and asks, what’s that? He says, this is literally the key to help them find out who’s after Anna, and tosses it on the table.

Hume opens the money briefcase and tells Brennan, it’s all here. Brennan says, trust, but verify. Too bad Corinthos didn’t take the money. It would have been so much easier if they could have just paid him off. He shuts the case.

At Pozzulo’s, Curtis thanks Sonny for seeing him, and Sonny says, for him, anytime. He asks if Curtis wants a drink, but Curtis says he has to stay sharp, and Sonny says he understands. What does Curtis want from him? Curtis says, specifically, names. Who would have a reason to take a shot at Sonny at the MetroCourt?  

Felicia says, after everything that’s happened, maybe a visit to Berkeley to see Robin? and Anna says, Robin will want to know everything, and she doesn’t want to… Felicia says, talk to her, and Anna starts to cry. She says she shot a kid, and Felicia hugs her.

Sam asks what it’s literally a key to, and Dante says, a private locker at the train station. The M.E. found a key on this guy named Jameson Forsythe, who was killed in a hit and run that sounds deliberate actually; the vehicle didn’t even slow down. Sam asks what that has to do with Anna, and Dante says, he and Anna were in the WSB together in the 80s. She had evidence against this guy, and recently, it vanished.

Hume asks how long Brennan will be in Port Charles, and Brennan says, as long as it takes to set up operations so that Pikeman can send shipments to Canada and do international distribution. Hume asks if he’s going to handle it in person, and Brennan says, if you want a job done right and all that. He learned that the hard way with Forsythe. He also needs to clean up that mess, since Forsythe failed to handle Anna Devane. Hume says he understands, but won’t an extended absence be a problem for the head of the WSB?

Sonny tells Curtis that there are several people who might want him gone. He’s looked into all of them, and so has the PCPD. Curtis says, nothing? and Sonny says, let’s put it this way, the case is still open. Has Curtis talked to Anna about this? Curtis says, not yet, and Sonny says, because her list of enemies is as long as his, but they’re harder to track down. Curtis says he knew this was going to be difficult from the start. He’s got to know who put him in this wheelchair. Sonny asks if he thinks he can do better than the police, and Curtis says he was a P.I. He’s done undercover work, and he’s not juggling a dozen cases. Sonny says he understands. If he were Curtis, nothing would stop him. Curtis thanks him for understanding and asks, who’s at the top of his list?

Cyrus says, Dr. Gatlin-Holt is dead? When? How? Ava says, two shots, close range, shortly before Thanksgiving, and Cyrus says, well, that is a tragedy, and Ava is a callous woman. She says, at least she’s not the one who killed him. Cyrus did that, didn’t he? Cyrus says, even if he had been responsible for Austin’s death, why would he tell her? and she says, that’s okay. She expected him to deny it. He says, then why ask the question? and she says, just to see if she believed the answer. He says, and does she? but she says, he didn’t answer it. And before we get to what I believe, let’s talk about what I know, shall we? She knows, for example, that he ordered Austin’s cousin Mason to kidnap her, so that Austin would testify about his fragile health and a judge would grant him early release from Pentenville. Now look at him. He’s a free man. And how did he repay Austin for giving him his life back? By taking Austin’s?

Esme says, Laura doesn’t think she’s doing the wrong thing by moving out, does she? and Laura says, if she thought Esme was doing the wrong thing, she would have never co-signed the lease. Esme suggests it might have been a bad decision on Laura’s part, but Laura says she couldn’t be more proud of Esme, that she took a stand to create an independent life for herself and for her son. Esme says, now that it’s all happening, she’s terrified she’s going to blow it all, but Laura says she thinks that’s a good thing, because Esme will be careful. It’s the people who think they know everything who fall on their faces. Esme says she’s terrified of failure, and Laura says, let’s say for a moment it was a mistake. Esme can always move back in because Laura’s home will always be a nice, soft, landing place for her and her son. Esme thanks her and says, that’s incredibly reassuring, and Laura says she’s watched Esme grow into a competent and self-sufficient single mom. So now believe her when she says, Esme’s got this.

Kristina says she had no idea Blaze might be gay, and Blaze says, there’s a reason for that. The way her life is, she can’t be open like that, and she totally understands if that’s offensive to Kristina. She personally has so much respect for people who are out and proud, and she’s more than a little jealous of them, but for her it’s not an option. Kristina says, first of all, she’s not offended. Blaze’s sexuality is just that, it’s hers. How she chooses to express it and when is entirely up to her. So don’t ever feel like she has to defend herself to Kristina. Everyone’s on their own journey. Blaze thanks her for everything. She can’t tell Kristina how much it means to hear her say that.

Curtis says, maybe Austin didn’t tell Ava, but he paid for Austin to go to medical school. He supported Austin during his residency, so forgive him if the news of Austin’s passing is a loss for him. Ava says, he’s positively bereft, and he says, now that he’s answered her question, would she mind returning the favor? She says, has she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior? but he says, did she kill Austin? Because from what she’s told him, she has many reasons to do so. More than he does. She says, he did it and now he’s trying to shift blame, and he asks if she’d like to speak to his manager. She says, to report a murder? but he says, to check his alibi. He’s worked past closing every night since he got this job, so he has an alibi. Does she? She walks out.

Blaze tells Kristina that she’s never been in a long-term relationship. Part of it’s her career. She sees so many artists wreck everything they had, break the heart of someone who didn’t deserve it, or get theirs broken when the person they left behind moved on. For her, it was easier, safer, to put her focus on her career. Kristina asks if Blaze really thinks her fans would have a problem with her sexuality.

Anna tells Felicia that she’s not sleeping at all really. When she does, she has these nightmares of pulling the trigger. And when she wakes up, it’s always the same. She realizes it wasn’t a nightmare; it happened. Felicia says, what happened was a tragedy, but Charlotte survived, and Anna says she doesn’t know what she would have done if… Felicia says she knows Anna. She’s a professional. She doesn’t shoot first and ask questions later. Anna says, but she did, and Felicia asks, why? What made this time different? Anna says she convinced herself that this enemy of hers from back in the WSB was the person who was after her. That he’d been stalking her and harassing her. Burned her house down. And when she got back to Maxie’s apartment that night, she thought he was the one inside waiting for her. She had no way of knowing it was Charlotte… Valentin didn’t tell her.

Brennan tells Hume, that’s the thing about being Director. Only a few people know where you actually are at any given time. Hume says, he can run the WSB as he sees fit, and Brennan says, once he was able to oust Frisco Jones, the rest was easy. Anyone who might have been an obstacle was transferred to a very out of the way station, demoted, or thrown out of the Bureau altogether. He has to fly to London now and then to keep everyone on their toes, but everything else, he can pretty much do it his way. Hume says, speaking of obstacles, who is their priority? Sonny Corinthos or Anna Devane? Brennan says, both.

Laura walks into the PC Grill and says hello to Cyrus. He says, what a surprise, and she says she just saw Ava leaving. He says, her former daughter-in-law stopped by to pay him a visit. Apparently, he’s quite popular this evening. She says, anything she should be concerned about? and he says, with Ava? No. She is a troubled soul though. Always in search of absolution it seems. That’s what comes with a guilty conscience. Believe him; he knows. Anyway, enough about him. What brings her here so late?

Kristina asks Blaze if this was Linc’s idea. Was he afraid being queer would conflict with the whole pop star image he was trying to create for her, and it would then alienate her fanbase? Blaze says, Linc didn’t know, and Kristina says, there goes her theory. Blaze says, not that he cared. He would have gone right on harassing her regardless. She never wanted to expose anything personal about herself. Kristina says, it’s good Blaze never has to deal with Linc again, but if it’s not that she’s worried about what the public would think of her… Blaze says, if she came out now, she’s pretty sure she would turn off some fans, but it’s 2023. She thinks most of them would accept her. Unfortunately, her very Catholic family would absolutely not.

Sam asks what kind of evidence it would turn up, and Dante says, Anna told him that she had a hard copy of a report on a mission, an op that went sideways, that incriminated Forsythe. Sam says, that shouldn’t be a big deal. The WSB probably has hard copies and digital copies. He says, but they wanted to bury that report, and Anna wanted to keep a copy so she wouldn’t be scapegoated into being the reason the op went bad. She had it with her the night she shot Charlotte. She was obviously distracted with Charlotte, and when she went back to get her bag, the report was gone, so were any corroborating documents that went along with it. Then Forsythe’s body turns up, and the M.E. finds a key in his shoe. Sam says, so the report is in the locker, and Dante says, most likely, but he won’t know until he checks. She asks what Anna thinks, but he says, Anna doesn’t know yet.

Felicia says, Charlotte was stalking her? and Anna says, yeah. Victor got in her head, and convinced Charlotte that she was a threat to her father. So Charlotte was trying to drive her away to protect him. Felicia says, and Valentin knew? and Anna says, yes. Valentin knew the night Charlotte broke into her hotel suite and didn’t tell her. Felicia asks, why the hell not? Valentin should have known Anna would want to be supportive and want to get Charlotte help. Anna says, Valentin doesn’t trust her. She doesn’t think he trusts anyone, because he himself is untrustworthy. It’s over. That is it for them. This whole thing with Charlotte shattered any illusions she had about him. Felicia says she’s so sorry, and Anna says, it was a risk going into a relationship with him, but she didn’t have any idea it would end this badly. Felicia says, it wasn’t her fault, and Anna says, that’s very nice of Felicia… She’s the one who pulled the trigger. Felicia says, there were very extenuating circumstances. Who was this person at the WSB who she thought was targeting her?

Sonny says he’s sure Curtis heard about his arrest this summer, and Curtis says, just that it happened, and Sonny’s time in custody was so brief. Why was that? Sonny says, because Cyrus Renault was behind it. Even though he was in prison at the time, Cyrus tried to frame Sonny. Curtis says, if he had the resources to get Sonny arrested, he could have arranged the hit, and Sonny says he doesn’t know. Curtis says, it’s worth looking into. Anyone else? Sonny asks if Curtis has access to the police investigation, and Curtis says he does. Sonny says, then Curtis knows the sniper rifle that was recovered was liberated from a WSB station in Berlin, and Curtis says, so Sonny thinks Anna was the target? Sonny says, not necessarily.

Laura says she stopped by to check in, see how the job’s going. They seem to be working Cyrus long hours. He asks if she really cares, and she says, excuse me? He says he visited her in her home, and she threw him out. He came to see her in her office, and he clearly wasn’t welcome there. Shouldn’t this be a two-way street? He’ll stay clear of her place of business, and she’ll stay clear of his. She says, it’s not really the same thing though, and he says, why not? Because she’s the mayor and he’s an ex-con whose existence embarrasses her? She says, that’s not what she means. She means, she works in a private office, and he works in a public gathering place. He thanks her for that clarification and says, now if she doesn’t mind, he knows it’s not really an important job, but it’s his and he should get back to it. Please. She says she’ll go if he wants her to. She just wanted to say that she thinks he was right when he said they were family, and because they’re family, they should look for middle ground. He says, that’s all he’s been trying to do since the day he found out who she was. Only now for whatever reason, does she deign to recognize him, begrudgingly no less, as her brother. It’s a little late.

Blaze says, Kristina knows how she went down to see her abuela in Puerto Rico when Kristina’s dad was getting married, and Kristina says, vividly. Blaze says, she adores her abuela. Obviously. She’s wonderful, loving, and also deeply old-school religious. So are Blaze’s parents, her brothers and  sisters, her aunts, uncles, and cousins. Kristina gets the picture. Kristina says, yeah, she gets it, and Blaze says, she has this one uncle who no one talks about. She can’t say with any certainty whether he’s gay or not. She hasn’t seen him since she was a little girl. Kristina asks if Blaze has tried looking him up on social media, and Blaze says she has, but it was all for nothing. There are a bunch of people with the same name as him, but she can’t be sure if any of them are him. It’s been way too long and none of their family are mutuals. Kristina says, it must be really hard, and Blaze says, impossible. And even if she did meet him, what would she even say? If he is gay and he came out to her family, he lost them because of it, and she’s not brave enough to risk a loss like that. Kristina says, revealing your true self, especially to your loved ones, can be… it is the scariest decision you can make, but it’s also a necessary one.

Sam says, right now, the only people who know about the key are… Dante says, him, the M.E., and now Sam, and she says, the M.E. didn’t put in a report for it? He says, not yet, and she says, and clearly Dante hasn’t gone to check the lock for himself. He says he doesn’t know what his approach is going to be. If somebody is watching Forsythe’s body, he doesn’t want to lead them to the locker. She says, why not just tell Anna? and he says, if she was Anna and she knew about this key and this report, what is she going to do? She says she’s going to the train station and opening the locker, and he says, which sounds like a trap. Forsythe was murdered. Whoever killed him… She says, could also be after Anna. And she’s sure the locker is under surveillance. He says, this whole thing could just be a set-up to draw Anna out, and she says, right. So why not just turn the key over to the PCPD?

Anna tells Felicia, years ago at the beginning of her career with the WSB, she was involved with this op that got blown. The original report exonerated her, which it should have, and placed the blame on the person who planned and executed the op. Felicia says, as it should have? and Anna says, her opinion was yes, and it was the Bureau’s position. At least it was at the time. Felicia says, they changed their minds, and Anna says, they did. This agent in question, Jameson Forsythe, managed to make himself indispensable to the Bureau, so… Felicia says, they buried the report, and Anna says, they did, but she kept a copy of it, just for insurance. Felicia says, just in case they tried to pin it on her, and Anna says, right. But nothing ever came of it, so she kept the report, but just put it away in this trunk that she had full of reports. She was very fastidious about stuff like that. She put in it in storage in England, where it remained for decades. Then a couple of years ago, she brought it out here, thinking she’d go through the trunk, and she never got around to it. (We’ve all been there, even if it’s just a box of stuff.) Felicia says, she has been kind of busy the last couple of years, and Anna says she supposes so. Anyway, when it was clear she was never going to go through the trunk, she put it in storage in Port Charles. Felicia says, when her house burned down, was the trunk still in storage? and Anna says, yeah. So after the fire, she wondered if there was something in there that could help her figure out who’s after her. So Robert helped her bring it to Maxie’s apartment, and as soon as she saw Forsythe’s name, she just knew it. He would kill to keep that report buried.

Hume says he has no preference personally, but why not eliminate Corinthos altogether? and Brennan says, that option’s still on the table, but only as a last resort. Corinthos has controlled Port Charles for decades. Removing him would create a power vacuum. The last thing they need is a bunch of crime families vying for control of Port Charles and its waterways. Next thing they know, state and federal law enforcement will be nosing around. Hume says, exactly the kind of attention Pikeman wants to avoid, to get their merchandise to international buyers, and Brennan says, they’re much better off securing Sonny’s cooperation. Hume says, except that hasn’t really worked so far, and Brennan says, money hasn’t worked. Sometimes it doesn’t. All that means is, they find a different kind of leverage.

Sonny asks if Curtis has ever heard of Pikeman Security Group, and Curtis says, yeah, basically corporate mercenaries and they supply weapons systems. They’ve been in the news once or twice. Sonny says, what hasn’t been in the news is, Pikeman is in bed with the WSB. They have some kind of revolving door arrangement where former WSB agents work for Pikeman. Then Pikeman personnel work for the Bureau. Curtis says, another connection to Anna, but Sonny says, guess what? Pikeman has made overtures to him. Curtis says he takes it Sonny didn’t accept those overtures, and Sonny tells him, let’s just say it didn’t live up to Pikeman’s satisfaction. Curtis says, so Pikeman may have a reason to come gunning for Sonny, and Sonny says, anything is possible.

Dante tells Sam that he thought about turning the key over to the PCPD, but then they’d have access to Anna’s files and records. This guy was WSB, and they’d want to monitor the case. Sam says, they probably are already, and he says, then they’d confiscate the key. She says, and if the report is in the locker, the WSB will grab it and destroy it forever, and he says, right. Which puts Anna in even more danger.

Hume says, Anna Devane. Again, professional curiosity. Why is she so important? Brennan says, that’s classified, and Hume says, understood. Brennan tells him, that said, he can see how this intel might help Hume help him. Back in the 80s, Anna worked a WSB op that went sideways. Forsythe was the field agent in charge and screwed it up big time. And the WSB buried the incident. Hume says, of course (🍷), and Brennan says, but Anna was thinking ahead. She kept a copy of the original mission report naming those responsible, including Forsythe. Hume says, and he imagines if this report got out, it would be embarrassing, and Brennan says, which is why Forsythe was supposed to retrieve the report and eliminate Anna. It’s too bad he failed at both.

Anna tells Felicia, on Halloween night, she took the report and a journal she had supporting it to show Robert. He agreed with the theory, so then when she returned to Maxie’s and saw the door was unlocked, she thought, oh no. There’s someone inside her home again. Felicia says, she thought it was Forsythe, and Anna says, yeah, and if it was him, he was there to kill her. So she just went through that door with her gun leveled and the safety off. She saw a figure in the shadow and yelled, freeze, but they didn’t; they turned. They had what she thought was a weapon in their hand, and she fired, thinking it was him.

Kristina tells Blaze that she didn’t mean to imply it was a requirement to come out to your family. It’s just, when she decided to come out to her parents, who again, are very different from Blaze’s… Blaze thanks her for acknowledging that, and Kristina says she tied herself up in knots over it. With her mother, it wasn’t so much her sexuality that was the problem. The problem was, she was involved with an older woman, which in hindsight, her concerns were valid. And if Blaze tells anyone that, she will deny it. Blaze says, Kristina’s secret is safe with her, and Kristina says, with her dad, he’s totally old school and traditional. She and her dad are incredibly close. Even at times when she didn’t think she and her mom were that close, her dad has always been there for her. And she was afraid, terrified, that if she revealed her true self to him that he would reject her. Blaze says, clearly, he didn’t. Did he come around eventually, or… Kristina says, he accepted her immediately. You might not think a devout Catholic and legitimate coffee importer would be that open-minded, but his love and support for her allowed her to truly explore who she is.

Cyrus tells Laura, all his life, he’s bent over backwards for his family, for his parents who were never satisfied with anything he did. His mother won’t even accept money from him unless it’s funneled through his brother first. Every single cent that’s gone for her care has come from him. As soon as he heard that Spencer was sentenced to Pentenville, he went out of his way to make sure Spencer would be protected. Not that Spencer ever asked for his help, but he’s Laura’s grandson, and that makes him family and that’s what family does. So she and Martin and his mother can continue to treat him like he’s less than dirt, but he knows, and more importantly, God knows what’s in his heart. And that’s more than enough for him.

Blaze says, she and hers aren’t there yet, and she doesn’t know if they ever will be. Kristina says she respects that, but Blaze says she thinks she’s a coward. Kristina asks if she’s met herself. She’s kind of amazing. Blaze says she kind of is, isn’t she? and Kristina says, as far as coming out to her family, if and when that’s what Blaze decides to do, the timing is totally her own. Whatever Blaze needs from her, she’s got it. Blaze thanks her, and Kristina says, of course (🍷). Blaze says, and for the record, Kristina’s pretty amazing herself. Kristina says she is, and they kiss.

Laura says she’s sorry. Cyrus is absolutely right. She had no idea what family means to him, but she does know that she hopes every single doubt she’s had about him is wrong. She thanks him for keeping Spencer safe, and he says, it’s what they do. She says, and as far as the rest of it goes, can they just wait and see? He says he’ll take that as a downpayment on a future apology, and she says she looks forward to giving it to him. He says, all right then. If she doesn’t see him around in the next week or so, don’t worry that he’s fallen back into his old ways. He’s going to be visiting his mother. She says, good for him. Give his mother her best. He says he will. He missed her while he was in prison, even if she didn’t miss him. He goes to the back with his mop and bucket, and Laura leaves.

Kristina walks Blaze to the door, and Blaze says, see you around? Kristina says, you bet, and Blaze leaves. These two have more chemistry than most of the other couples put together, especially now that Anna and Valentin are off the table.

Sam says she doesn’t understand why they would work so hard pinning this on Anna, and Dante says, maybe there’s someone implicated in the report besides Forsythe. She says, maybe that’s why Forsythe is dead. Maybe he knew who that someone was. Dante says, so the only person who knows about the report is the person who was in on the op, and Sam says, and that person was Anna. He says, she’s the only other witness. Whoever wants to bury that report, wants to bury her too.

Felicia asks if Anna thinks he’s still after her, and Anna says she thinks he was. Felicia says, was? and Anna says, when she returned to Maxie’s apartment, after the shooting, someone had been there, and they’d been through the trunk and taken anything pertaining to Forsythe and the op. It was all gone. And shortly after that, Forsythe turned up in Port Charles morgue. He was the victim of a hit and run. He was found on the side of the road, and there was no indication that the vehicle even slowed down. Felicia says, murdered? and Anna says, that’s what it looks like. She bets Forsythe died because of something that was in that report.

Hume says, their team went through Forsythe’s hotel room, his luggage, and his car. They gave Brennan everything they found. Brennan says, the last message from Forsythe, he said he had the report. So he either lied about having it or left it somewhere as insurance, which means that report is still out there somewhere. A ticking bomb.

Curtis asks, what if Sonny was the intended target and they wanted to lead the investigation away from that assumption? If Sonny had been hit by a WSB rifle, the investigators could claim that gun was bought on the black market, and no one would connect it to Pikeman. Sonny says he’s not ruling anything out. He wants to be clear. He doesn’t know for sure if Pikeman tried to kill him, but he doesn’t see a reason why they would try to kill Anna. Curtis says, that they know of. But to find out, he’s going to have to start back at square one and see where this trail leads.

Tomorrow, Maxie says, Cody and Sasha have this special chemistry that everyone can see; Esme says she can’t rely on Spencer anymore; and Jake says he never knows what Charlotte is thinking.

🏆 He’s Welcome…

The only soap fit to print.

Maurice Benard Thanks You for Helping GH Hit a Major Milestone!

💐 Deserving Of Two Bouquets…

One of the most underrated actors in daytime, but he does get double the fun. Ryan might be dead, but I fully expect him to show up again.

Jon Lindstrom Celebrates His Anniversary at GENERAL HOSPITAL

💣 New Villain In Town…

I thought I recognized him. He’s been in quite a few TV shows.

Who Was Brennan on GENERAL HOSPITAL?

🍹 Soap Ladies Who Lunch…

This is such a cool idea. It must be fun.

Inside This Year’s Lead Actress Luncheon — See the Videos!

🥪 Something About Opening Already…

To be fair, the socks are really cute. But the place looks gorgeous, so what the hell?

Something About Her Better Open Soon, Here’s Why

💉 Don’t Try This Anywhere…

Seriously, is she stupid or crazy? Is keeping up with the Housewives really worth it?

Jennifer Fessler Sent to Hospital Over Weight Loss Drug, Continues to Take It

🐉 Imagining Dragons…

The latest on House of the Dragon, Season 2.

https://people.com/bloody-war-is-coming-in-the-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-teaser-8410126

🌁 Latest On The Last…

I could see Bella Ramsey playing The Joker.

https://winteriscoming.net/2023/12/05/the-last-of-us-season-2-sets-february-2024-filming-date/

More game versus series talk.

The Last of Us Season 2 Has an Impossible Role to Cast

⚰️ Improvising the Dead…

Since there’s precious little news at this time.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/12/02/walking-dead-ad-libbed-lines/

🦥 Double Check That Thing…

This story is hysterical, but don’t let this happen to you.

https://people.com/woman-discovers-possum-hiding-in-christmas-tree-8410211

🦌 Playing Reindeer Games…

Join me tomorrow for soap and trying to stomach Beverly Hills. Until then, stay safe, stay respecting others’ holiday differences, and stay trusting, but verifying.

Nov20

November 19, 2023 – First Part of Fear Finale & Dog

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What I Watched Today

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

Disclaimer… or something. To do this amazing but very, very long finale justice in editing, I give you Part 1 right now and will post Part 2 tomorrow. Or later today. Or… I’m tired.

Fear the Walking Dead

Part 1 – Fighting Like You

Mississippi Queen plays, and we see a fire being set and bright lights coming on. The zombie horde is led out of the woods by Troy and company. He radios Russell who says, they’re in formation. He’ll see Troy at the rendezvous. Tracy asks how they’ll get to PADRE, since it’s an island. They can’t walk the zombies in. Troy asks, who said they were walking? Russell came through with the perfect way to get them there. They’ll finally have a home. Tracy says, her mom pulled loose, and zombie Serena scrabbles at the back window of the truck. Troy says, she won’t hurt them. She’s going to be the one to make Madison pay for everything she’s done. He asks Tracy, what’s wrong? and Tracy asks why her mom has to kill Madison. Troy says, Alicia’s mother put the thinking into people’s heads that got them killed, and they can’t let that happen to anyone else. Tracy says, Victor told her the St. Christpher medal belonged to Alicia, but Troy asks if she knows how many St. Christopher medals are out there. He was mistaken. Her mother gave it to him when she died and made him promise to give it to her and keep her safe. That’s what he’s been doing ever since. Tracy yells, look out! and the truck flips over an embankment.  

Tracy tells Troy, wake up, and he opens his eyes. She says, he’s been out for hours, and he asks, what happened? She says, they went over an embankment. She thinks he ran over a trap. Troy has been impaled with a tree branch, which is sticking out of his upper chest, and he says he’s pinned to the seat. He asks, where’s the gun? and she says, he lost it when they crashed. She can’t find it. He says, they have to catch up with Russell, and tries pulling the branch out, but he can’t. He says, Tracy has to go meet Russell. He’ll give her the coordinates. But she says she’s not leaving him. He says she has to. It’s everything they’ve fought for. If she doesn’t make it to PADRE, everything they’ve done won’t mean anything. Tracy says she’s going to find help. She doesn’t want to live there if she’s not with him. She gives him the medal to keep him safe like, and says she’ll come back for him. Then they’ll make PADRE their home together. She runs off, zigzagging through the zombies headed for the truck.  

A zombie is squashed by the MRAP tank, and Madison gets out. Victor radios, as Madison realizes the zombie horde is gone. He asks where she is, and she says she can’t help him. Enough people died because of her and she can’t put the rest at risk. He says, it’s just him and his newly found friends. She says she has the tank, ammo, and guns, and doesn’t need help. Unlike him, she has no one to disappoint. He should build PADRE into what Alicia wanted. Victor says, she thinks it’s one thing, then can’t stop. He learned the hard way at the Tower. There was always one more thing he had to do to keep it safe. Before he knew it, he was the thing people needed protection from. There’s another way. Madison opens the back door to the tank, and sees Tracy. She asks what Tracy is doing here. Where’s Troy? Tracy says, he’s hurt, and Madison says, bullsh*t, but Tracy says, he crashed the truck. Madison asks, why Russell didn’t help, and Tracy says, he couldn’t. He’s leading the rest of the herd. Madison asks, where? but Tracy says she doesn’t know. Madison asks, who does know? and Tracy says, her dad is going to die if she doesn’t help him. Madison asks why she’s here, and Tracy says she thought she could use the radio. Madison asks where the truck is, and Tracy hesitates, but Madison says, Tracy can’t use her radio and she’s running out of options. Tracy says, it’s down an embankment, about a mile east of here. Madison sits her down, and zip ties her wrist to the tank. She radios Victor and says, change of plans. She’s leaving the MRAP. Victor asks, where she’s going, and she says, to kill Troy. Tracy says, no! What happened to, no one’s gone until they’re gone? She told Victor to build what Alicia wanted. If Madison gave Victor a second chance, why not her dad? Madison says, he doesn’t deserve one, and Tracy says, that’s not what Alicia believed. Help her dad the way Alicia helped her. She gestures toward Alicia’s mechanical arm, displayed in the tank, and Madison leaves.  

Russell radios Troy and says he’s picking up stragglers. How is Troy in the same place? Troy says, by the looks of it, he’s not going anywhere. Promise him something. Russell says, anything, and Troy tells him whatever happens, find Tracy and make sure she gets there. Russell promises she’ll finally have a home. The zombies coming closer to Troy are whacked in the head, as Russel says, they’ll take the island. Madison says, no, they won’t, and neither will Troy. He pulls the branch out of the seat, but not his chest, and he launches himself at Madison. They tumble down, and he pushes her toward zombie Serena. Madison twists the stick, pulls it out, and shoves it in zombie Serena’s head. Troy says, she had no right. Madison picks up the hammer, and says she’ll bury him next to her, and he says, she thinks killing him will help build the island. She says, he killed her daughter. She has to do what she has to, to make sure Alicia’s memory didn’t die with her. People like them are no longer in this world, but Troy says, she can’t kill him. She wants to stop the herd, and he’s the only person who knows where they’re going. She says, her people will figure it out, but he says, not in time. She needs to do something for him. He needs to see his daughter. He needs to tell her something. Madison brings out the radio, and says, tell her now, but he says he needs to see her. She says, nice try, a-hole, and he says, let him bury his wife. Bring him to his daughter, and he’ll take her to Russell. She asks what he has to tell Tracy that’s so important, and he says, it just is. She asks how she knows he’ll hold up his end of the deal, and he says, she doesn’t. Just like he doesn’t know she won’t kill him. She says, okay. She takes him to Tracy, who asks, what happened to him? He says he was doing what it takes to protect PADRE and get to see his daughter one more time. Madison radios Victor and says she’s coming back. She’s bringing Troy and he’s going to lead them to the herd. And she’s bringing Tracy. She tells Troy, hold still, and pulls out the stick. He falls over.

Tracy watches one of Alicia’s video tapes, when Victor opens the tank. He asks what she’s doing here, and she says, waiting for her father. He agreed to tell them where the herd is heading. Victor says, whether he’s lying or not remains to be seen. Why would her father help when PADRE is everything to him? Why would he give it up? He supposes they’ll find out. Tracy says, he’s going to kill Madison when he gets what he wants. She thinks he doesn’t deserve a second chance. One of the Alicia clones asks, how many tapes has Tracy seen? If she watches more, she’ll see that Madison gave a lot of people second chances, whether they deserved them or not. Tracy says, like who? and Victor tells her that Madison never gave up on him, but Tracy says, Madison’s not her anymore. Madison radios Victor and says, they’ll be there shortly. Troy buries Serena, and she tells him, it must be nice to bury the person you love. He says, Alicia can rot on her feet forever, and she asks if he wants her to put the branch back in. Keep talking. He says, his wife is dead because of her, and she asks, why? Troy says, it’s not important, and Madison says, it was important enough for him to kill her daughter over it, and he says, Serena was pregnant, and they were still looking for a place live since Mexico. She got bit. Madison says, and that’s Alicia’s fault? but Troy says, nope. Alicia’s the one who saved her. Madison asks, how? and he says he put out an SOS on the radio. Alicia was the last person he thought would respond, but she did. Madison says, she helped him? and he says, that surprises her, especially after how they parted ways in Brokejaw. Serena was bitten on the arm like Alicia, so she knew where to cut and how to do it… Then, when Serena was out of the woods, Alicia got back in the MRAP and left to help more people. Madison says she’s having a hard time seeing how this led to him killing Alicia, and he says, Serena changed after that; Alicia changed her. She wanted to be just like Alicia. Madison asks if she was, and he says, yeah. She tried to help as many as she could. One day, they got a call, and SOS on the radio. A guy said he needed help, and when Serena showed up, he shot her and robbed her. He took everything she owned and left her for dead. When Troy went looking for her, he found her holed up in a strip mall, but it was too late to save her; she’d lost too much blood. He held while she died. He listened to her weep about how she’d never watch their daughter grow up. She allowed herself to get wrapped up in Alicia’s bullsh*t, and she made him promise to never let Tracy hurt the way she did. So he never let his daughter believe the same bullsh*t Alicia put in Serena’s head. Madison says, that’s why he killed Alicia? and he says, yep. He made a promise. An errant zombie tumbles down the hill toward them and Troy shoves Madison, who gets tangled with it. He runs, but trips on a wire and falls into a trap. Madison extracts herself and goes over to the pit. She says, today is not his day, and Crane comes up behind her. He says, it’s not hers either, and hits her in the back of the head.

Madison wakes up on a barge, tied to Troy. Crane says, welcome back. Does she like his new digs? It doesn’t measure up to what they have in PADRE, but it was handy to get supplies to the cargo ship when he ran out of gas. Troy asks, who the hell is he and what does he know about PADRE? Crane says, he is PADRE. Or he was. Him and his sister. Lark got his sister killed. Madison says, she got herself killed, and Crane says, and Blue Jay spared him. Madison asks what he wants, and he says he’s looking for a way to get paid back. Today he found it. He heard them on the radio, and he’s prepared to give Troy what he wants. Troy asks, what’s the catch? and Crane says, he can start by telling his friend to call off the dogs, and Troy laughs. He asks why he’d do that, and Crane says, he’ll let Troy and his daughter live in PADRE. Madison says, he’s lying, but Crane says, Troy has more of a chance with him than Madison. Do they have a deal? He holds out the radio, and Madison yells to Victor that they’re on a barge near the docks, but Crane knocks her in the face. She says she should have killed him when she had the chance, and Crane says, this is what happens when you show mercy. She says she was trying to save his people from him and his sister, and Crane says, change of plans. Troy is going to tell his friends to call off their army in person and take him to the herd. If either one of them tries anything, he’ll kill them both. He tells his men to get the truck ready.

They drive, and Victor comes on the radio, saying, they’re at the barge… Crane turns off the radio and asks, what changed? Madison risked her life to reunite Wren and Nightingale. Now she’s using a father against his daughter. What happened to, family is worth fighting for? She says, it still is. She’s just fighting his way. Zombie blood hits the windshield, and Daniel, Luci, et al come out. Crane tries to overpower them, but zombies start coming. Luci calls to Madison, who shoots at Crane’s guys, and a couple of zombies get Crane down.

Luciana leads them into a nearby building, and Madison tries to radio Victor, but Troy says, he can’t hear. They have to get to higher ground. Daniel says, he’s not going anywhere, and Luciana says, they’re here for a reason. To do to him what he did to them at her truck stop. Daniel says, and Ofelia and Charlie and anyone else he hurt. Madison says, he can’t be the only one who knows where the herd is, and Luciana says, they can find it without Troy. Madison says she needs to find the MRAP and meet Victor on the road. Daniel is about to cut the bond tying Troy to Madison, but Madison stops him. She says, they can’t have him getting away when this is over. She has to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else. Daniel says, if she doesn’t, he will, and he and Luciana leave.

Troy and Madison walk, and Troy tells Madison that Crane isn’t going to take the herd. He sent Crane in the wrong direction. Madison asks, why? and he says he’s dealing with her, not them. Madison says, she’d kill him just as quick, but he says he doesn’t think so. He knows her, or maybe he knows what it is to believe in something so hard, you can’t let it go. They get to a footbridge that’s basically rope and boards, hanging over a lagoon where zombies are lurking. Troy wants to cross, but Madison says, something is pulling them down, probably quicksand. If the bridge breaks, they’re both dead. A shot fires, and Crane says he found them. They run to the bridge, which looks pretty shaky, and they start to go across. It breaks, and the zombies look up, ready for an easy lunch. Crane takes the trusty ax he just happens to have, and cuts one of the ropes. Madison and Troy fall in.

Crane tells Madison that he thought she needed to be paid back after what she did to his sister. It’s what she deserves. Troy asks what he’s talking about, and Crane says, she let Shrike get bit over and over. Her and Nightingale let it happen. Troy says he wants to get his daughter, and Crane says, that’s why the right people need to protect them from themselves, and especially from the kids. Why does Madison think they saved her at the stadium? They heard her on the radio; no one is gone til they’re gone. They found her in the water truck, gasping for air, surrounded by zombies. They didn’t hesitate to pull er out. If she was willing to die for them, they knew they could get her to do just about anything. She thought her beliefs would save her kids, but in the end, it’s what got them killed. Madison yells, come on! to the zombies toddling around in the woods, and Crane’s so busy being full of himself, they get him down and he’s out. Troy says he’s sorry, but Madison says, that’s not going to get them out. Troy says, they’re not that different, but she says she’s nothing like him. He says, the northwest corner is where he was leading them, to the swamp. He was hoping the current would sweep them to the island. She asks why he’s telling her this. Maybe she doesn’t deserve a second chance. Troy says, she does, but not if they’re not found in time. He didn’t want it to end like this. Madison says, the truth is, PADRE is better off without people like them, and they duck underwater.

Victor tells Madison, stay with them, and she coughs up water. She says, they found them and saved her, but he says, Daniel and Luciana found them. Luciana says, they’re not the ones who saved her. Tracy did. Troy says she grabbed a root and pulled them out. They used Crane’s ax to snap the cuffs. Troy says he wasn’t telling Madison the truth about what Serena said, that she regretted following Alicia. After Alicia helped Serena, Alicia gave Serena the medal and said it would bring them luck. Tracy says, he told her… He says, he knows: he lied. Serena made him promise to let Alicia believe she was alive, so she’d always know what she was fighting for. He broke that promise. Daniel says, he’s a liar, and Luciana asks why they should believe him. Troy says, he knew what it was to believe hard in something and not want to let it go. He saw it in Serena’s eyes. She never let go. She believed in it even though it got her killed. When she was going under, something in her eyes, the look of someone dying believing in nothing. He couldn’t let that happen, not for Tracy’s sake. He didn’t do what Serena asked and keep it alive. Maybe he could if he was given a second chance. Madison gets up and says, like Troy did for Alicia? He said he’d take them to the herd. It’s time for him to hold up his end of the deal.

The song Hair of the Dog plays, and Russell radios Troy. He says he’s here. He caught up to the herd. Troy should see it. Troy says he does, and Russell might want to get down. The MRAP barrels in, and the machine guns open up on the zombies. Russell says, it’s going to take more than that, and Madison says, they know. A truck caravan pulls by, with Dove in the last truck bed. The caravan leads the herd away, and big baby Russel whines, nooo.  

Madison takes some oxygen, and Victor asks how she is. June says she has fluid in her lungs, and they need to get back to the island. Dwight says, they broke up the herd, and June says, they have to get back to PADRE. Victor thinks they should give Troy the benefit of the doubt, but Luciana asks how they can trust him. Victor asks, what about second chances? He and Daniel are just as guilty for what they’ve done. Daniel asks if willing risk that. Troy tells Tracy that it worked. It kept him safe. He gives her back the medal. He did what he said and found them a home and kept her safe. He’s sorry he lied for so long. Madison says, they have to get ready to head out and help the others and tells Tracy that she wants to talk to her dad. Tracy goes to help, and Madison says she’s been thinking about Alicia and how she gave Troy a second chance despite everything. She shows him Alicia’s mechanical arm and says, it’s all she has left. Troy says, it doesn’t have to be. He’ll do everything in his power to make sure he’s worthy of a second to everyone on the island. Things have changed. She has to believe him. She says, that’s just it. She doesn’t. She stabs him with the arm, and Tracy yells, no! and runs off. Victor wonders about second chances, and Madison says, Troy was right. That’s what got Alicia killed. If she hadn’t done this, she’d be putting them at risk. It’s how they survive. As he’s dying, Troy tells Madison to fight for Tracy. She’s not his daughter. Serena died before the baby was born. Madison asks who her mother is, and he says, Alicia. He took her child to make up for what he lost. Madison yells, no! and Troy dies. She asks where Tracy has gone, and everyone looks confused or lost or both.

🐊 See You Later, Alligator…

Since this thing got away from me, come back again for Part 2. Until then, stay safe, stay remembering family is worth fighting for, and stay believing no one is gone until they’re gone.

Nov13

November 12, 2023 – What Would Alicia Do & Monsters

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

At PADRE kids are doing obstacle courses, food is being served, math lessons are being taught. June marches in with Dwight, Sherry, Dove, et al. A couple stops them, and tells them that no one is coming in. June asks, under whose orders? when Victor walks out and says, his. June asks where Tracy is. They know he has Troy’s daughter. Victor suggests perhaps discussing this in a more civilized manner, but Dwight says, this seems pretty civilized. Victor tells Dwight, long time, and asks Frank to bring Klaus to their room. June asks why Victor brought the girl here, and he says, Troy wouldn’t attack if he knew his daughter was here. Dwight says, or it’s the perfect reason to attack, but Victor says, Troy doesn’t know they’re here. It’s not like she’s tagged for migratory purposes. June says, if Victor was doing more than playing father, he would know the lengths a parent would go for their child, but Victor says, they still don’t know him. June says she does. She watched him make bad decision after bad decision. People lost their lives because of what he did. John’s father lost his life because of what he did. She’s not making the same again. He says, many people lost their lives because of her. They’ve all done things to survive, and no one can throw stones. When Tracy went missing, he saw an opportunity. He had to make a call. June says, no one asked him to, and he says he’s not the man he used to be. She asks how she knows that, and he says, she’s not the woman she used to be. Right, Naomi? Frank says, Victor told him everything, and Dwight asks who he is. Victor says, this is his husband, and June says, show them if he’s changed. Dwight says, help them bring Tracy back to her father, and Victor asks if they think that would satisfy Troy. June says, it might, if they bring him the man who kidnapped her too, and Dwight says, start walking. Victor says, they don’t know Troy like he does. He lost the hotel, and it’s his last chance to do good on what he promised Alicia. Dwight says he wishes he believed Victor, and June says, if he wants to show them that he’s changed, now’s the time. Victor looks at Frank, who shakes his head, but Victor says, let’s walk. Dove goes to get Tracy, and Frank says he won’t let Victor do this. He saw what that man did at the hotel. He’ll kill Victor. Victor says, these people will kill him if he doesn’t go, and he doesn’t want Frank in the crossfire. Wait for him. He’ll come back. Frank says he’ll be waiting. Victor leaves with June and the others, looking back one last time.

On the water in a boat from PADRE, June radios Troy that they have his daughter. She’s safe and they’ll return her if they agree to terms. Tracy asks if the blindfold is necessary, and Victor laughs. He says, it’s not going to work. They’re not going to remove it. The reason the settlement has lasted so long is that no one knows where it is. Tracy tells him to stop trying to be friends with her. He’s the one who brought her in. June radios Troy again, saying, Tracy is safe and will be returned. Victor tells her, no matter what Troy says, Troy is going to kill him and hurt Tracy. Tracy says, her father would do anything to protect her, but Victor says, her father’s not the man she thinks he is. June says, Victor can change, but not Troy? and Victor says, Troy is a sociopath on a revenge tour. He has issues. There’s a difference. Why is he the only person looking after Tracy? Sherry says, the only person he’s looking after is himself, but he says, it’s not about that. It’s about building PADRE the way Alicia wanted him too. Troy radios, and asks, who is this? Who has his daughter? June says he doesn’t know her, but she freed Madison and Victor from the hotel. She asks Tracy to talk to Troy, and Tracy says, it’s okay. They’re bringing her back. June says, they will, provided he gives them assurance he won’t take PADRE. Troy says, they took his daughter, but June says, they didn’t. Victor did, and they’re bringing him back too. Troy says, there’s one problem. They need a place to live. June suggests they stay at the hotel. Madison is no longer at PADRE, and his beef with her isn’t a beef with them. Does he want his daughter or not? He says, they have a deal. Bring her and Victor to the hotel. Victor says, it’s a trick, but June says, they’ll be there. Victor says, don’t do this, but Dwight says, it’s too late. Victor looks scared and grabs the blindfold off of Tracy. He says, now she knows where PADRE is, and Tracy takes a dive over the side of the boat. Victor jumps up and runs to the bow, pulling out wires and plugs as he goes. He too jumps off the boat, and Sherry tells Dwight to turn around, but he says he can’t. There’s no power.  

On land, a zombie grabs Tracy and she falls, but she scuttles away. Four of them surround her, and Victor arrives, whacking them in their undead heads. He tells Tracy that he’s not going to hurt her, and she says she’s not worth anything dead. He holds out his hand and sees a St. Christopher medal around her neck. He asks where she got the necklace, and she asks, what’s it to him? June calls to him, and he says, they’ve got to go. He’s not taking her back. Tracy asks where he is taking her, and he says, to the one person who can help both of them. Dwight begins to call their names, and Victor helps Tracy up.  

Madison plays loud music on a boombox in a forest clearing, and as zombies come out, she sledgehammers them. Apparently, she’s found her calling. When all the zombies are down, Victor calls Madison’s name. He brings Tracy out, and Madison asks what he’s doing here. She told him that she couldn’t help him build PADRE. He says, they’ll have agree to disagree on that, but that’s not why he’s here. She turns the music off, and he says he heard she was looking for Alicia. She says, Alicia deserves to be at rest. She did it for Nick and wants to do it for Alicia. She asks, who’s his friend? but Tracy says she’s not Victor’s friend. Victor says, she’s Troy’s daughter. He found her wandering and saved her life. Tracy says, he kidnapped her, and Victor says, perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle (as it almost always does). Madison asks, what’s her name? and she says, Tracy. Madison says, she has her father’s eyes, but don’t worry. She won’t make Tracy pay for his crimes. Tracy asks, what crimes? and Madison says, he killed her daughter on top of other sh*t he probably didn’t tell her about. Tracy says, he told her everything. How Madison killed his father and turned his brother against him. And how she left him for dead at the dam. She also killed Tracy’s mother. Madison says she doesn’t know what Troy told Tracy, but she didn’t know Tracy’s mother. She asks why Victor brought Tracy here, and he says, he took her to PADRE. It was the only play he had, but the peasants revolted, saying it was too risky to keep her there. Madison asks why he brought her here, and he says, it’s Madison’s best shot at finding Alicia. Tracy is wearing a medal that belonged to her. Madison asks how he knows, and he says, because he gave it to her. Madison asks, why? and he says, it doesn’t matter. What does, is that it may lead to Alicia. Madison asks if that’s true, and Tracy says, maybe. Madison says she’s not getting pulled in for a maybe, and Victor says, Tracy might be more forthcoming when she realizes they’re the only ones who can save her. Madison asks, from what? and he says, PADRE. June, Dwight, and Sherry want her because she knows where PADRE is. Madison asks why there was no blindfold, and Tracy says, Victor pulled it off. Victor says, they were going to send Tracy back to her father, and he had to make it impossible for them to turn her over. It’s what Alicia would have done. Tracy says, he did it because they going to hand him over too, and he brings her over to Madison. He says, Madison is the only person who knows the man he used to be. It’s not about saving his own skin; he’s saving Tracy’s too. Madison asks if she knows where to find Alicia, and Tracy says she doesn’t think she has a choice. Madison says, smart girl. All right. First, Tracy takes her to Alicia. Tracy asks, what happens after that? but Madison says she doesn’t know. But Victor’s right about one thing. She can’t go back to her father. They leave, and I envision a buddy series with Victor and Tracy. Kind of like The Last of Us or Arya and the Hound on Game of Thrones.

Madison hotwires a car with a full tank of gas at Luciana’s truck stop. Victor finds a gun in the glovebox, and says, thanks, Luci. Madison asks if he thinks Luciana will mind, and he tells her, the sign says, take what you need. They look at a map with Tracy, and hear Troy on the radio, but Victor says, he’s nowhere near them. He’s looking for June. They hear some people looking for Madison, and Madison wonders who they are. Victor asks if they’re Tracy’s father’s people, but Tracy says she doesn’t know who are. She says, they need a bigger map. Her dad’s fight with Alicia happened further than this. Victor looks in the car, and Tracy grabs the radio, trying to get Troy and shouting where she is. Madison snatches it back, and tells her, don’t do it again. Victor says, it’s okay. Troy’s people are by the hotel. They still have time. Tracy points at a spot on the map, and Victor asks if she’s sure.

A gas truck pulls in, followed by some other vehicles, and Daniel and Luciana get out. Luciana asks what they think they’re doing. She’s been monitoring radio chatter. Why did they bring Tracy here? Madison says, they’re just stopping by, and Luciana says she thought she made it clear she doesn’t want to get dragged into their fight. Daniel asks if Tracy is in their car, and Victor says, they’ll make sure Troy knows they had nothing to do with it. Luciana says, Troy won’t believe them, and Madison says, they need to pass through. Luci says, they’ve been put in danger already. She can’t let them travel this road. She has people who are still breathing that she needs to protect. They need to give Tracy back to Troy. Madison says, she knows where PADRE is, but Luciana says, that’s not her problem. Victor says, she knows what Troy is like, and she says, that’s why she’s giving Tracy back. Step away. Everyone draws their guns, but Daniel says, let them go. Even if they return Tracy, Troy will attack them; that’s his nature. They need to set a defensive perimeter. It’s easier to do now. On the side, Luciana says, what if they made a deal with Troy? but Daniel says, he needs to find out what’s going on. Luciana tells her men to lower their weapons, and Victor asks why they want to help. Daniel says he knows what it’s like losing a daughter. He wants to help Madison find Alicia and bury her. Daniel leaves with Madison, Victor, and Tracy.  

In the car, Tracy looks at the map and tells Victor to slow down. Daniel says, she’s been looking at the map for 15 minutes, and Victor says, she’s a child, not an atlas. Tracy says, he’s Daniel Salazar. Her dad told her about him. Daniel asks if her dad told her why he wants to kill him, and Victor asks him not to scare her. Daniel says, even children need to learn what we do and don’t do has consequences. They need to learn that no one gets a free pass. Tracy says, her dad said Daniel’s daughter died because she tried to poison a lot of people, but Daniel says, his daughter died because Tracy’s lunatic father led a herd of the dead to destroy his own settlement. She died defending that settlement. She died because of Tracy’s father. Victor asks why Daniel is here. He doesn’t give a sh*t about the girl. He wants Troy to feel what he feels. Madison says, there’s something fundamentally wrong with Daniel (touché!), and Victor stops the car, getting out his gun. He says, they’re leaving, and starts to get out. He asks why he’s the only one doing the right thing. They know how far he’ll go for what he believes is right. Daniel pushes the gun aside, and it goes off. The bullet hits the headrest, and Daniel tells Madison to go. She guns the engine, and Victor flies out into the road. Daniel asks if Madison wants to find Alicia or not, and Victor curses as zombies come toddling out. He says he’s really not in the mood today, and goes between tight trees. He gets to the road, but more come and he’s surrounded. One grabs him and then another, but he pushes them away. Yet another comes from behind, and we see it’s like a tent city for zombies along the road. I say, he can’t end this way, as he struggles with one, and a truck rattles down the road. Automatic weapons shoot from the top of the truck, and I wonder if it’s Al. Remember her? Victor is down, but the zombie on top of him is knifed in the head. A hand reaches down, and it looks like a mechanical arm, but it’s a metal sleeve on a normal arm. He asks who she is, and a young woman wonders if he thought she was Alicia Clark. She gets that a lot. She asks if he’s coming or not, and helps him up. He asks how many are with her, but she suggests they save the introductions for inside, and he gets in what’s essentially a tank.

Madison, Daniel, and Tracy get out of the car, and Madison asks if this is where they find Alicia. Tracy says, it’s what she said she wanted, but Daniel doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Madison says, it’s the only one she’s got, and they look down onto a bridge across a ravine where tons of zombies are standing around. Madison says, the herd is stuck. She’s seen that before. Daniel says, the ground is frozen, and Tracy says, Alicia is in the herd. Her father led it here before it got cold. The herd was following them, and he didn’t want it near the hotel. When the temperature dropped, he knew the mud froze. Madison says, Troy told her that he didn’t know where Alicia was, but Tracy says, he lied. He didn’t want her to find Alicia and bury her. Madison asks how she knows, and Tracy fingers the medal. She says, it doesn’t matter, and Madison says, let’s go.

The tank barrels along, and driver Della says, they’re a sitting duck until the guns are reloaded, but Troy doesn’t know they’re here. For now. Sitting in the back, Victor looks at his savior’s arm, and he says, the last time he was in here, he was with someone he never thought he’d see again. She says, Alicia told them before Troy killed her, and he asks if they knew her. She says, briefly. She passed through all their lives. He asks why they’re dressed like Alicia, and she says, it’s more than dressing like her. They’re keeping Alicia alive. They’re doing for others what Alicia did for them. The driver says, when they’re settlement was under siege, Alicia made their attackers regretted shaking them down. Passenger Sara says she had pneumonia, and Alicia found antibiotics for her. Victor says, what about the girl who saved him? and she says, he doesn’t remember her. They spoke when she was a kid. They were on a roof. Victor says, they were interviewed at the Tower, and she says she was with her dad. Victor turned them away. She thought they were going to die. They had no source for food and water that wasn’t contaminated. They had no shelter, and the air was bad. They heard a voice transmit a message. Alicia said, come to the Tower and we’ll build something better. When they got there, the fire was burning, and the Tower was destroyed. Not being able to help himself, Victor jokes that he should have left it in a better state than he found it, and she says, they weren’t the only ones who showed up. There were dozens of survivors, and they watched the Tower burn. She was thinking, this is where they’re going to die. Then a figure emerged on the horizon. Victor says, Alicia went back in the Tower after she put them on rafts, but she says, Alicia did more than that. She went in to get the fuel generator and drove them out of the wasteland and radiation. Her father died from exposure a few months after. Victor gets teary and says he’s so sorry. Her father died because of him. Why did she save him? She says, it’s what Alicia would have done, and he asks, how was she? Was she still sick from the bite? She says, the fever stopped, but Alicia didn’t spend much time with them after they were settled. Della says, Alicia never stayed in one place very long. She gave people hope, so they’re trying to do the same. Victor asks, what the girls name is, but she says, Alicia’s legacy will better continue if people believe she’s alive. Victor asks why they came here, and she says, they heard Madison’s message, and knew Troy wasn’t far behind. Victor asks why Troy killed Alicia, but she says, they don’t know. She wasn’t the only person Troy killed. Word spread. There used to be more of them. Victor tears up, and tries the radio. He says, it’s Victor, and asks Madison to please respond. They need to talk about Tracy. He says, they could be anywhere, and Alicia 2.0 says, they’re not going to find them driving blind. Troy comes on the radio and says, where is she? Madison better not have lost her. Victor says, he knows exactly where they’re going.  Where Troy hid Alicia. He can help, but Troy has to tell him where to go. Troy asks why he’d do that, and Victor says he could be Troy’s last chance. Troy says, Victor is the one who took her, and Victor says, and he’s the only one saving her. Troy will never catch up on foot. Troy says he won’t be on foot much longer.

At Luciana’s truck stop, she asks where Troy thinks he’s going. He says he remembers her, and in Spanish, he says, it’s a shame about Nick. She says she doesn’t want trouble. They can use the roads as long as none of her people get hurt. Troy asks if she’s going to help him, even though Nick chose the ranch over her? She says, her people are more important than her pride, and Troy says, then stand down. They’re outnumbered and outgunned. He tells his men, fan out and take what’s worth taking. Luciana says, don’t, and he says, it doesn’t end well. She says, for you, not us, and Dwight and the others come out. I’m thinking, now Troy is outnumbered, and Troy says, so this was all bullsh*t. Luciana says she needed to get close to him. Stand down. Troy says he’s trained all his men, and they’ll take out more of Luciana’s people than vice versa. Dwight suggests they test that theory, and Frank says, he’s looking to make room in the hotel again, Troy says he has no time for this. His daughter’s in danger. Luciana says, stand down, and June says, his daughter’s as good a reason as any to lower his weapons. Troy says, no, and reaches for something. Everyone gets tense (or more tense than they are already), but Troy says, it’s just a walkie. He radios for Victor, and says, fortunately for Victor, he’s the only person who can help him make sure his daughter is okay. Victor says, tell him where they are.

A cowboy walker gets kneecapped by Madison, and literally breaks off at the knees. She says, he’s a long way from home, and Daniel says, he’s not the only one. He asks Tracy how long the herd had been following them, but she says she doesn’t know. She didn’t know about it until they got here. Daniel says, something’s not right. It doesn’t make sense. Madison says, the zombies can’t hurt them, and asks where Alicia is. Tracy says, somewhere in here, and points. Daniel says, the man led a herd of dead against his own people, and Madison tells him, go back then. She’s got Tracy. Daniel says he’s not letting Tracy out of his sight, and they walk through the stuck zombies. Tracy says, there, and they walk through into the forest where the zombies were headed. Daniel asks if Madison wants help, and Madison says, give her a minute. She walks up to a zombie who looks like she could be Alicia from behind and says she’s so sorry. She would come if she’d known. Daniel draws his gun, and Madison says she would have stopped Troy from doing this. She pushes the zombie’s hair away from its face and thinks of Alicia. She gets a good look and says, it’s not her. Tracy pushes her into the zombie, who breaks off at the feet. They both fall, and Madison says she can’t believe she listened to Tracy. Where’s her daughter? Why lie? Tracy says, that’s her mother, and she wanted her to make Madison pay. Extracting herself, Madison says she’s never seen her before, and Tracy says, her mother saw Madison and Alicia, and believed what they believed. That’s why she’s dead. Madison asks what that means, and Tracy says, no one’s gone until they’re gone. It killed her, like it killed Madison’s kids. Madison takes in some oxygen, and Daniel says, they should leave, but Madison says she needs to figure out what to do. Daniel wonders if she’s going to use Tracy to make Troy pay for what he did to her daughter, and Madison says, she knows where PADRE is. There’s only one way to protect the island. Looking at her sledgehammer, Daniel asks if she’s got the stomach for that, and Madison says, Tracy just tried to use her own mother to kill her. Daniel ties Tracy’s wrists together, and Tracy says, no. They can’t do this. Madison says, she should have thought about that before she brought them out here, and God forgive me, I laugh. Tracy begs as Daniel ties her to a tree. She says she knows where her dad killed Alicia. The old mansion off Route 26 near Fort Worth. Madison says, she’s lying, but Tracy says, it’s the truth. Madison says, that doesn’t change the fact that she knows where the island is. Victor yells, stop! and Madison tells him, it’s a lie. Alicia’s not here. Coming out with the three girls, Victor says, Alicia’s body may not be here, but Alicia still is in the women carrying on her legacy. A zombie grabs Madison and they kill it, Tracy frees herself from the tree, and starts to sprint off. Victor says, wait, but she tells him, it’s just like her dad said. They’re going to kill her. She takes off, and Madison says, they have to go after her. The zombies are starting to pry themselves loose from the frigid ground, some of them breaking and falling, but some getting free. Alicia 2.0 says, they knew Madison’s daughter wouldn’t want her to die like this. Alicia would her to help and protect Madison. Madison says, let’s go, and they run.

At Luciana’s truck stop, there are small fires burning, and trucks pulling up. Luciana radios Daniel, who says he’s glad she’s alive. How bad was it? She says, Troy’s men had them surrounded. He and his men didn’t care if they lived or died. Victor looks at Frank, who’s tending to a gravely wounded older man, but Victor says, it’s too late. Frank says he can save him, and calls for more dressing, but the man has already turned zombie. Victor takes care of it and says he’s sorry. Frank says, we need to stop this man who did this to all our friends, and Victor says, we will. Madison asks, where’s Troy? and Luciana says, he’s not here. He stole a truck, but he’s lost most of his men. What matters is if he knows where PADRE is. Madison says, he’s going to do what he did to the ranch, and Daniel says, that’s what the dead were for, his army. Dwight says he’s taking a headcount, and Madison tells Luciana where Tracy said Alicia was. Luciana says she’ll take Madison there after this is over. Alicia 2.0 stares at Madison and says, Madison has no idea what this means. Until she heard the message, she thought Madison was dead. Madison asks how they know her, and Sara says, the interview tape. They listened to it so many times, they wore it out. Madison asks if Victor put them up to this, but he shakes his head. She tells the girls, none of it means anything, but Victor says, when he came to her in the library, he thought he needed her to face what was coming, but he didn’t. She needs him. She almost killed a little girl. Madison says, to protect everyone else. She doesn’t have anyone left to disappoint, so she can get her hands dirty. Victor says he pushed Alicia away, so she didn’t have to get her hands dirty. He gave her the medal, so she’d remember who she was, because he didn’t know if he’d be able to. He was wrong. He wasn’t protecting her. He was using it as an excuse not to be a better man, and he won’t let that happen to Madison. Madison gets in the back of the truck, and Victor says, let him come with her. Luciana says, she needs help, and Victor says, she’s got it. Daniel says, it doesn’t look like it. He hates Troy as much as she does. Use him. Madison says, he may end up dead. There’s only one way. She’s going to finish what she started ten years ago at the dam. She pulls away, as Victor yells her name. Daniel says, that’s not the way to end this.  

Next time, Madison says, killing Troy is how PADRE survives; Victor says, Madison never gave up on him; and Madison faces Troy with her sledgehammer.

☮️ Peace In Rest…

Boomerang back on Monday really Tuesday for soap and that mess on the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay considering volunteering at your local soup kitchen on Thanksgiving, and stay remembering that what you do and don’t do has consequences, and no one gets a free pass.

Nov11

November 10, 2023 – Spencer Explodes At Trina, Lolly Lover, Not Gone, Soap Fun, Final Date, The Best, Resilient, VanderNo, Not Yet, Downhill, Dead Revival, Roommates, One More, Nonagon Of Quotes & Battle

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Olivia gets to Eddie/Ned just in time, and extracts him from the tangle of seaweed and netting he’s in. Although I wonder why he’s wearing shoes when he left them at the boathouse.

At the MetroCourt, Alexis says, another precious minute lost. Where are you, Kristina? Blaze comes by and introduces herself as a friend of Kristina’s. She says she was supposed to meet a friend, but it seems fate has other ideas today; they just cancelled. She was on her way out, saw Alexis, and thought she’d introduced herself. Alexis says, that’s nice… Not that Blaze’s friend cancelled, but that Blaze introduced herself. Would Blaze like to join her? Maybe it’s fate. Blaze says, maybe it is, and sits down.

Drew sees Curtis at another table, and says, it’s nice to see him. Curtis says, likewise, and they hug.

Carrying a takeout bag, Trina joins Spencer outside Dex’s apartment, followed by Josslyn and Dex. She says, sorry he had to wait, but they have extra crunchy prawn, and Josslyn says, there was a delay in ordering because someone – she looks at Dex – had to weigh out the whole Marvel movie to catalog Monica’s powers. He says, in the last edition… and she says, yes, she understands. Trina asks Spencer, what happened? and he says, Esme happened. And this time she has his grandmother on her side.

Anna sees Valentin outside of Charlotte’s room and asks, how is she? He says, sleeping. The doctors say she’s going to make a full recovery. She says, thank God. There’s something he needs to know. He asks, what is it? but she says, not here, and they go to the stairwell.

Olivia gets Eddie to the surface and struggles to bring him to shore. She tells him, don’t make this hard. He’s got to be okay. She pounds on him, trying to get him to cough up water, then does chest compression and mouth-to-mouth. He coughs and she asks if he’s all right. He’s alive. He sits up, and she says he’s alive. He says, it’s her. She saved him. She says, of course (🍷) she did. She’d do anything for him. He says he should have always known this, and she says, it’s okay, Eddie, hugging him. He says he’s not Eddie; he’s Ned.

Kristina walks into the MetroCourt and sees Blaze talking to Alexis. She goes to the table and says she didn’t know Blaze knew her mother. Sorry she’s late. Alexis says, only forty-five minutes, and Blaze says her plans were a no-show, and she saw Kristina’s mother. Alexis says, Blaze introduced herself. That was so 1990s. Blaze says, and a lot of fun. She tells Kristina to sit, and says she was grilling Alexis about her job. Alexis says, actually, Blaze was keeping her company while she waited for Kristina… and waited… and waited… Kristina says, okay. Sorry about that. She got caught up with some planning commission things at the youth center. Alexis says, she’s here now and Blaze is here, so why don’t they all have dinner together?

Curtis says, it must be strange, being about to get up and go to sleep when he wants to and turn off his own lights, and Drew says, absolutely. But there are a few things he can think of that he missed more than that. Curtis says he knows that must have been hard. He’s sorry he didn’t visit Drew. Drew says, Curtis had a few things going on. What he went through is nothing in comparison to what Curtis went through. Curtis protests, but Drew says he’s serious. Doesn’t he think it’s silly for either one of them to feel they need to apologize to each other? They’ve been through it. Curtis has been there for him more times than he can count. This friendship is forged in fire. It’s brotherhood born in battle. Curtis says, wow, and raises his glass. To the battle… and to freedom. Drew says, and to survival, and they clink glasses.

Josslyn says, Esme again, and Spencer asks if Josslyn and Dex can give him a minute. Josslyn says, gladly, and she and Dex go into his apartment, Josslyn touching Trina’s shoulder as she passes. Trina asks what Esme did, and Spencer says, it’s nothing that Esme did; it’s what she’s going to do. She’s going to take Ace and she’s going to move into another apartment. Trina says, finally.

Laura looks in the window to Charlotte’s room. Elizabeth is with Charlotte, sees Laura, and comes out. Laura says, she looks so fragile in that bed, and Elizabeth says she knows, but Charlotte’s just sleeping right now. It’s best to let her rest as long as possible because her system is still fighting. But her vitals are excellent. She’s on track to make a full recovery. Laura breathes a sigh of relief and says, that’s fantastic. Where’s Valentin? She can’t imagine he’d leave her alone. (Geez, the poor guy doesn’t even get a bathroom break?) Elizabeth says, no. He’s been here the entire time. In fact, she just saw him walking down the hall with Anna just a little bit ago. Laura asks how Jake is handling all of this. She knows they all went trick-or-treating together, and heard he was the first one back to Anna’s house right after it happened. Elizabeth says she’s never seen him like this. It’s like he’s caught in this loop of feeling upset and feeling guilty that he lost track of her. He promised Valentin they would stick together, and that’s why he went looking for her. And now he’s scared and confused and doesn’t understand how Anna could have shot Charlotte. And honestly, neither can she.

First of all, didn’t anyone notice Charlotte was wearing a huge, dark, hooded robe and the apartment was dark? And on another topic, Jake knows that Charlotte had the keys and what she’d said about them getting her everything she wanted. This hasn’t come up yet, but I’m thinking it might give him a clue she was up to no good.

On a landing in the stairwell, Valentin asks Anna what it is he needs to know. She says, he has to believe her when she tells him, what happened with Charlotte was an accident. She had no way of knowing Charlotte was in that apartment. He says he knows that. She says she’s not making an excuse, because she understands this is killing him, and he says, there’s nothing she could have done. She says, when she left the apartment, she locked it, and when she returned, it was unlocked. So she knew there was someone inside there, and she thought she was going to be ambushed. That’s why she pulled her gun, and that’s when she made a terrible mistake. And she wishes she could make it all go away. When she saw Charlotte lying on the ground like that, and his face when he came in… He says, it was an accident. It was a tragic accident. She says, yes… How did he know to come to the apartment?

Ned and Olivia are dripping wet and sitting on the ground. Olivia asks what Ned is saying. Her Ned? Is it really him? He says, it’s really him. He saw her. He doesn’t even know how it happened. His mind was rushing like a whirlwind. Literally. The next thing he knows, he’s in the water, and stuck. And there she was. And now they’re here. She says, Lois told her that he was depressed. She went to the boathouse and saw his guitar and his shoes(🤷🏽‍♀️), and she thought… She cries, and he takes her face in his hands and says, it’s okay. They made it. She made it. They’re going to be okay. She says she thought she lost him, and he says, but she didn’t. She found him. It was her all along. She says, what? and he says, in the song. He knows how it ends. She asks what he’s talking about, and he says, the siren song. He knows how to finish it. She says, Eddie… Ned, let’s not do this right now, and he says he’s not Eddie. He’s Ned. She says, if he’s not Eddie, how did he remember the song? He says he remembers everything, and they kiss. So is he going to kind of be like Sonny/Mike now?

Spencer says, finally? Trina didn’t really just say that. She says, yes, she did. She knows he’s going to miss living with Ace, but it’s way past time that Esme go live on her own. He yells, who cares about Esme? He’s talking about Ace. Ace is the one he’s worried about in this instance. Josslyn and Dex come out, and Josslyn asks, what the hell is going on out here?

Kristina asks if Alexis knows that Blaze just signed with BLQ Management, and Alexis says, Brook Lynn Quartermaine. Blaze says, makes a refreshing change from that sleaze Linc Brown, and Alexis says she remembers his public takedown at the Nurses Ball. To Catch a Predator anyone? Blaze says, oh, we caught him, and Alexis says, and then he disappeared, and as she recalls, the whole thing went radio silent. She’s curious. How long before the abuse started?

Curtis asks how it feels to be back in the real world, and Drew says, he has no idea. Although he has to say, some things are more challenging than he anticipated. Curtis says, Drew has been out of the mix for a while, but Drew says, compared to when he broke out of captivity in Greece, the life he came back to this time hasn’t changed nearly as drastically. But Curtis’s has. What about him?

Elizabeth tells Laura that she knows Anna would never intentionally hurt Charlotte. Obviously, it was just a terrible mistake. But what was she doing carrying a gun around on Halloween? With people in costumes and kids jumping out at each other, acting all crazy. Laura says, she’s right, and Elizabeth says, and you add a gun in that mix? It only increases the odds that something tragic is going to happen. Yes, Charlotte is going to recover physically, but what about her emotional scars? And Jake is going to have to deal with this as well.

Valentin says he was supposed to pick up Charlotte and the other kids after trick-or-treating. Apparently, Charlotte went off on her own, and according to Georgie and Danny, Jake went after Charlotte in the direction of Maxie’s place, so he thought she was heading there. Anna says, well, he was right. She couldn’t figure out why Charlotte would come to the apartment. The police found her backpack, and in it was the keychain she showed him to Maxie’s apartment. Remember the one that had the shoe on it? In there were also these two cans of spray paint that were the same color that was used to paint the word murderer on her door. He says, Charlotte told him about the keychain; she didn’t tell him about the paint. She says, that doesn’t matter. What she’s trying to tell him is, she’s figured out who’s after her. He says he’s so sorry, and she says, and it is the WSB. Former WSB. She figured out the connection, and it’s a man called Jameson Forsythe. Old guard Bureau. They crossed swords ages ago. He says, no. She doesn’t understand… but she says she does. She found evidence, and Forsythe is trying to discredit, destabilize her, and somehow he’s involved Charlotte. She doesn’t know how he’s done it, but he’s using Charlotte to get to her.

Olivia and Ned go into the boathouse, and Ned puts a towel around her shoulders, then takes one for himself. She says she’s a little behind the curve. He has to catch her up. He’s not Eddie Maine anymore. He says, no. He’s just plain old Ned, her husband. She says, they have to get back to the house. They have to get him to a doctor. He says, you know what? He doesn’t want to go to the house. He wants to stay right here with her because it’s been too long. He just wants to enjoy this moment with her, okay? She says, okay, and they sit down. She says she doesn’t understand. He remembers everything? He says, it’s a bit fuzzy, a little disjointed, but he was here the whole time, like he was on autopilot. Or like playing one of Leo’s video games. He’s Ned, but he’s a little fuzzy. She asks if he remembers his daughter, and Tracy, and Leo. He says, yeah. He remembers everyone. He’s a Quartermaine. They were married in 2017. It’s now 2022. She says, 2023, and he says, right. He told her that things were fuzzy. She says, that’s just the small stuff. The important thing is that he’s here. They hug, and she says she was praying so hard for this, and he came back to her. He says, but she was willing to let Eddie stay, wasn’t she?

Blaze tells Alexis, at first, she was starstruck around all the beautiful people, all the glitz and glamour of the industry. She was so lost in it. When Linc began to overstep, she thought, maybe that’s just the way this world works; maybe he’s that way with all his artists. She didn’t want to seem uptight, so she stayed quiet and avoided being alone with him. Alexis says, Blaze made it her problem, not his, and Blaze says, exactly. One more layer of pressure to being in the public eye. Backstage, where you’re supposed to let your guard down, she was constantly looking over her shoulder. Alexis says, so she’s spending her downtime dodging him, and Kristina says, no one should have to do that. Alexis says, women are conditioned to normalize that kind of behavior, and then that message gets passed down to other artists. Blaze says she gets that entirely. By keeping her mouth shut, she was basically endorsing him.

Curtis tells Drew that his life is upside down for sure. Simple things like walking, running, even standing up, he can’t take for granted anymore. Drew says, but he’s not alone in this. He has family, friends. Curtis says he does and he’s grateful for that, but everything has shifted. The dynamic is different. Hell, he’s different.

They all go into Dex’s apartment, and Josslyn says she gets it. Spencer’s upset. One thing she’s learned about living in the dorms is, you have to be considerate of your neighbors and your own business. The whole building doesn’t need to know what’s going on right now. Spencer asks if she really thinks he cares what the building thinks. He gets louder, and says, Esme just told him that she’s taking Ace and moving into a new apartment, and his grandmother is going to co-sign the lease because they think Ace shouldn’t be a part of his life anymore. And when he comes to Trina with this, saying he’s going to be losing his baby brother, all she can say is, finally.

Anna tells Valentin that this is her past catching up to her. And somehow, it’s caught up to Charlotte, and she never wanted that. Forsythe has gotten to her somehow. Valentin says, there is no Forsythe. At least not the way she’s thinking. She asks what he’s trying to say, and he says his daughter’s been stalking her for months. And he’s been covering for her.

Laura sits next to Charlotte’s bed and says she’s here. How does it feel? Charlotte says her stomach hurts, but not too bad, and Laura says, she’s such a brave girl. Charlotte asks, where’s papa? He promised to be here. Laura says, he’s been here the whole time. He just went for a walk with Anna. Charlotte gets agitated, and says, it’s dangerous. They can’t trust Anna. She’ll hurt him.

Olivia tells Ned, every waking moment, with every beat of her heart, she was fighting for him. He says, no… and she says, he’s got to hear this. He needed to find his way back to them. She couldn’t push him. He needed to choose to come back to them. If he thinks she preferred Eddie Maine… He tells her, stop. She misunderstands. He’s not accusing her of being disloyal. He knows she was supporting him, and he loves her all the more for it. She says, Eddie… and realizes her mistake. He laughs and hugs her. He says he needed that space. After the accident, when he woke up in the hospital, everything was so confusing and unfamiliar, he grabbed the first thing that made him feel safe and comfortable. She says, Eddie Maine, and he says, it was his escape to a time when life was less complicated, and he wasn’t feeling the weight of his family and business suffocating him. To a time when it was just him, on stage, playing his music, no restraints, no judgements, just freedom.

Blaze says she didn’t mean to open a vein here, but Alexis says she’s the one who pried. Old attorney habits die hard. Kristina says, Blaze doesn’t know her mother; this is like catnip for her. Alexis says she’s more than curious. She’s outraged. Her nerve endings are twitching thinking about the lawsuit Blaze could file. Blaze says she doesn’t know… and Alexis says she’s serious. Kristina says, if Blaze doesn’t want to go the legal route, how about collaborating together on a piece about sexual harassment in the music industry? What does Alexis think? A feature with Blaze as the focus? Alexis says she thinks it’s a great idea; shed light on a rampant issue. Is Blaze willing to go on the record? Blaze says, it’s no secret what happened what happened to her. Anyone who was at the Nurses Ball or who saw it on television knows about it, but she wants to move forward with her career. She doesn’t want to go backward. Kristina tells her, what about what she just said? What about all of the artists who could fall into the same trap? Here’s her chance to show that predators aren’t the only way to do business. This is an opportunity for her to break that cycle.

Curtis tells Drew that sometimes he actually feels fortunate. There’s this guy, Devon, his gym buddy. Devon has it way worse than him, but this guy always stays positive. He has the most amazing outlook on life. Drew says, that’s incredible. He’s so glad to hear that. Curtis says, but to be perfectly honest, there are moments, split seconds, where he forgets about his new reality and tries to do normal things like get out of bed and stand up. Then reality slams back, so he’s learning to adjust.

Trina tells Spencer that she never meant to say it was a good thing losing Ace. She just thinks that Esme moving out is healthy for her, and ultimately for him. He says, healthy for him, to be separated from Ace. He’s losing a member of his family, and he thought she would understand that. Josslyn says, it’s not like Esme’s moving to another planet. She’s still going to be in Port Charles and so will Ace. He can see them whenever he wants. Isn’t that a good thing? Dex says, but it won’t be the same thing, and Josslyn and Trina look at him, as I would. Thanks, Dex.

Valentin says, Charlotte’s the one who vandalized Anna’s hotel suite. Security footage showed her breaking into that room with a backpack. Anna says, what? and he says he had Nina delete the footage from the server. She asks why he would have Nina do that. Why would he hide that from her? He says, the moment he saw it, he knew she was the one who spray painted Anna’s front door, that she was the one who set Anna’s house on fire. Anna says, no, but Valentin says, she knew how to get in Anna’s house. Her camp was less than an hour away. She could have gotten there easily. Anna says, it’s not possible, but he says he doesn’t know what Charlotte is capable of anymore. She says, so he knew his daughter was terrorizing her and he just let Charlotte keep doing it? and he says he was protecting Charlotte because he failed her so many times as a father. And he thinks he was protecting himself… She says, what about protecting her? Didn’t she have a right to know?

Laura tells Charlotte, it’s okay. Her father isn’t in any danger from Anna. Charlotte says, she’s wrong. Grandfather Victor warned her about Anna. He told her to protect papa. Laura asks what Victor said about Anna, and Charlotte tells her, he said she was a double-agent, and everyone would know about it soon. He visited her at school and told her to stay there where she’d be safe from Anna. He even wrote her a letter. She grabs her side, and Laura tells her, try to be still. She doesn’t want to reopen the wound. Charlotte says, Laura doesn’t understand. Grandfather told her that Anna was going to use her and pretend to be nice to her so she could trick papa. Laura says, he told her all of this in a letter? and Charlotte says, yes. He said that papa was so in love with Anna, he wouldn’t realize she was using him. Anna’s done a lot of bad things in the past, and made papa take the blame. She’s going to do it again and this time, papa’s going to end up in prison forever. He’ll be killed if she doesn’t keep Anna away from him. Laura says, shhh. It’s okay.

Olivia says she can understand Ned getting nostalgic for the past, for simpler times. So she’s got to ask him. Does Lois figure into this equation? (I laugh because Lois likes math.) He asks why she would bring Lois up, and she says, Lois was the last one he talked to before he jumped in, and everything changed. Is Lois the reason he came back to them?

Kristina says she’s sorry. She didn’t mean to put Blaze on the spot. Her mother can vouch that is something she does. Blaze says, don’t worry about it. She appreciates Kristina’s passion. Alexis says, there’s no pressure here at all. It was a just an idea. She sees Drew and Curtis, and says she sees two friends over there who she’d love to say hello to. She’ll be right back. She leaves, and Kristina tells Blaze, that was not her place. Here she is, lecturing Blaze about her story when she knows better than anyone it’s an intensely personal decision. Blaze says, Kristina’s fire, her commitment to justice is infectious. It’s okay to want to make a difference. The thing she’d hate is if Kristina started editing herself and only told her what she wanted to hear.

Curtis says, Drew told him the whole story. Alexis is one gutsy reporter. Threatening to expose that judge like that? He’s glad it all worked out. They really missed Drew and he’s glad Drew’s back. Drew says he appreciates that, and there are smiles all around.

Ned tells Olivia that he was talking to Lois before he came down here to the boathouse. She was giving him a pep talk about finishing the song. Olivia says she wanted him to finish the song too, and he says he guesses he needed Lois’s no-nonsense bullying, and Olivia laughs. He says, Lois told him to take a leap of faith and go find the siren. She says, the siren, and he says, maybe she knew that was the key to getting him back to his real self. Or maybe not. But Olivia. She’s the one who actually pulled him back. She cries and he kisses the top of her head, pulling her to him. He says, turns out, she’s the siren. Hers is the only voice that could have brought him back. Lois may have had the idea, but Olivia made it a reality.

Dex says he understands where Spencer is coming from. Up to now, he and Esme have been raising Ace together. Obviously, living apart changes that dynamic, like a divorce. Spencer says, yes, a divorce where, if he wants to spend time with his own brother, he’ll have to act like a visitor. And it’s not the same as living together. He tells Trina, it’s just not, and Dex asks, what if they could get shared custody? and Spencer says, Esme’s not going to do shared custody with him, not with grandmother on her side. Trina says, Esme doesn’t have to share custody. He’s Ace’s brother, not his father.

Laura says she needs Charlotte to help her understand. She’s trying to keep her father away from Anna to protect him? Charlotte says, yes. Maybe move to London or somewhere near her granddaughter Emma. Anywhere really, as long as she’s away from papa and papa is safe. Laura says, okay, but this is what Victor wanted her to do, right? Charlotte tells her, he said it was the only way. Anna must have figured out she knew about her. That’s why Anna shot her, so she wouldn’t ruin Anna’s plans. Laura says, no, that was a terrible accident, but Charlotte says, it wasn’t. Anna saw her in the apartment. She knew it was her. Anna shot her on purpose. Anna wanted to kill her. Just like she’ll do to papa.

Valentin says he loves Anna, but Charlotte is everything to him. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her that Charlotte was targeting her. She says, so he just lied to her over and over again, and he says he wanted to tell her the truth. She says, but he didn’t. What did he think? That he could fix this? That he would just stitch this whole mess together and they would live in separate worlds, and it would all work? He says he was hoping by moving her into the house and giving her a home with him, that for once it would end her destructive behavior. They met with Doc. She was willing to have… Anna slaps him in the face, then pushes him, and says, shut up. If she’d known Charlotte was the one after her, she never would have pulled a gun. She shot a child. His child. She has to live with that for the rest of her life. She’s never going to forgive him. She storms out, and he can’t believe how stupid he is.

Ned and Olivia leave the boathouse, and he picks up his guitar. He says he thinks he knows the way the song ends now. She says she can’t wait to hear it, and they look out over the water, his arm around her. He says, she saved his life – literally and figuratively. She says, they save each other. That’s what love is. They kiss.

Drew and Curtis’s food comes, and Alexis says, that’s her cue to leave. She has to get back to her dates over there. It was such a pleasure to see Curtis, and he says, good to see her too. Drew says it was good to see her, and she leaves. Curtis tells Drew, sometimes it is so hard to just have a conversation without everyone trying to help when they know good and well they can’t. So that’s why it’s good to just hang out with a good friend who gets it. Drew says, any time, and Curtis asks what he thinks of the Nets’ chances this year, but Drew says he’s not falling for that. Curtis got him last time. Although they do have some good games coming up. Curtis agrees, and says, Boston tomorrow. Drew says, Curtis’s couch, his beer? and Curtis says he’s in… Portia may have other ideas. Drew says, then he’ll have to bring some wine, and Curtis laughs.

Alexis sits down, and Blaze says she’s decided. Kristina says she doesn’t want Blaze to feel pressured, but Blaze says, she’s in. A complete interview; nothing off limits. Alexis says, really? and Blaze says, yes. Kristina brought up some really good points. She can’t complain about what happened to her on one hand and not do everything she can to change it on the other. This is something she can do to stand up for those coming after her. Her contribution to their art, and to their voices. Kristina says she didn’t put it nearly as poetically as that, and Blaze says, that’s what collaboration’s all about. Someone comes up with an idea, someone comes up with the words, put it together, you’ve got magic. She has to make a quick call, but they can talk details when she gets back. She excuses herself and leaves, and Kristina asks what Alexis thinks. Alexis says she thinks Blaze likes Kristina, and Kristina says she likes Blaze too; she’s cool. Alexis says, no. I mean she likes you likes you.

Spencer says, Trina… but Trina says, no. Let’s unpack this. The only way he gets to be Ace’s father is if he’s with Esme, in a relationship. If the two of them are a couple, then they get to raise him together. That is a sure-fire way to solve his problem. Is that what he wants? He says, no, of course (🍷) not. He doesn’t love Esme; he loves her. But he also really loves his little brother, and he knows in his heart that Ace needs to be in his life. Trina says, he will always be in Spencer’s life, just not in the house, but Spencer says, no, because that would be abandoning him, and she knows he’s not going to do that. She says, then he knows what the solution is for that, but where does that leave them? He tells her not to ask him to choose between her and Ace. She’s not going to like the answer. She says, don’t worry. She’ll save him the trouble. She grabs her bag and walks out.

Laura tells Charlotte, don’t worry. She’ll make sure Charlotte’s papa is safe. They’re going to figure all of this out. Charlotte says, Anna can tell that she knows she’s bad. That’s why Anna shot her. Papa can’t trust her. Laura has to tell him. Laura says, it’s going to be all right, she promises. Close her eyes and get some rest. It’s going to be okay. She kisses Charlotte’s forehead and leaves.

In the hallway, Anna says she really needs to talk to Charlotte, but Elizabeth says, it’s only family. Anna says, it will only take one minute, but Elizabeth says, it’s not possible. Laura comes out of Charlotte’s room and Elizabeth goes in. Valentin comes out of the stairwell, and Laura tells Anna that Charlotte’s just fallen back to sleep. Anna says, she doesn’t understand. It’s imperative that she speak with Charlotte right now. Laura says she really thinks Anna should wait… but Anna says, it can’t wait. She has to tell her… Laura says, Anna can’t go in there. Charlotte is terrified of her. She thinks Anna shot her on purpose. Anna cries and says she didn’t, and Valentin hangs his head, as he should.

On Monday… they show scenes from several days ago, so I’m not sure what that means. Either it’s a mistake, or we’re going to be forced to watch news-not-news.

💣 He’s Just Misunderstood…

They’ll have to dig deep to find some redeeming qualities.

Nathanyael Grey Insists GH’s Mason Isn’t All Bad

🍕 Didn’t Think So…

What would the Q mansion be without her? My money’s on her coming back for Thanksgiving pizza.

Jane Elliot Is Not Leaving GENERAL HOSPITAL!

👻 Fun And Games…

The kids always look like they’re having a good time off-camera.

Backstage at GH’s Halloween With Scarlett Fernandez

🏆 For Real This Time…

As predicted, the main event of the Daytime Emmys will be aired on December 15th.

The 2023 Daytime Emmys Ceremony Will be Held in December!

👖 It’s Not The Pants…

I knew there was a reason I liked Sutton so much. This is it.

Sutton Is The Best Housewife, Argue With The Wall

👠 Bouncing Back…

Hopefully, she can keep the momentum going. Talk about making (hard) lemonade out of lemons.

https://extratv.com/2023/11/08/ariana-madix-on-fan-support-at-bravocon-and-her-resiliency-exclusive/

🍸 Her Calendar Is Full…

Why would she come back? Just to be harassed by Erika and get offers of fake friendship from Kyle? It’s not like she has nothing to do.

Lisa Vanderpump Reveals if She Would Return to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

And while we’re on the subject.

Everything We Know About Vanderpump Rules Season 11

🌁 Lasting Long Enough For Last…

2025? Really? Although I can hardly blame Pedro Pascal.

https://ew.com/tv/the-last-of-us-season-2-everything-we-know/

https://collider.com/gladiator-2-filming-start-pedro-pascal-last-of-us/

🛟 Like They’re On A Water Slide…

The short answer: yes. The golden years with Captain Lee and Kate are over, but we’ll always have Couch Talk.

Is Below Deck Going Downhill?

⚰️ A Diabolical Plot…

Of course, he’s not against reviving the original series. It’s got to be a billion dollar franchise by now. And brilliant idea to merge all the Deads into one big kumbaya Dead.

https://winteriscoming.net/2023/11/09/the-walking-dead-boss-not-against-reviving-the-original-series/

🦥 This Guy…

I’m obsessed with 90 Day Fiancé and all its spin-offs. I don’t include it here because I already give it too much time. If this guy’s mother wasn’t living in the closet, it might be fun to live there. For about a week. I love the annoyed chihuahua.

https://people.com/90-day-fiance-clayton-introduces-5-roommates-including-two-guinea-pigs-exclusive-8386660

🐩 You Didn’t Think I Was Done…

Oh, come on, just one more.

https://www.homecrux.com/celebrity-pet-halloween-costumes/181675/

🍿 Quotes of the Week

Never trust humans just to let things be. – David (Mike Colter), Extinction

I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion. – Alexander the Great

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow. – Ronald E. Osborn

It is never too late to be what you might have been. – George Eliot

It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end. – Ursula K. Le Guin

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Many things—such as loving, going to sleep, or behaving unaffectedly—are done worst when we try hardest to do them. – C.S. Lewis, Studies in Medieval Literature, compiled in Words to Live By

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. – Thomas Edison

An idea is a fart your brain makes. But if you patent an idea, it’s an asset. – Rufus Griswold (Michael Trucco), Fall of the House of Usher

🍠 Keep Your Yams To Yourself…

On Sunday, stop the scaries by dropping in for some Fear. Until then, stay safe, stay considering going out for Thanksgiving dinner (nothing says Thanksgiving like Oysters Rockefeller!), and stay toasting to the battle, freedom, and survival.

Nov6

November 5, 2023 – Dwight Tries To Make Something Good From Something Bad & Climbing

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

A man goes inside an abandoned house, kicking garbage out of his way. He lights a lantern. We see it’s Dwight. He looks at a framed photo of Sherry and himself in better days, and flashes back to Daryl telling him, make it right. He tries to rest, but is unsuccessful, so he whittles. He hears something and checks the house. He hears a man coughing in one of rooms, slips into the room, and grabs the man in the dark. The man says he thought the place was empty, but Dwight says, it’s not. The man asks if Dwight lives here, but Dwight says, it doesn’t matter. The man tells Dwight that his name is Jay, and Dwight asks if he’s going to walk out, or does he want Dwight to drag him out? Jay says he got robbed, and he’ll die if he doesn’t get what they stole back. Dwight says, there’s nothing valuable anymore, but Jay says, there is if you’re a diabetic; he had insulin in his bag. Dwight says, he’s full of sh*t. There’s no insulin left. Jay says, there was in his group. They had a guy who could make it, and he believed in miracles until the thieves killed him. They took everything, and with what he had he would have made it through the week. Dwight asks if Jay is messing with him. Does Jay expect him to believe this is a coincidence? Who told him? Jay asks, who told him what? and Dwight gets him down on the floor. He asks, who told Jay about him? Jay said he had a week’s supply. What happens after? Jay says he doesn’t know, but a week in hell is better than being dead. Please. He lost everyone. He owes it to them to make things right, however much time he has left. Dwight asks if Jay knows where the thieves are at, and Jay says he does.

Outside the old Sanctuary, zombies growl, and Dwight asks Jay if the guys who took his medicine are in there. Jay says, yeah, and Dwight says, good luck. He’s going to ask one more time, who told Jay about him? Jay asks why Dwight thinks someone else is involved, and Dwight says, the last time he helped someone get insulin, he ended up here. Jay says, at the factory? and Dwight says, they didn’t call it that then. Jay asks what it was called, and Dwight flashes back to when he lived there under Negan’s oppression. Dwight says, the Sanctuary. His life has been sh*t since he set foot in there. He doesn’t know if it’s Jay or the universe playing a sick joke on him, but he’s not going in there for anyone. Jay says, they’re not that different. His wife was everything to him. They killed her and their son too. Dwight came back alone, and Jay thinks Dwight lost someone too. If they don’t help each other, what are they even doing here? Dwight thinks a moment, and says, all right. He’ll meet Jay back at the house. Dwight looks at the zombie chained to the perimeter fence, and walks around, checking out the lay of the land.

Dwight sneaks inside, and creeps around. He sees windowed double-doors, a light shining behind them, and flashes back to Sanctuary life again. He goes into the room and rifles through the bags. He finds the insulin and finds a picture of Jay with his wife and son. He runs to the exit and sees the symbol for infinity etched on the wall. He looks through the furnace door window at the flames inside and sees the iron hanging next to the furnace and remembers Negan burning his face with the iron. A gun cocks and a voice says, turn around, a-hole. Dwight turns and guard Phil asks what he has there. Dwight says, they took someone’s medicine, and he’s here to get it back. Phil says, somebody did a number on Dwight’s face, and Dwight says, he’ll walk out, and Phil will never have to see his face again. Phil says, Dwight stole from them, and needs to be made an example. They’ll start on the other side of his face. In a lightening swift move, Dwight grabs Phil and shoves – no, shoots – him into the blazing furnace. I’m in awe. A bullet grazes Dwight, and a man asks what the hell he thinks he’s doing. A bunch of men run in and their leader Marty says, they’ll find out. Dwight jets out of the building, and wonders where Jay is. He calls to Jay and zombie Jay comes out from behind the bushes. Dwight knifes him in the head, and says, Daryl should have killed him when he had the chance. He tried make it right. He guesses he couldn’t. Daryl should have killed him. Please come and do it now. He cries – aww – and yells, please! A car approaches and pulls up. Sherry gets out, and asks what Dwight is doing here. She came to find him. June gets out and says she needs him. He passes out.

Inside somewhere, Sherry stitches Dwight up, and he says, they need to get out. Sherry asks, what happened? Who did this? The guy outside? He says, no, and she says, then who? but he says, it doesn’t matter. If they’re seen, those guys will kill them. June says, they’re almost done, and tells Sherry, pinch, pierce, then pull. Dwight asks if June shouldn’t be doing this, but June says, it’s better this way. Dwight says, they need to go, but June says, they’re not leaving without him. Sherry says, a fight is coming, and Dwight asks, what kind of fight? June says, one they can’t win without him, and Sherry says, Troy has a score to settle. He wants to take PADRE from Madison. Dwight says, sounds like her fight, but Sherry says, Madison is MIA, and Victor is in charge. Dwight says, he’s still alive? and she says, a lot has happened since he’s been gone. He asks what it has to do with him, and Sherry says, he’s trained a lot of kids. June says, they trust him and will listen to him, but he says, nothing he does or says to them will help them do any better. He asks why Dove is here, and Dove says, PADRE is the only home she’s known. Without it, she’s got nothing. Dwight gets up, and says he can’t help save those kids. He couldn’t save his own son. June says, that’s not his fault, but he says, it doesn’t matter. Every time he tries to make something right, someone gets hurt. Sherry says, that’s not true, and Dwight says, the guy outside needed insulin, just like her sister. He asked Dwight for help, and he died. The best thing he can do for PADRE and the kids is leave here alone. Sherry asks if he thinks she wanted to come. She came for their son. He says, Finch is gone, but she says, PADRE isn’t. He says, that place is the reason Finch is dead. Why fight for it? She says, maybe something good can come from something bad, and he says, it won’t. She says, they have to try, and he asks, why? She says, Finch’s life needs to mean something. Making PADRE is how they can honor him. Dwight says he can’t go back. He’ll honor Finch in his own way. He gets up, and Sherry asks what he thinks Finch would say if his father walked away from kids who needed protection, and he says, it’s not because he doesn’t care. It’s because he does. He leaves, and June says, it’s fine, but Sherry follows him out.

The three of them go outside, and June radios Dove. Dwight asks, what’s wrong? and Sherry says, Dove has been missing since they woke up. June asks Dove to tell her where she is, when a truck pulls up with Dove driving. June says, she looks hurt, and Sherry runs to the cab. Dove is slumped against the steering wheel. Dove sits back, insisting she doesn’t need help, but June says, she looks wounded. Dove lifts her shirt and shows June a bullet wound, and June checks her out. June says, there’s no exit wound. They need to get the bullet out right away. Sherry asks, who did this? and Dove says, someone tried to steal the truck. They were looking for someone that burned their friend. Dwight says, they have to get her inside, and June says she needs anesthetics. They have to get the bullet out and the wound cleaned before Dove goes into septic shock. Dwight points out that she said we, and June says, they need medical supplies. Marty says he should have known Dove would be with them, and he and his guys come out of the woods. Marty says, sorry about the girl, but what after Dwight did to Phil, it feels like a beautiful karma. Sherry asks what he’s talking about, and Dove says, Dwight’s the one who burned their friend. Marty says, Dove doesn’t look so hot. Maybe they can help. They have top notch medical supplies, but of course Dwight already knows that, since he was inside. Sherry asks Dwight, where? and Dwight says, the Sanctuary. Marty says, tick-tock. What’s it going to be? June asks what he wants in exchange, and Marty says he wants the satisfaction Phil deserves in finishing what he started, and he intends to give it to him. If Dwight hands himself over, he’ll get the girl patched up. Dwight lowers his gun, and Sherry says, nice try, a-hole. There’s a shootout, and Sherry says, they’re going to the Sanctuary now. Dwight says, that psycho will follow them, but Sherry says, they’re on foot. The Sanctuary is 20 miles. They’ll be in and out before Marty knows it. Dwight says, another kid needs surgery. When does it end? June says, they have to help Dove, and Sherry says, they have to go now. Zombies begin toddling out of the woods, and Marty shoots at them. Dwight drives the truck out.

They bring Dove into the Sanctuary, and Dwight tells them, be careful; there could still be people here. Sherry flashes back to Negan, and Dove coughs. Shots ring out, and Dwight shoots back, but runs out of bullets. Zombie Phil scrabbles at the furnace window from inside the furnace, and June says, they need to move. She grabs supplies, and she and Sherry shove stuff in their bags, while Dwight checks the place out. He tells them, the place is clear, but they have to hurry. June says she needs lidocaine. The best they can do is inject anesthesia around the wound. Dwight and Sherry keep flashing back to their time at the Sanctuary, and June tells Sherry to clean the wound. She gives Sherry a syringe and tells her how to do the injection. Dwight says, June should do it, but June says she told him that she can’t. He wonders if it’s about what happened in the train car, but she says, it’s more than that. She tells him, as soon as it’s numb, start the extraction. Dove says she doesn’t want Dwight removing the bullet. He couldn’t save his own son, and he’s not doing the same with her. They feel a rumbling, and the building shakes. Dwight looks out at the tons of zombies who have gotten through the fence and are now pounding at the building. He says, the gunfire must have drawn them. The fence is broken, and they’re piling in. June says, it’s not going to work. The bullet is too close to one of Dove’s arteries. They might do more damage taking it out. Sherry says, the place is hanging on by a thread, and Dwight says, he’ll stay and hold them off for as long as he can. He runs out.

Sherry follows Dwight to the ammo room, and says she knows why he wants to stay and fight the zombies. He doesn’t plan on surviving. He says, maybe Dove is right, and they’re here because of him, but Sherry says, that’s defeatist bullsh*t, and Dwight says, it is what it is, honey. Dwight loads his gun, and she tells him that it doesn’t have to be this way. He says, the guy he tried to help lost more than insulin. He had a wife and kid. He shows her the photo of Jay with his family, and says, he’s about Finch’s age. He tried to help and landed them back in this hellhole. This is not a coincidence and it’s not defeatist mentality. She asks him to tell her what it is, and he points to an infinity symbol on the wall. He says he drew that when they were living here. He put them all over the place, where Negan couldn’t find them. It was them forever. It kept him going and made him feel like they could turn something bad into something good. Maybe they can, but not if he’s with them. He’s so tired of making people suffer for it. Sherry says, so he’s going to kill himself? and he says he’s going to clear the walkers. Maybe they can save Dove and honor Finch. She calls him a selfish a-hole and locks him in the room. She says, he doesn’t get to give up like this, and she leaves as he pounds on the door.

Outside, there’s a multitude of zombies, and June hears metal creaking. She says, they have to wait until the building is more stable and they need extra hands. Dove says, it’s not about June’s finger (the one Shrike removed) or what happened on the train. What’s the real reason? June says, it’s not important, but Dove says, June is a nurse. She’s got a bullet in her, and every minute they wait is a minute she’s closer to dying. June says, Dove isn’t dying. What happened to them isn’t going to happen to her. Dove asks, who’s them? and June says, Finch, Hannah, and her daughter Rose. Dove says, June has a kid? and June says, yeah. She would have been Dove’s age. Dove asks, what happened? and June says, she had pneumonia. June went out to look for medicine, came back and… it just was too late. She cries and says she couldn’t save her daughter, just like she couldn’t save Finch. Dove says, now she knows PADRE was right. June can’t protect her; none of them can. She can’t exactly say why she wanted to get away, but she didn’t come here for Red Kite. She wanted to get as far away from PADRE as she could. She was running away. June says, she told them it was the only home she’d ever known, and Dove says, was. It’s gone now, and people like June are in charge. They just let the kids down. That’s what people do who can’t get over their own sh*t. Metal bangs, and June radios Dwight and Sherry, asking, what’s happening? Do they copy? Outside battling zombies, Sherry says she’s working on it. She just locked Dwight in their old room. June asks, why? and Sherry says, PADRE needs him. The kids will follow him. They know he’s right. June says, what about her? and Sherry says she’ll keep the zombies at a distance, but June says, she can’t on her own. Sherry says, just do what she came to do; help Dove and get Dwight back to PADRE. The zombies have been pushing at the fence between them and Sherry, and it suddenly comes down, right on top of Sherry. Sherry’s gun and radio are just out of reach, and June keeps trying to get her.

Inside, Dwight tries to get out of their old room. He breaks a chair. The zombies are right on top of Sherry, along with the fence, their snapping faces just inches from hers. Dwight looks at the infinity symbol, while June keeps trying to radio Sherry. This is all very intense. Dwight hammers at the door, and the zombies keep piling on the fence. Sherry flashes back to memories of Finch. June gets into Dwight’s room and tells him that Sherry needs him. He runs out, and Sherry flashes back to burying Finch. Dwight is there, pulling the zombies off the fence, and slicing and dicing them.

Dove stands in the bathroom and groans. She’s broken a mirror and is about to take the bullet out herself with a shard. June – who’s having quite a busy episode – says, Dove will die. She needs help. Dove says she’s not getting it from them or June, and starts to cry. She’s about to cut herself, and June says, no! Stop! Dove drops the glass and falls to the floor.

Sherry asks how Dwight got out, and he says, June let him out. Sherry says she had it covered, but he tells her that she was lying to herself about honoring Finch and keeping him alive to fight for PADRE. It’s bullsh*t. She says, he’s wrong, and he says, is he? Or did she lock him up because she was planning on doing the same thing? Sherry asks if he thinks she wants to die, and he says he knows she did. She doesn’t really believe good can come from bad. She wants to, he does too, but she can’t. She says, if that’s true, she doesn’t know how she can go on living. Marty comes back and says he had the feeling he’d find them here. Sherry and Dwight run back in, and Marty goes in shooting.

The building is still shaking like crazy, and June checks Dove’s pulse. Dwight says, their friends are here. The door is locked, but it won’t hold. Sherry says, they have to go somewhere safer, and June grabs supplies. She gets on one side, Sherry on the other, and they help Dove up and out of the room. Everything starts to crumble, and zombies are coming in. June says, they’re surrounded, and Sherry shoots as many as she can. They see Marty coming, and June says, they’ve got to get out, but Dwight says, there’s nowhere to go. The zombies are getting the better of Marty and his friends, and I laugh. Light fixtures and beams start falling, and Sherry and Dwight nearly get creamed, but they jump aside at the last second. June stabs a zombie coming for her and Dove. Zombies continue to stream in, and Marty gets Dwight up against the furnace, Phil still scratching at the window. Marty says, remember how he told Dwight about giving his friend the satisfaction? He thinks he’s going to enjoy this more than Phil. He starts to open the furnace door, but Dwight grabs the iron and whacks him away with it, into a waiting zombie’s open arms. June says, they have nowhere to go, but Dwight says, the fire’s out. Let’s go inside. The building begins to collapse.

Inside the furnace, Dove asks, what happened? June says, the building is collapsing, and Dove says, it still hurts. This is never going to work. Sherry isn’t so sure this will help, but Dwight, keeping his lighter going so they can see, says, maybe it can. They hear metal clanging, and he says, the furnace is stable and will protect them from whatever is happening out there. June can do the surgery in here. June says she can’t, but he says, yes, she can. She asks how he knows, and he says, Sherry was right. Maybe something good can come from something bad. Maybe that’s the reason they wound up here. They needed each other to see it. Prepping Dove, June says she doesn’t want to hurt her, and Dove says, then don’t. Sherry says, June can do this. What happened to her, and them, doesn’t have to happen again. Maybe they just needed to work through the bad to get to the good. She half-smiles at Dwight, and June asks if Dove trusts her. Dove says, ask her again after the bullet is out, and June says, fair enough. She takes out her supplies, and Dwight keeps the lighter going.  

The oven opens and they come out. It’s practically the only thing left standing. There are a few errant zombies wandering around, and zombie Marty lies on the floor pinned there by another zombie. Dwight says, holy sh*t. It’s over. He asks how Dove is doing, and June says, she’s still resting. She’s going to be okay. Sherry looks up, and there’s a finch perched on what’s left of a wall. Are they trying to make me cry? June says, they should probably hit the road, and Dwight asks how she’s doing. June says, better, and he says he never should have left. Maybe they can turn the place into what it’s supposed to be, the way Finch wanted it to be. Sherry says she thinks they can.

Dwight says he made something for June, and gives her a finger he’s carved. He says, back in the train car, before it went the way it did, he asked her to be part of their family. He ran away, but he’s here now, so the offer still extends to her, and Dove as well. Sitting in the driver’s seat of the truck, Dove says, thank you, Red Kite, but Dwight says, she’s family. It’s Dwight. She says she’s Odessa, and he says he likes it. They should go. They have a lot of work to do. June and Sherry get into the truck, and Dwight looks around for a moment, then gets in. They pull away.

A song plays from a 45 on a turntable, something about sailing to Spain. Over the radio, we hear Russel say, nothing yet. Sorry. Troy says, his daughter is alive and well, and they will find her. We see it’s Victor’s turntable, and a little girl screams as she’s let down the hall by a man and a woman. She’s also blindfolded, and she says she hates this place. Where is she? Where’s her dad? They bring her to Victor, and in German, the man says, they found her for him. The woman asks, what does he want them to do? and Victor says, he’ll handle it. He tells the girl that he’s going to remove the blindfold. He does, and she asks, who is he? What does he want with her? He says, his name is Victor, and her eyes get huge. He says, it’s a good thing found her. She asks, why? and he says he’s going to help her. And she’s going to help him. She says, do what? and he says, save PADRE. He tries to touch her face, but she jerks away, and he smiles.

Next time, a stuck herd of zombies; Madison thinks she sees Alicia; Victor says, it’s not about him or her, but about PADRE; Troy wonders what makes them think he’ll make a deal; Victor gets attacked by zombies; Troy says, it doesn’t end well, and Luciana says, for you.

🕰 I’ve Fallen Back and I Can’t Get Up…        

Join me tomorrow for soap and yachting in the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay working through the bad to get to the good, and stay not letting anyone down because you can’t get over your own sh*t.

Oct30

October 29, 2023 – Two Finds Plus a Loss & The Night Wind

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

As Daniel’s boat comes in, a zombie is on the beach, caught in a fishing net with a starfish attached to its head. Daniel asks if Hawk has ever seen where the tankers came from, but Hawk says, no. Madison thinks this is a waste of time, but Daniel says, their fuel is low and they need to find out where PADRE gets their supply. She tells him that they’re giving Troy time to regroup, but Daniel says he lost a daughter too, and they’ll make Troy wish he’d died at the dam. The tanks are empty and zombies start coming out of the woods. Victor suggests they go inside the gas station. When they go in, they hear music playing, and Daniel says, whoever is in here, show yourself. He tells Hawk to shoot anything that moves, and goes to look around. It’s like a gas station/mini mart, and there’s a sign that says, take what you need. Madison asks what this place is, and Victor says, relics of a bygone era. Daniel comes back and says, they’re clear. Victor asks if Hawk is sure this is where the gas comes in, and he says he is. Madison sees a one-armed zombie and starts banging on the window, drawing the zombies to it. She tells Victor that there’s one missing a left arm, and takes Alicia’s mechanical arm out of her bag. Victor tells her that this isn’t healthy, and the agitated zombies scrabble at the window. It breaks and Madison falls back onto the floor, a zombie on top of her. Victor kills the zombie and helps her up, and the group takes off for the back of the building. They hear shooting outside, and the zombies fall. Daniel says, it’s not them, so who was it? Luciana walks in, and is shocked to see Madison. She says, Madison died a long time ago, and Madison says, she’s been getting that a lot. Luciana wonders why Victor is there, and Daniel asks if it’s really her. He’s been looking for her for a year. Luciana says, he found her.

Along with some men of Luciana’s, they clean up the zombie mess, and Victor asks if Madison is okay. She says, her baby was alive and she didn’t even try to look for her. She’s Alicia’s mother and should have never given up. Victor says, the last thing Alicia would want is for her to die in the process, but Madison says, if Troy was telling the truth and Alicia’s still out there, she needs to put her to rest. Victor says she will. If Alicia’s out there, they’ll find her. Madison tells Luciana that she’s sorry. She didn’t mean to trash her gas station. Luciana says, Daniel told her what Troy did to Alicia. Madison has nothing to apologize for. Madison hugs her, and Luciana says, so much has happened. There are fresh supplies in the back if they need them. Victor thanks her, and Daniel asks if Luciana’s been making gas. She says, PADRE brought her in years ago, and she didn’t have a choice. He asks who they used against her, and she says, him. She asked for his freedom in exchange. If she hadn’t, they would have killed him, since they considered him too old to be useful. He thanks her, and says he thought she was on the island, but she says they needed someone to refine fuel and she had to work in the shadows. Victor asks why she set up the gas station, since there are bad memories from the last time they holed up in one. Luciana says, if she was helping PADRE, she wanted to make sure she was helping others, and Madison asks what the place is. Luciana says, it’s a way station for travelers. There are 23 locations in the network throughout Arizona. As long as she delivers the fuel, they don’t ask questions. She can let them have gas as long as Troy doesn’t figure it out. She’ll send a tanker to the main road, and they can wait there for it. She needs to keep her operation safe. Daniel says, they haven’t talked in seven years, but she says she needs to protect the place. Daniel says, Troy didn’t follow them, when a truck pulls up. Luciana radios her people outside to tell Iron Tiger to wait. Madison asks who Iron Tiger is, and Lucina says, they should leave now. It’s safer for them to wait in the back. She goes outside, and Madison wonders if she’s telling the truth, but Daniel says, she wouldn’t lie to him. Victor says, she knew he was alive and didn’t look for him. She’s moved on. If it was a choice between them and her place, which does he think she’d choose? Daniel says he’s going to show them how mistaken they are, and he marches outside. He tells Luciana that the others think she’s up to something, and she says, he’s making this harder than it needs to be. The others have now followed him out, and Madison says, Luciana is making it harder. Who’s in the truck? Luciana says, it’s not him, and Victor asks what she’s worried about then. Madison walks closer to the truck, and Luciana’s people draw  their guns. Victor draws his gun, and the truck door opens. The driver steps down, facing away from them, and Madison says, turn around slowly. It’s Charlie, who’s surprised to see that Madison is still alive, and Daniel is surprised Charlie is still here. Daniel hugs her, and she says, June didn’t have what she needed at the Tower to treat the radiation poisoning, but PADRE did and Luciana gave it to her. Madison wonders why Charlie wouldn’t let them see her, and asks, what the hell is going on? Victor says, it’s complicated, but Charlie says, it’s not. She… shot Nick. She was scared and Ennis was dead. She pulled the trigger and she’s so sorry. Madison lunges for Charlie, but Victor holds her back and says, don’t do something she’ll regret. Luciana says, let her explain, but Madison says, there’s nothing to explain. Get the hell away from her, both of them. She flashes back to various times with Nick, and takes a sledgehammer to an old truck. She kills some zombies with it, and Victor brings her oxygen. She breathes some in, and she says, he knew? He says he thought Charlie was dead, so he didn’t think it mattered. She says, he didn’t? The girl she brought into the stadium killed her son. Victor says, she had no idea how it would play out. He should have told her. She hammers at an already downed zombie, and says, it’s not okay. If she hadn’t brought Charlie in, Nick might still be here. If she’d hit Troy harder, Alicia might still be here. If she’d done things differently, they might both be here. Victor holds her, and says, maybe he should take her back to the island. Daniel can handle getting the fuel. Madison asks how and why Charlie is still here. How was she let back in? Victor says, they gave her the same thing everyone else wants – a second chance. Madison asks if Alicia would want that, and he says, she’d be the first one to forgive Charlie. Madison doesn’t think she can forgive Charlie, but Victor says, no one is asking her to. Charlie wants talk to Madison, but Victor says, it’s not a good time. Madison says she wants to hear what Charlie has to say, and Charlie says she doesn’t blame Madison. She hated herself for a long time. She doesn’t expect Madison to forgive her, but she needed to say that since she doesn’t know when she’ll see Madison again. Madison says, Charlie just wants to feel better about herself, and Charlie says, she was 11, scared, and being used by  people older than she was. She’s so sorry she took Nick from the world, so she tried to turn her pain into something more. That’s why she’s doing what she’s doing, making things like this possible. As bad as Nick’s death was, something good came out of it. Just tell her if she can make Madison see the good. Victor says again, it’s not a good time, and Madison says, Charlie snuck into the stadium and fooled her, her son, and everyone. She wants Charlie to do the same with Troy. Charlie asks if Madison wants her to find out what he’s planning, and Madison says she wants something else. She wants Charlie to kill him. Victor says, don’t do this, but Madison says, Charlie took the stadium and her son. It’s the least she can do. Charlie says, Madison is right. She’ll do it.

Daniel says he thinks it’s too dangerous. They know what Troy is capable of. Let him do it. Madison says, Daniel won’t even get close to Troy. He doesn’t know Charlie and won’t see her coming. Daniel says, for years he thought Madison and Luciana were dead. He doesn’t want to risk Charlie. Madison says she knows what she’s doing; don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Charlie says, she’ll bring the fuel to Troy. He’ll be less suspicious if he gets something out of the deal. Luciana says, then what? and Charlie says, she’ll fix it for them. When she comes back, no one will have to worry about Troy anymore. She’ll also find out what happened to Alicia. Madison tells her not to pretend to care, but Charlie says, Alicia was her friend. She knows Madison doesn’t believe her, but she wishes she could take back shooting Nick. He was like a brother to her. Madison says, if he was, she wouldn’t have shot him, and Luciana gives Madison the keys to the tanker. There’s enough gas to last for months. Daniel asks if he can stay until Charlie returns, but Luciana thinks it’s best if he goes back to PADRE. She stays hidden to keep things like this from happening. Daniel says, maybe he shouldn’t have come, and she says she wanted to find him, but needed to protect everyone. He says he’s proud of her for that and her whole operation. Inside, Madison tells Victor not to look at her like that. She’s not letting that a-hole take the island. Victor asks, why, if it’s not what Alicia wanted? and she says, if Charlie is telling the truth, she’ll show them by killing Troy. Victor gets on the radio, and Madison finds a coffee can with a note on top of it that has her name. She says, this is her son, and Luciana says, they were clearing roads, and Charlie wanted to see where Nick was buried to tell him that she was sorry. Luciana didn’t realize how much she missed him until she saw his grave. Charlie said he deserved something better, so they cremated what was left of him and brought him here. He’d been buried in Field Hill country, so they could get to the weapon cache. Victor says, they were in a dark place, and Madison says, Charlie was right; Nick deserves better. Luciana says, they didn’t know where that might be, and Victor says, but Charlie thought Madison would. Madison asks if they can reach her, and Luciana radios for Iron Tiger. Charlie answers and Madison tells her to come back. She was right about Nick. He deserves better and Charlie should be there to say goodbye. Charlie says she can’t come back, but Madison says, Charlie doesn’t have to do what she asked. She was just a kid and doesn’t have to make up for Nick. Charlie says she means she literally can’t come back, and we see Troy’s men aiming their guns at the truck. Troy tells her, get out of the truck, and Madison ask, where is she? How did they find her? Charlie says, they were patrolling the road, when Troy opens the door, and hears Madison asking where she is. Charlie tries to make deal for the gas, but Troy asks why he should trust anyone talking to Madison. He tells her, get out of the truck. They have a lot to talk about. Luciana unplugs the radio and tells Madison that she can’t reveal where they are. Madison says she’s trying to do the right thing, and Daniel says, she wants to do the right thing now? They have to help rescue Charlie. Luciana says, they have to go, and Victor says, they’ve all suffered losses, but Daniel says, they have to try. Madison says, it looks like they’re going back to Troy.

Charlie’s wrists are tied to a chair in a room with shards of glass covering the floor. Troy is whacking the left arms off of zombies that are brought to him, and tells his men to bring in another when he’s finished. Charlie says, he doesn’t scare her, and he slices of her bonds with his sword. He says he finds it easier to talk when things are equitable. Don’t try to run. The last person messed up their feet so bad, they only got a half mile before the dead found them. She asks why he’s cutting their arms off, and he says he’s got to pass the time somehow. She says, he wants Madison to think they’re Alicia. Why did he kill her? He says, he’s the one asking questions. He’s not the only person who’s killed a Clark. Is what Madison said true? Did she kill Nick? Nick was a friend of his; he was like a brother. They were both better suited to this world than the last one. That’s what they thought anyway. Why was Madison trying to protect her? Charlie says, Madison was giving her a second chance, and he laughs. He says, if she believes Madison’s kumbaya bullsh*t, it’s going to get her killed. No one gave them a second chance. Charlie asks what he wants, and he says he wants to know where PADRE is. She asks why he cares, and he says he needs somewhere to set up shop, a place people like Madison can’t take from him. She asks, why not this place? and he says, they took it in one afternoon. They need someplace more secure that no one can take from them. Charlie says, someplace he can take from Madison, but he says, that’s just the icing on the cake. Charlie says she doesn’t know where PADRE is, and he puts his sword to her throat, saying, he doesn’t believe her. She says, she left the gas tankers for them to pick up, and tells him, drop the sword. He says he doesn’t believe her, so he guesses they’ll see how fast she can run with glass under her feet. He starts to unlock the gate keeping the zombies out, and she says, wait. There’s a map in the truck with a list of the drops. Maybe he can use it to figure out where PADRE is. He hears Russell on the radio asking for someone to check an explosion outside. The tanker just blew sky high. Troy says he wants a headcount now, and asks Charlie if it was on a timer. Is that why she wanted them to bring the tanker in? A man on the radio says, they need to get the fire out before it draws more dead, and Troy tells Charlie that she’s going to help him find PADRE whether she knows where it is or not.

Walking down the road, Madison and the others hear the explosion. They hear Russell on the radio asking how big the fire is. A man says, the whole thing went up and it’s spreading fast. Daniel says, it must have been the tanker, and Troy asks if Madison is there. She takes the radio, and asks, what the hell happened? He says, her tanker exploded, and she says she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Daniel tells Madison that it must have been part of Charlie’s plan to be captured, and Troy says he has Charlie; she wasn’t in the truck when it blew. They must trust Charlie if they sent her in to kill him. He guesses they thought he’d be killed in the blast. Madison tells him not to hurt Charlie, and he wonders what Nick would think. She says, he’d get it. People do sh*tty things and come back from them. Troy says he’s glad she thinks so. She’s going to have to do something that will upset a lot of people. She says she wants Charlie back alive, and he says he wants to know where PADRE is. Victor says, they’ll hit him with everything they’ve got, and Daniel says, Troy doesn’t deserve PADRE. Troy says, the girl or PADRE? and Charlie says, don’t tell him. He kicks the chair over, and she lies in the glass. He puts the radio near her, and Daniel says he’s going to strangle Troy with his bare hands. They head back to their truck, and Troy asks if they hear that as Charlie gasps. He says he’ll kill her if they don’t tell him what it is he wants to know. Madison says, meet her in front of hotel, and she’ll tell him where PADRE is.

They drive close to the hotel, then walk. They see a burning zombie, and Madison says, it’s missing an arm. Where are they coming from?  Troy and his men meet them, and Troy tells them, hold it. There are a lot more of them inside. This better not be a trick. Madison says, no tricks; he has her word. He says he’s not sure that’s worth anything. He’ll hand Charlie over when she gives him PADRE’s location. Daniel says, if he hurts Charlie… and Troy says, let him guess. Daniel will take out his other eye. Daniel says, Troy will wish he did, and on the radio, Charlie says, don’t make a trade for her, but Madison says, Charlie is there because she asked her to be. She asks Troy how she knows he’ll hold up his end of the deal, and he says he’ll send his right-hand man to the location to find out if she’s bullsh*tting. He doesn’t care about Charlie. He just wants a safe place. Madison took everything from him, so he’s going to take everything from her. Madison asks if this is about Jeremiah, but Troy asks if she thinks he gives a sh*t about his old man. She says, then what did she take from him? but he says, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is PADRE. Victor says, there must be another way. They have people to consider like Frank and Klaus. They need assurance Troy won’t hurt the people there. Troy says, they’ll have ample time to leave. He doesn’t care about the people, just the settlement. Victor says he’ll drive, and Troy says, no weapons. Madison tells Charlie that they’re getting her out, and Charlie stabs one of the guards watching her. She says she just took out one guy, and she can take out another. Madison tells her, don’t do this, but Charlie says she’s not going to watch another place Madison built be taken away because of her. Madison says, it’s not her fault, and Troy asks why she’s doing this for Madison. Charlie says she’s not. It’s not what Alicia wanted, and Nick’s death has to mean something. Victor said Alicia’s last words to him when she thought she was dying was, make it mean something. Madison says, they’ll build something else, but Charlie says, he’ll just go after another place. They won’t kill her because it’s the only way for him to get what he wants. Daniel tells Troy, she’s right. If he kills Charlie, he’ll have no leverage and won’t know where PADRE is. Troy says, no one is shooting anyone. Put the gun down and they’ll work it out. Madison says, let Charlie go, and he can have PADRE, but Charlie says, don’t give him the location. Madison says, it’s not Charlie’s choice, but Charlie says, yes, it is. Madison won’t have to give him PADRE if he has nothing to trade. She flashes back to all the people she’s met and being with them, and Daniel says, no! Charlie calls up more memories, then shoots herself. Troy asks if the other guard can’t stop her, but he says, she’s dead. Daniel lunges for Troy, but Victor holds him back. He says, Troy is lying, but Troy says, Daniel heard the guard. Madison says she’s so sorry, and Daniel says he’s going to kill Troy for this. Troy says, this is not how he wanted this to go, but they can’t leave. He needs the map. A man radios that Tracy is missing, and Madison says, they have kids in there? Troy says, why did she think he wanted PADRE? The man says, Tracy said she’d never seen a truck running, and went to the tanker. Troy takes off running and calling for Tracy.

Troy goes to the burning tanker, continuing to yell, Tracy! He shoots zombies until he’s out of bullets, and pulls out his sword. A zombie gets him down, and Madison kills it. She asks what the hell he’s doing, and he says he’s not going to let another kid die after what happened. He opens the cab of the truck, and Madison says, whose kid? He says, she’s not in the cab, and a man tells him that there are dead everywhere, but Troy tells them to keep looking. Madison asks why he didn’t just tell her the truth, and he says, so she could take his daughter? Madison says she didn’t take anyone from him, but he says, that’s not true. His daughter’s mother is dead because of her, and he doesn’t have time for this. Madison follows him as he kills any zombie in his way. She says, he’s been cutting off their arms, making her think Alicia is everywhere she looks. They fight, and Madison gets him down. She asks who he thinks she took, and he says, the woman who rescued him at the dam. She gave him a second chance. He’s got to find his girl. Madison says, now he knows what it’s like wondering where your kid is, and Victor runs up. He says, they’ve got to get out of here, and drags her away.

On the road, Madison sits in the truck and watches Daniel on the truck bed looking despondent. Madison gets out, and we see he’s looking at Charlie’s hand sticking out from the tarp that’s been put over her body. Luciana tells Madison to use the fuel wisely; she won’t get more. They lost Charlie, and now Troy knows about her people. They’re at risk. She let herself get dragged into a fight that wasn’t hers. Daniel wants to go with Luciana, and tells Madison that they sent Charlie into a viper’s nest. There’s something fundamentally wrong with Madison. This is the second time someone dear to him died because of her. Madison says, they need him, but he says, they don’t. They need the army he’s assembled, if she can convince the parents of the children she stole that she’s changed. He tells Luciana that he wants to come and help take care of her like he’s wanted to for years, and she says, okay. He gets in the truck with her, and they drive away.

Victor tells Madison that what Daniel said isn’t true, but Madison says, it is. She sent Charlie to Troy to pay for what she did top Nick. It doesn’t matter that she changed her mind. Charlie is dead. Victor wonders why Troy thinks she killed the mother of his child, and she says she doesn’t know, but she can’t go back to PADRE with Victor. Daniel was right. She can’t ask anyone to follow her. He says, they’re not building it for her, but for Alicia, Nick, Frank, and Klaus. Madison says, if she stays it won’t happen. He has to keep the promise. He says he needs her; he can’t do it alone. She gives him the keys and says, he’s going to have to, and walks off alone.

Next time, Dwight confronts Troy, and Sherry is in big trouble.

🍭 Everyone Gets a Goodie Bag…

Stop in tomorrow for soap and what’s on Deck in the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping your black cat indoors on Halloween, and stay not making it harder than it already is.

Oct28

October 27, 2023 – Mason’s Taking Austin Down With Him, Finn’s Cut, Spending 5 Nights, Dead Stuff, Witchy Sisters, Fearless In Fear, Ushering In a Scare, Pups Of Halloween, Quotes Numbering 9 & Spell

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Brattleboro, Vermont. Elizabeth and Finn walk into the cabin, and Elizabeth says she’s impressed. Finn says he really loves it up here. He and Dan interned together. He’s a good guy. Make herself at home; put her stuff anywhere. She flops on the couch and says, this is comfy and perfect. Finn looks around and says, Dan said it would be here somewhere, he just didn’t say where, and she asks what he’s looking for. If he told her, she could help him look for it. He looks under the sink and says, found it, holding up a hammer. She says she never would have guessed that was what he was looking for. What are they doing, hunting vampires? Viewers who watched Port Charles are collectively laughing at the reference.

Esme asks if Alexis has time to talk to Mayor Collins. She’s here to see her. Alexis says she always has time for Laura; send her in. Laura thanks Esme and says, she’s really settled into her role as a receptionist. Alexis says, she’s actually doing a very good job. In fact, Esme caught a mistake she made and saved her a lot of trouble a few weeks ago. Esme says, it’s all part of her job. Let her know if they need anything. She leaves, and Alexis says, welcome home. She hugs Laura and says, it’s good to see her. Laura says, her too, and Alexis asks what she found out about Nikolas. Laura says, before she gets into all of that, she wants to thank Alexis for keeping an eye on Esme while she was out of town with Doc. Esme listens outside the door.

Austin watches as TJ goes into Mason’s room. TJ tells Mason that he needs to check his incision site to make sure it’s healing properly and there’s no sign of infection. He needs Mason to roll over on his side. Mason says, and he needs TJ to make himself useful. He needs some painkillers.

Josslyn calls Trina at the gallery and asks why she left so early this morning. She woke up and Trina was gone. Trina says she’s at the gallery covering for Ava. After everything that’s happened in the last couple days, she wanted to spend the morning with Avery. Josslyn says, that’s sweet of her, and Trina asks if Josslyn can do her a favor. Josslyn says, anything, and Trina says, somebody is supposed to drop off an art book at the dorm for her. Has it come yet? Josslyn says, it hasn’t, and she’s been at the dorm all morning, studying with Adam for Organic Chem. Trina asks if Josslyn can just leave it on her bed when it comes, and Josslyn says, of course (🍷). Trina thanks her and says, somebody’s here; she has to go. Cyrus walks in.

Elizabeth and Finn carry metal buckets through the woods, and she asks if he’s done this before. He says, once, but he has to warn her, it can get pretty messy, and she says she’s not the one who’s afraid to get messy.

Esme continues to listen in, and Laura says she can’t tell Alexis what a relief it was to her that Esme was here working with her and her baby was just down the hall in the daycare center. Alexis says she wasn’t kidding. Esme is actually doing a good job. Who’d-a thunk it? And she loves having that cute little boy down the hall; he’s darling. Has Laura seen how big he’s gotten? Laura says she has. She just wishes Nikolas could see him.

TJ says he’ll let Mason’s surgeon know he’s still in pain, but right now, he is receiving the correct dosage of pain medicine. Mason says he’s really hurting here and needs something stronger. Does TJ think he’s lying? TJ says he believes Mason is telling the truth, but according to his chart, he just received his pain meds. Just relax and let the medicine take effect. Mason tells him to get another doctor in here, but TJ says, any other doctor will come to the same conclusion. They can’t endanger his health by giving him additional pain medicine. Mason asks if TJ needs his ears checked, because obviously he does if he didn’t hear Mason the first time. He needs more drugs – now! TJ says he needs Mason to take a better tone, and Mason tells him to go now. TJ says he needs Mason to calm down, and Mason says, TJ’s ego is running his mouth. He can’t listen to TJ’s whining anymore. He can’t wait for this to be over so he never has to hear TJ speak again. He never used to shut up down there either. TJ says, wait. He knows who Mason is. Mason says, he’s TJ’s patient. Now get him more drugs. TJ says, Mason’s one of the men who was holding him when he was abducted. Mason kept him a prisoner for days. Mason says, then cry him a river. So is that it? The roles are reversed, and now he’s TJ’s prisoner?… He guesses he doesn’t know what he’s saying. He must really be stoned. TJ says, Mason knows what he did to him, doesn’t he? And you’re going to pay for it, you sick son of a bitch. He leaves, and Austin watches him stride down the hall.

Adam tells Josslyn, that’s so old school, handwritten notes. He doesn’t know how she can keep up with what the professor’s saying and write everything down fast enough. She says she doesn’t. She actually records the lecture and then later transcribes it in her own handwriting. Apparently, there’s a lot of research on this. If you actually (WOTD) write things down in your own handwriting, you remember them better instead of like, typing it. (I have actually found this to be true.) He says she’s full of surprises, and she suggests he try it sometime. He says, it seems like a waste of time, and she says she gets it. His grades are already perfect. But it helps a lot with memory retention. It’s the easiest way for her to remember all the details.

Cyrus tells Trina, what a nice surprise. Forgive him for startling her. She asks what he’s doing here, and he says, right down to business. He likes that. He’s not sure if she heard, but he was released from Pentenville. God bless our justice system. She asks what he wants, and he says he’s here to find some artwork for his new place. He thought Ava would be here. This is just a fortuitous accident finding Trina here. She says, there’s no such thing as an accident when it comes to him, and he says he stopped by General Hospital to apologize to Dr. Robinson, and she gave him a stern warning not to seek Trina out, and of course (🍷) he would abide by her mother’s wishes. She says, then leave, and he says, she’s right; he should go. But before he does, he’d like to apologize to her for his past actions, for what he put her and her mother through. She says, for what he put them through? She can’t believe this BS she’s hearing. He held them hostage at gunpoint, and he wants her to forgive him? He’s more of a psychopath than she thought he was. Now get out! Now! She points to the door, and Spencer says, what’s going on? He comes in and asks what Cyrus is doing here. Cyrus says, Spencer, my boy. He really would like Spencer to call him uncle.

Alexis gives Laura some coffee and says, lay it on her. What does she know about Nikolas? Laura says, everyone who told her Chechnya would be a dead end was right. Alexis says, he wasn’t there, and Laura says, right, and no sign that he’d ever been there. The same with Cassadine Island. There was no trace of him. So then she and Doc went to Italy to the Cassadine mansion on Lake Como. Alexis says she knows it well, and Laura says, that was also a dead end. Then she got this gut feeling that maybe she should check in with his banker in Geneva, because eventually he’s going to need money and that’s where his biggest holdings are. Alexis asks if he was there, and Laura says, no, but they just missed him. And she got confirmation that he had been there several times, and one time, he moved a very large sum of money. She couldn’t get the details on it, but the good news is, she walked away from there knowing her son is alive. Alexis says, great. Thank God, right? Laura says, yes, but the bad news is that he doesn’t want to be found.

TJ storms into Jordan’s office, and she asks, what’s wrong? He says he just found out who abducted him and held him prisoner. She says, what? Who? He says, Mason Gatlin, and she says, the man who abducted Ava Jerome? And he’s sure of this? He says he’s never been more certain of anything in his life. It is him.

Austin goes into Mason’s room, and Mason says, if it isn’t the doctor in the family. Austin tells him, says the felon in the family, and Mason asks if Austin missed him. Austin says, not at all, and Mason asks if Austin at least brought him better drugs. Austin says, he’s had enough drugs. What did he tell the cops? Mason asks what Austin thinks he told the cops, but Austin says he’s not messing around here. What did Mason tell them? Mason says he told them that he kidnapped Ava… for Austin.

Spencer says, Cyrus is out of prison, and Cyrus says he is. Miracles do happen if you believe. Trina says she thought Spencer knew he was released, but Spencer says, no. Trina says, he went to GH and harassed her mother yesterday. She called Trina yesterday and said she’s getting a restraining order so Cyrus stays away from them, but here he is, bothering her. Cyrus says he explained this to Trina already. He had no idea she would be here. He stopped in to patronize Ava’s gallery. Trina says, if Ava wants to sell him something, that’s on her, but she refuses to wait on him. He says he doesn’t blame her, and she stamps her foot and says, stop with this disgusting act. She doesn’t buy it. Cyrus says, she’s angry at him and he understands. He did a terrible thing to her and her mother – she says, he’s damn right – and he regrets it deeply. But since finding the Lord, he’s tried to make almonds amends. Spencer knows this; he witnessed it at Pentenville. He did everything he could to make sure no harm came to Spencer while he was there. He did everything to protect Spencer.

Finn says, they have to pick one carefully, and Elizabeth asks, why? He says, sometimes it doesn’t work. She asks if there’s a trick to hitting a vein, but he says, no. A little luck, a little skill. Usually, you don’t get one on the first try, but maybe they will. Let’s see. He checks out a tree and says, this one looks good. He helps her hold the spigot up to the tree and tells her to watch her fingers. She says she’s going to need to watch both their fingers. She’s got it. Let go. She raises the hammer.

Spencer says, Cyrus did look after him while he was in Pentenville. But what Cyrus did to Trina and Dr. Robinson and to his grandmother is unforgiveable. Someone could have been killed that night. Cyrus says he realizes that, and he’s trying to make amends with everyone he’s wronged, and Trina asks if Spencer is buying this. Cyrus sees her desk, and says, look at that, the turtle dove. He gave those to Spencer before Christmas last year in the hope he would share them with her, and he did. That warms his heart. Trina says, he doesn’t have a heart, and Cyrus says he hopes Spencer kept the other one. Spencer says he did, and Cyrus says, good. He reaches for it, saying, may I? but Trina snatches it off the desk and says, no. She’s not going to stand here and make pleasant conversation with somebody who held her and her mother at gunpoint.

Mason laughs and says, Austin should see his face. Oh no, I’m going to prison. He’s an idiot. If he’d given Austin up to the almighty PCPD, he’d be in custody, not walking the halls of a hospital. He’s a joke. Austin says, Mason is certifiably insane. What did he tell them? Mason says he came in with two bullet holes in his back. He didn’t really have time for a sit-down and chit chat. But worry not. He’ll do a tell all when the cops make him a deal. Austin says, they’re not going to offer Mason a deal, but Mason says, if he surrenders up enough details, he’s pretty sure they will. He plans to tell the police that it was him and Austin together in on the Ava kidnapping. Austin says, there’s no proof he had anything to do with it, and they are never going to believe a word out of Mason’s mouth. Mason says he thinks they will.

Jordan asks TJ to tell her why he thinks Mason Gatlin is the one who abducted him, and TJ says he kept running into Mason in his cousin’s office, Dr. Gatlin Holt. And he had this feeling he knew Mason from somewhere. He just couldn’t put his finger on how or where. Today… She tells him, take a deep breath, and he does. He says, today it finally clicked. He was treating Gatlin and it was something Gatlin said to him that made him recognize his voice. It was distinctive. He was the leader of those men who held him captive. It was him. She says, he was abducted to force her cooperation, and he says, now they can both get justice. They can make sure Mason Gatlin is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. She says, no, they can’t, and he asks, why not?

Alexis says she really feels bad for Nikolas, and Laura says, the decisions he’s been making now are affecting every single relationship in his life, and she just wishes she could get him to see that. But out of her three children, he’s the hardest to get through to. Alexis says, the brooding and the stubborn side of him, that’s Cassadine. The light and loving side of him is Laura. But the bottom line is, he did a lot of bad things. He made bad choices in the past year, and they just compounded to the point where he felt the only alternative was for him to run and hide, which is exactly what he did. Even if it meant leaving Spencer and Ace. Laura says, from a legal standpoint, if Nikolas were to come back to Port Charles today, how severe would the charges be against him for holding Esme hostage? Alexis says, Esme doesn’t remember being held hostage, so at the moment, that would work in his favor. As far as the rest of it, that’s up to Robert Scorpio the DA to decide whether he wants to prosecute or not. She knows the only thing they have right now is the statement from Elizabeth Baldwin. Laura says, she’s a very credible witness, but Alexis says, they still need corroborating evidence, and they need Esme’s testimony. Without that, she doesn’t think he’ll face criminal charges. Laura says she wishes Nikolas knew that, and Alexis says, the truth is, even if he did, it wouldn’t matter.

Elizabeth gets sap out of the tree, and Finn says, wow. She asks what he said about not getting it on the first time, and he says, beginner’s luck. She tastes it, and he asks how it is. She sticks her finger in the bucket, and says, see for himself. He puts her finger in his mouth to taste it and says, amazing, and they kiss.

Laura tells Alexis that she wishes there was a way for her to get ahold of Nikolas. Although she knows when he makes up his mind, there’s usually no changing it. Alexis says, Nikolas prides himself on being the good son, the good father, and he was all those things, until he wasn’t. He blew it and he knows that, which is why he ran. He doesn’t want to face the people he disappointed. Laura says, that’s why she feels it’s so important for her to reach out to him, to let him know she loves and supports him, even though he made some bad decisions. Alexis tells Laura that she’s sorry to say this, but Nikolas has resources the rest of them don’t have. And when a Cassadine wants to disappear without a trace, they do. She thinks the only choice they have is to let him figure this out and come back on his own time. Laura says, but he’s got a beautiful little boy he’s never even met, and he’s missing moments in the baby’s life he’ll never be able to get back again. She just wishes he’d come to his senses and come back. Alexis says she wishes that too, for Ace’s sake. Spencer believes he’s very independent, but he needs his father. Laura says, it’s so ironic that she can’t bring her son home, but her brother’s back, whether she wants him or not.

Josslyn asks Adam a question about alkanes, and he says, is that the best she can do? She moves his phone out of his hand with her foot, and says, no cheating. He answers her question with a bunch of science stuff (not my forte), and she says, it’s official; he’s a genius. That’s why he gets such great grades. He says he has to. The competition is fierce to get into any med school, let alone the ones his parents have on their approved list. ( I get confused for a moment, because Sonny is his father IRL.) She says, his parents have a list of medical schools? and he says, they want him to either go to Harvard, Stanford, or Johns Hopkins. He’s leaning toward Harvard. He really loves Boston. She says, Boston’s beautiful in the fall, and he says, what about her? What medical school is she leaning toward? She says she doesn’t know. She hasn’t really thought that far ahead. Her goal right now is to just do well in undergrad and then move on to the next thing; take it in manageable steps. He says, her parents are okay with that approach? and she says her parents are okay with anything as long as it’s reasonably productive and she’s happy doing it. He wonders what that’s like.

TJ asks what Jordan means that Gatlin can’t be prosecuted for what he did to him, and she says, yes, he was a victim of abduction. But let’s look at this the way DA Scorpio would. He was blindfolded, correct? He says, yes, and she says, disoriented? He says, yeah, and she says, his account of the situation and the details around it are unreliable at best. And they have no supporting evidence to corroborate his statement. They don’t even know where he was held. He says, this is ridiculous, and she says, he’s right. It is. But with her experience in law enforcement, this isn’t a case she’d ever bring to the prosecutors. TJ says, Mason did this to him. He knows this. He knows it was him. That voice. He has no doubt about this. She says she believes him, but it’s not up to her. She hates that this happened to him, but if there’s any consolation in this, it’s that Mason Gatlin is going to be charged with abduction and attempted murder for what he did to Ava Jerome. He says, that’s so great for Ava. He’s happy she’s getting her justice, but what about him? Where’s his justice? He throws up his hands and walks out.

Trina says she’s not going to allow Cyrus to waltz in here and pretend he didn’t hold her hostage at gunpoint. He threatened to shoot her if her mother didn’t tend to his gunshot wound. And if Laura hadn’t offered to take their places as his hostage, he would have killed them. Those words came out of his mouth. So he just wants her to forget all that? He says he never asked anyone to forget what he did. He asked them to forgive, like the Good Book says. She says, so let bygones be bygones? He expects her to accept his pathetic, meaningless apology just because he’s Spencer’s uncle? But guess what? She doesn’t forgive him. And she doesn’t care if he did protect Spencer in Pentenville. If he comes near her again, she’ll call the cops.

Mason says, come on, cuz. He and Austin have been seen together plenty of times in plenty of places by plenty of people, especially his co-workers here at General Hospital. Face it. When it comes to masterminding an abduction, who’s better at being the boss? Who’s better to play the henchman? He can play dumb. He’s going to tell the cops that he was just doing what his big, smart doctor cousin told him to do. Austin asks, why? Really. Why? Implicating him isn’t going to make Mason less guilty. He’s already going to go down for this, he knows that. Mason says, yeah, he knows, but he’s going to take Austin down with him. Austin’s been a pain in his ass for years. Always being so high and mighty, thinking he’s better than Mason because he has a piece of paper from a college? He wants to see how high and mighty Austin is when they’re sharing a prison cell. Austin says nothing and walks out.

Finn starts to tap another tree and asks Elizabeth, how many tries is this? She says, there was that time he hit his finger and then he hit the tree. And the other time… She doesn’t know what he was aiming for. He says, let’s just call it four times, and she says, good luck. He says, what? and she says, ten times is the charm. She watches him, and he says he thinks hunting vampires would have been easier. I get this, since sometimes I think a real zombie apocalypse would be easier. She says she has enough for both of them and takes down her bucket. He says, beginner’s luck, and she says, they can put this on their pancakes tomorrow morning. He says, speaking of which, is she hungry? She says, starving, and he says, let’s go make some dinner. They walk back hand in hand.

Back at the cabin, Elizabeth says, this was so much fun, and thanks Finn. He says, it’s nice to be out of the city. It’s nice to be out of the hospital. It’s nice to be out here in nature with her. She says she couldn’t agree more. Her fingers are so sticky. She runs the water and asks if there’s any soap. He finds some and puts a blob in her hand, and then in his own. He asks if she minds if he joins her, and she says, of course (🍷). He gets closer, and they wash each other’s hands. I guess that’s romantic, but it’s weirding me out a little. They gaze into each other’s eyes, and he kisses her. Better now.

Adam asks Josslyn for an example of a functional group, and she asks if she can use her notes. He says, no, she may not. By memory only. She says, a functional group is a specific structural arrangement of atoms or bonds that forms a… I give up at this point because now it’s getting too complicated, but she gives him the answer. It has something to do with molecules, and he says he knew she’d get it. She says she feels like she just ran a marathon – me too – and now she needs a break. They should maybe go down and get some food… There’s a knock at the door, and she says, that’s probably the art book getting delivered, but as we’ve all guessed, it’s Dex. She throws her arms around him and says, he’s just in time to save her. Adam looks disappointed. Aww.

Esme is still listening. Doesn’t she have work to do? Alexis says she wasn’t going to bring Cyrus up, but Laura says, that’s okay; she’s fine. Alexis says, it’s baffling to her that a miscarriage of justice, to that extent, could happen and Laura agrees. She says, leave it to Cyrus to finagle a hardship release. Alexis says, it’s really unbelievable. She doesn’t know how Laura deals with it. He is Laura’s brother, but still… Laura says she’s very, very conflicted. She does believe in rehabilitation, but that would mean restoring somebody to a normal state that’s acceptable to society. She doesn’t know that that’s possible with Cyrus, and after all the things that he’s done, does he even deserve that? Alexis says, the judge felt he did, and Laura sighs. She says, then she guesses she’ll do her best to believe that the judge is right, and Cyrus can become a productive member of society. But between her and Alexis, it’s going to be a really long time before she trusts her brother.

Cyrus says he can understand why Trina doesn’t trust in him, and Spencer puts his arm around Cyrus and says, it’s time for him to go. Now. Cyrus says, okay. Spencer follows him to the doorway, where Cyrus turns around and says he owes Trina a great debt. If she ever needs his help for any reason, she only needs to ask. She says she will never ask him for anything. Does he hear her? Never! Now get the hell out! Cyrus leaves, and when he’s gone, Spencer comes back to Trina. He tells her, it’s okay, he’s here, and holds her.

Elizabeth says, she and Finn should wash their hands together more often (please don’t), and he says, definitely. He’s filthy all the time. They kiss again, and he says, maybe dinner can wait, but she says she doesn’t know… He kisses her, and she says, okay. Dinner can definitely wait. There’s more kissing.

Dex asks what he’s saving Josslyn from, and she says, organic chem. She was just telling Adam that she was going stir crazy in here. Dex asks how long they’ve been studying, and she says, a few hours. Adam says, with their midterms coming up, they could probably use a few more hours, but Josslyn says, oh God no. She’s done. Adam says, they didn’t go over the identification of hydrocarbons though, and Dex says, if she needs to stay, he can come back, but she says she needs fresh air. He says, that he can do. He has to take Sonny’s speedboat upriver to drydock it for the winter if she wants to come. She says, okay, and gets her jacket. She tells Adam, it looks like hydrocarbon structures are going to have to wait, but if she aces this midterm, it’s thanks to him. He says, pick up later this evening? but she says she can’t. Thursday? Adam says, perfect. Their midterm is Friday. Josslyn says, cool, and Adam gets his stuff together. He says, what about Trina’s art book? Does she want him to stick around here and wait for it? She says, that’s really sweet of him, but it’s no big deal. She’s sure the delivery person will leave it outside the door. He says he doesn’t mind, but she says, it’s totally fine. He leaves, and Dex tells Josslyn, if there’s time after, they could get lunch at Kelly’s. He knows the owner. They leave, and Adam comes out from around the corner and watches them.

Alexis tells Laura, they say that trust is built over time. See if Cyrus can earn her trust. Does she believe his religious conversion is sincere? Laura says, to be perfectly honest, she’s not sure. She wants to sit down with her brother Martin and compare notes with him and get his take on it. There’s a knock at the door, and Alexis says, come in. Esme says, sorry to interrupt, but Alexis has a video conference call in fifteen minutes. Does Alexis want her to reschedule it? Laura says, absolutely not, not on her account. She’s going to let Alexis get on with her business day. Alexis thanks Laura for coming by and catching her up, and they hug. Alexis says, before Laura goes, she has a question. Does Laura know Judge Kim, the judge that sentenced Drew Cain? Laura says she doesn’t know him. She’s sorry. Alexis says, thanks anyway. It’s good to see her. Laura says, her too, and says she’ll see Esme at home tonight. Maybe tomorrow morning they can all wake up and have family breakfast together? Esme says, okay, she’d like that, and Laura leaves. Esme says she knows Alexis has a video conference call to prep for, but she has a quick question if Alexis doesn’t mind. Alexis tells her, go ahead, and Esme says she doesn’t really know how to ask this. Alexis says, just ask, and Esme asks if she can have a raise. Alexis says, she wants a raise? and Esme says, yes. She wants to move out of Laura and Doc’s apartment. With them back, it’s just all so crowded. Alexis asks if that’s the real reason, and Esme says, yeah. Alexis says, Esme… and Esme says, okay. She’s starting to… have feelings for Spencer.

Spencer brings Trina some water, and she says she shouldn’t have given Cyrus that much power over her. Nobody should have that much power over anybody. She’s not going to let him make her a victim again. Spencer says, she did really good. She practically kicked him out all by herself. She asks if he can promise her something, and he says he’s never going to let Cyrus come near her, but she says, that’s not what she means. She knows Spencer would never let Cyrus do anything to her. She needs him to promise he’ll never tell anyone she lost it like that with Cyrus, especially her mom and Curtis. Because her mom is already angry and terrified that he’s been released. She doesn’t want to add fuel to the fire. Curtis is in a wheelchair and feels he can’t protect them from Cyrus. He says he promises. He’s not going to tell anyone. Clearly, she can take care of herself, but know if she ever needs back-up, he’s here. She says she knows he is, and hugs him.

Austin goes back into Mason’s room, closes the door, and shuts the blinds. Mason says, if Austin is here to beg and plead, save his breath. He’s going to take Austin down with him. Austin says he’s done begging for things in his life. Besides, how would he be begging? There’s no one in this shell of Mason that’s remotely human. He puts on surgical gloves, and says, there’s no reason. Mason wouldn’t help him, would he? Mason says, not on your life, and Austin says, then he guesses it’s time to help himself. He pats Mason’s shoulder, turns off the machine Mason is hooked up to, and takes a pillow from the chair. He slowly walks over to Mason, and Mason says, he doesn’t have the guts. Austin smiles.

TJ walks past Mason’s room, and peeks through the window. The slats are open enough that he sees Austin smothering Mason.

On Monday, Brook tells Kristina that she needs a clear head for what she’s about to do; Sasha says, count her in too; Lucy tells Martin that she needs to show Tracy exactly who she’s dealing with; and Eddie/Ned asks why Tracy can’t take no for an answer.

✂️ Feeling Trim…

I had the feeling it was a crew member. And if you notice, usually when one of the cast gets a new hairdo, many of them do. It’s like picture day in school.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/meet-the-hairdresser-behind-finns-trim

🧸 Loves a Good Scare…

I’m actually looking forward to seeing this one.

Jophielle Love’s Scary New Movie!

⚰️ News Of the Dead…

The latest in Fear.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/10/27/fear-walking-dead-season-8-episode-8-photos/

https://screenrant.com/madison-not-rick-grimes-fear-walking-dead-season-8/

What the live ones are about.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/10/23/walking-dead-ones-live-about/

For those who prefer the game.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/10/21/walking-dead-destinies-release-dates/

🧹 Hocus That Pocus…

About yet another Sanderson sequel.

https://people.com/hocus-pocus-3-writer-anythings-on-the-table-for-sequel-8383552

It was cool until it wasn’t.

https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-stars-stuck-in-air-flying-scenes/

👠 Ladies of Horror…

They could have spent a little more time on Kiki Palmer and Jurnee Smollett. And while more sci/fi than horror, Octavia Spencer was amazing in Snowpiercer.

https://www.essence.com/entertainment/14-black-women-horror-movie-roles/

🔥 Falling For Usher…

If you haven’t seen this yet, stream, don’t wait. It’s incredible.

https://ew.com/tv/tv-reviews/the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher-review-netflix-mike-flanagan/

🐕 Uncanceled Pups…

Dogs and Halloween. There’s nothing better.

https://people.com/dogs-costumes-2023-nyc-halloween-dog-parade-photos-8374321

🐘 Quotes of the Week

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. – Dalai Lama

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. – Desmond Tutu

To thrive in life you need three bones. A wishbone. A backbone. And a funny bone. – Reba McEntire

Dare to be true: nothing can need a lie: A fault, which needs it most, grows two thereby. – George Herbert

The first to cry is the first to fry. – Omarosa, House of Villains

Happiness can exist only in acceptance. – George Orwell

Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults. – Benjamin Franklin

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself. – Harvey Fierstein

A mask tells us more than a face. – Oscar Wilde

🎭 Masking My Mask…

Stop by on Sunday for a little Fear. Until then, stay safe, stay springing for the good candy, and stay forgiving, but not forgetting. Especially if they’ve held you hostage.