Tag Archives: Watch What Happens Live

January 19, 2023 – Sonny Questions Carly’s Motives, a Memoir, Holy Cannoli, Overrated Kyle, It’s a No For Andy, Spike Gets the Record & Bizarre

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Portia says, they’ve officially finished the seating chart for their wedding and Curtis says, it only took three hours, twelve minutes, and sixteen seconds. But who’s counting? She tells him, tease all he wants to, but checking things off their to-do list makes her feel like their wedding is coming up faster than she thought. He says, and the honeymoon, and she says, Florence, Verona… She can’t wait to walk those ancient streets hand-in-hand with her husband. He says, and he can’t wait to celebrate beautiful her as his wife all day. He kisses her hand, and they both say, and all night. They kiss.

Sonny starts to walk into the chapel, and sees Carly. He says he didn’t know anybody was here, and starts to leave, but she tells him, stay. They’re both here for the same thing; praying that Willow is going to be okay. He says, which she will be if Nina’s a match. Which they would have known a long time ago if Carly hadn’t let her hatred for Nina blind her.

Nina waits in the exam room, and flashes back on Carly telling her that she’s Willow’s mother, and that she’s known since Harmony died – last year. Austin comes in, and says he’s so sorry. He thought this room was empty. He asks if she’s okay. Is she waiting for someone? She says she’s just waiting for her blood test results. She’s surprised he hasn’t heard already. She’s a potential bone marrow match for Willow Tate. He says, that’s a very generous gesture for somebody who, until recently, she was fighting in court. She says she didn’t have a choice. Willow’s her daughter.

Cameron runs into Kelly’s, where Spencer is getting some coffee. Spencer says, late night, and Cameron says he forgot he picked up this extra shift, and just left class. Spencer says, Cameron’s been doing that a lot lately, picking up extra shifts. His psyche professor would say he has an avoiding detachment disorder. Cameron says, and what would his psyche professor say he’s avoiding? and Spencer says, what about a break-up? Cameron says he’s so mad at Joss for ending things with him, but he misses her so much. He just wishes he could go one day without thinking about her. Josslyn walks in.

Dex comes out of the hospital elevator, as Michael goes to the reception desk. The nurse asks if she can help Michael, and he asks for another blanket and some water for Willow. The nurse says, of course (🍷), and leaves. Michael goes over to Dex, and asks what Dex is doing here.

Curtis asks how many more items they have to check off the list, and Portia says, just a few. Maybe they can do it later. They start to kiss, when Marshall walks in, and says, don’t mind him. He’s going up to his room, and trying to stay out of the almost newlyweds hair. Curtis asks if he has a minute. They’d like his help with the ceremony.

Michael and Dex go out to the stairwell, and Michael asks what Dex is doing at GH. Dex says, looking for Sonny. He texted that something was going on with his family, and to meet him at GH. Michael asks what Sonny wanted, but Dex says he doesn’t know. He couldn’t find Sonny, so he thought he’d check the third floor. He heard about Willow’s diagnosis. Michael asks if Sonny told him, but Dex says, no. He overheard Sonny tell Josslyn. Is Willow okay? Michael says, not really, and Dex says he’s sorry. Dex asks if there’s anything he can do to help, and Michael tells him, just stay on top of the plan to bring his father down. Dex says, on it, and Michael says, as long as Dex is here, Dex had called him and said there was a problem. What is it? Dex flashes back to Josslyn getting dressed, and saying she’s going to Sonny’s office to tell him she can see who she wants to, and it’s none of his damn business. Dex tells Michael, it’s nothing to worry about, and Michael asks if Dex is sure it isn’t something he needs to know.

Josslyn says she’s sorry about Britt, and Spencer says, thanks. She says, it’s nice to see Cameron, and Cameron says, is it? She says, of course (🍷), and Spencer asks what she’s doing here. She says she came to get Willow her favorite slice of pie. She didn’t know Cam would be working today. Spencer says, he’s always working, but Cameron says, that’s not true. He has a life. Josslyn says, if this is awkward for Cameron… but Cameron says, whatever. He just has to clock in. He goes in the back, and Spencer asks, what’s Josslyn’s problem? She says, her problem? and he says, the guy is heartbroken. It might be a good idea to steer clear of this place and Cameron for a while.

Austin asks when Nina found out Willow was her daughter, and Nina says, yesterday. He asks why she’s hiding out in here. Shouldn’t she be with Willow? She says she wishes she could be, and he says he would think they’d have a lot to talk about, but she says she thinks she and Willow have said everything they need to say to each other. The only thing she can do now is try to save Willow’s life. She won’t accept anything else from Nina. She’s sorry, but it’s been a very long day… He asks if there’s anything he can do to help, but she doesn’t say anything. He tells her to feel free to give a shout if she needs anything, and leaves. In the hallway, he makes a call, and says, Nina needs you.

Carly asks if Sonny thinks she kept the truth from Willow because she hates Nina more than she loves Willow, and he asks if she didn’t. She says she’s not even going to dignify that with an answer, and he says, she’s been aching to get revenge on Nina ever since she found out Nina knew he was in Nixon Falls. Not to mention everything else. Carly says, Nina deserves to pay for everything she’s done, but she’s washed her hands of that, and Sonny asks why she didn’t tell Nina that Willow was her daughter. She says she doesn’t owe him an explanation, but he says, she owes Nina, and she says, the hell she does. Nina’s own choices have led directly to this. The only ones she owes anything to are Michael and Willow. He says, what about the baby and Wiley? She doesn’t think she owes them an explanation if their mother dies because of the secret she kept?

Obrecht asks Austin where Nina is, and he tells her. She thanks him for calling her, and he says, no problem. It’s part of his Hippocratic Oath. She says he helped more than he knows. First her Britta, now Nina. He asks if she’s doing okay, and she tells him, one day at a time. Isn’t that what you Americans say? She heads for the exam room.

Obrecht comes in, and asks how Nina is doing, hugging her. Nina asks what she’s doing here, and Obrecht says, Austin called and said Nina needed her. Is she sick? Hurt? Nina says, physically, she’s fine, and Obrecht asks why she’s here. Nina says, there was a miracle. She found out she has another daughter. Obrecht asks how this is possible, and Nina says she’s sorry. This is probably the last thing Obrecht wants to be talking about. Obrecht says she’d never begrudge Nina discovering she has a child. Why is she upset? This is good news. Nina says, it is, but there’s complications, and Obrecht says, like what? Nina says, Carly.

Carly says, that was a low blow, and Sonny asks if he said anything untrue. She says she didn’t know Willow had leukemia, and he says, if Carly hadn’t withheld the information, Willow wouldn’t be up there now, fighting for her life. She says, he can’t possibly think she’d keep this secret if she knew Willow was sick. Michael and Willow didn’t tell anyone. She had to make a decision based on the information she had. He says, that wasn’t her decision to make. On Willow’s behalf and Nina’s behalf. Nina deserved to know she had a daughter. It meant so much to her. Can Carly imagine? Thinking your daughter was stolen and you could never raise her? That does a lot of damage. But Carly still decided to punish her. Carly says, this was never about Nina. She did this for Willow because she knew the pain it would cause if she knew the truth. Nina pushed Willow so far, Willow didn’t even want to find her biological family. She did this for Willow. He says, a lot of good that did, didn’t it? and she says, he has a lot of nerve going around with all this concern for Willow now, because he sure as hell didn’t have any when Nina was harassing and torturing Willow in court.

Dex tells Michael not to worry about the call. He has enough to deal with. Besides, it’s been handled. Michael says, tell him anyway, and Dex says he hasn’t heard anything more about the Pikeman deal. Sonny took him to the meeting, so he assumed he’d have access, but if Sonny is still negotiating or they set a date for the first shipment, he doesn’t know about it. And unless Sonny tells Dex himself, he has no way to find out. He’s never in the room when Sonny and Brick have a call. Pikeman isn’t going to pull out of the deal, and Sonny’s already taken their cash, so he can’t either. When the shipments start, that’s when Sonny will need him, and that’s when he’ll know. He just got a little jumpy. The sooner this is over, the better for him. Michael says, him too, and Dex says, sorry about the false alarm. He won’t keep Michael from Willow. Just give him a minute before he comes out. Michael says, with everything going on with his family, it’s nice to know he can trust Dex.

Josslyn asks if Spencer doesn’t think it’s a good idea to mind his own business, and he asks if she really wants to run into Cameron just to get coffee and pie. Josslyn says, her grandma owns Kelly’s. She’s not going to avoid the place just to avoid Cam, and she didn’t know he was working here today. They don’t talk much since they broke up. Spencer asks why they did break up. He got Cameron’s explanation, but never got hers. She says she doesn’t have the bandwidth to deal with him today. Her life is crazy enough, and like she said, it’s none of his business. He says, Cam is his friend, so it is a little bit his business, and she says, Spencer’s supposed to be her friend too. She’s known him since they were five years old. She’s seen him make more mistakes than she can count, but she’s still here talking to him. He says, and he’s still her talking to her. What’s her point? She says she’d never make him choose sides, but clearly he has. So he’s saying that she’s completely lost his friendship. He tells her that he never said that, but that doesn’t mean he gets it. Cam is the sweetest kid on the planet. She says she knows. That’s what makes this so hard. She’s known Cam her whole life. Does Spencer think just because they broke up she doesn’t care about his feelings anymore? Cameron comes back, and she says she’ll go somewhere else, but Cameron says, wait. She leaves, and Cameron tells Spencer, what the hell, dude? He thought he told Spencer to stop fighting his battles for him.

Curtis tells Marshall that he and Portia feel very strongly that their wedding isn’t just about them. It’s about this whole blended family they’ve created with their wonderful relationship. Portia says, Marshall, Stella, and TJ have been so welcoming to her, and she’s proud to call them her in-laws. Marshall says he likes the sound of that, calling her future daughter-in-law. Curtis says he got to thinking the last time he got married, Marshall wasn’t a part of his life. Marshall says he is now, and he hopes Curtis realizes how happy he is to witness Curtis and his lovely lady saying their vows. Curtis says, it would mean a lot to them if Marshall was involved in the ceremony, and Marshall says he’s too old to be a groomsman. Portia thanks him for helping with the music; the songs and the arrangement he chose. But they were just wondering if he could take it a step further. Curtis asks if Marshall would play a clarinet solo at the ceremony. Would he do them that honor? Marshall says he’s honored that they asked, but he doesn’t think he can. Curtis asks, why? Did he get a better offer somewhere else? Marshall says he wouldn’t know what to play, and Portia says she and Curtis have a request; a favorite song they share. Marshall says, the wedding is in a few weeks. He won’t have enough time to prepare new music. Curtis says he hears Marshall in his room playing every night. He’s constantly working on his craft. He hears Marshall riffing; it’s definitely in his wheelhouse. Marshall says, that’s him just keeping his skills up. Learning new music is a while ‘nother ball of wax entirely. Portia says, it doesn’t have to be perfect. He can have the sheet music with him if he likes. Curtis asks Marshall to lay it on him straight. Does he not want to perform at their wedding?

Spencer says he’s sorry. He didn’t mean to  overstep. He just hates seeing Cameron like this. Cameron says, like what? and Spencer says, all sad. Cameron says he overheard Josslyn saying it was hard on her too, and Spencer asks if Cameron really believes that. Cameron asks why he wouldn’t, and Spencer tells him, Josslyn was just saying that to save face, but Cameron says, Spencer’s known Josslyn as long as he has. BS is not really her style. Spencer says, maybe not, but something is off  with this break up. Cameron says, last time he checked, she broke up with him, not Spencer, and Spencer says, the excuse Josslyn gave him, that they grew apart. It’s like Break-up Excuse 101; what does that even mean? See? It makes as little sense to Cameron as it does to him. Plus, he’s been though more breakups than Cameron. Cameron says, no he hasn’t. Esme was his first girlfriend. Spencer says, okay, but he’s had more relationships fall apart, like with his father. And with him and Esme, they didn’t grow apart. Cameron says, Spencer found out she was the worst human being in existence next to Jax Taylor, and Spencer says, like with his father. They did things that helped him realize they weren’t who he thought. Cameron asks if Spencer is saying Josslyn isn’t who he thought she was, but Spencer says, no, but he doesn’t think she’s being straight with him.

Josslyn comes out of the hospital elevator, and sees Dex, but before she can walk over to him, Michael says, hey. She says she’s sorry she didn’t get here sooner. She talked to mom this morning, and she said Willow’s condition was stable. She thought Willow might want some pie if she’s up for eating. He didn’t respond to her text, but it doesn’t matter. She brought two forks and two iced teas. He says, Willow is sleeping now, but he’s sure she’ll appreciate it when she wakes up. Josslyn asks how she is, and he says, she’s weak. She’s going to be staying here for a while. Josslyn asks if there’s any update on a bone marrow donor, and he says, actually, they might have found one. She says, that’s great. When did he find out; mom didn’t say anything. Okay, what’s going on? Every time she mentions mom, he acts weird. Is something happening between them?

Nina tells Obrecht, as awful as Harmony was, at least she told Carly the truth on her deathbed. And Carly took it on herself to do a DNA test without her or Willow’s consent. Carly found out Willow was her daughter and didn’t say anything for months. If Willow wasn’t sick, she probably wouldn’t have. Obrecht says, how could that horrible woman keep Nina from yet another child? and Nina says she doesn’t know. She just keeps going through it until she’s dizzy. It’s the cruelty of all of it. Obrecht says, and Carly had the nerve to tell Nina that she was in the wrong for keeping Sonny from her family, and Nina says, she knew Carly had it in for her, but to sit back and watch her relationship with Willow fall apart, knowing Willow was her daughter? It’s cruel. And now when Willow needs a mother the most, of course (🍷) Willow doesn’t want anything to do with her. All she can do is wander around here, helpless, hoping her bone marrow will save Willow’s life. Obrecht says, Nina’s not helpless. She’s doing everything possible to help her daughter; what a good mother should. Nina says, all she can do is wait for the results, and the more she waits, the angrier she gets. She feels like time is slipping by. If she knew Willow was her daughter, she wouldn’t have spent all that time arguing with Michael and Willow for denying access to Wiley, because she thought Wiley was her only connection to a family that was stolen from her, but that’s not the truth. Carly knew better. Nina could kill her.

Sonny asks if Carly is seriously comparing this to what happened in Wiley’s court case, and Carly says, his feelings for Nina might have blinded him, but she saw the pain Nina caused Willow then, and many times since. Willow looked at her and said, if her mom was anything like Nina, she wouldn’t want to find her. So she wasn’t going to let Nina make Willow suffer more. He says, so she’s doing this in Willow’s best interest, and Carly says, not just hers, but Michael’s, Wiley’s, and the new baby. She made a decision for the greater good of her family. Don’t dare tell her that he doesn’t know what that’s like. He says, she can dress this up however she likes. This PR job she’s doing is great in her head, but it’s going to hurt Willow and her family. She can lie to herself, but she’s not going to lie to him. They both know, she’s not protecting anyone. Nina suffered, and she likes it.

Marshall says, it’s not that he doesn’t want to play at Curtis’s wedding, and Curtis says he understands it’s scary, but Marshall knows it’s important to him. Marshall says he’s sorry, but he doesn’t trust himself.  

Obrecht says she understands Nina’s desire to murder Carly, but doesn’t think Nina has it in her, and Nina says, not literally, but she can still make Carly pay. Carly was there from the beginning, encouraging animosity between her and Willow. She understands she’s made mistakes, and takes full ownership of them. She’s going to have to make it up to Willow, but even before Nixon Falls, before she found Sonny, Carly was trying to take Wiley away from her. Carly would undermine her to Michael and Willow, and even if Nina made the smallest mistake, Carly would plant the seed of doubt. Carly was always there trying to reinforce her angry feelings against Nina. Nina cries, and says she’s had enough of it. She’s going to make Carly suffer for this. Obrecht says she knows exactly how Nina feels, but she can’t strike back against Carly.

Carly says, Sonny has no idea how she’s feeling, but he says he knows how she thinks; he knows her better than anyone. She hates Nina because she kept him from the family; understandable. So Carly wanted to hit Nina where it hurt the most, and that’s by taking her child from her. She stole Nina’s chance at being a mother, and she knew that’s what Nina wanted the most. So congratulations. Nina’s in pain, and Willow doesn’t want to have anything to do with her. Carly hurt her, like Nina hurt Carly. Now can they end this madness? Carly says she just wants to make sure to get this straight. Sonny is blaming her for Nina and Willow’s lack of relationship. Nina has her own damn self to blame for her pain. After everything Nina put Willow through, she has every right hate Nina. And guess what? The feeling’s mutual. Nina and Willow hated each other long before she found out they were mother and daughter. Sonny tells her to stop justifying her lies.

Michael says, the potential donor for Willow is Nina, and Josslyn says she’s glad they found a donor, but why does it have to be her? He says, because Nina is Willow’s birth mother, and Josslyn says, what? He says, Nina gave birth to twins; Nelle went to the Bensons, and Willow was given to Harmony. She asks if he’s sure. Has anyone run a DNA test? There’s no way Willow could possibly be related to Nelle or Nina. He says, mom ran a DNA test, and she says, mom? He says, Harmony told her before she died, and mom ran a paternity test on Nina and Willow. She knew for months Nina was Willow’s mother; not that she said anything. She claims she was protecting Willow; that Willow was better off not knowing. If Willow hadn’t been sick, who knows if she would have said anything. They sit down, and Josslyn says, but Willow is sick, so… mom told the truth when it counted. He says, it was almost too late. Willow could have died waiting for a bone marrow donor. Josslyn says she understands why he’s upset, obviously, but he and Willow didn’t tell anybody that Willow was sick, so how was mom supposed to know? He says, the point is, mom was making choices for Willow that she had no right to make. Choices that jeopardized Willow’s life. He doesn’t think he can ever forgive her for that.

Curtis asks Marshall what that even means, and Portia asks if this is about his schizophrenia. Marshall says he can’t play solo since his diagnosis, but Curtis says he’s seen Marshall perform solo at GH. Marshall says, it’s one thing to perform for a few patients who are just looking for something to brighten their day. This is a whole ‘nother ball of wax to play at Curtis’s big occasion, his wedding. Marshall’s anxiety will act up. Portia says, this isn’t a group of anonymous strangers; this is his family and friends. He says, it doesn’t matter. After his diagnosis, he could feel himself going to this scary place every time he performed solo. He’s afraid it could trigger an episode. That’s why he only performs with a band now. He stays in the background, and just does his thing from there. She says, didn’t he tell her that he never had an episode? and he says he’s been fortunate. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen. He’s not going to risk it on their big day. Having him play is only inviting trouble. As much as he’d like to, as much as he wants to, he can’t. He needs Curtis to understand.

Josslyn says, Michael’s not going to forgive mom ever? and he says he’s so angry he can’t even think straight. She says, Willow is pregnant and has leukemia. Of course (🍷) he’s overwhelmed. Michael says, mom knew Willow was looking for her biological family, and she just kept withholding this information. Josslyn tells him, she’s not saying that she thinks mom made the right decision. Of course (🍷) she understands why he’s upset. All she’s saying is, there are extenuating circumstances here. Willow’s long lost mom is a woman she can’t stand; a woman who took him and Willow to court. He says, that doesn’t change the fact that it was Willow’s decision to make. Mom should have come to Willow the moment she found out Nina was Willow’s mother. Josslyn says she hears him. All she’s saying is, she sees mom’s side of it. There are some things people are better off not knowing. He says, but it’s not up to mom to decide what will or won’t hurt Willow. Look what happened; she’s hurt anyway. And it could have had deadly results. It still might. He says he has to get back to Willow, and thanks Josslyn for letting him vent. She tells him, feel whatever he needs to feel, but maybe don’t talk to mom right now. Maybe cool off a little first. He says he’ll try.

Cameron says, Joss breaking up with him came out of nowhere, so he understands why Spencer would think something’s up, but he doesn’t. Spencer asks, why not? and Cameron says, they loved each other; that was real. Spencer says, exactly. Those feelings don’t just disappear overnight. People who love each other don’t split up for no reason. Cameron says, sometimes people split up for a lot of reasons. He was so hurt and angry, he shut himself off to the possibility Joss might be in pain too. Seeing her just now, he believes her when she says this isn’t easy for her. Joss has always been honest with him, so if she says they grew apart, why would he think that’s a lie?

Carly says, the Sonny she used to know would have seen Nina has done nothing but torture Willow right up to the moment she found out Willow was her daughter. He was the one who taught her that sometimes you have to do questionable things to protect the people you care about. And he would understand why she did what she did. But that Sonny’s gone. He says she’s right. He’s changed. They all have. Does she know what that means? It means they don’t have to keep doing the same things they always have. She says, right, and leaves, passing Dex outside the door. Dex comes in, and says he’s sorry it took him so long to find Sonny. Sonny didn’t answer his text. Sonny says he’s been busy, and Dex asks what he can do for Sonny. Sonny says he’s got to see Nina, and leaves, Dex following.

Nina asks who this is, and what have they done to her Aunt Liesl? and Obrecht, says, normally, she would be the first one to tell Nina not to turn the other cheek. When someone wrongs you, strike back. Send a message that there are consequences for hurting you. Every fiber of her being aches to destroy the monster who murdered her Britta. But Britta’s not here, Willow is. Not only does Nina have a new daughter, she also has a new grandchild. That’s where her focus should be. Nina says she told Obrecht, Willow wants nothing to do with her, but Obrecht says, Willow needs Nina to save her life, and she can’t do that when she’s consumed with revenge on Carly. Willow must be her priority now, not Carly. Do not squander her second chance to be a mother. She’s grateful every day for a second chance with her Britta. Cherish this gift you’ve been given, Liebchen.

Dex sees Josslyn, and he asks if she’s okay. She says, not really, and he suggests they get out of here.

Spencer says he guesses Cameron has to trust his instincts. Although his weren’t so great when it came to Esme. Cameron says, maybe he wanted to see things were okay. Maybe Joss experienced their relationship differently. Spencer says, maybe, and Cameron says he has no reason not to trust her. She’s been a part of his life for forever. He would hate for that trust to go away because they didn’t work out as a couple. Maybe they’ll find their way back to being friends. We see Josslyn getting in the elevator with Dex, and Cameron says, Joss was honest with him about her feelings. It’s not like she set out to hurt him. The elevator door closes.  

Nina thanks Obrecht for talking sense into her. She needs to focus on Willow, and she’ll deal with Carly later. Sonny says, sorry to interrupt, and Obrecht says she thinks her work here is done. She and Nina hug, and Obrecht says, Nina is doing the right thing. She leaves, and Sonny asks what she was doing here. Nina says, reminding her that she shouldn’t give up on her daughter, and she won’t. He hugs her.

Obrecht asks Austin if Esme is still at the hospital, and he says, no; she was released. She asks, when? Why? Has she recovered from her injuries? Where did she go? He says he heard they took her away for an arraignment, but he can’t tell Obrecht if she was remanded to prison or out on bail. Obrecht says, Esme could be free, roaming the streets after murdering her daughter. Austin’s phone beeps, and he asks if Obrecht is going to be okay. She says she will be, and he leaves. She says, as soon as she tracks down Miss Prince.

Curtis says, it would mean a whole lot if Marshall performed at their wedding, but he understands if Marshall doesn’t want to. It’s Marshall’s choice and he respects that, but he wants Marshall to know that they believe  in him. He excuses himself, saying, he has to call The Savoy. Portia says, can’t Marshall see how badly his son wants him to be a part of his wedding? but Marshall says he doesn’t think he can. She says she knows he doesn’t want to hear this, but she still thinks there’s a possibility he was misdiagnosed and doesn’t even have schizophrenia. There’s an easy way to find out, and they can see. Then maybe he can show up for Curtis after all. Why doesn’t he want to take the steps to find out for sure? He says, because it’s too late.

Michael comes out of Willow’s room as Carly is coming out of the elevator. She asks, how’s Willow, and he wonders why she’s asking. It’s obvious Carly doesn’t give a damn about her.

Tomorrow, Austin says he’s done taking orders; Victor says, the next time Nikolas defies him will be his last; Dex tells Josslyn that he’s no longer going to be working for Sonny; and Michael tells Carly, if Nina is the enemy, what does that make her?

✍🏾 Shooting Straight…

He’s also making the talk show rounds. I was like, hey, that’s Brick!

⚓️ What She Didn’t Know…

All the captains say the same thing. They didn’t know until they watched the show.

💎 But It’s True…

I saw the show Reza was on, and I agree with him. She’s certainly overreacting.

🧂 No Salt…

What does this even mean? The reality star said she wanted to avoid “misrepresentations” to be made about her “story, relating to any and all topics, prior and during the course of my participation” on “RHOSLC.”

🐶 Gino Unseated…

There’s a new old dog in town.

https://people.com/pets/spike-the-chihuahua-new-guinness-world-records-worlds-oldest-dog/

🌃 Drawing the Curtains…

Join me tomorrow for soap and tea, with a side of wise words, and a little music. Until then, stay safe, stay open to new experiences, and stay never squandering a second chance.

December 29, 2022 – Britt’s New Year’s Eve Birthday Bash, Returned, Why Lie, Copycat Corden, Bravo’s Finest, NYC NYE & Waiting

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Terry sees Finn at Britt’s party, and says, Elizabeth must have dragged him here, since it’s not his scene. She asks where Elizabeth is.

Elizabeth gives Nikolas a list of stuff Esme will need in the coming weeks, and he says he’ll take care of it. She says, and she’ll take care of Esme, and he says he appreciates all she’s done. She says she’s not doing it for him, and goes upstairs. The doorbell rings, and Nikolas opens the door to Laura, who tells him, Happy New Year. He says, it’s not a good time, and she says she’s sorry to hear that, and walks in.

Trina finds Spencer sitting on the deck steps on the Haunted Star. She apologizes for being late, and asks if he was waiting long. He says, it’s worth the wait; she looks beautiful. She says, him too… He knows what she means. He asks if she’s ready to do this, and she says, be seen together to generate a buzz? He suggests they post a photo on social media, and she says, they can make Esme jealous enough to become reckless. He says, one look at her, and mission accomplished, and takes the photo. Sonny and Nina board the boat, and Sonny says, when Kristina said she saw Spencer at Christmas, he said, that’s impossible. His nephew wouldn’t show up in Port Charles without coming to see him.

Michael meets Dex at the docks, and Dex says, Sonny’s cutting a deal. Michael asks, with who? and Dex says, with someone he’ll regret doing business with.

Esme’s door opens, and she says, oh, it’s Elizabeth. Kind of overdressed for nursing a prisoner, isn’t she? Elizabeth asks how she is, and Esme says, like she cares. Elizabeth says, Esme and her baby have been on her mind a lot lately, and Esme tells her, it’s not too late. Help her get out of here. Not for her sake, but for the baby.

We see a sign that says, Britch Fest! with a caricature of a woman (presumably Britt) in a martini glass. Britt comes in with Obrecht, and takes a drink from the tray of a shirtless waiter, saying, happy birthday to me. She and Obrecht clink glasses, and Obrecht says, he has nothing on mein Scotty. She goes off to find him, and Maxie and Brad join Britt. Maxie says, fashionably late she sees, and Britt says she wanted to make an entrance. Brad says she did; that ensemble is smokin’. Britt says, that’s the plan. Good job on the waiters. She knows it was Brad’s contribution. She tells Maxie, everything looks gorgeous, and Maxie tells her to note it’s prosecco, not champagne. Britt says, Maxie knows her well. Austin comes over and says, Maxie looks great. He knows Britt is his boss, but can he say, wow. She says, just for tonight, and Maxie says she and Brad are going to check on some other surprises they have up their sleeve. They leave, and Britt says, they went to so much trouble. Austin says, they love her and want to make her happy. So she should consider how they’re going to feel when they find out it’s their last opportunity.

Spencer says he’s sorry. He’d meant to come by and thank Sonny for looking out for him in Pentenville. He truly appreciated it. It’s just that so much has happened since he got out… Sonny says, relax. He’s just happy to see Spencer. They hug, and Spencer says, hopefully, he won’t need any more favors from Sonny. Nina says she was sorry to hear about Trina’s friend, Officer Cabrera, and Sonny says he heard Rory was a very good man. Trina says, he was a very good man; too good. Spencer says, Rory was there for Trina when she needed support, and Nina says, they’re going inside, and will see them later. Trina thanks Spencer for what he said about Rory, and for helping bring his killer to justice. Spencer says, she knows he’d do anything for her, but this isn’t just for her. He’s the one who brought Esme to Port Charles. That makes it his responsibility to rid the city of her forever.

Inside, Sonny says, looks like Britt went all out, and Nina says she appreciates him coming out with her. This is a bit more lively than their New Year’s Eve last year. He says she doesn’t have to thank him. He likes being by her side. She says, it’s important for her to be there for Britt. She, Britt, and Maxie made a sister pact, and they’ve been close ever since. She just wants more time with Britt. He says, Huntington’s is like Alzheimer’s. It’s a no joke disease, and she’s going to have a rough road ahead.

Austin tells Britt to just hear him out. He doesn’t think it’s a good idea, this whole running away thing. She swears if he starts hounding her, she’ll throw him overboard. And to be clear, she’s not running away. She’s making a graceful exit. He says, there’s still time to rethink that, but she says, not much. In four hours, when the countdown begins, and the topless hotties are topping off drinks, she’ll slip away, with a one-way ticket to destiny.

Finn asks where Yuri is, and Terry says, he’s sick. It’s adorable how the biggest, toughest men become babies when they get the sniffles. (She can say this because she’s not living with one.) He says, it’s a good thing Yuri knows a doctor, and she says, it’s nice to have someone to take care of, and be taken care of in return.

Laura says she knows Nikolas prefers she call before she comes over, but she didn’t want to give him the opportunity to come up with an excuse not to talk to her. He says, about what? and she says she spoke with his uncle. He asks what Victor said, but she says, no, Cyrus. She went to visit him in Pentenville. He asks what possessed her to do that, and she tells him, Cyrus said he had some information about their family. It got her to wondering what else she doesn’t know. He says, about Cyrus? but she says, about him. Nikolas told her that he’d betrayed all the people he loved the most. Can he tell her what he meant by that?

Esme says, Elizabeth cares so much about this baby, yet won’t help her, even though Elizabeth knows she didn’t hurt anyone. Elizabeth says, maybe Esme didn’t kill anyone, but she hurt a lot of people, her son included. Esme says, so this is about revenge, but Elizabeth says, it’s not. The way she sees it, Esme has two options. She can stay in this tower or face prosecution for the slew of crimes she’ll be charged with if Elizabeth turns her in. Esme says, there’s a third option. Set her free so she can leave town and raise her baby. Elizabeth asks why she’d do that. It wasn’t that long ago Esme threatened a hunger strike, and refused to take her prenatal vitamins. Esme says, she’s desperate. Can’t Elizabeth see that? She swears she’ll take care of this baby, but she needs to be free so they can be safe. Elizabeth says, on the run, no family resources, constantly looking over her shoulder. How is that any safer than a roof over her head, nutritious meals, and consistent care? Esme says, because she won’t have to live with the fear that Nikolas will kill her as soon as she gives birth.

Sonny asks where Nina went just now, but she tells him not to pay attention to her. It’s a celebration, and she refuses to be a buzzkill. He says, she can tell him anything, and she says she was thinking about her brother and Nelle, and how now she doesn’t get to see Wiley anymore. Her family is very small, and the thought of losing Britt… He says he gets it. He lost his dad; he lost Brando. Now he can’t see Michael or Wiley. Michael is going to have another child, and is he not going to be able to see that child?  Probably not. She says, he has to pay a big price to have her in his life.

At Britt’s party, Sirens blare, and someone is brought out in a wheelchair. Drag queen Alyssa Edwards pops up, and spins around. She says, they’re all so hot, she may have smoke inhalation, and asks if there’s a doctor in the house. Brad says, yes, there is, and she loves to dance. He pulls Britt over, she and the Alyssa air kiss, and everyone starts to dance. I want to be at this party.  

Nikolas says, he and Ava have been struggling for months, but Laura says, this is not about Ava. That’s not a reason Spencer would turn his back on Nikolas. His son just got out of prison; that should matter to him. He should be spending time with Spencer tonight, working on their relationship. Where is Spencer? Does Nikolas know? Does he care? He says, of course (🍷) he cares, and she asks what he’s done for his son to alienate him. She does know it’s New Year’s Eve, right?

Elizabeth says, if Esme is worried Nikolas is going to harm her, that’s not the plan. Esme says, maybe not the plan he shared with Elizabeth, and Elizabeth tells her, lie back, preparing to listen to the baby’s heartbeat. She says, maybe Esme is judging Nikolas based on her own standards. She’s wrong about Nikolas, and wrong about her too. She’s not going to let anything happen to Esme. They listen, and she says, strong heartbeat. Esme smiles, and Elizabeth asks if she’s in any discomfort or pain. Esme says, no, and Elizabeth asks if she has any other concerns. Esme says, what if there are complications? but Elizabeth says, so far, her pregnancy is progressing typically. Esme says, so far, but she’s only seen one ultrasound since she’s been pregnant, and nothing since. Elizabeth says she’s assisted in a lot of births – three of her own –  and Esme doesn’t have to worry. Women have been giving birth since the dawn of time. Esme says, Elizabeth talks like she’s a patient in a maternity ward, and she’s not; she’s a prisoner. Elizabeth is right. She’s hurt people; people who didn’t deserve it, especially Cam. But what if Elizabeth is hurting the baby by helping Nikolas? Can she live with that?

Dex says, Sonny met with a representative from Pikeman Security Group, and Michael says, they’re military contractors. They do everything from weapon design to manufacturing logistics and private squads of soldiers. What do they want from Sonny? Dex says, they want to move their product through Port Charles; they want Sonny to facilitate. Michael says, Pikeman is paying Sonny to smuggle military weapons. That’s as illegal as it gets.

Trina says, maybe Spencer is the reason Esme came to Port Charles, but she’s responsible for the devastation she caused, for the lives she’s ruined, and the ones she’s taken… if it was Esme. He says, come again? and she says, Ava told her, Ryan is convinced Esme’s not the killer. He says, like they can trust a word Ryan… blinks, and she says, maybe not, but what if they’re wrong? What if Esme’s not the killer? What if it’s someone they never even suspected? Someone who could be on this ship with them at this very moment.

Britt puts her arms around Brad and Maxie, and asks where they got Alyssa. Maxie asks if she’s surprised, and Britt says, is she ever. She loves it all. She’s never going to forget this as long as she lives.

Austin looks at a waiter’s back, and says, it’s good he asked. It’s probably just a mole, but he’d get it checked out. The waiter moves on, and Obrecht asks if Austin is on the clock. Austin says, always. She knows how it is when people find out you’re a doctor. She says, that ends when you lose your license. She hasn’t always been his biggest fan, but he’s been a good friend to her daughter. She’s grateful. He thanks her for saying that. It’s been a pleasure getting to know Britt. She says she hopes it continues. Britt needs her friends now.

Terry asks Finn if Elizabeth is showing up later or… He says he’s really not sure, and she says, Elizabeth has been hard to pin down lately. She might have to page her at GH just to catch up. Is Elizabeth okay? He says he would be the wrong guy to ask.

Esme says, help her get away, so she can be free to raise her baby in peace, and Elizabeth says she was right. Esme does care about this child. Esme says she doesn’t know if she’s mom material. She can be selfish and willful, but she does know that even if neither of them is innocent, this baby is, and she wants to give him or her a better start in life than she had. Elizabeth starts to pack up, and says she’s going to ask Nikolas to order a portable ultrasound machine. Next time, maybe they can do a scan, and give Esme a picture of her baby. Esme asks, what if it shows something bad? and Elizabeth says, they’ll cross that bridge when they come to it. If they come to it. She doesn’t want Esme to worry. She heads for the door, and Esme says, why worry when life is so wonderful. Have fun at your party. Elizabeth leaves, and Esme smiles at the Christmas tree.

Nikolas says he’s let Spencer down many times, but Laura says, that doesn’t explain why he had such a big reaction to Nikolas being unfaithful to Ava. He says, Spencer is disappointed that he’s set such a poor example, and she says, unless it’s not that Nikolas had an affair, but who he had the affair with. Who is she? He says he doesn’t want to discuss it, and she says she doesn’t really want to discuss it either, but this has affected their whole family, so she’d like to know. Elizabeth says she’s leaving now, and stops short when she sees Laura. She tells Laura hello, and says she didn’t realize Nikolas had company. Laura says, that makes two of them, and tells Elizabeth that she looks beautiful. Elizabeth thanks her, and says she’s going to Britt’s party. She’s going to be late, so she’d better go. Laura says, stay safe, have fun. Maybe they can get together soon. They have a lot of catching up to do. Elizabeth says she’d like that, and tells them, goodnight and happy new year. Nikolas says, happy new year to her too, and thanks her for stopping by. She leaves, and Laura says, please tell her it’s not Elizabeth.

Dex tells Michael, the Pikeman rep, a guy named Hume, handed Sonny a briefcase full of cash just for showing up. Michael says, so Sonny draws the line at drugs, but he’s willing to ship weapons of war, and Dex says, there’s only two reasons people want to ship under cloak of darkness. Either what they’re moving is dirty, or what they’re moving is being supplied to dirty people. Michael says, in this case, both, and Dex says, this deal is extremely lucrative for Sonny, but also extremely dicey. Michael says, this is it. This is how they bring Sonny down. Dex says, this isn’t like busting Sonny on RICO violations. Pikeman had contractors in Afghanistan; they’re heavy hitters. Think twice before messing with them. Michael asks if Dex is backing out.

Sonny says, the other day, Nina was worried about how she didn’t want to get close to Donna, but Nina says she was just having a moment. She didn’t mean to be so maudlin. He says he’s been thinking about what she said; that she didn’t want to latch on to Donna to fill a void. She says, it’s actually kind of embarrassing, that whole conversation, and he says, isn’t that what loved ones are supposed to do for us? Fill that space inside of us when we lose somebody or feel alone? She says she supposes so, and he says, that’s what she did for him. She takes his hand, and says, that’s what he does for her. He says he wants her to latch on to him, Donna, and Avery. She’s got more family than she knows. She kisses him.

Laura says, Nikolas cheated on Ava with Elizabeth? but he says he told her he doesn’t want to discuss it. She says, too late; he already confirmed it. Does he have any idea how fragile Elizabeth is right now? He says, it’s over, but she says, it doesn’t matter if it’s over; the damage has been done. No wonder Spencer is so upset; she’s family. Her sons are his cousins. What was Nikolas thinking? He says he and Elizabeth have a past, and she says, it should have stayed in the past. She thought the two of them were just friends. Does Finn know? He says, he and Elizabeth hate that they hurt Finn and Ava. That’s why they wanted to keep it quiet. They don’t want to cause any more pain. She says, no one will hear anything from her. But don’t kid himself. Secrets like this are impossible to keep. He notices the list Elizabeth left on the desk.

Dex says he’s not looking for a way out, and Michael says, good, because he needs updates on every step of this partnership between Sonny and Pikeman. He means names, dates, shipping container numbers, bills of lading, all of that. Dex says he just wants to be sure Michael knows what he’s getting himself into. Any evidence they get against Sonny will also be evidence against Pikeman. Who even knows how many laws they’re breaking by shipping this stuff? If they connect it back to him and Michael, it could get messy.

As he lights the candles, Esme says, Demetrius didn’t forget a single detail of that special meal she told him about. He remembered everything. He says, she doesn’t have to feel alone, and she pats the spot next to her on the bed, saying, join me?

Spencer puts his jacket around Trina’s shoulders, and she says, thanks, but no one’s watching them. He asks if he can’t be a friend while at the same time being a gentleman. With all due respect to Ava, he does think Esme is the likeliest suspect. She says, okay, boss. All due respect to Ava? That must have been some talk they had. He says, he and ava are never going to like each other, but Ava cares about Trina, and he knows Trina cares about her. That he can respect. She says she has something to clear up. At her party, she said they’re not friends. He says he recalls, and she says she’s sorry. She didn’t mean it. She was upset and hurt… He says he’s glad to hear it. Not that she was upset and hurt, but that they can still be friends. He doesn’t have many of those. She says, he has her, Joss, and Cam – and Britt. That’s respectable. He says, that would be the first time he’s heard the word respectable applied to him, and she says, there’s a first time for everything. He says he really is grateful, especially since he hurt them all, Britt included. She says, Britt means a lot to him, huh? and he says, she was always there when he was a kid. She stuck by his side from his bratty juvenile shenanigans to the wreck of things he’s made since he got back. He and Britt have a lot in common. They tend to push away the people in their lives they so desperately need.

Britt dances with Brad, Maxie, and one of the waiters. She dances over to Obrecht, who tells her, be careful. Don’t over-do it. Britt asks if that’s not what tonight is for, and Obrecht says she’s glad Britt is enjoying herself, she can’t get over tired; it takes a toll. Britt tells her, mutter, stop worrying, but Obrecht says she is Britt’s mutter; it’s her job to worry about Britt. Britt says, not tonight. Tonight, her job is to have fun. Please. It’s important to her. She’s so happy Obrecht has Scotty. Life will never be dull with him. Sonny brings Nina over, and Nina says, Britt looks cover worthy. Sonny says, great party, and asks how Obrecht is doing. She says, all is well, and asks them to excuse her; mein Scotty needs me. Nina asks Britt to please tell her that she’s having the time of her life, and Britt says she is. She says, Nina doesn’t need to look at her like that, and Nina says, like what? Britt says, like she’s the walking dead.

Terry asks Finn, what’s going on? and he says he and Elizabeth broke up. She says, Elizabeth didn’t breathe a word, and he says he’s not surprised. It was sudden. She asks, what happened? and they see Elizabeth walk in. She and Finn look at each other.

Nikolas grabs the list, and throws it in a drawer. He tells Laura that it pains him that he’s disappointed her again, but she says, it’s okay. She’s just worried about Spencer. He just got out of prison, and he’s coming home to this chaos. Nikolas says he’ll be a better father going forward, and Laura says, if Spencer gives him the opportunity. He says, Spencer can’t completely distance himself. His release is contingent on Victor’s custody, and Victor insists on staying at Windymere. She asks if he’s saying Spencer is legally in Victor’s custody, and he asks if it matters. She says, oh my God, yes. Victor only acts in his own self-interest. Sooner or later he’s going to use Spencer. She can’t let that happen. He asks what she’s going to do, and she says, whatever it takes, but he says, she’s no match for Victor. Leave it alone.

Britt says, they don’t have to pretend. Her mother told her that she told them. Sonny says, we just never know how much time we have in life. Look at Jason. What matters is what we do with the time we have. Nina says, how we spend our time; who we spend our time with. She takes Britt’s hand, and says, this party was a great idea. Sonny says, Jason would want to see her getting all she can out of life.

Finn walks off, and Terry says, got anything she wants to tell her? Elizabeth says, maybe one or two.

Alyssa takes the mic, and says, ladies, gents, them/theys and anyone else here to slay. Tonight is about honoring that other infamous Queen B. The MD with the B-day, Dr. Britt Westbourne. Everyone applauds, and Alyssa says, Britt’s partner in wine Brad tells her, when they’re not busy reading red carpet fashion for filth or murdering mimosas, their favorite pastime is dusting their karaoke competition. We have a mic. We have a stage. We just need two showboats willing to serve. Come make some noise for Brad and The Britch. Britt and Brad take the stage to cheers and whistles, and Britt asks what they’re going to sing. He says, it’s handled, and the music starts. They sing I Knew You Were Waiting (George Michael). There are more cheers and applause.

Terry asks why she had to find out from Finn that he and Elizabeth broke up. Explain yourself, missy. Elizabeth grabs a shot off a tray going by, and downs it. Alyssa goes on stage, and says, okay boys. Show the birthday girl what you’ve got. The waiters bring out a cake with lit candles, and Brad tells Britt, don’t worry. They all know how much she hates the birthday song. Maxie says, but there’s one tradition they must insist on. She and Brad say, make a wish, and Britt goes over to the cake. She looks at everyone around her, and says, okay.

Michael tells Dex, just get the evidence against Sonny. He’ll make sure it gets into the right hands, and doesn’t implicate either one of them. Dex says, if they expose Sonny, Sonny will have a target on his back; with the law and Pikeman. Michael says, he’ll be better off in custody, and Dex says, if he’s convicted of the charges he’ll be facing, he’ll be in prison for a very long time, possibly forever. Is Michael prepared for that? Michael says he always knew what Sonny was capable of; torturing Dex was a new low. This, running weapons through a back channel for a military organization, is not the father he knew. He doesn’t want Sonny near his family. So to answer Dex’s question, forever’s fine with him. I guess collateral damage isn’t a term Michael is familiar with? Or maybe how anyone else might feel? Like Sonny’s kids? Michael pisses me off.

Nikolas tells Laura, for his sake, don’t antagonize Victor. Victor can accuse him of terrible things. Laura asks if Victor has proof, but Nikolas says he can’t get into it. She says, then she can’t help him, and he asks what she means. She says, it’s not just about him. She’s also very worried about Spencer. If he knows something, he should tell her. He says he can’t, and she says, why? Has Victor threatened him? He says, no one is at risk if they play Victor’s game. But if she takes down Victor, she takes him down. Leave it alone or she’ll lose her son.

Esme sits at a small table in front of her finished dinner, and tells Demetrius, the steak is delicious. She’s sorry he couldn’t join her. He says he’s glad she enjoyed it, and she raises her glass, saying, to kindness, found in the most unexpected places. She pretends to swallow the wrong way, and starts coughing. She gets up, Demetrius handing her a napkin. He goes to the door, unlocks it, and she thanks him. She says, it’s meant more to her than he’ll ever know. Happy new year. He says, happy new year in Greek, and blows out the candles. He takes the tray out, and she takes a matchstick out of her cardigan pocket. She says, and happy new year to us, Ace.

Trina says, they should head inside, but Spencer says, five more minutes. She says, nobody will see them on deck, and he says, the buzz can be that they stole some time alone. She says, they’ll assume she got emotional, and needed some air. He says, and he came out to check on her, and she says, and she leaned on him for comfort? He buttons the jacket on her, and says, and in some combination of heightened emotions, and the twinkling lights… She says, and the waves and stars, and his warmth as he held her. He says, it brought back all of those old feelings; the ones they never acted on. She says, and they felt like the only two people on earth.

Tomorrow, Austin tells Britt to change her mind and stay; Laura asks if Nikolas could have a clean slate, would he do it; Michael asks Willow to marry him; Sonny tells Nina, they’ve only just begun; and Sam says, what was that?

🩺 The Doctor’s Back In…

Andre has always been a favorite of mine. This storyline should be fun.

His backstory, in case you didn’t know, or like me, forgot.

💎 Door Number Two…

I think it’s more likely the necklace was the reason. It at least factored heavily into the decision. I still wonder what he would have done had Felicia read the results.

🖼 Not Everything’s About You…

Next he’ll be picking on teenager’s bedrooms.

🎶 Light the Corners Of My mind…

Memorable or cringeworthy? You decide.

It still boggles my mind how they get away with some of this nonsense. It’s pretty bad when production has to step in.

🥂 About New Year’s Eve…

If you’re brave, crazy, or both. I’ve never gone and never will. Back in the day, my roommate did the Times Square thing, while I went elsewhere. She told me that she could barely move, someone spilled beer on her, and someone peed on her shoe. Good times…

https://www.timessquarenyc.org/times-square-new-years-eve/nye-faq

Who will be there.

https://people.com/music/new-years-rockin-eve-times-square-performers-announced/

https://www.nashicon989.com/news/dick-clarks-new-years-rockin-eve-reveals-star-studded-lineup-of-performers/

No more for them.

🎊 Dropping the Ball…

Tomorrow, join me for more of the same, and ending the year. Until then, stay safe, stay not driving while intoxicated, buzzed, or in any way impaired – there’s no excuse; take an Uber – and stay knowing, what matters is how we spend our time in life, because we just never know how much time we have.

October 19, 2022 – Cyrus Offers Spencer Protection, the Beverly Hills Reunion Marches On, Discomfited Captain & Season

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Nikolas tells Ava, it’s not a good time, but she breezes past him, saying they have a lot to talk about. He suggests they meet at the PC Grill later, and she says, how about now? but he says, she can’t be here.

Esme works at the lock with the picture wire, but is unsuccessful. She says she doesn’t know how big the baby’s brain is yet, but they need all the help they can get. How are they going to get out of here?

Spencer picks up some torn pieces of paper from the library floor, and Cyrus comes in and says, tear-aways. Men tear pictures of women out of men’s lifestyle magazines. He shrugs, and Spencer says, that’s pathetic. Cyrus says, prison is a lonely place. The magazines are full of holes. Spencer says, just like Cyrus’s redemption story.

Kristina meets Sonny and Dante at the MetroCourt, and apologizes for being late. She had to train the manager who’s going to sub for her. Sonny asks if she’s looking forward to her trip, but she says, it’s not a trip; it’s a management incentive. Sonny says, they’re overdue for a family meal, and Kristina asks which guard Sonny has today. Frank, or is Dex back?

Alexis says, Diane scared her, and Diane says, Alexis doesn’t scare easily. Alexis says she’s always scared. It’s just manifested as righteous indignation. Diane asks if it was Alexis’s fear that made Alexis goad her attacker.

Robert calls Anna, and asks if she found Lucy, but Anna says, no, and she doesn’t like it. The reminder on Lucy’s calendar was a sunset cruise leaving from Pier 47, but there’s no sign of her or a boat. Anna hears the shots from Pier 55, and runs toward them.

Sonny says, Dex is back, and Kristina says, thank God Sonny finally backed off Dex being a person of interest. She tells Dante, it made no sense whatsoever, and Dante says, it kind of did, but they’ve since found evidence that points them in a different direction. She says she told them. For a minute there, she thought Sonny lost confidence in Dex too. Sonny says, for a minute there, he did.

Alexis says, Diane read the open letter in The Invader, and Diane says she’s been very busy, but managed to find time. Alexis says, when she saw Diane on that garage floor, she wanted to do something. She wanted to get the attacker, smoke him out, goad him into slipping. Diane says, her; the attacker was a woman. Alexis says, good job in keeping her presence of mind to make the partial ID. She thought the open letter was a good idea at the time, but now there’s been another attack, She didn’t mean to provoke… Diane says, objection, counselor; that’s speculation. The real killer doesn’t need to be provoked. She wasn’t the first victim, and she won’t be the last. Alexis made a valiant effort, and she appreciates it. Alexis says she would hate it if she was responsible for anyone else having to go through what Diane did, but Diane says she’s still standing… lying, sitting. And besides having time to read Alexis’s profound journalism, it’s given her a chance to put things in perspective. Like if she’s living her life to the fullest. Maybe there’s something out there she’s been missing. Robert stands in the doorway, and says, ka-nock, ka-nock. Now there’s a sight for sore eyes.

Ava asks Nikolas if Uncle Victor is telling the truth; he said Nikolas was going to divorce her. He steps away from her, and she asks if he was going to tell her, or was she just going to answer the door one day at Nina’s, and be served with papers? He says, it’s not what she thinks, and she says she doesn’t know what to think. She thought he wanted to work on things. He says he does, and she asks why Victor thinks otherwise. He flashes back to Victor demanding he divorce Ava, and says, Victor probably got the wrong idea because he’s been so cynical about their chances. It’s not like she’s been giving him hope. She asks if he thinks he deserves it, and he says, probably not, but he will spend the rest of his life trying to win her back, and won’t let anyone stand in his way.

Esme says she knows she’s asking a lot of the baby, but they’re the only reason Nikolas hasn’t wrung her neck. She tries the wire on the lock again, and says, you’re my ace in the hole, kid, and your daddy knows it. That’s why he’s trapped them in there. She really knows how to pick them. Just wait until you meet your brother Spencer.

Cyrus says, Spencer has every right to be skeptical. In his previous life, he was a scoundrel by every definition, but he’s no longer that man. Spencer says, he’s reformed, and Cyrus says he was faithless once too. Spencer says he has faith, just not in men who say one thing and do another. Cyrus says, like Spencer’s father, or Spencer, and Spencer says, Cyrus doesn’t know him. Cyrus says, we’re family, but Spencer says, no. He’s a Cassadine. Family is simply a means to an end with them. Cyrus says, that saddens him because he values family greatly. Martin and Laura… Spencer tells Cyrus not to say his grandmother’s name, and Cyrus says, he merely meant to convey his regret in pushing away the two people he’d like to get closer to. In Spencer, he sees an opportunity to make almonds amends. Spencer says he’s sorry, but the adopt-an-inmate program has been discontinued, and Cyrus laughs. He says he notices Spencer’s uniform isn’t his size, and heard his bedding went missing. He can endure this hazing or let Cyrus look out for him. Book comes in and says, careful. If Spencer relies on this old man, he won’t last ten minutes in this place. Is this guy new or just stupid? Not to mention, Cyrus looks like he could easily take most inmates on.

Anna calls 9-1-1, and says, shots fired on Pier 55. She walks out to the dock, and sees a shoe near the edge. Victor calls to Lucy, and runs onto the pier. He says, is that Lucy’s shoe?

At the MetroCourt, Alexis nearly runs into Dex, and says, he works for Sonny, doesn’t he? He says he’s working right now. Sonny is having dinner with her daughter. She says, Kristina’s here?

Dante says he’s sorry, but duty calls. A raincheck on the family dinner? He says goodbye to Sonny and Kristina, and leaves.

Anna asks what Victor is doing here, and he says he might ask her the same thing. She says she heard shots, and he says, as did he. He was on his way to meet Lucy at Pier 47, when he heard the shots. He told his driver to pull over in case someone needed assistance. He doesn’t see anyone here but Anna. Anna says, she was at Pier 47, and Lucy’s not there. Victor wonders where she could be; she’s not answering his calls. Anna shines her flashlight around, and he says he hopes nothing’s happened to Lucy. He’ll feel so responsible; he’ll never forgive himself. Anna says, is he responsible? and he says, it’s his fault she was out here all alone. He was late, and if that shoe’s any indication, she was waiting at the wrong dock. He calls Lucy again, and says, still voicemail. He’ll call the PCPD. Anna says, she already did, but he says he wants to make sure they’re en route. She says she’ll call the harbormaster.

Book tells Spencer, prison is all about partnerships, and Spencer says he’s just trying to keep his head down. Book says, he can go that route, but the attention he’s getting won’t stop at his fluff and folds. He adjusts Spencer’s collar, and Cyrus says, take your hands off him. Book says, it’s all in who you know. Isn’t that right, old man? Spencer might think he has it made, but those Corinthos guys can’t be everywhere all the time, and the best he’ll get aligning himself with this prehistoric pusher is an extra helping at mealtime. Cyrus asks if Book thinks Spencer should align himself with his lot, and Book says, no one can look out for Spencer 24/7 in a place like this. It’s dangerous and random. Spencer asks what he wants, and Book says he wants his work assignment back. Spencer asks where he is now, and Book says, laundry. Spencer looks at Cyrus, and says, mystery solved. Book says, what does Spencer say? Spencer gets his protection for his old gig back?

Ava says, Nikolas would fight for them? and he says, clearly she wants him to. She moves closer as if she’s going to kiss him, and says, how arrogantly presumptuous. Nikolas tells her, admit she still loves him and doesn’t want to give up on them any more than he does, but she says she admits nothing. He asks why she’s here. The minute she thinks he’s going to throw in the towel, she shows up. She tells him not to flatter himself, and he asks if she has another reason to be here. She says she does. She has to take inventory when she closes the gallery, and left some files in the tower. So she’ll go get them and they can continue this conversation when it’s more convenient. He says she can’t go up there, and she asks, why not? What’s really going on around here?

Robert says he didn’t mean to chase Alexis off, but Diane says, he didn’t. They had a long and lovely visit. Did he capture her assailant? He says, not yet, but he thought he’d see how she was doing. He went to the ICU, and they told him she’d been upgraded, which he expected, her being a tough cookie and all. She says she tries. She guesses this is the universe’s way of telling her to slow down, and he says, it’s too bad the universe can’t give us these messages in a less painful way. She asks what she can do for him. Does he have more questions for her? He wonders if any details have crossed her mind; it could be totally insignificant. She says she’s tried, but aside from the fact it was a woman with jangly bracelets, the only things she can remember is her life flashing before her eyes. They say that happens, and it’s true. He says he’s been there, once or twice.

Anna asks why Victor and Lucy were meeting, and Victor says, they were going on a sunset cruise. She says she doesn’t see a boat. Why does he suppose her shoe is here? He says he hasn’t a clue, and asks what brought her to the docks? Anna says she told him, and Dante comes in with some officers. He tells Anna that he got a call about a missing or abducted person. Does she know anything about that? She says she believes the shoe belongs to Lucy Coe; they found it there. Victor says, to be accurate, Anna Devane found the shoe. He arrived shortly after the gunshots. Dante examines the shoe, and Anna says, two gunshots in rapid succession, from a small caliber weapon. She can’t be sure of the precise origin, but if Lucy’s missing… Dante says, is Lucy missing? and Victor says, it would seem so. They were supposed to meet here, and Lucy’s nowhere to be seen. His calls are going to voicemail. Dante tells an officer to cordon off the area, and get CSI and forensics down here. They also need an underwater dive. Victor asks what Dante thinks happened, but Dante says he doesn’t know, but he’s going to find out, and then so will Victor.

Esme fails at lockpicking again, and throws books and paintings around the room. She screams at the top of her lungs, then flings herself on the bed, pounding on it, and throwing a tantrum.

Nikolas tells Ava, a pipe burst in the north tower. It’s not safe to go up there; it’s a mess. She says, all her files will be ruined, but he says, don’t worry. Everything was boxed up and moved to a different area; there’s no damage. When the tower is structurally sound, he’ll grab her files and get them to her. He hustles her to the door, and she asks if he’s trying to get rid of her, but he says, it’s just the opposite. He has to get back to check on how the work is coming. She says, it’s night, and he says he has to meet the foreman in the morning, and likes to be hands-on. She says she’s meeting Nina for dinner anyway. About what Uncle Victor said… He says, nothing can be further from the truth. There is no third party intervention needed. He wants her; the ball’s in her court. She says, all right then, and leaves.

Spencer tells Book, it’s a tempting offer, but he thinks he’ll watch his own back. Spencer heads back to the shelves, and Book tries to follow, but Cyrus blocks him. He says, Book heard his nephew, and Book punches Cyrus in the jaw, but Cyrus is hardly fazed.

Esme continues to pound on the bed, then sits up, wondering, what was that? It felt like butterflies. Is the baby moving around or just giving her indigestion? Either way, she supposes they’re right. She can’t give up now and start feeling sorry for herself. She won’t give up. We won’t give up. She picks up the wire, and works at the lock some more. It opens, and she says, we did it. Let’s go see your grandfather. She steps out, and Nikolas is there. He asks if she’s going somewhere.

Sonny tells Kristina, he’s proud of all his children, Michael included. Even though they’re not blood related, Michael is the most like him, and the first child he raised. You think you know what it’s like to be a parent until you become one. She asks if things are still tense between him and Michael, and Sonny says, tense is an understatement. He thinks it’s over, but Kristina doesn’t believe that. She says, Michael is hurt and angry, but underneath all of that, Michael loves him and he always will. He says, like her and Alexis, and Alexis walks over to their table. Kristina asks if she’s heard from Diane, and Alexis says, Diane is out of the ICU, and recovering by leaps and bounds. Sonny says, that’s good to hear, and tells Alexis, have a seat. He has to take care of something. He leaves, and Alexis sits down. She says she’ll just sit for a bit. She doesn’t want to take time away from Kristina’s dinner with her dad. Diane said Kristina called; that was thoughtful. Kristina says, Diane is Alexis’s best friend, and Alexis says, and she also saw the flowers Kristina sent to Brando’s memorial service. Kristina says she’s sorry she had to miss it, but she’s going out of town, and couldn’t take time off before she leaves. She’s sure Alexis thinks her slinging drinks and wings isn’t as important as her cousin’s funeral.

Cyrus tells Book, the Bible says, if someone smite thee on thy cheek, turn to him the other one, and Book says he’s glad God approves. He raises his hand, and in a second, Cyrus has that hand twisted behind Book’s back, and Book up against the wall. He says, it also tells us to put on the full armor of God, so ye can stand against the wiles of Satan. He lets Book go, and says, move… on. Book says, and if he doesn’t? Is Cyrus going to drop the spiritual act, and do what? Cyrus says, only God can judge him, when a guard walks in and asks if there’s a problem. Cyrus says, Book’s got a shiv, and Book says, he doesn’t. The guard reaches in Book’s pocket and takes one out. He says, looks like Book earned solitary confinement, and hustles him out, as Book wails, it’s not his. Like no one in prison has ever said that. Cyrus asks Spencer, now what were we discussing before we were so rudely interrupted?

At the docks, Dante talks to Victor, and Anna leaves a message for Valentin. She says, when he gets this, he needs to call her immediately. It’s about Lucy. Victor asks if she’s calling his son, and she says, it’s none of his business. He says he is right here; he does have ears. Anna says, and Valentin’s unreachable, as Victor knows. It’s such a coincidence, isn’t it, that Valentin is in Switzerland when all of this happening? He asks if she’s accusing his son of something. Charlotte has an equestrian event, and she’s like her father there. That’s the only reason Valentin is there. She says, it’s understandable, given how long it’s been since he’s seen her, and he says, what’s less understandable is Anna feeling the need to loop Valentin into Lucy’s situation. She says, Valentin is a major shareholder in Lucy’s company, and he says, yes, of course (🍷). He underestimated how heavily Valentin is invested in Deception. Dante joins them, and says, officers are checking Lucy’s home and office. Victor’s driver corroborated his story. Victor says, so he’s free to go? and Dante says, he can leave the pier. He doesn’t think it would do Victor any favors to leave town. Victor says, of course (🍷) not. Please let him know if they find out anything. It’s all so troubling. He does hope Lucy didn’t meet with foul play.

Nikolas says he should have known how enterprising Esme could be, after she stalked Ava, framed Trina, and seduced him. She says, it didn’t take much to seduce him, and she may be enterprising, but he isn’t remotely equipped for this. Does he think he can shove her in a room for six months with no preparation or planning? What is this, amateur hour? Like father, like son. He tells her, shut up. She’s taken everything from him. She blew up his marriage, his son is in Pentenville all because she came into their lives. He’s so sick of her. She asks what he’s going to do to her; she’ll scream. He tells her, go ahead. Nobody’s coming for her.

Sonny asks how Dex is holding up, and Dex says, good. Sonny asks if he wants to take off for a couple hours. Dante left, and he just ordered with Kristina, but Dex says he doesn’t mind staying. Sonny says he wants to thank Dex for not holding what happened against him. Mistakes were made; Dex was treated unfairly. One good thing that came out of this is, Sonny knows how strong and discreet Dex is. That’s very important in this business. Dex says he hopes he’s proved his loyalty, and Sonny says, loyalty is very important, and rare, and he doesn’t take it for granted.

Victor sees Ava at the MetroCourt bar, and says, twice in one day; what a delight. She says, for him, and he says he’s sorry. Has he offended her in some way? She asks if he’s forgotten the glad tidings he brought her earlier, about her husband’s plans to divorce her? He says, no, but he’s a little surprised at her reaction. Nikolas betrayed her. He would have thought she’d want to be rid of him. She says, they’ve been over this several times, but she’ll try it again. Her marriage is none of his concern. He says, of course (🍷), but allow him to be candid for a moment. As much as he cares about Nikolas, he’s hardly her equal.

Spencer asks if Cyrus set Book up, and Cyrus says, that’s one way of looking at it. Spencer asks if Cyrus knew the guard was coming back or was that just luck? Cyrus says, he believes in blessings, not luck, but he does have connections Book knows nothing about. People often mistake bluster for power, but real power is much quieter. Spencer asks if the Bible doesn’t also something about bearing false witness, and Cyrus laughs, saying, apparently, God isn’t through with him yet. It’s hard reconcile sometimes, but there’s a spiritual world and there’s a real world. It’s not his job to take Book off this planet, but he can remove him from Spencer’s sphere, at least temporarily. Maybe he’ll think twice approaching Spencer next time. Spencer supposes he should thank Cyrus, but Cyrus says he’ll settle for the benefit of the doubt.

Diane asks if all of Robert’s injuries are work related. He doesn’t have a scar or broken bone from something more pedestrian? He says, there was a scar after his cancer surgery, but he’s not letting her see it until she buys him dinner, or maybe vice versa. She tells him, don’t make her laugh. Point taken, and point made. He’s no stranger to brushes with death. Before this, the closest she came was a broken pinky toe sliding into third in elementary school. He says, she was a tomboy? and she says, not so loud. People think she’s classy. He says she gets brownie points because someone came after her with a hook; that never happened to him. She says, it’s not a thrill she recommends, and he says, he remembers the times he thought he was going to die. He felt very uncomfortable with that vulnerability. She says, perhaps that’s why they have empowering jobs, and he says, or perhaps they’re just as tough as old boot leather. She says, in any case, coming face-to-face with her mortality was sobering, and he says, we are not now that strength… She says, which in old days moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are; one equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. (Ulysses, Alfred Lord Tennyson)

Anna tells Dante, she was looking for Lucy on Pier 47, and heard two shots. They seemed to come from this direction, and she arrived on the scene a few minutes later. No one was there, and something caught her eye; the shoe. She can’t swear it’s Lucy’s, but it’s definitely her style. Dante says, back up. Why was she looking for Lucy in the first place? She says, she was worried for Lucy’s safety, and he says, why? It can’t be a coincidence that she and Victor were on the same dock. She says, it’s not. She believes Victor knew Lucy was going to be here, on Pier 55, not Pier 47, where she was informed Lucy would be. He says, informed by who? and asks if she thinks Victor had something to do with Lucy’s disappearance. She says she does. She can’t prove it, but yes. He says he trusts Anna’s gut. So assuming Lucy’s missing, why would Victor target her? She says, Lucy was working for her to get information out of Victor so she could take him down. Before Dante can say anything, she says she knows. She was trying to get Lucy to stop, but she refused. She called Lucy’s office to find out who she was, and they said she was going on a sunset cruse with Victor, leaving from Pier 47. She came to try and extract Lucy from the situation, but then she heard the shots, and came here, and found the shoe. He says, so she thinks Victor’s on to Lucy? and she says, an hour ago, she had no reason to think so, but now, she believes Victor found out somehow, and he’s done something about it.

Kristina tells Alexis, she knows. Why become a better manager when all she manages is a pub? Alexis says, Kristina’s job is important to her, and what’s important to Kristina, is important to Alexis. Kristina says, but it’s just a job, not a career, and Alexis admits that she’s sometimes questioned how Kristina goes about things, and Kristina says she’s not even going to pretend she doesn’t know why. Alexis says, but she sees Kristina being responsible and enthusiastic. She’s being recognized for doing a good job, and seems happy. Kristina says she is happy, and Alexis says, that’s what’s most important. She never wants Kristina to think she’s not proud of her. She’s so proud of Kristina.

Sonny tells Dex, he had the best working for him; dedicated, steadfast, but he’s gone now. Dex says he knows he can’t fill his shoes, but he’d like to try, and Sonny says, Dex kept his head, and came through for him. He needs a lieutenant he can trust. Dex says, he’s Sonny’s guy. He thinks he’s ready for a new challenge. Sonny asks if Dex can think of anything more important than protecting his family, and Dex says, no, sir.

Cyrus says he’d like to get to know Spencer better, but perhaps he’s asking too much. He starts to leave, but Spencer says, wait. This just arrived this morning. He picks up a book, and says, this is William Tyndale’s 1534 translation of the New Testament. Cyrus says, that’s the seminal version. It contains his prefaces and his notes. Spencer says he hasn’t logged it into the system yet. It’s Cyrus’s if he’d like it. Cyrus says, bless you, taking the book. Spencer says, it only seems fair; a book for a Book. Now he doesn’t owe Cyrus anything. Cyrus says, he never did.

Esme pounds on the bathroom door and yells, as Nikolas removes everything from the room. She says he can’t leave her locked in the bathroom, and he asks, who’s going to stop him? She says he’s made his point. She shouldn’t have tried to leave when he was just trying to help her. He says he’s clearing this room. She’s lost her privilege of luxury. For the sake of the baby, he won’t make her sleep on the floor, but she’ll have little else. She tells him, do this, and he’ll be sorry, and he says he’s already sorry. She screams, let me out!

Diane says she didn’t peg Robert as a lover of poetry, and he says, nice to know he has some surprises left. She says, it will be no surprise when he catches that killer, but please make it soon. He says he’s doing his best to make things safe for her, and gets up. He says he does like sparring with her in court, and she says, it’s going to be a while before they do that again. He says he guesses he’ll just have to come in here and spar, and she says she looks forward to it.

Victor says, he really does care for Nikolas, but he’s aware of Nikolas’s limitations. Frankly, she’s too much woman for him. She asks, what’s that supposed to mean? and he says, he thinks she knows, but he’ll spell it out for her. She’s full of life, vivacious, beguiling, a force of nature. He hates to see such a woman wasted on the wrong man. She says, not that it’s one iota of his business, but who pray tell, is the right man? He says, one who would repay her loyalty with devotion of his own, and she asks if he has someone in mind. He says, as the Americans say, he should stay in his own lane. Let it suffice to say, he does know the crushing disappointment of putting your trust in the wrong person. They both deserve better. She watches as he leaves.

The forensics team works at the pier, and Anna tells Dante, if Victor is onto Lucy, then he’s onto all of them. Which means this investigation is compromised, and Victor won’t be charged for his crimes. Dante says, she means Luke Spencer’s death, and she says she should have never done this. She should have never enlisted Lucy to work Victor. She was trying to keep Lucy safe. He says, for all they know, she still is, and Anna says, what are the odds of Lucy leaving a designer shoe on the docks willingly? They have to assume Victor has figured it out, and he’s dealt with her. They know what he’s capable of. Dante says, and they know Lucy, and know what she’s capable of. Lucy is relentless. If anyone can survive Victor, it’s her.

Lucy pulls herself out of the water, and onto a rocky shore, where she passes out.

Tomorrow, Martin asks if there’s any news about Lucy; Epiphany is holding Marshall personally responsible; Anna tells Victor that she’s making it her business to destroy him; and Willow sees something that makes her scream.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – The Reunion – Part 2

We jump right in because we were already there. Garcelle says she doesn’t hate Diana. She just wants to be left alone. She doesn’t want Diana posting about her and harassing her on social media. Diana says, Garcelle called her evil, and Andy asks if that wasn’t after Diana called Sutton the c-word. We see a clip of the after-show, where Garcelle calls Diana’s behavior evil, and Diana asks, what’s worse, calling someone the c-word or evil? LisaR says she calls herself the c-word, and finally we agree on something. The consensus is that evil is worse, because this is bizarro world where everything is topsy-turvy. Andy asks if Sutton needs to say anything to Diana, or clear anything up, but Sutton says she’s clear on their non-relationship. Diana says she’s disappointed and hurt about Garcelle, and Garcelle laughs, saying, it’s always her. Diana says, no one in the group would go after Garcelle’s sweetheart son, and Garcelle is stone-faced, which she is throughout a lot of this show. It totally beats all the weird faces the rest of them keep making. Andy says, Diana filed a lawsuit to force the revelation of who’s behind the bots. Andy asks who it’s filed against, and Diana says, John Doe. Andy asks, whose job is it to uncover the name? and Diana says, her lawyers are going to be busy. Which means it’s them? Andy asks Garcelle’s reaction to the lawsuit, and she says, good. Erika says, Diana has good intentions good. Garcelle is hurt. Garcelle says, she’s hurt, but she’s not putting things on social media about Diana, and Andy asks, what kind of stuff is Diana posting? Garcelle says, she doesn’t want to fuel it anymore; she’s good. Andy thanks Diana for rallying to join them, and it’s goodbye. Several cast members hope to God they’re breaking for lunch. Behind the scenes, LisaR picks at an energy bar, and says, it’s sad. The bot thing causes division in the group. She and Erika agree that’s the reason behind it. Sutton hangs out with Garcelle, who points out that Sutton’s socks have her dog Waylon on them. Sutton says, Garcelle did great with Jax talk, and Garcelle says she’s not going to stop until she knows who bought the bots. She’s glad Sutton and Crystal have been able to move on, and Sutton says, it was nice to see some support. In another dressing room, Dorit tells Kyle that Crystal is struggling to admit she wasn’t telling the truth to cover her ass. We flash back to Kyle saying, there was no real dark story, and Kyle says, if you don’t tell the truth, you can’t keep your story straight.

Andy welcomes us back, even though we haven’t gone anywhere. They talk about Kyle’s tattoos, all of which are boring because Kyle is boring. Andy says, for 12 seasons, Kyle has shared her life, which has gotten more fabulous with each season. We flash back over Kyle’s most recent season, and not all of it is boring. Some of it is stupid. Andy asks if Farrah has set a date, and Kyle says, not yet, but they want to get married in La Quinta. Andy says, the bride’s family foots the bill. He assumes they’ll spare no expense. Kyle says, Farrah doesn’t want anything over-the-top, but it’s their first, and they have to go as big as Portia’s Bat Mitzvah. We see a clip of that, and Andy moves on to rumors of Dorit cheating with Mauricio. Apparently, viewers read something into a three-way hug between PK, Mauricio, and Dorit. We see a clip of it, and the thought of it being anything other than what it is, is stupid beyond belief. Erika says, when she was at the World Cup in Berlin, a guy asked if she and her friend were in porn, and his name was Paul Kemsley. Dorit says, he was being an ass, but Erika says he was just being his sassy self. Andy says, Garcelle’s hustle never stopped. She had a book come out, bought a beach house, and a Birkin. Mazel. We flash back to the Birkin party, my favorite line being, does it come with money in it? Andy asks, who owns one? and everyone except Erika raises their hand, and she says, it’s not her thing. Andy says, Garcelle’s book has a chapter on Bill Cosby, and she says, he called her modeling agency, and asked for number. They asked her, and at the time, he was huge. She’d just turned 18, and got a small part on his show. He invited her to his townhouse to work on her acting, and gave her some Sambuca. She took a sip, and it didn’t feel right being there, so she ran. The name of the chapter is, Listening to Your Gut. Andy asks if Erika skimmed Garcelle’s book before chucking it in trash, and we see the post with it in the garbage. LisaR says she was the one who threw it in the trash.

LisaR says, she and Garcelle had a handshake agreement; the kids were off limits. Garcelle mentioned Amelia in the book, and not in a positive light. It turns out to be just a rehash of a moment on the show where Garcelle asked if LisaR thought her body image affected her daughter. LisaR says, it didn’t have to be in the book, and Garcelle says, LisaR read it, and the next thing she knew, LisaR’s lawyer called her manager. LisaR says, then it got hot and heated, and Garcelle says, it was a week until publication, and they decided to print a second edition where the reference was removed. LisaR says she was good with that, and had only sent the video to the group chat. One that Garcelle is not privy to, but Erika chose to post it. Erika says, Garcelle also used her remark about Erika not needing her to make herself look bad to promote the book. She’d posted the clip on Instagram, and said, another way to make yourself look bad is not buy her book. There’s a big discussion on recycling, which apparently was an issue after this staged photo was posted. Andy says, even LVP weighed in, saying Garcelle should have sent Erika a scratch and sniff book so she’d understand, which I think is pretty funny. Erika gives a nasty retort that I’m not breathing life into. Andy brings up Oliver working for LVP in Las Vegas, and Garcelle says, LVP was having an event for Haiti, and she was invited. It was the first time they met, and she knew Oliver was looking for a job. Andy asks how recently Garcelle saw LVP, and she says, pretty recently. We see the headline about them filming together, and LisaR says, wow, like this is some betrayal. They take a break, and talk more about recycling.

Once again, we’re welcomed back, and Andy says, Lois was beloved by family, friends, and fans, but LisaR’s anger took over. Was it excusable or out of line? We see clips of Lois, LisaR talking about Lois’s death, the group cheersing Lois, then on to the anger. We see Sutton’s interview, where she said, it would take an exorcism to get the soap actress out. We flash back to LisaR’s breakdown, and the poor strangers at the table. Andy asks how it’s been, and LisaR says, it’s hard to come do the show, and maybe it would have been better if she’d taken time off. She’s done the best she can, and she’s sorry for being a crazy maniac, screaming, and doing what she did. Andy says, there was a memorial in July, and LisaR says, waiting to put Lois to rest was difficult, but Lois had asked them to wait until the summer. She left a lipstick print on Lois’s urn. They talk about Lois’s belongings, and a viewer wonders if LisaR is using others as a scapegoat for her grief. LisaR babbles that she’s never been so all over the place, and Andy asks if she’s talking to a therapist. She says she has from the beginning, which is worrisome. Erika says, they’ve talked privately, and it’s hard for LisaR. Andy asks what Lois made of LisaR on the show, and LisaR says, she never judged. She never made LisaR feel bad or less than. I wonder, then why does LisaR dishonor her by doing that to other people?

Andy asks if Sutton’s clumsiness is an asset or liability, and we flash back to Sutton’s awkwardness throughout the season, and LisaR and Erika talking about Sutton. A viewer suggests that Sutton reacted differently to Dorit’s home invasion because of her past, and her father committing suicide. Kyle says, it felt flippant, and Sutton says, it’s the worst thing she’s ever said in her life, and she’ll regret it until the day she dies. Dorit tells Sutton that it feels like that’s what she needed, and they’re good. A viewer says, Kyle got so physical with Sutton at Garcelle’s party, but she didn’t like it when Brandi shoved her down the stairs. We flash back to that, and it’s still good for a laugh. The surprise on Kyle’s face is priceless. Kyle says, the two things are very different, which they always are when it’s her. She says she didn’t hurt Sutton, but Sutton says, Kyle pulled on her aggressively, and immediately went to Diana’s side. Andy says, Kyle doubted Sutton’s miscarriages, and Kyle apologizes. Andy asks if Sutton was making it about herself or relating, and Kyle says, she gets now that Sutton was trying to relate. Andy asks Garcelle if Sutton makes things about herself, and Garcelle says, if she’s being honest, a little bit. Andy asks Erika why she considers Sutton a liability, and Erika says, she obstructs them getting to know Garcelle. Sutton wonders if the same can’t be said for everyone, and Andy asks if Erika is a liability to LisaR. Garcelle says, she never hustled Sutton out of a party to protect her, and we flash back to LisaR shoving Erika toward the door at some party, I forget which one. Erika says, we’re all different, hooray, and I have no idea how this applies. Crystal says, the others protect each other more than they claim Garcelle and Sutton do. We go over the sauce and the Elton John thing for the billionth time. A viewer suggests that Sutton does not want LisaR as a friend, and Sutton says, LisaR has shown that she hates her. LisaR says she doesn’t hate anyone, but Andy says, Sutton was a bit of a punching bag for her. LisaR says, Sutton pisses her off, and Sutton says, even after filming, LisaR came after her on social media. LisaR goes back to her tired excuse of, she had a rough season, and Sutton says, LisaR didn’t do it to anyone else but her. She doesn’t consider LisaR a friend; how can she? Viewer Andrea from San Francisco says that LisaR’s behavior toward Sutton at the wine tasting was disgusting, especially after accepting Sutton’s apology. Andy says, LisaR and Sutton’s lunch was fun, and we flash back to that. Sutton says she talked to LisaR during the time Lois was in hospice, so when she was getting yelled at repeatedly, she kept thinking, did LisaR not remember? She was a  good steady friend, and turned into a dead horse. She was giving glue to every elementary school in L.A. She needs an apology. LisaR says she’s sorry, and Sutton says, it was a pattern. LisaR says she’s sorry she took her pain, anger, sadness, and fear out on Sutton. Dorit says she doesn’t get the glue analogy, and it has to be explained that they make glue out of horse’s hooves.

Andy says he’s spoken to LisaR privately, and said her social media is disastrous. She has no impulse control, and makes trouble for herself with posts she later deletes. Dorit says, it’s like getting a thrill for people with no impulse control, and Andy says, even if it’s negative? LisaR says she doesn’t like the negative, but yes. Andy says, she posts sh*t, and he’s like, what is she doing? She blaming production for the bots. LisaR says, she was expressing stuff, and Andy says, production was upset. She says she doesn’t always think it’s bad when she’s doing it. She’s a work in progress. I hate that phrase because it sounds like what it is, an excuse, and Andy says, it’s in her control. She says she knows that; give her a chance. He asks if she’s had any thoughts about giving social media up for a time, and she says she tried. A viewer says she needs to be put on pause, and LisaR says, put her on pause. She doesn’t care. She sips her drink with her Creature of the Black Lagoon lips, and Andy says, there was a post she deleted that said, when they fight with Garcelle, they’re called racists. I’m not afraid of you ho’s. LisaR says, she was talking to the trolls and haters, and Garcelle says, sometimes what is said is perceived differently when comes to them. It  could have undertones that are racist or microaggressions. Crystal says, that’s how she felt about the Sutton conversation. It wasn’t Sutton’s original intention, but it’s how she felt. Kyle says, this is different, and Crystal says, Kyle has to stop. Kyle says, Crystal said something was real that didn’t exist. Garcelle says, people don’t realize the impact, and Crystal tells Kyle to stop making it about how she experiences it. It’s her truth. Kyle doesn’t understand it, and never will. She doesn’t want to get in trouble. Andy says he thinks Kyle and Crystal are talking about two different things, and Dorit ends this nonsense by asking if anyone feels anyone in the group is racist. It’s a hard no from everyone, and Dorit says, they have a lot to learn. Erika says, things are changing, and it’s subtle, yet the consequences are big.

Andy tells them, what’s going to happen is, they’re going to do one more package, take a break, then bring Kathy out. Everyone suddenly needs a drink, and a limo pulls up outside. Kyle asks where Kathy is sitting, and Andy says, next to him. Kyle can’t believe she’s having coffee at this hour, and says, she’s f***ed. Kathy gets out of the limo in her PJs, robe, and slippers. Inside, LisaR paces, babbling about the truth. In her dressing room, Kathy says she brought her tequila.

Next time, the conclusion. Thank you God. LisaR talks about being traumatized; Erika doesn’t talk about the earrings because it’s on appeal for legal reasons; Kathy’s big entrance; Kathy says LisaR said, I get it. You’re preaching to the choir; and Kyle says, the only one that gets hurt is her.

🚤 I was watching Andy’s Mystery Door panel at BravoCon on Watch What Happens Live, and Captain Lee looked obviously uncomfortable. Like if he could disappear, he would. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look so uncomfortable. I guess it helps pay the bills. It all looks chaotic, and makes me glad I wasn’t there.

🧳 Packing It In…

Drop by tomorrow for soap and possible smack talk about Winter House. Until then, stay safe, stay remembering it ain’t over ‘til it’s over, and stay not mistaking bluster for power. Real power is much quieter.

July 30, 2022 – Britt Agrees To Help Spencer, Naomie’s Fresh Start Party, Funny Moment Live, Who She Is & Hangover

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Dante sits with Sam at the MetroCourt Garden, and asks if she’s sure she wants to do this. She says she is. She figured he’d want his old friend Cody to see the best of Port Charles, considering the rude reception he’s had so far. Dante says, Cody is a good guy. It’s been good catching up with him, but he got in a lot of trouble when they were kids, and he’s still out doing the same thing now. Cody arrives, apologizing for being late, and Dante asks if his ribs are still bothering him, but Cody says, better every day. Sam says, he really took a beating. Is he sure he doesn’t want to see another doctor? He says, there is one doc he wouldn’t mind seeing again.

Britt meets Brad at the MetroCourt bar, and she orders a lemonade. He asks if she’s still taking a break from the booze, and she says she’d like to avoid the possibility of another GIF. He says, she knows how sorry he is about that, and she says she does, but she wouldn’t mind hearing it again. Spencer walks in, and she says, he’s the last person she needs right now. She asks Brad to be a friend and get rid of him for her, and Brad says, on it. Brad intercepts Spencer on his way to the bar, and tells him, don’t make a scene. The lady doesn’t want to be disturbed. Spencer says, who? Britt? He wasn’t looking for her. He saw Brad’s post on social media about meeting up with his bestie. He’s looking for Brad. He needs help with his girlfriend. Brad tells him, that sentence has never been said to him before. Color him intrigued.

Rory lies on a chaise by the pool, when Esme approaches, and says, Officer Cabrera, if I were a cop, I’d pull you over. He asks, what’s the charge? and she says, arson of course (🍷). He is looking muy caliente (very hot). He says, is he now?

Curtis asks where Trina is off to, and she says she’s meeting Joss, and before he asks, no. They’re going to try and meet the guy who sold Esme the phone. He says he’s not second guessing her instincts. In fact, he and her father had quite the talk about it. She says, good, because the time for talk is over. She needs to do something, and she needs to do it now. She hands him an envelope.

Brando looks through some tools, when Gladys comes into the garage. She says, to think her gorgeous and talented son would rather be up to his elbows in engine grease than become a tycoon in a downtown high-rise. She’d settle if he were a philan… philanth… He says, philodendron? and she says, that’s a plant. Philanthropist. That’s it. Come on. His wife is rolling in the big Deception bucks. He can do anything he wants now. He kisses her on the cheek, and says he is doing what he wants, and he’s happy. She says, because his wife is rolling in all that money? but he says, no. Because she’s just Sasha, and that’s all he wants. That’s all he needs.

Sasha tells Michael, Willow only fainted for a moment; Dr. Obrecht was there to help revive her, and Sonny was a big help getting her here. If they’d left it up to Willow, she would have insisted on going home. He thanks Sasha for overruling her in and bringing her here, but if anything is seriously wrong with Willow, he blames himself.

Willow asks if TJ is sure, and he says, there’s no doubt about it. She’s pregnant. It’s so nice to be able to give good news. This is good news, isn’t it? She says, she just wasn’t expecting him to say… He says, that she’s expecting, because she is. She asks how far along she is, and he says, just a few weeks. She says, but the last time she fainted was three months ago, so why did she pass out then? He says he doesn’t have to tell her this, calling her Nurse Tate, but there are many reasons. They’ll see what comes from the other tests. She thanks him, and he asks if she has any other questions. She says, just one. Where’s Michael?

Sasha asks, how is this Michael’s fault Willow fainted? and he says, this isn’t the first time. And given all the stress Willow’s been under, ever since she found out Harmony’s not her mom, he should have made things easier for her. Instead, it’s been all stress and tension. First the hearing about Nina and Wiley… She says, Nina initiated the hearing, not him, and he says, then there was the whole ELQ battle going on. They were supposed to go to Paris, and he punched a reporter in the face, then they had to postpone that… He’s making this all about himself, isn’t he? (No surprise.) He bets Sasha doesn’t miss all the Corinthos drama, and she says she thinks they both got lucky. He found Willow, and she found Brando.

Brando tells Gladys, he’s not trading his garage for some desk job, and not Sasha, not himself, not even Sonny wants him to sign on with Corinthos Coffee. She says, he misunderstands her. Sure she has her own dreams for her child – what parent doesn’t? – but she’s learned a lot since they first came to Port Charles, and the Corinthos name only takes you so far. Not to mention, at a price. He laughs, and says, wow. That took a while, but he’s glad she finally understands that. She says she admires that he wants to be his own boss and his own man, and he says he appreciates her vote of confidence. She says, but listen. Since Deception went public and his wife landed in a different tax bracket, something has to change. He says, if this isn’t about the garage, what is this about? and she says, his poor mother toiling as Brook’s assistant. That woman gives her so much grief, she’s thinking it’s time to give her two-week notice.

Trina says, now it’s official, her court date’s been set, and Curtis says, we’d better get to work fast. Trina says, we? She appreciates that, but didn’t he give up his P.I. license? He says he did, but he’s not giving up on her. Marshall comes in, and says, it sounds like they could use some help. Where does he sign up?

Esme asks Rory if the chaise next to him is taken, as she plops her bag onto it. She asks pool guy for a lemonade. Actually, make that two; one for her, and one for PC’s finest. Rory says, she’s buying him a drink? Why? So he can fix a parking ticket for her? She says she doesn’t have a car. She usually just takes Ride Shares, but she’d never dream of bribing an officer. However, she does have a favor he might be able to help her with. He says, he knew it. That lemonade comes with strings attached. What is it she thinks he can do for her? She says she’s planning on graduating from PCU with a degree in psychology, with a concentration on abnormal psyche. He says, she aims high, calling her Miss Prince, and she tells him to call her Esme; all her friends do. And he’s right, she does aim high. He says he’s not sure how he can help her, and she tells him, let her explain. Up until recently, she was an intern at Spring Ridge minimum security prison, where the notorious Ryan Chamberlain is a prisoner. He says, he’s aware, and she says, then he’s also aware of Ryan’s condition. He’s trapped inside his body. His mind’s still there, but he has limited communication. However, she’d been using a letterboard to be able to communicate with him and reach him, until Kevin Collins, Ryan’s twin brother and her boyfriend’s step-grandfather stopped her from seeing him altogether. Rory asks why he’d do that, and she tells him, Doc says it’s for her own safety, but she knows better. He has it out for her. He says, even if that’s true, he’s not sure what she’s asking him to do, and she says she was hoping someone with a better grasp of the law could help her formulate a way back in.

Spencer says, Brad used to work in the lab at GH, right? and Brad says, yeah, so? Spencer says, so he needs Brad’s help. He’d be willing to pay him for his expertise. Brad says he doesn’t follow. What does his expertise have to do with Spencer’s girlfriend? Britt joins them, and says, that is a good question, and Brad says he thought she wanted him to handle this guy. She says she changed her mind, and Spencer says, great. He could use her help too. She says, enough with the double-talk. If he doesn’t leave in 20 seconds, she’ll throw him out.

Sam tells Cody not to take this the wrong way, but for a guy who’s just in town for a few days, he’s found himself his fair share of trouble, and she’s not just talking about the guys who beat him up. She’s got the feeling Britt would like to sue Cody for all he’s worth. Cody says, she’s more than welcome to try, but he doesn’t have anything to give her. He laughs, and stops abruptly, and Dante says, he’s obviously still in pain. Why don’t they ID the guys who beat him up? Cody says, he appreciates the offer, but like he said… Dante says, the alleyway was dark, he couldn’t make out the faces, but maybe he’ll pick the wrong game next time and end up in the morgue instead of an alley. Spinelli comes over to their table, and says, Samantha and Dante; always a delight. Sam introduces Cody as Dante’s childhood friend, and this is… Cody says, Damien Spinelli, and Dante asks if they know each other. Cody says, very well. Should he tell them, or does Spinelli want to? Come on. They might as well come clean. When he parachuted into the MetroCourt pool, Mr. Spinelli reached out to him, and offered him help. Dante asks, help doing what? and Cody says, Spinelli is apparently an expert in directional finders and can pinpoint calculations. At least he claims to be. He said he’ll make Cody’s next jump a lot safer for everyone. Did he get that right? Spinelli says, that is right; he couldn’t have said it better himself. Happy landings to him, and with that, he must depart. Sam grabs him, and says, he’s not going anywhere.

Spencer says he thought Britt would know by now, he doesn’t respond well to threats, and she says, he’s intruding on a rare day off for her. Getting rid of him isn’t a threat; it’s a promise. He says, fine. So she wants him to cut to the chase? Tell her why he’s here? He was offering Brad a business proposition. Brad says he doesn’t believe… and Britt says, don’t believe Spencer is any kind of innocent. She helped Spencer identify a medication that belonged to his friend, and all she got in return was a verbal slap in the face about what a pathetic single she was. Spencer asks Brad to give them a moment; it’s clear he needs to make an apology. Brad says he’ll be at the bar if Britt needs him, and Spencer says, understood. Brad leaves, and Britt says, make it fast, but Spencer says, there’s no fast way to tell her how truly sorry he is for the horrible and hurtful things he said to her. He’s truly embarrassed by his behavior. He’s always considered her a genuine friend of his, and he went out of his way to try and hurt her. That was thoughtless and cruel, and he’s sorry. If she never wanted to speak to him again, he’d understand. He’s sorry. She says, it almost sounds like he has remorse; very unCassadine like. He says he means it. He was way out of line when he threw her love life, or lack thereof, in her face. She says she always thought they had a real connection too, so why was he so brutal to her? Does he have any idea what that did to her? He says, it sent her to a singles mixer where she got knocked into the pool by a skydiver. He saw the GIF. She says, him, and thousands of others, and he says, please believe him. There is so much more to this story than she knows, and he knows that in the adult world there is no such thing as a do-over, but boy, would he like a second chance right now. She says, he’s right about one thing. There’s no such thing as a do-over for adults, and as lovely as that apology was – and it sounds like he meant it – let’s get real. As long as he’s hooked up with the likes of Esme Prince, she can’t trust him.

Pool guy brings the lemonades, and Esme gives him a tip. She tells Rory that she believes in tipping well. Doesn’t he agree? He says, very generous, and she says, except when the staff isn’t allowed to accept them; that’s very awkward. She went to school in Europe, so she’s still learning the American ways. He says, then let him give her some free advice. The help she’s looking for, to find a workaround to get back into Spring Ridge? She needs a lawyer, not a cop. She says, in her experience, lawyers are expensive, and they bill by the hour, whereas cops get things done. The saying is true; there’s something about a man in uniform. He says, just to be clear, he’s off-duty and out of uniform, but she says, that doesn’t mean he can’t help a citizen in distress, right? She loved her work at Spring Ridge, and she’s determined to keep working there, but how can she do that if Doc won’t give her a chance? He says he’s not sure she knows this, but he’s a rookie cop, and has basically zero power. She says, so he won’t help her, and he remembers Trina saying that she and Joss were tracking down proof that Esme framed her. He tells Esme, he can’t help her, but he knows someone who can. She says, really? That would be great. He says, just give him her phone, and he’ll put his friend’s number into it.

Michael says, it’s obvious Sasha and Brando found happiness. Not to mention everything she’s done as the Face of Deception; that is an out of the ballpark success. She says she’s only a partner because he negotiated such a great deal for her, and he says, his pleasure. Deception is lucky to have her. He’s seen her photos everywhere, and word on the street is, she’s going to be on the Home and Heart Network. That is amazing; he’s proud of everything she’s accomplished. She tells him that’s sweet of him to say, when TJ comes out and says, Willow is asking to see him. Michael says, she’s okay? and TJ says he thinks so, but it’s better for Michael to see for himself. Michael heads for the exam room, and Sasha tells TJ, that was pretty vague answer. Should she stick around just in case? He says, Michael and Willow have a lot to discuss, but once they’re done, he thinks Willow would enjoy her company. She’s in room 1001. He walks away, and sees Deanna. He asks her to set up an OB consult for 1001, and she says, of course (🍷), doctor.

Michael hugs Willow, and tells her, TJ said she wanted to talk to him. He said he thinks she’s okay, but didn’t give him any details. Willow says, it was thoughtful of TJ to let her break the news herself. She does have something to tell him.

Sam asks Spinelli, what the big rush? and Cody says, they’re all friends here, or will be. Spinelli says he needs to take a raincheck because… he needs to go. It’s a work thing. In his business, it’s either feast or famine, and duty calls. He jets, and Cody says, nice guy. Crazy smart; a bit skittish though. His phone dings, and he says, dammit. Sam says, problem? and he says, remember that gig he had lined up? He just lost it. Dante says, that’s okay. Cody can just stick around here a little longer. Cody says, he told Dante, he doesn’t want his charity, but Dante says, his couch isn’t charity. He’s not inviting Cody to camp out indefinitely; just until he finds something. Cody flashes back on Dante telling him about Britt, and that her father is Faison, and he says, you know what? Maybe sticking around isn’t such a bad idea. He can try and find a job here. He’s going to take Dante up on his offer.

Spencer says he’s honestly sorry for the things he said to Britt, but she tells him not to try so hard. The more he apologizes, the less effective it is. He says, there’s the Britt he knows and loves, and the truth is, if there’s anyone he can confide in, it’s her, because she’s always been honest with him, even if it hurts. She says, okay, but he leaves Brad out of this. Tell her what he needs, and she’ll let him know if she can help.

Esme asks what’s Rory’s friend’s name and number, and he asks if she’s afraid to give him her phone. He wonders how she can ask for his help, and actively not trust him, when Trina walks in. She asks, what’s going on? and Esme says, that’s exactly what she’d like to know.

Curtis opens the door to TJ, who says he’s here to see how his grandfather is doing. They hug, and Marshall says, he’ll be better once they figure out how to prove Trina’s innocence. TJ asks if it was Curtis’s idea to work together, and Marshall says, they’re family; they should work together. TJ says, absolutely not, and asks Curtis if he’s right, but Curtis says, actually, he’s wrong. Trina needs all the help they can muster, and put an end to this once and for all.

Brando advises Gladys against quitting her job, but Gladys says, why not? It’s beneath her; way beneath her. She already has everything she needs. He says he loves her, but this is not a permanent situation, and she tells him, she never said it was, but as long as Sasha is mourning little Liam… He says he and Sasha have to carry that for the rest of their lives, and they have to figure out how. And hopefully one day, they’ll have another child. In the meantime, they need time and space to get back to normal. She asks if she needs to remind him that Sasha’s version of normal includes the temptation to fall back on those pills, but he says, Sasha swears that’s in her past, and he believes her. He asks if this is really about Gladys needing to feel needed.

On the hospital phone, Deanna orders an OB consult for room 1001, and Sasha overhears. She says, Willow’s room, and on the phone, Deanna says, sometimes she can’t help but envy them. Confirming to a woman that she’s pregnant has to be their favorite part of the job. Sasha hurries into the elevator, and holds her stomach, looking teary.

Michael tells Willow, they’ll get a second or third opinion, whatever it takes, but she says she doesn’t think that will be necessary. He says, she’s trying to be strong, but she doesn’t have to be. Whatever it is, they’ll get through it together. She says she would hope so. She’s not sick; she’s pregnant.   

Dante says, not that he doesn’t want Cody to stay, but he wants to make sure the reason isn’t to get revenge on Britt. He says, he’s a lover, not a fighter, and Sam asks if he’s met someone in town, but he says, nothing like that. Right now, he just wants to sit in the sun and let his poor battered body heal, but he can’t afford a pool pass. Sam says, he doesn’t need one. just tell them he’s her guest, and he thanks her. He says he’s going to check it out now if that’s cool, and leaves. Dante says that was nice of her, and Sam says, Cody is Dante’s friend, but he says, what else is going on? She says she figured while Cody was lying in the sun, they could figure out why Spinelli was so anxious to get away from him.

Outside on the phone, Spinelli tells Zelda that Cody was causing trouble again… There must be a way they can rid themselves of him. Cody comes out, and says, there is. Hang up, and Cody will tell him.

Spencer and Britt sit at a table, and he says he doesn’t know how much Britt knows about Esme’s background. She was adopted as a baby, and her adoptive parents died when she was still a kid. Britt says she had no idea, and he says, she’s desperate to find her biological parents. He’s no shrink, but he suspects not knowing who she really is and where she came from is the root of all of her problems. If they had a DNA test done that could determine her parentage, it might make all the difference. Britt says, so this is some kind of gift for his girlfriend? and he says, you could think of it like that. What if they had two DNA samples to compare? She asks if he’s saying he has them, but he says, nope; he’s saying what if. Before they go any further, he needs to know, will she help him?

Trina asks why it looks like Rory and Esme had their heads together, and he says, Esme was just picking his brain to see if there was a way to continue her internship at Spring Ridge. He told her that he couldn’t help, but knew someone who could. Esme lounges in the sun, and he talks a little louder. He says he offered to put his name and number in her phone, but Esme wouldn’t trust him with her phone. Can Trina believe that? Esme says she’s had enough sun for today. He’s all Trina’s. She leaves, and Trina asks what she just walked in on. Rory says, a beginning. Esme knows that he knows what she knows. Trina says, he told her? but he says, he served notice. There’s a big difference.

Curtis asks who Marshall is calling, and Marshall says, Jack, his trumpet player. He asks Jack, what’s cracking?… No, sorry. He’s not calling about a gig, although he does have a request. It’s not a musical one though. Is Jack still plugged in like that?… Yeah. Black market commodities… Cellphones. Can’t be traced; no questions asked. TJ tells Curtis, some people have grandfathers who read them bedtime stories, and Curtis says, he’s not mad at Marshall for pulling out all the stops. Trina’s future’s at stake, and it looks like TJ’s grandfather is just the right man. Marshall says, he’s listening… Tell him something he can use.

Sasha approaches the garage, and hears Gladys say, don’t you know by now I see Sasha as my daughter? Whatever’s good enough for the two of them is good enough for her. And if Brando doesn’t believe her, maybe he’s right. Maybe it’s time she moved out. Sasha goes inside, and says, nobody wants her to move out. She and Brando are counting on her, aren’t they? Brando tells her, whatever you say, and Gladys says, Mrs. Meyerson’s son Harold won the lottery. And what was the first thing he did? Got his mom a condo in Boca. So if they want to be rid of her, she’s up for a condo. Brando says, nobody wants to get rid of her, and asks if Sasha didn’t just take Willow to the hospital. How is she?

Willow tells Michael, say something, and he asks if she’s sure she’s pregnant; they’ve been so careful. She says she thought so too. Still, it happens. He wonders what he’s doing, and says, she’s pregnant, and hugs her. She says, he doesn’t have to pretend for her. Is it something he wants? He asks what she means, and she says, the plan was for her to graduate nursing school, and be a nurse for a few years. Does he want this baby? He says he’s still processing everything. Obviously, they’re not married. Wiley’s been their whole world. They haven’t even discussed giving him a sibling, but hell yes. He hugs her again, and says, wait. Does she want this baby?

Dante tells Sam, Cody’s a pretty charming guy; makes a lot of jokes, makes a lot of friends. The trouble he finds himself in, or creates, he’s always able to handle the consequences, good or bad. She says, yeah, but Dante knew him a long time ago. Does he think Cody is the same way? He says, seems to be, but it’s weird. It seems like he’s got to settle down, stop drifting. She says, who knows? Maybe he’ll stick around long enough to find a partner as wonderful as Dante did. Dante says, there’s no way lightning can strike twice like that.

Spinelli says, he won’t be subject to another shakeup, and Cody says he’s pretty sure it’s a shakedown, but relax. He isn’t trying to milk Spinelli for more money. Spinelli asks what he wants, and Cody says, think of it as an investment. Spinelli says, in what? and Cody says, in yours truly. Here’s what Spinelli is going to do.

Trina and Rory sit down, and Trina says she knows he’s a cop, and he’s had all kinds of training, but when it comes to Esme, he needs to watch out. She’s wickedly smart, emphasis on wicked. He says he appreciates the heads up, but doesn’t she have enough on her plate? Her case is going to trial soon, right? Trina says, unfortunately, yes. She thought she’d be excited to see her day in court, but she still doesn’t have proof Esme set her up. He says, until she walks into that courtroom, every second counts.

Spencer walks into the pool area, and Esme says she’s so happy to see him, and throws her arms around him. He sees Trina with Rory, and Esme asks, what’s wrong?

Marshall tells Jack that he’s more down than four flat tires. He’s the best. Marshall knew he could count on him. He’ll talk to Jack soon. He tells Curtis and TJ that he’s got the name and address of a guy who deals in black market cellphones. Curtis says he’s impressed with Marshall’s network of people, and Marshall says, Curtis knows how the music business is. It’s not the most stable industry. Everyone got to have a ham or a hustle to survive. Curtis says he supposes so. He just needs that name and address. Marshall says, nice try, and tells TJ to tell his uncle, he ain’t goin’ nowhere without him.

Willow says, does she want this baby? Is Michael kidding? Ever since her mom… Ever since Harmony died, and she found out Harmony wasn’t her biological mother, all she’s done is stress. So when she fainted again, in the back of her mind, she expected TJ to tell her it was a serious illness. When he told her she was pregnant, it was the last thing she expected, but after the initial shock, she thought back to the first time she ever held Wiley, and how incredibly happy she was. Now their family is expanding. She didn’t know her heart could get any bigger, but it did, Suddenly, there’s not just room for him and Wiley, she’s in love with a baby she’s never met. She doesn’t know if it’s a girl or a boy, she doesn’t know its name or what it looks like, but she’s in love. He says, so is he, and she says, Wiley will always be their firstborn, and always have a special place in her heart, but she’s pregnant with Michael’s baby – their baby. She’s never wanted anything more in her life. He picks her up, and spins her around.

Brando says, Sasha looks upset. What did the doctor say about Willow? Is she sick? Sasha says, no, she doesn’t know. Michael is with her now. All she knows is, TJ said it isn’t serious. Gladys says she thinks it’s time they head home. She made a lasagna earlier. All she has to do is heat it up, unless her rich daughter-in-law wants to spring for dinner at the Port Charles Grill; she can throw the lasagna in the freezer. Brando says, Gladys knows he loves her lasagna, and Sasha’s phone rings. She says she needs to take this, and suggests they go on home. Her car’s out front. Brando says, okay; he’ll see her later. They leave, and she answers, saying, what do you want? Felty asks if that’s any way greet an old friend, and she flashes back to him telling her that he has a connection and can get her what she needs. It’ll be their little secret. She says, okay. She’s listening

Sam says she hopes Cody realizes how lucky he is to have a friend like Dante, but Dante says, he’s the lucky one; he has her. Things have changed. When they were kids, he envied Cody and the way he got around people. She asks, what’s different about today? and he says, today he doesn’t envy Cody at all, and hugs her

Spinelli tells Cody, he can’t do that. It’s so… manipulative. Cody says, it’s nothing compared to what he’s already seen Spinelli do. Do this one little thing for him, and they’re square. Spinelli says he doesn’t want to see anyone get hurt, and Cody asks if he looks like the kind of guy who goes around hurting people. Trust him. When this is all done, and his ship comes in, everyone will come out ahead.

Britt rejoins Brad, who says, her lemonade just like she ordered. Unless she’d like a sidecar of tequila and a saltshaker. She says, don’t tempt her, and he says he can only assume Spencer’s the one who’s got her wavering. She says, he needs help, if he’s going to get his girlfriend what she wants. He says, she turned Spencer down, right? and she says she could lie and say she did but against her better judgement, she said yes.

Trina says, she’s not warning Rory because she thinks he’s naïve or gullible. She’s warning him because that’s how awful Esme is. He doesn’t want to make an enemy out of Esme, and he’s already stuck his neck out once for Trina. He really shouldn’t get involved. He says, it’s a little late for that, and by the door, Esme tells Spencer, look at that. Maybe Trina has finally moved on from obsessing about him. Spencer continues to watch them.

Curtis says he sees he’s not going to get anywhere trying to talk Marshall out of this, and Marshall says, he’s learning. Like Curtis said, the clock’s ticking. Are they going to do this? He holds out his fist, and Curtis bumps it, saying, they’re in this together. TJ adds his bump, and says, whatever they need. Anything for Trina.

Willow tells Michael, this is so new, and so unexpected. It’s more than she ever let herself dream about. She has him and Wiley and now… their very own baby. She can’t ask for anything more. He says, neither can he.

Sasha asks what Felty cares if she’s on the Home and Heart channel? and he says he doesn’t really give a damn, but her adoring public does. To cover her appearance, he needs credentials, and for some strange reason, they won’t grant him access. She says, imagine that, and he says he knew this was a waste of time; thanks for nothing. She says, wait, and flashes back to saying goodbye to Liam. She says, maybe she can help him… if he can help her in return.

Tomorrow, Spencer tells Cameron that he found out who Esme’s biological mother is; Olivia tells Carly that she’s buying Carly’s half of the hotel; and Brook needs Sonny to take care of a sleazeball named Linc.

Southern Charm

Taylor cleans up little, and Shep tells Little Craig that he’s in trouble; he’s chewed his last toy. Taylor asks what Shep was talking about with Craig at the party, and he says he thought Craig was going to apologize, and say he’d been less than desirable as a friend, but he kept deflecting. Taylor asks if Paige knew about Craig sleeping with Naomie, and he says, Craig told her, but someone implied it wasn’t just Vegas; that it’s been a low key ongoing thing. Taylor asks, who? and he says, Kathryn.

Paige tells Craig that she chased vodka with tequila, and it was a bad idea. He says, she talked to Naomie a lot, and she says, obviously it’s not the most comfortable thing. Naomie and Craig slept together over the summer, but she’s not in high school, and she’s not going to not acknowledge someone. Everyone has an ex. He says, so it was nothing unsettling? and she says, no. She’d think it was a red flag if he and Naomie didn’t get along.

Chleb’s mom Debbie calls while he’s driving, and he asks if she wants to grab a drink, but she says she’s spending night at his Aunt Rita’s house. She has things do. She goes on and on about people we don’t know, and Chleb keeps trying to interrupt. He says, he needs to talk to her, and she says, so talk, but he tells her, now he forgot what he wanted to say. In his interview, he admits he’s a mama’s boy. His mom is a strong woman. She was a single mom, who taught them the value of hard work. She gave him the drive to get a football scholarship. He played football in Canada, but got hurt at the end of his contract, and retired by 28, but life takes you in differently directions. He’s fine with it. He tells Debbie that he and Kathryn got into it; it was kind of stupid. Kathryn flipped a little at her party. Debbie asks, what happened? and we see a clip of Kathryn telling Chleb that it triggered her when he said Venita wanted to talk to her. She felt like he wasn’t on her team, even though she’s on his. Chleb says, she doesn’t like a lot of people, and that’s not the way he rolls. He has no problem with any of his friends, but he feels like she has a problem with most of hers. Kathryn asks if he has a problem with her now, and he says, there’s a problem between them because she doesn’t trust everyone, and he deals with the stress of that. You could go to any of his friends, and ask if he’s ever a problem, and they’d say, no; but if you asked her friends, they’d say, Kathryn is the problem. She tells him to walk away from her, and he says, he’s getting out. He tells Debbie, that’s where they’re at now, and she says, she understands. He says, when they moved in together, all hell broke loose. She’s Mrs. Petty. In Chleb’s interview, he says, it was easy when they weren’t living together. He likes how Kathryn commands s room. She can be a bad girl, and what she says goes, whether it’s right or wrong. He just wants her to work with him. She doesn’t have to change completely, just acknowledge that she’s heard him. He tells Debbie that Kathryn tries to take his time from the family, saying that she should come first. If there’s nothing to do, he likes to hang out with Debbie, and it’s like Kathryn is fighting for his love. Debbie says, Kathryn sees how they relate, and she wants that kind love. Her mom’s gone, and Kathryn started becoming close to her. They hung out several times a week, and Debbie helped with the kids. Kathryn needs someone in her life. In his interview, Chleb says, his mother knew Kathryn before he did. Kathryn used to hang out with his cousin, and they all lived on the same block. His mom understands Kathryn. They’re both single moms, and Kathryn is like a daughter to her. He tells Debbie that he can help Kathryn out and uplift her, but he doesn’t think he understands her. Debbie says, she’ll call Kathryn. They can relate. Let her handle it. Chleb tells her to call later. He thinks Kathryn needs some time.

A producer asks how many dresses Venita has, and she says, maxi or mini? and laughs. She guesses it’s a smooth 175. In Venita’s interview, she says, her mother is the reason why she’s like she is. Her mother is always dressed up, even when she’d pick Venita up at midnight bowling. She’s not quite like that, but close. She fell into being an influencer; she didn’t seek it out. Her assistant helps her get ready for a photoshoot, and in her interview, she says, initially, she went to culinary school. She did some modeling, and posted her pictures on Instagram. People assumed she was talking about products, but she was just showing how cute she was. She can make 7 figures in a month if she gets the right deals. (Sign me up immediately!) It’s wild how much you can make, although she doesn’t think people understand the hard work that goes into it. Getting jobs, losing jobs, doing photoshoots, creating content, and revising it quickly when it’s not good enough. It doesn’t sound like fun, but she loves it.

Austen calls Leva, and says he has a list of businesses he’s targeting for Trop Hop. She says she thought it was cool that he brought Olivia to the party. Everyone could tell they liked each other. Austen says, Olivia is f***ing adorable; she’s beautiful, but low key. Leva says, she’s a girly girl, but also a guy’s girl, and in Leva’s interview, she says, she knows Olivia through her parents who are in the restaurant business; they’re a hoot. We see a clip of Leva and Olivia with Olivia’s parents, and Leva tells Austen that Olivia isn’t a Netflix and Chill girl. Austen asks if she’s telling him to get off the pot, and she says, Olivia’s a smoke show. She asks, what about Craig and Naomie in Vegas? but he says, she’s the one who knows about it; she was there. In Leva’s interview, she says, she ran into them separately when she was in Las Vegas, and had no idea. She thought it would be nice for them to have lunch together, and Naomie said, they were staggering when they came downstairs; Craig was upstairs in her room. Leva never told a soul; they told everyone. Austen says he’s calling BS on it being one and done, and Leva says she thinks they have more feelings than they’re saying.

Naomie calls Patricia, and says, she has a friend picking up Metul’s car; it’s been sitting in her driveway for the past four months. Patricia suggests donating it and getting the tax deduction, and Naomie says she can’t believe she left for a boy. Patricia says, call her next time. They’ll form a vetting committee. Naomie says she’s calling because she’s thinking of having a kind of fresh start party. Patricia asks if the usual gang will be coming, and Naomie says, last week, she went to Kathryn’s birthday party. Kathryn said she was extending an olive branch. Patricia says, what could go wrong? and Naomie says, let her tell Patricia – literally everything. Patricia says, there’s an old adage that says you’re known be the company you keep, so no on Kathryn. In Patricia’s interview, she says, she tried to establish a relationship with Kathryn, but she’s afraid Kathryn has led an… inelegant life. She wishes Kathryn the best, but there’s no connection there.

Olivia and Austen go to a bar/restaurant called Saltwater Cowboys. Austen thinks it’s funny how Olivia calls her parents her roommates, and she says, her parents have fun hanging out with him. He says, he’d rather have stayed there, and in his interview, he says, it terrifies him that there are no red flags. The first thing he liked was that Olivia is tall; he can’t deal with the shorties anymore. And she gets his sense of humor. In Olivia’s interview, she says, she first noticed his height, and he’s hilarious. In his interview, Austen says, Olivia is wifey material, but he’s not ready to go down that path, and in her interview, Olivia says, she’s not trying to lock Austen down, but if he’s not serious about settling down, on to the next one. She asks him if this a date, and he says, is it? She says, yeah, and Shep and Taylor join them. Shep says, it’s a foursome, like golf, and Austen says, Naomie just texted him to bring beer for her party. Shep says, his cousin Marcie should come. She makes Patricia look poor. Her family is… his family. Austen says, he and Leva think Craig and Naomie hooked up more than just in Vegas, and Shep asks if he thinks Craig is lying. Austen says, 1000%. Craig said, when they hooked up in Vegas, in the morning, he realized Naomie wasn’t the girl he fell in love with, and walked. Shep says he saw Paige and Craig arguing at a bar, but he got out of there. Taylor wonders if Naomie invited Craig to her party, and Austen says, she did; Paige is gone. Shep says, Craig claims he told her about Vegas, but Austen says, not the whole story. He doesn’t think Craig is being truthful, and Shep says he’s always had a hunch Craig is still in love with Naomie.

Naomie talks with Chef Nico, who’s also a family friend, along with his (I think) sous chef Justin. Nico says, they need start shucking. In the car, Craig tells Pringle, it’s the first time he’s going to be in Naomie’s mom’s house in four years. There are a lot of memories there. He tells Pringle about snack trays filled up with everything imaginable, and Pringle says he can’t decide if that’s cute and adorable, or WTF? Craig says he and Naomie lived together for two years, and we flash back to him giving her a ring. He tells Pringle that they got engaged, and everything fell apart. In Craig’s interview, he says, he had to leave the country. Naomie was the love of his life, and there’s a lot of baggage here. Guests begin arriving, and Naomie suggests they go outside. No surprise, the food looks amazing. These shows are such food porn for me. Pringle tells Naomie about Craig remembering the snack plates, and Naomie says, it’s crazy he remembers that. Craig tells Olivia it was kind of his own house. The last time he was there, he was packing a U-Haul in the middle of the night. Pringle says he heard Olivia and Austen had a date, and she says, a double date; Shep pretty much crashed it. Austen asks Craig where Paige is, and he says, in NYC, but she’ll be here in a couple of days. Madison (bleh) comes in with Venita, and Shep introduces his cousin Marcie around. Venita tells Marcie that she lives in Shep’s old apartment, and still get his mail, and Marcie tells her, throw it away. Shep says he saw Nico when he came in – score! Patricia and Whitney arrive, and after meeting Marcie, Patricia tells Shep, they all look alike. He says, they’re all Hobbs’s, and in Marcie’s interview, she explains her father and Shep’s mother are brother and sister; they’re first cousins. She talks about the Jupiter Island club, and how you need more than money to get in; you need a legacy. Their great, great, great, great grandfather, Columbus Cummings worked on the railroad, sold it to Vanderbilt, and built his fortune. Her husband John didn’t even know she had money until they signed the prenup. Before meeting John, she was a party girl, but now she has nice dinner parties instead of Animal House parties. In Shep’s interview, he says he and Marcie were the black sheep of the family. They were the only ones out of 14 or 15 grandchildren not to get married or have kids, up until now. (Marcie is also pregnant.) Craig points to the living room, and says, this is where it all started, which is kind of creepy. Naomie tells Craig that Pringle told her about the snack platters; it was nearly ten years ago. He chews some ice cubes, and she tells him that’s a turn off to some people. He says, he doesn’t want to hear her weird sh*t, and in his interview, he says he thinks she still has feelings for him that she hasn’t dealt with. She shelved them when they broke up, and when they hooked up in Vegas, the feelings got knocked off the shelf. Naomie tells him, he was right, and that’s all she saying. He says, it’s good to be back.

Pringle feeds Shep an oyster. Marcie says Shep was gushing about Taylor, and she told him to have children. Taylor says she’s not on birth control, and Marcie says, it just takes one or two times. I wonder if Shep is nuts, Taylor says, Shep’s not ready for that, and I wonder if they’re both nuts. We see a clip of Marcie’s dad asking if there’s a baby in Shep’s future, and Shep says, it would hinder his… their travels. Taylor says she can wait until she’s in her 30s, and Marcie says, she’s 36. Taylor says, that makes her feel good, since she’s only 23, and everyone says, your eggs! Marcie says she had a crush on Austen when they were younger, but doesn’t know if he even noticed, since he never made a move. She always wanted him to meet someone, and she’s all for Shep’s relationship with Taylor. Taylor says, there’s been pressure, and the others got in her head, and Olivia says, they should let it happen organically. Marcie says, other people don’t help, and Taylor says, it’s good to take it slow. Olivia says she thinks that’s where Austen is.

Austen brings Madison (ugh) a Trop Hop, and Craig wonders why they’re talking. Madison says, they’re fine; like she and Craig were. Craig says, it’s wild being here, and Austen says, it looks like Craig and Naomie are BFFs. Madison asks why they’re talking, and Craig says, Naomie told him that she’s sorry. Madison thinks Craig still loves her, and he says, he loves all his exes. He says he and Austen need to talk about sh*t that’s been festering, and Madison points out they’re wearing matching shirts. They’ve got to get over this.

Naomie goes inside, and sees most of the women hanging out. Patricia says she heard there was a big scene at Kathryn’s party, and Leva says, it started nice, but it turned. Patricia asks, what against? and Naomie says, Kathryn accused her of coming for her. Olivia says she has no dog in this fight, and thinks it’s because Naomie reacted on Twitter, instead of coming to Kathryn. When Naomie told Olivia that she didn’t want to be there, Olivia thought, why come? Naomie says, the reason she went was because Kathryn was extending an olive branch, and she’ll always give someone a chance. But she doesn’t need to be around people she doesn’t want to be around. Leva says they’ve known Kathryn longer, and Olivia says she’s not taking sides; she’s just asking questions. Venita says, listen… and Olivia says, calm down. Venita says, don’t tell her to calm down. She didn’t need to be there, since Kathryn is a racist, but she was there because the offer was extended. Austen wonders if there’s a way for him to pee without walking through there, and Olivia says, Kathryn offered Naomie peace, and when she saw Naomie bitching, she wondered what was up. Naomie asks if Olivia told Kathryn what she’d said, and Olivia says, no, and now she’s dipping out. Venita says, if Olivia wants to bring up the hard questions, she doesn’t get to walk away from the hard conversation. Olivia goes outside, and Naomie says she appreciates that they kept it low key. She thought they’d be attack dogs. Madison2 says she’s not okay with it.

Seeing lights in the night’s sky, Shep says, take me to your leader, but Venita says, it’s a plane, not a UFO. Venita says she doesn’t want Olivia to feel like she was being attacked, and Olivia tells Austen that she’s not taking sides. All she asked was why Naomie went to the party, and fire extinguishers went off. He says, it sounds like she’s taking sides, and in Olivia’s interview, she says she’d take up for anyone who wasn’t there to defend themselves. It didn’t read well with Regina George. Venita approaches Olivia, and says, they don’t want her feel attacked, and Olivia says, sorry she approached them like that. Venita says, she likes to keep it level grounded; she’s not about drama, and Olivia asks, then why is she in this town? Venita says she has no idea. Inside, Leva tells Naomie, when she found out Naomie and Craig were hanging out in Vegas, she thought they’d get back together. Naomie says, Leva is like a mom, and Austen comes past. Leva says, they were just talking about him, and Naomie tells him, sit down. Surprisingly, he doesn’t run like a cartoon character, legs pinwheeling, but sits with them. Leva says, they were talking about her conversation with him about what she saw in Vegas, and Austen says, eh was curious for timeline purposes. He’s convinced they had a mini reconnection, and asks if they were hanging in Charleston. Naomie says, for a week, and Austen says, so not just once. True or false? Naomie says, twice, and he says, Craig’s a good liar. He said it was one time, and never again. Leva says, they hung out, and slept together; it wasn’t a throw away kind of thing. Austen says, Craig told him that Naomie was clingy, and trying to get back together with him, but Naomie doesn’t believe Craig would describe her that way. Craig comes in to say bye, and tells them, this is awkward. Austen says, Craig can kiss his ass, and leaves, and Leva says she’s going too. Craig wonders why it’s weird, and Naomie says, Austen was pumping her for things. He told her that Craig had said it was one time, but Craig says, it was twice; he owned that. She says she knows Austen was trying to hurt her, and said Craig said it wasn’t all it was chalked up (I think she means cracked up) to be, and she was his ex for a reason. Craig tells her, that’s a mean thing to say. He hasn’t talked to Austen about it, and those are words that would never come out of his mouth. In Naomie’s interview, she says, she was heartbroken after breaking up with Metul, and thinks she was seeking comfort in someone she trusted, who she knew understood her, but it was a fleeting thing. Naomie says, Austen said Craig insinuated she was his ex for a reason; because it wasn’t fun. Craig says, they had an amazing experience. It was great; no regrets. He loves her, and always will. He wishes she’d gotten to know him the way he is today; she would have liked the guy. She’d be blown away by how early he goes to the airport. She says, Metul showed up early, and he says, she judged wrong. She says, clearly.

Next time, a game of cornhole, where Little Craig grabs the game pieces; Shep says, Taylor’s late, and he doesn’t want to have kids right now; Taylor says, if Shep isn’t interested in settling down, they’ll probably have to go their separate ways; Madison tells Venita that Naomie isn’t a dumbass; Chleb hasn’t been home in two days; and Chleb goes home to make up with Kathryn.

📺 The funniest thing happened on Watch What Happens Live. Dorinda and Phaedra were the guests, and apparently, when Jill showed up on Ultimate Girls Trip, Phaedra didn’t know who she was. So they played a game where Dorinda had to guess if Phaedra would know who a particular Housewife was. When they got to Dolores, Andy mistakenly called Dorinda Dolores, giving the answer away. Okay. Maybe you had to be there.

🍹 Newly Cast…

All about Shep’s cousin Marcie.

https://screenrant.com/southern-charm-season-8-marcie-hobbs-shep-cousin/

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/southern-charm-who-is-shep-rose-cousin-marcie-hobbs-recap

👧🏽 Dippity Do-ing Out…

Drop by tomorrow for soap, tea, quotes, and a song for the 4th of July. Until then, stay safe, stay off the fence, and stay away from those who are wickedly smart with an emphasis on the wicked.

March 23, 2022 – Ryan Talks To Spencer, Gina Has a Launch Party, Goodbye Grandma Wrinkles & Girl

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Drew finds Curtis at the MetroCourt bar and says he sees Curtis started without him. Curtis puts keys on the bar, and Drew says, too far gone to drive already? but Curtis says, they’re house keys. He and Portia just closed on a new place. Drew says, that’s awesome… and deserving of a toast. He tells the bartender to hook him up, and asks Curtis, what’s next? Curtis says, it’s hard to focus on the future when Marshall’s past won’t leave him alone.

At the hospital, Marshall tells Deanna that he’s having issues with his medication and can’t seem to reach his doctor. He was treated there by Dr. Rose some month back. She says she’ll track him down, and Marshall thanks her, saying, he really needs to get the dosage right. He sees Ava and Avery talking with TJ, and Sonny joins them. Sonny asks, what happened? and Ava says, Avery had a fall at the playground. She says her arm hurts. TJ says, it’s nothing they can’t fix, and Sonny tells Avery, he’s known this guy since he was about this big, holding his hand three inches from the floor. TJ says he thinks he was a little taller than that, and Sonny says he watched TJ become a great doctor and he trusts TJ with his life. Ava says, then she guesses they can trust him with Avery’s arm, and TJ says, let’s do it.

Carly tells Josslyn, this is just a conversation, leading her to Alexis’s office. Alexis is going to explain to Josslyn how The Invader is going to tell her story… if that’s the avenue she wants to take. Carly knows Josslyn and Cameron are supposed to meet with the detective afterward, but if that’s not something she wants to do, or if it’s too much… Josslyn says she gets it. She’s been thinking about this all night, so she’s ready. Carly hugs Josslyn and knocks on the door, and Alexis tells them to come in. Cameron and Elizabeth are already there, and Alexis thanks them all for coming. Unless they have any questions, they can jump right in. There are no questions, so she asks them to sit down, and says, let’s get started.

Nikolas goes to Laura’s place, and she asks what brings him by. He says he wondered if she needed any help with Spencer’s homecoming, and she says, there’s not much to do. His room is ready, and she did stop and pick up his favorite madelines from Eckerd’s. He asks if she’s sure that’s it, and she says, he’s only been gone a month. And if she’s being honest, he shouldn’t be coming back here at all. His home is with Nikolas at Windymere.

At Spring Ridge, Spencer puts his cards down, and tells Samuel, gin. It looks like he wins supreme, unless Samuel is letting him win. Samuel says, not his style, when Harmony comes by and asks Spencer if there’s any chance he could spare some time for a fellow inmate. He turns around to see Ryan parked at another table, and she says if he doesn’t want anything to do with Ryan, she completely understands. She’d steer clear of him too if it wasn’t her job. Spencer asks what he wants, and she says, to play a game – Spencer notices a chess board in front of Ryan – and to talk. Spencer says, he can’t talk. That’s what being locked-in means, doesn’t it? She says they’ve developed a work around, and Ryan communicated with her last night. She’s prepared for different directions that the conversation might take. Spencer says, that must have been a lot of blinking, and she says, yeah, but honestly, if he’s not comfortable with it or has reservations… He says, let’s do it. He’s only going to be there for a couple more hours, and quite frankly, he’s gin rummied out. No offense. Samuel says, none taken, and Spencer goes with Harmony over to Ryan’s table. Spencer says, white or black? and Harmony says, Ryan takes black; Spencer makes the first move. Spencer moves a piece, and asks what Ryan wanted to talk about. Harmony tells him, Ryan says, you’re welcome.

Nikolas says he highly doubts Spencer would be on board with living at Windymere, but Laura says, they’ve made some inroads, haven’t they? He says, they’ve made some ground, but pushing Spencer to come home is the surest way to lose it. She says, just bring up the conversation, and they’ll go from there. They need to close ranks. Nikolas doesn’t want to leave Spencer vulnerable to Victor, does he? Nikolas says, no, and she says, that’s where Spencer is going to land if he doesn’t come to Nikolas. And if she’s being completely honest, Spencer’s living situation here can’t go on indefinitely. Esme comes out with her suitcase, and says she agrees, which is why she’s moving out.

Carly says, it has to be made clear that Josslyn and Cameron did not make the video, and they did not release it themselves. Elizabeth says, absolutely, and Alexis says, got it. That goes without saying, but the number one priority is for them to be protected. If they do this, it’s an opportunity to take control and frame the narrative. Having said that, it’s a very big decision, and if they decide they don’t want to do it, fine; it’s up to them. She assumes they must have questions about the process, and Carly says she has many. Elizabeth says, so does she, and Alexis says she’s going to answer all of them, but right now she’s going to ask Elizabeth and Carly to step outside for a bit, because she thinks this conversation might be more productive with fewer participants. Carly tells Josslyn to text if she needs her, and she and Elizabeth leave. Alexis says, okay, let’s hear it.

TJ says, right this way, and Ava says, aren’t they lucky that Dr. Ashford is here today, and that Avery’s father knows him so well? Deanna tells Marshall that Dr. Rose isn’t in today, but she can help him make an appointment for when he is. Marshall watches TJ usher Sonny and company into the exam room.

Curtis asks, how bad is it? and Drew asks if he’s sure he wants to know. Curtis says, is it that bad? and Drew says, not necessarily, but he’s looking at Curtis right now, and it seems like maybe he doesn’t want to know this information. He gets it. Curtis has his father back in his life, something he never thought was going to happen. If Alan Quartermaine walked off the elevator right now, maybe that would be enough for Drew. Maybe he wouldn’t need to know Alan’s faults and failings, and why he made the choices he made. Maybe he’d be happy to know his father in the here now, and just take it from there. Curtis wonders if Drew is saying he should ignore what’s in the envelope, but Drew tells him, he’s saying it’s completely Curtis’s call. He’s just pointing out there’s no shame in considering his father’s presence in his life a gift, and taking that gift, no questions asked.

TJ says, they’ll take some x-rays to make sure, but it looks like a wrist sprain at most, and Avery asks what an x-ray is. TJ says, it’s when they take really cool pictures of what’s inside her, and Ava says, a sprain would be good news; not the end of the world. Avery asks if she’ll still get a lollypop, but TJ says he’s all out of them today. Sonny says he’ll go to the gift shop and get her one, and Avery says, yay. Sonny comes out, and Marshall approaches him. Marshall says he’s finally figured Sonny out. He’s the type who only learns his lesson the second time around. Sonny asks if there’s a problem, and Marshall says he thought he made himself clear at The Savoy. Don’t come at his family. Sonny says he thinks Marshall was wrong about what was happening then, and he’s making a mistake about what’s happening now, but Marshall says, it’s no mistake. He saw Sonny talking to TJ. He’s Marshall’s grandson. Sonny says, TJ also happens to be a doctor, and his daughter was injured on the playground; he’s treating her. Marshall says, this hospital is full of doctors. Find another one please. He don’t want his grandson associating with the likes of Sonny. Sonny says he’d be interested to find out how Marshall is going to enforce that. Excuse him. He leaves, and TJ watches Marshall from the doorway.

At the MetroCourt, Carly asks if Elizabeth knows what she wants, and Elizabeth says, that depends. Is she serving head on a platter? Carly says she will be, when they prove Esme did this. How is Cameron? Elizabeth says, he’s mortified, furious, completely and utterly shaken. Carly says, that sounds about right, and Elizabeth asks how Josslyn is doing. She seems to be holding up really well. Carly says, she’s checking all the boxes; head held high, determined to stand up for herself, but she has to be putting up a front. Elizabeth says, how could it not be? and Carly says she doesn’t care how tough you are, when you’re called a tramp and a slut, it takes its toll. She didn’t want this for Josslyn. She wanted Josslyn to be who she is, confident and strong, come out swinging if need be. Why did this happen? Elizabeth says she doesn’t know, but she can tell Carly this; Josslyn’s going to be okay. Carly asks how she can be so sure, and Elizabeth says, Josslyn’s got Carly.   

Josslyn says, once it’s established that this tape was made and posted without their consent… Alexis says, which is illegal. She can’t stress that enough. Revenge porn and filming someone without their consent is a misdemeanor and felony respectively. Josslyn asks if there will be any mention of Esme, but Alexis says, they can only make general references to a person who’s unnamed, thought to be responsible. Without any evidence from the PCU or the police, any allegations made to a specific wrongdoer if libelous. Josslyn asks, what about mentions of her and Cam? and Alexis says, typically pseudonyms are used in cases like this. Cameron says, that won’t stop other papers from using their names, and Alexis says, given how young they are, respected news organizations will most likely follow their lead and not identify them. Cameron says, what about the non-respected ones? They’re going to be all over this because Joss is Sonny’s stepdaughter. Josslyn says, if their real names are out there, why even use the pseudonyms? Maybe they just start with their real names. Cameron says, or maybe they don’t do this at all.

Esme says, she vacuumed, made the bed, and scoured the bathroom. It will be like she was never here. Nikolas says, Spencer will be heartbroken to come home and find her gone, and he’s guessing she’ll feel the same way. Esme says she just doesn’t know, and Nikolas suggests she stay until Spencer gets here, and they can decide on the next step together. Laura asks him to go pick up Spencer. Then she and Esme can have chance to talk, just the two of them. He tells her, work her magic, and leaves. Laura says, it’s just the two of them now, and asks Esme to tell her what’s really going on.  

Spencer asks what he’s supposed to be grateful for, and speaking for Ryan, Harmony says, Spencer and his girlfriend exploited his name and reputation, using it to further their own; ends that saw Ava hurt. He didn’t stop them. Spencer asks why he should have. Ryan’s name entered the public domain ten murders ago. Harmony moves a chess piece, and says, and it was all for nothing. Ava and Nikolas are still together, and Spencer is out in the cold, abandoned even my his own girlfriend. Spencer moves a piece, and says he should have spent the last hour doing pottery, and Harmony says, it doesn’t have to be this way. Spencer still has one friend. Spencer asks who? and Harmony as Ryan says, me.

TJ says, it’s a mild sprain. Avery will need an elastic bandage and some ice. Sonny comes in, and says, and this, giving Avery a lollypop. TJ says he’ll get Nurse Deanna to wrap it up for her; she’s the best in this business. Sonny says, don’t tell Epiphany, and TJ says, the best in the business after Epiphany. Ava says, smart guy, and Sonny thanks him for checking Avery out. TJ says, anytime, and asks if he can talk to Sonny for a quick second. As they leave, Ava says, Avery got watermelon. Avery’s dad knows it’s her favorite. She’s a lucky girl. In the hallway, TJ says he saw Sonny with his grandfather. Is everything okay? Sonny says, he has no problem with Marshall, and TJ tells Avery to take care of that arm, and leaves. Ava says she has an idea. After Avery is patched up, why don’t they head to Kelly’s for some ice cream? Avery asks, can Mama Carly come too?

Marshall tells Deanna that he doesn’t like to mess around with this stuff. Is there someone else he can see besides Dr. Rose? TJ says, someone like him?

Curtis says Drew is right. He does want his father in his life. If it was just him, he could probably go on not asking another question. Drew says, but he’s also asking for Portia and Trina, and Curtis says, and for TJ and Aunt Stella. How can he, in good conscience, open the door to his life, and let Marshall in without knowing what’s going to follow him inside? Drew says, sounds like Curtis made up his mind, and Curtis says he can’t look the other way. He has to know everything about that man before he lets Marshall come any closer. Drew slides the envelope over, and Curtis opens it.

Spencer tells Ryan, he thinks he’s all set on friends, but thank you. Harmony sighs, and says, we’re on the same team. Neither of us wants your father with Ava, but only one of us still has the power to act. Will you use it? She moves another piece, says, checkmate, and Nikolas walks in.

Laura says Esme was right; everything was absolutely spotless. Esme says Laura almost sounds disappointed, and Laura says she likes an easy call. She thought she had Esme all figured out. She actually thought Esme was bad for Spencer, and it was only a matter of time before he figured it out. Esme says, and bye-bye Esme, and Laura says, yes, but that’s not what happened. Esme and Spencer became even closer, and she saw Esme encourage Spencer to reconcile with his father. As it turns out, Esme is by no means an easy call. Esme asks if Laura is saying she was wrong about her.

Josslyn says, so Cameron doesn’t want to do the article? and Cameron says he just wants them to consider all their options before going public. She says, they’re already public; that’s kind of the whole point. He says, if they keep talking about it, everyone is going to keep talking about it. If they stay quiet, maybe it will blow over. She says, that’s easy for him to say. He’s big man on campus. Meanwhile, she’s being tagged as a slut on social media. He says, that’s not what he meant. He knows this is harder on her, he really does. Alexis says she’s not doing this feature to make money. She’s doing it because she thinks it can do some real good, but they both have to be on board. If they decide that the downside is too great, she fully understands. This is a really hard thing to do. She’ll follow their lead, and in the meantime, give them some time to talk about it.

Elizabeth says. she used to consider herself lucky that she only had boys, and Carly says, she never dreamed of a little girl? Elizabeth says, the thought terrified her. She convinced herself that if she had a little girl, she’d have to build walls around her and put her in bubble wrap. Carly says, don’t think she hasn’t tried, and Elizabeth says, anything to protect her so she wouldn’t get hurt. Carly says, like Elizabeth did? and Elizabeth says, that night changed everything for her, but now that she has Violet in her life, she realizes she had it all wrong. She hopes Violet is raised the same way Carly raised Josslyn, to be a strong, fierce, proactive young woman. Yes, she just paid Carly a compliment. Carly says she thought her ears were playing tricks on her, and Elizabeth says, they’ve had their differences, but Carly did a helluva job raising her daughter.

Laura says, how about if they say Esme’s shown so much growth, she’s reconsidered her initial evaluation? but Esme says, unfortunately, it’s a little too late. Laura asks if things are really that bad with Esme and Spencer. She finds it so hard to believe. Esme asks, why? and Laura says she can see Esme’s opinion holds weight with him. He listens to her and takes her words to heart. She knows Spencer adores Esme; she’s seen the way he looks at her. Esme asks if Laura has seen the way he looks at Trina, and Laura says, okay. Now she understands. Esme says, it’s been that way since the moment she met Trina. She was looking for Spencer at Windymere, and she found him alone with Trina. It was obvious she was interrupting something. At first, she chalked it up to her own insecurity, but now it’s too obvious to ignore. The person she crossed an ocean for, the only guy she’s ever loved, has fallen for someone else. Now she’s leaving Spence behind before he and his friends leave her with nothing.

Harmony says, Ryan would like to know if Spencer would like to play another game, but Nikolas walks over, and says, today’s the big day. Is Spencer ready? Spencer says he’s never been readier, if that’s a word. They step away from the table, and Nikolas asks where his grandmother is. Nikolas says, she’s waiting for him at her place. He gestures toward Ryan, and says, what is that? Spencer says, with Ryan? He’s just killing some time, but Nikolas says, nothing is ever that simple with Chamberlain. Spencer says, Ryan is just trying to get inside his head, and Nikolas asks if he’s all right. Spencer says, he’s fine. Grandmother’s at home; what about Ava?

Ava says, Avery hasn’t seen a lot of Carly lately, has she? She doesn’t know if Carly is available, but she can call and ask. Sony says, if Carly isn’t free, they can schedule a playdate. He knows there have been a lot of changes, but one thing that will always stay the same is, her parents – all three of them – and her brothers and sisters will always love her… to the end of the galaxy. Avery says, promise? and he kisses the top of her head, saying, he promises.

Marshall thanks TJ for the offer, but he’s okay. TJ asks if he’s sure; he sounded a little put out. Deanna says, Dr. Ashford knows his stuff, and TJ says he appreciates that. He asks if Deanna can wrap Avery’s wrist; she has a mild sprain. She goes to the exam room, and TJ says, she’s right. He does know his stuff. Marshall says he sounded put out, but it’s his fault. He should have called before he came. TJ says, or maybe Marshall’s not upset because he couldn’t see his doctor. Maybe he’s upset because Sonny got under his skin.

Elizabeth says she has to admit, in the beginning she was rooting for Cameron and Trina to get together, and Carly says, as opposed to Cameron and Josslyn? Elizabeth says she was just worried Josslyn might be… Carly says, too much like her? and Elizabeth says, now she realizes Josslyn is exactly who she wants Cameron to be with. She’s smart, independent, fiercely loyal to the people she cares about. Carly says, and Cameron isn’t afraid of Josslyn’s fierceness, and Elizabeth says, the opposite; he’s drawn toward it. More than that, he respects it. Carly says, if they’re throwing around compliments, she has some. Cameron is a great kid, and he respects women because Elizabeth taught him to. Elizabeth says, it’s ironic. Respect hasn’t always been her thing. Carly knows that better than anyone else. We flash back to when they were practically teens, and Elizabeth calling Carly the town whore, and Carly slapping her, saying hypocritical slut Elizabeth got pregnant on purpose.  Elizabeth says, Carly was right. She was a hypocrite, judging Carly when she was no saint herself. Carly says she could have taken the high road a few times, but she didn’t, and it’s highly unlikely she will in the future.

Cameron says, everything has been moving so fast, he’s had no time to think about it, and Josslyn says, really? She feels like that’s all she does. And guess what? They don’t have the power to slow it down. They’ve already gotten email requests for comments from the PCU paper. Does he think it will stop there? He says, it could. Maybe if they both keep their heads down, something will come along to take the attention away from them. She says, then what? He heard Alexis. What happened to them was a crime, and sitting in the dark hiding just makes her feel like more of a victim, and she doesn’t want that. And she doesn’t want people to think she’s ashamed because she’s not. They didn’t do anything wrong. They had sex because they love each other. She loves him. He says he loves her too, and she says she’s not going to let Esme and some internet creepers turn it into something ugly. He says, he doesn’t want her to get hurt, but she says she’ll hurt more if she doesn’t stand up for herself. So will he stand up with her? Alexis knocks, and says there’s someone she wants them to meet. She introduces Alicia Giago, one of their best reporters. She doesn’t mean to pressure them, but they’re reaching a deadline for tomorrow’s issue. If they want to stay ahead of the story, the story has to be in said issue. Have they reached a decision?

Esme says, to Spence’s friends, she’s toxic, and they’ve finally convinced him to agree, and Laura says, so she’s leaving? Esme says she refuses to stick around for scapegoat duty, and Laura says, even if it means giving up Spencer? Esme asks what Laura would do in her position. Fight to hold to a guy who’s into someone else? Laura says she’d have to think twice, and Esme says she bets Laura never had to. She bets Laura has always been first in the eyes of the ones she’s loved. Esme is lucky if anyone sees her at all. Spence did, but not anymore. Laura says she doesn’t know that, but Esme says she does. Laura asks if she’s 100% certain, and Esme doesn’t say anything. Laura says, no? Okay. Esme asked what she’d do in her position. She thinks she’d want to know if it was really over before she walked away. Esme says she doesn’t even know why they’re discussing this. Why would it make a difference to Laura whether she’s with Spence or she isn’t? Laura says, actually, it makes more difference than Esme knows.

Nikolas tells Spencer that Avery had a playground accident, and Ava decided to take her to the hospital. Spencer asks how bad Avery is hurt, and Nikolas says, Ava doesn’t think it’s serious, but she wants to make sure. Spencer says, it’s good Ava is focused on Avery, so she won’t be focused on torturing him. Nikolas says, Spencer… and Spencer says, they can’t forget Ava is in charge of his restitution. Nikolas says, let’s not start out this way, and Spencer says, what way? but Nikolas says, Spencer knows what he means. They haven’t even left this place, and already they’re at odds over Ava. Spencer asks, when are they not? and Nikolas says, walking out those doors doesn’t erase everything. Spencer has a lot of work ahead to make up for the pain he caused. He needs all the allies he can get. Spencer says, so he has to toe the line, or Nikolas and Ava will cut him loose? He’s been there; he’s done that. Nikolas says he wishes Spencer could see his release the way he does. It’s an opportunity for a fresh start, for all of them. Spencer glances at Ryan, who blinks once, and he tells Nikolas, let’s just focus on us. They can worry about the subject of Ava later. Nikolas says he’ll take what he can get. They’ll get him processed and out of here. He leaves, and Spencer follows, stopping to look at Ryan.

Elizabeth says, the name calling they did seems worse now, doesn’t it? and Carly says, in light of what the kids are going through, it seems like the universe is dishing out some serious karma. They said some nasty things to each other, and she feels like Joss and Cam are paying the price. Elizabeth says she just feels like they’re being tested, and where she and Carly failed as young adults, they’ll succeed. Carly says Elizabeth sounds confident, and Elizabeth says she is. Because she and Carly raised some fundamentally decent humans. It’s not going to protect them from getting hurt… Carly says, no, but it will give them the tools to handle it, and Elizabeth says, exactly. They’re going to take what’s thrown at them and keep on going. Carly says, just like they did. Hopefully, with less drama. Elizabeth says, way less.

Ava says she takes it there was a little hiccup with Sonny and Curtis’s father, and Sonny says she doesn’t miss a beat. She says she’s tuned to his moods, and he says, it wasn’t a hiccup, just a communication problem. Ava says, not on his part though. She says this because she heard he was communicating quite a bit on Nina’s behalf. He says, on Wiley’s behalf, and she says, whichever. It’s a side she’s not often privy to; optimistic and sociable. She likes it. It’s becoming, and she hopes she sees more of it. He smiles.

Marshall says, he’s crossed paths with men like Sonny before, and TJ says, then he should know, Sonny’s no one to mess with. Marshall says, TJ seems pretty chummy with him, and TJ says, they go way back. Sonny was there for him when he really needed him. Marshall says he bets Sonny loves to remind TJ of it too, but TJ says, it’s not like that. Marshall says, not yet, but the Sonnys of the world never forget a favor given, and Lord knows, they always collect on a favor owed. Don’t mistake his generosity for genuine friendship.

Curtis looks at some papers, and Drew says, it’s a lease dated September of 1986 for a one-bedroom apartment in Buenos Aires. They were never digitized, so a conventional background check wouldn’t have caught it because it’s a foreign document. Curtis says he never thought his father lived outside the U.S., and Drew says, the only reason his people caught it is because Aurora’s big enough that it vets international. Curtis says, so his father lived outside the country, and Drew says, but it’s who he lived as that surprised him. Check out the name on the agreement. Curtis says, Marshall Ashford. If he was in Witness Protection, wouldn’t he have an alias? Drew says, maybe he got sloppy? and Curtis says, or maybe he was never in Witness Protection. I have to mention, not once did Marshall ever say he was in Witness Protection. Curtis just assumed it.

Josslyn and Cameron go to the MetroCourt. Josslyn tells Elizabeth and Carly, they heard what Alexis had to say, and they agree with it. Elizabeth says, so they’re doing the story? and Cameron says, they did the story. Josslyn says, they already spoke to the reporter. They’re not hiding; they’re going to stand up for themselves. Carly says, good for both of them, when a woman approaches the table. She introduces herself as Detective Lopez from the PCPD, and asks if Josslyn and Cameron ready to give their statements. Cameron nods, and Josslyn says, they’re ready. They follow the detective out.  

Alexis says, this is actually coming together, and Alicia says, at the speed of light. Alexis says she’s really proud of Josslyn and Cameron. This was a tough decision. So it’s their job to make sure they don’t regret it.

Curtis says, so if his father wasn’t in Witness Protection, but was on the run, his claims of having a dangerous past don’t count for much. Drew says, maybe Witness Protection services doesn’t extend abroad, but Curtis says, he’d still have an alias though. Providing he ever had one in the first place. Drew says, so Curtis got this information, now what is he going to do with it?

Marshall tells TJ to stay away from Sonny. If he keeps sniffing around, let him know. TJ says, if he ever has any problems with Sonny, he will. He leaves, and Marshall looks at his prescription bottle. He turns, and Avery slams into him, causing him to drop it. It rolls toward Sonny, who stops it with his foot.

Harmony says, next time Ryan wants to play mind games with someone, find himself another lackey. She has enough trouble in her own life. He blinks a bunch of times, and she says, what is it? He blinks some more.

Marshall asks if Avery is all right, and Ava apologizes. Sonny picks up the bottle, and Marshall holds out his hand, saying, he’ll have that back now. Sonny hands it to him, says, see him soon, and leaves with Ava and Avery.

Harmony reads, don’t worry. One day I’ll free you from your service the only way I know how. Yikes.

Laura says, under normal circumstances she’d step back and let Spencer and Esme work out their problems, but these are not normal times. It’s very clear Victor is up to no good, which will most certainly blow back on her son and grandson. Whatever issues they’re having, she knows Esme really cares about Spencer, and right now, he needs everybody he can get in his corner, and especially the ones who have sway with him. Esme says, so if she can help keep Spence away from Victor, Laura will overlook her issues? What happens if she’s not willing to overlook Spence’s? Nikolas and Spencer come in.

Tomorrow, Willow tells Michael that she wasn’t being honest with him; Ava tells Victor that when she wants something, she usually gets it; and Nina tells Sonny that she was following up on something important.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

When we last left, Gina and Shannon were having a private discussion at Jen’s party. Shannon said she was still reeling from Gina asking if she even had friends. She’d invited Gina so many different places; where had Gina invited her? Gina said she was going to invite Shannon to her launch party, but now she didn’t know if she wanted to. Shannon said now Gina was holding her invitation hostage, but Gina said she hadn’t invited anyone anywhere because her life had been trashed. In her interview, Shannon said, when one person had to do all the work, the friendship was one-sided, but that was just her opinion. Gina said she was bothered by Shannon bringing her up to different people in different situations, telling them that she’d gotten Gina a lawyer. Shannon said, but she had, and Gina told Shannon that she was thankful, but it had been three years ago. In Shannon’s interview, she said, if someone had helped her when she’d been arrested for a DUI, she’d thank them all the time, but she didn’t need thanks. That feeling you had at about 9:04 pm was me rolling my eyes so hard it vibrated the world. Heather told Emily, the day she met Gina, Shannon brought up Gina’s DUI and her divorce. We flashed back to Shannon telling Heather all about it in a limo, and Gina thanking Shannon for saving her. Gina told Shannon, it wasn’t cool to keep telling people Gina was egotistical. It was starting to feel mean. Shannon said she’d been nothing but kind to Gina, and Gina said Shannon wasn’t doing it to be kind, but to self-promote. Shannon wanted to write her own hero story about herself. Shannon told Gina that she really did need to put a pin in it. This could possibly replace clip in the Bravoverse catch-phrase dictionary. Emily told Heather that Shannon said Gina had an over-inflated sense of self and was arrogant, and Heather said Shannon didn’t understand the phrase put a pin in it. It meant it should be discussed later. Gina said she was sorry she felt good about herself. Does Shannon want her to hate herself? Shannon said the funniest part was that she was so busy, in good ways, with the kids, her personal relationship, and her business, and Gina was saying she was jealous. There was no arrogance in that? Gina said she felt bad for Shannon, and had nothing but pity for Shannon’s life. She wasn’t doing this anymore. She got up, and Shannon said she hoped Gina got to her level one day. Gina said maybe one day she’d make it after all over. She was done. Gina walked away, but Shannon followed, telling her to put a pin in her ego, and calling her an a-hole. Gina asked if Shannon was f***ing kidding her, but wisely kept walking. In Gina’s interview, she said, in general, Shannon was naturally selfish. She had to work at being excited for Gina.

Gina told Heather that Shannon hoped Gina got to her level one day, and in Heather’s interview, she wondered, if Shannon was so happy, why did she have to keep expressing she was so happy? Are you happy? Heather asked Shannon what was going on, and Shannon said, Gina claimed she was jealous of Gina’s friendship with Heather. Heather said, Gina felt Shannon wasn’t supportive. Heather had been excited about the New York trip, and when Shannon called, she thought Shannon was going to ask how the show went, but it was none of that. She was calling about having more fun than Heather and Gina. In Shannon’s interview, she said, Heather was going to come at her for not bringing up her podcast? She didn’t know Heather’s schedule, and was never going to. Noella said, there was a vibe at dinner, and Heather walked away, since she couldn’t finish her sentence. In her interview, she said, every time Noella was around, Noella couldn’t stop talking. She had to interject her opinion, even if it didn’t involve her. Jen kept giving people suggestions for procedures using a laser pointer, and in her interview, she suggested someone take it away from her before the party cleared out. Shannon told John that Gina said she had nothing but pity for Shannon’s life, and he said, f*** Gina. It was the most ridiculous comment he’d ever heard. They were done with Gina. Who TF did she think she was? Jen asked Ryne if what she said had been understandable, and he told her, it should be a TED talk.

Heather asked to speak with Shannon in private, and said, Shannon understood how hurtful labels could be if they were inaccurate. Shannon whined that Gina had done that multiple times, and Heather pointed out that Shannon had done that to her. Shannon had said Heather was pretentious, among other things. This put Shannon into can-you-top-this? mode, and she said Heather talked about her too. Like when Heather said Shannon was angry walking out of a restaurant. We flashed back to said anger, and Heather saying Shannon scared her. Shannon said, Heather had also claimed she was yelling when she wasn’t, but Heather wanted to get back to the topic at hand. Shannon didn’t and said, she got it; labels were bad. She felt blindsided and wanted to go home. Heather said she was trying to have an honest conversation, and Shannon said she’d been nothing but a supportive friend. In Heather’s interview, she said, when you had to tell people how they felt, there was a problem. I’m the best friend you ever had. Can’t you tell? At the end of the day, you show people who you are. You don’t tell them.

Noella had a session with Kate, a teacher of conscious relationships. In Noella’s interview, she said Kate was her soul’s translator. Noella was a manifester, and there was a block. She made a list of all the alternative whatevers she’d been involved with – which was a lot – and said she’d done all of it. Kate asked where things were standing, and Noella said, anger was the feeling du jour. Kate explained that it was the ending of some dreams, the ending of a chapter of life Noella thought she would live. It went along with the trauma of abandonment, and if we couldn’t find where the cycle began, we’d repeat it. Noella said her father bailed on her early. She saw him twice year, and felt if she got straight A’s, or if she was perfect and beautiful, if she didn’t mess up, he would love her. In Noella’s interview, she said she saw her father for events when he needed to look like a family man. Kate asked if Noella had wondered if he was coming back, and Noella said, 100%. In her interview, Noella said she was programmed to make a man look perfect. She told Kate that her dad had sickle cell issues. She told him that he’d been a great father, and they’d rekindled their relationship. Kate said Noella needed to find peace in acceptance; open up to what was new and she’d manifest. Noella said, it was all on her. She was the one who put men on a pedestal. Kate said Noella had been seeking validation and attention in love because she hadn’t received it from her dad. She asked where Noella thought she could seek what she couldn’t find in someone else, and Noella said she had to give it to herself. Kate said, it was cliché, but there were clichés for a reason. This actually didn’t seem much different than regular talk therapy except for words like manifest.

Emily went to Gina’s house, and Gina said something had been literally haunting her since the sweat lodge. We flashed back to that, and Gina said she felt she needed an element of God. Emily asked if an exorcist was coming, but Gina said it was called an extraction. Emily put her hood up, afraid something might attack her, and Shauna arrived to do Gina’s healing. Gina told Shauna that they’d gone to a sweat lodge, and went through an indigenous ritual, but they never finished it. We flashed back to Noella passing out, and Shauna said Gina didn’t get closure, but there was an opening for her to bring something home. In Gina’s interview, she said just the thought of that was gross. Shauna said she’d have to pull it out of Gina’s mouth, and had Gina sit in a chair. In her interview, Gina said she hated this, and hadn’t declared it in customs. Shauna had her breathe in and out, and threw some invisible things out the window. This was officially the dumbest sh*t I’ve ever seen. In Emily’s interview, she said she should have worn a hazmat suit. She and Shauna examined Gina’s eyes, which Shauna pronounced more clear. Emily said they seemed to be lighter in color, and in her interview, Emily hoped whatever it was wasn’t in her car, since she’d parked across the street. Gina told Emily that she have cleared before she had the sit-down with Shannon.

Heather stopped by Jen’s office to get some cream for an allergic reaction, and to tell Jen that her event was lovely. Jen said she felt like it served its purpose, but she should have done the speech earlier. Heather said Terry was in love with Mr. Puppers (me too!), and we saw a clip of him giving the Puppers kissies. Heather said Terry wanted one, but he wasn’t getting it, and Jen said she wanted a pack of them (me too!).  

Emily looked at an Airbnb on her laptop, and called Shannon to show her the house. In Emily’s interview, she said they needed a change of scenery, and we saw a clip of her telling Gina that Cabo was too hot. Gina said, no more beaches. Emily told us that maybe the mountains and country would inspire them to get along. In Heather’s interview, she said she was excited about going to Aspen, but was concerned about some of the other women. Emily asked if Shannon had talked to Gina, and Shannon said she’d reached out, and they were going to get together tomorrow. Emily said she saw Gina a couple of days ago, leaving out the whole extraction thing, and she felt Gina was more reasonable, and admitted she’d said some mean things to Shannon. Emily thought they should celebrate Gina’s success, and in Shannon’s interview, she said she thought Emily was enjoying their growing friendship, and didn’t want any animosity between her and Gina. But if that’s what she wanted, she had to stop stirring the drama and stop misconstruing things about her from Gina.

Emily was having a dinner party for Shane’s family, and Chef Dusty did the cooking. Emily said she couldn’t even make chicken nuggets in the oven, and we saw a clip of her with chicken nuggets so burnt they could have been charcoal nuggets. She said she liked the microwave, and I totally understood. In Emily’s interview, she said, as an adult, we created the family we always wanted. It was difficult growing up with no father, and raised by a single mom with no money. We flashed back to Emily saying that everything she’d done, she’d done because she needed to prove herself worthy. She told us, as a mom, you want more for your children than you had; a safe, healthy, secure home, a mom and dad that care about each other. She told their guests that they always did a theme for their family photos, and this year they were doing a wedding photo. In her interview, she said they’d gotten married in Vegas, and Shane’s youngest was two. She’d had a tantrum, and there were no photos. She thought vow renewals were cursed, and we flashed back to Vicki, Shannon, and Braunwyn’s ceremonies. Shane pointed out that his sister Shireen did it and they were still married. In her interview, Emily said she’d wanted to do a vow renewal, but she and Shane weren’t good at the ten year mark. We flashed back to that, and she said they’d been through the trenches. She told everyone that she was starting a new trend, wedding photo redo. They toasted to family, and a long, happy life.

Noella and mom Nancy talked while Noella was doing her makeup. In Noella’s interview, she said they’d gotten the sad news that her father had passed away. He was in the home he loved in Hawaii, and was alone. They’d received a letter from his executor saying he’d passed. She told Nancy that he’d have preferred it that way to being in a hospital hooked up on machines. Nancy said he’d never gotten to meet his grandkids, and in her interview, Noella said she wished her son had gotten to meet her father. She didn’t have many regrets, but she regretted that. She could have made it happen, but she was protective, She was scared her father would hurt her kids the same way he’d hurt her. She cried, and said, in hindsight, she wished she could have worked through that.

It was time for Gina’s launch party for CaraGala, and she and friend Tatiana got their makeup done. In Gina’s interview, she said Tatiana was happy to see her success. We saw a clip of Tatiana telling Gina that she was proud of her, and it was special that it was happening at her house. Gina thanked Tatiana for extending her home, and Tatiana said everything in Gina’s life was good. Gina said there was only one thing she was nervous about – Shannon. Shannon wrote out a card for Gina, saying she wished Gina nothing but complete success. Gina told Tatiana, if Shannon could table it and show up for her, it would make her a bigger person. Tatiana wondered if Shannon could make it through the whole night, and Gina said it depended on much time she spent at the bar. There was an amazing spread, champagne, and tchotchkes, In her interview, Gina said looking around at all the people who love and want to support her put things in perspective. Her parents came in from out of town, and Travis was there. Matt and Britt would have come, but they had all the kids. Heather gifted Gina with the cutest Chanel makeup bag that was a memory of their trip, and Gina said Heather’s friendship meant a lot. Emily told Noella that she was so sorry, and explained to Heather than Noella’s father had died. Ryne did not bring Mr. Puppers, which was disappointing. There was a portrait of Gina on display, and Gina said if Shannon wanted to put a pin in it, it was a large bullseye.  We saw a clip of Gina on the phone to Shannon, saying she’d like Shannon there if she could be supportive. If she felt that was something she wanted to do and could do, she’d love to have her. She told Emily and Tatiana, it wasn’t like she enjoyed hurting people’s feelings; she recognized she’d said some mean things. They agreed it wasn’t Gina’s style, and Emily said they all had their bad moments. Noella thanked Emily for her text, and we saw Emily had said if Noella wanted to go to the funeral, she’d go with her. There were lots of congratulations.

Shannon arrived bearing a gift, which I might be tempted to check for a boobytrap. Gina said she wasn’t sure if Shannon would come, but Shannon said she was a loyal friend. Gina opened the gift, and it was a glass butterfly, which Shannon said was lucky; it was symbolic. Heather told Noella that she was sorry to hear about her father, and Noella said he meant so much to so many people. His family was from Carmel, so she wanted to do something there. Heather gave a toast to him, and Noella thanked Jen for the flowers, adding that Jen still had her blocked on Instagram. In Jen’s interview, she said she wouldn’t let history get in the way of her sympathizing with Noella about her father dying, but she didn’t need tagging on Instagram. Gina’s mom thanked Shannon for getting Gina that lawyer three years ago, and in her interview, Shannon said she’d done something nice; she wasn’t crazy. Like the two were exclusive. Heather told the women that she and Terry were taking a trip to Cabo, where they were going to just eat, drink, and have hotel sex. Jen says she and Ryne had hotel sex last night, and all the women high-fived Ryne, even though he didn’t know why.

It was time for Gina’s speech, and she said, it was special to have everybody around her. The last few years had been very hard, and pouring self into CaraGala gave her a sense of purpose. She appreciated Travis supporting and loving her through everything. In her interview, she said she didn’t think she’d feel this whole if Travis hadn’t been a supportive, loving partner. Part of the reason she had confidence was because he helped put her back together. And he was from Orange County; she never would have thought it. A cake with giant sparklers came out, and Emily said she wanted Gina to look in the mirror every day, and say she was a badass boss bitch, because she was. Gina said she was glad they were all here, and Jen said she’d nailed it.

Five days later. Shannon said she didn’t know if Gina really wanted to get along with her, and Gina said she was making an effort. In Heather’s interview, she said, never in her wildest dreams did she think she was about to go to Crazytown.

Next time, the trip to Aspen, Heather tells Noella to shut up, Noella accuses Heather of putting her hands on a crew member, Emily asks why Shannon says negative things about Gina, Shannon questions Emily’s friendship, and Noella is fighting for her sanity.

🐱 Sadly, Andy Cohen told us on Watch What Happens Live tonight, that Dina Manzo’s cat Grandma Wrinkles had passed away. He talked about one of his favorite moments, on the sole WWHL New Year’s Eve show, when Grandma Wrinkles got married to Giggy. He showed a clip, and perhaps even more sadly, I remembered watching that as being one of my favorite New Year’s Eves. I even took pictures.

Giggy & Grandma Wrinkles

🦁 Easing On Down the Road…

Come on by tomorrow for soap and whatever tea I can brew up. Until then, stay safe, stay setting your own bar high, and stay remembering, at the end of the day, you don’t tell people who you are, you show them.

February 23, 2022 – Maxie’s Ordeal Finally Ends, No OC, Isaac’s Fave, Salty Talk, Reaction, Paternity, a Tease, Blank Slate, Sloth Fun & Mary

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Anna and Drew approach Felicia’s car, guns drawn. The car is empty, and Drew says, it looks like there’s an abandoned car with no damage. Maybe this car crashed, and the other one stopped to help? She says, or that one ran this one off the road, and he says, maybe Maxie’s running away from Peter.

On the embankment, Peter tells Maxie, he doesn’t have much time. Someone picked up his trail. Now climb back up here… Now. She tells him to hear her. She would rather die than go one more step with him. So go ahead, pull the trigger. But when he does, it’s the end of telling himself there’s one shred of goodness left in him, or that he can turn his life around. If he’s going to kill her because she doesn’t love him, admit he’s a monster. He says, she was supposed to save him. Instead, she abandoned him. This is all her fault. Felicia runs out of the woods behind Peter, and whacks him in the head with a tire iron. He tumbles down the embankment, the gun flying from his hand. Maxie goes down the stairs, and says, Peter? She picks up his gun, and tells him that she has it, but he doesn’t move. Felicia asks if he’s dead, but Maxie says she doesn’t know.

At the hospital, Austin asks if they’ve heard anything about Maxie, but Britt says, nothing yet. He says, if it ends up Maxie gets hurt because of something he’s done, he’s never going to be able to live with himself. Brook walks up with Chase, and she says, he thinks this is his fault? She should have known. What did he do now?

Sonny goes into Charlie’s, and sits at the bar. Bartender Johnny says he hates to disappoint, but Phyllis isn’t here. Sonny says he’s sorry to miss Phyllis, but he’s not here for her. He’s here for that. He points to the scotch, and says, scotch, single-malt, make it a double.

Sasha sits in Kelly’s, working, and Nina runs into Lucy outside. Lucy fans herself (with an actual fan) and says, isn’t this warm day absolutely glorious? They could have the meeting outside if they wanted to. Nina says she thinks that might be pushing it, but it’s nice not to have a coat and gloves. She suggests they go inside, saying, maybe they have air conditioning. Lucy grabs Nina’s arm, and says she really wants to talk to Nina first. Nina asks if they can talk inside; Sasha’s waiting. Lucy says, Sasha’s what she wants to talk about.

Mac is on the phone, when Robert walks into his room. Robert asks who he’s talking to, and Mac says he’s trying to reach Felicia. He should have known better than to think she’d be okay with standing on the sidelines, when Maxie’s missing with Peter. Come on, Felicia, pick up.

Felicia asks if Peter is breathing, but Maxie says she can’t tell. Felicia comes down the stairs, and takes Peter’s gun from Maxie. Anna calls to Maxie, and asks if she’s all right. She asks Felicia what she’s doing here, and Drew runs down to check Peter’s pulse. Drew says, he’s still alive, and Anna asks what Felicia is doing here. Drew says, he’s barely breathing, and Peter groans. Anna, Felicia, and Drew keep their guns on him.

Brando says, it’s good to see Sonny, and sits next to him. Sonny says, is it? and Brando asks if everything is okay. Sonny asks if Brando wants to join him in a drink, and Brando says, okay. Sonny says he was going to call Brando, but then lost track of time, but Brando says Sonny doesn’t have to check in. After everything that went down with Liam, it’s about as well as can be expected. Sonny doesn’t need to keep tabs on him. Sonny says Brando isn’t an obligation. He’s family, and family takes care of each other when times are tough. They remind you that you’re not alone. Brando says, in that case, this family thing’s a two-way street. If Sonny ever needs to talk… Sonny says he had a bad day, but Brando has a lot on his plate; losing Liam, and Sasha pulling away from him. Brando says he did make a little progress on that front. He and Sasha actually talked. Now he’s hopeful they’ll still have a future together.

A woman comes up to Sasha’s table, and says she hasn’t seen Sasha in ages. Sasha says, hi, Sienna. She tells Sienna hat she’s really been busy with work, and Sienna says, busy, huh? If Sasha needs anything… Sasha says, no thanks; she doesn’t do that anymore. Sienna says, no worries, but if Sasha ever needs a little pick-me-up to help her with all that work, Sasha’s got her number. Sasha thanks her, and Sienna goes to the counter.

Nina says, what’s wrong with Sasha? Other than the obvious, she’s grieving over the loss of her baby. Lucy says, yeah, that’s just it. This meeting she called. It’s after hours, and Sasha called her yesterday and made her pitch. She told Sasha it was really unnecessary. They can’t move ahead with the IPO until Maxie is found, so there’s really nothing new to discuss. Except maybe she should be cuddling up to Martin right now, instead of discussing new marketing strategy. Nina says, this is what she was afraid of. Sasha throwing herself into work so she doesn’t drown in grief over losing Liam.

Brook says, after everything she and Maxie did to keep Maxie’s daughter safe, Austin blows it by buddying up to Victor Cassadine? Austin says, he didn’t buddy up. He’s not buddies with that guy, and Brook has no right to judge him after everything she’s done. She lies so much, he’s surprised she and Victor aren’t buddies and BFFs. Chase suggests taking it down a notch, and Britt agrees. They’re all stressed and worried about Maxie. The two of them sniping at each other doesn’t help. Brook says, Britt’s right. Now is not the time. Austin agrees, and says, the only thing that matters is Maxie getting home safe.

Drew says, if Peter doesn’t get medical attention soon, he’s not going to make it. He realizes it’s not going to be a great loss; he’s just saying. Anna says she’ll take care of it, and steps away. Peter says, Maxie… and Drew says, you, shut up, and steps in front of the women. He tells Peter, shut up and stay still. They’re calling him an ambulance, believe it or not. Peter croaks out, Maxie, please wait.

Sonny raises his glass, and says, to things getting better for Brando. Brando clinks his beer bottle against Sonny’s glass, and thanks him. Sonny says, he knows what it’s like to lose a child, but at least Brando has Sasha to lean on. Brando says he’s trying to, but like he said, he wants to be there for Sonny too. He asks if this is about Carly, and Sonny says, this? indicating his glass. He hasn’t had a great day. He was with Carly the last part of the day, with her attorney and his attorney to hammer out a deal. They’re getting a divorce. He doesn’t want it; she wants it. She wants to cut her losses. The only thing she wants from the marriage is the house by the lake, and joint custody of Donna. He’s going to spend time with Avery at the penthouse, so they’re going to see less of each other, and Avery, all because their dad messed up. Brando says, they know Sonny loves them, and Sonny asks how Brando knows that. Brando says he’s seen Sonny with them; it’s pretty obvious. Sonny says, you should never assume the person you love knows how you feel, and drains his glass. He says, like Brando and Sasha. He’s glad they talked. What’s next? When is Brando going to see her again? Brando says, they hadn’t really talked about anything, and Sonny turns to him with a smile, and says, Brando has to change that. They’re making progress, and Brando has to show her how much he loves her.

Nina and Lucy sit with Sasha, and Nina says, she’s intrigued. What was so urgent, it couldn’t wait until tomorrow? Sasha says she knows they’re in a holding pattern with the IPO, but they have to be ready to hit the ground running once Maxie is back. Nina says, Sasha… but Sasha barrels on, saying, she has some ideas, but they’re more of a jumping off point. She hands them some folders.

Chase and Brook come into Mac’s room with Louise/Bailey, and Brook asks if anyone is up for a visit. Chase says, they tried driving her around to get her to sleep, but no dice, so they brought her here for a visit. Mac says he’s always thrilled to see his granddaughter, and introduces Robert to his great-niece Louise. Brook says, for right now, she responds to Bailey. They’re trying to call her Louise from time to time. (Here’s a suggestion. How about calling her Bailey/Louise for a while?) Robert says, look at that face; she looks just like Maxie. Brook says, she does, doesn’t she? and Chase says, speaking of which, have they heard any news? Mac says, not yet, and Brook asks, where’s Felicia? Mac says, that’s a very good question.

Peter whimpers Maxie’s name, and she asks if he’s wanting her sympathy. She strides over to him, saying, five minutes ago, he tried to kill her. All he’s done is leave a trail of destruction and broken lives. Liesl paid for his crimes; Drew lost two years of his life. Jason and Franco are dead thanks to him. It’s his turn now, and he deserves it. Peter says, please believe him. He never wanted this to happen. Drew says, he’s so wrong. Maxie is so far out of his reach; so is his child. He doesn’t get it. He survived this, and he’s going to spend the rest of his life in a cell, which Drew has to admit he finds kind of fitting. He knows Peter will have it so much better than he and Jason did, when they were in captivity, but they knew they were innocent. They had lives to come back to. Peter has nothing. He did it to himself. There’s nobody left to care about him. Nobody. Anna comes back, and says, medics are on the way, and asks if everybody is all right. Drew says, yeah, and she tells him to lead Felicia and Maxie up to the road. Felicia asks if she’s in trouble, but Anna says, no; they’ll sort it out. It was self-defense. She was saving her daughter’s life. Peter whimpers to Maxie that he’s scared, but Maxie says she’s leaving. She, Felicia, and Drew go up the stairs, and Peter says, Maxie, please. They leave, and Anna stays behind. Peter says, it’s just you and me, and Anna says, yeah. Just the two of us.

Lucy says she’s impressed, and Nina says, her too. Obviously, Sasha has been putting in a lot of hours and research. Lucy’s phone rings, and she says, it’s Marty, and asks if they’ll excusez-moi. She says she’ll be right back, and leaves. Nina says she had no idea Sasha knew so much about IPOs, but Sasha says she didn’t until recently. It’s amazing how much information you can get online. Nina says she hasn’t seen Brando around much lately. How’s he doing? Sasha says, she’s been avoiding him… but not anymore. They had a good talk. Even though seeing Brando makes her think about Liam, she knows Brando needs her, and she wants to be there for him. She loves Brando, and doesn’t want to lose him too.

Brando tells Sonny that he and Sasha grieve differently, and he doesn’t want to push her into something she’s not ready for. Sonny says he doesn’t want Brando to push her, but he has to let her know he wants to get together. It’s not good to be alone. Brando says, Sasha told him that she’s been avoiding him because she can’t look at him without being reminded of Liam. Sonny says, they need a change of scenery. Brando’s got to take her out of town, someplace romantic, and let her know how great they are together. He’s got a place in Niagara Falls; he’ll hook Brando up. Brando says, he likes the sound of that, but Sasha might not be feeling romantic. Sonny says, if Brando thinks she’s slipping away, he has to keep her close, because time apart is not good for anyone. Brando can trust him on that.

Peter asks if Anna is staying with him to gloat, but she says he’s her responsibility. She protected him when she believed that he could change. He says she’s always been so soft-hearted, and she says she does try to find the good in people – she crouches down next to him – even though some people don’t have any good in them. They embrace their evil tendencies until it controls them. He’s so like his father. Obsessed, entitled, convinced that he can just take whatever he wants. While he’s still alive, Maxie and Louise can never truly feel safe. He says she didn’t call the ambulance, did she? and she says, no, there’s no ambulance coming. She did, however, call the WSB to tell them that he’d been apprehended. She made it clear that the location wasn’t secure, and they shouldn’t approach. He says, so, a killer in the end, but she says, it depends on your perspective. He says, so now what? She walks away and leaves him to die? She says, no one deserves to die alone, not even him. She does hope wherever he winds up, he finds some measure of peace. He lifts his hand as much as he can, and she takes it. He breathes his last, and she cries a little, and says she’s sorry. She closes his eyes, and checks his pulse. She cries a little more, and says, it’s over. Goodbye, Peter. She goes up the stairs, and Peter lies in the snow.

Brook asks Chase, can you believe it? All that driving around, and she’s still awake. Mac’s phone rings, and he says, it’s Felicia. He asks if she’s all right, and she says she’s fine, and much more important, she found Maxie. She’s fine. He says, thank God, and Brook says, what does that mean? Did she find Maxie? Mac says he’s going to put Felicia on speaker. Brook’s here and so is Robert. Can she repeat what she just said? Felicia says, she found Maxie, and they’re both fine. Someone wants to say hello. She gives the phone to Maxie, who asks, how’s Louise? Mac says, she’s three feet away from him in her stroller. He holds out the phone, and says, look, Brook and Chase are here. Brook says she’s so glad Maxie is okay, and Chase says, her daughter is safe and sound, and she’s going to be thrilled to see her. Robert says, this is great news, but he has to ask the big question. What happened to Peter? Chase says, please don’t tell him Peter got away again, but Maxie says, for once, Peter did not get away. Mac asks what that means, and Maxie says, Peter was about to shoot her, and mom attacked him with a tire iron. Mac says, that bastard didn’t hurt her, but she says she’s fine. Anna is with him. She called an ambulance and they’re waiting to go to the hospital. Robert says, she means he’s still alive? and Maxie says, for now. He’s badly injured, and might not make it.

Sonny looks at Carly’s name in his phone contacts, and says, bad idea. He tells Johnny, another one, and Johnny says, got it.

Brando comes into Kelly’s, and approaches Sasha’s table. He says, sorry to interrupt. He sees they’re having a work meeting. Nina says, Sasha wanted to talk about some issues tonight, and Sasha says, they were just wrapping things up. Lucy says, we were? We were… just wrapping things up. Good to see him. What a good meeting; they got a lot done, didn’t they? Okay, ta. She leaves, and Nina says she’s going too. She tells Sasha to call if she needs to talk, and says, it’s nice to see Brando. She leaves, and he sits down. He says he can really clear a room, and Sasha says she’s happy to see him. He says, good. It gives him some hope… that she’ll agree to run away with him.

Drew says Felicia and Maxie have to take him through what happened. How did they find each other? Maxie says, it’s all thanks to her mom. She remembered a place Peter loved, a place he was sent in his summers away from boarding school. She caught a plane to Europe to check it out. Felicia says, meanwhile, Maxie ran away from Peter. She made it to the road and flagged down a car. Maxie says she was obviously surprised to find the driver was her mom, and Felicia says, they headed to the Autobahn, when suddenly she saw headlights in the rearview mirror. They were getting closer and closer. Drew says, Peter, and Felicia says, he ran her car off the road. Maxie says she thought her mom was hurt, and wanted to lead Peter away from her, so she went to the embankment. Felicia says, she wasn’t hurt. She just had the wind knocked out of her from the airbag. But once she caught her breath, she grabbed a tire iron from the trunk. She went down to the embankment, heard gunfire, and there was Peter, ready to shoot her daughter, and she did not hesitate for one second. She swung that tire iron as hard as she could. She doesn’t think she’s ever hit anything as hard in her entire life. Peter went down the embankment, and Drew knows the rest. Anna comes out of the woods, and asks if everything is all right. Maxie says, the ambulance hasn’t gotten here yet. What’s going on with Peter? Anna puts her hands on Maxie’s shoulders, and says, Peter is dead. Maxie asks if she’s sure, and Anna says she watched him take his last breath. She holds Maxie, and I wonder if Peter is going to be like Michael Myers and disappear.

Brook tells Britt, Austin, and Obrecht, good news. They found Maxie; they’re all safe. Austin says, that’s great, and Brook says, it sounds like Peter put Maxie through quite the ordeal, but the most important thing is, she’s not hurt. Britt asks, what about Peter? Is he in custody? Chase joins them, and says, after Brook left, they got word. Peter August is dead. Britt asks if he’s sure; they’ve heard this before. He says, Anna confirmed it to Mac, and Brook says, thank God it’s over. Obrecht says, this calls for a celebration. Does Britt have any libations in her office? Britt says, the bottom left in the credenza, and Obrecht jets.

Sasha asks Brando, run away together; what does that mean? He says, Sonny knows a place in Niagara Falls, and offered it to them if they wanted to get away for a few days. Just the two of them. If that’s too much, they could maybe get a B&B in Beecher’s Corners. They don’t have to talk about Liam. He just misses them, and was hoping they could reconnect, going someplace new where they don’t have any memories. They could just focus on the here now, rather than the past. She says, let’s do it, and he says, that’s fantastic. Which option interests her most, the grand majesty of Niagara Falls, or a cozy B&B? She asks if he has a preference, but he says he’s thrilled either way. She spaces out for a moment, and he says, Sasha? She says, let’s go to Niagara Falls.

Sonny makes a call, and gets Nina’s voicemail. He says, it’s me. Does that mean Sonny or Mike? Sonny’s not doing too good these days, so Mike might be a better option for her. He knows how much she loves Mike. Damn. He’s being stupid right now. It’s him, good or bad, and it’s not really good right now. He’s at Charlie’s. Where is she? He just needs to talk to somebody, and they always had nice talks. He just wants to say… He looks at the phone, and says he doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing.

On the phone, Robert says, she was there at the end, right? and Anna says she did what she had to do. He says, that guy’s plagued this town for far too long, and she says she’s got to go. She’s got to call Valentin and break the news to him. Robert says, if she really must. Obrecht comes by with a bottle and some cups, and he asks what she wants. She says he must have heard, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and he says, they both despise Peter. She asks if he wants to join her celebration, and he takes a cup.

Austin says, Britt shared her feelings about Peter with him, all the things he’s done, but he’s still her brother. So, checking in. Is she doing okay? She says, Peter made her life hell, just like he did everyone else, and honestly, what she’s feeling most is relief. Relief in knowing her father’s demented bloodline dies with Peter. He says, no kids for her then, huh?

Felicia asks if she can talk to Anna for a second. She knows Anna well enough to recognize when she’s holding something back. Anna says, she didn’t call the ambulance. She needed to know he was dead. It’s unlikely he wouldn’t have survived even if they got here in time, but she hopes Felicia understands. Felicia says she hopes Anna knows that she 100% thinks she did the right thing. Anna says she doesn’t know if it was right, but it was necessary. Felicia says, at one point, Anna cared about Peter; they all did. Does she regret his death now? Anna says, what she thinks she regrets is that she couldn’t figure out a way to stop him sooner. She thinks the Peter she cared for, that at one time she believed was her son, never really existed. Felicia says, he hurt too many people, and too many people are dead because of him. But now, because of Anna – Anna says, us – this nightmare is finally over.

Chase gets a bag of chips from the vending machine, and gives them to Brook. She thanks him, and says she’s so relieved Maxie is okay, she didn’t realize she hadn’t eaten all day. She’s starving. She tells him to take some; he’s probably hungry too. They eat, and he says, it’s good seeing her this happy. She says she’s ecstatic. Peter’s finally gone. Maxie can finally tell the whole world Bailey is her daughter. He says, it’s going to be hard for her to let Bailey go, and she says, when she gave Bailey to Felicia, she was a wreck. It’s going to be hard not to see that beautiful little face every day, but that was the whole point, to keep Bailey safe. Now Maxie can raise her daughter without being concerned Peter will take her away. How can she not be happy about that? He says, part of the reason this whole scheme worked is that people thought the worst of Brook; that she’d lie about her baby’s paternity to get her stock back. He can’t wait for people to know the truth, and see what a noble gesture it really was. She asks what that look is for, and he says, she’s really incredible. She says, he had a lot to do with this scheme too, and he says he knows. They made a good team. He kisses her, and she drops the chips.

Anna says, Dante’s already at the airport, so they can meet him there, and Felicia says, that’s it? There isn’t going to be any police investigation? Anna says, the Bureau has agreed to be a liaison with the Swiss authorities, so they can give their statements on the plane. Maxie says, they’re going home? It’s really over? Anna says, she knows in the past, Peter has survived and haunted them again, but he didn’t make it this time. So let’s go. The cars are here and ready to take them to the airport. Maxie says, when she and Brook made this plan, to hide Louise in plain sight, she could only imagine this moment. She can’t believe this is happening. She cries happy tears, and says, they’re finally safe. Felicia says, she can bring Louise home, and she can finally meet Georgie and James. They hug, and Maxie says she can’t believe this is happening. Felicia mouths thank you to Anna, and Anna smiles at Drew.

Robert says, so Henrik Faison is finally dead, and Mac says, and Felicia’s the one who took him out. Robert says, because he was trying to shoot Maxie, and Mac says, she’d do anything to protect her daughter. Robert says, still. He didn’t see this one coming. Mac says, him either, and tells Louise, you know what means? Her mom will be home soon.

Britt says, kids aren’t part of her future, and Austin says, you never know. She says she’s pretty sure, and tells him, he knows what this means. Maxie might be back in Port Charles tomorrow. He says, looks that way, and she says, the threat of Peter is finally over. He says, Maxie can finally be a mother to Louise, and Britt says, Maxie can go back to her life. He says he’s not sure what she means, and she says, disingenuous is not a good look for him. What’s going to happen when he sees Maxie again?

Brook says, that’s one way to celebrate good news, and Chase says, in a good way, right? She says, look at the mess she made, and starts picking up the chips. He says, let him help, and she says, it’s been quite the day. He says, they should probably get Bailey home, and she says, she’s glad Maxie’s going to be okay. Still, it’s going to be their last night as Bailey’s parents.

Brando and Sasha leave Kelly’s, and he says he’s so glad Sonny suggested Niagara Falls. It’s going to be really good for them to get away; just him and her. She kisses him, and says, she’s never been; it’s supposed to be spectacular. He asks her to text him when she gets home so he knows she’s safe. She says she will, and he leaves. She debates internally for a millisecond, and goes back inside Kelly’s. She sits next to Sienna at the counter, and Sienna says, she thought Sasha left. Sasha says, she changed her mind about what Sienna offered earlier. She definitely needs something to get her through the next few days.

Sonny gets off the barstool, and Johnny asks if he can call Sonny a car, but Sonny says he’s fine. Johnny goes back to work, and Sonny takes out his keys. He says, it’s not that far; he can drive. Nina comes in, and he smiles at her.

Tomorrow, Nina tells Sonny, they have to stop meeting like this; Maxie says it’s her turn to do something for Brook; Anna tells Robert, it’s not something she’s proud of; and Carly asks if Ava really wants to test the flavor of the month against her.

❗️ Surprise! No new RHOC tonight. They had last week’s episodes with bonus scenes, or what I call a cheap show. I definitely felt ripped off, since I’d just seen all that. The only thing of any value was Emily talking about her sister, since I didn’t know she had one.

🛥 On Watch What Happens Live, Isaac Mizrahi said Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip was the best show he’d ever watched in his life. Clearly, he needs a Netflix subscription.

🧂 Extra Salt…

The RHOSL recap.

The denial.

The blame game.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1320381/lisa-barlow-storms-off-set-after-slamming-rhoslc-producers-in-season-2-reunion-trailer

Maybe she can get time served for being on the show.

https://www.distractify.com/p/jen-shah-jail-time

🍤 Warning, Warning…

I remember Bethenny having a severe fish allergy. She gives some simple, but good advice here.

https://people.com/health/bethenny-frankel-had-medical-emergency-accidentally-eating-fish/

🍼 He Manned Up…

Here was a boatmance that never should have happened.

⛵️ Can’t See It…

Kate and Ben had a love/hate relationship too, but them I can see. I don’t know what to make of these two.

💃🏽 Not Much To Know…

An article on DWTS loaded with no information whatsoever.

https://parade.com/1339394/mikebloom/dancing-with-the-stars-2022-season-31/

🦥 On a Slow Note…

Something to make you smile.

🚪 Sneaking Out the Back Door…

I guess it must be President’s Week, since Bravo has nothing new tomorrow either. Although an episode of Galley Talk (always fun!) can be seen at 8 pm, followed by America’s Got Talent: Extreme, whatever the hell that is. I can only imagine. If you’re so inclined, you can join me tomorrow for soap and whatever the hell I can dig up. Until then, stay safe, stay knowing the difference between being honest and being mean, and stay never assuming the person you love knows how you feel.

November 4, 2021 – Ned Gets a Surprise, Ark Artistry, Flowers On the Runway, Flashes, Too Kind, More Costumes & Papa

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

On the phone, Ava says the artist was very pleased with their offer… If they send the payment, she’ll ship the piece to Paris… Yes. Au revoir. Nikolas walks in, and she asks to what she owes this pleasure. He says, after their separation, does he really need a reason to see his lovely wife? She says, that’s very romantic… and a little suspect. Might he be covering an ulterior motive? Shawn comes in, and Nikolas thanks him for coming, and tells Ava that he and Shawn have some business to discuss. Can they use her back room? She says, it’s all his, and asks if there’s anything she can do to facilitate. He says she already has by lending them the room. They shouldn’t be long. He kisses her, and goes in the back with Shawn, but I don’t think she’s buying what he’s selling.

Harmony asks Alexis if she can help with anything before she goes, and Alexis looks at Ryan, and says, maybe she could take the psychopath back to his room. Harmony says, sorry, but Ryan has another hour. But since Alexis is uncomfortable with him, maybe she should reconsider their earlier conversation. Alexis asks if she means Nikolas’s offer to have the governor pardon her. She thinks she should be done with making deals with the devil. Spencer comes in, along with Esme wearing a work uniform, and asks which devil they’re talking about.

Trina is looking at her tablet when Ned walks in. He says, wow. Those photos are beautiful. Where did they come from? She says, it’s called the Photo Ark Project, and he says he’s heard of it. He asks if National Geographic isn’t responsible for creating it, and she says, Joel Sartore is the photographer and a National Geographic explorer. His mission is to document every species living under human care. Ned says, that’s incredible. How many species has he already documented? She says, he just reached twelve thousand. He’s been doing it for fifteen years. He says, that’s a great idea. He imagines a lot of the species are endangered, and she says she’s afraid so, but she knows he didn’t come there to gush about the Photo Ark. How can she help him? He says he’s looking for a last minute gift for Olivia, and Trina asks if he forgot her birthday. He says, this is more of a gesture of goodwill. He hopes. (See more on The Photo Ark below.)

Olivia stumbles around behind the bar at the MetroCourt, when Robert comes in. She yells, Robert! and he asks if she’s okay. She says she’s great.

Dante walks into the hospital, and tells Epiphany that they got a call about an assault victim. Does she know anything about that? She says, a man was found beaten and brought to the hospital, and he asks if they have an ID. She says, Joseph Novak. He’s in ICU; it was a severe beating. He nearly died.

Curtis tells Portia that he doesn’t like the idea of this man going around Port Charles, and asking her and TJ questions about him, or working Nika at his club. Something’s not right if he won’t talk to Curtis himself. Portia says she was worried about Cyrus, but it could be something more commonplace. Maybe he owns a competing nightclub, and he’s checking out Curtis’s strengths and weaknesses. He says, something about him seems familiar, but definitely not from hanging out here at the club. Sam comes in, and asks if he always keeps his door unlocked when he’s closed, and he tells her, welcome back. She says she wanted to tell him what she found out about Drew.

Valentin is looking at photos of Charlotte on his phone, when Anna brings Victor in. Valentin says, hello, Victor. Or should he call him dad?

Olivia throws her arms around Robert, saying, she’s so happy to see him. He says, tell him she didn’t drive, and she says she took a car from The Savoy. She knows she left her phone back here. She was  going to find it and… who cares about her. He’s here. Did he catch Peter? And did he find Maxie’s baby? He says, found Peter, lost him again, couldn’t find Louise. She says she’s so sorry, and starts to guzzle his drink, but he takes it away. He asks, what about her? Leave nothing out, and remember she doesn’t have to drink herself sideways to feel good. She says, it’s Ned. They’ve tried. They’ve tried everything, but she’s afraid things between them are worse than ever.

Ava tells Ned, what a pleasant surprise. Is he in the market for some artwork? Trina says, he’s looking for a gift for his wife, and he says he knows you can’t buy forgiveness. Ava says, but you can sure as hell try. Has he looked around? Has he seen anything Olivia might like? She suggests Trina show him the pieces they have that aren’t displayed, and she says she was showing Ned the Photo Ark Project. He says, the collaboration with National Geographic. The photographer, Joel Sartore, is documenting every species living in captivity. Look at the photos; they’re incredible. Ava looks at the tablet, and says, they are, and Trina says, he’s been to wildlife sanctuaries and zoos all over the world. Ned says, the photographer is using it to bring awareness to conservation across the globe, and Ava says, it’s wonderful work, but what does it have to do with the gallery? Trina says, Ava has been encouraging her to put together an art exhibit of her own for extra credit in art class. What if she organizes an exhibit at the gallery hosting the Photo Ark Project?

Alexis tells Spencer, she and Harmony were just talking about ethics, and asks if it isn’t a little late for a visit. Esme says she’s volunteering at Spring Ridge; it’s part of her course work at PCU. Spencer says, Esme is thinking of being a psyche major, so she’s going to be working with some of the patients here. Alexis says, great, and Esme says, for her night shift, the best boyfriend in the world offered to drive her to work. Spencer says he did have an ulterior motive. He wanted a few minutes with his Aunt Alexis before visiting hours are over. Esme tells Harmony, the warden said Harmony would show her the ropes, and Harmony says she was just about to clock off… but, sure. She’ll show Esme around. They leave and Alexis asks, what happened to Spencer’s hand? He says, espresso shots can be hazardous, and she says, he’s pulling his own espresso shots? He says, it wasn’t for him. He’s working at Kelly’s. She laughs, and says, he has a job… at Kelly’s? He says, it’s a bit of a long story, and she says, it’s either him or Dostoyevsky. They sit, and she says, lay it on her.

Shawn tells Nikolas, no wires or microphones. Not that they’d work here; this place is like Fort Knox. Nikolas says that’s why he suggested Ava’s gallery. The security measures insure complete privacy. Has Shawn given any more thought to their conversation the other day? Shawn says, the deal for his silence? and Nikolas says, half a million dollars; it’s just an opening bid. Shawn says, Hayden may have made her peace with Nikolas trying to kill her, but she wasn’t the only victim here. He’s not talking about his years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Nikolas asks what he’s talking about, and Shawn says, Naomie Dreyfuss. Nikolas killed her to make sure he and Sam never found Hayden.

Anna tells the guard she’s got it covered, and he leaves. Valentin says he doesn’t need Anna to stay, but she says she’s not leaving him alone with a megalomaniac. He says he doesn’t need her to babysit him; he can handle it himself. She says she’s sure she can, but she’s still not leaving him alone. Victor says, my oh my, you can cut the sexual tension with a knife, and Anna tells him to get over himself. The only reason he’s there and not the Hague is that the Bureau wants to keep him close to Anna during her investigation. Victor says, in case he cracks. The Bureau’s wasting its time. Valentin suggests not wasting anyone’s time. If Victor wants to make a deal with the Bureau without his and Anna’s help, he can forget that. He needs to help them find Peter and bring him to justice.

Robert pushes a cup of coffee toward Olivia, and says it will help her feel better, but she pushes it back. She says he has to promise everything she’s told him is in the cone of silence; not even Monica knows this. He says he’s a former Bureau agent. He knows when to keep his trap shut. Sorry to hear about Leo though. She says, there’s nothing to be sorry about. Leo is just fine. He’s got his own interests, his own way of being. It’s Ned who’s convinced Leo is on the spectrum after having one conversation with this stupid doctor who isn’t even an autism specialist. Plus, he’s trying to sue the Quartermaines for stocks of ELQ. Plus, broke doctor/patient confidentiality when he went blabbing his mouth all over to Brook. Robert says, sounds like a real keeper, and she says she knew he would understand. There’s no way her son has autism. He says, she knows how he feels about her husband, but he does love Leo, and looks upon that boy like he’s his own. Is it possible his concerns are worth at least a follow-up? She says, if she thought there was any chance that her son actually had something wrong with him, does Robert not think she’d make an appointment with a specialist? He says she knows her son, and they’re very close. She asks if Robert thinks they’re too close. Is he saying she smothers him? He says, it’s called loving your child. He loves his daughter, but he doesn’t smother her. She says, maybe she’s just seeing what she wants to see, and he asks why she’s telling him this and not Ned?

Trina says, the photographer’s on tour to support his new book, Photo Art Wonders. Mr. Sartore free in two weeks, but for one day only. Then he’s not available for at least a year. Ava says she loves Trina’s enthusiasm, and that she wants to spearhead her own project, but she doesn’t think it’s going to be feasible. Trina says she checked the gallery’s calendar, and they’re not hosting any events in those two weeks, but Ava says, the event would have to be underwritten. She doesn’t think it’s possible to find someone to bankroll that kind of event on such short notice. Ned says, how about him? Geez, how about Nikolas? He has more money than God.

Dante asks if Joey has said anything, but Epiphany says he’s still unconscious. A good Samaritan found him at Van Nyes, and called 9-1-1. Dante wonders what he was doing there, and she says, it’s a shortcut to the Harbor View district. A lot of nightlife has sprung up there recently. He says, like The Savoy.

Curtis says, so there never was a plane crash, and Drew’s been alive this whole time, and Sam says, alive, and being held in a compound on the island of Crete. But by the time they got there, Anna and Robert had seen Peter shoot Drew, and Drew fell into the sea. The WSB and the investigators searched for him, but there was no sign of him. If she’d only gotten there sooner… Portia says she hears what ifs from her patients all the time. Looking back doesn’t change anything. The only thing you can do, is think about what you can do now. Sam says she has to talk to Scout, but Portia says, she doesn’t have to talk to Scout immediately. Nothing is going to change overnight. She doubts Peter is going to come back to Port Charles, knowing she, Dante, and Anna are looking for him. Why doesn’t she take this time to think about this? She’s the parent; she controls the narrative.

Victor agrees Peter needs to be brought to justice, but unfortunately, Peter’s whereabouts are the only leverage he has. Anna says, if Victor is innocent, as he claims, why does he need a deal for immunity? He says he ran the Bureau, remember? Once they have their sights on you, proving your innocence is well-nigh impossible. Valentin says Victor knows what Peter’s capable of, and Victor says he knows Peter needs to be stopped, but he also has to look out for his own interests. Valentin says, his daughters are potential targets. If Victor is telling the truth, they’re his granddaughters. Anna says, and if he’s Valentin’s father, wouldn’t he want to cooperate for the family’s sake? Victor says he didn’t lie about that; he is Valentin’s father. Valentin says, forgive him if he doesn’t jump out of this hospital bed for a celebratory embrace, and Victor says he kind of thought Valentin would. Knowing he’s a Cassadine after all, entitled to all the benefits and curses that come with that bloodline.

Nikolas tells Shawn, he had nothing to do with Naomie Dreyfuss’s death; he thought she killed herself. Shawn says, suicide was ruled out, and it was deemed a homicide, but Nikolas says he’s heard nothing about this. Shawn says, because the case is low priority for the police. It’s bad enough Violet hasn’t seen or heard from her mother in over a year, now she’s lost her grandmother too. Where is the justice in that? Nikolas says he’s not disagreeing with Shawn, but since he had nothing to do with it, he’d rather discuss the matter at hand. Shawn says Nikolas is making a charitable donation for his silence, and Nikolas says his charitable donation to the cause of Shawn’s choice, in exchange for Shawn not ruining his reputation with his baseless accusations. Shawn says he could take Nikolas’s money, but this was never about money for him. Nikolas asks what else he can give Shawn, and Shawn says, Nikolas didn’t want to get his hands dirty doing it himself, so he hired a shooter whose still out there somewhere, free as a bird. Nikolas says, this is all conjecture, and Shawn says, let him conjecture this. Give up who actually fired the gun.

Spencer tells Alexis that Doc paid his bail, but there were conditions, and one of them was that he get a job. She says she’s surprised he didn’t turn right around, and walk back into jail, and Spencer laughs. He says, working at Kelly’s has other benefits too. He needs to get back in his father’s good graces. Did Nikolas tell her that he put Ava in control of his money? She says she heard, and he says he needs to show his father that he’s responsible, and he can never speak ill of Ava again. She says, let her know how that works out, and he says, without access to his trust fund, he can’t hire a decent attorney to defend him. She says, he’s a first time offender. Maybe they can plead him out with a suspended sentence and some public service. He says she could plead him out; his public defender would have to remember his name first. Maybe if he agrees to his father’s terms, his father will pay for an A-list attorney. Alexis flashes back to Nikolas trying to barter for her dropping the investigation in exchange for him getting her a pardon, and she tells Spencer, going to his father is a terrible idea.

Harmony says she should have realized the psyche patients are locked in their cells for the night, and Esme looks at Ryan, and asks if Ryan has special privileges. Harmony says, not really. It’s because he’s immobile no one worries he’ll escape. What exactly drew Esme to working with criminals, mentally ill ones at that? Esme says she believes in the power of redemption; that despite our past sins, we can all do better. Harmony knows that better than anyone, doesn’t she?

Trina hugs Ned, thanking him, and Ava tells him, please don’t feel any pressure to underwrite the exhibition. He says, to be honest, there’s a method to his madness. Olivia is crazy about animals, and if he underwrites the exhibition in her name, it might go a long way to her seeing he’s not such a bad guy. Trina tells Ava that she’s going to reach out to the Photo Ark people right now; maybe they can get a date on the books. She leaves, and Ave says, a generous gift, something unique and timely, will also go a long way in helping his troubled marriage. He takes it she has something in mind, and she says, a small framed piece, something that will look terrific in Olivia’s office at the MetroCourt. The artist is on her way up, and one of these days, her works are going to be worth a fortune. He thanks her, saying, he trusts her judgement. A tip to the bartender, and she should be able to sneak it into Olivia’s office as a surprise

Robert says, Olivia is admitting to him that she thinks there might be some validity to Ned’s concerns, but rather than talk to Ned about it, she continues to push him away. She says, he’s right, and he says, what was that again? She tells him, stop it; he heard exactly what she said. He says, then what’s the problem? and she says, the problem is, she and Ned don’t communicate. They talk, but they don’t talk to each other; they talk at each other. He says, he’s been down that trail, but she says, not with her. She can tell him anything because unlike Ned, he actually listens.  

Valentin says he didn’t invite Victor there to discuss the Cassadine family tree, and Victor says, give him some credit. he managed to protect Valentin from Mikkos. If he’d known for a second that Valentin was Victor’s son with Helena, he would have killed Valentin without hesitation. Valentin says, he would have thought it was Helena’s doing, her sick revenge in getting Mikkos to accept her bastard son as his own. Victor says, Helena saw it as revenge. He saw it as hiding Valentin in plain sight. For what it’s worth (🍷), Valentin was sent away to boarding school in England, got a degree from Oxford, and was accepted into the WSB training program, despite his physical limitations. Valentin says, when he thought he was living his own life, Victor was pulling the strings. Victor says he made sure certain doors were open to Valentin, but if he’d failed, Victor wouldn’t be able to help him. He wasn’t worried. From an early age, Valentin proved himself to be eminently capable. Valentin says Victor is right about that. Peter’s at large. He’s got his father’s contacts and Faison’s money. He’s tried to kill Valentin, and doesn’t like Victor much either. So save himself, and help them find Peter.

Curtis raises his glass, and says, to Drew, a good man. He, Sam, and Portia clink glasses, and Dante walks in. Sam asks what he’s doing there, and Curtis says, they’re closed, but they’re always open for him. They were just raising a glass to Drew. Dante says he’d love to, but unfortunately he’s here on official business. Sam asks, what’s going on? and he says, Joey Novak was found beaten to a pulp about a block away from the club. Witnesses said they saw him here. Sam says, he doesn’t think Curtis… and Dante says, no, he doesn’t, but he has to ask. Where was Curtis tonight after the club closed? Curtis says he was here with Portia; he can show Dante the video footage. Dante says, no, that’s perfect. Did he see Novak there? Curtis says he saw Joey. He had to be escorted out. He was being a nuisance and it’s not the first time. Dante asks what Joey was doing, and Curtis says, the typical routine, being a tough guy. He didn’t have nobody fooled. Dante says, he’s probably just trying to fill his dead uncle’s shoes, and Curtis says, if he is, he’s not bringing any illegal drugs into the club. Dante says, heads up. Novak’s already made one enemy. He doesn’t want it impacting Curtis

Harmony says, Esme’s done her research, and Esme says she always like know more about the people she meets. When she learned she’d be working with Harmony, she did a deep dive. Harmony says she’s not proud of the mistakes she made while she was part of Dawn of Day, and Esme says, she made those mistakes for a cause she believed in, but Harmony says, there was no cause. It was a racket, a shell game. She went looking for answers, someone to connect the dots, someone to show her clarity. Shiloh told her everything she wanted to hear, and when he had her good and hooked, he turned her inside out. He made her his confident, his accomplice. Eventually, she betrayed her ideals and beliefs, and everyone she loved, including her own daughter. If Esme had asked her at that time, she would have said it was for a higher purpose, a greater good, but Dawn of Day was about one thing, feeding David Henry Archer’s ego. Remember that. When someone tells you they have all the answers, that they can fill you up, that they can give you life’s purpose, head for the nearest exit, and don’t look back.

Spencer asks what happened between Alexis and his father? Just a few weeks ago, she was practically begging him to make things right with him. She says, there are aspects of his father’s life he doesn’t want to be accountable for. If he refuses, she thinks Spencer should keep his distance from him. Spencer asks if she cares to be less vague, and she says, what she cares about, is that Spencer avoid becoming just like him.

Nikolas says, there’s a major flaw in Shawn’s theory; where would he even find a hitman? Never mind hiring one. Here’s where, if I was Shawn, I would stare blankly at the camera, since several mob families live in this town. Where wouldn’t you find a hitman? Shawn says Nikolas could try selling that to a jury, but he doesn’t think Nikolas will get far. Nikolas says and Shawn thinks he can sell his fairytale to the police? Shawn says, not him; Dr. Hamilton Finn. He can just go to Finn, and tell him everything he knows. He might be an ex con, but Finn is an esteemed physician, left raising a little girl whose mother suddenly disappeared. He’ll be able to open doors Shawn can’t. He’ll be able to get the authorities to listen. Not even Nikolas’s mother the mayor will be able to get him out of this. All eyes will be on Hayden’s little girl, who cries herself to sleep every night, wondering why mommy left her. Nikolas says he’s sure there are ways he can help clear Shawn’s name, and Shawn says, then they’re agreed. And that charitable donation Nikolas offered? He accepts, but with an extra zero added on the end. Nikolas says that wasn’t their deal, and Shawn says, it was an opening bid. He just raised it. Nikolas says, so it was about the money after all. Shawn says, oh no, but he’ll put it to good use. A pleasure doing business with him. Nikolas tells Shawn, he meant what he said. He had nothing to do with Naomie Dreyfuss’s death. Shawn says, know what? He almost believed Nikolas.

Victor says he’d like to know that Peter is safely locked away, or better yet, that he’s been killed while trying to escape. He’d like to know that he can no longer go after Valentin or his daughters, who are indeed his granddaughters. He’d like to know that miserable excuse for a human being has finally been stopped once and for all. Valentin asks if there’s a catch in there somewhere, and Victor says, there are certain things in this world that are greater than himself or what he wants. He can’t accomplish those things behind bars. Anna asks what the hell that’s supposed to mean.

Robert says, there’s a reason he and Olivia can talk the way they do; they’re friends. Olivia gets up, and says, they’re good friends, and he says she can tell him the depths of her fears. He’s kind of removed from that part of her life. She disagrees. They’ve been friends for a long time. They’ve had a lot of adventures together. Does he remember how Ethan was grilling him about how close they were? Robert says, he saw something that didn’t exist, and she says, what if does? What if everyone else is just seeing something they’re not? She kisses him, and Ned walks in with a painting.

Victor says, despite his personal interest, he can’t help them. He has to think of the bigger picture. Valentin says, spoken like a true Cassadine, self-preserving to the last. Anna tells the guard to get Victor out of there, and Victor says, he’s truly sorry to disappoint Valentin, but Valentin says he didn’t. Victor proved him right, and he likes being right. Victor leaves with the guard, and Valentin tells Anna, sorry to waste your time, darling. She asks if he’s all right.   

Robert tells Olivia that he thinks she’s got the wrong idea. Ned turns Robert around, and punches him in the face.

Spencer promises Alexis, he’ll be nothing like his father, and she tells him not to make promises he can’t keep. She asks him to do her a favor, and get his hand checked out at GH, but he says, it’s really not that serious. She says, unless it gets infected, and he says, if it would make her feel better. She says, it would, and he says, okay, she wins. He gets up, and says, as always, it’s great seeing her. She gets up, and says, she cares about him. Don’t be like the rest of the family. Money isn’t worth compromising over. He says he’ll think about it, but he knows he’ll disappoint Esme. He doesn’t think she signed up to be the girlfriend of a pauper. He leaves, saying goodbye to Esme on the way out.

Trina tells Ava, this is so great. Once she gets a date, she needs to book the caterers, send out invitations, decide on the food, pick out a display… Ava says, first things first. Tell her mother the good news, and do it in person. Trina thanks Ava, saying, she’s the best boss ever. She hugs Ava, and runs off. Nikolas walks back out with Shawn, who keeps walking out the door. Ava asks if Nikolas wants to tell her what that’s all about.

Curtis tells Dante, he showed Joey Novak the door. He escorted Joey out, and his bouncer, escorted his friend right behind him. He told them, do not come back, because you won’t get let in. And that was it. Is there anything else he can help Dante with? Dante says, no. They’re good, but maybe if he could offer some unsolicited advice? Curtis says, only if he doesn’t have to take it, and Dante says, of course (🍷) not. As Curtis knows, he’s running a nightclub, which is mostly a cash business. That element of shadiness is going to try to creep in. It probably won’t be Joey Novak, because he’s not going to be able to walk for a while, but where one showed up, others will follow. Sam looks at Portia, who looks at the sketch.

Olivia launches herself at Ned, and asks what the hell he thinks he’s doing. He says, what about her? and she tells him not to compare an innocent kiss with physical assault. Robert says, he really thinks there’s been… and Ned says, wasn’t it a year ago Robert warned him not to hurt Olivia? He said there was nothing going on between the two of them. Robert says, he can explain, but Olivia says he doesn’t owe Ned any explanations. She and her husband have been separated for almost a year. It doesn’t even feel very right to call him her husband. Ned says he knows he’s the one who screwed up the marriage, but he thought they were both fighting to save it. She says, maybe Ned was just kidding himself, and Ned points to the painting, saying, this is for her. To show how much he loves her. He gets in the elevator, and Olivia removes the wrap to see a painting of a dog. She starts crying, and runs off with the painting.

Anna says, she can’t help but think Victor is playing Valentin. She feels Victor’s claim to be his father is just a way to get him to cooperate. He says, it doesn’t matter what Victor’s motives are; it doesn’t matter if he’s telling the truth. All that matters is that they track down Peter. She says, they’re running out of options. If she doesn’t get another lead on Peter, she’ll have to make a recommendation to the WSB that they give Victor the immunity he wants.

Nikolas says, he told Ava; it was business. She says, he walked in upbeat and confident, and walked out anything but. What sort of business did he have to discuss with Shawn in her back room? He says, he thought Shawn could help him out with a little matter, but it turns out, he couldn’t. She asks if this little matter has anything to do with his Uncle Victor, and that he’s alive and in cahoots with Peter. He says, sometimes business is just that; it’s business. She knows as well as he does, Cassadine Industries has many tentacles that reach into many interests around the world, and sometimes he has to look outside the company for help. He can show her the spreadsheets and the Power Point presentation. She says, no, God no. She’ll take his word for it. She asks if he’s done in the back room, and he says, all done. She says she needs to prepare a painting for a client, and leaves. He takes out his phone, and leaves a message for Victor. He says, he thought Victor would have extracted himself from the WSB by now. Call when he gets this. Nikolas needs to know if he’s responsible for Naomie Dreyfuss’s murder

Trina runs into Spencer as he’s walking into the hospital, and asks if he’s okay. He says he scalded himself pulling an espresso shot, and his aunt insisted he come in to get it checked out. She’s a little bit of a hypochondriac by proxy. What about her? She says she needed to share something with her mom, but she left already. Is he sure he’s okay? He says he’s been thinking about everything that’s happened these last few months, and how it went so horribly wrong. She wishes she could help, and he says, she at least tried. When they first met, she had no idea he was crazy rich, did she? She says, no, but the last time she checked, he’s not rich; his dad is. She’ll see him around. She leaves, and he smiles.

Harmony gives Esme a folder, telling her that she needs to fill some paperwork out before she leaves tonight. It’s just promising she won’t sue Spring Ridge if an inmate attacks her, permission to look at her school files, stuff like that. Esme says, sure thing, and Harmony leaves. Esme looks at the chessboard, and moves a piece. She says, checkmate.

Seeing Alexis reading The Brothers Karamazov, Harmony says, nothing like a little light reading, and Alexis says, it kind of makes Spring Ridge seem cheerful by comparison. Isn’t it about time for Harmony to clock out? Harmony says, it looks like Alexis and her grandnephew were having quite the talk, and Alexis says, she was just trying to encourage him not to compromise his morals for money. Harmony asks if he listened, and Alexis says she doesn’t know. Seems like he has his hands full with his girlfriend.

Esme watches as Harmony leaves. Alexis tosses her book aside, and follows, and Esme goes over to Ryan. She bends down, and says she told him that she’d find a way back in. She hit a bit of a snafu, but she promises him – she takes his hand – she’ll take care of everything. He blinks twice.

Trina asks who Spencer thinks he’s fooling; Ava tells Nikolas, not if, when; and Sonny says, there’s no coming back from that.

🐘 Joel’s Ark…

There really is a Photo Ark, and the photos really are beautiful and incredible. I’ll bet this guy got a million hits today.

https://www.joelsartore.com/gallery/the-photo-ark/

Project Runway

Chastity wanted to keep her momentum going, even though she had immunity, and Bones said, it felt crazy to be on the bottom; it messed with your mind. The designers came into a room filled with flowers, and Aaron thought maybe they were making a dress out of flowers, but that wasn’t it. They were introduced to Lewis Miller aka the Flower Bandit aka the Botanical Banksy, and inventor of the flower flash (see below). Elaine said he’d done the flowers for her stoop wedding. The challenge was to create a high end fashion look that embraced floral prints. They were also to create the fabric prints as well, and each clothing designer was given a graphic designer to work with. Elaine said they were the best group of designers Project Runway had ever had. They were allowed to use supplemental fabric, with the emphasis on supplemental. The designers used the flowers that were all over the place as inspiration for the prints. Shantall was the only one who didn’t use the blooms, choosing instead to create her own drawing from a childhood memory. It was interesting to see the unique things they came up with, everyone with different designs. Darren said he was playing it safe with simple and pretty, since he’d been semi-tanking. In Boots’s interview, he said prints weren’t his forte and you needed to have an eye for them. Sabrina, who was from Afghanistan, and been refugee in Pakistan as a child, came up with the most amazing print that I thought was very Hermes. She was making a jumpsuit, and including a burka, saying, they were looked at as symbols of oppression, but could also be a statement of woman power. Darren’s print inspiration was a background on SpongeBob SquarePants, and in his interview, he said, imagine him doing fashion for SpongeBob? That’s the dream, man. I was pretty impressed overall with the designs. Christian asked if everyone was feeling amazing. I love Christian. He makes me laugh, but I’m not the target of his witticisms. As usual, he told everyone, have fun, which seems to be his catchphrase. When the models were about to come in, he told the designers it was time for a twist, then said he was just kidding. Like I said.

Gigi Hadid was the guest judge, and high and low six were Kristina, Shantall, Darren, Sabrina, Katie and Prajjé. Kristina had done a robe that the judges thought was fresh and modern, and had great fluidity. Nina thought Shantall’s look, a three-piece suit was the perfect look. She’d taken a risk, creating a print from a drawing that wasn’t heavy on the flowers, but it paid off. Shantall said her son was turning two today, and she was missing out, but this was for her family. Darren was on the bottom with a two-piece outfit that had what I’d say was a skater skirt. Nina wasn’t crazy about it. She said they were there to surprise and experiment, and she’d seen it. It was very cute, but she was right. Elaine said that whatever Darren was trying to say wasn’t translating to them. Sabrina was a shocker to me, being on the bottom, since the jumpsuit and burka was fantastic, but she’d made the mistake of sticking on a pink overskirt, and it was just no. Gigi said it was her favorite print, and she could see the burka on the cover of Vogue Arabia, but she should have lost the skirt. Sabrina said she didn’t want to offend anyone, so she’d covered her model up a little. She removed the skirt, and all of the judges were like, yes, there it is. Nina also thought flats would have been a better choice than heels. Nina asked if Prajjé thought he was in the top or bottom. I would figure if they were asking, I was on the bottom, but they fooled me by loving his look, a bodycon dress with a mermaid bottom. It was very Marilyn Monroe. Elaine thought it was a silhouette that was flattering on everyone, and I thought, yeah, if your stomach is flat. Brandon said he’d had a gay child moment – she is so pretty. Katie got one of the lowest scores, which was no surprise, since it looked like a schoolgirl outfit; cute, but not haute couture. Gigi thought the collar looked like it was made out of felt (it was leather), and I had to agree. Elaine asked Katie if this was high end, and Katie said she didn’t know what it was. She tried to blame it on Christian for making her second guess herself, but Brandon said Christian wasn’t on the runway, and she needed to take what was relevant from his suggestions, but you do you. Gigi said she didn’t hate the skirt.

The judges deliberated, and there was a lot of discussion over Shantall’s print. The challenge was floral print, and Elaine put it best, saying her floral note was a whisper. Brandon said, Darren knew how to design, but wasn’t a designer. Gigi said fashion was either editorial or to sell, and neither way worked with his piece. Nina said Katie’s outfit looked like a costume, and Brandon said she’d tried to blame Christian. This was ironic, since one of the things Christian told her to avoid was being too costume.

The six were brought back in, and Elaine said they’d been asked to create a joyful original floral print look, and they were there for it. Shantall was the winner, and Gigi told her that she’d had the most unique and modern print. Elaine said she was making her baby proud, and Shantall said that she was happy to have achieved the win, especially today. They moved on to the losing end, and Brandon said the looks had been confusing, chaotic, and tortured. He said they kept looking for something new from Darren, but it didn’t happen, and he was out. He had to pack his fabric scraps and go. In parting creative criticism, Sabrina was told the skirt took away from the look, and Brandon told Katie to find herself. The cheese Darren was left alone, and he said being in the competition had changed his life forever. He was from the Philippines, and still an out-of-place, misunderstood, weird gay Asian kid, but he wasn’t the same one as the one who’d come there. Nina said he had talent, but needed to find his voice. In his interview, he said it sucked to go early, because he knew he could do cool stuff. He was more aware as a designer and a person now. Christian said he loved getting to know Darren. He needed to figure out who he wanted to be, but they’d be seeing more of him. Darren sort of made a pass at Christian (joking, not joking), and in his interview, he said he was thankful to be part of this whole thing. It lit a fire under his ass, and he felt more smarter. He paused, and said, more smarter? Much smarter. And grateful.

Next time, figure skaters needing a look for the 2022 Olympics, Brandon says the looks reflected that the designers weren’t getting along, and Elaine says she doesn’t want to do this again.

💐 Better Than Hot…

About those flower flashes. I’ve never seen one, but I’ll have to keep an eye out when I’m in the city.

🏯 I had to ditch Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles because, for whatever idiotic reason, Bravo is only showing it at 8 pm, which is a bad time for me. I did catch some of it tonight, as well as the cast on Watch What Happens Live. Tracy had been selling her own house, and looking for another one, using Josh Flagg as a broker. He’d found her dreamhouse for her, and her kids had their hearts set on it, but they couldn’t meet on the price. Tracy said it just wasn’t meant to be, but was obviously disappointed. At the end of the show, Josh handed her the keys, saying he’d given up his commission, and the house was hers. It was $250,000. A. Half. Million. Dollars. What a kind thing to do. I’ve always suspected that they’re all more friendly than they pretend to be on the show; you can tell in co-interviews. On WWHL, they were very supportive of each other, and good sports, being the butt of one another’s jokes. Apparently, the two Joshes are now great friends, and their respective spouses even more so. I don’t usually do heartwarming, but I’ll take it this time.

🎃 Essence Of Halloween…

More costumes.

And couples costumes.

🚢 Abandoning Ship…

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for some soap, probably more costumes, no doubt some gossip, and words to ponder. Until then, stay safe, stay using your free time wisely, and stay not looking back. It doesn’t change anything. The only thing you can do, is think about what you can do now.

October 27, 2021 – Nikolas Asks Alexis What Her Price Is, Andy Puts Erika On a Skewer, Why Am I Watching This Trash & Shock

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

TJ and Curtis spar at the gym, and Curtis asks TJ what he’s got. Usually he has to work twice as hard to get a hit in. They stop, and TJ says, sorry. His head isn’t in it. He’s been thinking a lot about that patient he lost.

Portia is walking past Kelly’s, and literally runs into Marshall.

Michael says good morning to Willow, and tells her, it’s renegotiation time for the broadcast station; it always goes down to the wire. What’s her day looking like? She says, same old, same old. Nothing as important or powerful as his. He says she was pretty quiet last night. She didn’t say a word before they went to bed. She says she has a lot on her mind, and he asks if it has anything to do with what happened to Nina.

At the MetroCourt, Ava hugs Nina, saying, that was fast. An overnight extradition to Pennsylvania, and Nina is back, looking no worse for the wear. Nina says, looks can be deceiving; she’s exhausted. Ava says, gutsy move, showing her face there, and Nina says, she can’t very well stay away from her own business. She thought she’d just get a quick caffeine fix, and go to her office to see how many fires her arrest caused. Ava says she’s surprised Scotty’s strategy worked, and they let her leave the state. Although she did tell Nina that he can be fiendishly clever. Nina says she’s impressed too. All she had to do was give them her passport. Ava says, sounds like she got off pretty easy, but Nina says, far from it.

Sonny gives Avery a stack of cinnamon pancakes, and tells her not to put too much syrup on them. Kristina is taking her trick or treating tonight; she’s going to get a sugar rush. Know what he means? Can he get a little sugar rush? She hugs him, and he laughs. Carly says, this is just perfect. She’ll never take moments like this for granted again.

Spencer is reading For Whom the Bell Tolls at Kelly’s, when someone clears their throat, and he says, be right with you, not looking up. Molly says, is that any way to talk to a customer? Can they get some service, or is she going to have to speak to a manager? He runs around the counter and hugs her, saying, it’s good to see her. Shawn stands there looking… I dunno… Like he’s studying this.

Nikolas visits Alexis at Spring Ridge, but when he moves to hug her, she steps back. He asks if everything is all right, and she says she needs to talk to him. They sit down, and he says he has some news for her too, but she can go first. What’s this about? She says, Hayden Barnes.

At the MetroCourt, Josslyn thanks Jax for breakfast. She hates to eat and run, but she’s meeting Trina at Kelly’s for a study session. He asks if they don’t live together, and since when did Kelly’s become a study hall? Oh, that’s right. Cameron works there. She says, please. A ton of people study at Kelly’s, and change is good. They both have a very big exam next week. He says, getting an early start, huh? And he does mean early. She asks if he’s forgotten what Halloween is like in college. They need their evenings free. He says, has she forgotten he went to college in Australia, and Halloween was considered an American influence their country was trying to battle? She says, yet here he is, a venture capitalist, having drip coffee with his American daughter. So she wonders who won that battle. He says, touché. He’s glad that she’s not letting this thing with her mom and Sonny get to her, especially after everything that went down last night. She says she learned to compartmentalize early. She wasn’t going to bring it up, but since he did, how is he doing with everything? She thinks Nina got what she deserved, but still, watching her be arrested last night must be hard on him.

Ava asks if Nina has heard anything more from the Corinthos clan. She can’t believe Sonny stood by, and let Michael do that to her. She’s tempted to go and tell him what he can do with his offer for Charlie’s. Nina says, that’s not necessary, but she appreciates the support. Let Sonny buy Charlie’s. She has no choice but to let things play out. Ava says, so much for their hope that Nina and Sonny could co-exist in peace.

Willow tells Michael, having Nina extradited to Pennsylvania is part of it, but mostly it’s about their breakdown in communication. He says, that’s a pretty big statement, and she says she thought they had a good talk the other night about Nina. She went away thinking they were on the same page, but clearly, they’re not. He says they agreed not to do anything about Nina and Wiley while tensions were high, but he didn’t. She says he convinced the DA of Lantano County to have Nina arrested, and he says he’s confused. Didn’t she agree that what Nina did was wrong? She says she did, 100%, especially after he told her about the confusion it caused for Avery and Donna. She’s not opposed to pursuing legal action against Nina. If that’s what the family decides, she supports it. He says, so what’s the problem? and she says, the problem is, he wasn’t honest with her.

Marshall says he’s sorry if he startled Portia. He’s just as bad as those kids who walk and text, or tweet; he’s sorry. She says, that’s quite all right. She supposes she’s a little jumpy; the spirit of the holiday. She asks if that’s a map he has, and he says, it is. He probably looks like one of those throwback tourists. Maybe he could pretend this is his costume, like she said, in the spirit of the holiday. She laughs, and asks if he’s from out of town, and he says, just checking up on family. He was looking for the Chuck. Is it nearby? She says, it is, but she happens to know it’s closed today; she’s a member. Is he an art lover? He says he is. In fact, he appreciates all forms of art. He just read about a relatively new music venue, it’s called… The Savoy. Does she know it?

Curtis says, he’s sorry TJ lost a patient. That’s got to be hard. TJ says he’s talking about that guy who vanished from the exam room the other night. He asked around the hospital, and the volunteer meeting the guy said he was there for wasn’t real. He thinks he freaked the guy out when he asked for identification. Curtis says, there could be a number of reasons why he took off. Hell, he could have been undocumented. Or maybe he was just trying to get a prescription for some drugs. TJ says he thought about that, but it wasn’t the vibe he got. Something about that encounter felt almost personal. Curtis says that’s because TJ is an empathetic doctor; it’s his superpower. On the positive side, TJ gets two days off. Just let it go. Correct him if he’s wrong, but two days in a row is like luxury for a first year intern, right? TJ says, it definitely is. He plans to live his best life. As a matter-of-fact, what is Curtis doing tonight… and tomorrow? Curtis says, TJ is off, he’s not, but forget about him. What about Molly? He’s sure Molly would appreciate seeing more of TJ now that he has time off. TJ says, Molly’s fine. She’s catching up with Shawn right now. Curtis says, is that what all this was about?

Spencer says, it’s been too long, and Molly says, he’s the one who’s been in town for months, and didn’t bother reaching out to his cousin. Spencer says, they have this new thing called texting, and it works both ways. She says, true. She’s been super busy. From what she’s heard, he has too, and they’ll leave it at that. She asks if he remembers Shawn, and Spencer says, of course (🍷), of course (🍷), and shakes Shawn’s hand. Shawn says, look at Spencer, all grown up. A working man, he sees. Spencer says he’s come a long way from the son who could get his father to do anything for him. It’s been years since he’s seen Shawn. He’s been away; Shawn’s been away… They’re both back now, so that’s good. Molly says, from what she’s heard, he should be focused on his own legal issues, and Spencer says, right. She’s at the DA’s office. She says she’s had to recuse herself from his case. He says, no hard feelings. Duty calls. Grab a seat, and he’ll be right over.

Nikolas says he knows Alexis and Shawn were looking into what happened to Hayden, but he doesn’t know how Alexis thinks he can help. She says, they’re close, right? And despite the last few years, she’s hopeful that the Nikolas that she loves and that she trusts, and that she knows, is operating in there somewhere. So she needs Nikolas to tell her the truth. No lying. No dodging. Just be honest with her. He says, think long and hard before she goes any further with this, and she says, true or false? He hired the hitman who shot Hayden Barnes. He says he knew this is where she was going, especially after that tense moment with Shawn the other day. He hoped her was wrong, that it was all in his head, but here they are. He gets up, and she follows him. She says, that’s not a denial, and he says, it’s not an admission either. He’s insulted that she would think so little of him. She says, that’s even less of a denial. She’s known him since he was born. She knows him better than almost anybody. She said to herself, if she can look him in the eye, she’ll know if he’s telling her the truth. Please tell her that he did not allow a man to be locked up for six years of his life for a crime that he committed.

Molly says she hopes Shawn doesn’t mind that she roped him into breakfast. He says, not a bit. He barely sees her and TJ at home. He enjoys spending time with his daughter-in-law of sorts. Is that an okay term to use for domestic partners? She says, especially the in-law part, and he says, say it with pride, Assistant District Attorney. She says, it’s a far cry from writing romance novels, and he says, don’t knock it. Her lover man had chops. He guesses he can admit it now, but the notes she asked TJ for were actually suggestions from him. She says she didn’t know he read her manuscript early, and he says he volunteered to write articles for the armed forces newsletter. He was trying to help, but she didn’t need it. He thought they had a prodigy on their hands; a future bestselling author. She says, as much as she loved writing, she ended up finding a new way to express herself, trying to improve the justice system from the inside. But she’s not the only one with an appreciation for righteousness, is she? Is he looking to make a difference too?

Michael asks how he was dishonest, and Willow says, he agreed not to challenge Nina about visiting Wiley, because the whole time he knew he was going to get the Lantano DA to file criminal charges against her. He says, one thing has nothing to do with the other, and she rolls her eyes and starts to walk away. He says, the whole point of charging Nina with identity fraud was so it wouldn’t involve Wiley. It solely has to do with what she did to his father. She says, this is what she means by dishonesty. She’s sure he’s right about the legal tactic, but she’s also sure he didn’t let her in because he thought she wouldn’t approve. He didn’t ask her, or the rest of the family. He took it on himself to deal with Nina, and he handled it. He says, she’s right. He did.  

Sonny watches Avery pour syrup on her pancakes, and tells her, what did he say? She’s got a lot of candy ahead of her. She says, Mama Carly said she can’t have it until tomorrow. Carly says, that’s not true. She said Avery could have a piece for how old she is, so she gets six pieces. Avery says, but the Kit Kats always disappear. I feel her pain. Sonny says he knows where the Kit Kats go, and Carly says, Halloween is a magical night. Who knows where the Kit Kats go? It’s kind of like the socks in the laundry. Sonny and Carly go over to the sink, and Sonny says, Carly is in a good mood. She says, thanks to Michael, she doesn’t have to run into Nina at every turn.

Ava tells Nina that she accepted Sonny’s offer before his family had her arrested. She’ll be happy to take Nina’s counter-offer. Nina says, what’s done is done. Besides, she doesn’t want Ava turning the sale of Charlie’s into a battleground. If she wants to make amends to Phyllis, she can’t buy Phyllis’s forgiveness, can she? You cannot pay for absolution. Ava tells her to take it easy on herself, and remember there are plenty of people in this world who will give Nina hell for her mistakes, but she’s not one of them. She leaves, and Nina hears Jax call her name. She turns to see Jax with Josslyn.

Nina says she just came in for a quick cup of coffee, and Josslyn asks why she’s there. She was arrested last night, and extradited to Pennsylvania. Nina says, she was. She made bail, and was allowed to come home until the trial. Josslyn says, that’s it? Nina stole Sonny’s life for nine months, and took him away from his family. She’s finally arrested and didn’t even have to spend the night in jail. Jax asks if Josslyn doesn’t have some studying to do with Trina, and Josslyn says, and Nina shows up at her mother’s hotel, acting like nothing happened? Jax says, Josslyn, and she says, fine. She gets in the elevator, and Nina tells Jax that he doesn’t have to feel like he has to protect her from his daughter. Josslyn’s made it crystal clear how she feels about her. He says, she’s her mother’s daughter; what can he say? She says she can take it from Carly, but Josslyn broke her heart. He says he’s sorry, and she says they haven’t talked since the night of the fire, and they couldn’t really talk in the hearing room. He says he’s been keeping his distance, especially since he figured out she’s been keeping her true relationships with Mike – or Sonny – a secret. She says, Sonny is not the man she fell in love with. And he’s not the man who fell in love with her.

Willow says, it’s like Michael was honoring the letter of their conversation, but not the spirit. He says he realized he was doing that while she was saying it, and it wasn’t right. She says she’s not thrilled by his strategy, but she’ll admit it’s affective. The DA thinks he can win the case, and the fact is, Nina did commit the crime. If he’d told her from the start, she would have had his back, but he didn’t give her the chance. He made a preemptive decision and went around her. He tells her, everything she’s saying is valid, and he’s sorry. He thinks because of the last few relationships he’s been in, he’s more guarded than he realized. He should have told her, but at the same time, he stands by his actions. Nina needs to be held accountable. Not for anything to do with Wiley, but because of what she did to his family. Willow says she thought she was his family too.   

Portia tells Marshall, The Savoy is great. She feels a little responsible for it coming into being. The owner is a good friend. He says, really? He read that the owner never ran a club before; is that true? She says she doesn’t remember there being any profiles on Curtis when the club opened. Where did he read that? He says, somewhere online. Anyway, he’s just curious, what made him jump into the nightclub business? She says, he seems more interested in the owner than the venue, and he says he’s just a people person. She says, okay. It’s been nice speaking with him, but she has to get going. Enjoy his visit to Port Charles. He thanks her, and she moves on.

TJ says, it’s okay if Curtis can’t hang, and Curtis says, it’s not that. He’s noticed all the extra time they’ve been spending together, as much as he loves it, all started when Shawn was released, and came back to town. TJ doesn’t see what one has to do with the other, and Curtis says, for six years it’s been him, TJ, and TJ’s mother; they were a family. Now TJ’s biological father is in the picture, and he’s okay with that, but TJ doesn’t have to demonstrate that their relationship isn’t different. He’s not insecure in any way about TJ’s relationship with his father. He thinks it’s important, so he encourages that, and he knows he and TJ are rock solid. TJ says, always have been and always will be, and Curtis says, they’re family. Nothing is ever going to change that.  

Molly says Shawn has been staying with her and TJ at her mom’s for few months now. She always hears him talking to TJ about finding out what his next step in life should be, but when they talk, it’s non-stop news and current events and social justice issues. It’s clear he’s passionate about these things. Maybe there’s a path in the social sphere that he can explore. Somewhere he can bring awareness to the issues he cares about. He says, like what, a podcast? He has no idea how to pod or cast. He doubts his criminal record will support any bid for being a public official. At least not until he clears his name. She asks how that’s going, and he says he does have a new lead to follow, but it could send him down a bath that could cause a lot of trouble. She says, whatever he decides, she’s behind him. She trusts him.   

Nikolas tells Alexis, Shawn Butler is far from an innocent man. He showed up to kill Drew, the father of her granddaughter Scout. It’s only due to bad luck and bad aim that Drew wasn’t hit by Shawn. She says, the salient point is, Shawn didn’t shoot Hayden. A hitman or hitwoman did, but only Nikolas would know that, since he hired them? He had Hayden shot, didn’t he? He tells her, don’t. If she keeps pulling this thread, he’s going to make helping her impossible, especially since he’s secured her release.

Nikolas says he and the governor got quite close, ever since he dated the governor’s daughter. He thought he’d play his card at the right time, and the right time presented itself last night at a fundraiser they both attended. He spent most of the evening championing Alexis’s cause with him. She says, what a fortuitous coincidence. She doesn’t suppose it had anything to do with their conversation the other night. He says he reminded the governor of her role in exposing the corrupt Judge Carson, and he suggested the state show its appreciation by offering her a pardon. They sit again, and he says, it’s incredible, right? The governor plans to issue her a complete pardon for her attack on Detective Falconari, which is a little dicey for him, her stabbing a cop and all. But the governor is prepared to take the hit as a personal favor to him. Of course (🍷) if he has to fend off groundless charges and allegations, it can tarnish his reputation, and his political sway could disappear, along with her pardon.

Josslyn walks into Kelly’s, saying, she had to see for herself, and Spencer says, and smirk? She says, yes. Watching him work at Kelly’s is like watching the Lock Ness Monster play the tuba. He should wear it as his Halloween costume. Grandma Bobbie loves her employees to dress up for Halloween. He says she’s loving this, and she admits she is. He tells her, please enjoy his utter humiliation, but do it from across the room; he’s not in the mood. She says, there’s nothing to be humiliated about. As a matter-of-fact, she’s impressed. He’s not relying on his inheritance. He’s making money on his own, and that’s admirable. He says she realizes that all three of her parents are probably as rich as his, right? She says, which makes her incredibly fortunate, and she tries not to take that for granted. By the way, she never betrayed her parents trust, or used a good friend and lied to her. Or committed several crimes and wound up awaiting trial. Shawn, who’s been listening in, asks Molly to tell him more about Spencer’s legal difficulties.

Michael says, that came out wrong. He didn’t mean she wasn’t part of his family, because she is. The two of them, and Wiley are a family together. She says she gets it, but she doesn’t look at him, and he says, after their conversation about taking things slowly and that she’d be more comfortable with boundaries… They’re already living together, they’re sleeping together, they’re raising Wiley together, it’s hard to figure out where those boundaries are. She says he doesn’t have to explain, and he says, it’s hard to find the line between moving too slowly and moving too quickly when they’ve been in love for so long, and they finally get to be together. She takes his hand, and says she loves him too. He says, he’s glad to hear it because he’s clearly blowing it. He’s sorry for keeping her out of the decision making process. He guesses maybe on some level, he was trying to keep her in the clear. She says, what about him? and he says, he did what had to be done. And he always will to keep his loved ones safe. He hopes she understands.

Jax and Nina go to the bar, and order coffee. He says they have a chance to talk, but she says, they don’t really have much to say, do they? She’s in a no-win situation, and in order to respect Sonny’s wishes, she has to continue to lie about the nature of their relationship, even though she’s facing criminal charges. So if she can’t fix her legal problems, she’s just going to focus in on Crimson. That is, if she still has a job there. He says he’s not going to force her out, and she asks if he wants to rethink that. It’s bad optics having a convicted criminal at the helm. He says she can’t run Crimson from behind bars, that’s for sure, and it was a mistake to come back to Port Charles without consulting a lawyer first. They could have protected her, and maybe stopped things from escalating further. She says, there he goes again, trying to be her white knight. If this ordeal taught her anything, it taught her that Jax has to stop trying to save her. She’s a lost cause.

Ava comes into the former home of the beloved moss bowl 🎍, and Avery hugs her. Ava calls her Miss Sticky, and asks if she’s been eating her father’s pancakes. Avery says she was, but she thought she wasn’t staying with Ava until tomorrow. Ava says she thought right; she came by to talk to Avery’s daddy. Carly suggests Avery go upstairs and see what Donna is doing, and Avery runs out. Carly says, if this is about custody… but Ava says, no, and walks over to Sonny, giving him a manila envelope. She says it’s the closing papers. She had her lawyer look them over already, so just have his lawyer do the same, sign them, and Charlie’s is his. Carly says, that was fast, and Ava says, especially since there was a bidding war. Carly says she wasn’t aware of it, and Sonny says, things were kind of crazy last night. Ava says, right, with Nina. It must have slipped his mind. She thought he shared everything with Carly.

Portia arrives at the gym, and sees Curtis with TJ. She asks if someone forgot to invite her to the party. TJ’s not working? He says, he’s not playing hooky; he has two days off. She says, he scored. She’s on her way to a kickboxing class. Enjoy his days off while he has them. TJ says, while he has her, has she heard anything around the hospital about a patient of his who skipped out before he could grab their ID? She says, oh, one of those. She hasn’t heard anything, but she’ll let him know if she does.  Did he say or do anything fishy? Curtis says, TJ is taking it a little personally, and TJ says, maybe he is. The gentleman was so amiable, he can’t figure out why he would lie to him, and then ghost. They hit it off, and were talking about life, family. Curtis says, he’s going to find, working in a hospital, he’ll meet all kinds of people. TJ says he even asked questions about Curtis, and Portia says, wait. What did this patient of his look like?

Shawn asks Molly, Nikolas wouldn’t even post bail? He thought Nikolas adored Spencer, and vice versa. She says, a lot has happened since Shawn was around. Starting with Nikolas pretending to be dead for three years, and ending with him marrying Ava. Spencer feels Ava double-crossed him when he was trying to get justice for Nikolas, who, as it turned out, wasn’t actually dead. He says, that’s a damn shame, and she says, it’ll all work itself out. The funny thing is, all Spencer needs to do to make things right is apologize; like a real, sincere apology, where he holds himself accountable. Nikolas feels so guilty for staying away, he would be putty in Spencer’s hands. He says, that easy? and she says, that may be a slight exaggeration, but it would be a good start. Nikolas has that Cassadine ruthlessness, and a seemingly cold heart, but that heart melts when it comes to his son. Spencer has always been his Achilles heel.

Alexis tells Nikolas, so they have quid pro quo, huh? She and Shawn drop the investigation, and forget Nikolas initiated the a hit on Hayden, and he facilitates her pardon. Her silence buys her freedom. He says, he never said that, and she asks if he thinks she’d be tempted by this blanket attempt at extortion? He says he has no idea what she’s talking about, but for argument’s sake, he contends that everyone has a price. The question is, what’s hers?

Willow says, just because she and Michael aren’t on the same page right now, doesn’t change how she feels about him. She missed snuggling with him last night. He says, so did he, and she says, knowing how hard they fought to be together, and they already know they want to spend their lives together raising Wiley, maybe taking it slow made it messy. He says, he’ll go with confusing, but she says she’s not confused. One thing she knows for sure, she doesn’t want that division between the part of her life where he lets her in, and the part of his life he shields her from. That might work for some relationships, but she doesn’t want that for them. He says he doesn’t either. Other than their son, there’s nothing more important, and he’s going to spend every day proving it to her. Starting now.

Sonny says he’ll have Diane look it over, and Ava says, when the papers are signed and the money is wired, she’ll leave the keys with Kristina, and they’ll be done. She’d like to say goodbye to Avery before she leaves, and he says she knows the way. She goes upstairs, and Carly says, that was quick. She loves the way he does business. She hopes Phyllis takes him up on his offer, and stays there. She has to go to work, and says she loves him. He says he loves her too.

Jax tells Nina that he’s hanging up his armor. He didn’t do so well, trying to shield Nina from the truth about Nelle. But he can’t help but wonder if that didn’t set this whole thing in motion. She says he’s got to stop. Part of her making things right is is taking full ownership for her actions. He had nothing to do with her choices. They’re her responsibility, and she’s going to face the consequences. It’s the only way that she can move forward. He says, for that, he appreciates her, and she says, enough to respect her wishes? She’s talking about Carly. Is he planning on telling Carly the truth about her and Sonny?

Curtis tells Portia to enjoy her class. He’s going to check on his new sound system upgrade. She tells him to wait. She ran into someone on the way over here, and he was asking questions about Curtis too.

TJ goes to Kelly’s, and asks Molly where Shawn is. She says, he had someplace to be. She thought TJ was busy all day, and he says he was planning to be, but came to his senses. Instead of spending his precious time boxing with Curtis, he could spend it with his beautiful partner. They kiss, and Marshall looks through the window. Spencer tells Josslyn, on the bright side, he’s learned how to make Kelly’s famous hot cocoa, and she says, yum, giving him an A+ for it. He gives her a check, and she asks if he can leave her tab open. She’s meeting Trina there for a study session. He asks if she wouldn’t mind studying at the Bistro. He doesn’t want Trina to see him like this. She says, she’ll take Trina someplace else for today, and today only, because he has nothing to be embarrassed about. To work is a good thing; it’s an admirable thing. When she sees Cameron doing his shifts there, it not only makes him hotter, it makes her feel prouder of him. He says, that’s a horrible pep talk, and she says, there’s always the easiest solution. He says, pray tell, enlighten him, and she says, he can get over himself, and make things right with his father. Keep the change.    

Nikolas tells Alexis that she doesn’t have to give him an answer now. Just think it over; the benefits, the consequences. Shawn comes in, and Nikolas says he’ll let them get caught up. He leaves, and Shawn asks, what happened? Did Nikolas say anything they can use against him?

Michael says he’s finished talking himself out of this, and Willow says, out of what? He gets down on one knee, and she asks what he’s doing. He says, what does it look like he’s doing? He’s asking her to marry him.

Nina walks Jax to the elevator, and says she’s not the only one who’s been rethinking her life. He needs to focus on something other than her and Carly, which means staying out of the war zone. Carly won’t hear the truth Nina has been keeping from her. Not from him. He gets in the elevator, and Nina turns around, coming face-to-face with Carly.

Sonny’s phone rings, and the operator says Sonny has a collect call from Flatlands Federal Prison inmate Cyrus Renault. Will he accept the charges?

Tomorrow, Curtis tells Portia that it would be a mistake to ignore that feeling, Spencer asks if Nikolas is at Kelly’s to gloat, Nina tells Carly that Sonny was better off in Nixon Falls, and Sonny asks Cyrus what he wants. I guess he accepts the charges.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – The Reunion – Part Three

Kathy over doing the show, and Andy wondered if they would have felt differently had they seen it. Kathy burst into tears over her mother not being there anymore, and Kyle told her it was okay to cry and hugged her. Andy asked if Kyle regretted doing the show, but she said she didn’t do anything wrong; it was a love letter to her mom. She felt bad that her sisters thought it was something it wasn’t, and if they’d just watched it they would have seen that. She’d never do anything to shame her mother. Andy asked who called who first, and Kyle said it was the kids. They’d been bummed that holidays weren’t the same, and eventually, she and Kathy realized they had to do something. Andy asked if they’d hashed out their issues; he got the sense they still hadn’t worked it out. Kathy said he was their psychiatrist. I wondered if they were desperate. Kyle said it had been poorly handled on both their parts, but it was all good now. Andy asked if the show had brought them together, and Kyle said they’d been speaking already, but Kathy had never done things like a girls trip, and it was fun seeing her do them for the first time. He asked who The Lady was, referring to someone who works for Kathy, and we found out her name is Paula. We also saw a clip of Paula serving Kyle and Kathy on TV trays. In another bombshell, Kathy said she, Rick, and the kids ate off of TV trays every night. We flashed back to when Garcelle had forgotten her sister Carol’s name (Garcelle is one of seven kids), and she said, something had happened, and they had let it fester. Andy wondered if it was Freudian, which I guess was the psychiatrist in him coming out. Kathy had been voted favorite Richards sister on Watch What Happens Live, and Andy asked if Kyle was jealous, but even Kyle isn’t that stupid. Andy asked if Kathy had gotten any advice before coming on the show, and Kathy said Kim told her, just don’t lose your temper. He asked how Kyle’s relationship with Kim was now, and Kyle said she now had Kim’s current phone number, and they were good. Andy said he was hoping to see all three of them this season, and Kyle was cagey, but it sounded like Kim will make an appearance.

We saw clips of newbie, and descendant of Confucius, Crystal. Her stint at an escort agency in college was touched on, and a vote was taken on who would wear her ugly leather pants. I think it was everyone except for Sutton, and Kathy, who said they wouldn’t look good on her. Sutton said she wore a lot of things people hated, and to each his own. Andy moved on to the coat that launched a thousand tweets, and asked if when Crystal finally saw the show, did it look like less like a violation than an awkward mistake? There is no way Crystal is every going to back down from using the word violation, so she didn’t even answer that, saying, how she was feeling was something that had compounded over two days; it wasn’t an isolated thing. We flashed back to the  color conversation, and Crystal said, it was cumulative. She wished they’d started off on the right foot. Sutton said she thought violate was a strong word – as does every other person on the face of the earth – and it inferred Sutton had done something purposely to hurt Crystal. During the season, Crystal had admitted to having an eating disorder, and Andy wondered if her body image issue was a factor in feeling violated. She agreed it was, and I began to think, maybe he should hang a shingle out. He father’s experience with racism was discussed, and she said he handled it in the classic Asian way – don’t speak about it. She started crying at the thought of her dad, and how fearful he’d been. Andy said he’d been upset to hear Crystal had getting threats and hate speech about being on the  show because she was Asian. She said she still got hundreds of messages a day like that. I’m not a huge Crystal fan, but that made me sad to think that people are still behaving like that in 2021. She said she came on the show because she thought Asians needed representation. It was an incredible opportunity to speak out for people who were too afraid, like her dad. Sutton said she was sorry for any part she played in that, but I’m sure people like that will find any reason to spread their hate. Andy said Crystal should feel great about sharing her culture, and not let a percentage of a-holes on social media define her experience, or what she put out there for others to experience. She said she was grateful to the group for being open and accepting, and she’d been excited to show her culture. Andy asked what everyone enjoyed about getting know Crystal, and Kyle said making the dumplings was the best, which was no surprise. She also loved the Chinese New Year celebration, as did I. LisaR said Crystal was like a little sister to her.

Andy said the women had been eager to dress up again. Let glam squads rejoice. Beverly Hills is back. We flashed back to Dorit saying, it had been a hundred years since they dressed up, and then we saw a billion fashion moment clips. The vintage designer collection LisaR kept in her garage was discussed, and Andy said he’d been concerned that she basically inviting thieves to help themselves. She said she’d realized that, and it was now in special storage. Since Garcelle had been a legit runway model, Andy asked who had the most fashion sense, and she said, Dorit. We found out Dorit pays full retail, because she wants to wear what she wants, and not what someone else fronted her. Andy asked Kyle what the most over-the-top gift was Mauricio had ever given her, and she said a pair of diamond earrings that he’d sent to WWHL. We saw a clip of Andy giving them to her, and they were stunning. Unfortunately, they’d been stolen, along with Kyles whole jewelry and bag stash, when they’d been burglarized.  

Kathy said she was surprised to have been voted fan favorite, since the group was dynamic, intelligent, and fierce. Which is debatable. She said it was nice to be received well. Apparently, daughters Paris and Nicky were disgusted when she’d signed on, but were okay with it now. We saw a Kathy retrospective, and Andy said, we’re all hunky dory for Kathy. He asked if it was a surprise to Kyle, but Kyle said Kathy had always been hysterical, and a practical joker, and has a laugh like their mom’s. Andy said Kathy reminded him of Kim, who was eccentric. That’s one word for it. Kathy said no one knew the real Kyle, but I’m not sure what she meant by that. She talked about living at the Waldorf Astoria for nine years. Andy asked about her connection to Hilton hotels, and she said Rick’s grandfather had founded it, but it had been sold ten years ago.

Erika said she’d love it if Andy wasn’t hard on her, but he said he was putting her on a skewer and firing up the barbecue. She said she was so ready, and we flashed back to all that. Erika said she was keeping score of who was for or against her, and Kyle said she hoped Erika knew the difficult position they were in. Erika said the thing that had hurt her the most was when Dorit and PK got together with Kyle and Mauricio, and mocked her life and family; it was hurtful. Kyle claimed Mauricio had said all along that he believed Erika, even though we just saw him say just the opposite. Erika said whatever anyone needed to ask, she was there, and Garcelle asked why Erika didn’t understand their concern over being possibly pulled in. Erika said there was nothing that legally tied anyone there to her. The tabloids were going to project, but they couldn’t be fearful. They knew the truth. Sutton said it felt like Erika had run from questions in Palm Springs, but Erika said she left because of the altercation with Garcelle. We flashed back to Garcelle letting the cat out of the bag about Tom calling Erika. Andy said the difference with Erika’s legal issue was that there had been actual victims. It wasn’t like RHONJ where Teresa and Joe had defrauded the IRS. Erika said she understood, however, they were a long way from finding out what happened. She’d loved her husband, and he was now accused of defrauding widows, orphans, and burn victims; she felt horrible. There were also boundaries as to where she could and couldn’t go, but if anyone was proven wronged, she wanted them to be remedied. Andy said the way people perceived it, it looked like Erika saw herself as a victim. Sutton agreed that’s how it was coming across, and Erika (no surprise) got pissed, saying, her life was broken. What should she have done? Andy said her sympathy didn’t seem to be landing with the group or the viewers, and Erika said she had a limited way she could express herself; everything she said was picked apart. The best thing to do in the situation was to sit and be quiet. She wasn’t surprised at viewer reaction, but she was at the women. Kyle said Erika was doing herself no favors with Instagram, and Andy said she had the attitude of consumption and indifference. Erika said she was paid to post, and had to pay the bills, but Andy said it landed differently when there were victims. LisaR said she could understand why Erika was doing it, but she was feeding the fire, and she didn’t think it was helpful. Andy asked what she’d known, and if she had any sense that an alleged theft was happening, and she snapped that she didn’t work for the Girardi law firm. There’s his answer. He asked who didn’t believe Erika, and that was no one, and LisaR added that nobody knew anything. Garcelle suggested there may have been signs that Erika didn’t want to see, and Crystal wondered where Erika’s anger was at Tom, which really riled her. She asked what Crystal wanted her to do. Before the show, she’d said she wondered who she was married to for twenty years. She was very angry. Besides, they didn’t know what she had done or what she was going to do. Andy asked what she was going to do, and she said he’d have to wait and see. We flashed back to a lawsuit against Tom that Erika had been named in some time ago, and Erika said she’d gone to him, and said, what is this? He told her it was bullsh*t, and don’t worry. Everything was resolved like that. She asked Crystal if she seemed angry enough, as she steam came out of her ears.  

Next time, the conclusion of the Erika Show Reunion, Erika says Tom called five times that day, Erika says they can’t find the police report for Tom’s accident, Erika insults Sutton again with the c-word, Erika wants to know if someone will back her TF up, and Erika wants to know why everyone in Beverly Hills is so precious.

🏚 On the godawful Winter House, Gabby (an actual model) thought she was in love with Luke because of his rugged ways. He did build a legit igloo – ice bricks and all – which was pretty impressive, but IMO, he’s bad news. Like any of these guys are good news, but that’s beside the point. He said in his interview that he was oblivious to women coming on to him, but I’m not sure if he actually is, or just pretends to be to make himself more desirable. Paige made out with Andrea in the hot tub, and was already married and living in Italy in her head, and friend Julia was already living vicariously through Paige in her head. After their hot tub make-out session, Andrea fist bumped with Craig, which was juvenile creepy. Ciara was in love with Austen and they made out, but then Lindsay showed up. Apparently, Austen and Lindsay had hooked up back in 2018, and Craig told Austen that he thought Lindsay would have left any boyfriend for him.

Amanda said Kyle was ruining the mood by working. When he wasn’t doing that, he was ruining the mood by drinking too much, and complaining about things like no winterizing in the house. In Lindsay’s interview, she said she and Austen were both single at the same time in a long time. She passed out small bottles of Fireball upon her arrival, and didn’t seem happy when Austen told her that he’d made out with Ciara, pulling her hood up, and pulling the drawstring to hide her face. Because she’s five. In her interview, she said, when Austen came to NYC, they hung out for four days straight. They were having an emotional relationship, and had FaceTimed on New Year’s Eve. Austen told Craig that he loved Lindsay, but had feelings for Ciara, and he was over the love triangle. Ciara, who was keeping her eye on all this, said Austen and Lindsay had the longest hug she’d ever seen. In her interview, she said, since Lindsay walked in, she’d literally been trying to take all of Austen’s attention.

Lindsay ended up getting so drunk, she fell on the floor, and Austen had to carry her to her bed. She told him that she was in love with him, and it wasn’t just because she was drunk. He hated that Craig was right, and in Ciara’s interview, she said Lindsay was f***ing up her sh*t. She thought she was going to have a cute vacation romance. Perfect timing… They did some winter sports, which was cool, no pun intended. I love the snow. They made snow angels, which is the thing I love doing most during the first snow of the season. Gabby thought she totally go to the Arctic with Luke. She’d never go hungry, but she’d need to learn to sew. I’m guessing the Arctic might not be quite as primitive as she thinks. Austen told Lindsay that he loved her like a sister, totally friendzoning her.

I finally noticed Carl was missing, but if I remember correctly, he had a lightbulb moment where he realized he was too old for this sh*t. Which is exactly what bothers me about this whole show, along with its summer counterpart.

Next time, Ciara and Austen go on a double-date with Kyle and Amanda, and Andrea bench presses Paige.   

💬 Dashing Off…

See you tomorrow for soap and fashion, possibly made out of soap. Until then, stay safe, stay appreciating other cultures, and stay honoring both the letter and spirit of the agreements you make.

October 6, 2021 – No Soap Or Radio, Dallas Rides In, a Goodbye, Celebrating the Ox In Beverly Hills, Rumors, Dropped, Liar, Defending Erika, Going Down, Dead Talk, New Halloween & the Countdown Begins

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

No GH today. All it said on their FB page was that it was due to ongoing news coverage, but no indication as to coverage of what. It was a network decision, since there was nothing new online either. I was pretty surprised when I turned it on, and there was Cyrus playing Chairman of the hospital, and Todd Franco was walking around. Instead, a little soap news…

🐴 Austin Was Taken…

So who is Dallas Kirby anyway?

🥀 Another Goodbye…

The soap world has had a lot of losses so far this year.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Crystal was preparing for a Chinese New Year party – the Year of the Ox – she was throwing at an Asian restaurant she’d rented for the occasion. She took Erika there for a looksee, and Erika said something about it being in Kill Bill. LisaR said the same thing later, but while it looked similar to restaurant where O-Ren (Lucy Lui) hangs with her crew, I’m pretty sure that place is in Tokyo. In her interview, Crystal told us that whatever happens on New Year’s Day (or maybe Eve; it was unclear) would represent the next year. Since Erika was still mad at Sutton, Crystal was concerned. Kathy met with architect Jesse and builder Aiden at a ginormous 18,000 square foot house she was having built. She and husband Richard were originally going to move in, but Richard reminded her of all the good times they’d had in the house they were already in, and she changed her mind. My guess is, he probably just didn’t want the hassle of having to move in his 70s or whatever. Not to mention they’d be putting the new one on the market in the $52 million range. Maybe the guys from Million Dollar Listing can broker that. In Sutton’s interview, she said she could fit three of her houses into Kathy’s new one. She and Kathy discussed the trip to Del Mar, and Sutton admitted she thought things with Erika had been a little strange. In her interview, she said, it would be nice to think things were back to normal, but wondered how that was possible when it had been so volatile. Garcelle wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue with her dating coach. She’d gone on a tailgate date with her match – who’d brought sushi and champagne – but he wasn’t her type. He wasn’t as spectacular as his photos. She wondered where his abs were. She’d expected him to show up shirtless.

Because she’s dense, in LisaR’s interview, she thought she and Garcelle had progressed. I thought it was more like Garcelle was proceeding with caution. We flashed back to when the women poked at Garcelle at dinner until she finally cried, which LisaR called being vulnerable and said was beautiful. It would be if they were all decent people. Garcelle wanted LisaR to reach out to Denise, but in her interview, LisaR said her relationship with Denise was her business. She’d do what she wanted when she felt like doing it. It would be when it felt organic and natural, which was ironic, since nothing about LisaR is organic or natural. She told Garcelle, when it was time, she’d do it, which probably meant, never. In Garcelle’s interview, she said, if LisaR reached out, it would show her growth. She wanted to see more action and less talk with LisaR. Good luck with that.

Everyone trickled in to the party, which began with cocktails outside. In Sutton’s interview, she said she was willing to let go of Erika threatening her, but not so much what she’d read and heard about the situation. She didn’t need to worry though, since Erika had turned the tap back to cold, and ignored Sutton. In Garcelle’s interview, she said she’d thought Sutton and Erika were doing better, but that was a hi/bye for sure. Mauricio, who was most likely stoned, banged on the Chinese gongs at the front of the restaurant. The coolest thing was a dude making candy zodiac animals, and putting them on sticks. I want to know where to get those. Kathy brought her friend Elliot (who we’ve seen before) as her escort, and for a moment, I thought she’d sprung Tom. They look an awful lot alike.

The décor was absolutely beautiful, and Crystal said she wanted to transport everyone to Asia. Everyone sat down, and Rob raised his glass, and said, true friends didn’t make problems disappear, but they didn’t disappear when problems came. Crystal said the women had little red envelopes with money in them, and they would get it back a hundredfold after feeding the animal. Or something to that effect. Kyle looked like she was starting to panic, asking, what animal? over and over. Then she nearly hit the ceiling when a Chinese percussion band began to play in the balcony. Chinese dragons came out, and the women put the envelopes in their mouths. I would have loved to be at this party, except not with this group. No surprise, the food was fabulous, and dumplings are one of my all-time favorite foods. For whatever crazy reason – i. e. screen time – Kyle said Sutton swept things under the rug. Sutton didn’t think so, but said she didn’t want any ill will between her and Erika. And then there were crickets. Lots and lots of crickets. In Erika’s interview, she said she didn’t need an apology from someone who was willing to condemn her. Sutton said she thought she could speak for everyone in that they all wanted Erika to come out of this shining bright. Erika told them that she had nothing to say.

They went back outside where there was a dessert bar, where there were many impressive confections. In Sutton’s interview, she wondered why she was trying so hard with Erika. Then she wondered what these women even saw in Erika. I told her, thank you. I wanted to like Erika. I tried to like Erika. But even before this, she ran hot and cold, and got irrationally angry at times. Sutton told Kyle that Erika made people afraid to say anything. While everyone had a last cocktail, Erika told Sutton that she’d thought they were friends, and she’d needed Sutton to have more faith in who she was. Sutton wanted a one-on-one, but Erika said she needed time to trust Sutton. Sutton said she also wanted to be able to trust Erika, and know she could speak freely and not get the lion’s claws. Erika said that’s why she was waiting. Erika said, this life is not for wimps, but I wasn’t sure if she meant that collectively, or was just talking about her so-far-above-our life.  

Since it was the finale, everyone had their final say, and there was text on what they’d been doing, none of which was all that interesting. Sutton was still waiting on that talk with Erika, but had moved out of Kyle’s house. Six months after her six week deadline. Kyle put the house on the market after Sutton’s departure. She was still tight with Kathy, and had finally gotten Kim’s new phone number. Knowing Kim, it’s possible she might have just forgotten it. Dorit had added some ready-to-wear gowns to her collection, and designed a special reunion gown for herself. PK named it, The Reunion, because he’s so original.

Due to Harry’s influence, LisaR was adding acrylic nails to her beauty line. I don’t want to know. She also now approved of Scott and Amelia’s relationship, since they’d called it quits. Garcelle was back in the studio to film The Real, and was taking a break from dating. Unless Brad Pitt called. Freshman Housewife Crystal said it had been fascinating to see how the friendships among the women morphed. Which I guess was her way of saying, wow, these women are close, then stab each other in the back, then forget what just happened. She was still color-coding her life, and hoped to visit her pop-star brother Jeff in China. Erika claimed she’d faced down everyone’s questions to the best of her ability, and was never going to apologize. Her way of saying, she managed to avoid answering any questions too directly, and back off, bitch. The text said she appreciated the support of her ass kissers true friends, although her friend circle had gotten smaller.

I would have liked a little less crap, and more of Crystal’s party.

Next, the Reunion. I believe it’s in four parts, so it should be a doozy.

🍾 After-party note. On Watch What Happens Live, people voted online about the level of Erika’s honesty from one to ten. She got a four.

📰 Spreading the News…

Camille stirs the pot of tea Kyle’s been making.

🎥 The Camera Don’t Lie…

I think sometimes they forget the world is watching

🗣 Opinions Are Like…

No surprise Kelly put her two cents in.

👯‍♂️ Last One Standing…

The Chief Brownnoser has spoken.

She did say she didn’t know the whole story, but I don’t think she’s looking all that hard either.

🍸 Say It Ain’t So…

Although I really think Jax is the only one who should have gotten the boot.

⚰️ Jerky McJerkface…

Angela Kang tells us what’s up with the citizens of the Commonwealth.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-sebastian-milton-promises-broken-angela-kang-interview/

🎃 It’s Coming Closer…

Twenty-four days til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween!

https://people.com/movies/jamie-lee-curtis-picks-up-kyle-richards-halloween-kills-featurette/

🏂 Slip Sliding Away…

Hopefully, soap tomorrow, and perhaps even some high-priced property. But for now, stay safe, stay going big or going home, and stay the hell out of Erika’s business, lest you get the lion’s claws.

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

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vanderpump Rules

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

🤵🏽 Nikolas For Now…

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

🦽 Keep On Wheelin’…

It took 58 years, but she finally did it.

🧛🏻 Good Vampires Never Die…

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

💔 Real Break-Up…

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

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

⚰️ Playing Dead…

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

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

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

Starlight, Starbright…

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