(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
Shahs of Sunset
Mike and Paulina go for coffee with pup Whiskey, who is absolutely adorable and surprisingly well-behaved. Mike asks how she felt about seeing everyone at Boots and Brews, and we flash back to that. Paulina thinks they’re dramatic, and Mike says they’ve gone through so much drama, the friendships have been tainted somewhat, but he still loves them. in Mike’s interview, he says they have to start communication, healing, and moving forward. He tells Paulina that he’s planned a trip for her birthday to Hawaii, and she says, how fun. He tells her that he’s invited the crew, and she says Mike is in his early 40s. Come on. He says, it will be an excuse to regroup. The bullsh*t is getting old. In his interview, he says, it’s common sense that just the two of them on the trip would be romantic, but he loves his friends, and wants to show them a great time. Risking Paulina’s love for the love of his friends is a catch-22. He tells her that he wants to share their happiness with his friends, and start fresh. She says, they’ll make it fun.
Nema and Mona’s mom Moshgan is visiting from upstate new York. In his interview, Nema says, when his mom comes to town, she likes to soak up family and kid time. Moshgan says, it’s been the best trip, and she’s been getting in some sun worship. Nema says they’d love it if she made it a permanent thing. Mona says, when she has kids, Moshgan is going to move there. Moshgan tells Nema, if he doesn’t have kids, when he gets old he’ll just have his dog. In Nema’s interview, he says after their parents divorced, his sister stayed with his mom in New York, while he went with their dad to California. It caused damage and trauma that he can’t put into words. Nema says he doesn’t want to upset Moshgan, but his childhood was so traumatic, it strengthened his resolve not to have kids. Moshgan says she’s sorry, but he can’t use what happened in the past to affect what happens with the rest if his life. Nema says it’s hard to hear her say, just get over it, but she says she’s not saying that. She wrote him a letter two years ago about what happened. It was emotional, and it took time; did he read it? He says, it’s frustrating for him to hear that it’s been two years. In his interview, he says he’s too worried about what it says to read it. He’s afraid he’ll read something he can’t come back from. It might taint his relationship with his dad, which is already not strong. Moshgan says, if he wants to know what happened, read her six-page letter.
Destiney meets with MJ at a smoothie place. MJ says she likes Destiney’s energy, and feels like they’re on the same page. She wants them to be good friends in a good place. A lot of lies happened, and it’s where things went south. In MJ’s interview, she says she apologized to Reza at Boots and Brews. We flash back to that, and MJ says, now she wants to open the line of communication, and fix things with Destiney. She tells Destiney, she’s there to apologize, and be transparent. Something small between Ali and Reza evolved into giant nonsense toxic bullsh*t. After the crying and confrontation that happened, she doesn’t want it to be the same thing. In Destiney’s interview, she says she thought she and MJ were like sisters. We see clips from their relationship over the years, and Destiney says, MJ hurt and betrayed her. MJ doesn’t see it, or she’s acting like she doesn’t, and Destiney doesn’t trust her. She tells MJ, she thought MJ had her back, and they were sisters, then sh*t happened. Ali walks in, and Destiney looks shocked. In her interview, Destiney says whatever MJ and Ali have cooked up, she wants no part of it.
MJ goes to the counter to order, and Ali asks how Destiney is. In MJ’s interview, she says, ultimately, she wants both of them in her life. She’s missed Destiney, and her intention is to fix this. When she comes back to the table, MJ says she wants full transparency from everyone. Destiney says she wants to figure out what’s going on, and where they all stand. MJ says she knew Ali had an issue with Reza, and wanted to talk to Destiney, so she said, go for it, but be ready to be real. Destiney says she let her emotions take ahold of her, and regrets how it came off. MJ says, the negativity has been toxic and poisonous. From her perspective of the big picture, Ali had been a close friend, but told Reza she’d said she was concerned about his marriage. Ali says he did improvise there, and MJ tells him, don’t drag her name into it, and say it’s about her concerns. In Destiney’s interview, she says, MJ is making sh*t up to save herself. Ali had said MJ put him up to it, but now he’s kissing MJ’s ass. Ali says he’s sorry he drew that conclusion, and MJ says she wants to be friends, and be on the same page. She asks Destiney if she can have a hug, and Destiney reluctantly gets up. They hug, and Destiney asks MJ to promise she has good intentions. In her interview, Destiney says she wants to believe MJ has good intentions, but deep down, she’s not comfortable.
Adam comes home to Reza, Smokey, and Miss Moo. In Reza’s interview, he wishes he could say things are amazing, but they’re not. He tells Adam that he’s going to be gone next week, so no naked Jenga when he’s not there. In his interview, Reza says he’s committed to and loves his husband. He hopes in time, this will be a distant memory. He asks Adam when they’re going to play naked Jenga, and Adam says he wants to have a conversation about that. Reza says he sounds serious, but Adam says, not as serious as Reza is making it sound, and they sit. Adam says when he went through his texts, he saw Ali was right. He did mention naked whatever, but he said immediately that he was joking. Reza says he doesn’t care about Ali; he cares about Adam doing things that make people think he doesn’t have respect for their marriage. He doesn’t like finding out his husband was potentially engaging in inappropriate behavior. People divorce over these kinds of issues, and it literally plants the seed of doubt and paranoia in someone’s head. Adam asks Reza to stop and listen, instead of shutting down. When Reza gets angry, he doesn’t listen. He interrupts and says Adam’s not making sense. He says he knows Reza mentioned a trip to Hawaii, and Reza says it would be making more of a statement if he didn’t go, and would become a big deal. He and MJ were at the Boots and Brews thing together, and he doesn’t want it to be an issue in the group. Adam says he needs to get something off his chest. He never wants MJ there again. Reza says, it’s Adam’s house too. If Adam doesn’t want her there, no problem. Right now, they’re not in a great place anyway. Adam says, if MJ and Reza get back to a good place, that’s fine, but he doesn’t want her to be around. He can never talk to her again; not even a hello. In his interview, Reza says he wants to respect his husband, but at the same time, he has a yearning for someone who used to be bigger in his life, and it’s something painful to process.
Nema and Mike head into a clinic, and Nema says, real men get Botox together. In Mike’s interview, he says he’s 41, and wants to keep it looking young. Nema says he’s stoked for Hawaii. Mike asks if Mona is coming, but Nema says Mona is mad at him. He sent his parents a text saying they screwed up his life; he has a lot of anger under the surface. Mike says he uses it to justify keeping his life from them. Nema says, if he didn’t care, it would be easy, and Mike says, it’s causing stress, and stress is going to kill him. In his interview, Mike says Nema is a good dude, but he doesn’t understand his Persian parents. They had to flee their country, and started with nothing. It’s hard for people to understand the struggles they face. He tells Nema, when you’re young and in a new country with no money, it’s difficult. They didn’t know any better; he can’t blame them. He needs to have an open heart and mind. Nema says his mom wrote him a letter, talking about her feelings on her end. In Nema’s interview, he says he was finally ready to read it, but it was frustrating. He reads from the letter, his mom writing that watching him leave was the hardest experience of her life, and has haunted her for twenty-five years. She was only twenty-five and powerless. She went back and forth to see him, and worked 70 and 80 hours a week, often the third shift, in order to afford the trip, because she had no assistance. Nema says, but it doesn’t address why he and Mona were separated. He hates the letter because it doesn’t give him an ounce of closure. Mike says, life is short. He prays Nema finds it in his heart to forgive. Come to Hawaii, and chill out. Nema says he’s going to eat his body weight in sushi. The doctor comes in, and Nema says they’re here for a tune-up. Mike looks skeptical, but gets the Botox. He says, Hawaii, here we come.
Destiney, Sara, GG, and MJ meet Paulina for a girls night out. Mike told her to go for a night out with the girls before they leave, and just have a good time. In Destiney’s interview, she says since she and Sara’s brother are no longer talking, hopefully Sara will be in a better mood. They sit outside, and MJ says it’s her first girls night out since having the baby. Tommy’s dad is watching Shams. In GG’s interview, she says MJ doing what she did is one thing – we flash back to MJ’s concern for GG when she got sick at Boots and Brews – but her taking it as an honest gesture is another thing. She’s definitely over having enemies. It’s a heavy burden to carry. They clink glasses, and toast togirls night; no boys. There’s silence, and Sara says, it’s gorgeous, but chilly, and they decide to go inside. MJ shows them how she can line her lips without using a mirror, and GG says she has skills. MJ asks if GG is feeling better, and GG says, itwas an effed up situation. Paulina says she didn’t know anything about it, and GG explains that she had her fallopian tubes removed. The baby was seven weeks when she ruptured, so she’d barely been pregnant. It was a fluke of nature, since ectopic pregnancies are rare. MJ is sorry that GG went through that. In MJ’s interview, she says she feels compassion for everything GG has been through. She tells GG, it sucks they’re not closer. They could have had their experiences together. GG says she’s sorry, and admits there’s a jealousy factor. She would have rather had a child at the end. She’s read to give a baby love. MJ says she’s sure it will be a reality for GG soon, and asks if she can give GG a hug. When they hug, MJ says she didn’t know GG was getting pregnant, and GG asks if that would have made MJ not be mean to her. In her interview, GG says, for many years, she and MJ had a toxic friendship, but GG is a different person now. She doesn’t want MJ as an enemy or a friend. The best thing is to let it go. The girls toast to Paulina’s birthday.
Nema goes to see therapist Todd. He tells Todd that his mom is in town. He wishes it meant more than it does, but he’s frustrated and on edge. Todd asks how often Nema has discussed it with his mom, and Nema says she wrote him a letter on her feelings. She said, when his parents were going through the break-up, Nema’s dad reached out to his grandfather for assistance, and suggested his dad do him the favor of taking the kids to Iran for a month, while they figured things out. She was against it, but they convinced her it was a good idea not to let the kids see them fighting. It was only supposed to be one month, while they figured it out. His first response was wondering how one month turned into nine. His second response was that he’s thirty-six, and still dealing with the fallout. That they did this because they didn’t want the kids to see them arguing makes him angry, and prevents him from having a conversation with them. He’s more angry at his dad. He has an early memory of going to the grocery store with his grandfather, and there being an Iranian guard with an AK-47, watching people. Todd says, he’s in this new world, and the transition didn’t include a conversation about it. His mom laid it out, and wants him to understand where she’s coming from. Nema doesn’t want to be mad, but can’t avoid it. Nema says he has two volumes. One is, he doesn’t give a sh*t, and the other is, listen MF’er. It’s either zero or ten. Todd says, when we bury emotions, they manifest, and he needs to release it. Nema says, the status quo isn’t working. In his interview, Nema says he’s tired of being the victim of what’s happened to him. He’s been angry too long. Todd says if he has a conflict, he needs to put it out there and articulate what’s bothering him. In Nema’s interview, he says he needs his parents to come together, so he can ask why they did it, and tell them why it was wrong. That’s closure. He tells Todd, one step at a time.
As Mike packs, he realizes he always wears black T-shirts. Paulina says, that’s all he needs.
Reza packs 10,000 pairs of shoes. In his interview, he says, he’s not excited about the trip. He and MJ barely scratched the surface in moving forward, but their history makes it worth going.
MJ tells assistant Sienna, it’s weird. Hawaii is where she wanted to go with Reza, Adam, and Tommy, since neither couple had a honeymoon. Obviously, they’re not going on a honeymoon together. In her interview, she says, hopefully, they’ll get where they need to be. She tells Sienna, they’re going to be staying at a multimillion dollar property, and she wants to get back to when their moments of having fun and making fun of each other. She’s not leaving her newborn for no reason. She’s investing in their friendship. In MJ’s interview, she says she doesn’t want to leave Baby Shams for five minutes, but she knows she needs to do this for the friendship. She’ll do or say whatever it takes to help fix things.
Mike says when they travel as a group, they always act the fool. He’s hoping everyone gets along, and Paulina experiences the amazingness of his friends that he’s told her about. In Reza’s interview, he says he plans to be cordial, and ease into interaction with MJ. They fly to the island of Hawaii, and take a limo bus to the property.
Homeowner Goldie greets them, and they’re given leis by the cultural attaché Stephanie. In Nema’s interview, he says, the vibe with MJ and Reza is like an unexpected run-in with an ex. You don’t expect it to be cool, but it’s awkward. Stephanie welcomes them, and says they’re going to do a traditional Hawaiian greeting. They’re to pair up, and touch foreheads, nose to nose; inhale and exhale, then hug. In his interview, Reza says he was hoping to ease into the interaction, but it’s like, boom! Forehead to forehead. Nema and GG face each other. In his interview, Nema says he and GG are in a great place now. In GG’s interview, she says, after a few drinks, she could see Nema as bedroom worthy, but that’s as far as she’ll go.
MJ texts Tommy, asking how Shams is. I covet GG’s headband with two palm trees sticking up from it. Tommy texts back that Shams is great, and tells MJ to have fun. As usual, the food spread is fabulous, as is the property. Everything is beyond. Nema says, it’s going to be fat Nema resurrected in Hawaii. GG says she got fun headbands for the girls, and tattoos for the guys. MJ chooses a headband with flamingos, and I want that one too. Reza approaches MJ, and says he wants a grown up conversation with two people who are special to him. He asks why MJ and Destiney are still engaging with someone who didn’t have his best interest at heart? We flash back to two minutes ago, when Destiney, Ali, and MJ got together, and in Destiney’s interview, she says she tells Reza everything. MJ wonders, instead of confronting his friend of thirty years, why isn’t he saying Ali must be full of sh*t? Why didn’t he come to her? Reza asks why MJ and Ali are super tight, and in MJ’s interview, she says few people showed up at her father’s deathbed. Ali showed up in ways none of her other friends did. MJ says Reza has done stuff to her in the past, but when he came for her, she did nothing. There are certain things she resents, but if she wanted to get mad and screw him over, she would have done it then.
Mike says, this is killing him, and Paulina asks if they’re done. Everyone disperses, and Mike tells them to figure out the room situation among themselves. The rooms are incredible, and the views are stunning. I can’t imagine ever being rich enough to go there, but if that happened, you’d have a hard time prying me out. MJ tells Reza, he’s literally the worst. Reza asks, how? He’s apologizing, and owning every bit. MJ asks where was the call she deserved? Reza says she should have told him that she was feeling five kinds of ways, and she says she wanted him to be in the delivery room. He says he wanted to be, and it broke his heart. In Reza’s interview, he says he didn’t go to see MJ in the hospital because they weren’t in a good place. We flash back to Reza calling MJ while she was recovering, and grilling her about Ali. MJ says she saw him making a huge choice not get clarity from her, but they both lacked empathy. Reza says, it’s unimaginable that his closest friend entertained someone who did something not positive to him. The outcome was sh*tty and effed up. He wants to own his part in that, and that it affected her life in a negative way. MJ says she didn’t think about what he was going through, since she was wrapped up in what she going through. Reza says that’s all he needed. From the bottom of his heart, he forgives everyone, and apologizes with his whole heart. He did to Ali the same thing Tommy did; stand up for his spouse. It made him see Tommy in a different light, and let go of the anger. That’s all he needed from her; to own her part. They can take baby steps; time and action. In Reza’s interview, he says, Adam wants nothing to do with MJ. Now he feels that he has the insurmountable task of respecting his husband’s wishes, and getting back to a beautiful place with his best friend of thirty years who’s gone. Reza asks if MJ doesn’t think this is amazing. MJ says their realization that they both lacked empathy is a breakthrough. Reza says, a big breakthrough.
Next time, fire eaters and sea life, surfing lessons, GG flirts with Nema; and Mike says, there’s lots of sh*t talking and he wants them to act right.
🍸 On Watch What Happens Live tonight, the word of the night was Reza. They said it a total of 33 times. Andy said if we were playing, don’t drive, but I say, if you were playing, you’re probably dead.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
I swear, I could get up at 5 am, and still be running late around 3 pm. I missed the beginning, but from what I could hear, it sounded like they were just reviewing the end of yesterday’s episode.
At the hospital, Michael tells Sasha it would be nice to paint Nelle as a demon, and have her banished to a parallel dimension. Sasha says she can picture Diane making that argument, and Michael says, Diane is so good, she’d probably make it halfway through the argument before the judge would realize, and hold her in contempt. Sasha likes the Wizard of Oz approach. Bringing Nelle and Michael up front, and dumping a bucket of water on them, to see who doesn’t melt. Carly comes by, and says, that sounds good. Sasha says she’s getting punchy, and Carly says, long hours at the hospital will do that. Who wouldn’t want to see Nelle turn into a green puddle? Michael gets serious, and says he can’t afford to think like that. If he’s wrong, Wiley pays.
At Violet’s party, Maxie tells Robert, now that Obrecht is going to the Hague, can he drop his vendetta against Peter? He says he doesn’t have a vendetta, but she says, whatever he’s calling it, instead of treating Peter like a suspect, why doesn’t he see what they have in common? He says, those they love? and she says, besides that. He says he can’t think of anything, and she says Obrecht tried to kill them both. Robert is used to bouncing back, but Peter has suffered enough. He says, that’s a matter of opinion, and Maxie says she’s known Robert literally her entire life. He says that’s why he wants what’s best for her, and she says he needs to accept what’s best for her is her own decision; like she needs to accept he’ll never see Peter for the wonderful man he is. We flash back to Robert asking Anna if it ever occurred to her that Peter could be Alex’s son. It’s her big chance to sever all ties to Faison. Anna says she’ll never abandon Peter, and Robert says, Peter is an adult, and every bit as treacherous and sadistic as his father. We move to Peter saying, Robert knows he went to Pentenville to visit Shiloh, and Robert saying, but he doesn’t know why. Why doesn’t Peter shine some light on that? We go to Robert telling Peter that his family doesn’t see the dark side of him, but they will. Peter says it kills Robert that the people he cares about, care about and love Peter. There’s nothing he can do to convince Robert, so let those they care about speak for him. Robert says Peter thinks highly of himself. It was Faison’s undoing, and will be Peter’s too. Next, Robert tells Anna that something is wrong. If she wants to deny what’s in front of her face, that’s one thing, but if she denies what’s in her heart, it might come back to bite her. We shift to Robert asking Anna how long Jason has been suspicious, and telling her that she has a Peter-sized blind spot. It’s going to get her into trouble, and when Peter goes down, Robert doesn’t want Anna going with him. There are things in the works, and they’re going to show her what her would-be son is really like. We flash back to Robert accusing Peter of shopping his deal with Sam and Jason to the AG. Peter asks why it matters, unless Robert is up to something shady. Robert thanks Peter for getting him off this production. Now it’s just Peter and Jason. He knows Jason is a trained killer, and Jason knows the truth. He’s coming to get Peter, and this time Anna’s not going to be able to save his sorry butt. In the present, Robert tells Maxie, she’s right. He’s never going to see what she does. Good party. He leaves, she sighs, and Peter walks in, no doubt from listening in the next room.
In the park, Chase tells Willow, maybe they shouldn’t have gone to the party. She says they couldn’t have missed Violet’s birthday extravaganza, but he says he sees what it did to her. She says, it’s not the party; it’s the day. He should go back. He says, and leave her alone? but she says she can handle a walk by herself; she’s resourceful. He says she’s one of the most resourceful people he knows, but it’s how it weighs on her that Nelle might get custody. She says, it’s one thing if Nelle objects to elective surgery, but what if Wiley gets worse and she still refuses? He says, Michael has excellent lawyers, and she says, but what if it’s not enough? He says she’s been more of a mother to Wiley than Nelle, and she says, but she’s not his mother.
Olivia sees Robert heading for the door, and says, sneaking out? He says, guilty. He needs her to do him a big favor. She says, it depends on what it is, and he says he has some pressing business to take care of, but he doesn’t want to disappoint Violet or Anna. She says he could play the didgeridoo one more time, and see how Anna feels. He says it’s complicated, and he needs a bit of a cover created. If someone asks if they’ve seen him, she can say she saw him in the kitchen or the garden. If she does that, he would be so much in her debt. She likes the sound of that, and says she’s got it.
On the phone, Peter says he needs the distraction now. The sooner the better. Make it happen.
Aiden goes inside, and Charlotte follows, but Ava is behind her with Avery. Ava says she’s been telling Avery about Charlotte’s horse. It’s too soon for Avery to have lessons, but Avery loves horses. Avery says she and her grandfather had a sleepover with them in the stables. Ava says maybe Avery could watch Charlotte ride, or maybe have a horse of her own. Charlotte tells Avery, the back stall at Windymere is the best. Butterscotch used to have it, but Charlotte doesn’t live there anymore. Avery asks if Charlotte used to live in the big house, and Ava says, Charlotte did, but she and Nikolas live in the house now. She takes Avery back to the party.
Aiden reaches for the piñata, but Charlotte says, don’t touch it! He says he’s not going to hurt it, and she says she’s sorry she yelled. There’s a big surprise in there, and everybody needs to be here to see it.
Jason tells Sonny, he gave Anna a heads up for him, and she said thank you. She hasn’t seen anything out of order, but she’ll keep her eyes open. Then, a half hour later, Cyrus called, asking to meet with Sonny, and for Jason to relay the message. Sonny says, one thing about Cyrus, he’s doing it the right way.
Maxie tells Peter, he missed Georgie getting her fortune told. It was quite an event, but she has it on video. He says he has Invader business to tend to, and she asks if he has to duck out. He promises it’s important, and says he already told Anna goodbye. She says she’ll stay and sit back, watching the kids fight for candy like a teeny Hunger Games, where no one has to die. He says he’ll see her later. We flash back to Maxie in the cemetery, thanking Peter for saving her and the baby, and saying, Nathan would thank him too. We move to her saying that she’s lucky to have Peter in her life, accepting the fund for Nathan, and telling him that the rest of the family will come around. Peter feels the baby kick, and Maxie says she keeps wondering who he’ll be like; her or Nathan. Peter guesses, a little of both, and she says she can’t wait to meet him. Peter says, that makes two of them. Next, Peter asks Maxie to accompany him to the Nurses Ball, Maxie goes into labor on the way, and Peter delivers the baby by the side of the road. We flash back to Maxie telling Peter that she had to atone for mistakes she made too. He says she’s come a long way; maybe there’s hope for him too. We go through their relationship so far; Peter saying she’s his only true friend, and he’ll forever be sorry for hurting her; Maxie saying that being stuck in the elevator with him, personalized her being done with bitterness, and considering she’s been forgiven, it’s her only way to pay it forward; Peter telling Maxie that he cares more about her than anyone he’s ever cared for, and Maxie saying he’s the first person who’s made her feel this way since Nathan; Peter taking Maxie to Paris on a private jet, but them getting stuck in Toronto instead. We see their first kiss, deciding to move in together, and their first Christmas when Maxie gave Peter a personalized stocking, telling him that he’s officially family and she loves him. He tells her that he never had one, and it’s funny how the smallest things get you. We end with Maxie telling Peter, nobody can come between them, except them.
Robert sneaks into Peter and Maxie’s place. We flash back to Anna telling him that he’s targeting Peter, and asking, why can’t he accept the official story? Why can’t he leave it alone? He says he can’t, and she says, there’s no immediate danger or imminent threat. He’s looked the other way before. There’s no reason for him to be digging, except for his almighty ego, and need to be right. He says he’s not going to watch her wreck herself for a murdering SOB. In the apartment, he says, okay, Henrik. Let’s see what you’re hiding.
Franco asks Aiden, what’s up? and tells him to grab the piñata. Aiden tells him, Charlotte said to leave it alone, and Franco suggests they look at it. Ava tells Elizabeth, if someone had said years ago, that Franco would find happiness showing a child a non-violent piñata, she wouldn’t have believed it. Elizabeth says, he’s changed, and Ava says he’s truly, genuinely happy, and it’s all because of Elizabeth. Elizabeth says, they’re pretty happy together, and Ava wishes she could say the same about her and Nikolas. In the beginning, she thought they were a good match; two outsiders, comforting each other. Now she’s not so sure. Elizabeth says they’re completely different people. Ava is an extrovert, and Nikolas has spent his life under the mercy of other people’s opinions. If he did something bad, it wasn’t bad enough, but if he did something good, it wasn’t good enough. He’s given up on his better angel from time to time. Ava says, no wonder he’s lonely. He puts up a great front, but when he’s home alone, he walks through the house, practically haunting it.He had such high hopes for his return, and he got what he wanted, but no one was happy for him. Elizabeth says, he did some reprehensible things. He should have thought twice about it, if he didn’t want to be held accountable. Ava thinks Nikolas thinks so too. It’s taking its toll. There’s an emptiness she can’t reach.
Chase tells Willow, it’s okay, but she says, it’s not. Wiley’s not a person to Nelle. He’s a means to an end; a weapon to use against Michael and his family. He knows Nelle better than anyone. Does he think if the worst happens, and Nelle gets Wiley, she can look past her selfish needs, and think about Wiley’s best interests? She sure as hell doesn’t. We flash back to Nelle in Charlie’s, saying she wants to change Wiley’s name to William; he’ll adjust. Willow tells her, Wiley is a person, and Nelle says she’s sick of Willow and her self-righteousness. She’ll raise Wiley how she pleases, and Willow needs to remember that her son is dead, and stay the hell away from Nelle’s. Willow throws a drink on Nelle. In the park, she tells Chase, sorry she keeps going on about it. Between her and Michael, it’s probably all he hears. He says, there’s a simple solution. It’s not easy, but the way to improve Michael’s chances in fighting Nelle is for Willow to marry him.
Michael tells Carly and Sasha, he keeps going back to Diane’s strategy. It won’t do any good to make Nelle look bad; he has to look good. Carly says, it’s not an acrimonious divorce.It’s not he said she said. Nelle’s crimes are a matter of public record. He says, if he piles it on Nele, it might make the judge more sympathetic. If he calls her out for the horrible, deranged things she’s done, it could backfire, and she could be seen as a victim. We flash back to Nelle being in the hospital, and Michael saying he’s not going anywhere. We move to Nelle saying she admires Carly as a mother. She made a mistake, but at least understand that she wanted to name the baby Morgan to honor him. Let her make things right. We see Nelle telling Michael, their son didn’t make it, and saying the crash killed him. It’s Michael’s fault. He was too busy trying to get her to confess. He says, she’s blaming him? Jonah is dead because of her. She says he was the one driving. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s his. He hated her so much, he killed their baby. He’s ruined everything. We flash back to Nelle in jail, telling Carly, if only she’d known Jonah was alive. Brad ripped him from the safety of her arms. Carly says Nelle will never see Wiley again, and if the legal system doesn’t do it, she will. At the hospital, Carly tells Michael, Nelle is a master victim, and Michael says he has to show the court the reason he’s the best parent for Wiley.
Willow says, Chase told Sasha it was insane, but he says he’s had time to think. He sees Willow agonizing over Wiley, but it’s not his decision to make; it’s hers. If she wants to help, she’s got to marry Michael. If her decision is not to marry him, she’s got to take a step back, and let it be Michael’s problem, not hers. We flash back to Michael telling Willow, Nelle is great at faking it, but she’s the real thing. It’s like saccharine versus sugar. One tastes fine, until you have the real thing. She’s the real thing, and the judge would see her love for Wiley.
Sonny says Cyrus knows better than to contact him, so he’s using Jason as a go-between. Jason asks, why risk it? and Sonny asks if he thinks it’s a risk. Jason says Cyrus ambushed Sonny once, he could do it again. Sonny says, maybe Cyrus wants peace, and Jason says, on his terms. Sonny says, if they were his terms, Cyrus would be gone, and Cyrus knows this. Jason says, Cyrus just got out of prison. The last thing he wants is to be charged with another crime. Sonny could call his bluff by making a concession. Sonny says, that’s not going to happen. He needs to know Cyrus’s next move.
The kids gather around the piñata, and Finn says it’s the moment they’ve been waiting for. Is everybody ready? Anna asks if Violet wants to be first, but Violet says, let somebody else go. Anna spins Violet around, and she points to Charlotte. Charlotte suggests Avery have her turn, but Olivia says if they start messing with the rules, somebody’s feelings will get hurt. Charlotte approaches the piñata, takes a ribbon, and pulls.
Jason tells Sonny, Cyrus is fresh out of prison, far from his base of operations, and lost an expensive shipment. Sonny says, his partners are unhappy, and Jason says, Cyrus can’t come after Sonny unless he knows it will work. It’s Sonny’s city, and he has all the advantages. Sonny says, not all. Cyrus has the Police Commissioner under his thumb. Jason says, Jordan could give Cyrus room to maneuver, and clamp down on them. If Cyrus is free to operate, over time, it could hurt them. Sonny says, that’s the key – over time.
Aiden pulls a piñata ribbon, but nothing happens. Franco tells him, it’s okay. He’s in a perfect position to dive for candy. Violet is spun around, and points to another child. Charlotte looks nervous, but the other kids keep taking a turn, and nothing happens. Danny pulls a ribbon, but still nothing, and now Charlotte is like, come on. Avery is up, but the piñata still doesn’t open. It’s Violet’s turn, and Anna asks where Robert is. He’ll want to see this. Olivia says she thinks he’s on the patio.
Robert looks around, and opens drawers. The front doorknob turns.
The kids chant Violet’s name. She pulls a ribbon, and candy rains down. The kids drop to the floor, scrambling for it. Ava says, it’s precious, and digs in her bag, presumably for her camera. She drops the bag, and Nagini slithers out. Everyone screams, and Charlotte smiles.
On Monday, Robert confronts Spinelli about looking for dirt on Peter (we assume it’s Spinelli whose jiggling the doorknob), Laura tells Lulu that Valentin wants the same thing they all do, and Valentin tells Nikolas to stay away from his daughter.
Tomorrow, the episode from January 17, 2018 is listed in the guide. I can’t decipher exactly which one it is, since the blurb is vague, but it’s around the time of Jim Harvey and Nathan being revealed as Obrecht and Faison’s son.
The Real Housewives of New York City
Ramona has made plans for the women to visit a vineyard. In her interview, she says she wants to make sure they’re not bored and fighting, so they’re going to a winery. In Dorinda’s interview, she says, surprise, surprise. LuAnn woke up complaining about her room. We see a clip where – horrors! – the Countess saw a spider, and tells everyone she’s going to the chiropractor. The women take a limo, and go to the vineyard restaurant for lunch. Leah orders merlot. In her interview, she says she’s not an alcoholic, but didn’t like what alcohol was doing to her life. She stopped drinking, but now drinks when she wants, and she’s been drinking a bit over the last six months. Ramona gets a text from LuAnn saying she can’t make it. She got her neck cracked, and the doctor told her to take it easy. She’ll see them later. In Leah’s interview, she asks, in what world would you invite someone battling sobriety to a winery, and act surprised when they don’t want to go? It’s not a big riddle. Dorinda says after only 24 hours, they got Leah to drink. Ramona says, the weekend isn’t over yet. I didn’t see them pour Leah’s wine, but WTF? It’s like maybe two sips. Either she guzzled something when I wasn’t looking, or they are cheap with a pour. At a winery. In Ramona’s interview, she says bonding means opening up with what they’re feeling inside, and we flash back to her and Bethenny discussing their fathers. She says, that’s how they get close and get to know one another, rather than talking about superficial stuff.
Ramona tells the women, she came from a disruptive household. Growing up, she would play music, and look out the window at the clouds, wondering what was out there for her. Years later, driving back from the Hamptons, she felt like she was sixteen again, questioning what was going on with her life. Dorinda says she has goosebumps, and Ramona tells them, she said, mommy, help me. Sonja is impressed with the self-realization, and says she’d thought Ramona was avoiding the topic. In Ramona’s interview, she says it’s important in life to feel safe with a person, and it scares her that she doesn’t have that in her life. Tinsley says she has the same feeling, and she doesn’t even have a child. At least all of them have had those things, and checked them off. Ramona says, it’s not a box you check, and Dorinda says she enjoys Tinsley, but she has frustration with her. It’s like how they were talking about icebergs on the Discovery channel. As big and beautiful as they are on the surface, 90% of them are under water. She feels like she’s only seeing the tip of Tinsley. It’s not about being nosey, but getting to know her. Sonja says she didn’t even know Tinsley had a new boyfriend.
Tinsley says, Bruce is from Chicago, and has three children and two ex-wives. She’s never really been around children, and was surprised she could deal with that, and be a part of the family. She doesn’t know if it’s going to be long term; she’s not used to being one of an army of people, and wonders, where does she fit in? Leah thinks Brett is being selfish. We see a clip of Leah asking Tinsley if she feels like she’s wasting her time, and Tinsley says she always feels that way. She tells the women, she probably won’t have her own kid with this guy. Every time she sees him, it’s with his family, and she needs alone time with him. Leah says, they’re also socializing with his friends. In Tinsley’s interview, she says she doesn’t like being sixth on the totem pole.
It’s Leah’s turn, and she tells everyone, after high school, her parents sent her to rehab. When they came to get her, they told her she wasn’t coming home. In her interview, she says she was an effed up teenager, and put her parents through hell. They told her that they couldn’t have her disrupting her brother’s and sister’s lives. She tells the women, her parents told her that they couldn’t have her there, and took her to a halfway house run by nuns. They drove her to a nunnery in Upstate New York, and drove off. She wondered what was happening to her life, but later realized that her mother was trying to save her life. She had to face the consequences of the things she was doing, but it gave her perseverance. She’s been though the worst. In Ramona’s interview, she says Leah had the vulnerably to confide in them, and she has empathy, since she went through a bit of that herself
Dorinda gets weepy, and says she needs another napkin. She’s been crying for a month, and doesn’t know what’s wrong with her. She says she’s scared every day, and starts to cry. Leah asks what she’s scared of, and Ramona comes around the table and hugs her. Dorinda says everyone thinks she’s strong and able. She’s the anchor for everyone’s boat, but sometimes she wants to be the boat, and be anchored by someone else. Ramona says Dorinda is overwhelmed, and Dorinda says she’s always running the show. Ramona says Dorinda does for everybody, and in Dorinda’s interview, she says, life is heavy. She wakes up worried, and goes to bed worried, and has no one to share the burden with. John never had these kinds of responsibilities. She’s tapped out. Leah says the pressure is always on women to do everything.
Ramona says Sonja is next. Sonja says she’s at the point Ramona was, wondering how she got there. She runs around, pays the bills, and has one foot in the nursing home. She didn’t sign up for this. Then you die. Dorinda says, she thought they were supposed to be expressing their hearts, and Leah wonders where the oxygen tank is. In her interview, Dorinda says, Sonja has had a couple of drinks, and she’s talking about everything except what makes her vulnerable. Stop her. Ramona looks at her phone, and says she’s checking on where she’s having her party. In her interview, she says she’s having a fabulous cocktail party at Joe Ferrell’s home. It’s stunning, and the women’s mouths are going to drop.
Back at the house, Tinsley tells Leah, she went on a date with Joe, and it was the lamest date ever. It was a basketball game. Leah says, and he didn’t even feed her or anything. In Tinsley’s interview, she says she found out he’d also dated Bethenny. He wasn’t her type, and she doesn’t think he drinks either.
LuAnn gets back, and in her interview, she says she didn’t want to miss any bonding, but she’s glad she took care of her neck. She didn’t sleep well, and between the spiders and the smell, she’s not comfortable. Dorinda asks how Ramona’s afternoon was, and Ramona admits she had had date. In her interview, Dorinda says she’s never seen a person slip in and out of dates so quickly. It’s like sliding doors. We flash back to Ramona leaving various events for a date, and Dorinda says, it’s impressive. Ramona says he was Persian, sexy, and more flirtatious than she is.
Ramona tells LuAnn to come to her bathroom to do makeup. LuAnn goes upstairs, and in her interview, Ramona says LuAnn’s floral dress does not belong in the Hamptons. It belongs in Nantucket or Atlanta. In LuAnn’s interview, she says she’s glad she missed lunch. By the looks of it, Sonja was over-served, and they’re not even at the party yet.
On the way to the party, in one limo, Ramona tells Dorinda that Joe is a major developer. In the other limo, LuAnn tells Sonja that she’s interested to see the house. Sonja says, Ramona is a social butterfly, who needs to be knocked down a notch. It’s not a good look. Sonja says she’s trying to hang onto her long term friends, but Ramona is more interested in the rent-a-crowd, party filler people. In Sonja’s interview, she says, Ramona is showing off her fancy friends, but it’s just another boring party, with stiff people, and a lot of small talk. She thinks Ramona forgot what’s important in life.
The house, named Sandcastle, is massive, and there’s a humongous mirror in the entryway. Ramona says she’s in love with it, which is no surprise. LuAnn says the house is for sale, and Sonja says no wonder they were invited. She realizes that the four of them sharing the limo – her, LuAnn, Tinsley, and Leah – all have mug shots. Leah’s says, it’s a bunch of weird white people, and in her interview, she says, it’s not the type of party she’s used to. It’s weirdEyes Wide Shutsh*t. By the end, she’s going to be taken to a back room and made to be someone’s bitch. (I just have to interject that I had a hard time keeping my eyes wide open when I saw Eyes Wide Shut. It wasn’t nearly as interesting as I thought it would be, and that one-note piano score was sleep inducing.) Sonja is disappointed that there’s no gin, and goes for Tito’s. Ramona introduces everyone, and Sonja says she’s being so formal. In Tinsley’s interview, she says, Sonja lived like Ramona is pretending to. Sonja tells Ramona, they might be in a $39 million home, but act like she’s in her $7 million home; she likes to be down-to-earth. In Ramona’s interview, she says, with Sonja, she has to bring herself down, while with her other friends, she has to elevate herself.
Ramona accuses Leah of chewing gum, like it’s a crime, and Leah says, no, she’s not. She walks outside with Tinsley, and says she swallowed it. Ramona’s eyes scared the hell out of her. She saw Ramona’s eyes, and just swallowed the gum. Ramona just scolded her, but she’s not from the royal family. Inside, Sonja says she thinks Leah is classy, but doesn’t look classy; she’s rough around the edges. Ramona thanks Joe for letting her use the house. In her interview, Tinsley says, it’s weird seeing Joe. She thinks he and Ramona would make a good couple. The way Ramona is batting her lashes, he seems to be into it. She tells Leah, Ramona is flirting as usual. In her interview, Leah says, Joe seems like a nice older gentlemen. Men who are short and unattractive still have women running after them if they have money. It’s the world we live in. In LuAnn’s interview, she says, it’s hard not to drink. The bar is there, and everyone is drinking. She was hoping Leah would be her wingman by not drinking, but it’s not happening. She’s lost her sober companion.
Ramona gathers everyone for a house tour, and they check out the bowling alley in the basement. The women are impressed, and Joe says his house just made him hotter. In her interview, Leah says, exhibit A. She rests her case. Tinsley is having a hard time bowling in heels, and gets a gutter ball. On the way downstairs, Dorinda tells LuAnn that she thinks touring houses is tacky. In her interview, Dorinda says she lived with her husband in London, and they don’t do house tours. You see the living room and the dining room, and maybe the kitchen. Maybe. LuAnn and Dorinda do some bowling, and LuAnn gets a strike. In another room, Joe shows them a half pipe he had put in for his son, and a DJ booth. There’s also a swing that can be hoisted to the ceiling, and when Ramona goes up in it, it makes me nervous. It’s not like there’s a seat belt.
Mutual friend Elyse joins them, and Dorinda says she was married to a hedge fund guy. They discuss clothes, and Elyse says she’s not a huge shopper. Investments, yes; clothes, no. Sonja says her husband always bought her clothes, and Elyse says Sonja was his accessory. Sonja takes offense, insisting they were partners. Elyse says Sonja was a trophy wife, and Sonja starts to get loud, telling Elyse to clip it. Elyse says, Sonja brought men to their knees, and Sonja keeps repeating, take it back, until Elyse takes it back. Sonja says, Tinsley was a trophy wife, which annoys Tinsley. In Tinsley’s interview, she says she and Topper met at boarding school, and they were the same age. Sonja was a hostess when she met her husband, who was a hundred. That’s the definition of a trophy wife. Sonja announces that she doesn’t shave her p*ssy. In Dorinda’s interview, she says, Sonja is drunk, but she doesn’t think Elyse should be talking like that. It’s no one’s business to pass judgement on what roll any of them played in their husbands’ lives. LuAnn tells Dorinda, Sonja is off the rails, and shouldn’t have kept drinking. She’s going to be out like a light. Dorinda says, or it will be batten down the hatches.
The women check out the buffet, and LuAnn wants someone to tell her why she left her own beautiful house to spend the weekend in Ramona’s basement. It smells like dog piss. In LuAnn’s interview, she says, the room is also fully stocked with liquor. She noticed. Sonja tells Ramona to go sit with her rich friends. She’s treating them like chicken liver. Everyone is like, um… that’s chopped liver. In Ramona’s interview, she says, when Sonja acts like this, it’s no wonder she’s not invited to certain events. Sonja says they’re not important to Ramona, and Dorinda says, Sonja is on a roll. Leah sits down, and Sonja points to a young guy sitting at the table, saying he wants to have sex with her. Leah says, who wouldn’t want to have sex with her? In Leah’s interview, she says, watching Sonja eye-f*** this dude is the best part of the whole party. She wonders if Sonja would say, never mind, if he had a tattoo. She doesn’t think so. The guy asks if Sonja wants a drink, and Ramona suggests he get Sonja some club soda. Sonja tells him, just show her his driver’s license, and they’re good to go. She has an amazing vagina. LuAnn joins them, wondering what’s happening, and Sonja asks how her p*ssy is. LuAnn looks down, and says, it’s all still there. Sonja says she stole the show, but they’re not getting laid tonight. It’s all quite astonishing. And astonishing that Sonja is invited anywhere.
In her interview, Leah says, Sonja is not just entertaining, she’s embarrassing. They get up from the table, and Sonja says Ramona is a party popper [sic]. Ramona says, the party is over, and Sonja says, Ramona is over. She tries to latch on to a guy going past, and LuAnn says he’s married and has a baby. In Dorinda’s interview, she says, it’s like Godzilla has been let loose, and Godzilla is drunk. Ramona steers them all out, and a guy named Eddie asks if every night is like this.
Sonja tries to go back, but Dorinda says, no, you’re not. Sonja says Dorinda is getting in between her and her vagina. Dorinda wonders why Sonja does this to herself – and them.
I’ve been wondering why I like this show when it’s just as drama laden as RHOBH. The lightbulb came on just now. The women are just as self-centered, and sometimes as mean, as the women in Beverly Hills. But when they’re mean, it’s because they want attention or they’re thoughtless – not because they’re deliberately being cruel or want to get back at each other. Huge difference. Same drama, but different intention. It’s kind of like the difference between 2 Broke Girls and King of Queens. The people are both awful, but on 2 Broke Girls, you know when push came to shove, they’d do anything for one another or even to help a stranger. On King of Queens, they’d trample each other to get to a fire exit. But they’re not real, so it can be funny. Okay, digression – and commercial break – over.
It’s 10 am, when Dorinda knocks on Ramona’s door. She says, there’s a problem. LuAnn left, and she’s written an out-of-control text. Ramona says she saw a car pull out last night, and thought someone stole her car. Dorinda doesn’t know why she was cc’d, and reads the text addressed to Ramona. LuAnn says, it’s not the fish room part two. She has an amazing home, and there, she had to share a bathroom with someone she didn’t know or be in the basement, where there’s dog piss and spiders. She’s always lowest on the totem pole when it comes to rooms. Ramona says she asked LuAnn if she wanted a room on the ground floor, and thinks LuAnn just wanted to go home. Dorinda wonders why LuAnn can’t just say she doesn’t want be downstairs, and that it feels lonely. In Dorinda’s interview, she says, LuAnn always has an issue with the room. We flash back to Vermont, when LuAnn whined that she was just married and back from Palm Springs, so her room could have been nicer; and Great Barrington, where LuAnn griped that the best room was being saved for Bethenny, who’d just been through a tragedy. Dorinda says, and Ramona’s house. Dorinda thinks there’s a theme going on here.
Ramona calls LuAnn, and gets voicemail. Dorinda tells her to be careful with what she says. Ramona says she hopes LuAnn got home safe. She’s sorry LuAnn felt isolated, and that she wasn’t being more aware of how LuAnn felt. She was concentrating on superficial things, when it was important to bond, and she never meant to make LuAnn feel that way. She asks LuAnn to come back, and she’ll try to make it up to her. I’m kind of surprised, since Ramona actually sounds sincere. She tells Dorinda that LuAnn felt rejected, and she gets that. In her interview, Ramona says she doesn’t want LuAnn to feel bad. She was preparing for eight women, cooking, cleaning, and shopping, and effed up.
Sonja wonders what happened last night, and thinks she had a great time. Ramona asks if she’s straight yet, and tells her about LuAnn leaving at 1 am. In Sonja’s interview, she says LuAnn was humbled by her probation for ten seconds. Now everything’s not good enough. Sonja reads the text, and they all want to see the basement, and troop downstairs. Sonja deems it a party palace. In Dorinda’s interview, she says, it was either sleeping in the guest room, or being home. A bed, television, and bathroom is enough.
Ramona’s phone rings. It’s LuAnn.
Next time, Ramona and LuAnn have a tennis match; a cute dog groomer comes to groom Marley, and LuAnn says she’d like to be groomed; a game of beer pong is played; Leah goes off the deep end; and Ramona wails over the remnants of a very messy party.
📡 John Olivier and LuAnn were guests on Watch What Happens Live (quarantine edition), and John was too funny. He was enthralled with next week’s RHONY preview, and how it went from, I think there’s vodka in that, to I think she’ll be okay, to a naked Leah pulling a tiki torch out of the ground, to a guy nobody knows saying, I think I should go. He said, if someone would ask which he liked better, that or Parasite, he would say Parasite, but he’d be lying.
👨🏾🍳 On Top Chef, the chefs arrived to find stations for each of them, with utensils, aprons, and tablets. They each got a phone call from a loved one; wives, moms, sisters, and friends, and chatted for a while. Padma came in and told them to gather around. Their loved ones were going to be an integral part of the Quickfire challenge. They were all at Mozza, an upscale restaurant, and the chefs would have to replicate whatever dish their person was eating, using their instructions given over the phone. The dish had to look and taste the same, but a photo couldn’t be texted. They had thirty minutes to cook the dish, which I probably don’t have to point out, isn’t very long. As usual, the winner would be exempt from elimination, but they would also receive $10K courtesy of the show’s partner, Metro. Kevin said the run for ingredients reminded him of the streets of Manhattan; everyone was running around like lunatics, wearing headphones, and screaming at someone no one else could see. Since each loved one had a different set of communication skills, it was pretty funny to watch the chefs try to decipher what it was they were going to make. After cooking/plating time was up, a photo of the dish was texted to them, so they could see how close they came. Guest judge Nancy Silverton, owner of the Mazzo restaurant group, and whose dishes were being reproduced, was introduced. Bryan had a totally different dish, so it was the least favorite, but Nancy made a point of saying it was still delicious. Kevin was the winner (aw! I like him), and he called his wife, saying that her being super detail oriented panned out. In his interview, he said his successes had always been because of her, and he was glad they got the opportunity to enjoy the victory together.
Nancy explained that, in addition to her restaurants, she was also an entrepreneur. She had the Bakery Bread company, and was starting a gelato line called Nancy’s Fancy. The chefs were to create a signature product to bring to the Westfield Century City Food Festival. They would be giving out samples of food using their creation, and the shoppers would each get one ticket to receive one product. The chefs’ loved ones would assist them in the making of the product, and they were given $600 to shop at Whole Foods. While making dumplings, the kitchen got a little too hot for Lee Anne’s mom, who came close to fainting, and had to lie down. In Lee Anne’s interview, she said her mom was her main consideration, but she still had to be in the competition – alone – and finish a million dumplings. Okay, it was really 150. Several of the others came to rescue, and she said she was touched that she had great people willing help. I was pretty impressed with that myself. Afterwards, Bryan ranked the others in a notebook, no surprise, putting himself at the top. He’s starting to get on my nerves.
At the food festival, the chefs labeled their products. Melissa ended up being the top seller, receiving tickets for 31 bottles of kimchee vinaigrette. She said she’d wanted to create a versatile product, which seemed to be key. Nancy picked Gregory as the winner of the challenge with some Haitian pickled veggies that I wouldn’t mind a jar of. The bottom three were Stephanie, Jennifer, and Bryan full of Malarkey. In his interview, he whined that his product sold well, and tasted amazing, because he knows better than the judges. Stephanie was told her marinara sauce was nothing different than was already out there. Bryan’s salsa whatever was oily, and Tom said it was confusing as to what he was actually selling. Stephanie’s ginger lemon sauce, which sounded like a good idea, was deemed not smooth enough by Tom, and Nancy thought Stephanie had diluted the flavor by mixing in yogurt. Tom did say he was impressed with how quickly the chefs all came up decent product on the first try, saying it had taken twelve times for him to get his first product correct. He also conceded that in a crowded market, it was hard to get something to stand out.
While I was hoping Bryan would be packing his knives and going, it was Jennifer who was moving on to Last Chance Kitchen. She says she was from Philly, and Rocky kept coming back. In her interview, she told us, the competition had done so much good for her; she’d learned a lot about herself. She started off wanting things done her way, and it motivated her to be better. She now accepted that she makes mistakes, and wanted to learn. Her best memory was going to be cooking with her sister. The loss couldn’t change how happy the challenge made her.
Next time, the elimination challenge will be a celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the L.A. Philharmonic, the chefs will pair up, and it will be a double elimination. In the preview, Lee Anne said shopping with Bryan was like shopping with monkeys on crack.
🏕 Coming May 4th…
I’m hoping this isn’t like Summer House at camp, but it looks like it probably is.
We’re getting there, and I hope in the meantime, you’re getting up and getting dressed. No slippers before 6 pm, and make that bed. Unless you don’t normally make your bed, then disregard that. Stay safe, and wear that mask with pride.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Sam and Jason kiss. He asks if this is why she wanted meet. She says it is, and he says they shouldn’t be doing this. Carly offered them a safe house, but meeting there is a double risk. Sam says she was careful; no one knows she’s there. He says, that they know of. If she’s caught meeting with a felon on a property owned by Sonny, it’s going to be a problem. She says, but she won’t be caught.
At the MetroCourt, Nina asks if Jax is sure he doesn’t want to ice his back; he took quite a fall. He says only his pride was hurt, and she bets he even falls with panache. He says, one person enjoyed it – Charlotte. She has great manners, but she couldn’t quite hide her smirk. Nina says, that’s what troubles her.
Ava thinks she and Nikolas should make more of an effort with his family, but he says his family doesn’t need to endure more of their sham marriage than they have already, especially his mother. She says she likes Laura a lot, and unless their terms have changed, his family needs to understand they’re a package deal. Unless one of them cheats, and she’s not going to. What about him? He says, certainly not, dearest. They walk into the hospital, and over to Laura. Ava says Laura’s office said she’d be there, and Laura asks if something happened. Have they spoken to Spencer? Ava says, sadly, no. They were nearby, and thought they could take her out for drinks, or dinner if she hasn’t eaten. Laura says she’s in the middle of something there. Doc wonders why he was paged, and Robert comes in, saying he has the latest on Cyrus, and it’s all bad.
The Pentenville warden says Jordan could have kept quiet, and Cyrus would have stayed behind bars. They know how dangerous he is, and what a blow it is to release him. But she discovered false evidence, and respected the rule of law. Maybe others could learn from her. Cyrus walks in, and says, what is this? A late night visit from the Commissioner? What does she have to tell him that’s so important?
Josslyn lets Cameron in the back door of Sonny’s kitchen. He says he’s glad she’s home. Although she’s under house arrest, so why wouldn’t she be? He’s glad guard recognized him, and let him in. He begins to babble, and she asks, what’s going on? He says, Trina is hurting, and he doesn’t know how to help.
Trina relentlessly bangs Jordan’s door, and Curtis opens it. He asks why she’s there alone, and Trina says, where is she? Jordan’s not at the station. He says, she’s on police business, and Trina says she called. They said she was gone for the day. He says, not all police business is conducted at the station. She says she’ll wait for as long as it takes for Jordan to take back the lies about her father.
Carly says she thought Sonny wanted to decompress after what happened with Mike, but it was about the phone call. Who was it, and what the hell is going on? Sonny answers another call, and says, it’s going down tonight. Take the appropriate measures, and call Jason and Tony. Sonny tells Carly, Diane called. Cyrus goes free tonight.
Nikolas asks if he jsut heard Robert say that Cyrus is going free; the man who’s responsible for his mother being shot. Ava says, obviously, it’s not a good day for drinks, and Robert says he should have been quiet. Sorry. Laura says, when she was briefed, she knew it would be in a few hours. How did it happen so quickly? Robert says, it’s what he suspected when the Justice Department contacted him. Doc says, remarkable. A heads up would have been nice. Laura asks if there isn’t a way they can slow down Cyrus’s release.
Nikolas asks Ava, how they can let a drug trafficker go free? Ava says, Trina told her everything, and Jordan had expected it. Trina feels horrible. Nikolas hopes Laura doesn’t get involved any further, and she says he sounds like a concerned son. He sounds like he might have a caring heart after all.
Nina tells Jax, Charlotte was a big reason why she was conflicted about leaving Valentin. She was afraid of how the breakup was going to affect her. Charlotte is strong-willed, but underneath, she’s hurting and alone. Jax says, like his aching back, and Nina says, she knew it, but he says, it was just a tweak. She says, Charlotte might see Jax as part of the problem. Charlotte can’t blame Valentin for them breaking up, but maybe she blames Jax on some level. She’s worried that Charlotte feels alone and sad, with no one to confide in. Jax says, Josslyn went through the same thing, believing Carly was involved with the wrong man, and acted out. Nina says, he just referred to himself as the wrong man, and he says he did, but nothing was farther from the truth.
Carly asks how Cyrus is getting out tonight, and Sonny says, Jordan, Taggert, and two other agents worked together in the DEA. They conspired to frame Cyrus, and somehow Cyrus found out. That’s why he killed Taggert, and the two other agents. She asks if he threatened to expose Jordan, and he says, Cyrus kidnapped TJ. Jordan has to release him to save her own son. He and Jason came up with an idea. Jordan told the Department of Justice that she’d discovered the frame-up, and said the other three were in on it. Carly asks if Laura is in on it, but he says, no; just them, and that’s the way he wants it to stay. Jordan made the right choice, and he’d have done the same. She says, say it works out, and Cyrus goes free. What the hell will they do?
Cyrus says, it’s better than he could have dreamed. He walks out a free man tonight? The warden says, paperwork has to be processed, but essentially, yes. He called the DOJ, and confirmed the procedure. He tells Cyrus to take a seat, and Cyrus says, it’s amazing how polite everyone becomes when they realize you’re about to go free. The warden leaves, and Cyrus tells Jordan, good job. It’s great to have friends in high places. She says she wants her son, but Cyrus says he’s not out yet. She says she did what he wanted. She tarnished her partner’s good name, and he got his precious freedom. But if her son isn’t released unharmed, he’s going to be too dead to enjoy it.
Curtis asks if Trina wants something to drink while she waits, but she says she’s good. He sets a water in front of her, just in case. He says he knows she been through one major incident after another. She lost her father, and now this. She says, these lies? Jordan said she was her father’s friend. How can a friend lie? He says, they’re not lies. Sometimes good people do bad things for a good reason. She says she’s tired of hearing that. Her mom and Ava said the same thing, but she knows it can’t be true. He was proud of his badge, and would never break the law. Curtis says, her father was human. He and the team were driven and dedicated. They were the good guys, and knew Cyrus was guilty as sin, but no matter how hard they worked, Cyrus was too smart to incriminate himself. They couldn’t pin him down, so as a last resort, since they knew Cyrus was already guilty, they framed him, even though it was wrong. She says, not her dad, and he’s not there, so he can’t defend his reputation, but she can. She’s going to find a way to prove his innocence. She heads for the door, and Curtis says, it’s the last thing her father would want.
Jason tells Sam that Diane and Tony confirmed it. Cyrus is going to be released tonight. He knows it sounds crazy. They knew it was going to happen, but not this fast. Everyone is freaking out, and now they have to deal with Cyrus. There are a lot of decisions he needs to make, and wants her to go home and stay there. Sam asks when they can meet again, and he says they can’t. No more secret meetings. They can’t do it anymore.
Carly says, Cyrus came close to killing Sonny with the ambush, and will probably make a run for him again. Sonny says, maybe, but he and Jason are going over options. The way he sees it, Cyrus is far away from his base of operations. He doesn’t know Port Charles, and it gives Sonny the advantage. She says, maybe, but wouldn’t Cyrus stay safer on the west coast?
Robert says, the simple truth is, the legal system is on Cyrus’s side. Laura says, no parole; no one is going to keep tabs on him? Robert says he can come and go as he pleases, and Laura says, there’s nothing to keep him there. Maybe he’ll go back to Seattle. Doc tells her, don’t count on it. After their interview, he doesn’t see that as happening.
Nikolas tells Ava that he dated Taggert’s sister. He was a dedicated cop. If he compromised his ethics, it’s a good indicator of the danger that’s about to be free. Ava says they should talk to Laura, and get her to understand their concerns, but Nikolas says, no. Their marriage is simply an act, and a transparent one at that. No doubt his mother isn’t interested in what they have to say, so just don’t. She tells him, suit himself. She’ll see him at home.
Josslyn says, Cyrus gets to go free? and Cameron says, and Trina’s dad looks like a bad cop. He couldn’t bear the look on Trina’s face when Jordan told her. There was nothing he could do or say. Josslyn says she could have been there if she hadn’t been confined to the property. Trina needs her, and she has to find her. Cameron says Josslyn can’t leave.
Curtis asks if Trina knows he used to be with the DEA. She says, so? and he says he’s aware of the toll it takes, day in and day out. All they see is anger, pain, dysfunction, and violence out of control. Their job is to help protect the innocent, and minimize the damage. Trina says, like her dad did, and he says, but sometimes it gets to be too much. One case will be so long and so unfair, you have to act for justice, even if it means going outside law, or maybe following the law, and turning your back. It becomes impossible to live with yourself; so much so, it eventually numbs your own conscience. She asks if that’s what he did, and he says, the point is, her father kept his law enforcement life from her. There was a reason Taggert didn’t want it to touch her. He knows Taggert wouldn’t want her dragged into a pointless quest to vindicate his name. He’d want her to live her best life, and make him proud. She says he’s the Commissioner’s husband. Of course (🍷) he’d want her to back off, but the official story is wrong, and she’s going to prove it.
Jason says, working around Sam’s parole is one thing, but Cyrus is going to be released. Cyrus is ruthless, and targets families. Jason can’t be anywhere near her or the kids. Sam gets it. Cyrus will use them to get to Jason, but she’ll do everything to keep the kids safe. They have to find a way to meet. He says they can’t. Cyrus can’t get to Sonny without getting to Jason first. He’s going to be a target. and he blew up Cyrus’s warehouse. He can’t risk her getting caught up in it. Sam says, it’s not just his choice to make. If Sam was a man, I’d say she’s thinking with the wrong head. When did she take an idiot pill?
Sonny tells Carly, Cyrus got revenge against the agents who framed him, and three of them are dead. She says, and Jordan released him. Why would he stick around when his base of operations would be more secure? He says, it’s not about security. Pride is a major factor. Cyrus works with powerful syndicates. He came to town to take over Port Charles, guns blazing. He can’t back down now; they’ll think he’s weak. And when you’re weak, you get eliminated. She says, so he’ll stick around, and keep coming at Sonny, but Sonny says, he’s too smart for that. Cyrus is going to lay low after his release; he can’t take any chances. Carly says, then they’ll stay on lockdown? He says, if it escalates, he’ll move the entire family, but he believes he can keep them safe. She says, she believes him, but Jax might have other ideas.
Ava goes to the MetroCourt, and says she stopped by to see Nina at her office. It seems the more time Nina spends with Jax, the less time she spends there. Jax says they enjoy their time together, unlike Ava and Nikolas. She says, get real. Neglecting his wife is the least of Nikolas’s failings.
Trina shows up at Sonny’s, and Cameron says they were getting worried. Josslyn was about to go looking for her. Josslyn says Cameron told her about Trina’s dad. She’s sorry. Trina says she doesn’t want their sympathy; she wants their help.
Sam says Jason never had to lose her; she had to lose him for five years. He came back, so how is she supposed to give him up again? She doesn’t want to waste time. Nothing matters more than being together. He says her life matters more, and the kids. All Cyrus needs is to be right once. What if there’s another ambush? She has to think. She says she doesn’t want to leave the kids motherless, but she doesn’t want another separation. She can’t take it. He says he doesn’t like it either, and sits next to her. He says, it was different when it was just the two of them. They could take whatever risks they wanted to, and always found their way back to each other somehow. Now, their actions have consequences. They have to give Danny and Scout the security they need. They can’t be together.
Robert tells Laura, he has a call into Judge Crawly to delay Cyrus’s release, but it’s pending further review. The warden says he was just on the phone with the federal district court. The paperwork has already been processed, and as soon as it’s signed, Cyrus is a free man. Cyrus walks in, and says it’s a pleasant surprise to see Laura. Is she there to escort him back to Port Charles?
Doc asks what’s on Nikolas’s mind, and Nikolas says he hopes the same thing that’s on Doc’s mind – Cyrus. Doc says, it’s a tragic situation, and Nikolas says, from the looks of it, his mother isn’t happy. She’ll probably press Cyrus. Doc says he shares Nikolas’s concern, and Nikolas tells him to do what he can to get her to back down. Doc says, she’s too stubborn. He can only ask her to be careful. Nikolas says, that’s not enough, and Doc says it will have to be. He loves his wife, and he’s supportive. It’s called mutual respect. Nikolas should try it sometime.
Ava asks Jax what makes him think he can judge her marriage. How many times has he been married? Jax says, enough to know blackmail when he sees it. Ava says he ought to be thanking Nikolas. If he hadn’t returned, Nina and Valentin’s relationship wouldn’t have blown apart, and Jax wouldn’t be sitting there, picking up the pieces. On behalf of her husband, he’s welcome. She leaves, and Jax says, who cares what she says? He’s enjoying every minute with her. Nina asks, how many times has he been married? and he says he thought they were talking surfing. She says, they were; in Fiji. He says there are isolated beaches there with nice, fun waves. Carly approaches their table, and says she and Jax need to talk about Josslyn.
Josslyn says, Trina is going to sue Jordan? Trina says Jordan slandered her dad. She’s going to prove Jordan is lying, and restore his name and honor. Josslyn doesn’t know, and Trina says she’s always told her that Diane is the best lawyer in the state. Josslyn says Diane won’t take a case she doesn’t think she can win, and it sounds like Jordan has proof that Cyrus was framed. Josslyn asks if Josslyn thinks her father is a dirty cop, after he gave his life to save them.
Jordan arrives home, and tells Curtis that she’s sorry she’s late. She stopped to get a good bottle of wine. Cyrus was released today, and he’s so pleased with himself. The owner recommended the vintage, and said it was worth the money. She starts to open the bottle, and he stops her. He asks, why not wait until TJ is released before they celebrate? She says they don’t have that luxury. If it’s their last night together, she wants to make it count.
Jason tells Sam that he’s sorry. She asks why he keeps apologizing; he has nothing to be sorry for. Is he sorry they met each other? She’s not. Is he sorry they made Danny? She’s not. Is he sorry he came back? She’s not. She wouldn’t change a thing. Jason says he wouldn’t either, and she says he couldn’t predict the future; neither could she. She remembers when they met each other at the station, and wouldn’t change anything. She wouldn’t miss out on a single second of loving him. He says, and he could never give up on loving her, or missing out on Danny and Scout. They’re his family. They’re everything, and he has to do everything he can to protect them. Cyrus is being released, and they can’t take risks anymore. Tell him she understands. She says, okay. They’ll stay apart. Don’t call, don’t come around, and don’t contact. Jason says he’s going to miss her, and they hug. She says she’ll miss him too, and they have a (IMO) skimpy goodbye kiss at the door. He says he loves her, and she says she loves him too. He leaves, and she closes the door and leans on it.
Curtis asks Jordan to tell him she didn’t do something reckless, like throw herself under the bus. She says, no, but if TJ isn’t released, she’s going to kill Cyrus. She knows it’s reckless, but it won’t be for nothing, and afterwards, she’ll turn herself in.
Carly tells Jax that they said they’d deal with the situation together as parents. He asks what the situation is, and she says, Cyrus is getting out of prison. Sonny has security measures in place, but she understands if Jax wants to take Josslyn and leave the country. He asks if that’s what she wants him to do, but she says, not at all. She’d miss Josslyn like crazy, but it’s his call. He appreciates her bringing him in, and she knows how he feels about Sonny, but he knows Sonny loves his family, including Josslyn. If Carly feels she’s safe there, he trusts her judgement, but she has to let him know if the danger escalates.
Ava tells Nina, she’s too good to be anybody’s second place. She may find Jax enchanting, but she shouldn’t get too invested. Nina says Ava is too cynical, and Ava says Nina is too smart not to realize that any woman in Jax’s life is always going to be second to Carly. Nina asks why Ava is there. She got what she wanted; she’s mistress of Windymere. Why isn’t she home with her doting husband?
Josslyn says, what if Trina files the lawsuit, and all they do is prove her father did it? Cyrus is as bad as it gets. What if her father knew that the only way to keep him off the street was to frame him? She’s not touching it. Sometimes the right thing is breaking the rules. Her father had the right thing in his heart. She doesn’t have to defend him if he broke the law for the greater good. It still makes him a hero in Josslyn’s book. She takes Trina’s hand, and says, trust her. Because this is something she knows. Trina’s father doesn’t have to be perfect for her to love him. He’s still her dad. Trina starts to cry, and says she misses him so much. Josslyn holds Trina.
Curtis tells Jordan, premeditated murder is different from self-defense. Like she might not know that. He says, it’s not in her; she can’t do that. She says he doesn’t know what she’s capable of. If the universe is going to make her choose what’s right, it’s not murder; it’s justice. He tells her not to throw her life over for scum, and she says she hopes it doesn’t come to that. If it’s their last night, just love her.
Sonny tells Jason, he doesn’t think Cyrus is going back to Seattle, and Jason agrees, saying, he’s committed for sure. Sonny says they have two options; take Cyrus out immediately, or wait and stay complacent while they figure out his weaknesses. Jason says, eliminate him, and Sonny says, it will give them a chance to send a message, but he wants to be clear. It’s not worth losing Jason over. Jason says he’ll only take a shot if he has a good vantage point, and can get away clean. If he can, he’ll take Cyrus’s ass out tonight.
The warden says the paperwork should be ready, and asks if Robert wants to look it over. Robert says he does, and asks if Laura will be all right. She says she’ll be just fine. They leave, and Laura tells Cyrus, she has a very selfish wish. She wants him to be somebody else’s problem, and return to Seattle. Do his business there. Cyrus says, if he doesn’t? and she says, if he should choose to stay, as mayor, he can rest assured when he’s killed she’ll do the utmost to find out who’s responsible and bring them to justice. He laughs.
Cyrus appreciates Laura’s commitment to justice in his behalf, in the unfortunate event it’s necessary. She asks if he won’t save her the work and his life, and just leave. He says it would look like he’s running, and he’d lose the respect of his business associates – and hers too. She says he doesn’t have her respect, and never will. He says, they’ll see. Robert and the warden come back, and Robert says Cyrus is a free man once he signs. Cyrus asks if he can borrow a pen. Robert and Laura don’t volunteer, so the warden gives him one.
Nikolas stands in the elevator alone, as Doc walks past. He messes with his wedding ring.
Ava messes with her wedding ring, and drinks a martini. Nina sees Jax put his hand on top of Carly’s.
There’s a song part. Josslyn holds Trina as she cries. Cameron hugs them both.
Jordan and Curtis get busy.
Sam throws everything around the room, and smashes stuff. Isn’t this Sonny’s house? She screams, and pounds on the door.
Jason loads his automatic weapon, and puts it in a case. He nods to Sonny on his way out the door.
Cyrus signs the paperwork, and shakes hands with the warden. He holds out his hand to Robert, but that’s a no. Ditto for Laura. He leaves, and Robert closes the door. Laura and Robert look at each other.
Tomorrow, Carly says it started with her, and she’s going to finish it; Willow wonders about Nina’s heart necklace: Jordan says she’s going to kill Cyrus; and Cyrus tells Jason, their meeting is long overdue.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht
Captain Glenn tells Jenna, obviously there’s an issue, and asks if they’re looking to replace Madison. Jenna says she thinks Madison has the skills necessary to be a good second stew, but her moods are up and down. She gets emotional and defensive. The captain thinks Madison is looking for a scapegoat. They have a job to do, and need someone to do it. In his interview, he says, if someone doesn’t do their job, it’s letting the team down, and they need someone to do it. Jenna says Madison is complaining that she’s tired when she’s staying up with Parker, and not doing her job. In Jenna’s interview, she says Georgia isn’t doing her job managing Georgia. She wants to complain rather than doing her job. Captain Glenn asks to see Madison, and Jenna tells her that she and the captain have been having a chat and want her to join them. Jenna says he’s noticed a decline in Madison’s mood and behavior, and gathers it’s coming from lack of sleep. Madison says she had a long charter with the last one, and then a long day. Anyone would be exhausted, but she hasn’t been sitting on her ass. We flash back to the beach, when Madison and Ciara were supposed to set up for the guests’ picnic, but sat around for five hours instead. The captain says there’s obviously a problem with her performance, and she needs to go to bed and sleep. Fatigue can cause accidents. Madison says Jenna is supposed to be supportive, but speaks bitchy to her, even though it might not be her intention. Jenna says, it’s hard to have a heart to heart if Madison thinks she’s bitchy. She’s direct because she has no time to sugar coat things. Captain Glenn says it’s Jenna’s department, and asks if Madison is open to the idea that there might be changes she has to make. In his interview, he says it’s his personal belief, if you want to be a good leader, you need to start off being a good follower. You have to respect the hierarchy. Madison has to find a way to get along and be effective. He tells Madison, if she’s not open to that, she’ll be off the boat. In Madison’s interview, she says, fire her. See if you can find a better second stew who will put up with this sh*t. You won’t. Well, we could be talking about literally every second stew on the other two Below Deck shows, so I think that’s definitely possible.
Paget flirts with Georgia. Zzzz… Everyone stops by for pizza in the crew mess. Madison gathers empty beer bottles, and Parker tells her, take a load off and chill. She says she needs a minute. He asks if she wants to talk, and they leave. In the captain’s interview, he says, it’s a small boat, and there aren’t many places for a conversation in confidence. He hopes Madison can get past her frustration, reflect, and come back strong.
Madison tells Parker, she feels dumb, but Parker doesn’t understand what’s going on. She says, the way Jenna speaks to her, and Parker says, tell Jenna that she’s being a bitch, and back the f*** off. He really doesn’t understand what a boss is, does he? He tells Madison not to take Jenna’s bullsh*t, and defend herself. In Madison’s interview, she says, Parker is like chicken soup; warm, comfy, and supportive when she’s feeling bad. Parker says he’s dealing with Jenna telling him that he’s still being breastfed by his mom, and Madison laughs.
Back on the boat, Georgia tells Madison that they’re going to have fun when they go out. Madison is happy for a day off. She’s done with boat drama. She asks if they can go to the bar nearby. Paget says the deckhands are done, and asks how the girls are doing. Parker texts with Kaiti. He feels like he’s getting cabin fever, and the drama cloud is weighing down on him. Georgia says Madison and Parker wear their hearts on their sleeves. Madison says she can’t help the way she feels. Parker tells Georgia and Ciara, Kaiti is still his love, and he can’t help who he doesn’t want to hook up with. In his interview, he wonders why he has to worry about hurting Madison’s feelings, when she hasn’t told him that she has a crush on him. Georgia tells him not to wait until a bomb blows up before he diffuses it. Don’t wait for it to go off, then say he knew about it. He asks if he should send a text. Ciara and Georgia laugh, and Georgia says, men are ridiculous.
The crew’s day off. In Glenn’s interview, he says he’s happy they have a day off. He’s been noticing a lot of tension. It’s good for them to enjoy a day of leisure, and see life from the other side. He tells them, it’s time to take it easy. Ciara asks, where’s her effing shrimp cocktail? Ha-ha! Adam says it’s the first moment he and Jenna can be a normal couple. They goof around on deck. Georgia and Madison drink wine, and Madison says, it’s the most perfect day ever. And Paget is the whitest dude ever, taking off his shirt and showing us all his severe T-shirt tan. Ciara jokingly offers him more sunscreen.
Georgia plays guitar and sings, and Paget says she’s effing good. In Georgia’s interview, she says, the situation is hard. Paget is flirting with her, and the more time you spend with someone, the more you like them. She’d never do this on purpose. Ciara asks Paget to put tanning oil on her, but he’s not receptive to that. She says, Madison will do it. In her interview, Ciara says, Paget flirts with everyone. That’s the problem. Just not her. She says, it’s okay. She doesn’t need him; she’s got Madison. He says she can do her, and he’ll do him, and Georgia says she’ll do him. Everyone starts bouncing around, and in Jenna’s interview, she says she loves dancing. Apparently, dancing does not love her back, and Byron wonders if it’s a bad dancing competition. Captain Glenn asks if they’re enjoying their day off. Despite his protestations, Parker takes an Instagram video with Jenna, pretending to breastfeed and calling her mama. Pick a lane. Jenna can’t wait to get in the water. In Parker’s interview, he says he misses his parents, but he’s trying to make them proud.
Glenn drops anchor, and tells the crew that the water taxi is there. They go to shore, and head for the Akron Beach Club, not in Ohio. In Madison’s interview, she says she feels like a rock star. They do shots, and goof around in the pool. Ciara smokes a cigar. In her interview, she says she wants to do something different to surprise people. In Byron’s interview, he says he’s got a lot of responsibilities being a dad and an engineer. They live for a day off. Parker texts Kaiti, and asks if he can call. She says he can, and he tells her that he misses her. He saw a dive shop, but doesn’t want to go without her. He asks, if he buys a plane ticket, will she come there? In his interview, he says Kaiti coming to Corfu, and that makes him the happiest person in the world. A producer asks if those are happy tears, and he says, he always has happy tears. I’m starting to think he’s also imbalanced. Adam and Jenna make out in the pool. In Georgia’s interview, she says, Madison is a loaded gun at the moment. Leave your feelings at home; she’s having a good time. Parker tells Ciara about his ex flying there, and she says, then she isn’t really his ex. In Adam’s interview, he says, it’s scary having feelings, and it’s difficult to accept it’s currently happening. There’s no doubt Jenna is breaking down his walls. In Jenna’s interview, she says it’s the first time she’s had a total connection with someone, and it scares her. She thinks she’s learned who’s going to take care of Jenna, and it’s Jenna, but she still has to let someone in, and she’s rejected that for a long time. She thinks there’s a bit of hope.
The crew showers and gets dressed for dinner. Parker says, once they all have a drink, he has a few words to say. Byron takes a selfie with the group. Parker tells the waiter that he’ll be giving a speech, and asks that no one interrupt. Adam says, it better be a good speech. After everyone orders, Parker gets up, and tells everyone that he was talking to Jenna on the bow, telling her about his parents, and it reminded him of a letter his mom wrote him. He thinks every word is applicable to all of them. It’s basically a letter of various quotes, like, whatever you are, be a good one, from Abraham Lincoln. In Adam’s interview, he says, it’s incredibly endearing, but every wall is a door explains everything about Parker. Parker says, cheers to his effing mom, and Jenna asks if they can talk about this breastfeeding thing. Byron says Ciara and Paget are a fun couple. Ciara is great on deck, and she’s sleeping with the first mate. He asks how Adam’s sex life is, and Adam says, it’s sticky but he’d like it to get stickier. It’s hard to find privacy. Byron asks if they’d like to sleep in the master cabin, and Ciara says, as long as the two of them don’t blow up, and take it out on the rest of them, they’re fine with it. Byron says, before he was married, he hooked up with a lot of stewardesses. There are loads of places; he’ll give them a list. Byron gives them his blessing to use the master cabin, and they leave for the boat. In Adam’s interview, he says, butterflies are happening and sparks are flying. It’s a great feeling, and he wants it to keep going. She has his heart, and he’s ready. When they get to the boat, Jenna asks if he wants to head to the master, and he says, show him the way. In Jenna’s interview, she says, there’s been so much build-up, she’s nervous, but excited. A champagne cork is popped, and I’m guessing something else is too.
In Georgia’s interview, she says she has feelings for Paget. She’s feeding them with tequila, because it’s not okay. There are moments she wants to take the inappropriate option. Ciara sits on Georgia’s lap, and tells her they’ll finish later. Byron dances with Madison, and Ciara kisses Paget. He tells her that Georgia is jealous, and she asks if Georgia wants to join them. She tells Georgia that they’ll see her later. In Georgia’s interview, she thinks she’s agreeing to a threesome. Sorry, mom. She’s got a bucket list.
Everyone goes back, intending to continue the party. Byron says they need to get the loose chicks on board as soon as they can. When they get on the boat, Byron tells everybody to be quiet, and not wake the captain. They wake him up anyway, handing him a flask, and he’s an amazingly good sport about it. In his interview, Captain Glenn says, a hurricane just blew in; a drunk hurricane. Ciara tells Paget that she’s tired of drinking, and suggests they go to bed. Byron and Parker get in the hot tub, and Byron says if Parker wants to have a successful career, he has to adapt. Parker says he wants to build his own charter business, but he hears Byron. Byron says he doesn’t think Parker does. Madison gets in the hot tub, and tries joining in the conversation. Byron tells Parker that he’s been doing this for sixteen years. Georgia walks through the crew mess, and says, come on, bitches. She looks into Paget and Ciara’s cabin, but they’re asleep. In her interview, she says she thinks it would have been nice. A girl can dream. In the hot tub, Byron says, you can always earn money, but you can’t get back time. Madison tells them, have fun, and leaves.
Adam makes coffee for Jenna, and says, it was the nicest ever. In her interview, Jenna says, it was phenomenal, and she thinks they both feel the same way. In Byron’s interview, he says, waking up, he’s ruined. Adam notes that Byron is still wearing his hat, and thinks it’s a good sign. Ciara says, people behaved themselves for the most part, but Georgia isn’t sure she behaved. In Georgia’s interview, she says she has whiplash. Last night was weird, and she’s still trying to process it, when suddenly they’re all back to business.
Adam plays guitar, and Jenna says, just when she thought he couldn’t get hotter. Then she plays and sings. Dammit. Does everyone play guitar except me? Adam says she has an amazing voice. She’s pretty good, but I wouldn’t go that far. Captain Glenn docks, and tells the crew, they’re all getting straight back into it. He tells Paget, Jenna, and Adam, there will be a preference sheet meeting in the crew mess.
The new primaries are Maisa and Chuck. Maisa is an international model from Brazil, and a scout for Playboy Slovakia. Their friends will be joining them to celebrate Maisa’s birthday. Adam checks out the food preferences, and thinks he can find a happy balance. Jenna says they want the water toys, sun bathing, and a picturesque location for a photo shoot. Paget adds they want a beach barbecue. The cabins are readied, and provisions come in. Captain Glenn calls for them to change into their polos. Jenna tells Madison and Georgia, she wants them to bump it up, and put on their happy faces. She tells Madison that she knows her direction isn’t always flowery, but she’s not trying to be mean. In Jenna’s interview, she’s hoping Madison learns what to do to improve herself, and put it into action. She tells Madison that Georgia internalizes what she’s told, and figures it out. In Madison’s interview, she says she won’t be broken. She’s staying on the boat.
The guests arrive, and Glenn gives them a formal welcome. Jenna gives them a tour of their home for the next few days. In Paget’s interview, he says if you’re a junior crew member, you either follow what your superior says or you’re not a good worker, and you look stupid. Jenna tells Chuck, the wind isn’t strong, but they’re going to try to sail. Jenna reminds Madison not to leave half-rolls of toilet paper in the cabins. Georgia looks through Jenna’s pictures on Instagram, and sees a picture of Jenna with her ex; they went to Universal Studios together. In her interview, Georgia says she’s had two relationships, so the chances were quite slim that she and Jenna went out with the same guy. She tells Madison, who says, life is so effing weird. Georgia hopes Jenna hasn’t shagged her ex, and I wonder, if they’re an ex, who cares? The guests take pictures, and anchor is dropped. Parker tells Madison that he wants to meet; just the two of them. The guests use a rope to jump into the water a la Tarzan.
Georgia tells Jenna about how they dated the same guy, and says, he was the best d*ck ever. Jenna suggests they take a picture together, and send it to him. Parker knocks on Madison’s door, and they step into his room to talk. He says there’s definitely something he wants to get clear. He loves her as a friend, but he’s in no place to be in a relationship with anybody. So is he flying Kaiti to Corfu to tell her that? In Madison’s interview, she says, this is embarrassing. Is he effing kidding her? He says she has to know that, and be his friend. She says, cool. In Georgia’s interview, she says her relationship with her ex was significant, but she treats people like shit, and he let her, so the relationship ended. I have no clue what that means. She thinks it’s bizarre that Jenna dated him. In the crew mess, Georgia says Jenna had a chance with someone cool and good. Adam says, he’s cool and awesome. Don’t f*** it up. In Georgia’s interview, she says, put the guns away. Byron comes by, and asks if they’re having a moment, and Adam says they’re talking about other people’s moments.
Dinner is prepared. Madison tells Georgia about Parker saying he loves her as a friend. In her interview, Madison says, with guys, she’s always the bro. Jenna tells Byron about her and Georgia dating the same guy. She says their relationship was short lived, and Byron says, a half hour? She says, a couple of months. I like Byron; he seems normal, and he’s pretty funny. Glenn brings up the sails, and Chuck says, it’s one helluva a big sail. He tells Maisa, this is a blast. Jenna jokes that Georgia’s standards are low, and Georgia says they have the same standards. Adam says he takes offense it that. It makes him sick to his stomach. Georgia laughs, and he tells her to stop laughing. It’s not funny; it’s disgusting. He walks out.
While I really like Byron, and am gaining respect for Captain Glenn, I’m really not sure what’s up with the rest of them. They seem like a bunch of immature twits, and I’m still not feeling it for this show. I’m honestly not sure why Adam is behaving so unreasonably, but maybe he’s self-sabotaging.
Next time, Adam says, food is for sharing, but not his significant others; a photoshoot happens; Byron doesn’t like Parker’s attitude in front of the guests; and Captain Glenn wants to have a chat with Parker.
👩🏻💻 News Flash…
Tonight’s guests on Watch What Happens Live (home edition) were Melissa Etherege and Kristen Johnson. Melissa said she’s smoking less weed during isolation because normally, life is more mundane. If Melissa Etherege’s life is mundane, what does that make mine? Kristen Johnston has been in her PJs for two weeks straight, and clutched her dog like he was a life preserver. What is she going to be like when and if this goes into a month?
🏖 Better Never Than Late…
While Summer House is mostly background noise while I’m waiting for the next show – spoiler alert: they’re still awful people – I did note that Shep, Craig, and Austen from Southern Charm dropped by for a visit last week. They fit right in, since the housemates were having a fraternity toga party, which fit right in with their sophomoric personalities. Unfortunately, they were no JohnBelushis.
💍 Looking Forward To It…
Seizing opportunity in a crisis, 90 Day Fiancé has added a new show to the franchise.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
I’ve consistently missed the beginning of the show every day this week, so why end the week any differently? <sigh> Sonny is taking Mike for a walk in the hallway, Molly has shown up to confront Jordan about TJ, and Doc pays Cyrus a visit.
On the phone Robert says, there’s nothing to be happy about, but the law doesn’t give them many choices. Laura says, that didn’t sound good, and he says, the information is going to be sent to Cyrus’s lawyers, who will ask for a writ of habeas corpus. Then a judge will look at it, and Cyrus walks. Laura says, that’s completely unacceptable. She won’t have that monster roaming free on the streets of Port Charles. He asks how she plans to stop him, and she says, watch her.
Sonny tells Mike, he’s got him, and Carly says they can come back. Brando says he just wanted to thank Mike for the summer at the track. He was ten years old, and obsessed with horses. Mike told him it ran in the family. Carly says, that sounds like Mike, and Mike says, Brando. Glady’s son. He remembers. Is Brando passing through? Carly says, Sonny is helping Brando open a garage in Port Charles. Mike says, good, and Sonny says, Brando is a nice guy. Brando says it was nice of Mike, and Mike says he appreciates him stopping by. He’s a little tired, so can Brando come by again some other time? Brando says he’d like that, and Carly tells Mike to get some rest. They’ll be there. Sonny walks Mike back to his room, and says it was a nice surprise visit. Mike says he doesn’t know Brando.
Curtis gets that Molly is upset, but it’s out of their hands. It’s time to accept it’s out of hers. TJ is a grown man, and taking time for himself. If the situations were reversed, TJ would respect her privacy. Molly says she’d make sure someone got a message to TJ, and not completely shut him out. Curtis says they don’t like how TJ is handling it, but it’s time they were all patient. She says she’s done being patient. TJ completely ghosted her, and is ignoring her texts and calls. She knows he’s disappointed, but this is vindictive and mean. Jordan says they don’t know where he is, and Molly says TJ is responding to Jordan, and asks if she’ll give him a message. She’s tired of the cold shoulder. They’re better than this, and they need to talk. Jordan says she’ll give TJ a message, but can’t guarantee when he’ll get back to Molly. Molly says Jordan knows how much she loves TJ, and Jordan says, she does, but right now, love isn’t enough. Molly says she’ll give TJ 24 hours, and then she’ll start a search herself. She’ll get Sam and Spinelli to help, and she’ll take out an ad in The Invader; have you seen this man? Jordan tells her to stop acting like a child.
On the phone, Laura tells someone she wants it as soon as possible. Robert asks if she’s going to keep him in suspense, or tell him. She says she’ll tell him when the time is right, and he says he hates being blindsided. She says Mac is out following leads on the warehouse and waterfront shootings, hoping they find something that ties it into Cyrus. Robert says, it’s more likely they won’t be able to, and Laura saysm the goal is to keep Cyrus locked up long enough to find evidence to make the charges stick. He says, suppose she succeeds? They know Cyrus can run his operation from behind bars. Laura says she told him that she wants to keep Cyrus locked up, but not in Pentenville.
Cyrus says, they brought in a shrink to get inside his head? Let him help Doc. No, he didn’t like to pull the wings off of flies. Doc says, but he did it anyway? Cyrus says they both know that’s not what he means, and Doc asks, what does he mean? Cyrus asks if this is how it’s going to go, and Doc says Cyrus’s first impulse was to insist he didn’t do something he thought Doc might ask about. Why that specific question? Cyrus says it’s what people like him ask, and Doc says, people like him; psychiatrists? Cyrus says, no, Methodists. I see we have another comedian behind bars. Doc says he’s interviewed many criminals like Cyrus, and Cyrus says, everyone wants to see what makes him tick. Why is that? Doc says he read Cyrus’s file. Cyrus says, and Doc has a fascination with him. Doc says, not necessarily fascination, and Cyrus says, but at least a healthy interest. He’s sure Doc has somewhere else he could be, but here he is. Doc says Cyrus’s second assessment was correct; an interest, not a fascination. Doc says he’s interviewed a lot like of men like Cyrus, and Cyrus says, but Doc has never met anyone like him.
Sam tells Jason that Spinelli followed Delores to her rendezvous. She’s having an affair with a councilmen, but they caught Spinelli taking pictures. Jason asks if it was in a hotel or motel, and Sam says, in the back of her car. Not the most discreet, but Delores threatened to arrest and charge Spinelli if he didn’t keep her secret. This also made it worse for Sam. Now Delores is determined to find something that will get her ass thrown back Pentenville. Jason says it’s time to stop looking for a way out; she was lucky she wasn’t thrown back in. She says her mom said the same thing, and he says she’s got to listen. If she thinks waiting is bad, it will be worse if she has to finish the rest of her sentence back in prison. Sam says they won’t see each other for a year and half. Is that what he wants? He says, no, but that’s what has to happen to keep her out of prison.
Mike tells Sonny, they’re trying to get one over on him, pretending they’re family. He needs Sonny to do something. Tell his boss that he needs to have security keep an eye on those two. Whoever they are, they’re up to no good.
Brando asks Carly if Mike is always like that, and she says, pretty much. She’s glad Mike recognized him, and he says, him too. That summer at the track is a good memory. She says, as Mike slips away, it’s important to remember the man he was. He says, Sonny is patient with him, and seems devoted. She says, when Mike was first diagnosed, Sonny worried that he couldn’t handle it, and couldn’t do what Mike needed. She never had any doubt. Family is everything to Sonny.
Molly says, it’s not being childish to want answers, but Jordan say she’s behaving like brat. Because TJ isn’t talking to her, she wants to call TV stations. She needs to get over it. She doesn’t want to see that her actions have consequences. She broke TJ’s heart, and he doesn’t want to be with her.
Doc tells Cyrus, that’s an intriguing statement. Does Cyrus think he’s more dangerous than other prisoners? Cyrus asks if that’s what Doc would like him to think, and Doc says he wants to know what Cyrus thinks. Is he more dangerous, or more of a threat? Cyrus tells Doc, he said he was more interesting, and Doc says, so he’s not dangerous? Cyrus says, he didn’t say that. Doc writes something, and Cyrus asks if Doc thinks he’s got him figured out. Doc says he’s documenting Cyrus’s veiled threat. When he asked if Cyrus was more dangerous, he refused to confirm it. Cyrus says, Doc thinks that’s a threat? and Doc says, a veiled one. It’s like when someone says, nice car. It would be a shame if something happened to it. Cyrus says, if he threatens Doc, he’ll know it. Cyrus wonders if he can ask Doc a question, and Doc says, of course (🍷); ask away. He asks if Doc could be perceiving an innocuous statement as a threat because of a manifestation of his own insecurities. Doc says, touché. He bets Cyrus is an excellent chess player. Cyrus says he never loses. Doc says, it’s been insightful, and thanks him. Cyrus says Doc never told him why he’s there. Doc says he’s doing a study about men behind bars, specifically solitary confinement. He’s been speaking to a lot prisoners. Cyrus has been helpful. Cyrus says, Doc’s name is Collins? Doc says, it’s a common name, but Cyrus probably recognizes it because his wife is the mayor. Cyrus says, Laura. She’s the reason he’s in solitary. Doc says, is she? Cyrus says, be sure to send his regards, and Doc leaves.
Trina tells Ava, after her dad died, Jordan went back over the files, and says her dad faked evidence. She told the Justice Department, and they’re going to let Cyrus out of prison. Ava says, that’s unlikely; it would be a major reversal. Trina says she doesn’t know the legal term, but her father is dead, and Cyrus is going to be out. How is that justice? The media is going to trash her dad, when he’s not a bad cop. Her father was a good man. Ava says she didn’t have a chance to know him, but from what Trina has said, she bets there’s only one person whose opinion mattered to him – Trina’s.
Jason takes Sam’s hands. He says it doesn’t matter how much they hate this. What’s important is she’s free, and home safe with the kids. She says, of course (🍷) it’s important, but so is finding a way to be together. He asks if it’s worth the risk? Her chance of going back to prison is worse than ever, especially now. She asks, what’s going on? and he says, Cyrus is attacking Sonny on all fronts. Out here, he can make sure she’s protected, but if she goes back, she’ll be in the middle of a war zone. Is Pentenville a co-ed prison?
Sam says she thought Sonny was handling Cyrus, and Jason says he’s working on it. It’s tough. Cyrus is powerful, and has a lot of people. Sam asks what that means, and he says, Sonny and Cyrus handle things differently. There are things Sonny won’t do that cross the line, and there’s no line Cyrus won’t cross.No one is off limits. Sam says she knows. He kidnapped Cameron and Trina, and used them as leverage. He says, they weren’t the only ones. Cyrus has TJ Ashford.
Brando tells Carly, he mostly focused on the horses, but he got the impression that Mike and Sonny weren’t close. Mike was sorry for that. Carly says, if Mike hadn’t gotten sick, Sonny would have been okay with the distance. They both would have, but with Alzheimer’s, the distance isn’t up to them. You have to fight for every single moment. Brando says he doesn’t think he could do it, and Carly prays he never had to find out what it’s like. Sonny wanted to make peace with Mike before he slips away. Brando says, as much as he wasn’t happy at first about them keeping him there, he has to admit, it’s been good to connect with family. Carly says they enjoy having him there, even though they’re taking time to get to know him. Brando needs to get back to the shop, and Carly says she’s good. He leaves, and someone with very LOUD shoes goes by. Sonny comes back, and says he just left his dad. Mike doesn’t know who Brando is.
Ava tells Trina, nothing and no one can tarnish the love her father had for her. He’s her hero, and that’s all that matters. In a way, Taggert is Ava’s hero too. Trina says Ava didn’t know him, but Ava says she knows Trina. Her father saved her. He put his love for her above everything else, even his own life. That’s the true test of a hero and parent, putting everything aside for their child. Trina wishes there had been some other way, and Ava says she knows how important it is for Trina to keep her father on a pedestal. Trina says she didn’t put him there; it’s just where he always was. He was always a hero to her.
Molly tells Jordan, her not wanting to get married to anyone has nothing to do with how much she loves TJ. Jordan says, maybe not, but TJ gave her his heart and life, and she threw it back in his face. He got the message. She made a choice that served her, and didn’t care about TJ’s feelings. Molly says, that’s not true, and Jordan says Molly could have fooled her. Molly says Jordan made her point, and Jordan says, has she? Before Molly launches a search, remember TJ didn’t leave; she pushed him away. Molly says she’s got it. She never expected to break up with TJ, and she sure didn’t expect him do it through his mother. She leaves, and Jordan leans against the door. She tells Curtis, she had to do it. She had to stop Molly from searching. Curtis says, it will be okay, and she says she prays it worked.
Sonny tells Carly, his dad was scared. He thought Brando was going to hurt him. He wants Sonny to tell his bosses to beef up security. Carly says she’s so sorry, and Sonny says he’s got to go tell his dad that his boss is getting more men. He laughs, and she asks if there’s anything she can do to help? He says she’s done a lot already, and thanks her.
There’s a knock at the garage door, and Brando opens it to Molly. He says they’re closed, and she says, of course (🍷). It’s that kind of day. She guesses she’ll have to call a tow. She drives a hybrid, since it’s better for the environment. He asks what she hit, and she says, nothing; she went over a curb. The undercarriage is making a grating noise, and she doesn’t want to wreck the engine. He asks if there was any chance she was drinking, and she says she wishes; she’s totally sober. He asks if any other cars were involved, and if she needs the police, but she says it was just her. Sorry to bother him. She should have called a tow to begin with since the garage was closed. He says, on second thought, he’ll check it out.
Laura asks how it went, and Doc tells her, as expected. Cyrus is a narcissist. He made a subtle, veiled threat when his pride was hurt. He took exception to Doc minimizing how dangerous he was. She asks if they can lock him up, and Doc says, he’s sane. Under ordinary circumstances, he’d be opposed to that, but he has no problem recommending that he be moved to a psychological facility under medical supervision. Robert comes in and asks if that’s the plan. Laura asks how much he heard, and he says, enough to know it’s not going to work. Laura says she can have Cyrus transferred to Ferncliff, and Robert asks, for how long? She says they can keep him long enough for an extensive evaluation. Long enough to come up with a fresh case against him. Robert says Cyrus’s lawyers are going to take one look, and see it’s a ploy to keep Cyrus behind bars. Laura says she’ll argue that she wants him to get the care he needs. Robert says, and Doc will argue that it’s in his best interest. Doc says, exactly, and Laura says she’s not above doing what she has to, to keep Cyrus off the street, including having him committed. Robert says, it’s not going to work.
Mike recognizes Sonny, and asks, what took so long? Sonny apologizes, and Mike says, it’s all right; Sonny is there now. He hates hospitals. Can Sonny get him out? He just wants to go home. Sonny says, as soon as the doctors say it’s okay, he’ll take Mike back to Turning Woods. He remembers Turning Woods, right? Mike says, it’s a great place, but after that they get to go home, right? He doesn’t want to be around these people anymore; it doesn’t feel right. Sonny tells him to rest, and Mike says he’s tired. Sonny says, take a break. Close his eyes, and don’t worry. They’ll be waiting. Mike takes Sonny’s hands, and says, everything is going be all right. Sonny will see when they get back Bensonhurst; it will be all right. Mike lies down, closes his eyes, and drifts off.
Sonny goes back out, and Carly asks how Mike is doing. Sonny doesn’t know, and tells her to go home; he’s got to stay tonight. She says she knows how hard it is when Mike doesn’t recognize him, but Sonny says, he did. He knew Sonny’s name, the whole thing; he was great. Sonny sits down, and says, his dad wanted him to take him back to Bensonhurst. He looked Sonny in the eye, and he hasn’t done that in days. He said all he wants to do is go home.
Brando tells Molly, it’s not bad. It just needs some front end work. She asks if she should take it to the dealership, and he says, it’s up to her. She says he was nice enough to take a look, and she’d rather give him the business, assuming he can do the repair. He says, sure, and she says he doesn’t sound enthusiastic. He says he’s happy for the business, but she didn’t chose to come there, and he wasn’t recommend. She came out of desperation, and he doesn’t want to take advantage of that.
Ava says, any time Trina wants to talk, or even if she doesn’t, she’s available. Right now though, she’d like Trina to do something for her. Trina says, name it, and Ava says, call her mother. Let her know she’s safe. Ava knows what it’s like to worry about a daughter, no matter how angry she is. Trina takes out her phone, and calls. Ava gives her privacy.
Curtis tells Jordan, Molly will get over it, but Jordan says she can’t get over the look on Molly’s face. He says, when this is over, Molly will know Jordan was trying to protect her, and understand that Jordan loves her. She says here’s hoping it worked. Not just for Molly. Everyone needs to believe TJ is just dealing with rejection and disappeared. Curtis says, it makes sense, and she says she has to break Molly’s heart and destroy the reputations of the finest agents she’s ever met to make sure Cyrus and his drug dealing are off the streets.
Brando tells Molly, there’s no website yet; he just opened. She asks if it was a surprise, and he says he didn’t plan on opening a garage, not in Port Charles anyway. Long story. She says she loves them; the more convoluted, the better. He asks if she’s a novelist, and she says she’s a published author. She was sixteen at the time. He says, that’s even more impressive, and she says, it was a romance novel. Looking back, it was arrogant to think she could write about life and love, when she knew nothing. He asks if she still writes, but she says, not any more. Now she’s a law student. He says, so if she doesn’t like the repair, she’ll sue him. She asks if he can repair it, and he says he can. She says, at a fair price? and he says, absolutely. She says she’ll have no grounds. He says not to act grateful yet. He hasn’t drawn up the estimate. She says, it’s the perfect rotten end of a perfectly rotten day.
Trina tells Ava, her mom was glad she checked in, and Ava says she’s sure Portia would like to keep Trina at home, and not let Trina out of her sight. Trina says, normally, she’d hate that, but now, it’s not so bad. All of it is going to be coming out; the evidence her dad supposedly planted. It will be all over the news, and his name will be dirt. She’ll be the only one who remembers what a good man he was. Ava says, even if everyone loses faith, Trina won’t, and she’s the only person who matters. Trina says, it doesn’t feel like enough, and Ava says, she is; she was for him. Her father left behind an incredible legacy. Not just with his work as a cop, but with the way Trina saw him walk through the world. He shaped her, and she’s extraordinary. Trina is his legacy. They hug.
Curtis promises it will end, and Jordan will take Cyrus out. She wonders what’s taking so long. They have everything they need for Cyrus to vacate. He says she knows how it goes. They have to get the order in front of a judge. She says, and once they do, the most evil man she’s ever known is going to go free.
Laura asks if Robert is suggesting they just sit back and let Cyrus go free. He says the justice system isn’t perfect, but they can’t disrespect it. Doc says, not even if it was a random drug lord, whose body count was strangers? It’s a legitimate course of action. Robert says, it’s nothing to be happy about, but they have to get used to the fact Cyrus is getting out. And when he does, Laura will be in his crosshairs for what she did to him in Pentenville. Laura says she’s not worried about herself, but her city. Port Charles is going to see a spike in drug trafficking. She asks if there’s any other option to delay Cyrus’s release.
Sonny tells Carly, he thought watching his father fade away would be the hardest part. His father knowing him, looking him in the eye, father to son, and pleading that all he wants to do is go home; it’s the one thing Sonny can’t give him. This is hell. He can’t do it. Carly holds him, and says, yes, he can. She’s got him.
On Monday – tomorrow they’ll be airing their 56th Anniversary episode (originally aired on April 3rd, 2019) – Josslyn wants to find Trina, Jason tells Sam that he can’t do this anymore, and Carly asks Sonny what the hell he’s going to do.
We begin with the news of Bethenny’s exit, and how the cast found out, since apparently, Bethenny didn’t let anyone know. She could be caustic, but she was also intelligent, funny, and knew her way around a kitchen. And most important, every once in a while, blew her stack and said what was on all our minds. Life. Is. Not. A. Cabaret. Sonja feels abandoned all over again, and Ramona thinks it will be better; the women will be freer in spirit. In LeeAnn’s interview, a producer asks how she feels. LuAnn says, it’s hard to say. She’ll miss Bethenny, but the show must go on – without her.
LuAnn leaves the criminal court building, accompanied by Sonja. They hug on the steps, and LuAnn says, it’s finally over. She stops by a coffee cart on the corner, telling Sonja it’s her coffee guy. He says he thought she was finished, and in her interview, she says, it’s finally over; her probation is finished. It’s been almost two years. We flash back to LuAnn looking sad in court, and explaining to the others that she had to use a breathalyzer to drive. She says what people don’t understand is that she wasn’t fully present. This was always on her mind. It’s like someone lifted a ton of bricks. They sit and chat, and Sonja says, when LuAnn was first arrested, she didn’t care. She hit bottom, and thought things were great. Then she started becoming a cabaret star, and she wasn’t there for them. LuAnn says, what about her? Ugh. Same old. Sonja says she treated them like fans. In Sonja’s interview, she lists some of the ways LuAnn was a brat last season. The tantrum in the fish room, dumping Sonja after the AA meeting to go see her own poster, and coming back without truffle fries. That’s the real misdemeanor. LuAnn didn’t understand Sonja’s pain. As they hug, Sonja eats a pretzel behind LuAnn’s back.
Tinsley meets friend, and new cast member, Leah at the gym. In Tinsley’s interview, she says the summer was all about her. She moved on from Scott, worked on her lash line, and went to China, bringing back two puppies, Strawberry and Shortcake. She’s been focusing on herself, and it feels liberating. She met Leah a couple months ago, and Leah brings out her wilder side. She says what she feels, and has no filter. She also has a twelve-year-old daughter. Tinsley takes her hoops off, saying she feels like she’s losing part of herself. Boxing trainer Martin says, nobody gives a f***. After the session, Tinsley and Leah sit and talk. Tinsley tells Leah that she only knew Chicago through Scott, but met Bruce while she was there. She doesn’t like his name, but she can’t change it. He’s been married twice and has three kids. In her interview, Tinsley thinks it’s the best way to have children; she can give them back. She tells Leah, she’s usually all-in immediately, but it’s the first time she’s being guarded, and not thinking too far ahead. Leah says she’s enjoying being single. She and her last boyfriend went to France, and on the flight home she asked what was going on with his divorce. He said it was on hold, so she told him that her p*ssy was on hold too. Ha! Good one.
Dorinda is still with John, and she’s prepping for his cooking class – i.e. her teaching him how to make lasagna. She tells him the doctor says she’s healing like a twenty-year-old, and he says she still acts like a twenty-year-old. In her interview, Dorinda says Carson Kressley was teaching her some Dancing with the Stars moves at a dinner party, flung her over a balcony, and she broke a rib. There was no mention as to whether alcohol was involved. She tells John, it forced her to look at things, and become dependent on him. In Dorinda’s interview, she says her injury made it necessary for her and John to spend time together. It’s been good, but weird; she’s not used to it. She confirms that familiarity breeds contempt. They make lasagna, and Dorinda tells him about LuAnn. She doesn’t know why it’s a big deal. In Dorinda’s interview, she says she and LuAnn are in a good place, but their friendship had gone off the tracks. We flash back to mostly Dorinda being mean to LuAnn, and yelling, Jovani! during LuAnn’s cabaret show. She says, they’ve both transitioned to better places, and she’s not overthinking it.
Ramona meets friends Maria, Missy and Elyse, along with new neighbor/friend Mitchell, at a bar. In Ramona’s interview, she says she had a fabulous summer. She sold her condo, and has a new apartment on the Upper East Side, but she was living the Hamptons life. She admits she’s been escaping; masking something in her mind. She tells her friends that she feels like a youngster, but she’s sixty, and lacks direction. She feels empty and alone. In her interview, she says she has no important man in her life. Elyse says she’s surprised that Ramona feels that way, and Ramona starts to cry. Oh, yay. The bar buddy everyone wants. A weepy one. She says she wants a man to hold her, love her, and marry her, and doesn’t know if she’ll find one. I should add, an embarrassing bar buddy as well, since she’s LOUD.
Leah and daughter Kier go out to a juice bar. In her interview, Leah says, New York City is the best city in the world, and I tend to agree. She has a clothing line, Married to the Mob (which I’m actually familiar with), and lives with her daughter. They’re best friends, soulmates, and life partners. She doesn’t know if that’s healthy, but it’s the way it is. Kier is starting school soon, and Leah tells her to be herself, try her best, and don’t let the bitches get to her. Kier says her grandma told her that Leah was a horrible child. In Leah’s interview, she says their family situation isn’t traditional. Her baby daddy was her first love, and she thought they’d be together until they died, but they haven’t been together since Kier was two. Even so, he’s pretty much family.
Ramona visits Sonja, along with her pup Coco, who wants to romance Sonja’s pup Marley, even though there’s nothing they can ultimately do about it, since they’re fixed. Sonja says she’s been a recluse and has gas. Ramon tells Sonja not to send any of that her way. Sonja says she just took her daughter to college, and she lost it. In Sonja’s interview, she says when her daughter was in boarding school, she came home on weekends with her friends. The best Sonja can do now is be supportive about college, but she’s dying inside. Ramona says, when kids are away, they appreciate you more, and Sonja says she wants to give her daughter space. Sonja says, when she went to college, she flew the coop, and never looked back. The dogs continue to go at it.
Dorinda prepares for a party on the rooftop of Magic Hour restaurant. In her interview, she says she’s the entertainer of the group. You never know what you’ll get with Sonja, Ramona always invites the same thirty people, LuAnn’s parties always have a ticket booth out front, and who would Tinsley invite? Scott? We flash back to Dorinda calling Tinsley out on Scott and living in the hotel. Dorinda tells her makeup artist, Tinsley gave her a speech on how she didn’t want to hear conspiracy theories about her life, but she tells it like she sees it.
Tinsley tells her hair stylist that she’s anxious because she’s about to see the girls. The accusations about her and Scott are bullsh*t. We flash back to a Scott moment. In Tinsley’s interview, she wishes she understood why Dorinda is focused on her. Clearly something is going on in her own life that’s making her unhappy, so she’s projecting. Dorinda says she doesn’t know anything about Tinsley. The minute they go deep, Tinsley retracts like a turtle. In Dorinda’s interview, she says she doesn’t know if Tinsley has the ability to open up, but they’re not cocktail party talkers; they’re bad bitches.
Tinsley brings Leah to Dorinda’s party, and Leah wonders if there are any eligible bachelors to pick up. In her interview, Dorinda says she’s good at parties. She brings people from all different places and professions, and throws them into a room like a crazy soup, then puts the heat on high. Tinsley refuses to clink glasses because Sonja and Leah aren’t drinking alcohol, and it’s bad luck. I think that applies only to water, but Tinsley lives in her own world. She puts a drink stirrer in her drink, and then sticks it in theirs to make it okay. New rule. In Leah’s interview, she says she and alcohol have a weird relationship. She didn’t drink for nine years, and then started again six months ago. She enjoys going crazy. We see a clip of her telling Tinsley that every twenty times, she’s a hot mess and takes a loser home, wondering how he got there the next morning. The other night she drank too much, and lost Chanel bag along with her passport, so she’s putting it on pause. Everyone comments on Dorinda’s fabulous new haircut, which really does flatter her. LuAnn says she has her life back. In her interview, LuAnn says, it’s hard to wrap her head around the fact she could have gone to jail for having a drink, and now she can do what she wants. She worked hard to get where she is, and doesn’t want to give it up. She’s Lu and improved. Tinsley introduces Leah to everyone.
Dorinda welcomes everyone. She says, another summer is over, and she wanted to have an end-of-the-summer party, since they scatter during the summer. She tells them that she has a big surprise, and drag queen Chelsea Piers comes out (no pun intended), and performs Feelin’ Jovani, while LuAnn fights for the spotlight. In LuAnn’s interview, she says obviously Dorinda has gotten past this. It’s not an olive branch; it’s the whole tree. In Leah’s interview, she says she has no clue what Jovani is, and looks it up on her phone, looking confused when she finds out it’s a clothing designer. I guess she’s never watched this show. In Dorinda’s interview, she says, she loves hard, fights hard, and forgives easily. It seems ridiculous now. Leah explains she’s a native New Yorker, and LuAnn says, but she looks so normal. Leah says she doesn’t see herself tied down, but Ramona says she wants to be tied down. (Leaving those jokes for someone else.) LuAnn tells Leah, they’re kind of old school, since they were both married a long time. Leah and LuAnn compare arrests, and oddly enough, both attacked police officers. In Leah’s interview, she says she ran into a guy she had a crush on 4th of July, 2002. She was mid-kiss when suddenly five cops were beating him up. Her kneejerk reaction was to hit a cop, and he punched her, then smashed her face into the subway grate. Nice. She sued and won, and decided she’d been making bad choices, so she’d be smart with the money, and used it for her brand.
Tinsley asks Dorinda to come outside and talk. They sit, and Tinsley says she feels like they were friends, but had issues, and she wants to have a lunch date where they can talk. Dorinda says, about Tinsley’s text on conspiracy theories, she’s always trying to pull information out of Tinsley. She saw Tinsley in January, when she’d said she wasn’t with Scott, and a week later, she was having dinner with him. In Dorinda’s interview, she says, it’s about transparency. Tinsley has things going on, and they find out about them elsewhere. She thinks Tinsley is a riddle they’re never going to solve. She doesn’t know the answer. Tinsley wins. Inside, Sonja chats up hot guy William, who’s Ramona’s ex-lover. Sonja says Ramona is always going after her guys, so she’s turning the tables. She tells William that she’s not dating young guys, but if you don’t use it, you lose it. Leah doesn’t think he can handle Sonja. In her interview, Leah feels like William is the kind of guy who wouldn’t know his way around a woman’s body, rub you in the wrong place, and you’d have to explain it to him or he’ll just keep it up. Sonja says she doesn’t want to go home empty-handed. Wake up and smell the Sonja. Dorinda tells Tinsley, it’s not just her, but Tinsley says, actually, it is. Dorinda won’t listen to her, and keeps calling her a liar. Dorinda says, don’t put words in her mouth.
Dorinda tells Tinsley not to be tricky with her. Don’t ride up on her and make a statement. I have no idea what that means. Tinsley says she doesn’t give a sh*t, and what she thinks is that Dorinda doesn’t want to be her friend. Dorinda says she wants to know who Tinsley is, but Tinsley just wants to make a big statement, and it’s not going to work. Dorinda flounces off, and plops down next to LuAnn on a couch. She tells LuAnn that Tinsley came up on her hot, and told Dorinda not to be all gangster, but Dorinda said she is gangster. I think maybe she’s just mean. Tinsley said everybody knows her except Dorinda. Tinsley sits down in between Ramona and Leah, and says she only said she wanted to talk to Dorinda, and Dorinda said she was fake. In Tinsley’s interview, she says if she’s not talking, Dorinda says she’s hiding something, but if she asks for a private conversation, she’s fake. She can’t win. Leah asks, what’s going on? and Dorinda and Tinsley continue to bicker. In LuAnn’s interview, she says, she’s already been there, and the last thing she’s doing is inserting herself into this dog fight. She tries to switch seats with Tinsley, but Tinsley isn’t moving. Dorinda gets in Tinsley’s face, and tells her to shut her mouth. Leah asks if Tinsley is going to let Dorinda talk to her like that. Tinsley says she doesn’t care what Dorinda has to say, and Dorinda says, kindergarten is starting. In Leah’s interview, she says, Dorinda is like the snake in Beetlejuice, but scarier and meaner. Dorinda says this is boring her, and starts to walk away, but her heel gets stuck. Tinsley says, don’t trip (totally missing the opportunity to say, have a nice trip; see you next fall). Dorinda gets up close and personal again, and says her heel got stuck. The difference is, she bought her shoes. She didn’t lie on her back for them. She twirls around, but not nearly as well as Kenya, and walks away. Tinsley says, you’re a jealous bitch, bitch.
And away we go.
This season – parties, costumes, Ramona on a swing, Sonja falling, Leah says they’re all hot effing messes, LuAnn is back at cabaret, Tinsley wants to move to Chicago, Dorinda pretends everything is okay, LuAnn forgot how good vodka tastes, a trip to Mexico, a trip to a cornfield, revisiting the fish room, LuAnn swears she never screwed the pirate, and Dale wonders what’s wrong with her and Tinsley?
👨🏽🍳 On Top Chef, comedian chefs Ali Wong and Randall Park, who met during a fried rice competition where they went to school, gave the chefs their quickfire challenge of creating a fried rice dish, the winning chef getting immunity. The chefs had thirty minutes to make the best damn fried rice that was creative and inventive. Given a display table of ingredients, they were also to use at least one ingredient from the choices. You’d have thought they were going for rolls of toilet paper, the way the chefs grabbed the components they wanted. Kevin was the winner, using flaming hot Cheetos, hot dogs, and bourbon. I assume it tasted better than it sounds, since Ali said it was like a party in her mouth.
The elimination challenge was next, with the chefs going to the Getty Museum for inspiration. The challenge was to interpret a work of art on a plate, using four movements; baroque, neoclassicism, renaissance, and rococo. Since Kevin won the Quickfire, he got to choose first, and selected baroque. The rest of the contestants took knives from a block, each with a movement on it. After the museum, it was on to Whole Foods to shop for ingredients. Someone pointed out LOUD shoes, and I had to laugh, since I’d just mentioned that in the GH recap, and I wonder if it’s a thing now. The chefs were to tell a story through their choice of ingredient, and Ludo Lefebvre was introduced as guest judge.
Padma said they had some glorious, artful food, but had to choose one masterpiece. The winning spot went to Melissa’s won ton soup.
When the chefs on the bottom were called out, Padma told Karen that she ended up in the bottom because Kevin had immunity. In her interview, Karen made it clear how pissed she would be if she was out for that reason. She creeped me out a little during this episode. Not only did she practically hiss her displeasure about possibly losing, she most definitely glared at Kevin when he got the immunity in the first place. I also highly doubt had he not had it, he would have taken any chances. Joe said while the dish chosen didn’t lack artistry, it lacked the technique to present the artistry. Jamie had to pack up his knives and go for his dish being too dry. He said it sucked to leave this early, and wished he had delivered better cookery; there was no greater sin. His hope was in the Last Chance Kitchen, and to get back in the competition, doing the type of food he wants, the way he wants to do it. Next time, Kelly Clarkson is guest judge, and the chefs are challenged with a vegetarian menu.
🥠 The best quote came from Brian: I am not making baby Jesus today.
🐐 On Watch What Happens Live, we learned from Melissa and Joe Gorga that during quarantine in Italy, Joe Giudice is picking broccoli and chasing goats. Alrighty then.
👠 Don’t Pandemic Me…
One of LuAnn’s employees passive/aggressively called her out on Instagram.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
I missed the very beginning, because I was running early. Why, Lord, why?
At the MetroCourt, Lulu sees Brook. Dustin asks if Lulu is sure this is a good idea. Does she remember what happened the last time? She says she remembers exactly what happened.
Trina apologizes to Cameron for being late. She lost track of time talking to Ava. Cameron says, it’s totally fine. Everything good? She says, yeah. Him? He flashes back to the kiss, and Trina saying, if she’d lost him, she wouldn’t be able to do any of this, and him saying, neither could he. He tells Trina, it’s all good.
Portia tells Curtis, she knew there was a lot Taggert couldn’t tell her, and frankly there was a lot she didn’t want know. Even when they were breaking up, she still cared about him, and he did everything he could to reassure her. Curtis says, she suspected it was Cyrus when Taggert was killed. He must have told her something about the investigation. She asks why it’s important, and Curtis says he and Jordan are always trying to figure out what to bring home, and what to leave at the office. It must have been the same with them.
Laura goes to the station, and sees Mac. She asks if Jordan is in her office, but he says she’s in a meeting. Laura asks if Mac means Jordan is interrogating a suspect, and Mac says he means she’s in a meeting. Laura gets that Mac isn’t used to her being mayor, but she has to ask him what’s going on.
In the interrogation room, Cliff sets up a recorder, and says, it’s an interview with Jordan regarding the arrest and conviction of Cyrus Renault. He asks if Jordan consents to the recording. She does, and he tells her to please explain her involvement in the arrest and conviction of Cyrus Renault.
Alexis says Finn doesn’t seem surprised to hear that she fell off the wagon. He says he feels terrible that he missed her call, but she says it’s not his job to keep her sober; it’s hers. Last night, she let her team down. He says they’re on the same team. If she has some time, he’d like to talk. She says she had one drink, but he says they both know it’s never just one. Alexis says, it’s all she had, and he says she’s been sober almost three years. What changed? She says, apparently, she did, or that’s what she was told. It’s the truth. He says, and that’s bad because… She says, because she stopped fighting for herself and what she believes in. Instead, she protected someone and crossed the line. He says she’s not first person to ever do that. What’s so horrible that she would end three years of sobriety? She says she slept with the person she protected, and she knew it was wrong, but the worst thing is that she’d do it again in a heartbeat. He says he believes her, and asks if she slept with them because she had a drink, or did she drink because she slept with them?
Julian and Britt cuddle in bed, and Julian says, he can get used to this. She tells him to remember their deal. It’s just fun, and at the end of the day, he goes his way and she goes hers. Britt says she probably should go, and he asks if it’s visiting hours at the jail. She says she’s already seen her mother, and once is enough. He asks if Obrecht is still claiming Peter framed her, and she says her mother lives by the motto, deny, deny, deny. She never takes responsibility for her crimes. He says, unlike Britt’s best pal Brad. He can’t believe Brad was involved in a baby switch, and she says Brad isn’t the villain Julian wants him to be. Julian knows Brad is Britt’s best friend, but Brad did betray his son’s trust in the worst possible way. She says, things are not always black and white. If he took the time to understand… He says, like her? She says she and Brad are kindred spirits. Now Brad is in prison, and they can only interact through a glass partition. She’s lost her best friend, and doesn’t know how she’s going to replace him in her life. Brad is the only person who got her, and without him, it feels pretty lonely.
Ned tells Brook, no one would be thrilled with a rematch, and she says, Lulu is a smug self-righteous, spoiled brat. There’s no way she’s letting Lulu win. He says, it’s not a competition. Blame him. He shouldn’t have forced her to work at ELQ. He’s going to find her a job more suitable to her talents. She says her talents belong on stage, and that’s exactly where she’s going.
Dustin says, the mess with Brook is over, isn’t it? and Lulu asks why she should go easy on Brook. He says, Brook is social media’s new punching bag, and she’s been beaten enough. She says, tell her that he doesn’t feel sorry for Brook, and he says he knows the reason Lulu resents Brook; she was desperate to become a success, like him. She says Brook dumped him because he couldn’t help her, but she has better things to do than scratch Brook’s eyes out, as much as she’d like to. He says, name one, and she says, this. They kiss, and Olivia approaches their table. She asks if anyone would care to hear the specials.
Trina asks Cameron how practice is going, and he says, good, but weird. It kind of freaks him out. When he’s playing, his focus is totally on the ball. She says, it’s not weird. She gets the same feeling at the gallery. It’s all about the work. She forgets the drama, and the questions that have no answers. He says he thought her mom didn’t like Ava, and Trina says, her mom doesn’t, but she does. She can talk about anything to Ava. He says that’s like him and Franco, and she asks what they talk about. He says, they were just talking about his last session with Dr. Bern. She says, Dr. Bern? Isn’t he… Cameron says, a therapist, yes. His mother thought he needed someone to talk to because… She asks if he thinks he needs a therapist, and he says, now she sounds like Dr. Bern. He agreed to go so his mother would stop treating him like a basket case. Trina says, he’s entitled to be a basket case, but he says she went through a lot more. She tells him not to compare their tragedies. She’s glad he can talk to Franco, and he says he’s glad she has Ava, but be careful; Josslyn doesn’t trust her. Trina says she gets why, but her experience is completely different, and Ava has been supportive. She wonders why something awful has to happen before they realize they’re not alone. He says that’s a good question, but he doesn’t have an answer.
Curtis asks Portia if Taggert was the kind of guy who brought his work home with him, and she says, sometimes. He says, even when it came to Cyrus? and she asks why he cares. He says he’s just curious because she mentioned balancing work and married life. She asks why it matters now.
Jordan says she was part of a four member team at the DEA. They were a task force assigned to Cyrus. Her, Bob, Mark, and Taggert. All three died in a three month period. Two from overdoses, who had no history of drug use, and Taggert was murdered. She became concerned and went over the DEA files. That’s when she realized there were discrepancies in the evidence. Cliff asks her to elaborate, and she says, upon further examination, she saw the material evidence used to convict Cyrus may have been fabricated. He asks if she knew they’d been obstructing justice, but she says she just had a sneaking suspicion.
Laura knows Mac was working on figuring out how Cyrus got messages from prison out to the street, but Mac says, so far, they have nothing. Laura wonders if the lead is in front of him, and he asks if she’s suggesting they have a dirty cop. She hopes not, but somebody is helping Cyrus. Jordan and Cliff come out of the interrogation room, and Jordan looks at Laura.
Cliff says, now the DOJ will have to be involved, and trusts Jordan won’t leave town. She says, of course (🍷) not. Mac asks, what’s going on? and she says, long story. It will have to wait. He says what’s more important if it involves the people he works with? but she says, it doesn’t. It’s about her and Cyrus. She leaves, and Mac and Laura look at each other.
Trina and Cameron walk as they talk. Trina says Josslyn and Dev can’t leave the property without a security guard. It would make her rip her hair out. It was bad enough with her mother texting her ten times a day, and monitoring where she is. He asks if her mother has backed off yet.
Lulu tells Olivia, she’s sorry about trashing the restaurant, but Brook started the fight. Olivia asks if that was before or after Lulu doused Brook with champagne. Lulu says Brook has done nasty things to her, but Olivia says Lulu has done the same. Like printing Brook’s careless post in The Invader. By the way, that’s not even her beat. Lulu says she didn’t tell Brook to post it in the first place, but even if she hadn’t written about it, someone else would have. Olivia says, it wasn’t someone else; it was Lulu. She gets that Dante is gone, and Lulu is acting out. What she doesn’t understand is that in moving on, why Lulu has turned her back on Olivia and the family. She says she thought Lulu was part of the family, and walks away.
Ned knows Brook has a plan to secretly write and record until she gets her creative property rights back, but does she think it’s a good idea to go on stage? Brook says she doesn’t need to be secretive anymore. She found a way out. He says Diana and ELQ”s lawyers couldn’t break Brook’s contract, and Brook found a way? She says she didn’t need to. After Ned decided to embarrass her, she decided to give Linc what he wants. He says, she’s not going to have… and she says, no. All he needs to know is that she’s now free and clear of her soul-sucking contract. He says it’s not all needs to know. What did she give Linc to make him walk away?
Julian tells Britt, there are way more appropriate candidates for best friend than Brad. She just looks at him, and he says he’s sorry she lost her best friend. Would she like a drink? She asks if by other candidates, he means like him, and he asks if that’s so horrible. Does she have something in common with more upstanding citizens in Port Charles? She says her alleged crimes were an act of love. She doesn’t think holding a knife to his ex’s throat is considered an act of love. Julian says he and Alexis are in a better place now, and she asks if Alexis forgave him. Julian says Alexis got therapy, and Britt says her therapist must be good. As she remembers, Alexis doesn’t forgive so easily. He says, so good, Alexis fell for him. She’s stopped therapy, but hasn’t stopped seeing Dr. Bern. Britt says, Dr. Bern? and Julian asks if she knows him.
Alexis tells Finn, her reasons for drinking are complicated, and he says, they usually are.Would one of the complications be Julian? She doesn’t blame him for coming up with that, but Julian was a good guy, and picked her up the bar. Sam called her coward. He says, and Alexis believed her? She’s fearless and courageous, but Alexis says she lacked courage when the going got rough. Maybe she drank because she can’t be with the guy. Finn says it sounds like she cares about him very much, and she says, it’s just… Neil walks in, and a lightbulb comes on over Finn’s head.
Neil says he thought there was a staff meeting there. Alexis says, it was an AA meeting, and Neil says maybe he got the meeting wrong. Finn says he’s got the wrong room, and tells Neil where it is. Neil says he’s going to bring a GPS next time, but Finn says, when he’s been there a while, he’ll figure it out. Finn kept thinking the supply closet was the on-call room. Alexis says she has to take off, and Neil says he does too, but Finn asks if he can asks a couple of questions. It will just take a minute. He wants to pick Neil’s brain about a patient, and it might have legal complications. Alexis says she has a meeting, and Neil says he’ll be late, but Finn ignores them. He says he’s been treating a patient who’s taken a series of experimental drugs, and is now confessing to bizarre crimes. Maybe the crimes are real; maybe they’re the patient’s imagination. Or maybe it’s their mental illness. Neil and Alexis look at each other, and flash back to their night in the hotel. Finn asks what Neil thinks. Side effects of the medication, or should he investigate if these are true confessions?
Britt tells Julian, she knew Neil looked familiar, but now she’s heard his name in context with Alexis. She had a layover in New York City, and went shopping. She stayed at the nicest hotel, and when she was on her way back to her room, she saw a man about to knock on a door. She didn’t think anything of it, but when the door opened, Alexis stepped out. She was about to say hi, when they fell into each other’s arms, and went back into the room. The guy was Dr. Neil Bern.
Lulu asks Dustin if Olivia was right. Was she desperate to punish Brook, and didn’t care who she hurt? Don’t be the supportive boyfriend, but tell her the truth. He asks if he can’t be both. He tells her, she’s caring, passionate, and impulsive, which aren’t bad things. They’re all reasons why he can’t get enough of her. But in her moving on, the hard part is, sometimes her impulses get out of control. She didn’t have to publish Brook’s post. It could have disappeared into the blogosphere, and no one would have been the wiser. She did it to get back at Brook.
Brook says, Ned likes to keep his business dealings private, and so does she. Her phone rings, and she says it’s her new PR guy; she has to run. As she heads to the elevator, on the phone, she says she has good news for him; he’s going to love it. Olivia asks Ned why every time she sees his daughter smiling, she knows all hell is about to break loose?
Trina tells Cameron, she and her mother have established some ground rules. They made them together. Her mom will give her space as long as Trina doesn’t scare her with radio silence. He says, sounds like a plan, and she says she knows his mom has rules; what about Franco? He says, Franco isn’t big on rules. Trina gets a text from Josslyn, and says she was supposed to text yesterday, and forgot. He asks what Josslyn said about… The last time they were all together, trying to study Shakespeare, Trina left. He knows why she left, but Josslyn didn’t. Unless… Trina didn’t tell her that they kissed, did she?
Portia doesn’t get why Curtis cares so much what went on between her and Taggert. Why is it important? There’s a knock at the door, and Jordan pops in. She says she’s sorry. She didn’t know Curtis would still be there. Portia says Curtis was just asking if she and Taggert talked about his work. Curtis says he was wondering about the Cyrus investigation, and Portia says she told him that Taggert really didn’t talk about his work at home. Jordan says, good. The less Portia and Trina have to do with Cyrus, the better. Portia says, it’s a little late for that. Her daughter was already kidnapped, and her father was shot in front of her. Jordan says she’s sorry. She’s afraid she has more bad news. Portia says, it’s not Trina, is it? but Jordan says, no. Trina is fine as far as she knows. She just met with a detective from Internal Affairs, and he’s asked the Justice Department to open an investigation involving Taggert’s handling of the case against Cyrus.
Alexis tells Finn, from a legal standpoint, policies would have to be investigated. Neil says he’ll work on whether it’s delusion or medication. Finn thanks them both, saying he appreciates it. He asks Alexis, lunch tomorrow? and she says, coffee. He says, sounds good, and leaves. Alexis walks into the office, and Neil closes the door. He says he knows it’s none of his business, but Finn seemed concerned about her. She says it was a post AA meeting; a double-checking thing. Neil says, he’s concerned, but she says she’s fine. Really. He says, every time a patient feels compelled to use the word really, it makes him concerned. She says she’s not a patient anymore, and he says, as one friend to another, can he help?
Julian tells Britt, Alexis’s therapist took advantage of her, but Britt says, Alexis is a grown woman, and as far as she could tell, wanted it as much as Neil did. Julian says, there are rules against that, and she says, it’s ironic that Julian has rules. He says, if Neil is ignoring that, he’ll have to remind him. He’s heading over to GH now. She says, to do what? Ride Neil? She doesn’t think that’s a good idea. Alexis can take care of herself. He says, if she wants to worry about someone, worry about Neil. She says, all she wants to know is if he’s giving her a ride, or does she have to call Ride Share? He says, let’s go, and they leave.
Dustin says, too much honesty? but Lulu says, no; he’s right. So was Olivia. She was acting out, but Brook goes out of her way to be antagonistic, and she wanted to get back at her. She’s a bad person. He says, she’s a wonderful person, but she says, with so many flaws. He says, perfection is overrated.
On the phone, Brook tells her PR guy, if they ask about the big blow up, say no comment, and move on. The less said about it, the quicker it will blow over. She’ll be posting behind-the-scenes footage of her new material. Lulu approaches, and says she knows Brook heard her. Brook says, she’s ignoring Lulu. Take the hint. Lulu asks Brook to hear her out.
Trina says, Josslyn has no idea she and Cameron kissed, and he says, thank God. It would make things awkward. She says, a little bit, and he asks what she ended up telling Josslyn. She says she told Josslyn things were weird because of what happened to her dad, which is actually true. They were all traumatized, and none of them is thinking clearly. Josslyn understood completely. He says he’s glad to hear it, and she says she’s got to run. She promised to meet her mom at the hospital. He says he has to meet his mom too; can he join her? She says, sure. What are friends for? I’m disappointed.
Portia doesn’t understand. She says Cyrus was found guilty, and sent to prison years ago, and Taggert is dead. Why revisit the case? Jordan says the other two members of the team were also killed in the last three months. She questioned the circumstances of their deaths, and searched for why they were singled out. She found proof that they fabricated the evidence that put Cyrus away. Portia says, they falsified evidence? and Jordan says, they were desperate for a conviction, and Cyrus was too good at not getting caught. She’s sure they felt it meant saving lives. Portia says, that could explain a lot about what happened in the marriage. With Taggert, everything was black and white; there were no grey areas. If he violated his own code, it would have eaten him up inside. I note that Jordan has officially replaced Jason in making the best worried face ever.
Laura thanks someone on the phone, and says she’ll be in touch. She tells Mac, it’s true. The DOJ is doing an investigation. They’ve ordered a complete review of the evidence that put Cyrus in prison. Apparently, Taggert worked with the other two agents to plant evidence against him. Mac says, no. He worked with Taggert for years, and Taggert never bent the law. He had a deep loathing for any officer who did. Laura says, if Jordan thinks there’s a possibility he crossed the line, they have to take it seriously.
Portia says, Taggert and his colleagues were killed for putting Cyrus in prison. What about Jordan? Where does she factor in? Curtis says, Jordan worked inside to gain Cyrus’s confidence. Portia says, so she was working independently of the team? and he says, right. Portia says, Taggert didn’t tell her; they left her out? He says, that’s right. Jordan knew nothing about it.
Olivia wonders how Brook got out of her contract, and Ned says she wouldn’t tell him, and he didn’t push her. He had the feeling no amount of pressure would make her talk. Maybe grandfather had the right idea about tough love. Olivia says that would let him off the hook. Now he doesn’t have to feel guilty about firing her.
Brook sits with Lulu and says, make it quick; she has a meeting with Lucy. Lulu says she didn’t know Brook was interested in real estate, and Brook says she’s not. Lulu says, skin care and cosmetics? Brook says, no. Her career is back on track. She’s launching her rebrand at this year’s Nurses ball. Dustin says, congratulations, and Lulu says, absolutely. She tells Brook, she’s not sorry she did her job as a journalist, but she could have contacted ELQ first, and given them a chance address the pharmaceutical branch that was closing. And it was wrong of her to spray Brook with champagne. So, are they good?
In the elevator, Britt tells Julian, take a deep breath, and do some quick elevator meditation. Don’t do anything he regrets.
Neil tells Alexis, there’s no rule that says she can’t turn to him for help. Alexis says, when she considers that, alarm bells go off inside her head. Neil says she called him last night, but she says, it was a mistake. She wasn’t in an appropriate state to see him. He asks, what state would that be? She shows him her one-day chip. Julian and Britt look through the window.
Mac tells Laura, there has to be more to the story, and she says, maybe there is, but she doesn’t know why Jordan wouldn’t have shared that. Mac says, she took the investigation at face value, but she knew Taggert better than anyone. Why would she have gone straight to IA? Laura says, maybe she couldn’t believe Taggert did something illegal. Mac asks if they just sit back and watch it play out, but she says, no. If something else is going on, she wants him find it.
Jordan tells Portia, she had no idea when Cyrus was originally tried that evidence was planted. Portia says, it’s not going to stay quiet for long. She has to find Trina and tell her what’s going on. Trina knocks on the door, and Portia says, better now than later. She opens the door to Trina and Cameron, and Trina asks, what’s going on?Why are they here?
Ned tells Olivia, Brook is his daughter. From the moment she was born, he started to feel guilty. She says, he had to fire Brook; he had no choice. The mess Brook brought back, she did by her lonesome. He says if Brook is back on track, he won’t feel so guilty, but she says if Brook isn’t willing to tell him exactly how it happened, she has some scheme or epic machination that’s going to blow up in everyone’s face.
Brook accepts Lulu’s apology, and they shake hands. Brook says she wants something in return, and Lulu says, name it. Brook says, Lulu’s boyfriend.
Alexis tells Neil, it’s the first day of her new life. She shows him her chip, and he takes her hand. He says he’s proud of her. Julian busts into the room, and grabs Neil, throwing him up against the wall. Alexis asks what Julian is doing.
Tomorrow, Valentin says Brook’s ELQ shares are officially his, Trina tells Portia not to believe Jordan’s lies, and Carly asks Brando when the other shoe is going to drop.
Vanderpump Rules
Ariana meets Lisa for riding. Lisa says she taught Prince to talk, and Ariana says she’s ready for this. Lisa calls Tardon, parlay! and Prince whinnies.
Katie visits Stassi, who’s on the couch, wearing a sleep mask. They have wine and burgers, and Stassi says, it’s just what she needed. The hangover struggle is real.
James makes bacon, and tells Raquel that he had the weirdest dream. Lala was in it. Raquel asks, why? and he says, because he was having an annoying night. We flash back to Tom’s birthday, and Raquel relaying to James that Logan had said he was at a party where people were getting effed up. Raquel says she has to ask; was James drinking at that party? He says, no. If he had, it would be a serious problem. He swears he hasn’t had a drank in six days, In his interview, he says he used to think if bad things happened, it was a good reason to drink, but hit doesn’t solve anything. He’s happy he didn’t.
Lisa tells Ariana that James quit drinking, and he’s getting help. Ariana says, it’s like déjà vu or Groundhog Day, but Lisa says she thinks the difference is that Raquel put her foot down. Ariana says you never know when James is going to snap, and Lisa says it’s when he has his first drink, but she thinks the tide has changed.
James tells Raquel that he’s been talking to Lisa every day.
Stassi can’t believe Katie is having a girls wine night party, but Kristen isn’t invited. Katie says, it’s happening. She’s met some new people, but hasn’t gotten to know them, so she’s invited Dayna, Danica, and Charli. She also can’t not invite Raquel if she’s invited the others. In Stassi’s interview, she says Katie has invited every single girl in West Hollywood, and Kristen is going to be pissed. Katie tells Stassi, if Kristen is going to act like that, she’s not inviting her.
Lisa says, when it gets to be too much, she goes to the stable. Ariana complains that her horse has a small wiener, and it’s embarrassing.
In his interview, Jax says he swore he’d never be at SUR when he turned 40, and at 40, he’s still there. Tom comes in, hungover and struggling. Jax suggests the hair of the dog. Raquel sees Scheana outside in the back, and Scheana says Raquel looked cute at Tom’s party. Raquel says Scheana looked hot, and Scheana says she had fun with her whip. Katie calls Raquel, and invites her to wine night tomorrow with the ladies. Raquel says she’d love to. In Raquel’s interview, she says, Katie has never been intentionally mean to her, but she’s never gone out of her way to be kind either. Scheana wonders how it’s going to be with Lala, and tells Raquel that she’ll have friends there. She can mediate if need be.
Brett has invited Scheana to make a YouTube video with him. In his interview, he says he does personal training, and has been successful on YouTube by being his authentic self. A lot of women follow him. He tells Scheana that he thinks women will identify with her, and what she’s been through as a young divorcee. He trusts her and she’s a friend. Scheana thinks they’ll become better friends, because this woman cannot take no for an answer. He thinks she’s awesome, but says he’d never want to hurt her by making her think there’s something that’s not there. He looks at her like a guy friend. Scheana, who only hears what she wants to, says, who knows; maybe one day. In Brett’s interview, he says he loves her as a person, but has no intention of taking he home. Scheana suggests they see where the world takes them.
Schwartz goes to Tom’s place, where Max has arrived ahead of him. In Tom’s interview, he says, people give him a hard time about not having furniture, but they have a couch and a credenza. They’re good. Tom says, it’s Jax’s birthday, and Brittany is taking him out to lunch. Now that they have houses, it’s open to the possibility of TP’ing them. Schwartz says, talking about it ruins it; it has to be spontaneous. In Schwartz’s interview, he says he’s all for a good prank, but because of the dynamic between Tom and Jax, he doesn’t know if they’re in a good enough place for that. Schwartz says he can’t do it today, as Tom pours beer in a funnel. He doesn’t mind pissing Jax off, but not on his birthday. Tom wants Schwartz to funnel beer, and Schwartz asks, what for? Tom says, for Jax, and Schwartz says, Jax isn’t here. Tom points to his heart, and says, Jax is here. In Max’s interview, he says Tom wants to beer bong and TP a house in the afternoon, but he has to go to work. He doesn’t think it’s the best idea. They sit by the pool, and Tom brings out shots. They toast to Jax’s birthday. Schwartz thinks instead of pranking Jax, they should lift him up, and show how much they love him. Tom says he’ll be back in fifteen, and Schwartz says, what if it rains? Tom and Max leave, but Schwartz stays behind. He can’t, he won’t, and he’s not doing it.
Tom and Max TP Jax’s house, and Tom says, it feels good. In Max’s interview, he thinks Tom is releasing some frustration against Jax; he’s fired up. The leave OLD FART in toilet paper letters on the street in front of the house. Jax and Brittany come home to trees laden with toilet paper, and Jax says, WTF? Are you effing kidding me? Who does that? Brittany says, what the hell is this? Jax sees the message, and says, these a-holes. This is going to suck. In Jax’s interview, he says, it’s not that funny. He knows one of his friends did it, but doesn’t know which one.
Jax starts making calls. Tom says he didn’t have anything to do with it, and claims they got him too, and shows Jax his front yard with a few streams of toilet paper hanging from a tree. In Toms’ interview, he says, there are three things you need to get away with a prank. Confidence, an alibi with plausible details – Jax says it doesn’t look like as much in Tom’s yard, and Tom says they must have hit Jax’s house first – and a couple of gullible friends. Brittany says Schwartz swears he didn’t do it. Jax says he knows Beau did it. Brittany shows Stassi the yard, and Stassi says, it’s so insane. In his interview, Jax says he’s going to find how who did this, and get them back.
Scheana tells Brett she went home with some guy from Tom’s party, but not the one she came with. She’s excited to be YouTube’ing with him. He sets up the camera, and says he’s there with a good friend; a homie. He introduces Scheana, and says she’s 34, and looks great. She highly recommends Botox. He says, she’s a middle-aged woman, and in her interview, Scheana wonders in what world she’s considered middle-aged. I too, am wondering. Brett says she’s been married and divorced, and she’s freezing her eggs, because right now, she’s not trying to have a baby. She says she’s not getting in another relationship or getting married unless the guy blows her mind. She’s been dating f***boys, and it’s fun. Brett says, you attract the energy you put out, and asks if she’s a f***girl. In Scheana’s interview, she wonders why she’s doing this interview. He stops filming, and she says she can be happy, single, and getting laid, or fat desperate and looking for love. I guess there’s no in-between? She says she doesn’t want a relationship. He calls her middle-aged again, and she says he keeps aging her. He clearly doesn’t know the definition because she has at least another ten to fifteen years. I get the feeling Brett isn’t the brightest bulb in the box, which is saying a lot since Scheana is no Einstein either.
Lisa explains to her housekeeper that she’s going to her mother’s funeral, staying one more day, and then coming back. In Lisa’s interview, she says the funeral was delayed, and it’s been overwhelming. Puffy! She tells Puffy not to be nervous. She’s going to call her other rescue boy, and see how he’s doing.
James asks Raquel what she’s going to say at the wine party when Lala comes at her. It’s going to be a feeding frenzy. Lisa calls, and asks if he’s doing okay, and he says he’s doing really well. He has a meeting tonight. She says she’s going out to London tomorrow, and just because she’s on the other side of the world, doesn’t mean she won’t know what’s going on. He says he’s taking it seriously. In her interview, Lisa says she doesn’t need another child, but James’s vulnerability tugs at her heartstrings. She’s invested a little in helping to get him there, and he’s going to do it. I want her to adopt me.
Katie makes charcuterie boards for the party. Stassi says, a lot of people are coming;Kristen is going to sh*t her pants. Katie says, life goes on without her, and Stassi says she understands Katie’s logic, but Kristen won’t.
Scheana can’t wait to call Kristen, and give her the news. Kristen says she’s prepping for Jax’s birthday party, and Scheana whines that Brett called her middle-aged. She tells Kristen that she’s heading over to Katie’s for girls wine night. Kristen says, that’s precious. Katie is her wine partner, and not inviting her. Scheana says, Katie has literally invited all of SUR. I forgot to mention, literally is literally every other word with this group, and I’m literally tired of it. If it was a drinking game, we’d be smashed in the first ten minutes of the show. Kristen asks if Lisa is going to be there, and Scheana says Lisa is in London for her mother’s funeral, but maybe she was invited. In Kristen’s interview, she feels like this is bullsh*t. Katie wants crazy Kristen, so she can justify it. She tells her dogs that they’re her two best friends. Which I actually (literally?) don’t think is a bad thing.
The girls start arriving. In her interview, Dayna says she grew up on Mad Dog 2020, and vodka from a box (is that a thing?), so she’ll drink whatever’s there. Scheana says she came in her pajamas; it’s been a long day. She did a YouTube video with Brett, and he called her middle-aged. Stassi says, he’s only two years younger than Scheana. They toast to girls night.
At TomTom, Max tells Tom, everything is good. Jax arrives, and says, the party’s here.
Brittany tells the girls that they’re having Jax’s birthday party at Rocco’s. It’s going to be an 80s theme.
Tom gives Jax a paper shopping bag. Jax takes out some toilet paper. In his interview, he says, if Tom wants to surprise him, show up with a fifth of vodka. There will be consequences.
Brittany wonders who TP’d the house. Jax thinks it’s Beau and Stassi. Stassi thinks it’s Tom, but Ariana says someone came to her house too. Brittany is still friends with Kristen, and asks if they’re still going to be able to hang out. Katie says they still have a wine inventory, but the friendship is off. Lala talks to Scheana on the porch, and says Raquel should feel lucky to be graced with her presence. In Lala’s interview, she wants Raquel to stay in her lane, and let people like her run sh*t. Lala goes inside, and says she wants to have a real talk with Raquel. Because a party is definitely the place to do that. She says she pulled Raquel aside because she as genuinely concerned about James, and wanted to make sure he was okay. Raquel says Lala turned it into an ugly thing, and focused on Logan. Lala says she was speaking; let her finish. Raquel forgot her place, but Lala will steer her back. Raquel says, Logan is obsessed with James. In her interview, she says, this is raw Lala. Lala sees her as vulnerable, and preys on it. If they can’t all agree Lala is a bully, they can agree she’s a bitch. Lala says she set up James with studio sessions, and wouldn’t say anything if she didn’t care. In Charli’s interview, she thinks maybe Lala still likes James, but you can secretly still like someone and secretly hate their girlfriend. I don’t see Lala as still being interested in James that way, but okay. Raquel says, James didn’t drink, and Lala says she’s missing the point, and ran off after she told Lala STFU. At her worst, Raquel is like a yapping chihuahua. Raquel says, Lala is a Rottweiler, and Lala says, no; she’s a Pitbull. Brittany says, they’re scaring her, and Stassi laughs. Lala tells Stassi, stay in her bubble. In Stassi’s interview, she says Lala is her girl, but right now, she has no leg to stand on. Lala says, don’t project on her what they want her to reflect. Huh?
In the car, Raquel tells James that she’s tired; it was a lot of wine. It was awkward. She and Lala argued, and everyone else was quiet. It’s been a week. James says it was weird before the meeting; he felt overwhelmed. He hasn’t shared yet. In his interview, he says he wasn’t sure what to expect, but he’s in a room full of cool people who have realized alcohol isn’t a cool solution to problems. Raquel drives him to a meeting.
Everyone gathers for Jax’s birthday party. Brittany thinks it’s weird how Jax wanted a theme, but he’s not willing to dress up for anyone else’s. Jax comes in looking like a poor man’s Brett Michaels. In his interview, he says he’s a huge 80s buff; it’s his decade. He would have dressed like this anyway. Tom gives Jax a gift, and it’s a samurai sword signed by Randy Jackson. In Tom’s interview, he says when he, Schwartz, and Jax lived together, they watched Step Brothers all the time, and the Will Ferrell character has a samurai sword signed by Randy Jackson. He called Randy’s assistant and had it signed. A producer asks what Jax got Tom for his birthday, and he says, um… He doesn’t think Jax got him anything. Schwartz gives Jax a fake, very lifelike, female foot. In his interview, Schwartz says, Jax likes dirty, filthy, stinky feet. He’s worried there’s a paper trail leading to him buying the foot, and he’s now on a list. Jax tells Brittany that she’s been replaced. Brittany tells Kristen, it was weird with her not being at wine night. It was fun, but crazy. In Kristen’s interview, she says Stassi and Katie were her L.A. family, and she doesn’t understand how you can cut family out. The point is that you stick together no matter what. She tells Brittany, they don’t want anything to do with her. Brittany says she sees both sides, but Kristen doesn’t know what their side is. She’s said things she didn’t mean and apologized, but she thinks they say things they mean.
Raquel waits for James after the meeting. When he gets in the car, he tells her that he shared for the first time. Raquel says, that’s amazing, and in James’s interview, he says his persona is DJ James, the life of the party. It’s been seven years of non-stop partying. Being vulnerable is difficult for him, and it’s going to be a day by day thing. He tells Raquel he was nervous. He felt like she did back in the day, giving a speech to her college class. He’s blessed to have figured it out now.
Randall tells Jax that when you’re in the 40 club with him, it’s not about TP’ing a house. He’s a prank specialist, and tonight a prank cop car is going to be pulling up at Tom’s house and arresting him for vandalism. They’re going to cuff him, put him in the car, then they’ll jump out and say it’s a prank. Lala tells Jax his birthday gift is happening tonight. In her interview, she says, Randall is a prankster specialist. He’s done over 100 films, and pulled a prank on all of them. It’s always epic. Randall says, no one can know.
At Tom’s house, Ariana says she rented a table and chairs. She thinks she might want to stick with rented furniture, since she doesn’t trust anyone not to eff up her house, including Tom. The guests arrive, and she says, RIP her house. Jax brings his own chair, since he won’t sit on the cushions. They have cat hair on them, and he hates cat hair. He yells for music, when two cops come in, and ask to talk to Tom. They pat Tom down, and Jax acts shocked. The cops take Tom outside, and in Jax’s interview, he says they’re genius actors, and look like real cops. For a second, Jax thought he was in trouble. One of the cops asks what Tom knows about a vandalism report, but Tom says he didn’t do anything. The guests move outside, and Schwartz is sure it has to do with parking tickets. The cops tell them to stand back, and put Tom in the car. Ariana asks what it’s about, and one of the cops tells her, it’s about vandalism. Jax insists he didn’t say anything, but one of his neighbors may have. In his interview, Jax says, this is how you do a prank when you’re an adult. Tom will never be number one. He tells Ariana, he didn’t call anyone; it wasn’t him. Randall goes over to the car, and tells Tom, here’s the thing. When you f*** with Jax on his birthday, you f*** with them. Lala says he got them all, and they dance around and high-five each other. Ariana says her heart is beating out of her chest.
Jax thanks the actors, and Katie says she hates them all. Scheana tells Tom that he’s really sweating. In Katie’s interview, she says she doesn’t think it’s funny. Just turn on the news. She asks if she’s the only one who thinks it’s not funny, and Jax says, Tom’s not mad, and that’s all that matters. In Tom’s interview, he says it was one of the best pranks ever, and he’s honored to have it pulled on him. Ariana says she understands where Katie is coming from. In Ariana’s interview, she says some people have a different perspective than others when it comes to their relationship with the police. Joking around like that is in poor taste. Tom says, it’s not a big deal. Katie says they can’t expect no one to react, and Schwartz tells her to shut up. She says she doesn’t think it’s funny, but Schwartz says it was a great moment. They’re laughing, and no one gives a sh*t about her opinion. Tom tells him not to talk to his wife that way.
Katie wonders if she’s the only person who associates this with something really terrible, and Ariana says she gets where Katie is coming from. Schwartz says he’s never been more turned off in his life. This is why he doesn’t have sex with her. Beau says, don’t do this, and Schwartz says he’s not looking for Beau to agree with him; she’s a moron. In Beau’s interview, he says, it’s one thing to have a drunken argument with your significant other – he’s experienced that – but the way Schwarz is talking is venom. In Katie’s interview, she says, the last time Schwartz spoke to her like that was in Mexico. We flash back to Schwartz saying her voice is a cacophony. She says, the only difference is, this time he’s being mean and degrading in front of all their friends. Schwartz walks out, calling Katie an idiot, and Tom says Schwartz is being an a-hole. Schwartz tells Katie, let’s go, but she says she’s not going with him.
Next time, Beau tells Stassi that he’s doing everything on his time, Schwartz says things are still tense, and Brett wants to hang out with Dayna.
If Loving You Is Wrong
Ian asks if there’s any chance Alex had his baby. Talk to him. She says, no, and he says he’s not judging. She says, goodbye, and starts to walk, but he calls her back. She says she doesn’t want to talk about this, and tries to go into her house, but the door is locked. She says she left her keys, but he says he has them. She asks what the hell is wrong with him? and he says she left them on the grass. She says she doesn’t want to wake her kids up; give her the keys. He says he wants answers. Can the baby be his? She says, that’s impossible; they never slept together. He asks if she really wants to do this. He knows a lawyer. Don’t make him go that route and request a DNA test. She asks why he’d do that, and he says he wants answers; that’s all. She asks if he’d really get a court order, and he says, if he has a child out there, he would. She says, no way the baby is his, and he asks how she knows. She says they only had sex once.
He says she’s admitting it, but she says she doesn’t want to talk there. He suggests they go in her house, but she says, no. She’d rather go to his. They go inside, and it’s not unlike Tom’s house on Vanderpump Rules, since he has no furniture yet. He says, so? She says, it was her, and he thanks her for being honest. She says the baby’s not his, and he says, he gets it. He doesn’t want it to be either, but they should know. Alex says she doesn’t need this now, and Ian says, him neither. He asks if she wants a drink, and she says she does. He brings out a box, and says he wants her to promise first that she’ll talk. She starts to cry, and he asks if she’s okay. She cries harder, and tells him, just find the alcohol. She doesn’t care what it is at this point.
Natalie feels bad, but Lushion says, Alex made her bed; it’s done. He looks out the window, and says, what the hell? Someone is over at Kelly’s. He’s going to check, and she tells him, be careful. He tells her to stay there, and goes outside. He sees a man holding a paper bag, and looking in Kelly’s front window. He draws his gun. He tells the guy, put his hands up and put the bag down. The guy says he lives there, but Lushion says he doesn’t. He says he’s just moving in, and Lushion says, somebody else lives there. What’s his name? The guy says, Durrell; he’s Justice’s father. Lushion asks if he’s got ID, and Durrell says it’s in his back pocket. Lushion says, slowly, and Durrell holds out his wallet. Lushion looks at the ID, and puts away his gun. He asks why Durrell is snooping around, and Durrell says his mother told him that Kelly left the key; he knows the alarm code. Lushion asks if Justice can ID him, but he says Justice doesn’t really know him. Lushion tells him, hands behind his back. Keep it easy, and they’ll clear this up. Lushion cuffs him, and says, relax; take a seat. Durrell sits on the curb, and Lushion calls Natalie, asking her to come out. He meets her halfway, and she asks, what’s going on? He says the guy says he’s Justice’s father. Does she know him? She says, no, but he looks like Justice. Lushion says, he just got out of jail, and she asks how he knows. Lushion says, slippers and a paper bag. She says Kelly did tell her that he was in jail, but Justice doesn’t know him. He asks if Kelly said anything about leaving a key, and she says Kelly did say she was worried and told him he could move in. Maybe it is him. Lushion tells her, stay there. He asks Durrell if he’s got proof he knows Kelly, and Durrell says there are pictures in his wallet. Lushion looks at them, and says, that’s a long time ago. Durrell says he’s been away a while, and Lushion unlocks the cuffs. He asks if Durrell was in jail. Durrell says, yeah, and Lushion says, yes, sounding like Judge Judy. He says he can’t let Durrell in until he finds out it’s okay. Durrell asks where he’s supposed to go tonight; he just got out, and doesn’t have money. Lushion says he can’t let Durrell in until he makes sure he’s supposed to stay there. In a couple hours it will be daylight, and he can come back. If Kelly says it’s okay, he’ll let Durrell in. If Durrell was Lushion, he’d do the same thing. Durrell picks up his bag, and says, all right. He strolls off, and Natalie says, Lushion isn’t letting him in? Lushion says he thought she was from the hood. She says she is, but she thinks it’s him. Lushion says, Kelly has been through enough. One night at a bus station won’t kill him. She says, that’s cold. She feels bad, but Lushion says he doesn’t.
Ian says Alex doesn’t want another, does she? She says she does, and he says, it’s strong, but she says she doesn’t care. He thinks she needs to lay off the liquor, but she thinks he needs to stop telling her what to do. He says she’s drunk, and she says he’s not drunk, and pours more into his glass. He says, fair enough, and they clink glasses. She says she remembered him the moment she saw him, but was hoping he wouldn’t remember. He asks, why? Because she was married? She says, it’s not that. She hates being a wife (surprising us all), but she’s not a bad person. He tells her, he didn’t say she was, and she says she doesn’t want kids. He says she has three, and she says, because she did everything her father, mother, and Brad wanted her to do. She felt trapped, so every time Brad was at work, and she was supposed to be at a PTA meeting or whatever, she met men like him. He asks, how many? and she says, a lot. Go ahead. Judge all he wants. He says he’s not; it’s fine. She says she never wanted this life. She didn’t want to be married. She wanted to be an actress. He says she’s pretty damn good, and she says she has to be now. Her father told her it was stupid, and she should get married and have babies because she had no talent and no chance. That was after he raped her every night. Ian is shocked, and she says he wanted to talk; let’s talk – about all of it. She pours herself some more, saying, she grew up with a backwoods country-ass way of thinking. Her mother actually said it was okay. He says he’s so sorry, and she says she watched her family nearly murder Black people. They hated that she went to school with them. Ian says maybe she was sleeping with Black men to get back at them, but she says, it has nothing to do with that. She thinks they’re beautiful, and loves how their skin is gorgeous and soft. He says, no more for her, and she says he’s right. No more talking about this bullsh*t; she’s done. He says she’s not doing anything stupid, and she says, why the hell should she deal with this, raising Brad’s kids. He says they’re her kids too, but she says she’s tired of all this sh*t. She’s had enough. She’s going to be free, and go do whatever she wants with whoever she want to do it with. He says when she wakes up sober, she’s going to realize she said too much. She asks why he isn’t drunk, and pours more into his glass. He says he’s buzzed, but she says, not enough; drink. She downs hers, and he moves the empty glass away. He suggests she let him take her home, but she says she doesn’t want to go right now. He says, what about her kids? and she says, they’re fine with the babysitter. He takes her hands, and she pulls him toward the kitchen island. She says, please, she wants this. It was so good; she wants to do it again. She unzips his pants, and gets on her knees. He says, no, but…
Larry gets home, bringing along another guy, and Eddie is waiting. He says, what are you ladies up to? and Larry says Eddie was there ahead of him, and knows when he left. The other guy goes inside, and Eddie asks who this one is. Larry says Eddie isn’t ready for that. Why is he there? Eddie says he wants to talk about some things. Andrew, Joe, and Pete. Larry asks if he’s been drinking, and Eddie says, more than drinking. He did some good blow tonight. Larry says he must be pretty high, and Eddie says he could say that. He saw Larry’s wife leaving; is there a problem? Larry says she goes to the country house on weekends, and he brings home the boys when she’s gone. Eddie thinks it’s sick, twisted sh*t, and Larry says, it is; they love it. Almost as much as they love each other. What does Eddie want? To come in? Eddie says, hell no, and Larry asks why Eddie is wasting his time. Eddie says he’s there to find out about those specific names, and Larry asks what he wants to know. Eddie asks if they’re with the FBI, and Larry says he doesn’t know. Eddie asks if Larry is playing games with him, and Larry says he doesn’t play games. He invites Eddie in again, but Eddie says he’s not into that kinky sh*t. Larry says Eddie is pretty sick too. It was the last reason Eddie was there, and the only reason he’s there now. He gave Eddie the privilege of taking control and making him beg. He respects that. Is Eddie ready to beg? Let him know. Eddie acts mad at the world, but what he wants is to be punished. Let Larry punish him. He’ll make him feel so bad by making him feel good. Eddie says the only reason he’s there is Esperanza and the dudes who came against him. Nothing is going to stop him. Larry says, sounds like fun, and Eddie says, keep pushing him, and see how much fun he is. Larry says he can’t wait, and goes inside.
A nurse whose name I can’t remember, tells Rick to go home. He says he wants to talk to her about Kelly. She’s back in jail, and going through a hard time. She says she’s not helping any more, and don’t tell Kelly to fake chest pains. He asks if she doesn’t talk to Sister Margaret, the chaplain. Did Margaret tell her the names of the girls? She says she’s not talking to him, and starts to walk away, but he grabs her arm. He says, they got her too, but she says she’s not talking. He gives her a piece of paper, and says, it’s Lushion’s phone number. Help them. She says that church is crazy, and they know everyone; the mayor, the garbageman, even her ex=boyfriend. She can’t tell him anything. He says she can’t let Kelly go down, but she says she doesn’t know Kelly, and Kelly shot him. Rick says she doesn’t know what he did to Kelly, and she says not to use her name. He says, fine, coward, and she says, call her whatever he wants. She’s not messing with that church. On second thought, if he takes her out and buys her some drinks, maybe she’ll talk. He tells her, bring her dancing shoes and a nice dress.
Margaret visits Kelly, but Kelly says she doesn’t want to talk to her. Margaret says she wants to say a prayer, and the guard lets her in. Kelly tells her, get away from her cell. The guard leaves, and Kelly calls him back, but he ignores her. Margaret tells Kelly, come sit, but Kelly says she won’t. Margaret says, before the guard comes back, and Kelly sits. She asks what Margaret wants, and Margaret says she’s helping Kelly; praying for her. Kelly laughs, and Margaret hands her a Bible, telling her, read this. It’s her gift to Kelly. Margaret calls to the guard, and Kelly says she knew Margaret didn’t want to pray; hypocrites. Margaret tells her, open the bible, and she does. Kelly flips through it, and takes out several pictures. She looks on the backs of them, and Margaret says, God bless you. Wrong is wrong, and she is praying. Kelly thanks her, and hugs her. Margaret says, she’s going to be all right, and when she is, don’t look back. It’s time for Kelly to get back to church. Get back to praying and believing again. She’s stronger than all this. Stop being sorry for herself and being a victim. Take it by force. The kingdom suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12). Kelly says she hears her, and Margaret says, good. God bless her.
Tanya and husband Bennett watch TV. Tanya asks Bennett why he keeps looking out. (Refresher: Bennett trashed Randall’s house at the end of last season.) She says, stop looking at him. He’s looked enough at her already. Bennett says he’ll tell Randall to stop, but she says he’s not going to. She already told him to stop. Bennett says he can make Randall stop, and she asks, how? He says he just will, and she says, like in the last neighborhood? He tore that man’s house apart. He says they were talking about her, and she says he can’t get mad. She gives them enough to talk about. He tells her, don’t worry. Randall won’t bother her again, but she says he’s not the kind that will stop. Bennett says, he will, and she says she’s going to bed. He tells her that he’s staying up a little. He promises Randall won’t bother her. He looks out the window.
Steven and Esperanza cuddle on the couch. He says, it’s her night, and she says, after they watched his movie. He asks if she wants him to stay because of Eddie, or because she wants him to stay. She asks if she looks afraid. He says he’ll stay every night, or he can be out sleeping in his car. She says that would defeat the purpose, and he says he can sleep on the couch. She tells him, read between the lines. She wants him to stay in her bed, naked. He says, as good as it sounds, he doesn’t want her kicking him out in an hour. She says he’s living in the past. She wants to spend time together, and not worry about what happened before. He says, what about her daughter? and she says she’s been thinking about that. The best thing is for her to bring her daughter to her mom’s until this thing with Eddie is over. Does he want drive up there to Columbus? He says they’ve got themselves a road trip, and they kiss. He gets a text, and she makes him give her the phone. She reads, what’s up, stud? and asks who Anna is. He asks if she’s jealous, and she says, a little bit, and deletes Anna’s number because she doesn’t like her name. He says he doesn’t think his sister is going to like that. She wants him to call his sister, and he says, no. He’s sleepy, and they’re not exclusive. They’re just enjoying each other very much. They get busy.
Randall calls Marcie, who answers, yes? He asks if that’s all she’s got to say. She destroyed his house. She asks what he’s talking about, and he asks if she got Brad to do it. She says she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. She only picked up because she likes to taunt him. He says she did more than that, and she says he’s talking crazy. He tells her, don’t hang up, but she says, bye. A car parks in front of Randall, and Brad gets out and goes inside.
Brad asks if Marcie is okay. She says she is, but Randall keeps calling. He asks why she keeps answering, and she says she likes to taunt him. He says she shouldn’t do that. He asks if Randall has been there, and she says, no; why would he be? Brad says, someone destroyed Randall’s house, but she says she doesn’t know what happened. He tells her that Alex signed the divorce papers. That means he can officially pursue her. He kisses her, and she says she hasn’t seen his full court press. She tells him, she’s starving, and he says he’ll make something. He gets up, but his phone rings. He says it’s Chelsea, his babysitter, and he asks, what’s going on? Chelsea says his wife was supposed to be back hours ago, and she has to leave. She tried calling, but Alex isn’t answering. He asks if the kids and baby are asleep, and she tells him they are. He says he’ll be right over. He tells Marcie that Alex still isn’t home, and she says Alex is probably trying to trick him, but he says she knows better than that. She asks if he’s going, and he says he has to. Otherwise, the kids will be there by themselves. She tells him to try Alex again, but he gets voicemail, and hangs up. Marcie tells him to try from the landline, but he still gets voicemail. Marcie calls and leaves a message that Alex’s kids are looking for her. Where the hell are you, bitch? Brad says, she’s not helping, and Marcie thinks Alex knows they’re together. He tells her to relax; it’s about his kids. She apologizes for making it about her, and he leaves. She says, bitch.
Randall sees Brad leave. Marcie says she hopes the bitch is dead, and calls Alex. She says Alex thinks she’s going to win this thing by dragging Brad out in the middle of the night, but it’s not going to work, ho. She hangs up, but decides to fill up Alex’s damn voicemail. Randall watches as Brad pulls away. He gets out of the car, and goes in the side door. He knocks, and Marcie asks if Brad forgot his key. Randall busts in, and grabs Marcie.
Next time, Esperanza finds Eddie in bed with her and Steven; Kelly tells Lushion the Bible had pictures of women and information on settlements in it; and Lushion and Brad go to Ian’s house looking for Alex.
😥 Sniff…
It looks like this will be the final season of If Loving You is Wrong. After we waited a year. It’s like Game of Thrones all over again.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Brad asks what Sonny is going to do to him, and Sonny says, it depends on what he says in the courtroom. Brad brought a lot of pain to Sonny’s family. He let Michael believe his son was dead. Brad says, and Sonny wants him to pay. Sonny grabs Brad by the collar and pulls him up. He says, they buried a child that Michael grieved for months. No amount of punishment will satisfy him, but he’ll spare Brad’s life if he goes into the courtroom and pleads guilty.
In the hallway, Scotty tells Julian, Brad needs more convincing. Julian was smart to hire him.
Brook finishes singing at Turning Woods, and Mike yells, encore! She says this is her man Mike. If he wants another song, she’ll be happy to sing it.
Molly and Sam come into Jordan’s office, and Molly says, TJ didn’t come home again last night. Jordan says he texted her, and Molly asks what TJ said. Jordan says maybe Molly should wait to hear from him herself.
Dr. Crouse says, to be clear, other than one impromptu night at bingo, Neil and Alexis have had no relationship of a personal nature after that night. Alexis says Neil made it clear that they couldn’t pursue a personal relationship. Dr. Crouse asks Neil to take the witness seat. They have his statement, and they’ve heard Alexis’s testimony. Can he corroborate they’ve had no personal relationship?
Brad tells Sonny that he agreed not to plead guilty, so Scotty could request less time. Sonny says his son will not go through a trial. Michael needs to get on with his life, and make up for the time he lost with his son. Brad says, his son, and Sonny says, Wiley was never Brad’s son, and he knows it. If Brad wants to take another breath, he’ll walk into the courtroom and plead guilty. Sonny walks out, and Brad whimpers.
Neil ponders, and flashes back to night before. He says, everything they need to know is in his statement. Dr. Crouse says, duly noted, but they need him to verbally and specifically confirm or deny. He says other than that one instance, his relationship with Alexis has been strictly professional. Dr. Crouse says, if there are no other questions, the board is going to confer in private as to whether Neil will retain his medical license. The board leaves the room, which is odd, since you’d think they’d ask Neil and Alexis to leave. Neil says, he lied to the board, and Alexis says they forced him to. He shouldn’t have his license taken away for one night. It’s not right, and wasn’t worth it. He says, what if he thinks it is?
Jordan tells Molly that TJ is taking time to think things over, and Molly asks if he said nothing about them. Jordan says she’s sorry, but Molly shouldn’t worry. Sam thanks Jordan for her time, and letting them know about TJ. Jordan says, for what it’s worth, she really is sorry. They leave, and Jordan tells Curtis she feels bad for Molly and TJ. And the more she thinks about the text, the more worried she gets.
Brad comes into the courtroom, where Lucas already sits. The bailiff says, all rise;Judge Lasser presiding. The judge says it’s the People of New York versus Bradley Cooper. Jennifer Arden introduces herself as DA, and Scotty and Brad introduce themselves. Judge Lasser says Brad is charged with an A-1 felony of kidnapping a minor, with the intent to pass him off as his own; and fraud, since he perpetuated this deceit for nineteen months. She asks how he pleads.
Alexis says, Neil can’t throw everything away and derail his career. All she could think about when she was talking, was how good he is at what he does. His patients need him. He says he needs her, and she tells him, he’s saying that now, but he might resent it tomorrow. She can’t let him throw it all away to be with her. He asks if that isn’t what last night was about. To hell with everyone who says they can’t be together.
Jordan tells Curtis, TJ is in medical school; he can’t afford the luxury of taking time off. Curtis says, maybe it was the better option. TJ and Molly have been together since high school. Finding out they don’t want the same things is a lot to process. He has to deal with frustration, anger, and self-pity. Maybe it’s better than messing up at the hospital. Laura shows up, and says she was just checking in. She asks what Jordan’s plan is about Cyrus, and Jordan says she has officers on the street, some of them undercover. She plans to intercept any shipments. Laura asks if she thinks it’s that simple, and Jordan says, since he’s in solitary, Cyrus has no contact with the outside world. Laura says, that’s the first step. The way to stop him is to use his own tactics against him.
Brook thanks her audience for letting her perform, and says she feels blessed. Mike says he and Adela were still together when that song came out. The first time they heard it, they were having dinner; meatballs and… He took Adela’s hand, and they danced. Sonny danced with them, his mouth still stuffed with meatballs. Brook says he’s in luck. She just happened to bring Olivia’s meatballs with sauce. He says, for him? and she tells him, stay there, and she’ll heat them up. When she gets back, he can tell her more stories.
The judge says they’re waiting, and Brad pleads guilty. Scotty says, hang on. That’s not what he and his client discussed. Brad is confused, and under pressure. The judge asks if Brad has weighed his Constitutional rights, and Scotty says, no, he hasn’t. Brad says he’s waiving his rights, and the judge advises him that he can be subject to numerous fines and prison time. He says he’s aware, but wants the court to know for the record, he’s not solely responsible. The birth mother was lying when she said he stole her baby when she was unconscious. It was her idea to switch babies. The baby he and his husband adopted had just died. He was taking the baby to the hospital, when he saw Nelle with a healthy infant in her arms, and she convinced him to switch babies. Judge Lasser says, those are serious allegations, and won’t mitigate his sentence. He says he wanted to give his husband the family they’d always dreamed of, and took Nelle’s offer. It was better than telling Lucas their dream had died. The judge says, before Brad is remanded to Pentenville to await sentencing, they need to prepare a waiver that stipulates he entered his plea knowingly and voluntarily, in case he changes his mind. Brad says he won’t, and she says, in that case, he’ll remain under guard until the waiver is prepared and signed. She tells him that he can have visitors, and court is adjourned.
Jordan asks if Laura wants her to stop what the police are doing, and Laura says, of course (🍷) not. But they need to look at who Cyrus has made contact with before he went into solitary. She also wants to know if any guards are driving a new sportscar, moved to a better part of town, or made any big purchases. Jordan says she’ll make that happen, and Laura says, even someone like Cyrus has people they care about. Does he have a wife, child, or a mother? She wants to know who’s important to him.
At the café, Molly tells Sam, seven years of shared dreams, supporting one another, crying on each other’s shoulders, and laughing like lunatics, and he’s ghosting her. How did this happen? He’s not at the hospital or gym, and he hasn’t moved back with Jordan and Curtis. Was her turning him down that life changing? Obviously it was.If he doesn’t want to work it out, fine. Let him go find himself. Who needs him? She pauses, and says he’s the only boyfriend she’s ever had. Why is he doing this?
Brook sees Sonny in the hallway, and says she just heated up some meatballs for Mike. It’s the least she can do. Mike and his friends are a terrific audience, and her ego likes the applause. Sonny tells her not to sell herself short.
Scotty asks Brad, what the hell is he thinking? He thought Brad was on board with pleading not guilty. Brad says, he’ll get fifteen years if he’s lucky… Forty if he’s not. Scotty says, he kidnapped an infant; they’re going to throw the book at him. He’s going to spend the rest of his life in a cage. Lucas tells Scotty, stop badgering Brad. Brad thanks Lucas for coming back, and Scotty tells Lucas, talk some sense into him. Brad says he wants to be alone with his husband.
Alexis asks if Neil had been questioned first, would he have lied? Neil says, probably not, but when she did, he felt he had to go along with it. He couldn’t betray her. She says, maybe he would have been betraying himself. They’re just two people; his work is bigger and more important than them. He thinks that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but she disagrees, given what he did for her daughter. The truth is, they did tell the truth in the first place. It happened after he treated her. Neil asks, what if the board sees though their lie, and he loses his license? She says he sounds like he almost wants that to happen. Neil says, the truth is, he doesn’t know what he wants except her. The board comes back, and Dr. Crouse says they’ve made a decision.
Dr. Crouse says there’s no question that Neil and Alexis’s impromptu evening was improper, even though she was no longer his patient. It just stopped short of being unethical. Neil doesn’t disagree, and says he’s questioned himself about that many times. Dr. Crouse says, however, according to both of their statements, their relationship has been strictly professional. Furthermore, the complaint was from a third party, not Alexis. In light of the fact that it’s the first complaint in an exemplary professional career, they’re not revoking Neil’s license, and he may continue to practice without limits or sanction.
Jordan says there’s no mention of a wife or children in Cyrus’s file, but Laura says, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Curtis suggests Jordan talk to Cyrus, and she says, that could work. She developed a rapport with him when she was working undercover. Laura says he knows she’s the one who put him behind bars now. She doubts he’ll open up. Jordan says she can try, and she can also talk to the warden. Curtis says, just stay safe, and Jordan leaves. Laura asks Curtis, please don’t think of going rogue, but he says sitting at home twiddling his thumbs isn’t how he rolls. Laura says he’s a civilian and a witness; don’t do anything to interfere with the police investigation. He says he’ll leave that to her and Jordan. She thanks him, but he says he should be thanking her, pushing him to attend Taggert’s sendoff. It turned out to be a disaster, but that’s not her fault. Laura says she’s sorry, but tells him to remember what she said. When it counted most, and Taggert needed him the most, he was Taggert’s partner. He says, unfortunately, Taggert’s daughter doesn’t see it that way.
Brook asks if Mike isn’t hungry. She says, the meatballs are hard to spear with a fork, and asks if he wants help. She feeds him, and says she wants to tell him a secret. She loves meatballs so much, if one falls to the floor, she’ll pick it up and put it in her mouth anyway. She calls it, the no second rule. He says she’s funny, and she says she wishes more people appreciated her sense of humor. Sonny joins them, and Mike says, look at the incredible feast Lois brought for him. She’s something else. Sonny says, she is.
Alone with Lucas, Brad says he’s so sorry. Lucas tells him not to say he did it for him; he did it for himself. Brad says he did it for them. All he wanted was to make Lucas happy. Lucas asks, how did that turn out?
Brad says Lucas can’t possibly hate him more than he hates himself. Lucas wishes he could hate Brad. It would make it a lot easier. He can’t believe how little Brad knew him, and how little he knew Brad. What happened to them? Brad asks if he’s ever going to see Lucas again. Lucas puts his wedding ring on the table, and says, the truth is, he doesn’t know if they’ll ever see each other again. Brad says Lucas knows where to find him if he changes his mind. Lucas laughs, and says Brad is joking until the bitter end. (That was pretty funny.) Brad says Lucas should move on; find someone better than him. Lucas starts to cry, and they hug. They both cry, and I almost cry. Lucas stumbles out of the courtroom, leaving Brad crying alone.
Mike wishes Sonny had heard Lois. She was better than the band. He remembers they loved that song, and Sonny says, Hooked on a Feeling. Mike says they would dance when it came on the radio. It came out just before Sonny’s birthday, and they bought him the record. Sonny says Mike played it more than he did, and Mike says they danced to it all the time. Sonny tells Brook about Mike giving his mother a birthday present. It was a big wrapped box, and inside of it, was another, and another. There was wrapping paper all over the place, and the last box was flat. Brook asks, what was in it? and Mike says, concert tickets. They got Sonny a T-shirt. He was five-years-old, and wore it for a month. He wouldn’t even take it off so his mom could wash it. Sonny says, good memories, and Mike says, small ones are so important. In the end, it’s family. It’s all they’ve got.
Neil says, it doesn’t seem right, getting his license back based on a lie. Alexis says, it doesn’t seem right that his career could be jeopardized by a third party with an ax to grind. He’s not happy that she perjured herself, but Alexis says she did the right thing, and would do it again. No one knew they slept together. He tells her, the walls have ears, and she says refuses to be paranoid. As long as they play by the rules, they’ll be safe. Neil says, which means they can’t see each other romantically for a very long time.
Sam tells Molly that TJ is probably just talking things over with a friend; it’s not a big deal. She and Jason have done it. Molly says, but it’s not like them. TJ talks. He spills emotionally; they communicate. Sam says, until he popped the question. Molly says, without talking to her first, and Sam says, maybe he wanted to surprise her; make it romantic. Molly wonders if the only way TJ was going to stay is if she agreed to marry him, and Sam says she doesn’t know. She wishes she had the answer. Molly says, the only one who can tell them how TJ feels, is TJ. He has to come home.
Curtis says, Trina has a lot on her plate. She doesn’t need to carry unnecessary anger. Laura says Curtis is a good guy, and eventually Trina is going to realize he’s not responsible; the responsibility rests solely on Cyrus and his associates. He says, Trina needs someone to blame who’s right in front of her, and she says, she’s mourning. Portia seems like a capable woman. She’s sure Portia will make Trina see the truth. He says Portia is good at making people face the truth about themselves.
Cyrus is reading when Jordan comes in. She says, Machiavelli. Could he be more obvious? He says, it’s worth rereading, and solitary is so lonely. She asks if he expected a party. Kidnapping two children, and a daughter watching her father die. He says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She says she was in the ER when Taggert died, and his daughter… She would say he could imagine but that would require feelings of sadness and empathy. He says, contrary to popular belief, he does have feelings, and he loves children. They’re the brilliant next generation who will bring equality, heal the planet, and make medical discoveries they can only dream about.
Julian asks Brad why he changed his plea, and Brad asks why Julian thinks he did. Sonny paid him a visit. Julian says, and? Brad says, and what? and Julian asks what they talked about. Anything else besides changing his plea? Brad tells him, relax. He kept quiet; not for Julian, but for Lucas. He’s the reason Lucas lost his son. He won’t be the reason Lucas loses his father. Julian says he made the right decision, and Brad says, on second thought, don’t relax. Sonny didn’t have much to say, but it was all over his face. Sonny is going to have Brad killed, and he’s going to do the same to Julian if he figures it out. Julian asks why he would, and Brad says he’s going to be in prison soon. It’s over. Julian says he’d better hope so, and Brad says he hopes Julian covered his tracks. Speaking of which, what is he still doing there? Sonny might get suspicious. Julian leaves, and Brad sits alone.
Sonny asks Mike if he’s all right, and Brook says her aunt loved when Brook sang to her. She seemed more focused afterwards. She did some research, and found out music helps Alzheimer patients with their cognizant function. Sonny thanks her, and she says, no biggie. Mike and his friends appreciate her music. Sonny says, no one ever said it was easy. She’s smart enough to know that if her dream comes true, and she becomes a singing sensation, what matters in life and what counts is family. Even though his dad’s mind is cloudy, what he remembers is family. Brook says thanks him, and says she needed to hear that. She tells Mike that she’s got to get going, and it was good to see him. He thanks her for coming by, calling her Lois. She leaves, and Mike says he wishes Sonny could have heard her. He knows how much Sonny likes that song. Sonny says, it’s a great song. He remembers Mike getting the record for his birthday. Sonny asks if he remembers the swim trunks Mike got him. They were blue, and they went swimming. Mike stood, holding his arms out, and as Sonny swam toward him, he kept backing up. Mike says, then Sonny went under, and swallowed water. Sonny’s mom was so mad at him. Sonny says, at least he learned to swim, and Mike says, he sure did.
Brook calls Ned, and asks when take your daughter to work day is at ELQ. She’s ready to be part of the business.
Alexis tells Neil that she doesn’t want to say goodbye, and Neil says, last night was good. He wanted to tell the truth, but it would have ended both of their careers. Alexis wonders how happy they’d be if they couldn’t do the work they love. She says she wishes there was another solution, and Neil says if she comes up with something, let him know. They hug, and she leaves. Neil stands there alone.
Brad holds his head. Britt walks in, and says, it sure looks like he could use a friend.
Sam tells Molly, she’s the one on parole, and can’t see her guy. Molly says she seems to have no choice, but Sam says, of course (🍷) she has a choice. Her big sister is a P.I. She finds people for a living. Molly says, even if they don’t want to be found? and Sam says, especially if they don’t want to found. She’ll find TJ, and bring him back. Molly says, only if that’s what he wants, and Sam says, he will. That’s what big sisters are for.
Laura asks how Curtis knows Portia, and he says they knew each other back in the day, but haven’t seen each other in years. He had no idea Trina was her daughter. Laura says, hopefully, Portia can help him and Trina make peace, but he says, the best thing to do for Trina is to take down Cyrus, and make sure the man who killed Trina’s father is brought to justice.
Jordan says, now Cyrus is an expert on children? Aside from getting them hooked on drugs. He asks if that’s a problem in Port Charles. He wouldn’t know. He’s in solitary, cut off from the world. She tells him, if he has something to say, just say it. He says, no locked windowless room, no mayor, no Commissioner, no one can keep a very determined man from doing what’s necessary to get what he wants. She asks if he has her son.
Tomorrow, Stella asks what Curtis has gotten himself into, Chase tells Michael that they need to have a conversation about Nelle, Britt tells Brad they’re not going to let Nelle win, and Jordan says if Cyrus has her son, prove it.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey – Reunion – Part Two
Melissa called Jennifer an a-hole, and told her not to throw objects, or she’d walk with Danielle. (Not quite as bad as sleeping with the fishes.) Jennifer once again argued that she was throwing the fork and plate toward Melissa, not at her. Even Andy didn’t see much difference. A viewer asked why Teresa was so adamant about Melissa having her back, when she didn’t have Melissa’s. Melissa said if Marge threw something at Teresa, and then she left with Marge, Teresa would be pissed. Teresa went around that by saying she’s let a lot of things go that Melissa has done. Jennifer made a bunch of excuses, and said she’d been upset because Melissa said Jackie’s kids would be set-up for life, and hers wouldn’t be, which was not exactly what Melissa had said. Melissa said Jennifer just wanted attention, and the women made a pact to quit throwing things, Andy adding that it included tables. Keep in mind, these women are all way past adulthood.
They talked about the Superbowl ad Teresa did with Caroline, and Andy asked if Teresa still believed that Caroline was a rat who called the Feds on her and Joe #1. Teresa said she’d put it the wrong way, but thought Caroline had said things that contributed to their arrests. Andy asked if there was any chance of them rekindling their friendship, but Teresa gave that a hard no, and said Caroline wasn’t a good person. Andy said, now that Teresa had officially announced her separation from Joe, how were the girls taking it? She said they didn’t love the idea, but understood. We flashed back to Joe’s nasty phone calls, the group discussing his cheating, and the Italy trip. Teresa said the girls always stick up for Joe, but she’s happy they love their father. She said Joe was a great father, but she wanted to find a guy who put her on a pedestal, including when they were in public. Marge thought Joe was insecure, and wanted to keep Teresa down, so she wouldn’t leave. Teresa claimed Joe only spoke to her like that on the show, because he wanted to act like a macho guy. Melissa begged to differ, saying his frustration was noticed more on the show, but he hadn’t treated Teresa well even in private. Teresa insisted it was a good marriage, and Melissa said she could do better.
Andy moved on to Teresa’s rumored sex life that made the headlines. He asked about the kids’ reactions, and Teresa said the girls don’t go online (which I find hard to believe), and Gia found out from Joe’s brother. Andy asked Marge if her comment about the 21-year-old rum was a dig, and Marge stuck to saying she just wasn’t thinking, and wanted Teresa to be with a doctor or a lawyer. Andy asked if Joe’s move to Italy gave Teresa the green light to have fun, and she said it did. He rudely asked if she’d been with anyone yet, but she said, no, and that she was tired of the old-school Italian dudes. She wanted something different, like a Jewish guy. She heard they make nice husbands, and she wanted to still try for a baby boy. Andy asked Jennifer if Teresa wasn’t too self-absorbed to have a baby, and Jennifer said, unlike Melissa, it would be a new experience for Teresa. For one thing, she’d be with someone new, and she’d never had a boy. Melissa wondered if she had to want a baby with someone else not to be self-absorbed.
The husbands, and Frank, joined the semi-circle, Jennifer’s Bill carried in on their shoulders. We found out that Frank had a new woman in his life, and Andy asked if she slept over. Dolores said she had a curfew, since she’s apparently in her mid-twenties. When asked about the house renovation, Marge said Joe #3 finally allowed other contractors to do some work. Joe said he had to approve of them, and they were all friends of his. We saw clips of what the men of New Jersey do when the women aren’t watching, and saw their poker game, Joe #2 telling Bill he needs to bang his wife more, and Bill having to be put to bed by the others, when he was too drunk to walk. Andy asked what the women thought about the guys watching Danielle’s sex tape, and there was a collective, ew! Joe #2 said, if one of the husbands had a sex tape, they’d all be watching. A viewer asked when Frank was going to kick David to the curb, and re-propose, but Frank said he respected David and Dolores’s relationship. Dolores said she had the best of both worlds, and Andy said, it is what it is for right now. Jackie’s lowkey kids’ party was brought up, and Bill said he didn’t criticize. Not missing a beat, pot-stirrer Andy said Bill left that to his wife. Andy said the guys had turned Bill into a Guido, and Jennifer said Bill was fully-loaded while Joe #2 was shooting blanks. Joe said he might only have three sperm, but he could get Andy pregnant from where he was sitting. (Call Ripley’s!) Andy said he thought that might be an HR violation. Jennifer said Olivia was finally out of their bed, and they were trying to have sex once a week now. Joe #2 held that up as proof he was a motivator.
Continuing on the topic of sex, Melissa confirmed she and Joe #2 did it at least five times a week. Andy said he heard Evan got an outpouring of sympathy when Jennifer said she refused to give BJs. Evan said he got offers, and Andy asked what it was like at work with his life being made so public. Evan said he thought they were embarrassed to talk about it. Andy said viewers didn’t believe that Frank and Dolores weren’t getting busy, and Frank said he was sticking with what Dolores said. Joe #2 predicted they’d get back together. Andy asked, if they weren’t married to their current spouse, which of the other spouses they’d want to be with, but there were no takers on that question. With the exception of Dolores and Joe #3, who are evidently each other’s BFFs. Looking at Teresa, Jennifer said there was only one Jewish guy.
Meanwhile, Danielle arrived, putting pup Fendi in a stroller.
Andy told us that the most notorious Housewife was there, and Marge said Satan had arrived in the building. Andy said, sometimes imitation wasn’t the sincerest form of flattery, referring to Jennifer’s imitation of Jackie that was posted online. Maureen from Ontario thought Jennifer was trying to impress Teresa with the video, but Jennifer said she just loved making people laugh. Maggie from Bedford said she’d never seen anything as hypocritical, since Jennifer’s daughter had been bullied, and we saw clips from Jennifer’s apology tour. Jennifer said she thought Jackie was boring, and very vanilla. When Jennifer said, who? Me? Jennifer asked if she stuttered. This was the kind of behavior she exhibited pretty much throughout the whole thing, along with talking over everyone non-stop. She said money couldn’t buy Jennifer a personality, and to her credit, she did tell Teresa to think about it before she hit send. Teresa said she thought it was funny. Jackie said, had she been there, it would have been different, and she might have laughed along. There was a difference between laughing at and laughing with someone. Jennifer wondered why Teresa wasn’t being held accountable, and said everyone was tiptoeing around her.
Andy asked why Dolores always defended Jennifer, but Dolores said it wasn’t always, and when she did, it’s because she knew Jennifer didn’t mean to hurt anyone. A viewer asked if Jackie’s party wasn’t to Jennifer’s taste, why didn’t she just shut up? (Is that possible?) Jennifer said she’d said something in a private conversation with Marge, and Marge was the one who brought it up. A viewer wondered if Jackie had it, why not spend it? and Jackie said they also gave the kids experiences, and talked about their yearly pilgrimage to see the Denver Nuggets. She said she just didn’t show it off. Jennifer, who couldn’t pass up a chance to contribute, said she was a thrifty shopper, with the exception of Chanel. Jackie said she had nothing against extravagance, as long as children were taught the right values, and that wealth isn’t all that matters.
A viewer asked why Jennifer couldn’t just apologize, and leave it alone. While Jennifer babbled, Melissa told Marge that Jennifer was desperate for attention. Marge said she was thirsty, and Jennifer yelled at them to shut up. Melissa pointed out that Jennifer didn’t like it when people talked over her. Andy threw Jennifer’s Sorry-Not-Sorry shirt into the conversation, and Jennifer said if her apology isn’t accepted, she takes it back. Which I think negates the apology, rendering it insincere, so no surprise. Jackie said she didn’t want a friendship with Jennifer, and didn’t like being around her. Jennifer said, ditto.
Backstage, Danielle said she needed to be heard, while Fendi ran around in a little ruffled dress. Danielle then demanded to sit next to Andy.
Next time, the intense conclusion. Andy asks if Teresa thinks Joe #1 is going for spousal support, Marge forgives Teresa, and Danielle won’t come out unless she’s assured she’s sitting next to Andy.
🥽 On Watch What Happens Live, Dolores talked about Frank’s recent accident, where he dislocated both knees and tore both quadriceps in a fall. He’s now living with David, in a house apart from her, and won’t be able to walk for four months. Apparently, David is taking good care of Frank, and getting up in the wee hours of the night to administer medication. Where does she find these guys?
🏖 Update on Summer House: They’re still awful people. And it still boggles my mind that these are professional people who should be too old to 1) be acting this childish, and 2) be summering together in the Hamptons. I’d rather eat glass than live with even one of the people on this show. This season, good friends Kyle and Amanda had decided to give romance a go. Acting like a normal boyfriend was just too hard for Kyle, so they put a stop to things. Kyle immediately asked another girl out in front of Amanda, and then invited her to stay at the house. Insensitive much? Again, there is no real update. The climate remains awful.
🎢 You’re More Than…
We are officially on the downhill slide to the weekend in this hellaciously long week.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
In her office, Jordan starts to get on the computer. The door opens, and she says she told them, no interruptions. Curtis says he told her assistant to go ahead and arrest him. She says, sorry. It’s just been a circus there tonight. He guesses so. Between the mob violence, the Cassadine craziness, and her old buddy Taggert.
Mac runs into Taggert outside Kelly’s. He asks how long it’s been, and they hug. Taggert says, too long.
Inside Kelly’s, Cameron joins Trina. She says he’s back, and she says, finally. Don’t leave for that long ever again.
Cyrus is brought to the visitor room, and Sonny is there. Cyrus sits, and says, Mr. Corinthos. He assumes Sonny has reconsidered his stance, and is making room for him in Port Charles. Sonny says, yeah. Room to leave.
A worker checks out some boxes at the pier where Cyrus’s warehouse is. Jason puts a gun in his back.
Willow asks Chase if Finn left, and he says, just now. She asks what he thinks is going to happen with Finn and Anna. Chase says he’s hoping they work things out, but maybe throwing a kid into the mix is too much for them. She asks if that’s how he feels about Wiley, but he says, no.
Nelle looks in on the bon voyage party. Julian tells Lucas, it will be fine; relax. Lucas says, it’s right there. They were in the car… He smacks himself in the head, and Sam says, calm down. Talk to them. Julian thinks Lucas is overstimulated by the party, and suggests getting Wiley. It will be better once he has his son. Michael says he’ll go, but Julian thinks it’s better if he does. Lucas remembers Brad saying Wiley isn’t the baby they adopted. He’s Michael and Nelle’s son. Lucas looks up, and says, Michael. Michael asks, what is it? What’s wrong? Lucas says Wiley is his son. Julian is like, d’oh! and everyone is in shock.
Nelle watches, and Michael tells Lucas, take it easy. He’s not making sense. Brad says, Michael is right, and reaches for Lucas, but Lucas says, don’t touch him. He’s not tired and he’s not crazy. He knows what he heard. Carly tells him, take a breath. She says she’s going to talk to her brother. Everyone can stay or go; she doesn’t care, but the two people who can’t leave are Brad and Michael. No one goes anywhere, since this is too good to miss.
Willow tells Chase she’s sorry she didn’t run it by him before she said yes. He says, don’t be, and she asks if they’re at that point. Does she have to check in before she says yes to being her son’s guardian? He says, there’s not an app for that? and she says, unfortunately not. He says he’s not surprised. Why wouldn’t Willow say yes? Wiley is amazing, and she obviously loves him. She says she’s asking because she just wants to know if they’re in this together. Wiley – who gets cuter by the second – says, mama, and she says she wants to be a part of Wiley’s life, God forbid something happens to his parents. Chase kisses her over Wiley’s head, and she says, that’s a lot.
Trina asks Cameron, how was the trip? He says, amazing, and she says she could tell by the pictures. She loves seeing the campuses, and asks what his favorite was. He says, Williams, and she says it was on her list. He wonders if they’ll end up at the same school, and she says he should be so lucky. She doesn’t have his high school credits. They talk about the soccer team at Williams, and Cameron asks what he missed. She says, not much. He says, that’s it? Time didn’t stand still while he was gone. He asks how the gallery is, and she says, awesome; she’s in charge of the next auction catalog. He asks how Josslyn is.
Cyrus says Sonny has gotten complacent, running Port Charles for so long. He’s moving in. Ask anyone; when he moves in, he doesn’t leave. Sonny says, 457 Water Street.
Jason has the guy at the pier down, with his hands behind his back. He asks, how many more guys are there? and the man says, five. Jason says he’s lying, and the man says if he knows the answer, why is he asking? Jason says, to see if he’ll cooperate, and the guy says, if he wants cooperation, get out now, while he’s still alive.
The guy says he knows who Jason is. He did his homework. Jason Morgan, the Corinthos enforcer. Jason’s boss is good, but his is better. I laugh, since it sounds like a kid saying his dad is bigger. He tells Jason that they don’t want to go sideways with his boss. What do they think will happen? They’re going to hijack Cyrus’s merchandise, all $20 million worth, and sell it themselves? It’s suicide. He says he’s nice guy, and willing to forget Jason showed up and let him walk away. Nobody messes with Cyrus and lives. Jason guesses they’ll have to find that out.
Sonny tells Cyrus, he knows the waterfront well; he’s been there a lot of years. Cyrus says, too many, and Sonny says, the building was sold without a listing. A truck in a holding company registered to Cyrus left Seattle, and was there days ago. Two or three hours ago, they were offloading cargo. Cyrus says Sonny is about to make a big mistake, and Sonny says, Cyrus already made one.
Trina says she’ll gladly tell Cameron about Josslyn, on one condition. He has to say he likes her. Cameron says, that’s blackmail, and Trina says, if he’s not interested, cool. He can check out her MyFace page. If he likes Josslyn, she’ll give him details. Admission first. He says nothing, and she asks if it’s that hard. He says it is, and she asks, why? He says because it’s not like he just thinks she’s cute and talks to her at lunch kind of thing. It’s real for him. Fine. He likes her a lot.
Taggert says Mac is back in the game; Chief of Detectives. Congratulations. Mac thanks him, and says, what about him? He knows Taggert was with the Feds. Taggert says he was, but it got to be too much after a while. He retired. Mac says he sees, and Taggert says, what? Mac says, the timing is a little too coincidental. He’s back in town just when a mob war with Sonny is about to blow up.
Jordan asks what makes Curtis think there’s some trouble with Taggert? He says she hasn’t been herself since Taggert arrived. He can connect the dots. She says, there’s been an outbreak in violence, but he says he’s seen her in a crisis. She’s calm, but this is different. He thinks it’s personal. She says she doesn’t know what to tell him, and he says she better come up with something. She’s acting shady, and as her husband, he has a right to know why.
Willow asks what Chase wants to do first, and he says he didn’t know there was an agenda. She says it’s their going away party for Wiley. She wants to do all the stuff they won’t be able to. She tries to give Wiley some grapes, but Wiley says, no. She says, the things they would have done, had she gotten to be Wiley’s nanny. He tells her that she doesn’t have to pretend it’s not hard, but she says she has plenty of time to be sad and miss Wiley. She refuses to waste tonight. The point of a going away party is to celebrate the person while you still have them. So she asks again, where do they start? Chase says, dinner, and Willow hands Wiley to him. He says, Wiley is getting big. Truth!
Done with feeding Wiley, Chase thinks Wiley got more on himself than in his mouth. Willow says, that’s half the fun of eating. He says, next up, bath time. She asks how he knew, and he says, lucky guess.
Lucas does some heavy breathing, and Carly asks, when he says Wiley is Michael’s son, is he saying Michael has a son he doesn’t know about, or is he saying Wiley is Jonah? Lucas says, he’s Jonah, Michael and Nelle’s son. She asks how he knows this, and he says Brad told him. Right before the accident, the last thing Brad said was, Wiley’s not the baby they adopted; he belongs to Michael. He’s Lucas’s nephew. Carly asks Brad if he wants to explain how they’ve been raising Michael’s son – her grandson – for the past year and a half.
Jason tells the guy to call his man to come out there. The guy says Jason is digging his own grave, and calls to a guy I’m calling Dingus, since that’s what his name sounded like, and somebody needs a name here. The guy says he needs Dingus out front. Dingus comes out, and Jason says, hands up, walk over there. Dingus does as he’s told, and Jason says, on his knees. Jason ties him up, and the first guy asks if Jason is going to execute them. Jason says, not him. He needs them alive as witnesses.
Cyrus tells Sonny, it’s not just him. Sonny will have his overseas partners to contend with. Sonny doesn’t think they’ll focus their anger on him. Cyrus botched a $20 million shipment; it’s a significant loss. Cyrus says Sonny will have nowhere to sell it. If he does, what distributor would take a chance on merchandise stolen from him? Sonny asks, who says he’s selling it?
Curtis tells Jordan, things were fine before her former partner showed up. She’s been all over the place since Taggert got there. He talked to Taggert, because he wanted to get answers, and Taggert told him to talk to her. When he was going to do that, he found her in Taggert’s arms on Pier 55. Don’t deny it. She says she won’t, and asks if he’s following her. He says, not her; Taggert. Tell him what the hell is going on. She and Taggert are more than partners. She says he’s wrong, and jumping to conclusions. He tells her, help him jump to the right one. She says it has nothing to do with him. He says, that’s not an answer. He knows her, and knows there’s something she’s not telling him. She says, it’s the nature of her work, and he says, since when? She says there are things she can’t tell him. Sorry. He’ll have to trust her. Curtis says his brother took her on faith, and she cheated on him. So…
Willow tells Chase that she doesn’t know who got more wet, him or Wiley. Chase says Wiley can’t keep the water in the tub, and she says he’s the one who wanted to turn the boat around. He says, it was a police boat; how could he resist? They kiss, and she tells Wiley, we are fed, we are clean, we are almost ready for bed. Chase says he ordered food, and it should be there in 30 minutes. She says, no one goes to sleep without a story. Chase is pretty sure it’s illegal, and she says he would know. She asks if he’d like to do the honors, and he says, absolutely. He reads from Mother Goose: ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross, to see an old lady upon a white horse; rings on her fingers, and bells on her toes, and so she makes music wherever she goes. His phone rings, and he says, hold that thought. It’s Sasha, and Willow tells him to answer; they’ll just look at pictures. He asks, what’s up? and Sasha says they need him at the Corinthos house. She’ll explain when he gets there.
Carly says, when she thinks about it, of course (🍷). It was such a coincidence, Wiley and Jonah being born on the same day.Lucas was working, and Brad was on his own when he brought Wiley home. Brad says, yes, and she asks, what happened to Willow’s baby? Brad says he put the baby down to take a nap, and when he went to get him, he wasn’t breathing. Brad starts to cry, and Carly says, then what? He says he didn’t know what to do. Lucas was still in surgery. How was he supposed to tell him… Carly says they have to do this in order. Did Brad try to revive the baby? Brad says, of course (🍷). He tried CPR, but he was gone. He didn’t know what else to do next, so he got in the car to take the baby to the hospital. He knew he’d have to surrender the baby, and there would be an autopsy. Carly says, if he was on the way to GH, he’d have to take Route 31. What else happened? Michael flashes back to being trapped in his car after the accident, and Nelle telling him, she’ll leave it to fate. She says, remember, he brought all of this on himself, and walks away. Michael says, my God, and Carly says they need every detail. The car was headed to the hospital. What happened? Brad says he was crying too hard to drive. He couldn’t see and pulled over. He just sat there sobbing, and suddenly there was a knock on the window. He looked up. Carly says, and there was Nelle.
Curtis tells Jordan, he was out of line; sorry. She says, he should be. He says there was no excuse for that, but he can see something is bugging her out in a way he’s never seen before. It’s making him crazy worried. Just tell him. She says she needs a minute. Can he give her that? He says, for what? So she can dig herself in deeper, trying to fix this, when her man is begging her to let him help her? Take all the time she needs. He can get his own answers. He walks out.
Taggert says Mac knows how he feels about Sonny. He came there to keep an eye on things. Mac says he can use all the eyes he can get, and asks Taggert if he’d like to come over for dinner. Taggert says he’d love it, and Mac says, so would Felicia. He asks if Taggert doesn’t have anyone special in his life, but Taggert says, no one he can bring to dinner.
Cameron tells Trina, he’s liked Josslyn for a long time. She says, like when they were fake dating? When Josslyn posted pictures, didn’t he think she could see the look on his face? He says, he couldn’t say anything; he still can’t. What kind of sketchy creep hits on someone whose boyfriend just died? Trina says, it would be different if he was comforting Josslyn in her grief. Instead, he respected Josslyn, and was there when she needed him. He was a great friend. Now that’s a problem? He doesn’t get it. If he’s not careful, he’s going to miss his chance. What if Josslyn starts crushing on someone else? He asks what he’s supposed to do.
Willow reads The Cat and the Fiddle, and I say it with her, because I’m ridiculous that way. She tells Wiley, Chase had to leave, but Wiley was having fun with him. She was too. She has to admit, she likes having Wiley to herself one last time. Not that they won’t be seeing each other, but it’s not the same. Wiley Cooper Jones. If he only knew how happy he makes her. Her heart bursts every time she lays eyes on him. She’s his mom, and loves him so much. She’ll never stop, no matter where he lives, or how old he is. They’ll always be connected. I swear he says, I know. Wiley is becoming a tiny chatterbox. Willow says she knows he has great dads, but if he ever needs for anything, she’ll be there. Nothing and no one can stop her. She kisses his forehead, and says, hug? He leans in for one. This kid is too much.
Carly says, so good old Nelle came knocking on Brad’s window. Did she have the baby, or was she still in labor? Brad says, she had the baby, and Carly says Nelle was running for her life because she’d just tried to kill Michael. Was he aware of that? Brad tells her, Nelle said there had been an accident, and Michael was waiting for help. Carly asks, whose idea was it for him to take Michael’s baby, and for Nelle to take that poor little child. Brad says he couldn’t stand the thought of breaking… and she says, whose idea was it? His or Nelle’s? He says, Nelle. It was all Nelle.
Trina tells Cameron that he has to give Josslyn a chance to see him as more than a friend. He says, and she knows the perfect opportunity? She asks what he’d do without her. The winter formal. He says, that’s insane. He can’t ask Josslyn. Trina says she thought they were going together, and Cameron says, if they had no dates, they were going together. She says, did he ask anyone else? He says she told him to ask Josslyn, but Trina says, that would be crazy awkward. Cameron feels like he needs a translator right now, and Trina says he probably does.
Mac tells Taggert to let him know what night is good. Taggert says, it was good seeing him, and Mac says, him too. Taggert says, the Sonny thing feels different this time, and tells Mac to watch his back. Mac says to do the same, and leaves. Taggert goes into Kelly’s.
Jason tells the two guys, what they do with what they’re about to witness is up to them. They can bring the bad news back to their boss, or run for their lives. It’s their call. Jason picks up his bag, and goes into the warehouse.
Sonny tells Cyrus that he has the shipment, and Cyrus won’t see it again. He imagines Cyrus’s partners are going to be unhappy. It makes Cyrus look bad, expanding the market without proper security. It’s probably best that he’s stuck in there; it’s where he’ll be safest. Cyrus says they clearly got off on the wrong foot, and Sonny says, did they now?
Carly says she can picture it; can’t they? Nelle told Brad that their horrible family was going to take the baby from her, and that the baby would be better off with him and Lucas, because Sonny is dangerous and wrong. Brad tells Carly, Nelle said they’d take her kid take away. Carly says she can almost give him the benefit of the doubt. Nelle probably said Michael died in the car wreck, since she left him for dead. So Brad was keeping the baby away from them, but when he knew Michael survived, Brad kept his son. How could he do that? Brad says, he was grieving too, and Carly says he let Nelle tell Michael his son was dead, knowing what that felt like. He’d literally just gone through losing a child, and willingly inflicted that on her son. Brad says he’s sorry, and Carly says, when Brad was at the hospital, and saw Michael holding a child Brad knew wasn’t Jonah, what was he thinking? How could he do that? Nelle is a deranged psychopath, but what’s his excuse? Brad says he’s sorry, and she tells him, stop saying that. He’s been lying for a year. If the truth hadn’t come out, he would have lied for the rest of Wiley’s life. That’s why he wanted to move to Portland, isn’t it?
There’s a knock at Willow’s door, and she says, dinner, but it’s Nelle. Nelle asks, where’s Wiley? and blows past Willow. Willow grabs Nelle’s hair, and pulls her back, telling her, get out of the apartment. Nelle asks if Wiley is in the bedroom, and heads for it, but Willow grabs her. Nelle says, let go, and they struggle. Willow practically throws Nelle across the room, but then Nelle gets Willow down on the floor, straddling her. Nelle punches Willow, and starts to strangle her, but Willow throws her off. She throws something at Nelle, and misses, and Nelle throws a wine bottle at Willow. It crashes against the wall, and Willow tackles Nelle. Nelle tells Willow, get off her, and slams the door shut. She punches Willow, and gets her onto the couch. Willow kicks her off, and grabs Nelle’s coat, saying, get up. She pulls Nelle up, and slugs her good. Wiley cries, and Willow gets distracted for a moment. When she turns toward the bedroom, Nelle hits her over the head with something.
Sasha thanks Chase for getting there so quickly. She says, he needs to hear this, for Willow’s sake. Carly goes to Michael, and says, oh my God. She knows how horrible it is that he lost a year with his child, but it makes sense. Wiley always looked just like him. His son is alive. Chase has come into the room, and hears everything. Carly says, all Michael has to do is go get him. Michael asks Brad if he has any idea how many lives he trashed and the pain he’s caused in the past year. Willow sacrificed and agonized over a baby that wasn’t hers. Lucas fell in love with a baby that’s not his. He was grieving, and his family was grieving, all because of Brad’s lie. Brad says, it was Nelle’s idea, but Carly says, they don’t care. He went along with the lie for months. How can he do that to the people he claims to love? How could he do that to Wiley?
Nelle looks at the passports, and hears Wiley on the baby monitor. She picks it up, and says, don’tworry, baby. Mommy’s coming.
Trina tells Cameron, try to keep up. If he takes her as a friend, Josslyn will be there. When she sees how fun, handsome, and charming he is, and the other girls are going gaga for him, there’s a strong chance her eyes will be opened. Since they’ll be at a dance, what’s more natural than him asking her to dance? And since he’s taking her as a friend, she won’t be offended. He’s welcome. He says, thanks. Does she think it will work? She says, there are no guarantees, but it’s better than sitting around wishing. Taggert comes in, and says he knows her, and Trina says, dad! She hugs him, and introduces him to Cameron. Curtis looks through the window.
On the phone, Jordan says she needs to see an inmate tonight – Cyrus Renault.
Cyrus tells Sonny, maybe there’s a way to negotiate. Sonny says, there’s nothing to negotiate. Cyrus’s shipment is gone. Sonny hangs up the phone, and gets up. Cyrus calls after him as Sonny walks out. In the hallway, Sonny smiles.
Jason comes out of the warehouse. He looks around, and presses a button on the remote in his hand. The building blows up, and he walks away.
Tomorrow, Lucas asks who else knew, Nelle tells Wiley that they’re going on a little trip, Sam says there’s something Sonny needs to know, and Cyrus says he wondered when he was going to see Jordan again.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey
It was revealed the group was in Point Pleasant, which isn’t anywhere close to where I live. Thank God for small favors. They do have a fabulous boardwalk, and I have fond memories of visiting there as a child, since I had a great aunt with a summer house there. Marge told Jackie about Jennifer ruining her bonding moment with Teresa, and said it wasn’t a competition. Jackie said Jennifer was a sh*t stirrer, and Marge needed to put Jennifer in her place. I could definitely see being friends with Jackie. She’s the Marilyn (from The Munsters) in this group. Melissa said Jennifer puts a negative spin on everything. Jennifer whined to husband Bill that her job was ten times harder than Marge’s. Jackie’s husband Evan arrived, and they got the party started.
They did Jenkinson’s boardwalk, and Teresa said she had come there in her 20s with her boyfriend. Joe #2 gave Dolores a hard time about David being absent, and said she should hook-up with Frank again. In Frank’s interview, he said he loved Dolores, but he couldn’t promise to be 100% faithful. His vice is women, and he didn’t want to take a chance. In Dolores’s interview, she said she and Frank had a connection and a bond, but when Frank had cheated during their marriage, she couldn’t get over the disloyalty. She could never go back to that. Joe #2 and Melissa took a walk on the beach, while the other women went shopping for souvenirs. In Melissa’s interview, she said, when she was a child, she came with her dad to the Jersey Shore. It’s where she partied, and where she fell in love. It’s where she came from, and who she is, and she’s proud of it. From the conversation they were having, it seemed like Joe and Melissa were leaning toward not having another baby. Jackie whined to Teresa that Marge was a mean girl when came to her. Dolores and Marge got something to eat, and Marge said she thought Jennifer should talk less, and think more, but Dolores thought Jennifer should get a pass.
The group had dinner at an upscale restaurant on the water. Teresa. Ate. Bread. The guys discussed going deep sea fishing, and Jennifer suggested parasailing. Melissa was more inclined to check out a mini-golf course she’d seen. Marge and Jackie were in for mini-golf, while Teresa and Dolores agreed to Jennifer’s idea. Melissa said one of her favorite restaurants was near the golf course, so they decided to meet there afterward for lunch. Melissa said she also planned on meeting with Danielle. She was going to tell Danielle that they don’t want her hanging around with them anymore, since she had a tendency to be violent. Marge suggested she and Jackie wait in a getaway car. They toasted to Dolores, and Jackie bet she could chug a beer bottle the fastest. And she did, although not everyone participated. Because she can’t help herself, Jennifer said, Jennifer knew how to suck a bottle, but won’t suck a d*ck. We flashed back to Jackie saying she’s not into that. Marge called the remark offensive, although I’d say it was more inappropriate. It wouldn’t have been as bad if it had just been among the women. Jennifer said it was a joke, and Marge brought up Jennifer interrupting her moment with Teresa. Jennifer said she didn’t appreciate Marge asking if she worked. She said she works a 14-hour day. She thought what Marge said was offensive. She didn’t know what kind of mother Marge was, but she was hands-on. In Melissa’s interview, she said Jennifer was in dangerous territory. You don’t question someone’s parenting. Marge said Jennifer’s only achievement was marrying rich, and she was lucky he’d stayed with her. Marge told Joe #3, let’s go, and they walked out, Jennifer yelling that Fred Flintstone wanted his outfit back, because Marge was wearing a one shoulder, animal print dress. Melissa, Joe #2, and Jackie split as well, since they had come in the same car. Melissa said they couldn’t get through a normal dinner. Dolores told Jennifer that she thought Marge misinterpreted her a lot. In her interview, Dolores said Jennifer wasn’t coming from a bad place, but didn’t know her audience.
Back at the house, Marge said Jennifer was an a-hole, and Jackie said, no argument. The next day, the plan was to cook whatever fish the guys caught, and everyone headed off to their respective activities. On the Ol’ Salty II, The guys drank the beer of New Jersey, Corona, while accompanying that with shots straight from the bottle. In his interview, Joe #2 said Bill’s wife causes a lot of trouble, but Bill was his man, and he dubbed Bill, Tony the Turk. On the way to the parasailing boat, Delores told Jennifer, if she effing landed in the effing cold water, Dolores would effing kill her. It was like a sentence out of a Quentin Tarantino film. On the boat, Jennifer confessed that when she’s nauseous, she burps profusely, and proceeded to do just that. In her interview, she said she’d rather have gas that way. The mini-golf course didn’t have windmill or alligator – it was literally just a mini golf course – so we were all disappointed. The parasailing looked like fun, with the women seated three across. It actually seemed pretty safe, so I’d give it a go. Marge said Melissa had a big day ahead, and Melissa said she wasn’t looking forward to it. She’d given Danielle the benefit of the doubt, but as time went on, she proved Melissa wrong. Jackie said Danielle knew Melissa could be her pass back into the group, and Marge said Teresa was weak. A relationship with Danielle wasn’t good for her. As they headed to lunch, Jackie said her strategy with Jennifer was going to be to drink and ignore her.
Jennifer came to lunch wearing her Sorry Not Sorry T-shirt. Melissa asked if she was trying to make a statement, and what she wasn’t sorry for. Jennifer said it seemed like her apologies didn’t mean anything, and Melissa said she loves a good apology, but Jennifer hadn’t given one yet. In her interview, Teresa said she didn’t think it was fair that Danielle should be barred from the group, but she was her own person, and was going to stay friends with her. Bill had to be carried in, and was put to bed. In Jennifer’s interview, she said she was glad he was trying to fit in, but she didn’t want him to embarrass himself. Personal chef Jamie arrived, and Melissa had to go. Joe #2 told her to be careful. That woman is crazy.
Melissa met Danielle at a restaurant with outside seating. Danielle said one of her daughters went to school in Monmouth, and she’s there often. She told Melissa that she’d never started a problem with her. Why weren’t they friends. Melissa said she went in with a clean slate. While Danielle did nothing to directly hurt Melissa, she did cause problems. She pulled Marge’s hair. Marge went to the hospital, and it was not okay. Danielle said Marge treated her like she was disposable, and she’d had enough. Melissa said, everyone… and Danielle asked if she was speaking for the group. Melissa said she spoke to all of them, and they don’t want her around. Danielle asked if that included Teresa. Melissa danced around the question for a moment, saying Teresa knew she was there, but she didn’t think Teresa was in her right mind. If Danielle is violent or vicious, it could affect Teresa. Danielle said they’d all had a lot to drink, and she was influenced. She was done when she’d emptied Marge’s bag, but Steven told her to pull Marge’s ponytail. Melissa was dumbfounded, since Steven was the owner who’d gone through changes during the fight. Apparently, this was one more change. Danielle said she hesitated, and then Teresa said, do it. We see a clip backing up what Danielle said, and Teresa saying, do it, do it, do it.
To be continued…
Next time – the season finale – Melissa tells everyone that Danielle said Teresa told her to do it; Teresa pitches a fit, complete with throwing stuff; and Teresa and the girls visit Joe #1 in Italy.
📺 The new season of If Loving You Is Wrong begins on Tuesday, March 31st, and season premiere of TheReal Housewives of New York starts on Thursday, April 2nd.
💃🏼 Tonight, Erika Jayne was a guest on Watch What Happens Live. She’s been playing the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway, and she said every one of the Housewiveshad been there to see her. I thought that was like, the best compliment ever, and surprisingly supportive.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Taggert comes by Jordan’s office, and says he’s glad he caught her. Her phone rings, but she doesn’t answer. Curtis leaves a message for her to call him.
Anna brings Emma home, and asks if she’s happy to see snow. People say there are no season in California, but the seasons there are just gentler. They get real winter in Port Charles. She asks if Emma remembers the ice rink, and thinks they should go. They can rent skates. Emma asks if everything is okay. I have to add, Emma has grown into a gorgeous young woman now.
Finn tells Sam, he supposes a person can get desensitized. They’re used to risks to themselves, and don’t perceive how they can bring a risk to others. How do you get someone to listen who doesn’t want to? Sam supposes the person making the big mistake is Anna, and the mistake she’s making is about Peter.
Brad wants to see Lucas, and Carly tells him, take a deep breath first. He goes into Lucas’s room, and sees Bobbie by the bed. Lucas’s eyes are closed, and Brad says, oh no.
Laura opens her eyes, and Doc says, there she is. She says, sorry. She was so worn out from the visits from her children, she needed a nap. He asks if she wants visit restricted, but she says, no. Her kids needed her. They needed her reassurance. She can’t say she blames them.
Jason tells Michael, the shootout came from a drug trafficker with a long reach and a bad reputation; Cyrus Renault.
Sonny picks up the prison phone, and Cyrus says, Mr. Corinthos, we meet at last. Sonny says, Mr. Renault, and Cyrus tells Sonny, please call him Cyrus. Sonny leans forward and says Cyrus made a big problem for himself, and he’s not sure Cyrus can solve it.
Doc asks Laura, who wore her out more; Lulu or Nikolas? She tells him, it’s hard to say. Lulu is falling in love with Dustin, and isn’t sure what she wants to do. Nikolas is up to his neck in dysfunction with Ava, and doesn’t want to admit it. She didn’t have the heart to tell them that their mother had been shot, and was too tired to listen. Doc says, so she listened anyway. Jason walks in, and says he hopes he’s not interrupting. Laura says, not at all, and invites him in. She asks what she can do for him, and he says he’s just checking in to see how she’s doing. She says she’s fine, and Doc says she shouldn’t have been in that situation to begin with. Jason says, Sonny had no idea there was going to be an attack, and deeply regrets her involvement. Doc says, not as much as Laura does, and Laura asks if Sonny knows who’s responsible. Jason says, he’s working to address the situation, and Laura says, tell Sonny that she appreciates his concern. As his friend, she’s happy he and his family weren’t hurt, but as mayor of the city, she’s not about to allow Port Charles to be ground zero for a mob war. Whatever Sonny is doing to address the situation better not include violence or retaliation. Jason says she’ll pass on his message. He leaves, and Doc says he guesses she told him.
Cyrus tells Sonny, his only problem is with the Feds. They sentenced him to life without parole for something he didn’t do. Sonny says the Feds must like him. Why was he transferred to Pentenville? Cyrus says, bureaucracy works in mysterious ways, and Sonny says, not for him. He keeps what’s his. Too bad Cyrus didn’t think about that before he tried something stupid.
Brad says he knew it was too good to be true, but Bobbie says, Lucas woke up about an hour ago. Carly says, he’s sleeping, and Bobbie says, it’s part of the recovery process. Brad hugs her, and says he was so scared he’d lost Lucas. Bobbie says, when he was in a coma, Lucas wasn’t sleeping. His body was actively fighting to get better, and he’s exhausted. He’ll be in and out for the next few days. Brad says he’s not leaving Lucas’s side. He’s going to be there until he wakes up. Julian asks how long it will be, and Bobbie hopes not much longer. She’s going to check with the neurologist on his tests. Carly says she’ll take Wiley, and give them time together. She looks at Julian, and coughs, then says, or not. Brad tells Lucas, wake up, and Julian asks what he thinks he’s doing. They need to get their story straight. He told Lucas the truth before the accident. What is Brad going to say when Lucas brings it up?
Anna thanks Emma for taking the guest room. Violet saw Emma’s room, and it was love at first sight. She’s generous. Emma says she’s so excited to meet Violet in real life, and Anna says she’s just like Emma was at that age. She’s precocious, and loves to read, draw, do crafts, and play make believe. This morning, they were playing Avengers, and Violet was Captain Marvel. She was Nick Fury, and Peter was the bad guy. Anna tears up.
Finn tells Sam, he’s just talking; don’t take what he says literally. Sam is aware they don’t know each other well, but assures him that she can be trusted. He’s not the only one who thinks Peter is bad news. Robert is on his side. Finn says, that would be a first, and Sam says she promises Robert is determined to put Peter away.
Emma asks Anna if everything is okay with Uncle Peter. Anna wonders why she’s asking, and Emma says Anna seems like she’s trying too hard to be happy. She seems sad underneath, and there are tears in her eyes when she talks about him. Anna says Emma is perceptive. She should know better than to try and fool her. Emma says she doesn’t need to; what’s wrong? Anna says, it’s convoluted, with a complicated history that really should stay in the past, and not be dredged up. Emma asks if she’s talking about Peter, and Anna says she is. When Peter was younger, he didn’t always make the best decisions, but he’s done everything possible to make amends, and turn himself into a better person and make better choices. He’d prefer his mistakes were left in the past, but some people won’t let him. Emma asks, who?
Sam tells Finn, Robert offered to broker a deal. A new parole officer who’s less strict, so she can spend more time with Jason, providing they give him something big, something incriminating. Finn says, on Peter? and she says, yeah. She wants her family back together, and thinks they can help each other. If he has any damning information, he has to tell her. At least before Peter hurts Anna.
Sonny says he understands Cyrus’s strategy – go big or go home – but this time, it was a very public attack on Sonny and his loved ones. There was an attack in Brooklyn, and two in Port Charles. If it had worked, Cyrus would have been able to take over, but guess what? It didn’t. Sonny is still standing and Cyrus is twisting in the wind.
On the phone, Laura asks someone to have Jordan call her back asap. Curtis comes in, and says he’d offer to pull some strings to get her call through, but shouldn’t she be recovering? Doc says he made that point, and Curtis says, no luck? Doc says, not even a little. Laura says she has responsibilities, and asks what she can do for Curtis. He says he was about to ask her the same thing. She says she doesn’t know who’s behind the shooting that landed her there, but she intends to find out. Curtis says he knows she has her own security detail, but he’s more than willing to provide backup. She says, as much as she appreciates it, it’s not necessary. She has information that she wasn’t the intended target; she was collateral damage. Curtis asks how she can be sure, and Doc says, it was confirmed by an inside source. Laura says that’s why she needs to speak to Jordan. She saw Jordan and Marcus Taggert conferring the other day, and bets it has something to do with the latest flare up of mob violence.
Jordan says it’s good to see Taggert, and he asks how she’s holding up. She says, if he stopped by to get Sonny’s statement, they’re going off of what they received from the NYPD. He says he’s not there to bring Sonny to justice, and she says, sorry, Captain Ahab. Has he abandoned his quest for the great white whale? Spill. Why is he there? He says he got information on their friend Bob.
Chase finds Willow outside of Kelly’s, and she asks, how’s work? He says, pointless and frantic. Everyone is rushing around, but there’s been no resolution. They know the target, but don’t know who’s responsible. So far, they have no leads. What about her? He’s not so stressed she can’t tell him about it. He asks if she’s heard from Brad, but she says, not since he told her that he doesn’t want her taking care of Wiley. Chase says Brad’s husband is in a coma, and it’s probably misdirected anger. Give him time to cool down, and he’s sure Brad will reconsider making Willow Wiley’s nanny. If that’s what she wants.
Brad asks Julian, what’s wrong with him? and closes the door. Julian says, his son woke up, and he’s worried about something Brad said. Brad should be as well. He told Lucas that Wiley is Michael’s son. There’s no way in hell Brad is bringing Julian down with him. Lucas says Brad’s name, and Brad jets to Lucas’s side. He says, you’re awake. Apparently, Julian isn’t so concerned that he’s not willing to talk about this right in front of Lucas, asleep or no. What a jerk. I sometimes wonder if the actors ever tell the director, no; I refuse to even say this. It’s too stupid.
Curtis asks who Taggert is, and Laura says she thought he knew. Taggert was a detective at the PCPD a long time ago. He was actually in the trenches during the last mob war. Doc says Taggert left more than fifteen years ago, and Curtis says that explains why he doesn’t know him. Does Laura think the shooting brought him back? She says, possibly. She doesn’t know what other connection he’d have to Port Charles. Maybe Jordan. Curtis says, what about her? and Laura says, they knew each other from work; she bumped into them at the PCPD the other day. Curtis says he’s headed there now. He’ll tell Jordan that Laura is trying to reach her. He suggests Laura try to pencil in recuperation between work. Doc says he hears that, but she says, no promises. Curtis leaves, and ponders a while in the hallway.
Jordan asks how Taggert got his hands on Bob’s records. They had to have come from Bob’s personal physician. Taggert tells her, don’t ask questions if she doesn’t want the answers. She looks through the folder, and says, just like Bob. He had two check-ups a year, and was a total hypochondriac. There’s no shortage of bloodwork, but no traces of drugs on his last visit. It was less than a month before he died, so he got addicted in a couple of weeks? It’s a stretch. Taggert says, there’s definitely been foul play.
Cyrus looks at the guard, who makes himself scarce. He asks Sonny if he follows football. Sonny says he loves it, and Cyrus says, then Sonny will understand his perspective. A preemptive strike is like a hail Mary pass. If the team scores, the player is a hero. If the ball is intercepted, he’s benched or fired. Sonny says, it’s not a game, and Cyrus says, it’s a negotiation.
Jason tells Michael that they’re doing research on Cyrus; how he works and who he knows. All they know is he’s in Pentenville for a Federal drug crime. Michael says he was running his operation from prison, and Jason says, that’s for Sonny to worry about. Michael says he wants to know what they’re dealing with. His phone rings, and he says he has to take it; it’s his grandmother. He listens, and says, wow. Thanks. He tells Jason, Lucas woke up from his coma.
Brad says he didn’t know if Lucas would come back to him, but he did. He loves Lucas so much. Lucas starts to sit up, but Brad tells him, take it easy; he’s been through hell. Lucas asks if his mom is there, and Brad says she’s talking to the doctors. Lucas says, they were in an accident? and Brad says, they were driving on Thanksgiving when the brakes went out; they don’t know what happened. He asks if Lucas remembers anything about being in the car or the accident.
Sonny says, Cyrus wants to negotiate? Cyrus says Sonny gets 10% of everything he moves through Port Charles. He guarantees no merchandise will be sold in Sonny’s location; he can keep the market to himself. Sonny says he’s not interested, but Cyrus says he should be. Every day Sonny refuses to allow Cyrus’s produce to move, it costs him money. He doesn’t care about himself; he’s rich enough. But if you don’t change with the times, the times will destroy you. So do they have a deal?
Willow tells Chase, she’d love to be nanny again, but she doesn’t want to get her hopes up. She was almost embarrassed at how important the job was to her. Chase says she has no reason to be embarrassed. She says, being a part of Wiley’s life is a big deal, but seeing him every day, maybe it was too much. He says, how so? and she says, maybe she was so happy being close to Wiley, she blurred the lines she put up when she chose adoption. Her phone rings, and she says, it’s Michael. She takes the call, and tells Chase, good news. Lucas woke up. Chase says, Wiley’s got his dads back. Willow looks at him.
Lucas tells Brad, he doesn’t remember being in the car, and Brad asks, what does he remember? Lucas says, he came home from work. Elizabeth got Terry to cover for him, so he could see Brad; he wanted to hash things out between them. That’s all he remembers. Brad says, that’s okay. None of it matters now. Lucas sees Julian, and says, dad? Julian says Lucas knows how to scare someone. He understands Lucas is still pissed at him about Halloween. There was no excuse. Brad says Julian has been his rock the whole time. He doesn’t know how he would have gotten through this without Julian. Lucas asks about Wiley, and Brad says he’s there, and lets Carly in. Carly says Wiley thought he’d never ask. She brings Wiley over to Lucas, and puts him on the bed.
Finn tells Sam, there’s something he wants to say. Her phone rings, and he tells Sam, she should take that. Sam says nothing is as important as what he was about to say. Finn says he’s sorry about her parole situation, but he’s got nothing to give her on Peter. He gets up, and her phone rings again. It’s Jason, and she asks, what’s up? He says he just heard her brother is awake.
Anna asks if Emma is sure she’s all right on her own, and doesn’t want Anna to drive her to see Epiphany. Emma says she likes the walk to the hospital, and wants to see the park, the library, Rice Plaza, and her old school. Anna says she’s a little young for nostalgia, but Emma says she likes to see places that were important to her. She can stop by the MetroCourt and say hi to Uncle Peter. Anna says they’ve become good friends, and Emma says, even though he’s miles away, he’s been a good uncle to her and Noah. She tells Anna not to listen to anybody. They don’t know Peter like she and Anna do.
Jordan says she knew Bob’s death was suspicious. They need to get the investigation reopened. Taggert says, it’s circumstantial, but she says if they give them Bob’s background, they’ll see it too. Unless… What if this has to do with what they did? They said they’d take it to their graves. He says, itlooks like Bob kept his end of the bargain, and Curtis walks in.
Anna thanks Emma, who says the people who are judging Peter don’t know him like they do. They have to keep believing in him; he deserves their faith. Finn comes in, and says it’s a nice surprise. He’s impressed how Emma got there on her own. She says, it’s no big deal, and he says she’s a seasoned traveler. Anna says, she’s independent now. She’s going to see Epiphany on her own. She tells Emma to be back by dark, and if it starts to get late, call, and she’ll pick Emma up. Emma says she’ll give them plenty of time to… talk.
Lucas says, let him get this straight. He was in a coma longer than Sam served time for manslaughter? Sam says, funny. She’s glad he still has his sense of humor. Lucas says, it’s fully intact. Michael says, they’re happy he’s back, but not more than Brad is. Sam asks when he can go home, but Bobbie says they don’t want to risk moving him yet. They’ll keep an eye on him for a few days before he’s discharged. Julian asks Brad to step outside with him. They need to take care of some administrative work. In the hallway, Brad asks Julian, what’s up? Julian says they need to get their story straight now. Brad asks if he didn’t hear Lucas say he doesn’t remember, but Julian says, what if he does? Then what? Brad says, that’s a big if, and Julian says, it’s a big possibility. Brad thinks Julian should calm down and chill. For once, Brad feels like everything will be okay.
Jordan hugs Curtis, saying she didn’t know he was stopping by. He says he was visiting Laura, who’s been trying to reach her. Jordan guesses she’s been busy, and Curtis says, this would be…? She introduces Taggert, and says they go way back. They were colleagues during her stint at the DEA. Curtis asks if Taggert is still in law enforcement, but Taggert says he’s retired. Curtis wonders what brings him back to Port Charles, and Taggert says, coincidence. He used to live there, and he’s visiting old friends. He didn’t know Jordan was Commissioner. They just ran into each other today. (D’oh!)
Cyrus tells Sonny, he’s offering an olive branch, but Sonny says he doesn’t want peace; he wants Cyrus gone. Cyrus says Sonny is going to be disappointed. He has personal reasons for moving to Port Charles, and he’s there to stay. Sonny says, you never know. Cyrus is far from his base of operations. Accidents happen.
Finn tells Anna, Emma is great. Anna says she should have been more patient; she’s sorry. Finn says he should be apologizing. He was wrong. Anna says, okay, she accepts. She thanks him, and says things are a little strained between them. He says he can’t pretend they’re not, but he doesn’t want to be the guy who runs out when things get tough. She says, that’s not like him, and they kiss. He says there’s something he needs to tell her. He ran into Sam at Kelly’s. Sam and Jason are determined to find a link between Peter and the attempt on Franco and Andre’s lives. Anna says, Jason is relentless, and Finn says, Robert knows, and he’s working with them.
Cyrus tells Sonny, it’s true; prison is dangerous. But he has supportive friends. Sonny says he has friends in Pentenville and Port Charles too. He doesn’t trade in Cyrus’s merchandise, but he knows people who do. Unfriendly people, who can be expected to go against Cyrus. It could cost Cyrus his life. Sonny hangs up, and Cyrus smiles.
Jordan tells Curtis, today is the first time she’s seen Taggert in ages. (Double D’oh!) She can’t believe it’s been so long. She wishes he’d come at a better time, but maybe they can catch up before he leaves. He says he bets TJ is bigger than he is now, and she says TJ could give him a run for his money. Taggert says the three of them should do dinner, and Curtis says, that sounds nice. How long is Taggert there for? Taggert says he’s there for the time being. It was nice meeting Curtis. They shake hands, and Taggert says he’ll see them around.
Sonny calls Jason at the hospital, and Jason asks how it went. Sonny says they’re in for a fight. The son of a bitch isn’t backing down.
Doc supposes he can’t hide Laura’s phone and pretend it’s lost. Laura asks what kind of mayor she would be if she dodged the phone during a mob war. He says, Sonny is an old friend. Is she going to reach out personally and ask him to keep the peace? She says she’s sure Sonny would avoid it if he could, but she’s afraid whoever is responsible is forcing his hand. That means there could be more collateral damage.
Chase says, amazing, and hugs Willow. She says she’s thrilled. Lucas’s family must be over the moon. He asks if she wants to see them, but she says she doesn’t think it’s a good idea. She doesn’t want to intrude. Chase doubts it would be an intrusion, but she says she doesn’t want to cross the line. Lucas is out of his coma, and God willing, will recover, and things will get back to normal. He says, doesn’t she want that? and she says, of course (🍷), but she won’t have a role in Wiley’s life anymore.
Carly asks if Lucas is okay, and Lucas says he’s fine. She says she’ll take Wiley, but Lucas repeats, he’s fine, just tired. Bobbie says his body is exhausted, and Carly suggests they leave, and give the two men some time. She’ll bring Wiley back in the morning. Michael says he can take Wiley for the night, as long as his dads sign off on it. Lucas thanks him, and Carly gives Wiley to Michael. They all leave, except for Julian, who stands there like the jerk he is, with his arms folded. Lucas flashes back to vague memory of Brad telling him Wiley is Lucas’s son. Brad asks, what is it?
Tomorrow, Nina tells Valentin that they have to move on from each other, Lucas says Brad was working up to a confession, and Nelle accuses Michael of bringing her there to kill her.
🎩 On Project Runway, Victoria decided she wanted and deserved to be there. I didn’t get a vote, so there she stayed. We found out the tuxedo was named in 1886 after Tuxedo Park, a place for the rich and elite. No surprise, Billy Porter’s tuxedo gown was talked about as modern, innovative, and a reinvention of the tux. The designers were challenged to show a modern take on an old classic. They were told that use of satin was what made the difference between a tux and a suit. That was news to me, so now I’m going to have to check that out. Christian said they weren’t monsters, so help had been brought it – the designers who’d already been eliminated. The eliminated contestants chose who they wanted to work with, in order of how their names were drawn. Jenn chose Brittany; Tyler picked Delvin; Melanie wanted Geoffrey; and Veronica went with Sergio, after saying in her interview that she’d never work Victoria. Chelsey selected Nancy; Alan had a mental blackout, and went with Victoria; and Shavi was left with Marquise. Since there was one extra eliminated designer, Asma was left to go get a cab home. (Not really. I don’t know where she went.) The designers had their choice of male, female, or non-binary models, since tuxedos are for everyone. Sorry, not me. I can’t imagine a tuxedo on my short self. I would look like I was playing dress-up. In his interview, Alan said Victoria was a solo designer, and didn’t work well with others. She barely works well with herself. For the two-day challenge, they were given a $600 budget, and 30 minutes at Mood. By the first commercial, Victoria was telling Alan to shut up. Delvin went for powder blue material until Christian was like, um… and he switched to an emerald green with a print for the lining. Geoffrey decided on a jumpsuit, saying the judges vibed on them. Victoria went with a gown, and Sergio, a backwards tux, saying he was thinking outside the box. This was a puzzling statement, since even I know that’s been done before.
Everyone got a night out at a rooftop bar, and the next morning Sebastian, winner of season 17, brought breakfast. He said the competition had changed his life, with the CFDA helping him launch his first collection, and finding him buyers. His advice for everyone was not to look at the other designers – in other words, don’t compare – and to go with their first idea. Geoffrey was very weepy during his interviews, and unsure of what his next move would be. Victoria said she only wanted Alan for moral support, and wouldn’t really let him help. He mostly did things like get water for her. Christian told Geoffrey to reassess the details, and he decided to streamline. After sleeping on it, Brittany decided she didn’t like the grey color scheme she’d chosen, and opted to change the design rather than make something she wasn’t proud of. For the outside of the jacket, she used the print she’d originally meant for the lining, and created black shorts to go with it. Nancy poached Tyler to use as a model, since he was the same size as hers, making Delvin extremely irritated. In Victoria’s interview, she groaned that Nancy kept doing the same silhouette, even though that’s exactly what Victoria does. Asymmetry mean anything to her? Marquis said he was getting his inspiration from the military – he’d been in the ROTC in high school – and wanted his design to be crisp and clean.
Delvin, Brittany, and Victoria were trashing Nancy, saying her tux looked like a glamorous garbage bag. Unbeknownst to them, she wasn’t far away, and heard every word. I laughed when Delvin realized; his face was priceless. Sergio told her that it was their problem, not hers. In Sergio’s interview, he thought all they saw was her age, but she would sneak up on them. While Nancy was on the buttonhole machine, it broke down, and Delvin said that was the second time Nancy had been in his way. That’s like the millionth time he’s been a jerk. Christian said they didn’t have buttonhole machines in his day, and he did okay. In her interview, Brittany pointed out that Sergio’s backward tux was a direct copy of Celine Dion’s iconic look.
The guest judge was Thom Browne, three time CFDA designer of the year. Brittany was a stand-out, but for all the wrong reasons. She should have stuck with the grey palette. The jacket wasn’t awful, but the lapels were weirdly thin, and the shorts were horrifying. At this point, I figured she was on her way out, even though I desperately wished it was Victoria. I don’t like her, and wouldn’t want to work with her, or even know her. Unfortunately, Victoria somehow whipped together a gorgeous jacket with a long, asymmetrical skirt that revealed a sparkly garter – the one thing she let Alan do. Karlie said the model looked like a sexy villain in a Bond film, and thought the whole show was amazing.
The judges felt Geoffrey’s jumpsuit was minimalist, and he stayed true to the challenge. On the other hand, Nina said she didn’t get tuxedo from Delvin’s look, and Brandon said it looked like a leprechaun in a corset. Personally, I didn’t think it was that bad, but I agreed with Sergio, when he leaned over and told Nancy, karma. Thom said the look was too safe. Victoria got high praise for combining feminine and masculine details, boosting confidence and power, while still embracing femininity. Everyone loved the open back that had a satin strip running down the middle. Nina thought Marquise’s tux made his male model look regal and powerful – I have to add here that his model was super-hot with a bangin’ bod – and Brandon said Marquise let his ideas fly; he just needed help anchoring and executing them. Thom said he loved male cleavage, by which he mean a show of the ankles. I actually thought, flood pants, when I saw it, but okay. His tux had a horizontally pleated jacket, with a pant/skirt combination, and Thom said he would have pleated the skirt. I agreed, nodding my head, like Thom cares. Brittany was mortified from the jump, and said she’d never done menswear. Karli’s face was like, WTF? and Elaine said, it was hard to look at; there was so much wrong. She was shocked it was Brittany’s design, and said, it was like a douchey Hamptons party look. (Ha-ha-ha! They probably would wear that on Summer House.) Brandon said, it was a mess, and I thought the whole thing was just sad. Thom said the proportion was the hardest thing for him to take, and if she was going that way, she should have gone even shorter, and pushed the limit. Sergio – who needs to either get it together with his causes or stop throwing them in there – said he went with the backward thing because of the state of the country. Everyone thought they knew where he was going, but he did a 180 by saying we should go back to the 1950s, when everything was better; a house was affordable, and a family could live on one income. Granted, he’s right there, but Elaine pointed out that the 50s wasn’t a great time for people of color. She told him that his messaging was frequently off, and he should stick to fashion. Because somebody had to, Nina brought up John Galliano’s backward tux that Celine Dion wore to the Academy Awards. Sergio claimed he’d never seen it, and absolutely no one bought that. Nancy got all excited about her sleeveless print tux, and babbled endlessly. Brandon said he wished he could do interviews that way. People asked what his inspiration was, and he’d say he didn’t know. Thom said it didn’t speak tuxedo to him, and thought she was playing it safe. Nobody seemed to like it very much, which surprised me. It wasn’t anything I would wear, but I thought it was something different, and looked terrific on the model. The judges were so negative, at this point, I worried about Nancy being out.
The judges deliberated, and Sergio, Marquise, Geoffrey, and Victoria were on top; while Delvin, Nancy, and Brittany were at the bottom. Brittany’s placing was obvious (they were all like, what the hell?), but the judges said Delvin had too many things going on, and Nancy’s tux wasn’t anything they hadn’t seen before. Karlie thought the brocade was overwhelming, and she was underwhelmed with the design.
Marquise was the big winner, the judges saying his garment was well-tailored, and that he’d reinvented the tux. He had the confidence and ability to extend and challenge himself. He said it was an honor to be able to come back and prove his worth. In his interview, he was especially honored by Thom’s approval, and was thrilled he got to show the judges why he shouldn’t have been eliminated. It is pretty cool that he got brought back, and then won a challenge.
The judges said the bottom three missed the mark for different reasons, but one look was a clear failure. I knew then, Brittany was out. She looked miserable. Delvin was crying, but I’m not so sure it was for her. I’d hoped it was because he was humbled after trashing Nancy, but it was probably because he just escaped by the skin of his teeth. Brandon told Brittany, it was painful to see her go, but sometimes a devastating thing brings you back to life. He suggested she use it to propel herself to other great things he knew she was capable of. Through her tears, she said it had been an honor to be there, and she looked up to all of them. It had been a crazy ride. She got a Karlie hug, and in her interview, said she disappointed the judges and herself. She had thought she’d be in the finale. I thought Sebastian was right in saying you should go with your first idea.
While backstage, Brittany bemoaned there being nothing to be happy about or proud of with her tux look, Christian made his usual appearance to gently tell the loser it was time to clean up their space. He told Brittany, he was so sorry. She’d have to endure this a little longer. It was the Siriano Save, used at last. He said he thought she’d lost her way, but she was talented and her work was amazing, so he wanted to save her. We saw a clip of Christian telling the judges about his decision to save Brittany, and the judges being all happy. In her non-exit interview, Brittany said she had to show she was worthy of Christian’s save, and not let him down.
Next time, a tie-dye challenge, and Leslie Jones is the guest judge. I love her!
👓 After the Runway…
See Christian interview Sergio, and a dog in a bowtie.
🕵🏻 Omg, I guessed the secret word on Watch What Happens Live – fashion – before they showed it. True story. Christian was on, and inferred he didn’t buy Sergio’s political statements.
🍳 Top Chef All Stars will begin cooking on Thursday, March 19th.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Michael tells Tracy that she thinks she’ll have a say in Leo and Olivia’s shares, but Olivia has her own mind, and he trusts her judgement. Brook says Michael is either naïve or masterful at sucking up. Pascal says, yay or nay on giving Olivia and Leo the shares, and Brook tells him, hold on, Fish and Chips. He says she’s delightful, and Tracy says, she’s all Ned’s. Nelle comes in and says there must be a mistake. There’s no way they started the meeting without her. Michael says he couldn’t stop her from having a memorial for Shiloh, but now she’s trespassing, and violating her parole. One call to the police… Martin joins her, and says she has every legal right to be there. Tracy asks, who are these people, and how do they keep getting in? Did they adopt an open door policy while she was away? Olivia says the door leads out too. Nelle says the housekeeper let them in, and introduces Martin, who was parking the car. Martin says Nelle inherited Shiloh’s ELQ shares. Ned says if he was Nelle, he would take his smooth talking lawyer and turn around. This will not end well.
Jason tells Carly, there were two wills. One bequeathed Oscar’s shares to start a foundation. Carly says she heard it was up and running, and Jason says that’s because it was funded by the Quartermaines, and the shares should be returned to the family. The other will left the shares to Shiloh. My dogs start a ruckus, so I have to get up, and miss what Carly says about Nelle, but it’s not complementary. She says she wishes someone would run Nelle over with a truck, and Jason says, maybe somebody will.
Alexis finds Sam at the MetroCourt, and Sam tells Alexis to brace herself. Nelle is out of prison, but wait, there’s more. Nelle is Shiloh’s widow.
Lulu opens the door, and Nikolas asks if he can come in. He knows it’s late, but he owes her an apology. She steps aside, and he walks in. She says he does, but he owes a bigger one to Charlotte. He says he understands, but she says, he doesn’t. He told Charlotte that he was her secret bodyguard. He says, Charlotte found him searching Windymere, and he didn’t want to alarm Valentin. Lulu says he told Charlotte that he’d always protect her. She believed him, and trusted he’d keep her safe. When Rocco doubted her, Charlotte jumped into the harbor to prove it. She could have drowned or died from hypothermia, and it’s his fault.
Someone is banging like crazy on Brad’s door. The apartment is in total disarray, and Brad stumbles over all the toys and baby supplies, opening the door to Julian. Julian says, good. Brad’s alive. He’s not answering Julian’s calls or texts. Brad says he’s stretched little bit, and Julian tells him, shut the hell up and stop whining. He says Brad is losing it, and if he’s not more careful, Sonny will figure out why.
Carly tells Jason, she can’t let Nelle drive her crazy. There’s too much going on. She arranged for Stella to fly in. Sonny had no idea, but she believes Stella is the best, most objective person to talk to. Jason says she’s right, and Carly says she’s not hoping Stella will sway Sonny, but she doesn’t want him to make things worse. Jason says they’ll do everything they can, but his best advice in the end is that Mike is Sonny’s father, and Sonny has to decide. Sonny walks in, and says he’s come to a decision about his dad.
Nelle asks if Ned just threatened her, but Brook says he’s too smart to do that in a room full of people and two lawyers. Martin says, they’re not people? Ned says, no threat. The family company owns the stock, and the underhanded way Nelle’s murdering husband got his hands on it is still an issue. Olivia says they’ll tie her up with court fees and appearances until she’s old and grey. They’ll make her life a living hell. If she jaywalks, they’ll revoke her parole. Nelle says the stock is hers, and everyone tells her, shut up, in unison. Martin says, there’s no need for hostility. There’s a temporary injunction while the will is in probate, and Nelle gets to vote. Tracy tells Pascal to earn his keep, and tell them why the injunction doesn’t apply.
Alexis tells Sam, the hits keep on coming from Shiloh. Talk about not resting in peace. Does Sam want to talk about what it means for her? Sam says, it’s nothing they can’t handle. Michael is another story. Nelle was her cellmate. She knew Nelle had something up her sleeve, but she wasn’t there long enough to figure out what. Alexis says, marrying Shiloh for starters, but Sam bets she’s still after Michael. Alexis says she knows Sam has handled worse, but please be careful.
Sonny says he’s decided to get the evaluation. He knows it’s not what they want to hear, but he’d appreciate support. Carly says she’ll tell him what she just told Jason. She brought Stella, not to talk to Sonny about what she wants, but to help Sonny with what he’s going through, and do what she does best. She’s objective, and can be a sounding board. If Sonny feels this is the best option after talking to Stella, she’ll absolutely support him. Sonny says, that means everything, and Carly says she wants what’s best for him and Mike. He thanks her, and says he knows Jason has a lot going on, but if he’s up for it, Sonny needs his help.
Julian tells Brad that Sonny heard their conversation on the docks. Brad wonders how, and Julian says, hell if he knows. Maybe he was having Carly tailed. They need to be more careful. Brad asks what Sonny knows, and Julian says, nothing yet, but he just needs one push to investigate. He explained to Sonny that he was warning Brad to keep Wiley away so he could finagle time with his grandson. Brad needs to keep Carly at arm’s length, and make an excuse as to why Julian is spending time with Wiley. Brad says, no, and Julian asks, what does he mean, no? Brad says he’s out of excuses. He can barely take care of himself, and has no interest in taking care of Julian.
Sam thinks Neil getting his license revoked is extreme, and Alexis says, those are the rules. You have to wait two years before seeing a former patient socially. Sam says she’s sorry, and Alexis says, typical. She finally meets a smart, thoughtful, funny, intriguing guy, who’s not a criminal, and he’s being punished for a relationship that barely exists. It’s absurd. That’s why she needs a meeting. She tells Sam, she’s sorry to cut this short, but Sam says, it’s okay. Sam tells Alexis to take care of herself, and Alexis says, if Sam does. Sam says, deal, and Alexis heads out.
Sonny tells Jason that they’ll stay the night. While Mike is in the clinic, he’s going to call a meeting. He’ll let everyone know the situation is stable. Everyone is doing business, and getting along with their neighbors. Get what he’s saying? Carly says Sonny is planning a business trip? Mike is having a hard time, and he needs the energy to focus. How is Sonny going to do business? Sonny asks what the alternative is, and she suggests he not go to the clinic. She or Stella could go. She knows he wants to do this for his dad, but he has a lot on his plate, and has other people who can do this for him.
Nikolas tells Lulu, he’s sorry. He saw Charlotte the night Cassandra tried to kidnap her, and couldn’t afford for Valentin to find out. She says, so he lied, like he lied to everyone. Then he showed up at the wedding, and took away everything that matters to Charlotte; her home, and her security. Nikolas says, like Valentin did to Spencer, and Lulu says, is that what they’re doing now? Comparing him to Valentin? Charlotte is family, and family is supposed to protect each other, not rip each other’s lives apart. He’s not sorry. He has everything he wants, including a bizarro marriage to Ava. Obviously, it’s about money. He was never like the other Cassadines, greedy and selfish. That wasn’t him. What happened? Nikolas says she told him all that mattered was that he was alive, and they’d figure out the rest later. She says, welcome to later. He says his goal is to make things right, starting with Spencer. She asks how he thinks Spencer is going to react. He says he doesn’t know, and she says she prays that after the dust settles, Spencer fares better than her daughter.
Pascal says, Edward Quartermaine made provision for all of his heirs. When it was determined that Oscar was Alan’s grandson, he was given shares. Tracy says, get to the good part, and Pascal says, Oscar suffered from a brain tumor, compromising his judgement. Tracy says, that’s the good part? Pascal says, Oscar left conflicting wills. One done with Alexis, where he bequeathed the shares to Shiloh. Nelle says, which belong to her, and again everyone tells her, shut up, in unison. Pascal says, prior to Oscar’s death, he made a handwritten will bequeathing the shares to a non-profit of his own creation. Nelle says, what? and Pascal says it’s for disadvantaged travelers to climb a mountain Oscar always dreamed of doing. The two wills are at odds with each other, but the foundation was already funded by the Quartermaines, in expectation that the shares would revert to them to divide as they saw fit; hence the transfer to the ELQ board. Martin says, the former will claims the shares go to Shiloh, and should now be transferred to his widow – Nelle says, that’s her – until the final determination. Which bequest takes precedence might be premature. He’s obtained a temporary injunction which allows his client to vote the shares. Tracy asks if that’s legal, and Pascal says, it appears to be. Unless it’s a forgery… Nelle says, they belong her. She told them so.
Lulu tells Nikolas, she watched their mom grieve for three years. Lulu was devastated, but Nikolas is Laura’s son. It’s different when a parent loses a child. He put her through that. He says he hated every second, and she says he didn’t hate it enough or needed revenge more. He knows his mother battles mental illness, and could have reached out, but he didn’t. She doesn’t care how awful Valentin is – and she knows how evil he is. Nikolas could have handled it a hundred different ways. She’ll never understand why he chose the one that caused his family so much pain.
Brad tells Julian, he’s overwhelmed. His husband is in a coma, and taking care of their son is all on him. Julian says he gets it. However, if Sonny gets wind of what they did, they’re toast. Brad says he’ll go along with Julian’s cover story, and Julian says, their cover story. Julian asks, what about Nelle? and Brad says he can’t think about that right now. Julian asks, what if she reaches out? and suggests Brad ignore her. Brad says, Nelle doesn’t like to be ignored. Julian doesn’t care, and tells Brad to let him know if it happens. It’s coming in from all sides. They have no more room for error, and need to do this for as long as they need to. Brad says he just wants it to go away. He wants Lucas to wake up. He wants to see his husband’s face, and hear his laugh. If he thought telling Sonny would bring Lucas back, he’d march over now, and spill the whole damn story.
Ned tells Martin that it’s helpful they understand the situation, since they’re all shareholders, but Martin isn’t, and this is private. He asks Pascal to show Martin to the den, and they leave. Tracy asks who wants to do the honors, and Michael says he started this mess, so he will. He’ll pay Nelle to go away. He’ll send a wire transfer to the bank of her choice. He writes a figure down, and gives it to her, saying, take it or leave it.
Sonny says he gets what Carly is saying, and she has the right to be concerned, but the reason he wants to go to Brooklyn, is because it’s where Mike lived. It’s where he grew up, and where his father fell in love with his mother. Carly says, not all the memories are happy ones, but Sonny says Bensonhurst was a big part of his father’s life. He wants Mike to be calm and focused when he goes for the evaluation. They said familiar surroundings are helpful, and he’s bringing Jason as back-up, so he can focus on his dad. Carly asks what Jason thinks. Jason says he thinks they all agree it’s a long shot, but it’s Mike’s last shot, and Sonny has the right to take it.
Nelle crumples the paper, and says she’s not taking it. It’s spare change for them. Ned looks at it, and says, it’s a very generous offer. Nelle says that’s what they think of her; they can pay her off and she’ll go away. She tells Michael, she had his baby. They created a life together. He crashed the car and their baby died. Does he think she’ll just take the money, and they can retreat into their family fortune while she says thank you and drops a curtsy? Hell no. She has a say. Do they think she wanted to marry skeezy Shiloh? She worked hard to get what she wanted, and they need to get used to it. She’s not going anywhere. Brook says Nelle is as dumb as she looks, and the worst kind of gold-digger. A waif who shows up with a sad story. She got herself pregnant – points for that – but the baby is gone. She thinks she can get her hands on their money, but she should take the offer. If she doesn’t, she’ll end up with nothing. Nelle says Michael wouldn’t let that happen, and Brook tells her to enjoy her pretend power while it lasts. Soon, her greed is going to get the best of her. She’s going to mess up, and get caught, and it’s goodbye Nelle, back to Pentenville. Nelle grabs Brook’s arm, and Brook shakes her off, saying, that’s a parole violation. Nelle calls for Martin, who says, she bellowed? She tells him, this is no longer a safe space, and Olivia says, she has no idea. Martin says, play time is over; they’ll be in touch. When they’re gone, Tracy says Brook’s great-grandfather would be proud.
Nikolas tells Lulu that she wasn’t in his shoes, but she says she thinks she’s capable of putting herself in his position. Nikolas says she can’t imagine what it was like to get shot, fall out the window, and watch Valentin walk away with everything. She says she watched that too, but he says it wasn’t hers. She can’t know what it felt like. Valentin took his home, fortune, and family legacy. It was like he never existed. Is he supposed to be okay with that? She says, of course (🍷) not, but there were other ways. He says, what ways? and she says she doesn’t know, but he could have come home and they could have fought Valentin together. He says, and give Valentin the opportunity to kill him again, and maybe take one of them as a bonus? He’s seen good intentions smack into the real world. His only chance to stop Valentin is to play by his rules. He regrets hurting his family, but he won. He got his life back; how can he regret that?
Carly asks if Sonny has to call a meeting. What if something goes wrong? Sonny says he and Jason can handle it. Jason says, the best thing that can happen is, Mike will be his old self again. Carly says they know there are no guarantees, but maybe she’s been looking at it wrong. She’s been trying so hard to protect her family. Maybe she needs to accept that it’s a difficult situation, and there are no good choices. Whatever choice Sonny makes is the right one for him.
Sonny says he’s going to call Turning Woods, and check on his dad. He tells Jason, it will be good to take Mike back to where he grew up; the old neighborhood is half Cerullos and half Falconaris. Sonny goes to make the call, and Carly asks how Jason is dealing with the separation from Sam. He says he’s okay, but she says that’s not enough for her; talk to her. He says, it’s hardest on the kids. They’re not able to see each other all that much, but he calls a lot and they video chat before bed. Carly is surprised Jason video chats, and he says, whatever it takes. She says she’s sorry. She thought the nightmare was over, now this. How long do they have to be apart? Jason says, two years, unless… until they find a way around it. She asks if there are any possibilities, and he says they’re working on it. She tells him, be honest, and asks if the trip is bad timing, but he says he thinks it’s a good distraction. She tells him that if he has to go home, go. Sonny comes back in, and Carly ask how his dad is. Gladys appears, and says, not so great. She just came from visiting him. Sonny says, it sounds like Mike is having a bad day, and Gladys says, he was agitated, and more out of it. Sonny says, the clinical trial is tomorrow, and Gladys asks if it’s the one she told him about. Carly says, that’s the one, and Gladys says, good. She’s glad they’re going. It sounded promising. She tells Sonny, if she can be of any help, she’d be happy to tag along.
Julian sits in the chapel. He says he messed up, and nearly killed his own son. What if his son doesn’t survive? What if he… He hears someone come in, and sees it’s Alexis. Julian asks what she’s doing there, and she says she had an AA meeting. She guesses she doesn’t need to ask who he’s praying for. Julian says, not that God is going to listen to him. She says, she would listen, and he says he doesn’t know where to turn anymore. He doesn’t know how to fix this. Alexis says the meeting isn’t starting for a while, and asks if he wants to talk.
Michael apologizes, but Olivia says it’s not his fault. Tracy says, it is, a little bit. What was he thinking, getting involved with a murderous psychopath? The others list all the men Tracy has been involved with, and Olivia says, it’s quite a roster. Tracy points out this is coming from the woman who got knocked up by Julian, but Olivia says, it was a one-night stand; Tracy married them. Ned tells Tracy, admit it. She doesn’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to lousy spouses. She says, enough. They’re not talking about her past; they’re talking about the present. Michael says, she’s right. He appreciates them defending him, but he screwed up. He brought Nelle into their lives, and he’s going to do everything he can to get her out. Tracy asks, how? She sits down, and says, she’s waiting.
Jason calls to let Sam know he’s going out of town for a couple of days. He’s going to the city with Mike and Sonny, and thinks it might make it easier to stay apart. She wishes she could see him before he leaves, and he says he does too. She says she misses him, and he says he misses her. He’ll call when he gets there. She tells him, be safe, and he says they’re going to figure the Peter thing out. She says she knows.
Pascal says he’ll notify the other shareholders of the recent developments, and Tracy says, be sure to say they’re temporary. Pascal says, of course (🍷). As he’s leaving, they find Sam on the porch, and Pascal says he was about to call her. She asks, why? and Tracy says they have a lot to catch up on. She’ll fill Sam in.
Sonny says he thought Gladys went back to Bridgeport. She says it’s a long drive, even in her new fancy car, and she stayed so late at Turning Woods, she was hoping he’d let her stay another night. Sonny says he knows she’s working this to get every penny. He doesn’t like it, but he’s not really judging her because she’s done so much for his dad. He appreciates it, and he’s grateful. Gladys says Mike is a sweetheart, and she loves spending time with him. Sonny says he’ll let her stay until they figure out what’s wrong with his father (um… isn’t it Alzheimer’s?), assuming his wife is okay with it. Carly wants everything in the open, and says the way Gladys is leveraging being Dev’s fake grandma is obvious and despicable. She’s not going to pretend she’s putting up with it. For Mike’s sake, Gladys can stay, but if she steps out of line, she’s gone. Sonny says, and the second they don’t need her… Carly says she’s out of there. I honestly don’t understand why they’re so hostile toward Gladys.
Nikolas tells Lulu that he’ll find a way to make it up to everyone. He hopes she never has to see the people she loves pay for her choices, and ask herself if it’s worth it. She asks if it was, and he says the truth is, he doesn’t know. All he knows is, he couldn’t let Valentin walk away with everything. He had to get back and show Valentin that he’s the true Cassadine heir, and Valentin is nothing. Lulu says she’s glad he’s alive, but she hopes he comes to his senses, and she gets her real brother back.
Olivia asks if Ned thinks this is a good thing or a bad thing, and he says, it could go either way. Oscar’s last request was made in their favor. Olivia says, but it was when he wasn’t mentally competent. Michael says, there’s no way in hell they’re handing the shares over to Nelle. Sam has come in, and she says, what? Michael says Nelle married Shiloh, and now that he’s dead, the 5% of ELQ Oscar left him goes to her. Brook says, it’s temporary, and Tracy says she hopes so. Tracy thanks Brook for what she did, saying, she was amazing. Ned says he thinks it’s his proudest moment as her father. Brook says, it was her pleasure. She might not always agree with them, but she can recognize a gold-digging crazy person trying to get her mitts on their money. Michael says, too bad she wasn’t there when he got involved with Nelle. Brook says, the bottom line is, they’re Quartermaines, and when push comes to shove, they protect their own.
Alexis looks at her phone, and says she should have seen this coming. She tells Julian that Lucas is more important than anything, but she has to talk to Ned. She’ll be back. He asks if everything is okay, and she says, Nelle was released from Pentenville, and she’s wasting no time in wreaking havoc on Port Charles again.
Again there’s mad banging on Brad’s door. He flings it open, saying, what? and Nelle asks if that’s any way to treat his baby’s mother. She comes in, lugging her suitcase and vision board. She tells him not to worry; she didn’t escape. Brad says she can’t stay there, but she says, of course (🍷) she can. It’s only temporary. She has oodles of assets, and after her legal hassles have been cleared up, she’ll find her own place. She sets up her vision board, and says she has a beautiful home, a glorious life, and people who love her. She’s finally going to have everything she’s ever wanted.
Tomorrow, Michael asks Sasha to move in, Cameron tells Trina that he has feelings, Willow discovers Nelle at Brad’s, and Sonny asks why Taggert is back.
👘 Tonight on Project Runway, Victoria said she felt guilty, and hoped nobody was mad because she’s been on top so many times. I translated this to mean she doesn’t really feel guilty, but doesn’t want anyone to sabotage her, so she’s saying she does. The challenge was to incorporate their personal history and cultural heritage in a design of their choosing. They were to create any look they wanted to, using their heritage and unique background. You’d think this would be fun, but it was like when I had to buy all new furniture after Hurricane Sandy. It sounds like heaven, unless you’re being forced to do it. Delvin said it probably sounded like freedom to the others, but he preferred direction, since he’s all over the place. It was a one-day challenge, and Christian said the makeup and hair would be an important factor in the look. Not to miss an opportunity for produce placement, he added, Maybelline believes beauty comes from diversity and individuality.
Everyone got FaceTime calls from a family member, mostly parents, but for Victoria, it was her husband, and Nancy, her sister. Delvin found out his paternal grandfather was Mexican, which was a big surprise, and didn’t help his mental block, but he started to envision his French Creole side mixing with French couture. The designers got $300 and 30 minutes at Mood. Being a seamstress isn’t in my wheelhouse, aside from a few costumes I whipped up for high school plays, but I love this store. It’s on my list of places to visit the next time I’m in NYC.
Christian’s advice was to make it about then, but what girls want to wear now. Sergio refused to show Christian his design because it was so personal. In his interview, Sergio said he knew the struggle, while Christian didn’t, and he felt it wasn’t something he could explain to everyone. Christian told everyone he loved surprises, and had one for them. This would also be a flash sale challenge, and the fan and judge favorites would be sold on Bravo’s site. I’ve noticed I get very tense when it gets close to time and the designers don’t have enough done. Shavi was using some kind of lamé material that he didn’t realize was so sheer. He had to make do with what he had as a lining, and felt it was doable in the two hours they had left the next day. He made me a nervous wreck, since he obviously was not accounting for something unexpected. Chelsey came up with an awesome varsity jacket, celebrating her mom and grandmother. Sergio did a red and white design, with the names of children who had died in custody at the border embroidered on it. He enlisted the help of any model available to do the embroidery, and I wondered why this wasn’t considered cheating.
My personal favorites were Dayoung, with an Asian-inspired jacket and long skirt – Brandon thought the skirt and jacket would have two different kinds of customers – Nancy’s pants and top ensemble that included an awesome coat; Chelsey’s varsity jacket; and Brittany’s flouncy skirted take on Western wear. While Delvin turned himself inside out, hating his own dress, he’d added some handwriting on the bodice that was actually pretty cool. Sadly, the zipper buckled, as did Shavi’s entire garment.
Karlie said the show was compelling. Brandon gave the advice that a bold color will draw attention to imperfections. Guest judge Fernando Garcia, co-creative director for Oscar de la Renta (one of my favorites!), said the designer should listen to the fabric. Everyone agreed that Chelsey was on challenge, and the lamé wasn’t Shavi’s best work. Sergio got pretty emotional when he told his creation’s backstory, but Nina said despite his moving narrative, at the end of the day, it was about the fashion, and for one thing, they couldn’t read the names, so the message got lost. Elaine said the usage of cotton cheapened the garment. Dayoung’s design was pronounced polished and sleek, and Brandon said any and all women would wear her jacket. In another pearl of wisdom, he told her that a good designer speaks across ages.
The top three were Victoria, who’d had an incredible fitted jumpsuit, Chelsey, and Dayoung. At the bottom were Shavi, Delvin, and Sergio. Everyone got accolades for taking big risks. Chelsey was the big winner. I’d definitely buy that, although I’m sure it’s going to be out of my price range. Sergio squeaked by, and Shavi was out. Brandon said he’d done exceptional work, and it was just a small part of his greater story. Christian said that Shavi had passion and worked hard, and not everybody had those qualities. In his exit interview, Shavi said that he came there to be him and show his talents, but he didn’t think he accomplished that. He still hoped he made his grandmother proud.
Next time, a collab with Ashley Longshore, and another medical emergency for Dayoung.
🎓 Yep, I Was Right…
I had to find out. Chelsey’s varsity jacket is out of my price range at $385. If it’s within yours, here you go:
🍸 Noted: Kristen (Vanderpump Rules) was on Watch What Happens Live this week, and she looked the best I’ve ever seen her. Positively glowing, along with some nice hair extensions. Apparently, she and Carter have called it quits for real, so it must be all that extra weight she lost.
🗽 Nora from Queens with Awkwafina looks hilarious! It’s on Wednesdays at 10:30 pm on Comedy Central.
🌴 Is She Or Isn’t She…?
Divorced, still on the show, Matt’s side piece? But most of all, we want to know what Gina’s done with her hair lately.
🐟 Is anyone else creeped out by Goldfish crackers? I don’t want a snack that smiles back, and goes on vacation, and has a family. It’s right up there with Charlie begging you to eat his mother.
🎉 Alert the Media…
It’s before 3 am. Meet you at the hospital tomorrow.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
In the US, today’s GH was the same one I magically saw yesterday that had been preempted. Because the video ended so abruptly, I wondered if it had cut off a few seconds early, but no, the end was the end. If you didn’t read yesterday, and want to check it out, go here:
Tonight, the designers awoke to the sound of jingle bells and, as one contestant put it, Christmas having thrown up in their living room, which was wall-to-wall decorations. Christian was there with news of glad tidings. They were having an unconventional materials challenge, and had to make a fabulous holiday cocktail party dress using whatever they could grab in ten minutes from the décor. This time, the challenge itself was two days. As everyone went into Tasmanian Devil mode and seized whatever they could lay their hands on, Alan said it was crazier than a Kmart on Black Friday in Ohio. Delvin said he didn’t want this, but didn’t know what he did want, and I felt his pain. I didn’t sympathize so much with him saying he didn’t like the challenge, and felt like he was in arts and crafts. He ended up scrapping his first design, and whining that he’d wasted his time.
For the most part, the designs were impressive. Serio made a masterpiece, using part of a giant basket as a hoop skirt, and magically crafting wrapping paper – which I can barely get around a box – around it to make an incredible strapless piece. Guest judge Kiernan Shipka said she’d definitely wear it, and if I was thinner, I would too. I definitely noticed Tyler this week, but for all the wrong reasons. I’m not sure what happened (okay, I was writing out cards while watching), but he ended up creating something that was both terrible, and terribly short. I wish I’d been paying more attention, because he actually started off strong, having made a beautiful bodice out of silver snowflakes. When that changed to some gold snowflakes that blended into the neckline, and a dress that barely covered his model’s who-ha, I have no idea. Poor Brittany got a nosebleed during the mad dash for materials, and ended up with wrapping paper and some leftover faux cranberries. She was unhappy with her design, which looked more like how I wrap packages, with the skirt showing a lot of crinkles, and being obviously uncomfortable. The cascade of cranberries on one side was a bone of contention between the judges, who either loved it or hated it, although everyone hated the dress. Karlie said she thought Brittany’s mentality of being defeated with the challenge might have factored in.
Along with Brittany and Tyler, Alan was also in the bottom three, being told, unfortunately, Burning Man wasn’t in December. I don’t know what he was doing, but it looked more like it belonged to Christmas in space. Nina also thought he made a lot of excuses. On the winning side, along with Sergio, was Victoria, who’d put a cranberry wreath and lots of faux jewel ornaments to good use, and Shavi, who made a garland into a gorgeous 3-D floral number, and another dress Kiernan said she would wear. The top three were told they’d embraced the holidays, and Sergio walked away the big winner. Alan was out, but Brandon thought with his bold persona and work, they’d be seeing more of him. He admitted to coming in super confident, with the belief that he was ready, even though he wasn’t. He felt the competition had changed him for the better, and he was a good designer, but had more to learn and needed more time to learn it. In my words, he got the wind knocked out of his sails, and found out he’s not too cool for school.
Next time, the designers use Goodwill to create the perfect event look for Karlie.
👠 I Just Can’t…
Gee, maybe Brandi will smack somebody again. She’s already talking about wanting to hit someone in the article. No. Just no. Especially with LVP gone. Although it’s like when someone passes away. You miss them, but you’re glad they’re not around to see some things.
🌴 Watch What Happens Live is going on hiatus until January 5th, 2020. When isn’t Andy Cohen on vacation? He’ll also be hosting New Year’s Eve again with the effervescent Anderson Cooper.
🃏 Best I’ve Seen All Day…
I love how Ellen is having the best time during this prank.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 