Tag Archives: William Hurt

March 17, 2022 – Victor Shows His Hand, Explanation, He’s Back, Hopeful, Catching Up, Salty Talk, VanderSplit, Sad Farewell & Pub Song

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

On the footbridge, Victor looks at the Three of Cups tarot card. He hears Drew coming, and slips it into his jacket pocket. Drew says, here he is. Why was it so important they meet in person? Victor says he sees they’re dispensing with the pleasantries, and Drew says he thinks he made it pretty clear what he thinks about Victor. Victor says, yet here Drew stands. Is he alone? Drew asks, why? Does Victor have something up his sleeve as usual?

Sam and Dante are in a nearby van with surveillance equipment. They’re having a problem hearing, and Sam asks if Dante wants to go over the checklist again. He says, the wireless transmitter is functioning, the firmware is current… She says, what about the software on his tablet? and he says he updated it this morning. She can’t hear anything? She says, no, and if she can’t hear Drew, he can’t hear them. He says, that means Drew is on his own with Victor.

Portia literally runs into Jordan at the hospital, and says she’s sorry; she should watch where she’s going. Jordan says, you and me both, and Portia asks if everything is okay. Jordan says she’s just there for a check-up; she feels pretty good. Portia says, that’s what they like to hear, and Jordan says she should be going. She starts to leave, but Portia asks if she has time for one question. There’s something that’s been weighing on her mind. Jordan says, sure, and Portia asks if she considers Spencer Cassadine dangerous.

Spencer says, Trina must be psychic; he was just thinking about her. She says she’s been thinking about him too, and he says he was hoping she’d visit. She says, life’s been hectic, and he says he heard about the sex tape. She says, it’s been rough on Cam, but she can’t even begin to describe what Joss is going through. He says, what about her? He knows she and Joss are best friends, so Joss’s pain must be her pain. She says, which is why she’s here, and he says, so her first visit isn’t a social call. She says, this isn’t a social call, and this isn’t just her first visit. It’s also her last.

At the hospital, Britt asks if Carly is okay, and Carly says she’s fine. Britt says she thought they made peace on Valentine’s Day, or was it just a temporary truce? Carly says, no, they’re fine. She just has a lot going on. Britt says, Jason, and Carly says, what about Jason? Britt says she thought Carly knew. Monica’s decided to have Jason legally declared dead.

There’s a knock at the penthouse door, and Sonny shuffles over to answer it. It’s Nina, and he says, she wants to know if he talked to Michael, right? She comes in, and says, he’s right. Did he? He says, yeah, Michael and Willow, and she says she guesses she’s too late then. She was having second thoughts. He asks, why? and she says she just didn’t want to cause him anymore trouble. She asks how it went, and he says, Michael and Willow don’t want her to see Wiley. End of discussion. She thanks him for trying, and says she’ll call Martin Grey and tell him to start the paperwork… Sonny swipes some stuff off the table, startling Nina, and tells her, he said he’d fix it, and he will.

Jordan says, if Portia is asking for her personal opinion on Spencer, she hasn’t really formed one. Portia says, and her professional one? and Jordan says, not so much opinion as fact. Spencer Cassadine is a convicted felon, currently serving a custodial sentence at Spring Ridge. He’s never been charged with a violent infraction. Portia says, he admitted to stalking, harassing, and damaging property. That sounds like someone capable of violence. Jordan says, if she’s talking about setting Ava Jerome’s car on fire, Spencer had an alibi. Portia says, which brings her straight to his girlfriend Esme Prince. Why exactly wasn’t she charged? Jordan says, it’s complicated, but may she ask, why all the questions about Spencer and Esme? Portia says she needs to know the risks involved for someone that’s in their lives. Curtis comes out of the elevator, and Jordan asks if this is about Trina. Curtis asks, what happened to Trina?

Spencer says, this is Trina’s first and last visit because he’s getting out soon, but she says, no, it’s because of his girlfriend. As long as Esme’s in his life – she takes the book he gave her out of her bag – she can’t be. He says he wants to discuss this with her, but right now is not a good time, and she asks, when is a good time? Joss and Cam told her that he avoided this conversation at the cabin too. They sit, and he says he’s not avoiding the conversation, but Esme is here. She interns at Spring Ridge for her psychology class. Trina says, he’s never going to change, and he asks what that’s supposed to mean? She says, it means, no matter how many horrible things Esme does, he keeps trying to make her happy. It’s been very apparent he’s made Esme the priority since she first got here. Correction, since she first showed herself. Esme is about to walk in, and stops. Trina says, who knows how long Spencer and Esme were lurking around Port Charles, leaving creepy things for children, and he says, that is not… He made some horrible mistakes. That’s why he’s in here, to pay for them. She says, Esme should be the one paying; she’s the one who torched a car. Esme listens from behind a door, and Trina says, Esme took a step back and Spencer took the fall, and he’s okay with that. Just like he’s okay with the fact that Esme taped Joss and Cam having sex, and showed it to the entire world. He says, she’s got it all wrong, but she says she has it all right. Which is why she’s giving him this. She holds out the book, and says, take it. She doesn’t want it anymore. Esme smiles.

Dante says he doesn’t understand. The Wi-Fi signal is garbage. He checked it yesterday and it was totally fine. Sam says she knew she should have called Spinelli, but he says, they don’t need Spinelli. He just needs some time to sort this out. She says, they don’t have any time. Maybe they should just leave; move the van, find a new spot. He says she’s right. It rained and the wet leaves are interfering with the Wi-Fi signal. She wonders why she didn’t think of that, and he says, he’ll move the van a few feet, and they’ll get the signal lout and clear. She tells him, hurry up. They need to know what’s going on between Drew and Victor on that bridge.

Drew says, Victor told him that he wanted to discuss ELQ. What difference does it make if he came alone? Why did they need to have this conversation in private? Victor says, they’re here to discuss sensitive financial matters, and Drew says, if Victor didn’t want an audience for that, why did he bring his attack dog? Yeah, he surveilled the area before he came out in the open; all that Navy SEAL training is pretty ingrained. Victor says, all right, Yohan, he’s on to you. Might as well join us. Yohan stands next to Victor, and Victor says, there are those who might mistake his motives, but Drew says he doesn’t think any of them are mistaken. Victor says, Yohan is his insurance policy. Victor flashes back to telling Yohan that they’ll have to lure Drew to a secluded location, and activate the condition, and Yohan saying Drew figured out what he was doing the last time. If it happens again, there’ll be no denying it. Victor says Yohan makes an excellent point. It will be a terrible waste, but if the conditioning doesn’t work this time, Drew will have to be eliminated. In the present, Victor starts to slide the card out of his pocket, and Drew says, Victor’s henchman is there to protect him, but if this meeting goes sideways, who’s going to protect Yohan?

Britt tells Carly, it’s not a done deal. Monica has to petition the court, and the judge might make her wait the full seven years before declaring Jason legally dead. Carly says she doesn’t understand. It’s only been three months; why is Monica doing this now? Britt says, Carly will have to ask Monica, but she thinks Jason’s kids need closure. Carly says, and Monica told her? and Britt says, only because she was on Cassadine Island when Jason was killed. Monica might need her to provide a statement for the declaration. Carly asks if she will, and Britt says, of course (🍷), whatever Monica needs. Carly says she guesses it’s official. She’ll have to live the rest of her life without her best friend.

Sonny says he didn’t mean to yell, and Nina says, they can talk about this another time. She has to get out of here. She heads for the door, and he follows, saying, it won’t happen again. She asks how she knows that. He’s obviously drunk, and angry. How does she know what he’s going to do? He says he’s not angry. He’s had a couple of bad days. Can she just come in? She says she doesn’t know what’s going on in his life. She wants to help him, but she can’t put herself at risk. He says she knows him… but she says, no. She knew Mike. He says she’s right. Mike would have never scared her like that. She tells him, she shouldn’t have said that, but he says, she was being honest. She misses Mike; so does he. She says, he misses Mike? She comes back in, closes the door, and says, what part? He says, Mike wasn’t very complicated; obviously he had no history. Mike didn’t have a best friend who was buried in rubble in a tunnel, never recovered his body, and now he’s being declared legally dead. She says she didn’t know… and he says, Mike didn’t have a wife who left him, and a son who blames him for the break-up of his family. Mike didn’t have a stepfather – he starts to cry, but pulls himself together and continues – who used to get drunk and beat his mother. Deke was an animal; Sonny never wanted to be anything like him. And now he can see Deke reflected in her eyes.

Jordan asks if Spencer and Esme were threatening Trina, but Portia says, no. She shouldn’t have brought it up. Trina wouldn’t appreciate Portia meddling in her life anyway. Curtis says, it’s not meddling to show concern. In fact, if Portia is worried, maybe Jordan can help. Jordan says she can at least look into Spencer and Esme, and Portia says, please don’t do that. It’s just that Trina is dealing with some friend drama right now. Curtis says, but she’s doing okay in classes, still enjoying her courses? and Portia says she is. Jordan’s phone dings, and she says her appointment’s been pushed back thirty minutes. She’s going to grab a bite in the cafeteria. Curtis asks if she’s okay, and Jordan says, it’s routine; everything is fine. She tells Portia to please reach out if she needs any help, and leaves.

Spencer says he’s not taking that book. Esme continues to listen, and takes out her phone. Spencer says, Trina loves Richard Molineux’s work and she says she did. (I honestly don’t know if that’s the right name for the artist, but close enough), Esme looks at the video of Cameron and Josslyn, and Spencer asks Trina, what changed? She says, her perspective, about a lot of things, starting with the fact she accepted the book under false pretenses. She thought they were friends. He says, aren’t they? and she says, friends have each other’s backs, no matter what the cost. He says he’d do anything for her, and she says, except stop asking him to lie for her, like she did to Joss and Cam and his dad for weeks, not telling them about him being in Port Charles before he said he was. And he swore that he was sorry, and would never put her in that position again, until the other day at the cemetery when he asked her to lie to the Police Commissioner for him. Which is bad on him, but worse on her because she did it. He says, but it all worked out, and she says, what if it hadn’t? What if she had gotten caught? He committed the crime, but his family has enough money to keep him out of trouble; Uncle Victor would have been there with the fix. But her future, her dreams, everything she’s worked so hard for, she put on the line to cover for him, and all he can do is get her a book? Well, no thanks. He wants to prove he cares? Leave his girlfriend. Esme keeps listening, and he says, she wants him to break up with Esme for her? She says she wants him to leave Esme because she’s responsible for filming Cam and Joss. He tells her, Esme says she is, and she says, he believes her? He says, no, he doesn’t, and Esme quietly comes in, but their backs are to her. He says, she would never hurt Joss and Cam that way, and Esme sticks the phone in Trina’s bag and slips back out. He says, she would never tape something that private and personal, much less post it. Trina says, he knows deep down that Esme would, and did, and yet he still chooses to be with her. And that’s not something she can respect. She tries to hand him the book, and he says, he told her, it’s hers. She says, fine, and gets up, leaving the book on the table. Goodbye, Spencer. He says, please don’t walk out on him. If she does, he’ll always wonder. She says, wonder what?

Britt says, accepting Jason’s death is hard, and Carly says, she’s just trying to adjust to the world without him, where she can’t turn to him or… There are so many times when it doesn’t feel like he’s gone, when it feels like he’s still here, and she has to remember all over again. Declaring him dead is like giving up on him. Britt says, they have to let him go, putting her hand on Carly’s arm. Carly says, has she? Britt is telling her to move on, but Britt’s not. Britt says, it’s a process, and they have to accept that what they had with Jason are now just memories. Carly says, what Britt had with Jason was a memory before she even left for Greece.

Dante gets goes to the back of the van, and says, anything? Sam says she’ll never doubt him again, and tells Drew, if he can hear her, cough. He does, and Sam tells Dante, okay. Now hopefully, Victor shows him the tarot card. Dante says, that puts them back in business.

Victor says, nothing is going sideways. They’re just here for a friendly, informative meeting. Drew says, that sounds lovely. Let’s get to it, shall we? He said he wanted to discuss Valentin’s ELQ shares. Now what? Victor says, when he called, Drew was adamant about not wanting to meet with him, yet here he is, eager to hear about voting shares. Drew says, ELQ is his daughter’s birthright. What concerns Scout, concerns him. Victor says, Valentin is in charge of the company. Brook deceived Victor’s son in the worst way possible just to get ahold of his shares. He wonders what other schemes the Quartermaines are hatching to get back ELQ. Drew says, does Victor really think if he knew that he’d tell him? and Victor takes out the card. Drew asks if it’s another tarot card. Did Victor go out and buy a whole deck from the local fortune teller? Victor chuckles, and says, this isn’t any old tarot card. This is the card. The one Peter August used to control Drew. He turns the card around, and says, you are active, and Drew says, reporting for duty. Yohan says, Victor did it, and Victor says, so it seems, but they have to be sure. He tells Drew, throw Yohan over the side of the bridge.

Sonny tells Nina, he never wants anybody he cares about to be afraid of him. Does she forgive him? She says she can forgive him, but it’s not the first time he lashed out. He says he knows; he grabbed her and hurt her. She says, he did, and he says he has no excuses. She says, he had to say goodbye to his friend Jason, on top of everything that’s happening with his family. It must be very painful. He says, ever since he came home, everybody he loves is just slipping through his fingers. He picks up his glass of scotch, and says, and this is not helping. She says, he’s right, and it’s good of him to recognize it doesn’t help, and he says, please don’t tell him that. Ever since he’s been taking bipolar medication, he’s been able to drink in moderation. She asks, what changed? and he says, ever since he came home, he’s been drinking a lot. She asks what he’s going to do about it.

Britt says, whatever. She thought Carly would want to know Monica’s plans. Carly says she’s sorry. She had no right to say that to Britt, and no right to take her anger and grief out on her. At the end of the hallway, Jordan stops and listens, and Carly says, she’s sorry. She’s just going through a lot right now. Hearing about Jason didn’t help. Britt says she’s sorry Carly is going through a divorce. She’s sure things have not been easy. Carly says, not for any of them. Josslyn is going through something really difficult, and she doesn’t know how to help her. This is the time she would turn to Jason. Britt says, Jason always had a way of making challenges seem easy to face, and Carly says, how many times she goes to call him, or a guy will come to the bar in the MetroCourt, wearing a black t-shirt. It just feels so final. Jordan walks up, and says, she’s so sorry about Jason. Carly thanks her, and says she’s going to go. She leaves, and Jordan tells Britt, it’s hard to accept the person you love isn’t coming back. Britt suggests they talk about happier news. She heard Jordan got a clean bill of health. Jordan says she did. Although she never would have chosen to go through it, her health scare was an important reminder, life’s not promised to everybody. Britt flexes her hand and says, doesn’t she know it.

Sam says, Victor just ordered Drew to kill Yohan. On the bridge, Yohan says, boss, don’t, and Dante says, Sam has to tell Drew to abort. Sam says, you mean blow his cover? No, they’ve got to see how this plays out. Dante says, they have no time, but she says, he’ll be able to sell this. He says, they can’t let this get out of hand, even if it does mean bringing down Victor. She says, it’s not going to come to that. They’re not going to another shot at this. She trusts Drew, and Dante has to trust her. On the bridge, Drew grabs Yohan, and shoves him toward the railing.

Portia and Curtis go to her office, and she says, now Esme blames Trina for filming Cameron and Josslyn, and putting it on the internet. He says, that’s insane; Trina would never do that. She says, of course (🍷) she wouldn’t. She doesn’t have a malicious bone in her body. He says, she’s kind, she’s generous, she’s just like her mother, which means she’s strong, and she can stand up to Esme. Portia says, she knows, but she can’t help wanting to protect Trina. She wants to put a smackdown on Esme, but she supposes it’s a bad idea. He says, sadly, yes, and she laughs. She says, there was some good news she wanted to share with him. She told Trina their plans to buy the beach house, and she seemed excited about it. He says, seemed, and Portia says, she told him, Trina is distracted. This whole friend drama thing, it’s taken its toll on her. He says, and Portia? but she says she’s fine. He says, what was done to Cameron and Josslyn was inexcusable, and Esme blaming Trina, despicable, but he knows her and he knows there’s something on her mind. What is it? She says, Trina’s inexplicable attachment to this Cassadine kid.

Spencer says he’ll always wonder… what Trina thought of the book. She says, it was inspiring, but she also felt let down. Esme listens again from behind the door and takes out her phone. Spencer asks, why? and Trina says, Richard Molineux is one of the reasons she got into modernism, even though Joss thinks his art is just a bunch of squiggles, which is what most people see. He says, but she saw beyond that; she saw beyond the squiggles. That is her talent, to understand true art. She says, the book allowed her to see pieces she never saw before. It was amazing; she felt closer to the artist. He says, but? and she says, but the book also provided professional criticism, very insightful stuff that exposed the artist’s limitations. He says, she once told him frailty is what makes us human. Isn’t there beauty in someone’s imperfections? She says, there can be. Only if someone recognizes those imperfections, and chooses to live up to their potential. He says, what if a person wants to do better, and just needs more time? It must seem so simple from the outside. All someone needs to do to live a better life is make different choices, better choices. But if it were that easy, wouldn’t the whole world be full of happy, fulfilled people? Esme looks confused, and makes a call to the PCPD Anonymous Tip Line. A recording says, all calls are confidential and will not be traced. Speak clearly after the tone. The line beeps, and Esme says she’s calling to report a case of revenge porn. She knows who uploaded the sex video of Josslyn Jax and Cameron Webber. I start laughing because, that’s really not how that works.

Sonny says, clearly he can’t drink like he used to. He guesses it just acts differently with the medication. I see an out of control plant on his coffee table, and think, if he just had the moss bowl🎍, his life would be so much better. Nina says, does the reason really matter? It seems to her, the important thing is, he can’t drink to prop himself up, or to dull his pain. He says, his stepdad used to just escape to the bottom of a whiskey bottle, and then that wasn’t enough. She says, he’s not his stepdad, and he tells her, like she said, he can’t keep using liquor as an excuse. He hands her his glass, and says, she can drink it, but she says, no thank you, and puts the glass aside. She asks if it’s going to be enough later. It’s not like Michael and Willow’s rejection is going to be the last piece of bad news he’s going to get. He says he can’t keep using booze as a crutch. He can’t do it anymore. He promises he’ll never hurt her again, and she says she wants to believe him, but it’s easier said than done. Can he dump the contents of the decanter in the sink? He says, there’s a first time for everything.

Portia says, Trina was twisting herself in knots trying to defend Spencer, and Curtis says, Trina’s loyal to her friends. She says, that’s the problem. Ever since Trina defended Spencer, she’s had to deal with all of his lies, and his vendetta against Ava, who just happens to be Trina’s mentor, and Trina’s own conflict, exposing him as the stalker. Spencer doesn’t deserve Trina’s loyalty. He says, and he’s sure Esme in Spencer’s life, makes Trina’s friendship with him even more fraught. She says, before Spencer came into Trina’s life, she was never self-conscious; she never second guessed her choices. Portia wishes Trina would just leave him alone and move on, but Curtis says, isn’t that Trina’s decision?

Trina tells Spencer, all the time in the world won’t help someone who’s not willing to grow. The book points out that Richard Molineux’s work stopped evolving in the last two decades of his career. He says, maybe something happened to him, something beyond his control, and she says, sometimes people are who they are, and they can’t change. He says, so that’s it then. She’s dropping her favorite artist and him. She doesn’t care about their friendship. She says, don’t give her those puppy dog eyes. She lied for him, she forgave him, she covered for him. She made stupid decisions for him, and he can’t even stand up for her against Esme’s ridiculous accusations. He says she’s right. He doesn’t deserve her friendship, but he needs it. He needs her not to give up on him. She tells him, it’s not too late to end things with Esme, and send her back to France or wherever she’s really from. He says he can’t do that. He’s all she has. Trina says, but if he keeps defending Esme, she’ll be all he has.

Yohan begs Victor to make Drew stop, and Victor says, all right. He tells Drew, enough; he’s proved himself. Let go. Dante looks at Sam, and Drew releases Yohan. Victor tells Drew that he needs information from Drew’s Navy SEAL days. He needs to know about Operation Demeter. Carly says, shut this down right now, and Dante says, what the hell is she doing here? Carly walks up to Victor, holding her phone out, and says, Drew won’t be telling him a damn thing. Let Drew go, or this streams live online. Victor tells Yohan, take Carly’s phone, but Drew steps between them, and says he doesn’t think so. Carly continues to film, and Victor says, Drew was never activated. Drew says, surprise, and Victor says, until next time, and leaves with Yohan. Drew asks what the hell Carly is doing here, and she says, you’re welcome. He says she has no idea what she’s done, and she says, besides saving him, what is he talking about? Dante and Sam run up on the bridge, and Dante asks where Victor is, but Drew says, he’s gone. Sam says, perfect timing, Carly, but Drew says, in all fairness, she had no idea. Carly asks if someone can please tell her what she’s missing here, and Drew says, their best chance to find out what Victor Cassadine is really up to. Um… you’d think that film might be worth something to the WSB.

Sonny walks out with the empty decanter, and Nina says, what he did wasn’t easy. He says he’s not an alcoholic, and doesn’t intend to become one. He’s going to keep drinking every so often, socially, but he just doesn’t want liquor in his house. Nina says he can fill the decanters up with candy, for Donna, Avery… and Wiley. She says she should go, and he says she doesn’t have to go. He can’t let her go… until he says this.

Jordan is approached by a reporter as she’s getting into the hospital elevator. He asks if she has any comment on the revenge porn story developing at PCU.

Spencer says he may not have Trina’s eye for art, but when he chose this book, he was struck by how rich the color palette was. It’s fun, exciting, fresh, like her. If she walks out on him, his world will turn grey. She says she has no choice, not if he refuses to see Esme for who she really is. He’s afraid of the truth, just like Richard Molineux was afraid to grow, and expand on his style. Esme stomps out, and asks if Trina is for real. How can she show her face here after what she did to her supposed friends?

Carly says she’s so sorry. Had she known she was stepping into an undercover operation, she never would have interfered. Drew says, forget it. He gave her enough information to get worried, but not enough for her to know they had it under control, but it’s not all bad news. They know what Victor is up to. Sam says, Operation Demeter? and Dante says, that’s something to go on. Sam says, and hopefully helps them stop Victor, and Carly says, before he realizes what hit him.

Spencer says, Esme, don’t, and she says, don’t what? Call Trina out? She tells Trina, the next time you have a fight with a friend, tell them to their face. Don’t tape them having sex and upload it. Trina says she’s not going to stand here and listen to this. She picks up her bag, and tells Spencer that she hopes he lives up to his potential. She walks out, and Esme says, can you believe her? She just ignored me and walked out. Spencer asks what Trina is supposed to say, and Esme says, how about I’m sorry or I’m wrong? Not that she would. She was way too focused on Spencer. She notices he’s holding the book, and asks if that’s the gift he gave her. He says, it was. Apparently, Trina doesn’t want anything from him. She says, not even friendship? and he turns away from her. She asks if that means Trina is out of his life.

Portia says, Spencer and Esme are trouble, plain and simple, and Curtis says he’s sure they are. And he’s sure she’s right, like his Aunt Stella was right about some of the knuckleheads he used to hang around when he was about Trina’s age. Portia says she bets Aunt Stella wasn’t shy about telling him what her opinion was, and he says, but he didn’t listen. He stayed close to those same knuckleheads, and didn’t care how much it dragged him down. She says, because he didn’t want to admit Aunt Stella might know better than him, and he says, after many hard knocks, he knew Aunt Stella was right, and he changed his class of friends. She says, message received, and thanks him. She says she’s going to keep her opinions to herself, and going to allow Trina to make her own decisions. He says, sounds good, but why does she look so worried? She says, mother’s intuition. She doesn’t know, she’s just afraid Trina’s in some trouble, and hopes she can protect Trina before it’s too late.

The reporter asks Jordan, is it true high profile individuals urged the PCPD to take over the investigation from the university officials? She tells him to contact the PCPD media liaison, and he asks if she can confirm Sonny Corinthos’s stepdaughter was the victim of revenge porn? The elevator opens, and he follows her in, asking her to give him something.

On the phone, Britt says she received a Society Set-Ups subscription as a gift. Her name is Britt Westbourne… No, actually she deleted the questionnaire; she never filled it out… No, she doesn’t need a refund. Actually, she was hoping they could resend the questionnaire. She’s ready to move forward.

Sonny says, the whole Wiley situation… and Nina says, they can revisit that conversation another day. He says, the point is, she can’t give up. Their grandson is lucky to have her in his corner. She thanks him for that, and he thanks her. He walks her to the door, they smile at each other, and she leaves.  

Tomorrow, Shawn says Alexis is playing dirty, Michael’s patience is running thin, and Esme says she’s finally calling Spencer out with the truth.

📚 A Study In Priorities…

I love this girl’s attitude and sensibility.

💖 Our Funny Valentin…

I’ve missed him.

🔬 Study Buddy Fail…

I’m not so sure I’d want my first recurring role to be that of a d-bag, but then again, there is Roger Howarth.

🎭 Try To Remember…

She went on to do great things, but at one time she was a resident of Pine Valley.

🧂 Choose Your Salt…

Recaps big and small for RHOSL’s Reunion Part Three.

🥓 Not the Bubbas…

It was bound to happen. Schwartz isn’t exactly a go-getter.

https://people.com/tv/vpr-tom-schwartz-and-katie-maloney-split-after-12-years-together/

🥀 It Hurts…

One of my brushes with celebrity was William Hurt. I was working at the theater where he was doing a play, and while we didn’t have a lot of interaction, he was always very kind, and acknowledged everyone. In a twist, both he and my acting teacher William Hickey were up for Academy Awards the same year. Hurt won, Hickey didn’t, and I never watched the Oscars again after that. I knew it could never possibly be more exciting.

https://people.com/movies/william-hurt-dead-academy-award-winner-mcu-star-dies-71/

🐑 Sheep Counting 101…

Drop by tomorrow for soap, tea, sage words, and a musical moment. Until then, stay safe, stay constructive with your critiques, and stay understanding, sometimes people are who they are, and they can’t change.

🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀

February 27, 2017 – Eugene is Negan, an Oscar Story & a Medicine Quickie

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What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

A group of Saviors gathers around Fat Joey’s body. Dwight goes running inside, and finds that Daryl is gone. Didn’t take them too long to make that discovery. Only about six months.

Eugene is brought into the camp. You’d think by now he’d stop blubbering about everything. He’s led to a relatively nice room that has a microwave and refrigerator. Savior Laura tells him, welcome home. Could be worse. A lot worse. He starts looking at the books, and she tells him that there’s a library, and informs him about Daryl’s escape. He says the room is satisfactory, and she asks if he wants something to eat. After finding out one of the few things they don’t have is lobster, he asks for canned pasta – orangey – and chips. They have homemade chips. I’m in.

Eugene locks the door and looks in the fridge, where there’s beer, eggs and produce. He puts the radio on, and it’s that freaking Easy Street song. I start laughing. There’s no escape from it. Given a choice between hearing it over and over again, and being beaten to a pulp by Lucille, I’m not sure which I’d choose.

Dwight finds the note telling Daryl to go now. A bunch of guys bust into the room and beat the crap out of him, while Negan stands there with Lucille, watching.

Negan bangs on the door where Dwight is in solitary. He says they looked around and he realized he was short a wife – Sherry. He asks Dwight if he knows anything. Negan thinks It’s some coincidence that she’s gone just after Daryl is. He says someone must have opened the door, and Dwight says it wasn’t her. Negan asks if it was him. He says Dwight has legitimate gripes, and asks if he’s started to see things differently. He asks Dwight who he is, and Dwight says he’s Negan.

Negan opens the door. Negan says Daryl isn’t like Dwight; he’s emotional. Either Daryl is on his way home or on his way back to kill them. Either way, they’ll find him. He asks if Dwight thinks he knows where Sherry went. He does, and Negan tells him to fix what he can fix.

Dwight talks to Dr. Carson. The doctor thinks Sherri was soft and let Daryl go. He says Dwight was beaten unfairly, yet he stays. The kind of selfless soul that Sherry is, is the kind of person who isn’t expected to stay around anymore.

Dwight goes back to get his coat, and takes a pack of cigarettes out of a mounted fish’s mouth. He gets on his motorcycle and jets.

Laura shows Eugene around. She says they use a point system, depending on what people bring in. She suggests that he get a haircut, hands him a jar of pickles, and takes him out to Negan. Negan asks Eugene’s name, and then asks everyone else who they are. They all say Negan. He tells Eugene he might have to get real close to Lucille, and under normal circumstances, he might have let Eugene get close over and over again. He asks Eugene if he’s a smartypants, and Eugene says he is. He explains about how he taught himself to cast bullets. He says he reads a lot, and if knowledge is dropped, he picks it up. Negan says he’s some a-hole, but Eugene says he is not. He has PhD’s in several fields, is technically a doctor, and was part of the Human Genome Project before the zombie apocalypse.

Oops! Half of an impaled zombie falls off.

Negan says the problem with his system of keeping people out, is that the guard zombies fall apart. He asks Eugene how they can keep them on their feet. Eugene says they already have the means to fix the issue, an operational smelter. He explains how to pour liquid metal over both the fence and the zombies. Negan thinks it’s the coolest thing he’s ever heard – it’s practical and badass. He calls Eugene Dr. Smartypants. He asks if Eugene was doing valuable stuff like this for Rick, and says Rick’s loss, their gain. He wants to give Eugene a bonus, and Eugene says he was gifted some pickles. Negan says he’ll send some of his wives over, but no sex. He can have drinks, dinner, and laughs only. Eugene and his pickles get led away. Looks like Eugene is smiling a little.

Commercial break. Better Call Saul returns Monday, April 10, at 10 pm. This show was better than I expected it to be, and quite funny, although I lost track of it sometime during the second season. You can’t watch them all.

Eugene plays video games while he chats with wives Amber, Tanya and Frankie, although Amber is doing more drinking than talking. Frankie asks if he wants a massage, since she was a licensed therapist before the apocalypse. Eugene says he’s aware that none of them are there of their own volition, but Tanya says that doesn’t mean they don’t want to be with him, and some intelligent conversation would be good. She suggests talking about the Human Genome Project. Eugene tells her that he’s not at liberty to discuss it, and they might not understand. It’s not a dis, he’s just stating a fact. They decide to do a science experiment.

Eugene carts a bunch of stuff outside. Frankie tells him to relax; he’s one of them. Like something you’d see your eighth-grade science teacher do if he wanted to get the class’s attention, Eugene mixes some ingredients, and a fat stream of foam comes shooting out. When this experiment is recreated later, on Talking Dead, I find out that this foam is called “elephant’s toothpaste,” which is a perfect description. And if you decide to try this at home, don’t touch it.

Dwight goes to his old house and calls out for Sherry. Everything is a wreck, and he picks up a pre-apocalypse photo of them from the floor. He takes the Daryl note out of his picket and compares it to something she had written, and the writing looks the same. We hear her reading the note that she’s left him with her wedding rings on top. She reminds him that he’s told her if they got separated, they should meet there, and he’d bring pretzels and beer. She says he’s lucky he doesn’t remember things. He didn’t want to live in Negan’s world, but she made him. Now he’s become everything he didn’t want to be, and it’s her fault. She says she let Daryl go because he reminded Dwight of who he used to be, and she wanted Dwight to forget. Being there isn’t better than being dead; it’s worse. She hopes he gets away, and remembers the good days, but she doesn’t think he’ll ever even read this. She wants to meet him, but can’t. She doesn’t know if he’d run away with her, take her back to Negan, or kill her. She’s sorry she made him into who he is; she loved who he was.

Dwight takes out a cigarette butt with her lipstick on it, and shakes his wedding ring out of the pack, putting it with hers. He leaves a six-pack of beer and some pretzels. Wow. That was kind of sad.

Frankie and Tanya knock on Eugene’s door. They need his help. Frankie says Amber just drinks and cries. They signed up for this, but she didn’t. Her mother needed medicine, and she thought she could live with it, but she can’t. She’s asked them to help her end it. He suggests they find a doctor. Frankie says that Amber wants to go to sleep and not wake up. Eugene says that’s wildly irresponsible, since she’ll turn when everyone is asleep. They tell him that they’ll take care of that end. He’s a good man, and they know he can make things. They’ll handle the rest. He says he’s not good, but he can jerry-rig a lethal toxin. Frankie says that he is good, and Amber will do it with or without them. He asks how much she weighs. If they can get her exact weight, he can cook something up.

A bunch of people are in line to get supplies. Eugene goes to the front and asks for cold capsules. The woman at the desk tells him to get in line. Eugene asks her number, and tells her that he’s now chief engineer who reports directly to Negan, which means she reports to him. He wants the capsules now. She gives them to him. Good for you growin’ a pair, Eugene! He takes a bedpan, a flyswatter, a sort-of sock monkey that he calls Grimblygunk, and the rest of the medication. Double good for you, Doctor Smartypants!

Dr. Carson asks if Dwight found Sherry, and Dwight says that he killed her. The doctor says that before they got there and understood, they were cowards. They don’t get to have big hearts, and Dwight needs to remember that.

Eugene is brought to a gathering of people. Dwight stokes the fire, and Negan paces around with Lucille. It’s face-burning time. Negan tells Eugene to pay close attention, and whacks Dr. Carson. Negan shows him a note that says good-by honey, and says he found it in the doctor’s desk. It’s from the bottom of the note that Sherry left for Dwight. Negan says the doctor left the door open, and let Daryl out so he could be the hero. Dr. Carson says that she’s the one who ran. Negan says she ran because she knew he’d blame her. Dwight told him that after she ran, she got eaten by zombies, and now a super-hot girl was killed because of him. Dr. Carson says that Dwight is lying, but Negan says why would he do that, and if he is, he’ll find Sherry and kill Dwight. He says all Dwight needed was a night in the hole to get his head on straight. Here comes the iron. The doctor begs not to be burned. Negan says he hates this sh*t and just say he’s sorry. Dr. Carson says he did it and he’s sorry. Negan says that’s all he had to say, and drops the iron. Then he throws the doctor into the fire. Amber is distraught, but I thought that was pretty good. Quick too. Negan says good thing they have a spare doctor, and he never should have doubted Dwight. He says he’s sorry, and Dwight say he’s not. Negan says, ice cold, he loves it.

Frankie and the Tanya come back to Eugene’s room. He says he made the pills, but they can’t have them. Frankie says Amber is counting on them. He says don’t insult his intelligence – the pills are for Negan. I’m guessing that he knew by the weight. They would have had to tell him the truth with that, because it would be deadly for them to under-estimate Frankie asks if Negan didn’t kill his friends, and Eugene says they killed his too. Frankie says they’ll tell Negan it was his idea. He says she’s replaceable; he isn’t. She calls him a coward, and he says that’s a correct assessment.

Eugene enjoys a pickle, and as soon as this show is over, I’m eating one. Negan knocks on his door.  He looks pissed. They stare at each other. Negan walks in. He asks how Eugene likes it, and if they’re doing right by him. He says he knows how hard it is to accept change but needs Eugene to understand that he doesn’t make this invitation to everyone, and doesn’t make it lightly. He tells Eugene that he doesn’t need to be scared. He just has to answer a question, a big one. He starts to ask who Eugene is, but before he can finish the sentence, Eugene says, he’s completely, stone cold Negan. He just needed to meet him properly, but he’s Negan.

The next morning, Eugene is outside, giving instructions on the molten metal and enjoying another pickle. Omg, I’m eating a whole jar after this. He and Dwight stand there, watching metal get poured over the zombies. Eugene says, “I’m Eugene, you’re Dwight, and we’re Negan.”

Okay. They might be reeling me back in here. The big question is, is Eugene really on board with the Saviors, figuring this is the safest route, at least for now; or is he a bigger smartypants than we thought?

Next time, Michonne and Rick take a road trip, Rosita can’t wait, and neither can I, because we’re getting zombies at an amusement park. The kind of thing I live for. 🎡

🎟 No new Housewives of Atlanta this week. I guess Bravo didn’t want to compete with the Oscars. I lost interest in the Academy Awards years ago. And no, it wasn’t after the Rob Lowe/Snow White fiasco. In 1986, I knew two of the nominees, one quite well, and the other just in passing. The late William Hickey, who’d been nominated for Best Supporting Actor in Prizzi’s Honor, had been my acting teacher for many years. I remembered him saying that if he was ever up for an Oscar, that he wouldn’t go unless he could bring his dog. I thought this was admirable. However, Bill did go, and I didn’t see his dog there. I’ve always wondered if he was wearing socks though.

The other was William Hurt (the two Bills!), who was up for Best Actor in Kiss of the Spider Woman. I’d done some work putting together charity events for off-Broadway’s Circle Repertory Theatre, and also volunteered to take tickets. During my time there, our paths crossed, as he was doing a fantastic play called Childe Byron in which he was playing Lord Byron. I watched it several times, and although he was already becoming well-known by then, he was very approachable and always kind. I was thrilled when he got the award (Bill Hickey lost to Cocoon’s Don Ameche), but I knew after that, there was nowhere for the Academy Awards to go for me, but downhill. There’s not much chance of me knowing another nominee, and even less of me being nominated, which is the only thing that could top that.

This year, sadly, it spares me from kudos to an industry that has become less about the work, and more about opinion, political and otherwise.

🏥 Married to Medicine‘s Heavenly summed up part two of the reunion perfectly when she called Mariah “dirty, dingy, and dusty.”

January 14, 2016 — Crimson Success & Oscar Snubs

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What I Watched Today

(random, rambling thoughts on today’s TV)

 

General Hospital

Nina keeps bugging Julian on his cell phone. He thinks the magazine is going to tank, but I think he has another think coming. Especially since everyone is walking around the MetroCourt with a copy and he’s like, wha…?

Robert and Mac are having drinks. Mac asks Robert to stick around for a while. Robert is hesitant.

Jordan and Anna check out Sabrrrina’s place. They don’t see anything disturbed. Anna thinks maybe Sabrrrina booked with Carrrlos. Now this makes total sense why she didn’t take a bag. The doorknob starts jiggling, and they draw their guns. Um…Felix lives there too, yo.

Maxie tells Nathan he’s right, that Johnny contacted her and she saw him.

Dante calls Olivia and tells her Rocco is sick, so he won’t be visiting.

Johnny gets into Valerie’s car. She tells him he can pay her back for the ride by helping her go through her exam questions. He texts his “friends” to tell them he’ll be late, but he’s really texting Lulu to say Operation V is a go and Valerie will be out of Lulu’s life tomorrow.

Michael comes into Sabrrrina’s apartment and he’s like, whoa, don’t shoot. Anna and Jordan explain why they’re there. Anna says Sabrrrina told her about the baby. Michael says he came there earlier to tell her he made a mistake, but she’s gone.

Robert says he has too much responsibility to the WSB to stay put, and now that Robin is gone, he has no ties to Port Charles. Mac says he should make it his home turf. He says Robert still has ties there, Anna being one. Robert scoffs at that, saying Anna would like to see him gone, but Mac says he’s not so sure about that.

Julian tells Alexis it looks like the magazine is going to make money. Told ya.

Nathan brings Dante into the conversation with Maxie. She says Johnny showed up at the apartment. Dante asks if Lulu was there and she says no, and she got rid of Johnny immediately.

Olivia shows up at Maxie’s where Lulu is staying. Olivia says Dante told her Rocco was sick and Lulu asks if she was checking to see if it’s the truth. Olivia says only a little bit. They talk about Valerie. Olivia tells Lulu about their conversation. She says Valerie isn’t the only one who’s made mistakes and maybe it’s time to stop putting all the blame there and start working on her and Dante.

Johnny gives Valerie directions to the restaurant he’s supposed to meet his friends at. Valerie says she loves to cook and Johnny gives her a million compliments. Her police scanner says something about a heist at a liquor store. Johnny says he thought she was just a cadet, and Valerie says she likes being prepared.

Maxie says she didn’t help Johnny or tell him anything. Dante asks if he knew Lulu was living there, and Maxie says she didn’t tell him. Nathan asks if Lulu would have said something if she’d seen him, since she was just there.

Valerie says she likes to keep up to speed with what’s going on and tells Johnny she’s totally focused on her career. She also tells him a little about the fling with Dante without naming names.

Lulu says she thought Olivia was on her side. She says everything was fine until Valerie came along. Olivia says Valerie just wanted to know her family. Lulu says Valerie skipped all the family members and just went straight for Dante and also became a police cadet to be close to him. Olivia says it’s Dante’s fault too and adds that Lulu shouldn’t have lied about being with Dillon. She says Valerie took advantage, but if there was nothing wrong to begin with, it wouldn’t have happened.

Michael says he checked with Sabrrrina’s family in Puerto Rico, but no one has heard from her. He says he came back to shake Felix down some more. With soap opera timing, Felix walks in. Jordan and Anna tell him why they came over. Felix says he knows where Sabrrrina is.

Anna says she isn’t in any trouble, but she wants to talk to Sabrrrina. Felix says that she’s at a cousin’s house in Puerto Rico. Anna says that might just be a cover story.

Mac tells Robert the world needs heroes who will drop everything at a moment’s notice to fight the bad guys, but that heroes come in all shapes and sizes. He says dads are heroes too. Robert asks if Mac wants him to stay as punishment for being a deadbeat dad. Mac tells him he’s being thick, and that there are other people who need him. He says Anna is struggling right now and needs his help.

Julian says that if the IRS sees that his legitimate business is making money, they’ll look closer at him. He says the government was never able to nail him for other reasons, and he might go the way of Al Capone.

Lulu tells Olivia she’s wrong. Olivia says if Valerie was gone, it wouldn’t make everything all right again. Lulu says it would give them a chance, especially since Valerie is related to half the town, which puts Lulu at a disadvantage. Olivia says their problems are bigger than just Valerie, and she and Dante need to sit down and talk. She says if Lulu could take the focus off of Valerie, they could work on the real problems.

Maxie says that Johnny told her he just needed a breather from running. Nathan and Dante seem to believe her, but they need an official statement. They also want to put out an APB on Johnny.

Valerie asks if Johnny is single. He says he’s flying solo, and she asks if their chance meetings were really coincidental. He says yes, and that after she drops him off, she’ll probably never see him again because Port Charles isn’t for him. With more soap opera timing, the scanner says the police are looking for Johnny.

Alexis says that as Julian’s attorney, she’s not going to let anyone put him away. He says he thought putting Nina in charge of Crimson would give him a huge write off, but she seems to be making it work. Alexis says it’s probably a fluke.

The scanner describes Johnny, who sounds like – yep, Valerie said it – half the population of Port Charles. She asks if Johnny is really leaving town. He says he’s also involved with someone who’s emotionally unavailable.

Maxie calls Lulu and tells her what happened. She says she didn’t tell them anything about Lulu’s involvement and that she told them Johnny showed up at her apartment when Lulu wasn’t there. She says she’s sorry, but Lulu tells her she’s not mad. There’s a knock at the door. Lulu thinks it must be Dante and Maxie asks her to please tell Dante the truth.

Sure enough, it’s Dante at the door. Lulu asks if he’s there to check out if Rocco is really sick. He tells her Johnny is back in town.

Jordan gets off the phone and tells Felix that Sabrrrina’s family hasn’t heard from her. Felix says if she’s not with her family, where is she? Michael says she shouldn’t be alone so close to her due date.

Mac tells Robert about the Carrrlos situation and how Paul is trying to manipulate Anna. Robert asks how much danger Mac thinks she’s in. Mac says as long as it stays as it is, not much, but he’s concerned that Anna isn’t thinking clearly.

Olivia brings a bottle of champagne to Julian and Alexis’s table at the MetroCourt. She says she wants to congratulate them properly. She says she appreciates that Alexis being gracious about her being part of the family and she wants to throw them an engagement party.

Johnny goes through the exam questions with Valerie. She asks where the restaurant is, since this seems to be out in the middle of nowhere. He says it’s not too much further and that it’s off the beaten path.

Dante asks Lulu if she’s seen or heard from Johnny, and to please tell the truth. Lulu asks if she should tell him the truth the way he told her the truth? Oh, snap! He says Johnny is a murderer, and Lulu counters with Johnny would never hurt her. Dante asks her to think about it and if she comes up with anything to let him know.

Mac has to leave. Robert is staying for another drink. Mac asks him to think about staying. And leaves him with the check.

Julian thanks Olivia. When Alexis says thanks, Olivia says she’s the only person who can make a thank you sound like a dismissal. Apparently she never met Helena. Olivia flounces off.

Anna sees Robert at the bar. She tells him she needs someone with international connections and says he should stick around. Robert says he’s all hers.

Michael tells Felix he should have realized that Sabrrrina was just scared and now it’s too late. Felix says not to worry, that Anna and Jordan will handle it.

Maxie tells Nathan she’s done giving her statement. Nathan says he appreciates her telling him the truth.

Dante says he doesn’t like that Lulu is there alone with Rocco, especially since Johnny stopped by. She says she appreciates that, but he shouldn’t worry and she’ll let him know if anything happens. After he leaves, Lulu texts Johnny to call off the plans and tells him to leave town immediately. Johnny tells Valerie to drop him off and he’ll walk the rest of the way. They wish each other good luck. Johnny says maybe they’ll run into each other sometime.

He gets out of the car, but suddenly appears at the driver’s side. He yanks open the door, telling Valerie she’s made a huge mistake. Then he howls at the moon.

Tomorrow, Tracy is the voice of doom, Johnny has Valerie all tied up (literally) and Sam tells someone they’re her only hope. Is it Obi Wan Kenobi?

Oscar Thoughts

I just heard there’s some big backlash over the Oscar nominations. Believe it or not, I rarely pay attention to the Academy Awards. I used to watch them every year, but now I rarely do. In 1985, both Bill Hickey (Prizzi’s Honor) and Bill Hurt (Kiss of the Spider Woman) were up for awards. I’d known Bill Hickey as a teacher for many years and had worked at a theatre where Bill Hurt was appearing in a play and was acquainted with him.

Bill Hickey lost out to Don Ameche in Cocoon, but Bill Hurt won. It was all downhill for me from there. I’m not likely to have even seen all the films nominated, much less know anyone in them. Face it; it’s like a wedding shower. It’s not that exciting if it’s not you. And that’s the closest I’ll ever get to it being me. Or to it actually being exciting.

BTW, Bill Hickey said he wasn’t going to the awards ceremony unless he could bring his dog. I didn’t see the dog in the audience, so I guess Bill relented. I’ll bet he wasn’t wearing socks though.

Anyway, the newspeople were saying something about Oscar snubs and I thought,  there are probably hundreds of performances that will never see the Oscar light of day and are a million times better than any of the nominations. So to those who were “snubbed,” just be grateful you made a movie that people saw.

** Important information: The People’s Couch begins this Friday, January 15 at 10 pm.