General Hospital blog - August, 2021
August 2nd, 2021
Wiley's party is effectively over before it can even begin, thanks to the sudden return of Harmony. Willow is almost speechless, since she's already put enough emotional energy into trying to stay happy for Wiley's sake while remembering her late baby. Harmony wants to make amends for all the horrible stuff she put Willow through, and she's sticking with the story that she only worked for Cyrus because he forced her. Chase stands up to her (...so to speak) and sends her away. Willow makes an excuse to go to the gatehouse so she can have a few minutes alone, but Michael follows her and his comfort turns into sex. Austin reveals to Chase that he saw him taking some steps and knows he's more recovered than anyone thinks. Chase says he wanted to wait until he was further along before telling Willow. Austin convinces him to give her the good news, since she could use some right now, and the two head to the gatehouse. With the party pretty much off, Brook decides to call Nina so Wiley can chat with her. Nina tries very hard not to panic as Sonny enters the room while they're chatting, at the same time Carly enters on Wiley's end. Portia wants to talk to Jordan before Curtis tells her they're together, but Jordan lets her know that she saw them kissing. She just didn't realize that that was a precursor to a relationship. Jordan doesn't want to be friends with Portia, at least not now, but she tells Curtis that he should feel free to move on. When she says she signed the divorce papers because she knew he was ready to end things, he wonders if that means she wouldn't have signed otherwise. Trina asks Curtis if he and Jordan were really over before he got together with Portia. He promises they were, and he hopes Trina will become more comfortable with the relationship. Stella gets in another squabble with Portia, trying to convince her not to continue things with Curtis since he isn't officially divorced yet. Trina overhears her warning Portia that she doesn't want to be the other woman in a marriage like she made Curtis the other man in her marriage. Sonny tells Nina about the memory he had at the hospital and how real his feelings of grief were for someone he can't remember. He wonders if emotional pain is keeping him from remembering people who might not even be alive anymore. Carly and Jason give Valentin all of Harmony's backstory, and it makes Valentin feel human feelings about how his contemptuous relationship with Lulu hurt Charlotte. Brook thinks he should be proud of what a good father he is now. Jason seems to feel for Harmony since he knows what it's like to want to atone for hurting someone. He does want to keep an eye on her, though, in case she's back for some reason other than family.
Have Michael and Willow even heard of self-control? You're supposed to be at a CHILD'S BIRTHDAY PARTY.
What makes Jason so sure that Harmony doesn't have ulterior motives?
That may be the fastest we've gone from "X can never know this secret" to "oops, X now knows the secret." Poor Trina.
Why bring Llanview into this if Sonny isn't going to go there? Grr.
August 3rd, 2021
While Michael and Willow cuddle upstairs, Austin and Chase find Michael's discarded shirt and belt and realize what they've been up to. Chase guesses that since Willow wouldn't just jump into bed with someone she doesn't have feelings for, they must be in love. Austin holds him back from confronting them, but Chase may be thinking about revenge. Nina hangs up the phone before anyone can see anyone she doesn't want them to see. Phyllis pops in and confides that Lenny's situation has made her think about getting back in touch with her family, whom she hasn't seen in a while. She tells Nina that she saw Valentin in New York and he's obviously not over her. Sonny's thinking about the same topic, and he suspects that Valentin might make a surprise visit like Jax did. He could be right, since Brook's concern over how weird Nina acted on the phone makes Valentin consider going to Nixon Falls. Trina is almost able to leave without Stella or Portia seeing her, but Portia soon realizes that she overheard at least part of their conversation. Stella, to her credit, realizes she really screwed up and feels horrible about it. Portia tries to call Trina, who ignores her and ends up confiding in Spencer. He gives her some great advice about remembering that her mother is human, and not letting one mistake ruin their relationship, like he did with Nikolas. Trina even decides to stop dodging Portia and face the issue head-on. Jordan practically begs Curtis to give things another try, but he's ready to move on. Josslyn is concerned that Trina is interested in Spencer and will wind up getting hurt or disappointed. Cameron suggests that she warn Trina, but Josslyn doesn't think it's her place to say anything. Spencer thinks Cameron's relationship with Josslyn's family will change now that they're dating.
Chase isn't the type to get revenge or blow up at Michael and Willow, but he looks really mad, so I'm going to need him to talk to Finn before he does anything. Finn will be able to talk him down from doing anything he can't take back.
It's going to be tough for Michael and Willow to redeem themselves after this.
"Well, at least they were safe." Thanks, Austin! That's very helpful!
The obvious guess here is that Phyllis is related to Jordan, but it would be great if we found out she's related to Brick.
Valentin might go to Nixon Falls, but everyone there is apparently going to Llanview after all, so...?
Maybe Trina will figure out that Curtis could be her biological father and we'll finally find out if my theory is correct.
Please, Spencer has never in his life eaten a BLT.
August 4th, 2021
Portia's sorry that Trina got hurt but she doesn't regret keeping her affair a secret. She promises that the affair didn't lead to her and Taggert's divorce, and that Curtis didn't know he was sleeping with a married woman. Trina doesn't have any animosity toward Curtis, but she's still not happy with her mother. Stella confesses her mistake to Curtis, feeling horrible that her meddling went so far and actually caused damage. She just wants him to make sure he's not giving up on what could be the love he's meant to have, like she did with Marcus. Curtis takes off to do damage control, and Stella decides to mail the divorce papers. Before she can, she collapses. Chase wants to confront Michael and Willow, which starts with him making pointed comments and them giving him funny looks. He backs off, possibly so he doesn't ruin Wiley's party, then asks Austin to help him move out. Austin suggests that he stick around and see if he can salvage his marriage instead of calling it quits right away. On top of monitoring Ryan, Alexis will also get to monitor Harmony, who's a health-care aide at their facility. Alexis notes that Harmony is again attached to a sociopath with a history of doing dangerous things. Harmony says a lot of stuff about making amends and redemption and blah blah blah, Alexis isn't convinced. Also, Harmony has a way of communicating with Ryan and has been writing letters for him, so as far as Alexis is concerned, he's definitely still a suspect as the stalker. Cameron wants to talk to Carly about his intentions with Josslyn, like this is the 1950s or something. Carly doesn't have a problem with them dating, but she'll be keeping an eye on Cameron to make sure he doesn't make any bad decisions like he did when he almost shot Jason. Laura's surprised to hear that Spencer wants a truce with Ava, and that his relationship with Nikolas has improved so much. Spencer still doesn't have much respect for Ava, so Laura encourages him to try to empathize with her for making a big sacrifice to protect Avery. Spencer and Cameron keep sniping at each other, as they always have, but Laura thinks it's too mean-spirited, especially on Spencer's part. Monica tells Carly she's not going to fight her marriage to Jason and will respect their decision.
This is going to get Stella off the hook, isn't it?
Chase is going to need a better poker face to get through this. (Josh Swickard is doing an awesome job, by the way.)
I'm sure Harmony's association with Ryan is tooooootally innocent.
In an alternate universe, Alexis and Harmony would bond over getting involved with horrible men.
I'm 99% sure that Courtney worked at Kelly's, so Spencer needs to stop teasing Cameron about waiting tables there.
August 5th, 2021
Joey approaches Josslyn and hints that he knows a little more about her than her parents would be comfortable with. She and Cameron aren't sure who he is, but they know he's foe, not friend, and tell him they'll fill Jason in on the conversation. Josslyn goes straight to Carly and tells her what happened while Jax eavesdrops. Carly seems to think that putting a guard on Josslyn will take care of everything. I'm sure Jax will totally agree. Stella had another stroke but has a good prognosis, thanks to Cameron's quick action and knowledge of how to take care of a stroke victim. Curtis worries that the stress of his personal life led to her condition, but Stella knows she brought it all on herself. So everything's fine, except for the fact that the divorce papers were thrown out and Stella doesn't remember having them. Sasha breaks the news to Brook that Gladys is going to be her assistant. Brook is understandably resistant, so Sasha uses Mike to guilt her into giving Gladys a chance (though I'm not sure Brook has much of a choice in the matter). Britt doesn't want to share her job or work with Terry, even if turning down Monica's offer means she doesn't get to keep her current position. Somehow, Jax (who's smart enough to know that Carly and Jason don't actually have romantic feelings for each other, and also smart enough to know that Britt knows it, too) convinces her to change her mind. I'm not sure how; I wasn't really paying attention. Brando: "I made a good decision and I'm very happy with the way things are going to turn out for me." Jason: "Same. Definitely. No regrets here."
Oh, good, Jax and Carly are fighting. That's always fun to watch.
I'm excited for Carly and Elizabeth to eventually team up and beat the crap out of Joey together.
"This is family business, Cam. The less you know the better." Joss, you didn't even know who Joey was before today. You're not in some special inner circle you need to exclude Cameron from. Sit down.
Is everyone done talking about how awesome Cameron is? Is Cameron the new Emily? No, wait, Willow is the new Emily.
So we're blaming anxiety for Stella's meddling? No.
I believe Carly feels bad for Britt as much as I believe Nina's going to wake up tomorrow and tell Sonny who he is.
The question isn't really whether Britt wants to work with Terry, but whether Terry wants to work with Britt.
I need to know why Britt hates Terry so much. Without that explanation, she just comes off as transphobic.
August 6th, 2021
Naomi makes a surprise return to town, wanting to spend time with Violet after having her heart broken. And no, she doesn't know where Hayden is. Finn is hesitant to let her be around Violet too much, since her presence makes Violet ask questions about Hayden that Finn can't answer. Alexis tells Sam and Nikolas that Ryan hasn't shown any signs that he's not locked in, but he's been writing letters with Harmony's help. They play good cop/bad cop with Harmony (Sam is the good cop, Nikolas is the bad one), who swears that all of Ryan's communication is innocent. Most of it gets returned unopened, and though Harmony won't (and legally can't) let them see it, she leaves it out where they can examine it. It's mostly letters to psychiatrists around the world, but Alexis and Nikolas find the letter Ryan sent to Spencer. Jason warns Joey to stay away from Josslyn, but Joey doesn't take him seriously and doesn't seem intimidated at all. When Jason fills Carly in, she wonders if the Novaks have allies who give them more power than they appear to have. Ava wants to hire Shawn as a bodyguard so she can send Nikolas' packing (and possibly because she wants to take Shawn to bed – hey, I'm just going off the vibes here). Shawn declines the job offer and they catch up instead, even though they were never friends and I don't think he likes her that much. After months with no change in Lulu's condition, Laura tells Dante that it's time for both of them to start moving on with their lives. Dante mentions that he might eventually date again, not that he has anyone in mind to date, ha ha ha, he's just saying! Jax and Carly fight about Josslyn some more, and she kind of wins, but not really. Anna and Obrecht waste my time, though Obrecht makes a good point that Peter could be taking a page from his father's book and playing dead to give everyone a false sense of security. Obrecht also confronts Jason for ditching Britt, which is pretty pointless because it's not like he's going to change his mind about everything.
Okay, they HAVE to be bringing Hayden back. Otherwise, they went to the effort of bringing back Naomi for nothing.
Enough with the Jax/Carly fight. Josslyn's in no more danger than she was when Sonny was around. And if Jax doesn't think Carly can protect Josslyn, what's his solution? Short of kidnapping her and taking her out of the country, he can't change anything. Is he going to enroll at PCU and follow her around all the time?
Nikolas: "I heard that." Sam: "You were meant to." Heh.
Ava, keep it in your skirt.
Kiki mention – drink!
Anna and Obrecht hanging out is weird.
August 9th, 2021
Sam and Shawn visit Naomi, who at first tells them she hasn't been in touch with Hayden and has no idea where she is. When pressed, she says that Hayden contacted her last year, looking for money, and said she left Violet with Finn because she couldn't handle being a mother anymore. Rachel Abigail Berlin has always been self-centered, and Hayden is no different. After leaving Naomi's motel room, Sam and Shawn question Naomi's story and wonder if something – or someone – is keeping her from telling them the truth. Sam calls Elizabeth, who reports that Abigail isn't Hayden's middle name. Thinking Naomi was giving them a message and wants them to come back, Sam and Shawn return to the motel. But some well-dressed man has already come by, or was possibly there the whole time, and he's not happy with how Naomi is handling things. Willow has decided that when Chase takes five steps, indicating that he's on the road to recovery, she'll tell him about her and Michael. Until then, she and Michael will keep insisting that they need to stay away from each other, then fall into bed together five minutes later. Brook is concerned that things have gone too far and Chase is really going to get hurt here. Austin tells Scott that Michael and Willow are secretly involved, though he doesn't want to use that information for blackmail purposes. He reveals that Jimmy Lee wrote Edward some letters over the years, and in 2011, the year before Edward died, he wrote back. He mentioned reconsidering Jimmy Lee's disinheritance, and Austin thinks there might be a statement about that somewhere in the Quartermaines' house. Austin was unable to search Edward's study during Wiley's party, but he has an ally who could do some snooping for him. That ally wants to bow out of his marriage, since it's obvious to him now that Willow wants to be with Michael. That means Austin loses his potential spy, so he's probably going to try to talk Chase out of that. Alexis and Nikolas wonder if Ryan sent Spencer a letter to try to entice him to wreak havoc since Ryan can't do it himself. Nikolas, amazingly, goes a step further, guessing that Ryan spurred Spencer on to mess with Nikolas and Ava. After all, none of the stalker's actions have been violent or harmful, and the stalker's goal is the same as Spencer's: breaking up Ava and Nikolas. Alexis warns Nikolas not to accuse Spencer of being the stalker because he'll probably just widen the distance between them. Nikolas ignores her and takes Ryan's letter with him, which makes Harmony worry that Ryan will get mad. Not that there's anything to worry about, since he's still locked in, right? Spencer counsels Trina to not avoid her feelings about Portia's affair, but also not act too much on those feelings, which he's done in the past. When she's worked through her issues, he'll reward her with that big party she convinced him to throw. P.S. Trina messed with him by writing "kick me" on his back in sunscreen but hasn't told him yet.
The writers are like, "How many Drew mentions can we insert into the next five episodes?"
Ohhhh, Scott knowing Michael and Willow's secret can only end in disaster.
"I can't get the image of Michael and Willow out of my head." Yeah, well, you never had to actually see them together. We have to keep seeing them in flashbacks.
Nikolas figured it out! I didn't think he was smart enough!
Spencer's so self-aware now. Talk about growth.
August 10th, 2021
Thanks to Tracy, not all of Jimmy Lee and Edward's letters got to each other, so the remaining Quartermaines can't be sure if Edward really planned to change his will. They consider offering Austin money to leave them alone, but Ned thinks that if Austin really has a claim to part of ELQ, he should get it. This may be all it takes to get Olivia to take him back. Austin has a hard time getting Chase on his side, since Chase is so willing to let Michael and Willow be together. Austin wants Chase to find any documents that might help him, in the process getting some revenge on Michael for always getting everything he wants. Chase doesn't see any reason to help Austin or blow up his marriage, but the next time he gets the chance to confront Willow, he lies that he's still unable to walk. Sam and Shawn find Naomi dead, seemingly from an overdose. They call Dante, who isn't sure her death wasn't a suicide until the two of them mention the weird conversation they had with her. Finn also thinks there was foul play since Naomi seemed committed to seeing Violet again. Nikolas asks Spencer about the letter, and Spencer tries to downplay the fact that a serial killer tried to communicate with him. He says that he never thought Ryan might be the stalker, since the cockroach thing was something he would never do. Nikolas sees that the letter was sent early in February and Spencer returned it on the 13th, the day before Ava got the roach. He tells Spencer he has to leave the country for a few days, but he's really going to stick around and spy on him. He also approves of Spencer throwing a party and wants to use it to each Spencer a lesson. Elizabeth, Felix, and Willow are basically filler, but it's nice to see Felix, so I'll give them a pass.
Does any off-screen character cause as much trouble as Tracy?
Uh, Qs, hold off on redistributing anything for now. As of Monday, you're just going to have to refigure the shares again.
Chase, I'm begging you to talk to Finn before you do anything Austin wants you to do.
Austin sure is going to a lot of trouble for what can't be more than 10% of ELQ, especially when it seems like he doesn't need the money.
Willow is such a saint that Chase has basically already forgiven her. She really is Emily 2.0.
Thanks for stopping by and dying, Naomi (TM Oz). Edit: Nooooo, it was Buffy! I'm a disgrace to my people.
Once again, Nikolas is smarter than I give him credit for.
Kiki mention – drink!
August 11th, 2021
Laura and Kevin invite themselves to stay with Spencer while Nikolas is out of the country, as if Spencer isn't 18 and hasn't been super-independent since he was, like, seven. Also, that arrangement would probably be pretty tense, since Spencer still holds a grudge against Kevin for the way he handled Ryan back in (checks notes) 2018. Nikolas apologizes for accusing Spencer of conspiring with Ryan, then shows Kevin and Laura the letter Ryan sent. Kevin decides it's time to check in with his brother. Meanwhile, Nikolas goes to see Ava, since he knows the stalker isn't going to do anything serious. Since Stella can't remember much about the past couple of days, Curtis has to tell her that she kind of ruined Trina's life. Present Stella thinks past Stella was a jerk and feels horrible for getting involved in other people's business. She also still doesn't remember stealing the divorce papers. Jordan is sympathetic about what Portia's dealing with and gives her some advice about handling things with Trina. The two women's friendship might not be over with after all. Trina tells Ava about her problems with her mother and is surprised when Ava doesn't side with her. She thinks Portia had the right to keep her affair a secret, and Trina needs to remember that no one's perfect. If Trina wants things with Portia to be good again, she needs to make the first move. Britt would like Scott and Obrecht to cut out their PDA (and she's not the only one). Obrecht invites Scott to come to a medical conference with her, so at least they'll be out of our hair for a week. Spencer is really looking forward to his huge party, and for some reason he wants Britt to come. Good news: Donna has resurfaced. Bad news: She thinks Jason is her dad. Carly's basically like, "Would that be so bad?"
Kiki mention – drink!
This thing with the divorce papers is dumb. It's not like those are the only papers they get. Their lawyers will just send Jordan another copy.
Today I felt myself agreeing with Ava. I need a vacation.
Spencer may be weird, but he's not invite-your-dad's-ex-to-party-with-your-friends weird. Though considering the way things often go at Wyndemere parties, it would be good to have a doctor there.
Donna is TOO CUTE.
August 12th, 2021
Nikolas tells Ava that Spencer is the stalker, and once Nikolas busts him, they'll be free to be together. Ava worries that whatever he has planned will just make his relationship with Spencer worse, especially since he's not 100 percent sure Spencer is the stalker. Nikolas ignores her concerns and proceeds with Operation: Unmask the Stalker. While Portia worries that she and Trina will never regain the closeness they used to have, Trina visits Stella. Stella apologizes for blowing up Trina's life and asks for forgiveness, but Trina doesn't think she did anything wrong. Stella tells Curtis that she was really impressed with Trina's maturity; it must be due to her upbringing, which means Portia is a better person than Stella thought. Trina is also softening toward Portia and is ready to talk things over after Spencer's party. Phyllis fully supports Lenny's decision to live life to the fullest, even if his biopsy comes back with a bad prognosis. This inspires Nina to want to live in the moment with Sonny (which makes sense, because this could all fall apart at any moment). Josslyn voices some viewers' thoughts by asking when Carly and Jason are going to get married. Carly admits to Jason that she's scared of how this new move will change their relationship. Later, she tries to feel more confident about leaving the past behind and moving into the future, but that's going to be hard while she's imagining Sonny is with her. Jax complains to Britt that Jason's putting Josslyn in danger, but Britt thinks he should look at the benefits of having Jason around, like how he might save your life when bad guys are about to give you a drug overdose. Jax tells her that he's always hated Sonny, and though he sometimes felt differently about Jason, Jason has continually chosen the mob life, so he's not any better than Sonny. Britt gets Jax's concerns, but she can't see Jason as a bad guy. Spencer has invited some of his boarding-school friends to his party, and Cameron worries that he's going to embarrass his Port Charles friends in front of them. Spencer admits that he likes his Port Charles friends more, because they're more authentic and care about more than just superficial things. He asks Cameron to invite more townies so he can get to know more normal people.
"Spencer's no longer a child. His antics aren't cute anymore." Were they ever?
Look, I'm not a huge fan of Stella, but she's not to blame for the Trina/Portia mess. Being mad at her would just be shooting the messenger, so good for Trina for not going there.
It's beyond time for the Nixon Falls plot to end.
I'm sorry, did Jax go to Britt for advice? Get some friends, Jax. Go see Alexis. It's not like she's busy.
August 13th, 2021
Sonny wants to arrange a fishing trip with Nina, Lenny, and Phyllis, but he'll have to arrange that for three, because suddenly, Lenny's dead. Sonny's recent memory about losing a loved one helps him empathize with Phyllis, though he knows her grief is worse because she's lost her spouse. Carly tells the imaginary Sonny the same thing she said to Jason yesterday about being worried that her friendship with Jason will change if they get married. He urges her to talk things over with Jason, the person she always takes her problems to. Carly also worries that moving on will mean putting Sonny behind her for good, which she doesn't want to do. Jax begs Jason not to marry Carly because he's convinced things are more dangerous for Josslyn than ever before. Of course Jason isn't going to listen. Not sure what his other options are, Jax complains to Dante about Joey, but Dante can't do anything since no crime has been committed. Josslyn can tell that Trina and Spencer like each other, so she warns Trina that Spencer is good at hiding who he really is (a spoiled, damaged kid). I wouldn't worry, though, since this is Trina we're talking about, and we all know she can handle herself. Sam and Dante are finally past the awkward-because-we-kissed stage and into the we-clearly-want-to-flirt-with-each-other-but-aren't-sure-how-the-other-will-react stage. They bond over parenting and agree to get drinks and maybe dinner together. The medical examiner has determined that Naomi was probably murdered, though Dante and Jordan won't come right out and admit that to Sam and Shawn. Jordan thinks Shawn should focus more on himself and his newfound freedom than solving what could turn out to be a cold case. She worries that he'll get himself into a situation that takes him away from T.J. again. Cameron encourages Spencer to stop putting up barriers between himself and other people so he can make more friends. Jason and Britt talk about the stuff they always talk about and I pay it the same amount of attention as I usually do.
Just like in a horror movie, never say, "I'll be right back" on a soap. It means something bad will happen.
Having Lenny possibly have cancer, then die from something else is just like giving Franco a brain tumor and then having Peter kill him.
I want to give Phyllis a hug. I also want her to move to Port Charles and run Charlie's (she can rename it Lenny's).
Seems to me like someone who isn't a psychopath would take Sonny's sympathy for Phyllis losing her husband as a signal that she should feel bad for Carly, who believes she's also lost her husband.
Of course Carly thinks her friendship with Jason is "perfect." She does whatever she wants, and he also does whatever she wants.
If this is all Jax is going to do, they might as well just write him out.
Morgan mention – drink! (Bold of them to do that in front of Kelly Thiebaud, by the way.)
"I used to go around dressed like corn." "We'll revisit that later." Heh.
I don't like all the recent mentions of Courtney.
August 16th, 2021
Spencer's party goes great until the launches disappear, effectively stranding everyone on Spoon Island. Then Spencer gets a call from Ryan saying he's on his way and this all will end tonight. The lights go out and the words "this ends tonight" are illuminated on the floor. Josslyn, Cameron, and Trina think Spencer's playing a joke on them, but his fear is genuine. While waiting to be able to get a cell signal and call the police, Spencer and Trina try to enjoy some fireworks, but someone with a mask and a knife is watching them. Sam and Dante have dinner and drinks, then discuss whether that constitutes a date. He doesn't think he's her type or that she would be satisfied doing simple, low-key things with him. She makes it clear that she's interested, and they make out a little and agree to see what happens. Then the brakes get slammed because Sam takes a phone call from an unknown number and finds herself talking to Drew. Jax records a conversation/fight with Carly over how he wants assurance that she can keep Josslyn safe. He tries to get Carly to say something incriminating, like how she ordered the destruction of Cyrus' ship back in May, but she catches on and busts him. Ava shares Nikolas' theory that Spencer is the stalker with Kevin, wondering if he thinks Spencer's capable of all the things the stalker is done. Kevin isn't sure, but he IS sure that Ryan is innocent. The two fill Laura in, and Ava lets them both know that Nikolas is planning a confrontation, which Laura wants to stop. A GH nurse is following her and eavesdrops on the conversation. Laura offers Elizabeth her support in case Naomi's death brings up her feelings about certain other deaths she's experienced this year. She also asks if Elizabeth plans to try to get in touch with her father to tell him what happened. Elizabeth would rather talk to Hayden, but she's starting to worry that they'll never see each other again.
Teens, stop saying "epic."
Nikolas is going too far with this. You don't make your child think he's going to be murdered by a real serial killer!
Today we learned that if Josslyn and Trina were in a horror movie, they would both survive.
I wish they hadn't advertised Sam's call from Drew. It would have been a great surprise.
Sam and Dante are super-cute together. Don't tell Past Me I said that.
Morgan mention – drink!
How many times per week are we going to have to listen to people talk about how awesome Cameron is?
August 17th, 2021
As Kevin and Laura arrive on Spoon Island, the launches turn up and the partygoers are able to leave. The masked figure ambushes Spencer and stabs him with a fake knife, effectively scaring the life out of him. Of course, it's Nikolas, and when he confirms Laura and Kevin's suspicions, he scares everyone again. His mother and son are understandably furious, though Spencer won't go so far as to admit that he was Ava's stalker (which Trina is now suspicious about). Ava confides to Portia that one of her reasons for talking Trina into making up with her mother was her fear that Trina and Portia would ruin their relationship like she and Kiki did. Portia sees another side of Ava and seems to even want to become friends. As Ava's leaving, she discovers that someone has set fire to her car. A firefighter found Kiki's hospital badge nearby, which is creepy for multiple reasons, one being that Kiki was buried with it. Since Spencer was on the island all night, he couldn't be behind the fire, but the long-haired, lurking nurse looks pretty pleased. At first Sam thinks someone's messing with her and trying to make her believe that Drew's alive. But since his body was never found and she can't figure out who would mess with her like this, she starts to wonder if Drew wasn't the real caller. Jax asks if Carly would have chosen her own freedom or Josslyn's safety if he'd actually recorded her incriminating herself and threatened to go to the police. Carly tears him apart, then repeats the Corinthos contingent's favorite excuse: Everything she did was to protect her family. Jason has Spinelli wipe Jax's phone just in case he recorded anything he shouldn't have, but Jax has harmed his relationship with Carly more than her criminal record. Carly and Jason were supposed to face the Five Families together, but when she hears that Josslyn has been through some weird stuff tonight, Carly chooses family over the mob and decides to skip. Sasha and Brando are the filler, but they're happy and the baby is healthy, so we'll let them enjoy that until things inevitably go south.
Too far, Nikolas. Waaaaaay too far. I mean, Kevin yelled. Kevin NEVER yells. That said, how is Laura more disappointed in Nikolas for this than for stealing ELQ, hiding Drew's identity, and hiring someone to kill Hayden?
Kiki mention – drink!
Yeah, Dante, it's "unthinkable" for a presumed-dead person whose body was never found to resurface on this show. Remember where you live, buddy.
How many more people does Jax plan to blackmail? Just a ballpark figure.
August 18th, 2021
Everyone thinks Spencer is innocent of all the stalker's actions, and he's certainly not going to correct them, so he uses Nikolas' accusations as more fuel for his anger at his father. Laura warns Nikolas that he's verging on becoming like Stavros, and if he doesn't turn things around, Spencer will follow in his footsteps. Trina sticks around to show Spencer her support, and he feels like someone's listening to him for once. He seems surprised that she considers him a friend, though I don't stand two inches from my friends and look like I'm about to kiss them. Sam tells Curtis about her mysterious phone call, and though he's skeptical that it was really from Drew, he defers to her judgment. They talk things through from a logical perspective and can't figure out who might want Sam to search for a dead man or believe Drew's alive if he's not. Sam feels like she owes it to Scout to try to find him, and the more she thinks about the call, the more she believes it was really from Drew. Though Drew doesn't know where he is or why someone is keeping him there, he knows that everyone thinks he's dead and his captor wants him alive for some reason. The thought of being reunited with Scout is keeping him going, and he manages to steal a pen, which he hopes will help him pick the lock on his handcuffs. Jason tries to have a meeting with the Five Families, but they won't shut up about Carly not being there. They think she might flip on them and turn over dirt on them to the FBI. Mrs. Wu notes that spousal privilege will only apply after Jason and Carly get married, so until then, Carly's a liability. Jax complains to Obrecht, for some reason, about Carly and Jason and blah blah blah. She tells him that the next time he wants to go up against Carly and Jason, he should call her for help. Carly goes to Spoon Island to retrieve Josslyn, though she can't keep her mind off of the meeting she's missing. She yells at Nikolas for being a bad parent, but he doesn't think she has any place to criticize.
I'm impressed that Drew still remembers Sam's phone number from two years ago.
Freaking A, Jason, just say Carly had a family emergency so we can move on already.
Once again, I only count four out of five families. Did they change math and not tell me?
Did they draw names out of a hat to end up with Jax/Obrecht scenes?
More of Kevin calling people on their crap, please.
Seriously, everyone needs to stop mentioning Courtney. It makes me itchy.
August 19th, 2021
Trina gives Spencer the same advice he gave her about her mother: Listen to Nikolas' side and don't be too quick to write his father off completely. They get close again and look like they're about to kiss...but they get interrupted by the lurking nurse. Well, she's not actually a nurse – she's Spencer's girlfriend, Esme. Also, she did set Ava's car on fire, but Spencer knew nothing about it and thinks that was too big a move. Poor Trina is disappointed that Spencer is taken, but at least the situation with Nikolas puts things with Portia in perspective, and she realizes their issues aren't as major as she'd previously thought. Laura tells Nikolas that it'll only take one more screw-up for him to lose everyone and everything he loves. Nikolas has finally realized that his stunt really caused some damage, but Spencer's too mad to talk to him right now. Kevin checks on Ava, who doesn't understand why the stalker ramped things up after her and Nikolas' separation seemed to calm him down. She's worried about her safety more than ever, and she thinks her best option right now is to leave town. Jason tells Carly that the Five Families have doubled down on the whole marry-Carly-or-kill-her thing. He wants them to set a date and get the ball rolling; meanwhile, he'll plot a move against the Novaks to show that the Corinthos organization isn't weak. Carly's still nervous about marrying her best friend, since he's always been her safety net but will have to be that in a different way in this situation. The two decide to get married on September 17th. Britt interrupts a ladies' night (featuring Elizabeth, Epiphany, Terry, Bobbie, Amy, and Deanna) because she wants her employees to suddenly forget all the bad stuff she's done and like her. Terry points out that she's reaping what she sowed, and she'll have to earn people's respect. Britt takes a step toward that by apologizing to Epiphany for demoting her, and telling her how valued she is as a nurse. Epiphany appreciates the effort and gives her points for saving Jason, but she's not quite ready to be friends yet.
Esme reminds me of Nelle. So...that's not good. Edit: I hope the person on Twitter who called her "Dollar Store Nelle" is having a fantastic day.
Spencer having a girlfriend with the last name Prince is pretty funny.
Kiki mention – drink!
Nobody cares enough about this Jason/Carly stuff for all the screentime it's getting.
I don't feel bad for Britt and you can't make me.
August 20th, 2021
Sonny and Nina sort through Lenny's things and discuss whether love can really be eternal. A photo of Lenny and Phyllis on their wedding day gives Sonny a memory of Carly on...well, one of their wedding days, and he comes closer to seeing her face than he ever has. He kisses Nina, who decides they shouldn't keep going. And then we get another shot at a Port Charles citizen running into Sonny, because moments after he leaves the Tan-O, Maxie arrives. Chase weighs in on the Austin situation, siding with the guy who's been left in the dark (hint, hint, Willow). Off-screen, he finds the proof Austin wanted that Edward was going to reinherit Jimmy Lee, but Brook busts him for secretly being able to walk. Esme meets the rest of Spencer's friends, whom she knows all about because she and "Spence" share everything. Josslyn isn't happy that Spencer led Trina on for so long and never mentioned that he has a girlfriend. Chase practically invites Willow to tell him anything he should know and/or leave him. She seems tempted to tell him she's cheating, but she doesn't do it. Laura wants to fix the Spencer/Nikolas situation (and also keep Spencer and Esme from living together), but there isn't much she can do when Spencer insists he doesn't want to have anything to do with his father. Laura points out that he'll need money to live on his own, since Nikolas has cut off his access to his trust fund. Carly tells Michael and Josslyn that she and Jason are getting married in a month. Josslyn is thrilled because she still thinks this is a real marriage, but Michael warns that Carly and Jason might find themselves transitioning from a marriage of convenience to a conventional one (like he and Willow did, because everything is about him and Willow). Martin gets a phone call that sends him rushing to Laura to tell her they have a problem. He also hits on Anna, who isn't interested. Valentin is, of course, jealous and tells Martin to cut it out.
I love Sonny having a memory of Carly at a wedding while she's preparing to marry someone else.
I wasn't expecting Kirsten Storms back so soon, so this is nice. I won't get my hopes up about Maxie seeing Sonny, though. I don't expect this time to be any different from the others.
Spencer needs to work at Kelly's. It would be awesome.
Chase should never do undercover work.
Why is Willow acting like she hasn't seen Michael in years? She was with him 20 minutes ago.
Martin: "May I be honest?" Anna: "I'm not sure I can stop you." Heh.
August 23rd, 2021
Nina tries to counsel Maxie about her next steps while keeping an eye out for Sonny. Maxie thinks she's just about ready to go back to Port Charles and be around Louise, but she'd like to spend a few days in Nixon Falls first. Nina convinces her that she would just be running away, so Maxie heads out again. She doesn't realize that someone she knows is lurking around, but it's not the presumed-dead person Nina doesn't want her to see – it's freaking Peter. Sam asks Anna if the WSB might be willing to provide her with their findings on Drew's plane crash, in case there's something in there that will point her toward his location. Anna and Valentin agree that he could be alive, and that Peter might have something to do with what really happened to him. Valentin also thinks that looking into the WSB's investigation could give them a lead on Peter. Willow has decided her guilt over lying to Chase outweighs the pain he'll feel when he learns the truth, so she's going to end things with him. Michael talks his way into tagging along, which sounds like a really horrible idea. Brook busts Chase for teaming with Austin to get documentation stating that Edward wanted to change his will. She feels betrayed and doesn't think hurting Michael is a good enough excuse for Chase to hurt all the Quartermaines. He agrees to think about what's really the best action. Ned offers Austin anything he wants to drop the suit, except the thing he actually wants, which is ELQ shares and a feeling of family. He seems to soften when Austin treats Leo for a minor injury, but I think he should actually be more on guard because Austin is a little too interested in following up on Leo's care. Cyrus has put a hit out on Laura and Martin, so the FBI wants to move them to an undisclosed location until they can ensure their safety. Laura asks Kevin to stay behind and be a voice of reason in the Nikolas/Spencer mess. Olivia bugs Dante for details what may or may not be developing between him and Sam. Dante isn't ready to share just yet.
I'm going to throw my TV out the window.
Are we supposed to believe that Sam didn't ask Spinelli to try to trace Drew's call?
Morgan mention – drink!
"If you value my friendship, Chase, you will tell me the truth." Oh, honey. You hid Willow's affair from him for weeks. Don't play that card.
So...we're not going to talk about Leo completely ignoring Sam?
I can't wait for someone to try to explain to Leo that his brother and sister want to date each other.
This Cyrus stuff is dumb. They should have just had Laura go visit Lucky.
August 24th, 2021
Before Peter can surprise Nina at the Tan-O, he gets a surprise of his own when he runs into Sonny. He quickly figures out that Sonny doesn't know who he is, so he calls himself Peter Sinclair, a writer who's on a quest to discover what he wants next out of life. Nina is shocked to see Peter and plays along with his cover story, pretending they just know each other from their work in publishing. Michael, Willow, and Chase finally get everything out on the table: Michael and Willow are in love and want a relationship with each other, Chase knows all about them sleeping together, and Chase can walk. It's not pretty, but at least it's done. Brook chastises Austin for taking advantage of Chase to try to pull one over on the Quartermaines. Austin points out that whatever happens is up to Chase, who has free will in this situation. Brook tells him he's probably a Quartermaine after all, since he's as devious as the rest of them are. She and Michael hope that Chase won't turn the proof over to a lawyer and get Austin his shares. Dante is up for helping Sam look for Drew, even if it means she ends up killing Peter, which she really, really wants to do. She regrets that Drew and Scout have lost so much time together, which makes Dante lament the time he lost with Rocco. Drew is also thinking of Scout, and is even hallucinating her and Sam. He's surprised to get a visit from a nurse, who happens to be the also-not-dead-after-all Chloe. She makes it clear that she's there against her will, too, and isn't one of his captors. She doesn't think the captors trust her, so Drew has her turn over the pen he stole to earn some points with them. Then when there's a chance to escape, the two of them can work together to get out. P.S. There's at least one other prisoner – a woman – within screaming distance of Drew's cell. Jason tells Carly that they need to make the wedding a bigger event than they'd planned; the Five Families won't be satisfied with just a small ceremony at the courthouse. Carly's nervous, Jason's fine, blah blah blah. Maxie talks her way into planning the ceremony so she can have a project to take her mind off of Louise. Elizabeth wants a few days off work so she can take Violet and the boys camping, but Britt turns her down since she didn't give enough notice. Elizabeth goes to Terry instead, failing to mention that Britt said no, and gets her leave approved. When Terry finds out, she confronts Elizabeth for playing Mommy against Mommy and tells her that no matter how she feels about Britt personally, she has to respect her decisions as the boss. Britt appreciates this and approves the leave (which I'd argue is just a way to make herself look like a good person). She and Terry finally see that they can work well together and agree to treat the arrangement as a partnership.
Good luck handling Peter now that he has major blackmail material, Nina. If you kill him, you'll probably rebuild a little of the good will you've lost with some people. (You'll lose it again later, but every little bit helps, right?)
"Sometimes, with the best of intentions, you tell a lie." Michael, there's a difference between lying and having an affair.
Michael and Brook can't really think that Chase would hide a legal document just so the Qs can have a few extra ELQ shares. Chase. Harrison Chase. That Chase.
Place your bets now: Is Drew's fellow prisoner Hayden or Holly?
The Chloe connection was a clever way to confirm that Peter's behind Drew's captivity (not that that was hard to figure out) without showing us or anyone saying it directly.
August 25th, 2021
Peter tells Nina he hasn't had any luck finding Louise (obviously), so he's been following Maxie. Now he wants to set up a base of operations in Nixon Falls and use Nina to get information on the search for Louise. If Nina won't cooperate, he'll go after James and tell Carly that Sonny's alive. Chase doesn't want to be in the middle of the Quartermaines' business anymore, so he gives the legal document to Michael. At first Michael agrees with Brook that Austin shouldn't get anything, but when Austin talks about how hard it was to watch his father die still cut off from Edward, Michael has a change of heart. He gives Austin the document, which leads Brook to whine that the family is going to lose control of ELQ. Jax, Carly, Josslyn, and Cameron have dinner together to celebrate Josslyn's upcoming freshman year of college, but it goes downhill fast because Jax won't stop bringing up mob stuff. Carly basically tells him that now that Josslyn is an adult, she doesn't plan to deal with him anymore. Josslyn's embarrassed that her parents can't be normal for five minutes, but Cameron doesn't hold it against her. Esme claims to want to be friends with Trina, even though she knows Trina has a crush on Spencer. She wants to take some classes at PCU, which will get her closer to Trina, and Spencer should probably see that as a red flag. Willow apologizes to Chase a bunch, and he practically forgives her because his and Sasha's lies were how this all started, so I guess he doesn't think he's an innocent victim. Whatever, they're done, I hope Willow's happy with the boring one. Sonny hopes that at some point in his life, he's had the kind of love Phyllis and Lenny had with each other. Phyllis thinks he and Nina could have it now. Valentin tells Maxie that there's been a development in the search for Louise, which...of course there hasn't, since he's literally holding her right now. It's all just an excuse to give Maxie a few scenes with her daughter.
Admittedly, Peter getting involved in the Nixon Falls plot does make it more interesting, but...did it have to be him?
Now that Peter has threatened James, maybe Nathan's ghost will finish him off.
Brook really has some nerve to complain about a "stranger" getting ELQ shares, considering how willing she was to give her shares to a stranger.
Ugh, just get rid of Jax. No one's enjoying this. When was the last time he had a conversation with someone – anyone – and didn't mention Sonny or Jason?
Why is Spencer with Esme? I don't think he even likes her.
Of course Willow and Chase are splitting up on good terms. We can't have anyone mad at St. Willow!
Cross "Valentin wearing a baby in a baby carrier" off the list of things I never thought I would see.
August 26th, 2021
Peter meets Phyllis, who buys that he and Nina are just colleagues who happened to run into each other in town. Finchley stops by and says he recognizes Peter, so Nina tries to drop hints that Finchley should read up on him. Peter catches on (she wasn't that subtle) and reminds her that he's ready to grab James if she doesn't do what he wants. If that's not enough motivation, he's also willing to harm Phyllis or Sonny. Sonny knows that Nina doesn't like Peter (again, she's not subtle), so he'd like to have a chat with Peter about how long he's sticking around. Meanwhile, Nina turns to Obrecht for help. Chase finally talks to Finn about his marriage ending, but he's talked himself into letting most of it go, because it would be awful if he had even the slightest bit of anger toward the perfect Michael and Willow. Brook whines more about Michael giving Austin what he needs to get his ELQ shares, though Michael notes that he still doesn't have anything legally binding, and it wouldn't have been worth it to do something unethical. Willow admits that she's siding with Brook on this one – she's not sure Austin is trustworthy or deserves any shares. Josslyn vents to Jason about the Jax/Carly iciness and how they've veered away from their usual co-parenting maturity. Jason gets why Jax is unhappy, but basically doesn't care because Carly's going to do whatever she wants, and it happens to be what Jason also wants. Britt has moved on from being mad at Jason and Carly to wanting Jason to be happy. Obrecht is still mad on her behalf, but Britt is suddenly gracious. She's even okay with the fact that Maxie is planning the wedding. Carly tells Maxie that it's weird to be planning a wedding to Jason, though she's not sure why. Maxie thinks it's because she's going to spend the rest of her life with someone she never expected to spend the rest of her life with. Jason and Carly pick their best man and maid of honor, Michael and Josslyn. Michael, Willow, finally together, blah blah blah.
I expected Nina to reach out to Valentin (he would get rid of Peter and would most likely keep quiet about Sonny), but Obrecht is a good choice, too.
Chase, stop making excuses for Michael and Willow. Writers, knock it off.
Oh, Josslyn, you naïve little bunny. Jax has been a jerk many times over the past 25 years.
The moss has been recast!
We've now listened to Britt talk about Jason for longer than they were actually together.
I need a Michael/Willow vacation.
August 27th, 2021
Nina tells Obrecht that Peter is alive and well in Nixon Falls, and threatening James. Obrecht is ready to drop everything, drive out there, and take care of things, but Scott reminds her that she was going to take him along to a medical conference in St. Lucia. Obrecht quickly comes up with a better plan: Nina will tell Peter that Valentin has a lead that Louise is in St. Lucia. Obrecht will use the conference as an alibi and kill Peter there. Jason and Carly reminisce about how they used to hang out at Jake's and drink beer and shoot pool (and hook up). This seems to bring back old feelings, because they almost kiss. Spencer and Esme visit Alexis, who encourages Spencer to sympathize with his father. The real point of the visit is so Esme, who has a disturbing interest in Ryan, can introduce herself. She mentions that she might volunteer at Spring Ridge, but Ryan tells her (via eye blinks) to "go, go, go." Later, Harmony tells Alexis that she can tell after just two minutes with Esme that she's trouble. Phyllis tells Sonny to be nice to Peter, even though it's obvious Nina doesn't like him and Sonny doesn't want him around. She notes that Sonny always has a problem with people who get close to Nina, though a) the only other person who did that was Elijah and b) Sonny was right about him being shady. Sonny turns his focus to something he forgot about – when Peter first saw him, he seemed to know who Sonny was. Jax apologizes to Carly for ruining their dinner with Josslyn and Cameron, but two minutes later, he's trying to ban Josslyn from going to the wedding because mobsters will be there. Carly is beyond done with him (hey, me, too!) and tells him he's not invited. Nikolas is sorry to hear that Ava wants to leave town for a while, and he's hopeful that by the time she gets back, they'll be able to be together again. Jax asks Maxie how Nina is, and she tells him Nina's moved on, so Jax should probably do the same. Scott thinks Edward's legal document will get Austin what he's looking for.
Nina should really warn Maxie. Tell her Peter's in Nixon Falls and she needs to stay away, but they're taking care of it. Maxie deserves to know what's going on.
This would be the ideal time for Sonny to get his memory back. Just take Peter out before he can even blink.
Quick question about this Carly/Jason stuff: Why?
Is Ryan using Morse code? Nice callback.
I forgot about Kiki's ID badge. How did Esme get that? Also, drink!
People keep mentioning Nikolas' childhood, as if it explains why he acts the way he does, but he wasn't like this until nine or ten years ago. That was the whole thing with him – he was the normal Cassadine. During his teenage years, he was polite and charming and...you know, normal. His upbringing isn't where the blame lies.
At this point, I'm just waiting for all the Ingo Rademacher/anti-vax stuff to play out because maybe that will get Jax off my TV.
August 30th, 2021
Sonny tells Peter to speak up if he knows who Sonny really is. Peter strings him along, then taunts that Nina likes to take on pathetic souls as projects. Nina steps in just as things are about to get violent and tells Sonny that Peter's about to never be their problem again. She and Obrecht make arrangements to get Peter to a little town in St. Lucia, and Peter buys Nina's story that Anna and Valentin have tracked a lead there but won't get there until tomorrow. With Peter on his way to his death, Nina feels free to spend some down time with Sonny. However, Obrecht and Scott run into some plane trouble on their way to St. Lucia. Maxie and Brook have lunch together at the pool, even though Austin's nearby and they don't want him to remember seeing them together the night Louise was born. Austin is fully immune to Brook's coldness toward him, but he leaves them alone when Maxie tells him that seeing him reminds her of Louise and makes her sad. Brook thinks Austin's so friendly with Maxie because he's interested in her. Thanks to the WSB's file on Drew's plane crash, Sam, Dante, and Anna discover that he wasn't the only passenger on the plane. Another seat was booked by a company that used to be associated with Crichton-Clark, the last place Drew was held before he came to Port Charles. Jordan warns Jason that Cyrus is still making moves, and the wedding would be the perfect place for him to strike. She wonders if Jason knows more than he's letting on about anyone Cyrus might be working with, such as one of the Five Families. Speaking of the Five Families, Gladys seems to want to get in bed with them. Also, Novak assures Carly that Joey won't be a problem anymore, but who knows if that's true? Since Sam has to step back from the Hayden investigation, Alexis offers to take her place. She also thinks Shawn should listen to Jordan about moving ahead with his life. He tells Jordan he wants to do that, but Hayden takes priority, and he'd like Jordan's help in the investigation. Sasha encourages Brando to go to the wedding, since it kind of involves his family, and she doesn't want him to cut them off completely. Valentin keeps working Austin, trying to get at least one Quartermaine on his side. Lucy thinks Scott is an idiot for being with Obrecht. She also despises Gladys, but I guess that's not really news.
Thanks a lot, Nina. You could have just let Sonny smack Peter with a bat Why can't we have anything nice?
The show managed to make me feel sorry for Nina, with Peter making her life miserable, but that didn't last long.
We aren't going to have to watch a storyline where Scott and Obrecht get stranded on an island, are we?
Why would Gladys want to go to the wedding? She hates Carly.
August 31st, 2021
Obrecht and Scott's plane trouble appears to be bad enough to make the oxygen masks drop down. But that might be a trick, because whatever's in the masks sedates them. Two guys board the plane and take Scott somewhere, as directed by their boss, but it's not clear what their plans are for Obrecht. Sonny tells Nina that he got the impression that Peter knows who he is, but Nina brushes that off. They turn their focus back to their relationship, or whatever, and decide to have their first real date. Carly and Jason figure out that Cyrus is targeting Laura and Martin, and realize he might have plans for the Corinthos contingent as well. They think the Novaks might be working with him, but it's really one of the other families. Sam, Anna, and Dante aren't sure they can trust the information in the WSB's file about Drew's plane crash, since Anna's still in the doghouse with the bureau. The lack of information about the other passenger also makes them think there could be a cover-up. They debate whether the passenger was tied to the WSB or Crichton-Clark, though Sam thinks they were actually tied to Drew. Jordan agrees to work with Shawn, since she feels bad for not recognizing that his sentencing wasn't fair and never did a full investigation of Hayden's shooting after he pled guilty. She tells him that Naomi flew in from Paris the day before she died, and the two decide that finding out where she was before that might give them a hint about where Hayden is. Chase joins the camping trip, which just includes Elizabeth, Finn, Violet, and Aiden. With Chase keeping the kids busy, Finn and Elizabeth get much closer. Trina helps Josslyn cook dinner for Jax, and the sauce Phyllis gave her back in May finally makes a reappearance.
There was a lot of talk about planes today.
"Trust me, Mike. You've seen the last of Peter." Can I get that same promise?
Why would the WSB kidnap Drew? It's not like he knows any secrets they might not want getting out. If that was the issue, they should have gone after Franco post-memory transfer. Anyway, I'm going to toss out a theory just in case it pans out: Victor's alive and behind this. And since he has ties to Obrecht, maybe he's behind what's going on with her and Scott, too.
Is Chekhov's sauce finally going to go off??