General Hospital blog - August, 2022
August 1st, 2022
Nikolas wants to tell Spencer about the Ava/Esme stuff, but Spencer won't let himself shift focus from the trial until it's over. Portia and Taggert aren't thrilled that Trina had an alibi this whole time and never said anything, but Portia's more worried that that alibi won't clear her. Diane warns Trina that to convince the jury she's innocent, they'll need to alter the line of questioning a little, and things will get personal. Trina's ready for it, and when Diane tells her to be her own heroine, Trina's all in. She testifies that she was with Spencer when the recording was sent out, that she kept quiet to protect him, and that she didn't have feelings for Cameron at the cabin because she had feelings for Spencer. Things between Esme and Ava turn physical, and they only get worse when Ava gets her hands on one of Esme's letters to Maggie. They end up on a parapet, and just as Nikolas gets home, Ava fights Esme off of her, tossing her over the edge. Willow remains optimistic that her test results will come back okay, so there's no reason to get Michael worried yet, since he already has enough on his plate. T.J. notes that Willow does, too, but she won't jump the gun before they know anything for sure. It looks like something else is going to be added to Willow's plate, though, because T.J. suspects that she has leukemia. Elizabeth returns to work, still claiming that she's totally fine and can go back to her normal life. Finn hovers a little and ends up blurting out that it's because he loves her. He does that typical "you don't have to say it, too" backpedaling thing, but she returns his feelings. Of course, things can't be that easy for them – Elizabeth suddenly freezes in the stairwell, remembering how she found Peter at the bottom of the stairs after Finn almost killed him. Sam overhears Michael on the phone, ordering someone around about Dex's background check, but thinks he's just really intense about Aurora business. When the conversation turns to the topic of his growing family, he mentions that Dante knows about Willow's pregnancy, so he's a little surprised that Dante didn't tell Sam. She confides that she sometimes has to work to get him to open up to her. Mac discusses his future more with Felicia, sharing that while he doesn't plan to retire from the PCPD anytime soon, he misses running the Floating Rib with her. She misses it, too, and says she felt useful when she was doing it. He suggests that she find another useful role, or more specifically return to a previous useful role she had, and help Sam with her PI work.
"I can only come up with one reason: that it was an act of love." Let's not jump to the L word, Diane. You're not Finn.
Time to change the "it has been X days since someone went over the side of a parapet" sign at Wyndemere.
Kiki mention – drink!
Was Nikolas implying that he wouldn't have slept with Esme if he'd known what Spencer was up to? I don't get the connection.
Leukemia, you say? And how do they often treat leukemia? Why, with a bone marrow transplant! What a shocker!
They shouldn't have put in the teaser for tomorrow's episode that Willow would be talking to Terry, because that ruined the reveal today that she might have cancer.
August 2nd, 2022
Nikolas' first instinct is to cover up Ava and Esme's fight so Ava won't be accused of murder. He searches the spot where she fell – either into the water or onto rocks – but only finds a shoe. They clean up the scene of the fight, hide Esme's suitcase, and agree to lie that she left. Trina wraps up her testimony, pinning everything on Esme. Arden paints all of the defense's arguments as unprovable, but Diane points out in her closing argument that there's nothing definitively establishing that Trina took or distributed the video. She feels good about how the trial went and thinks they've created enough reasonable doubt for the jury to acquit Trina. Jordan and Curtis share their findings with each other and puzzle out that Esme drugged Trina at the cabin, then drugged Oz to shut him up. The only way that will stand up in court is if Oz testifies, so Curtis approaches T.J. about the possibility of bringing him out of his medically induced coma. Willow meets with Britt and Terry, who try to keep her from jumping to the worst-case scenario. She undergoes a bone-marrow biopsy without telling Michael anything about her potential diagnosis. Britt encourages her to open up and accept support, advice she herself has yet to take. Elizabeth has some sort of fugue experience where she remembers something from her childhood about her father, then takes a minute to get back to herself. When Finn asks what happened, she lies that she got dizzy. He suggests that she see a neurologist in case there's something else going on, and when she declines, he encourages her to make sure she can continue caring for her kids. Elizabeth gets offended, thinking he's calling her a bad mother. Finn's confused but also sure that something weird is going on. Spencer gets arrested for leaving Spring Ridge.
Hmm, good thing Ava and Nikolas are still married and can't be compelled to testify against each other. This whole thing will probably bring them back together, too. The couple who covers up an accidental death together stays together. (That's a saying, right?)
Curtis, not only is it dangerous to try to bring Oz out of his coma, but it's not something you should drag T.J. into. Don't get him booted out of medicine while he's still an intern.
What's up with Willow and Sasha not telling their significant others major things about their lives?
Ugh, they're Emilifying Willow, with everyone always saying good things about her.
I can't believe Michael didn't come across Willow's file in the stairwell and find out about her possible diagnosis that way.
Michael, stop bringing up Nelle.
August 3rd, 2022
Ava refuses to team up with Nikolas for any kind of cover-up or stay with him just because it would look suspicious if she left him – if she revealed that Nikolas slept with Esme, and then Esme's body turned up, she would be the police's #1 suspect. Nikolas can't talk her into staying at Wyndemere, and when he leaves to go deal with Spencer's arrest, she takes off. Surprisingly, she goes to Sonny and asks him to ensure that Trina gets acquitted. While Sasha chats with Nina (about how everything's fine, fine fine!) before meeting up with Sienna, Sienna touches base with the person who put her up to inviting her out: Smoltz. He wants Sienna to record Sasha trying to buy drugs and/or admitting that she was under the influence when she killed Harmony. Sasha doesn't take the bait, and later she catches the two of them together. Trina thinks that Rory wants to stop things before they start and just be friends, but he's still up for any kind of relationship they can have whether or not she goes to prison. Spencer isn't the least bit concerned about his arrest as long as it means Trina might get exonerated. Jordan goes by the book with him but does express her appreciation over his testimony. Nikolas tells Spencer that Esme "left town," which means they're out of luck to get her confession. Brando asks Sonny to have one of his guys follow Sasha, then backs off when he realizes he's trying to get someone to spy on his wife. He's upset that she's freezing him out, so Sonny tells him to ignore her request for space and find her. Josslyn gives Cameron an update on what he missed in court and notes that he's not surprised about Spencer testifying for Trina. Cameron admits that Spencer told him a while ago that he was Team Trina and was only staying with Esme to try to bust her. Josslyn isn't happy that he didn't tell her anything, but she also gets that he was put in a tough position, so I think she'll get over it pretty quickly.
"Now we have to live with that decision." Yeah, the decision you made on your own and dragged Ava into going along with.
It's been a while since this show made me exclaim, "WHAT?" but Ava showing up at Sonny's office did it today.
LOL at Ava basically being like, "Yes, thank you, I have covered up murder before." And another LOL at Ava telling Sonny that Esme's no longer in the picture and Sonny immediately asking her what she did.
I wish they'd put in a quick shot of Brando peeking into the pool area, seeing Trina and Rory together, going, "Oops," and ducking back out.
Brando, you HAVE to stop going to Sonny for relationship advice.
August 4th, 2022
Sasha has a full meltdown and smashes up Smoltz's car, only stopping when Brando arrives and restrains her. She goes practically catatonic as Dante arrives to deal with things and ends up having to arrest her. Brando gets more and more frantic about Sasha's mental state but can't convince Jordan and Dante to get her help. Curtis tells Portia that he wants T.J. to wake up Oz, even though there's a huge risk to both Oz's health and T.J.'s career. Portia refuses to let T.J. do it, and Curtis guesses that she plans to do it herself. She emotionally tells him that she's willing to lose her medical license and do prison time if it means Trina goes free. Though she makes a good argument about why Curtis should let her do this alone, he talks her into letting him help. Sonny tests Dex's potential as a #2 by telling him to make the foreman on Trina's jury guarantee an acquittal. Josslyn catches them talking and guesses what's going on. Dex can't come up with a way to win her over this time, and he loses his chance to secure the foreman's assurance, so he just tells Sonny he did what he could. Sonny still seems satisfied, since he tried (and a guard confirms that he told Sonny the truth about the situation). Dex immediately calls Michael and asks to renegotiate their deal. Josslyn tells Carly what she walked in on, and Carly basically says, "It's great that you have morals and stuff but you need to let this go so Trina will be cleared." Dante worries that he's hurt his chances for advancement in the PCPD by turning down an undercover assignment that would have taken him out of town. Jordan assures him that she understands his priorities as a fellow single parent, and they can find other ways for him to do his part. Dante hopes that his circumstances and child-care options will change, along with the number of adults living in his home. Josslyn tells Carly about Cameron keeping Spencer's secrets and how her intuition told her something was going on. She sort of compares things to Carly and Sonny's situation, which Carly doesn't want to talk about. She urges Josslyn to let go of her anger and move on like she has.
The way Sasha said she was tired makes me think that the police should put her on suicide watch.
Sasha should get Smoltz charged with harassment, and then we can watch him get taken down in court Alex Jones-style.
So where did Sienna go?
I like Portia – and Brook Kerr's portrayal of her – more and more each passing week. Kerr was excellent today.
Would Oz's statement even be admissable in court? If Portia and Curtis showed up saying he admitted to selling the phone to Esme, wouldn't that just get dismissed as hearsay?
I'm waiting for Dex to just tell Josslyn what he's up to. She'd definitely shut up if she knew he was trying to bring Sonny down from the inside.
August 5th, 2022
Sasha's still really low the day after her arrest, and Martin tells Brando that he can only get her a good deal in court if she's properly remorseful and agrees to whatever treatment she needs. Brando doesn't think she can get there or that she'll agree to therapy, so Martin suggests putting her under someone's guardianship while she's incapable of making good decisions for herself. Chase's chances of keeping his job as a cop are pretty low, but Dante doesn't want him to give up as long as there's still a little hope. He eavesdrops while Chase talks to Linc about a couple of performances he's booked and the studio time Linc wants him to have. Brook pretends to try to convince Chase that he'd be better off under her management. Dante catches on that they're running some sort of con and asks Brook what it's all about. Unfortunately, Linc might have caught on as well. Lucy, Maxie, and Brook try to get ahead of negative Deception PR by releasing a statement about mental health and their support for Sasha. However, Lucy thinks they might need to replace her as the face of Deception so the company doesn't take a hit. Maxie gets upset with her for that. Cody accuses Britt of keeping her standards too high so she has an excuse not to let people get close to her. Britt admits that he's right and agrees to give him another chance. Spinelli objects, which confuses Sam and Maxie, who both think Cody's a good guy. He even tells Britt straight out that she shouldn't go out with Cody. Gregory's op-ed has gotten more positive feedback than negative, so according to the terms of his and Alexis' bet, she has to include more objectivity in the Invader. She still thinks he's too black-and-white about things, and she uses Sasha's situation to explain why empathy and knowledge of your subject are important to presenting your story (simply reporting that she attacked Smoltz, while accurate, would paint her in an unfair light because there are circumstances that explain why she would act the way she did). Sam tries to enlist Spinelli to help her with her Esme investigation, but he says he's too busy with work (though he still won't tell her what he's doing).
So we have Brook with Ke$ha and Taylor Swift plotlines, and now Sasha with a Britney Spears plotline. Tune in next week for a third pop-star-related storyline that I could probably come up with if I gave it more thought, but it's Friday and I'm tired.
I'm sorry, I can't feel bad for Chase if he's having money problems. He sat around for six months and didn't get a job.
Wait – Chase needs a job...Deception needs a temporary spokesmodel...I see an obvious solution.
Britt, Cody knew he would probably run into you where he did because he's seen you there multiple times and you live in that hotel. Chill.
Alexis and Gregory's conversation was interesting, but not for a soap. Someone throw a drink in someone's face!
August 8th, 2022
Dex makes a reasonable request for a raise from Michael, now that Sonny's asking him to commit felonies. He encourages Michael to submit an anonymous tip busting him for jury tampering, but Michael doesn't want Trina to have to wait for a new trial, so he'll pass up this chance. Britt thinks that Spinelli told her not to pursue anything with Cody because Spinelli knows something about him, and she deserves to be filled in. Cody interrupts, acts like he's going to reveal that Spinelli's behind Society Setups, and instead announces that Spinelli wants to keep them apart because he has a crush on Britt. Maxie and Sam doubt that, and they also doubt Britt's claim that Spinelli's already seeing someone. Privately, Cody finally clues the audience in on what he's holding over Spinelli: He's been mining people's data – including people who aren't involved in Society Setups – and there's no algorithm matching couples. He tells Spinelli his only option now, other than coming clean and getting busted by the feds, is to go along with Cody's story that he has a crush on Britt. Linc hasn't figured out what Brook and Chase are up to, but he has figured out that Brook has feelings for Chase. He cautions Chase not to start a professional relationship with her because Brook won't be able to keep her personal feelings out of it. Dante tries to talk Brook out of using Chase for revenge against Linc, unaware that Chase has signed on fully aware of where things are going. Brook suggests that they drop everything, but when Chase tells her that Linc thinks she likes him, she decides to keep it going because Linc seems to believe that Brook could actually succeed. Ava goes to the hospital to find out if Esme has turned up (in either the ER or the morgue) and ends up chatting with Willow. An offhand comment from Ava about how life is short makes Willow emotional. Ava thinks she's just mourning Jonah and worrying that she'll lose another child. Willow is inspired to do whatever she needs to preserve her family, though I'm not clear on what she thinks she can do here if she has leukemia. Sam asks Maxie what Spinelli's been hiding, but Maxie won't tell her anything. They also discuss the status of Sam and Dante's relationship, which Maxie really wants to be encouraging about, even though it means Dante's moving on from Lulu. Sam is still clearly uneasy about the idea of living with him but hasn't clarified why. Kristina tells Sonny that she's not thrilled with Nina or what she did to their family, but she'll support their relationship if it's what Sonny wants. Nina complains to Obrecht that Carly is never going to be completely out of the picture, so if Nina wants to be with Sonny, she'll have to put up with his ex. She wants him, though, so she'll have to learn to live with it.
You gotta respect Cody for being like, "I'm going to make this not about me in the most chaotic way possible."
Spinelli better pray he never gets busted. He wouldn't last two days in prison.
Between Willow literally crying on Ava's shoulder and Obrecht advising Nina to apologize, this was like Bizarro Port Charles.
Kiki and Morgan mentions – drink up!
Thanks for stopping by, Kristina! See you in another six months or so, I guess!
Sonny needs to stop complaining about one kid to his other kids.
LOL at Dex asking if Kristina was Sonny's bodyguard.
August 9th, 2022
Ava is ready to sign her divorce papers, but Nikolas interrupts her and Scott to remind her that leaving him now could come back to bite Ava if Esme turns up dead. Plus, if they stay married, he can't be compelled to testify against her. Ava agrees to postpone the divorce again, but she refuses to live at Wyndemere. Obrecht meets Cody and is surprisingly a big fan. She thinks Britt should keep getting to know him. Things fall apart when she introduces him to Scott, and Cody punches him. Sonny and Nina continue to exhaust me by talking about how their relationship can't be the same as it was in Nixon Falls, and how Carly will always be an issue, and blah blah blah, there's no way Nina's going to walk away after all this when nothing major has happened, so why do we have to endure this? It's almost a relief when Smoltz starts asking them questions and has to be chased off. Valentin is starting to get desperate about his separation from Charlotte, and he can't see why Victor hasn't eased up yet. Victor says he still doubts Valentin's loyalty, since he didn't get rid of Laura permanently and he hasn't ensured that Anna stays out of their business. Anna's torn between wanting Valentin in her life and not knowing if she can believe his story about why he was out of town. Felicia advises her to trust her instincts, which means Anna will be doing some digging instead of just taking Valentin at his word. Carly meets with Mia, Drew's executive coach, for help figuring out what she wants to do next with her life (besides getting back what used to be hers, plus more). A conversation with her and a snark-fest with Valentin make Drew decide to stop being nice and go after what he wants. Sam finally reveals part of her hesitation to move in with Dante: She thinks of his house as Lulu's. He assures her that that's in the past, but he's willing to wait until Sam's ready to make the next move as long as they keep things going.
I laughed at Obrecht telling Britt that she doesn't have to marry Cody and can just date him casually. I said the same thing to a friend right before she went on a setup date. They've been married for almost 20 years.
Nina said Smoltz's name like it was a curse word. I may have to adopt that.
Shouldn't Victor be taking advantage of Laura's absence to do...whatever it is he keeps plotting?
That thing about how actors stop having chemistry once they start a relationship doesn't apply to Cameron and Vanessa Mathison. I kept feeling like Mia was flirting with Drew.
August 10th, 2022
Cody reveals that his mother was Dominique, Serena's mother. He's unhappy that Serena spent what should have been their shared inheritance saving the whales (though I'm not sure why he felt punching Scott was justified there). Obrecht is no longer a fan, and she's not displeased when Dante arrests Cody for assault. Spencer puts on an act with Dante, pretending he's totally fine serving his full sentence at Pentonville if it means Trina's okay, but he admits to Sonny that he's scared. Sonny gives him some pointers for surviving prison and assures him that some threats already know to leave him alone. Spencer has been offered the possibility of a reduced sentence if he turns in the people who helped him sneak out of Spring Ridge, but he's not sure it would be honorable to rat on them. Sonny says it wouldn't be in his line of work, but since Spencer isn't in the mob, he can do whatever he thinks is best for himself. Drew offers to find a way to take down Victor if Valentin hands over control of ELQ. Valentin tries to play innocent about the need to have Valentin taken down, but he's definitely intrigued. He warns that if Victor thinks Drew can't be threatened, he'll target someone Drew cares about, something Valentin knows from experience. Anna wants information about Valentin out of Martin, so she first makes it seem like she's flirting, then blackmails him with knowledge of assets he's keeping from his three ex-wives. Victor Parent Traps a meeting with Alexis and Nikolas to ask Alexis to use the Invader to help get Spencer out of his sentence. Alexis says no, since she'd be getting a white man off the hook for something he did while ignoring a Black woman who's completely innocent. Plus, the blowback would fall on Victor and Nikolas, and Spencer would be furious. Alexis offers to help build a case against Esme instead, but Nikolas has to shoot that down since she "left town." Maxie bugs Spinelli about his alleged feelings for Britt and his claim that the Society Setups algorithm matched them up. He implies that he's also matched with someone he can't be with. Ava and Nina are the filler.
When we first learned Cody's last name was Bell, I did note that it was a name that had been used on the show before, but I didn't think there would end up being a connection (since Serena's the only remaining member of the family, I think, and she hasn't been on the show in years).
Should we expect to see Serena, now that she's been mentioned a few times? Can I renew my request for a Serena/Kristina pairing? Not only would it drive their fathers crazy, but it would be funny because their names rhyme.
A Valentin/Drew team-up? Tell me more...
The Anna/Martin scenes were fun. I assume Finola Hughes and Michael E. Knight are friends, since they were on All My Children together.
Hey, how about instead of unnecessary scenes between Ava and Nina, we get some follow-up to Sasha's storyline?
August 11th, 2022
Portia's ready to try to wake Oz, but now Curtis isn't sure that it's the smart thing to do. It's a moot point since Jordan is hanging around the hospital and has assigned Rory to keep watch outside Oz's room and report on everyone who goes in. That's assuming she can trust his claim that he can put his feelings for Trina aside to do his job. Portia and Curtis can't think of a way to get around him, and time is quickly running out, since Diane thinks the jury is going to come back with a verdict soon. Portia decides it's now or never. Spencer asks Sonny to find Esme so they can make her come clean and exonerate Trina. Sonny guesses she won't easily be found and assures Spencer that he's already taking measures to help Trina. Martin presents Spencer with two options Robert agreed to: He can rat out the people who helped him break out of Spring Ridge and serve just ten days there, or he can keep quiet and serve three months in Pentonville. Spencer thinks Martin wants him to turn on Victor. He'd rather risk his safety and keep his integrity than take the easy way out, so he'll have to report to Pentonville in two weeks. Austin wants to go on a weekend trip with Maxie and her kids, insisting that he's ready for that level of family togetherness, even though Georgie still doesn't like him. He gets a call from M (short for Mason) and suddenly has to cancel all their plans to go to Pautauk. Maxie's suspicious of his cover story but can't get him to crack. When Mason calls him again, Austin says he's giving in and will come report to whoever's trying to pull his strings. Josslyn takes Trina to the pool to distract her from thoughts about the trial, but it's the sight of Dex shirtless that really does the trick. Trina wants to know how he and Josslyn know each other, which makes Dex worry that Josslyn will tell her that Sonny sent him to intimidate the jury foreman. Sonny steps in to gauge the situation and is satisfied when Josslyn says that she'll always hate him for what he did to Carly, but she's grateful for what he's doing for Trina. Martin tries to talk Lucy into leaving town with him so he can avoid Anna and her demands. She thinks he should take away her power by doing what she wants, but when she finds out Valentin is involved, she changes her mind.
Curtis should get Ashford's 7 back together.
What's weirder, the fact that Spencer could report back to the same facility he escaped from or the fact that no one's worried that he'll skip town in the next two weeks?
"My great-uncle is trying to get me to narc on my other great-uncle? This is something straight out of Greek mythology." Heh.
Even though Maxie's right to question Austin, it bugs me that she did. Like Lucy said, she's looking for red flags when he hasn't given any indication that there are any. Though, to be fair, Maxie's last relationship was with a red flag factory, so...
August 12th, 2022
Trina has the same idea as Portia and Curtis: Wake Oz up early so he can testify that Esme bought the phone. T.J. tells her that they already considered that but it's not safe and there's no guarantee that Oz would be able to testify anyway. Trina's starting to feel desperate about her situation and the fact that there's nothing anyone can do to help her (as far as she knows). Meanwhile, Portia tries to get access to Oz's room, but Rory, who's convinced Jordan that he can balance his compassion for Trina with his duties as a cop, won't let her in. Talking with him and T.J., who says that Portia talked him out of bringing Oz out of his coma, clues Jordan in on what Portia wants to do. Instead of stopping her, Jordan stops an elevator to create a distraction so Portia can wake Oz. Cody gives Dante more details about his background: He thought his parents were the Bells, who worked on the property Dominique's family owned, and only found out that she was his biological mother when his adoptive mother made a deathbed confession. Now he's upset that his inheritance went to Scott and Serena. Dante can empathize with him for learning too late about a life he could have had, but he thinks Cody's resentment should be toward Dominique, not Scott. Scott doesn't believe Cody's claim that Dominique was his mother, since he's sure Dominique would have told him about having another child. Obrecht and Britt are more inclined to believe him, though Britt admits that Cody always seems to have an angle, so he might have ulterior motives here. Scott decides to give Cody the benefit of the doubt, since he reminds Scott so much of Dominique. When he asks himself what Dominique would want him to do, he thinks the answer is mercy, so he drops the charges against Cody. Britt learns that she and Cody have a connection beyond the one they've already made: His birth father (maybe?), Leopold Taub, did evil stuff with Faison.
Wow, they really only featured two storylines today. That never happens.
Jordan! You rock star!
Portia really shouldn't try this alone. I bet Elizabeth would have helped her.
Do I have to go read up on Leopold Taub? I don't know anything about that guy.
Interesting that people automatically thought that Leopold was Cody's father. It'll probably turn out to be someone else. Dominique was involved with Mac, so with a little timeline tweaking and retconning, they could say he's Cody's father.
August 15th, 2022
Thanks to Jordan, Portia's able to wake Oz without getting caught. She tries to record him incriminating Esme, but he's still a little out of it and doesn't answer her questions before Jordan comes in. Jordan takes over the questioning, but Oz doesn't want to say anything without a lawyer. The jury's ready to announce their verdict, so Trina heads to the courtroom while Portia stays back to monitor the situation with Oz. Spencer shows up for the verdict, and though Trina acknowledges that he changed his mind about her innocence, he doesn't get the chance to clarify that he never thought she was guilty. Diane tries to stall the reading of the verdict so Oz can be allowed to testify, but the judge agrees with Arden that it's too late to bypass procedure for a witness whose testimony might not even affect the case. Nikolas is upset that Spencer turned down the ten-day sentence at Spring Ridge because he didn't want to rat out Victor or the guard Victor paid off. Victor's proud of him, however, and is going to pull a Sonny to ensure that Spencer's safe in Pentonville. He wants to find Esme, and though Nikolas tries to talk him out of it several times, he eventually admits that Esme isn't findable because she's (allegedly) dead. Finn takes his concerns about Elizabeth to Terry, thinking she can shine light on something that might have happened to Elizabeth in her past that could be affecting her now. Elizabeth catches them talking and gets defensive when Finn brings up her parents. She warns that if he mentions them again, they're done. Josslyn and Cameron discuss Spencer again, and Cameron's surprised to learn that Josslyn didn't tell Trina what he was up to on her behalf. Dex joins them to ask about Trina, and Cameron first thinks he's interested in her, then Josslyn.
Portia's very lucky that Elizabeth is the one who reported to Oz's room first, because another nurse might have been suspicious to see Portia hanging around, while Elizabeth would never think that Portia was doing anything shady.
She's also lucky that Jordan came in because even if Oz had said what Portia wanted, I doubt it would have held up in court.
Why have they left Cameron out of so much of the trial plotline?
Why is everyone so convinced that Sonny's allies will protect Spencer in prison? I mean, it's not like they protected Michael...
Finn: "The way you moved on from your parents?" Elizabeth: (Kill Bill sirens)
In Elizabeth's defense (...who AM I?), Finn also had no relationship with his father for decades, and he wouldn't have appreciated someone digging into what happened there, so he should definitely drop this.
How long till Josslyn breaks up with Cameron and hooks up with Dex? I feel like that's where things are going.
August 16th, 2022
Robert halts the proceedings before Trina's verdict can be read, and the judge agrees to let Oz testify. He pins the purchase of the phone on Esme and states that he never sold one to Trina. On Robert's urging, Arden drops all the charges against Trina. Everyone on Team Trina is thrilled, and Spencer even considers it worth it that he landed himself back in prison. Nikolas tells Victor that he killed Esme and that Ava doesn't know anything about their fling. Victor doesn't believe him, since he doesn't have any reason not to tell the police what happened, so Nikolas comes clean about everything. Victor tells him that Ava's a threat and Nikolas needs to turn her in. Nikolas refuses, of course, and tries to argue that if everything comes out, Spencer will turn on him for sleeping with Esme. Victor backs off and shifts his focus to getting rid of Esme's suitcase. That's when Jordan arrives, ready to start building a case against Esme. Terry confirms that Willow has leukemia, and it's best for her to start treatment as soon as possible. Britt doesn't say straight out what this means for the baby, but it doesn't look like it'll be good. Willow is still hesitant to talk to anyone about her condition, but she does go straight to see Michael. Unfortunately, he's inadvertently picked the worst possible time to throw her a surprise party to celebrate her graduation from nursing school. Olivia objects to Sonny and Nina having a date at the Metro Court, though it might be mostly because Carly's there. They defy her by sticking around, and Sonny starts to give Nina a hint of what she's in for by having a relationship with him (i.e., he'll sometimes have to leave on short notice and there are certain things they can't talk about). Olivia thinks that Carly has feelings for Drew and tells her that it looks like he feels the same. Carly protests, then starts watching how she acts around him. Sonny gets news from Brick on Dex's background check and meets with Dex to address it.
Welp, I didn't expect Robert to play such a big role in Trina getting exonerated.
I loved Ava's "oh, you poor sap" look at Spencer when they saw Rory and Trina talking.
Anyone who's seen even one episode featuring Willow knows she's going to keep quiet and gut it out through the party.
I can't believe Carly didn't freak out about Nina and Wiley being at the hotel at the same time.
Olivia, shhh.
I have no interest in the Sonny/Nina pairing, but I am interested in how long it'll take her to realize he's not who she wants him to be, and also, he kills people.
Can people please stop bringing up Nelle?
August 17th, 2022
Willow gets overwhelmed as she starts realizing the extent of her situation, and she leaves the party before it even starts. T.J., the only person there who knows what she's going through, offers support and reassurance while also encouraging her to tell Michael about her diagnosis. Willow wants the family to have a good night before they face this new crisis, so she's going to hold the news until tomorrow. She thanks T.J. for his friendship, and Nina spots them hugging. The police search Wyndemere for anything that could point to Esme's location. Ava rushes home after hearing what they're doing and plays it cool along with Nikolas and Victor. The police leave when an old colleague of Victor's makes a post on Esme's social media account that's geotagged in France. With Jordan off on a wild goose chase, Nikolas, Ava, and Victor are free to burn Esme's suitcase. Spencer's about to tell Trina everything he did for her when Rory interrupts. Trina chooses to leave with him instead of hearing what she expects will be an explanation for why Spencer took so long to come over to her side. Spencer confides to Josslyn and Cameron that he's in love with Trina, and they urge him to tell her. But he knows she's moved on to Rory and he wants her to be happy, so he's willing to stay quiet forever. Sonny confronts Dex for not disclosing that he was discharged from the military after attacking a superior. Dex explains that he was abused by his brothers as a child, and when he found out his superior was abusing his children, he snapped. This, of course, gets Sonny's sympathy, but he's not sure yet that he wants Dex in his organization. Olivia seems to support a Carly/Drew pairing, but Carly doesn't want to pursue anything because they could ruin their friendship (and also because...she lied about Willow not being Nina's daughter? I think?). Portia thanks Curtis for all his support throughout Trina's ordeal. He doesn't see it as a burden, just part of being with her, and assures her that he'll love Trina like she's his. Portia's face: (cough). Nina's expecting a big fight with Carly when they run into each other, but Carly has become zen about her situation and is basically like, "Good luck putting up with Sonny while I do whatever I want."
For some reason, the though of Nina believing there's something going on between Willow and T.J. cracks me up.
I wish Victor had written Esme's post. I want to see him try to write like a 19-year-old.
Oooh, Dex played the I-was-abused-as-a-kid card. Michael coached him well.
"Can we just not engage with each other?" Nina, YOU approached HER! I've been saying for MONTHS that you need to keep your mouth shut around Carly. You know what, just keep your mouth shut all the time, please. I'm so sick of you.
August 18th, 2022
Brook, Ned, Olivia, and Leo help Chase find a signature look before he takes a stab at becoming a pop star. Ned eventually finds the right one by giving Chase his leather pants from his Eddie Maine days. Cody thinks that Ned and Olivia might want to fire him when they found out that he's related to Katherine. Olivia doesn't care, since she still hasn't seen anything about Cody that makes her think he's trouble. Dante hints that something went down at camp and Cody helped him out, but they're still not elaborating on that. He also still thinks that Cody's hiding something. Anna bugs Lucy about where Martin disappeared to, threatening to sic Valentin on her. Lucy doesn't have any information for her, and she thinks it's suspicious that Anna is cuddling up to the guy she tried to get dirt on. Valentin wants to make peace between Victor and Anna so Victor will believe that she's not going to be an issue. Victor warns him to be careful about who he associates with, as the family is dealing with another round of problems. Scott checks in on Elizabeth, who has another fugue-ish episode when something he says reminds her of a fight she had with someone years ago about her father. Finn feels helpless about whatever's going on with Elizabeth, similar to the way he felt when Reiko was dying. Gregory warns him that contacting Elizabeth's family, which Finn is still thinking about doing, might come back to haunt him. Maxie continues playing matchmaker for Britt and Cody, and even talks Britt into spending more time with him, despite the tension that could cause because of Cody and Scott's connection.
Josh Swickard is a good sport.
Not gonna lie, the goth look wasn't a complete disaster for Chase. I'm a sucker for guys in eyeliner.
Wait, Cody thinks Ned might want to fire him because he's Katherine's brother? He thinks Ned is that petty?
"It is so hard to believe you have a granddaughter in college." Especially since she was only born in 2008. Also, if they've aged Emma to the same age as her former peers, I expect us to see her sometime in the future. They'll want a replacement for Esme. (My suggestion is to bring in Lila Rae, have her develop a crush on Rory, team her up with Spencer to break up Rory and Trina, and have Lila and Spencer fall for each other in the process.)
So...Elizabeth pushed someone down the stairs for sleeping with her father? Is that all?
If Maxie thinks Cody is so great, she can date him (and spare us more Maxie/Austin scenes).
How do we still not know what happened with Sasha?
August 19th, 2022
Dante confides to Olivia that he may have screwed things up with Sam by asking her to move in too early in their relationship. He understands her Lulu-related issues and admits that he might not have worked through all his feelings about her, but he loves Sam and wants to be with her. The Davis women catch up, but most of their conversation is about how Sam isn't ready to move in with Dante, which Molly and Kristina think is nuts. Alexis supports Sam in her hesitance but won't let her get away with avoiding the subject altogether. Sam says it's hard for her to be in Dante's house because everything there was Lulu's. Alexis thinks they should work something out because they're great together and make each other happy. Sam is clearly still invested in the relationship, and Dante promises that he's not going to pressure her to do anything she's not ready to do. Britt thinks Cody is too interested in her father, though he says he's only asked about him once (but she remembers him making a comment about her parents before that). He just thinks it's a big coincidence that their fathers used to know each other. Gregory and Finn discuss Elizabeth some more as she tries to cover up the fact that she doesn't remember what happened during her fugue-ish episode. She also doesn't tell Finn about a daydream she has about falling down a flight of stairs. Though she continues to put up a good front that she's fine, he doesn't believe her, and he ends up calling Sarah. Maxie tells Spinelli that Britt isn't interested in him, so he should move on to someone who's a better fit. Spinelli's obviously in love with Maxie again, and with Austin around, he's never going to get her back. Speaking of Austin, he's already returned from Pautauk, but Mason isn't happy with whatever went down there, so he follows him. He's gotten bolder and approaches Austin while he's with Maxie and Spinelli. Austin introduces Mason as his cousin, and they make vague references to family responsibilities and things Austin's supposed to do but hasn't. Violet is totally going to end up playing matchmaker for Alexis and Gregory, so it's probably just a question of how many of her daughters will lend a hand.
I guess Sam and Dante haven't considered getting a new house to live in together, where no one has any memories of the other's ex.
Why is Dante inviting Sam to Leo's play? He's her brother, too. She should have already been invited!
Davis women! Whee!
If Cody thinks it's a big coincidence that his and Britt's fathers knew each other, he's going to have his mind blown when he learns that, say, Willow happened to move to a town where three biological family members had already moved completely separate from each other.
Hmmm. How nerdy is Terry? Would she be into Spinelli?
August 22nd, 2022
The Quartermaines are throwing a big picnic to raise funds for the children's wing of the hospital, and Olivia has everything under control so far. In fact, she's so organized that she has time to be annoyed with Dante for not telling Sam exactly what he wants. She and Brook reminisce about a concoction her grandmother used to make, a sort of love potion that helped compatible people connect with each other. Leo decides to mix some up for his brother and aunt. Britt tells Willow that she needs to start treatment as soon as possible, which would most likely mean not being able to have the baby. Willow wants to delay treatment until her second trimester, but while the baby would have a better chance of survival in that case, Willow wouldn't. Willow finally reaches the point where she can't make any more decisions without talking to Michael. Curtis wants to start looking to the future, starting with ensuring that Portia will be in it. A conversation with Marshall about genetic counseling leads to a discussion about children, which Curtis wants. He pretends to see something in the Metro Court pool and jumps in to get it, then surfaces with an engagement ring. While bickering with Spencer, Ava almost tells him that Nikolas and Esme slept together. Nikolas interrupts just in time and convinces her to keep quiet so she'll never be seen as having a motive if Esme turns up dead. He also convinces her to move back into Wyndemere and pretend they're a happy couple when they're in public. T.J. worries about Jordan and Marshall meeting (because somehow, despite them living in the same town for months, they haven't). Jordan doesn't think they should try to avoid each other, and she's ready to face up to what she did to Thomas when Marshall inevitably confronts her. When she and Marshall finally meet, he tells her she didn't do right by his son, then acknowledges that he didn't, either. Also, he somehow thinks he's at least partly to blame for Thomas' death. Dex is worried about Sonny firing him for keeping secrets, but Michael is sure that the domestic-violence connection will keep him employed. He even tells Dex what to do next to further their plan along. Sonny does keep Dex on as an employee, but he's on thin ice. Sonny wants to take Nina to the picnic, which she knows is a horrible idea because it's at the Quartermaines', everyone hates her, and people will be watching them the whole time. Spencer smooths things over with Britt, then tells her he has no intention of ever letting Trina know that he lied about siding with Esme. Nina overhears T.J. on the phone with Molly and seems to interpret one of his comments as being spoken to Willow.
Leo, mix up some of that stuff for Brook and Chase, too.
Curtis is 2 for 2 on creative proposals.
"It's going to be a party to remember." I predict assault, arson, and/or murder.
I can imagine Nikolas having a great time acting all lovey-dovey with Ava when they're around other people, knowing it bugs her.
Dex, if this is such an emergency that you had to see Michael in person while he was with other people, you shouldn't have waited overnight. Also, don't approach Michael while he's with other people, you dolt.
Britt still has a picture of Rocco as a baby? Girl, it's past time you let go.
August 23rd, 2022
Portia and Curtis get engaged, which means unless Trina has a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia, they're pretty much in the clear on everything. Jordan expresses happiness for them, and Curtis thanks her for her help with Trina. He seems to have figured out exactly what she did for Portia when she was waking Oz, though Jordan won't confirm that. Later, she overhears Portia setting up an appointment for Trina with a genetic counselor, and since T.J. told her that Curtis was considering it for himself, Jordan may be able to put together that Curtis is Trina's biological father. Before Willow can tell Michael about her diagnosis, he gets in a fight with Sonny, because of course he does. Willow decides not to tell him she has leukemia until she starts her treatment in a few weeks. Terry's supportive of this but thinks she would benefit from a support system. Leo makes Olivia's grandmother's Sicilian Thunderbolt and puts it in a couple cups of lemonade, then gets distracted from monitoring who drinks them. It looks like the possibilities are Sam, Dante, Chase, Brook, Carly, Drew, Ava, and Nikolas. Marshall thinks that Thomas might have attacked Shawn because he was experiencing symptoms of schizophrenia. Jordan tells him that she never observed any signs that he had it, and PTSD was the more likely cause. Marshall's relieved that he doesn't seem to have passed schizophrenia along to anyone. He forgives Jordan for cheating on Thomas and encourages her to let go of the burden she's been carrying around with her for decades. Brook thinks Carly and Drew are into each other, and Carly thinks Brook should focus more on the status of her relationship with Chase. Nikolas interrupts a conversation between Ava and Sonny about Esme, getting way more protective than he needs to be and just making Sonny mad at him.
I don't get why Portia hasn't told Curtis that he's Trina's father. I get wanting to keep that from Taggert, but not Curtis.
I want the Sicilian Thunderbolt to work on a really random pairing, like Chase and Nikolas. Or it works on Ava and Nikolas, and he just thinks she's really good at faking affection for him.
Who's dressing and styling Kelly Monaco? She's been looking so cute lately.
Yuri's back! Hi, Yuri!
August 24th, 2022
Leo worries that the Sicilian Thunderbolt will cause trouble instead of making people connect, so Ned and Olivia assure him that he hasn't done anything that will hurt anyone, and whatever happens, the universe will sort itself out. In at least two circumstances, it looks like he's actually helped, though. It's not clear what brought this on, but Chase announces that he has feelings for Brook, which spurs her to admit her own feelings. Leo catches them making out and tells them it's because of the Sicilian Thunderbolt. Brook worries that that means their feelings aren't real, as if they haven't spent the past year-plus dancing around this. Chase eventually convinces her to take a risk, and it looks like they're FINALLY together. Jordan puts the pieces together about Trina and Curtis, and she advises Portia to always be transparent with her new fiancé. She asks Anna whether or not she should tell Curtis something she's learned that would have a huge impact on his life. She claims it would be to protect him, so Anna advises her to be sure about her motives before she says anything. Portia finally gets to talk to a genetic counselor, but if she wants Trina to have any tests done, she'll have to tell her what's going on. Sam admits to Dante that the real reason she didn't want to move into his and Lulu's house is that she's afraid she can't live up to Lulu, and that she's not really the person Dante wants. Dante reassures her and tells her again that they can wait until she's ready to make any decisions. But Sam's ready now, and Dante wants to move into her place anyway, so that settles that. Selina considers her tip to help Curtis find Oz a significant contribution to Trina's acquittal, and in exchange she wants Curtis to accept a shipment for her. He protests, but she's not the kind of woman you say no to. Carly and Drew finally address their recent flirtations and whether it's all been just for fun or if there are real feelings behind it. He admits to feeling something, but Carly has reservations, considering her recent divorce, her history with Jason, and the fact that Drew is Sam's ex. Drew's basically like, "Let's just see what happens," and kisses her. Trina and Rory get to know each other better, and she assures him that the things he thinks make him boring actually make him more attractive. Everything's going great for them until they run into Spencer – not that the encounter is bad, but because it reminds Trina that Spencer exists.
FRICKING FINALLY. I'm happy to give Leo credit for Brook and Chase finally getting it together. Good job, Leo.
Oh, Jordan, no. You gotta stay out of this.
I love how the normally steady, super-mature Portia keeps squealing over her engagement.
Sam doesn't want Rocco to lose his memories of Lulu but doesn't seem concerned about Danny losing his memories of Jason.
Carly's hesitant to hook up with Drew because he's Sam's ex? So were Jax, Sonny, and Jason. What a horrible excuse.
Anna and Curtis are buddies now?
August 25th, 2022
Victor cautions Ava to choose wisely whether she's Team Cassadine or not, because the family will close ranks against her if she's not. She tells Nikolas, who wants her to stop worrying about Victor and Esme and any other problems they might face and just reconcile with him already. Ava can't move past his fling with Esme, no matter how much he loves her or apologizes. Since they haven't realized that having a very confidential conversation in a spot where anyone can hear them is a bad idea, it's no surprise that Spencer walks in just as Ava's mentioning that Nikolas slept with Esme. Carly and Drew start making out and almost immediately take things to the boathouse. Before their clothes can come off, the grill he's cooking on catches fire and Sonny and Olivia accidentally interrupt. Carly decides this was actually a good thing, since she needs more time to make sure this is something she wants to pursue. Olivia accidentally had the picnic desserts sent to the hotel instead of the mansion, so Obrecht and Scott urge Nina to deliver them and look like a hero. Nina doesn't see the point in doing something nice for people who hate her, but they talk her into it. It just means she's at the picnic in time to see Carly and Drew together. She thinks something's going on there, and it's clear that Sonny does, too, but he really doesn't seem to care. Nikolas reaches out to Spencer, hoping they'll be able to spend some quality time together after he's out of Pentonville. Spencer doesn't see that happening, and that's before he learns about Nikolas' fling with Esme. Finn and Elizabeth get romantic in the Quartermaines' stables while he waits for Sarah to call him back. Elizabeth sees her name on his phone when she calls, so let's just say that I don't think Finn is getting any tonight. Leo wonders if the Sicilian Thunderbolt did its job, and since he's sure he made it right, Olivia tells him it probably did. But it may have worked on two people who've never even met until now: Terry and Yuri.
Yep, I knew if Ava kept using her outdoor voice, someone would eventually hear something she didn't want them to.
I really could watch Charles Shaughnessy all day, in scenes with pretty much anyone.
Why does everyone want to have sex in the boathouse?
Are we done using fire as a metaphor? Cool, thanks.
Nina's pretty generous with the praise here, considering Sonny's "heroics" just involved throwing some dirt on a fire. Then again, Scott and Obrecht were overly enthusiastic about how "heroic" Nina would be if she took the desserts over herself. It's not like she made a life-saving donation to someone who was dying. (Yet.)
Nina: "You both are evil." Obrecht: "Oh, yes." Scott: "Yes, we work at that." Heh.
Finn, Elizabeth, someone lives there. Don't have sex on Cody's table. The boathouse is free now; go there.
Turi? Yerry? Okay, let's see what happens.
August 26th, 2022
Spencer is devastated by Nikolas' betrayal, while Nikolas just tries to make Ava look like the bad guy for spilling his secret, supposedly on purpose. He also tries to argue that faking his death and making Spencer spend years believing he was dead was much worse than sleeping with Esme. Spencer says that everything he's done over the past year was to try to mend things with Nikolas, and now it was all for nothing. He says he's done with Nikolas, gets drunk, and says it again. When Victor asks what's going on, Nikolas blames Ava again. Mason tries to use Maxie as a way to put the screws to Austin, and Austin telling him that Maxie's father is a cop doesn't deter him. Austin tries violence instead, putting pressure on a nerve to tell Mason that he's paid his debts and wants his freedom. A knife-wielding Mason replies that his creditors disagree, and Austin needs to follow orders. Ava sees them tussling but doesn't seem to think much of it. Mason, however, worries that she's suspicious and tries to track her down. Ava ends up alone at the boathouse, where someone puts on gloves, grabs a hook, and stabs her. Finn apologizes for going behind Elizabeth's back, then insists that she address her problems before something bad happens. Elizabeth inadvertently acknowledges that there's an issue, but since she won't talk about it, she doesn't get any closer to figuring it out. She has another fugue-ish moment and another memory of fighting with someone about her father. Anna sends Lucy to get dirt from Victor, which she attempts to do by flirting. Valentin's hanging around, so Lucy doesn't succeed, but he does bug Victor by taking a picture of them together to send to Martin. (Victor makes him delete it.) Lucy tells Anna that she didn't learn anything, but it's clear that Victor and Valentin are at odds. Mac, Felicia, Anna, and Lucy discuss Cody, wondering if he's turned out more like Dominique or Leopold. Mac and Felicia go to meet him, but when he asks how they knew Dominique, Mac lies that they were just friends instead of revealing that they dated. Cody continues to ignore Britt's boundaries and ask questions about her family, now including Peter. Terry and Yuri spend some time alone at the Metro Court pool, and so far, so good.
Again with a hook at the boathouse? (I had to dig to find that. I thought it would be more significant. Oh, well.)
I'm not even going to bother hoping that Ava doesn't survive. The chances of her dying are too small to think about.
I can't believe I'm siding with Ava on something but Nikolas was waaaaaay over the line accusing her of wanting him and Spencer to stay estranged because she wasn't able to repair her relationship with Kiki.
Kiki mention – drink!
I'm pretty sure that all Valentin was thinking while Lucy and Victor were talking was, "Can I kill myself with a plastic fork?"
Why was Victor so worried that Valentin would send that picture to Martin? He can't be afraid of Martin. No one's afraid of Martin.
Kelly Thiebaud may be leaving the show, which means all this effort to sell us on Britt and Cody is a waste of everyone's time.
Now Cody's asking about Peter? Knock it off, man.
August 29th, 2022
Josslyn finds Ava and tries to give her medical attention. Dex is the only one who responds to her shouts for help, and his knowledge of combat medical care from his military service helps him determine that Ava needs to be taken to the hospital ASAP or she'll never recover. They get her to GH without interacting with anyone else at the Quartermaines', so when the police alert Mac and Anna to an attack on the property, no one knows who the victim was. Finn tries to give Spencer some advice about not cutting things off with Nikolas, since he's been there and regrets losing time with his own father. Spencer's definitely not going to listen, and not just because he's super-drunk. Victor interrupts the conversation before Spencer can say anything he shouldn't. He reveals to Spencer that he knew about Nikolas and Esme already, and he's surprised to learn that Spencer found out from Ava. Spencer promises that he hasn't told anyone, since it wouldn't look good for him, but he also doesn't remember everything he's done or said since getting drunk, so who knows? Nikolas runs into Elizabeth, who confides that she's having weird memories and doesn't remember coming from the stables to the spot where he found her. She realizes she's missing time again, but she thinks Finn's the real problem since he's putting pressure on her and being too vigilant. Nikolas tells her a little about his situation with Spencer and Ava, again blaming Ava for everything, because somehow her accidentally letting Spencer overhear them is worse than Nikolas sleeping with Esme. Mac and Felicia consider the possibility that Dominique never mentioned having a son because she didn't know she had one. She spent some time in Shadybrook and there's a chance that Leopold took and hid a child from her. Mac isn't sure about that, since Leopold wanted Dominique's family's fortune, so any child he had with her would be an heir who would have a claim to the wealth. They get interrupted before they can come to the conclusion that the child wasn't necessarily Leopold's. Cody kisses Britt, who responds by slapping him. He's annoyed that she both won't talk about Faison or Peter and won't admit that she's attracted to him. Britt admits that she's hesitant to get involved with anyone after what happened with Jason, but she's willing to take a risk and isn't exactly going to keep her distance from Cody. Anna asks Sonny if he knows of any illegal activities Victor's been engaging in recently. Sonny tells her that he may have helped Spencer leave Spring Ridge, but Spencer won't say for sure. Somehow this leads to Anna complimenting Sonny on being a good role model (??) and him appreciating that because certain family members don't feel the same right now (eyeroll). Josslyn tries to kick Nina out of the Quartermaines', so maybe she needs a reminder about who owns the house. Valentin and Nina catch up, but they don't really say anything interesting.
Josslyn may be her mother's daughter but she didn't hesitate to help Ava, and she was legitimately worried about her. She's a good egg.
Didn't Josslyn say on the phone that they were at the boathouse? Why didn't that information get relayed to the police? Also, did the police call Olivia? Why?
Give Nicholas Chavez another Emmy just for the way he played drunk.
Hey, Cody, a woman can be attracted to you and also not want to kiss you, especially without warning. Keep your lips to yourself.
August 30th, 2022
Nikolas not only gets mad at Sonny for spending the night at the hospital with Nina, who's waiting for news on Ava, but tries to get Jordan to consider him a suspect, since he and Ava fight about Avery's custody a lot. Jordan questions him and notes that he's not being very cooperative. The first thing Nikolas says when he's alone with Ava post-surgery is that this wouldn't have happened if she's listened to him. Victor and Spencer each think the other stabbed Ava, and after they eliminate each other as suspects, they put Nikolas at the top of their list. Victor asks Spencer not to say anything that could incriminate his father, promising to try to get him his birthright ahead of schedule if he cooperates. Spencer doesn't care if Ava lives or dies, but he does go to the hospital to offer Trina his support. Trina's day starts out great – the Title IX charge against her was dropped and her yay-you-got-acquitted party is that night – but Josslyn and Carly bring her down by telling her about Ava's attack. Josslyn gives Dex all the credit for helping her, but Dex kindly says that she played an important part. Carly and Sonny maintain civility long enough to tell Avery that Ava's in the hospital and Avery won't be able to see her for a while. She asks to see "Daddy Nikolas" instead, so Sonny takes her. Finn apologizes to Elizabeth and promises not to go behind her back or cross her boundaries again. She acknowledges that he just wanted to help because he loves her, and she's willing to take him back. She's about to tell him about what happened to her at the picnic, but Jordan interrupts to take their statements. Elizabeth realizes that the time she can't account for is the same time frame during which Ava was stabbed. Drew and Brook get questioned by the police, which makes Drew antsy because he wants to check in with Carly (supposedly because of Josslyn's role in helping Ava). Brook encourages him to figure things out with her sooner rather than later so they don't waste time like she and Chase did.
It's pretty sad that Ava's only friends are a woman who once kidnapped her child and her college-aged employee.
I keep thinking, "There's no way Nikolas stabbed Ava," but then I remember what he did to Hayden, so...who knows?
You know, I think I believe that Victor's innocent. He's right, if he wanted Ava out of the picture, he would have made sure she was dead. It's not like Josslyn scared off her attacker; whoever it was had plenty of time to finish her off. And stabbing someone in the abdomen isn't the best way to ensure they don't survive.
"Daddy Nikolas." Oof. But Sonny took her to see him! Good for him.
That said, I can't believe he left before Drew got to Carly's.
I'm looking forward to people continuing to have the same reaction to learning that Brook and Chase finally got together: "It's about time."
On Yuri's heels, the return of another minor but often-commented-on character: the moss.
August 31st, 2022
Elizabeth can't tell Jordan exactly where she was when Ava was attacked, but Nikolas steps in and says they were together. Finn finds it very interesting that Nikolas didn't provide his own alibi until Elizabeth needed one. He wonders if it was for Elizabeth's benefit or for Nikolas'. Carly wants to get something started with Drew, but she's trying to figure out who she is without Sonny, Jason, and the hotel in her life. He gets that she's suffered some major losses and doesn't want to rush into anything, but he also thinks that they could have something really good. Brando and a psychiatrist ambush Sasha with the option of entering into a conservatorship so she can avoid jail time. Sasha hates the idea, knowing Brando will be able to exert control over every aspect of her life. Anna buddies up to Victor to get him to talk about how Valentin's changed since coming back to town. Victor says it's because of his family and how significant he now realizes they are. They discuss Charlotte, and when Victor mentions that she stayed at her boarding school over the summer because of a new equestrian center, sirens go off in her head. Lucy still wants to replace Sasha as the face of Deception, but without Maxie and Brook's support, she turns to Valentin. He changes the subject to Victor and accuses her of trying to get information from him via honey trap. He just can't figure out what information she's looking for. When she leaves, he follows her and catches her talking to Anna. Spencer makes it clear that he only came to the hospital to be there for Trina, not because he cares about Ava or wants to comfort Nikolas. Trina figures out that he and Nikolas are on the outs (again) because Nikolas hurt him, and she invites him to open up to her, but Spencer says she doesn't need to worry about his problems anymore. Trina catches Nikolas as he's seemingly about to smother Ava with a pillow, and she's definitely suspicious of him, as is Jordan.
Nikolas: "We go way back." Elizabeth: "Yeah, let's not talk about that." Heh. Really.
I distinctly remember Carly trying to be single for an extended period of time sometime in the past, and I distinctly remember it not working out. So I predict she'll be with Drew (or someone else) by Christmas.
Work on your poker face, Anna.
I might be a little scared of Trina now.