General Hospital blog - January, 2024
January 2nd, 2024
Michael, Ned, and Olivia return before Lois can tell Sonny who the real whistleblower is, and Lois shoves the whole thing off on Michael. Michael admits that he's known who the whistleblower is for months, which infuriates Sonny. Michael tells him that he kept it secret because Sonny was happy, and because the truth would hurt Willow. Willow turns to Nina for help with an outfit, but it's all just contrivance for the two of them to spend some time together before their relationship inevitably goes to Hell. They join Michael and Sonny just as Sonny is demanding to know who the whistleblower is, and Michael blurts out that it's Nina. Drew's New Year's resolution is to not be Mr. Nice Guy anymore, basically. Carly gently tells him that he's been different since getting out of prison, but she thinks he'll be okay. In fact, everything will be okay, because 2024 is going to be awesome and everything's coming up Carly! Just kidding, 2024 already sucks, because a call from the embassy in Amsterdam lets her know that Bobbie is dead. Olivia tears into Lois for not keeping quiet about the whistleblower, which makes her feel betrayed. Lois thinks Sonny deserved to know, and she shouldn't have had to choose between her friends, and also, it's not like she's the only one to keep a major secret from Sonny, now, is she? Olivia is understandably ticked about that, and Lois fears that she's ruined their friendship. Meanwhile, Ned tells Brook everything, and she's like, "This family is so weird." Scout is so anxious about switching schools that she has a nightmare about her new teacher being a monster. Sam announces that she'll stay at her old school, then worries that she's done the same thing Drew did by making a decision without the other's input. Dante backs her up and acknowledges that both Sam and Drew are good parents who want what's best for their child. Sam thinks that something in Drew has changed since he got out of Pentonville. Chase is thrilled that Gregory got to do something that made him so happy, and he appreciates how Gregory is getting the most out of the time he has left.
Way to throw a match on a puddle of gasoline and then run away, Lois. That's such a Carly move.
I know I've been saying it's past time for them to write Bobbie out, but they didn't have to do it in the first episode of the year!
As far as responses to traumatic experiences go, Drew's is pretty tame. He wants to stop being a peacemaker and get his kid into a good school. Yeah, he's not going about it right, but at least he's not, like, paranoid or screaming at people.
Congratulations, Olivia, you win the crown for Ms. Overdramatic 2024. (For her reaction to Lois telling Sonny that Ned wasn't the whistleblower, not for the whole Dante thing. That was a fair reaction.)
I was going to say that Scout doesn't seem very sick for someone who supposedly has the flu, but it's pretty likely that what Sam thought was the flu was really anxiety, and she just made herself sick.
January 3rd, 2024
Drew supports Carly as she navigates her feelings over Bobbie's death. Sonny and Willow both turn on Nina, and strangely, her insistence that she regretted turning Carly and Drew in doesn't make Sonny feel better. He wants her to apologize to Carly and Drew immediately, and she thinks it's because he can't bring himself to yell at her himself. She vows not to let this be the end of their relationship. Willow is madder at Michael for keeping what he knew about Nina secret than she is about the fact that Nina was the whistleblower. He argues that he was trying to protect her the same way she tried to protect him by not telling him her diagnosis. She realizes that part of the reason he kept quiet is so he could hold it over Nina's head. Ava gets a surprise visit from Nikolas, who at first acts like he wants revenge but then expresses regret over the way their relationship turned out and what they did to each other. He wants to make Esme pay for her part in breaking them up, and it sounds like he's not against doing something illegal. Tracy and Scott have been texting each other, and when Brook gets a look at the conversation, she thinks Scott is flirting. Lucy warns him not to move too fast so Tracy doesn't get suspicious. Their plan is to eventually do what Luke did to Tracy by getting her drunk and having her marry Scott. Brook and Chase want Tracy to date or make friends or do whatever so she's not always alone, but she makes it clear that Hell will freeze over before she gets together with Scott. She sees Scott and Lucy together in the background of a picture Laura posted and quickly figures out that they're plotting something. Lucas calls Laura, looking for Lucky's phone number, and lets her know about Bobbie's death. Laura shares the news with Lucy and Scott, and the three reminisce together.
Maybe this will be the year Laura Wright finally gets an Emmy.
They shouldn't have had the truth about Nina come out right now. It's an A-plot, but Bobbie's death needs to take precedence, and Nikolas' return should be in second place.
Interesting that while it took Willow a minute to accept that Michael's accusation was true, Sonny believed him right away.
If Carly weren't with Drew, I guarantee that Sonny would be at her door right now, looking for comfort sex.
"Stop making this about me!" says the woman who just made it about herself. You're not a victim here, Willow. Stop acting like your mother and your sister.
So Esme is going to go to prison and we'll have a Spencer/Nikolas custody fight over Ace, yes?
Someone call Alexis, because Ava and Nikolas finally accepted what she told them years ago – that their love wouldn't last because they were too toxic.
This Lucy/Scott/Tracy stuff will be much more fun with Tracy knowing they're trying to mess with her.
January 4th, 2024
Nina completely fails to read the room and tells Carly that she's the whistleblower. Carly doesn't care that she didn't mean for things to go as far as they did, that she feels bad about what happened to Drew, that she felt so guilty she had to come clean, etc. She and Drew both say some really harsh things to Nina and make it clear that they'll never forgive her. Cyrus pushes Sonny's buttons until Sonny hits him. Cyrus is all, "I'm turning the other cheek," and Sonny's all, "I'm going to hit that one, too." He beats the crap out of Cyrus, who ends up in the hospital, then goes home with a bottle of alcohol. He doesn't end up drinking it, at least not before Ava finds him. Nina comes over to see him, ignoring Ava's protests that this is a bad time, and Sonny slams the door in her face. Nikolas assures Ava that he's not going to kill Esme, just find a way to get her out of Spencer and Ace's lives. He indicates that he wants to get back together, but after that whole thing where he threatened to take Avery from her, that's probably not going to happen. She will, however, scheme with him, and she agrees to the first step of whatever he's planning, which only involves throwing a party. Willow still seems to think that Michael's lies to her are worse than Nina's actions. Between that and keeping her diagnosis a secret for so long, she's not sure what kind of relationship they have. She even asks him not to come home with her. Laura realizes that Esme was the one who broke into Wyndemere and urges her to turn herself in. Esme keeps up her "I'm a good person now and want to do what's right" routine and lies that her attempt to try to recover her memories didn't work. Portia thinks 2024 is going to be great because of her optimism over Curtis' operation. He's more realistic about the possibility that it won't be successful, but he knows their relationship will survive whatever happens. A drunken Adam tells Josslyn and Dex that his parents busted him for lying about why he didn't go home for Christmas and also know that his grades aren't as perfect as they expect from him. Dex can relate to having parents who don't completely accept him, and he assures Adam that once he's out of their house and living his whole life, he'll be okay.
Cynthia Watros played her scenes today like she's as over Carly/Nina fights as I am.
I'm surprised they had Nina tell Carly everything today. I was sure everyone was going to keep it secret for a few weeks or months or whatever.
Ahh, now I see the Ava/Nikolas chemistry. Thanks for turning it up, Adam Huss.
I honestly don't care about Michael and Willow, so don't expect me to be like, "Oh, no, they might split up!" Do it. Don't do it. Whatever.
Don't worry, Adam – odds are that your parents aren't your birth parents and you'll wind up with a whole new family of people who aren't ridiculous. Or, more likely, who are just ridiculous in a different way.
January 5th, 2024
Lois checks in on Sonny, surprised that he hasn't trashed his penthouse or broken any glasses in that classic Sonny way of his. She basically tells him that he's right to be mad, but she's not convinced that he'll be able to cut Nina out of his life completely. Cyrus won't tell Dante who beat him up, so Dante asks Laura to try to get him to talk. Cyrus doesn't want to press charges, but he admits that Sonny was his attacker. He thinks Laura will get past it because she favors Sonny over her own brother. Laura's mostly confused about why Sonny would attack someone himself, seemingly unprovoked. Dante doesn't want for an explanation, instead just going right over to arrest his father. Drew is mad when Sam tells him that Scout isn't switching schools, feeling like she's made a decision without his input. She points out that he did the same thing in the first place, and he realizes that he made a mistake. Then he gets upset because he feels like Sam is trying to get revenge (which she shuts down), then like Scout doesn't feel comfortable being open with him. Sam reassures him that everything will work out and they'll be able to get through future differences of opinion by communicating with each other. Sasha is pretty much the only person in town who's Team Nina, and she encourages Nina to be optimistic about eventually being forgiven by everyone she's hurt. Cody wants to use his money from his new modeling job to buy Serenity, the estate where he grew up, which Dominique used to own. Inspired by Bobbie, Maxie advises him to find a purpose for his life and focus on that instead. Felicia, who's just learned that the DNA results are in, thinks he should start with honesty – specifically, honesty about his paternity. Anna and Felicia reminisce as they clean out Bobbie's office.
LOL at Lois basically saying, "Sonny, you haven't thrown any glasses – are you feeling okay?"
Sonny's forgiven people for a lot worse than what Nina did, so I'm with Lois on this. This doesn't in any way mean the end of their relationship.
Wow, co-parenting is hard. It's a good thing Sam only has to do it with one person! (Cough.)
Nice continuity with Sam not liking Nina. I'd forgotten that Sam was the first person Nina messed with when she came to town.
If they're not going to bring in a temporary recast for Mac, they're going to have to sit on this Cody/paternity stuff for a long time. I wonder why they're going ahead with it right now.
January 8th, 2024
Carly and Elizabeth find themselves talking about Bobbie and how she was always there for both of them. Carly had wanted to be alone, but she realizes that the conversation was just what she needed. Sonny and Dante do that they thing where they acknowledge that they're on opposite sides of the law but they still love each other. Diane gets Sonny out on bail, then is like, "Can I do anything else for you? Maybe draw up some divorce papers?" Sonny wants to delay anything on the Nina front and focus on helping his family through their grief. Cody manages not to say anything incriminating about the DNA test, which Maxie thinks Felicia crossed a line by doing. Sasha joins them and says that the results should dispel all of Felicia's suspicions: Cody isn't Mac's son. Felicia confirms that and apologizes for meddling. It turns out that Sasha swapped out Cody's hair sample for her own before the test was performed. Cody hates that she's gotten herself even more deeply involved in the mess he's made. Lucy is sadder than expected about Bobbie's death, but also not afraid to complain to Scott about how everyone forgave her and moved past her mistakes but didn't do the same for Lucy. She realizes she's always been jealous of that and thinks that if she'd figured it out sooner, she and Bobbie could have become friends. Then she goes right back to scheming against Tracy, so...yeah, she's learned nothing. Tracy warns Martin that Scott and Lucy are scheming together, and nothing good has ever or will ever come of that. She also hints that Lucy has been confiding things to Scott instead of her boyfriend. Brook is annoyed to learn what they're up to and supports Tracy's decision to mess with them for messing with her. Willow assures Michael that she'll be there for him and his family as they mourn Bobbie, but she's still not happy about him lying and keeping secrets. Josslyn also isn't thrilled about that stuff, but she thinks the family's situation is more important right now, so I guess she'll wait a few weeks and then yell at him.
I like the thought that Bobbie's kindness toward Elizabeth after her rape might be part of the reason Elizabeth became a nurse.
Sasha Gilmore, you sly fox!
Felicia came impressively close to getting Cody to confess without any test results.
Why is Lucy acting like she and Bobbie were friends? How does she even know Bobbie's favorite flower?
Willow, don't take the kids over to Carly's house. No one at the house should be worrying about taking care of kids right now.
January 9th, 2024
It's the day of Curtis' surgery, and though he's fully ready for it, Portia still has some reservations. He wants her to have equal say in the decision, then talks himself out of the procedure, thinking it's better for his family if he doesn't take the risk. At the last second, Portia decides that he should go through with it. Esme turns herself in for breaking into Wyndemere, believing Laura's assurances that she'll be let off the hook. Ava has no intention of facilitating that, though, and while she doesn't want Esme to serve a long prison sentence or anything, she wants her punished for the crimes she's gotten away with in the past. Esme ends up in handcuffs, crying because Laura told her everything would be okay. Sonny offers Carly his support, telling her that her healed relationship with Bobbie helped him fix his relationship with Mike. Gregory apologizes to Alexis for kissing her, believing that she only kissed him back out of pity. She says she didn't, but he's convinced himself that since they wouldn't have gone skydiving if he weren't sick, and they wouldn't have kissed if they hadn't gone skydiving, they made a mistake. Alexis doesn't agree, but she accepts that he doesn't want to make any big changes in his life right now, so they won't be pursuing a relationship. Trina tells Stella that she's been accepted into a program at the Sorbonne, but she's not 100 percent sure she should go. Stella encourages her not to pass up this amazing opportunity no matter what she wouldn't be around for in Port Charles. Marshall takes out his fears over Curtis' surgery on Stella, then acknowledges that there may have been a spark between them on Christmas.
Today Esme learned that actions do, in fact, have consequences.
Sonny, why would you think you're the last person Carly would want to see right now? You know that's Nina.
I've decided that Jason should come back just as Sonny and Carly are about to hook up. (Sorry, Drew.)
Trina has to know that if Curtis was aware that she had uncertainty about going to Paris, he would tell her to get her butt on a plane ASAP.
January 10th, 2024
Bobbie's funeral is well-attended and full of people mourning a woman they feel blessed to have known. A reporter there stuns Carly with the news that while Bobbie was settling Luke's estate in Amsterdam, she was secretly working with a non-profit that helps people escape human trafficking. She was in the process of expediting someone's trip to the U.S., but the reporter, Angela, isn't sure where the situation stands and has no information on Bobbie's contact. Carly decides that she needs to go to Amsterdam and finish what her mother started. Felicia invites herself along to help. Maxie wants to give Angela more content for the story she's been writing about Bobbie, so she makes plans to gather people for her to interview.
Show, I'm going to need you to shell out residual money for people who aren't on the show anymore so we can see some significant flashbacks.
Please bring Lucas back for good.
Whoever had the idea to cast Brighton Hertford, the actress who played B.J., as the reporter: You get a round of applause.
No mention of Valerie. Why am I not surprised? Also, Amy and Deanna should have been at the service. And I wonder what Dex was doing that was more important than his girlfriend's grandmother's funeral.
How did Spencer get drafted as a pallbearer?
January 11th, 2024
Various people give Angela interviews about Bobbie and how special she was. Maxie wants to keep in touch with Angela, and she's disappointed that Angela has to leave so soon. Angela seems to feel the same, but she basically disappears. As Maxie and Felicia try but fail to find her contact information, she reappears and give Lucas a hint that makes him realize she's B.J.'s angel. Somehow, Maxie and Felicia figure that out themselves. In Amsterdam, Carly and Felicia meet with Bobbie's contact at the non-profit, who helps them piece together where Bobbie sent Cornelia, the young woman she was helping when she died. Anna and Robert lend a hand by working with their own contacts to expedite Cornelia's asylum paperwork. On the way to see her, Carly and Felicia acknowledge how they've barely ever spent time together despite having Bobbie in common. Felicia admits that she's always held a grudge because Carly broke up the family she had with Bobbie and Tony. Carly acknowledges that she's had her own resentment toward Felicia for leaving Maxie. They bond and agree to be closer going forward. Once they find Cornelia and finish giving her the assistance Bobbie was giving her, Carly decides to honor her mother by changing the name of Kelly's to Bobbie's.
I like the format of everyone reminiscing while being interviewed. What I didn't like was how they cheesed everything up with a frigging angel. What is this, Port Charles?
Also, how did Maxie and Felicia figure out that Angela was B.J.?
Oh, the cabin that was randomly mentioned yesterday for no apparent reason turned out to be significant? Shocking.
Carly is "close to Maxie"? Show me video evidence of that.
January 12th, 2024
Esme is less worried about her potential prison sentence than about the upheaval it would bring to Ace's life. Something she says makes Spencer think she's recovered her memories, and while she's trying to convince him that she didn't, she calls him Spence, which is even more confirmation that her amnesia is gone. Ava tells Nikolas that she's taken matters into her own hands and is going to send Esme to prison to solve all their problems. In that case, Nikolas figures that there's no reason for him to stay in town. But before he leaves, he stops by to see Spencer. Sonny rewards Dex with more work in the form of a request for him to kill Cyrus. Dex notes that that could come back on Sonny if his death is determined to be a complication from his assault, but Sonny is confident that Diane can take care of that. He pressures Dex into proving his loyalty and worth to the organization, and Dex is too chicken to protest. All the Ashfords are happy because Curtis' surgery went well. As expected, he encourages Trina to go to Paris, though he thinks she should go without Spencer. He won't press the issue, though – as he notes to Portia and Stella, if Esme goes to prison, Spencer will step in to raise Ace and will stay in Port Charles. Josslyn brings in her RA to help her help Adam, but he refuses to go along with her idea to have him see a counselor, and he fears that his parents will find out about how he got drunk on New Year's Eve. Ava fills Nina in on what happened after she spoke to Sonny on New Year's Eve, and Nina figures that he assaulted Cyrus because Cyrus knew she was the whistleblower before Sonny did. She wants to go talk to Sonny, but when Ava talks her out of that, she goes to see Cyrus instead. Sonny is turning out to be a major subject of contention for Robert and Diane.
Nice catch, Spencer. I didn't notice that Esme called him Spence.
"I'm really glad I didn't kill you." "You say the sweetest things." Heh.
Of course Sonny thinks that someone's hesitation to commit murder equals disloyalty.
Why do I feel like Sonny is just testing Dex? Also, isn't Dex supposed to be telling Michael everything Sonny's up to? This is the kind of thing he should probably run by him.
Robert doesn't seriously think that Sonny will go to prison for life for assaulting Cyrus, right?
January 15th, 2024
Spencer surprises Nikolas by apologizing to him for working with Esme to ruin his marriage, instead of tearing into his father for abandoning him and Ace. Nikolas is also apologetic, and he makes it clear how much he loves Spencer and regrets the bad choices he's made. He finally meets Ace, and Spencer asks him to stay in town and rebuild their relationship. For all Nikolas' talk about making amends, he's not planning to do that, at least in the legal sense. He wants to leave town again, but this time he wants to take Spencer and Ace with him. Ava tells Trina that she more or less pressed charges against Esme so Trina will finally get justice. Trina is uneasy about that, since whatever happens will affect Ace. Laura asks Ava to let everything go, and when Ava won't, she convinces Martin to try to talk Molly into dismissing everything, with the reasoning that a jury will side with Esme once they hear about what Nikolas did to her. Molly agrees to six months' probation, which infuriates Ava. Trina might be okay with the sentence, but she's not going to let Esme go home without telling her how she feels. Nina presses Cyrus to withdraw the charges against Sonny in exchange for some kind of unspecified deal. Kristina visits Sonny to offer up whatever he might need as he deals with the aftermath of the news about Nina. She tells him how much she's always appreciated his support, and how she feels like his morals have shifted since he got back from Nixon Falls. Sonny is inadvertently shamed into calling off the hit on Cyrus, so let's hope Dex turns his phone back on in time to get his voicemail message. Josslyn tracks down Adam, who's drunk and mopey, and tries to convince him to talk to someone about his problems. He hints that he's ready to give up on everything, and when he passes out, Josslyn realizes that he overdosed on pills.
I wanted to see Spencer yell at Nikolas! Darn you, Spencer, for being mature!
Interesting that Nikolas didn't tell Spencer that his initial disappearance was out of his control. Then again, neither was his disappearance back in 2016, so he probably didn't expect Spencer to accept that as an excuse.
I love how Ace was kind of looking at Spencer like, "Is it okay for me to like this guy?"
Of course Nina blames everything on Cyrus, even though he actually had no effect on her secrets coming out.
Hmmm. If only I cared about Adam.
January 16th, 2024
Spencer won't even think about leaving with Nikolas, and he's hesitant to separate Ace from Esme since, despite all her flaws, she's a good mother. Nikolas has guessed that Esme is recovering her memories, and he wants to get Ace away from her before she returns to her evil ways. Spencer finally agrees that Nikolas should leave with Ace, which happens just minutes before Esme gets there. Sonny stops Dex before he can kill Cyrus, planning to now make Cyrus' life so horrible that he'll wish that he'd died. Cyrus tells Sonny that someone he won't name talked him into not testifying about his assault. He's content to let everything go and focus on making amends for his sins so he doesn't go to Hell. Dex realizes that Nina was the convincer, and Sonny tells her to stay out of it. Trina tells Esme that she didn't want her to go to prison for the break-in, so she's not mad that Esme got probation. Also, she and Spencer are going to Paris for the semester, so Esme will get even more of the distance she's been wanting. Esme freaks out, thinking that Spencer will stay gone longer than a semester and that Ace will feel abandoned. Willow calls Carly to be with Josslyn while she waits for Adam to be stabilized. Josslyn blames herself for Adam's condition since she didn't notice earlier how miserable (and apparently suicidal) he was. Once he's stable, Finn says they need to call his parents, which Josslyn objects to, since they're the reason this all happened. She's worried that Adam will be mad at her for how things have turned out, even though she saved his life. Finn has to make decisions for Adam without consulting Portia and Terry, and Elizabeth assures him that he made the right call. She's learned that a doctor his malpractice patient saw is in town and thinks that talking to her could be what they need to have a breakthrough in the case.
So...what does Spencer plan on telling Esme?
This would be a good time to write Esme out. Have her go off in search of Ace.
Does this make Spencer complicit in kidnapping? Discuss.
Call me crazy but shouldn't Cyrus have police protection?
I can't believe Sonny didn't ask Nina what Cyrus is getting out of their deal.
I love how Trina handles Esme, in that "I'm not going to bother to pretend that I don't think I'm superior to you" way. "Spencer and I don't think about you at all" was awesome.
January 17th, 2024
Spencer continuously keeps Esme from going to get Ace, finally telling her that he's not there. When he clarifies that Nikolas took Ace, Esme panics and starts to call the police. Spencer says that if she does, he'll bust her for recovering her memories. She realizes that he allowed Nikolas to take Ace, and though she keeps denying that she remembers anything, she gets that she has no power here. Carly and Drew interrupt Nina while she's trying to get Willow to talk to her, and Nina lashes out by annoncing that Michael knew she was the whistleblower for weeks before anyone else did. Willow's more furious than ever with her for that and blasts Nina for making up excuses for her actions that are basically just full of lies. Carly and Drew confront Michael, who admits that he kept the secret, partly because it allowed him to keep Nina away from his family and partly because Sonny was happy. Drew's takeaway is that Michael cares more about Sonny's happiness than Carly and Drew's...I don't know, his argument isn't great. The other doctor Finn's patient saw is hesitant to talk to him and Elizabeth because of confidentiality issues, but Elizabeth convinces her to talk to them anyway. They have a whole conversation in hypotheticals, and the doctor reveals that she referred the patient to an oncologist. Finn is pleased that Elizabeth got him a step closer to winning the case. Ned is a little disturbed by how proud Tracy is of Michael for his Quartermaine-ish actions, especially since he was negatively affected by it. Tracy assures him that her children are the most important thing in her life. That said, if Michael and Drew end up tearing each other apart and Ned comes out on top, she won't complain.
Great stuff from Avery Pohl today.
Seems to me like Nina would rather hurt Carly however she can than fix things with Willow. It looks like Willow has figured that out, too.
Nina and Valentin should get back together, and then they should leave town. (Charlotte can stay.)
I can't believe I'm Team Michael on this stuff, but I am. Guys, he's not the villain here. You're shooting the messenger. Though I guess in this case, they're shooting the messenger for not delivering the message.
Why does Drew keep referring to Michael as his friend? He's your nephew, bro.
Morgan mention – drink!
Why do Finn and Elizabeth need to find an oncologist his patient may or may not have talked to? The fact that Dr. Sawyer referred him to one should be enough to end the malpractice suit. Whether or not the patient saw an oncologist doesn't matter in relation to Finn missing the diagnosis.
Teaser about someone from Elizabeth's past resurfacing + Hayden mention = me getting my hopes up, knowing they'll inevitably be crushed.
January 18th, 2024
Carly and Michael smooth things over pretty quickly, since it's not like she's blameless when it comes to keeping secrets from family. She wants to look on the bright side: Everything's out in the open, they came through everything horrible that happened, and now they can be done with Nina. She'd love it if Nina faced consequences for her actions, but she's also fine just having peace of mind. Drew, however, wants to make Nina pay. Blaze feels like Kristina has been pulling away since Christmas and thinks she did something to make Kristina decide she doesn't want to pursue a relationship. Kristina tells her that her reluctance to let anyone see them hold hands in public made her think twice about getting together. Plus, she just underwent the insemination procedure and isn't sure how much time she'll have now for a relationship. Blaze asks for patience and some adjustments so she can keep her private life private, but Kristina isn't sure she's okay with that. Ultimately, they decide to end things before they really get started. But then Blaze returns, willing to see what happens even if things don't work out, and Kristina agrees to give it a shot. Esme runs to Cyrus for help finding Nikolas, since she has no other options and he's always talked about them being family. He's not sure how much he can do, but he agrees to call a contact who might be able to help. Drew and Anna commiserate over the recent crises they've gone through and the anger they're trying to deal with. Anna urges Drew to maintain his relationships with his loved ones, since he, unlike her, has a partner who's there for him. T.J. asks Jordan if she's really okay with Kristina being his and Molly's surrogate. Jordan's like, "First of all, I know you're going to do what you want no matter how I feel about it, so you don't need my opinion. Second of all, I don't care how I get a grandkid as long as I get one." Willow is still mad at Michael, not just because he kept secrets but because she deserved to know who Nina really is. Just as Jordan gets a lead on the gun Curtis was shot with, a couple of men kidnap her.
I like Carly's attitude here: "Yeah, some stuff happened that sucked, but now we never have to deal with Nina again if we don't want to, plus she's miserable, so we're the winners here."
All that screentime for the surrogacy plotline and they end up doing the insemination off-screen. Ugh.
So is Blaze just going to start holding hands with Kristina in public without coming out? Okay.
Are they giving Jordan a plot? Did Hell freeze over or something?
January 19th, 2024
Drew's big revenge scheme is to force Nina to resign from Crimson or risk the whole magazine shuttering and her staff losing their jobs. Nina's like, "Okay, yeah, you were collateral damage when I went after Carly, which admittedly doesn't make me look good, but are you really willing to screw over your business just to get back at me?" He is, and he's even more willing after she points out that any business losses he suffer will affect Scout. P.S. Carly is Crimson's new editor. Cyrus summons both Laura and Spencer to his hospital room so he can fill them in on what Esme told him. Spencer admits to helping Nikolas take Ace, which frustrates Laura because he has no proof that Esme has secretly recovered her memories or is a bad person again. She thinks that she and Spencer are the best people to take care of Ace, but they don't get to make that choice. Over Spencer's objections, she reluctantly calls Dante to report that Nikolas kidnapped Ace. Esme desperately turns to Ava, thinking she'll be able to connect her with Nikolas, but Ava is pretty sure that Esme will never be able to find him and Ace. Esme thinks she has as many resources as Nikolas now that Cyrus appears to be her ally, but Ava doubts that he'll show her any loyalty. Adam tries to downplay his situation, claiming that he drank too much at a frat party and that's all. Portia and Willow won't let him go without talking to a psychiatrist, but Portia assures him that since he's over 18, his parents can't learn anything about his condition without his permission. When his father arrives, he assumes that Adam screwed up and just isn't mature enough to take care of himself, so Josslyn sets him straight. Mr. Wright won't listen, because he's a huge jerk, and he threatens to sue if Josslyn comes near Adam, which I don't think he can do. Sam and Carly agree that things are off with Drew, but their plan seems to be to just be patient and wait for him to get better, I guess.
Drew's revenge plan is dumb, but also totally something he would do.
For the record, Nina straight admitted that blowing the whistle was all about Carly.
Cynthia Watros, stop chewing the scenery.
I get people being mad at Spencer, of course, but even if he hadn't supported Nikolas' decision, I'm not sure he would have been able to stop him.
Again, I don't care about Adam, but he shouldn't have to face his father alone.
Portia's ability to stay calm in the presence of jerks is practically supernatural.
How many times are Carly, Sam, etc. going to say that Drew is going through a tough time without making a suggestion for something that will actually help him? Like...Kevin's not doing anything. Book him an appointment.
January 22nd, 2024
Carly really only wanted to take over Crimson to see the look on Nina's face when she found out, and she intends to leave the magazine as soon as Drew finds someone to replace her. He convinces her that they should be business partners in addition to romantic partners, and that she can balance this new job with her responsibilities at Bobbie's. Olivia is surprisingly sympathetic toward Nina, thinking she's been through enough and doesn't deserve to have Carly and Drew pile on her. She also thinks that Nina should walk away gracefully and not pursue revenge. Nina's like, "Yeah, you're right...but I'm not gonna." Esme goes back to Heather, hoping she has an idea of how Esme can get Ace back. Heather's ideas run more along the lines of "forget about Ace and run away so you don't get sent to prison." Then when Heather's eventually/inevitably able to break out of Pentonville, she'll help Esme find Ace. Esme refuses to abandon her child, and her determination to get revenge on everyone who's wronged her do whatever it takes to get Ace back has even Heather worried. Spencer is completely blasé about Nikolas running off with Ace, at least until Dante notes that he could be arrested for aiding and abetting a fugitive. He decides not to, as the higher priority is finding Nikolas and Ace. Laura still isn't happy about Spencer's participation, but she also has a higher priority: If Spencer's right and Esme is her old self again, they have no way of knowing what she'll do next. Scott tries a different tack with Tracy: He warns her that Lucy is gunning for her and offers his friendship. Then he orders some alcohol, likely thinking that he's fooled her into thinking he's an ally and isn't going to try to get her drunk. Brook and Chase ask Gregory to officiate their wedding. He's honored but is worried that the speech issues his ALS is causing will ruin the ceremony. They assure him that the only thing that would ruin the ceremony would be his lack of participation. He agrees to officiate as long as they have a backup in place. Martin has noticed some changes in Lucy and has let Tracy's comments about her and Scott get to him. She tries to keep an eye on Scott and Tracy while they're talking, but Martin keeps distracting her.
Carly and Nina need to switch jobs back and then agree to never go near each other again. They exhaust me.
For once, Heather gave someone good advice: Esme should go far, far away.
It was hard to feel any suspense over Spencer's situation when teasers mention him and Trina going to Paris on Friday. And I assume that's also where Nikolas took Ace.
Ooh, Spencer commenting that Dante knows what it's like to have a complicated father... You know what? I'll allow it.
Here's hoping that Tracy gets Scott drunk instead of the other way around.
I was thinking exactly what Gregory was about a backup officiant. I nominate Olivia.
January 23rd, 2024
The Ashfords impatiently wait to find out if Curtis' operation was successful, assuring him that they'll support him no matter how things turn out. At first it looks like the operation didn't work, but Curtis has recovered some feeling, so now everyone's thrilled. Gregory sees Tracy and Scott on what he assumes is a date, and though she plays it up while Scott is around, she let Gregory know that it's not what he thinks. Then she ditches Scott to help Gregory out with a health-related situation. Martin isn't completely convinced that Lucy is done with Scott, so he walks out on her. Scott tries to flirt his way back into Lucy's good graces, but she's fed up with him and just wants to get their scheme moving. Just as Anna and T.J. are starting to worry about Jordan, she turns up totally fine. The men who grabbed her were FBI agents who wanted to scare her off from her investigation. While they had her in an interrogation room, someone Jordan couldn't see told them to let her go. Now Jordan has more questions than before, and no intention of giving up the investigation, which Anna will be joining her for. Finn is worried about being forced to give up medicine, so Elizabeth encourages him to go to a meeting. Then they say nice things about each other and bore me. Trina again expresses hesitation over going to Paris right now, and Portia again tells her that she needs to go, even if it's with Spencer. Brook and Chase are filler, though we do learn that Brook has 100 percent nailed what Lucy and Scott are trying to do.
Of course the operation worked. With the exception of Jason, no soap character has ever suffered a permanent injury that the actor playing them didn't also suffer.
"He's walking a fine line." Maybe use a different word there, Portia.
Yay for a Jordan/Anna team-up!
Instead of having Finn talk to day players who weren't paid to speak, they should have written scenes for him and Alexis, who has experience with being forced out of a job she loved.
January 24th, 2024
Heather lures Laura to Pentonville by claiming that she has information on Ace. Surprisingly, she then tells Laura that Esme's memories are back and that she's probably planning something devious and/or illegal. Heather wants Laura to find Esme and stop her before she does anything stupid. She also wants Esme sent to Pentonville so Heather can look after her. Esme steals Alexis' credit card but doesn't get to do whatever she's planning with it before Kevin comes looking for her. He wants to support her while she's worrying about Ace, but he has questions, like why she didn't go to the police or tell him and Laura that Nikolas took Ace. Esme lets him think he's convinced her to accept his support, then knocks him out. Molly is so eager to find out if Kristina's pregnant that she talks Kristina into taking a test days earlier than an accurate result should be possible. But since the test is positive, I guess it's okay. Also, Kristina gets a text from Blaze but lies that it's from a co-worker, for some reason. Spencer admits to Trina and Josslyn that he let Nikolas take Ace and that Esme seems to have recovered her memories. He warns that she could come after the two of them. They'd like to get Robert to reinstate the charges against Esme, but they don't have proof that her memories are back. Josslyn vows to get proof while Spencer and Trina focus on their time abroad. Speaking of that, Curtis throws Trina a going-away party, and Portia tries to make peace with the fact that she's going to Paris with Spencer. Spinelli accuses Cody of wanting to get with Maxie, but somehow he frames it as a bad idea because James has had enough father figures who didn't stick around. Cody assures him that he doesn't have romantic feelings for Maxie, though he thinks Spinelli does. Curtis confides to Marshall that having hope about his recovery actually makes it harder, because if he doesn't walk again, he'll be disappointed. Marshall thinks that hope takes courage, but since Curtis is pretty courageous, he can handle this. Maxie desperately needs a better plotline than this crap.
I feel like we're heading toward the end of Esme's time on the show, and I, for one, could not be happier.
Oh, come on. Laura would never believe that Heather would know something about Ace that she doesn't.
Is this the first time Heather has ever been useful? And the first time she's wanted the same thing everyone else wants? Big day!
I guess Taggert's invitation to Trina's party got lost in the mail.
I need Spinelli to stop acting like this.
Nathan mention – drink!
January 25th, 2024
Dante and Chase agree with Laura that they should find a reason to bring Esme to the police station and hold her until an ADA can get the charges against her reinstated. They go looking for her at the Invader but find Kevin unconscious instead. They guess that Esme knocked him out, and the presence of a letter from Maggie confirms that she was there. It also points to where she's gone, as Maggie invited her to visit her at her new job in Toronto. T.J.'s excitement over Kristina's pregnancy only lasts a couple of minutes before he starts worrying that she'll miscarry like Andrea did. Kristina and Molly are optimistic that things will be fine, and if they're not, Kristina has no problem with trying again. They share the good news with Alexis, Sonny, and Jordan, swearing everyone to secrecy until the second trimester. Finn and Elizabeth tell Martin what they learned from the other doctor Muldoon saw but aren't sure it'll help since they couldn't follow up on which oncologist Muldoon saw, if any. Martin thinks that Sam might be able to find them. He warns that Finn's addiction and sobriety might come up in court, and no matter what he's asked, he needs to tell the truth. Robert tries to give Diane a romantic night out, but she's still mad about his anti-Sonny attitude. Robert thinks that Diane is too smart to think that Sonny's innocent of everything he's been accused of, when really, she's smarter than he is because she knows that defending someone isn't about their guilt or innocence. Also, Sonny is her friend, and if Robert can't handle that, this might not work. Robert says that they'll just leave work at work, which I'm totally sure will be easy for both of them to do. Jordan enlists Brick to help find her contact, who's been out of touch since the FBI detained her. She won't give him much information about her investigation, and though he complains, I don't think he really cares about anything other than the fact that he now has her phone number.
Why would you announce your pregnancy before confirming it with a blood test?
Can we please have people stop asking Alexis if she's okay with the surrogacy arrangement? It's like when T.J. asked Jordan her opinion. They're going to do what they want, so it doesn't matter. And it's already underway, so it's not like they can stop it. Everyone, just stop talking about it and be happy about the baby.
"You think I'm neurotic, don't you?" No, Alexis, he knows you're neurotic.
If this is a deal-breaker for Robert, they need to do the breaking now. There can't be a person out there who wants to see them discuss Sonny even one more time.
Jordan, next time call Spinelli. He can keep a secret and he won't flirt with you.
I will not – WILL NOT – do Jordan/Brick.
January 26th, 2024
Finn's trial begins, and though Diane doesn't really present anything that makes Finn look like a bad guy, Martin doesn't like his reaction to one of her questions. It may all be moot, though, thanks to some information Sam has uncovered. For starters, Muldoon went to a medical complex and may have seen an oncologist before he saw Finn. Even more interesting, he and his wife have been having money problems for a year and a half (thanks to the major loss they took when Aurora's shares tanked – oops!), indicating that Muldoon targeted Finn for a lawsuit because he thought it would get his wife some money. Dante and Chase head to Toronto while Laura and Jordan keep one eye on the Esme situation and the other on Kevin's condition, which is improving. Though Spencer and Trina just arrived in Paris, she thinks he should go back to Port Charles to be with Laura. Laura and Portia, however, are relieved that they're in another country and out of Esme's reach. Brick traced the call Jordan got about the gun to a burner at Pentonville. Jordan's confused about that until she hears Anna talking about Brennan and realizes he was the caller. Sonny wants extra security on his kids and their mothers while Brick looks into the person behind Ava's mysterious notes. He suggests that Ava spend some time on the island and volunteers to accompany her there, probably so he has an excuse to get far away from Nina. Valentin offers to fund a new magazine Nina can start to go up against Crimson. Nina would rather figure out how to salvage her relationship with Willow, if that's even possible. Laura wants Anna back at the PCPD, but Anna's still too haunted by Charlotte's shooting and doesn't think she should have that kind of authority right now.
I'm wondering if Diane would be able to get what Sam uncovered kept out of evidence because her connection to Aurora would make her involvement a conflict of interest. Not that I want to help Diane in this, since it seems pretty clear that this is a cash grab and Finn didn't do anything wrong.
I think Esme sent the police on a wild goose chase. They said she used her credit card to buy a bus ticket to Toronto, but we know she stole Alexis' credit card. I think she bought the ticket and planted the letter from Maggie to make the police think she's going to Toronto, but she's actually going to Paris to go after Spencer and Trina.
What was up with the bellhop? They have Nicholas Chavez for three more episodes before he's gone for who knows how long, and this is what they give him?
I need Finn to stop staring at whatever he's staring at. It's not helping with the whole likability thing.
January 29th, 2024
Dante and Chase find no trace of Esme in Toronto, and Maggie tells them that she never invited Esme to visit, so the letter they found was probably forged. When Kevin regains consciousness, he's able to help everyone put together what's really going on: When he found Esme in Alexis' office, she was using an Invader credit card to buy a plane ticket to Paris. Tracy pushes Finn to bring the fraud angle into his defense, but he's hesitant. Martin works to add the oncologist Muldoon may have visited to his witness list, mentioning the doctor's name to Diane to gauge her response and see if she's in on the fraud. She's not, and a conversation with Mrs. Muldoon makes Finn think that she's not, either. Still, Finn doesn't want to drag her into a situation that could lead to her being sent to prison and separated from her children. Tracy and Elizabeth think he should be more concerned with his own situation and child. And then Tracy approaches Mrs. Muldoon, and I think we can all agree that nothing good can come of that. Stella micromanages Curtis' first physical therapy session, thinking that he's pushing himself to recover too quickly. He realizes she's right and is disappointed that his progress is going to be slow. Of course, a pep talk makes him feel better. Spencer and Trina are the filler, amazingly, and have no clue that Esme has found them.
Okay, I've spent some time thinking like Esme (I don't recommend it), and here's what I would do if I were her: I would kidnap Spencer, get him to contact Nikolas, and trade Spencer for Ace.
Look at it this way, Dante and Chase: You got a free trip to Toronto.
Finn realizes that they can accuse Muldoon of fraud without implicating his widow, right? Like, present your evidence and just don't mention her. That's it.
Martin: "Do I look like an idiot?" Tracy: "Well--." Gregory: (clearing throat). Ha!
Ben the physical therapist deserves a raise for having to handle Stella.
Who knew Spencer and Trina could be so boring?
January 30th, 2024
Laura shares the news with Curtis, Portia, and Marshall that Esme's in Paris, and when Portia can't reach Trina, she panics. She and Curtis jump to tag along with Laura as she flies to Paris to meet up with Dante and stop Esme from causing any more trouble. They're going to be too late, though, because Esme has already snuck aboard Spencer and Trina's private river cruise, knocked out the captain, and cornered Trina. Finn decides he doesn't want the fraud accusations brought up in court, so Martin agrees to drop that angle. But Diane stuns everyone by announcing that Mrs. Muldoon wants to drop the case. Mrs. Muldoon apologizes to Finn, revealing that she learned that her husband lied about his diagnosis and now knows that Finn is blameless. Even though this comes just after Tracy and Mrs. Muldoon were in the hallway together while everyone else was in the courtroom, only Gregory realizes that Tracy spilled the truth to Mrs. Muldoon, then sealed things with a generous donation. Sonny takes Ava and Avery to the island, where Ava actually feels less secure than she did back home. She warns Sonny that as Avery gets older, she'll start asking questions about why her life is so different from other kids'. She'll also start asking about Nina and Sonny's separation, and in fact has already brought it up to Ava. Sonny tells Avery that sometimes grown-ups need a break from each other, but it doesn't change his or Nina's love for her. Laura calls Sonny to update him on the Esme situation, which makes him feel better about Ava and Avery's safety. But it appears there's been a security breach on the island, and Dex finds a guard who's been shot. Anna and Jordan go see Brennan, who won't answer any questions unless they get him immunity. Anna makes a counter-offer: He answers questions and they don't sic Sonny on him. He confirms that the gun that shot Curtis disappeared on the way to WSB headquarters years ago, and he was working on a lead when he was arrested. If Anna and Jordan can find the thief, they'll find the shooter.
Anyone else want to rush off to Paris to save Spencer and Trina? Apparently they're sending an army.
I can't believe Gregory's the only person who figured out that Tracy paid off Mrs. Muldoon.
I hope Michael Easton enjoyed having a plotline, because I doubt it'll happen again for a while.
They'd better have more in plan for Brennan, because Charles Mesure is too good for just a short-term role.
January 31st, 2024
Esme ties up Trina somewhere, then tells Spencer that she's going to trade his freedom for Ace. Spencer tells her that Nikolas won't play along, and there's no way she would be able to flee with Ace and never be found. It's a moot point since Trina is able to free herself and find Spencer. She and Esme fight, and Trina decidedly wins by knocking Esme out with a wrench. But just as Spencer and Trina are trying to flag down help, Esme injects him with some kind of sedative. She goes after Trina again, but Spencer's able to pull Esme off her. To what's likely no one's surprise, the two of them fall overboard. Despite being hugely outnumbered, the shooter on the island gets away. Sonny keeps reassuring Ava that Avery is safe there, while Ava looks like she's about to strap Avery to her back and swim back to New York. Dex tells Sonny that the shooter was well prepared, and it sounds like they had help from an inside source. Carly meets with Sasha, Brook, and Maxie to discuss Deception's continued relationship with Crimson and how she wants the best for Deception. They're about to make a deal when Tracy interrupts and announces that she's pulling Deceptions ads from the magazine until Carly can prove that she's capable of running it. Carly proves to know more about the business than Tracy expected, and the two successfully negotiate a deal that Carly already anticipated. Lois corners Olivia at the hotel, since Olivia's been avoiding her at home, and forces her to discuss their fight about Lois getting involved in the whole whistleblower mess. Olivia's mad that Lois spilled a secret and accuses her of always putting Sonny before her and trying to win his approval. The fight unexpectedly changes from Lois vs. Olivia to Lois vs. Nina, and when Olivia jumps in to break it up, Nina thinks it's to side with her. Instead, Olivia defends Lois, slams Nina for hurting everyone she hurt, and advises her to learn some humility. Then Lois and Olivia make up, so everything's good again. A reporter named Gemma wants to write an article about Nina's removal from Crimson and replacement with her firer's girlfriend. Nina says nice, neutral things on the record, then tells Gemma that Drew is a horrible businessman who thinks with his heart instead of his brain. Later, Gemma approaches Carly for her take on the situation.
So not looking forward to months of Trina insisting that Spencer's alive, everyone else thinking she's delusional, and her eventually proving to be right. That said, Tabyana Ali should get some great stuff out of this.
To me, there was never a question about whether Spencer would go overboard, just who might go with him.
I adore Trina freeing herself and then going to save Spencer, all "I don't understand the phrase 'damsel in distress.'"
Could've done without Spencer putting his hand on Esme's neck, thanks.
Nothing against Avery Pohl, who's been consistently great, but I'd be fine if this was the last time we saw her.
Carly: "Nina was a baby-stealing lunatic when she took over the magazine, and it was only given to her so she could run it into the ground." Maxie: "Wow. I really want to object to that characterization, but that's exactly what happened." Heh. Also, if you think about it, Julian was also a baby-stealing lunatic.