General Hospital blog - October, 2021
October 1st, 2021
Spencer tries to keep Sonny from having his men pummel Nikolas, who just gets more and more confused about why Sonny's there. Eventually Trina and Cameron come clean about their lie, and the group realizes that Esme added Avery to the mix on her own. Nikolas is angry at Trina and Cameron for suspecting Spencer of being the stalker, but Spencer decides to finally confess that he was Ava's stalker. Sonny's justifiably mad that he got Avery involved, but he's nowhere near as furious as Nikolas is. Jax holds back from telling Carly that Sonny and Nina were involved in Nixon Falls. Josslyn shows up and her parents keep quiet about why they were fighting yet again. Josslyn thinks everyone should just be satisfied that the truth is finally out. Esme runs into Ava at Spring Ridge and claims she's thinking about doing an internship there because she's so interested in psychology. Ava's confused when Esme mentions her reunion with Nikolas and their supposed trip to Bora Bora. Ned has another heated conversation about Leo and Austin, this time with Brook. Like Olivia, she denies that Leo is any different from other kids and suggests that Austin is trying to distract Ned from his lawsuit. Ned finally uses the A word, and Leo is certainly exhibiting signs that he's on the autism spectrum, but it's going to be an uphill battle for Ned to get anyone else to see that. Austin has a court date in two weeks to try to convince a judge that Edward was going to change his will. Scott warns that the Quartermaines won't play fair, but Austin thinks he'll be able to put up a good fight. Maxie chats with him, because I guess the show is trying to convince us that they would be good together, but I still don't see it. When Brook finds out where Austin is, she orders him to stop messing with her family. Maxie confesses to Nina that she told Carly all that Nina knew, but Nina isn't upset with her. Maxie wonders why Sonny hasn't told Carly about his relationship with Nina yet. Scott's annoyed that Nina pulled Obrecht into the Peter situation, but he also appreciates that she kept Sonny out of town. Now, though, he thinks Sonny and Carly will come after her, and she could need his help.
I think we all know that if Jax had told Carly that he thought Sonny was alive, she would have accused him of trying to stop her from marrying Jason.
How is Ned the only person who's noticed anything different with Leo?
Wardrobe department, please find Amanda Setton some flattering, age-appropriate clothing.
Does Scott think Carly and Sonny are going to sue Nina? For what?
October 4th, 2021
Spencer expresses his genuine regret to Nikolas and Ava, who are angry enough at his antics but even more furious that he made them think Avery was in danger. Nikolas is so mad that he orders Spencer to leave and tells Ava that his son is dead to him. Ava cautions him not to completely sever their relationship since she knows what it's like to never be able to see your child again. Anyway, now Ava doesn't have to leave and they don't have to get divorced, so that's back on. Esme thinks she's had a productive day, so it's pretty satisfying to see her get kicked out of the Savoy for trying to use a fake ID, then get taken down a peg when Josslyn, Trina, and Cameron tell her that she and Spencer have been exposed. She vows to stay by Spencer's side, but we'll see how long that lasts if he gets cut off from Cassadine money. Carly's upset that Sonny didn't tell her about Nina being in Nixon Falls, and he claims he didn't think it was that important in the midst of everything else going on. He continues to keep quiet about their relationship, just as Carly continues not to say anything about her feelings for Jason. They end up taking it to the bedroom, so...that's kind of awkward. Sam and Dante follow Harmony's tip on Dallas to Monte Carlo. They set their sights on separating a couple they think is Dallas and his girlfriend, which somehow leads to a fake fight and Sam throwing a drink in Dante's face. It turns out the female half of the couple is Dallas, and she steps in to make peace and show her hospitality to Dante. This means Dante has to take the lead in the investigation, which finds him going with Dallas to her room. Nina tells Curtis what she's been up to the past few months, and he makes it clear that he's not going to drop her as a friend. She asks him about his own personal life, and he admits that he's not sure where things will go with Portia, now that Jordan's had her health scare. Josslyn tells Michael and Willow about Nina's misdeeds, infuriating Michael. When they confront her, Curtis tries to reason with them, urging them not to cut her out of Wiley's life if that's not what's best for him. Willow feels the same way, so it'll be up to Michael to decide if Nina still gets to have a relationship with her grandson.
"From now on, he's dead to me." Oh, come on, Nikolas. Don't be a drama queen.
Kiki mention – drink!
I don't know what I did to deserve Dante in a white tux but I'm gonna do it again.
"Haven't you ever messed up? Either one of you?" Curtis, look who you're talking to – St. Michael and St. Willow.
Okay, Nina can't say that she kept Sonny from Carly because Carly was mean to her AND that she didn't set out to hurt anyone.
Can we please not delay Curtis and Portia getting together because he might still want to be with Jordan? You can't have a love triangle with one side off the show.
October 5th, 2021
Victor and Peter finally fill us in on their plans: Drew has a second layer of conditioning from his last kidnapping, and they want to activate it, but only Faison knew the key to doing that. Peter promises he'll figure that out if Victor gets him Maxie and Louise. But it turns out Peter already knows the key – a tarot card, the tower – and he uses it to activate Drew for a new mission. Anna goes back to the U.S. consulate, where Robert is also looking for information from Chloe. He's not happy that she's working with Valentin, and since he's not there, he suggests that they work together. Chloe tells them everything she knows, including that Drew is alive. Sometime between episodes, Victor and Peter kidnapped Valentin, who finds himself in Drew's cell. He lets Drew know that people are following up on his call to Sam, and the WSB will mostly likely come looking for them. He also tells Drew what Scout's been up to, which is nice. The two can't figure out why Victor's involved in their abductions, but a meeting with him gives Valentin some surprising information: Victor wants to team up and make sure Peter can't kill them. Dallas reveals that Shiloh paid her to fake a plane crash in a deal with an unknown third party. She doesn't know who was on board or where any passengers might be now. Dante wonders if Drew coming home will lead to Sam wanting to rekindle things with him. She tells him the Drew she knew and fell in love with wasn't a real person, so it doesn't sound like she's interested in getting back together. Curtis and Portia do a bunch of recapping, then go out somewhere, so however he feels about Jordan, he also wants to spend time with Portia.
With all the talk about Drew, this was more like Drewsday than Tuesday. ...Ahem. I said Drewsday. ...Is this thing on?
This episode was also very international – only Curtis and Portia's scenes took place in the U.S.
Ugh, the "conditioning" again. I thought we were done with that. Anyway. I know/care nothing about tarot, but I figured I should look up the card Peter used. The tower indicates "danger, crisis, destruction, and liberation. It is associated with sudden unforeseen change." Sounds about right.
Does Victor just have one cell, or...? And has Drew tried using the metal chain in there as a weapon?
Hey, Tristan Rogers is finally out of time-out!
I wish Chloe would mention that there was another prisoner.
October 7th, 2021
Victor tells Valentin he's trying to atone for all his previous bad acts, so he's only pretending to work with Peter. Valentin just wants protection for Anna, and he's not yet ready to commit to working with Victor. Victor offers him what he thinks is motivation, though Valentin doesn't believe it: Victor is his father. Robert bugs Anna about trusting Valentin and getting too involved with him. She can't get in touch with Valentin, so Robert figures he just ditched her. Anna questions a guy from the tavern where they drank the night before, but when he says Valentin was sober enough to leave in someone's car, she calls him a liar. She also spots his Cassadine crest tattoo and guesses that something weird is going on. Before she can get any answers, someone starts shooting at them. Anna and Robert aren't hurt, but Robert grazes the shooter, who is, of course, Drew. While waiting for a flight to Crete, Sam and Dante discuss where they stand with each other. He wants to see where things go, and he promises this isn't a rebound relationship. He also claims to want to take things slowly, which I don't think is actually going to happen. Anyway, after they find Drew, they're going to go on a real date. Maxie gets a little offended when Austin notes that she and Brook are friends, since Maxie still resents Brook for trying to break up Dante and Lulu. She tells him about Lulu and her relationship with Dante, still believing that they're meant to be together. She also realizes that she and Brook are friends, but then she has something else to be concerned about: Austin remembers Brook calling Maxie brave the night Louise was born, something he shouldn't remember at all. Brook complaints about Austin (does she do anything else right now?) to Chase, who helps her see that his concern for Leo is authentic and not an attempt to distract Ned. She agrees that if Leo really is on the spectrum, he should get any help he needs. She makes up with Austin and tells him she wants what's best for Leo, and can help Ned try to convince Olivia to come around.
Are we pretending Greece, Monaco, and New York are all in the same time zone?
Valentin is thinking about this the wrong way. As a Cassadine, he gets his inheritance back. (Also, it's pretty funny that after all these years and all his scheming, Nikolas is probably going to lose everything. I hope Ava can afford to keep him in the lifestyle to which he's become accustomed.)
For the record, there are only 13 years between Charles Shaughnessy and James Patrick Stuart. Which is still more years than the gap between Lisa LoCicero and Dominic Zamprogna.
"Taking things slowly" means Sam and Dante will wait until ten minutes after they find Drew to have sex, instead of just five.
Austin was a little too excited about Maxie's near-fatal childhood illness.
Chase: "Who's got your blood boiling this week?" Me: "You, for stealing her banana. Eat your own breakfast!"
October 8th, 2021
Phyllis visits Sonny under the guise of returning some of his things but really because she's guessed that he needs someone to talk to about the Nina situation. She wants to get some closure there herself, and she isn't sure Sonny can completely write Nina off. Spencer and Esme spent the night at the Metro Court, but when Nikolas finds out they've used his credit card, he cancels it. With no money and apparently unfamiliar with the concept of a job, Spencer asks Britt if they can stay with her. She's like, "I don't like your father that much but he didn't deserve that, and no, you can't stay with me, weirdo." Carly wasn't going to allow it anyway, since Spencer dragged Avery into his scheme. Meanwhile, Esme appeals to Cameron, turning on the waterworks and telling him that Spencer really needs his friends right now. Josslyn gets her chance to confront Nina, but on top of being mad that Nina lied to the Corinthoses, she's also upset that she lied to Jax. Josslyn had stopped keeping a journal a while ago, but when Nina gave her one as a graduation present, Josslyn started again, writing all about Sonny and how hard his "death" was on her family. She tears out the pages in front of Nina, not wanting to ever see the present or Nina again. Trina admits to Portia that even after all Spencer's done, she doesn't think he's all bad. But she also feels horrible for not telling Ava about him sooner, since doing so could have helped them figure out that he was the stalker. Portia's not happy with either Cassadine man, and she tells Nikolas to be an adult to get his kid in line. Ava worries that by cutting Spencer off, Nikolas will spur him to seek revenge again. Josslyn and Cameron disagree about whether Esme had anything to do with Spencer's schemes. Carly wants to talk to Britt, I assume about stealing Jason from her.
Please, please, please let Phyllis stay.
So Esme doesn't have any money? I find that hard to believe.
"What if Esme is what's best for Spencer?" LOL, no, Cameron.
Also LOL at Carly telling Spencer to stop waiting for someone to bail him out. Hypocrite says what?
I want another ten minutes of Portia telling Nikolas how awful he and Spencer are.
Kiki mention – drink!
October 11th, 2021
Spencer tries to convince Trina that he really feels bad about his actions and wants to make up with his friends. She wonders why he cares what she thinks, and he tells her she's the first friend he's ever made who saw him for who he is. After she leaves, Ava warns Spencer that if he pulls any more stunts or comes near her or Avery again, he'll deeply regret it. She's already made a move to try to ensure that never happens: She's called the police to have him arrested for all the stalking. Josslyn and Cameron disagree again about whether Esme is a troublemaker/liar or someone they should try to be friends with. Cameron notes that she wouldn't still be in town if she were just using Spencer, since he no longer has anything she would want. Esme tells Josslyn she wants Spencer to have his friends' support, but they're a package deal, so Josslyn needs to accept that or get "left behind." Alexis tells Nikolas that he's making bad decisions about Spencer and he needs to cut that out and be a better role model (and also stop whining). Nina finds an ally in Sasha, who can relate to what happens after you tell a big lie and make a bunch of people mad. Sonny catches up with Brando, wondering if Sasha has talked him into leaving a job he really wants. Brando says he's good with a quiet, simple life, which Sonny can relate to. Carly basically tells Britt, "I'm done with Jason; you can have him back now." Britt, however, has already figured out what it took Jason's other exes years to realize: Carly will always come first, and a relationship with him isn't worth that headache. Shawn apparently hasn't done all his research about Hayden, because he's just now learning from Jax that she left town because Nikolas made her think Valentin was after her. Shawn worries that Alexis won't like him looking into her nephew, but Jax notes that she'll want the truth to come out.
"You still think you're in control of Jason's life." Yeah, and that'll keep happening as long as he lets Carly be in control of his life. She thinks it because it's true.
Can we please get Alexis out of prison by the end of the year?
Ugh, who shoved a basketball down Sofia Matsson's shirt so Sasha will still look pregnant?
I need people to stop acting like Brando is the only one who's going to be providing for this baby. SASHA RUNS A COMPANY. Everyone chill.
Also, those two have pretty much served their purpose, yeah? I think they can go.
October 12th, 2021
Nikolas has taken Alexis' advice to heart and wants to work things out with Spencer. Ava brings him down by admitting that she had him arrested so he'll have to face the consequences of his actions. Nikolas is surprisingly not mad about this, and though he promises not to bail Spencer out, he still wants to be a good father. Jax urges Sonny to leave what happened with Nina behind and get back to his normal life without punishing her. Jason has the same advice for Carly, who's back to wanting revenge and has to be talked down again. Carly's worried that all Sonny's time away has changed him, and the Carly/Sonny/Jason dynamic will be different now. However, she also wants to tell him about her and Jason's feelings for each other while Sonny was gone. Phyllis doesn't think Nina should pretend she and "Mike" didn't mean anything to each other, but she should also examine what she's learned from the situation and move forward with her life. Also, Phyllis found Mike's watch but hasn't given it back to him yet. Shawn is closer to putting the Hayden/Drew/Crichton-Clark stuff together than anyone, and is even willing to entertain the possibility that Victor is alive. He presents his theory to Alexis that Nikolas was responsible for Nikolas' shooting, and though she doesn't like that thought, she also can't be sure Shawn is wrong. He offers not to pursue the situation any further if Alexis doesn't want him to, but she's still committed to the law and justice, so she tells him to keep going. Gladys bugs Brando about working for Sonny AGAIN, and Brando says no AGAIN, and for some reason he thinks this time he got through to her, so join me here in a couple of weeks for a replay of this conversation.
Kiki mention – drink!
Jax, stay out of Sonny's business. It's not his fault you don't have a plotline.
Thank you, Shawn, for remember that the words "dead Cassadine" don't mean anything.
Also, if Shawn exposes Nikolas, he and Spencer can be cellmates!
I really can't take any more of Gladys saying the same things over and over. Why do we have to watch this instead of, say, the Drew plotline or Finn and Elizabeth's first date or literally anything involving characters we actually care about?
October 13th, 2021
Nina plans to stay in Port Charles, so Sonny wants to set some ground rules. First, she has to stay away from his family, though Michael and Willow get to set their own rules about Wiley. Second, he can change the rules anytime he wants. Nina whines about this instead of being grateful that he's not going to try to run her out of town or destroy her credit or make her disappear. She does accept that he's not interested in pursuing anything with her, and she gives him back his watch. She comments that timing is everything – timing led Phyllis to find the watch, and it allowed Sonny to interrupt Carly and Jason before they could do anything on their wedding night. This makes Sonny rethink what he walked in on, and he has some questions for Jason. While discussing the Nina/Sonny situation, Scott mentions that Sonny used the name Mike in Nixon Falls, a name Ava's familiar with from talking to Nina. She puts together that Sonny was Nina's secret boyfriend and Carly doesn't seem to know anything about it. Apparently Brook isn't completely on Austin's side about Leo possibly needing help, because she actually got him to talk to her about Leo so she could turn around and tell Britt that he violated HIPAA by having the conversation. She hopes either Austin will be fired and leave town or he'll agree to drop his lawsuit against the Quartermaines if they help him out. Olivia hears part of the conversation and accuses Brook of using Leo as a pawn, just like a true Quartermaine. Speaking of Quartermaines, Austin tries to befriend Jason, who has no interest in getting to know his cousin. Scott and Britt are impatient about Obrecht being missing and don't think Anna will come through, so he suggests that they hire someone, like a mercenary, to go looking for her. Specifically, Scott thinks they should enlist Jason. Britt protests, but Scott thinks she should put aside her dignity for her mother's sake. Olivia's surprised that Carly's going to renew Crimson's lease at the hotel instead of using this opportunity to get revenge on Nina. Carly implies that she has something cooking, though she claims she's going to play nice.
Why would Nina even want to stay in town? Maxie, James, and Wiley aren't enough, especially if Michael and Willow cut off her access to Wiley.
I might have a tiny bit of sympathy for Nina if she hadn't been so snotty to Sonny today.
Jason won't sit in Sonny's chair but he'll marry his wife?
It's a little funny that Ava thinks Nina is "disturbed" for keeping Sonny's identity a secret. Ava, your husband did the exact same thing.
"Don't play a player, Brook Lynn." Heh. She and Britt would get along well. They can bond over pregnancy antics.
Austin, you'll have a lot more luck befriending the nice twin. Just wait a few weeks.
Let's not get Jason involved in the Greece stuff. Sam should be the one to rescue Drew.
It's almost like Olivia WANTS Carly to go to war with Nina.
October 14th, 2021
Ava thinks Nina should try to rekindle things with Sonny, like, does she want to double date with them or something? Nina knows it's time to move on, but if that means getting rid of all of her "Mike"-related stuff, it won't be that easy. Josslyn tells Carly about her run-in with Nina and how hurt she is about what Nina did to their family. Carly tells her to focus on school and her friends instead of this whole mess. She also confides that she feels uncertain about the experiences Sonny had as "Mike," and how he may have changed while he was gone. Josslyn points out that he came home to her, so he's chosen her over his life in Nixon Falls. Jason is completely honest with Sonny, admitting that he and Carly would have gotten naked if Sonny hadn't shown up. He insists that he can continue his friendship with both of them without his feelings causing any problems. Spencer promises Esme that he hasn't told the police about her involvement in the stalking (though it would be nice if she wouldn't worry so much about her own legal standing while he's dealing with his own). Chase questions Esme, who pretends she had nothing to do with what happened to Ava's car. He doesn't seem to believe her, though, since he asks Cameron about her involvement, and Cameron tells him that Spencer said she was responsible. Trina feels bad that the sting operation landed Spencer in jail, and she offers to help however she can. Esme presses her to talk Ava into not pursuing a case against Spencer. Austin easily figures out that Brook manipulated him into talking about Leo so she could get him in trouble. He tries to convince Britt that she's being pulled into Quartermaine family drama, but Britt sticks to her job responsibilities and suspends him pending a disciplinary hearing. Austin confronts Brook, and it's clear that this is going exactly as she'd hoped. She offers to walk back what she said to Britt if Austin will drop his lawsuit against the Quartermaines. Austin calls her bluff and says he'll let his suspension stand and continue to pursue his shares. He also advises Maxie to find some new friends. Britt bites the bullet and decides to ask Jason to help find Obrecht.
How much of this is Ava wanting Nina to be happy and how much is it her thinking that if Sonny and Nina get together, she never has to deal with Carly again?
Morgan mention – drink!
Esme thinking she can butter up Chase is pretty funny. Girl, he dealt with the original Nelle. He has no problem handling Nelle Light.
I'm sad we didn't get to see Scott laughing at and hanging up on Esme.
Ugh, I can't believe this, but...Britt's right. Austin's personal issues aside, he screwed up. It doesn't matter if Brook "tricked" him into doing it – he did it.
No, seriously, I don't want Jason involved in Drew's rescue. Let Sam do her own thing.
October 15th, 2021
Ava wants to see that Spencer has learned his lesson, and she offers to help him if he'll give her a show of good faith that he won't try to break her and Nikolas up again. Spencer refuses to accept, not wanting her to even get a small win in their war. Esme tries to convince him to pretend to let Ava win, but Spencer won't budge. Nikolas asks Kevin for advice on what to do about Spencer, but doesn't get much beyond "follow your conscience." Esme blasts him for abandoning Spencer to save himself. Nikolas points out that she's just lucky she didn't get arrested as well, since he's sure she was the one who set Ava's car on fire. He worries he's making the wrong choice in not stepping up to help Spencer, but Kevin tells him he's right not to let Esme manipulate him into doing what she wants. It turns out Nikolas knew about the deal Ava offered Spencer, and he's going to side with her in this and hope that a night in lockup makes Spencer come around. Sam and Dante arrive in Greece and catch up with Robert and Anna, who believe Drew and Valentin are still alive and in the same place. Robert is able to get the guy from the restaurant with the Cassadine crest to tell him that Victor's alive and give him the location of his compound. Peter puts Obrecht back in Drew's cell, where he's confused about the wound in his arm and has no memories since his last conversation with Peter. Obrecht figures out that Faison installed a second level of conditioning in him and Peter used it to get Drew to do something. Victor confronts Peter for knowing all along how to activate Drew and for sending him after Robert and Anna without Victor's knowledge or permission. Since his tattoo guy was captured, he knows it's only a matter of time before the WSB finds his compound. It looks like he wants Peter dead as punishment, but I don't think we'll be that lucky. Carly echoes what Jason already told Sonny about their marriage, adding that they were going to allow themselves the possibility of falling in love. In between blaming Nina for everything, Carly assures Sonny that she wants to be with him, and he tells her the same. This means we get to stop hearing about this all the time, right? Jason and Britt do some brainstorming but don't really get anywhere, other than him agreeing to help find Obrecht.
Time for Laura to come back. Apparently her family can't function without her.
If Ava wants Spencer to believe she's not enjoying his arrest, she needs to stop acting like she's enjoying his arrest.
Morgan AND Kiki mentions – drink!
Kevin, Nikolas' conscience went MIA years ago so he's going to have to listen to something else.
"Peter, you look frazzled. Any sinister plans go off the rails lately?" Heh. I always thought Drew was funny.
Ick. Sonny doesn't get to be upset about Carly and Jason when he hasn't said a single word about falling in love with Nina. ICK.
October 18th, 2021
As Anna organizes a WSB raid on Victor's compound, Peter reveals that he's gotten all the guards on his side, then basically pulls a coup. He keeps Victor and Valentin contained and goes to get Drew so he has a chance fighting the WSB. Obrecht tells Drew to focus on Scout the next time Peter tries to activate him, and he'll have the strength he needs to resist. It works, and Drew is able to fight Peter off. As Peter escapes, Drew rescues Valentin, and Victor flees while they're distracted. They make it outside to a bridge, where Anna and Robert are hoping to ambush Peter. Peter turns the tables, shooting both Valentin and Drew, the latter of whom falls off the bridge. Sam and Dante are eager to participate in the raid, but Anna won't let them, and she's too smart to trust them to stay away, so she has an agent keep an eye on them. Unfortunately for her, the agent worked with Dante back in Turkey and feels bad about the way things worked out. Sam and Dante play on his sympathy, convincing him to let them rescue someone Sam cares about. They don't get that far, but they do find Victor. Back in Port Charles, Jason thinks the person who kidnapped Obrecht found out about her plans by spying on Scott. Spinelli finds malware on his computer that proves this theory; someone has been watching him for months and used his sudden interest in Huntington's to set up the fake conference and get them on a private plane. He can't ID the person, but he knows they're in Greece, so Britt, Jason, and Scott guess that the Cassadines are somehow involved. Curtis tells Portia about his childhood, how much Stella means to him, and how she sacrificed a life with Marcus to take care of the family. Portia tells him that Stella sent her a letter apologizing for her meddling, though Portia had already forgiven her. Someone's watching them, and since Curtis has just said more about his family than we've ever heard before, he’s probably his supposedly dead father or some other long-lost relative.
This show and bridges, man.
Also, thanks for telling us how high up the bridge is, Anna! You definitely didn't telegraph anything by doing that!
Gee, I hope the character played by the veteran soap actor who's only been on the show for two months is okay.
I know it looks like they're wrapping things up in Greece, but obviously they'll have to drag it out a few more days. The writers need to stall until Jason and Britt can get there for no logical reason.
"On the next General Hospital": (15 seconds of Drew floating face-down in the water). Thanks, guys. Very helpful.
Brace yourselves, because I'm going to say something nice about Obrecht. I liked that she told Drew that she's sure Sam has made sure Scout knows who he is. She didn't have to do that, but it was something small that must mean a lot to him.
Valentin's already calling Victor "Father"? Really?
Robert, you could at least pretend to be happy Drew and Valentin got out of the compound.
Don't want to know what's on Scott's computer that he's so intent on keeping private. Don't want to think about that. REALLY don't want to think about whatever Spinelli had in mind while talking about fetishes.
Everyone else gets to go to Greece but Curtis has to stay back and talk about stuff no one cares about. No fair!
October 19th, 2021
Anna tends to Valentin while Robert does absolutely nothing and Peter gets away. Supposedly people are searching the water for Drew, but no one's too confident that he survived (though Dante notes that he's proven to be hard to kill). Victor says he regrets teaming up with Peter, and he tries to spin everything to make himself look like a good guy, but Sam and Dante aren't idiots, so they drag him to Anna and Robert. Victor reveals that Valentin is his son, and the way he talks about his fling with Helena grosses everyone out a little. Elsewhere, Peter and Drew, who was wearing a bullet-proof vest, head off somewhere with an unconscious Obrecht. Britt turns to Nikolas for help locating where Obrecht might be in Greece, but he claims not to have any ties to anything the Cassadines used to do there. That might not be true, since he knows a bartender at the taverna where the Port Charles gang keeps hanging out in Greece. Anna gives Britt an update on everything that's happened, and Britt passes along the news to Jason, including the fact that Drew is alive (or was before he was shot). That just makes him more sure that they need to go to Greece. Portia and Ava chat about Trina and Spencer, and Portia says she thinks Ava made the wrong decision by having Spencer arrested. She also hopes Trina decides to stay away from him, and that Ava's connection to the Cassadines won't come back to haunt her. Mystery guy continues being mysterious, hiding when a bartender, Nika, tries to introduce him to Curtis. Curtis campaigns on Nina's behalf for the Corinthos contingent to give her a second chance.
If this plotline doesn't end with Peter leaving the show, I'm going to start screaming and never stop.
Robert doesn't get to complain about Sam and Dante disobeying orders when they accomplished more today than he did.
Victor might not be so cocky if he realized that Robert can tie him to Robin's not-completely-voluntary time at Crichton-Clark, which gives Robert a personal reason to want him behind bars.
Heh, Jason didn't seem the slightest bit surprised that Drew's alive.
I'm sorry, Portia thinks the Cassadines will be a bad influence on Ava? Ava Jerome? The murderer?
October 20th, 2021
Willow wonders if Michael will be able to continue working at Aurora when he's kind of, sort of Nina's boss. Michael has considered his options (going back to ELQ, getting Sam to agree to oust Nina) but thinks if anything changes, Nina should be the one to go. Willow thinks their best option right now is to do nothing about Nina. If they forbid her from seeing Wiley, she'll take them to court and become antagonistic. She'll probably stay away for a while, and by the time Michael and Willow have to deal with her again, things will have blown over. Michael claims to agree, but then he talks to an attorney general candidate in Pennsylvania about dealing with Nina. Curtis gives Nina some encouragement by saying that sooner or later, everyone will calm down about what she did to Sonny. He's done some not-so-great things in his life, like letting cases drop when he was using drugs, but there's nothing to do but move forward. Sonny addresses the elephant in the room, basically saying that he doesn't want to talk about Carly and Jason's...whatever, and they're all going to move on. Again, I would like confirmation and a promise that we won't ever have to hear about this again. Anyway, Jason and Britt make last-minute arrangements and do some recapping, then head to Greece. Even though Leo's pediatrician has now said that he should see a neurologist, Olivia still won't accept that something's going on with him that needs to be addressed. They should just leave him alone and let him be himself (and also let Olivia stay in denial). Maxie and Austin end up at the same restaurant where Olivia and Ned are having dinner, and Olivia lays into Austin again about getting involved in stuff that doesn't concern him. Maxie thinks Austin may want to drop it, since it's not worth risking his medical license. Maybe that'll be a moot point, though, since Austin mentions to Ned that Brook is trying to make a deal with him so Ned might take care of that for him. I thought Finn and Elizabeth had already agreed that going to trivia night together counted as a date, but now they make it official. Then Terry puts a little bit of a damper on the night by reporting that Elizabeth's father called and wants her to call back. Apparently he left her a message after Franco died but never followed up, and Elizabeth isn't about to waste any energy on returning his call. Mystery guy (who says his name is Marshall) basically stalks T.J., who's too naïve to get that Marshall's interest in Curtis is more than just him being polite.
Holy cow, Willow is...right! Nina probably will keep her distance for a while because she'll expect a fight if she approaches them now.
"How did I end up with someone so smart?" You chose him over Chase. Next question.
I still don't know what crime, if any, Nina committed.
Somewhere, A.J. is screaming because Michael's going to un-Michael-like lengths to get revenge for Sonny.
I hope the stuff about Curtis' family is a red herring and Marshall is actually there because he's connected to a case Curtis never solved.
Yeah, not talking about this stuff is a great plan, Sonny. No way that'll go wrong.
Good thing Jason didn't mention Drew to Sonny and Carly – they would have had to pretend to care about him.
T.J. said his father died and he didn't mention Shawn and now I'm sad.
Why is Marshall getting more screen time than actual developed characters played by people with contracts?
October 21st, 2021
Spencer is stuck with an unprepared public defender and no good path to freedom other than the one he's already rejected: Ava will refuse to testify against him if he agrees to let her control his trust. Sonny shoots down his hope of rescue by telling him he broke the "code" that says not to go after children or family members. However, he gives Spencer some insight into Nikolas and Ava's relationship (he's addicted to her) and encourages him to be a better person. At the same time, Nikolas fights his instincts to help his son by reminding himself that Spencer can't be a spoiled little boy forever (of course, it's Nikolas' fault that he's spoiled, but oh, well). He extends the offer again, but Spencer sternly refuses to let himself be beholden to Ava, so he's facing his court hearing almost on his own. Monica helps Austin realize that his father wanted him to be happy whether or not that means being a part of ELQ. The Quartermaines are nuts, and they get even more nuts about ELQ, so Austin won't be happy having to put up with them. Ned is as sick of Austin as everyone else is, so he approves of Brook's scheme to try to nudge him out of the family. Michael's also on board, and when Austin agrees to sign the paperwork giving up his shot at ELQ shares, the Quartermaines couldn't be happier (except Olivia, who's fine with getting rid of Austin but doesn't want it to be because of Leo). Austin knocks the smile off of Brook's face by telling her this isn't over. Willow tells Carly that she's worried Michael will discard what she said and make some sort of move against Nina. She thinks acting now will make Nina paint herself as a victim. Carly acknowledges that keeping the peace is what's best for Wiley, but she believes Nina's actions have pushed Michael to the point of fighting back. She's right, as Michael meets with that attorney general candidate and makes some kind of deal with him. Ava asks Sonny for joint custody of Avery, which he doesn't agree with, not because of Ava but because Avery needs stability right now. Ava prepares to pull out what she knows about Sonny and Nina's relationship in Nixon Falls, but Sonny appeases her by offering her more visitation. Olivia's so annoyed with Ned's suspicions about Leo that she wants a divorce. Phyllis isn't looking forward to going back to Nixon Falls alone, and Nina thinks she should stay in town. Ava brings up Charlie's right after this, so I think we can all see where this is going.
Sonny saying Nikolas is addicted to Ava reminds me of Alexis saying that the two of them will eventually become toxic to each other.
Sonny: "You know all these allegations against me; people think that I supposedly did crimes – why do you think I'm still standing, a free man?" Spencer: "Diane Miller?" For that, Diane should represent him pro bono. Also, it sounds like Sonny's not upset about Spencer's crimes as much as he is that Spencer got caught.
I think Spencer's childhood adoration of Victor will pay off and Victor will make sure he's taken care of financially.
Oh, Quartermaines. Smugness is not a good look for any of you.
That said: Austin, don't blame Brook because you fell for her trap. You need to take the L on that.
Olivia was on the verge of forgiving Ned for cheating on her, but now she wants a divorce because he thinks Leo has autism? Ugh, they've ruined her. Especially because we all know that if he gets that diagnosis, Olivia will become his fiercest advocate.
October 22nd, 2021
Michael admits to Willow that he's making a contribution to the potential attorney general's campaign in exchange for Nina being arrested for identity theft and fraud. Willow calls him out for agreeing that he didn't want to keep her from Wiley, but Michael insists that Nina needs to be punished for her actions, whether or not that leads to the destruction of her relationship with Wiley. Ava's amused that Sonny and Nina both want to buy Charlie's and ask Phyllis to run it. Nina suggests that Sonny make the purchase, and she'll give him half the money as long as he never tells Phyllis. Sonny doesn't want to keep that secret, though he does want to keep the secret about his and Nina's relationship in Nixon Falls. She promises that Carly will never hear about that from her. And that's when Nina gets arrested. Victor offers to help the WSB track down Peter in exchange for immunity. Once Robert stops laughing, Victor points out that the agency won't want to have to prosecute one of their own, and they'll consider catching Peter a bigger win than busting Victor. He encourages Anna to call in any favors she might have with higher-ups, but Valentin warns her not to do anything to benefit Victor. He thinks they can take Peter down themselves. Also, Anna thinks Valentin is heroic, though I fail to see how. Josslyn and Esme are, surprisingly, on the same side about what Spencer should do to get out of the mess he's in. Spencer strongly considers pleading guilty and taking Nikolas and Ava's deal, but when Ava shows up in court, he changes his mind, knowing he wouldn't be able to handle letting her win. Kevin agrees to pay Spencer's bail and have him move back in, but there's no word on what that means for Esme. Jason and Britt arrive in Greece and get caught up on what's going on with Obrecht, Drew, and Peter. Without any leads to find Drew, Sam decides to go home and let Jason take over the investigation.
One, I don't think what Nina did qualifies as identity theft. Two, does it count as fraud if no one benefited?
I'm dying for a Michael/Sonny conversation about what Michael did.
I guess it would be too much to hope that Nina would warn Sonny that Ava knows about them. Because I'm 99 percent sure that's how Carly will inevitably find out.
I'm really enjoying Charles Shaughnessy in this role.
Yeah, Anna, it was really brave how Valentin got kidnapped, played cards for a few hours, and then got shot.
What was the point of Sam going to Greece if she's going to leave before she does anything? Suddenly this is a Jason/Britt adventure? This is so frustrating. This was Sam's plot! Drew called HER! She should be there to see this through!
Hey, so what happened to the other prisoner at the compound? This would have been a great opportunity to reveal that Holly's alive.
October 25th, 2021
Word spreads that Nina was arrested, but no one's sure who got the ball rolling. Sonny and Jax both think whoever that was went too far, while Carly just wants to enjoy the show. Michael doesn't budge from his position that Nina hurt people, so she should pay. Scott advises Nina not to fight her extradition to Pennsylvania so he can get her out on bail and get her back to Port Charles quickly. Ava agrees, and offers some additional advice: Nina should use her and Sonny's secret relationship as leverage to get him to drop the charges against her (since Ava thinks he had her arrested). Anna totally has feelings for Valentin and won't admit it. He's desperate to let Charlotte and "Bailey" know he loves them, so Anna calls Brook to tell her what's going on. Brook's currently in a Deception meeting with Maxie, Sasha, and Gladys, the latter of whom is making things difficult, as always. But her lack of professionalism is the least of Maxie and Brook's problems, because Gladys records all her meetings, and while she's away, she captures a conversation between Brook and Maxie about how Valentin isn't "Bailey"'s father. Russell resurfaces and tries to take Britt hostage so he can get out of Greece without the WSB stopping him. Of course, Jason stops him. He's been shot in the leg, and he offers to take them to Obrecht if they keep him alive. Britt isn't sure he'll live that long, so she gets him to tell her that they should check out Cassadine Island.
No one bothered to tell Maxie about Peter. Nice.
On the list of people who shouldn't know the truth about Louise, Gladys is definitely near the top.
You know, the first eight times they showed Gladys' phone, I was confused, but the ninth time made something click for me.
Dealing with Gladys is giving Sasha a lot of parenting practice.
You're telling me the WSB hasn't already staked out Cassadine Island?
The fact that Jason is more interested in finding Obrecht than he is in finding Drew is gross.
October 26th, 2021
Michael has no regrets about practically bribing the attorney general candidate to go after Nina, even though Sonny disagrees with his actions. Even Carly thinks he went too far, since Sonny had already convinced her not to do anything. Willow tells Sasha about how Michael made the decision to have Nina prosecuted a) without discussing it and b) after saying he wouldn't do anything. Sasha tries to assure her that Michael probably didn't mean to exclude her, and she shouldn't let this affect their relationship. Also, he was raised to do stuff like this, so they should...let it go, I guess. Finn and Violet have finally moved into their own place, and Elizabeth and Aiden bring them some housewares. Violet finds a picture of Jeff and asks questions like, "Who is this guy?" and "why have I never met him?" Elizabeth tells Finn that she and Jeff aren't close, and though Finn thinks they can fix that, like he and Gregory did, Elizabeth doesn't seem to agree. Ned asks Austin to help him figure out how to talk to Olivia about taking Leo to a specialist. Austin basically says, "I hate your family, I will never forgive Brook, I owe you nothing, you need a marriage counselor, and did I mention that I hate your family?" He does give Ned the name of a specialist, though. Chase chastises Brook for manipulating Austin when he seems to really want to help Leo. Brook doesn't want this to hurt their friendship, but she also doesn't want to admit that she did anything wrong. Gladys goes on a shopping spree with a corporate card, and when Brook confronts her, Gladys reveals that she knows Valentin isn't "Bailey"'s father. Spencer can't find a job anywhere, so he reluctantly agrees to work at Kelly's.
Sasha and Willow said Michael's acting like a Corinthos and a Quartermaine, but really, he's acting like Carly. He did what he wanted without consulting the actual wronged party.
Hey, Jeff, you suck so much that at least one of your grandsons doesn't even know what you look like. Just so you know.
Also, if this is leading to a Jeff return...no one wants that. Give us Hayden!
Ned, you basically kicked Austin out of your family. You can't ask him to help you now.
I need Brook to stop talking about Austin for, like, two minutes.
Today demonstrates exactly why Brook and Chase should get together – he will always call her out when she needs it.
Notice how Esme hasn't said anything about getting a job herself. I'm not surprised.
October 27th, 2021
Willow confronts Michael for having Nina arrested after telling her that he wasn't going to make any moves against her. He says he was trying to protect his family, which Willow points out she's supposed to be part of. Michael acknowledges that he didn't talk to her ahead of time because she would have tried to talk him out of it, though she says she'll back him up on this. Then he proposes, which I'm sure isn't out of guilt or because he wants to give her a distraction. Ava's so annoyed that Sonny didn't stop Michael that she considers not selling Charlie's to him. Nina (who's already back from her extradition) tells her to keep moving forward, but when Ava takes Sonny the paperwork, she makes sure to bring up Nina in front of Carly. Nina tells Jax she's going to keep working on taking responsibility for her actions and moving ahead; part of that includes not telling anyone about her and "Mike." Jax promises to keep her secret, but he's dumb enough to do this within Carly's earshot. Alexis gives Nikolas a chance to admit that he put the hit out on Hayden, and when he dances around the question, she accuses him straight out of doing it. Nikolas tells her she'll want to drop that idea because he still has an in with the governor who pardoned Sonny, and he's willing to issue Alexis a full pardon. Of course, she and Shawn will have to drop their investigation if she wants to secure it. T.J. and Curtis have been spending a lot of time together, and Curtis notes that that started after Shawn came back. He thinks T.J. is trying to show that he still loves Curtis, which Curtis assures him he doesn't need to do. Portia meets Marshall, who manages to turn a casual conversation about a museum into one about Curtis. When she learns that T.J. had a patient who disappeared before T.J. could find out who he was, she starts connecting the dots. Spencer's pretty humbled by working at Kelly's, and Josslyn reminds him that he can put that behind him if he makes up with Nikolas. Molly and Shawn also discuss Spencer and Nikolas, as Molly mentions that Spencer is his father's Achilles heel. Molly encourages Shawn to find a life path that will let him advocate for and share awareness of things that are important to him. Sonny's surprised to get a phone call from Cyrus.
Please, Michael, having Nina arrested had nothing to do with protecting your family. There's no threat from her.
How does the governor keep getting reelected? He just keeps pardoning criminals. Also, I don't want to complain about Alexis possibly being released, but do they have to use the same deus ex machina as they did for Sonny? Also also, how does Nikolas still have sway with someone whose daughter he went on one date with six years ago?
"I have no idea how to pod or cast." Hee.
Molly's going to end up having to recuse herself from a lot of cases because she has the distinction of coming from two families who enjoy ignoring the law.
Just like I need Brook to stop talking about Austin, I need Carly to shut up about Nina.
October 28th, 2021
Willow takes a full hour to tell Michael that she loves him and wants him in her life forever, but he's responding to their disagreement the wrong way and she's not going to accept a proposal right now. Carly and Nina, round 38: Carly accuses Nina of playing the victim, just like Nelle always did. Nina thinks Carly can't stand thinking of her as a mother, and if Nina deserves punishment for what she did to Sonny, Carly also deserves punishment for not saving Nelle. She taunts that Carly doesn't get how happy Sonny was in Nixon Falls, even though he was away from her, and says Carly's letting Michael take the blame for going after Nina when it's really what Carly wants. Nina also warns that if this keeps going, Carly's going to learn some things she won't want to learn. Esme separates Ava from Nikolas so Spencer can have a conversation with him alone for once. It goes poorly – Nikolas wants to know when Spencer will stop punishing him for faking his death, and Spencer makes it clear that Nikolas is choosing Ava over his own son. Ava's conversation with Esme goes much better, as Ava buys Esme's claims that she regrets helping Spencer stalk her since she didn't stop to think that Ava was a real person they were hurting. Ava agrees to clear the slate and give Esme another chance, but this will be the only fresh start she gets. Shawn thinks Alexis should accept Nikolas' deal, since her freedom is more important than their investigation. Alexis disagrees, not wanting to give her horrible, devious nephew the pleasure of shutting her up. (Also, she doesn't think she deserves to be let off the hook for her crime.) She's more determined than ever to dig up proof of what Nikolas did and bring him to justice. Cyrus offers to fill Sonny in on everything he missed while he was away (including things Jason and Carly might have chosen not to share with him). Sonny turns him down, then asks Curtis if there's anything he should know about the night Jordan took Cyrus down. Curtis thinks Portia should trust her instincts that something's off about Marshall. After Sonny comes to ask Curtis about Cyrus, they start to wonder if Marshall is connected to him.
Did we need a full episode of Willow telling Michael she's not going to marry him yet? No, we did not.
Morgan mention – drink!
I have to admire Nina for not saying anything to Carly about her relationship with Sonny, because I'm sure it would have been incredibly satisfying to drop that bomb.
Carly's right about Nina (and Nelle) playing the victim, but Carly does the same thing, so...
Spencer wants to give Nikolas a wake-up call, eh? I'm sure it'll be in a rational, mature way.
Man, Esme is REALLY good at faking remorse.
Alexis might be willing to serve her full sentence, but the audience isn't.
I really want a Shawn/Sonny conversation.
October 29th, 2021
Nikolas has gotten news that Valentin was shot in Greece and is back in Port Charles, so he and Ava go to the hospital to see him. Anna intercepts them and mentions that Victor is alive and was involved in the mess on Cassadine Island. Nikolas claims no connection to the events, but he does admit to Ava that he knew Victor was alive – Victor was the person who found him after Valentin shot him. They've been each other's allies for the past few years, but Nikolas didn't know Victor was also working with Peter. Shawn gives Spencer some encouragement about his relationship with Nikolas, then tells him that Nikolas was responsible for Hayden's shooting. He wants Spencer to try to get Nikolas to confess to him, then tell Shawn what he said so Shawn can turn the information over to the police. He has Spencer tailed as he goes to meet with Nikolas and accuse him of hiring a hitman. Brook takes Charlotte to visit Valentin, then rushes to find Maxie so she can tell her that Gladys knows something she shouldn't. Austin, who knows Gladys wants to screw things up for the Quartermaines in some way, gleefully tells them that Gladys came to the hospital to visit Valentin. Gladys is just as gleefully about to tell Valentin that he's not "Bailey"'s father. Maxie and Sasha bust Gladys for taking the day off and charging spa treatments to the corporate card. She tells them Brook said it was okay, which sounds unlikely to them. Brando tells Sasha she should feel free to fire Gladys, but Sasha actually feels bad for Gladys, since she's been through a lot over the past year, and she deserves another chance. Finn wishes he'd killed Peter back in June, like, join the club, buddy. Austin thinks Maxie deserves better than friendship with Brook, and Maxie can't tell him why they're so close. Finn apologizes to Elizabeth for making her talk about Jeff, then asks what happened to the picture of him, since Violet wants to see it again. She lies that she doesn't know, when in reality, she tore it up.
I don't like Shawn's plan here. Using Spencer is icky. Plus, Nikolas will probably think Alexis is behind this.
Too bad we didn't get to see the follow-up after Gladys busted Brook for lying about "Bailey"'s paternity. I guess it was more important for us to watch Carly and Nina fight for the millionth time and Michael and Willow talk about stuff no one cares about.
I love, love, love Valentin trying to deal with Gladys without being rude. It always cracks me up to see him put in a position where he doesn't know what to do.
For all her faults, Brook is really good with kids.
Careful with the dad jokes, Austin. People might start to think you have a personality.