John gives Jason an ultimatum: General Hospital Daily Recap for Monday, July 22, 2024

Sonny greeted Michael and invited him into the penthouse, where Diane was waiting. After everyone exchanged pleasantries, Michael was curious why Sonny had reached out to him. Sonny revealed that he had filed for sole custody of Avery because Ava had been behind the audio recording of Natalia. Sonny explained that Ava had targeted Kristina to get to him. Michael pointed out that it hadn't excused what Natalia had said, but Sonny insisted that Natalia had been trying to make things right, while Ava only caused misery. Michael agreed, but he reminded Sonny that Avery loved her mother.

Sonny argued that Avery would be better off in the long run without Ava in her life. Michael conceded that Sonny was right, and he was glad that Sonny had finally tossed Ava out, ; but however, Michael couldn't understand why Sonny had let Ava move in. Sonny became defensive as he reminded Michael that he'd been trying to help Ava because she was Avery's mother. Diane tactfully cut in because she thought it was important for them to consider that Ava had once sabotaged Morgan's bipolar medication. "So, if she can do that to Morgan, imagine what she can do to Avery," Diane said.

Michael worried that if Diane brought up that Ava had tampered with Morgan's medication, it would open the door to Scott introducing Sonny and Morgan's rocky relationship at the that time. Diane was confident that she could handle things because of Ava's relationship with Morgan and Ava's role in the onset of Morgan's bipolar disease. Frustrated, Sonny asked if Michael could just testify about his upbringing and the kind of father that Sonny was, but Michael admitted that he might not make the best character witness because of their public confrontations in recent months. Diane assured Michael that it wouldn't be a problem, but Michael reminded Diane that Scott might reveal that Carly had sent Morgan to military school for Morgan's safety after Michael had been shot in the head by a bullet meant for Sonny.

Sonny resented the reminder, and he angrily accused Michael of trying get out of testifying. Michael denied it, but Sonny became increasingly agitated until Diane spoke up because Sonny's hostile behavior concerned her. Undaunted, Sonny insisted that Michael was only a good son when Michael needed something, but the rest of the time, Michael treated Sonny like something that needed to be scraped off the bottom of Michael's shoe. Michael warned Diane that it would be a mistake to call him as a witness because Sonny was not the same father that Michael had grown up with.

After Michael left, Sonny was unapologetic. He claimed that his family was his business. Diane agreed, but she reminded Sonny that abusing a witness who had wanted to help had not been the way to handle things. Sonny accused denounced Michael of for turning against him, but Diane argued that Michael had been trying to help. Diane explained that Sonny's behavior had grown more erratic, aggressive, and self-defeating. She advised him to pull himself together, or she would not be able to convince a family court judge that Sonny was a responsible, loving, dependable parent for any child, including Avery.

In Ava's hotel room, Ava and Scott brainstormed about her defense in family court. Scott explained that she would need character witnesses, but Ava reminded Scott that Sonny was a mob boss. Scott asked if Ava had proof of that, so she acknowledged that she didn't. However, she insisted that she and Sonny both had a shady past, which meant that the playing field was even. Scott agreed, but he was certain that Diane would find a few people who would canonize Sonny and vilify Ava. Reluctantly, she admitted that Scott was right.

When Scott suggested he call Alexis as a witness, Ava nixed the idea because she was certain that Alexis wouldn't do anything to help her. Scott asked about Nina, but Ava admitted that Nina wouldn't cooperate, either. Scott asked if there was anyone Ava hadn't offended lately, so Ava revealed that Laura would testify on her behalf. Scott was pleased because Laura would make a good witness, but he needed more names.

Ava acknowledged that she didn't have many allies, but she was certain that Sonny had even fewer. Ava was confident that Trina would make a good character witness, but Scott pointed out that Trina was an employee. Ava insisted that Trina would be effective, so Scott agreed to add Trina to the list. Ava resented being asked for more names, but Scott assured her that he was in her corner. Ava reminded Scott that Sonny wasn't invincible.

Scott was surprised when Ava confessed that John Cates might help. She explained that John was sympathetic to her cause, and she and the agent had grown close. Scott asked if Ava and John had been intimate. When she assured him that she and John weren't lovers, Scott advised her to make certain it stayed that way until after the custody hearing. Ava agreed, but she suggested Dex Heller might testify because Sonny and Dex had been in an altercation, which Kristina had witnessed.

Scott seemed skeptical that Kristina would testify against her father, but Ava was confident that Kristina would be truthful under oath if Scott subpoenaed Kristina. Scott and Ava also discussed calling Josslyn as a witness because Josslyn despised Sonny, but Ava insisted that Josslyn was Carly's daughter and an entitled brat. However, Ava proposed adding Carly to the witness list. Stunned, Scott asked why Ava would think Carly would testify against Sonny, so Ava reminded him that Carly was Sonny's ex-wife and the mother of two of Sonny's children. "Donna and Morgan," Ava said.

"I wouldn't bring up Morgan if I was you," Scott told Ava. Ava brushed off his concerns because Carly had once sent Morgan to military school to keep Morgan safe from Sonny. Scott reminded Ava that it was ancient history, so Ava shared that Carly no longer allowed Donna to spend the night with Sonny because of his erratic behavior. She told Scott about Carly confronting Sonny and checking his bipolar medication. However, Ava was confident that Sonny would be their strongest witness.

"Why would you think that?" Scott asked. Ava asked if attorney/client privilege applied. Scott assured her that it would as long as she didn't tell him that she intended to commit a crime. "One of Sonny's medications has been replaced with a placebo," Ava shared. Alarmed, Scott asked if Ava had anything to do with it, but she denied it. Ava insisted that she had only discovered the switch, but she had no idea who had been responsible. She admitted that she'd seen the results of Sonny being unmedicated.

"And it ain't pretty," Ava said. Scott realized that Ava hoped he'd get Sonny on the stand and push Sonny's buttons. "The man will blow like Vesuvius," Ava promised. She was confident that it would prove that Sonny was far too volatile to have custody of Avery. "Ever," she added.

At the Quartermaine boathouse, Brook Lynn thanked Blaze and Kristina for meeting her there. Brook Lynn explained that it was the only place where they wouldn't be interrupted by all the kids. When Kristina mentioned getting tips from Nina about how to handle the press, Brook Lynn revealed that Perez Hilton had agreed to interview Blaze and Kristina. Blaze and Kristina were delighted until they learned that Perez had rejected to the idea of sticking to only to the questions that Blaze and Kristina had submitted. Brook Lynn explained that once a guest dictated the questions, it moved from being an interview to a press release.

Kristina was uneasy about not having guardrails, so Blaze decided it would be best to cancel the interview. Brook Lynn advised both ladies to reconsider because she was certain that Perez did not have an agenda. Brook Lynn reminded Blaze and Kristina that there was a way to answer difficult questions without relinquishing control. When Brook Lynn offered to help prepare them for the interview, Blaze and Kristina agreed to give it a try. However, Kristina made it clear that she would not discuss the surrogacy because it was Molly's story to tell.

Brook Lynn was supportive and told both Blaze and Kristina to keep their heads up and to take their time with the questions. They went through a mock interview, and Kristina eloquently explained why she had started the Corinthos-Davis Center for LGBTQ+ youths, and she noted all the help it would provide. When the questions turned to Natalia's homophobic remarks, Kristina admitted that it had been hard to hear the recording because Kristina and Blaze's privacy had been violated by someone they knew and trusted.

At Bobbie's, Carly's manager Hunter tried to discuss hiring more staff, but Carly's Carly was distracted watching Jason and Danny.

At a nearby table, Danny was excited that Sam had agreed to let him hang out with Jason. He asked how Jason had managed to convince Sam. "I just asked," Jason said. Jason assured his son that Sam wanted what was best for Danny, but Danny grumbled that lately "what's best" had been keeping Danny away from his father and taking Danny's phone. Danny shifted gears because he looked forward to their trip on a speedboat to Toronto Island. Danny asked if they could campout camp out overnight, but Jason explained that he had promised to get Danny home by 10:00 p.m.

Carly walked over and shared that she had heard about Jason and Danny's plans, so she would have sandwiches made for their short excursion. Moments later, John entered. "Mr. Morgan, a word," John curtly said. Jason explained that it would have to wait because Jason had plans with his son. "Not anymore," John said. John told Jason to send Danny home.

Carly started to object, but Jason asked her to drive Danny home. Jason promised to call Danny and reschedule their outing. After Jason and John went upstairs to Jason's apartment, Danny asked if Carly had any idea what that had been about. Carly reminded Danny that Jason could take care of himself.

In Jason's apartment, John complained that he had nothing to show for his assignment because Valentin had managed to slip away. John was certain that someone had tipped Valentin off, but Jason reminded John that Jason had no incentive to help Valentin because Jason want wanted to be free of his obligation to the FBI. John announced that Jason would continue to work for him, and he informed Jason that Jason would soon be headed to Quantico on a bus, where Jason would be given a new identification and shipped off to a federal prison to infiltrate a drug and arms dealing organization.

Jason argued that his agreement with the FBI had been to work his way into Pikeman, identify the leadership, and provide John with all the proof. Jason pointed out that he had done that and more when he'd given Valentin's satellite phone to John. Jason suggested that it was John's problem if he couldn't make a case against Valentin stick with the evidence that Jason had provided. "Maybe we can, maybe we can't," John said.

John revealed that there was one case that was ironclad. "The People vs. Carly Spencer," John said. John promised that Carly would be put on a bus bound for Pentonville if Jason refused to get on the bus to Quantico. John dropped a bus ticket and a file with Jason's new assignment on the table, but Jason ignored it. John explained that Jason could only stay in Port Charles if Jason turned over proof of Sonny's crimes. "What if I don't have it?" Jason asked.

John grew irritated because he couldn't understand why Jason continued to protect Sonny. "Sonny has left a trail of broken lives behind, starting with my wife and my brother. Sonny has to pay!" John angrily shouted. Jason frowned because he realized that Pikeman had just been an excuse. John's true purpose had been to take down Sonny. John didn't deny it. He pointed out that Jason literally knew where all the bodies were buried, and Jason had enough information to put Sonny away until the end of time.

"So, you either give it to me or you get on that bus," John said in a menacing tone.

In Anna's office, Laura stopped by to ask if Anna had talked to Valentin. Anna was surprised to learn that John had gone to Laura's place, looking for Valentin. Laura shared that she had tried to call both Valentin and Charlotte, but their cellphones cell phones were no longer in service. Laura admitted that she'd grown concerned when her emails had bounced back, and she'd found that all of Charlotte's social media had been erased. Anna claimed that she hadn't spoken to Valentin, so Laura asked if Anna knew why the FBI had been looking for Valentin.

Anna kept her secrets, but she suggested that she and Laura might not have known Valentin as well as they they’d thought. Laura took comfort in knowing that Charlotte would be safe with her father, so Anna reminded Laura that Charlotte was resourceful. Laura became emotional as she opened up that all of her children were out of her reach, and now Charlotte had vanished. Anna promised to let Laura know if she heard anything. After Laura left, Anna's eyes filled with tears.

A short time later, Carly barged into Anna's office and demanded to know if Anna had been helping John go after Sonny. Anna suggested that Carly ask John, since Carly was friends with John, but Carly vehemently denied it. Carly repeated her question, so Anna reminded Carly that Anna couldn't divulge information about an ongoing investigation or even confirm that there was one. When Anna asked what was going on, Carly filled Anna in about the encounter between John and Jason earlier at Bobbie's.

Anna suggested that John might have wanted to debrief Jason, but Carly was certain there had been more to it. "Something's going on," Carly said. Anna agreed because John had been gunning for Sonny ever since John had arrived in town. Carly suspected that John might feel it was John's turn to take Sonny down. "He's wasting his time. There's no way in hell Jason will ever flip on Sonny," Carly assured Anna. "I don't care what Cates threatens him with," Carly said.

When Carly turned to leave, Anna implored Carly not to do anything rash. Carly played innocent, but Anna wasn't fooled. Anna was certain Carly would either try to confront John or do something reckless to help Jason without having any information about what was actually happening or what Jason intended to do about it. "What's your point?" Carly asked. Anna admitted that she understood Carly's impulse, but she asked Carly to hold off until Anna could get to the bottom of things first.

Carly decided that she shouldn't have involved Anna because it was for Carly and Jason to fix themselves. Before Anna could stop her, Carly left. Anna pulled out her phone and made a call.