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On today’s General Hospital, Jason and Carly share a beer on the bridge, reflecting on how things are done with Cates and Jason is finally free. They’re not keeping anything from each other, are they, Carly says… though Jason hedges, saying it depends. Regardless, Carly feels free now that his deal is met, and Jason should feel that way too.

But it’s been three years of doing the FBI’s dirty work, and Jason’s not sure he remembers how to be free to live life. Cates is going back to Virginia “or whatever circle of hell he’s from,” but what does Jason want to do, Carly asks. He’s going to hang out with the boys, as much as he can until Jake leaves for Barcelona.

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Carly just asks him to promise not to disappear again and he can pick his life back up. No, he can’t, he tells her. He made that mistake the last time he disappeared, but things had changed. And so had he. It was so easy with Britt because she had no expectations. Carly admits she was jealous — she didn’t want Jason to love anyone but her. But then Britt died saving Josslyn’s life and now she’s forever grateful.

Tracy, meanwhile, shows up at the stables, saying she saw Cody’s light on and asking if he’d like company. He grabs her a beer and asks what’s got her up this time of night. She says the air conditioner humming is driving her crazy. She then gets into her parents, saying how wonderfully kind Lila was, while Tracy takes after her dad.

Cody suggests that maybe she needs to wear herself out more to sleep. She can come down more often to take a ride — or help him with his work. She just doesn’t sleep like she used to, she tells him. She talks a bit about her love of making lists and how it used to help her sleep — and relaxes her.

Cody acknowledges he should maybe try doing things her way. He’s too busy ignoring things. “I ignore any disaster coming at me.” He pretends things aren’t happening until it’s too late. Tracy asks if there’s something particular he’s avoiding and Cody opens up about Mac. She’s stunned. “Sorry… wow.”

Mac, though, didn’t take it well. Tracy’s sorry, but “What now?” Normally, Cody just moves on, but he won’t this time. Good, if he leaves without giving her 30 days notice, no severance, no health insurance, no recommendations.

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Dex brings dinner to Chase at the station and they talk a bit about his training and where Chase started in the police force in Maine. Chase then assures Dex that in time, he’ll earn the respect of his fellow officers. Dante did, and he’s Sonny’s son. “All you can do is prove yourself every single day.”

Chase pauses, saying he sounded exactly like his dad and talks a bit about his baseball days and the guys on the team who wouldn’t accept him. His dad told them to win them over by being so good they had to accept him. He was a great dad, and Dex says he could tell how much Gregory loved Chase and Brook Lynn.

Chase gets emotional talking about how supportive his dad was and how much he misses him. Dex respects how he feels and wishes he felt that way about “anyone in my family.”

Brook Lynn is ticked that Sonny called her over with Natalia there. She showed up for Sonny and Blaze’s career, not for Natalia for the “idiotic words that came out of YOUR mouth.” Brook Lynn talks through some ideas, but Sonny says he and Natalia came up with a plan. They explain they want Blaze to put out her music on an independent label, funded by Sonny and run by Brook Lynn.

“Yeah, no,” BLQ says. She’s got questions, and Sonny assures her that creatively, the label is all hers. Brook Lynn says all print and media will be managed by her and her alone. Natalia will have no say in anything. She can agree to Brook Lynn’s terms or the label is dead. And her offer is off the table once she leaves.

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“You can’t completely cut me out!” Natalia is aghast. Brook Lynn says she was a good manager, but the whole “maternal” oversight thing is done. It’s time to forge a new path that lets her be seen and heard.

Sonny pops up to say he trusts Brook Lynn and points out Natalia doesn’t have a lot of options. Be that as it may, after Linc, Natalia promised herself to never let a third party have any influence over Blaze. The only one she can trust is herself. And she did that… and created a media disaster. So it’s time to trust them — so long as her daughter agrees to the terms.

Kristina, meanwhile, knocks on Nina’s door with Blaze and Nina is quick to apologize for the Invader’s role in upending their lives. She apologizes for her “idiot” new editor-in-chief and is not denying her part in the fiasco. She’s going to make it right, though. They wonder why Ava did what she did, but Kristina is glad she’s far away from her dad.

After calling Dewitt down, he awkwardly sees Blaze and Kristina and Nina tells him it’s time to start groveling, even when he thinks he hits rock bottom. He says he’s “truly sorry” and he didn’t think all this would happen. “What did you think would happen?!” Kristina demands.

He just wanted to deliver the big scoop, and he didn’t think past that, but he should have. He’s going to turn The Invader around to unqualified support whenever they want to respond. He runs off and Kristina and Blaze tell Nina they want that now. They need her to coach them for the response Brook Lynn is setting up. Great! She tells them to just be themselves and they’ll show the public they’re human beings who are doing the best that they can, like everyone else.

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In the show’s final moments, Dex says he’s not close to his family, and that’s fine. There was no one to rebel against or give him bad advice. He just wanted to create a life the opposite of what he had growing up. Chase tells him he’s going to be a good cop.

Tracy tells Cody it never occurred to her to just run. And she’s had times at the altar she should have. Every time something “calamitous” happens in her life, she returns home and starts complaining. And that makes her feel like her family is more comfortable. He agrees to try her way, but Mac doesn’t want anything to do with him. Tracy looks off to the entrance and utters, “Oh no!” Cody adds, “What are you doing here?”

Nina tells Kristina and Blaze they will start their media training tomorrow. Or… She pauses. She can start it now. Sonny toasts to the new agreement, saying it’ll be great. While they deal with Blaze’s music, he’ll make sure Ava gets what’s coming to her. Brook Lynn looks worried.

Carly asks what Jason’s doing to start a new life here. He turns down her offer to run security at the hotel, saying he wants his job back at Corinthos Coffee. One way or another he has to get through to his friend. “Sonny’s in more trouble than he knows.”

On the next General Hospital: Tracy is charmed by Gio. Sasha offers Cody support.