12-21-2016 (Wednesday) FRANCO'S DREAM

Elizabeth goes to visit Heather Webber; Heather asks why… Elizabeth says she needs a favor.  She says she needs to find Naomi Dryefuss (Hayden’s mother); she tells her Hayden is dying, but Heather could care less.  Heather insists Liz stay and tell her what’s going on between Elizabeth and her son.  She says it’s none of her business; and she can keep her threats.  She starts to leave; Heather says she wasn’t warning Elizabeth about her.  Liz says Franco would never hurt her; Heather says to just wait until the real Franco resurfaces.  She tells Liz when he does, she better be prepared for the homecoming.  Elizabeth says the fact that he even comes to see her at all proves he has a good heart; she may not believe in Franco’s capacity to change, but she does… and more importantly, she says, Franco is beginning to believe in himself.  

Jason goes to ask Sonny a question about the Chinese connection; Sonny tells him what he knows and Jason starts to leave.  Sonny insists he stay and tell him what HE knows about the investigation; Jason says, nothing he needs to know.  Sonny thinks otherwise.  Sonny gets pissy, but Jason doesn’t want to give up any information until he is certain about it.  Sonny pushes him; he reveals his suspicions, but he says something still doesn’t make sense.  Sonny tells him he is going to kill Julian.  Jason talks him down and gets Sonny to agree to give him some more time to find out some more information.  Julian questions his own man about the van being parked in that particular spot, blocking the security cameras, and what he may know about it.  The man tells Julian if he has a theory about what happened, the “boss” would probably like to hear about it.  Julian chuckles and says that it was probably Sonny; he drops the conversation.  The man, who is sitting in Julian’s wheelchair, rolls into Julian’s leg and asks if he is set for in-home care; the boss is offering assistance.  The man leaves, telling him that they have their eyes on him.  

Maxie is planning out Sam’s baby shower, letting everyone know the itinerary; they are discussing the cake, inside, being the color of the sex of the baby (blue or pink).  Monica says that’s quite something; Molly says she can’t believe she got Sam to go along with it – Sam comes in at that moment and asks what they are talking about.  Monica tells Sam she is so excited; Sam smiles.  Kristina announces that she has put down a deposit on a place of her own; she is moving out of her mom’s next week, she says.  The girls question what their mom is going to do with all her spare time; she smiles, and says she’ll figure out something.  They open presents and laugh and talk, then it’s time for the cake.  Sam looks at it, half pink, half blue, and reads “find the answer inside.”  She gets a little upset with Maxie; Maxie apologies.  Sam says she’ll forgive her, as long as she doesn’t even think of cutting into that cake.  Maxie frowns.  

So, Tom Baker overpowers Franco and Franco is now laying unconscious on the floor; Tom says, “this dog is gonna have his day” and barks in Franco’s face.  Of course, Franco has no idea he’s doing this.  When Franco comes to, he is locked in his own dog kennel; somebody comes in the room.  He asks them to please let him out of this thing; this vision he has, of Sam, says it looks like she has him right where she wants him.  Sam, however, is talking to Carly at the Metro Court, where the shower is being held.  They go in to the room when Maxie announces that it’s time to get started.  ‘Sam,’ dressed in leather, comes into the studio and leans over the cage, reminding Franco of how he made her think he had raped her for 1305 days before he blew into town and told her it was all a joke.  Then she asks, getting real close to the bars, how she can possibly know he didn’t really rape her when the cameras were off; she adds, lastly, that because of his actions now, Tom Baker is out on the prowl – he’s probably looking for another victim right now – she tells Franco whatever happens, he set in motion.  She walks out; Elizabeth appears.  

'Elizabeth' tells Franco, Sam is right; he set this whole thing in motion.  She pleads with him, saying she knows he is better than that; there is goodness in him… she can see it.  But then she says, there’s also darkness; she asks why he did this.  She says she prayed that side of him was gone; she begs with him to find another way, saying he is stronger than the darkness inside of him.  She disappears.  Franco, himself, then appears outside of the cage; he asks himself; he says she is wrong… the darkness isn’t inside of him – it is him.  He is pure darkness.  Franco (in the cage) says no, “I got rid of you.”  Dark Franco kneels down and tells him, “that’s impossible, I am you, the real you” – the one who does all those delicious things he called art, he says.  He tells him he needs to get back to work.  

Caged Franco says he doesn’t do that kind of stuff anymore; Dark Franco mocks the ‘tumor defense’ and asks how he explains what he just did to Tom Baker, and the fact that he still hates Jason, wants to take him down and take what’s his.  He says the tumor just gave him the permission to be who he is; evil.  He tells him he knows what’s coming because he is the future, and he is way worse than people even think he is.  Caged Franco refuses to believe that; he says he is finally the man he wanted to be and has Elizabeth on his side.  Dark Franco says, “maybe” but he doesn’t have time on his side, Dark Franco says, because it’s running out.  He grabs the cage and electrocutes Caged Franco; Franco wakes up, grabbing the shock collar on his throat.  He screams for someone to let him out of there. 

Back at the Metro Court, Carly offers Sam some food; Jason shows up.  Sam asks how Sonny is doing; he says some days better than others… he hopes Sonny understands that he trying to be his friend.  Carly overhears; she calls Sonny.  She asks if he wants to come make a gingerbread house tomorrow, with Avery; he says sure.  Sam tells Jason about Maxie’s surprise cake; Jason suggests they cut into it and find out after all.  They decide to, but agree to keep the results to themselves.  The knife slides in as this episode ends.