Seriously, J.T. is not dead. Not to say I told you so, because it's not like everyone in the world argued with me, but my hope for how they could change the storyline and make it better was true. And wow, did they do a good job of making it work!
There are some things that were powerful and some things that were strange. I'll try to organize my wowed, jumbled thoughts to share my enthusiasm with you, but this is going to be in random order. First, a random question: why would anyone think two guards were enough for the cabin? It wouldn't be enough to contain the three women, and it certainly wasn't enough to keep J.T. out.
I'm not sure where the van "broke down" or got in an accident, or whatever excuse Rey made that I promptly forgot. Was it near the cabin? If so, why didn't the police search there. Even if it wasn't that close, why didn't the police check there? This is a place that is known to all three of the women, and they've all spent time there. I have lived in a very small town, and one thing I know is that the people there notice anyone who doesn't belong, and if anyone lives in the vicinity, they probably would have been suspicious and would have reported what they'd seen, even suspicions, when they saw it on the news. My advice to you if you want to stay hidden? A good disguise and hiding out amidst a bigger population. My real advice? Don't commit crimes.
Speaking of suspicious, I think people would be suspicious if three women in handcuffs (the police don't yet think this is an inside job) were wandering around. So, from a police perspective, I imagine that would be what they were looking for. Or they'd be looking at Nick (who was suspiciously at the police station), Victor (who was also suspiciously at the police station, oddly a coincidence because he had been unaware), Jack (who seems innocent because he's building tents and playing games), Billy (who gave up on sending messages and went to where the women were), and Phyllis (who followed Billy to the cabin). If the three criminal masterminds are a threat to the public, it would make sense that the police would be monitoring those close to them.
With the surprising presence of both Nick and Victor in the police station, if I were Christine, I would have had them followed, even if I hadn't suspected them before (but they're Newmans; she should have suspected them). I would not have assumed Rey was aiding and abetting. However, I would have assumed that this weird meeting with Nick and Victor was their smokescreen to distract Rey from the crime they were aiding and abetting. But I would presume they'd be heading to where the ladies were once they thought they had tricked the police.
When Rey wrote a note on his business card, I wondered why Christine didn't question it. Sure, I bet sometimes an officer provides a cell phone number to help with a case. However, Rey and Nick are not friends, so it would be odd for him to do that. There are people who get my number and people who don't, and certainly an enemy would not.
Point to ponder: if I were in a dangerous situation and there was a burner phone, I would leave it with the most stable, responsible person. In this case, I would have picked Victoria. She could have kept the phone in her pocket then J.T. would not have been able to grab it and struggle to smash it with his gun. Also, a random aside, was the door unlocked? Why weren't the windows blocked with shades or curtains or even bed sheets? J.T. was able to look in and see the women, and he just walked right in (but not through the door they were in front of, I presume, or they would have noticed).
When J.T. showed up in the window at the cabin, I was kind of expecting it, but it was still -- wow! It was a perfect dramatic soapy moment. Never mind that this man with incapacitating headaches was able to overpower two armed private security guards and end up with a gun (remember how much he struggled to smash that phone, and he still disarmed the guys and knocked them out?). What matters was that he showed up in that window. And it was the best ending to an episode I've seen in quite some time.
J.T. had a gun, so the ladies (who inexplicably went outside) were easy to overpower. Had I been given the zip ties, I might have tied my friends, but I would have made it loose enough to slip out of. But realistically, it was dark, and he had those headaches that kept throwing him off. There were a lot of items around that could have been thrown at him. I would have thrown stuff at his face and run (but I get active shooter training at work, so maybe I think differently). He would not have been able to catch all three of the ladies. In the dark, he might not have even caught one. Instead, they got tied up and tried to talk him down.
J.T. lost his senses because of anger and the extreme pain caused by brain tumor unknown reasons and the gas he released when he flipped out. He's on the ground. He's unconscious. I know the ladies are bound, but would you not have tried to wriggle or hop your way out of there, or even over to the knife Victoria had just been holding to defend herself, cut yourself free, then release your accomplices? I don't know that I would have stayed down once J.T. hit the floor. I would not have rescued him, but I would have fought to save myself. As it was, only Sharon stood up, and that only after the other two had lost consciousness, and she collapsed.
Instead of trying to get free, they yelled for J.T., who would be the last person I'd ask for help. They didn't know if he planned to kill them, but I wouldn't rule it out. Better to escape while he's unconscious, before he has the chance to kill them. Hardly matters if that escape is messy. At least they'd be alive.
Random point: When Phyllis showed up to help Billy, I said, "Of course Phyllis followed Billy." Apparently, she's working to save the women, which didn't work the last time she "tried" to do that. Who is running Jabot while she's doing this? Does she need to give the Abbotts more ammunition to let her go? She's doing just that. And why does she keep "helping" when she is not so well received these days? Perhaps the new (former) writers are working to redeem the character, but they've got a lot of work to do. She's taken a pretty big hit this past year.
I appreciated Nick telling Phyllis, "We're talking about them, and you're talking about you." I also agreed when he said, "You made that deal with Christine for you, not them. You took the stand for you, not them." At Victoria's house, I laughed when Billy asked Phyllis, "Isn't there a relationship you could be blowing apart somewhere?" I did notice some of the anger is washed out of her face now, though.
The big question of the week is will the women get out of the cabin in time? I'm 100% convinced of it. I doubt they'll even have injuries, and they'll be fine when they get oxygen again. Will J.T. make it? I don't think they brought him back for two days. I think he's going to live, and they'll treat the brain tumor reason for his headaches. And maybe his personality transplant will be reversed, and perhaps he'll go back to Mac and the kids. (I want Billy and Victoria to have a chance. He's been a rock star for her throughout this ordeal).
Bonus: looks like we'll be getting a fancy new Abbott cabin, because I predict an explosion just as they're trying to get J.T. out, so he'll be injured, which will be why he gets to the hospital to get checked for the brain tumor source of his headaches.
What will be the source of J.T.'s headaches? Not that it's a soap staple, but part of me thinks it might be a brain tumor. It could be something completely different, and that's not only fine but also welcomed. But something is making him crazy. And volatile. And violent. And dangerous. It isn't just revenge. It would be interesting if it were something Victor had caused, but I really can't think of anything that would fit that bill.
Another cool option would be if he were on some medication (heart medication from being electrocuted, perhaps) that made him have some kind of medication-induced schizophrenia/psychosis. What if he's hearing so many voices, he's pounding his head to stop them? It would be a twist I don't recall seeing before.
While we're talking about J.T. and him being violent, I have to say that I did like Victoria's responses to the fear that J.T. was out there. Was she rational? Not entirely. But was it normal for her to be afraid and want to flee? Absolutely. Trauma makes people do things that don't make sense to other people. Her reactions were a normal reaction to an abnormal situation (the abuse). Of the three women, Victoria looked the most realistic/believable/drained during their whole prison van transport episode up until they all passed out. Victoria's panic and irrationality were both valid responses to her trauma.
Having J.T. fall into a storm drain that collapsed and flow out through the drain system solved the problem of him being alive with it being unbelievable that he could crawl out after being buried in the ground.
J.T.'s arrival at the cabin made sense, despite the contrived talking directly into the microphone bug work Billy and Nick did. (I think being a little further away would be more believable if someone were listening. Just a guess.) He saw the ladies escape because he was following. His reason? "I wanted to watch them march you into prison for what you did to me."
Summertime in the Rosales Family
Should Rey hold Mia accountable when he learns she messed around with Arturo on the heating repair night? Because I believe he will find out. He made a promise to Mia, but there's been no mention of her pregnant state, and she is the reason Lola is in the hospital. The positive? Lola's liver might have failed and killed her, and this is how they found out. The negative? Mia is a loose cannon who assaulted Abby not because of the harsh words but because of Arturo.
At the end of the day, Arturo was the reason Mia reacted so strongly, whether she admits it or not. Harsh words from the woman who is with Arturo and wearing his ring is the issue. Not that she wouldn't do anything to get back at someone who disrespected her (people need to get over that noise, too, because we're all disrespected at some point or another, often daily), but she wouldn't necessarily sneak attack assault them at their home. There was nothing about this that shows she is safe to be around others. Mia telling Abby, "I want good, happy lives for all of us," doesn't mean she's suddenly going to change. A responsible police officer would make sure she couldn't hurt anyone again, pregnant or not.
I feel that Abby deserves better than Arturo. For a while, I liked them. Is she perfect? No. But she's been faithful. She should be with someone who wants only her, not his sister-in-law who he sleeps with. When Mia said, "Convince Rey to take me back or I tell Abby we had sex," a big part of me hoped Arturo would just tell her himself and get it over with.
Luke was still furious with Kyle for sleeping with Summer after Kyle said he would not fulfill his husbandly duties for a year. He apparently couldn't make it for a night. Is she going to be pregnant in a coma? I sure hope not.
When Phyllis and Nick were talking, I loved that Nick said Summer doesn't have the tools for marriage. She doesn't. I so wish she had done the right thing because it was the right thing and because she loved Kyle so much that she wanted him to be happy, even if it was with someone else.
Lola wants to know her donor. I have no doubt she'll learn. I don't know when, and I don't know if Summer's complications are life-threatening or potentially life-ending. I haven't heard anything about Hunter King leaving the show, but she does have a primetime gig, too. How will Lola react? Will she think Kyle was noble, or will she want to break up with him? Will Kyle leave Summer for Lola? So many questions. And I have no idea which way this story will go.
May and December
The relationship between Kerry and Jack is not working for me. It isn't even the age difference. When Jack jumped out of that sheet tent he'd built with the kids and growled at Kerry, it was flat. There was no chemistry.
I will admit that I've always liked the way Kerry dresses, and the green dress she wore for her outing with Jack and the kids was amazing. However, every time I looked at it, I wondered why a chemist would wear something so stunning in a lab. I might have studied chemical engineering before I thought better of it. Nobody wore an evening gown to the lab. But I guess we weren't as beautiful as she is, either.
I noticed Kerry chose her words carefully: "Nothing's changed for me." She's not even lying. She's still lying to Jack and Phyllis, trying to start Jabot Wars. But nothing's changed.
Jet Slade:
If I lived with a loved one who was obviously lying and acting mysterious, I would follow her out, too, so I don't fault Devon for following Ana. I hope we hear some music from Jet Slade, who owned the R&B charts from 1998 to 2004.
Were there sparks between Jet's niece Elena and Devon? She had a little smirk, and I couldn't tell if she was interested (he could date again, and I'd be fine with it) or if she and/or Jet is working some kind of con to bilk Devon and/or Ana out of money. But Jet seemed to genuinely be recovering from surgery and not be healthy.
Is there something shady about Ana's father, or is he legit? It would be great if she could develop a relationship with her father. And if they could make music together.
Line of the Week:
Before the transplant surgery, Kyle to Nate: "That what you put on your dating profile? Livers are my thing?"
Truest Line of the Week:
Mia to Phyllis: "Love is complicated and confusing, and we all need to embrace it when we can."
Mia might have missed those chances.
Random Thoughts
Oh, hey. Paul is back. He called Rey. I saw Rey ignore the call.
When the guard said, "Welcome to the rest of your lives, ladies," I wondered if she knew Sharon was only in for three years. Or that Victor would get Nikki and Victoria out before ten and thirty years had passed.
I like Nick and Billy teaming up together for a cause.
When Nikki picked up her weapon in the cabin, I said, "I have a fireplace poker, and I know how to use it."
I feel like Mal Young's work has to be finished by now. Has the writing been showing signs of improvement? This week, absolutely. Has it been a little rough at moments, like driving over potholes before the streets are repaired in the spring? Yes. But Mal Young left a lot of potholes, and I am hopeful that Josh Griffith can fill them in before the end of spring, and we'll be on our way. Will we love every story? No. What would we complain about if they got it all right? I'd just be out a job. We'd have Ana and her dad write some love songs with Tessa, and we'd be good to go.
I found it funny when Tessa said, "I've always wanted to write a protest song." Hopefully she finishes before she is incarcerated, although with the women on the run and/or in jail, they won't be able to testify against her. She did confess, which might or might not work in her favor.
Has anyone ever actually seen Mrs. Martinez?
When Billy said that Rey would have to answer to him, I thought to myself that Billy wouldn't win that fight. That's not an insult. He just isn't a fighter.
Did anyone else notice a little red light in the window a little before halfway in on Wednesday's episode? I wondered if it meant anything.
Jack told Kerry, "My mother's struggling." Uh-oh. I hope Ashley and Traci aren't coming back for her funeral. I'd hate to see her die off-screen without closure for us as well as them.
When Victor told the police, "If anything happens to them..." I suspect a part of them was actually scared. With cause.
Next Week:
In the previews, Arturo confesses to Abby that he slept with Mia, and you see Abby with a hammer around what looks like Arturo's prize possession -- his truck.
Apparently, Paul is going to fire Rey. Will Rey go into some other work as a private citizen, or is he done in Genoa City?
Reader Feedback:
Viewer Murry Wheeler shared: So let me just say regarding the trial, Christine and Michael are both bad lawyers. Brittany is slightly better. Christine didn't have a case but is desperate to take down a Newman and will manipulate testimony to get there. Any decent defense attorney would have cross-examined Phyllis and got out the testimony exonerating his clients. Instead he attacked her and missed his best opportunity. And as you stated, bringing Tessa in was a disaster. Y&R desperately needs legal guidance when drafting these trial cases. I understand they are trying to write a compelling story but they clearly missed the boat here.
Closing Thoughts:
What will happen next on The Young and the Restless? I really have no idea, but I can't wait (seriously can't wait), so I'll be right here watching with you until we meet again.
Christine
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