I had a tough time deciding where to start this week. It was a coin toss, since it's been a busy week. Let's start with Ashland Locke, since he has been making a lot of noise and threats all over town. He has really been on a rampage and threatening everyone he thinks is involved in hiding Tara and his son, especially Jack. He created quite the scene at the Grand Phoenix when he threatened Phyllis. Uh-oh, that was a mistake, Ash baby. He obviously doesn't know Phyllis and the extremes she will go to in order to get even. I loved how Phyllis calmly stood up to him, all three times! She left him speechless when she told him how many ways to Sunday she is protected from him.
I think once Ashland sorts out his marital situation and Harrison's paternity, he is going to go after Phyllis and the Grand Phoenix, and he might succeed in putting Phyllis out of business for defying him. He has the money and the power to do it. I have a feeling he is going to go after the hotel by trying to buy out her loan, but, correct me if I'm wrong, I recall that Nick holds the loan, and I can't see Nick doing business with Ashland.
Nevertheless, I loved how Phyllis stood up to Ashland, and if push comes to shove between these two, I'm not sure that I want Phyllis to come out the winner. Look at the underhanded way she established ownership of the hotel. Then again, if it does come to a showdown, it might be fun to have Phyllis in the winner's circle. This is very uncharitable of me, but I would still like to see someone take her down for her underhandedness in the way she gained ownership of the hotel.
There has been some scuttlebutt about the possibility that Theo might be Harrison's biological father. Has Theo been doing a little dinky-dunking in the "No Trespassing" zone? I doubt that very much. Theo had told Kyle that Harrison looked like Kyle. I believe the DNA results will show that Kyle is Harrison's biological father. What will Ashland do once he discovers that little tidbit of information, or will Sally tell him?
Sally is such a piece of work and a vindictive wench. It wouldn't surprise me if she keeps stirring the pot by telling Ashland that Kyle is Harrison's biological father, but we will have to wait and see how the paternity results come out, through Sally or the DNA test.
Like Adam, Sally refuses to accept any responsibility for anything she has done. I agree with Summer and Kyle that it's time for Sally to slither back to Los Angeles. Everyone has seen Sally for who she really is, especially Jack. Jack told Tara that if Tara had met Sally, it hadn't been by accident. Jack was right. Every move Sally makes is calculated with a purpose in mind. She is in love with stirring her witch's cauldron while trying to look innocent. Did you notice that when Sally called her grandmother, she blamed others for her breakup with Jack and said that she might lose her job because of Summer and Kyle? She came across as the innocent victim, and Grams believed her. Wake up, Grams. Wait until Grams finds out that Sally has been the author of all her misfortunes. Does anyone want to shed a tear for Sally? I sure don't.
Sally is cozying up to Ashland. These are two very ruthless people. Like Summer, I want to know why Sally keeps doing everything she can to alienate everyone. Lauren appears to be her only friend, and that is tenuous, at best, so if Kyle goes through with his threat to tell Lauren what Sally has been up to, and Lauren fires her, Sally will lose the only person who had been willing to give Sally the benefit of the doubt. Ashland might temporarily become her friend, at least until she crosses him. At the moment, they are using each other for their own reasons.
Sally has discovered where Harrison is after seeing the stuffed toy at the Abbotts' home, but she will hold back that information until Ashland gets Summer out of town and into a high-ranking and high-paying position in a top fashion house as far from Genoa City as possible. Sally wants Summer's job at JCV, and she is hoping that Ashland will be able to lure Summer out of Genoa City.
Well, we all know the old adage that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. What makes Sally so sure that Summer would accept such an offer? Summer has deep roots in Genoa City. I believe she might be flattered, but I think she will turn it down. Sally and Ashland are going to be caught in a catch-22. Ashland has to get Summer to take this lucrative job at a well-known fashion house far from Genoa City, and once Summer accepts the job, Sally will tell Ashland where he can find his son. If Summer turns down the offer, Ashland doesn't get the information that Sally has. Was that the deal? And really, even if Summer does leave, would Lauren really offer Sally the job she covets?
It was a dumb deal to make for a savvy businessman like Ashland. Does he really believe everyone would jump at the chance to accept such an offer? That offer doesn't come with a guarantee that the person would accept it. If Sally doesn't provide him with the information he wants, what is he going to do? How will he retaliate against Sally? She has nothing he can take away from her except her job. He might find another way to use Sally for his own means, and when he is done, his "friendship" with her will be, too.
It seems Ashland was looking to vent his anger yet again when he verbally attacked Jack at Society. How much did you enjoy the dressing down Jack gave Ashland? That was delicious. Too bad Ashland is going to find out that his son has been at the Abbotts' from the day Tara moved out of the hotel. Nevertheless, for me, that was a glorious moment. Was Ashland's warning to Jack about not knowing Tara a fact or some underlying plan to show her in a negative light before the divorce hearing? Jack told Ashland to settle his marital issues with Tara and not the Abbotts, and he knew Ashland had been behind the attack on Jabot. Go, Jack! Show Ashland you can be just as ruthless as he can.
Ashland and Victoria seem to have hit it off. Do we want to see them as a couple? I say yes, for a number of reasons. First, she would stop her attempts to get Billy back. Second, Victoria and Ashland would become a power couple, and they would have Victor squirming. Victor has been king of the hill for a very long time and it's time someone knocked him off his high hill. I have read that Eric Braeden has no intention of retiring, but age does catch up to everyone, even the best of us, and I think Ashland being crowned King of the Hill would fit in well when it was time for the transition. Aside from that, I think Ashland and Victoria would make a good couple. Can you imagine how Victor will feel if Ashland inserts himself into Newman Enterprises with Victoria? I think that might send Victor to the same facility Chelsea is at, wrapped in a huggy jacket.
I think this is going to be an interesting storyline to follow. I hope they put Richard Burgi on contract. I believe he adds a lot to the show and keeps it interesting. He would also be a great replacement for Victor if and when Eric does finally retire. I believe Ashland is going to be the biggest thorn in Victor's side. However, I have to wonder whether Ashland is going after Victoria because he really likes her or if he is wooing her to get back at Victor.
Victoria seems to be taken by Ashland and seems to enjoy his company, but again, I have to question whether she really likes him or if she wants to make the Black Knight squirm, too? I would like to think that she really likes him, and it has nothing to do with Victor.
Victoria has been sour grapes to everyone regarding Adam. She isn't giving an inch, despite the fact that Adam saved Faith's life -- twice! She even warned Nick not to fall for this new Adam he claims to be.
Tara has me mystified. She comes across as a sweet, loving, and savvy businesswoman, but I'm getting little vibes that aren't so pretty. Some of the things she says to certain people seem to carry a very subtle warning. I think what really brought it to a head for me was in the last scene on Thursday between Tara and Summer. Summer asked if Tara would be moving back to New York, and Tara replied she wanted a fresh start -- perhaps in Genoa City, where Harrison could be close to Kyle. She said it so sweetly, but it seemed like a vindictive shot at Summer as Tara walked away. She does everything with sweetness, but there always seems to be an underlying threat.
This is the vibe I have been picking up from Tara. Maybe it's just my suspicious nature working overtime. I think Ashland might have a point about Jack and Kyle not knowing who Tara really is. I'm starting to think none of us knows her. In my opinion, we are going to discover her true colors in the very near future. Tara blamed Theo for leaking the information about Harrison, but my question is how did Theo find out that Tara had had a child and that Harrison was Kyle's child? Obviously, Theo saw Tara before he returned to Genoa City for his short visit. Tara must have revealed this information to Theo. He, in turn, provided it to Sally because he knew Sally needed dirt to use against Summer and Kyle. When Theo confronted Kyle about the child, he said the child looked like Kyle.
Summer appears to be falling apart under the pressure of Kyle's situation. She has postponed their wedding because the reality of Kyle's situation has finally hit her. She has realized that if Kyle is Harrison's biological father, she would be Harrison's stepmom, and Tara would be part of that package. Can we all say that Summer's "stand by my man" resolve is starting to crumble? She has only postposed the wedding, but I think in the end, she is going to postpone her relationship with Kyle indefinitely. I have a feeling that Kyle and Tara might wind up being a couple, and we will be asking, once again, how deep Kyle's love for Summer was.
Has Chelsea really gone to where no one has gone before? Does she really believe that people are dumb enough to buy her act? Chelsea has reverted to her old con ways. She believes she can outsmart and manipulate everyone. Rey isn't really buying it, even after Sharon told him that Chelsea's reaction could be possible because of her stroke. Rey feels there is something more. I really hope he figures it out and sees through Chelsea's charade.
When Chelsea realized that Rey wasn't buying what she was selling about actually seeing Adam and Sharon having an affair under her nose, she switched gears when Rey told her the affair never happened. Shocked, Chelsea asked Rey if she had been hallucinating, and maybe there really was something wrong with her. I think Rey is playing her to see how far she will go. That smile after Rey left told the story. She really believes she has Rey fooled.
Chelsea is a selfish and manipulating witch -- yes, just like Sally. Both these women are stirring their respective cauldrons, trying to fool everyone around them. Sally the troublemaker and Chelsea the con. When Adam came to see Chelsea to ask her to lift the restraining order and allow him to see Connor, she refused. Okay, so in Chelsea's clearheaded way of thinking, it was better to have Connor sitting in boarding school without any parents. That's great parenting, Chelsea. Her reasoning was that Adam would tell Connor horrible things about her and alienate Connor. Adam promised he wouldn't do that because his main concern was Connor. Even the doctor said it would be better for Connor to have one parent, since Chelsea would be in the institution for quite some time.
That clearly went over Chelsea's head because she is too focused on planning her escape. Where would she go if she broke out? The first place would be to get Connor, then what? Constantly on the run and looking over her shoulder with her son? Has she forgotten that no matter where she goes, Victor has the means to find her? This is all just speculation on my part. As far as I know, Chelsea will be in that facility for quite some time. I just want to know whether Chloe will finally come forward and tell the truth about her part in Chelsea's plan.
Is it just me or has anyone noticed the interaction, or lack thereof, between Sharon and Rey? The chemistry between them seems almost nonexistent. Sharon has more chemistry with everyone else than she does with her husband. She almost appears cold toward him. This is not the Sharon I have known. She has always had so much chemistry with anyone she has interacted with, so why are there no sparks between a couple that has only been married a few months? They should still be in their honeymoon phase, but they aren't. In spite of their reconciliation, is this marriage doomed?
Despite their tumultuous past, Sharon has more chemistry with Nick than she does with Rey. She is very animated around Nick, yet almost robotic around Rey. At least that's the way I see her. Please feel free to show me the error of my perception about this couple. In the beginning, I thought Sharon and Rey made a great couple. Life for Sharon would be drama free for a change, especially after her tumultuous marriage to Nick, the volatile relationship and marriage to Adam, and Dylan's dangerous job as a police detective.
The only time I found that Sharon was animated with Rey was on their wedding day. After that, it was all arguments over Adam -- and nothing else. I'm still hoping Sharon can see how great Rey is and that they can salvage this marriage. I still think they are good for each other. It's time for Sharon to put Adam in her rearview mirror and move on with Rey. Adam has claimed he has cut his ties to Sharon. He realized that he had been using Sharon as his go-to feel-good place, and she was also his crutch.
Adam has claimed he is going to change his ways and become a new man. Victor is delighted in the change in Adam, but now Victor is throwing Adam in Nick and Victoria's faces. He expects them to accept Adam and treat him like their brother. Has Victor forgotten that Adam nearly killed him? I find that Victor has forgiven Adam for everything Adam has ever done far too easily. He has never forgiven Nick or Victoria for anything that easily, and anything Nick and Victoria have ever done was child's play in comparison to the things Adam has done.
Nick seems to have bonded somewhat with Adam while they were in Kansas, but he is still keeping Adam at arm's length. Victoria, on the other hand, refuses to speak a kind word about her half-brother. She doesn't trust him and never hesitates to express her negative feelings for Adam.
I have been loving Nick lately, but that came to a screeching halt when he started throwing his weight around about Summer and Kyle's relationship and their upcoming wedding. He had a chat with Jack to express his concerns. He hoped Jack and Kyle would see things his way. Yikes, Mr. Busybody Nick. Who are you to dictate to Jack how he needs to see their kids' situation? While Summer may be his daughter, Summer and Kyle's relationship is none of his business, and he needs to stay out of it unless he is asked for an opinion. They are adults, and they need to handle the Locke situation on their own.
Then Nick melted my heart when he kept himself in check when he spoke to Summer and offered Summer some sage advice and gave her a lot to think about. Even Sharon was impressed and proud of the way he'd handled Summer.
At the moment, I don't have much to say about Amanda other than her investigation into Sutton Ames is becoming very interesting. She became quite emotional when she discovered that Richard had been trying to find her. He hadn't known he'd been trying to find twins. This storyline is intriguing. Naya and Imani are giving Amanda grief over that tidbit of information because Naya claimed she'd never told Richard she was pregnant -- so who told Richard? Once he started searching for his child, he was suddenly killed. I don't know, but after we met Sutton, he struck me as someone who wouldn't hesitate to eliminate anyone who got in his way.
I think Sutton saw Richard as a threat because if Richard did find his child(ren), it would sully Sutton's political reputation to have people discover that his daughter had had a child out of wedlock. Sutton admitted to Amanda that he had kept track of Hilary and Amanda while they were growing up, but he had never helped out financially. What kind of person does that? If he could allow his granddaughters to grow up in the system without any support from him, this leads me to believe that he wouldn't hesitate to have anyone killed to keep his name unsullied. Yikes! What if Amanda does discover that Sutton killed her father? What will that do to this family unity, if there ever was family unity?
Putting all that aside, Sutton has welcomed Amanda into his family some 30 years later because he needs Amanda's help. Where was he when they were in the system, or even when Amanda and Hilary had been in their twenties? Do we believe that if he hadn't needed Amanda's help, he would have sought her out and welcomed her into the family? I don't. I think his is one heartless man who only does things for his own benefit. What will happen if Amanda loses his case? Will he still welcome her into the family or toss her to the curb and ignore her like he did all her life? In my opinion, win or lose, she will not be welcomed into the family.
Neil's memorial was beautifully done, in my opinion. It was refreshing to have everyone remember Neil in their own way by taking a memorial walk to Neil's favorite haunts that had been sent to everyone and recalling specific personal memories of him. It made it so very special. Rather than the usual gathering in a specified place and everyone taking turns talking about their memories of the person who had passed, this was very refreshing. The only part I didn't understand was Amanda being included. She never knew Neil, but I'm guessing she was there to support Devon.
I held it together until the end when, one by one, everyone began placing a flower on the bench below Neil's photo, and then Devon, Lily, and Moses shared an emotional hug. That's when I blubbered and sniffed a little. Neil was such an integral part of The Young and the Restless. This was really well done. Kristoff St. John, a.k.a. Neil Ellis Winters -- gone far too soon.
It's time to give a shout-out to the amazing talent on The Young and the Restless and those who have been nominated for an Emmy Award. We wish Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea Lawson), Bryton James (Devon Hamilton), Marla Adams (Dina Mergeron), and Alyvia Alyn Lind (Faith Newman) a whole heap of luck. I think the whole cast should have been nominated because they all do such an outstanding and admirable job. They have all worked very hard this year to make Y&R the soap we love.
I hope you have enjoyed my thoughts and a speculation or two about what has been happening around our favorite town recently. I would love to read your comments and opinions, and perhaps you might like to offer up some of your own thoughts. In the meantime, it's a wrap for me. Until next time, stay safe!
Nel
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