Groundhog Day

Will these storylines ever end?

Like the movie where one day endlessly repeats itself, so I'm beginning to feel about my once favorite soap. Adrian and Colleen. Colleen and Adrian. Day after day after day. Carmen Mesta. Carmen Mesta. Carmen Mesta. Phyllis, Phyllis, and OMG, more Phyllis. And, of course, the Reliquary! Will these storylines ever end? Or am I doomed to have to keep watching them rehash themselves forever? Or at least until I throw in the towel and change the channel?

First, I could probably stomach the Adrian/Colleen thing if Colleen weren't so darn annoying. Did she even bother to shower off Korbel's scent before she raced over to Lily to give her a kiss by kiss and touch by touch instant replay. And if I have to listen to her deliver one more line of those irritating whisper-voiced sentences, I swear I will reach through the screen and choke her until she lies as lifeless as Carmen once did. I really wish someone would stuff a sock in her babbling mouth!

Okay, on the positive side, I do admit I find Adrian and Colleen a better pairing together than Colleen and J.T.. That is, when they're not dumbing him down to appear helpless and unorganized, unable to prepare himself for his next class without Colleen's expert organizational skills. And other than the slightly sleazy circumstance of the College professor being sexually involved with his student, I don't figure him for a man with any deep and deadly secrets. Although I still find it hard to believe he would find himself so enamored of the immature Colleen. Especially as a man who got an up close and very personal view of the results of a teacher student romance gone awry. I guess the biggest problem is I don't really care about either of them.

When it comes to Carmen Mesta and her mysterious murder, while I will be the first to jump up and down with joy when the face and form of the real murderer is revealed, I am enjoying seeing one of my favorites, Drucilla Winters, get plenty of air time. Sure, many find her a bit over the top, but I don't find her behavior all that unrealistic. I'm guessing few could take the relentless stalking, property destruction, cell phone calls, not to mention the recent sight and sound of a woman who is supposed to be rotting in the ground without unraveling, at least a little, at the edges.

As for the Reliquary, I keep telling myself there has to be a point to that whole exercise, though it is certainly eluding my dim brain at the moment. It was quite hilarious to see Victor and Brad hiding behind some made up names, when we all know there are probably few businessmen who wouldn't recognize Mr. Newman on sight. But it could have been worse. Victor and Brad could have donned bad disguises and even worse accents. Another positive? The fact that Victor and Brad's career as art fencers was mercifully brief. A quick escape from his bonds, and before you could blink, Brad and Victor had gained the upper hand and while we watched open mouthed in astonishment, after all the months of hand wringing and internet searching, just like that the Reliquary was placed in their hands. Of course, we know the end is not in sight, because obviously that was not meant to be the end of the story. It is sure to be dragged through the dirt a little longer, presumably far enough to involve the Professor and his star art student, before it finally limps to an anticlimactic close.

On to Phyllis, as Phyllis. This one makes me want to snatch every hair from my skull until it resembles a cue ball. And all it would have taken for me to at least try to buy into this silly storyline was hearing Sheila's voice coming from Phyllis' mouth. And maybe just a couple of Sheila's mannerisms. Unfortunately, Michelle must not be one of those people who can do imitations. Too bad Kimberlin couldn't have been hired to be the voice behind Phyllis make-up free face. Now, that would have made for some must see TV. Instead, we're stuck with Phyllis acting and sounding just like herself, only not as loud. The week's best moment? You know it was: "Let the Bitch die." Ahh, Lauren, from your lips to the scribes ears and right down to the pads of their fingertips as they type out Phyllis' demise. The other positive. The rumor mills say Phyllis will soon escape. I can only hope that will lift this one out of the muck.

February Sweeps, please hurry. Because it's said that some, if not all, of the current crop of less than stellar storylines will culminate and come to a crashing close. And, if we're lucky, there will be something coming up that proves to be a bit more to the liking of many currently dissatisfied fans. I certainly hope so, because like many other fans, I'm coming dangerously close to giving up on what used to be an hour of can't miss TV. After five plus years, sadly it may be time for me to pass on the reins of the Two Scoops Commentary to someone else. Because more and more, this show is beginning to seem like a spin off that I'm not finding very interesting. But then again, it is called Young and the Restless. Perhaps that's why the show seems to be concentrating overly much on the City's youth. Unfortunately, the "young" represented here are just plain boring. Just my opinion, obviously, everyone doesn't feel the same. Take Daniel and Lily. How many tune in and wait with bated breath for a sighting of them? Do you feel their love? What about Amber? In between her constant fishing for compliments from whatever admiring male is nearby, do you wait impatiently for pearls of wisdom to roll off her tongue?

So far, I like Cane, but that's partly because he's pretty good eye candy. And once his identity is revealed, I'm hoping for some great interaction with Kay and Jill.

Okay, what's the deal with Jack? Does he really think he can drive a wedge between the Newman newlyweds? Even though the fervor over Nick and Phyllis has subsided somewhat, I think that's more due to the fact that there's only so much that can be covered in an episode and she's been so busy pretending to be Sheila, she hasn't had much time for sex in Genoa City with her new hubby.

On a side note, how fun it was to see Victoria Rowell in my town this weekend. She delivered a very inspirational speech, answered questions and gave out pictures and autographs. She's just a little bit of a thing, and looked very beautiful. It was a great treat!

I also caught a very nice and enjoyable moment on BET's Tribute to Aretha Franklin on Sunday by Eric Braeden. He said some very lovely things about Aretha, whom he described as a "soapie."

Here's hoping I will find the coming week more to my liking. In the meantime, I can amuse myself by returning to the Two Scoops days of yesteryear. Soapcentral.com. Editor Dan has added yet another new feature for those who like to read (or re-read) about what has gone before, so now, along with being only one click away from Two Scoops from One Year Ago, you can also one click your way to this time Two Years Ago. Imagine my surprise to see that One Year Ago, according to my commentary, I actually liked Colleen!

Anyway, I've said all I'm going to about last week. It's your turn now to have your say. I don't make this stuff up, fans. Obviously, I'm not alone in my current dissatisfaction.

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TAMMI - Paul "hunk" Williams has been married to Lauren "sexy" Fenmore and Christine "knockout" Blair. So now they want me to believe he's hot for Sullivan "ugly" girlcop? They have NEVER insulted me like this before! Not only did I fast forward but for the first time in my 17 years of watching I didn't even look while I was ff-ing! Yuk! Yuk! Yuk! Let's hope this too shall pass and I mean SOOOOON! I feel better just getting that off my chest. Thanks for the great column every week!

ANGELA - Okay, let me start off with I LOVE the show. I mean there are days where I fast forward through boring parts but I watch it everyday! I love how J.T. finally dumped Colleen. I hope it stays that way! I really hope Kevin and Jana stay together. He needs someone in his life! And I love Phyllismania! She's everywhere these days. I like it. She has the talent, why not portray it? The Sheila thing I like it. I do however think it should be the last time she comes back! And Sharon just get rid of her! She cheated on Nick before so why is she so bent out of shape and not able to fathom her divorce and the fact that know one loves her but Noah. And as far as Carmen Mesta, please, please let her be dead! She was annoying and really had no place there! And Jack I wish he would leave Phyllis alone; she's happy with Nick and Summer. Michael needs to convince Paul to let Sheila die! I love the current Lily; the Sherwood Lily sucked; she was absolutely awful! And Eileen Davidson, thank God she got canned; maybe now Nikki can finally have Victor to herself. And the Reliquary, what in the world does that have to do with the Holocaust and Brad. Nothing. The story is blah, so move one! Oh, and is Brad and Sharon's one night ever going to come out? Please don't make Amber sound and look soo slutty like she's out to get every guy in town. Please don't hook her and J.T. up. I love how Dru is soo overdramatic and when will we finally know the truth about Phillip and Carmen and Chow! The writers seem to be creative with the new stories. I like it whether they are believable or not. It's a soap; they are supposed to take you out of your everyday life! I will continue watching Y&R daily!

MARIANNE - I haven't felt badly if I miss an episode or two of Y&R these days! The storyline with Sheila is ridiculous and the reliquary is boring and the Carmen murder is very (yawn) tired! I can't stand Professor Korbel and Colleen is aggravating! Amber is oversexed and too panting over every man she sees and it is amazing how she wormed her way into Genoa City and found Philip so easily! The storylines are so shallow and unbelievable! I used to feel badly if I missed a day and now I don't care! I may even stop watching altogether!

JM - My fave and often ignored GC man, Paul Williams finally gets a storyline and they hook him up with the unattractive and annoying Maggie. And what is with the love scene, was that a teen training bra she was wearing? How disappointing, especially since there seems to be no chemistry there, just detective joke bantering. And what is with the Victor/Brad fiasco? I guess neither of them thought it important to have a gun handy while meeting with shady art dealers and other underworld criminals. I hope the reliquary nightmare ends soon. As for Sheila, I say let the bad seed die. I don't think anyone wants to see her take on the Phyllis role, too predictable.

CINNAMON - I, too, was amused to see Lauren's amazing comeback from her panic disorder long enough to fly to LA to dabble in Forrester Affairs. (I want some of those drugs!) Who was watching Fen? We all know that there isn't anyone in Genoa City that competent enough to take on that job in Lauren's eyes. Am I correct in assuming that all these "loose ends" such as the Messed-up Murder, Psycho Sheila, Brad, Cane, blah blah blah will all come to a conclusion next month during February Sweeps? I read that Sheila escapes. See, I told you there was a way out of that cage that only Sheila knows about. We all know she cannot outwit or overpower Genoa City's finest, Paul and Michael, unless she has a hidden cache of "necessities" (guns, drugs, you know the things that we all keep on hand in case of emergencies).

CHANDRA - Nita, thank you for expressing what so many Y&R fans feel. I have stopped watching the show. I read two scoops just to see what's going on. The quality of writing and acting has gone to an all-time low on Y&R. The actresses who play Colleen and Amber cannot even act. Why does Colleen continue to whisper? The storylines have become boring. Dru, one of my fave characters is always yelling and hysterical. She is always hugging her stepson/adopted son while she wears dresses showing cleavage. The new cop w/ the long hair -enough already. Cops on the job are required to wear their hair pulled back! Boring storylines, tired storylines, shallow plots. I am falling asleep already. Thanks, Nita. Your perceptions/commentary are right on!!

ROBYN - Thank God I'm not the only one that thinks Colleen is a waste of tape. Hopefully her new serial killer Professor boyfriend will do us all a favor and kill her next and hopefully put us out of our misery. By the way let him kill a couple more people so we can have some heart-beating action. I love Amber and I hope she lives up to her scheming ways and puts a little oomph into the show which is dragging its feet right now.

ROBIN - Nita: you are sooooooo on point. Phyllis must be really liked by the producers because they can't see through the huge hole in the wall that the storylines involving her since she slept with Nicholas are so off base. Why would Nikki and Victor accept her so easily when she is the cause of the breakup? Yes, Nicholas is to blame too; but come on folks. In the real world, it would take forever for the "mistress" to be accepted. By way, instead of losing Ashley, lose Nikki. She is becoming a real eye sore with her stupid comments. Back to Phyllis -- I change the channel each time she and Nick come on; but I like her with Jack. Sharon and Nick belong together - what are you people thinking - Nick and Phyllis suck together. Incidentally, I check these updates periodically just to know what is up - but I am tired of the updates just like I am tired of tuning into the show during my lunch break on the radio channel. I can't bring myself to watch. Get some new writers and stop this bologna. You can't run a ship with the inexperienced at the wheel. Let us fans write for your show, you'll do much better. Thanks for listening and Y&R get it together - you are losing fans. Well, the smart ones - only the young naive ones care now. What are you thinking?

CARMEN - I am so ready for a new storyline and I have the perfect one. Isn't it about time to bring back Bobby and Brittany? He surely has had time to do his witness job to the mob, and they could come out of the witness protection program. Or was his death supposed to be real? If so, she can come back from where was it she went on to school, New York. She could be a classy character and would certainly add a little spice to the boring storylines we have going on now. We could finish up the Carmen Mesta murder. I'm getting tired of sharing my good name with this whole thing. Let's get Sheila to die finally once and for all. I am losing faith that the writers can actually come up with new plot lines. We have murder, kidnaping, confused pregnancies. Surely they can find something new.

EMILYLUX - Hi Nita, I love your column. It's witty and intelligent and it's obvious you care a lot about Y&R. Well, so do (did) I. In my mind, it had a brief and beautiful renaissance in 2005 and 2006, at least until Phyllis started ruling the roost and the whole Grugeon mystery went off the rails. Grugeon is a silly name, I don't even think it's French or even European. It's made-up, and the only thing I dislike more than 'Grugeon' is hearing Colleen say it in her whispery way, ugh. What made Y&R so good in the last two years was Michael Baldwin, I thought, and Kevin; Michael, or Christian LeBlanc is such a wonderful, natural actor. I'm sure he improvises; his dialogue is simply too good to be written only by the writers. Where has it gone? I adore him. Both boys were able to reel in their silly mother every now and then. But I enjoyed Gloria, even if you don't, Nita. It's nice to see that older women on Y&R can still be bitchy and conniving without resorting to weepy hysterics (well, Gloria does, but she's not as bad as Drucilla or Nikki). Ah, Drucilla. She wore out my last nerve, honestly. Her hypocrisy knows no bounds. Except for Neil, who plays the hurt and wounded victim to the point I'm grabbing for the anti-nausea medication. That storyline with Carmen was horrible. I rooted for Carmen, yes I did! Katherine will never disappoint me and I agree with a poster who became frustrated when Nikki tried to intercede between Kate and Jill when Kay was confessing snatching Jill's baby from her. Yes, mom and daughter should've had an OTT blowout, the kind that's never seen on daytime. Or only rarely. Kick Nikki to the curb the next time Kay and Jill go at it. Two things I wanna see: the return of Nina. YES! She must be waiting in the wings, and she was the most popular actor on Y&R if not the whole daytime universe, no? The rest can contradict me. Second, give Jack his due. There is nothing better than seeing Smilin' Jack crawl his way back from the bottom of the heap, in my humble opinion. But really, I wanna see Nina in the worst way. Cheers, all.

CABC - Can things be any worse than what they are? Everyone falls into one or more categories; you're either a tramp, idiot, or just plain simple minded. The s/l's are way over the top! No imagination, no decent relationships, everybody has at least two or more major issues, and not one marriage on this show is happy or content! ZERO balance with Sharon. The writer really has it out for her. The writer and Phyllis have to be friends. The writers obviously don't know what to do with good actors like Victor, Jack, Dru, and Neil, so give them the garbage roles. Please, they are all so talented! ENOUGH of Sheila. The Reliquary is the worst s/l ever written. Nick and Phyllis has been and continue to be a bad JOKE! Jack and Victor take down, a repeated nightmare! HELP!

WANDA - Does anyone else think maybe Carmen and Sheila met, Carmen discovered who she was, threatened to expose her and it was Sheila who killed Carmen? Wonder if Paul could fabricate some evidence that this happened? It would sure help in his dilemma of what to do with Sheila. Is Cane somehow involved? There's TOO MANY PEOPLE! Please solve the case soon, get rid of Sheila for ever (they could get revenge for Amber and send her back to B & B), and let us get on with a new storyline.

SOPHIA - I really like Phyllis. I never liked Sharon and I don't think Phyllis is any more trash than she is. I really think the Sheila storyline should end right now. Amber brings new life and a difference to the show. I think she and Daniel will begin seeing each other and Professor Korbel is my suspect for the Carmen Mesta Murder.

ALEXIS - Ok, I see peoples point that some of the stories get dragged out but it's called watching a soap opera. If you don't like it then stop watching soaps. I happen to love this show. Sure it has changed in time (what hasn't) but it's very irritating to read people rip the show to shreds. What is even more annoying then soap storylines dragging out is the fans that sit and complain about them.

CAROLE - Hi Nita, I have enjoyed your column for years! I had to finally write and comment on the current storylines on my favorite show of 32 years! I am also sick of most of the stories! The Phyllis-Sheila story is the worst! The reliquary story second worst! All of our beloved characters are forced into these poor excuses for stories. I wonder what the actors themselves think when they are given these scripts? Hopefully things will get better. Do the writers care what the viewers think? My Mom also is a big fan, but calls it an insult to human intelligence! I loved the old Colleen and J.T., they were great. The old Victoria was the best too. The old Billy and Mac, those were the good old days! I agree, kill off Sheila once and for all. Let Lauren do it and go unpunished for all of our sakes!

ANN - When Lauren ended today's show with the words "Let the bitch die", I was sure I heard a collective "Amen" from across the country, praying for a quick end to this dog of a storyline. The Y&R has had really dumb storylines for as long as I've been watching (going back to Victor caging Julia in the basement while Paul acted as her keeper - how dumb was that!), but they've never insulted us by having EVERY storyline being dumb. My recreation these days is watching actors I normally enjoy try to get through their lines without collapsing in laughter or yelling "CUT! You don't SERIOUSLY expect me to say this do you?" Or simply watching actors who irritate me beyond belief, finding new and exciting ways to be irritating (Colleen, Amber, Gloria). The dumb reliquary storyline makes me feel sorry for Eric Braeden, who could not have had more of a sinking feeling when he was on the Titanic than he has going through the scenes of this stinker. I don't even want to dignify the "plot" by trying to point out all the gaping holes. This show used to be my hour of fun, no matter what the day brought. I always knew there would be something touching, something funny, something familiar and something comforting when I sat down to watch. Like having a daily tea with a great friend. Now it's some weird drink with a total stranger. The only fun part is reading Nita's column every week.

DEB - You have the best 'Two Scoops Commentary' - by far! I really enjoy the humor with which you discuss the comings and goings of the GC gang. Please, keep up the fantastic writing. LOL - literally.

JBK - I also saw the episode of B&B when Lauren was conversing with the Forresters in LA. I was wondering how she got on an airplane if she was so afraid to go out for coffee with Gloria. Did you catch yesterday's Y&R where she mentioned to Phyllis that she was able to go to LA, and that she's feeling much better now? So I guess this panic disorder/PP-depression storyline is over. I also was laughing at the emails that Colleen sent to Lily when J.T. was reading them. The "I made love to J.T. last night, but I can't stop thinking of A" message cracked me up, and I was thinking how I never reveal that much information to my friends. I don't get Colleen's deal either. I've been trying to like this different take on Colleen and I think the actress is doing a good job at making Colleen such an annoying character, but there has to be a time when you actually want to root for her. I agree with you about the reliquary storyline being boring. I was ff-ing all the scenes until this week's. This hostage thing that's happening is making the story better, but I want it to just end. I think if Phyllis is a character who stays on the show for a long time, time will come, probably in several years, when a family member of Sasha will return wanting revenge, or someone who knows about Phyllis' mowing down Paul & Christine will speak out. Lily's paternity came to fruition many years later, especially after a long duration of "good times" for the Winters, which set in motion the problems between Neil & Dru. I think eventually Phyllis will get hers. She can't be permanently scot-free from the bad things she did.

JEANETTE - So, Victor and "Bradley", or whatever his name is now, are (1) held hostage by foreigners who are suspicious of them: (2) they recognize Victor, and lo and behold, when Bradley and Victor tell their story, the true owner of the art piece is willing to hand it over, and when Victor and Brad are finished "investigating" it, they will ever so nicely return it. All is now well in the art world. Give me a break, and end this storyline, please!

EVE - All right, I've had it, this Sheila s/l has gotten on my one final nerve. From now on it's recaps, instead of watching Y&R because I cannot take it any more. Just kill the b****! She's already officially dead, so dump the body in a landfill and be done with it. Listen, writers, you want storylines? Bring Victor, Jr. on! Bring on a decent Billy, and bring back Nina's child, Philip IV, and have the real younger generation fighting tooth and nail over Jabot, NE, and Chancellor Industries. And they can always age up Abby and have all the boys (except Victor Jr. of course) fighting over her. Bring Scotty back, and have him jealous of Mom spending all her time with Fen. Have Paul kill Sheila, yes, just kill her, shoot her dead as a doornail, so that she NEVER comes back, and then have Paul crippled with guilt about it, and/or turned into a homicidal maniac by his actions. Anything but the swill you're slopping around now.

LORRAINE - This Phyllis/Sheila thing is nuts. All they have to do is use permanent ink on Phyl/Sheila's face so they won't ever be fooled by who is who, or shave her head or at least tell Phyllis to bolo for her twin. The reliquary bores me to tears but I like Brad's Mum. Please whoever killed Carmen please do the same to Dru and put her and us out of our misery, she could join OverActors of America. It is like every story goes on and on with no resolution and I am so sick of being stuck in that cheesy coffee shop. At least now we know poor old Paul really does have a home - how long since we saw where he lives - I was beginning to wonder if he was back at Mom's. Whatever happened to Mom anyway? Maggie Sullivan is like chalk on a blackboard - please find Paul someone with class.

JUDY - Hi fellow Y&R fans! How many of you think that Prof. Korbel is the one who caused the suicide of the pupil at his last school? Is this what the writers are trying to make us believe? I'm probably a majority of one who likes Adrian with Colleen (as opposed to Colleen with J.T.). She was such a possessive whiner with J.T. - so I prefer her with the Professor; they have better chemistry. I know this is probably not the opinion of everyone else - but I don't mind being out here on a limb by myself. It looks as though we might be coming to an end of Brad & Victor's storyline. I'm so relieved! and BRAVO, LAUREN! (Let the B-T-H die!) We can only hope the writers heard her say this - hee hee. Maybe if they leave "Sheila" there overnight, she will expire and then we can be rid of this tired SL for good! Now, if only Bardwell will get his head out of the sand, maybe we can see light at the end of the tunnel for ol' Gloria!!

HEATHER - I agree with the other readers. I am going to swear off of Y&R if they don't get back to interesting and semi-realistic storylines. I have been watching this soap for years, and am saddened to see they have shrunk to this level of crappy writing - the Sheila thing is awful, Jack and Sharon truly don't belong together, and the reliquary ... well that is a whole other ball of wax. And for Carmen's murder, I have never seen such inept cops and investigators as I have seen here. Terrible. They should just fire the writers and start fresh again. I won't watch it again until they do.