Truths, half-truths, and distortions of the truth

If the saying that the truth will set you free isn't just a turn of phrase, then there should be a lot of free souls in Genoa City.

If the saying that the truth will set you free isn't just a turn of phrase, then there should be a lot of free souls in Genoa City. But before we chat about the three ladies of truth and honesty - in all variations, Sharon, Patty and Ashley - first let's talk about Jack. I feel like I've been so intensely focused on Victor's end of the never-ending feud between the Moustache and J.A. that I've ignored Jack. Well, not this week because it was truly an emotional rollercoaster for Mr. Abbott.

I have no doubt that Jack was in the right about getting a court order to have Ashley committed to a mental hospital. He was looking to put her away in a straight jacket, but let's be honest. Ashley has a history of mental instability. She has deteriorated dramatically since she returned to Genoa City with Victor. She stopped working and started unraveling. Living at the ranch with Victor has not been good for her and she's distanced herself from Jack and Billy and Jabot in general. She doesn't see Olivia anymore. Why shouldn't big brother Jack be concerned about his sister? Victor's kept him locked out of her life and Ashley's done nothing to allay Jack's fears for her.

A competent court appointed psychiatrist should have been able to see that Ashley was a mess. The very idea that Adam - ADAM?? - could go online and find the questions that the shrink would ask Ashley during an examination and coach Ashley how to answer them was beyond unbelievable. Do the writers really think we're dumb enough to think that the Internet is the answer to every problem? Also, have they forgotten that Adam is going blind? He's not faking it anymore with the Botox, he's really losing his vision. Even if you have two eyes with 20/20 vision, finding specific information on the net isn't a walk in the park. And yet we're supposed to think he can do it with ease. Stop insulting us!

Ashley managed to fake out the psychiatrist and Victor won that battle. That was Jack's first loss of the week, but it wouldn't be the last. Meanwhile, who's suffering the most? Self-delusional Ashley. That woman should be in an institution - perhaps the room next to Sharon? Ashley has distorted the truth into a pretzel. She isn't sure if the Sabrina incidents have been real or imagination. She isn't sure if her pregnancy is normal or not. She doesn't know if she hit someone with the car. What makes her think that she doesn't need psychiatric help? If this was the same Ashley that save Victor in Paris, she would be self-aware and seeking help. Instead, she's awash in a massive case of self-inflicted emotional deception and on the road to a major nervous breakdown. By the time she learns that her baby is dead, Ashley will be certifiable!

On the other hand, Sharon might be ready to really grow up and get her life back on track. Living a lie has been undermining her progress, but all that changed when she couldn't take her mom's advice about trusting Jack and blurted out the truth that Nick's the baby's father. Just saying the words were a start, but lucky for Sharon, Nick overheard. You know the other shoe is going to drop and he's going to reinsert himself in her life. Even if Nick stays with Phyllis and Summer - which he should - there's no reason that Sharon cannot share custody of the new baby with Nick. It may take 20 years before Nick and Sharon ever reunite for real - okay, 20 months! - but they should act like adults about the baby and agree to both be involved. The situation isn't perfect, but perfect is overrated anyway. Just do the best you can for both your families, Nick, and that should be enough.

But the main thing is that Sharon has to embrace the truth. No more lies. No more half-truths. No more gameplaying. Leave Jack alone. Stand on your own two feet and start over...once you get out of the mental hospital. Noah deserves a mother who has her stuff together. Also, you are not a shrinking violet who needs help from every Jack, Nick or Billy that comes along. Try abstinence for a while and see how it feels to be your own woman. Think Helen Reddy, "I am woman, hear me roar!"

Once the Patty story comes out - and it will very, very soon - Sharon should listen to it and use that as a cautionary tale. Patty lost herself in Jack years before and never really recovered. Victor exploited her vulnerabilities for his own selfish reasons, and now you can expect Gloria and Jeffrey to do the same. Patty is lost in a world of lies and surrounded by liars. Is it any wonder that she cannot distinguish reality from fantasy? What she did to Zapato and Summer was criminal, but in her madness, does she even know how wrong her actions were? I don't excuse her, but Victor's crimes against Patty were just as heinous. He had her surgically reconstructed and brought to GC, lying about his reasons. He promised her Jack, then proceeded to use, abuse and abandon her. Victor is as responsible for his dog's death and his granddaughter's illness as Patty!I see no happy ending for Patty. Paul will not be able to save her. By the way, could this have been a more horrible month for Paul? He's such a great guy. He's everybody's friend, sweet, loyal, helpful, gorgeous. But he has really gotten the crap knocked out of him thanks to Nikki walking out on the wedding, followed by the revelation that his little sister has returned to Genoa City in a completely altered form and crazy as a loon! Add to that Paul's inability to save her for certain disaster and you have a recipe for Paul Williams to seek a long, long vacation on a beach somewhere far, far away when all this is over. The guy will need it to recover. Hmm... let's hope he doesn't snap and end up in the mental ward with Sharon (and Ashley!).

There's little to add about the Deacon/Amber/Kevin/Jana business. The Terroni tangle is a real deal breaker for me. It's just boring. I still don't understand why Deacon wants Amber. He seems to have a grander agenda and she's just not into him at all. Why is he bothering? What's the real story? I'm not that interested. And Victoria actually lost whatever respect I had for her by cheating on J.T. with that slime ball. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! She lectures J.T. for kissing Colleen, then humps the new man in town that she barely knows. Yeeech! You think Reed will think well of Mommy if the kid knew enough to know what she did? How about Victor or Nikki? Really nice, Victoria. By the way, will somebody start looking for Nikki? It's been three weeks. If she's dead, the maggots are eating her corpse by now! You would think somebody would want to know why she has called. Maybe they could check to see if she's used her credit cards or if her cell phone is working. Come on, people, get your heads out of your butts and start worrying!Till next time, please keep reading and commenting. Here's a few from the past couple of weeks:I completely agree with you about J.T. getting back his cajones ... I think his marriage with Victoria took all the life out of him and now that he has stood up to Victor, he is terrific. Colleen and J.T. both have stood up to Victor. So now we have Jack, Billy, Colleen and J.T. all ready and willing to face Victor and tell him to take a jump off a pier. Love it. Even Vic's threats of physical violence don't faze any of them. I want Victor to be found out BIG TIME over the MaryJane/Patty debacle. I want Victoria and Ashley to realize what lengths him will go to. Nick already knows. - Marta

I am so feeling your Two Scoops about Y&R. Victor is way off his game. The Sharon/Nick/Phyllis storyline is getting way too old and 'been there, done that' boring. Ashley & Adam are also moving way too slow; especially now, when it seems that Ashley is more in danger health-wise than mentally. Even so, the story is moving at a snail's pace. You can actually miss a week (as I often do), and still be in the Genoa City loop. I'm still feeling an "ick" factor with Devon and Tyra. I know they're not related. But she "was" still an aunt to him for all intent and purpose. It's definitely the writer's damaging that not-so super couple. Actually, I can't believe that out of all the Genoa-ites, I'm miraculously rooting for MJ/Patty. Maybe I just want the Moustache to get his for a change. I mean, be for real. How can everyone blame Adam for being none other than Victor's son? Or was that another Victor Newman who locked Julia's lover in the cage? Wow... Now that I got that rant off, I feel a little better. Well, almost. I still see a baby switch in the future. ...Also, it's good to see Gloria, Jeff and Jill in their respective comedic elements. But note to Y&R: Give it to us in moderation. For a while there, back in the Glo days, it seemed as if the show was titled, "The Young And The Restless... and Gloria!" - Curtis

It is really disheartening to continue to see characters on the show that have serious mental disorders being portrayed as being so cunning, able to fool the professionals so easily after a five minute assessment etc. I refer to Ashley, Adam, Patty, Sharon and even Victor. It is sad to see mental illness taken so lightly... even Patty living on the streets where so many in our country ends up. No one is on medication and getting real help on this show. Cancer, strokes, Huntington's, Chorea, allergy, etc. were and are being treated with respect. What has happened to the compassion for the mentally ill? I am a daily watcher and rest assured I wait for daily developments, but cannot understand this lack of empathy. -- Larissa

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Best,Allison

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