Two-faced and double-crossed

There's a new drinking game to play while watching The Young and the Restless. Every time a character says Beauty of Nature, you take a drink.

Have you heard that there's a new drinking game to play while watching The Young and the Restless? Every time a character says Beauty of Nature, you take a drink. Of course, if you're Nikki, you sneak a drink. And if you're someone like me who doesn't drink, you can take a cookie instead. I prefer Oreos, especially when Mallomars are out of season.

Seriously, have you ever heard so much babbling about a cosmetics company -- one not named Jabot -- in your life? I remember when Beauty of Nature was just the little company that Victor handed over to his daughter, sort of like a Newman Enterprises stepchild that was meant to be Victoria's playground. The way they talk about Beauty of Nature these days, it's more valuable than Apple Computers and Coca-Cola combined!

Frankly, I think Victor blew it. If Nick and Victoria were so intent of accepting Beauty of Nature instead of the one and a half billion dollars, he should have handed it over. Then he could have used his Newman Enterprises clout to create a new cosmetics firm and crush Beauty of Nature under his foot. That would have been very Victor, don't you think? Beating them at their own game? The decision to take his company public is probably going to have some wild, unforeseen consequences and turn out to be a brilliant strategy, but I think it's going to take some time for that to unfold, and I want resolution sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, there'll be money raised by trading Newman stock that will give Old Vic plenty of moolah to pay off his kiddies. That'll make Abby happy, because she's only interested in the dollars anyway. She's planning on a career in television, not makeup. I love Abby, but her entire attitude about Beauty Nature was summed up in her interest in what her title would be and what her business card would look like. At least she's up-front about her priorities.

When Victor told Michael that he'd made up his mind about paying off his kids, you sort of knew that he had a double-cross planned. Victor Newman just can't lose like a gentleman and pay up; no, he's a hard-ass that refuses to acknowledge that he lost the arbitration and owes his children a boatload of cash. What I found so interesting about Victor's decision is Katherine's part. There she was to give Victor a shoulder to cry on, and before you know it, they're plotting against Tucker as well as Abby, Nick, and Victoria. I guess that grand old friendship they have includes the common trait that they're both horrendous parents.

Wasn't it great to see Ashley dress down Katherine for siding with Victor against Tucker? It's about time someone -- other than Jill -- called Kay on being a hypocrite. Don't misunderstand me, I think Kay's a terrific lady, but she's been talking out of both sides of her mouth when it comes to Tucker. She disapproves of his business tactics, but approves of Victor's? Give me a break. And Ashley nailed her on it. Kay tried to muddy the waters by suggesting that John Abbott wouldn't want Ashley mixed up with the likes of Tucker. You know, everyone seems to enjoy throwing John's name around these days. John wasn't really a paragon of virtue, but compared to some of these sharks, he does seem like a saint.

There was another Abbott that impressed me last week, and it wasn't Jack or Billy. It was Traci! Wasn't it great to hear her give it to Jack about his obsession with Jabot? It was a lecture that was long overdue. It's laudable that Jack feels such loyalty to the family business, but he's been as responsible the problems the Abbotts have had keeping the company in the family as anybody. He's not nearly as brilliant a tycoon as he think he is.

Generally speaking, Jack's been a pretty good character of late. I like the way he went to Hawaii for Sharon and he's sincerely trying to be a good father to Kyle. I even like him with Phyllis; they're two peas in a pod. But Jack has a very duplicitous nature. He's manipulated and connived and used people, including Colleen and Abby, to take on Victor and feed their feud. He can't let go of the past and he deserved to be slapped upside the head by Traci!

Tucker may be a despicable schemer when it comes to doing business, but so are Victor and Jack and Kay. And Kay, do you think Philip Chancellor the first built his fortune without twisting arms? No way. The way I see it, none of these can claim to have integrity or class or morals when it comes to doing business. Ashley's aware of Tucker's questionable tactics in the boardroom, but she was standing up to Kay and standing by her partner. What kind of a fiance would she be if she actually took Kay's advice? You did hear Kay tell Ashley not to marry Tucker, didn't you? I know I nearly fell off my chair. With a mother like that, Tucker might be better off remaining an orphan! ...Kay's been very honest about her face-lifts, but what about her being two-faced?

Do you think Diane's figured out that she made a mistake by marrying Victor? There's something very scary about Victor when he glares at her with those eyes and demands that she wear a million-dollar diamond necklace because he gave it to her. Is it a dog collar? Did he take it off Segundo and put it around his wife's neck? Where's the leash? Diane is quite simply a bird in a gilded cage. She flew in all by herself, by she's in prison...and Victor's the warden. If Diane's not careful, Victor's going to give her matching earrings that will be fitted with a homing device so he can keep tabs on her. Or perhaps a designer jumpsuit, something not orange!

Sharon is also familiar with the orange jumpsuit, as well as cages. After that stunt on the plane, she's going to be stuck in jail until her trial. Fortunately, this is TV, and she'll be in a courtroom in couple of weeks. In reality, it could take months before a suspect would ever face a judge and jury.

Sharon was an idiot to use Faith's birth certificate, and an even bigger idiot not to realize that Phyllis was following her every step of the way. Phyllis is such a snake. She took pleasure in watching Sharon being escorted off the plane. Who feels like that? She could have been a "friend" to Sharon, she could have tipped her off that the marshals were coming. That would have compelled Sharon to deplane, keeping her in the country, without getting her thrown back in jail. Someday all these bad things will come back and bite Phyllis in the butt, you wait and see.

Maybe the retribution will come in Thailand. After all, Phyllis is teaming up with Adam, so somebody's going to screw somebody else, right? And I don't mean in the "let's spend the night together" kind of way! Phyllis cannot be trusted, and neither can Adam. Yes, they seem to be working towards the same goal -- proving Sharon is innocent -- but Phyllis still harbors intense hatred for Sharon because of Nick. Leopards don't change their spots, and Phyllis is a leopard, when she's taking time off from being a snake.

I was confused by Heather's reaction to Chance. Here she was, rescued from a burning building, and the man you were in bed with just days before tells you that you're the one and he loves you, and you don't respond? Why? Are we supposed to believe that Heather doesn't know what she feels anymore? Does she care about Chance enough to have sex with him, but not to commit to a relationship with him? That's passive-aggressive, or certifiable slutty, I'm not sure. If she doesn't love Chance, why did she give that speech at his birthday party, extolling his virtues. If you were Chance, wouldn't you think that Heather was in love with you?

I never thought it was possible, but Daniel has become an interesting character. He's caught between a rock and a hard place and a boulder. He knows that Lucy's his daughter, and he wants her to remain with Billy and Victoria, but if he tells Phyllis or Kevin what he knows, they'll assert their desires. So Daniel has this secret, only now that Daisy's popped up in Saskatoon, he has to make sure that she doesn't spill what she did with the baby or else it'll go right back to Billy and Victoria and put Lucy back in limbo. Daniel's being forced to act like a father, protecting his child, in the most obtuse way. It's not the way I might have written it, but kudos to Maria Arena Bell for creating quite a pretzel.

That doesn't even include the complication that Jana's bringing into the mix. Based on the slimmest of clues, she's managed to find Primrose. Hey, Paul Williams, maybe you should hire Jana because she's got mad skills as an investigator! However, the fake pregnancy bit may wind up getting her killed. Prim could have some lethal friends in her baby business, like Angelo -- although it was interesting that the big thug refused to kill women. How noble of him!

Here's what I would love to see Maria Arena Bell do with the Primrose/Lucy story -- tie it back to Rose DeVille and Nina's baby, Ronan. That would be some fancy storytelling and involve a bunch of characters. We already know that Primrose was named by Rose, implying that baby selling was the family business, so Maria's already laid out the groundwork.

Here's the one thing that doesn't work as far as Jana's story goes. Why is she doing it? Sure, she's an eccentric character and has done strange things in the past, but if finding Daisy's baby is an attempt to win Kevin back, that's just nuts. Kevin's passion for the baby was extinguished quite a while back. In fact, he agreed with Daniel that Daisy's baby should be adopted by a nice family and get out of the Fisher sphere of influence. Is Kevin suddenly going to feel differently if Jana tells him that Primrose bought the baby and sold her to a family in Genoa City?

That's it for now. Can't wait to see what happens next week! Let's take a look at some recent notes from the mailbox:

Well, I have had enough about the arbitration. I want to focus on Nikki. I knew when she saw that roach, that was the end of that motel for her. So, she and Deacon get a room at the GCAC. Then, she has a romp in the hay, pity sex or whatever with Victor. Then, she and Deacon are planning a trip to the Bahamas. Next, she goes to the jail to see Meggie at her request. Meggie tells her about Deacon's part in her drinking. Nikki, hysterical, leaves the jail, only to call Victor. When she can't get hold of him, she calls Nick. Nick tells her that Victor is in Vegas, marrying Diane. Then she goes to a bar, resisting temptation, and sees Victor's leering stare at her, when he walks in with Diane. She goes back to the GCAC, bottle in hand. And of course, she drinks. We knew she would. Boy, what a week for Nikki. I just hope this storyline is not as boring as I fear. -- LRN

When Skye left, Victor gave her the number to the same plastic surgeon that he sent Patti to. She did not die. She will come back like Sheila, with a whole new face. Lookout Adam and Sharon. -- Debra

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Best,Allison