Around and around and around we go

As one flawed husband battles his addiction, a beloved couple battles to regain what they had lost, while a mother battles (and loses) with good common sense to protect her daughter. Hope, heartbreak, and a behind-the-scenes Y&R special discussed in this week's Two Scoops.

Despite what Chelsea has claimed, Adam sure has not been acting like someone who just wants to take Chelsea's baby away from her the minute the child is born. On the contrary, Adam has indicated time and time again that he realizes just how painful it was for Chelsea, after the loss of her first unborn baby. I was going to say that I cannot imagine where Chelsea got such a ridiculous idea, but then I remembered that, of course, it was from Chloe. Once Adam learns that Chelsea's baby is really his -- if he ever learns, that is -- he may just want to gain full custody of their baby, due to Chelsea's lies. And leave it to Anita to still want Chelsea with Adam. Of course, as Adam stated, Dylan does not have what Adam has -- a hedge fund.

Meanwhile, poor Dylan is still going blindly along with everything Chelsea has said. After he had decided that he indeed has that epic love for Chelsea, Dylan determined to Anita that even though he may not have the money that Adam has, he can offer Chelsea and the baby love and security. How sweet. Again, I would be more impressed if this were actually his baby.

Dylan then talked again about how close he had been with his father, before his father's death. Dylan sure talks about his dad, a man that we only briefly saw before he died, an awful lot. Maybe the writers should bring Dylan's dad back as a ghost, so the fans can get to know him better. Ghost Dylan's dad (sorry, his name escapes me) could keep Ghost John company. I am sure that Ghost John gets bored, floating around by himself.

Dylan's newest idea was that Chelsea should move into his loft right away, and she was thrilled. I like how Dylan described himself as "functional, not fancy," which is a pretty apt description of him. Chelsea seems to bounce back and forth from feeling guilty, since the best relationship she ever had was based on a lie, to wanting to do anything to cover up her part in the lie. She worried that Dylan will be able to figure out that she is farther along than he thought, if she lived with him, but Chloe insisted that men don't notice that type of thing. My question: why is Chelsea still even listening to Chloe? Chelsea is just getting deeper and deeper into the deception, and she needs to get out while she still can. And Chelsea truly needs to stop listening to Chloe!

Sharon may need to turn to an expert, such as Dear Abby, for advice on her love life. Although I am not sure that even dear Dear Abby, (who is no longer with us, rest her soul) could have helped her out. First, Sharon hinted to Avery that she still wanted Nick, and later Adam noted that he had seen Sharon with two male strangers at different times and stated that Sharon was "clingy in a desperate kind of way." Sharon called Adam cold and black inside and felt that he used humor to make him seem more of a warm and rounded person, which was an interesting description of him, especially coming from her.

At least, Adam is trying to move on, as he arranged a date with Melanie, the new Newman Enterprises attorney. Adam decided that he wanted to get to know Melanie better, so what better way than to go up to his room, where they could have "a solid hour of bliss." Little did Adam know that Melanie was actually Victor's spy, but he found out, as he eavesdropped on her phone conversation. We haven't seen Victor lately, so it's good to know that he hasn't entirely changed his ways regarding Adam. It will be interesting to see if Adam continues to let Melanie believe that she has hoodwinked him.

As Sharon visited Cassie's grave -- you know, the grave that always has flowers that cover and conceal the birth and death dates on her tombstone -- she voiced that Nick feared that Summer was not his. After Francis, the cemetery attendant, handed her even more flowers to cover the dates, Sharon insisted to Cassie that she did not want to be on the outside looking in, and she realized that "the bad Adam" had been the Adam who had loved her. Sharon declared that she had never really been loved by Adam, only by Nick, and then cried that life was cruel to have taken her husband and her family, especially Cassie, away from her.

Maybe Cassie is returning for Sharon. Hey, if Cassie does come back as a ghost, she could join Ghost John and Ghost Dylan's dad, and they could form their own little ghost community. They could float around, guiding over their loved ones and dispensing out advice from the other side. Spooky!

Y&R fans are already speculating that Sharon may have had something to do with Summer's paternity test results. Since Sharon seems to have determined -- again -- that she should be with Nick -- again -- she may have altered the results, so that Nick would think that Summer was Jack's daughter. In Sharon's mind, that would sever any ties that remain between Nick and Phyllis. At Cassie's grave, Sharon remarked, "That's why I did what I did." But was she referring to something in her past, or to something that she had just done?

In the meantime, as she was wondering why Sharon still wanted Nick, Avery's first priority was learning the secret that Nick has been keeping from her. After Nick insisted that he would reveal the secret before their wedding, Avery asked to know the truth immediately so that they could exorcise the ghosts. Avery believed that the truth would make the ghosts go away. I hope that she did not mean Ghost John too! There sure has been a lot of ghost talk on this soap lately. Anyway, later, Avery asked Jack for his advice, and he believed that Nick was just being overly concerned over Summer. Jack also revealed that he feared that Phyllis was not being completely open with him. Boy, was that an accurate observation.

Now, let's talk about Phyllis and her absolutely marvelous idea to take Kyle on a business trip to keep him away from Summer. So, viewers, around and around and around we go on this wicked merry-go-round. Where we stop, nobody knows. It is rumored that this storyline will play throughout July, so we will keep riding on this carousel for a while. Since Phyllis' final episodes are supposed to play out in early August, we can only hope that this storyline will come to a rewarding conclusion at that time, if not before.

Y&R fan Sarah had a very interesting take on Nick's big reveal to Phyllis about Summer, and about Phyllis' reaction to the news.

I just wanted to drop a note and a prayer with it that this Nick, Phyllis, Summer, Jack debacle is going to be seriously addressed. People have suspected it for years, the story line was really not surprising or new. However, WHO at Y&R thought that writing Phyllis' reaction to Nick's revelation like she had taken 3 cases of Valium was appropriate? While the story was predictable, this could have meant Daytime Emmy Awards for everyone involved. Phyllis has been more upset by spilling champagne. Seriously, after all of these years, such a powerful revelation to one of the biggest icons left in daytime, is handled as simply as breaking a fingernail... Not even so much as a 'ARE you kidding me, no seriously, you have got to be kidding me. You're kidding me, right?'... Yesterday she's holding hands with Nick like a little child, saying "I want to help you with this." WHO IS THIS WOMAN???? Seriously, who is this woman!

This is so true! Phyllis overreacts to just about everything else, but she barely broke a sweat with Nick over the truth of the parentage of her only daughter? Really? That is not the same neurotic Phyllis that we all know and love. Who is this imposter, and what has she done with the real Phyllis?

Anyway, Phyllis decided that seducing Kyle would be the way to go, so she hit on him in her slip or teddy or whatever and declared that the old adage was "Once you've known an older woman, you never go back." Funny, I don't remember that particular adage in those exact words. Thank goodness Phyllis' phone rang! We could have the "ick-factor" with this, since there is a huge age difference here, especially when you consider the reason why Phyllis is trying to seduce Kyle. It is not because she really wants him, it is only because she wants to keep him away from Summer. Lust is not even the reason, and it's a sad day, when lust is not the reason for a good-old-soap-opera-seduction. What is this world coming to?!

Phyllis did return from her Kyle-seducing business trip in time to celebrate Jack's birthday. When she wondered what she should get Jack for his birthday, I yelled out, "How about the truth?" Instead, Phyllis arranged for Jack and Summer to have some father/daughter bonding time in the guise of having Summer divert Jack's attention long enough for Phyllis to decorate for Jack's surprise party. I just hope that Jack does not use his "just saw a dead body" surprise face at the party.

But leave it to Phyllis not to waste an opportunity, so she "accidentally" fell into Kyle's arms as she hung up a birthday sign. Yeah, right. They kissed, and Abby walked in to witness the deed. Phyllis is seriously outdoing herself with this convoluted plot to keep Kyle and Summer apart. How does she think Jack will react when he finds out about the kiss between his lover (not to mention, ex-wife) and his son? Phyllis' schemes always seem to go awry, so Jack will get more of a birthday surprise than he ever bargained for. Phyllis should have considered Jack's feelings into her scheme, but somehow that has never been an issue with her.

Not only did Victoria seem to believe that Billy and Chloe were having an affair, but so did Kevin, who could not believe that they were flaunting their affair out in the open. After Billy called him "a rabid chipmunk," before he stormed out, Chloe pointed out that unlike Kevin, Billy's addiction was only hurting himself, but that is not true! Billy's gambling almost cost him his love and his wife, Victoria, who was kidnapped as a result of it. Now it appears that Billy may stand to lose everything he has ever loved once again.

My one question for Kevin, before I move on to Billy and Victoria: Why do you even want Chloe back? Chloe demands total honesty from Kevin, but has she even told Kevin about her so-called advice to Chelsea about her baby? But would Kevin even care if Chloe did tell him? I'm not so sure.

Although it had appeared that Victoria believed that Billy and Chloe were having an affair, she did finally admit that she would rather believe that than to believe the truth, which was that he was gambling again. Billy's last venture into gambling almost cost Victoria her life, so it's no wonder that she would rather believe he was cheating on her. I am sure that Victoria would rather not face that the husband she loves so dearly would risk her life and the lives of their children for Billy's vice. She feels that her husband should love her enough to be able to avoid gambling at all costs. And honestly, it did not take a lot for Billy to turn back to the addiction that he craves.

However, Y&R fan Eve looked at this storyline from a different perspective:

I am so tired of Victoria throwing Billy out every time he screws up! And, considering Billy is an addictive gambler, you'd think she'd have read some literature on addiction and realize that he wants help, needs help, and kicking him out isn't going to do anything good. So much for a supportive wife. But then, "Villy" has always been, in Victoria's mind, about her, not Billy. Billy, find someone new.

It is true that Victoria has known about Billy's addiction, and she should have been realistic enough to know that an addiction never goes completely away. Since her mother is an alcoholic, Victoria should be aware of how tough it is for someone to battle an addiction, and how necessary it is for them to have a support system. Billy also remarked to Jill that he had hoped that Victoria would support him to help him quit gambling again. Jill wisely noted that Billy needs to prove to himself first that he can quit again. Smart lady!

Jack also advised Billy on his gambling addiction, while Abby did the same for Victoria. Billy feared that he would crash and burn again and end up alone, but Jack comforted Billy that he would never be alone, as long as Jack was around. I love the brotherly love between Jack and Billy. These two tend to bring out the best in each other, both as actors and as characters.

In the meantime, Abby reminded Victoria about Jack's and Nikki's addictions and declared that Billy and Victoria should be able to work things out as long as they still loved each other. Abby also stressed that addictions just don't go away, no matter how much you may want them to. Victoria suddenly excused herself with a farewell to Abby and took out a home pregnancy kit. Is Victoria pregnant, and if she is, will she regret it? I sure hope that she doesn't regret being pregnant with Billy's baby, because that is something that the two of them have wanted for years. Billy and Victoria truly love each other, and a baby made from this love should be something that they both should cherish. I do hope that Victoria finally gets the chance to carry the baby that she has truly desired.

I loved Billy's pep talk to Delia about when you have love, you are never alone or lost. Billy observed that when you have love, you can always find your way back home. Let's just hope that will be true for him, so he can be back with the wife and family that he loves.

Then we have Lily and Super Daddy (a.k.a. Super Cane.) As they celebrated the twins' birthday, Lily and Cane learned that Neil had fired Tyler, because Tyler had given Neil an ultimatum, accompanied with a remark about Neil and nepotism regarding Devon. Imagine talking to your boss the way that Tyler talked to his. I know just how far that would get me -- fired. Of course, Lily was furious and regretted that she had ever left the project. As hard as Cane tried to prevent it, work politics still interrupted the celebration of the twins' birth.

Thankfully, Lily finally admitted the truth to Cane about Tyler's feelings about her. Cane stressed that he never wants to take Lily for granted, and he even expressed that she was "smoking hot" as he watched her butter toast one morning. With so few happy couples on Y&R now, I hope that this couple can stay together and be in love for a while. Couples in love can still have drama in their lives, and not every couple has to be split up on a soap. It is hard for single people to work towards happiness with a partner if there is no married couple to set the example for that happiness.

What was really laughable was that Tyler whined to Noah that Neil had fired him and then stated that the reason had been because he had fallen for Lily. What?! Tyler has acted like an immature brat since Devon was added to the project. Instead of talking to Devon first to try to resolve any issues that he may have had with Devon's decisions, Tyler ran to Neil and demanded that Neil take care of the situation.

Later, Tyler confronted Devon and complained that Devon had only been added to the project to keep Tyler and Lily apart. Really? Grow up and enter the business world, Tyler. Good employees know that teamwork is important and that communication is essential. Tyler is being rather delusional, but I guess it was easier for him to throw a tantrum than to actually try to work with Devon. Maybe it is a good thing that Tyler is no longer with the project. But, of course, we know that Tyler's real interest has never been in the project, anyway, only in Lily, which Devon immediately realized.

Y&R fan Sandy had an interesting comment regarding Michael "Moves Like a Jungle Cat" Baldwin and his lovely wife, Lauren. (Who knew that Michael had been awarded a dance scholarship from Harvard?)

I just cannot figure out why Lauren does not change her cell phone number and have a restraining order against Carmine. After all Michael is an attorney and they both have friends at the Genoa City Police Dept. How dumb can they be? This makes me think she doesn't really want to sever ties with Carmine. Does she?

I am not sure that Carmine had taken his obsession far enough yet for her to seek a restraining order, but I have a feeling that his obsession may turn into stalking, as I had indicated before. He is dangerously close to it now, and I don't think it would take a huge push to send him over the edge. Carmine already seems to watch Lauren's every move, which is scary enough on its own. I just hope that if his behavior gets any worse, Lauren will run to the nearest courthouse and file those papers!

At least Michael and Lauren are doing everything they can to repair their marriage. Michael brought home take-out food, so they could relive a happy time in their relationship. They remembered that the movie they had seen at that time was Brief Encounter, which revolved around a couple falling in love, even though the lady was married. Lauren and Michael immediately decided it would be safer to watch Austin Powers. Unfortunately, this beloved couple will still have some tough times ahead, since Fen was purchasing pills at the same time that they were laughing during the movie. Lauren's future from her fortune cookie read, "Future looks bright," but will that prediction come true?

Alex set up Kevin by informing him of a valuable coin worth $200,000 locked in the evidence room. How obvious was it that Alex laid the keys in an unlocked drawer, and that he even left it open for Kevin to see? Is Kevin's love for stealing blinding him that much to this very deliberate test? So, did Kevin take the keys? Of course, he did. This is a soap, after all.

This week's episodes also contained some rather humorous moments:

Adam had one of my favorite lines of the week, when, after Chloe kept answering his questions to Chelsea, he said to Chloe, "Let's retire the ventriloquist act, and let Chelsea answer for herself." That was funny!

You can't not like a guy who whistles when he's happy, especially if you watched Andy Griffith as a kid. That would be Dylan, and I know what you mean, Dylan. The Andy Griffith Show took place in a small town, where everyone knew each other, and during a time when life seemed to be so much easier. If I could whistle, I would whistle the theme song myself.

I love the names of Faith's dolls: Grown-up Gwen and Baby Wet Yourself. Cute!

Also, did anyone else think that Rose, as shown in the picture, looks like a cross between Mary Tyler Moore and Natalie on One Life to Live? Maybe it was just me.

I found it strange that when Chloe discovered Delia with her dolls dressed as a bride and groom, Chloe instantly thought that Delia was pretending that her dolls were Chelsea and Dylan. Does Chloe really believe that Delia's first choice for a make-believe wedding couple would be Chelsea and Dylan?

Billy, as usual, delivered yet another funny line. This one was as a greeting to his mother in On The Boulevard, "Mom, wow, two times in one year. Cut the cord."

Finally, I had to laugh, after I heard Chloe say that she had made a good choice, when she chose Billy as Delia's dad. That's funny -- I remember that Chloe actually had chosen Cane as Delia's dad back then, even though Billy was Delia's biological father. It is convenient for Chloe to remember that differently now, as if the entire Billy/Cane "Whose Your Daddy?" storyline had never happened.

Hey, Y&R fans, did you get a chance to watch The Young and the Restless on Set: Infanity on TVGN this week? (Oh wait, now I get it. Infinity plus fans equals Infanity. Clever!) This Y&R special was a look behind the scenes of our favorite soap, and because my passion is for performing in community (volunteer...you know, unpaid) theater, I found it to be very fascinating. I always love to hear from gifted actors, who actually do that for a living, and I enjoyed comparing the behind-the-scenes for a soap opera to the backstage action of live community theater to note the similarities and differences. (Oh, by the way, I am currently playing Mickey the cop in the female version of The Odd Couple at the Aurora Arts Theatre in Corpus Christi, TX, and I am having a blast!)

From Sharon Case (Sharon) showcasing some of the dresses that she wore in pivotal moments on the show, to Greg Rikaart (Kevin) and Elizabeth Hendrickson (Chloe) revealing the hidden spot for their scripts, to Eric Braeden (Victor) talking about the fast pace of soaps, where a scene had to be shot in one take, two tops, the information was fascinating. Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea) showed off the makeup room, where she also demonstrated how to cover up a tattoo, while Joshua Morrow (Nick) hosted a tour of his dressing room. I always thought that actors' dressing rooms were rather small, so I was surprised to see how large his dressing room is. He even has a dartboard, which he plays while he relaxes and goes through his lines.

The actors also had a chance to talk about each other, which was a pleasurable experience. Peter Bergman (Jack) exclaimed that Michelle Stafford's (Phyllis) best features were her...uh...eyes, while Michelle indicated that she loved that Peter was passionate in his role as Jack Abbott. Billy Miller (Billy) and Amelia Heinle (Victoria) teased each other about their love scenes, and what they would do to prepare for them, while Catherine Bach (Anita) and Judith Chapman (Gloria) joked about their characters' feud over Jeffrey, played by Ted Shackelford, who will finally return to Y&R in July. (Yay! I have been a fan since Ted played Gary Ewing on Knots Landing.)

Jess Walton (Jill) told of her character's feuds with Katherine Chancellor, played by icon Jeanne Cooper, and Jess described Jeanne as the salt of the earth, who had a strong moral compass. Christian LeBlanc and Tracey E. Bregman talked of how easy it had been to work with each other for the years that Michael and Lauren have been paired up together.

I have to admit that the most fascinating reveal to me was from Michael Muhney (Adam), who stated that he would never want to play a "vanilla" character and that he hoped that Adam never loses his edge. If you want to learn some of the cast members' deepest, darkest (or maybe not-so-darkest) secrets, please try to catch this very up-to-date Y&R special. (It is very up-to-date. Even Steve Burton, who plays Dylan, was included.) There was so much more revealed in the special than I could ever write about here, and it was truly fascinating.

Congratulations to Doug Davidson and Billy Miller for their Daytime Emmy wins as Paul Williams and Billy Abbott. Those were much-deserved wins in a year filled with outstanding performances in all of the acting categories. That just goes to show that Y&R does have the best of the best.

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