Pain and grief and memories

Outraged fans scream over the tragic death in a senseless hit-and-run of yet another young girl. While her parents grieve, will one ever be able to get past her loss, as the other grapples with his guilt in her demise? This week in Two Scoops.

Wow... I am upset with all of the sadness and heartbreak on The Young and the Restless this week. I don't know if we, the fans, can take too much more. We are still mourning the death of Katherine and are also getting over losing Michelle Stafford as Phyllis. But to lose a young child in such a senseless tragedy that pretty much mirrored the same exact storyline that Boone pointed out last week that General Hospital did just a few short years ago...that is the real tragedy! The GH fans hated that story then, just as we hate it now. There appears to be no reason to repeat this on a soap that has already had more than its share of loss and sorrow.

So, you have to wonder why was this storyline done again? It seems illogical, since it wasn't a popular one to begin with. If the reason was to shake up the fans, well, mission accomplished. The Y&R fans are outraged, and they are definitely talking...and screaming! Absolutely nobody wanted to see this develop. Even the fans that weren't in horror over the death of yet another young girl did not want to watch the results of this horrible occurrence.

Surely, the idea behind this wasn't for people to avoid watching the show, but that's exactly what has been accomplished. The fans can't bear to face all of the misery from Delia's death and the emotions that her loved ones will have to deal with. Sure, soap writers want to get the fans talking, but they also want to get the fans watching. And this storyline seems to have failed miserably in that last goal, since they appear to be turning away in droves.

Because soap fans tend to think of the characters as their own family and friends, losing a child is one of the worst things that can ever be imagined. When Delia died, it was as if we had lost our own daughter. Didn't the writers even consider that when they chose to sacrifice Delia for the sake of story? Y&R has always prided itself on being a character-driven soap, but in this case, the storyline is what took priority. We had to lose a piece of the future for one instance of sensationalism, and that is not right! A young child's life should not have to be sacrificed so that another's eyesight can be restored. And for the child to die in such a tragic way is sensationalism at its worst.

Through the many, many comments sent, several fans related that they had gone through a similar, sad misfortune regarding a child, and the last thing they needed was a reminder of it. From Y&R fan C Fort:

Bad, bad storyline...killing a child is not the way to go. I'm sure there are hundreds of viewers watching this soap while dealing with the grief of loosing a child. I lost a child that I loved dearly in a similar accident and this episode bring back difficult memories.? I will not continue watching Y & R, my favorite daytime drama with this type of insensitivity. Organ donation is very important but the writers could have found another way to bring it to light.

Do the writers think that fans,who have lost a child or have friends or family members who have lost a child really need to relive such a heartrending experience? Y&R fan Mary adds:

I have watched Y & R off? & on since 1976....by far it's THE BEST soap,? but can the writers just cool it with death of the kids?? First it was Cassie and then Colleen?and now Delia....absolutely heartbreaking! Life is tough enough, this show is a good escape from reality ..... the adults can deal with whatever the writers give them, but spare the sad stories related to children! Somewhat like Delia, I had a wonderful neighbor who's precious 7 year old son was killed by an accident, although it was not a car accident....it's just too tragic to fathom, we don't need reminders on fictional TV of the risks of children and teens, of how fragile their lives can be ....all we have to do is turn on the news to see that.? OK accidents?happen, I like how they addressed teen drinking (with Cassie) but please let the young people LIVE!!!? Please give us a better escape from reality.....we can better handle the affairs and corporate drama!

Yes, this is so true! If we want to watch that kind of drama, we can just turn on the news. We watch soaps for the affairs, for the manipulation, sure, but also for what used to be known as love in the afternoon. Where has that gone? We sure haven't seen a whole lot of love and especially not of happiness on our favorite soap in quite a while. Of course, the happiness is expected to be accompanied by some heartbreak, but this has gotten ridiculous!

When I saw where the writers were headed with Delia and the hit-and-run accident, I also thought of Cassie and Colleen, two other young girls who prematurely lost their lives on the show. It appears to be a pretty popular theme for Y&R writers to kill off the young girls. Faith had better hurry up and age, or she will be the next one to go! Even if she is SORASed, she may not be safe. Summer is not even out of the woods yet. The young guys are more fortunate in that they are just sent off to boarding school or are raised in another state by their other parent. Girls just can't catch a break on this soap!Y&R fan Yuvonne had another fear:

I know in reality that unfortunately, children die everyday! Yet, as a parent of a beautiful little girl, I don't want to keep seeing it on Y&R! Just like with Cassidy Newman, I feel it was totally unnecessary! As with Cassie, I guess they will bring back poor Cordelia as a ghost too!! It is heart breaking, and I haven't watched since I figured out what they were going to do! I don't want to see that! They could have pretended a child from elsewhere died (that's not on the show) & the family donated what Adam and Chelsea's baby needed to keep his sight! They have gone way too far this time! It is bad enough we lost our dear beloved "Katherine Chancellor" AKA Jeanne Cooper in real life, but now to lose her namesake on the show did it for me!

I would have to think, after this travesty, that the writers wouldn't, later on, dare to bring Delia back as a ghost, although I believe that Cassie is really more of a symptom of Sharon's mental illness. Past writers had already made a mistake by killing John Abbott off years ago, so they rectified it by bringing him back as a ghost to act as sort of a conscience for Jack. But can they afford to do that every time they make a mistake in killing off a beloved character? It would get redundant and ridiculous. Y&R fan Lisa had another idea:

I think there is a consensus; no one is pleased with the death of Delia.? I watch soaps to find a little levity and occasionally deaths are inevitable, such as Mrs Chancellor.? This one is un-called for.? The only way they will save this is to make this an awful dream for someone.? It could even be Adam, something that would make him think about the potential donor for Conor's cornea implant. I hope they fix this before it is too late.

Shades of the "Bobby in the shower" scene from Dallas! That would be a solution to the mistake of killing Delia off. Adam is certainly no fan of Billy's, and he has admitted to being desperate enough to do almost anything. The fans would absolutely accept that Adam only dreamed about Delia's death if that would keep the much-loved Delia in the picture -- even with a different actress, if Sophie is no longer available. Y&R fan Sue S. even suggested that Billy could be in a coma, after he tried to rescue the dog, and was having this vision. It could be another possibility.

Y&R fan Sandra further explained why the fans are so upset:

I think that the Delia episode went way too far. Killing that child just so Adam and Chelsea's baby could get her corneas is just so horrible. What happened? the writers couldn't think of a more humane way to give the kid new eyes? Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want the baby to go blind but killing Delia was just wrong. Think of all the problems this is going to cause for Billy and Victoria, Chloe is never going to forgive Billy and he'll be miserable for the rest of his soap opera life. Why can't the writers ever let anyone be happy on the show???? Why does everyone always have to be in crisis??? The [worst] thing you have done is kill this child and make this show not worth watching anymore for me. There were other ways to get the corneas for the baby, some unknown donor. It's not fair, you killed Colleen to give Victor a heart and now you've killed another Abbott to give another Newman a body part.? Sorry, can't watch this type of soap opera injustice anymore.

It is much too soon to lose another Abbott just to solve another health crisis for a Newman. There are other solutions, and the Abbotts shouldn't always have to be sacrificed for the cause. But, really, what it all boils down to is that we, the fans, just weren't ready to say goodbye to Cordelia Katherine Valentine Abbott. She still had so much to add to the show.

Again, I ask the question: why did Y&R executive producer, Jill Farren Phelps, want to replay this tragedy, just a mere several years later? Even if Sophie Pollono did leave the show for a role on The Millers, couldn't she have been recast, just as they did for Faith? It seems to me that the character of Cordelia Abbott could have brought many future storylines to Y&R, and she could have even been a huge contributor later in the infamous Newman/Abbott feud. Delia and Faith were near enough in age (as long as they were both SORASed at the same time) to where they could have waged future battles over control of Newman Enterprises, Jabot, or both.

Delia was the future generation of the Abbott family, and now she is gone. All of this for one instant disastrous event that no one even wanted to see. Y&R fan Angela expresses this sentiment very well:

I've been a Y&R fan for 2 decades and watch the show religiously with my husband and my mother.? We are deeply disturbed by the storyline surrounding Delia's death - Billy at fault and Adam soon to be at fault.We don't feel good and are now dreading the coming episodes.? A terrible storyline that is too heart-wrenching which means that we will probably stop watching the Y&R altogether.? Dreading our favorite show is not a good thing.? Perhaps [the] writers should think about the impact that [the] show has on everyday people.

So, I have to wonder again, what were the writers thinking on a soap that is very well-known for being a character-driven show? I did notice that Josh Griffith's name is still being listed as head writer on the episodes that are currently being shown. The controversy that resulted in his ouster several months ago was that he had not been happy with what had been going on behind-the-scenes. Could that have had anything to do with this storyline, I wonder? I would really like to believe so, which would indicate that at least one writer still had an inkling of what the fans want to watch on their favorite soaps. But I guess we will never really know for sure.

All I know is that if the many, many comments are any indication, the fans will be tuning out after the loss of Delia. And these are viewers that have been watching The Young and the Restless for years, even decades. These are also the viewers that tune in to escape reality, not to be depressed day after day after day. We do want the drama, but we also desire a good, entertaining story that will make us want to run to our TVs and turn on our show each day. I know that quite a few people, including my mother, did not even want to watch Monday's episode because they knew that Delia would die. And I can't blame them. It was so very, very sad and traumatic!

Now, let's talk about the only -- and I do mean only -- good thing that has resulted from this storyline. That is, of course, the marvelous job of acting done by Billy Miller. Billy Abbott had me in tears once he learned of his beloved daughter's death, as he truly was the father who had lost his only daughter. Y&R fan Tim agrees:

Saw Billy do a fabulous job of acting today. The intensity of losing his daughter was absolutely incredible. Worthy of an EMMY!...Outstanding job Billy! You are one dynamite actor....My hat goes off to you sir!!!!!

I absolutely believe that Billy will win another Daytime Emmy award for his performance, where he showed so much heartbreak and emotion. Billy is my favorite character, and Billy Miller continued to knock it out of the park with his performances all week long. His biggest problem will be which episode he will submit to the Emmy committee. He was that fantastic!

I fear that the younger Mr. Abbott, while trying to deal with his grief, may have a rough road ahead of him due to his guilt. Any parent that's worth his or her salt knows that you never leave a child that young in the car alone, no matter what the circumstances are -- even for ice cream. Children just don't think at times and are liable to react at the drop of a hat. Delia only saw that her dog was running away, down the road, and she wanted to rescue him. That's all she cared about, which is why she ran after him.

But Billy should have known better, and he will regret his irresponsible actions for as long as he lives. This is one thing that he can't take back and that he will not be able to make better, no matter how hard he tries. Billy can't undo what he did (or didn't do, in this case, which was to take Delia in the store with him), and he can't bring her back. Billy will torment himself forever over the daughter that he loved so dearly. Nikki said it best, "You can't imagine how hard it is for a parent to say goodbye to your child. I can't think of anything more difficult or more painful than knowing you'll never see your baby again." This is so sad and so true!

When Chloe found out, she was totally devastated. In tears, Chloe realized that she would never get to see Delia smile or pout, to hear her laugh, or to listen to her talk, talk, talk...she would never hear Delia's voice again. That just made it more real and more final. I thought that Elizabeth Hendrickson did a fine job portraying a grieving mother, but not all fans agreed. Y&R fan Roxy shared her opinion:

Billie is a rock star of an actor. Chloe needs to work on crying, daughter killed and no tears, just a lot of frowning.? So much more believable when something wet is coming down the face of crying moments.

My mother also shared her thoughts on Victoria and Chloe. "I thought Victoria was doing a good job too. ?Better than Chloe. ?Victoria looked like she was grieving, her nose was red, her makeup was running, her hair was a mess. I didn't think Chloe was as affective -- no tears and just lots of flailing hands and yelling." Chloe probably could have shed more tears, but everyone grieves in different ways, and she always has been a screamer. So I would say that Ms. Hendrickson's acting probably suited her character, while Amelia Heinle did Victoria justice. Absolutely no one can deny that Billy Miller was nothing but brilliant as Billy Abbott though.

Chloe made it clear that she will never forgive Billy for not protecting her daughter, and as much as I love Billy, I can't say that I blame her. But Billy will never forgive himself, either, so Chloe has that to hang onto. She even went so far as to blame Kevin because of the "stupid date," but that was the pain talking. She had to know that Kevin was not at fault.

Chloe refused to leave the hospital because she was never given the chance to say goodbye to her daughter, so Julie Jackson revealed that Delia was located on the second floor, in room 254. Chloe was grateful until she learned that Julie was a hospital transplant coordinator who wanted Delia's organs. Outraged, Chloe yelled that her daughter was not a viable candidate for organ harvesting, since she had been ill with leukemia. So, would that include Delia's corneas?

Wow, you can find so much useful information on the Internet. One can get an education without even leaving the house. What I learned is, in fact, even individuals who have had leukemia can donate corneas -- almost anybody who had cancer can. I do love it when soaps can educate, and I would think this fact will come out to further Connor's storyline. This is just the type of important information that should be spread around.

And later, after Chloe returned home to a very ill and grieving Esther, Kevin chanced again trying to comfort Chloe, who admitted that she was filled with rage against Billy and against the hit-and-run driver. She claimed that she just wanted to scream but was afraid that if she started, she would never stop. Kevin then reminded her about the transplant coordinator, but Chloe wasn't yet ready to give up pieces of her daughter. So, it appears that the show will, indeed, educate the public about corneal transplants from cancer survivors. Oh, the irony: Delia survived leukemia to still die young in this horrible way. The injustice!

When Victoria picked up Johnny from her folks, she informed Victor and Nikki that Delia had died. So, of course, Victor lost no time in blaming Billy and in declaring that Billy Boy Abbott had not once taken any responsibility for his screw-ups. Please, Victor, don't sugar-coat it. Tell us how you really feel. After Victor yelled that Billy was not worthy of their daughter, Nikki reminded Victor that the loss of a child changes a person forever, and that Billy would never be able to escape that. Of course, Billy loved his daughter and never would have wanted anything to happen to her. Leave it to Victor to kick Billy when he's down. What else is new?!

Later, Victoria worried over Billy, who continued to watch Delia's video over and over. Billy couldn't even bear to hold Johnny, because he felt that he was not worthy of being a father to anyone. As much as Victoria is trying to help Billy, this catastrophe might severely affect their marriage. Victoria showed just how much she truly loved him because she knew the whole truth of what happened, and she completely stood by him. She realized that Billy made a horrible mistake and that he had never meant to hurt his daughter.

Come to find out, the reason why Victoria had been so understanding about Billy was because she blamed herself for Delia's fate. She cried to Abby that if she had just waited for the babysitter and gone to the play, Delia would still be alive. But Abby wisely pointed out that all of the "what ifs" would not bring Delia back and that Victoria was not to blame. It is true that it's human nature to try to reason when a sudden tragedy occurs.

So then we have Adam, who would do almost anything to save the sight of his son. Adam feels deeply, and no one can question the love he has for his son. Even if he had dreamed it, Adam would definitely draw the line on actually plowing into another child in a hit-and-run so that the corneas could be used for his son. Really, all we saw was that Adam had narrowly escaped hitting Delia's dog, Dash, and that his car came to rest in the field next to the road. We never saw that he was the one who actually hit Delia as she cowered in the brush.

And speaking of Dash, where is he? What happened to him? I hope that the writers address this, also, or they may get the animal activists and all pet lovers angry too. I mean, Billy got this rescue dog as a gift for his daughter, and his daughter loved the dog. It was not Dash's fault that Delia was hit by a car. He was almost hit himself by Adam's car. At least, Billy did finally remember Dash and wanted to search for him, but Jack advised that they wait until the next day, when it was light out. I would like to know that someone found him and gave him a good home. That pup should not be blamed for what happened. He probably loved Delia just as much as she loved him.

I have my doubts as to whether either Adam or Nikki, who also happened to be driving down a road at the time, hit Delia. Why would it need to be someone that we all already know? Why can't it be just a random stranger that carried out the hit-and-run? Y&R Geege W agrees:

I am also very tired of the "always Adam" the one has the bad act. He was doing nothing wrong and could not have avoided Delia? BUT? why Adam?? not just a driver and Delia? she almost died before. They need NEW? writers.

Does it always have to be Adam that does the dirty deed? Can't someone else have a turn for a change? Alex found a piece of glass from a car light at the scene, and Adam later saw that his turn signal light was broken. So, okay, I guess that confirms it then. But what's more incriminating is the piece of cloth that resembles part of Delia's witch costume hanging down from the bottom of the car. Adam noted to Jack that you can't always keep your kid healthy and safe and that you can't always change things. This is one act that cannot be undone. No truer words were spoken when Chelsea said that Chloe and Billy were forever broken. It's sad but true.

Adam did find the piece of material hanging down from his car, which fueled his suspicions that he was the "perp" who had actually hit Delia. In fact, he was so certain of it that he hid the cloth in the liquor cabinet. You know, if Adam did hit Delia with his car, he didn't do it deliberately. It was dark, and he had no idea that she was out there. He had been distracted by her dog and swerved to avoid hitting him. It would be a tragic accident if that was the case. I don't think that it would constitute as a hit-and-run, since he never even knew she was there.

If Adam wants to show how much he has changed, he should go to the police and inform them of everything that he knows happened that night. Of course, his biggest priority was to keep his "Peanut" healthy and safe, and in his mind, he would not be able to do that if he were in prison. Adam doesn't know, for sure, that he is the one that hit Delia, and his covering up the facts does not help to find the real culprit. Adam needs to come clean so that Billy and Chloe can have a chance to learn the truth about what happened to their cherished daughter that horrible, awful night. Y&R fan Mary adds:

To make Adam continue on his path to being a nice guy, he should confess to hitting Delia. Adam is not a bad person but if he doesn't take responsibility, he will once again be the ruthless person he once was.

No matter what, Adam is not the monster or "some bastard without a soul," as Stitch phrased it, that he seems to think he is. He realized that by hoping to get a donor's corneas, someone else would have to die. "The miracle we're hoping for is gonna be a tragedy for a whole other family." After hearing Chelsea call the hit-and-run driver a despicable coward, Adam wondered if his Peanut was being punished by his "heartless and cold-blooded" acts from the past. But Adam should realize that an innocent baby shouldn't have to pay for any past evil intentions.

Adam gathered tons of money together for his meeting with the black market dude. Boy, wouldn't it be great to have that kind of cash just lying around the house? Adam told the guy in the park that he needed the corneas in 72 hours. After the man left, Adam ran into Billy and stressed how sorry he was about Delia. What could have been a funny line of the week, if not for the circumstances, was when Billy told Adam that he would never wish the pain he was going through on his worst enemy -- not even on Adam. Billy acknowledged that both he and the hit-and-run driver had left Delia alone to die, but that he would make sure the driver paid for it.

I am still very much hoping that Alex (since there doesn't seem to be any other detective) learns that the driver was someone other than Adam. Preferably someone that we don't know. As it happens, a witness, Laura McCleary, came forward and told Alex that she had witnessed the accident but said that she had only seen a black SUV swerve. She could not provide any other details about the vehicle or the driver.

I hope that new evidence is found quickly and that they don't stretch this out too long. Delia's loved ones need to heal, and so do the fans. It is time for some happier times, and I only hope that happens soon. Billy told Victoria that he is not sure what he needs, but he knows that he can't get through it without her. That was such a relief! Billy and Victoria are my favorite couple on Y&R, and I want them to stay together. And, of course, Victor still needs Billy around, as a cat that toys with a mouse. Hopefully, Billy and Victoria can help each other in this time of need.

Well, it looks like it's curtains for Nick and Avery, and is anyone really surprised? Avery returned Nick's ring to him and exclaimed that he should give it to someone who deserved to have it. And I hope that happens for Nick. However, at this point, even though I was one of those who had rooted for Nick and Sharon to reunite at one time, I don't think Sharon is that special someone for Nick now.

Nick expressed that although he would always love Sharon as the mother of his children, they could not re-create the past. Sharon appeared to be rational when she apologized to him for her actions, and she also promised to see her doctor about prescribing a new medication that would help her be more herself. That was good. But as soon as Nick left, Cassie appeared to her and tried to convince Sharon to keep on with her pursuit of Nick. Not good.

Even though Sharon maintained that she only wanted to heal, why was she still seeing Cassie? Even if Sharon had taken one pill, it probably would take a few days for the pills to get back into her system to help balance her out. But the reason for her vision could be that if Sharon couldn't have Nick, she would still want to keep the last piece of the happy times from the past -- Cassie. Sharon may be resisting taking the pills so she won't lose this only connection to her beloved daughter who died so very young. Another reminder of just how horribly sad Delia's loss is.

Other notable (or humorous -- alright, probably not this week) items that happened during the week:

Not surprisingly, Nikki revealed to Johnny that Dylan is, indeed, her son. I think we all guessed that when she gazed at him at Crimson Lights the prior week. (I thought that Dylan was going to change the name of the coffeehouse. I guess not.) Well, that also makes him a sibling with Nick and Victoria. That should make an interesting dynamic.

I did like that Chelsea acknowledged that in order for Connor to get corneas to be transplanted, someone else would have to die, leaving the loved ones with only "pain and grief and memories." At least she saw that others would suffer by the loss of someone, even if she couldn't see the hurt that she had caused Adam with her deceit.

When Chelsea stated that Adam would have taken her child away from her if he had known that he was the father, Adam declared, "So, you preempt my presumed vindictiveness with actual spite?" Good line!

I noticed that Adam did finally refer to his son as Connor to Chelsea, although, for the most part, he still calls him "Peanut." I hope that means he will, at least, keep Connor as the child's name, even if he changes Terrance.

Could there be a reason that Adam's license plate, 6B8 AEY, was shown on-screen? Maybe Adam and Nikki were just red herrings in all of this? We can only hope.

Sadly, we will never get to see Delia dressed as Lady Gaga for Halloween.

I loved Abby's line that Delia would ask Abby to make her feet touch the sky when Abby would swing her. The sky toward heaven. How appropriate!

I will put away my Kleenex now. While I normally try to keep my columns upbeat with spurts of humor added throughout, that was pretty impossible this week, due to the sad circumstances. Here's to happier times on our favorite soap -- and soon!

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