Nobody knows the trouble I've seen

Trouble is on the horizon for many Genoa City denizens. Some have it, and some want to cause it. This week's Two Scoops gives the lowdown as Jack and Jill plot against Victor, the Baldwins go from dire to worse, Adam continues to torture himself, Nikki reaches out to Dylan despite Victor's disapproval, and Nick and Sharon grow closer after a cold experience and a hot memory.

Alex got my attention when he sat in the steam room and told Adam that reasons were merely fancy excuses, which did not mitigate the hard facts that a little girl was dead and the person at fault had not taken responsibility. Adam's defense of the hit-and-run driver's possible motives interested Alex, so Adam may be in big trouble very soon.

A few years ago, before the days of cameras everywhere, I backed into another car in a parking lot. I could have driven away, but I opted to leave my name and insurance information instead. Despite the expense and higher premiums that resulted, I have never regretted that decision. There is something very freeing about taking responsibility. I highly recommend it to Adam, who should get ahead of this situation immediately.

Many of you do not think that Adam is guilty, and it is very possible that you are correct. Those of you who remain firmly fixed in Adam's corner (Yes, Miss Bessie, I mean you!) have made me take another look at this character, and frankly, it's difficult to resist the charms of Michael Muhney, who portrays Adam. Todd Manning, on One Life to Live, was intended to be a disposable villain, but the actor who played him had so much charisma that the character was fleshed out and given some depth. He grew to be a major fan favorite.

Adam, as portrayed by Michael Muhney, is moving in the same direction. Adam has ceased to be a cookie-cutter character and instead has shown us guilt, sorrow, regret, and remorse. His grief was as palpable as Billy's and Chloe's. His obvious love for Connor, as he explained and videotaped his confession, was heartrendingly painful, but I still think that, in the long run, it would be better all around if Adam told the truth. It is more than possible that the real killer is getting away because Adam has destroyed evidence in the mistaken belief that he is at fault.

Even if Adam proves to be the culprit, it was an accident, so he needs to fess up before Alex, who seemed hot on Adam's trail at the end of Friday's episode, figures it out. Billy, who was shown loading a gun, probably won't think twice about shooting Adam if Alex even questions him, let alone arrests him. Billy won't actually kill Adam, but Billy could easily end up in prison for attempted murder. Perhaps he could hook up with Michael and Fen. Adam might even join them there after his trial!

Let's pause for a moment and imagine all the prison stories the writers could reuse with that three- or foursome! Okay, the prison break (couldn't resist) is over, so back to Michael and Fen -- what do you say, General Hospital fans? Is what's old, new again? Will Fen's prison tale be akin to Michael's rape, or will papa bear Baldwin succeed in protecting his son. So far Michael hasn't done a very good job.

Michael did not follow the very good advice he gave Fen about keeping his head down and following the guards' orders. As a result, Michael has made the situation even worse, and they've got even more trouble than before. Now that Michael is in solitary, it's got me wondering if I missed the episode where Michael had a lobotomy!

I love Michael and Lauren and the actors who play them, and I tolerate Fen, but I can't believe how utterly stupid these people are. The expressions "A few cards short of a deck," "Their elevators don't go to the top floor," and "Not the sharpest knives in the drawer" all come to mind. I'm sure a lot of you can think of even more colorful expressions, and I'd love to hear some of them. I might even print ones I haven't heard before!

Okay, back to the Baldwin comedy of errors. Michael is a lawyer and former D.A. Why didn't he just pick up the sobriety chip and the gun and then hustle Lauren away? As they drove around the city, looking for Fen, they could have wiped the gun, broken it down, and disposed of the parts in dumpsters all over the city. Michael and Lauren could alibi each other, and without the chip or the gun, the police would have had no evidence. Surely Michael knew that.

In prison, Michael is not "Stone Cold" like Jason on GH and will not be able to protect Fen from sexual abuse, if that is where this story is headed. I don't know much about the actor who plays Fen, so it will remain to be seen if he has the acting chops to do as good a job with such sensitive and character-making material as the actor on GH did. Maybe he will fall in with bad company and escape being victimized, or perhaps the writers have something different in mind for Fen. That would be refreshing.

I still can't get behind Fen's addle-pated thinking that getting himself thrown in prison on drug charges would get Michael out of trouble. I admire that Fen wanted to tell the truth -- it's always lies that cause the problems on soaps and in real life -- but I think he could have handled it better by badgering Christine with the facts than by foolishly getting sent to prison and putting his family at even greater risk.

Now to Lauren, who is blaming herself for the destruction of her family. She does have some responsibility, but it's time for Lauren to quit crying and become mama bear. She runs a giant corporation, she was Business Woman of the Year, so she ought to be able to pull it together and manage this situation a little better than she has so far. Michael's plan is not working. Lauren needs to start telling the truth and trust Paul and Christine. That hang-up on her cell phone last week does not bode well.

I think that Lauren may be getting another stalker, perhaps Carmine's accomplice -- he must have had one. How else could Carmine have escaped a prison van, handcuffs, and two burly prison guards; gotten rid of his prison garb; and found police gear, glasses, and a facial prosthesis? If this were GH, Carmine would not be dead. Instead, he would be after Lauren again, only this time without either Michael or Fen to help and with no one to believe her.

The good news, of course, is that if Carmine has mysteriously survived, Michael and Fen will be cleared of murder and get the chance to dispatch Carmine again! Like the Winters saga, this is a tale of trouble that keeps going and going and going...

We've been wondering why Devon got all that money from Katherine. According to Friday's previews, Jill and Jack are going to ask Devon to be their mole as they try to sabotage Victor. I'm wondering which way he will go. I would be surprised if Devon agreed to work with Hilary right away, but if he does, Devon would make the perfect mole because he will be able to gain Victor's trust. So far, I haven't seen Devon as a strong actor. He should get a real workout, though, if he shares more scenes with Victor.Devon seems to be buying Mason's con. It might not be long before Devon falls under Hilary's spell as well. Devon strikes me as rather nave and not very people smart. His intentions are good, but his generosity does not always turn out well. For example, that humongous reward he offered only succeeded in causing a lot of unnecessary work for the police and might have hampered their effort to find Delia's killer. Lily thought that renting an amusement park for her kids was over the top, even if Devon could afford it. I doubt that either Mason or Hilary would reject any extravagance that Devon offered.

For those of you who have written that Victor needs a comeuppance, Jack and Jill, abetted by Hilary, will make a formidable team and could very well spell big trouble for Victor. Whether it's Jack and Jill, or Victor who comes tumbling down the hill remains to be seen.

I feel the same way about Victor that I do about Adam. They have their good parts and their bad parts and shades of gray in between. Neil's comments about his admiration for Victor's parenting made me realize that while Victor has not been a perfect parent, he is a loving parent, albeit an overprotective one. Victor's conversation with Victoria proved his love. He proved he had a heart with his comforting and sincere words to Jack and Billy at Delia's funeral and to Billy afterwards. Victor gave Victoria very good advice about Billy. Victor did not try to hurt Victoria in order to advance his own agenda. He supported her like a good, loving parent should in times of crisis.

Victor is wrong about a great many things, including Billy and Dylan, but he always acts on what he believes is the best interest of his family -- a trait he shares with Adam. Victor makes a lot of mistakes by charging ahead based on preconceived, false inferences. Many times, Victor has ended up losing what he was trying to protect, his family. Meddling has started Victor on the same course again. With Jack and Jill in hot pursuit and Nikki set to make a big revelation, will Victor lose his family, or business, or both? Or will the wily fox triumph yet again and snatch victory from defeat?

Whatever happens, we are about to start moving ahead with new stories and conflicts. According to a recent interview with Michael Muhney, Delia's death finished the story arc penned by the recently released head writer. November sweeps is kicking off the stories written by the new team. I'm excited, and I see a lot of possibilities for the future, so I am looking forward to the coming weeks!

After all the threats by viewers to stop watching, I wondered what effect Delia's death would have on the ratings, so I checked it out. They were down during the week following Delia's death (Oct. 28-Nov. 1) but were still higher than the week before her death (Oct. 14-18). The week of Delia's death (Oct. 21-25), Y&R had the highest ratings of the last seven years!! So I say, that's enough doom and gloom from all of us. Despite our threats, we are still watching!

I have to admit that although I fast-forwarded through a lot of the funeral and grief scenes, I have found the depiction of the aftermath quite cathartic. While watching the Halloween episode, I thought of my deceased mother and got an idea for a costume to wear to my bridge club's Halloween party. I dressed up like a glamour puss of the 1950s, which she was, and wore a lot of her authentic costume jewelry from that period that I had inherited, put away, and almost forgotten.

I celebrated Day of the Dead as Delia's family did. I thought of my mother, who died young, and found comfort. This week, as the ripples of Delia's loss played out, I cried some tears, and they felt good. I realized that even though 30 years has past, grief is never gone, but now I can think of all the good times I had with my mother and forget the rest. I hope those of you who were reminded of the people you have lost were able to experience a similar comfort.

I have forgiven Chelsea for her lie about Connor. She is proving to be a wonderful friend to Chloe, a good mother to Connor and a needed companion to Adam. Chelsea was wrong, but she admitted it and atoned. I like her with Adam. He seems so much more approachable and shows his softer side when he is with Chelsea and Connor.

I am also glad that Kevin and Chloe are finding comfort from each other. I hope that they will get back together and have another child very soon. It won't replace Delia, but it will let them be loving, supportive parents again and let us share the warmth of that love with them.

The mystery of Courtney is heating up. I'm beginning to think that her absent family might be in the drug business, perhaps the big dealers. Courtney definitely knew Raven, Fen's dealer, but Courtney does not seem to be using -- though she could be very good at covering up. I wonder if there might be another, more sinister connection, perhaps even one to Carmine. Someone in Courtney's family might have murdered him, if he is, indeed, dead!

SPOILER ALERT: CLICK HERE TO SKIP OVER THE NEXT FOUR PARAGRAPHS AND AVOID POSSIBLE SPOILERS!

I don't know if any of you get TV Guide, but if you do, you probably read the interview with Melody Thomas Scott where she revealed that Nikki would tell the truth about Dylan at a dinner party on the November 22 episode. Before that, she will throw a big Veterans Day fund-raiser, which will air on November 11 and 12 and will feature real-life veterans. Sounds like a twofer to me: a way to support our vets while watching emotionally stirring episodes of our favorite soap! A win-win situation.

POSSIBLE SPOILER: More Nikki and Dylan. According to TV Guide's Michael Logan, 57-year-old Nikki will reveal a 33-year-old secret. That is all well and good if the object is to make Dylan 33 years old, but that means that Nikki was 27 when she met Victor and 24 when she conceived Dylan. I thought that Nikki was supposed to have been a teenager when she was impregnated and in her very early 20s or late teens when she met Victor.

Dylan is older than Victoria, who is older than Nick. Let's see -- hmm -- if Victoria was born a year after Dylan and Nick a year after that, Nick would be 31, with children aged 24 and 18, which meant he was a father for the first time when he was nine and married Phyllis when he was 13. That must explain his poor parenting decision when he decided not to retest Summer's DNA -- he was suffering from a recent bout of SORAS and was too confused to make good choices!

Lately, Nick has not been my favorite character, but I do like that he and Sharon seem to be renewing their relationship, ESPECIALLY AFTER WHAT I'VE LEARNED FROM IN-THE-KNOW FANS: A FOR SURE SPOILER ALERT. According to two viewers who always know what is going on, Sharon's father, who was never named, will be Ian Ward, making her Dylan's sister! That is a great twist and one I definitely did not see coming, but heartily approve. The potential stories and relationships that could result from this twist boggle the mind.

SPOILER OVER.

I am really enthusiastic about where Y&R is headed. I am so glad that Sharon is getting a writing makeover and reverting to the Sharon that young Nick loved. The scenes in the freezer that flashed back to their history reminded me of just how much I relished love in the afternoon with those two, just because they did love each other so madly then. I'd like to see some of that passion again, along with the laughter and the playfulness of Friday's seltzer scene.

I really, really hope that Nick and Sharon will reconnect and that when Sharon finally tells him that she changed the paternity test, it will turn out to be another hallucination. I don't know how she will explain Phyllis' fall, but one problem at a time, please.

At first, I thought that I wanted Summer to be Nick's daughter, but now I'm not so sure. I think they need another Abbott girl to balance out all the ones who have been bumped off lately. Give Jack a daughter to hold over Victor, so Jack gets at least one win, and find Summer a boyfriend!

Okay, I think I've talked about everything I intended to talk about. I hope the following Y&R fans are mollified:

I used to enjoy your two scoops column. Now all it consists of is readers' comments. I go to the Board for that. Please get back to actually writing a column. Thanks. -- JILL

Uhmmmmm, where is the commentary? Been disappointed to catch up on the column only to find it filled with nothing more than excerpts from viewer mail. -- ROXI

Believe it or not, I take that as a compliment! Usually people want me to shut up! In my defense, I got so many emails last time that I felt it only fair to publish as many as I could, but maybe I went overboard. I was glad to get another opinion from Rita.

As always, I loved your column. The letters from fans included in the column, make it more interesting. I am hoping Adam will turn himself in, after all, he did stop. It must have been pretty hard to see a small child dressed in black on the side of the road. I admit, the acting is superb and pretty much the only good thing lately. I'll keep watching and reading your column. I'll keep in mind it's only a SOAP. -- RITA

Thanks Rita. It is only a soap, but it's our soap!

To Roxi and Jill and other column readers who prefer to read less email from fans and more commentary from me in my column, I appreciate your frank comments, and I will do my best to accommodate you. One of the reasons that I print emails is because I like to make sure that opinions other than mine are represented. I seemed to have inherited the fairness gene, and I just can't stand it if there aren't at least two sides to every question! I'm also a left-handed Libra, if that counts for anything!

I don't intend to stop printing reader comments, but I will put them at the end of the column so that you have the option to quit reading when the commentary ends. I hope that works for you and that I continue to entertain you.

Until the next time, keep soaping!

Now for selections from the email bag for those of you who want to know what other fans are saying. There is also a query at the end of the column that will likely only interest Y&R fans that also watch GH!

This following information is courtesy of Cathey who has an amazing knowledge of the show. She is a source for a lot of the tips that I get. When I hear the same thing from both Cathey and Bessie, I know I can take it to the bank!

Did anyone read Michael Muhney's interview in On Air On Soaps? It's storylines like Delia's that keep actors doing what they do best. Viewers can stop blaming Jill Farren Phelps. It was Josh Griffin's idea to kill DD off so that he could exit Y & R on a high note. He was also responsible for giving Sharon bipolar disorder. It makes sense that all the viewers hated the show then and cried for someone else to take over the writing. We now have a new writing team so let's just wait to see what happens. -- CATHEY

Thanks, Cathey, I'm with you. I say let's move forward and give the new team a chance to impress us!

Speaking of bipolar and Sharon, Colleen had this to say:

When Sharon said, "My head felt like it was filled with cotton", it was the most honest thing she has ever said and I laughed till my sides hurt. She needs to go back to the farm and play 'Sharon had a little lamb.' -- COLLEEN

Now my sides hurt, too! Thanks, Colleen. Trish had an interesting suggestion for Sharon on how to squirm out of a difficult situation.

Sharon should create a phony letter from the DNA lab and mail it to Nick stating that the previous test results were wrong. That would create the need for another DNA test to determine Summer's true paternity. Sharon doesn't want Nick to hate her if he finds out that she tampered with the results letter he received. -- TRISH

That could work, at least until Phyllis wakes up! It certainly appeared easy enough to tamper with the first letter.

Laurie had words about the reward:

I don't know why the writers had Devon step up to the plate to offer a million dollars...Didn't Victoria, Abby and Nick take over half of Victors BILLION DOLLAR empire in court??

There do seem to be a lot of cash poor millionaires living in Genoa City. If you didn't know better, you could swear they are just like us, going to work, worrying about credit cards, house payments, and retirement. LOL!

Tay definitely does not like Adam:

Adam should get caught. He has gotten away with numerous things throughout his time in G.C. But killing Delia is over the top. He needs to pay for something. ... The writers have given Adam WAY too much lead way on the wrong doings he gets away with without any consequences or repercussions. THIS will finally get those on his side to see the evil, deceitful, disgraceful, pathetic man he really is. -- TAY

Take a deep breath, Tay, and repeat after me, "It's only a soap!" Though I agree with you, Adam should confess all. Carmella has an entirely different point of view.

I really wish every time there is a crime committed that it's not pinned on Adam!! The death of Delia is just too much to pin on him, you could pin it on Hilary or her boy toy, but not Adam!! I will say that Billy, Adam, Chloe, Kevin, Victoria, and Chelsea deserve awards for their spectacular acting!! BUT PLEASE DO NOT MAKE ADAM THE FALL GUY AGAIN!!! -- CARMELLA

These diametrically opposite viewpoints show us what a well-drawn, well-acted character Adam is becoming. All I can say is, "More!" In the "It ain't possible" category, here are a couple of comments about Adam and the accident.

I sure hope Y&R writers don't make Adam out to be the hit & run driver. He would have felt the hit when he pulled off the road to avoid hitting Dash, and he didn't. Adam deserves a break. Please don't make Adam the hit & run driver. -- JUDY

Delia's hat was found in the middle of the road. The scarf was attached to Delia's hat. Adam ran over Delia's hat and that would be how the scarf came to be caught under Adam's car. The scarf very likely would have corroborated Adam's story that he didn't hit Delia. He would have swerved to miss the dog after he had already passed the spot where Delia was. I think it may have been the lady that came in to report the black SUV that may have hit Delia and for personal reasons did not stop. A person knows when the car hits something. Adam didn't hear anything when he swerved to miss the dog. -- RUBY

I also wonder how any driver could be so oblivious as not to notice hitting a 70- or 80-pound object. It's a big stretch to believe that a person would not notice a collision like that.

Victor would not win the father of the year award from Darnella, who sees Victor very differently than I do. My own father is a lot like Victor; unfortunately he doesn't have the fat wallet.

I, too, am sick of Victor Newman. He is an ass and a bully. I would rather have seen him killed than that beautiful little girl Delia. I was infuriated by Victor's comments about Billy after Delia was killed. That arrogant SOB passed judgment on Billy as if he were father of the year. And I'm sick of him calling Jack names. Victor is worst than any schoolyard bully. He is always snubbing his stuck up nose on others. Yes I would love to see him taken down and completely out of Y&R for good. And one last thing, please let Adam confessed to hitting Delia. It's already been too long. Give him a good character and report to the police rather than have them catch him and make him seem to be a cold hearted animal who ran down a little girl and left her to die on the side of the road. Adam does have good in him. Let him be a better example of a father to his son than Victor has ever been to any of his children. And let Adam stop looking for or needing Victor's approval. Hope raised him to be a good and decent man. It's time we saw his mother in him and not that self-righteous arrogance from his no-good father. -- DARNELLA

Darnella might have had a Victor-type father also, but she probably had the bad Victor, not the good Victor that I did, or the Victor that Neil admired. Joan, another non-Victor fan gave me a chuckle with this:

I got to thinking the other day. Everything that happens to the Newmans & the Abbotts all links back to one person -- The Great Victor Newman. He is always pulling strings on someone, whether it's his family or the Abbotts -- we need to start calling him The Puppet Master of Genoa City.

Note to Joan: that could have the opposite effect to the one you desire. Victor might take it as a compliment and have that title engraved on his business cards!

Finally, this week's "Best Rant" Award goes to Liz who was not afraid to speak her mind.

While I realize that "drama" is needed for soaps, I worry about the long-term effects this will have on Billy. Billy has always had a great sense of humor and a certain levity to his personality. I wonder how much this will change him. Realistically, after the death of a child you will never be the same. I recently watched some old footage of Nick after Cassie died. His whole persona has changed; the character is overall much darker. I will miss both jovial Billy and snarky Chloe. Big issue with no Esther...silly. Christine and Paul are the worst. Why is she back?? Did anyone else notice that horrific olive green/brown suit she was wearing on Friday's episode? I'm sure the 80's would love to have that back. Why are they dressing her like she's 60?? Guess it's her boring personality. Please recast Phyllis. Even though Sharon is back on her meds, she doesn't seem quick to tell the truth... More. Alex. Stat. One final observation...can they not put tiny Tracy next to giant Abby?? I miss Emme Rylan. NuAbby = snore. NuKyle....ugh. -- LIZ

Th-th-that's all folks! I love hearing what you know and what you think you know! Until next time, may the soaps be with you to lighten your load and brighten your day.

FOR GH CROSSOVER FANS ONLY: Today, Franco, who used to be Todd, and was previously thought to be Jason's twin was revealed to be Heather's 30-something son with Scott Baldwin, giving Franco a living mother and father. Soon Dylan, who used to be Jason, will find out that he is Nikki's 30-something son and has a living mother. As moms go, I think that Dylan got the better end of the deal, but I think there will be a lot more comedy with Heather, Scott, and Franco than there will be with Nikki, Dylan, and Victor. So my question for you is, What came first, the chicken or the egg? Do you think these coincidences in the soapiverse are coincidences, and if not, which soap do you think thought of the storyline first? Or has GH done a double twist? Fooling us into thinking Franco was a Quartermaine so that we didn't see the big reveal coming, or at least I didn't. That's what I call soap magic. Maybe Y&R will top that by having Victor turn out to be Katherine's son or have Nick belong to Paul!!

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