And so it begins

Billy and Phyllis shared a warm fire, wine, and a kiss that looked more like a beginning than either was willing to admit. Victor used Luca's testimony to expose Michael's plan to convict Victor, after which Victor became his own attorney. Will dueling divas Hilary and Ashley be as much fun as Jill and Katherine were? Find out in this week's Two Scoops.

A couple of years ago, my friend Bessie told me that Eric Braeden had a clause in his contract that guaranteed that Victor always won. Ever the skeptic, I took it with a grain of salt, but after this week's turn of events, I'm not so sure she's wrong. Why? Because once more, just as it appeared that the Victator was going down, that he was finally going to get what he deserved, Darth Victor again showed us that he always has another trick up his sleeve!

This time, Victor used Luca to prove that Michael was deliberately trying to lose Victor's case -- which wasn't that hard. Michael was doing such a terrible job that even usually clueless Christine was suspicious. Personally, I thought that Michael was obvious from the beginning, even before he and Lauren discussed the fact that he planned to get Victor sent to prison -- loudly in a crowded room, which was the perfect thing to do if Michael wanted to get caught. Maybe that was his plan all along so that he could satisfy Phyllis and actually help Victor by undermining him. Definitely a bad move, since it could get Michael disbarred, but we've all heard that old saying about desperate times and desperate measures, and we've got to admit that Michael was backed into a no-win corner by both Phyllis and Lauren. Maybe the only way out was to do such a poor job of covering up his intention that he got thrown off the case. If that was the plan, then it worked beautifully.

Again, the writers surprised me! Good going, guys. I admit, I did not envision that Victor would be heading up his own defense. Does he, as the old saying goes, "Have a fool for a client" or will Victor beat the odds again? I'm betting that he will beat the odds. I still believe that Victor is going to have something physically wrong that will provide a mitigating circumstance, like a brain tumor or lesion that has interfered with logical thinking. We did hear Nikki say that the Victor on trial was not the man that she married. Oh, I know. Maybe somebody kidnapped the real Victor and replaced him with an exact double, a drug lord found in a South American prison...

If Victor does manage to escape imprisonment, then I imagine that Phyllis will slip the rails, not that she isn't close now. Over the months, instead of gaining distance from her ordeal, Phyllis has held it tighter and tighter. I can't help but wonder if a lot of that is because Phyllis blames herself. If I recall correctly, in the beginning, not only did Phyllis not have a clue that Jack wasn't Jack, she actually liked a lot of things about the new Jack (Marco), like his daring recklessness. That is what also attracts her to Billy. Marco did seem to care about Phyllis -- as much as an amoral criminal could -- and Phyllis didn't start to suspect him until the very, very end when everything started falling apart. This could be a case of "The lady doth protest too much." In my experience, time heals. The pain may leave a scar, but the hurt goes away.

That is not happening for Phyllis. In fact, the pain and shame are festering. Phyllis is already turning to Billy and away from Jack. Their marriage is crumbling. If I were Phyllis, I'd probably heap a large share of the blame on Jack. Even if it wasn't his fault directly. Every time I saw him, it would remind me of what happened and that I could not tell the difference between my husband and an impostor. It would eat at me. It would be especially painful if I remembered liking sex better with my husband's impostor than with my husband. I think that Phyllis is shamed and haunted by that possibility every time she looks at Jack. That is why Phyllis is spending more time with Billy than with Jack. It's obvious that Phyllis is much less tense and is happier when she's with Billy, and since they both share revenge fantasies when it comes to Victor, they will be a perfect pair to keep plotting against Victor if he escapes his sins again.

As I've said in almost every column since we changed Billys, I'm looking forward to illicit love between Phyllis and Billy. They have chemistry and complement each other, so I say, "Let the affair begin!"

It's not the popular sentiment right now, but I am still a huge Victor fan, despite his despicable doings. Eric Braeden is a terrific actor, and I loved the comic touches as he sat in court in his orange jumpsuit, made snide remarks, and reacted to Michael's non-defense. Therefore, I'm really hoping that Victor has a brain tumor so I can forgive him!

I didn't think that there was a lawyer in the world who could have gotten Victor off until the circus came to town with Michael and Phyllis posing as clowns. Once Phyllis lost her temper and self-control in court and Michael compounded it by obviously trying to tank the case, they made it possible for Victor to have some maneuvering room. Phyllis' courtroom histrionics, coupled with her insistence that Michael help get Victor convicted by hook or by crook, may get a much different result than the one Phyllis intended or the one she would have gotten if Phyllis and Michael had let the law do its job.

I can only imagine the havoc that Victor, once free, will wreak on everyone who "done him wrong," starting with the Baldwins, who must be scurrying for cover. It will be entertaining to watch how everyone -- the Abbotts as well as the Newmans -- forgives and forgets and finds their way back into each other's good graces.

I loved seeing Adam as part of the Newman clan. I really hope that his unselfishness with the family earned him points with Nick and Victoria, who always want to believe the worst about Adam. The same goes for Victor. I think Adam showed Victor exactly how much he loved Victor and the family. I know it can't last, but for a minute or two, it was nice to see a united Newman front, even if it was Victor they were united against.

Sharon and Dylan had a beginning of sorts. Sharon's recurring nightmare, that she is holding an empty baby blanket, has forced the couple to look more closely at Dr. Anderson and the circumstances surrounding Sully's birth. When the truth emerges, Dylan and Sharon will be devastated, but will it end their marriage? Sage will be overjoyed, of course, but how will Nick feel when he finds out that Christian is Adam's son? And what about Shawn's baby? Are Nick and Sage going to turn her out on the streets, or will Dylan and Sharon swoop in? My predictions are: Shawn decides to keep her baby; Sharon and Nick turn to each other; Dylan turns to dear old dad; and Sage becomes a thorn in Adam and Chelsea's marriage.

It appears more and more that Hilary and Ashley will be dueling divas la Jill and Katherine. Let's bill it "Upstart versus old money." In order to secure her seat on the social Tilt-A-Whirl, Hilary needs to get Devon out looking for a palatial estate, so they don't have to live in a hotel room. Then Hilary can host those social-climbing teas. I guess she could use the hotel, but have you noticed that there is always a storm that knocks out all the phones and power whenever there is a big gig in Genoa City? If I were a town resident, I'd make sure that I had a land line and an old-fashioned phone that didn't require electricity to operate -- oh, I do have one of those, just in case, and I wasn't even a Boy Scout!

I don't know if there will be any pair of actresses who can mix it up as well as Jess Walton and Jeanne Cooper did, but I am hoping that two such excellent actresses as Mishael Morgan and Eileen Davison are up for the challenge. They are off to a good start now that Mishael's character, Hilary, has thrown down the million-dollar gauntlet, and Eileen's character, Ashley, has picked it up. Now that Ashley's mysterious life-threatening illness has been miraculously cured by Dr. Neville, Ashley can tell her family, end Hilary's blackmail, and take her job back, but I don't think she will. Hilary will have her hands full, trying to wrangle a seat on the foundation board, especially when she finds out that it is her husband who is keeping her on the sidelines. I liked Hilary when she was good, but I like her just as well when she's bad, and I look forward to even more clever cattiness between Hilary and Ashley.

Whenever I start thinking about Summer's character and how nave she is, I'm reminded of Jessica Rabbit, when she said that she's wasn't bad, it was just how she was drawn. The same is true for Summer, she's not a dumb brainless blonde, it's just how she's written. Summer has been a mystery to me since she took a job babysitting Natalie for Victor. She hasn't been loyal to anyone except Luca, despite warnings from Marisa and every friend and relative that Summer has. Summer has even seen Luca's double dealings first hand, but she still drags him to every event in Genoa City, though that's perhaps more owing to the fact that she's related to everyone else in town and always needs a date, so Luca is her only choice.

It's also curious that Summer has stayed so determinedly in her grandfather's corner, instead of her mother's, especially when her father, Nick, has also supported Phyllis. Most kids Summer's age, who are as close to their parents as Summer is, would side with their parents, not oppose them, but Summer has remained resolutely devoted to Victor. It does appear that a change in attitude is forthcoming. Phyllis may finally have communicated the depth of her anger and despair to Summer, who at last understands how Victor violated Phyllis, and the unimaginable has finally been imagined by Summer's nave blonde brain. Kudos to Hunter King, who has earned yet another Emmy nomination for her outstanding performance as Summer.

Other well-deserved Emmy acting nominations for The Young and the Restless include: Tracey E. Bregman, Justin Hartley, Christian Le Blanc, Kristoff St. John, Lauralee Bell, Jessica Collins, Steve Burton, Bryton James, Max Erich, and Frank Runyon. Congratulations to all. I can remember Emmy-worthy performances by every one of these fine actors over the course of the past year. It's a shame that they can't all take home a gold statuette. For the complete list, click here.

That's all for this week, folks. Join us next time at the Athletic Club for our Soap-aholics Anonymous meeting with guest speaker Victor Newman. His topic will be "The get-out-of-jail-free card; where to get it and when to use it." No host bar for regulars. Imaginary friends drink free.

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