The Sound of Music-al Chairs

Victoria met her next possible suitor in a bar. Could Travis be fair game in a soapy competition of musical chairs? Max confessed to wanting Abby's baby to die! Will Ben finally, really, truly accept the fact that his son desperately needs help? And Phyllis and Billy give into their passion and do the dirty deed. Oh, yes, the time has come for talk of betrayal, deceit, and quirky Simon-isms in Two Scoops.

I just went to New York City for the first time ever, and I had a blast! And it wasn't nearly as intimidating as I had thought, especially when walking around at night. I actually felt pretty comfortable in the Big Apple, and I would definitely feel safe enough to go again in the future. My main objective was to see Broadway plays, which is exactly what I did, and that included the musical Something Rotten. It was fantastic! I loved how the characters in the play compared putting on a musical to real life and joked how crazy it would be for someone to be talking one minutes and then to suddenly break out into song. And that got me thinking. What if that were to happen in soaps?

No, I don't mean the high school musical One Life to Live put on several years ago. I mean a real musical, such as The Phantom of the Opera, Fiddler on the Roof, or The Sound of Music, where everyday living was conveyed through a melody filled with lyrics. You don't just say what you feel -- you sing it. Wouldn't that be fun? Yes, it would be a little weird, also, but can you think of a better way of expressing your joy or declaring your misery? And if you accompany that with a little jig or a highly complex choreographed dance number, you could have a soapy hit. Maybe that's what The Young and the Restless has been missing out on. Nikki could cry her heart out over Victor in song (which could pretty much be a weekly tune), or Neil could continuously tap-dance around Hilary's threats and blackmail. I can almost picture it. It would be great!

Or would it be more like musical chairs once the songs were added? Really, with all the partner swapping that takes place on soaps, that could be a possibility. I remember when I was a kid and played musical chairs, the song that I remember is "Pop Goes the Weasel." The way I learned it, the lyrics were "All around the mulberry bush, the monkey chased the weasel. The monkey thought it was a big joke. Pop! goes the weasel." I haven't heard or even thought of that song in ages. Weasel. What a perfect description of Luca.

Man, that guy really seems to be some kind of ferret, since he is always trying to worm his way into Victor's business and life. Luca's one goal appears to be as Victor's right-hand man, and he will do anything to accomplish his mission, even if it means dating Victor's granddaughter Summer. Luca has the horrible burden of saddling himself with the company of the attractive, intelligent member of a powerful family. I get misty-eyed thinking about the sacrifice Luca is willing to make to move ahead in life. Seriously, Summer needs to quickly see Luca for the weasel he is.

But, you know, if soap characters truly played a game of musical chairs in their love lives, they would eventually run out of people to play with. Let's face it -- their options are rather limited. Take Sharon, for example. She has already been paired up with most of the men in Genoa City: Nick, Jack, Adam, Victor, and now Dylan. I apologize if I left someone out. So, who will Sharon turn to once Dylan finds out Sharon has known that Sully was actually Christian then dumps her for lying to him? She's running out of guys. Of course, Sharon could return to Nick, since he's free at the moment. Maybe that's why Sage was killed off. Sharon's got to do something if she loses Dylan, because she's running out of chairs.

The best way to keep the game going, however, would be to add more players. Fiona and Travis most certainly fit the bill. Fiona looks to be the cause of some conflict between Billy and Jack, not that they need any more. They clash very well, all on their own. Fiona also appeared to pose a threat to Phyllis, as much as Red denied it. Although Phyllis claimed she only slapped Billy because he had been unprofessional, Fiona probably hit closer to the truth when she saw that Phyllis was jealous. Ah, yes, the musical chairs effect. Phyllis had just better hope she doesn't get her seat pulled out from under her.

Jack seemed eager to jump into the game with Fiona, although that just may be to keep Jabot from going under. Or was it? Even if it's not his intention now, could any threat of hanky-panky between his brother and his wife send Jack straight into Fiona's arms? After all, Billy had found the lady rather desirable himself, so would brotherly rivalry make Fiona that much more scrumptious to Jack? It will be interesting to find out. The apparent fireworks between Billy and Phyllis seem to have scared Fiona off from Jack's brother. Maybe now it is Jack's turn.

And Victoria seemed to be a little taken with dashing Travis, who was on hand to dole out his "brilliant bartender advice" at the local saloon. Didn't the two of them look so sweet, dancing together? Apparently, that's what the guy at the bar thought, too, since he filmed Victoria and Travis as they danced very closely.

Victoria always seems to be attracted to men who hang out in bars, for one reason or another. She and Billy got together after she found him drunk from his night out in a tavern. And now, Travis has caught Victoria's eye. She was still a little skittish, though, so she dashed out the door -- although she did have a lingering smile as she stood outside the bar. Could "Tori" be smitten with the nice-looking bar owner? If so, Victoria had better keep this guy well hidden, since Sharon has not yet been with this new dude. Travis would be considered fair game in the vicious circle of love.

Victoria and Billy sure are doing a cat-and-mouse game of their own in both their personal and professional lives. Or more like they continue to use their professional ties to one-up each other in a personal way. Victoria snapped the family business out of Billy's hands, so Billy Boy retaliated by stealing Victoria's baby, Brash & Sassy, right out from under her nose. They are definitely using the wrong body parts against each other. Nick even saw the passion between the two, which they would forever deny. Of course, Nick was seeing the world through darkly colored glasses, since he was still mourning Sage. Forget it, Nick. You telling your sister and her ex-husband to stop wasting time on things that don't matter was only a waste of your time on something that didn't matter to them.

I guess it's a good thing Victoria was opting out of her chase with Billy, since his focus was in another direction -- toward his brother's wife. Still. Fiona may just have been a momentary distraction, or she was a means to an end. Sure, Billy and Phyllis are alike in some ways, but how much of Billy's interest in Phyllis was due to his wanting to get back at Jack? His brother still had the family business after Billy was ousted, so it was only right that Billy take Jack's other love, his wife. I laughed when Phyllis went running after Billy to tell him their paths could never cross again. The best way for that to happen would have been for Phyllis not to make her wild dash to Billy's.

Silly me. It was only an excuse for Phyllis to return to Billy so that the passion between them could spill over and become something that could no longer be contained. We all knew it would happen sooner or later, and sooner was the better bet. At least Phyllis had the decency, afterwards, to be ashamed, embarrassed, and furious with herself, but she crossed a line that can't be uncrossed. When Phyllis was clearly ready to say a final goodbye, Billy only wanted to bid her goodnight. Hey, that could be one of the Y&R musical's songs: "Goodbye, No, Only Goodnight." It could be similar to "So Long, Farewell" from The Sound of Music. It could be a best seller!

Will Phyllis admit to Jack just how strong her feelings for Billy are? And will the memento Billy found on the stairs be a symbol of the fiery passion between Billy and Phyllis? Or could it be a souvenir of the hot, wild sex they had just shared together? Or will it just the usual soap opera prop that will eventually trip Phyllis up on her cover-up of the time she cheated with Jack's brother? Phyllis had better come clean with Jack, before her errant sparkly trinket does the talking.

Well, Victor was still bound and determined that Adam was going to take over Newman Enterprises. The guy sticks to his guns, that's for sure. However, Adam was adamant he was going to turn over a new leaf and not stab his brother or sister in the back -- this time. I like how he added the "this time." Yeah, he has sure not been known for being so gracious in the past. Victor still believed Adam would be a good fit for his office chair, and when Adam refused, Victor had to go back to pulling the strings behind the scenes. So, it was back to orchestrating his early release from prison with the help of lovely Meredith and her head-of-the-judicial-board father. Hey, if the crafty Victor can capitalize on Meredith's desire to make amends with her emotionally distant dad, all the better for him.

And Victor gave it the old college try, although Adam made sure to clue Judge Gates into Victor's motive as Meredith's new BFF. Adam and Chelsea sure have Victor's number by declaring that Vic's evil trifecta consisted of narcissism, sarcasm, and amusement with a dash of passive-aggressive threats of vengeance thrown in for some added flavoring. Adam insisted he had an ace up his sleeve, when it came to his dad, but will he overplay his hand? The judge swore he would not help Victor, so will Adam even need to play the hidden card against his father?

Mariah seemed to be playing her own game of musical chairs with Kevin and Natalie, and it appeared she was going to be the odd one out. No matter how fast she tried to steal the seat for Kevin's heart, Natalie found a way to win him over with her talk of an exotic trip to Africa, highlighted with zebras, leopards, and rhinos. It's a good thing she didn't say tigers, since everyone knows tigers don't live in Africa. I still like the camaraderie between Kevin and Mariah, so I hope Kevin is not swayed too much by the newly evolved butterfly. Natalie sure has come out of her cocoon. But will she return long enough to help Jack out of his pickle with Jabot and PassKey?

Mariah has reason to be concerned about her mother. Just think...if Sharon could convince Nick to spend more time with Sully, she may somehow be able to convince him that the three of them -- oh, all right, and Faith, too -- could be a loving family who would be able to live happily ever after together. Then she wouldn't have to give up her baby after all. But what on earth would Sharon do with Dylan? Oh, yeah, him. Plus, she has no idea that Adam is part of the Christian equation either. Once this so-called plot fails (and we know it will), Sharon will be headed right back to another round of manly musical chairs.

And Sharon had reason to worry, since Mariah wanted to move back in with her. Mariah appreciated that Sharon had trusted the redhead with her secrets before, but somehow, I doubt her mother will be so eager to share her latest one. With Mariah constantly underfoot, there will be more of a chance she could find out about Sully's true identity and reveal all. I can't believe Mariah didn't jump at the chance to return home with Kevin after his heartfelt plea. What? Is she really going to let Natalie win that easily? I always thought Mariah was more of a fight-for-your-rights (and your heart) kind of gal.

Oh, yes, Simon is another man Sharon has not been with yet, so Ashley had better wake up and smell the cappuccino fast if her heart is leaning toward the dorky yet desirable doc. Simon is such a nice guy, and he must be a better people person than he (or anyone else on the planet) thought, since he was able to get Max to come clean to Ashley about Abby's little fall. I guess Max can't be 100% bad, since he admitted to Ashley about his little prank of causing Abby to trip and fall, resulting in the loss of her baby. Yeah, that was a good one, Max. Hysterical. But how could Max believe Ashley would plead his case for leniency when his actions resulted in the death of her granddaughter? Ben may have more to worry about than that Max was a killer -- as if that wasn't bad enough.

Max was pretty delusional, since he couldn't see how Ashley would be upset by that. And it must be genetic, because Stitch refused to even acknowledge the possibility that his "helpless little kid" has some serious issues. Abby could have been right when she claimed Max wasn't evil, only filled with pain and rage. Or maybe she was just saying what Ben wanted to hear. Stitch needs to objectively see Max quickly if he wants to get his son help in order to save Max from himself and from everyone else in the world. I wonder if Ted Bundy got started this way.

As much as he wanted to deny it, even Ben could not blind himself to Max's actions for long -- especially not after Max admitted that he had wanted Abby to lose the baby. No, it would have been a little difficult to whitewash that confession. I mean, come on, Stitch, the baby Abby lost was yours too. Everyone seems to forget that fact -- even Stitch. One child of his caused the death of another. That would be pretty hard to take. Ben may need a little of that therapy himself. Maybe he could get a two-for-one discount.

At least Max's psychiatrist, Dr. Rosen, and I were on the same page. The doctor determined Max needed extensive therapy after Max showed no remorse for what he had done. Dr. Rosen indicated Max was a danger to himself and to everyone around him. Max sure would give me the creeps. His lack of reaction to his horrible act could put chills down your spine. No wonder Ashley's blood ran cold after she heard his confession. Max is one scary kid.

Simon cracks me up. I just love the way he phrases things. The clever Dr. Neville noted that Stitch would want to save his son because it was the "primal instinct for the male to protect his offspring " -- and that "the little rapscallion" needed a specific treatment, even if that caused his father a great deal of pain. Then later, Simon saw through Hilary's faade when he noted that "ordinarily, lying triggers the autonomic nervous system, desperation eye movement, micro expressions, and yet, despite the deliberate manufacture of such an avalanche of fiction," Hilary had never batted an eye. Sigh! I could listen to the delectable doctor talk all day. Dr. Simon Neville is definitely no Tad the Cad.

Back to earlier, when I recalled lyrics about going around and around a mulberry bush, Neil and Hilary still seemed to be involved in a big chase, but not in a good way. They are either secretly still in love with each other or they have a downright deep hatred growing between them. There's certainly no in-between with those two. Hilary sure seemed to enjoy the blackmail she kept dangling over Neil's head. Because her feelings are so extreme, I have to wonder if she really did love Neil, once she woke up from her coma, and her revenge on him was because he released her so she could be with his son. It didn't seem to bother Hilary one bit that Devon could see her for the nasty lady she has become. Ain't love grand? Why, that could be a song in the new Y&R musical too.

I am confused as to why Neil would believe his daughter would never forgive him for hiding Hilary away, way back in the day. Sure, she was very disappointed, but she has always loved her dad. Yes, Lily was angry that her dad had known Cane and Devon were innocent of Hilary's disappearance and had said nothing. But she will forgive him in time. If she has forgiven Cane for his numerous misguided acts, she can sure let Neil off the hook, one day, down the road. Naturally, Neil wouldn't want to have his image tarnished in his daughter's eyes. Lily may be right in that she never will see her father in the same bright and shining, flashing neon lights again, however.

Hilary is so obvious, even if the Winters men can't see right through her. Especially Devon, who probably knows more than what he lets on. Hilary acted like such a martyr, who was only trying to do the right thing by keeping Neil's secret, when she actually didn't want to lose the leverage she held over him. Lily won't divulge the truth because she wants to protect her brother and her father, but Hilary only wants to keep the past hidden so she can continue to hold it over their heads and to call all the shots. As long as Hilary has her precious, cherished reason to blackmail Neil, the world remains her playground. I tend to believe Lily in that Devon was just a notch on Hilary bedpost, both personally and professionally. Once she's done with Devon, Hilary will probably yell out, "Next?"

I appreciated Travis' advice to Victoria, "Don't settle for someone else's idea of what your life should be. Decide what you want. Go after it." Who needs a snappy comeback with sound advice like that?

Natalie was right. The whole identity theft and doppelgnger comparison regarding Jack was rather funny.

My highlight of the week was when Lily called Hilary a "lying, cheating, backstabbing skank" and threw a drink in Hilary's face. The way Hilary has been acting lately, we'd all like the chance to do that right now.

Until next time, please stay tuned.Teddi

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