Of delusions and conclusion-jumping

Nick jumped to the conclusion that Adam was a murderer while Victor concluded that Dr. Gates would welcome his kisses. Sharon deluded herself that she could continue to hide Sully's true identity. Abby's perky optimism glued her marriage together, but Hilary's tte--ttes with Jack might damage hers. Murder, romance, corporate intrigue, adultery, blackmail -- just a typical week in Genoa City. Check out this week's Two Scoops.

Nobody is better at jumping to conclusions than Nick is. Just look at the way he started going after Adam as soon as he read Sage's diary. He didn't ask any questions, just set his jaw and made accusations like he was an avenging angel ready to unleash the wrath of God on Adam. Personally, I think that Nick was just looking for an excuse to find out what was in the letter that Sage had left for Adam. Too bad Adam and Chelsea burned it. They could have shown Dylan, who would have kept it secret, and/or they could have shown it to Nick. Yes, it would have put a stain on Nick's memory of Sage, but it would also have put a giant pin in Nick's enormous, self-righteous ego.

Both my friend Bessie and I clearly remember when Constance died, and unless we are both deluded, we do not remember her death being anything other than natural. Of course, the writers may have time traveled and changed history again, but I can't imagine Sage having anything to do with Adam, much less sleeping with him, if Sage really thought that Adam had murdered Constance.

It also seems far-fetched to believe that Victor could have orchestrated so complicated a kind of revenge so quickly and so conveniently. Perhaps the journal had been forged and planted much earlier and was just waiting to be plucked. As luck or coincidence would have it, Nick was there in, well, uh, um, dare I say, "the nick of time." With the letter burned and the damaging diary in hand, Nick can continue to be mad at Adam and refuse to acknowledge their kinship. I have a relative, who, just like Nick, is "a legend in his own mind." He is always right and never listens to what anyone else has to say before spouting off whatever disinformation he believes to be true. Sound familiar Nick?

In an aside, I have to say that while I am thrilled that Justin Hartley has scored a nighttime TV show, I am devastated to think that he will be leaving Y&R. I love him and his character. He has totally redeemed Adam and has made Adam, at least for me, the most vibrant and likable male character on the show.

It's hard to tell if Victor is delusional or is playing the long con. Maybe it's both. He sounds so sincere and believable when he talks to Dr. Gates about his family and forgiveness, and then his eyes fill with tears. Even Victor's memories about his father seem to indicate that Victor values family above all, but it sure doesn't play out that way whenever Victor has the opportunity for reconciliation with any of his nearest and dearest. Victor still hasn't taken responsibility for his actions. He still believes that what he did to Jack and Phyllis was okay because he was protecting his company and his family. In some ways, Victor and Max are not that much different.

The Victator needs therapy to help with that crippling feeling of insecurity that comes from being an unwanted child and often results, as in Victor's case, in egomaniacal megalomania. Victor also needs to learn some humility, or he will never get paroled. Maybe, though, Victor's plan is to romance Dr. Gates until she is so enamored that she breaks him out of the pokey and they go on the run, or maybe he will leave her behind to take the fall.

Victor has a lot of resources and could easily flee the country. I can understand what Victor sees in Dr. Gates, but why is she so attracted to Victor, who's got to be 25 to 30 years older than she is? This romance reeks of desperation on her part and opportunism on Darth Victor's. Call me cynical, but I'm just not feeling the love. Instead I'm witnessing a middle-aged cradle robbing. I liked Victor better when he was exchanging barbs with Ian Ward. Now there's a couple that's got sparks, and they deserve each other. By the way, I loved the scenes with Victor and his dad.

Sharon is a double dipper. She is both deluded and a conclusion jumper. Sharon holds on to the fantasy that she has to keep the truth from everyone because she doesn't want to hurt poor dumb Dylan -- or Dullen as Bessie likes to call him. The truth is, Sharon doesn't want her lies exposed because that will destroy the cushy nest she has constructed out of them, plus, as Bessie pointed out, she's run through all the other men in town. The problem for Sharon is that she has told Mariah, and Mariah, though she doesn't want to, is being guilted into keeping Sharon's ginormous secret. Mariah would not be privy to Sully's paternity if Sharon hadn't mistakenly concluded that Sage's diary contained Sully's secret.

Bessie called Sharon a "basket case" and I agree, but Sharon's behavior proves how liars are constantly on guard and give themselves away by jumping to conclusions that don't fit the facts. If, instead of panicking, Sharon had thought it over, she might have realized that between the time Sage found out about Sully, confronted Sharon, and then hopped in her car, Sage didn't have time to write in her diary. Sharon should have stayed calm, cool, and closed-mouthed and just waited it out. Sheesh, Sharon, if you are going to be a pathological liar, at least be a good one!

It's a mystery to me how curiosity cat Mariah could resist cruising through Sage's diary. I admit it. I would have peeked. If I had found something damaging to my mom, or something that would hurt Nick, I might have sought counsel before passing it on to Nick. If not, then I would have given it to Nick without mentioning to anyone at any time that I had read it. Mainly because I was embarrassed and ashamed of myself for being so nosy!

If Mariah had read the diary first, she would have known that there was nothing damaging about Sharon in it, and then Mariah wouldn't be between "a rock and a hard place." By the way, I'm as incensed as Mariah about how Kevin has treated her. He should have given her a share of his cut, even a small share. I heard him promise time and again that they were partners. Dealing with his betrayal is hard enough, but having to keep Sharon's secret must be excruciating for Mariah.

Also delusional is Luca, who Teddi described perfectly last week as a weasel. He thinks that he is going to get control of Newman because Summer is going to end up as CEO. Really? How many 21-year-old lackluster high school grads with no college do you know that can step in after a few months' work experience and run a multi-billion dollar corporation? Maybe she can run it -- Yeah, into the ground. Summer is the perfect example of why dynasties based on genetic inheritors fail. Rarely do succeeding generations live up to the promise of the original. I guess Luca and Summer can be comic relief, "Pop goes Beauty and the Weasel."

Abby is full of unbridled optimism, and I hope that it is not misplaced. Abby has shown herself to be very generous and caring. Not many people would be as kind about Max as she has been. Abby is not vindictive, and she seems to genuinely want Max to get the help he needs to recover. She even wants Max to be reintegrated into their family, despite the fact that he cold-bloodedly caused his unborn sibling's death. That's very forgiving. I hope it works out for her, but I am less of a Pollyanna where Stitch and Max are concerned. There are lots of obstacles ahead, so Abby needs to be sure that she is realistic, not delusionally optimistic, as she confronts them.

It might be that Jack is finally about to get a clue and jump to the correct conclusion about Phyllis, Billy, and the horizontal tango. Phyllis has tried to stay loyal to Jack, but Billy is too distracting and too tempting to resist. Yum, yum. Phyllis was deluding herself by believing that locking Victor up would get rid of her Marco nightmares. It hasn't, and in her heart of hearts, Phyllis can't help but feel like Jack betrayed her. Looking at Jack is a constant reminder that she didn't know the difference, that she willingly slept with Marco over and over again, and that she enjoyed it. I really don't believe that something as traumatic as that can be easily overcome without therapy. Phyllis needs some, or maybe that's what Billy is, therapy, just like Travis seems to be for Victoria. Billy and Victoria are trying to get over each other, but will they ever succeed? Don't count on it!

Hilary, Hilary, Hilary, what can I say. Is she delusional, or can she keep up her scorched earth, take-no-prisoners attitude long enough to snare Jack, which shouldn't be that hard once he finds out about Billy and Phyllis. If Hilary finds out first, I can see her making sure that Jack knows too. What happened to that sweet girl that both Neil and Devon fell in love with only a short while ago? Was it the coma, the drugs, the memory loss, the kidnapping, or possibly the deprivations of a damp boathouse? Here's another person who could benefit from therapy. Hilary was also traumatized, and she has changed significantly from the woman Devon married.

Hilary is more interesting as a villain, and I sympathize with what she's been through. I don't approve of her methods, but I can see why she wants what she wants. Hilary almost died. She is grabbing everything she can as fast as she can. In her shoes, any of us might do the same. She reminds me a lot of Jill and the shenanigans that she used to pull. I love Hilary's feud with Lily, mainly because they both wear gorgeous clothes that look great on them, and although Lily can be holier-than-thou, just like Nick, I think she's justified to be angry about what she found out and what she is being forced to keep secret.

Personally, I think Lily ought to turn Neil and Devon in to the po-po. Devon would get off with a slap on the wrist, and Neil could easily get a suspended sentence. That would take away Hilary's power and end the drama. But, hey now, none of us want that, do we? We'd rather see hotheaded Lily throwing drinks at Hilary and Hilary making snarky remarks to everyone who crosses her path. Have at it, ladies! Let the catfights commence.

Lily fired the first salvo when she accused Hilary of needing to conquer Jack and threatened to tell Devon and said that Hilary was not a "harmless naf." I did learn something new, though -- and people say there's no value in soaps -- the word "naf," which I don't remember seeing or hearing before, but expect me to use it in the future!

Till next time, fellow fan addicts, be happy, and if you have the need, heed Dr. Gates's words to Victor: "Forgiveness, it makes you feel better, more at peace, as long as you don't expect anything in return." I thought those were sage words for anyone, not just Victor!

Please join me in two weeks at the Athletic Club for the next meeting of Soap-aholics Anonymous. Our topic will be "Prison: my own private match.com" with guest speaker Dr. Meredith Gates. No host beverages, and as always, imaginary drinks are free. Black tie optional.

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