In the middle of a chain reaction (or a train wreck)

Sharon tried to get her caboose in gear to stop the train wreck the reveal of Sully's parentage would cause. Will the cover-up and ongoing lie be her undoing with Dylan, even though she had no control of the initial act? Should Nick forgive Sharon, as a parent who understands the loss of a child, when the truth comes out? Will the ongoing chain reaction destroy more than one family when all is said and done? Plus, Patty painted kitties (and one pregnant woman). And Phyllis purred with Jack and hissed at Victor as she made like the cat who ate the canary in Jack's plot to take the Mustache down.

I wonder if Sharon has any inkling of just how much pain she will cause because she kept the truth about Sully's parentage secret for so long. And she's the entire reason why one horrible incident will lead to another and will end up being sad and tragic for the ones she loves the most. Nick and Dylan are sitting ducks, as they were unknowingly thrust in the middle of a chain reaction, just waiting for the series of events to reach its awful conclusion, which will bring joy to one and misery to the other. So, as much as Sharon wouldn't wish to believe it, she is the source of what will be an explosive and catastrophic train wreck that could wipe out her own beloved family.

What in the world could Sharon have been thinking? Since we know she's on her meds, we can't even blame her bad decisions on her bipolar disorder. Sharon had a knee-jerk reaction to protect her family once she learned Dr. Sandy Anderson had actually substituted a very much alive Christian for her nonexistent child, all in a bizarre plot of revenge on Nick. What made Sandy's plan so weird was that she never even got to see the results of the vengeance she inflicted on her one-time fairytale prince, who deserted her after the horrific diving accident in his swimming pool. I mean, what was the point of going through all the trouble of making Nick pay a sad, sad price if the doctor didn't even get to witness the pain she caused him? I actually wanted to see Sandy laugh wickedly behind his back while Nick mourned the baby he had cherished so dearly. It all just seemed so anticlimactic.

However, Sharon saw for herself how devastated Nick was over the supposed loss of his son, and she held in her hands the power to release him from his suffering. Yet she kept quiet with the man she cherished for so many years. As a parent and as Nick's past longtime love, how could Sharon torment him by holding her tongue on the truth? Since Nick is the father of her kids Noah and Faith, Sharon knows how much he loves his children, and she realizes that he would give the world to make them happy and to keep them safe. She put her own selfish wants above her ex-husband's needs -- and it's not like there's a chance the truth will remain hidden forever. How could it possibly when she's never had control over all the players in her dreadful and disastrous game?

Patty should be happy because it looks like Sharon will be dressed as a scaredy-cat for Halloween this year, as she hisses and hides from reality. Shoot, she might as well be off her medication, since her behavior appears to be about that destructive as she goes off the rails. The train wreck Sharon causes will not only affect Nick but also her loving husband, Dylan, as well. If she had just told the truth way back when, she could have avoided going off the tracks and could still have a part in Sully's (Christian's) life, because she actually believed she was the babe's mother in the beginning. Nick would have understood that. But Sharon believed she would lose her family by giving up the child, and that's where she was horribly derailed.

It would have hurt Dylan to lose another baby, but he wouldn't have blamed Sharon for that if she'd been up-front with him from the start. But once she started lying to her husband, Sharon lost any chance of having the happy marriage she craved, because you know Dylan will kick Sharon's caboose to the curb. Like so many soap characters (and probably real-life people), it's not the act that will kill her marriage, since she wasn't the perpetrator; it's the lie that will do Sharon in. Dylan's anger would have been directed at the person who made the switch, not at his wife, if Sharon had been honest when she first learned of the doctor's deception. Dylan and Sharon could have grieved together over the baby that never was, but she has made that impossible. Sharon will wind up losing the very thing she was trying so desperately to hold onto -- her happy and beloved family.

Sharon was delusional to think she could silence the always unpredictable and sometimes catty Patty. No amount of bipolar medicine can do that. And Mariah had no excuse, either, for not stopping her mother from destroying her life. With each move they made, Paul and Dylan got one step closer to learning the truth. Then, suddenly, out of the blue, Sully reminded Nick of Christian? Why didn't that happen ages ago, when the baby was younger and smaller and would have resembled his memory of Christian more? Since it's a little late in the game to stop the disaster that's bound to happen, there will be a lot of carnage with this crash and burn.

And Sharon just kept digging herself deeper and deeper into the muck. She totally freaked out over a "telemarketer" phone call, which made Dylan just a teensy-weensy bit suspicious. I mean, really, Dylan may be a tad nave when it comes to trusting women, but he's not a complete dummy. However, he seemed to be slipping a little as Paul's Boy Wonder, since he kept falling for Sharon's fish story -- hook, line, and sinker. Little did Paul know it, but he was doing the exact opposite of Sharon's desires by moving Patty to a nearby facility. Curses, Sharon was foiled again! Maybe once this all blows up and most of her loved ones desert her, Sharon can bide her time by joining Patty in painting cat pictures. But there will be no pregnant woman paintings for Sharon.

Even an unstable Patty could see that Sharon's plan was going horribly wrong when her transfer took her closer to home, and she became totally unglued. Patty Cake hinted at Sharon's secret to Paulie by commenting that a baby was a gift from the stork. Now you see it then poof, it's gone. Dr. Anderson was quite the illusionist, wasn't she? But then Patty insisted on talking to Sharon, who was the only one with the ability to calm her. Man, the truth is staring our Dynamic Duo, Paul and Dylan, in the face, yet they refuse to see it. Since Dylan has so much to lose, it would be no surprise if he wanted to blind himself to that reality forever. I'll miss our beloved Caped Crusader when he goes.

Chelsea and Sharon became concerned on Halloween when neither had seen Nick, who was supposed to help the kids with trick-or-treating duties. They eventually learned that a grieving Nick was at the Underground, trashing the place. It's hard to believe that it's already been a year since the game of hide and seek with Christian/Sully began. Let's hope the game ends soon, because there can be no winner. Even when Nick gets his son back, he will already have lost a precious year of raising him. That beats Sharon, who only lost out on six months of Faith's first year. Sharon should understand the sorrow of this more than anyone, yet she still had no problem in stealing away the cherished moments of the child's life from the man she once loved. It truly is a tragedy.

Although Dylan would never condemn Sharon for the actual act, her humongous lie will still draw his anger, but I can't say the same thing about Jack when it comes to Phyllis. Oh yes, Jack totally and completely blames Phyllis for her dirty deed with his brother, and if he didn't so obviously love Phyllis, he would probably never forgive her. But Jack can't help being drawn to his vivacious Red, who can still challenge him in so many ways. Jack keeps getting seduced by her burning flame, as much as he tries to escape her fiery appeal. It's no wonder the smoldering dynamic between Phyllis and "Jackie Boy" warms the cockles of Victor's heart. Thank goodness dear Vic wasn't left with "cold cockles." (Mr. Furley referred to being "left with nothing but cold cockles" one time on Three's Company, and I still crack up anytime I think about that phrase.)

If he had his way, "Billy Boy" would still give "Jackie Boy" a run for his money for the affections of the feisty lady. Since Phyllis moved into her closet-office at Jabot, the flow of traffic back and forth to that area has gotten extremely heavy. Are you kidding? Most of the footprints in the carpet surely belong to Billy. Shoot, at one point, I thought he was going to pack a suitcase and just move in. Well, the little office is cozy, even if it is a little dingy. However, Phyllis put a screeching halt to that when she introduced Billy to the new, chatty security guard.

So, Jack and Phyllis were free to scheme together, since Phyllis made it painfully clear she wanted to be with no one else, even though Jack continued to pretend he didn't want to be anywhere near his wife. Jack could only carry on his pretense so far, though, since he really needed Phyllis' savvy cunning to defeat the common enemy, Victor. Jack declared to Phyllis that he was going to pound the final nail in Victor's coffin. Oh, what an appropriate choice of words -- just in time for Halloween.

But righteous do-gooder Billy decided he needed to stop Jack from a fate worse than death -- getting on the bad side of Victor. Again. Seriously, has Jack ever been on Victor's good side? But, come to find out, Billy's deep concern was not for the brother who had stood by him all his life. Oh, no, it was all for Phyllis, who Billy still continuously stalked and hounded. How many times and in how many different ways does Phyllis have to tell Billy to leave her alone? She could write it on his forehead, and I still don't think he would get the hint. But I'm sure his cluelessness was deliberate and not out of being navely innocent. Billy, nave? Ha!

Phyllis realized that, thanks to Billy, for every step forward with Jack, she was taking two steps back -- which I'm pretty confident was Billy's intention. The venom Jack spit out at Billy was deadly, and Phyllis had to reason that any kind of connection to Jack's brother was lethal to her also. And even though they both signed the divorce papers, it was clear from the expression on Jack's face that he still loved her deeply. What I don't get, though, is why on earth did Phyllis actually slam the divorce papers onto the desk of Jack's assistant? It's not like she has listened to and heeded any other command Jack has given her. Why not hide the papers in her closet-office desk to gather dust and cobwebs? Since Jack demanded Phyllis be the one to drop them off with his assistant, I can't help but think he may have unwittingly wanted her to bury them. Phyllis may have missed her chance.

Or maybe I am being a little hasty in saying that Phyllis squandered a golden opportunity, because afterwards, Jack stared at the divorce papers in his hand. You know, the same papers he had declared he wanted his assistant to put in the mail pronto. Jack didn't look to be in too big of a hurry after all. No wonder Ashley kept insisting Jack protested too much about wanting Phyllis out of his life. Was Jack using his get-the-Moustache scheme to keep Phyllis nearby? Or does his plot include having Phyllis take the fall with Victor when the Newman Enterprises walls come tumbling down?

Phyllis was certainly right in the thick of things when she met the mole at the club. And they had an audience when Abby witnessed the meeting -- but did she actually see the briefcase exchange? If Jack's purpose was to get revenge on Phyllis and Victor at the same time, he may have just gotten a step closer to achieving his goal. At least their decoy idea worked beautifully, since Jack completely fooled Travis at the park. Travis may want to run back to Wall Street because he appears less and less brilliant and more and more idiotic the longer he stays at Newman Enterprises. Victor just has that kind of effect on people. Come on, even Abby, the former Naked Heiress, made Travis look like a dolt.

Devon really needs to learn the difference between mudslinging and reporting the news. However, he was dead on when he insisted that Hilary check out the accuracy of any story before she aired it. It won't just be poor ratings that shorten the life of GC Buzz if the lawsuits start piling in. And as money hungry as Hilary is, I doubt she would want to see all of Devon's money disappear in the name of restitution.

As for Victor, even though the story was not fake, he absolutely intended on suing the Hamiltons and GC Buzz for their scorching story about the misrepresentation within his company. Hey, why let some little old facts get in the way of a juicy lawsuit? Victor dealt from the bottom of the deck, had some cards up his sleeve, and even pulled a rabbit out of his hat to hide the truth from the tabloid, his employees, and his family. With his partners in crime, Travis and Natalie, Victor could use his own magic and say, "Abracadabra," and all the evidence would vanish into thin air. Hocus pocus. But Travis didn't necessarily appear to be on Victor's side, which could instantly put him at the top of Victor's most-wanted-to-get-revenge-on list.

However, Natalie seemed to be more of a hindrance than a help to Victor, since she had her digital fingerprints all over the cover-up at Newman Enterprises. And once Mariah learned of Natalie's new job as Victor's assistant, she used the information to her advantage and convinced Hilary to hire her at GC Buzz. However, Hilary only awarded Mariah with a lowly job as a gopher. Sheesh, Mariah didn't even have the luxury of a closet office -- and Phyllis thought she had it bad. Hilary believed Natalie was the key to sniffing out proof of Victor's duplicity. But, as Devon knew, the blind item was not the way to go. You don't need a crystal ball to sense that more lawsuits will be in the Hamiltons' future.

Good heavens, Chelsea! No matter how often you try to explain it to her, Chloe will just never get it. Chloe cannot understand a genuine, abiding love when she has never felt it herself. The only person Chloe has ever truly loved was herself, so she would be unable to see the strong, deep connection felt between Chelsea and Adam. Chloe believed she could eliminate Adam from her best friend's life, and it would be no problem for Chelsea to just replace him with another. No biggie. I would almost feel sorry for Chloe never being able to know such a true and honest love if I didn't already extremely dislike her shallowness -- and her terrible treatment of Kevin.

Kevin only wants his heart's desire, Chloe, but he has never been able to see that he has never been hers. The infatuated Mr. Fisher needs to adjust his relationship speed with Chloe from "glacier slow" to reverse immediately. Chelsea was right to be worried about Chloe's casual feelings for Kevin, since he will be hurt in the end. Get ready for your heart to be trampled on yet again, Kev. It's going to happen sooner or later. I only hope Mariah is still around to help him pick up the pieces.

And their friendship became a little less certain when Kevin believed Mariah had tried to use him to get another story about Natalie, "Victor's secret pet cyber genius." It's funny how Kevin always believes every deceitful word out of Chloe's mouth, but he didn't even consider giving Mariah the benefit of the doubt. Mariah had the line of the week when she told Chloe, "The difference between you and I...I don't do things for people based on what they can do for me." That's what I have always liked about Mariah. Some folks just tell it like it is, and Mariah is one of those. I find that to be so refreshing, even with her poor grammar.

Other notable (or humorous) items that happened during the week:

Kevin really needs to lose "the pink blanket look." Let's just hope it's not the new upcoming fad in fashion.

As much as I can't stand Chloe, I have to admit she has brought back some of the humor with Kevin. When Kevin feared the knowledge of his Og the Powerful costume would create mass hysteria, he chanted, "Here an Og, there an Og," and Chloe finished, "Everywhere an Og, Og." Funny!

Later, still in his costume, when Kevin heard Natalie's claim that Mariah was behind "the notorious computer hacker" blind item, he said, "That sounds far-fetched...and that's coming from a guy dressed as a troll."

Cane showed one could be a good businessman who could seal the deal, as well as being a devoted and loving father, all in one package? What's this world coming to?!

Cane didn't appreciate being Jill's "glorified foot soldier taking orders," even if it meant having to review the finer points of Billy's fall from grace. There's only so much a second fiddle/third wheel to Jill's matchmaking can take.

Let's see...we seem to be losing all of our men -- Adam, Dylan. Could Stitch be on his way out too? Yet they bring back Natalie. Please, we need the good-looking, hunky men to grace our screens. Gorgeous guys always keep me coming back for more. Hubba hubba! (Does anyone even use that expression anymore?)

Until next time, please stay tuned.Teddi

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