The return of some old friends

Katherine's mysterious, long-lost music box returned, along with her cryptic message of a hidden treasure. Did the riches from the box redeem Colin, or did he confiscate the lost fortune for himself? Has Colin finally learned his lesson and the truth about his love for Jill?

Oh, my heavens, guess what past and long-forgotten recurring character made a surprise, unexpected, and almost shocking reappearance. That's right, the music box that Katherine willed to Jill. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was almost like seeing a long-lost friend. I had such high hopes for the music box mystery story when it first started, because there was so much that could have been done with it. Unfortunately, the intrigue turned into a snoozefest, and the pieces of that puzzle were never completely put into place. The "meaningless music box treasure hunt" was dropped like a hot potato that had scorched Colin's greedy fingers. Yes, sadly, the box was canned. But I had totally forgotten that the story had never been resolved until I saw the music box again. And get this -- we were finally going to get answers to the mystery after all this time. It's been one humdinger of a cliffhanger.

The amazing return all started out when Lily loaned money to poor -- and I literally mean poor -- Colin, who went to the nearest thrift store to do some necessary shopping. And it appeared his luck was changing when he happened upon some of his clothes that Billy had "donated." Colin also located his fancy-dancy, high-priced watch that Jill had spent beaucoup bucks on for his anniversary gift. Come on, the employees go through the stuff that is donated at thrift shops. You mean to tell me that not a single one of them could recognize that watch as an expensive piece of jewelry? Hey, I am zipping to my nearest Goodwill as soon as I get the chance. Somehow, I doubt if my treasure hunt will come up with anything, though, because any good quality jewelry would be scarfed up before it even hit the shelves. This is the real world, after all.

Amazingly enough, Colin found our friend Katherine's music box at the shop also. He wiggled and pulled out a panel of the music box and discovered a secret compartment that contained a City Trust and Savings key. Why on earth didn't he do that ages ago, when Jill first got the box? Colin knew Katherine gave it to Jill for a reason through her cryptic messages. Talk about letting time pass to build up the suspense. The writers probably went a little overboard with the passage of time for this, however. Maybe they should have used Colin's fancy-dancy watch as a guide. Shoot, Jill and Colin could have smashed the thing to pieces and found the hidden key that much sooner. But then the storyline would have been resolved in a reasonable amount of time, and we couldn't have that happen.

Needless to say, Colin skedaddled to the bank and quickly opened the safe deposit box. Oh, the anticipation was building. Come to think of it, this storyline has had more suspense in the first couple days of its return than it ever did the entire first time it had reared its ugly head. It was time to change that hideousness to a thing of beauty, and that's just what Colin found in the box. Katherine's gorgeous emerald and diamond ring that she had bequeathed to Colin's wife, along with an envelope addressed to Jill. After all the hints she had left, you knew Katherine would never play fast and loose with Jill and end up leaving her nothing. Katherine Chancellor always played by the book, especially when she was the one writing all the rules. And Jill had just needed to pay special attention to Katherine's instructions in order to receive the prize.

It's really a shame Jill wasn't the one to find the ring and the message. She loves a good game, and she could have thought of her discovery as a victory against her former nemesis. You can almost picture Jill screaming in glee, "Ah-ha! I got you again, Katherine!" But alas, Colin was the one to discover the treasure. So, would he take advantage of the golden, adorned with emeralds and diamonds, opportunity to vindicate himself with his wife, since he claimed he truly loved her? I realize that the first thing Colin did was to rush the ring to an appraiser, but that would only make sense. He wouldn't want to get Jill's hopes up all for nothing. But here was Colin's chance to restore Jill's fortune to her, which had almost literally fallen into his lap. Would he keep it for himself?

Once the appraiser indicated that the ring was an "extremely valuable" and "rare treasure" that was a "truly exceptional find," Colin packed up the few belongings he had left and announced to Lily that he was moving out -- and moving on up. Colin's luck had most certainly turned around, thanks to his wife. Was his intention to leave Jill out in the cold, so to speak? Seriously, does he ever learn? Oh, well, at least Colin forwarded Katherine's message to Jill by leaving it anonymously in her mailbox. No wonder Esther screamed bloody murder. It was almost like a beloved spirit had returned to haunt the house. (And the flashbacks of Katherine only added to the atmosphere.)

The fact that Colin delivered Katherine's message to Jill indicated that Colin intended to give her the fortune. Even if he hadn't read the letter, he would know that Katherine had referred to the prize and giving Jill what was rightfully hers. However, Colin knew how Jill desperately wanted her life savings restored, so he wanted to hand his wife the cash instead of the ring. That will prove to be a mistake, I am sure. Katherine wrote of how Phillip had wanted Jill to have "it," and Murphy revealed to Jill that there also had been a key. It really was Jill's decision whether to keep the ring or to sell it. Colin won't win any points with her for selling the precious item.

Man, Colin can't seem to get a break these days. Katherine's (or really Jill's) ring gave Colin the money for Jill to acquire the shares in Fenmore's, but thanks to an upsurge in profits, the offer was no longer available. But think about it -- Colin sold Jill's ring so he could get her life savings back. But the ring was Jill's to begin with, so he didn't actually pay her back the money himself. In fact, if it weren't for Colin, Jill would not only still have the money in her accounts, she would also have the glamorous ring, which had been a precious symbol of Phillip's love. So Colin only gave Jill what was already hers. He still owes her the money he took from her life savings. Colin's a smart guy. Why doesn't he see that?

Although it may not be the end of the Jill and Colin drama, the music box mystery appears to finally be solved and resolved. It was great seeing Murphy (and images of our beloved Katherine) again, and it was sweet that Jill appreciated the final words Katherine had left her. And how special was it for Jill to hear that the first thing on Katherine's bucket list had been to make peace with Jill. As disappointing as the journey of the treasure hunt was, the final results ended up being satisfying for the saga of Katherine and Jill. And for once, we finally had an actual ending to a storyline that had long ago been dropped. That rarely happens in soaps.

The normally cool, calm, and collected Lauren Fenmore Baldwin hasn't been looking all that laid-back and easygoing these days, since her son Scott was kidnapped and a ten million dollar ransom was demanded for his return. This story is a little to espionage-y for me, and it almost feels like a segment from today's news, when I like to watch soaps as an escape from the gloom and doom of reality. But I understand that Lauren and Michael need to get off the backburner, so Lauren, with her luxurious locks, turned to the only person -- Paul -- she thought could help her nicely coiffed self. Seriously, Lauren's hair seemed to play a big part in this drama. I couldn't help but notice the variety of layers in front and almost no longer layers in back, when she was with Paul. It was a little distracting.

Last week, at one point, Victoria had half of her hair lying on her right shoulder, and it was totally stiff with curls. Each time she moved her head, her hair wouldn't budge, which seemed weird. I just wanted to reach into my TV and shake her hair out to loosen it up. It was so unnatural. Anyway, back to Lauren. She was willing to scale the highest mountain, to swim the deepest sea, and to even sell Jack her share of Fenmore's to get the funds she needed. But then Lauren thought of the only person she knew who had tons of cash available on hand at all times -- her loving sister, Jill.

Yes, Lauren was talking about the same Jill, who had just suffered a heart attack without certain members of her family ever knowing she was even ill. I never got that. The entire time Jill lay in the hospital, I kept thinking to myself, "Someone should really tell Lauren that her sister had a heart attack and is in the hospital." In this day and age, with almost everyone owning cell phones, there was no reason for Lauren to not receive a quick call about her sister's health. It's not like Lauren was on an isolated, deserted island out in the ocean somewhere with no bars, miles away from any kind of civilization. It's just so weird that the entire time Jill was learning about her heart disease, Lauren was never told of her sister's broken heart.

So it was only after Lauren thought of Jill as her cash cow that Michael let her know about her sister's heart problems. It was okay to add stress about Jill's health to Lauren's already difficult situation -- as long as they could get what they needed from Jill, I guess. Fortunately, Lauren was more concerned about getting her son home than about Jill's medical condition, so it all worked out. I know I am exaggerating about Lauren's lack of concern, but I still don't get why nobody thought to tell her while Jill was in the hospital and would have loved to see a friendly face, especially since Colin's detested mug had been continuously popping up all over the place during Jill's stay. It just didn't make sense for Lauren not to know.

And even more confusing was that Michael knew about Jill's heart attack but didn't know that Colin was being blamed for it, since he had wiped out Jill's fortune. Come on, the two items went hand in hand in the talk around town. The citizens of Genoa City didn't hear one fact without also catching wind of the other. Billy said it so many times, it almost became gospel. Forget that Jill hadn't been taking care of herself for years, which led up to her health concerns. According to Billy, Colin had single-handedly caused Jill's cardiac arrest. While Colin surely was a factor in it, he most certainly didn't cause it to happen all by his little ol' self.

But anyway, Lauren went running to Jill to attain the funds to free her son, whom no one has heard anything about in ages. Only, of course, Jill didn't have the money -- or so she thought. So Lauren and Michael whipped out of Jill's house so fast Jill's head could have spun and rushed over to Victor's place. And Victor agreed to take a break from writing his autobiography (before he even started it) to help Lauren -- under his own terms, of course. I must have been a little bored, though, because I totally zoned out and observed that Lauren's locks looked to be a little curlier than before and that she was wearing no makeup. I give her credit for no makeup, but what was with the new do? If a mother was freaked out about her son being kidnapped, she sure wouldn't take the time to go to a beauty salon for a new hairstyle. However, Lauren attempted to look distraught without the makeup, so I will give her that.

Will the real Hilary Hamilton please stand up? I know that sounds a bit like a round of To Tell the Truth, but Hilary seriously had me wondering with her impromptu actions during the live interview with Victoria and Lily. I mean, she had that same diabolical look in her big brown eyes that she always gets whenever she's hatching an evil, twisted scheme. You knew Hilary was plotting something devious regarding Jordan and Lily, and her intentions seemed to be to mess with Lily's marriage to Cane. Or were all the cards she had up her sleeve filled with hearts for the loving couple? I honestly thought Hilary was out to break Lily and Cane up by throwing Lily together with the sexy photographer, and that may have been her original plan that backfired. But maybe Hilary had intended just to get the two stacked men to remove their shirts and flex their muscles, all in the name of ratings. If that was the case, her fiendish plot worked, which had all the GC Buzz fans a-buzzing. So, did Hilary's actual plan succeed or a fail?

The interview was a success all around. However, in Billy's world, Cane had been totally wrong for stealing the limelight away from Victoria during the live show. So, what was Cane supposed to do once Hilary asked him to come out in front of the camera? Abruptly and rudely say no to her? Cane did as Hilary requested and was a real trooper in playing along for the audience, which helped to promote Brash & Sassy's body spray. When it comes to Cane, Billy is a troublemaker and knows how to push his buttons. Victoria rewarded Cane with a promotion, yet Billy had Cane questioning her motives. Cane should have been grateful for the opportunity Victoria had given him without confronting her with any questions or doubts. Billy still seems to think he's calling all the shots for the company through his ex-wife though.

Victoria had her hands full, not only professionally, but personally too. The school contacted both Billy and Victoria because Johnny had pushed a girl in school and made her cry. Well, heavens to Betsy! (My grandmother used to say that all the time.) That Johnny is a little dickens. I mean, he's so cute and such a stinker. I swear, Johnny really looks like he could be the son of Billy Miller's Billy Abbott. He almost has that same impish grin that our former Billy had. Johnny said the reason why he pushed the girl in school was because she had kissed him. Why, bless his little ol' pea-picking heart. (My granny used to say that too.) Victoria's destiny with her "boys" seems to be of girls wanting to kiss them. She's certainly had enough of that with Billy. Hmmm...like father, like son.

Then we had the usual Victoria/Billy cutesy banter that showed just how much they truly still love each other. Victoria applauded a strong woman (or girl, in this case) who would go after what she wants while Billy pointed out that sometimes that strong woman might want something that's right under her nose without admitting it. Katherine could have given them lessons in messages with hidden meanings. Theirs were downright obvious. As she apologized to the girl's mother, Victoria observed, "Some boys never learn." Hey, she should know better than anyone else with Billy around. Billy later asked her, "Don't you wish all of our problems could be solved with cookies and crayons?" Oh, if it were only that easy.

To me, Victoria was just a wee bit strict when it came to grounding Reed. Nikki was right. Two months is an eternity to a teen, and the punishment didn't really fit the crime. Plus, it seemed like Victoria was penalizing the youth over and over again for the same offense. Sure, Victoria should punish her son for not following the rules, but it should be a reasonable sentence suited for a misdemeanor, not a felony. As a result, Reed felt he had to sneak out of the house, but it wasn't like he went to a place where he had no adult supervision. Reed knew his uncle and cousin would be at the bar, and he only wanted to play his music. Victoria should be grateful Reed has his music as an outlet to keep him out of trouble. Certainly, Victoria should be concerned about blurring the lines too much between being a mother and a friend, but she should still show an interest in what he loves and cares about.

Speaking of blurred lines, is Jack able to separate his professional from his personal life anymore? I don't blame him for not wanting to label whatever relationship he and Gloria have together, because I am not certain that he can. Actually, I'm pretty sure Jack wouldn't even want to, since he appears to be running from any kind of commitment through his thing with Gloria. If flying by the seat of his pants with Gloworm can keep his mind off of Phyllis and the love he still has for her, Jack's drawers are going to get scorched. Jack appears to be using a bizarre sense of lust to cover up the longing he still has for his ex-wife. Gloria's magic fingers have massaged the tension out of his shoulder -- and the fiery passion for his former "Red" out of his mind.

However, if Jack were truly over Phyllis, as he claims, he wouldn't get so snippy with her each time he sees her at the office. Jack can't let Phyllis go completely, which is why he chooses to continue to work with her. He wants her nearby so he can keep pushing her away. And Gloria is the shield to Jack's heart and his desire for Phyllis. Jack and Gloria had better beware though. Their words may be saying to keep whatever they have hush-hush, but their actions of running to a hotel room were yelling loud and clear. And Nikki was within hearing distance, so Glo had better be careful whenever she's ringing Jack's bell.

Luckily for Jack, Nikki was distracted by a jealous Faith, who did a pretty good job of sabotaging Nick's third date with Chelsea. Nikki figured out pretty quickly that Faith actually wanted her mom and dad to reunite, which the young girl admitted. Although this was a sneaky little stunt, this Faith is nowhere near the brat that she has been in the past. Afterwards, Faith felt bad for what she had done, and it's unlikely she would try such a dirty trick again. Alyvia Alyn Lind has always played "the good Faith," and even when's she is naughty, she is nice.

You can never blame a girl for wanting her parents to get back together, but I doubt if the fans are ready for another round of Nick and Sharon. After all the pain they have caused each other, the exes probably work better just as friends. And I actually like Nick and Chelsea together, as long as she can't be with Adam. They both have loved and lost and have baggage from that. And I'm all for anything that will keep Nick away from Phyllis. Plus, if Adam does happen to return from the dead, it would make for a terrific lovelorn triangle. But in the meantime, Nick and Chelsea decided to pick up some steam, as they both removed their wedding rings. I have to admit I got a little teary-eyed when they chose to move on from their past loves.

Billy stumbled upon Chloe and Bella in Crimson Lights and remarked how cute Bella was. He was totally drawn to Bella, and was it any wonder? Bella probably reminded Billy of Delia. If you think about it, Chloe seemed to name Bella from a combination of her past loved ones' names. Billy plus Delia equals Bella. It's close. Forget the music box mystery. This is the one story I have been anxiously waiting for the writers to finally return to. It seems like it's been forever. Could we finally be tip-toeing our way back into it? Oh, I hope so!

You had to feel for Paul when Lauren kept insisting that the situations with their two sons were not the same thing because her son's life was in danger. If only she knew.

Since Victor probably won't give his autobiography the title of Ruthless: The Story of Victor Newman, one has to wonder just what he will call it. How I Scratched and Clawed My Way Up the Corporate Ladder, One Rung at a Time, Right Out of the Orphanage? Hmmm, although accurate, that might be just a touch long.

I thoroughly enjoy watching the flashbacks, especially when we get to see our grand lady Katherine again -- and as long as they don't overdo them, which tends to take away from the story. I can remember a time when Days of our Lives showed the flashbacks so often, it seemed like they were almost two-thirds of each episode. But if these gems from the past can add to the story and not be a distraction, I am all for it.

Until next time, please stay tuned.Teddi

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