Madness in Genoa City

We've had breakups and breakthroughs, kids who see the light and kids who are on the road to psychopaths. All kinds of stories are topsy-turvy as we hurtle toward November Sweeps. Where is it all leading? Join our columnist as she tries to figure it out in Two Scoops.

Chelsea's upset around Connor reminds me of the parents who cry because their little one says "I hate you." Because kids don't have the capacity to say, "Dear Mother, you have done something that has led me to react in anger, and at this moment, I am feeling quite angry at you." Withdrawing the kid from school hardly helps him, and Chelsea's suggestion feels like a kneejerk reaction. I wouldn't withdraw him to put him in the place where the people he's most pissed off at are located.

Sharon took my advice and tried to do some play with Connor. It was working -- for that brief moment she was left alone. Chelsea doesn't give Connor space to be resilient. Summer tried to reassure her, saying "Chelsea, none of this is your fault" after Chelsea said she felt like a failure as a mother. This is Summer, who doesn't really like Chelsea. Chelsea then turned away from Nick's kiss, and Summer saw it. It was a dramatic moment with no follow-up.

Connor got into a fight and was the aggressor. He blames everyone except Adam for making Adam leave. Does Adam make everyone anxious? Seems that way to me. Adam is becoming the same kind of father as Victor, except Connor knows who his real daddy is and knows his real daddy abandoned him (instead of honoring mom's wishes). Connor asked, "How long does it take for a father to forget about his kid?" This led Chelsea to think that the only answer to fix Connor is seeing Adam. I'm not sure this bouncing all around is good for the kid. Daddy can come back, but Connor will know it was under duress, not because it's what Adam chose himself.

It feels like Chelsea wants to feel for Connor so he doesn't have to.

I thought Nick did okay in supporting Connor, which led Chelsea to give him a second chance: "I've done worse, and you gave me a second chance." Their return to romance was interrupted, though, because Christian went missing. When he was found, he was crying because Connor locked him in the garage. I hadn't liked Connor before because he's been more bratty than sympathetic, but this pushed him over the line. I thought he's a budding psychopath because he had no remorse. I doubt Nick wanted to have sexy time with Chelsea after her kid tortured Christian.

My friend Nel said that "I get that people might feel sorry for Connor because Adam walked out on him. Some people might believe that Victor neglected Adam and that the Newmans have shunned him. I don't see it that way because when Adam first arrived in GC, he bragged about his Harvard education, and he thought he was better at running a business than Nick or Vicky, and he always put both of them down and kept showing them up. Hope didn't want Adam growing up with Victor because she didn't want Adam to live that lifestyle, and that was why Victor only visited periodically. Hope wanted Cliff Wilson to be a father to Adam." I agree with her.

Should Christian and Connor be told they are half-brothers rather than letting them believe they are cousins? I don't think Connor would improve, and I suspect he might actually get worse because his brother would be competition for Daddy's affections that can be dropped on a dime.

I try to make the column make sense and sort things into categories so I'm not all over the place. However, I can't figure out what category to place Phyllis in. Then I realized, Phyllis has her own category. She's not part of anyone's story but her own. Whatever she does, it's for her. I did have a question for her, though: why not get takeout from Crimson Lights before trying to call Vegas and look for Cane. She was doing the impersonations ten feet away from Nick, Nikki, and Devon. But, of course, none of them heard her. Eavesdropping only happens when people aren't being intentionally oblivious.

And I hope whatever she's doing to undermine Abby is at least traceable. Her sense of justice is not exactly rational. And how does she keep track of all her revenge schemes?

Councilwoman Tammy asked Nick to run for the council. Nick responded, "Me? In politics?" As if it was the first time it's been suggested this month. Is Nick grounded? I mean, maybe compared to some of the other people in Genoa City. But I'm not sure his record would be one I'd support as a politician, even though he has the unfortunate top qualification any politician benefits from: name recognition (sadly, not something more noble like altruism or wisdom, although his charitable work is a pro.).

There seems to be a high-pressure sales pitch for Nick to run for office, with Councilwoman Tammy, Devon, Nikki, and Sharon all supporting him. Do you want to see Nick in politics? And if you do, is this the right time for it? Seriously, the dude has his hands full at home. Connor is going to need some supervision for quite a while, I think. And unless Chelsea and Connor become a family with Adam again (I could see it happening, but I'm not sure they'd do a great job teaching the child values), that's going to consume him.

It was kind of touching to see Dina in a wheelchair at Society, with Jack carrying on one side of a conversation with his mom. And when he talked about John, she said, "Such beautiful eyes, a dashing man" -- except it wasn't about John, but rather dear, sweet Stuart. So now, Jack has more to investigate with Traci.

Is Traci going to turn out to be the product of a Stuart Brooks and Dina union? Her DNA was never tested. My friend Nel filled me in on Stuart Brooks: "He ran a newspaper -- two of his daughters are writers. Here is a little family tree. Stuart Brooks was the patriarch of the Brooks family, which was one of the original families on The Young and the Restless, long before Victor Newman and Nikki Reed. Stuart had four daughters. Jill's oldest brother, Snapper, married Chris, one of Stuart Brooks's daughters. His daughters are, from oldest to youngest: Leslie, Lori, Chris, and Peggy." So, if you haven't been watching from the beginning (or forget things like I sometimes do), now you know.

And here's a puzzler another friend asked me, which mirrored my thoughts: "I don't understand why Traci needs Jack to help her with anything. Did writing a story about her not-lover Cane ruin her as a writer?"

Billy got a scary message from Victor: We need to talk, about the night you tried to kill my son. But he showed up when summoned. Billy said he didn't know what he was doing that night. (Of course, Victor asked, "Do you ever?") Victor said he will not forget (he never does). But Billy deserves a second chance. That was shocking, especially because he doesn't like Billy (hope you were sitting down for that news flash). Maybe he realizes that supporting his child's love is a way to support his child, though.

Billy went to Victoria and reported, "I just had a drink with your dad." I wish her reaction had been more shocked. Or that she'd asked if hell had frozen over. He looked like he'd had more than one drink.

Did Victor do the right thing by giving Victoria the permanent position as CEO? I wonder how long it will be before he dethrones her in favor of Adam. Was Victor sincere in handing over the reins to Victoria, even though her appointment was announced in the newspapers? I wonder if Adam will be more inclined to return to Genoa City when he sees the news that Victoria is for-real-this-time CEO of Newman.

Chloe and Billy acknowledged that it was still weird bumping into each other. However, they both said they were appreciating the kids they have. And that they could best honor their little girl by making the most of their lives. It sounds like they're where they should be (but I'm not sold on Billy's cure, as I've said before).

Jill sent a message that went something like this: "Had to leave town last-minute and didn't get to honor my dead grandchild on her death anniversary. You'll be FINE without me, no worries." I wish her love for her in-town-with-her-and-suffering child could be important enough for her to delay her trip for a couple hours. But it wasn't.

The commemoration for Delia was sweet. I wondered if Victoria should have been there, though. It was nice to see that many people in Genoa City actually getting along. That doesn't seem to happen a lot.

Elena wondered if Tucker had electromagnetic hypersensitivity. This isn't a diagnosis I have seen yet. But now I'm prepared for it. I liked Elena blowing Devon's mind, not just taking his mind off things, with the jazz night.

It was sweet that Devon doubled his donation to New Hope after remembering being on the streets and in group homes.

Amanda has no history. Her excuse to Nate: "My server is down." And it seems her client is an "old jerk." That sure isn't Chance. Everything about her seems fake.

Did the show make a mistake in having Mishael Morgan return? I don't want Devon and Amanda together. I would rather have Devon and Hilary, and the show messed that up by killing her off when she wanted to step away. Even if they made Amanda her previously unknown twin sister, it doesn't make it right. I don't like Amanda, and she just seems like a weak imitation of Devon's deceased wife.

If Cane was unconscious that long from being whacked on the head, he needs medical attention. But no matter what the documentation Cane "discovered" says (and manner of discovery would indicate there's something off here), I don't think Katherine left him her money. Did she feel affection toward him? Sure. But a multi-billionaire seems more likely to leave money to her grandchild who grew up on the street and in group homes before being taken in by the loving Winters family than she is to leave it to a con man.

Should a private investigator have done this investigating, or is Jill party to the will scam? Because, documentation or not, I believe it is a scam. If a private investigator had been on it, those documents would not have ended up spoon-fed to the unconscious Cane as they were.

But here's one of my biggest issues. They seem to be rewriting the history of one of the show's few African American characters by taking his money away. Devon struggled in life. He struggled to feel accepted into Dru and Neil's home. And then he was a little blown away to learn Katherine was his grandmother. The process wasn't a quick "Oh, lucky me." It was a slow acceptance because he had been through a lot to get to that point. To tarnish that feels wrong to me. And I feel the only "old jerk" who might do this is Cane's dear old dad, who probably wants a cut of the money. We've seen enough people forge authentic-looking documents anytime they want that I suspect that's what happened here.

Is Elena spending too much time with Nate? I like Devon and Elena together, but I can see that she and Nate have some attraction to one another. I just don't think it's wise to date your cousin's girlfriend (or ex-girlfriend), even with the apparently limited options for partners in Genoa City.

Whenever someone says, "We have a lot to talk about," you pretty much know it's bad news. Nate ended things with Abby, and seemed to be most bothered by Abby just going along with Victor: "It's like this is how we roll." Abby appreciated his honesty but didn't think he was making the right choice. She definitely was hurt by the breakup.

Nate seems like he was upset that Abby was taking things slowly when she was totally on the rebound. And now, did we hear that Amanda and Nate are both widowed? (Law partner or romantic partner? Both? I can't tell.) I see them talking, and I think Amanda and Nate will totally be getting together. I don't think I want this. But he doesn't seem mature enough to handle waiting for Abby to recover from her abruptly ended engagement, and perhaps the Newman thing is too hard to handle (I get it; I couldn't be with someone like the Newmans).

Theo, who looks more and more disheveled, seems to be on the outs with Summer. But he apologized for being a jerk. She kind of hurt the relationship by saying, "Kyle helped me realize I deserve better." Theo is feeling the way Zoe did; nobody wants him.

Kyle told Lola something was bugging him. Lola had defended the half-wasted Theo, who said he'd seen her evil side. Kyle is frustrated that she is being manipulated and can't see it. Kyle is not happy Theo is hanging with his wife. Not happy at all. He knows Theo too well, and Lola... well, more on her in a minute.

Theo tells Kyle he could use a few improvements, admits he's been a jerk, apologizes for the Zoe stuff, and misses being friends. Kyle says it can't be the same as it was, but he agrees to a drink sometime. (Is he just using the excuse a lot of us use? "Yeah, we'll get together. Soon.")

Kyle and Lola had some fun making a hideous baby through the phone app then Lola had a pregnancy scare. She's feeling sick. She and Kyle are relieved and disappointed there's no baby on the way. Just what is wrong with Lola? Could she be rejecting her liver transplant, or is there a problem with her liver. She sure shouldn't be drinking at all, but especially not so soon after the surgery. Is there some personality change as a result of the antirejection medications? Will the liver transplant prevent pregnancy? Was she lying about the test results? I guess we'll find out soon enough.

There was a mystery man looking up Kyle whilst wearing sunglasses. For a minute, I wondered if Zoe's dad was going to do a little shakedown to get more money, assuming he'd spent what he got before. But no, it was Adrian. Adrian seems to demand respect from Lola, and he doesn't want her speaking the truth to him. You can't really pull the father card on your kid if she never knew you, though. You're Adrian, not Dad. I did find it interesting that Lola wants understanding for Theo but has not an ounce of it for Adrian. She isn't making the connection that when the pain is personal, it's a lot harder to embrace the one who inflicted it.

Kyle was upset with Lola for not telling him about Theo coming in the kitchen and fainting. She didn't tell him Theo gave her soup, either. And he didn't tell her he gave her father a check after she told him to just say no.

Kyle pushing care for Lola was sweet. I've only had one relationship where my partner cared enough to take care of me (fortunately, it's the one I'm in now). But him sitting outside the bathroom was adorable (and she shouldn't have eaten that soup from Theo. It might be why she was sick).

Has Lola has gone from virgin to vixen in just a few months? I think making Lola pregnant would have been a big mistake. I think having her smitten with Theo is also bad. Are the writers trying to split up Lola and Kyle? It feels like those seeds are being planted.

Then, there was the uncomfortable scene with Adrian flirting with Traci after he got the check from Kyle. Why do they keep putting Traci in proximity to bad men? Yes, truth is stranger than fiction, but she doesn't need to get any storylines from him. She should be with a good man.

Summer: Oh, the usual, mom fell off the radar.Nick: Again?

Summer to Nick: Is this what adulting feels like? Because it is vastly overrated. (Amen, sister!)

Sharon, after Phyllis accused her of sneaking up: You're in a public space. One which I happen to own.

Abby to Lola: You do know how babies are made, don't you?

Sharon and Phyllis' fight was less fun than I'd like.

I forgot Connor had Delia's eyes. Stuff moves so fast, it's easy to forget things. He appears to have not gotten her sweetness with the donation.

Mia and Arturo had their baby. Rey realized he had wanted to be a dad, but he had been for Lola and Arturo. Does that make him kind of like a grandpa now? The baby picture let him feel joy. Maybe the new and improved Sharon rubbed off on him a bit.

The newspaper Jack was showing Traci looked like it was made from normal paper, not newsprint.

Nick advising someone to not hit made me chuckle a bit. He isn't at all impulsive, right? ("Hitting someone is never the right option," he said. "Hitting someone is never the right option" isn't always how he's lived.)

I'm glad Nate and Elena wear scrubs, or I would forget they were doctors.

Victoria looked like a nun on Wednesday.

Next week, when Nick is with Adam in Vegas, Chelsea calls to report, "We're at Memorial. It's Connor." Kyle keeps having to prove himself to Billy, who seems he should have some proving to do and doesn't seem to want to play well with others. And it appears Elena wants Devon to talk to Lily about the will.

Well, that's it for this week. Will Adam be returning to help save his son? Will this will story finally end (and please let Devon keep the money, and let it be discovered that he really was loved and wanted)? I guess we'll have to wait and see. Until we meet again in this space, happy viewing, and know I'll be right here watching with you.Christine

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