Free, free, set them free

Stuff got real as a bad guy made himself way more bad by terrorizing a troubled child. In a Chance-y move, our hero saved the day and dropped into a whole world of story in Genoa City. It was a shortened week, but The Young and the Restless made up for it by bringing the November Sweeps drama. Let's dive in with our Two Scoops writer and see if we can unpack a little Genoa City baggage.

Let me start by saying I would like to see Adam show Connor around Hope's farm and tell his son stories of his childhood. Victor was sweet, talking about carving his initials and offering the knife for Adam and Connor to do the same. The drama started when Connor wanted Mommy to go because he feared he might have another nightmare. It made me wonder -- does fearing a nightmare make it more likely? I know people who worry that they'll worry about something, and I totally think that makes worrying more likely (in fact, I think it makes it probable).

But I would love to see father and son explore the farm, just the two of them, bonding, telling stories, making memories. It would make Adam softer because his love for his son is, at the moment, his most redeeming quality. If he's sticking around, I want to like something about him. Even if he remains a bad guy.

I do not advocate violence. I have driven by fights (I work in a city), and it leaves me feeling upset. However, with that being said, I have to confess that Chance smacking Cane in the face was kind of priceless. Welcome back, Chance! It's been awhile since he's been in town, so I didn't really expect that he'd look the same, but so far, I'm liking him.

I wondered about Amanda and Cane when they were together while he tried to help her with her panic over being locked in. She was definitely imbibing from the minibar. If she is in some way related to Hilary (her unknown twin?), is there a possibility of a predisposition to alcoholism, because Mom was an alcoholic? Also, did it seem like she really only knew Cane because of the deal he had worked out with him for the funds for his kids? I didn't see any more connection there, so I don't think Cane directly got her involved in the will situation.

Amanda did seem to panic when she saw a bald man at a table. It was like she recognized him. Her panic when the hotel was in lockdown, when she was trapped, followed by all traces of anxiety leaving her once the lockdown was lifted and she was free to come and go as she pleased, sure makes it seem like there's some trauma history there that we don't know about. Maybe she is running from an abuser, and that is why there is no information about her online. Perhaps she even had a change of name to help hide her. Maybe she even got plastic surgery to look like Hilary to hide herself from the abuser, and Hilary was a public figure she admired. Clearly something bad happened to Amanda in the past, but I'm not sure I am invested in her enough to want to know. I feel a little bad about that, but I think it's the Hilary look-alike situation that's still throwing me. I wish she were more different from Hilary.

If I were Cane, I'd hold off on spending that money. Chance is investigating the will situation. Do you think he would if his name hadn't been used? I'm sure he'd still honor his grandmother's legacy and wishes, but using his name and details of his identity makes it way too personal for him to ignore, especially when he doesn't appear to have a lot of respect for Cane to begin with. I do feel Colin is a big part of this forgery, and I do believe the "real" pages are a forgery, but I'm not sure if Cane is complicit (life wasn't going his way, but if he had enough money, it could) or not. I could both believe he is and that he isn't, so obviously I'll have to wait and see. What do you think? Is Cane as guilty as Colin, or is he innocent? I think by this point, there is enough doubt that he should not consider the money his.

Agent Smith, who looked a lot like a Fed, was sitting at the bar with his phone's volume on, whilst being "discreet," and I found that amusing. And he did a poor job of hiding his gun from Mr. Black. For his part, Simon Black is obviously well aware of the people in Chelsea's life, as he knew about Nick as well as Connor. He was looking for five million dollars, which may or may not have been his (just because he knew about Calvin's illegal money doesn't mean he deserved or was owed any of it, but Calvin wasn't around to prove that one way or another).

Now, five million dollars to me would do amazing things. But to some people, people who commit big scams like this, how much work do you go through for five million dollars? Do you threaten a child? I guess if you look at the news with drug cartels, the answer is yes. But why was Calvin in possession of the money, in a storage shed, if it was supposed to be laundered? It doesn't get laundered well in storage.

Chelsea was not pleased when Connor and Adam showed up. Connor wasn't feeling the love. But that got a whole lot worse really fast. I think Chelsea was ridiculous to not ask Adam for money. He totally would have gotten his hands dirty to save his son. And Chelsea, for that matter.

Tuesday's shots at the beginning of the show -- picture, fade to black, picture, fade to black, all backed by intense music, was very dramatic. I thought the whole hostage situation was fun to watch (and I did not think any of our regulars would die). I was not surprised Adam was willing to trade himself for his son. I'd be more surprised if he weren't. The whole hostage situation was well done. Chance climbing through the ducts, crashing through the ceiling, and knocking Simon out was awesome. This is Sweeps drama at its best.

Abby's phone, which she was clever to hide, was buzzing, and the paranoid bad guy didn't hear it. I found that a little unbelievable, but that was okay. Abby's freak-out was an awesome distraction. But why the hell did Nick run in with the cops? And how did Jack come in so fast? It's a crime scene. People stay outside crime scenes while police investigate, at least as far as I'm aware. Police need to clear the scene and check for evidence before everyone walks in as a target or to contaminate.

What is Adam and Chance's connection? And will Phyllis mess things up for them?Is there any way Adam is a federal agent working with Chance? They clearly have some sort of secret because they are worried that Phyllis saw them together in Las Vegas. And then she definitely saw them in Adam's apartment when she poured herself a glass of wine and made herself at home. I imagine this connection will come to the surface sooner rather than later.

Nick's campaign is hitting a rough patch, although Victor admitted he was always very proud of Nick and knew he had a lot of potential. Nick was, of course, panicked when he learned that the debate was canceled because of an active situation at the Grand Phoenix. Nick is so impulsive that he wanted to rush in and make things worse. He was mad when he was held back, even when it was explained to him that he would make it worse. In my opinion, this kind of behavior shows he is not even remotely qualified for public office. I want leaders who have a level head and take a moment to think. I want leaders who respond, not leaders who react.

It does not make people fit for office if they don't have some level of self-control. I understand he was worried, but... do we want a leader who believes "I can't just sit here and do nothing"? A leader who doesn't trust the trained professionals more than his own untrained impulsive anger? No. No, we don't. Nor do we want leaders who will say, "I will never doubt her again," which Nick told Jack about Chelsea. A little relationship advice: sometimes healthy doubt is okay, especially if your partner's behavior leads to a hostage situation. Just sayin'.

There was seriously some family connection between Chelsea and Adam when they were comforting poor Connor after Simon was taken away into custody. To use a term I've seen a lot lately, Nick looked pretty butthurt. No question, Chelsea has affection for both men. Both men seem to accept her as she is. She has history with both, and she has chemistry with both. I can't tell which way the writers will take her. Does Nick inspire her to be more honest? Does Adam appeal to her con artist ways? Which version of her makes for better drama? I'm not sure. I haven't seen her romantically involved with this Adam, but she had mad chemistry with Justin Hartley.

Should Chelsea serve time for laundering money? What Calvin did to get the money is not her crime. But she has made a mess of her life. Her actions created serious havoc for others. Her mother raised her as a con artist, so she may not know how to be another way, although sometimes she can do it. Admittedly, nobody does real time in Genoa City. So, if she doesn't do jail time, should there be other repercussions, such as being bought out at the hotel (although I'd rather see Phyllis gone)? If she went to jail, she'd be off the canvas, and I think the triangle she is working toward with Adam and Nick would suffer with her gone, so for now, maybe community service? House arrest? Something. But I don't want Kevin and Chloe punished for their involvement.

Also, what is the deal with the laundered money going into a bank? It is, I suppose, smarter than the storage shed, but still...If it was laundered already, it could have come home to them all already and not been seized. Something about that bank was clearly already off.

Connor was already acting out, but now? I expect it to get worse. We start with Adam and his demons, add in Chelsea screwing things up, being held hostage by the gun-toting and menacing Simon, possibly learning recently deceased and beloved stepdad Calvin was a criminal, and Victor faking his death, and I'm going out on a limb here to predict that Connor will probably be screwed up. If Connor wasn't scarred before, he sure is now. I'd probably want my security blanket, too!

When Adam went to get Connor's blanket, Nick withheld it because he wanted answers. I liked that Adam kept it to "This isn't about you, Nick." It wasn't. It was about a little boy who was suffering.

Will Chance tell Abby about how Phyllis can watch and hear everyone from her laptop, compliments of her security system? Or will Kevin figure it out and tell her? I don't care, as long as someone does. I'd definitely like it to impact Phyllis' ability to be an owner, and even more, I'd like her to not be head of security.

Nate's all jealous that Abby is flirting with Chance. I'm open to seeing Chance and Abby together as a couple, especially because he showed no interest in her before, per her report. They're both legacy characters, and a union between them could unite three major families. I would prefer to not see Chance with Phyllis.

It seems the Grand Phoenix is losing business after a hostage situation? Who'd have thunk it? If you can imagine it, guests are fleeing like rats on a sinking ship. If they marketed it right, they could possibly increase business by capitalizing on people who want to follow true crime. I hope the hotel survives, otherwise there's a new set that's doing nothing.

Theo is in the family. Kyle is sounding the warning. Jack is defending Theo without knowing him. Kyle is upset that his nemesis is climbing the family tree and doesn't want to forget everything he knows about Theo. He shouldn't. However, I wish Theo's dad hadn't just shown up as a ghost. I would love if he were alive, and Theo talks to his vision of Eric as his conscience. Perhaps he's alive somewhere, living a good, decent life, and he could meet his siblings. Does it do damage to Dina's character to have her have another illegitimate baby? This is the second one while she was with John, and it means Jack wasn't her first-born.

Theo and Ashley met because there she was in the Abbott living room. When she offered him a job, I thought, Please, Theo, go to Paris! He could mature there, develop more honest business tools, and return as a reformed and improved character, but one who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. I don't understand why Jack was so furious that Ashley offered Theo a job in Paris. Why didn't Jack offer him a job at Jabot? Although Ashley is part of Jabot again, so maybe Jack wants to advocate for Theo but not trust him in the family company.

Billy and Kyle are, not surprisingly, butting heads. To the point where Jack had to tell them, "This is inappropriate and unacceptable." Billy doing the side-eye thing makes him look a lot like he's not the full, normal, healthy Billy. Has another alter emerged? Because I sure don't think he's magically healed.

Nick to Nikki, about campaigning: I think I just shook a baby's hand and kissed the mother on the head.

Nick to Nikki, about telling Victor about his campaign: I'm not avoiding him. I'm prioritizing.

Phyllis to Amanda: I can see a fellow barracuda a mile away. (This was a small scene, but I think a foreshadowing of character direction.)

Nick to Victor in the midst of the campaign discussion: With all the lies in our family, I'd be a real hypocrite if I complained about you telling the truth.

Chance to Phyllis when she's advising him on how to handle his investigation: You do realize I do this for a living?

Chance to Phyllis as stuff is going down: Is there a magical button I can push to make you stop talking?

Abby to Rey: Hostage situations aren't great for tourism.

Victor: I want you to know I'm not going to give a penny to your competition.Nick: I'll take that as a victory.(Did you feel the love, too?)

Whenever someone mentions a silent alarm and its location, you know someone's going to need it. Also, that is not a discreet alarm! And it lights up!

The Grand Phoenix has the cleanest ducts ever.

Hasn't Nick told Christian's nanny to not just let Adam in every time he comes to the door?

Is owning a hotel and restaurant being away from the corporate world?

Kevin always looks guilty when, well, when he's guilty.

Are Nikki and Jack campaigning for Nick or themselves?

Who goes to the office with their luggage? A work trip would allow you to go home, Summer.

We had a preemption, so there are no previews for next week. But I'll tell you what I'd like to see happen as soon as possible: I'd like Colin and/or Cane to be found guilty of will forgery and for Devon to get his money back. Perhaps he'll give trusts to his niece and nephew because he can. But I'd like him to be more intentional about using his windfall to help others who are going through hardships because he knows what that's like. He can have enough. He can set up a foundation, kind of like Bill Gates did. He can help Nick sometimes and do his own thing other times.

I'd like Chelsea to have to answer for what she did. Getting bags of cash? Not her fault. Not seeking help from Nick or Adam when things got ugly? Bad choice. She could have just paid off Simon Black, and the situation would have gone away, in theory. But then we would have missed the Chance rescue. I'd like Chance to stick around.

I'd also like to see Kevin find out what Phyllis is up to and for Phyllis to be ousted from her part ownership of the hotel. She can make mischief elsewhere, which is her specialty. I'd like the security system cleared so she can't get into it, even though she's a hacker. Perhaps Kevin can be on staff and monitor it from attack.

There are lots of other things I'd like to see, but for now, that's a start. I'm sure what we'll really see will be far more startling!

Until we meet again in this space, happy viewing, and know I'll be right here watching with you.Christine

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