Intrigue abound

If Sheila had received a solid slap for every dirty deed she'd committed, there'd be little skin left on her dissatisfied face.

I didn't think I could think any less of Sheila, but as the week progressed, she proved me wrong. I knew this bizarre broad had few civilized sensibilities, but suggesting Tom slap Ashley around to force information from her was an all time low, even for someone whose belly already brushes the ground when she crawls around on all fours. Sure, she was mostly on the money about Ashley, but that didn't make her advice any more acceptable. Ashley is playing Tom, though not exactly for the reasons Sheila spelled out. But that doesn't mean she deserves to be beaten for it. If Sheila had received a solid slap for every dirty deed she'd committed, there'd be little skin left on her dissatisfied face.

And though I confess I didn't try very hard, I wasn't able to scrape up any sympathy for Tom either. Obviously he strolled past a looking glass and mistook himself for an innocent choirboy. Forget all the dastardly deeds he's done in the distant past; what he's doing in the present is more than enough to get him locked up. Last time I checked, blackmail and extortion was still a crime punishable by law. On top of that, he has on numerous occasions made indirect threats of his intention or desire to harm John, Michael, Kevin, Lauren and Ashley. Yet he's astonished to think that one of his victims might choose to fight back in order to dislodge his motorcycle boot from their neck. I say, if he insists on wallowing in the muck and mire, he shouldn't complain when he gets his clothes all dirty. By the way, I can't help but wonder if Tom's decision to keep Lauren's poisoned piece of jewelry hidden in his possessions will wind up causing him to be accused of yet another crime he didn't actually commit. Ahh, it couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.

Speaking of victims who fight back, what were Ashley and Michael thinking? At least in this particular instance, I had to wonder if they use their heads for anything more than as a place to attach their hair plugs. Yes, I'm talking about the co-conspirators meeting one time too many in the very public, heavily trafficked Athletic Club, an establishment Tom spends more time in than his hole-in-the-wall hotel room. Of course, who should observe them but the very man they're attempting to implicate. Now, urged there by Sheila, Tom is treading water in the middle of Lake Suspicion, a pretending Ashley paddling by his side. But I don't really fear for Ashley's safety. Unlike Gloria, I have a feeling she can hold her own and then some with Tom.

Oh how grateful one can sometimes be for even the little things. At last, even if it was only one itsy, bitsy, baby step, Scott is finally beginning to suspect there might be more to Brenda's far fetched fable than what was contained in the words that rushed unchecked from her lying mouth. Oh how refreshing and history making it would be if Scott actually began to get a clue before Sheila figured out he had one and took it away from him. I was almost beside myself with joy when Scott kept the picture he found in Sheila's wallet instead of immediately handing it over and foolishly asking for an explanation. I continued to hold tight to my optimism even when he failed to share the picture with Michael. But I admit my grip began to loosen when I saw him leave the picture at the hospital. Because this is Sheila we're talking about. The woman who sees all, knows all, and is everywhere at once and in the proper disguise besides. And we've learned from bitter experience that when Sheila/Brenda/Jennifer is up to no good, every GC citizen for miles around is instantly struck deaf and blind, not to mention dumb as a wooden post. I don't know how she'll do it, but it's a certainty the incriminating photo will soon be safely back in her wallet. In case you were wondering, that ear splitting shriek you hear right now is me screaming in frustration. But, in spite of Sheila's tendency to always be in the right place at the right time, I'm not quite ready to give up on Scott. Even without knowing the identity of the nurse in the picture, for Scott, things can't possibly return to book business as usual. There are just too many pieces in the about Sheila/Jennifer/Brenda puzzle that now quite fit. I know I can't be the only fan who finds the idea of someone finally getting the best of Sheila delightfully delicious. Leaving personal vendettas behind and leaping ahead to business ones, it seems another layer of intrigue has been added to the Newman/Jabot feud with the following questions: One, did Phyllis or did Phyllis not conceal a ticking time bomb deep within the innards of Newman's computer system? And two, who's playing games and who's being played? When repeated computer crashes caused Nick to turn to Phyllis for aid instead of his sister (who by the way was too busy playing I want you, I want you not with Brad and has no computer expertise anyway), all heck, as they say threatened to break out. Jack, erroneously believing Phyllis has as much of an axe to sharpen against anyone named Newman or Carlton as he does, was all for Phyllis lending a helping computer mouse, with the expectation, of course, that she will destroy more than she'll decode. And Dru's usual tendency to open her mouth wide enough to fit both high-heeled feet inside whenever she crosses Phyllis' path could have helped rather than hindered Jack's cause with her scornful words. But I'm gonna amble out on a limb and guess that despite what her ambiguous words to Jack may have implied, Phyllis played it straight with young Newman. We already know she has a soft spot for Victor and I suspect it extends to her now amicable relationship with his son. We all remember her decision to align herself with Victor was the final straw that broke the back of her wounded marriage to Jack. How ironic if her relationship with Nick wound up being responsible for a second break with Jack. But the main reason I don't believe Phyllis was up to no good is because the people with the fountain pens have littered the GC ground lately with some fairly large red herrings pointing prominently to a possible pairing between Nick and Phyllis. Now I could be wrong, but I wouldn't think having Phyllis betray Nick's newfound trust would be the best way to go about making that happen. Unless it's to put in place a reason for them to eventually part once they've gotten closer. Anyway, learning whether or not Phyllis' computer patch was less of a fix and more of a failure is down the road a ways. For the moment, all on the site is running as it should. And though no one exactly stood up and cheered, Nick went home feeling like the hero who saved the day.

To say Brad was not impressed is a definite understatement. For him, things at Newman have to have that eerie haven't I been here before feeling. I guess when it comes to social climbing cads like Carlton, perhaps he'd do better to shop around for lonely socialites who are only children. Instead of big sisters who have little brothers who insist on constantly chiming in with their two pennies worth about their sibling's love connections. I guess when it comes to Brad and love, it really does seem that some things change yet others remain the same. He left one nosy brother behind at Jabot only to collide with another at Newman. I just hope Nick has a better monkey wrench in his tool collection than the one Jack was constantly throwing in Brad's business. Brad's right about one thing, though. If it's a fight Nick wants, Brad is the one to give him one. A good long one. Just ask Jack.

But the hundred dollar question is: does Brad really care for Victoria? What does he find most alluring? Is it the expensive scent of her exotic perfume or the potent potion of possible power that wafts around her that drives him crazy? Brad has one of those deadpan faces and though he is often called attractive, I don't usually detect much real warmth in his eyes. As usual, he mouths all the right words, but somehow they come out sounding less than believable. Victoria obviously hangs believably on every word he utters and wants desperately to take a big bite out of the eye candy offering itself to her on a serving platter. Yes, I agree fan, Traci. Desperate is definitely what comes to mind every time I see her gushing gratefully over every romantic morsel Brad feeds her. I'm just not convinced he means all he mumbles. If he doesn't, Victoria is going to feel mighty foolish when she has to one day hear her brother utter the dreaded "I told you so." I can't help but wonder just how far Brad would be willing to thwart Nick and get the Vicky prize besides. If he wasn't still saddled with his current society wife, would he have already whisked Victoria off to Vegas and returned with her waving his wedding ring in everyone's faces?

One final thing I have to say about Brad. Right off the couch and onto the floor I rolled, braying "Bwaaaaaa" like a crazed hyena when Brad had the brass round ones to chastise Nick for not being a team player by calling in Phyllis without prior permission. There was that pot, skillet thing again. For wasn't it Brad Lone Ranger Carlton who has unilaterally been making most of the decisions about Seasons?

For Brittany Hodges Marsino, I guess the sands of the hourglass have all trickled out. With little else to do in her final days, Brit made one last fruitless play for J.T.. Unfortunately her pleas to the man who in about a year's time fell in and out of mad passionate love with Colleen and Brittany, just in time to begin loving Mac, fell on deaf, though not unsympathetic ears. Just my opinion, but there was one way she could have filled her time other than throwing her self and her son at J.T.. She could have planned a solemn so-long for her dearly departed. (No fans, Zelda, Josette and Lon, you didn't miss it; it never happened). Poor Bobby. His allegedly loving wife was so busy whimpering to her house mates about what was to become of her, she didn't even think to give him a memorial, let alone a funeral. Boy, in this town, when you're gone, you're gone. Life must go on, ya know. And speaking of gone, there went Brittany, practically pushed out the door by Kay and her comforting pep talk, on her way to getting on with hers. Off to reside with her folks in New York where it is assumed she will resume the life interrupted by her wedding on the wild side, that of a pampered princess, where Fred and Anita are sure to have a full staff available to cater to any need she could possibly come up with. (Wanda, the New York move news was related in a conversation so brief, if you coughed or cleared your throat during those two seconds, you would have missed it.)

Okay, having had my fun by concocting caustic comments to make about Brittany's rushed departure, I have to agree with fan Maud below. It was a touching leave-taking that was rather enjoyable. I didn't care for Brittany when she was up to her manipulative tricks with Billy, actually liked her during most of her romance with Raul, wasn't moved by her big love with the too old Marsino mobster, but had my fingers crossed that something fun and interesting would actually happen between her and J.T.. I still think those two were good together, miles ahead of the lackluster, forced-looking loving of J.T. and Mac, which in my opinion was ill-thought out and hastily forced down our throats. In my opinion, Bobby and Brittany didn't work and Mac and J.T. don't work for the same reason. Both pairings were hampered by a noticeable lack of charismatic chemistry. Just the way I see it, you may not agree.

At any rate, Brittany's departure makes the road smooth and boulder free for Mac and J.T.. So who will be the fly swimming around in Mac's glass of milk now? While we wait for something exciting to happen, I expect their romance will be little more than filler material bridging the gap between situations starring other more interesting couples. Kevin, who presumably recognizes a lost cause when it is working beside him, seems content to have Mac only as a business partner. Myself, I was hoping for more, but who am I and what do I know? As for J.T., I don't know what can be done with him. Once one of my favorite semi-bad boys but with enough good in him to make him quite likable, he has been watered down to such an alarming degree, he's not much fun to watch and has little of substance to root for. I guess in between mutual admiration sessions with his girlfriend, it's likely to be more assignments from Victor and Paul. Funny, though you never see or hear him make so much as a phone call to fulfill those assignments he's allegedly hired to complete, they nonetheless somehow get done just the same. Call me short-sighted, but I have a hard time imagining what remotely intriguing situation could next confront him and Mac. If all they have to offer me is more face time while J.T. proclaims a love for Mac that she constantly wonders is real, I'm afraid it will be the buttons labeled either Mute or FF for me.

Oh yeah, what was up with Mac telling J.T. she didn't believe he'd be able to say no, should Brittany come calling for help? Insert hollow sound of me knocking on Mac's empty head yelling: Hello? Is anyone there? Isn't that what he just did?

While I'm on the subject of empty heads, Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, you are really giving blondes a bad, bad name. I swear, she makes a nonviolent person like me begin to think seriously about occasionally condoning violence. Once again, she makes a smelly mess then expects someone else to follow behind her with a pooper scooper and clean it up. Too spaghetti-spined to stand up to Tom, she's given him all her money then looks to someone else to pay the piper. The debtors all have their fingers pressed unceasingly on the doorbell, and the rest are ringing the Abbott phone off the hook. It might look as if Gloria is between a rock and a hard place with no place to go but toward the truth. But looks are deceiving, because she still has one more person willing to stand with her against the cold cruel world. Her forgiving son, Kevin. Though he's only recently worked his way into the good graces of many of those who used to despise him, Mommy Malicious doesn't think twice about entangling him in the constricting net she helped Tom wind around her. Her question is money and the answer is Fraud. As in making Tom's blackmail money look like legitimate expenses. It matters not a bit to self-absorbed Gloria that it could destroy what Kevin has finally been able to build. I tell you, I'm counting the days 'til all the bones she's buried are washed away by the downpour.

Well, that's what I thought of the week's goings on. Here's how some of you felt.

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BRIDGET - I respectfully disagree with your opinion of Sheila. She is absolutely fascinating in her psychosis. Of course, it's not rational for her to despise Lauren in a homicidal fashion, but that's the whole point about insanity - it's irrational by definition. Kimberlin Brown is fantastic as Sheila and my hope is that they find a way to redeem her character so her stint isn't short-lived.

ZELDA - I know it's just a soap but if you go back to the death of the first Joshua Marsino didn't Nikki and Brittany go out of their way to give the little boy a proper burial? I know I use the FF button to blow through the Sheila nonsense, but did I miss the Bobby Marsino send off? Was it the day that Scooter Libby was getting indicted and it just wasn't aired? Or did Miss "who's gonna take care of me now" Brittany just leave town and forget to bury her so called true love? And as for "who's gonna butter my bread" Brad and Victoria, how many ways can we all say "EEEEEEWWWWW" Is it at all possible that the scribes can see that the viewers find this repulsive? HE'S her MOTHER'S EX-LOVER!!

MAUD ANN - Wasn't that a tear-jerker of a scene when Brittany was saying goodbye to everyone at the Chancellor place? Even snotty ol' J.T. had me tearing up. But then I laughed, too, because she sounded so much like Dorothy saying goodbye to the Tin Woodman, et al, and holding a baby instead of Toto! I half expected her to begin to rise in the air rather than walk out the door! 'What a tangled web . . .' Michael and Ashley made of framing Tom. Now he has involved Paul to 'take care of' the security video. Ohhhhhh how could they have done such a shoddy job when they are both - well, Michael anyway - intelligent people! It looks like the whole mess is going to unravel and snare all concerned, with Tom coming out smelling like a rose! Christine's eyes are gonna bug out when she figures out all these people she trusted did something so stupid, and I can't wait to see her lambaste them all. I LOVED seeing Nick let Bradley know he is on to the slime-bucket!!! And then when he said what he did about Bradley getting ahead in the money game by the women he has married - !!!!! Did Bradley think no one had noticed?!? Woooo hoooo - !!!!! Loved it, loved it! Nick is going to take care of business, and too bad that Victoria is such a silly wench.

TRACI - I must agree with Sherri that this Victoria sucks. She is way off base. Heather Tom was never weak and meek. This Victoria seems so desperate and that was something that Victoria was not. She was shrewd and had business savvy. This Victoria just seems so sad and out of place. Despite it all, I'm trying hard to like her because I love the character, but its getting a little hard, especially with the decisions that she's making.

WANDA - Gosh, poor ole Bobby doesn't even get a funeral?? That was a FAST exit Brittany made. Did I miss the part about her parents moving to New York?? Has J.T. quit working altogether as has Jill apparently. I'm glad that Nick is back at NE. Brad was just about to take over completely. Victoria is disgusting as a CEO of a company on the scale of what NE is supposed to be. She acts like Brad is the "know-all" and "end-all" of everything. Ashley is gonna find herself in a whole heap of trouble. She keeps messing with TT like he is stupid enough to tell her something incriminating. Glo is such a dingbat. Why is John paying for this wedding anyway? Lauren and Michael are not exactly penniless themselves.

JOSETTE - If Bobby is really dead...what happened to the funeral? Did I miss it? And wouldn't Brittany want to go to the morgue to dentify the body?

LON - It appears to me the writers probably have sub-writers working for them according to each SL. However, it appears the person doing the SL for Brit/Bobby departure is extremely young and very restless. It would have been okay to w/o the actor/actress with them going into the witness protection program, driving off into the sunset with baby Joshua. Instead, Bobby was killed by a hit & run driver and lo and behold I must have missed whatever was done with his body, and NO FUNERAL or even a Memorial service and no final good bye to Bobby. Okay that was horrible, but Brit's departure was even so poorly written. She tries to hit on J.T. one minute and then what do you know she picks up the phone to call her parents who wanted nothing to do with her in the first place and then what do you know, the princess is forgiven and she just runs off to New York to be with her parents. I am so annoyed at the way they did this; it makes me wonder about who is really doing the writing.

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With the latest developments, November has gotten off to a fine start. I can't wait to see what happens next. Keep those comments coming, fans!