Not a whole lot of difference

Why is it okay for some Genoa City residents to do what they do, but when their fellow city dwellers try much the same, there's a huge hue and cry?

Why is it okay for some GC-ers to do what they do, but when their fellow city dwellers try much the same, there's a huge hue and cry? When you come right down to it, from my seat on the sofa, in so many ways, there's just not a heckuva whole lot of difference.

Anyone who tunes in to this space on a regular basis is probably well aware of my aversion for Victoria and her unrelenting wallowing in her woe is me wading pool. Does this woman ever wake up in the morning with even a slight smile on her face for the luxurious life she's living thanks to the father she continuously complains about? And just when did she become pristine, perfect and so free from sin she could confidently cast the first stone at someone else? And how the heck did I miss the joyous transformation?

Okay, as I've mentioned before, I get that the picture in Vicky's mind of her former gal pal and her once dear Daddy doing that thing big GC boys and girls do on the couch might make the breakfast in her belly want to reverse itself. And I also realize part of her problem with their pairing is that it kind of puts paid to her rosy dream of Mommy and Daddy once again being able to look at each other through the eyes of love. But, she's taken a stout stick and flogged that broken down nag near to death and both have made it plain, to borrow Daddy's favorite phrase, that it ain't gonna happen. So why doesn't she just suck it up and be happy that both Daddy and Mommy have found new people to love?

The thing I hate most about these flawed Genoa Citians is that though they demand the right to captain and sail their own personal barges unimpeded, they refuse to allow others that same right, instead, insist on poking their long, snoopy snouts into every crack and crevice of someone else's life.

When Victoria decided to leave her married pool and go wading in J.T.'s water, did Daddy shun her and call her heartless names? When Nick decided one wanton woman wasn't enough to make his cheating heart go pitter patter, did Daddy call him on the carpet and rake him over the coals? The answer is no and no, again. Yet for both these ungrateful brats, if all that stood between them and the curved blade of the grim reaper was a good word to say about Daddy, both would stubbornly refuse to mutter one and would presumably go forward to meet their maker.

So why is it so wrong and distasteful for Victoria's best friend to get busy, busy, busy with Daddy, but just fine and dandy for Vicky to do the horizontal hokey pokey with Mommy's ex-lover? There might not have been 25 years between her and Bradley, but there certainly couldn't have been a whole lot less. When you get right down to it, not a whole lot of difference.

As much as these Newmans moan and groan about Daddy's stranglehold control, I never hear so much of a whisper about them truly striking out on their own. Without the generous trust fund from his now despised Daddy, Nick wouldn't have had a pot to go number one in, to put it as nicely as possible, let alone be able to use it to buy himself a warehouse. And if Nick was that determined to remain untouched by Daddy's dirty gold, he and the rest of the staff of Restless Style would be inhaling the scent of garlic and tomato sauce from the ground floor of the warehouse instead of the faint scent of Sabrina's expensive perfume. So what, Daddy bought the mortgage? As long as you pay your rent on time and in full, it's naught but a meaningless piece of paper. Can't stand Daddy, Nick? Move you and your redheads out of his stable. Victoria, don't want to see Sabrina? Then take Reed and your henpecked hubby and re-rent the Loft. Get out or shut the heck up!

Anyway, was I the only one laughing myself silly listening to Victoria whine, whine, whine? Apparently she couldn't hear how ridiculous she sounded and her yes man, J.T. surely wasn't about to call it to her attention. Sabrina's changed, she whimpered. She's not the woman I want as a model for my son. Oh, and Phyllis is, a woman whose past is so black, every gallon of whitewash in the hardware store couldn't make it bright and white again. Hey Reed, meet your Godmommy. She had an affair with your Godfather when he was married to your cousin's Mommy and that's where Summer came from. And after that she wound up in prison. But she's all new and improved now. So when you grow up, try to find a woman just like her. Yeah, right.

I don't mind admitting, I was so happy to hear Adam tell his half-sis exactly what he thought of her narcissistic self, I could have hopped on the red eye to GC to cover him with grateful kisses, and I don't even like him. And another thing. If I hear one more person blah-blah-blabbing about how fragile Victoria is, I'm going to have a problem keeping down my own breakfast. I know. She was in a coma. She almost died. She had a baby. And then she woke up, got married and has been fine ever since. Well, Victor had a tumor, dang near lost his sharp mind, but is anyone fretting about him being fragile? Not even. Colleen nearly burned to death, for the second time. Anybody coddling her? I think not. Or what about Jana? She lost a chunk of her brain with the tumor they tore out. But not a single soul has worried about her fragile status. Ugh, let me move on. Just talking about Victoria annoys me.

Is it just me or does every other fan fail to find a single thing to admire about Adam? I really don't know that to think about him. Are the writers tossing in everything including the kitchen sink, trying to figure out what they want this character to be? Or is he really as nasty and hateful as he's beginning to seem? It's hard to believe Hope had anything whatsoever to do with his upbringing. How could he have lived almost 30 years under her influence, yet retained none of her qualities. Although several people have claimed Adam is his father's son, a chip off the old weathered wood, so to speak, I don't necessarily agree. True, he has in common with his father the desire to be on the top of the heap in business, but beyond that, he bears little resemblance to Victor. Victor will definitely attempt to demolish his opponents in love or business, but Adam seems to want to destroy simply for destruction's sake. As a way to destroy his brother, he covets his wife and is working several angles in hopes of driving a wedge between them. He obviously would welcome the chance to hold the door as his sister exits the family business, her arms filled with boxes. And after the past week, it's clear he would relish cutting Sabrina out of Victor's life before she's even gotten a secure foothold. Will Nikki be next? What plans will he put into play to make her life miserable?

So what is Adam's motivation for all this nastiness? Is it all about getting ahead, earning for himself what he feels his brother and sister got without even trying? Or does Adam feel his GC family mistreated his Mom, and is simply bent on avenging her honor? And if he feels near hatred for his siblings, how does he really feel about Sir, I mean Victor? Does he really have a blood lust for Phyllis, or is that just a pretense and a means to cause hurt to Nick?

When you come right down to it, is there really such a big difference between Sabrina seizing the moment and the opportunity to catapult her career through her association with Victor, and Adam, kicking his into high gear by holding tight to Victor's coattails to go on the ride of his life. Not the way I see things, there ain't. Seems like Adam is the scorched skillet telling the smoking pot her bottom is all burned up.

Ahhh, romance, sweet romance?? Okay, so I really couldn't consider Amber and Daniel's frenzied pawing at each other romantic. I know; they're young and hungry and what they were doing was supposedly a representation of two people who couldn't keep their hands off each other, but uhh, I wasn't impressed. I wonder ... is someone hoping to turn them into the next Nick and Phyllis? Like mother, like son. Newsflash. Not working. At least not for me. Maybe other fans saw it different and were excited.

Well! Lily's turning into quite the grownup. Is she finally going to be allowed to move past age 14? Now maybe Neil can grow up too and treat his daughter like the young woman she's obviously been for quite some time. As for Lily and Cane, isn't that just the way life can kick ya in the seat of the pants? Just as the two of them begin to get used to the idea of being proud parents and actually guardedly begin to look forward to it, already it seems, if the 'next on' previews are any indication, that there will be trouble in the womb. And if there is, how will Lily react to it? Throw herself wholeheartedly toward modeling and away from Cane? And if that's the path she chooses, will Amber be lurking just out of sight on Cane's trail waiting to console him?

Okay, there's been a lot of Dru name dropping lately. I'm sure I'm not the only fan to have heard the rumors about her possible return. But whether Dru will actually climb dripping out of the churning rapids with an amnesia tale to be told and launched back into her family's loving arms remains to be seen. No, I know nothing more than any of you who follow such things. Maybe it's just total coincidence that Karen has piled her unpacked bags and boxes onto her little two wheeler and rolled them back to her own pad. Of course, even if Dru isn't destined to be resurrected, I can't say I blame Karen for getting while the getting was good though. Because despite what Neil insisted, his casa never really was her casa. I haven't forgotten, and I know Karen probably hasn't either, his frequent: "no, don't hang that, don't move that, don't place that ... because Dru bought that, hung that, made that, did that, utterings. For Neil, though Dru is allegedly gone, clearly she's not the least bit forgotten, and even though I like Neil and Karen together, competing with her ghost would be more than I could take.

Okay, speaking of competition, who gave Phyllis a chunk of change and told her it bought her the right to wear the headwoman's hat at Restless Style? Unless I've become senile without my knowledge (which could very well be the case), this magazine was a Nick and Jack collaboration, with their womenfolk basically getting to board and go along for the non-contributing (at least in money) ride. So why does Phyllis get automatic veto over Sharon? I could be wrong, but it appears the Band aids pressed over still not quite healed flesh may finally be about to be painfully ripped away. It will be interesting to see which man takes which woman's side. Because it may not be the way one would think, which is Nick for Phyllis and Jack for Sharon. Which is bound to cause problems for the foursome. Problems which Adam and Felicia will be sure to spot and take full and complete advantage of.

The funnest part of the week for me was once again watching Gloria, of all people, and Jeffrey. Good karma, bad karma, in between karma. I don't care what kind of karma is coming down the pike. As long as I get to see Jeff and Glo put each other through their paces.

Michael's decision to drop the lawsuit against Jack also made it to my top 5 list. Between Gloria's about face, the end of John's ghostly appearances and Michael's surprising and rather humble reversal, Jack is left baffled and blinking like a deer caught in the high beams. Once again, like the rest of his GC peers, he's wasn't very careful for what he coveted. The house is his, but strangely enough, he's left unsatisfied. After Michael's comments about whether or not John would be proud of Jack, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to Jack call a true truce between him and Gloria and actually let her move back in. Time will tell.

And on that note, I'll be on my merry way. The floor is now yours fans.

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TJ - I am just wondering if it is just me who has noticed this or everyone, but does Gloria and her hair remind anyone else of the Grinch? Every time I see her on the show all I can think of is that movie and character.

VICKI - Bravo to the writers and the actors. I am referring to the scene where Gloria, Alistair and Jeffery were in the hotel room. Alistair placed his hand on Gloria's shoulder while saying 'my darling' and Jeffery's response 'my ass' was priceless. I'm still laughing.

CHRIS - What happened to 'who killed Ji Min?' Jeffrey, I think. Also, what's with Adam? I truly think he's had an agenda from the get go. Lily and Cane - I love the scene where she went to Dru's studio and received a sign. Does Cane love her for real, or just out of duty to the baby?

KID - What is so nasty about the Victor and Sabrina relationship? There is only a 25 year difference between them. People act like this is such a new idea yet they don't seem to think of Phick. When Nick was in grade school, Phyllis was a grown woman running around GC and chasing Danny Romalotti. No one complains about that.

SHERRY - Enough of Gloria getting everything. Is it going to ever come out she is the reason Jack is out of Jabot and if because of all the deception will Jack be able to get control back? I think Phyllis and Sharon need to give Amber a chance, they have forgotten where they came from and how they had to prove themselves so give Amber her chance and if she fails so be it. I love Lily and Cane together but wish Lily would get some of the backbone Dru had and tell Chloe where to go. Dru would never let anyone talk to her and treat her the way Chloe does. I do like how Cane is handling the pregnancy news; he is there for her but not pushing her. He also needs to let her know he has proven over and over again that he loves her and wants a life with her but because of the baby it just pushed things up a little.

GENE - The show is still better than LML's term on the show, but is still boring and slow-paced. I know the soap is probably still transitioning the old s/l's into newer ones, but come on with it. Wrap up the s/l of who killed JiMin and get rid of a bunch of castoffs that needs to go. I think picking up the pace on the show will do a lot of good and make the show very interesting. I hope May sweeps is going to be a big bang and use all of their power to get Victoria Rowell back. She is sorely missed and her return will light a fire on the show.

TONI - Victoria, Victoria, what has happened to ya? They have turned her into a whiny little girl, wah, wah. Honey, mommy and daddy aren't going to get back together for the sake of the kiddies. Put on your big girl panties and deal with it. Remember . . . YOU didn't even know who Reed's father was until the DNA test. And you were still married to Brad at the time. Can you spell AFFAIR?

VIVIEN - What is it with the inhabitants of Genoa City? They all have major separation issues. Victoria can't deal with daddy's relationship choice; Neil can't let his baby girl make any choices without his incessant interference; Jack has an obsessive attachment to the family home and all its memories and can't seem to move on; and Gloria with all her money, who could live anywhere she wants, desires only to live with her grown children. It's time these people got a life!

ROBIN - Gloria (or fondly known as GloHo) classy? You've got to be kidding. Everything she is doing right now has a purpose, not the least of which is to control her sons in her abusive role again.

JULIE - Now that Jack has the house back from Gloria, and no real reason to go after any more, PLEASE tell me he won't go back to his "I hate Victor" mode. I have always been a Jack fan, always will be. But he can sure annoy me when he goes off on the "mustache" just for the sake of it being the mustache! I always want Jack to win with Victor, but their feud gets old rather quickly. Although Gloria drives us nuts, it has been a breath of fresh air for me that the Jack/Victor angle has been put on hold. And speaking of Gloria, if she weren't on the show, they would have to have someone else just as aggravating and conniving. That's what makes a soap! Judith Chapman must be doing a pretty good job to make so many people dislike her character so.

JOANNE - Sorry Nita, I don't share your change of heart where Gloria is concerned. I see the writers are working hard at making her have a complete turn-around in character and I am completely against it just as I was completely against the sweetening of Phyllis. The characters just don't do anything for me anymore. Gloria's secrets still haven't come out and until they do I refuse to watch this drivel. I have not watched in weeks as my stomach cannot take it anymore. I only read the boards to find out what is happening. It is so sad to me that the once wonderfully real and entertaining Young and the Restless has now become the Boring and Inane. If Gloria's sins are revealed, Jack gets his life back as he learns the truth about the face cream and Phyllis and Nick's ridiculous relationship is finally put to an end I may return. Until then, I'll stick to the Food Network!

KAMAL - I must agree with you that Victoria and her mother are such hypocrites about this Victor/Sabrina relationship. I mean, c'mon, grow up already Victoria. I had issues that Victoria all of a sudden had an actual female BFF. My immediate thought was, 'she never had any friends.' What a spoiled brat she is. As far as Gloria goes, there is nothing the writers can do to make me like her. Until she is found out by the authorities about tainting that face cream I won't accept her turnaround. Where's the karma payback for that?

DEB - Things are getting pretty interesting on Y&R right now. I really look forward to tuning in now. I can see some plot twists in the future. Like Jack and Gloria, it looks like there may be a burying of the hatchet there, maybe she will end up moving in with the Abbots and becoming Noah's Grandma Abbot. Where is Noah anyway? It seems that he lives at Sam's these days. I have been liking the new Gloria, and I never thought those words would cross my keyboard! No need for FF this week! I also can see the trouble brewing between Phyllis and Sharon. Phyllis seems to think she owns Restless Style and Sharon is some kind of interloper. I don't think Sharon will sit back and take too much crap from Phyl. I don't know about the rest of the viewers but I don't think I would be able to work side by side with the woman my husband had an affair with ... and for Vicky's information what Plick had was an affair, what Victor has with Sabrina is a relationship! Also Nick and Phyllis have been playing happy family for too long now, it's just a matter of time before the writers give them some drama, say like Nick getting drunk and not being able to tell Felicia and Phyllis apart. Or Phyliss getting drunk and not being able to tell Nick and Adam apart. LOL!

POPPYCOCK - Well, imagine my surprise to actually agree with some on how Lily, who I've always thought immature, has risen to the occasion of finding herself in a 'family way'! The way she turned down Cane's proposal for obvious reasons shows remarkable maturity and self respect. I'm still not on board with the Cane/Lily love story, but I find it more believable lately. I LOVE Jeffrey!!! Just had to roar that! Finally, Glohag has met her match and is melting in his fiendishly awaiting arms. A match truly made in psycho heaven! Bravo to Sharon for standing up for the 'all knowing' Phyllis on the photo shoot! Is this how Phyllis deals with equal partners? I guess all those years of leading Nick around by the nose is a hard habit to break and is following her in business. Who made her the Head Wizard of the magazine? Didn't her own hubby sign off on a photo re-shoot? Well, I say, it's high time this foursome gets real with issues, disagreements and pressure that a real start up company endures! Hopefully, Nick will revert back to Nick and take out his frustrations the only way he knows best ... outside his marriage!

EVE - Most unbelievable things in the GC universe: 1) that Victoria isn't 7 years old. (come on, Victor & Nikki didn't live together that much when she was a kid!) 2) that Viagra isn't spilling out of Victor's pockets at every turn. 3) that Adam is Hope's son (I always thought she'd do a better job of raising kids than Nikki, but it looks like they ALL turn out disappointing). 4) that the new writers haven't figured out a way to bring JiMin back (he was HOT, guys, and getting rid of him was a major mistake; surely he's got an evil twin somewhere - like Jeff's girlfriend's pimp - who can come back to GC). 5) that I'd actually look forward to Gloria getting it on with Jeffrey (Ted S., you're GOOD). 6) that Brad STILL hasn't gotten decked or caught or fired by somebody (I keep hoping. At least he doesn't have much storyline these days).

EVE - Victoria needs to grow up. At least Victor waited until after the divorce before becoming involved with Sabrina. Unlike Nikki, her and Victor were still married when she slept with David. J.T. needs to get a life. Why is he confronting Sabrina? He was sleeping with Colleen's step mom so how can he talk? Brad needs to get some; he has too much time on his hands always lurking everywhere getting info. Him and Heather look good together. Nick and Phyllis are cute together but sometimes they need to get a room. It's like we know y'all have great sex can we move on now? Adam is another who needs to get some, it's like he gets turned on by watching people make out he sees it going on and watches instead of just walking away immediately. Weird. I think Lily is going to have a miscarriage. I could be wrong but I just don't see her with a baby, but I like her and Cane together.

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As always, I appreciate everyone's comments! See ya in the City of Genoa.