The ends justify the means

Once upon a time, fans could count on daytime dramas to be morality plays. Good was rewarded. Evil was punished.

Once upon a time, you could count on daytime dramas to be morality plays. Good was rewarded. Evil was punished. The bad guys didn't prosper and virtuous women were rewarded with fairy tale love stories that included happy endings (at least for a while). Yes, well, that's not how it goes anymore. In fact, if you watched The Young and the Restless this past week, searching for eternal truths, you got a lot of shades of gray. The lesson of the week might be summed up as the ends justify the means.

Take the mustache. Victor Newman began the week morally outraged that Nikki had betrayed him by having sex with Deacon Sharpe during their stay at rehab. Victor declared Nikki unworthy of their love because she'd wound up with Deacon when she believed that Victor had married Meggie. It didn't matter that Nikki had been misled. It didn't matter that she pleaded with Victor for another chance. He wiped the floor with her and told her to leave the ranch.

By the end of the day, Victor Newman had rewritten the rulebook to make lying and deception perfectly all right when he was the liar and deceiver. He arranged for Skye to be whisked out of town on his private jet, lying to the authorities to make them believe that Adam had killed Skye. He justified his immoral acts by declaring that Adam had to be punished. The ends would justify the means, right? Victor's rules trump the law. He makes up his own morality and everyone else can go to hell.

Phyllis is another one with twisted morals, as if you didn't know that already. Her idea of journalism is to write the story in her head before doing the reporting. She went to New Orleans to watch Nick and Michael find Adam, but she had already determined that Sharon was involved. How much you want to bet that the Restless Style cover story will be all about Adam and Sharon's love affair? Phyllis has a bone to pick with Sharon, and she uses the magazine like a weapon. It's not right or fair or just, but she rationalizes her poison pen stories with the idea that the ends justify the means.

But who will write the story about Phyllis mucking up Lauren's life by getting Daisy out of jail? If I were Lauren, I'd never speak with Phyllis again. Phyllis has basically let a lion out of the cage and expects to keep it under control with a leash. Yeah, right! Daisy is a psychopath. She belongs in a prison hospital. There are places like that, you know, so this idea that she can't be cared for adequately behind bars is bunk. And as for the stigma attached to Daniel's daughter, well, the kid is already fighting an uphill battle. Look at her conception. Look at her mother. You know, just because Phyllis will say to the child that "you were nesting in my condo before your mom gave birth," that's not going to make her feel special.

What does it say about the selfishness of Phyllis and Kevin that they think Daisy's baby wouldn't be better off adopted by a family in need of a child? Phyllis thinks that Daniel will someday regret giving up the baby, but is that a reason to force him into fatherhood at a time when he's not ready or willing? And Kevin's need to be the baby's guardian is all about his selfish need to right the wrongs done to him by Tom Fisher. Excuse me, but that's not the right reason to have or adopt a child.

Speaking of Kevin, how twisted is his logic! He thinks agreeing to be a criminal in Mark Hogan's organization is okay just as long as he uses the money for an attorney to win him the baby's guardianship. Really? That's good parenting, don't you think? Again, in Kevin's mushy brain, the ends justify the means.

It's time to talk about Sharon and Nick and Adam. I'm not sure there are any lessons to be gleaned from these three. Nick remains a romantic goof when it comes to Sharon, judging by the high school engagement ring and his tendency to live in the past. Sharon, on the other hand, is like a ping-pong ball of emotions. When she's with Adam, she's lost in a romantic glaze that defies logic. Adam took her baby and lied to her that the baby had died. That's unforgivable, and yet, somehow, Sharon forgets that when Adam gives her the gaze of intensity.

As for Adam, so what if he's innocent of Skye's death. He destroyed Ashley's sanity! He probably killed Richard Hightower. He definitely got Patty out of the loony bin and set her loose to hurt again. His questionable activities should send Sharon far, far away from him. Instead, she opened her arms and fell into bed with the guy when she was supposedly engaged to Nick. That's not normal behavior.

Nikki's another one who has trouble dealing with right and wrong. After her stint in rehab, she knows that getting involved with Deacon is a mistake, but she's done it anyway. Is he hot and hunky? Sure, but Nikki's not a desperate housewife! She's should have some grip on her feelings, especially in light of all the therapy she's just endured. And if Deacon's really hot for Nikki, is he ever going to come clean with her about his alliance with Meggie? One email from Meggie to Nikki could blow his good thing right out of the water.

One last thought: the scenes filmed in New Orleans were spectacular. Kudos to the producers and directors for the visual treat to go along with the terrific storyline. And did you notice it was turtleneck week, too? Phyllis' green sweater really showed off her figure and Jack looked like he was going to become a jewel thief!

Here are some letters from the mailbox -- keep 'em coming, fans!

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