The truth will set you free

Ronan is apparently alive, although how he's going to survive a helicopter ride right after a liver transplant is questionable.

So, I was sitting there watching The Young and the Restless -- just like you -- when Olivia's son, Nate, announced that Ronan was gone. After picking my jaw up off the floor, I wondered, "Did Y&R just kill off another character so soon after Cane's shooting?" Well, the answer is no. Ronan is apparently alive, although how he's going to survive a helicopter ride right after a liver transplant is questionable. And who knows when and if we'll see Jeff Branson back on the show anytime soon. It's a mystery.

You've got to hand it to the staff at Y&R. They keep secrets better than the CIA. Bravo to Maria Arena Bell and company. This was a complete curve ball that nobody could have seen coming. Ronan seemed completely sincere, but what if Philip and Chloe were right about him. Maybe he planned and plotted to worm his way into Nina's world with the express purpose of getting half of his half-brother's liver. It was a hell of a chance he took, and he had to take advantage of Chance to make it happen!

Hopefully, Philip and Chloe are all wrong about Ronan. It's a hell of a leap of faith to accept that Ronan plotted all this before ever coming to Genoa City. It would mean that he purposely got himself onto the drug case with the intention of developing a relationship with Chance so he could get half his liver. Wasn't that a roundabout way of asking a long-lost half-brother to save your life? The direct approach would have been smarter. And if Ronan was in it only for a lobe of a liver, why was he fighting so hard to keep Nina from getting Chris to have Chance tested? It doesn't add up.

So, if Ronan is gone, does that mean that Chance will be staying? I hope it does because as much as Ronan added to the Heather storyline, Chance's return would complicate Heather and Chloe's lives. And once he testifies against Pomerantz, is it possible that he'd be safe living in GC again?

While it was okay to accept that Chance had gone into Witness Protection, it would be insane if we find out that Cane is not really dead. In other words, he's dead and he's not coming back. Frankly, I'm kind of glad that we've moved on from the Australian mob story, at least from Cane's angle. Oh, sure, we'll find that lost letter eventually, and Lily will discover that Cane's last secret was that Colin was his dad. By then, Colin may be the mayor of Genoa City. He's already convinced Esther that he's a good guy. But can he really turn away from the life of crime and shed his past?

Which brings me to another "C" in the cast (have you noticed there are a lot -- Cane, Chloe, Colin, Christine, even Charlie!) -- let's talk about Chloe. First, let me say that Elizabeth Hendricksen is a wonderful actress. She's fun to watch. But if you were in her circle of acquaintances, why would you be her friend? Chloe is a bitch. She's a pain in the butt. She's a Debbie Downer. She's demanding and willful and selfish. What does she have to be miserable about?

Chloe has a beautiful daughter. She works as a stylist for a glossy magazine and seems to set her own hours. She lives in a mansion, and as far as I can tell, she's not paying rent, utilities, cable, or chipping in for groceries. She's got a free pass. She also has full-time nanny help with Delia thanks to her mother, the maid. Really, Esther's a servant in the house and Chloe lives like an heiress. How does Kay justify that?

This past week, Chloe was a thorn in everyone's side. She shot zingers at Heather when she found out about Ronan and Chance. She blew hot then cold with Kevin, who has been the sweetest potential boyfriend she's ever had. She threw suspicion onto Ronan when he was flown out of the hospital, deciding with little evidence that Ronan had to have been a deceiving bastard. Presumably, that was her opinion based on the fact that she had a volatile, brief romance with Ronan. Wouldn't you love it if someone put Chloe in her place? Just give her a dose of the acid she spews to the rest of the world.

Some of you might think that Diane should be put in her place, too. After all, she has been playing a dangerous game of musical beds with Nick and Victor. Neither Newman will like that he's being cuckolded by the same woman. However, this is a tricky bit of timing that has snagged Diane in trouble. After all, she didn't fall into bed with Victor until after Nick told her he only wanted to be friends. In the terms of the sitcom Friends, she and Nick were on a break!

Something tells me that Diane is going to suffer rejection by both father and son. It's kind of sad because I don't think this incarnation of Diane, nicely played by Maura West, is really a troublemaker. Like I said, she just has rotten timing.

Diane is certainly not like Phyllis when it comes to creating drama. Right now, Phyllis is working to help Sharon, but how about if she took responsibility for Sharon's tattered reputation? Phyllis did a similar hatchet job on Diane in the pages of Restless Style. It's unconscionable the way Phyllis uses her poison pen to attack people who've ticked her off. You just know the next expose will be about Victor. Now that Phyllis and Jack have proof that Victor was at the volcano -- and did nothing! -- while Sharon tried to save Skye, Phyllis will splash that all over the web and the printed page. Who's going to stop her? Not Billy ... he's been anxious to stick it to Victoria's dad. Victor has never fit into Victoria's Father Knows Best fantasy. In may be why she's enjoying that Billy is trying to live up to that ideal.

A few other thoughts about last week... I'm trying to figure out how long Daniel will keep the secret that he's Lucy's father. Back in the day (and doesn't that make me sound like a senior citizen -- I'm NOT!), Bill Bell was a great believer in wringing out a story with a secret until the audience was practically begging for the reveal. That was pre-Y&R, when Bill was writing for Days of Our Lives. The fact that Bill Horton was the father of Mike Horton and not Bill's brother, Mickey, was a potboiler of a story that lingered for years. It was a classic!

So, will Daniel keep quiet and watch Billy and Victoria raise his daughter? I'll tell you this. If Daniel tells Phyllis, she'll wrest that baby right out of Billy and Victoria's arms without a second thought. And you can't reason with Phyllis; she always thinks she's right, and she rarely analyzes the fallout in advance of blowing things up. Think about it; if she takes Lucy from Billy and Victoria, who will Jack side with? Billy will throw her out of Restless Style. Daniel doesn't want to be a daddy. Will any of that influence Phyllis' critical decision-making? Does she even know what that is?

Speaking of secrets, I suspect Lily will be wallowing in grief for quite a while and won't find the aforementioned letter from Cane until spring cleaning. By then, Malcolm may finally have figured out that he's losing Sofia to Neil. I never thought that Neil would go for Sofia, but they've done a good job of fleshing out her character and making her more appealing. Isn't it time for her to get a new job? Newman would seem to be the only place in town not connected to Tucker Unlimited, right?

Here's a letter from the mailbox -- keep 'em coming, fans!

Jana is faking. It is really obvious the way she eavesdrops every chance she gets. And the way she is keeping Kevin from Chloe. I am already tired of the story line, and pray to God, he doesn't sleep with her. Jill marrying Colin...she barely knows him. What does that say about her soundness of mind? She definitely needs Katherine's help. Will Danny recognize the baby?? I think it is possible, but he will probably keep his mouth shut, since Billy and Victoria will be great parents. Sharon getting arrested for Skye's murder, please! When is everyone going to see right through Victor, for the diabolical person that he is? Let Victor get what he deserves for once! - LRN

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