Three's Company, Genoa City style

The triangle between Nick, Avery, and Dylan gained momentum this week. Lauren is about to lose it, and Nikki and Kay may be seriously ill. Check out this week's Two Scoops to find out what's going on with these characters, the ones who are about to explode, and the ones who will suffer the consequences.

Maybe Brad Bell, the man running the show at The Bold and the Beautiful, needs to tune in to his parents' original show, The Young and the Restless, to see the right way to create a romantic triangle. Although it's still early in the game, the triangular combination of Nick, Avery, and Dylan is dynamic. Here we have three characters that are attractive, engaging, and seemingly sincere in their emotions. It's no easy decision to say that Avery belongs with Nick or Dylan, or that either of the men aren't worthy of winning her love over the long haul.

I've enjoyed the love story that Nick and Avery have been sharing, as I mentioned in previous Two Scoops, but I am psyched that bringing in Steve Burton as Dylan has added so much to the mix. Steve's a good actor, and he's really getting the chance to reveal a completely new character. Dylan has depth and a backstory. The way I see it, Steve is more than up to going toe-to-toe with Josh Morrow as Nick, and that's really good for the show. Also, both guys are so damn good-looking and fun to watch. I'm envying Avery.

I also detected a bit of something between Sharon and Dylan, but that was before Adam acted on his lingering feelings for Sharon and kissed her like he meant it. It's hard to figure Adam out these days. He's not over Chelsea, so maybe his move on Sharon was a rebound thing. Or maybe it's not? I know there are a lot of fans that are furious that the writers have split up Chelsea and Adam. They were rooting for the "happily ever after," seeing Adam and Chelsea as two dysfunctional characters who might be able to build a good future together.

I can't disagree with the fans' feelings. Adam and Chelsea were fun and had a lot of promise, but I think the miscarriage completely derailed their storyline. Instead of drawing them closer, it tore them apart. Sad, really, but it's opened the door for a lot of other options.

For instance, do you think Cane and Chelsea are heading for a romance? It seems like a far-flung idea to me. Chelsea isn't over Adam, no matter what she says and whether Adam deserves her love or not. Cane, meanwhile, seems to adore Lily and the life they have together. Also, after all the hell that Cane put Lily through, pretending to be Phillip, faking his death, endangering the twins, etc., why would he throw it all away now? Sure, characters change and feelings fade, but there's no indication that Cane is bored with Lily or that they don't have a fantastic sex life to go with the happy family. So why is he spending all his spare time with Chelsea?

I'm still trying to figure it out. I mean, seriously, what gives Cane this sudden overwhelming confidence in Chelsea as a designer? It's out of whack. She's a rookie, a novice, and yet we're being told that she's a superstar. Come on! She's shown Billy and Cane three sketches, and she's yet to sew a sample of her work. Is that all it takes to find a backer for a fashion line?

You know what would make the Chelsea fashion angle more exciting? If she would start wearing her designs! Couldn't you see her sashaying around Genoa City in some Annie Hall or Project Runway look, something nobody in town has seen before? That might substantiate the idea that she's so brilliant and talented.

Another thing that bugs me about the Chelsea designer story is that the people who'll be making the decisions about a Jabot fashion division have no experience in that business. Neil has no background in fashion and neither does Jack. Billy and Cane? Nada, zilch, zippo. Why are four men with no design skills and no apparent talent for women's fashion determining what will sell to the Jabot clientele? At least calling Lauren in to make a deal with Fenmore's made sense, even though she has no head for business right now.

Did you catch Neil's reaction to seeing Cane talking with Chelsea at the Athletic Club? The protective father-in-law questioned Cane about why he wasn't home with Lily. It is understandable that he would expect Cane to be with his wife. But how come when Tyler and Lily openly flirted at work, Neil never said a word? Is it okay for Lily to have men eyeing her, but if Cane talks to a woman who's not his wife, he's a louse?

Considering how generous Cane's been to Neil, giving him the top job at Jabot when Jack was in rehab, you'd think Cane would have earned some brownie points. Maybe Neil would reassess Cane as a son-in-law, one who's a good guy. Apparently, he's not a good guy to Neil.

Speaking of Tyler, it was beyond belief when he said that he has not been lusting after Lily. For him to tell her point-blank that he respected her marriage was a joke. Even Leslie has told her brother to stop going after Lily, so it wasn't just a fantasy. Lily knew it, and so did Cane and Leslie. Tyler was lying through his teeth.

By the way, I'm really concerned about this really slow rollout on the Leslie/Tyler mystery and how it involves Wheeler and the Innocence Foundation. I don't know about you, but I'm losing interest. What's it all about, and why should I care?

Of course it'll probably be Victor who discovers what's what before anybody else on the show. For some reason, Victor has no trouble digging up dirt on other people, but nobody seems to catch him in the act. Victor strikes me as a character that has too much time on his hands and too much venom in his soul. Why is he so damn mean? He's like the Grinch. Victor's got so much compared to others, but it's never enough or him.

Frankly, Victor's latest nefarious action has turned my stomach. I don't know what was worse, the idea that he would replace Sharon's bipolar disorder medication with placebos or that he peeled off hundred dollar bills to pay off Mason to make the switch? It was degrading to watch him do that to Mason, and if I had been him, I'd have thrown the cash in Victor's face and said, "I can't be bought." Apparently Mason is not very much like his Uncle Augie. Sarge has integrity, at least what we saw of him before Darnell Williams was cut out of the soap.

Does it make it better that Mason couldn't go through with the switch? No, not really. He considered doing it and that's a sin in my book. Mason knows what's right and what's wrong, and trying to undermine Sharon's mental health because Victor wants to get his company back is wrong! Mason claims to have all this education and the drive to succeed. Let him prove it in his work rather than let himself become Victor's stooge.

But because Mason has already been spying for Victor, you just watch what'll happen. Mason will go back to Victor with the pills, and Victor will threaten to expose Mason to Adam as a spy -- thus Mason loses his job at Newman and has no promise of getting hired if Victor ever does win back the company. Mason is in a classic no-win situation and will probably knuckle under and change Sharon's pills for Victor after all!

Michael's another character who's in a no-win situation. His relationship with Fen and Lauren is on the rocks and not likely to improve. I'm still trying to figure out why Fen won't tell the truth about what happened on the roof. Seriously, isn't the idea of being convicted of a crime enough to scare him into simply confessing the truth? Isn't that easier than letting your father think you're guilty?

To me, Fen is acting like he did something wrong. If you're innocent, why not tell anyone who would listen to you? Also, I know I've harped on this in past storylines, but did the Genoa City Police Department ever investigate the scene of the alleged crime? Wouldn't there be signs of a struggle? Scuff marks, fabric from a torn jacket, something to show that there'd been a fight? Maybe there's proof that Jamie jumped and had not been pushed? Where's CSI: Genoa City?

You can definitely see this story from both Lauren and Michael's viewpoints. Michael's afraid that his son has done something very wrong, something that might ruin his future. Michael can't pretend that everything's all right. He wants the truth, even if it's painful. Lauren, on the other hand, cannot allow herself to believe that Fen was capable of hurting Jamie. Her belief in her son is unwavering and one hundred percent emotional. But even if Lauren has convinced herself that Jamie is the liar and Fen is telling the truth, the evidence of the bullying cannot be denied.

Lauren should be furious at Fen for bullying Jamie, and that all happened before the incident on the roof. I'd love to see Lauren and Michael come together to discipline Fen while still loving and supporting him, but that doesn't seem to be the direction this is headed. Michael might lose his family by the time this storyline comes to an end.

It seems like Kay's losing her memory, and it's definitely affecting her business. To me, it's just irresponsible to insist on running Chancellor Industries when she's not up to the task. Her hold on the CEO's chair is pure ego and completely selfish. She should just step aside and let Jill take over.

Actually, did I miss something? Wasn't the plan supposed to be Jill and Kay running Chancellor together? That's not what happened. Considering the emotional tug-of-war between Jill and Kay, maybe Mrs. Chancellor should ask her old buddy Victor to jump in -- temporarily -- until Kay could choose whom she would like to be in charge. Victor might enjoy whipping Chancellor Industries into shape.

The way Kay mentioned Michael's name when Lauren told her about the Fen problem, made me think that Kay might want to offer Michael a way out of the D.A. job. Michael has the experience. He was Victor's right hand man for years. Then again, Kay also was schmoozing with Neil about there always being an open door for him at Chancellor.

Do you think the writers were basing the character of Chavez on Javert from Les Miserables (minus Russell Crowe's Captain Crunch uniforms in the movie) when they created him? It sure seemed that way for a while. He was obsessed about finding Adriana. And Noah was dead on about how relentless Alex had been in his pursuit. The question always was this, did he want the criminal or the cash?

Well, if we're to believe it, the real story between Alex and Adriana is that they're brother and sister. I guess the writers thought it would be a better story if they kept that potent bit of information to themselves for as long as possible. But while it made sense for Alex to keep quiet about the relationship in order to protect his sister, why would Adriana not confide in Noah? I know, I know, she's a liar. But still, what was her motivation?

While I was never happy about Kevin and Chloe stealing the stolen money, at least they were on their way to getting out of trouble. Now they're back to square one, likely to lose their home. Don't these two deserve a break? I think so, but at some point Kevin needs to stop thinking about criminal activities to save his butt. Burning down Crimson Lights would definitely hamper the citizens of Genoa City. There is no Dunkin' Donuts or Starbucks in town, or else we'd see the characters going there instead!

It was great to see Jack back in the right office this past week. Didn't you love the scene with him and Phyllis enjoying the new Jabot perfume sample? See, that's where Jack really belongs. Jabot is his home far more than Newman Enterprises. It was also wonderful to see Jack ask Neil to be his sponsor so he won't succumb to the pills again.

One of the most haunting scenes I've seen on the show in a long time happened last week in the penthouse. It was simply Nikki playing the piano. There was nothing flashy or showy, but boy, did it pack a punch. Suddenly, we were made aware that something is very wrong with Nikki. Instead of telling us that she's got some kind of medical problem, the writers and producers showed us.

I don't know what Nikki's ailment is, and I certainly hope it's treatable. Whatever it is, I suspect Nikki's crisis will have a major impact on the Newman family. Could it force Victor to refocus his attention away from the business to his wife? We can only hope.

So what was my pet peeve of the week? It concerns Nick Newman. What was he doing drinking on the job the day of the big opening? There were a few scenes of him with a beer in his hand, and he was planning a special toast with Avery. Is that really a smart move for a guy just opening a new business? And considering the previous opening had been such a bust, wouldn't Nick want to be on his toes? Nick should have left the liquor behind the bar and attended to the business of operating the club with a clear head and no buzz.

That does it for the week that was, friends. I'll leave you with some of your comments from the past week, and remember to email Nita and me at soapcentral.com with your thoughts, ideas, and soap "fixes" for The Young and the Restless. And keep on reading Two Scoops every week!

• While I'm enjoying the new turns that Y&R is taking since changing producers, I am so tired of Victor and his one-dimensional character. All it's ever about for him is being CEO of Newman to the detriment of his relationships with close family and any friends. I never believe him when he says, "Everything I do is for family." I would love to see him finally retire and let the kids take over. I think a great twist would be for Nick and Victoria to finally accept Adam and the three of them plus Abby could be the next Newman generation. There could still be "wheeling & dealing" with Jabot and McCall companies. - Jeanne C.

• Hi Allison, I am so with you on all the corporate mess on this show. None of it makes sense. At least at the end of this week, Jack is showing that he is his father's son and taking responsibility for his problems. I've always loved this actor, and I'm so happy they are giving him some dignity again. So good for Kyle, too. I have zero respect for Nikki putting up with Victor. She always threatens to leave, but he knows she never will and he's so indifferent to her feelings. I fast-forward through their scenes cause the two of them have become tiresome. Why can't they turn the Victor character into someone who is considered so abusive that he needs professional help? They are somehow showing that it's okay to get away with this behavior. There are too many people out there that are in real mentally abusive relationships, and if they watch this show it could be very frustrating to watch the character of Nikki continually tolerate this man. But I'm so thrilled that Nick has grown a backbone and stood up to his horrible father. Yeah Nick! -- Sharleen

Best,Allison