No excuses

Lauren Fenmore is out of control, cheating on her husband with an Italian stallion and flirting with disaster. Meanwhile, Nikki's been hospitalized but is going to get a wedding a day from Victor. Will romance be the right medicine? Take a Two Scoops and call us in the morning.

There's no way to justify Lauren Fenmore's actions. None. She's used the family problems with Michael to give her a license to cheat. I can't understand or condone that behavior. If Lauren really cared about her marriage, if she's worried about her fragile teenage son, Fen, she should be fighting to keep the family together, not seeking the sexual healing of an Italian stallion like Carmine. And Lauren's returning for one night back in bed with Michael doesn't change the fact that she cheated on him.

If the situation were reversed, if Michael was the one turning to another woman for comfort and understanding in the wake of the Fen/Jamie situation, wouldn't we despise him for cheating? What if he cried on Abby's shoulder about how Lauren had walked out and ended up having sex with her? Would you forgive him? I don't think I would.

To me, Michael and Lauren as a couple have always had a mature, smart, romantic marriage. They've disagreed in the past, and they've been through hell together, like the Daisy/Sarah/Ryder episode, but they've clung to one another. Now, sort of out of the blue, they've been broken apart, and all the good times have turned into a fading memory. It was horrifying to see Michael outside Lauren's hotel room, begging for her to talk to him. He still loves her and has no self-respect. I'm not digging that at all.

Here's what I think has happened to prompt this new direction. Executive producer Jill Farren Phelps took over, and head writer Josh Griffith returned after a few years away. I think they looked at the canvas of characters and saw Lauren and Michael as just too happy and normal. They were lacking conflict and drama and needed something to shake them up. Still, while it's great that Josh created a storyline for them, this breakup is very manufactured. It's contrived. There wasn't enough buildup to justify Lauren and Michael falling apart.

They went from being blissfully in love to no longer understanding each other, and it was all over a disagreement about Fen. Michael then took all the blame for doubting Fen, but that's just not enough for Lauren. She still won't forgive Michael. Frankly, I think Michael was right to be concerned about Fen. He had darn good reasons to think that Fen had been responsible for Jamie's fall from the roof. He was being a responsible parent. Lauren, on the other hand, had only blind faith in her kid. She's damn lucky that Fen was not homicidal, but that doesn't alter the fact that he was a bully and deserves to be punished for his actions. I'm still waiting for that to happen!

Here's the bottom line when it comes to the Baldwins. Michael needs to grow a pair, and Lauren needs a wake-up call. Someone in Lauren's life, maybe Phyllis or Jill, has to convince her to move back home full-time, agree to try marriage counseling, and stay away from Carmine. Of course, if Michael ever finds out about her infidelity, I think the marriage will be over. Michael will be humiliated. I don't know, maybe that's where they're taking the story?

I don't know what to make of Lauren having sex with both Carmine and Michael within the same 24-hour period. The word "slut" comes to mind. How could she do that? It struck me as a sign that she's either emotionally damaged as she's never been before, or she's going through some kind of midlife crisis. Maybe having sex like she's still 25 years old when she's really twice that age (look it up!) is how she's convincing herself that she's forever young?

After what happened, if it turns out that this doubleheader of hot sex results in Lauren thinking she's pregnant, I'm going to scream. It would be a logical storyline for a character in this predicament, her not knowing who impregnated her, but not for a lady of Lauren's maturity. Here's hoping Josh Griffith spares us that pregnant pause. I'd much rather see the storyline go in the direction of Fen discovering that his mother betrayed his father. That would be juicy drama because up until now, Fen has really believed that his mother could do no wrong. Fen might go off the rails if he thinks Lauren has destroyed the family.

While it was sad to see Nikki keel over on the eve of her wedding to Victor, it's a relief that the show had decided to deal realistically with the character's MS. Nikki's treatment should be incorporated into the soap, just like I wish we'd see Lily going to see her oncologist to make sure her cancer remains in remission. Not that I want Lily to be sick again, but once someone's been through chemotherapy and all that it entails, that person never forgets. Someone just tuning in to The Young and the Restless would never know that Lily was ever on the verge of death. Does Tyler know how Cane stuck by Lily when she lost her hair and was ravaged by the side effects of chemo?

Anyway, regarding Nikki's MS, it's a pleasant surprise that Nikki's hospitalization is turning into a romantic opportunity for Victor. He's planning to give her a daily wedding until she is well enough to walk down the aisle for formal nuptials. That's pretty creative, and I liked Abby being Victor's co-conspirator. Of course, with Marcy (Emme) Rylan leaving the show and a new actress taking over as Abby, it's going to be a little weird. But that's the soap world, right?

Back to Lily, I realize that she's not thinking about her cancer now because she's got other things on her mind, namely her marriage, her jealousy of Chelsea, and the bizarre friendship she's formed with Tyler. Maybe it's just me, but isn't the solution to the Tyler-Chelsea situation pretty obvious? All Lily and Cane need to do is agree to stop interacting with those people. If your partner doesn't like you hanging with a member of the opposite sex, just stop it. Chelsea doesn't need to pitch to Jabot any longer; she got the job. That means that Cane can let other people deal with her. And if Lily is really a professional, she should be able to delegate someone else to work with Tyler in the office.

When John Abbott's spirit appeared a week or so ago, complimenting Jack on his sobriety and getting Jabot back together, there was something unsettling about what he said about the business. I've complained before about the nepotism that runs rampant on this soap (and plenty of others). Is it really a good thing that most of the characters working for Jabot are related to each other? There's Tyler and Leslie; Lily, Devon, and Neil; Jack, Abby and Kyle; and now, Phyllis and Summer.

How could Jack just approve Summer's internship without an interview? I realize he's desperate to reunite with Phyllis, and being nice to Summer will win him brownie points, but what can Summer do? She hasn't managed to pass the physics midterm, but she's suitable to work for the new fashion line? And then she has the chutzpah to complain about the assignment so she can arrange to work with Kyle on the cosmetics line. Was Phyllis the only one who saw how manipulative her daughter was? Who needs that kind of demon seed in a business setting?

Tyler is another negative presence if you ask me. He's a graphic artist, yet he spends all his time lingering in the hallway and stalking Lily. Couldn't Neil send him home to work on his designs? I'm over him strutting around Jabot like a peacock with the finest feathers.

Leslie has also dropped in my estimation. When Avery confronted her about the fact that Gus Rogan was Valerie and Davis' father, in other words, Leslie and Tyler's dad, Leslie didn't respond like the smart woman she's always been. This legal eagle became an ostrich with her head in the sand. Okay, it's an emotional situation, but she's not a teenager anymore.

The evidence Avery's uncovered has created reasonable doubt in the case. Evidence was mishandled. Leslie's testimony was inaccurate, and who knows what Marcus said on the stand. He probably perjured himself, and Gus will likely be freed from prison. Tyler and Leslie just have to deal with that reality. It was disappointing to me that Leslie's reaction to that inevitability was to think about running away again. Like Avery said to her, what does she think Gus could do to her if he was out of jail? Leslie and Tyler are adults and should be strong enough to deal with Gus.

It would be great if the Avery in danger storyline had more complications. There's only one suspect, and that's Marcus. Any other person out to kill her will be a red herring, like the Rogans' enemies who don't want her getting him out of prison. The main thing about Avery being threatened is that it's forcing Nick and Dylan to work together. If they both didn't love Avery, I think they'd be good friends. Based on the spoilers, it looks like Dylan is going to be drawn into Chelsea's world.

Since Chelsea is convinced that she cannot tell Adam that he's going to be a father, she's likely going to follow Chloe's advice and try to pass off the baby as another man's child. It's not only a ridiculous plan, but it's ridiculous that Chelsea would take advice from Chloe. Does Chelsea even know that Chloe once tried to pass off Delia as Cane's baby because she didn't want to tell Billy that Delia was his?

Many of you adored the idea of Chelsea and Adam as a couple and are still mourning their breakup. Well, maybe they're going to suffer for another seven months and then get back together when the baby is born. It's hard to see that now, especially after the way Adam treated Chelsea when she went to see him with the intent of telling him about the baby. Adam was nasty and cold, but could you really blame him? Like he said, every time he's been with Chelsea since they separated, he hasn't known how she would react. He's finally reached the point where he's developing armor to protect his heart from all the rejection.

By the way, a salute to the writers for the amazing dialogue between Sharon and Adam in those scenes at his house when she was on the verge of moving in. If you still have the episodes, go back and watch to those scenes (or check them out online). Adam revealed that Victor has defined his life. There was his life B.V. (before Victor) and his life now A.V. When you think of it that way, it makes a lot of sense.

Then there was Sharon's monologue about the moon, pointing out that it was essentially just a reflection of the sun. Again, it was an insight into Sharon's psyche. She recognized that she's always been defined by the reflected glory of the men in her life. It explained why she's decided to leave Newman Enterprises and chosen not to stay at Adam's house better than anything else she said. Sharon's ready to prove that she can stand on her own two feet without the help of Adam, Victor, Nick, Jack, Billy, or any other man.

So what was my pet peeve of the week? It's about Victoria. More precisely, Victoria's outfit. What was that dress that Victoria wore to the rehearsal dinner? It was sleeveless on the right side, but had a capped sleeve on the left. What? Is that some new fashion that I'm not aware of? Here's my problem with it, and it has nothing to do with liking it or not. It was just distracting. Instead of paying attention to Victoria confessing to Billy her fears about Nikki's illness, I was obsessing about her dress!

That's a wrap, fellow soap fans. Contact us at Soap Central with your thoughts and ideas for the future of The Young and the Restless. 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!

• -- Lily defending Tyler to her husband is just pathetic. Even a blind man can tell that he has designs on her. I am getting a serious rape vibe from him! Can whoever is in charge of wardrobe please PLEASE STOP trying to pass off shirt sleeves as clothes on Lily? Talk about inappropriate! I know people who work in the fashion industry and they do not go to work looking like they were out the night before and couldn't make it home to change before heading into the office. Cane, on the other hand, needs to stop being Chelsea's champion. It is only a matter of time before the Ashbys are ashes. -- Freja

• I have always suspected that Summer was really Jack's daughter. I think that is why Nick is so upset about Summer's crush on Kyle, Jack's son. Nick was the only person that saw the results of the paternity test and his actions after were suspect since he left town and did not even tell Phyllis the results for a couple of days. -- Miz Soap

• Chelsea is a con artist and now she acts as if she is all that. I can't stand Chloe, she is always in everyone's business and plotting. Lauren needs to take a step back and remember how she bullied poor Traci. She gave Jill a hard time also. Lauren should be ashamed of using her son as an excuse to cheat on her husband. Fen is very disrespectful. He and Summer are so bratty. Both children have crazy Lauren and Phyllis as mothers. The apples don't fall far from the tree. -- Ann P.

Best,Allison