All the pink ponies, wild and free

A community grieves as we all say a final farewell to a beloved young girl who was always full of giggles and joy. Will smiles and laughs return? And will Genoa City ever recover from this terrible loss? This week on Two Scoops.

This proved to be another sad week in Genoa City as the family and friends of darling Cordelia Abbott gathered to say their final goodbyes. While the drama has been dynamic the past couple of weeks, it was tragic that it had to be at the expense of such a youthful, vital life. Delia had so much to offer her family and the world, as her smile lit up her surroundings. We, the fans, grieved along with her loved ones, who paid their beloved lass their last respects. It is sad to think that we will never again be graced with the girl who was a "beautiful bubble of giggles and joy."

While Ashley's return was very welcome, and though I loved seeing all of the Abbotts together again, I truly hated the circumstances. Delia's exit from this soap world was so very premature, and I will miss what she could have brought to future stories. Alas, not a lot can be done now to reverse this tragedy, so Delia's family will have to face a life without the sparkling energy she spread all around her. Cordelia Katherine Valentine Abbott's image will forever be stamped in the memories of everyone she loved, and of those who loved her.

Ashley returned to help Billy, because she had once known the fear, the pain, and the excruciating loss that Billy had to face at Delia's memorial. Billy truly believed that he had failed his little girl, and for that, he will never forgive himself. Actually, Victoria and I were both a little nervous that Billy would not attend the funeral after he overslept. But he did arrive in time and gave Chloe a huge hug. They truly needed each other in their time of need. No one else could really know the deep sorrow that they felt for the loss of their child who had been so "vibrant and full of life."

I felt that it was so right that Chloe left Delia's pink pony, Pinkerton, with Delia, so that he could watch over her as she "slept." Delia's poem, "Being Free," added the right touch at the funeral to memorialize this cherished girl. I also loved the tea party that Esther had planned, following the funeral. All of Delia's loved ones were dressed to the hilt in red boas and fancy, colorful hats. Delia would have loved that! Billy had mentioned earlier to Victoria that he would truly miss the pretend tea parties with Delia and the way that she would dress him up in "the stupid, silly, little outfits." These were all proper tributes to Delia, a child who had been so adored.

Reed was back for the funeral, and I was so very happy to see him again. I am glad that the writers did not SORAS Reed at the same time as they did Summer and Fen. Max Page, who plays Reed, and Justin Cooper, who played Lucas on General Hospital (and also Max on Jim Carrey's Liar, Liar), are my favorite child soap actors of all time. Since many of the soaps' youth are kids, whose acting is somewhat wooden, and who have trouble even saying a simple line, it is refreshing to see a soap kid act like...well, a kid. And I will now add Sophie Pollono as Delia Abbott to this list also. While we no longer have Justin (whom I'm pretty sure is grown up now) and now Sophie, at least we had Max for a short time. Here's hoping he returns again, sometime down the road. He's such a cutie pie!

Adam also paid his respects to Delia in his own way -- with a single white rose that he dropped off at the hit-and-run site. Later, Adam acknowledged that while jobs and businesses can be replaced and relationships can be repaired, losing a child lasts forever. That was probably the best line of the week, because it is so true! Later, you could see how much Adam suffered when Chloe visited Chelsea and realized that she would never hear her daughter's sweet voice or feel her little arms around her. After Chloe stated that whenever she saw Connor, she would always see Delia, the guilt practically choked Adam as the tears slid down his face. This was such a touching scene!

In my honest opinion, the acting on this soap is truly phenomenal. When a viewer can have goose bumps cover their arms and can cry into a box-full of tissues as they watch a particular character, an actor has gone above and beyond what is expected. Billy Miller, Amelia Heinle, Elizabeth Hendrickson, Jess Walton, Michael Muhney, Melissa Claire Egan, and Greg Rikaart contributed unbelievably outstanding performances that would all be worthy of a Daytime Emmy win. This kind of remarkable acting is what brings the stories on soaps to life.

Y&R fan Jussme states, "I am so tired of people saying that the death of Delia will bring on some Emmy performances.? Why is it only in death are the performances deemed great?" The answer is that, unfortunately, those are the standards that the academy seems to judge by. The Emmy committee looks for the emotional performances, whether they be sorrowful and grief-stricken, or angry and venomous, which will require an actor to draw deep from within themselves. Performances that come deep from the heart win the awards. For whatever reason, Y&R has always had the actors who can play the emotional scenes that will keep the viewers tuned in.

Although some fans were a little critical of Elizabeth Hendrickson's rendition of a grieving mother, I had mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I felt her portrayal was pretty dead-on for the character of Chloe. Y&R fan Joel agreed but also put another spin on this:

"...do people not realize that criticizing 'Chloe' for not crying is pretty lame? People grieve differently; just because her cheeks are not 'wet' doesn't mean she isn't hurting. I, for one, would wish she would shut up from blaming everyone around her and look in the mirror. She is a toxic character who long, long ago lost her need to continue in the Y & R scripts. There -- see? She's doing her job because I do not like the character -- which means that the actress is fabulous (but, then again, she is only saying the lines that the writers are giving her)."

While I am not so sure I would refer to Chloe as "toxic," I have never hidden that I don't care for her as a character, but that was because of Chloe's past actions. So, I guess the actress did her job. Chloe tends to be the first one to judge other people when she should "look in the mirror" first, as Joel stated. Yes, I knew that Chloe would blame Billy for Delia's death, and in her pain, I could understand that to a certain extent. However, she crossed the line when she would hunt Billy down just to pile on the blame. Believe me, Billy is torturing himself just fine. He doesn't really need her help in that. Chloe should realize that Billy always loved his daughter, no matter what.

Halloween night was a sad night for many Genoa City residents as they remembered Delia's love of it. While she would have made a sensational Lady Gaga (Chloe's choice) or a terrifying Al Capone, dressed in fedora and pin-striped suit (Billy's idea), Delia's desire to be an angel proved to be prophetic. I'm sure she's the most beautiful little angel in (soap) heaven now. After Billy tried and failed to celebrate Halloween, Victoria mentioned that help was available for him. But I don't think Billy is ready for help just yet. He still needs to mourn in his own way, but I am not sure that he can even do that. The first thing he needs to do is to forgive himself, and I doubt if he's ready.

Dash returned home! I am so glad that we know what happened to him and that Billy hugged him when he found him. I am "a big-time softy" when it comes to pets (darn that movie Old Yeller, which started it all), so I admit that I got a little teary-eyed during the hug. As my husband would say, pets just give you their love and devotion, and Dash never would have wanted harm to come to Delia. I am sure that he loved her. Y&R fan Michael agreed, "OMG...I thought it was safe to stop sobbing, and then Dash returns home! Thankfully that loose end was tied up."

Billy wanted to love the dog, but Dash still reminded him too much of Delia. However, he realized that Dash was the last one to see Delia before she died, other than the person who hit her. If only Dash could talk! When Victoria noticed that it was too painful for Billy to keep Dash, she promised to find him a good home. I am very grateful that they gave the poor pup closure for the fans, and you know that Victoria will find the best home for him. Dash needs to be loved as Delia once loved him.

I previously mentioned terrific acting. Michael Muhney is accomplishing the difficult task of bringing a certain vulnerability to "the monster" that Adam thinks that he is. Adam is truly amazed that Connor has not had to be punished for the horrible deed that Adam thinks he, Adam, has done. However, I really haven't seen enough evidence yet to prove that he did this deed. Y&R fan Ruby agrees:

"Delia's hat was found in the middle of the road. The scarf was attached to Delia's hat. Adam ran over Delia's hat and that would be how the scarf came to be caught under Adams car. The scarf very likely would have corroborated Adam's story that he didn't hit Delia. He would have swerved to miss the dog after he had already [passes] the spot where Delia was. I think it may have been the lady that came in to report the black SUV that may have hit Delia and for personal reasons did not stop. A person knows when the car hits something. Adam didn't hear anything when he swerved to miss the dog."

Hopefully, Alex, Paul, Billy, Kevin, Adam, Victor -- or anyone else who chooses to investigate on his own -- will find the proof to clear Adam. He has faced enough hardship in the past year.

"I take it as a hell of [an] honor to play such a big story like this and be so central to it all, and work with the folks I get to work with. I think this is an amazingly unorthodox way to show Adam's humanity," Muhney told On Air On Soaps. "So it's not a stereo-typical: 'Oh, this is how we get to know Adam and his feelings, and what makes him tick.' Instead you get to see him in duress caught between a rock and a hard place, and in the middle of a storm and a hurricane and that is when someone shows their real heart.? ?I think that is where you are going to see Adam's real humanity that perhaps you never saw before."

Mr. Muhney also pointed out that this was Josh Griffith's swan-song storyline, and that he was glad that Josh got to go out on "a high note." I guess time will tell if the fans agree that the death of this cherished girl was going out on "a high note" and if it was worth it all in the long run.

While Dylan decided to divorce Chelsea, she and Adam only cared that their son's surgery had been a success and that Connor would be able to see. Chelsea had one of the best lines of the week when she said to Adam, "I really hope, from now on, Connor can look you in the eyes and recognize you for who you really are." Hopefully, the person Connor sees will be a loving father and not the ogre that Adam believes he is. Connor deserves that.

Adam and Chelsea did learn that Connor's surgery was a success, so Delia's death was been for nothing. However, Adam was so consumed with guilt that he truly believed that he did not deserve the miracle for Connor. Jack could even see that Adam was overwhelmed, although he totally missed the reason why. Adam was so wracked with guilt that he even dreamed that Delia offered him a cup of tea. I know that I have said this before, but I sincerely do not want Adam to be the one that hit Delia out on that lonely road. Please let the evidence prove that!

And, indeed, the search did result in the discovery of more evidence. As I had expected, Devon's very generous offer of a reward drew out all of the wackos who just wanted to cash in by calling in with bogus information. And if Paul didn't have enough to deal with already, Victor arrived, with checkbook in hand, to try to get more information himself. Leave it to Victor -- he always believes that cash will solve everything, and unfortunately, he is usually right. Money talks -- and sometimes even roars!

Surprisingly, Victoria turned to Dylan for help with Billy. She felt that Dylan had suffered a similar loss, so he might be able to reach Billy in a way that Victoria had been unable to. Wait until Dylan learns that his loving family, notably his mother, had lied to him all his life. Dylan will be devastated. Once Dylan learns this truth, he will feel betrayed, and he will be lost in pretty much the same way that Summer was and still is. Maybe Dylan and Billy will be able to bond over this. They could probably both use a friend to just talk to.

Nikki is keeping her secret from Victor, Dylan, and almost everyone in Genoa City, except for Avery, who wished that she did not know the secret -- that Dylan is Nikki's son. Avery changed Nikki's will to include Dylan but warned Nikki not to hide the truth from Dylan, even though the truth would blow his world apart. Avery realized that Dylan did not have anyone left in his life, and she felt that he would appreciate having a mother and a couple of siblings in his life. Nikki does need to tell Dylan -- she just needs to find the best way to do that in order to minimize the hurt for someone who has already lost so much.

So Avery knew Nikki's secret, and Victor suspected that something was going on. And Victor became even more suspicious, or at the very least, concerned when he caught Nikki looking at pictures of Nick and Victoria as children. Victor astutely observed to Nick that Nikki looked as if she were searching for something she had lost and was trying to get back. Dear Victor, if only you knew!

I am still not sure why Nikki doesn't tell Victor the truth about Dylan, since it happened before she had even met Victor. Sure, Victor might be upset that Nikki kept the secret, but how is continuing to keep the secret going to help? Hasn't it occurred to her that Victor will be even more upset or angry when he learns that she has been revealing it to almost everyone in town except him?! (Okay, the "almost everyone" may be an exaggeration -- or not, by the time all is said and done.)

After the uproar from the fans over Delia's sudden demise, new co-head writer, Shelly Altman gave an interview to On-Air On-Soaps. Doing a little damage control, Ms. Altman offered fans hope to keep them tuning in. She stressed that Delia's storyline, while a huge plot, was indeed very much character-driven, in the way that the characters react to one another after such a horrific tragedy.

"It is the ultimate human drama for people to have to deal with. ?Soaps are in the business of family drama, and it's the biggest tragedy anyone should have ever to deal with ... you should not be burying your own child. ?The stories it will create for the relationships of almost everybody on the canvas are huge. ?Billy and Chloe's ability to cope with the death of their child affects Billy's relationship with Victoria, and Chloe's relationship with Kevin (Greg Rikaart). ?Connor now will see the world through Delia's eyes, metaphorically, and that will be huge. ?Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan) being Chloe's best friend and how this will affect them is important.? And also throughout this, Adam is being humanized becoming a father himself, and his and Chelsea's relationship will be affected greatly by this event. ?They will be living together with their child in close proximity, and looking at the world as a family.? It will change how they perceive each other as well."

Shelly Altman also claimed that the writers' intention is to keep Sharon on the road to healing, so that she can grow and develop independently. However, Sharon will still have uphill battles in that regard, thanks to her secret about Summer's paternity.

I sincerely hope that Sharon is able to transition back into the stronger character that she showcased during her marriage to Jack. Sad to say, Sharon went from being a somewhat admirable character to being almost a caricature of herself with all of the wackiness. It's true that her bipolar disorder explained away some of her strange behavior, when she was first diagnosed, but the bizarre tendencies continued, which became too much for the fans. It's time for us to again see the familiar Sharon that we remember from her glory days. It's time for her to grow!

Sharon pretty much indicated that to Nick when she announced that she had changed both her doctor and her medication, which had caused her to have no highs and no lows. She stressed to Nick that she truly wanted to change, and we are all ready for that to happen. Later, when she saw Cassie, Sharon told her that she knew that Cassie wasn't really there but that she had been afraid to let her beloved daughter go, because Cassie had been a part of Sharon's happiest times. So I was right when I said as much a couple of weeks ago. Hurray! Now, hopefully, Sharon will be on a more positive and stable road to good health.

Altman also acknowledged that while Hilary has not been the most popular character, Hilary will be sticking around.

Maybe Hlary can bring a fresh and exciting storyline to the Winters family. They could sure use one. And going back to the current one, Leslie realized that the only person, who could possibly get through to Hilary, was her own mother, so Leslie handed her Rose's letters to Gus. Y&R fan Stephanie made an astute comment: "I have a feeling we are never going to find out what the connection was between Gus and Rose.? This was made out to be a big deal back when Gus was alive, as he kept saying "It's not what you think".? Well, then, what is it?!?!" Good question, Stephanie! Could the answer possibly lie in the letters?

Well, it appears that it did, because Hilary had a sudden change of heart towards Neil. Everything is apparently all "sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows" now. (Remember that Lesley Gore song?) Hilary realized that Rose had wanted to drown out her pain with drink and that Neil had been just an innocent bystander at the bar. Hilary insisted she was sorry, so Neil offered her a job. It makes sense, right? Nothing screams job qualifications more than an apology for tormenting your family.

However, Neil reconsidered his job offer after Lily threatened to resign, so he decided that Hilary could work in Jack's department at Jabot instead. I think that Cane was right when he said that hiring Hilary was Neil's way of easing his conscience. Anyway, it does look like Hilary will be staying. Time will tell on if this is a good thing.

Neil also was available to give Jack support when Jack feared he would relapse. I am glad that the writers continue to address this, because an addiction never just goes away. Neil talked of "the crash" that occurs after the trauma...when reality sets in. Jack only wanted to escape, because he could not change or fix anything. Neil warned Jack not to mistake weakness for grief and reminded Jack that reaching out to family was his key to remaining sober. What sound advice! This is the exact type of message that should be delivered to all.

Michael was beaten up in prison by the thugs that he had once put away as the district attorney, and Fen was so appreciative of his dad's sacrifice for him that he bought drugs, which resulted in his arrest for possession with the intent to sell. Alrighty then, as my kids used to say. You know Paul has always suspected that Michael did not shoot Carmine, so please remind me, why did he quit investigating Carmine's murder, even before Michael pleaded guilty at trial? Because Michael told him to stop? Okay...nothing unethical there!

As it turned out, Fen resented that his mom and dad would not let him tell Paul what he thought was the truth -- that Fen had killed Carmine. Fen set himself up to be arrested so that he would be punished for the murder. Fen hoped that if he were in prison, Michael would finally come clean. We all hope that happens! Michael never should have covered for Fen in the first place. As Paul pointed out, Michael and Lauren only created a huge mess, especially since Fen may not even have done it. He doesn't remember actually doing it. This is not Carmine tormenting them from the grave; it is Michael and Lauren's poor decisions that led to Michael and Fen both being in prison.

Other notable (or humorous) items that happened during the week:

Victor showed that he could play nice when, at the funeral, he indicated that he was sorry for Jack's loss, as he shook Jack's hand. Later, Victor acknowledged to Billy that he had handled something that no father should ever have to go through with dignity and courage and then stated that John would have been proud of Billy. So it appears that Colleen's heart is beating in Victor's chest after all.

It was such a delight to watch Eileen Davidson play nice-girl Ashley Abbott on Y&R and very-naughty-girl Kristen DiMera on Days of Our Lives in the same week. What fun! I am so glad that Eileen will be returning as Ashley in the very near future.

Jill and Esther even made nice after Jill saw that Esther had left a cup of tea for Delia at the tea party. Jill cried that the gesture was the sweetest thing she had ever seen. I have always thought that those two, at the very least, have a secret respect for each other. Otherwise, how could they have lived together for all those years?

Wow, I can't believe that Anita had really rocked Chelsea and had even sung to her when Chelsea was a baby. Really? (I wonder if "Anita" had been dressed in her Daisy Dukes at the time? Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

It appears that squeaky-clean Courtney isn't so squeaky-clean at all, when Raven revealed to Fen that Courtney was one of her "customers." Wow, I wonder if Summer knows. (If so, she should have warned Noah.)

Not surprisingly, as a result of Delia's death, the rest of Genoa City is in overprotective mode for their youth. Instead of taking the twins to the Halloween carnival, Lily thought of just taking them trick-or-treating so that she could keep a better eye on them. Luckily, Cane (a.k.a. Superdaddy) dissuaded her. And Nick went over the rules of trick-or-treating to his fairy princess, Faith. I can't blame them for not wanting to lose their precious treasures.

Who knew that Nick was afraid of clowns, flying monkeys, tornados, and spiders with long legs? I hope his enemies don't find out! Dylan may want to jot this down for future reference, especially since Nick appears to still blame Dylan for Nick's break-up with Avery. (By the way, I loved Nick's crack to Nikki that he still hates Adam, who is even his own brother. I am sure that relieved Nikki's mind.)

Mason stole Devon's wallet just so he could return it, in order to get back into Devon's good graces? Whatever works, I guess.

Victor seemed to be on a roll of niceness this week with good advice that he gave to Devon. "Well, let me put it this way, Devon, great wealth can be a burden but doesn't have to be a curse, you know." Great line! In fact, I would love to put that to the test, if Victor is ready to hand over a couple of million. I absolutely volunteer to take on that burden!

Without Delia on Halloween night, Chloe ran to Chelsea for comfort and learned that Connor's surgery had been a success. As she held Connor, Chloe pleaded with Connor not to ever take all of the wonderful things in life for granted. No truer words could be spoken, and we all need to remember that from time to time. We should be thankful for all of the precious things that we have in life and try to enjoy every new experience. Life's too short. Our most cherished moments -- and loved ones -- can be gone in an instant.

Even Jack expressed to Neil that his house was quiet and empty, which might cause a relapse into drink or pills. Jack feared that all of the sadness and trauma that he had gone through with Summer's paternity, Phyllis' coma, Katherine's death, and the loss of young, innocent Delia could result in the relapse. The fans feel your pain, Jack! We also are ready for a break from all of the pain. Please, writers, let some happier times be ahead!

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