Promises, promises

Nick broke a promise to Sharon after she broke his heart. Kevin figured out that Michael had broken a promise to Lauren. Phyllis kept her promise to make Sharon pay. Jack promised Kelly that he would tell Phyllis the truth. Ben promised answers to Victoria, but will he deliver before she does? Find out in this week's Two Scoops.

It was not very surprising, and almost anti-climatic, when Sharon's secret was exposed and Nick did the expected. He broke his promise to love her forever. He turned his back on her after vowing that he never would. Certainly Nick had his reasons, and they were good ones, but I'm old school. I believe that when you make a promise to someone, you keep it, especially if that someone is the significant other that you've begged to trust you, despite that someone's misgivings and fears of rejection.

Yes, what Sharon did was heinous, but is it any more heinous than torturing a mentally unstable woman like Victor did, or faking the results of a blood test like Phyllis did to prove that her son belonged to Danny Romalotti? Oh wait, isn't that what Sharon is being castigated for? The difference is that Phyllis acted with deliberation and premeditation, while Sharon was off her meds and acted impulsively after being tortured by hallucinations and faux Cassie sightings. Two women commit the same crime. The one who is mentally ill is ostracized and universally condemned. The other one skates away unscathed. What is the message here?

I have a lot of empathy for Sharon. I have walked a mile in her shoes -- the sneakers, not the high heels -- and I know how it feels to hurt someone so badly that you can never atone and they never forgive. I learned a valuable lesson from that experience. I hope that Sharon has, too.

People like Nick are the reason that I don't have a significant other -- that and the fact that I like to control the remote. Nick is one of those white knight guys who ride in and rescue the fair maiden. He pledges his troth, and despite the maiden's protestations that she wears a tarnished tiara, sir knight vows his eternal unbreakable love, only to falter at the first hurdle. Those guys make the very best friends, but they set impossibly high standards for their ladies.

Not that Nick's standards were too high in this case. Sharon had enough clues that she should have told Nick what she was remembering, even if it was bits and pieces. It's possible that Nick might have accepted what Sharon had done if he had been able to absorb it and discover the secret himself. Noah was correct when he pointed out that Sharon should have told Nick the truth when she had the chance instead of having ECT to erase her memory. I really did like the post-ECT Sharon, with Nick and their family, but it was based on a false premise, and it was important for the truth to emerge. Sharon has to work off her karmic debt. Sharon always seems to bounce back from each debacle, and I have no doubt that she will do so this time as well.

Nick and Sharon have had a longer period of happiness than a lot of soap couples get, and they treated us to a very romantic interlude. If soap history is any judge, then just like Nikki gets mad at Victor and eventually forgives him, Nick will, at some point, forgive Sharon also. I'm still expecting that happily ever after for Nick, Sharon, Noah, Faith, Mariah, and Summer somewhere in the future of the ever-changing soap-iverse, even if they all have to have ECT to make it so.

Gina Tognoni is not missing a beat as Phyllis. She is terrific. She is a darker, more serious Phyllis, but a coma would probably do that to a person, especially knowing what she knew. Her revenge on Sharon was well executed and perfectly devastating. I can only imagine what's in store for Jack when he finally mans up and tells Phyllis about Kelly, especially now that Phyllis has found that photo of Kelly in Jack's desk drawer. Jack is going to have some explaining to do. He promised Phyllis that he would wait forever, and then a few months later, he kissed Phyllis off so that he could move on with Kelly.

I'm pretty sure that Phyllis will be more than a wee bit upset when she finds out. I have no doubt that Jack will choose Kelly, if for no other reason than to distance himself from the hurt of finding out that Summer is not his daughter and that Phyllis kept the truth from him. Victor's gloating will not make Jack feel any better. Once again, Jack is Wile E. Coyote to Victor's Roadrunner. Having that two-ton weight dropped on your heart has to hurt.

Let's hope that swallowing one bitter pill doesn't lead Jack to other pills for comfort. Kelly is offering Jack comfort now, but her world is going to crumble as soon as the truth about her father's death is revealed. Nikki, who is breaking all her promises, already knows that Ben did not kill his father and Ben wants Victoria to know the truth also. Many of you have surmised -- and I agree -- that Kelly probably killed her father and was so traumatized that she repressed it. One thing's for sure -- it wasn't Ben!

How much longer can Nikki and Maureen keep drinking together before someone figures out that Nikki is off the wagon? I don't think those breath mints are going to work much longer, not to mention that the alcohol can trigger an MS episode. It is really sad to see a person feel so lonely and self-destructive. Nikki has so much family and so many friends, yet she has isolated herself from them because her addiction is in control and the only people she wants to be with are her enablers.

Who is more meddlesome and intrusive, Abby or Kevin? At first I didn't think that anyone could be more snoopy and judgmental than Abby, but then Kevin started jumping to conclusions and making accusations about Michael's activities. Michael blustered but finally admitted that the secret he was keeping was not that he was having an affair but that he had cancer. Kevin did point out -- rightly, I think -- that Michael was breaking his promise to Lauren by keeping his condition from her. Michael did the "tough guy, I don't want to worry her" shtick, but like all lies, it's going to bite him in the butt. When you are close to someone, that person knows when you are hiding something. Lauren knows something is wrong. She is still going to worry, and it will be just as scary for Lauren as if she knew the truth. Michael should tell Lauren so he can tap into her strength. That's what partners do.

Some fans, including my pal Bessie, are predicting that things are going to go very badly for Michael -- and sooner, rather than later. Will November be remembered as the month of a non-wedding and a funeral?

Now that Summer is not an Abbott, how long before Kyle returns to the family manse, and what will it mean to Summer's marriage? Kyle was Summer's first love. Both their hearts were broken when Summer's paternity was announced. Now that Kyle and Summer know that they are not related by blood, will they be able to resist the temptation of consummation?

Mariah will certainly be ready to lend a shoulder to Austin, and I think she will be there for Sharon, also, at least for a while, even though Victor threatened Mariah if she did side with Sharon. Mariah is growing on me. I sort of like her feistiness and defense of the underdog. It rings a resonating chord. I also like it that she is learning how to take the chip off her shoulder and use more common sense when deciding which windmill she wants to tilt at. Mariah is becoming Cassie with attitude. I like it. It's realistic. How do I know?

A few months ago, my nineteen-year old grandniece -- with whom I've had little contact because her family lives in a different part of the country -- moved in with me. We've both been amazed at how alike we are and how much we have in common. I tell her she's the mini-me, and that it's got to be out common gene pool. It's just like on the soaps, when someone discovers the adult child they never knew they had. She can be Dylan to my Nikki, only with less angst and more laughter.

Dylan has become very unappealing to me. He broke his promise to Avery when he punched Joe Clark in the jaw -- not that Joe didn't deserve it. If Joe had a mustache, he would twirl it. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that Joe is in cahoots with Ian Ward, and Avery ends up tied to a railroad track. Kudos to the actor for keeping me focused on the character rather than his eye candy looks.

Back to Dylan, who behaved like an uncivilized brute channeling "roid" rage. Do we blame the PTSD? Does that give Dylan a pass to use his fists instead of his brains? When you get right down to it, other than the fact that Joe put one over on him, what does Dylan have to be so upset about? Surely his mother and stepfather, the Newmans, would let him stay at the ranch for a while. I bet they would even help him start over at a new place or finance a quest for legal redress. Don't most normal families help each other out?

I wonder how long Avery will remain loyal to Dylan. Joe is certainly going to be a hitch in their get-along. I don't think it's impossible that Avery and Nick will eventually reconcile. They were a pretty good couple. After all, it is a soap, and what goes around comes around again and again and...

I can't remember when Victoria first had sex with Ben, and I'm too lazy to look it up. I think it must have been Valentine's Day, which would mean that she is due on or before the 14th of this month. Who will be the father? It will be the man who can cause the most conflicts and shake-ups. I vote Billy, but he will elect to stay with Chelsea, and Victoria will turn to a redeemed Ben -- at least for the time being.

Adam is returning home, so Billy and Chelsea will be tested. It was great to see Kelly Sullivan. I look forward to her portrayal as Adam's enabler. Justin Hartley is about to take off the bandages and step into the spotlight as Adam. As we all know, he's got a very tough actor to follow, but I have no doubt that Justin is up to the task. I loved his character on Revenge and I miss him on the show -- though realistically, for plot purposes, I know he had to go!

Now that Colin has spotted Hilary and Devon kissing and entering a hotel room, blackmail must surely follow or at least some quid pro quo. Maybe Colin can tap into Devon's billions to pay off the mob loan sharks before his shady money laundering sends Fenmore's down the drain. I think we've learned a lesson here. If you are cheating on your husband, don't expect everyone to be as blind as he is, so keep the PDAs to a minimum. In fact, it would be best to arrive separately at your trysting place or go to a hotel where you don't know anyone. Oops, bad idea. On a soap you always run into someone you know when you go out of town.

I'm still rooting for Neil to get his sight back, but I want him to pretend to be blind when he discovers that Hilary and Devon are having an affair. It's hard to imagine Neil as mean and vindictive, but that might be an interesting turn. I can believe that Neil could go temporarily insane. I can imagine a less brutal version of Othello only with real cheating, not imagined. And this time Othello blames Iago, not Desdemona.

In conclusion, here's something Robert Frost might have written if he watched Y&R:

The soaps are lively during sweeps,But I have promises to keep,And tweets to write before I sleep,And tweets to write before I sleep.

Until next time, fellow fan addicts, take care and remember, if you don't have imaginary friends, you need better meds.

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