What goes up...

Up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane, it's a jet load of people flying in bad weather with a bombshell set to explode! Batten down the hatches and get ready for an explosive Two Scoops.

Before I even had a chance to watch Friday's episode, my friend Bessie, who lives two or three time zones farther east, emailed me to say that she thought Neil had a bomb in that aluminum case he was clutching so tightly. I agree that Neil is about to explode a bombshell; I just think it will be of the verbal variety as he exposes everyone's secrets and smashes his family to smithereens.

I loved Friday's cliffhanger ending. It was the kind of thing that Hitchcock would have done if he had serialized his movies! What does Neil's silver case hold: perhaps a bomb, a gun, or his will. Maybe Neil intends to commit suicide in front of his near and dear, or perhaps the case is merely a "MacGuffin," a writer's nod to The Maltese Falcon and Dashiell Hammett.

Onward and upward, may I note that they are showing that plane in a snowstorm for a reason? That plane is definitely, without a doubt, going down, down, down. I just hope it crashes after Neil has revealed everything to everyone and we are there to witness the fallout. I want to see just how much truth one family can handle! One thing seems certain -- Neil will finally develop a spine and surprise everyone! Woo hoo hoo -- can't hardly wait!!

Those flickering lights at Sharon's place do not bode well, nor does that ceiling dust on tables at the Underground. Ben and Vikki left for home just in time. A big huge Midwest storm -- br-r-r-r-r -- is on the way. The roof will cave in on Nick, literally, and he's going to need help saving everyone. I can picture Y&R as a caf. Disaster is the soup de jour, and it's delicious!

The momentary power outage at Sharon's house makes me think she and Faith will also get trapped in some kind of dangerous situation. Sharon's quick thinking and resolute behavior will save Faith and prove that Sharon is a capable parent who deserves equal custody. Hopefully that will be enough to get Nick to relent.

I'm still "Team Sharon." Sharon Case's performance had me in tears as she was fragile, vulnerable, and heartbroken yet had the strength to pull it together when Faith needed her. Sharon did not betray any of her own sadness or force Faith to bear her bitter, desolate feelings. Instead, she supported Nick and the court's decision. I'd like to think I could behave that selflessly under those circumstances

I've often called Faith a brat, but Bessie made me realize that Faith is not spoiled, but rather a child who is the product of her upbringing. I bow to Bessie's superior wisdom and experience with children. I can see how, over the last few months, Faith has become much nicer and more pleasant to everyone around her. (Maybe she had therapy and no one told us!) Faith just wants what most kids do -- a stable home with family united around her. I do hope that happens, even if only for a little while.

There is, of course, the obstacle of Sage to overcome. Bessie made no bones about the fact that she does not like Sage. I'm not committed to the character, but I love the actress. The character, Sage, is the rebound girl. Every time Nick and Sharon split up, there is a rebound girl that engages Nick's interest until he is drawn back into Sharon's orbit -- and well he should be because Nick shares a passion with Sharon that is longstanding and unequaled by any other partner Nick has had so far.

I hope Mariah and Sharon find their way back to one another. I know what it means to be part of a dysfunctional clan that lashes out at family when what they mean is, "I love you." Even though it's difficult, everyone eventually gets over it, and they reunite. I expect no less from Mariah and Sharon. I just hope they eventually become as functional as Sharon and Faith, or Vikki and Nikki, who, now that I think of it, can't be that functional, otherwise, Victoria, who is high on her happy life with Ben and the baby, would be more in tune with her mother's descent into alcoholism.

Perhaps Victoria is finally living her dream of family, but she's in a fool's paradise. It won't be truly right for Victoria until she reunites with Billy. Billy just found Adam crying on Chelsea's shoulder? How long before Billy is crying on Victoria's?

Again, I give kudos to Y&R and it's new head writer. Both Bessie and I are impressed, and that's saying something when we agree instead of agreeing to disagree, but I digress. Y&R is delivering on its promise to be "must-see soap TV." I am impressed by the convincing performances that Nikki and Neil are giving as they commiserate about their loved ones and review their lives with slightly slurred speech through the bottoms of their clinking glasses.

Christine, who is not my favorite person -- she's replaced Lily, who I now like, at the bottom of my favorites list (I have mentioned before that I'm shallow and fickle, right?). Back to Christine, who has certainly demonstrated that she can hold a grudge. I think Christine is as up about prosecuting Phyllis as she is about having a baby. Christine is downright gleeful to have Phyllis by the "short hairs," as my Texas granny used to say. I don't actually know what she meant by that, but it sounds painful, and I bet Christine has 20 years worth of pain bottled up that she is eager to rain down on Phyllis and call it justice.

Will Jack ride to the rescue? I don't think so. I can no longer take Jack seriously. Every time they go to commercial and he makes that indecisive bobblehead gesture, I want to giggle. It's just like Erica Kane and the hair tossing. She did it so often, I started getting a headache. As to Jack and why I think he won't succeed with Phyllis right away, my first impulse is to believe that Jack is going to have to prove himself to Phyllis.

I can understand how Phyllis feels, and probably so can many of you, both male and female viewers. Had I been in similar circumstance to Phyllis, I would have had a difficult time trusting my "true love" if he had promised to wait forever and hadn't even waited a year to move on. I'd want a new romance and a new deal. I don't think I would have pulled any of the stunts Phyllis admits to with the "other woman," but I would have bought myself a new penthouse, broken up with Jack, and gotten on with my life until I was convinced that it was safe to give him another chance.

Phyllis had great chemistry with Nick, and she is the only one who can compete on that level with Sharon. Now there is a triangle that I would Bermuda to see.

Jack, Kelly, Phyllis, not so much. Besides, I like Jack and neurotic Kelly as a couple. They have a lot in common. They're both also-rans, who somehow always end up second best, no matter how hard they try otherwise. They try to appear altruistic but usually have self-serving motives for their actions. Jack's boyish charm is wearing thin. He's a Viet Nam vet, which makes Jack a senior citizen, like my brother. So grow up, Jack, and act your age, although, on second thought, I haven't acted mine, so why should Jack? Where would the fun be in that?

Moving right along, let's talk about the Creepy -- with a capital K and that stands for kook -- Abbott cabin in the woods, where the assembled partygoers include Mariah, Kevin, Fen, Noah, Abby, Summer, and Austin. (Lucky for Nick that Sage knows how to mix drinks, since he apparently gave Noah and Mariah the night off, even after Austin quit -- what a great boss.) I can tell you right now that I would not have gone to that party. I do not do cabins in the woods. I might have gone to a party in one of the suites in the Athletic Club -- I did that a time or two in my callow youth -- but creepy cabin in the woods, not so much.

What will happen to those guys? Will the storm hit them also? Will they get trapped together? Will Freddie Krueger or some other equally horror-oriented character start picking off the partygoers on by one. Frankly, I wouldn't mind if Abby was the first and only one to go. It did sound like, from Austin's outburst in response to Fen's vow that he had never committed a murder, maybe Austin has committed a murder and has obviously not told Summer, who is right down there with Christine on the bottom of my favorites list. Mind you, this is my opinion of the character, not the actors who play them! I do like that the henna and overly red hair is mostly gone, and only highlights of red are left in Summer's hair. It is not so jarring a change as when she went from blonde to I Love Lucy red.

I was wondering how the writers would break up Austin and Summer so Kyle and Summer can revisit first love -- or was it puppy love -- without guilt. I think Austin's secret just might do it. I liked Kyle and Summer's budding romance. Summer was much less whiny, and I liked her then. I do agree with those who say that the events of the last year have given Summer plenty of reasons to be whiny and cranky, especially since she's married to a guy who won't even let her have the pleasure of spending her own money. So what if Summer has a fortune? Hey Austin, enjoy it because she loves you and you love her, or at least you claim you do. Maybe you married Summer for the wrong reason,s and you are feeling regret and guilt. Maybe you enjoyed that kiss with Mariah more than you should have. And maybe, just maybe you'll feel more comfortable on your side of the tracks. Just saying!

Adam is hot, hot, hot. He has a playful puckishness that I find irresistible, and I do not think it will be long before Chelsea feels the same way. Chelsea has been terrific playing opposite all the male actors, including Victor, but I have no doubt that the scenes coming up as Adam and Chelsea fall in love all over again, and he reveals himself, will be riveting.

I'm still hoping that Adam did not kill Delia. I read something somewhere that suggested that Sage killed Delia. That would be a great twist and explain why she saved Adam and pretended he was Gabe -- Right, I forgot about the money motive. Thanks, fellow fan addicts, for reminding me of that!

Many tears were shed as I watched Adam react while he listened to Billy converse with his dead daughter. I could feel the pain that permeated both characters. I cried as I realized that what I was experiencing through Adam and Billy must be a distant echo of what those who have experienced a loss like Billy and Chloe's must feel. Thanks, Y&R, for the catharsis. Better to cry over Delia than rage over "spilt milk" -- read that: "Niece wrecked car for second time in four months, and I have pain!"

Victor, whom I generally adore because he is the only guy in Genoa City who is old enough for me, has crossed my ethical line, and I am just as furious with him as Nikki is. How dare he steal Ashley's formula for "Hex"? That is greedy and dishonest.

I don't know how much business trouble Victor is in, but taking Ashley's concoction is not the way to fix it. Karma always gets you. If I've learned anything from actual life and soap life, it's that karma will take its toll. If I hurt someone, I get hurt tenfold; if I rage at anyone, someone rages at me a hundredfold. Even Victor has to pay. He may win in the money matters, but he will lose something, somewhere else, that is valuable to him, and he will suffer mightily.

If anyone can get the better of Victor, it's Ashley, and though Ashley is also down there at the bottom of my favorites list, I'm rooting for her to pull Jabot's fat out of the fire and get a very fit leg up on Victor. Victor is going to be taking fire from both Ashley and Nikki. That should lead to a very long, hot summer as things heat up at the Newman homestead.

Will Nikki stand her ground and remove Phyllis from the ranch, or will Victor close ranks with Phyllis for purposes of his own? How does Phyllis fit in, what is she planning, and just how, exactly, will Victor separate Phyllis from Jack and clear Phyllis from those pesky attempted murder charges that Christine is so eager to prosecute? I will ponder those questions for my next column. Until then, fellow fan addicts, take care and stay healthy when you get a daily dose of your favorite soap. As always, I look forward to our next meeting in Genoa City with our mutual imaginary friends.

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