If it seems too good to be true...

Confessional hijinks, a mirror-cleaning fetish, and an infectious engagement bug. Yes, it was just a typical, routine week in the lives of our Genoa Citizens. Does Sharon really have what it takes to be a serial killer? Plus, Phyllis found a very effective way to take Jack's mind off of a deceased (?) Kelly. To learn more, check out Two Scoops.

You have heard the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it." Apparently, Stitch has, too, because he sure hasn't seemed quite as enamored with Victoria as he once was. In fact, he almost appeared to be bending over backwards to do everything he could to ditch the gorgeous and independent Ms. Newman. Just a short time ago, he was so besotted with Victoria, he welcomed her and her baby with Billy into his life and voiced that he would cherish the two of them forever. Oh, yea,h and Johnny too. That poor kid is barely shown anymore.

But then, Ben used being drunk as an excuse to tattle to Abby about his one-night romp with Ashley? And even after he had sobered up some, he acted nonchalantly about his little slip. Where's the love, loyalty and honor? (Ooh, "honor" reminds me of another Ashley -- and Scarlett O'Hara.)

So, Stitch's flaming desire to have Victoria in his life seems to have somewhat flickered out. Shoot, he didn't look the least bit guilty or upset about revealing his fling when Ashley confronted him. In fact, he was so casual about the whole affair, Ben almost appeared to be glad the secret was out. Was he still quietly pursuing Ashley -- and was Abby another quest to be conquered?

And to think I was championing Stitch over Billy when Ben first voiced his fondness for Victor's eldest daughter. Of course, that was mainly because I didn't see any on-screen chemistry between Burgess Jenkins' Billy and Amelia Heinle's Victoria, but no matter. I rather regret throwing my support Ben's way now. Could Stitch be one of those guys who only likes the thrill of the chase, and once he has won, he quickly loses interest? What is really going on with the former doctor?

There's a 1628 Scottish proverb, "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride," which could fit in this case also. Ben has everything going for him now. He has gotten past that nasty little murder rap and was shown again to be the heroic veteran everyone had once believed him to be. Stitch won the girl of his dreams, and even the mighty Victor Newman had no desire to wipe him off the face of the earth like he did with pesky little gnat, "Billy Boy." (I still laugh whenever Victor refers to Billy with that endearing nickname.) All of Stitch's wishes have been fulfilled...but was it all too good to be true? Ah ha! Another good saying, "If it seems to be too good to be true, it probably is." That sure appeared to be the case here.

Sure, we are all guilty of wanting something so badly, we claim we would never ask for anything else ever again -- well, until the next time, that is. But Ben seemed to be almost indifferent about Victoria and the fact he had slept -- or should I say, showered -- with Ashley during a rough patch with his dark-haired beauty. Forget the love, where's the guilt? I admit, I am a little baffled. Is there something more that I am not yet seeing? I hope so. But even through all of this, I never once even considered that Stitch might be Victor's confessional confidante until the show almost hinted at it. Could Ben be playing traitor to get the goods on Jack and Ashley and to learn Jabot's secrets?

That would be a good reason why Stitch hasn't shown any remorse for his recent actions. Maybe he believed it was all for the greater good and for his future with Victoria and the Newmans. He has seen for himself how far crossing Victor Newman can get you, especially if you want to be a part of his daughter's life. Billy has been the perfect example of what not to do. But could Stitch really betray Ashley in good conscience, all in the name of love? After all, Ashley was the one who gave Ben a chance after he lost his job as a doctor. Or could Hex be more powerful than we know, and his desires are all now pointing for the crafty yet bewitching Ms. Ashley Abbott?

Or is there more to all of this than what I have considered? Ben was so quick to insist Victoria not join him when he went out of town to retrieve Kelly's ashes. Oh sure, he claimed it was because Kelly had caused Victoria so much grief but he seemed to have more of a personal reason. Stitch has just been so cold and distant to Victoria lately. Is it because he really is Victor's accomplice and is trying to keep it a secret from Victoria? I mean, Victor seems to be always singing his praises. Or maybe Stitch is acting as a double agent for Jabot, which is causing him to distance himself from Victoria.

But in the meantime, let's examine Victoria's recent decisions also. She has seen (several times) some rather fond embraces between Ben and Abby, yet she insisted again that Stitch stick to Abby like glue? It almost looked like Victoria was trying to sabotage her relationship with Ben. Could Ms. Newman wish to become Mrs. Abbott again?

You know, if Kelly's plan was for her "suicide" to cause Jack to feel so guilt-ridden that he could think of no one but her, she failed miserably. Okay, the plot did work for a little while. Jack's peepers were sadly focused on the program for Vivaldi's Four Seasons Concert in the Park, but come on, all it took was for Phyllis to put on a black teddy and fishnet stockings, and Jack only had eyes (and other body parts) for her. Kelly who? Not being the shy, retiring type, Phyllis always lives on the edge, pulls out all the stops, and goes for the gold. Kelly won't even be a footnote in this saga, the way it stands now. However, I, for one, have never believed that Kelly was dead, so I wonder what she will be up to next. No matter what it is, I am sure Victor will be along for the ride.

That's another thing: Stitch barely grieved Kelly. He just got a little drunk then talked to Abby about was how he got hot and heavy -- and wet -- with Ashley in the shower. Was he trying to pit mother against daughter? Ben's actions are still bothering me. Okay, okay, moving on. What a shock! Billy and Chelsea both decided to call off the marriage. Oh, okay, I guess that wasn't so earth-shattering, after all. In fact, I think we all saw it coming a mile away.

Gabriel -- oops, I mean Adam -- did what Adam always does and called all the shots. He sure had Billy's number (insecurity calling) and pretty much unintentionally goaded him into a quickie wedding with Chelsea. Adam's undying (much like the man himself) attention to Chelsea did not gone unnoticed by the guy who had once called himself Liam. Adam also knew Chelsea well enough to get her to admit she still harbored feelings for her not-so-dead husband.

But if Adam's plan was to get Chelsea to fall in love with his version of Gabriel, how is this getting him closer to his goal? Yes, he did manage to stop the wedding, but Chelsea still claimed she loved Billy. I guess Adam bought himself a little more time, though, and I'm sure he was thrilled to hear Chelsea admit that she would always love him. But Adam still has his work cut out for him to get Chelsea to fall in love with Gabriel.

Jack sure was right -- Adam is becoming increasingly careless. Nick and Avery are already suspicious, and Avery now has proof on the documents that "Gabriel" is an imposter. If Avery were to have a handwriting expert study Gabriel's signatures on the before-and-after forms, the jig could very well be up. And to make matters worse, Gabriel's past stories to Chelsea about his father all had a ring of familiarity, since they were based on the relationship between Adam and his "cold and heartless" dad. I liked it when "Gabe" claimed he liked to play dirty just like his dad. Surely, it won't take lightning to strike Chelsea for her to catch on to all the hints Adam keeps dropping. It was pretty telling for Adam to admit he had once idolized his dad, but I can't say I'm all that surprised.

But Adam's words to Victor upon dear old dad's visit to Jabot came closer and closer to revealing the truth, so it was a good thing Jack showed up to stop him. Jack should be able to see that Adam is a powder keg about to go off at any time. I did like the part where Adam pointed out that Victor's M.O. was to blame the victim. Victor tends to have a lot of M.O.s, but that one sure has to be near the top of the list.

Ha, Victor was so funny when he tried to throw "Gabriel" out of Jack's office. Only Victor could do something like that -- and actually get away with it. And when he suggested he and Jack join forces to find out who had breached the computer systems of both Jabot and Newman Enterprises, I cracked up laughing. See, Victor is a comedian. At least, Jack and company have been forewarned that Victor is on the warpath again.

Getting the best of Jack has always been number one on Victor's priority list, no matter what the mustached one says. Nikki knew that very well and, for once, decided to take a proactive approach to try to stop the ongoing feud when she intercepted a manila envelope containing a set of fingerprints in the confessional. But just whose prints are these, and could they have something to do with the Jabot computer being hacked? Nikki had the right idea when she ran to Paul with the evidence, and I was so very proud of her. But after Paul refused to help her, she confronted Victor himself, who denied the fingerprints had anything to do with Jack. So Nikki folded and gave him back the prints.

What?! Nikki, you let me down. I thought, for once, you were going to stomp your foot down and demand that the nonsense stop. Now, the feud will live on, and we will only have Nikki to blame. Oh, okay, maybe Victor and Jack too.

But in the meantime, Jack still had a wedding to prepare for. I thought his idea of having his guests give donations to Joe's charity instead of wedding gifts was a sweet idea. Thank goodness Phyllis was on board with it. The last thing Jack would want is for Red to "see red" at the thought. Seriously, with all of the non-weddings that are running rampant throughout the town, Phyllis' wedding to Jack is one I wish to witness. They are just the perfect fit together.

Gina Tognoni's on-screen chemistry with Peter Bergman is as good as, if not better than, Michelle Stafford's was. This is one recast that has worked wonderfully. Should I cross my fingers and wish for the wedding fairy to give us the grand, if somewhat quiet, marriage ceremony that would be worth this dynamic duo?

Thank goodness Kyle came clean and admitted he was the one who wrote the message on the mirror at Sharon's cottage to try to get her to confess. Whew, what a relief! For a minute there, I was afraid he and Sharon had some sort of clean mirror fetish. An obsessed Kyle sure seemed to have his hands in every part of this murder mystery. Why? For his love of Summer? Since the amateur sleuths have been getting nowhere fast, Dylan decided to enter the investigation and clean up their mess. At least, he won't let everyone else try to railroad Sharon into being Austin's killer. (If he's even dead, that is.)

I mean, Sharon burned down one ranch house and changed the results of a little paternity test, so, according to the novice private eyes, she was guilty of everything under the sun, including murder. Hey, maybe she's a serial killer. Kelly didn't kill herself -- Sharon did it. The inefficient detectives could come up with some far-fetched reason for it. The odds that Sharon really did the deed are about as good as they are for Kelly's actual demise. Billy should play these long shot odds. The payoff would be huge.

However, it is so hard for me to believe that after all the years Sharon and Nick have been together, on and off, and after the many ordeals they have gone through and after raising three children, Sharon never, ever mentioned one word about witnessing Nick's alcoholic contribution to a young Sandra's unfortunate accident in the Newman swimming pool. There was never one peep out of either chick, Sharon or Sandra? Victor must have paid Sandra off very well. I mean, Nick ruined Sandy's life and dreams. Sandra could have been an Olympic diver, for heaven's sake. You can tell me until the cows come home that Sharon never uttered one word in all of those years, and I still wouldn't be able to fathom it. (I bet you thought I was going to say, "uddered," didn't you?)

Still, this so-called scandalous revelation about the diving accident at a young Nick Newman's pool party is barely a blip on today's social radar. So, Nick's drunken actions led to a tragic event when he was young and stupid, and his father later paid the price to keep the matter quiet. Big deal. Anyone who knows either Victor or Nick now would say, "how sad, but who cares?" Heck, Victor's done far worse. As Sharon pointed out, the statute of limitations has passed, and charges couldn't be brought against Nick, even if he were found to be responsible. His so-called unsavory past certainly wouldn't be a reason to lose a child or to commit murder. If Sharon killed Austin to keep the matter quiet, the doctors had better quickly check her sanity, medication or no medication.

We can only hope Dylan will be able to "identify the enemy," and the villain will turn out to be someone other than Sharon. Seriously, she can't be at fault for every single crime committed in Genoa City, right? When would she find the time? But no, the writers have stuck with Sharon as the apparent culprit, since Faith delivered the next clue that her mommy's car had been stuck in the woods the fateful night of Austin's murder.

Sharon just can't catch a break. So, she flipped, went stark raving mad and pounded Austin over the head with the bookend then sped away with Faith in the car, only to slide off the side of the snow-covered road, eh? Okay. It's good Sharon was able to keep such a calm head afterwards with Faith in the car. And apparently, she managed to escape getting any blood splattered on her clothes. Kids are pretty sharp, and Faith would probably have noticed something like that.

Still, Dylan suspected Sharon might have killed Austin, and in a flash, Sharon lost her only friend. Sharon thought Dylan's suspicion was just as absurd as I did. After all, where had she gotten the super human strength to lug Austin's body to the car? Hey, I didn't think of that. Now, if Dylan had been with Sharon along with his superhero powers, it would have been another story. I just can't see Sharon killing a young, innocent guy while her daughter slept in the back seat of her car. Plus, is there any evidence in her trunk? Sharon then remembered a car's headlights flash on her face on that horrible night, and she expressed to Dylan her fears that the killer would try to frame her. That's certainly possible, since everyone else in town has already made her the scapegoat.

Unfortunately, Dylan didn't prevent the inadequate, inept investigators from doing more harm, and they proceeded to add Jack to their list of suspects. Well, everyone but Kyle, that is. Of course, it was all right for Kyle to accuse both Noah's mother and father of killing Austin, but how dare anyone even breathe his dad's name as a possible person of interest. Kyle is becoming more and more obnoxious all the time. I don't blame Summer for not wanting him to kiss her, especially since he had no problem with believing Nick could have murdered her husband. At this point, I almost wish the daring detective duds could prove that Kyle was Austin's killer, just so I wouldn't have to listen to him fling any more accusations around. It's getting old and tiring.

Kevin was still on the case, also, trying to use his computer hacking skills and cunning deductive reasoning for good rather than evil. But really, Kevin, was it worth being suspended just so you could gallop in to learn absolutely nothing about someone (namely Jack) who never should have been considered a suspect at all? Mariah, rein him in, please! Oh well, at least Jack would have a legitimate chance to fight the ridiculous allegations.

How sweet! Noah didn't want to wake up with any regrets, so he proposed to Courtney, and she said yes. And it was no April Fool's joke. Now, we can add them to the list of engaged couples in Genoa City. It must be contagious. I guess it's a good thing Billy and Chelsea ended their engagement, or we'd really be swamped. So, all murder suspicions and accusations came to a screeching halt -- or pause, anyway -- for the wedding preparations. Courtney certainly was a lovely vision in white, and her sparkling headband matched the twinkle in her eyes. Love was in the air. Why, that could almost be the name of a song.

But come on, we all knew even a sudden wedding would never buck the non-wedding trend in Genoa City, and we were not disappointed -- in our knowledge -- since Noah received a text message, supposedly from Courtney, telling him to meet her at the cabin. Why do I have a funny feeling that Courtney was not the one who sent that message? Could the sender be Austin's killer? But hallelujah, the tradition has been preserved. The theme must be always a bridesmaid, never a bride, because no one ever ends up getting married. They just keep getting engaged. Soon, couples all over town will be getting divorces just so they can pledge to be married again. It's an epidemic!

Maybe Kevin should spend more time counseling his brother than breaking past the firewalls at the police station, since Michael seemed to be heck-bent on ruining his marriage to Lauren. Seriously, has Michael learned nothing from the past? I don't get what his intention was regarding Cane though. Was he looking at Cane to be next in line for Lauren's heart? Michael did remember that Cane was married with children, right? Michael has something more wrong with him than cancer if he continues on this path. Lauren sure seemed comfortable sitting back on the bar stool, didn't she? She looked right at home. Oh, it reminded me of how she first got together with Carmine. Noooo! Maybe Michael's notion wasn't so over-the-top, after all.

Cane had more on his mind than the destruction of two long-term marriages, though, since Jill and Colin had absolutely no intention of giving Cane any more power at Chancellor Industries. Since a part of Jill's deal with Devon was that Colin could not be involved with the company, why doesn't Cane just run to the billionaire and have his dad thrown out by his rear? Jill made it clear she would pull no punches with Cane, and it's time Cane took off his gloves also. Let the fight begin -- but no hitting below the belt. Yeah, right.

It almost seems like the writers are trying to determine where to take several of our beloved characters by placing them into different scenarios. Throw a variety of possibly chaotic situations at the wall and see what sticks. Will Cane be battling it out with Jill for control of Chancellor, or will he begin a mad, passionate affair with Lauren as Michael cheers silently for them from afar? Will Lily continue to work on her marriage, or will Joe finally sway her over with his "smarmy" smile because he is always "in perpetual flirt mode"? Even the Dylan, Avery, Joe story could go several different ways, especially if you add Sharon to the mix. I wonder if there is already an end planned or if fan opinion could factor into it.

One story with a lot of potential is Neil's continuing saga with Hilary and Devon, as much as he keeps trying to kick them both out of his life. Leslie even returned to help Neil with his court case, but he refused to be part of the "Leslie Taylor Circus Sideshow." I don't know. It might be rather fun watching him grab his cane and pretend to blindly tap his way into the courtroom. Neil rejected Devon's help, but it appeared Hilary wouldn't let a little thing like Neil's revulsion prevent her from trying to save Neil from himself, as "Ann" turned to "Win" to secretly acquire information. Winning!

When Connor was shown with Adam, it looked like the tot had just gotten over a crying spell. You could still see a few tears on his cheeks. I sometime wonder how they are able to get child actors (as in babies) to get the response they want. It has to be tough, and I would think the child would have to be pretty good-natured. I guess it's a matter of timing and knowing the baby well enough. Kirsten Storms on General Hospital has the right idea about using her own baby to play Maxie's child, Georgie. Kirsten would certainly know her child's moods and temperament, which would help her and the rest of the cast know when to get the best shots.

I had to laugh last week when Dylan acknowledged he could smell the alcohol on Stitch's breath. Really? Where was Dylan's nose the entire time Nikki was drinking? Not one person has ever claimed they could smell alcohol on her breath any time she has fallen off the wagon. Nikki must have some sort of magical breath or a super strong breath mint.

Billy showed a flash of humor when he referred to Gabriel/Adam as Chelsea's "permanent shadow Bingham." It was funny and almost true. If only Billy knew that it was so very true and untrue at the same time.

I loved how Jack noted that Jabot's breach had Victor's grubby fingerprints all over it. I can appreciate when the writers write with irony, and that remark was perfect, considering Nikki intercepted the set of fingerprints from Victor at the chapel.

Even Kyle mentioned it had seemed too good to be true when he learned he and Summer were not related, after all, until he heard Summer was married to Austin. It was too good to be true - until Austin's sudden death, that is.

After a somewhat lengthy dry spell, the writing was a wealth of riches in humor on Friday. Potential chef Avery saw Dylan "stewing over" what she thought were his issues with Joe. When Noah asked his dad to stop the justice of the peace for him, Nick acknowledged, "Yeah, I have a lot of experience with that."

But the funniest lines of the week came from two characters who have to be any writer's dream: Mariah and Kevin.

As Mariah and Kevin discussed Jack and Kyle's possible involvement in Austin's murder before the (non-) wedding, Mariah related, "Ah, that's what family means: stress and freaking out," and Kevin replied, "That should be your toast at the reception."

When Mariah saw Abby rush over to Summer in the park, Mariah gleefully cheered, "Finally, some drama!" Kevin responded, "Oh, because our lives have lacked drama up until this point," to which Mariah explained, "I mean the hair-pulling, eye-clawing fun kind. We need popcorn."

After the fireworks between Abby and Summer didn't happen, Mariah lamented, "That's it? What kind of Genoa City wedding is this? Shouldn't someone swoop in fresh from a coma, wearing a white dress?" Kevin answered back, "Because once wasn't enough?" This was the exchange of the week.

Congratulations to all the Y&R Daytime Emmy nominees! I will be rooting for you, Gina Tognoni (Phyllis), Christian LeBlanc (Michael), Amelia Heinle (Victoria), Elizabeth Hendrickson (Chloe), Kristoff St. John (Neil), Hunter King (Summer), Max Ehrich (Fen), Meredith Baxter (Maureen), Sally Kellerman (Constance), and Ray Wise (Ian) when April 26th rolls around. (I love that the academy added the new category Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series.)

I will admit I am rather surprised that Doug Davidson was not nominated, especially after his heart-wrenching performance in the hospital as he cried again over losing his son, Ricky. But come Daytime Emmy awards day, my heart will especially be pulling for Billy Miller as Billy Abbott. He was phenomenal and mesmerizing in his final scenes in January 2014. But I also love Anthony Geary as Luke on General Hospital. I just wish both remarkable lead actors could win.

Until next time, please stay tuned.Teddi

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